All results / Stories / Ward Schaefer
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 …
The JFP Interview with Bill Luckett
In Clarksdale, Miss., Bill Luckett may as well already be governor. An attorney by training, he seems to have a hand in nearly every significant activity in town. Down the …
Budget Battle Shows Barbour's Mettle
The state budget negotiations were like a summer blockbuster: expensive, full of strong language, boring and too long. Gov. Haley Barbour played a starring role, and like any diva, he …
Barbour Delays Further Budget Cuts
Gov. Haley Barbour canceled a press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. this morning at which he was expected to announce additional state budget cuts for this fiscal year. A press …
City To Receive $550K Earmark for Art Facilities
Jackson is set to receive $550,000 from the federal government to upgrade three public arts facilities. The City Council will vote tomorrow on submitting a formal earmark request to the …
Hinds Hires New Administrator; Debates Voting Machines
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors voted today to hire Carmen Davis as its new county administrator. Davis replaces interim Administrator Ray Bryant, who had held the position since March.
Hinds Seeks $400K for Hwy 80
Hinds County has applied for $400,000 to help redevelop brownfield sites along Highways 18 and 80 in Jackson. The county Board of Supervisors approved an application today to the U.S. …
Council Set to Vote on Police Oversight
The Jackson City Council may decide today whether to institute a civilian review process for the Jackson Police Department. Long a pet item for Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes, a …
Scott Sisters Appear Before Parole Board
Investigations into the pardon petition for sisters Jamie and Gladys Scott have concluded, and the request for their release now awaits Gov. Haley Barbour's decision.
Independent Woman
Peggy Calhoun's office in the Hinds County Circuit Court building has a big window overlooking Pascagoula Street and Jackson's City Hall. It's a privileged perch. Most of her fellow Hinds …