Development
A Waiting Game: What’s Next with ‘One Lake,’ Flood Control?
Despite multiple roadblocks and open questions, the controversial plan to create a large lake along the Pearl River for flood control and potential development in the Jackson area continues to …
City & County
'One Lake' Could Mean 'Catastrophic Failure' of State-Owned Bridges
One day before public comment closed on the "One Lake" flood-control and development project proposed along the Pearl River, the Mississippi Department of Transportation sent a letter to the Rankin-Hinds …
Politics
UPDATED: Who's on the Ballot in Mississippi in 2018?
This year will be an entertaining ride for Mississippi voters, who will have elect all four congressional representatives as well as two senators to represent the state in Washington, D.C.
Health Care
Mississippi to Instate Medicaid Work Requirements?
Mississippi leaders' refusal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act left about 300,000 Mississippians without access to health care and led to the closure of several rural hospitals deprived …
Cover
Vetting the ‘One Lake’ Project
The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District, often called the Levee Board, is supporting the "One Lake" plan, the latest version of a years-long strategy to create a …
City & County
Plugging Kids into Mental Health
NFusion Metro is a community-based mental-health-care program primarily for ages 11 to 18 years old in the Jackson area. During the summer, counselors are doing themed weeks for their lesson …
Health Care
Planned Parenthood Braces for Battle
Federal funds cannot pay for abortions, but anti-abortion rights advocates and lawmakers object to funding Planned Parenthood at all with federal and state dollars due to the fact that they …
JFP Interviews
'Thinking Out of the Box': The JFP Interview with Howard Sherman
Howard Sherman won the most votes (about 31 percent) on June 5 in the Democratic primary for Sen. Roger Wicker's Senate seat.
JFP Interviews
'I Don't Mind Long Odds': The JFP Interview with David Baria
David Baria knew he was fighting an uphill battle when he decided to run for U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker's long-held Senate seat. Baria's first challenge, however, is securing the Democratic …
Cover
Run-Off Blues: Inside the Playoff to Challenge Roger Wicker
Democratic U.S. Senate contenders David Baria and Howard Sherman share a common interest in basketball, at least for campaign metaphor purposes.
Crime
Hiring Ex-offenders: Mixed Statewide Results
Matthew Riley has been on the road a lot lately. As the state re-entry coordinator, Riley visited all 82 counties in Mississippi in the past nine months in search of …
Politics
UPDATED: Rep. Thompson Returns Sherman Donation; Will Endorse Baria
David Baria and Howard Sherman have both donated to federal election campaigns. Baria has donated to strictly Democratic campaigns, while Sherman has donated to Republicans and recently, Democrats.
Crime
Hinds County Criminal Justice Council Gets to Work
A group of Jackson and Hinds County leaders has begun meeting bi-monthly to work on improvements to the adult and juvenile justice systems in the city and county, after Hinds …
Politics
How A ‘Brexit Boys’ Project Ended Up in Jackson Court
Kyle Taylor believes Eldon Insurance and Big Data Dolphins Ltd. might be using U.K. citizens' data in their new artificial-intelligence project they have planned to start in Oxford, Miss.
City & County
JPS: $65 Million Bond 'The Only Option' for District After State Funding Cuts
The Jackson Public School District is moving forward with a $65-million bond referendum on Aug. 7 for Jacksonians to approve or strike down.
Development
Long-awaited 'One Lake' Proposal Should Go Public This Month
The draft proposal of the "One Lake" plan to dredge out parts of the Pearl River adjacent to the Jackson-metro area should go public this month.
Education
Third Graders Improve Pass Rate on Reading Test Statewide
Third graders around the state improved their scores on the reading assessments required for promotion to the fourth grade this year. Statewide, 93.2 percent of third graders passed the test, …
Courts
UPDATED: Inside the ‘Brexit Boys’ Data Project at Ole Miss
After months of negotiations and coordination facilitated in part by Gov. Phil Bryant to bring two British companies stateside, a public United Kingdom office that reports to Parliament is investigating …
Politics
Governor Vows to Fight Foster Care Takeover
Gov. Phil Bryant seemed prepared to fight to keep control over Mississippi's foster-care system last week after attorneys representing the children asked U.S. District Judge Tom Lee to hold the …
Crime
Corrections Fulfills Post-Epps Directive
It has been almost four years since the Mississippi Department of Corrections was turned upside down after a federal grand jury indicted former Commissioner Christopher Epps on several counts of …
Politics
Vote Until 7 p.m. in Mississippi Primaries, Plus Candidate Questionnaires
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today, June 5, for Mississippians to cast their vote in the primary election to fill the state's congressional seats.
City & County
JPS Board Announces Three Superintendent Finalists
The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees announced three finalists vying to lead the second-largest district in the state on Monday afternoon.
Politics
Special Session to Fund Roads, Bridges May Depend on U.S. Supreme Court
Gov. Phil Bryant alluded to the possibility of a special session for infrastructure funding, if the U.S. Supreme Court allows states to start collecting use tax from online retailers.
City & County
Jackson Schools Free Summer Lunch Program Begins Next Week
Kids and teens who are 18 years old or younger can participate in Jackson Public Schools' summer feeding program, which begins on Monday, June 4.
Cover
Off To The Races: Mississippi Elections 2018
Mississippians will soon head to the polls for a federal election for the first time since Donald Trump became president in 2016. On Tuesday, June 5, registered voters can choose …
City & County
JPS: Bond Can Help District Deficiencies
Jacksonians will head to the polls in August to vote on whether Jackson Public Schools will keep its current interest rates on bonds to help fund facility improvements district-wide.
Politics
Mississippi Will Receive $4.7 Million to Secure Elections
Mississippi county election commissions will be able to apply to the secretary of state's office for federal grant funds to secure elections this year.
Education
Are Teacher Walkouts Possible in Mississippi?
Teachers in Oklahoma, West Virginia, Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky and now North Carolina have made national headlines as they strike for better wages, policy matters and other various reasons.
Civil Rights
Poor People's Campaign Seeks a 'Moral Revival' in State, Nation
Dozens of Mississippians gathered at the state Capitol on Monday, May 14, in coordination with more than 40 other Poor People's Campaign rallies throughout the country.
City & County
Encouraging Mississippians to 'Think Again' About Mental Illness
It was a blistering morning, but people from state government, nonprofit and advocacy organizations gathered at the Capitol to launch a public-health campaign, encouraging Mississippians to "think again" about their …
Immigration
Undocumented and Caught in the System
Traditionally, the Federal Bureau of Prisons houses undocumented immigrants charged with federal crimes in "criminal alien requirement" facilities. Private prison corporations run the BOP's 11 contract prisons.
State
‘I’m So Scared’: Saving Kids from Suicide
In 2016, 385 Mississippians committed suicide, statistics from the Mississippi Department of Health show, which means more than one person per day took his or her own life in the …
Education
Statewide School Testing Task Force Named, Will Meet Next Month
Mississippi public high-school students will have a place on the statewide testing task force, which will begin meeting in June.
City & County
Reshaping JPS Needs Transparency, Inclusivity, Accountability, Locals Say
The hall in the Pearl Street AME Church buzzed with chatter as community leaders, students, Jackson Public Schools staff and Better Together commissioners worked to define "community engagement" as the …
Development
Coalition Forms Against ‘One Lake’ Proposal
Several wildlife and environmental groups came together to form a coalition against the proposed "One Lake" flood-control/development project on the Pearl River a few weeks before the report detailing the …
Business
How the Wage Gap Affects Single Moms
Amanda Furdge knows a thing or two about being a mom who fights for her kids. Furdge raises two boys on her own, as a single mother without child support.
Health Care
U.S. Senate Candidate Baria: Legalize Medical Marijuana Nationwide
Mississippi Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, wants medical marijuana legalized nationwide. The state minority whip is one of six candidates running to be the Democratic nominee for U.S. Sen. …
Politics
2019 State Races Shaping Up; Hood Has Edge Over Reeves for Governor
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and Attorney General Jim Hood are the obvious candidates expected to face off in the 2019 gubernatorial election if both make it past the party primaries, …
City & County
JPS to Change School Day Schedule for Middle, High Schools
School-board member Robbie Luckett said he intends to look at the district's makeup day policy because it needs to change.
Immigration
GOP Senators Praise Tax Cuts, Say Immigration Deal Unlikely This Year
Republican U.S. senators are concerned about the makeup of their chamber, which currently gives their party a slight edge in Congress by a one-vote margin. The stakes on Mississippi's Senate …
Civil Rights
Private Prison on Trial: Inmates at ‘Bleak’ Facility Tell Harrowing Stories
Merlin Hill was one of 19 inmates who testified during the five-week class-action trial against the Mississippi Department of Corrections for what they describe as appalling conditions at the privately …
City & County
More Charters Ahead for Jackson?
By August, four of Mississippi's five charter schools will be up and running in the state's capital city.
Health Care
Addiction Treatment Center Moves to Baptist Medical Center in Jackson
Pathway Healthcare, a drug and alcohol addiction treatment center previously located on County Line Road, has moved its Jackson office to the Baptist Medical Center campus.
Education
Third Graders Who Failed Reading Test Eligible for Free Eye Exam
Every third grader in Mississippi must pass the third-grade reading exam to be promoted to fourth grade. When a student fails the third-grade reading exam, it could mean they are …
Civil Rights
Lawsuit: Inmates Have the Right to Free, Secular Books in Prison
Big House Books, a nonprofit that sends free books by request to inmates, filed a lawsuit against the South Mississippi Correctional Institution this week because inmates there cannot receive books …
Justice
Corinth Will Settle in Debtors' Prison Case
The City of Corinth will stop locking up men and women who cannot afford to pay their fines or bail after reaching an agreement with the Southern Poverty Law Center …
Justice
Debtors’ Prisons Out, Parole For More People
Criminal-justice reform is and has been a bipartisan issue in the Mississippi Legislature in recent years, and 2018 is no exception.
City & County
What Jacksonians Want in a New JPS Supe
Dozens of applicants are interested in being the next leader of the second-largest school district in Mississippi.
Crime
Sheriffs Decry Cutbacks, Private Prison Contracts
Mississippi sheriffs packed into Room 113 at the Capitol Monday to express frustrations after the Mississippi Department of Corrections announced a reduction in inmates housed at the 15 regional facilities …
City & County
JPS Central Office Needs Restructuring, Report Says
The capital city's schools have been on a roller coaster the past year, avoiding a state takeover, then installing a new school board and adding a commission to help study …
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