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. In his first public statement since the Jackson Zoo announced its board is now supporting its relocation from west Jackson to LeFleur's Bluff State Park close to Rankin County, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba sternly advocated for the zoo to stay put.
2. Democratic Rep. Jarvis Dortch of Jackson says a gasoline tax increase in exchange for an income tax decrease is "obscene" and would hurt the working poor.
3. House Speaker Philip Gunn said he will deliver a revamped infrastructure funding proposal to the governor and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves today, after the governor closed 83 bridges this week.
4. The most restrictive abortion law in the United States will remain on hold for at least several more months after U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves extended his temporary restraining order on Mississippi's 15-week ban until at least Oct. 24.
5. Jackson and Atlanta have been interconnected since the Mayor Tony Yarber era. Mitzi Bickers is one of those common threads, having worked on both Kasim Reed's mayoral campaign in 2009 and Yarber's in 2014. She has been accused of steering contracts in both cities.
6. In Mississippi, someone loses his or her right to vote depending on if the specific crime is on a list of disenfranchising crimes listed in the Mississippi Constitution of 1890. The list was a way to disenfranchise African Americans from voting, a 2017 Brennan Center report found.
7. Pending Gov. Phil Bryant's signature, the State of Mississippi is reauthorizing the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau for another year, but with added strings attached.
8. As the City prepares for the first officer-identification task-force meeting on April 11, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba and Interim Police Chief Anthony Moore might not be in sync when it comes to officer-involved shootings.
9. Jacksonians will vote on a bond issue later this year for infrastructure and maintenance needs in Jackson Public Schools; the vote will not result in an increase of taxes compared to what Jacksonians pay currently.
10. The Metrocenter Mall, a former shopping center and office space hurt by white and economic flight, is now being repurposed as a "Comprehensive One-Stop Center" for workforce training programs, even as a City of Jackson lawsuit concerning its 2011 lease there lives on.

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