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City & County
Stamps Calls for ‘State of Emergency’ Over Lead, Walks Out After It Fails
Ward 4 Councilman De’Keither Stamps walked out of Wednesday night’s special Jackson City Council meeting after failing to get support for a state of emergency over lead pipes in Jackson …
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City & County
Jackson's New Rental Regs May Target 'Slumlords,' Property Owners Unhappy
The sore subject of inadequate rental housing in Jackson, and how best to regulate, register and inspect it, packed a Jackson City Council public hearing Tuesday evening. Ward 6 Councilman …
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City & County
What If We Could Fill Potholes ... With Jobs?
Are potholes the worst problem we face in Jackson? No. But they represent a pretty big problem for more than one reason.
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Russia Denies Its Warplanes Hit MSF hospital in Syria
Russia on Tuesday rebuffed claims that its warplanes struck a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders in northern Syria in airstrikes the previous day that killed at least nine as …
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Music
Hattiesburg Club Owner: State Pressure to Cancel Big Freedia Like 'Footloose'
“I thought to myself that if Miley Cyrus can imitate Freedia at the Emmys, and Freedia can play Jazzfest with hundreds of thousands of people, and have a nationally syndicated …
Story
Seoul, US to Open Talks on Missile Defense Aimed at N. Korea
Looking to take a harder line after North Korea's recent nuclear test and rocket launch, Seoul and Washington will begin talks as early as next week on deploying a sophisticated …
Story
Last Occupiers of Oregon Wildlife Refuge Surrender to FBI
Surrounded by FBI agents in armored vehicles, the last four occupiers of a national nature preserve surrendered Thursday, and a leader in their movement who organized a 2014 standoff with …
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Occupiers at Oregon Refuge Say They'll Turn Themselves In
The last four armed occupiers of a national wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon said they would turn themselves in Thursday morning after law officers surrounded them in a tense standoff.
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Music
Carnal Echo’s Second Chance
After about 25 years in education, Nashville-based singer-songwriter and pianist Rachel McCann decided to follow her first passion and proved that even the music industry occasionally deals in second chances.
Story
Future of Uber in Jackson Safe For Now?
The fate of Uber is clearer after the Jackson City Council voted 3 to 1 for a set of regulations designed to address public safety and other issues for transportation-network …
Story
Trump and Sanders win New Hampshire Primaries
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders swept to victory in Tuesday's New Hampshire primaries, adding crucial credibility to their upstart candidacies and underscoring the insistence …
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Attorney General to Visit 6 Cities to Highlight Police Work
Attorney General Loretta Lynch plans to visit six cities in the coming months to highlight police departments she sees as role models for law enforcement.
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Police: 2 Dead, 4 Hurt in Shooting After Mississippi Parade
A shooting after a Mardi Gras parade in Pass Christian killed two men and wounded four other people Sunday, south Mississippi authorities said.
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Couple Wanted in Crime Spree Led Police on Chase; 1 Killed
A weeklong search for a Missouri couple wanted in a series of robberies and abductions across the South ended with one suspect dead and the other wounded Friday, after authorities …
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Best of Jackson
Best of Jackson 2016: Food & Drink
If you've ever been in Babalu on a Friday night, Saturday night or any night really, you know the place is abuzz with a weird sort of energy: the kind …
Story
Best of Jackson
Best of Jackson 2016: Nightlife & Music
If there's one thing that the people of Jackson love, it's a good time with an excellent live band.
Story
Business
Uber Safety, Fairness Back Before City Council
When it comes to regulating Uber—and other transportation network companies that might follow—the Jackson City Council is walking a fine line.
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Walmart Closes 6 Mississippi Stores; Raises Worker Wages
By adreherWalmart is closing six Walmart Express stores in Mississippi, all located in the northern part of the state in small towns. The store closures translate to about 180 lost jobs, but the national corporation said its main focus is to take care of the associates, offering them the option to transfer to nearby Walmart or Sam's Club stores. The Walmart Express stores in Belmont, Mantachie, Sardis, Walnut, Derma and Nettleton will close on January 28.
Walmart spokeswoman Anne Hatfield said that some associates will stay on in the Walmart Express stores until all inventory is removed by the second week of February. Associates that have not transferred will be paid for an additional 60 days, and those associates that have been with the company for a year or longer also have a severance option. Walmart is getting rid of most of the Walmart Express stores nationally, and to compensate for potential food shortages in communities where the stores are closing, Walmart will donate $3,000 to local food banks, Hatfield said.
On a more positive note for Walmart workers, all hourly employees can look forward to a wage increase of $10 per hour as long as they have been with the company since Jan. 1. Workers who started work after Jan. 1 can complete a training program in order to watch their wages jump to $10 per hour. The pay raise goes into effect on Feb. 20. Hatfield said that this is a part of Walmart's commitment to investing in their associates and doing things to ensure their employees are happy and engaged with their work. 2016 is Walmart's second year of a $2.7 billion investment in its workers.
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Music
Setting up Stonewalls
Since the musicians of rock-and-roll band Stonewalls first became friends while attending Florence High School, they have also worked together as band mates through various incarnations of the group.
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City & County
Welcome to Mayberry: The JFP Interview with Hinds County Sheriff Victor Mason
Victor Mason, 59, took over from Sheriff Tyrone Lewis on Dec. 30, becoming the second African American to serve as the top law-enforcement officer in the state's largest county by …
