Jackson Free Press

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Mississippi native Duvalier Malone has started a petition to remove the Confederate symbol from the Mississippi state flag. The online petition form has over 1,100 signatures. In a statement, Malone said he "wants to create enough momentum for Mississippi to have another referendum vote on the flag, which will hopefully result in positive change."

The petition is written in letter format, and Malone cites recent racially motivated violence in Jackson as well as the Charleston massacre, saying that positive change can come from such atrocities.

He writes, "Now is the time to join forces and face this issue, which has cast a shadow on our state for too long. Even Republican Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn agrees: Now is the time to leave the Confederate battle flag behind us -- before another innocent person is attacked in its name."

As previously reported by the Jackson Free Press, unless Gov. Bryant calls a special session, the flag debate will have to wait until January for the Legislature. If the petition turns into a ballot initiative, it would need a minimum of 107,216 signatures, with specific number requirements from each of the five congressional districts.

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2015/jul/07/22026/

Mississippi is one of three states selected to receive the Toyota USA Foundation Grant for career education. The $1.5 million grant will be shared amongst students in Mississippi, New York and Kentucky. The grant will span over a three-year project that focuses on increasing student interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and manufacturing careers. Four Mississippi high schools will receive the grant funding.

The grant focuses on preparing high school students for careers and improving graduation rates simultaneously. The project uses an online, Web-based program to train freshman and sophomore high school students in STEM and manufacturing skills that can help students obtain certificates at the end of the program.

In a press release from the Mississippi Department of Education, state superintendent Dr. Carey Wright said, "One of the Mississippi Board of Education’s goals is ensuring every student graduates high school and is ready for college and a career, and this program fits perfectly into that goal. We greatly appreciate Toyota USA Foundation’s commitment to providing career and educational opportunities to our students."

The following Mississippi schools have been selected for the Toyota grant project:

• Saltillio High School in the Lee County School District
• New Albany High School in the New Albany School District
• Pontotoc High School in the Pontotoc City School District
• North Pontotoc High School in the Pontotoc County School District

The following was released, verbatim, from the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning:

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning has issued a call for nominations for members of the Jackson State University Campus Search Advisory Committee. Representatives from all stakeholder groups, including students, alumni, faculty, staff and the community are needed on the committee.

The deadline for recommendations for members of the Campus Search Advisory Committee is Tuesday, January 17, 2017. Nominations may be submitted via an online form at http://www.mississippi.edu/ieo/jsu/constituency.asp or by mailing a letter of recommendation to ATTN: JSU Campus Search Advisory Committee, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS 39211. Both self-nominations and nominations of fellow members of the JSU campus community are encouraged.

Members of the Campus Search Advisory Committee will be asked to attend in-person meetings, participate in conference calls, and review materials through a secure website.

According to Board of Trustees Policy 201.0509 D, members must provide assurances that “they have not formed any opinion as to the identity of the particular person that should be selected as the IEO, that they have no personal, professional or other relationship with any person that they understand may be a candidate that would impair their objectivity in fairly considering all candidates, that they will endeavor to remain open to considering all persons that apply in a fair and unbiased manner, and that they will not agree with any person to advocate or campaign for the selection of any particular candidate.”

For more information and to track progress on the presidential search, visit the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning’s Web site at www.mississippi.edu and through Twitter @MSPublicUniv and @JSU_Search.