Story
Person of the Day
Patrick Willis
It's more likely that athlete will stay too long in his or her sport than leave gracefully or early. That's why it is always shocking when a player like San …
Story
Brother of Man Executed by Utah Firing Squad Calls it Brutal
Randy Gardner still struggles four years later to talk about seeing his brother's bullet-ridden body at the mortuary after he was executed.
Story
Iraqi Troops Clash with IS Group in Iraq's Tikrit
Rockets and mortars echoed across Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit on Thursday as Iraqi security forces clashed with Islamic State militants a day after sweeping into the Sunni city north …
Story
Fake IRS Agents Target More than 366,000 in Huge Tax Scam
Fake IRS agents have targeted more than 366,000 people with harassing phone calls demanding payments and threatening jail as part of a huge nationwide tax scam that has cost taxpayers …
Story
2 Officers Shot in 'Ambush' Outside Ferguson PD
Two officers were shot in front of the Ferguson Police Department early Thursday while demonstrators were gathered across the street—an attack the county police chief described as "an ambush" that …
Photo
Story
Sports
Crowning Queen Victoria
You won't see the biggest impact of Victoria Vivians' first college season in her statistics, although she led the SEC in scoring at 15.1 points per game.
Story
City & County
Troubled Water, Part I: Explaining Jackson's $91 Million Siemens Contract
It's almost impossible to turn on the nightly local television news without coming across a story of a Jackson resident who was shocked to open an astronomically high City of …
Story
Education
Are Schools Still Pushing Kids Out?
Krystal Polk's 13-year-old daughter, Krystin, has been arrested twice this school year. The first time, the eighth-grader spent the night in a juvenile detention center.
Story
State
‘Little Birds’: Families Sex Trafficking Own Kids
Most reported child sex trafficking in central Mississippi happens within families. In a report filled with difficult realities, this was the most shocking finding for researcher Wendy Bradford.
Story
A Woman Who Changed My Life
Before college, I was fortunate enough to work with a program called JTPA. The program placed teenagers in real work situations for on-the-job training.
Story
What to Do About Downtown
The boom downtown, such as it is, is paradoxically not a commercial boom. It is residential.
Story
Person of the Day
Adria Walker
I am writing to enthusiastically support Adria Walker for the honor of MSPA Journalist of the Year. I have never worked with a high-school journalist who deserves such an honor …
Story
As Race for UN Chief Begins, New Campaigns Demand a Woman
At a private working lunch for the five most powerful members of the United Nations Security Council, the conversation turned to the question of the next U.N. secretary-general.
Story
In Battle Against IS, Iraqi Forces Retake Town Near Tikrit
Iraqi security forces on Tuesday retook a town next to the militant-held city of Tikrit as they pressed their offensive against Islamic State militants, two military officials said.
Story
Obama Aims to Clamp Down on Federal Student Loan Servicers
More than 40 million Americans are in debt thanks to their education, and most of their loans come from Uncle Sam. So President Barack Obama is aiming to clamp down …
Entry
Education Honorees Warn About Assault on Public Schools
By AnnaWolfeLawmakers cautioned the audience at the Mississippi Association of Educators event Friday about the state’s attack against the public school system.
“And it’s not an assault without significant resources. They’re sincere in their efforts to do what they can to undermine the efforts of public educators,” said Rep. Kevin Horan, D-Grenada.
MAE awarded Horan the “Humanized Education” award alongside Pastor Marcus Dudley for both men’s work supporting public education and setting an example to others in their communities.
The group of educators also gave Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, the “Friend of Education” award for the years he’s spent fighting for public education in the Legislature. Brown served as the House Education Committee chairman for seven years.
Brown urged educators and advocates to become more active in supporting candidates who believe in the public school system.
“I’m sorry you don’t like (politics), but that’s just the way it is,” Brown said. He added that turning the state around in regards to education must happen through state government and through elected officials. “Elections matter,” he said. “We don’t govern you. You govern us.”
Brown is running for Public Service Commission this year. Horan said he hopes to live up to Brown’s legacy by continuing to advocate for public education during his service in the Legislature.
“Being in favor of quality public education just comes second nature, because that’s the way I was raised, and unfortunately people who are policy makers in this state just don’t feel that way,” Horan said.
MAE also recognized achievement in educator associations across the state in several categories. The group honored Jackson Association of Educators for its instructional and professional development, its system for filing grievances, and its support of political candidates.
Two education students who have the intent to teach in Mississippi, Miranda Williams and Trenton Miller, received $1,000 scholarships.
Story
Person of the Day
Willenham Castilla
Jackson State University's longtime director of choral activities, Willenham Cortez Castilla, died Feb. 28. His funeral took place Friday, March 6, at Christ Temple Church of Christ Holiness (845 N. …
Story
Univ. of Oklahoma President: Frat Members 'Disgraceful'
The president of the University of Oklahoma lambasted members of a fraternity on Monday who participated in a racist chant caught on video, calling them disgraceful and their behavior reprehensible, …
Story
Civil Rights
Bloody Sunday 50th Anniversary: Weeklong March Begins Monday
A march commemorating the historic "Bloody Sunday" demonstration was set to begin Monday afternoon after several speakers at the 50th anniversary commemoration pushed visitors to fight to restore the Voting …
