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. On June 25, at a joint press conference with Mayor-elect Chokwe Lumumba, Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. announced that the city has reached an agreement for the long-awaited convention center hotel.
2. Heather Wagner, assistant attorney general in charge of the domestic violence unit in the state attorney general's office, says it's unclear just how big the sex trafficking problem is in the state.
3. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will not publish the rules for administering the Affordable Care Act until the end of July, leaving small businesses in limbo to sort through the complex law.
4. Advanced Technology Business Solutions has withdrawn a complaint filed in Hinds County Chancery Court regarding a contract the city of Jackson awarded to Siemens Company.
5. Local music promoter Arden Barnett and event producer Bill Bissell are teaming up to bring back the International Gumbo Festival after a decade-long hiatus.
6. On Thursday, the Mississippi House passed an $841 million Medicaid appropriation bill 115-1.
7. Hinds County District Attorney Robert S. Smith said Thursday morning that he has not ruled out seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent a new law from going into effect that will permit Mississippians to openly carry firearms.
8. On Tuesday morning the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 along philosophical lines to invalidate Section 4 of the 1965 Voter Rights Act, which outlines the formula by which jurisdictions are mandated to obtain special permission called "preclearance" to make changes to voting laws.
9. The JFP presents a look at the most respected and specific definitions of prejudice, bigotry and racism and why the differences matter.
10. The JFP presents a quiz to help provide a better understanding of white privelage and promote deeper racial understanding and meaningful dialogue.

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