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JPS Drops AP Test Aid
A budget shortfall is forcing Jackson Public Schools to scale back its assistance to students taking Advanced Placement tests in May. While the district has previously covered AP exam fees …
State's First Legal Distillery Opens
Beginning Wednesday, May 19, Mississippi liquor stores will offer a truly local spirit. Cathead Vodka, the first legally distilled spirit in the state, goes on sale this week, after a …
Poet's Progress
Plain spoken and impassioned, poet Nikki Giovanni's body of work is a testament to the power of words to fulfill and inspire.
Talk
Deuce Faces Drug Suspension
New Orleans Saints running back and Jackson businessman Deuce McAllister faces a possible four-game suspension for testing positive for Bumetanide, a drug on the NFL's list of banned substances. The …
Schools Waiting on $17M Reimbursements
State Medicaid officials are optimistic that a long-delayed program to help school districts with some of their administrative costs could begin reimbursing schools soon. Speaking at a budget hearing last …
Alliances of the Little Guys
Jeff Milchen doesn't like big boxes. In 1997, Milchen noticed with alarm that large chain stores were rapidly displacing the locally owned, independent stores that gave Boulder, Colo., its character.
‘Where the Glitch Is'
Bill Gowan wants to make his temporary post on the Hinds County Circuit Court more permanent. Currently serving as a special circuit judge, Gowan hears serious drug and violent-crime cases …
Eyes on Spending
One of the great things about government transparency is its trans-partisan appeal. Conservatives can distrust government just as much as liberals, sometimes more. Still, when it comes to high-tech watchdog …
UPDATED: Feds Want Melton Gun Charge Dropped
Federal prosecutors plan to drop one of the three charges against Mayor Frank Melton and his former bodyguard Michael Recio, according to reports by WAPT and WLBT. Prosecutor Mark Blumberg …
Schools Lagging on IDEA Stimulus Spending
Mississippi school districts have one year left to spend the $72 million remaining in a $116 million chunk of federal stimulus money for special education. Schools received the funds in …
City Fights Wastewater Order
The City of Jackson has asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to stay an Aug. 12 court order requiring it to transfer its wastewater treatment contract to a new provider.
Medical Examiner Bill Sent To Barbour
The Mississippi Legislature has passed a bill that would require state medical examiners to be certified forensic pathologists. The House of Representatives today approved Senate changes to House Bill 1456, …
Hinds Youth Center Director Resigns
The troubled Hinds County Youth Detention Center has lost its second director in one year. Clifton Strong resigned July 20, only one month after he accepted the director position. Strong …
Rains Hurt State Fair, Helped Local Restaurants
The weather was unkind to the Mississippi State Fair last week, but the near-constant rain was a boon for one segment of Jackson: downtown restaurant owners. Fair director Billy Orr …
More Room At the Inn
While plans for a convention-center hotel remain in limbo, downtown Jackson is seeing plenty of hotel development on a smaller scale. Last week, a team of developers that included several …
Fletcher Cox Negotiates with Nature
Fletcher Cox is finishing a pair of doors when I visit his shop on a rainy Wednesday. They're the last in a set of 13 pairs that he's been commissioned …
Jeremiah Wright: Prejudice Evident In Health Care Debate
Protesters shouting racial epithets at black lawmakers illustrates that prejudice against African Americans and the poor persist in the United States, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, President Barack Obama's former pastor, said …
Edwards: School Board Micromanaged
As Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Lonnie Edwards fights for an extension to his contract, he has tried to make the case that the district's Board of Trustees micromanagement hampered his …
Community College Boost Awaits Barbour's Pen
Mississippi's community colleges could get an extra $15 million if Gov. Haley Barbour signs off on a funding bill approved by both chambers of the state Legislature. The version of …
Convention Complex Opens
Twenty thousand visitors filled the Jackson Convention Complex during its official grand opening Saturday, according to preliminary estimates.
