1 month ago
Kathy Wilkinson Stone of Forest passed away on February 27, 2026, at the age of 80.
Kathy was born in Utica on March 19, 1945. She joined the workforce in 1964 as a secretary for Ergon Inc., then Lampton Oil Company. Up until the week of her passing, Kathy remained a steady, encouraging presence and a beloved part of the Ergon family.
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1 month ago
The Mississippi Free Press (MFP) article on the Jackson water authority bill repeats a familiar and misleading narrative that blurs the failures of the past with the hard choices we are making now to stabilize this system and return it to accountable, local control. Our administration is focused on a simple goal: securing long‑term, sustainable funding for water operations in a structure that is subject to state ethics and procurement laws, and answerable to the people who pay the bills every month.
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1 month ago
Photo by Nell Luter Floyd, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Ecotourism park nearing completion
What began as a drainage improvement project in Ridgeland and grew into the expansion of outdoor recreational activities at Freedom Ridge Park is nearly complete.
Drive on Lake Harbour Drive Extended headed to Highland Colony Parkway, perhaps for a trip to Costco, and on the north side one can easily view the green space complete with bridges and paths.
The ecotourism park at Freedom Ridge Park lacks landscaping and interpretive signage, but those are coming, said Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee.
By Nell Luter Floyd - Sun Staff Writer on
1 month ago
Photo by Jenny Woodruff Wilson, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
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The Phoenix Club of Jackson recently hosted its 17th annual Speakeasy Soirée benefiting the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi at Duling Hall. The soirée featured live music by Mustache the Band, food, prohibition-style libations, a silent auction, and more.
The Phoenix Club raises money and awareness for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Mississippi. Monthly lunches, quarterly dinners, after-hours events, a golf tournament, and major fundraising events are some of their activities.
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1 month ago
You may still see what appear to be panhandlers at intersections in Jackson that are part of the Capitol Complex Improvement District, but, as of Feb. 19, none of them have applied for a permit to solicit.
The permits, which cost $25 each and are good for one day from 9 a.m. until one hour before sunset, were made available starting Jan. 1. A permit may be obtained at the Capitol Police headquarters at 350 High Street.
Capitol Police Chief Bo Luckey said he’s not surprised by the reception. “That’s pretty much what I expected,” he said.
By Nell Luter Floyd - Sun Staff Writer on
1 month ago
Why is the water bill for small customers in Jackson four to 12 times more than the average bill for small customers in Flowood, Ridgeland, and Madison?
It’s primarily because JXN Water is run by an interim manager appointed and supervised by a federal judge. The interim manager runs JXN Water as an officer of the court — not as a local official accountable to voters. The judge seems to be accountable to no one. JXN Water “governance” looks more like a commissariat than a municipal utility board. So I call the interim manager the Water Czar.
By Kelley Williams - Guest Columnist on
1 month ago
It’s been two years since the state attorney general filed a lawsuit demanding the city of Jackson return Smith-Wills Stadium to its control.
So far, nothing has happened.
The lawsuit is still tied up in court, but Rep. Trey Lamar (District 8-Lafayette and Tate counties), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he plans to meet with Jackson Mayor John Horhn in the coming weeks and discuss a resolution.
Lamar wants to see the property the stadium occupies redeveloped, but he did not speculate about what that might be.
By Nell Luter Floyd - Sun Staff Writer on
1 month ago
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An engagement celebration for Alice McCraney and Eric Wegener was held December 6 at the home of Dawn and Chad Gnam. Miss McCraney is the daughter of Will and Kathryn McCraney. Wegener is the son of Connie and Eric Wegener.
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1 month ago
Jackson has a new police chief, Dr. RaShall Brackney. The Jackson city council approved Mayor John Horhn’s selection with one dissenting vote, the Northside’s city council member Ashby Foote.
I can understand Foote’s vote. Brackney is a criminologist scholar, professor and book writer. She’s an intellectual. Jackson needs a drill sergeant police chief who can face down the gang leaders and tell them they have 24 hours to leave town.
By Wyatt Emmerich - Publisher, Jackson Northside Sun on
1 month ago
Recent claims circulating online and in local television news regarding a customer’s account are false. JXN Water was not contacted to verify the allegations before the story aired. Failing to verify information about essential water utility services is a disservice to the public.
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1 month 1 week ago
James Young Palmer, 91, died peacefully on February 18, 2026 at home lovingly surrounded by his daughters Christie and Margaret and his twin brother John.
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1 month 1 week ago
The outrages keep piling up day after day. On February 6, 2026 at 5:44 in the morning, the Truth Social Account from “Donald J. Trump@realDonaldTrump” tweeted a 62-second video of former President of the United States Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as hairy, muscular apes, swaying in a jungle to music. I do not know how many overt racists there are in the United States of America. I venture there are not enough to keep either the President or his party in power.
By Robert Wise - Guest Columnist on
1 month 1 week ago
Photo by Nell Luter Floyd, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Planters and a brick pillar will close off Gillespie Street to vehicles
Gillespie Street at North State Street will soon be a pedestrian-only entrance into the Belhaven neighborhood.
The concrete has been poured where a brick pillar will be constructed and planters will be installed that will prevent vehicles from entering the neighborhood at that location, said Mary Alex Thigpen, director of the Greater Belhaven Foundation.
A historical marker noting the significance of Gillespie Farms, the namesake of the street, will also be installed at that location.
By Nell Luter Floyd - Sun Staff Writer on
1 month 1 week ago
University of Mississippi Medial Center Vice Chancellor Dr. LouAnn Woodward, center, speaks at a press conference in Jackson shortly after cyber-attackers disrupted the hospital's computer systems on Feb. 19
The University of Mississippi Medical Center closed all its statewide clinics and canceled many appointments Thursday and Friday after a cybersecurity attack shut down all its computer systems, an incident officials expect to last multiple days.
The state’s only academic medical center said in a Facebook post that many of its IT systems are down after the attack. That includes the electronic medical record system, which stores patient medical history, billing, test results, appointment booking and chart documentation.
By Allen Siegler - Mississippi Today on
1 month 1 week ago
Winter weather makes it unlikely that improvements would begin on any of the roads in Gluckstadt, Ridgeland, Canton or Flora listed on the 2026 Funded Projects Plan adopted by the Madison County Board of Supervisors.
But that’s not the only reason.
Before the improvements can be made, each city must sign an interlocal agreement with the county, have it approved by the state attorney general’s office, get the work done, pay the contractor for the work and then be reimbursed by the county after providing the bills and proof of payment.
By Nell Luter Floyd - Sun Staff Writer on
1 month 1 week ago
Dr. Bradley Kellum
More than 65 million Americans suffer from bunions — a painful foot condition that often worsens over time and can make walking, exercising, and even wearing shoes uncomfortable or limiting. For many, what begins as a mild nuisance gradually turns into persistent pain that affects daily life.
If you’ve been told bunions are something you simply must live with, advances in bunion surgery are changing that narrative. Today’s treatment options focus not only on relieving pain, but on correcting the underlying problem to provide lasting improvement.
By Dr. Bradley Kellum - Special to the Sun on
1 month 1 week ago
Pat Fontaine
Walk into Madison Cellars and you’ll find empty spaces on the shelves that should be filled with bottles of wine, fifths of whiskey and other products.
Customers are quick to notice the store looks emptier than usual, said Richie Peaster, one of the owners of Madison Cellars in Madison.
“They ask, ‘Are you going out of business?’ or ‘When is this coming in? When will that be back in stock?’ You can’t tell them because you don’t know.”
By Nell Luter Floyd - Sun Staff Writer on
1 month 1 week ago
Carlee Amanda Dawkins, Simms Alexander Abney
George Wilbur Dawkins III of Mountain Brook, Ala. announces the engagement of his daughter, Carlee Amanda Dawkins, to Simms Alexander Abney, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Luther Abney IV of Madison.
Miss Dawkins is the daughter of the late Lee Lefkovits Dawkins. She is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Lefkovits and Joyce Dawkins and the late George Wilbur Dawkins II, all of Mountain Brook.
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1 month 1 week ago
Dorsey Carson
“Are you telling me that you can be found not guilty in America, but still have to pay your attorney’s fees?”
That was the question a London barrister, Jerome Lynch, asked me on the first day of my externship with him in 1996. Until then, I hadn’t considered how peculiar this might seem, especially from an outsider’s perspective. In law school, the “American Rule”—the principle that each party pays their own legal fees—was mentioned only briefly. In an educational setting that values debate, this rule seemed to fly under the radar, simply accepted without question.
By Dorsey Carson - Special to the Sun on
1 month 1 week ago
Marlene Love Liddell passed away peacefully in the presence of her family in Jackson on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
Services will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, on Friday, February 20, 2026 at 11 a.m., preceded by visitation at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at Lebanon Presbyterian Church near Learned, Miss.
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2 days 2 hours ago
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