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. Carlos Moore, the Grenada, Miss.-based attorney who sued Gov. Phil Bryant over the Confederate flag in the canton of the Mississippi state flag, is now targeting Rep. Karl Oliver, R-Winona, whose calls for lynching over removal of Confederate statues last week made national headlines.
2. The three-day trial of Christopher Butler, who is accused of identity fraud, wire fraud and embezzlement that he allegedly committed during his work at a Mega Mattress in Jackson, ended in a mistrial Thursday.
3. The Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus called for Rep. Karl Oliver's resignation following his Facebook post calling for lynching over the removal of Confederate monuments, saying Oliver's statement and the Confederate symbol on the state flag "go hand-in-hand in sending the message that all are not welcome."
4. Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes wanted the Jackson City Council to pull Top Dollar Pawn's license at its May 16 meeting following an incident in which two pawn shop employees allegedly attacked a customer.
5. The fight to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program continues in the courtroom, as two Democrats filed a lawsuit against the governor, the state fiscal officer, the Mississippi Department of Education and the state treasurer.
6. Vision to Learn, a Los Angeles-based foundation that aims to screen all children for eyesight problems, has partnered with Jackson Public Schools to screen nearly 27,000 students in the district. Timberlawn Elementary School was its first stop in JPS.
7. Four mothers with children in majority-black school districts and schools rated "D" or "F" are accusing the State of Mississippi of violating federal law requiring a "uniform system of free public schools."
8. Four families were distraught Monday as Judge Bruce McKinley denied bond to Byron McBride Jr., Dwan Wakefield and D’Allen Washington, charging them with capital murder for the kidnapping and murder of 6-year-old Kingston Frazier early last Thursday.
9. The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning announced Monday the selection of Dr. William B. Bynum as the preferred candidate for President of Jackson State University. Dr. Bynum currently serves as President of Mississippi Valley State University.
10. House Speaker Philip Gunn stripped Rep. Karl Oliver, R-Winona, of his vice-chairmanship today after Oliver’s Facebook post Saturday, which said those supporting the removal of Confederate monuments in Louisiana “should be LYNCHED!”

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