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:
- Jackson City Councilman DeKeither Stamps is catching a lot of flack for voting to stop a change order that would have funneled additional funds into the pockets of Hemphill Construction, the company the city has hired to rebuild Fortification Street.
- Hospitals and local business owners are hoping to attract patients from rural Mississippi and surrounding states to one of Jackson's major hospitals.
- At this year's fair, Republicans touted the success of the party's legislative agenda, which included passing a charter-school bill, a third-grade reading program and more.
- Young Jackson Public Schools scholars returned to classrooms last week. And whether Aug. 8 marked the first time riding a big, yellow bus or the final year of locker assignments, the students will all share one thing this year with every other public-school student in Mississippi: Common Core State Standards.
- Although some states are tightening restrictions on quick-loan businesses, Mississippi's lawmakers have had a large hand in helping the industry expand.
- Outrage over payday loans, which trap millions of Americans in debt and are the best-known type of high-cost loans, has led to dozens of state laws aimed at stamping out abuses. But the industry has proved extremely resilient.
- Justin McPherson at William Wallace Salon works his magic on mere mortals’ hair, giving it new life.
- More than 700 people gathered at the Jackson Convention Center Thursday, eager to understand how health care can be a driver for creating jobs and boosting revenues in Mississippi.
- Mississippi is once again locking horns with the federal government, but this time it's about neither guns nor affordable health-care insurance—it's about securities fraud.
- The case against a Mississippi shipbuilder continues to mount with a new round of lawsuits accusing the company of engaging in human trafficking.
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