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 the course of my investigation into the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, multiple sources have repeated a simple refrain: The IHL's conduct in the Ole Miss chancellor search process may have been part of a long-planned scheme to install one of their own to lead the University of Mississippi. But, thus far, the depth of the alleged plotting is hard to prove.
2. "State legislators and the Secretaries of State past and present have decided Mississippi needs a full month to process voter registrations. Such an early registration deadline is not the norm in several parts of the country."
3. "I think that when white Confederate sympathizers demand that we honor their dead, they ignobly play the victims twice over. ... I think Confederate monuments should be removed from public spaces."
4. "Those bullet holes in Emmett Till's marker are representative of the hate that still exists in the hearts of some Americans. I am grateful that now the sign is bulletproof, however, the protective glass will not change the hearts of many Americans who embody hate towards the African American community.
5. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood joined 47 other state attorneys general in a bipartisan investigation of Facebook's data and competitive practices, looking into whether "Facebook may have put consumer data at risk, reduced the quality of consumers' choices, and increased the price of advertising."
6. President Donald Trump's claim that he is the victim of "a lynching" in the ongoing impeachment inquiry is "disgraceful" and akin to the U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith's "public hanging" remark last year, Democrat Mike Espy said in an email to supporters.
7. Mississippians could see cost drops in health insurance this year with the federal government's announcement that it expects a 4% cost decrease nationwide this year for subsidized health-care plans.
8. Historically black colleges and universities in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana pay three times more in underwriting fees than do their non-HBCU counterparts, a new economics study found.
9. Two candidates for secretary of state have different ideas about whether Mississippi should change its laws to expand early voting. Under current Mississippi law, absentee voting is limited to people who have a temporary or permanent disability, are at least 65 years old or will be out of town on Election Day.
10. Mississippi Republican candidates are at least making noises about supporting each other for statewide offices this year. Most Democrats, however, are not campaigning as a unified ticket.

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