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. The short- and long-term future of the Jackson Zoo is unknown, after the City of Jackson bailed the zoo out financially on Aug. 2 and Beth Poff, the executive director, resigned on Aug. 9 after it surfaced she had mismanaged bond funds.
2. Thomas Edward Spell, Jr., 50, of Ridgeland, pled guilty Thursday before U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett to a Criminal Information outlining his role in a more than $240 million dollar scheme to defraud TRICARE.
3. Referring to Russia's attack on the 2016 election as an act of "cyber warfare," Democratic U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris urged Americans to "speak truth" about hate in America at the 2018 gathering of Netroots Nation.
4. The City of Jackson will employ "returning citizens" re-entering the community after serving time to establish the Jackson's forthcoming 100GB high-speed broadband network.
5. The crowd of Jackson Public Schools Board members, students and parents was joyous when they received news that the bond referendum passed on Tuesday night.
6. “Orange Is the New Black” author Piper Kerman’s experiences in a women’s prison have been a catalyst for her work in criminal-justice reform.
7. During her first year as councilwoman, Virgi Lindsay of Ward 7 has been outspoken about how the City manages its fund balance and the zoo.
8. NFusion Metro is a community-based mental-health-care program primarily for ages 11 to 18 years old in the Jackson area.
9. The Mississippi Manufacturers Association endorsed United States Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith for election to the U.S. Senate seat she is holds temporarily.
10. A federal courthouse in Mississippi has been named for Thad Cochran, a longtime Republican U.S. senator who resigned this year.

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