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Civil Rights

Activist Who Was First Black Woman Mayor in Mississippi Dies

Unita Blackwell, a civil rights activist who was the first African American woman to win a mayor's race in Mississippi, has died.

March 26, 2013

Bryant Ed-Reform Bill Pwned by House

By R.L. Nave

Gov. Phil Bryant's Education Works bill is going to a conference committee after all.

Yesterday, the House delivered a crushing defeat to Gov. Phil Bryant's Education Works agenda, the governor's everything-but-the-kitchen sink education-reform bill that includes charter schools, a third-grade reading improvement program, teacher merit pay and many other provisions.

Today, the House went the other way. Now details of the bill, HB 890, will be negotiated by members of the House and Senate Education Committees as well as yet-to-named legislators.

The House voted 60-58 against the governor's bill, which passed in the Senate, meaning a few Republicans broke ranks and sided with Democrats in opposing the bill. Today's vote appears to be more a rebuke of Bryant's ram-it-down-throat tactic than of any individual education idea.

It was of little consequence since most of the important provisions of Education Works, including the charter-school bill, remain alive in separate pieces of legislation.

Ironically, the vote against Bryant's agenda fell on the same day at the former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is in town pushing education reform at Mississippi College. Bush's nonprofit, the Foundation for Excellence in Education drafted much of the model legislation on which Bryant's education plan was built.

September 26, 2013

Quick Hits for Friday Night

By Tyler Cleveland

There's usually plenty to do on Fridays in Jackson, and if you are like me, you're going to have a tough time deciding exactly which of these awesome events to attend:

The city of Jackson is celebrating National Night Out on Friday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at City Hall to increase crime prevention awareness. Here's the kicker: Jackson State University's Sonic Boom of the South will lead the "Confidence March Against Crime" from Smith Park to City Hall, beginning at 11 a.m.
The Jackson premiere of the documentary film "SubSIPPI" from the creative minds of Greg Gandy, Vincent Chaney, & Lauren Cioffi is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Make sure to check out the trailer here. It's free to attend and it's on the lawn outside, so make sure to bring a blanket on which to sit.
Jackson Prep (4-1) is riding high coming off last week's 19-13 win over Madison-Ridgeland Academy, but they are in for a real test when the country boys from Bassfield, Mississippi's 2-A reigning champs, roll into town for a public-versus-private-school matchup. Prep is a much bigger school with more players on its football team, but they'll hardly be able to keep step with the speed of one of Mississippi's best prep teams. Should be one for the ages.

Fly

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