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City & County
10 Local Stories of the Week
There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
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Memphis Officer Involved in Southaven Shooting
Police in Memphis, Tennessee, said one of their off-duty officers was involved in a shooting in the nearby Mississippi city of Southaven.
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Super Bowl Gets 111.9 Million Viewers, Down from Last Year
Setting television viewership records with the Super Bowl has become almost routine, but this year's average of 111.9 million viewers for Denver's victory over Carolina is down from the past …
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Business
Jackson Airport 'Takeover' Bill Goes Live in Senate, Would Limit Mayor to One Appointment
The Republican governor of Mississippi would get strong control of the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers Airport under the highly anticipated legislation that finally landed this weekend.
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State
Report: Federal Grant Funds Mismanaged, Hurts Black Women
Low-income, single parents could more easily access affordable child care under two bills Mississippi child-care providers and advocates are asking the Legislature to pass.
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National
Dominant D Carries Manning, Broncos to 24-10 Super Bowl Win
With his prolific passing and complete control of the game at the line of scrimmage, Peyton Manning helped usher in the NFL's wide-open era of high-scoring offenses and pass-happy game …
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Merkel Says 'Horrified' by Russian Bombings in Syria
Turkey and Germany agreed on Monday on a set of measures to try to tackle the Syrian refugee crisis, including a joint diplomatic initiative aimed at halting attacks against Syria's …
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Police: 2 Dead, 4 Hurt in Shooting After Mississippi Parade
A shooting after a Mardi Gras parade in Pass Christian killed two men and wounded four other people Sunday, south Mississippi authorities said.
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No Smoke Alarm in More than Half of Mississippi Fatal Fires
More than half the people killed last year by house fires in Mississippi were in homes without working smoke alarms, the Mississippi State Fire Marshal's Office said.
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Mandatory Life for Man Who led 2-State, 3-Week Manhunt
A judge has sentenced a man whose violent crimes started a three-week manhunt in Louisiana and Mississippi, the Washington Parish district attorney said.
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AP Analysis: Continental Tire Deal Incentives At $600 Million
CLINTON, Miss. (AP) — An Associated Press analysis finds that the package of state aid and tax abatements to attract a $1.45 billion, 2,500-job Continental AG tire plant to Hinds …
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Crime
Hinds County Sheriff Dept Makes $3 Million Drug Stop
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Hinds County Sheriff's Department says a traffic stop Wednesday resulted in one of the largest interdiction seizure of methamphetamine — reportedly valued at $3 million …
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Person of the Day
Adam Noone
Adam Noone, a 14-year-old Belhaven resident and a student at the Education Center School, was spending Thanksgiving 2015 with his father, Chris Noone, in New Orleans when he took a …
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Couple Wanted in Crime Spree Led Police on Chase; 1 Killed
A weeklong search for a Missouri couple wanted in a series of robberies and abductions across the South ended with one suspect dead and the other wounded Friday, after authorities …
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Experts Say Launch Won't Bring N. Korea Much Closer to ICBM
According to many experts, the North's rockets look a lot more like what the North says they are—space launch vehicles, or SLVs—and they aren't necessarily helping Pyongyang get that much …
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City & County
JPD: Carjackings Up, Thieves May Be Targeting Women
The Jackson Police Department is conducting investigations into six cases involving perpetrators committing the crimes of carjacking, armed robbery of an individual and auto theft. The suspects, on foot or …
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Florida, Vulnerable to Zika Virus, Gets Ready for Fight
Florida's warm climate, year-round mosquitoes and revolving door of international travelers make it vulnerable to the Zika virus, but local governments here have a history of fighting off outbreaks before …
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Drug Exec Takes the Fifth on Capitol Hill, Angers Lawmakers
Infuriating members of Congress, a smirking Martin Shkreli took the Fifth at a Capitol Hill hearing Thursday when asked about his jacking up of drug prices, then promptly went on …
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Activist Behind Planned Parenthood Video Offered Probation
An anti-abortion activist's plan to reject a plea deal offering probation for charges related to making undercover Planned Parenthood videos likely means his goal is to use a trial as …
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UN Working Group That Came to Jackson Files Report on Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia, Afrophobia
By R.L. NaveThe United Nations’ Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent visited Jackson in late January. Read a column by human-rights attorney Adofo Minka on the significance of their work. Here are the group's initial findings:
WASHINGTON D.C. (29 January 2016) - The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent thanks the Government of United States of America for its invitation to visit the country, from 19-29 January 2016, and for its cooperation. This visit is a follow up to the 2010 visit of the WGEPAD and includes other cities. We thank in particular the Department of State for arranging the visit and the local authorities who met with the Working Group during our visit to Washington D.C., Baltimore, Jackson-Mississippi, Chicago and New York City. We would like to give special thanks to the hundreds of civil society representative organizations, lawyers and individuals from the African American community for sharing their concerns and recommendations with our delegation. We also thank numerous human rights defenders and activists who reached out to us from other parts of the country that we could not visit.
The Working Group regrets that it did not receive access according to the terms of reference for special procedure mandate holders to visit Mississippi State Penitentiary Parchman. It also regrets that it was not possible to meet with all of the high level state and local level authorities requested.
The views expressed in this statement are of a preliminary nature, our findings and recommendations will be presented in our mission report to the United Nations Human Rights Council in September 2016.
During the visit, the Working Group assessed the situation of African Americans and people of African descent and gathered information on the forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia and related intolerance that they face. We studied the official measures and mechanisms taken to prevent structural racial discrimination and protect victims of racism and hate crimes as well as responses to multiple forms of discrimination. The visit focused on both good practices and challenges faced in realising their human rights.
We welcome the work of the Civil Rights centers, in all Government departments, and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission that implement the Civil Rights legislation through investigation of complaints, litigation, issuance of guidance and remedies including compensation.
We also acknowledge the work of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division regarding access to justice, investigations of excessive use of force by the police and patterns of discrimination.
We welcome the recent steps taken by the Government to reform the criminal justice system and combat racial discrimination and disparities through the following initiatives:
- The Fair Sentencing Act.
- The Justice Department's "Smart on Crime" initiative.
- The report and recommendations of the Task Force on 21st Century Policing to strengthen community-police relationships across the country.
- The new Guidance for Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Regarding the Use of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, National Origin, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Or Gender Identity
- The Guidance for consideration …
