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Jacksonian
David Skato
By now, David Skato has completed two feature films and two short-subject films, in addition to varied commercial work that, for now, pays the bills.
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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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Sponsors Keep Close Watch on NFL Investigation
Major brand sponsors are watching closely to make sure the National Football League doesn't fumble the investigation into how its executives handled evidence in the Ray Rice domestic violence case.
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Person of the Day
Devon Still
Devon Still wasn’t just focused on making a football team this preseason. He was focused on the health of his 4-year-old daughter Leah, who is battling cancer with a 50-percent …
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Federal Judge Dismisses Oakley Training School Lawsuit
By R.L. NaveU.S. District Judge Henry Wingate has dismissed a federal lawsuit over conditions at Oakley Youth Development Center.
According to a press release, Mississippi Department of Human Services officials credit the ruling with the agency's efforts to "better the conditions for all youth adjudicated delinquent and assigned to Oakley through Mississippi youth courts."
“The Division of Youth Services has worked to improve conditions and education, while ensuring the safety and security of youth at Oakley,” said MDHS Executive Director Richard Berry. “We appreciate the Department of Justice and the federal court’s affirming the progress and advances made for youth in state custody.”
Gov. Phil Bryant also weighed in, through the release, saying: “I want to thank Richard Berry and the Mississippi Department of Human Services for working hard over the last nine years to bring conditions to their current levels at the Oakley Youth Development Center. The diligence of their staff to meet the many compliance issues is apparent, and they have succeeded in improving the center drastically from where it was from almost a decade ago.”
In 2003, the U.S. Department of Justice conducted an investigation of Oakley and the now-closed Columbia Training School in response to three federal lawsuits alleging abuses ranging from staff forcing students to eat their own vomit, to hog-tying students and leaving them naked in dark cells for days at a time. The DOJ successfully sued Mississippi to correct the brutal treatment of inmates and the deplorable conditions of the facilities in 2005, and had worked with the DHS to devise and implement a plan of action.
DHS added: "In 2010 the state had met 51 of those requirements, and an amended agreement was entered into by all parties. Earlier this year the federal monitor assigned to the case found that OYDC had maintained substantial compliance with the 23 remaining provisions for a significant period of time. As a result of that report, DOJ and the State of Mississippi filed to dismiss the suit.
"Numerous changes have occurred at Oakley since 2005. Expansion of medical and dental services, better mental health care, and an updated education program accredited by Mississippi Department of Education are just a few of the programs now successfully operating at facility. Although DYS has had numerous challenges to overcome, the division has accomplished its goal of meeting the requirements of the lawsuit."
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Police: Father Confessed to Killing His 5 Children
The five children of Timothy Ray Jones Jr. had been dead for days by the time he led investigators to the spot where they had been dumped among dead trees …
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Immigration
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Terminating'
Short of getting himself elected commander-in-chief or asking President Obama very nicely, Bryant is likely fighting a losing battle against these immigrant children.
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Rule Delays Deposits for Domestic Violence Victims
Mississippi's utility regulators have approved a revised plan to let victims of domestic violence delay paying utility deposits for 60 days.
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Domestic-Violence Victims Can Waive Utility Deposits
Mississippi domestic-violence victims can now overcome a major hurdle to starting a new life away from their abusers.
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City & County
Stamps' Gun Ordinance Advances
Since late last year, Ward 4 Councilman De'Keither Stamps, who also presides over the city council, has been tossing the idea around of requiring gun-owners to report their firearms stolen …
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NATO Approves New Force Aimed at Deterring Russia
Seeking to counter Russian aggression, NATO leaders approved plans Friday to create a rapid response force with a headquarters in Eastern Europe that could quickly mobilize if an alliance country …
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More Violence at Troubled Nashville Juvenile Jail
At a Nashville detention center with a long history of violence, escape attempts and sexual-abuse allegations, more than two dozen teens broke out of a common area and created a …
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Cover
To the Pole!
There are varying opinions about counting exercise usually associated with the sex industry as valid or appropriate.
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Crime
MDOC Wants New Private Prison Contracts
The Mississippi Department of Corrections is ending its contracts with a Utah-based private prison firm to operate four state penitentiaries and rebidding the work.
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After Rice, NFL Increases Domestic Violence Bans
Acknowledging he "didn't get it right" with a two-game suspension for Ravens running back Ray Rice, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced tougher penalties for players accused of domestic violence, including …
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Left to Fend: The State’s Mental Health Failure
In 2013, MSH decided, with help from the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, to close their community-based services and prioritize their acute inpatient care at Whitfield.
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Response to "Time to Reset, White Folks" by Donna Ladd
It tickles me a bit to see Tea Partiers complain about the Ferguson protesters looting and destroying property. They, after all, named themselves after a group of protesters who dressed …
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Federal Prosecutions Not Easy in Police Shootings
As the Justice Department probes the police shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old in Missouri, history suggests there's no guarantee of a criminal prosecution, let alone a conviction.
