Business
Battle for the Airport: The Next Steps
Medgar Wiley Evers looked down from the wall of the memorial pavilion in the airport named after him upon the chairwoman of the soon-to-be-replaced governing commission as she lamented the …
City & County
City Reserves Dip, Mayor Dodges Budget Inquiries
Documents, including emails, released to the Jackson Free Press indicate that despite protestation from Mayor Tony Yarber and his administration, the City has been dipping into the ordinance-protected reserve fund …
City & County
Schools, Guns, Family, Bad Policing: Chief Vance Discusses Crime-Fighting with JFP Editor
In the wake of fears raised after a parent pulled a gun at Forest Hill High School last week, the capital city's top police officer said Monday night that Jackson …
City & County
UPDATE: 'Very Serious': Council Accuses Mayor of Dodging Whether Budget Reserves Depleted
Jackson City Council members today accused Mayor Tony Yarber and his administration of concealing information that could show whether or not the City's budget reserves are depleted.
Business
Rumors of Secret Contract Deals for Tire Plant Prompt Preemptive Moves
Rumors swirling around the county about who would get lucrative contracts to help build and service the new Continental Tire plant prompted the Hinds County Board of Supervisors president to …
City & County
City Leaders at a Loss over Water, Sewer Revenue Loss
The water- and sewer-revenue deficit has a few possible sources, but even Jackson City Council members are having a difficult time parsing out the how and why.
Business
Charlotte, Baton Rouge Airports Lessons for Jackson’s ‘Takeover’
The Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport is not the only municipal air-traffic hub looking down the barrel of a state-sanctioned reorganization of its governing board.
City & County
Siemens Rep: Water Billing Glitches Result of Backed-up 'TO-DOs'
Siemens representative Frank D. Gagliardi spent most of his presentation to the Jackson City Council's Budget Committee Monday scribbling notes in the margins of the paper on the podium before …
City & County
Mayor: New 'Pothole Blitz' Benefits Ward 7 First, Not Yarber's Street
Mayor Tony Yarber announced on the night of April 26 the beginning of what he described as a "pothole blitz" across the city, addressing and fixing potholes on select streets …
Business
Jackson Airport Enters Next Phase: Lawsuits, FAA, Ethical Limbo
For those wondering what is next in the saga of the takeover of the Jackson Medgar Wiley Evers Municipal Airport, look no further than Charlotte, N.C., and its ongoing discussions …
Business
Stallworth's Airport Suit May Not Have Standing, Harkins Says 'A Reach'
Former Jackson Municipal Airport Authority Commissioner Jeffery Stallworth's lawsuit challenging the impending "takeover" may not have legal standing or support from the other interested parties involved, including the current JMAA …
Business
Moratorium on Payday Lenders, Liquor, Title and Pawn Stores in Ward 4 Moves Ahead
Last Monday the Jackson City Council Planning Committee passed an order to curtail the further proliferation of "title loan, payday loan, check cashing, liquor store and pawn shop businesses."
City & County
Jackson Issues $563,000 Worth of Water Bills, Desperately Needs Public Works Employees
The Jackson Public Works Department sent out half a million dollars' worth of water bills Thursday, the first time it has used the automated billing systems included in the Siemens …
Business
Defying City Attorney, Council Passes New Subcontractor Disclosure Rules
The City now has more “teeth” for requiring disclosure of subcontractors, as well as oversight for switching subcontractors, for all contracts above $50,000, thanks to an ordinance passed at the …
City & County
A Renter Finds Lead, But No Legal Protections
There do not seem to be any regulations requiring a homeowner to replace pipes that could contain lead, according to conversations with the EPA, the Mississippi Department of Health and …
City & County
Blighted Property a 'Recipe for Disaster,' But Residents Can Buy Some of It
When Alberta Epps arrived at the Jackson Police Training Academy Saturday morning, she was looking to find out more than about some overgrown property next to her house.
City & County
Lead a Danger For Pets, Too
While the City of Jackson works on its corrosion-control study to prevent the presence of lead in the drinking water, residents are buying bottled water for themselves and their children, …
Business
Legislature Moves to Control All Sales of Jackson Airport Land
The Mississippi Legislature would control the sale of all Jackson airport land under changes the Senate approved today.
City & County
Threat of Lead Paint Grows Over Time
While Jacksonians worry about whether their pipes are leaching lead into their water, those who live in the oldest, poorest sections of the city have been living with the threat …
City & County
Fondren Hotel Projects to Begin in Next Few Months
Two Fondren hotel projects are set to begin work by the summer, representing a combined total investment estimated at around $58 million.
City & County
'Naked Women' Billboard Probably Will Stay, City Powerless to Change It
Concern about "naked women" on a billboard along Interstate 55 has residents demanding that the Jackson City Council do something about it—but it doesn't have the power to bring it …
City & County
Jackson Moves Forward With Plan to Prevent Lead from Leaching into Water Supply
The City of Jackson is moving ahead with an "aggressive" effort to prevent leaching of lead into the municipal water supply.
City & County
'These Are Human Beings': Jackson City Council Passes Resolution Against HB 1523
Late tonight, the Jackson City Council unanimously passed a resolution proclaiming their opposition to the controversial Mississippi House Bill 1523 just less than 10 hours after Gov. Phil Bryant signed …
Business
BREAKING: City of Jackson Shocked by Low Water-Sewer Revenue, Litigation Ahead?
The City of Jackson is almost 12 percent behind projected revenue for water and sewer for this fiscal year, and the administration is considering potential litigation involving one of the …
City & County
UPDATE: Council Approves Trilogy for Water Corrosion Study; Emergency Loan to Fund It
Mayor Tony Yarber introduced a $291,989 contract with Trilogy Engineering for a corrosion-control study to the Jackson City Council yesterday during its work session, with the means to pay for …
City & County
City of Jackson Unveils New Data Portal, Part of Transparency Initiative
Mayor Tony Yarber's favorite part of the new data portal opened to the public this morning is the live tracking of infrastructure construction projects, including pothole repair.
City & County
JPS: Lead Above 'Regulatory Limit' Found at Lee Elementary, Details Testing Plan
One of the water fountains in Lee Elementary tested for lead above "regulatory levels" during the first round of tests that Jackson Public Schools conducted.
City & County
JMAA Says Republicans Want to Control Contracts, Rallies Public Against ‘Takeover’ Bill
Warning that the airport “takeover” is about money and control of contracts, members of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority and its supporters gathered today in the echoing rotunda of the …
Business
Dems Promise Retribution, Evoke Slavery in ‘Hijacked Airport’ House Debate
The black and Democratic caucuses did not pull punches in testimony against the Jackson airport "takeover" bill that passed the Mississippi House March 24, including attempts to modify the legislation …
Business
Jackson Airport CEO Newman Outlines Plans for Hotel, Low-Cost Carrier
The airport's chief executive officer, during an interview at the airport on March 24 just as the Mississippi House was passing its controversial "takeover" bill of the facility, outlined a …
City & County
Report: Roads Cost Each Jacksonian $1,879 Annually, Most Expensive Driving City
It is more expensive to drive in Jackson than anywhere else in the state, a study released from a national transportation research group found.
Business
Director: Airport in Talks with Low-cost Carrier, 91% Fly Out of Jackson
Minutes after the Mississippi House of Representatives passed the airport "takeover" bill after hours of debate and a Democratic filibuster attempt, Carl Newman traced his fingers across a wall-sized aerial …
Business
Capitol Improvement District Passes, Only 10% of Contractors Must Be Minority
A large chunk of Jackson would become an improvement district under a bill that passed the Mississippi House of Representatives yesterday.
City & County
Water Engineer Blues, An Orange Cone Op
The City of Jackson is still out of compliance with the Mississippi Department of Health requirements for a study of corrosion control as of the March 22 meeting of the …
Cover
Transparency in the City
Several new technology additions to the City of Jackson will hopefully open up the records of a municipality that has of late been plagued by what some city leaders called …
Business
Post-Uber, Jackson’s Taxicab Drivers Want Fewer Regs, More Freedom
Jackson City Council President Melvin Priester Jr., of Ward 2, wants to re-evaluate the taxi industry in light of policies Uber forced the city to address head-on.
City & County
City to Release Data-Driven Website April 1, Many More Documents Online
The City of Jackson is planning to open the doors to its data vaults, promising a new and deep information-driven vehicle for citizens to explore the municipal records and resources …
City & County
Council President: City 'Hiccups' With Public-Records Response Need to End
Council President Melvin Priester Jr. wants the whole of city government, including Mayor Tony Yarber's administration, to make public records a high priority.
Business
New Madison Airport Push Potential 'Threat,' Jackson Airport Still in Committee
A new report from the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority reveals a years-long discussion about a Madison County commercial airport, as a bill focusing on the "takeover" of the Jackson Municipal …
City & County
City to Begin $9 Million Operation Orange Cone Street Repairs—But Which Roads?
The Operation Orange Cone committee has given the go-ahead to begin work on several of the city’s most worn-down streets. However, it is still unclear which streets the work is …
City & County
City Roundup: Local Control for ’Hoods, Crime’s Root Causes, Taxi Wars
In its third annual attempt, the Jackson City Council worked to approve a resolution to support a private, local fund resource for neighborhood associations to address their local issues, like …
City & County
As the Water Turns, City Wrestles Over Corrosion Study
One question has haunted Jackson residents since January: Is the water safe to drink?
Business
Airport's New Plan: Development, East Metro Corridor, Challenges Prominent
Development of the area around the airport is at the center of the recently released Jackson Municipal Airport Authority's "Strategic Plan 2021."
Business
State Begins Lead Testing of Children, Awaits City's Corrosion Compliance Plan
The City of Jackson has extended a "precautionary boil notice" from last week's treatment-plant shutdown.
City & County
Ditto: Capitol District to Free Up Local Repair Funds, Get State to Pay Fair Share
The goal behind the proposed "Capitol Complex Improvement District" is to free up City of Jackson funds to work on more neglected neighborhoods, one of the original architects of the …
City & County
UPDATED: Mayor Fires Back at Council's Rejection of $400K Contract for Water Study, Says 'Political'
Several council members have spent the last hour and a half questioning the mayor's request to award a $400,000 corrosion study on the city's water to a Texas company run …
City & County
After 'Heartbreaking' Violence, Mayor Creates Task Force to Examine Roots of Crime
After one of the most violent weekends in the city this year, Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber announced on Wednesday the formation of a Criminal Justice Reform Task Force.
City & County
City Faces Emergency and Puzzling Water Shutdown; Promises Answers in 48 Hours
The City of Jackson issued an emergency warning early today that citizens must preserve water due to an emergency shutdown. Here's what we know so far.
Business
UPDATE: Airport 'Takeover' Stays Alive as Jackson Leaders Question Rankin Airport Motives
The Mississippi Senate’s so-far successful effort to wrest control of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority could be more about control of land than airport operations. The Senate takes up the …
Business
Pair of Taxi Drivers Sue Jackson, Say Regs Give Uber Unfair Advantage
Two taxicab drivers, one from Jackson and one from Star, filed suit against the City of Jackson for what they believe to be “anti-competitive, arbitrary and irrational regulations,” specifically accusing …
