Photo
Story
LGBT
Miss. Appeal Leaves Gay Marriage Status in Limbo
U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves on Nov. 25 overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage, but put his ruling temporarily on hold to let the state appeal. The 5th U.S. …
Story
Politics
Making Mississippi 420 Friendly
The potential of cannabis as an appetite stimulant is among the key arguments from proponents of rolling back legal restrictions for marijuana for its medicinal purposes.
Story
2nd Night of Berkeley Protest Turns Violent Again
Raucous demonstrations hit Berkeley's streets for a second straight night as protesters angered by police killings in Missouri and New York clashed with officers, vandalized businesses and even fought with …
Story
Chokehold Case Stirs Debate on Special Prosecutors
After a police officer wasn't indicted in a fatal chokehold caught on video, some officials are reviving calls to entrust such cases to special prosecutors, rather than local district attorneys.
Story
US, NATO End Afghan Combat Command After 13 Years
The U.S. and NATO closed their combat command in Afghanistan on Monday, more than 13 years after invading the country in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks to …
Story
US Sends 6 Prisoners from Guantanamo to Uruguay
Six Guantanamo Bay prisoners sent to Uruguay to be resettled as refugees are doing well and are undergoing medical checkups before being released to begin new lives, the country's defense …
Story
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.
Story
Mississippi OKs 1 School, Rejects Second
Mississippi officials on Friday signed off on the state's second charter school, but rejected plans for a third.
Story
Person of the Day
Bettye Quinn
Bettye Quinn, a professor of elementary education and psychology at Belhaven University, has been attending the university's Singing Christmas Tree event for 77 years.
Entry
Gov. Bryant Gives Dr. Aaron Shirley His Day, Keeps Flags Full-Mast
By R.L. NaveGov. Phil Bryant declared Dec. 5 to be Dr. Aaron Shirley Day in Mississippi in honor of the medical pioneer who passed away last week.
Shirley was born in Gluckstadt, but moved to Jackson at an early age. Shirley attended Lanier High School and graduated from Tougaloo College in 1955 and Meharry Medical School in Nashville, Tenn., in 1959. He completed his residency in pediatric medicine at the University of Mississippi in 1965.
In 1970, Shirley founded the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center and, in 1997, the Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center. Aaron also served as president of the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation. The Jackson Medical Mall was set up in an abandoned shopping center; the facility is a valuable asset in helping revitalize a disadvantaged area of Jackson. Shirley, in 2010, also launched a program to dispatch physicians to rural areas.
In addition to the proclamation, state Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, had also asked Gov. Bryant to order flags around the state lowered to half-mast in remembrance of Shirley but was told the custom is to lower flags only to honor fallen law enforcement and military personnel and elected officials.
Horhn called the denial disappointing and said the state's policy on when flags can be placed at half-mast may need to be clarified.
"I think he deserves that distinction," Horhn said of Dr. Shirley. " Aaron Shirley was one of the finest Mississippians this state ever produced."
Funeral services for Dr. Shirley take place Saturday Dec. 6 at the UMMC Conference Center at the Jackson Medical Mall at 11a.m.
Story
Civil Rights
After Ferguson, Mississippi Pushes Cop Accountability
Several Mississippi officials are looking at ways to increase police accountability in the wake of deadly encounters between police and unarmed men nationwide.
Photo
Story
Cameras Worn by Police are no Panacea, Experts Say
Police body cameras have become a rallying cry in the wake of racially charged decisions by grand juries in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City, but experts caution that increased …
Story
South Africans Mark Anniversary of Mandela's Death
Friends and family of Nelson Mandela laid wreaths Friday at a bronze statue of the late statesman to mark the anniversary of his death.
Story
Dawn of Orion: NASA Launch Opens New Era in Space
NASA's new Orion spacecraft zoomed toward a high point of 3,600 miles on an orbital test flight Friday, ushering in a new era of exploration that could one day put …
Story
Economy
US Adds 321,000 Jobs, the Most in Nearly 3 Years
A burst of U.S. hiring in November—the most in nearly three years—added 321,000 jobs and provided the latest evidence that the United States is outperforming other economies throughout the developed …
Story
Civil Rights
Activists Want City Human Rights Commission
In the aftermath of a string of extrajudicial killings, including Michael Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York, advocates in Jackson want to charter a commission to protect …
Story
Business
Pregnancy Discrimination Case Reaches Supreme Court
Today the U.S. Supreme Court will hold oral arguments in yet another blockbuster case at the intersection of sex discrimination, workplace law and reproductive justice.
