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Hinds Planning Bolton Airport Development

Hinds County is planning an aviation and aerospace development for the industrial park surrounding John Bell Williams Airport in Bolton. The Hinds County Economic Development District will present the county Board of Supervisors with a master plan for the industrial park at its next work session, Executive Director Blake Wallace said today.

Irby Wants Her Day in Court

Karen Irby, sentenced to 18 years in prison for the deaths of two young doctors last month, says she was forced to plead guilty, and now wants to withdraw that plea, reports WAPT. Irby was legally drunk and behind the wheel of her black Mercedes when the car crossed into oncoming traffic on Old Canton Road, Feb. 11, 2009, crashing head on into a pickup truck driven by Drs. Lisa Dedousis and Daniel Pogue. The two doctors died at the scene when their truck burst into flames.

Barbour Signs Tougher Stalking Law

Also: Listen to Rep. Brandon Jones and Sen. David Blount talk about the stalking bill on JFP Radio.

Jackson Crime Stats Continue Downward Trend

Major crimes in Jackson dropped again last week, according to a weekly crime report released this morning at a Jackson Police Department meeting. Violent crime was down 20 percent from the previous week, while property crime droppped 7 percent. For the year, police have reported almost 10 percent fewer violent crimes and 0.7 percent more property crimes than last year.

Hinds Officials Challenge Personnel Cuts

A round of budget cuts and layoffs last week prompted outcry from two Hinds County officials at this morning's meeting of the Board of Supervisors. Tax Collector Eddie Fair told board members that their Sept. 15 decision to slash 48 filled positions from the county's payroll would affect more than just those employees.

JFP Person of Day: Jesse O'Quinn

On a recent Sunday morning, Jesse O'Quinn woke up thinking about plans for his upcoming 23rd birthday. He couldn't shake recent images he'd seen of the devastation in Haiti, and instead of getting presents on his birthday, he wanted to give back.

Sierra Club Takes Kemper Plant to Court

The Mississippi Sierra Club filed a lawsuit today in Harrison County Chancery court challenging a decision by two Mississippi Public Service Commissioners to reverse an earlier PSC decision capping expenses of a new $2.9 billion coal-burning power plant in Kemper County.

Daniel Fuller

Forest Hill High School teacher Daniel Fuller was teaching Advanced Placement literature last week, when Jackson Public Schools District Superintendent Lonnie Edwards, faculty members and several TV camera crews entered his classroom to deliver some unexpected news: The district named Fuller, 34, JPS teacher of the year.

Mississippi Schools Cut 2,000 Jobs

Mississippi school districts have cut more than 2,000 employees over the last year to manage their shrinking budgets, state Superintendent for Education Tom Burnham told a panel of legislators yesterday. Speaking to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, Burnham emphasized districts' cost-cutting measures while asking legislators to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program in the upcoming 2012 fiscal year.

JPD Honors Officers; Crime Drops For The Week

Read this week's crime report

Hood Offers Census Cautions and Tips

Attorney General Jim Hood is cautioning Mississippians to take care when revealing information in the upcoming 2010 census. Although he urges everyone to cooperate with census takersthe census determines levels of federal program funding and number of U.S. House seats, for examplehe says citizens should be wary of identity thieves impersonating census workers.

State Economic Recovery Projected for 2013

Like the nation as a whole, Mississippi can expect to recover from the nationwide economic recession by 2013, according to a report released last week by the state Institutions for Higher Learning. Many economic indicators suggest that the state's economy is beginning to turn around. Mississippi's recovery will lag slightly behind that of other states, however, because its economy relies more on slow-growing, lower-productivity industries.

It's Official: Gulf Disaster Bigger than Valdez

If anyone had any doubts before, new government estimates confirmed yesterday that the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico surpasses the 11 million gallons dumped into Alaska's Prince William Sound in March 1989, when the Exxon Valdez tanker ran aground. The Sun Herald reports that new estimates from two teams of scientists say the leak in the Gulf is spewing between 504,000 and upwards of a million gallons a day, which means that between 18 million and 39 million gallons have spewed into the ocean to date.

New Levee Board Chairman, Finance Committee

The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board voted to elect Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads chairman of the board and created a financing committee to fund flood control during today's meeting.

Corinne Fox

As Jackson's director of planning and development, Corinne Fox has her eyes focused on the future. As a result of her forward thinking, The American Institute of Certified Planners granted fellowship to Fox last week for her achievements in mentoring, research and community service. Fox is one of 425 city planners who the organization has given fellowship to since 1999.

Robert Dudley

Former Hattiesburg resident Robert Dudley will succeed Tony Hayward as BP's new CEO, the embattled oil company announced today. Dudley, who has been directing BP's cleanup operations in response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, is the first American to head the British company. Hayward will step down Oct. 1, the BP board said.

Otis Ashford

Otis Ashford is suing the City of Moss Point and three Moss Point police officers for civil-rights violations related to an April 2008 arrest. Ashford, a Moss Point resident, was visiting the house of his sister, Dell Jones, also of Moss Point, on April 18, 2008, when he heard noises coming from his brother's house next door. According to his lawsuit, Ashford went to his sister's porch to investigate the noise and saw two men struggling in the dark in front of his brother's house. Believing his brother to be involved and in danger, Ashford demanded that his brother be let go.

Chad King

Standing on stage wearing a sparkly corset, a pearl necklace and glossy red lipstick, Chad King is the quintessential Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Fondren Theater Workshop's "The Rocky Horror Show."

Sean Byers

As the new general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn, better known as the King Edward Hotel, Sean Byers knows he is at the center of Jackson's renaissance and wants to help it flourish.

Jackson Police Putting Focus on Property Crime

Assistant Police Chief Lee Vance called on Jackson police to concentrate on property crimes in the city, noting at a meeting today that the Jackson Police Department has a "realistic chance" of finishing the year with an overall crime reduction from last year.

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