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The Year In News

This year will be over in a few hours. Here's a look back on some of the big news events of 2010 in Jackson and Mississippi.

Education

Pre-K: An Ounce of Prevention

Little Samaritan Montessori is an unusual sight in Jackson's Midtown neighborhood. In an area with high rates of vacancy and a declining population, Little Samaritan represents the future. The child-care …

Business

Highway 80 Gets Scrutinized, Organized

After declining slowly for decades, the Highway 80 corridor in south Jackson is poised for a rebirth. The Jackson Redevelopment Authority is looking to have the corridor designated an urban …

Education

Laid-Off Teachers Hurting Education

Mississippi's public education system faces a difficult future, given persistent funding troubles, state Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, said today. Speaking at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce's Friday Forum at Koinonia …

Crime

Jackson Police Battling Burglaries

Jackson police reported 226 crimes last week, up from 177 the previous week, according to crime statistics released at a Jackson Police Department command staff meeting this morning. Officers reported …

Advocates Urge Proactive Approach to Homeless

Addressing homelessness in Jackson will require the active participation of communities, especially in the areas near downtown, the city's Homeless Program Coordinator Heather Ivery said today.

Education

College Board Loosens Firing Rules

Facing steep budget cuts this year and a bleak outlook for the next two years, the state College Board gave initial approval yesterday to a policy change that would allow …

City Purchases 311 Software

The Jackson City Council yesterday approved the purchase of two software packages that will allow citizens to make and track complaints and requests related to city services online. The two …

Person of the Day

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 …

Filming, Cupcakes and Marketing

Filming for DreamWorks Studios' "The Help," the adaptation of Jackson native Kathryn Stockett's bestselling debut novel, has largely taken place in Greenwood, but the production is coming to Fondren Sept. …

Hinds Seeks $6 Million Fines

Lack of personnel and technology is preventing Hinds County from collecting over $6 million in outstanding fines, county supervisors learned at a work session yesterday. A discussion on improving the …

Education

JPS Facing $9M Budget Hole

The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees met yesterday to address a possible $9 million budget shortfall for the upcoming school year. With lower tax collections, rising debt-service obligations and …

JPD Building Habitat House, Battling Burglaries

The Jackson Police Department is adding construction to its list of responsibilities. Along with the Jackson Fire Department, JPD will contribute volunteers to the construction of a Habitat house on …

Development

JRA Mulls ‘Union Market' Downtown

The city is soliciting community input on an empty storage space across from the King Edward Hotel in downtown Jackson that could become an open-air market, dubbed "Union Market," Jackson …

Education

Melissa Dearman

Baker Elementary School is getting kids excited to read. The south Jackson elementary school recently won "School of the Year" honors from America Reads Mississippi, a literacy program that brings …

Education

Barbour Names Commission on School Consolidation

Gov. Haley Barbour announced yesterday the formation of an advisory panel on school consolidation, one of the more controversial suggestions from his November budget recommendations. Composed of state and local …

Person of the Day

Leslee Foukal

Leslee Foukal has high hopes for the section of Fondren west of State Street.

Education

Teachers Fire Back at Film

In "Waiting for 'Superman,'" the provocative new documentary on America's education system, the trick is that the titular superhero doesn't exist. It argues that no single force will rescue the …

Education

Edwards To Address Book Controversy

Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Lonnie Edwards is holding a press conference this afternoon to address controversial book purchases at his former school district. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that several …

Education

MDE Submits Proposal to Makeover State Schools

On June 1, the Mississippi Department of Education sent a 500-page Race To The Top proposal to radically transform the state's educational system to Washington, D.C. Mississippi's entry in the …