All results / Stories / Ward Schaefer
GO Zone Deadlines Coming and Going
Local governments in southern and central Mississippi must begin using federal funds for disaster recovery by the end of the year, according to Gov. Haley Barbour. Barbour recently sent a …
Court Casting Wide Net for Jurors In Melton Trial
Citing exhaustive coverage of Frank Melton in local media, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Jordan said at a hearing today that juror selection for the Jackson mayor's federal trial will …
Hinds Signs Old Capitol Green Support Agreement
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors approved a tentative agreement today with the City of Jackson and New York City-based developers Full Spectrum Inc. establishing financial support for infrastructure related …
Parchman's Past, Prison's Future
It's a strange month when the Parchman Farm comes out looking better than a county jail. On March 10, a federal judge finally dismissed the bulk of Gates v. Collier. …
Loosening the Beer Bottleneck
Kevin Slark is a beer connoisseur. He can tell the difference between a Belgian Abbey-style Leffe and a German Helle Weissebier. He is also, if not a criminal, someone who …
Politics
'Good Time' For the Dems?
Amid cheers and declarations that "It's a good time to be a Democrat," the executive committee of the Mississippi Democratic Party met and unanimously elected Jamie Franks its new party …
‘Fresh Air' Returning to MPB
Mississippi Public Broadcasting is reinstating the nationally-syndicated radio program "Fresh Air," two weeks after its decision to cancel the show for "inappropriate content" drew widespread criticism. In a statement released …
JPS Cited For Handling of No Child Left Behind Funds
The Jackson Free Press has obtained Mississippi Department of Education documents that raise concerns about how Jackson Public Schools spent nearly $1.3 million in federal No Child Left Behind funds. …
School Funding Takes Hopeful Turn
An upcoming revised revenue estimate for Mississippi could give public-education advocates and supporters some breathing room. The state Legislature's Revenue Estimating Committee met this week, and Mississippi Parents' Campaign Executive …
KiOR Heats Up
Biofuels company KiOR has yet to produce any of its vaunted crude oil substitute in Mississippi, but the startup is making big moves on financing.
Catherine Sherer Bishop
A random Thursday night at Fenian's Pub in 1998 sparked a long-term love of Irish dance for Catherine Sherer Bishop. That night, Bishop saw the Jackson Irish Dancers, then a …
Former Pathologist Sues Innocence Project
Former Mississippi medical examiner Steven Hayne is suing the Innocence Project for defamation. In a suit filed Oct. 28 with the Rankin County Circuit Court, Hayne claimed that the New …
Supes Address Emergency-Tech Delays
Hinds County emergency responders may have to wait another six months before technology that traces the location of cell phone 911 calls is available. Gaps in communication are to blame …
Joe Troupe
Joseph Randall Troupe, better known as Joe, was a veteran, a skilled carpenter and a powerful motivator. Troupe died Friday after battling lymphoma. He was 67. Troupe's wife, Mary Troupe, …
Mark Chinn
Yes, he's a divorce lawyer, but if Mark Chinn has his way, that job description will sound less like a slur and more like an honor. Chinn, 56, wants to …
Metrocenter Renewal to Kick Off
Developer David Watkins says that his plans to renovate parts of Metrocenter Mall are unaffected by a last-minute rescue from foreclosure and the collapse of a proposed deal with Jackson …
Cathy Baker
As head server and bartender at the Fairview Inn's restaurant, Sophia's, Cathy Baker is responsible for more than just food and drink. She is an unofficial ambassador for the city.
Technology and the Government
Google set off grassroots campaigns in dozens of cities this year when it announced its Google Fiber for Communities contest. Google promised to finance enormous fiber-optic infrastructure projects in the …
Melton Came Within Two Votes of Conviction
Within days of coming within two votes of going to federal prison, Mayor Frank Melton revealed to the Jackson Free Press last Thursday for the first time publicly that he …
