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. Abandoned and dilapidated houses are common in parts of Jackson and neighbors are fed up.
2. After a long delay, the state is implementing a controversial finger-scanner program for poor parents.
3. Bennie Jones and his guardians patrol a neighborhood after one of its residents called and asked if they would spend some time in the area.
4. Windell Blount is the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Mississippi Department of Human Services that alleges sloppy management of the agency resulted in child-support orders that plaintiffs would not have otherwise had to pay.
5. The Jackson Zoo is keeping its options open as it continues to adapt to meet the challenges of a modern facility on a controlled budget.
6. On Thursday evening, more than 300 people gathered near Walton Elementary School to celebrate the short lives of Jason Murphy and Albert "A.J." Barber Jr. and to call on neighbors to help police solve their murders.
7. This weekend, three beer-related organizations helped to raise money to keep two of Stewpot Community Services' vital ministries open.
8. Two of the Jackson City Council's newest, youngest members had many questions for the folks at Siemens in an hour-long public hearing Monday afternoon at City Hall.
9. Hinds County officials are playing down recent events at the Raymond Detention Center, characterizing the troubles as part and parcel of the business of running a jail.
10. For undocumented high school students, the prospect of getting into college after graduation can be daunting.

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