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Then There Were Six

An additional four staff members at Columbia Training School have been suspended with pay, bringing the total to six, according to Department of Human Services Director Don Taylor. DHS is currently investigating staff at the school for shackling at least five students for more than a week because another student said the girls planned to escape.

Bands (And Others): Build Your Own Jackpedia Page!

Now that the new JFP site is up, it's a perfect time to ensure that you, your band, your company, your business, etc., has its own Jackpedia listing. Just go to Jackpedia, sign in (your same user name probably works) and have at it. Remember that the JFP's second annual user-generated print version of Jackpedia comes out in August, so we need your help getting Jackpedia more loaded up than ever. Pass the word.

Jackson Events Honor 9-11 Victims

Former Mississippi Gov. William Winter honors victims and emergency responders of the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorist attacks at noon today during St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral's 9-11 memorial service.

JSU Losing Scholarships

Jackson State University is losing scholarships because of poor academic performance of its student athletes, reports GulfLive.com. Yesterday, the Academic Progress Rate numbers, used by the NCAA to award athletic scholarships, showed that JSU posted 872 on a scale of 1,000 points. Schools with scores under 925 are subject to penalties.

Unclaimed Property Booth Set Up at Fair

One of the more unusual booths at this year's Mississippi State Fair is the one manned by the state treasurer's office. Staffers at the Unclaimed Property Booth, located inside the Trademart building, will attempt to match residents with more than $45 million in unclaimed funds.

Smoking Ban Decreases Heart Attacks

The city of Hattiesburg decreased heart attacks by 13 percent since passing a city-wide smoking ban in 2007, a Mississippi State University study released yesterday found.

Commission Denies Allstate 65 Percent Hike

Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney sent a letter yesterday denying a request from Allstate Property and Insurance Co. to more than double rates for 51,000 residents state-wide, reports the Associated Press. Deputy Commissioner Mark Haire told the Associated Press that the commission did not find justification for the increase.

State Tax Revenues Down Again

Mississippi tax collections for October were behind estimates for the month by 6.74 percent, or $28.5 million, Gov. Haley Barbour stated yesterday. For the year to date, the first four months of the fiscal year, which began in July, are down 7.5 percent, or $111.7 million.

2011 Budget Slashes State Jobs

Following Gov. Haley Barbour's cost-cutting lead, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee released their proposed budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 2010. Among its recommendations is eliminating 3,600 state jobs, and cutting another 10 percent from agency funds, resulting in a budget that is $300 million smaller than that of the current year.

Currier Named Top Health Officer

The state Board of Health named Dr. Mary Currier as Mississippi's state health officer on Wednesday. Currier has been fulfilling the role for the Department of Health since her predecessor, Dr. Ed Thompson, died Dec. 1, 2009.

WAPT Poll Finds City Discontent

A 16 WAPT poll of 500 registered voters, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. of Washington, D.C., found that a majority of Jackson citizens are unhappy with Jackson Mayor Frank Melton, the city council and the direction in which the city is going.

Small Business Loan Clinic

[verbatim] SBA Loan Clinic Available To Entrepreneurs Seeking Financing JACKSON, MS – The U. S. Small Business Administration's Jackson District Office will conduct a Loan Clinic on Tuesday, March 3rd to discuss SBA's guaranty loan programs.

Former President Clinton Urges Religious Tolerance

Former President Bill Clinton says the followers of Islam shouldn't resort to violence when they hear their faith challenged in an increasingly diverse and Internet-connected world.

Open Thread on 1st Presidential Debate, Oct. 3, 8 p.m.

Join the JFP and friends tonight as we discuss (or get snarky about) the first presidential debate.

Anti-abortion Efforts Continue

Pro Life America Network organized a press conference at the Capitol today with legislators and Gov. Phil Bryant to talk about anti-abortion efforts. We'll plan on having more on that tomorrow, but for those who are interested, here's what Bryant had to say:

Merry Christmas & Happy Kwanzaa from the JFP Staff

Todd, Donna, Stephen, Renee, Jakob, Darren, Brian, Natalie, Adam, JoAnne, Herman, Ronni, Casey, Pat, Korey and the other JFP contributors wish you all a safe and thoughtful Christmas and Kwanzaa week. May you all experience peace and prosperity in the new year.

Gulf Storm Bringing Slow, Heavy Rains

Experts expect Tropical Depression 13 in the northern Gulf of Mexico to become a tropical storm today. The National Weather Service reports that this system will hit central Mississippi Saturday with heavy rains of 5-10 inches.

Medicare In Trouble, Thanks to Health Costs and New Medicare Law

Let me guess: federal tort reform is the cure-all? NY Times reports: "Medicare's financial condition has significantly deteriorated, partly because of exploding health costs and partly because of the new Medicare law, the government reported on Tuesday. In its annual report to Congress, the Medicare board of trustees said the program's hospital insurance trust fund could run out of money before the end of the next decade. The trustees have made such projections in the past, but this one was much bleaker than the outlook reported just last year.

The Campaign Against BET: Is it too late for change?

While Black America continues the dialogue regarding the portryal of Black women in the media, I am concerned that we need to start taking action to support our opinions.

School Board Meeting Tonight

The JPS school board meets tonight at 5:30. Although there isn't anything on the schedule about selecting a sex-related education policy, there are only two scheduled board meetings before the deadline to pick either an abstinence-only or abstinence-plus policy to teach next year. It looks like the board will vote on the matter June 19.

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