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The Most Intriguing of 2017
The last year was a crazy one, to say the least, but crazy often means that intriguing people came out of the woodwork. Here are some of the local people …
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[Ladd] Ask the $34,000-A-Day Questions
In January, I wrote an editor's note about the governor that miffed some Democrats around the city. They told me I went too easy on Barbour. I wrote then that …
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City & County
Panel: Remove White Judge Who Assaulted, Used Racial Slur Against Black Man
The Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance wants the state supreme court to remove from office and fine a white judge for physically assaulting and using a racial slur against an …
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Shop and Do Good
By RonniMottJackson area residents can now support one of the city's important nonprofits without a second thought .
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MDOC Plans to Use Walnut Grove Site for Alternative or Re-Entry Programs
By adreherThe Mississippi Department of Corrections plans to use the former Walnut Grove Correctional Facility site for other purposes, like alternative or re-entry programs, a press release from the department says.
Commissioner Marshall Fisher has mentioned the mental health of inmates as a pressing concern in his department at government working group meetings this month and MDOC has formed a partnership with the Mississippi Department of Mental Health.
“We do not intend for the Walnut Grove site to go unused,” Fisher said in the press release. “Just as we have formed a partnership with the Mississippi Department of Mental Health to assist us in supervising mentally ill inmates both inside and outside prison, we are strongly pursuing other ways to help inmates re-enter their communities in a meaningful way and remain out of prison.”
MDOC is refocusing its resources on rehabilitation, a press release from the department says. There are 3,194 inmates reported to have mental health diagnoses and about 15,000 reporting substance abuse, including drug and alcohol use.
The former prison could be used as a technical violation center, which was created under the comprehensive criminal justice reform legislation in 2014 as an alternative to incarceration. MDOC currently operates three such centers in Rankin, Leflore, and Simpson counties.
Walnut Grove closed late last week when MDOC moved the last prisoners to the state-run facilities. MDOC announced the closure on June 10, before the U.S. Bureau of Prisons announced that it would be phasing out its use of private prisons.
“MDOC’s decision to close Walnut Grove is in no way connected to the U.S. Department of Justice’s decision nor is the closure the result of any advocacy group’s ‘victory’,” Fisher said in the press release. “When the prison closed, significant improvements had been made under Management & Training Corporation, and juvenile offenders were no longer being housed there. We believe enough significant improvements had been made that the consent decree providing oversight was no longer needed.”
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[Balko] Kern County's Monstrous DA
Farewell to Ed Jagels, a man who put 25 innocent "child abusers" in prison.
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Rapping For Reform
Gray skies and a steady drizzle did nothing to dash the exuberance of 200 young people gathered on the steps of the state capitol on Monday, Jan. 16. Many of …
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Reported H2B Kidnapping in Pascagoula
It seems like each of these immigration posts builds off another. The last time I blogged, I brought attention to inherent flaws in the guest worker program, a modern form …
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Changemakers
Malcolm White, who oversees statewide arts-based initiatives at the Mississippi Arts Commission, says creativity is crucial on a local level. "The arts bring joy to the citizenry," he says. "The …
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Look at All the 2009 Chick Ball Art and Prize Donors!
With the 5th Annual Chick Ball just days away, we are excited to celebrate the triumphs of domestic violence survivors, as well as the creative talents of women artists and …
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Crime
DA Smith Trial: Tales of Affairs, Fighting, Hiding in the Closet
An all-white jury of eight women and six men settled in to listen to the state's case against Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith on Tuesday, Sept. 11, in …
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Summer Travel Forecast: Better, but No Blowout
Airlines, hotels and campgrounds are commanding higher rates and seeing more customers than a few summers ago, and luxury hotels are selling out. Local businessmen and state officials are optimistic.
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City & County
2013 Chick Ball is Saturday!
The Ninth Annual JFP Chick Ball is Saturday at Hal & Mal’s to raise funds for the Center for Violence Prevention. Doors open at 6 p.m.
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Events
Community Events and Public Meetings
The Jobs for Jacksonians Job Fair and Business Engagement Summit is Sept. 26 at the Jackson Medical Mall from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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[Stiggers] The Honeymoon Phase: Calm Before the Storm
We interrupt "Rikki Lakeside and Jerry Springtymer Present Outrageous Talk Show Guests and Their Problems" to bring you a special message from Bro. Kunta "Rasheed X" Toby, producer of a …
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[Stiggers] Theory of Gougenomics
Boneqweesha Jones: "Welcome to the Hair-Did University School of Cosmetology's Summer Lecture Series, at the Club Chicken Wing Multi-Purpose Community Development Complex. The guest speaker is Dr. Otis 'Nickel-N-Dime' Wilson …
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[Stiggers] A Mass Choir In Denial
Boneqweesha Jones: "It's time for the 'Qweesha Live Television Magazine Movie Preview for 2010'! My movie pick for the new decade of the new millennium is 'The Bottom Line is …
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Brian Keith Leavitt
As an investigator with the Mississippi attorney general's Cyber Crime Unit, Brian Keith Leavitt's attention to detail and use of technology has uncovered hundreds of child-exploitation cases in the state.
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A Fine Southern Romance
As a young girl, Mississippi author Melanie Atkins grew up listening to the tall tales that embody the oral tradition of the Deep South. Writing was her passion, and she …
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Sheila Bedi
On Nov. 29, Sheila Bedi testified before the Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence in Baltimore, Md.
