Jackson Free Press

An unmarked package delivered to Jackson Women's Health Organization Tuesday afternoon caused a few minutes of panic and prompted the Jackson Police Department to respond by sending the bomb squad and several police cars.

JWHO, the only abortion clinic in the state, called police to report the package, according to JPD Commander John McGowan, who was still on the scene at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

"It was an unmarked package that was delivered some time early this afternoon," McGowan said. "It was not properly marked, and the people at the clinic did the right thing and called the police. We had the package x-rayed, and it turned out to be some homemade chocolates."

McGowan said the false alarm is the first call they've had in "quite a while" at the clinic.

[verbatim release]

Interim State Superintendent Presents First Parents’ Meeting on Mississippi College- and Career-ready Standards

WHO: Dr. Lynn J. House, interim state superintendent of education

WHAT: The Mississippi Department of Education, in collaboration with the Mississippi Parent-Teacher Association and the Mississippi Library Commission, launches today a series of parent meetings, “Mississippi’s Road to Rigorous College- and Career-ready Standards: A Conversation with Dr. Lynn J. House, Interim State Superintendent of Education.”

Dr. House and MDE representatives will provide information about the state’s college and career-readiness standards, Common Core State Standards, and how they will better prepare students for a 21st century workforce. They will also answer questions from the public.

WHEN: Monday, Aug. 19 from 6-7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Auditorium in the Central High School Building at 359 N. West St. in Jackson (Attendees should enter the building from the double doors facing West Street.)

A large area of Jackson is under a boil-water notice from the city.

Vertbatim release from the University of Mississippi Medical Center Division of Public Affairs:

WITH AGREEMENT SIGNED, UMMC PATIENTS WITH BLUE CROSS INSURANCE REMAIN IN NETWORK

JACKSON, Miss. – Leaders at the University of Mississippi Medical Center signed a one-year agreement today with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi, ending six months of negotiations with the insurer.

With the agreement in place, patients insured through Blue Cross can continue to receive in-network care at UMMC. The existing contract was set to expire Aug. 28.

“We’re glad that we were able to come to an agreement without any disruption in coverage,” said Dr. James Keeton, UMMC vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine.

“We were very concerned about how this issue was going to impact our patients. While UMMC needs equitable reimbursement for the highly specialized services we provide, the last thing we wanted to do was to inconvenience or cause hardship for our patients.”

Citing reimbursement substantially below its peer institutions in neighboring states, Medical Center administrators engaged Blue Cross in negotiations earlier this year.

As the state’s only academic medical center, UMMC provides advanced care not available at other Mississippi facilities, including the state’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, only children’s hospital and children’s trauma services, only level IV neonatal intensive care unit and its only organ transplant services, among many others.

Together with the Mississippi State Department of Health, UMMC leads the state’s medical response during disasters. The availability of these services benefits all Mississippians.

As well, UMMC cares for the state’s most complex medical cases, which often require multi-disciplinary teams of experts and sub-specialists.

UMMC initially set a June 28 deadline to reach an agreement or terminate its contract. Negotiators extended it to July 17, and again through August 28.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that The Clarion-Ledger has laid off 13 employees over the past two days. The report, from The Gannett Blog (which is not an official Gannett source), says that nationwide, the Gannett Company's U.S. Community Publishing newspaper division, the C-L's parent company, has fired an estimated 223 people at 37 sites. A few other subsidiaries are also affected, the blog states.

The Gannett Blog relies on its readers for layoff reports, and the post includes a link to a spreadsheet showing the specific numbers reportedly laid off at Gannett worksites. Hattiesburg, home of the Hattiesburg American, shows two layoffs.

"These figures remain preliminary and are almost certain to rise at least through Monday as more employees are notified," the blog states.

"Most of the job losses were through layoffs over the past 48 hours, with a much smaller number comprising open positions that have been permanently eliminated, according to these readers.

"It's unlikely Corporate will ever confirm these figures, because this round is being done under the radar. Asked for a comment yesterday, Corporate's chief publicist, Jeremy Gaines, told blogger Jim Romenesko only this: 'Some USCP sites are making cuts to align their business plans with local market conditions.'"

The blog entry is calling this round of layoffs "the biggest since about 700 newspaper employees were let go in June 2011."

Get your questions answered about the Castle Doctrine and gun laws in Mississippi.