City & County
City Starts Long, Slow Process of Seeking Help for Street Repairs
Even without the emergency declaration he sought, Mayor Tony Yarber's administration is moving forward with applying for state and federal money to fix Jackson's crumbling infrastructure.
Politics
More Fallout Over MAEP Funding Court Battle
Ironically, the same cadre of Republican leaders who unilaterally pushed through 42A are lambasting Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Winston Kidd for what they say is usurping the Legislature's authority …
Justice
Walnut Grove Warden Defends Staff Training
Walnut Grove has cleaned up its act. That's the message from top officials with the beleaguered privately operated prison and the Mississippi Department of Corrections. It's also the reason the …
City & County
Despite Emergency Snub, City Working on Infrastructure
The City of Jackson is moving ahead with plans for massive infrastructure upgrades despite the city council's snub of Mayor Tony Yarber's request for a civil-emergency proclamation earlier this week.
DA Dropping Charges Against Willie Jerome Manning in One Set of Murders
Prosecutors will dismiss capital murder charges against Willie Jerome Manning, 46, for the deaths of two Starkville women in 1993 as Manning continues fighting his conviction in a separate case.
City & County
Yarber's Emergency Decree Rejected, But It Doesn't Mean a Thing
Last night's Jackson City Council meeting all but jumped the shark when an aide to Mayor Tony Yarber walked into the chamber carrying a bag full of bottled water to …
City & County
Jackson: Rankin Wastewater Plan ‘Disingenuous’
With Jackson and its citizens burdened with a $400 million consent decree to fix its sewer system, it was already going to be a tough hill to climb.
Education
Critics Blast ‘Third-Grade Gate’ Tests
Two years ago, at the urging of Gov. Phil Bryant, the Legislature passed the Literacy Based Promotion Act, but to the consternation of Democrats and other education advocates, minimal funding …
Hinds Public Defenders: Judge Weill Setting a Bad Precedent in Barring Attorney
Assistant Hinds County Public Defender Alison Kelly says Judge Jeff Weill's charges are "extreme."
Politics
Conservative PAC Wants Term Limits
The United Conservatives Fund today said the group has filed documents with the secretary of state's office to start the process to limit how long some Mississippi officials can serve …
Education
Uncertainty About 3rd Grade Gate Standards Frustrates School Officials
With testing for the so-called 3rd grade reading gate—which requires students to pass a literacy test before moving to the next grade—now under way around the state, some public school …
City & County
Supreme Court: Stallworth Does Not Have to Register as a Sex Offender
The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled today that a Jackson pastor, who was convicted of a sex crime in another state but had the conviction expunged, does not have to register …
Education
Jeb Bush on Hand for Special Needs Bill Signing
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush attended Senate Bill 2695's signing at the Capitol. The Mississippi program is based on one created in Florida under Gov. Bush, a Republican preparing to …
City & County
Jackson Wants Hearing on Rankin Wastewater Plan
The City of Jackson will ask state regulators for a formal evidentiary hearing to contest the approval of a wastewater treatment plant in west Rankin County.
City & County
Shorting MAEP Basically a Tax Hike
Dr. Cedrick Gray, the superintendent of Jackson Public Schools, seems to be proving tight-fisted Mississippi lawmakers right when they say it doesn't necessarily take throwing money at schools to improve …
Politics
Court Spat Ensnares Defendants, Taxpayers
The list of cases Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Jeff Weill has taken from the county public defender's office and assigned to private attorneys has swelled to more than 60 …
City & County
Proposed Capitol Street Lofts Get Tax Credits
Plans to spruce up what many people consider to be an eyesore across from the King Edward are finally a go.
City & County
JPS Progress Report Good, Still Low Marks for MAEP Funding
Despite legislative budget writers shortchanging them, along with every other school district in the state, Jackson Public Schools are showing improvement in several areas.
National
A Special Session for Police Body Cameras?
In recent years, special sessions of the Legislature have been used to cut deals on pet projects of the governor—typically some form of corporate tax giveaway to lure a potential …
State
MDOC, Private Prisons on Trial
Located in Leake County, Walnut Grove opened in 2001 for children convicted as adults in criminal court, and has been the subject of nearly ongoing scrutiny for civil-rights violations.
Politics
Legal Pot Initiative Gets a Spark
Despite the hard work of dozens of Mississippi volunteers and shifting national tide toward loosening restrictions on marijuana, a state ballot initiative to legalize cannabis is just hobbling along.
City & County
Yarber Wants Another Emergency Declaration
After asking the Jackson City Council to hold off on approving his civil-emergency declaration earlier, Yarber said Tuesday evening that he wants a second emergency proclamation.
Justice
County Might Not Pay for Private Lawyers in Weill, Public Defender Dispute
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors may refuse to pay private attorneys a county judge appointed because of a spat with the public defender's office.
City & County
4 Men Escape Downtown Jail, Search Ongoing
This morning's escape of four men from the downtown Jackson Detention Center came just days after members of the Jackson City Council discussed the city building its own jail.
City & County
Troubled Water, Part II: The Origins of Jackson's $91 Million Siemens Contract
Nearly two months have passed since City of Jackson Department of Public Works Director Kishia Powell brought the water-meter installation project, the centerpiece of the City's $91 million contract with …
City & County
Emergency Declaration: Necessary or Nah?
Liz Sharlot, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Department of Health, said Mississippi cities do not necessarily need to sign an emergency declaration to apply for one of the low-interest MSDH …
City & County
Walter Zinn
Walter Howard Zinn, Jr., a Mississippi political operative, will seek the state's vacant 1st Congressional District seat, according to a press release from the Democratic Party.
City & County
JPD, Public Works Overtime Budgets Up
Last week, Mayor Tony Yarber declared a state of emergency that he said would help the city take immediate action to repair infrastructure around town—but does the city have the …
City & County
Water Safety Prompted Yarber's Emergency Declaration
The state of emergency Mayor Tony Yarber signed late Thursday will enable the city to tap into money from state health and environmental agencies, his office said today.
Person of the Day
Stephanie Parker-Weaver
Since 2008, one of Stephanie Parker-Weaver's main passions has been the nonprofit she founded, called Rebirth Alliance, which aims to educate the public about breast cancer—specifically, a rare and aggressive …
Crime
Ex-Prisoners Get a Boost Amid MDOC Turmoil
Re-entry has to come into focus recently as the number of people let out of prison in Mississippi, which has one of the nation's highest imprisonment rates, is on the …
Politics
Zack Wallace: Ready to Fly
Zack Wallace has never held elected political office, but he has the power of incumbency on his side.
City & County
Yarber: Eradicate Veteran Homelessness This Year
On any given night in America, approximately 50,000 veterans are homeless—those who joined the military to fight for this country—and roughly 10 percent of them are women.
Justice
Judge Jeff Weill vs. Public Defenders: The Next Ferguson?
A controversy brewing in the Hinds County courthouse has the potential to draw the attention of the United States Justice Department, which recently issued a scathing investigative report on the …
City & County
Report: Water Dept. Overhaul Needed
The City of Jackson is hemorrhaging cash at its Water and Sewer Business Administration. Detailed in a report completed by an independent consulting firm hired last fall, the losses are …
City & County
JSU Mulling Domed Stadium
When it comes to scoring its long-sought a domed multi-use stadium, it's hard to know whether Jackson State University is threatening in the red zone or looking at a Hail …
City & County
Country Club Plan Lands in the Hazard, Arts Lofts Get New Life
Residents living near Colonial Country Club concerned about a proposed development in their north Jackson neighborhood can breathe a little easier—for now. The Jackson City Council has shelved a request …
Health Care
Report: State's Uninsured Decline Lags Rest of Nation
The uninsured rate in Mississippi and other states that have resisted expanding health-care access is falling slower compared to states that have expanded Medicaid, a new report from the U.S. …
Person of the Day
Tyrone Hendrix
Ward 6 Councilman Tyrone Hendrix has his sights set on a service that would let citizens get a real-time snapshot of Jackson's finances.
City & County
Troubled Water, Part I: Explaining Jackson's $91 Million Siemens Contract
It's almost impossible to turn on the nightly local television news without coming across a story of a Jackson resident who was shocked to open an astronomically high City of …
Justice
Judge: State Must Produce Execution Drug Records
On Friday, watchdogs of the state's execution procedures got a victory from a local judge who ordered the Mississippi Department of Corrections to produce unredacted documents about lethal injection drugs …
City & County
City Launching Investigation of Water Dept. Finances
"The largest municipal investigation, maybe in the history of the state" is how Jackson City Council President De'Keither Stamps described the announcement he and other city officials plan to make …
City & County
City Invites Input on 1% Sales Tax Plan
Starting Friday, March 6, members of the public will be able to offer input on the 1 percent sales tax master plan.
City & County
The Challenge of Paying for ‘One Lake’
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will give its final "yay" or "nay" on a long-awaited and long-overdue plan to ease flooding along the Pearl River.
Business
City Roundup: Health Care Zones, Land Trusts
Not a whole lot has happened in Jackson in the two years since the Legislature passed Gov. Phil Bryant's health-care zone law in 2012.
Politics
Sizing Up Jackson Races
The filing deadline for state and county offices has passed, and we have our first glimpse of the battle lines for the Aug. 4 party primaries and the November general …
City & County
One Year After Chokwe
One year ago, on the afternoon of Feb. 25, 2014, Chokwe Lumumba passed away after less than a year serving as mayor of Jackson.
City & County
Dumping Siemens Could Be Lengthy, Costly Process
Kenneth Stokes, in his first week back as Ward 3 councilman, said he plans to offer a proposal to get the city out from underneath its $90 million contract with …
Crime
Beyond Crime and Punishment
Willie Jerome Manning and Michelle Byrom were the last two people the state of Mississippi attempted to execute.
