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. Work could soon resume on the Siemens water-meter installation project, a top Jackson public-works official said May 7.
2. Mayor Tony Yarber's administration and consultants have developed a plan for the $13 million in funds the commission in charge of Jackson's special sales tax plan approved for use in repairing streets and bridges and addressing flooding and drainage issues around town.
3. Quentin Whitwell, a Republican lawyer and lobbyist, and Walter Zinn, a Democratic attorney and political strategist, are vying for an open congressional seat in north Mississippi but have differing views on their relationship to Jackson.
4. Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Marshall Fisher said last week the agency would terminate its Joint State County Work Program, effective Aug. 1.
5. In keeping with the spirit of the U.S. Air Force's motto "Aim High" Dr. Valerie Adream Smartt Short has set her sights on the Mississippi governor's office.
6. Chef Jesse Houston, owner of Saltine Oyster Bar, will celebrate American Craft Beer Week May 11-17 with seven days of beer-centric events featuring limited-release draft brews and pairing events.
7. Police brutality? The ACLU of Mississippi has an app for that. Last week, the ACLU rolled out the iOS version of its Mobile Justice Mississippi app.
8. About 6,000 Mississippi third graders may not advance to the fourth grade, after the Mississippi Board of Education set a passing score on the state's third-grade reading test.
9. Mississippi education officials will launch their own voluntary review of the Common Core academic standards, even after Gov. Phil Bryant vetoed a bill that would have created an outside panel to examine the standards.
10. Without the dispute over University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones leaving Ole Miss to distract them, more members of the general public might have noticed the train wreck on the board that coordinates the state's 15 community and junior colleges.

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

Read staff and reader blog posts at jfp.ms/weblogs (yes, you can register on the site and start your own blog!)