Jackson Free Press

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:

1. At a press conference Monday morning to announce the NAACP's voter help line (1-888-601- VOTE), Mississippi State Conference NAACP President Derrick Johnson said that as of Friday, the circuit clerk's office had not entered many voters into its voter-registration database.
2. A new report from the state's American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology Executive Board found that providing birth control at no cost to women and teens can substantially reduce unplanned pregnancies and cut abortion rates by about 70 percent. Read the full story here.
3. For USM, research funding has fallen from $82 million in FY 2010 to $78 million in FY 2011 to $63 million in FY 2012. External funding shrunk 22 percent from $521 million to $408 million for the eight public universities and University of Mississippi Medical School from Fiscal Year 2011 to 2012.
4. Gov. Phil Bryant and fellow Republicans who lead the Mississippi House and Senate say they have big plans to overhaul public education during the 2013 session. Read about their proposed education reforms here.
5. The Mississippi Children' Museum and Children Healthcare of Mississippi at the University of Mississippi Medical Center are teaming up to create a science technology, engineering and mathematics program called Question It? Discover It! Saturdays.
6. Lawyers Thursday asked a federal judge to appoint a special education chief for Jackson Public Schools, saying the Mississippi Department of Education's history of delay proves the state is not up to the task.
7. Gov. Phil Bryant said Wednesday that he thinks it would be a good idea for people in the state to voluntarily show identification when they vote, even though it's not required by law. This has been seen as an attempt to deliberately cause confusion amongst voters before the presidential election.
8. Many Mississippians are wondering just how the candidates’ proposed policies will affect them. You can see what kind of impact the candidates' proposals will have on several important issues here.
9. The DOJ alleges that Lauderdale County, the city of Meridian, the state Department of Human Services and the Division of Youth Services operate a school-to-prison pipeline. Read more here.
10. On Oct. 25, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee (1st District) met Democratic challenger Brad Morris, an Oxford attorney, at the University of Mississippi for a half-hour face-off. Read the JFP's factchecking of the debate here.

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