JFP: Noise

• Girl, 8, Shot at Boys & Girls Club

  An 8-year-old girl was shot in the head while sitting inside the Boys & Girls Club on Sykes Road at around 2:30 p.m. today, according to Jackson police. The unidentified girl was reportedly doing her homework when a bullet came from outside. [...]
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  Posted: December 11, 2009, 11:08pm EST
  

• Howard Exec Pleads Guilty

  by Ronni Mott December 10, 2009 Jose Humberto Gonzalez, 45, former personnel director at Howard Industries in Laurel, Miss., pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy related to the company's hiring of undocumented immigrants. On August 25, 2008, Howard Industries was the site of the biggest immigration raid in U.S. history, during which U.S. [...]
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  Posted: December 10, 2009, 10:02pm EST
  

• Developers Push a Lake for Downtown

  by Ward Schaefer December 10, 2009 Jackson developer David Watkins, whose ventures include the King Edward Hotel and the Farish Street entertainment district, unveiled plans for a downtown lake and riverwalk at a media event yesterday. The project, which is still in the early stages of planning, would complement the problematic Two [...]
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  Posted: December 10, 2009, 7:50pm EST
  

• Violent Crime Down; Property Crime Spikes

  by Ward Schaefer December 10, 2009 Major crimes in Jackson rose 11.9 percent last week, with a drop in violent crime not enough to offset a spike in property crimes, according to weekly statistics released at a Jackson Police Department meeting today. For the week ending Dec. 6, Jackson police officers reported [...]
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  Posted: December 10, 2009, 7:40pm EST
  

• JFP Person of the Day: Michael Feldman

  by Andy Muchin December 10, 2009 Radio quipster Michael Feldman has been compared to Groucho Marx, though without the cigar and brothers. A lapsed schoolteacher and failed cab driver, he has been hosting the comedy quiz radio show "Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?" since 1985.' [...]
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  Posted: December 10, 2009, 7:30pm EST
  

• Chief Coleman takes Oath of Office

  by Adam Lynch December 10, 2009 Jackson Police Chief Rebecca Coleman took the oath of office Wednesday afternoon. Supreme Court Justice James Graves administered the oath, after a speech of faint regret by Jackson State University President Ronald Mason, who surrendered Coleman as director of JSU public safety when Mayor Harvey Johnson [...]
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  Posted: December 10, 2009, 3:41pm EST
  

• Did State Mismanage Stimulus Funds?

  by Adam Lynch December 9, 2009 A Jackson company is alleging in Hinds County Chancery Court that the state mismanaged $3.75 million in federal stimulus funds by passing over the lowest and best bidder for a contract to "green" public buildings. [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2009, 7:45pm EST
  

• Weill Demands City’s Fuelman Records

  by Adam Lynch December 9, 2009 Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Weill delivered an information request to the city of Jackson yesterday, asking for copies of all records of purchases made from or through Fuelman, the city's contracted fuel administrator. Weill's information request, which targets the time period between Nov. 1, 2008, and [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2009, 7:30pm EST
  

• AG’s Office Getting Tough on Rip-Offs

  December 9, 2009 Attorney General Jim Hood has announced formation of Mississippi's first intellectual property theft task force, supported by the national business community, according to a release. "Operation Knock Out Knock-Offs" is funded by a federal grant, Hood said, and the task force held its initial meeting and training in [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2009, 4:07pm EST
  

• Willis to be Compensated for ‘Egregious’ Prosecution

  by Adam Lynch December 8, 2009 Jackson resident Cedric Willis says he is happy that the state of Mississippi agreed to pay him compensation for wrongfully convicting him for the shooting death of Carl White in 1994, even though $500,000 doesnÂ’t quite seem to cover it. [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2009, 7:45pm EST
  

• JPS Gifted Students Give Back

  by Ward Schaefer December 8, 2009 A community service program for Jackson Public Schools students culminates today in an alternative gift market. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.), JPS students will be selling gifts like care packages that benefit local and international [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2009, 7:30pm EST
  

• JFP Person of the Day: Joe Troupe

  by Ward Schaefer December 8, 2009 Joseph Randall Troupe, better known as Joe, was a veteran, a skilled carpenter and a powerful motivator. Troupe died Friday after battling lymphoma. He was 67. Troupe's wife, Mary Troupe, is the executive director of the Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities. She credits him with [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2009, 7:15pm EST
  

• Tonight: Ward 2 Community Meeting

  December 8, 2009 Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. will host a community meeting in Ward 2 tonight at 6 p.m. The meeting's purpose is to discuss city services and plans, and will include a question and answer session. [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2009, 3:40pm EST
  

• CarLESS and Proud

  Something unique happens when you stop using your car for a week: you become addicted to a newfound freedom. Last week about 25 Jacksonians, including JFP reporter Ward Schaefer and me, participated in CarLESS week. For one week we vowed not to use our cars and get around Jackson by [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 9:49pm EST
  

• Pickering and Coach Come to Blows

  by Adam Lynch December 7, 2009 Former Rep. Chip Pickering showed the city of Madison that soccer apparently stirs up the same kind of emotions here as it does in Europe. Madison Police Sgt. Robert Sanders told the Jackson Free Press today that Pickering and youth soccer coach Christopher Hester filed complaints [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 8:15pm EST
  

• Hinds Approves King Edward Financing Support

  by Ward Schaefer December 7, 2009 Hinds County Supervisors approved a tax increment financing plan to support the King Edward Hotel renovation at a meeting this morning. The plan requires the county to cover 85 percent of any increase in property taxes due to the development for the next 20 years or [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 8:10pm EST
  

• Public Meetings and Community Events This Week

  by Vince Falconi December 7, 2009 Donate Blood and Save a Life Monday through Thursday, Dec. 7-10, a the University of Mississippi Medical Center (2500 N. State St.) and Friday at the Jackson Medical Mall. Hours: Monday and Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (at the [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 8:05pm EST
  

• JFP Person of the Day: Ally Mack

  by Darrell Creecy December 7, 2009 On Nov. 12, the Mississippi World Trade Center announced the first recipient for its Excellence in Trade Education Award: Jackson State University's Dean of International Studies Dr. Ally Mack. The center, a non-profit membership organization that assists Mississippi businesses in all aspects of international trade, awarded [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 8:00pm EST
  

• [Evans] Building a Better Revenue Picture for Mississippi’s Future

  by Lynn Evans December 7, 2009 This was certainly not the way Gov. Haley Barbour wanted to end his term in state office. Tax revenues are down $371 million and counting. State budget alternatives are grim, with cuts of at least 12 percent for most agencies, including education. [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 3:57pm EST
  

• Chick Jam Rocks Again

  After the success of our first Chick Jam in the summer, the Jackson Free Press is hosting Winter Chick Jam on Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. with performances by folk band Fedora Welty, punk rockers Party Dots and indie-rock band Law School.by ShaWanda Jacome December 2, 2009 After the success of [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 9:46pm EST
  

• City’s Legislative Agenda a Hard Sell

  by Ward Schaefer December 4, 2009 The legislative agenda for Jackson that Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. unveiled yesterday is short and cheap, but most items on the wish list will still face an uphill battle when the state Legislature convenes again in January. Jackson's legislative delegation will likely encounter more resistance than [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 7:20pm EST
  

• Gingrich Recycles 1990s Message for Jobs Creation

  by Adam Lynch December 4, 2009 Republican and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich appeared at a local "jobs summit" yesterday, blasting Washington politicians for being clueless about how to spur job growth. Gingrich—and his message—hasn't changed much over the last decade when his party rode an anti-Democratic sentiment into House and Senate' [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 7:10pm EST
  

• It’s the Weekend, Jackson!

  by Ronni Mott December 4, 2009 The place to be tonight is Hal & Mal's for the Winter 2009 Chick Jam. The fun kicks off at 8 p.m., with performances by Fedora Welty, Party Dots and Law School, and you'll find lots of cool photography and art on display and for sale.' [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 7:05pm EST
  

• JFP Person of the Day: Wade Overstreet

  by Lacey McLaughlin December 4, 2009 Wade Overstreet is passionate about improving the quality of life for children and families in Jackson. As the new development director for Operation Shoestring, Overstreet, 36, is in charge of raising funds and communicating the mission of the organization, a non-profit providing services for [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 7:00pm EST
  

• Governor Announces More Budget Cuts

  by Adam Lynch December 4, 2009 In the wake of yet another disappointing state revenue report, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour announced another $54.3 million in budget cuts yesterday, and expressed remorse that he could not impose more cuts under current state law. The announced cuts include a $19.2 million slash in Medicaid [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 3:50pm EST
  

• Gingrich to Speak at Millsaps

  by Adam Lynch December 3, 2009 Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will carry his jobs summit to Millsaps College today at 4 p.m. Gingrich's Web site describes the event as "a real jobs summit," to rival President Barack Obama's jobs summit held at the White House today. [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2009, 7:30pm EST
  

• JFP Person of the Day: Dr. Ed Thompson

  by Lacey McLaughlin December 3, 2009 Dr. F.E. "Ed" Thompson was a leader in improving the health of others. Thompson, 62, held the post of Mississippi's health officer, from 1993 to 2003, and again from 2007 until his death Tuesday of colon cancer. [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2009, 7:15pm EST
  

• Jackson Violent Crimes Drop 18 Percent Last Week

  by Ward Schaefer December 3, 2009 Violent crimes in Jackson decreased by 18 percent last week, along with an overall 3 percent decrease in all major crimes, according to statistics released at a Jackson Police Department command staff meeting this morning for the week ending Nov. 29. For the year to date, [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2009, 7:00pm EST
  

• Unity Conference Gets Underway

  December 3, 2009 "Building Bridges Through Diversity: One Goal, One Vision" is this year's theme for the fourth annual Unity Conference, sponsored by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance. The conference, which starts tonight at 7 p.m. with a book signing reception and photo gallery, continues [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2009, 3:56pm EST
  

• Jackson No. 3 ‘Best Bang-for-the-Buck’ City

  by Ronni Mott and Ward Schaefer December 2, 2009 Americans are thinking differently when evaluating cities where they might settle down and raise a family. In the wake of the real-estate bubble and in the midst of major unemployment, places like Jackson are looking darn good. So good, in fact, that Forbes.com [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 7:20pm EST
  

• Health-Care Reform to Dump Poor Kids?

  by Adam Lynch December 2, 2009 Oleta Fitzgerald, director of the Children's Defense Fund's Southern Regional Office, says she is concerned over the welfare of Mississippi children if either of the two health-care reform packages considered by the U.S. House and Senate ever make it into law. [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 7:15pm EST
  

• State Revenues Under Estimate Again

  December 2, 2009 State tax revenues were down again in November by 6.88 percent, making last month the 15th consecutive month in a row where the state's income fell below expectations. The Mississippi Tax Commission reported yesterday that revenue was down 7.38 percent for the first five months of fiscal year [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 3:42pm EST
  

• President Obama’s Address on the War in Afghanistan (Transcript)

  December 1, 2009 Following is transcript of President Barack Obama's Tuesday night speech on the war in Afghanistan, released by the White House on Tuesday: Good evening. To the United States Corps of Cadets, to the men and women of our armed services, and to my fellow Americans: I want to speak [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2009, 3:12am EST
  

• Council Votes to Pay Bodyguards’ Legal Fees

  by Adam Lynch December 1, 2009 The Jackson City Council agreed to finally pay attorney's fees for former city employees Marcus Wright and Michael Recio today. Former bodyguards of deceased Mayor Frank Melton, both men were with Melton when he oversaw the illegal demolition of a home on Ridgeway Street in 2006. [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 8:20pm EST
  

• Elders to Speak at World AIDS Day Event

  by Ronni Mott December 1, 2009 Jackson AIDS activist Robin Webb told the Jackson Free Press last month that AIDS disproportionately affects the South, African Americans and men. In Mississippi, Webb said, approximately 9,000 people are currently living with the disease, yet fewer than half receive any treatment. Some don't even know' [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 8:10pm EST
  

• JFP Person of the Day: Jamie Harris

  by Ward Schaefer December 1, 2009 When Jamie Harris came to Millsaps College as a geology professor in 1995, he had never taught before, even as a graduate student. Since then, Harris has flourished as a teacher. On Nov. 19, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named him Professor of [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 8:00pm EST
  

• Belhaven ‘College’ No More

  December 1, 2009 After 126 years, Belhaven College, a private Christian liberal arts school in the heart of Jackson, is changing its name to Belhaven University. The school's president, Dr. Roger Parrott, will announce the change at an all-campus gathering today at 11:45 a.m. [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 3:44pm EST
  

• BREAKING: Corps Says ‘No’ to Lake Plans

  by Adam Lynch November 30, 2009 Read More: Archive of JFP's Pearl River/Lakes Coverage The Army Corps of Engineers has concluded its four-year study of flood-control plans for the Pearl River between Hinds and Rankin Counties, according to the Corps' Vicksburg District Chief of Public Affairs Frank Worley. "We went though the study" [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 10:10pm EST
  

• Hood Calls Foul on Entergy Upgrade Plan

  by Adam Lynch November 30, 2009 Entergy Mississippi Inc. announced last week that it would be investing $500 million in "upgrading and bolstering" Mississippi transmission facilities between 2006 and 2013. [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 8:15pm EST
  

• Bryant Announces Govt. Reorganization Plan

  by Ward Schaefer November 30, 2009 State legislators will consider reform and reorganization of state government in January, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant said today. At a news conference this morning, Bryant released a report detailing recommendations for improving efficiency and accountability in Mississippi's government. [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 8:10pm EST
  

• JFP Person of the Day: Miro Lago

  by Adam Lynch November 30, 2009 Miro Lago can boast of being the first working manager of the King Edward Hotel in more than 40 years, since the business closed its doors in 1967. The King Edward Hotel, which is reopening as a Hilton Garden Hotel, is a fitting place for him, [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 8:05pm EST
  

• Public Meetings and Community Events This Week

  by Latasha Willis November 30, 2009 Monday, Nov. 30 4 p.m., Jackson City Council work session at Jackson City Hall (200 S. President St.). Call 601-960-1033. 6 p.m., LGBT Parenting Group at Safe Harbor Family Church (2147 Henry Hill Dr.). Dinner will be provided. Free; call 601-559-6133. [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 8:00pm EST
  

• Council to Vote on Melton’s Legal Fees

  November 30, 2009 On tomorrow's agenda for the Jackson City Council is the question of whether to pay former Mayor Frank Melton's legal fees and those of his two bodyguards. City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen and Councilman Kenneth Stokes are bringing the question to the council Tuesday, according to WAPT. [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 3:45pm EST
  

• An Appetizing Egg Bowl

  Throw out the records. This is the Egg Bowl. This year's annual rivalry between the Ole Miss Rebels (8-3) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-7) is the most appealing Egg Bowl in the last half-decade, or longer.by John Yargo November 25, 2009 Update: Relying on a strong running game, key interceptions and' [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 12:00am EST
  

• [Editorial] This Black Friday, Shop Local First

  Black Friday this, and Black Friday that. Do you really, truly want to get up with the chickens and wait outside some big-box retailer to save a few dollars on the same gift everyone else is buying? Truly?November 25, 2009 Black Friday this, and Black Friday that. Do you really, truly [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 11:00pm EST
  

• JPS Weighs Bullying Policy

  by Ward Schaefer November 25, 2009 The bullying got so bad that LaShron Cooley's daughter began to feel physically sick before school. As a sixth-grader in the International Baccalaureate Program at Northwest Middle School, the girl was teased for being bookish and sticking out. Her mother is from Detroit, and some classmates [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 7:00pm EST
  

• Insurance-Reform Bills Big on Change

  by Adam Lynch November 25, 2009 Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had a lot to be proud of at the end of October when the House released a new and improved bill to reform health care and health-care coverage. The 10-year $894 billion package, she said, would expand coverage to more than 36 [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 6:50pm EST
  

• Mississippi Invitational in its Last Week at MMA

  After this week, the 2009 Mississippi Invitational exhibition is history. This year's exhibition is the seventh such survey of Mississippi art, including a variety of works from a diversity of artists. Selected by New York based-based curator Peter Plagens, the exhibition features artists including Duncan Baird, Cleveland; Brent Fogt, Jackson; [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 3:53pm EST
  

• Lies, Damn Lies and ‘Dangerous’ Rankings

  by Ronni Mott and Ward Schaefer November 24, 2009 Heard that Jackson is one of the "most dangerous" cities? Read the fine print. [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 8:15pm EST
  

• More Trouble for Yazoo Pumps

  by Adam Lynch November 24, 2009 Last week, environmental groups pounced on an August lawsuit filed by the Board of Mississippi Levee Commissioners over the federal rejection of a plan to drain the southern portion of the Mississippi Delta. [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 8:10pm EST