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Burns Asks Barbour to Delay Execution

Attorneys representing death-row inmate Joseph Daniel Burn are asking Gov. Haley Barbour to delay Burn's July 21 execution date, The Associated Press reported today.

Organizer Promotes Downtown Film Festival

Downtown Jackson will come alive this month with the Mississippi Film Institute's Mississippi International Film Festival, local radio producer and Mississippi Film Institute founder Edward Saint Pe told a crowd at Koinonia Coffee House's Friday Forum.

Jewell Davis

Jewell Davis is soft spoken and polite, but when she talks about improving Jackson's future as a public information officer for the office of mayor Harvey Johnson Jr., her passion is evident.

Schools Waiting on $17M Reimbursements

State Medicaid officials are optimistic that a long-delayed program to help school districts with some of their administrative costs could begin reimbursing schools soon. Speaking at a budget hearing last week, representatives for the state Division of Medicaid last week said that federal approval for the reimbursement program is imminent.

Dr. Cora Norman

Cora Norman took on the role of executive director for the Mississippi Humanities Council at the organization's 1972 inception, staying with the group for 24 years. Her new book, "Mississippi In Transition: The Role of the Humanities Council," documents her experiences with the council, including the tension of the Civil Rights Era in the state and the council's positive influence in helping to ease the adjustments of moving toward an integrated society.

Dem Support for Power Grab Not Likely, Holland Says

Joint Legislative Budget Committee member Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, says House Democrats will not readily agree to hand Gov. Haley Barbour more power to personally cut the state budget. "We're likely to give the governor that kind of authority on the same day we'll agree to consolidating the school districts and universities and reorganizing government," Holland said.

Be My Valentine: Sweet Events and Attractions in Jackson

Many Jackson area restaurants, hotels and attractions are offering sweetheart treats in honor of Valentine's Day.

Scott Colom

A new attorney with the Mississippi Center for Justice, Scott Colom will spend the next two years working to combat predatory payday lending in the state. Colom is the recipient of a prestigious Skadden Fellowship, which helps new law school graduates enter public-interest fields by paying their salary for two years.

Council To Vote on Bigger JPS Board

The City Council is set to vote tomorrow on an expansion of the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees from five to seven members. Proponents of the move argue that it will make the school board more accurately represent the city, with one member corresponding to each of the city's seven wards.

Servia Fortenberry

If anyone is more American than apple pie, it would have to be Servia Fortenberry. Fortenberry, 39, is a native of Magnolia, Miss., and mother to two sons, Malcolm Williams, 18, and Edward Howard, 10. She became a Jackson transplant in 1997 when a truck lost control on a rainy day and hit her eldest son, putting him into a coma and a body cast for more than six weeks at a Jackson-area hospital. The accident forced her to move to the city where she became a temporary office worker at the mayor's office, and eventually worked her way into a permanent position. She decided to stay in Jackson permanently.

Judges Order Two Off Mississippi Death Row

In separate cases, federal judges have ruled that two Mississippi inmates on death row in Parchman are mentally ill. Both cases stem from 1981 crimes, and the two inmates have each served 27 years.

FBI Seeks Cold-Case Next of Kin

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is reassessing more than 100 unsolved civil rights era cold cases, and is searching for victims' next of kin to notify the families of their results, according to a release from the agency. In 33 of the cases, the FBI has not found next of kin, including 11 from the Jackson division, listed below.

Did State Mismanage Stimulus Funds?

A Jackson company is alleging in Hinds County Chancery Court that the state mismanaged $3.75 million in federal stimulus funds by passing over the lowest and best bidder for a contract to "green" public buildings.

Panel Tweaks State Grading System for Schools

Mississippi's model for evaluating schools and school districts could change next year, if the state Board of Education approves changes recommended by a panel today. The state Commission on School Accreditation, which reviews the state's grading system for schools and school districts, voted today to recommend two changes to the state Board.

Dr. Ed Thompson

Dr. F.E. "Ed" Thompson was a leader in improving the health of others. Thompson, 62, held the post of Mississippi's health officer, from 1993 to 2003, and again from 2007 until his death Tuesday of colon cancer.

Monday: School District Merger Meeting

Monday, Feb. 1, the Commission on Education Structure will hold its second meeting to discuss how best to achieve school district consolidation in Mississippi. The meeting is scheduled for Room 216 in the state capitol building, starting at 1 p.m., and the public is invited to attend.

Susan Lunardini

Susan Lunardini believes that a strong business climate goes hand in hand with a safe city. As the president of the Jackson Police Foundation, she hopes to promote that climate in Jackson.

ACLU Fights Prom Cancellation

To help protect teen Constance McMillen's decision to bring her girlfriend to the prom, the Mississippi ACLU will file an injunction next week to prevent the Itawamba County School District from canceling the school's prom. The district's school board announced the cancellation of the dance, previously scheduled for April 2, on Wednesday, March 10.

JFP Hosts Domestic Abuse Forum at Welty Library

Why do men abuse? Why do women stay? How can the community stop the cycle of domestic abuse in a state that is among the most dangerous for women?

Ellen Bourdeaux

Gallery 119 Director Ellen Bourdeaux wants to foster a place for Jackson artists and improve the community. She is combining those efforts for the "Luck of the Draw" fundraiser this Saturday at Gallery 119.

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