City & County
City Wants State’s Help Recouping Funds
Jackson City Council Vice President Virgi Lindsay knows that although Jackson desperately needs legislative assistance with recouping uncollected funds, the 2019 session might be fairly stagnant.
Politics
Wise Women: A Mother-Daughter Judicial Legacy Continues
Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Patricia Wise (left) retired after nearly 30 years on the bench, clearing the way for her daughter, newly elected Judge Crystal Wise Martin, to continue …
Business
$1 Million Grant from FTA Will Help City Develop Transportation Corridor
The Federal Transit Administration awarded the City of Jackson $1 million to plan a transportation-focused corridor connecting 20 square miles.
City & County
UPDATED: Former JPD Chief Vance Running Against Beleaguered Hinds County Sheriff
Lee Vance, who retired as chief of the Jackson Police Department in December 2017 after 30 years on the force, has filed to run in the 2019 Hinds County sheriff's …
City & County
With 84 Homicides in 2018, City Hopes to Stem Violence With New Cops, Strategy
The City of Jackson ended the year with 84 total homicides—a 30-percent increase over 2017's year-end count of 64.
City & County
Three New Hinds County Judges Sworn In
At a judicial swearing-in ceremony on Dec. 27, Senior Circuit Court Judge Tomie Green recalled times in her two-decade tenure on the bench where no one else looked like her. …
Business
Visit Jackson Still In Limbo Under New CEO
Down a long hallway in the Mississippi Capitol, past the grandeur of the multi-story Christmas tree and seemingly state-mandated tinsel decorations, Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, convened a meeting on Dec. …
City & County
Almost Half of JPS High Schoolers Are Not Showing Up for Class
At the midpoint of this school year, approximately 44 percent of high schoolers in the Jackson Public School District are labeled as truant, meaning they missed five or more days …
Abortion
AG Hood Supports 15-Week Abortion Ban in Appeal to 5th Circuit
Jim Hood, Mississippi's attorney general and a 2019 gubernatorial candidate, filed an appeal on behalf of the state's 15-week abortion ban on Dec. 17, about a month after U.S. District …
Business
Amid Water Shutoffs, Jackson Assists Siemens Customers With Bills
The City of Jackson's customer-focused process of offering payment plans to beleaguered Siemens Inc. customers since April has not yielded revenue at a quick enough rate to fill the massive …
Crime
Governor Talks Criminal-Justice Reform, First Step Act, 'Baby Daddies' at Summit
Gov. Phil Bryant enthusiastically backed federal criminal-justice reform at the Mississippi Summit for Criminal Justice on Dec. 11 at the Westin Hotel in downtown Jackson.
City & County
Jackson City Attorney Abruptly Replaced with Tougaloo Professor
Amid churning rumors that Jackson City Attorney Sharon Gipson had been let go, the City announced her termination and Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba's replacement in one fell swoop on Dec. …
Crime
Trump, Acting AG Praise 'Project EJECT' Strategy as Jackson Homicides Surge
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker presented the Southern District of Mississippi's U.S. Attorney's Office with an award for the outstanding overall partnership/task force for its contentious violent crime-fighting program, Project …
Education
Michelle Obama's Name Added to JPS Early College Program
The Jackson Public School District named its Early College High School Program after former first lady Michelle Obama at its Dec. 4 board meeting.
Politics
Black Women Weigh Hyde-Smith's Win, Say Not 'Senator for All'
While Cindy Hyde-Smith made history as the first woman from Mississippi elected to Congress, it is hard for some black women to celebrate strictly on the basis of gender.
City & County
Bloomberg Gives $1 Million for Jackson Art; Talks 2020 Plans, Stop-and-Frisk
The small-statured, thick-accented former billionaire mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, descended upon Jackson on Nov. 29 to announce a $1-million public-art grant, while perhaps putting out feelers for …
Politics
Judicial Run-off: Black Women Lead Hinds Circuit; Bryant Choices Bomb
Hinds County voters had a harder decision to make than most on Nov. 27, with six judicial seats up for grabs alongside the hotly contested, historic U.S. Senate race that …
Personhood
‘They Want a Roe Test Case’: 15-Week Abortion Ban Moving Forward
For eight months, the nation's toughest abortion bill hung in limbo. The 2018 Mississippi Legislature sent the Gestational Age Act, called HB 1510, to Gov. Phil Bryant, who signed it …
City & County
Frances Fortner’s Family Seeks to Teach Lesson to City, Businesses of Jackson
Almost six months to the day, Frances Fortner's mother and father have filed a wrongful-death suit against the City of Jackson, Superior Asphalt, Sigma Corporation, IMS Engineers Inc., and Integrated …
Politics
UPDATED: Absentee Voting Lawsuit Unfolding on Day of Mississippi Run-off Election
Three individuals and the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP brought a civil-rights suit against the State for absentee-ballot issues ahead of the U.S. Senate run-off election between Cindy Hyde-Smith …
Politics
Long Lines for Absentee Voting Point to Engagement, Room for Improvement
Rukia Lumumba was the last person in a long queue of voters waiting to cast a ballot on the final day of in-person absentee voting on Saturday, Nov. 24. The …
City & County
Hinds County Judicial Runoff: Who’s Left, What Progress Can Be Made?
Although the nation waits with bated breath for the results of the U.S. Senate runoff between Cindy Hyde-Smith and Mike Espy, six judicial seats are still up for grabs in …
City & County
Jackson City Council: 'No Confidence’ in Cindy Hyde-Smith as Senator
Less than a half hour after U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and her runoff opponent, Mike Espy, finished a closed-door debate, the Jackson City Council voted 4-1 for a symbolic showing …
National
Hyde-Smith Demanded No Audience, No Press for Tonight’s Debate
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith demanded there be no audience or outside press allowed at tonight’s U.S. Senate debate and requested other restrictions, a source familiar with the debate negotiations told …
Civil Rights
Mississippians Call for Hyde-Smith to Resign at Protests Following Videos
“A lot of the students who aren’t from Mississippi, from out north or out west, they’re like, ‘Really? Your public officials would say something like that?’ So they’re energized. People …
Politics
Espy on Mississippi Stereotypes, Public Schools and Immigration at Jackson Forum
U.S. Senate candidate Mike Espy addressed Jacksonians at a community forum on Nov. 14 where he expounded upon and set the record straight about his stances, including his response to …
Cover
From Mississippi to Liberia: The Living Legacy of America’s West African Colony
Many say the legacy of freed African-American slaves, some from Mississippi, living and ruling over Liberia for more than 150 years ignited two Liberian civil wars that spanned 14 years …
Politics
Hinds Judicial Races, Court of Appeals Likely Headed to Runoff
Candidates for various Hinds County and statewide judicial roles appeared on Tuesday's ballot alongside U.S. Senate and congressional candidates. Just before midnight on election night, Hinds County released unofficial results …
Politics
Baria Proud of Progressive Effort; Wicker Headed Back to Washington Again
Mississippi Democratic House Minority Leader David Baria's chances to unseat incumbent U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker came to an end at just after 8 p.m. on election night—an hour after Mississippi …
Politics
Espy, Hyde-Smith Head to Nov. 27 Runoff with McDaniel Out
In a historic contest, Democrat Mike Espy will face incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in a runoff on Nov. 27 after the two candidates snagged the top two positions …
Politics
Mississippi Voters Turned Away in Historic Civil-Rights Community
A polling location in Philadelphia, Miss., turned nearly a dozen people away from voting this morning because poll workers didn’t have enough back-up paper ballots after a snafu with voting …
Education
Tougaloo College Rally Reminds Students that Black Voters Matter
The Friday before Election Day, the People's Advocacy Institute, MS M.O.V.E. and Black Voters Matter descended upon Tougaloo College to get students excited about voting right there on their historic …
Justice
The Locked-Up Teenage Girl at Center of Hinds County Contention
Crystal Marshall has been at Henley -Young Juvenile Detention Center up on a hill in a warehouse-lined area of Jackson on capital murder charges since right around Valentine's Day—less than …
Business
Zoo Finances Under Examination During Management Search
The Jackson City Council voted to hire a team of certified public accountants to perform a "forensic audit" to assess the financial status of the Jackson Zoo.
City & County
Forest Hill Band Gets Full Support from Jackson Council
The Jackson City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to support the students of Forest Hill High School and ask for the band director to be reinstated after an Oct. 6 performance …
City & County
Family Seeks Justice for Black Man Found Hanging From Scott County Tree
Willie Jones Jr.'s family has joined forces with the the Scott County Chapter NAACP, New Black Panther Party, Jackson Chapter Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, and two Jackson-based pro-bono lawyers to …
City & County
Embattled Forest Hill Band Director, Students May Get Council Support
The Jackson City Council will launch itself into the contentious Forest Hill High School Band fallout with two tasks: reinstate the band director and lift the suspension imposed on the …
City & County
Lumumba Calls 'Foul' on MBI's New Position on Officer-Involved Shootings
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba says the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations alerted the City of Jackson last week that it will no longer take on officer-involved shooting cases in Jackson.
City & County
Lumumba's State of the City Address Pans Over Past, Present and Future Jackson
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba walked up to the podium onstage at the Alamo Theatre on Farish Street to deliver the his second State of the City address on Oct. 11, …
Books
Angie Thomas' Hometown Celebrates Release of 'The Hate U Give' Movie
Angie Thomas, best-selling author of "The Hate U Give," promised not to cry at a private reception honoring her young-adult-novel-turned-movie, which comes out this week in her home state. She …
Books
Lumumba Honors Writer Laymon, a Jackson Native and Ole Miss Professor
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba continued a trend of honoring homegrown authors when he delivered a proclamation to Jackson native Kiese Laymon for his writing this morning.
City & County
More Water and Sewer Changes to Go Before Jackson City Council
The Jackson City Council will consider more changes, some cosmetic and some contractual, to the beleaguered water and sewer system ahead of the city council meeting slated for Tuesday.
City & County
Jackson’s Budget Marks Progress, Setbacks
Jackson's Chief Administrative Officer Robert Blaine stepped up to a podium at the base of the steps outside City Hall carrying "antique technology."
City & County
City to Reveal Names of Officers Involved in Past Shootings, Adopt 72-Hour Policy
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba announced on Friday, Sept. 28, that he would soon sign an executive order adopting a 72-hour name-release policy following officer-involved shootings in the City of Jackson, …
Business
Fondren Business Improvement District Moves Forward in City Council
Fondren business owners will take up a vote to establish a self-taxing Business Improvement District following Jackson City Council approval of the proposal at the Sept. 25 meeting.
City & County
Lumumba Signs Water and Sewer Customer ‘Bill of Rights’ Ahead of Shutoffs
Ahead of water shutoffs to non-paying customers, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba signed an executive order Monday, Sept. 24, officiating a “Bill of Rights” to those who pay for water and …
Education
Meek Wants Name Removed from UM Journalism School; New ‘Path’ Pledged
Ed Meek, the man whose $5.3-million donation in 2009 cemented him as the namesake of the Meek School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi, requested over …
Education
Meek's Post on Black Women Prompts Demand for Renamed Journalism School
It all started on Facebook Wednesday night, Sept. 19, when Ed Meek, the eponym of the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi, posted a photo …
City & County
Council Confirms James Davis as Police Chief, Frank Figgers to School Board
It was standing room only in Jackson City Council chambers ahead of the special meeting this morning to confirm James Davis as Jackson Police Department's chief and Frank Figgers of …
City & County
Interim JPD Chief James Davis May Get the Permanent Job This Week
The Jackson City Council will consider Interim Police Chief James Davis as a permanent fit for the role at a special meeting at 10 a.m. on Sept. 20.
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