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Mississippi Art Funds Under Knife

State funding for the arts will likely drop next year, but grants to artists will remain largely the same, said Mississippi Arts Commission Executive Director Malcolm White today.

Moon Made of Honey

Choosing the setting for your honeymoon is a dreamy affair. If you want to go overseas, make sure you have your passport and bank account ready. Spend time early fantasizing about it, then pinpoint the elements that are most important to you. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Pick Up the Phone

Most days, Ben Lott runs around the perimeter of his apartment complex and into nearby neighborhoods working on getting into shape. Ever since his friend Scott Livingston encouraged him to enter the Warrior Dash in mid-February, he has been training.

Edwards to Argue for Job In March

Next month, Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Lonnie Edwards will have a chance to win his job back. Edwards has appealed the JPS Board of Trustees Dec. 7 decision not to renew his contract beyond the end of this school year. Yesterday, the board set Mar. 4 as the tentative date for a hearing, subject to Edwards' approval.

‘The Nightmare Is Over'

After serving 18 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, Levon Brooks walked away from the Noxubee County courthouse a free man on March 13. Arrested for the rape and murder of his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter, Courtney Smith, in 1990, Judge J. Lee Howard released Brooks on his own recognizance on Feb. 15, pending today's hearing. Brooks received a life sentence for the crimes in 1992 after two years in jail waiting for his trial.

Goodbye, Mrs. Chaney

It took 41 years, but Fannie Lee Chaney lived to see her home state mete out a degree of justice for the murder of her son, James Chaney, on Father's Day, 1964. She was born Fannie Lee Roberth on a farm in a community called Sand Flats near Meridian. She married Ben Chaney in 1940, had a daughter, Barbara, the next year, and then gave birth to James Earl Chaney on May 30, 1943, as recounted in the book "We Are Not Afraid."

MDOT Officials Traveling Abroad On Taxpayers' Dime

An investigation in today's Sun Herald reveals a years-long trend of Mississippi Department of Transportation officials using taxpayer money for trips of dubious value. Over four years, Michael Newsom reports, MDOT officials have spent $207,000 on travel, with two officials,, Executive Director Butch Brown and Southern District Commissioner Wayne Brown (no relation), responsible for the bulk of those expenses.

Goodbye, Sweet Ladies

Two beautiful women are about to leave Jackson—and leave a huge void in the creative community here. One of them introduced me to the other of them; without them, the Jackson Free Press might not have been, or at least not what is has become.

FBI Arrests 'Rogue Officers'

The FBI arrested four men, including two former metro police officers and one acting Hinds County Sheriff's deputy, Oct. 2 on charges of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and theft of government property.

This Month in Health

Early diagnosis is vital, as the two major factors that influence breast cancer survival are stage at diagnosis and age at diagnosis.

Originality

I silenced a sleepy yawn as I sat on the red chair in the Jackson Free Press office, waiting for my interview with Ronni Mott concerning my summer internship. I was freshly out of college for the summer and my body was still feeling the pain from all-nighters I pulled during the finals week. A door opened, its sound pulling me out of drowsiness. I looked up to a woman and gawked at her as she gave me an awkward but polite smile while walking to her office.

Judge Discrimination Must Stop

Jackson attorney Dennis Sweet is calling attention to a recent change in Hinds County Circuit Court that should alarm every county resident, regardless of race. Hinds County Chief Judge Swan Yerger issued a memorandum to circuit court judges last November, dividing the four justices into two different case categories.

Calden and Alden Hopkins

When Calden and Alden Hopkins talk about their lives, a picture of strong family devoted to service emerges.

Thousands May Be Dead in N.O.; 50 in Hancock County

AP is reporting:

Hurricane Katrina probably killed thousands of people in New Orleans, the mayor said Wednesday - an estimate that, if accurate, would make the storm the nation's deadliest natural disaster since at least the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. "We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water," and other people dead in attics, Mayor Ray Nagin said. Asked how many, he said: "Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands."

Lott Wants Pascagoula Naval Station Left Open

[verbatim statement] September 12, 2005—WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the wake of problems with the Administration's response plan to Hurricane Katrina, U.S. Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi has asked President Bush to review the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) recommendations to close the Gulf region's two naval bases – including Naval Station Pascagoula, located in one of Mississippi's storm-devastated counties.

Robert Day

After shuffling the deck of Bicycle playing cards multiple times, magician Robert Day was prepared to choose my card. Judging by the complexity of this "illusion," I was sure he would fail.

Mississippi Bans Abortion Based on Race, Sex, Genetic Issues

Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a law Wednesday that bans abortion based on the race, sex or genetic anomalies of a fetus, adding new limits in a state that already has some of the strictest abortion laws in the U.S.

Governor Reeves Issues Statewide Mask Mandate, Delays School Reopenings to Slow the Spread of Coronavirus

Today, Governor Tate Reeves announced two new executive orders to delay public school reopenings in target counties and establish a statewide mask mandate in the ongoing fight against this unprecedented pandemic.

Mississippi Flag Could Have Choctaw-Inspired Diamond Shape

The new Mississippi flag could include a magnolia or stars or representations of rivers. Or it could reflect the state's Native American heritage with a diamond shape that is important to the Choctaw community.

Gov. Tate Reeves Says He'd Veto Mail-in or Early Voting Expansion

Two days after Mississippi voters stood in long lines at polling places, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday that he would veto any efforts to broaden state laws to allow widespread mail-in voting or no-excuse early voting because he thinks the changes would cause “too much chaos.”

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