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. James Meredith, who is known for making provocative statements, said the Ferguson protests are more important historically than even the violence that erupted from his own admission to Ole Miss in 1962.
2. Mayor Tony Yarber on Friday, Aug. 22, announced Lee Vance as Jackson’s new police chief, saying his experience in law enforcement and commitment to community collaboration made him the right person for the job.
3. The Good Samaritan Center is looking for volunteers for weekend cleaning at NUTS, as well as monetary donations and donations of items to replace lost inventory.
4. Chris McDaniel said last week that he believes Mississippi should have closed primaries—ones in which only Republicans can vote in the Republican primary and the same for Democrats.
5. Mitch Tyner was listed as an irregular voter in his own election challenge filed on behalf of Sen. Chris McDaniel. He said this was because field workers determined the entire precinct in which he voted was problematic.
6. JFP reporter Ryan Nave traveled to Ferguson, Mo., with three activists from Jackson.
7. Mayor Tony Yarber said that his first budget proposal reflects a dedication to children and public safety in a hastily convened special council meeting for his first budget address.
8. Brenda Scott, president of the Mississippi Alliance of State Employees, a labor organization, questioned whether state politicians are really doing God's work in Mississippi.
9. Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, the University of Mississippi and the University of Southern Mississippi—the state's "Big Four"—have one common goal this season—reaching new heights.
10. This year could be one of the wildest in the history of the Conerly Trophy, which goes to the best college football player in the state.

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