Development
Civil Rights, History Museums Still Need $4 Million
With two years left before opening day, planners are stepping up fundraising efforts for two museums under construction in Jackson.
Health Care
Negotiations Over in Troupe v. Barbour
Mississippi's short-term inpatient care and special-treatment facilities served about 542 adolescents in fiscal-year 2015, Mississippi Department of Mental Health data show.
Business
Local Wine Sellers Push Back on Chain Effort
Victor Pittman is not pleased with a lobbying effort to lift the restriction on wine and liquor sales in grocery stores in Mississippi's wet counties.
Politics
Proposed Budgets Slashed Even Without 42’s Passage
Currently proposed budget cuts are even greater than those that Rep. Herb Frierson, a key Republican budget writer from Poplarville, warned would be necessary if the school-funding amendment Initiative 42 …
Education
Groups Blasts Pre-K Program Report as 'Ill-Conceived'
Education policy groups backed up the Mississippi Department of Education and its state superintendent by lambasting a recent report on the state's new pre-kindergarten pilot program.
Education
State Superintendent: Take Test Results Seriously
Mississippi's second round of testing for third through eighth graders left room for improvement and growth, top state education officials said.
Politics
State Eyes Changes to Guardianship Laws
Desiree Henley knew Mississippi's guardianship and conservatorship laws were outdated, ineffective and likely stripping elderly and disabled citizens of their basic human rights.
Education
MDE Chief: New Test Scores Show Schools Have 'Long Way to Go'
Mississippi's second round of testing for third through eighth graders left room for improvement and growth, top state education officials said.
Cover
What to do When Debt Takes Over
Fifty years later, the idealistic Pell Grant system has dissipated with rising tuition costs and higher-ed institutions hiking prices on virtually everything.
Education
Classroom Coding: The New Norm?
All fourth graders at Eastside Elementary in Clinton got their first introduction to coding as a part of Computer Science Education Week from Dec. 7 through 13.
Jacksonian
Elise Grenley
As general manager of CAET in Fondren, Elise Grenley's job description includes busy evenings, large private parties and sometimes, if necessary, kicking out disturbing customers.
Economy
Delta, Jackson Projects Receive Funding Despite Sluggish State Economy
A modern food hub for farmers and consumers will start its trial run in the coming weeks, and is scheduled to open this spring.
Education
Report Questions Effectiveness of Pilot Pre-K Programs
Four-year-olds enrolled in the state's special pilot programs for early-learning collaboratives scored no better on kindergarten readiness tests than their peers in other public pre-K programs, a new state report …
Education
D.C.-based PAC, Outside Money Funded Initiative 42’s Demise
Post-election campaign filings are revealing that opponents of Initiative 42, mostly from outside the state, spent much more money to defeat it than they were required to report before the …
National
Faiths Join Together Against Violence
Imam Ameen Abdur Rashied, who leads the Masjid Muhammad in Jackson, said that the spirit and faith within believers, regardless of what faith tradition they come from, unites them all …
Business
Uber May Leave Under New Regs
Uber has been operating in Jackson for a just under a year, but the company said the prospects of continuing to do business in the capital city are bleak if …
National
Cochran, Wicker Voted No on Gun Background Checks
Only one day after a mass shooting in California left 14 people dead and 21 more injured, the U.S. Senate rejected a bill that would require background checks for people …
Person of the Day
New Baby Orangutan at Jackson Zoo
The Jackson Zoo recently welcomed a new addition to its orangutan exhibit. Sabah and Pumpkin, the zoo's Bornean orangutans gave birth to a baby male on Nov. 22.
Cover
Under Pressure: Dan Jones on Health, History and Ole Miss Race Battles
Coaches at Warren Central High School told Dan Jones he couldn't play football past ninth grade—he was too small and slow, but he was welcome to be a trainer instead. …
Education
Creating a Hub for Early Learning and Creativity
For children not at regular daycare centers, options like "ABC, Come Play with Me" give parents a break from teaching their children at home and provide new ideas for preparing …
Crime
Advocates: ‘Safe Campus Act’ Not Safe
Two Mississippi organizations focused on keeping women safe are opposing the Safe Campus Act, a bill currently working its way through the U.S. House of Representatives, because it would make …
City & County
Stewpot Moves Sims House Residents After Fire, Assesses Damage
After Stewpot Community Services' transitional home for women, the Sims House, on Capitol Street caught fire Sunday night, officials from the nonprofit organization are waiting to hear how much of …
LGBT
Roberta Kaplan: ‘Someone is Responsible’
On Nov. 6, several witnesses took the stand in a federal courtroom for the first hearing in four Mississippi same-sex couples' challenge to the state's adoption ban.
Education
Provine: Academics, Behavior ‘Go Up Together’
Principal Laketia Marshall-Thomas believes that good behavior at Provine High School is about getting creative.
Crime
JSU Students Stand Up to Sexual Violence
GIRL is a JSU Feminist Majority chapter that is taking to the streets on campus, demanding more safety and awareness about risk female students face.
City & County
JPS Superintendent Receives National Award
The National Alliance of Black School Educators has named Cedrick Gray of Jackson Public Schools its 2015 Joseph E. Hill Superintendent of the Year.
State
Democratic Incumbent Draws Green Straw; Wins House Seat
Rep. Blaine ‘Bo’ Eaton, D-Taylorsville, won a tiebreaker for his current House seat on Friday by drawing a box holding a green straw out of a bag. (Yes, you read …
City & County
JPD Trained On Transgender Community
The Jackson Police Department partnered with the U.S. Southern District of the Mississippi Attorney's Office to host a "Law Enforcement and the Transgender Community" training session on Thursday, Nov. 19.
Health Care
Abortion Clinic to Offer Contraception, ‘Better Care’
Mississippi's only abortion clinic will become an official health provider for insurance companies within weeks.
National
Gov. Bryant Denial of Syrian Refugees Could Be 'Discriminatory'
Gov. Phil Bryant joined several governors on Monday in pledging to refuse Syrian refugees should they be sent to Mississippi following the terrorist attacks in Paris that left 129 people …
Outside Influence on 42
Anti-Initiative 42 advocates formed KidsFirst and Improve Mississippi, which were all funded, at least in part, through outside organizations and dollars.
Cover
The Demise of Initiative 42
As soon as the Mississippi Legislature proposed an alternative measure to Initiative 42, a citizens' initiative to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, its advocates cried foul, saying the …
City & County
JPS Middle School Scores Shine
Two Jackson Public Schools middle schools outscored all other JPS middle and high schools on math assessments students took last year.
LGBT
‘Not No, But Hell No’: Fighting for Same-Sex Adoption
Roberta Kaplan is challenging the provision in Mississippi adoption law that states, "Adoption by couples of the same gender is prohibited."
Business
Report: Black Women in Delta Are Resilient But Still Suffering
Access to health care and services makes life for women in the Mississippi Delta difficult.
Education
Northwest Rankin High School Complies with Humanist Group, Avoids Lawsuit
Northwest Rankin High School is out of legal trouble after several weeks of back-and-forth with the American Humanist Association.
Education
State Test Scores Show Progress Against Higher Standards
Mississippi middle- and high-school students are slowly adapting to more rigorous College and Career Ready standards according to state test results released on Thursday.
LGBT
Mississippi Supreme Court Says Same-Sex Divorce is Legal
The Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled Lauren Czekala-Chatham's divorce legal in concurrence with the ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.
Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Enrollment Numbers Down in Mississippi
The New York Times reported that the number of Mississippians without health insurance has grown over the past year.
Education
Mississippi Schools Show Signs of Improvement Despite Underfunding
Academic progress primarily comes from good instruction, and staffing schools, especially in south Jackson, has presented JPS recruiters with problems.
LGBT
After Same-Sex Marriage Victory, A Stall on LGBT Divorces in State
Lauren Beth Czekala-Chatham cannot put her past behind her, because a court won't let her.
Education
Down to the Wire: The Final Push to Pass Initiative 42
Less than a week until the Nov. 3 election, Initiative 42 proponents are making their final push to inform voters about the citizen-driven ballot initiative.
Education
National Report Card: State Still Below Proficient
Mississippi was the only state that increased both its reading and math proficiency levels for fourth graders according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
How Voter ID and Voter Turnout Could Affect Elections
Mississippi's Voter ID law took effect last year, largely relying on research commissioned by the secretary of state's office finding that 98 percent of Mississippi voters reported having at least …
JFP Interviews
Green: Farming an Economic Future
Raised on a farm and the daughter of a sharecropper, Addie Lee Green remembers learning how to chop down trees for firewood as a child. Now she is running to …
Education
A Rework for ‘Restraint and Seclusion’
While most organizations fully support the creation and implementation of a restraint and seclusion policy, many are not satisfied with the policy as it is written now.
Cover
The Lt. Gov Power Trip
If campaign publicity is a measure, the stage is set for a showdown between Tate Reeves and Tim Johnson—although it has been a relatively quiet race thus far.
Jacksonian
Hailey Allin
As a little girl in the Episcopal church, Hailey Allin remembers one Sunday more than the rest.
Education
Initiative 42 Draws Support From Religious, Civic and Legal Groups
As Election Day draws near, supporters of the education funding referendum known as Initiative 42 are drawing wide support from organizations around the state.
Cover
MAEP Formula Explained
MAEP funding (theoretically) covers teacher and district employee salaries, retirement and insurance, instruction materials, operational costs, transportation, and special, vocational, gifted and alternative education.
