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Biz Roundup
TEDxJackson, Blues Marathon, Chamber Celebration and Hope Grant
TEDxJackson is hosting the second "Ideas Worth Spreading" event at the Jackson Convention Complex on Thursday, Nov. 12, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
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Moody's Cuts Mississippi Power Credit Rating After Elections
A bond rating agency downgraded Mississippi Power Co.'s debt to the lowest investment-grade level, saying the election of two new members of the state Public Service Commission "increases regulatory uncertainty."
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Politics
Bennie Thompson Announces Support for Hillary Clinton
Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi told The Associated Press he has known Clinton since the 1980s, when he was a Hinds County supervisor and she was an attorney in Arkansas. …
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College
Mississippi State Plans Memorial for Athlete and Father Killed in Wreck
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi State will host a memorial service on Thursday in honor of a father and son who both played for the Bulldogs and were killed in …
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National
University of Missouri President Resigns
The president of the University of Missouri system resigned Monday with the football team and others on campus in open revolt over what they saw as his indifference to racial …
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Education
Northwest Rankin High School Complies with Humanist Group, Avoids Lawsuit
Northwest Rankin High School is out of legal trouble after several weeks of back-and-forth with the American Humanist Association.
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Southern Miss Self-Imposes Postseason Ban for 2nd Year
Southern Mississippi says it is self-imposing a postseason ban for the basketball program for a second straight season because of an ongoing NCAA investigation regarding former coach Donnie Tyndall's tenure.
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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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National
Mizzou Football Players Join Protest Over Campus Racism
Student protests over racial incidents on the University of Missouri campus escalated dramatically over the weekend when at least 30 black football players announced they will not participate in team …
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City & County
Chief Lee Vance: Increase School Funding, Lower Crime
Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance wants more money—not necessarily just for more cops, gear, or squad cars, but for schools.
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Person of the Day
David Sollish
David Sollish, Belhaven University's associate professor of musical theater, is directing the university's production of "Shrek the Musical."
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Waggoner Sentencing Delayed in Prison Contract Bribery Case
Sentencing has been indefinitely delayed for a Carthage man who pleaded guilty to bribing former Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps.
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Mississippi Proficiency Levels Dip, as Expected, on New Test
State Superintendent Carey Wright said standards on Mississippi's old tests were too low.
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LGBT
Mississippi Supreme Court Says Same-Sex Divorce is Legal
The Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled Lauren Czekala-Chatham's divorce legal in concurrence with the ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.
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Mississippi Supreme Court Rules Same-Sex Divorce Legal
By adreherThe Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled Lauren Czekala-Chatham's divorce legal in concurrence with the ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage in June. Czekala-Chatham filed for divorce from her estranged wife in 2013 in Mississippi, and has been waiting for an order from the Mississippi Supreme Court since July when both the state and Czekala-Chatham's lawyer filed entry motions for judgment in the case following the Obergefell decision.
After a four-month silence, the Mississippi Supreme Court has finally ruled, but not without pontificating. Five of the Mississippi Supreme Court justices signed the order in support of granting Czekala-Chatham a divorce. Chief Justice William Waller and Justices Michael Randolph, Ann Lamar, Randy Pierce and David Chandler ordered a short entry of judgment in Czekala-Chatham's favor, reversing the previous DeSoto County Court ruling that said Czekala-Chatham could not get a divorce. Justice Pierce wrote a separate statement in support of the court's order.
Four justices objected to the order, however. Justices Jess Dickinson, Josiah Coleman and Leslie King, however, in three separate written statements, objected to the order, and Justice James Kitchens joined Justice King's statement. The 36-page order and statements are available here.
Czekala-Chatham released the following statement after the court's ruling:
"I'm happy this battle has been won. But the war on discrimination is still on going. I continue to struggle with the negative consequences that being in the public's eye has caused. I will soon be divorce (sic) from my former spouse. And realize there are still road blocks when testing discrimination laws. So much still needs to be addressed. This fight has damaged my life in ways I can't recovered (sic) from. Searching for employment for 18 months has put a mental and a financial strain on me. Any potential employer can google my name and I'm dropped as a potential candidate. You can win the battle but the war on discrimination is very much real."
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District by District: How Students Scored
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Department of Education has released the share of students in each school district that met or exceeded grade-level expectations for new tests in algebra …
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Party Switcher Moves GOP Closer to Supermajority in Legislature
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Republicans are closer to having a three-fifths majority of 74 votes in the Mississippi House because a newly re-elected Democrat is switching parties.
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Education
School Advocates, Lawmakers to Clash Over MAEP Formula?
As the dust continues to settle on the failed education-funding Initiative 42, new battle lines appear to be forming over the formula Mississippi uses to fund public schools.
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Person of the Day
Anne MacMaster
Anne MacMaster, associate professor of English at Millsaps College, recently received the school's 2015 Humanities Teacher Award.
