City & County
Jackson Water: Lime Problem Went Unnoticed for Years, Fixed Now
Lead appearing in Jackson’s water in 2015 resulted from a faulty lime-feed system at O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant, as well as shifting water chemistries, an expert consultant told the ...
City & County
JRA, City at Odds Over $1.5 Million Bill for Farish Street
Somebody has to pay back $1.5 million to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development since the Farish Street project stalled in 2014, but it is unclear whether the ...
City & County
Privatized Meters Forgoing Long-term Profit
The City of Jackson could lose a chunk of future earnings from parking meters and municipal fines in exchange for a steady, smaller burst of revenue for the next 10 ...
National
Stamps: Transition to Trump a Time of Opportunity for Jackson
Jackson City Councilman De'Keither Stamps met with members of President-elect Donald Trump's transitional team earlier this month in Washington as a part of a group of leaders of color from ...
City & County
Debate Over Neighborhood Gates Continues
Carl Menist, a resident of the Woodland Hills neighborhood in Jackson, showed up to a Nov. 14 city-council public hearing to speak out against a plan to gate his community. ...
Politics
Mississippi Voter Turnout Down Over Last Presidential Election
Mississippi's presidential turnout numbers dropped almost 75,000 over 2012 this year, in one of first elections in recent memory without any federal oversight of polls in the state.
City & County
Precinct 4 Moves to New Headquarters, Responds to Business Break-ins
If you ask some Jackson Police Department officers, the best part about moving to a new location was that now they don't have to take the stairs every day.
City & County
On Way Out of Jackson, Siemens Addresses ‘Stranded Bills’
The Jackson City Council expressed concerns about charging those on fixed incomes the larger-than-normal bills that have accumulated over the last six months as the water-billing department and Siemens close ...
City & County
Clinton Handily Wins Hinds, Despite Poll Problems, Closings
Hinds County Election Commissioner Connie Cochran stands amid piles of papers, ballots and maps as workers comb through the boxes upon boxes of affidavit ballots that voters filled out during ...
Development
Flowood Mayor: 'One Lake' Project Will Protect Hospitals from Flooding
Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads supports the "One Lake" plan to widen the Pearl River to protect the hospitals that sit in Rankin County's floodplain, he said today.
City & County
57 Homicides So Far in Jackson; Police Force Drops to 392
Jackson has passed the number of homicides for last year, just as the police department's count of uniformed officers drops below 400.
State
MDOT Gifts Land to Private Group
Locals have long used the large chunk of land north of Pearl and south of the reservoir, a pie-chunk of untouched wild, for recreation. The current mayor of Flowood is ...
City & County
Water Billing Problems Continue, But Contract Renewed
Even as complaints mount about large and incorrect water bills in Jackson, the City Council approved a contract of more than $300,000 to continue use of the Oracle software that ...
Cover
‘We Failed Him’: Caught in the Revolving Door of Juvenile Detention
Yvette Mason hopes that telling her son Charles McDonald's story will prevent others from experiencing her pain by highlighting the lack of resources available to families of troubled youth in ...
City & County
Federal Violence Liaison Visits JPD; Homicide Suspect Named, Sought
Jackson's upcoming participation with the federal Violence Reduction Network will open up the capital city to new resources, both monetary and otherwise, federal liaison and former St. Louis Police Chief ...
City & County
Fondren Sidewalk Project Delayed, Scaled Back to Lower Costs
Fondren's four-year-old sidewalk facelift proposal, which would bring the neighborhood in compliance with federal disabilities law, may take even longer because it was way over-budget.
Education
Turmoil at JSU: State Applies Heavy Hand
Jackson State University must brace itself for changes, from financial policies to a new president, in the wake of news that it has nearly exhausted its cash reserves.
Justice
Court: Judge Weill Can Continue Hiring Private Attorneys for Public Defense
Hinds County Circuit Judge Jeff Weill can continue hiring private attorneys instead of public defenders in criminal cases before him, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled this week.
Education
JSU President Resigns, New Dorms on Hold
Jackson State University President Carolyn Meyers has submitted her resignation just days after the state's college board put plans for new dorms at the historically black public university on hold ...
City & County
Changing the Form of City Government
On a vote of 4-1, the Jackson City Council last week shot down Ward 4 Councilman De'Keither Stamps' proposed resolution supporting a citizen-led initiative to change the form of government ...
City & County
Secret Tapes Reveal DA’s Private Side
Former Assistant District Attorney Ivon Johnson taped conversations with Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith on May 9 and June 18, the last session only four days before sheriff's ...
State
Hinds DA Can Keep His Counsel, Fails to Quash Indictment
Special Judge Larry Roberts ruled this morning that Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith can continue to retain Tupelo attorney Jim Waide, as long as he understands the potential ...
City & County
City's Parking Meters May Double Cost, Revenue Under New Partnership
The Jackson City Council wants to make sure it gets the best deal for the City's lucrative parking-meter contract, including a requirement doubling the current rates for the meters with ...
City & County
JPD Seeking Kidnapper; No Homicides; Low Crime for State Fair, JSU Game
The Jackson Police Department is on the lookout for a man accused of kidnapping and holding a 19-year-old woman hostage for two days.
City & County
Fondren Residents Push Back on Neighborhood Gates, City Backtracks
Walter "Dick" Dickerson and his wife have lived on Ridge Drive the Woodland Hills subdivision in Fondren for the last 21 years. It's not a gated community, and he does ...
City & County
In Search of the Wheel’s Hub
What exactly was Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith looking for when he subpoenaed a circuit-court judge in January?
City & County
'One Lake’ Plan Moving Forward
Finding a way to prevent the kind of flooding that left downtown Jackson underwater in the Great Easter Flood of 1979—while still getting the most use out of the river ...
City & County
Showing Up: Mayoral Hopeful Graham Pledges to Manage Crisis
Robert Graham traces his 35 years with the Jackson Police Department with a sense of resolve. Starting at JPD as a civilian who mopped the floors, he says it was ...
Justice
Hinds County Funds Girl's Home After State Money Dries Up
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors this morning allocated funding for the fifth year in a row to support an alternative to detention for young girls.
Art
Arts Head Blasts City for Cuts, But Deep Everywhere
The Jackson City Council moved funding back to the Greater Jackson Arts Council on Oct. 4, but it was not up to the level of last year—nor did it come ...
City & County
UPDATED: City Agreement Outrages Abortion Clinic Owner, Staff
Pro-Life Mississippi protesters reached an agreement with the City of Jackson recently in federal court to limit what they say are breaches of their constitutional right to protest. But the ...
City & County
DA Could Face Fast Removal from Office If Judge Grants Bench Trial
The Mississippi attorney general’s office wants to move forward quickly on the single misdemeanor charge Hinds County Robert Shuler Smith faces, possibly removing him from office without a jury decision.
Crime
Lawsuit Targets Chris Butler, Connected to Mega Mattress Scam
Christopher Butler, one of the more prominent figures involved in the ongoing legal battle between Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith and the Mississippi attorney general's office, now faces ...
Crime
In DA Case, Former Mayor Danks Challenges AG's Right to Empanel Grand Jury
Former Jackson Mayor Dale Danks Jr., the attorney for Assistant District Attorney Jamie McBride, is challenging the attorney general's authority to ask a Hinds County grand jury to indict him ...
City & County
Murders Reach 54, Kidnapper Nabbed, City Joining Federal Anti-crime Network
As Jackson suffered its 54th violent death this year, Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance reminded his team that they would have to do more with less during this difficult budget ...
City & County
City Agrees to Stop Interfering with Anti-abortion Protesters in Fondren
The City of Jackson recently entered into its second consent decree with a group of these protesters over interactions with the Jackson Police Department, alleging that police officers have consistently ...
City & County
City Police Overtime Balanced, Fair Security Set
In a climate of desperation, the Jackson City Council approved the final numbers for the 2016 budget last week, closing out a difficult financial year for the City while rolling ...
City & County
FBI Agent Accuses Hinds District Attorney of Shielding Drug Traffickers
A judge unsealed documents last week as part of the ongoing case against Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith and Assistant District Attorney Jamie McBride that reveal more about ...
State
County Renews Lapsed Ankle-Bracelet Contract DA Complained About
No contract existed between Hinds County and the company that provided pre-trial detainee supervision, Probation Services Company, LLC, for almost 8 years, until the Board of Supervisors ratified a motion ...
City & County
JPD, Fair Commission Say No Payment, Security Problems This Year
The Jackson Police Department and the Mississippi State Fair Commission say they are confident there will not be a repeat of last year's litigious ending to a disagreement about overtime ...
City & County
Robert Shuler Smith Reinstated as Hinds District Attorney, Despite Indictment
Robert Shuler Smith is the District Attorney of Hinds County again, effectively immediately after the Mississippi Supreme Court today overturned an order barring Smith from his duties.
City & County
JPD Needs Almost $1 Million for Overtime, Council Approves Funds
The Jackson City Council approved adjustments to the final 2017 City budget today, including an additional $996,173 for the police department to cover overtime on the last paychecks of 2016.
City & County
Henley-Young Increases Mental Health Care
Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center will soon be able to offer mental-health assessments and treatments after a court-appointed monitor's report led the county to allocate $190,000 to expand the facility's staff.
Art
Arts Council’s Future Uncertain, Some Cry Foul
In uncertain financial times for the City of Jackson, some council members worry that the mayoral administration could deploy departmental cuts, such as the defunding of the Greater Jackson Arts ...
State
Alleged Smith-Turner Connection Revealed in Case 16-120
The connection between Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith and Darnell Turner, a criminal defendant named in one of the six counts that Smith faced originally, has been something ...
State
Youth Court Judge Sues Hinds County Over Budget
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors finds itself caught between two judges in their efforts to address issues at the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center.
Business
Rule Changes to Civil Service Commission Under Fire
The City of Jackson Civil Service Commission reinstated an employee of 25 years, who had been laid off before others with less tenure, raising questions about an Aug. 11 change ...
City & County
Sheriff: Volunteer Deputies on Bikes to Patrol Downtown 'Transients'
Hinds County Sheriff Victor Mason wants to sweep away the "transient" population downtown with a bike-and-foot patrol comprised of reserve officers, all without expense to the county.
City & County
Cuts to City Budget Hurt, Surprise
Patricia Phillips bought a white 2014 Mazda 6 last November because she felt confident in her steady paycheck and supervisor position at an early-childhood care center with the City of ...
Crime
The DA’s Puzzling Accusations
A week after Special Judge Larry Roberts ordered files unsealed in the wide-ranging charges against Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith for allegedly improperly trying to help a defendant, ...
