Jackson Free Press

The Jackson Municipal Airport released updated flight delays and cancellations due to inclement weather in several destinations. Travelers are encouraged to check their airline for up-to-date flight information.

Arrivals: American Airlines Flight #4986 from Charlotte, NC CANCELED Delta Airlines Flight #5055 from Atlanta, GA DELAYED ETA: 4:50 p.m. Delta Airlines Flight #5508 from Atlanta, GA DELAYED ETA: 5:56 p.m.

Departures: Delta Airlines #5055 to Atlanta, GA DELAYED ETD: 4:54 p.m. Delta Airlines #5508 to Atlanta, GA DELAYED ETD: 6:21 p.m.

Check with air carriers for more up-to-date flight information.

Gov. Phil Bryant has filled both Mississippi Supreme Court vacancies, following the departure of Justices Randy Pierce and David Chandler. Former District 1 Court of Appeals Judge James Maxwell and tenth district chancellor Dawn Beam will join the state's highest court in the new year.

Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. said in statement that Judge Maxwell's "energy and experience will serve the court and the citizens of the state well.” Waller expressed enthusiasm at Beam's arrival to the court. In a statement, he said Judge Beam has continued to go above standards in helping her court's district convert to an all electronic filing system. Beyond clerical duties, Waller said Beam "has tirelessly worked to resolve issues regarding placement and supervision of abused and neglected children.”

Judge Beam has been involved with her district's work to guarantee safe homes for all children and recently spoke at a community meeting in December praising the local Department of Human Services workers in Marion County for the changes they've made in their office--including upping personnel numbers. The increased personnel led to 160 children being removed from their homes due to court orders that cited deplorable living conditions or drug abuse at home.

Judge Maxwell was appointed to the district court by former Gov. Haley Barbour in 2009 and re-elected in 2014. He practiced civil law in Jackson and worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the northern district of Mississippi.

Jackson Zoo officials have announced that a pack of feral dogs killed a gazelle and five springbok. Two geese were also hurt. The following is a verbatim description of the incident from the zoo:

Zoo staff discovered the animals had been attacked early Friday morning, and began to take measures of contacting Animal Control and catching the dogs before they attacked any other animals or escaped off property. The Zoo captured four of the five feral dogs believed to be involved in the accident. One dog escaped the premises; along with another dog spotted in the adjoining cemetery, not presently linked to the attack. None of the five medium size mixed breeds were wearing a collar for identification.

"This is a sad day, and the hardest thing about it is it didn't have to happen. The entire zoo's animal care staff work very hard to give the best care to the collection of animals here at the zoo, and to have them killed this way is tragic,” Zoo Director Beth Poff said, “There are people out there who have not taken responsibility for their dogs, and unfortunately we all have to suffer the consequences."

The Zoo lost 5 Springbok and 1 Addra Gazelle from its’ African Savannah area. Both species are part of antelope-gazelle family found in parts of Africa. The two spur-winged geese that were injured have been taken to the Zoo’s Animal Hospital for care.

Through a preliminary investigation there has not been a point of entry found on the fence line. The investigation continues as to where the dogs entered and one dog escaped the premises. The fence line is walked weekly to check for openings where dogs or other predators could enter.

The Zoo has 24-hour security, which has called Animal Control for dog sightings on zoo property eight times in the last five months, only three dogs have been captured from these calls.

Jackson Zoo staff continues to be vigilant in sighting loose dogs and monitoring the containment fences that surround the property. The zoo has contacted the City of Jackson today for assistance in containment, especially around possible drainage areas under the fence line.

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The city has hired a manager to oversee projects paid for with a 1-percent tax approved almost two years ago.

The Jackson City Council approved a contract with Jackson-based IMS Engineers for projects in the first year of the infrastructure master plan. IMS will help develop a comprehensive infrastructure plan, a 20-year blueprint to overhaul of the City’s infrastructure system of roads, bridges as well as water, sewer and drainage systems. IMS will also provide mapping and handle the public relations and outreach.

The selection of IMS came with relatively little controversy compared to other professional-services contracts that have gone before the city council in recent months. These include an agreement to remove sludge from the Savanna Wastewater Treatment Plant and switching health plans for city employees.

Mayor Tony Yarber said IMS did have the best scores from the City's evaluation committee, but two firms who scored higher had conflicts because the firms would have overseen work they previously committed.

Yarber has said hiring a program manager would be one of the last obstacles to overcome before spending from the 1-percent fund.

So far taxpayers have generated approximately $21 million from the 1-percent tax that voters approved through a referendum in early 2014. The first year of the tax added up to $15.1 million designated to begin repairs on some 2,000 miles of roadway, 881 miles of water main and 1,000 miles of sewer pipe.

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A real-estate website called Estately figured out the most Googled words for each state.

Apparently, the No. 1 search term for Mississippi was Ashley Madison, the online secret smash site for married folks that got hacked this year. I won't link to it here because I don't believe in pouring salt on wounds.

Plus, let's be honest, you probably already have it (so does Santa).

Other top hits for the Magnolia State included "Straight Outta Compton," the 2015 biopic about a Starter apparel loving musical group from Los Angeles, presumably due to the enduring popularity of the Jheri curl in some parts of Mississippi.

Also, the U.S. Supreme Court was popular because that's where most of the laws our Republican legislators pass eventually end up.

B.B. King for obvs reason none of which have anything to do with restaurants on Farish Street.

FOX news Megyn Kelly was another hot topic here. So was booty.

Rounding out the list were Bobbi Kristina Brown (daughter of singer Whitney Houston, who passed away in 2015) and Common Core State Standards Initiative.

It's interesting to note that given the fact that 2015 was an election year, none of the top search terms had anything to do with our political races.

In other words, booty was more popular "Phil Bryant," "Tate Reeves" or "School funding."

Marinate on that.

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The "No Child Left Behind" Act was overruled and replaced with the "Every Student Succeeds" Act this week. The new law signed will shift a lot of decision-making power for education policy back to the states. President Barack Obama called the law "a big step in the right direction," and its bi-partisan support in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate suggested that is was high-time for some change in education policy.

Mississippi senators, Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker both voted in favor of the act on Dec. 9. In a statement, Wicker said: "This is a huge accomplishment that puts students’ chances of success first. For the past several years, the Department of Education has been acting as a de facto National School Board. Education decisions should be in the hands of those who know best – parents, teachers, and governors."

The new law ends federally dictated accountability and improvement standards, but national math and reading exams are still in place. The law encourages states to limit the time students spend taking tests, however, and teacher evaluations will no longer be tied to student performance. The Every Student Succeeds Act also enables states to get rid of Common Core curriculum because the federal government is no longer able to mandate a national curriculum.

Now school goals, achievement and progress will all be calculated and measured by each state. In Mississippi, after a fight in November over the education funding-formula at the polls and a new study reminding Mississippi that the state paid more per pupil in 2008 than now (15.4 percent more), state legislators, teachers, advocates and students will have to come together to implement and pave the way for Mississippi students to get the best education possible.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.