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. A Utah-based private-prison firm hopes that it can turn things around at the Wilkinson County Correctional Center in Woodville.
2. This week's Democratic primary runoff saw a huge spike in white voter turnout while black turnout held steady. But the effect on the results seemed negligible: Councilman Chokwe Lumumba defeated businessman and newcomer Jonathan Lee 54 percent to 46 percent.
3. The elevators in the Hinds County Circuit Court building are hanging on by a thread. For weeks, the elevators have been plagued with issues that appear to be a combination of age, sabotage or both.
4. The long-dormant Valley Title Building, located at 315 Tombigbee St., will not have taxpayer-paid utility services—but it does have a new owner. However, officials from Hinds County, which owns the property, are mum on who the owner is or how the deal was struck.
5. FIGMENT 2013 stretched nearly five blocks, much more spread out than it had been in past years, when it was held in the old Coke plant on Highway 80.
6. Mississippi is consistently behind the eight ball when it comes to public education, but a new plan being implemented right now could change our students' educational outcomes in the future.
7. The quagmire that ensnared Jackson mayoral candidate Jonathan Lee's family business, Mississippi Products, raises questions about the relationships between government agencies, group purchasing organizations and intermediary distributors such as MPI.
8. The LiveStrong community project, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by cancer, recently presented a $10,000 grant to the Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital's Palliative Care program.
9. Running can be a mind-clearing and eye-opening therapeutic process. Read more here.
10. See the JFP's listing of upcoming running events in the state here.

Remember: Check the JFP Events planner for everything to do in the Jackson metro area. You can also add your own events (or send them to [email protected])! See JFPEvents.com

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