Miss. personal ie growth trails nation - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Personal income growth in Mississippi accelerated in the second three months of 2014, but growth still trailed the nation.

The measure expanded 1.4 percent on an annual basis, the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis said Tuesday, ranking Mississippi 40th among states from April to June. That rose from 0.3 percent in the first quarter. Personal income nationwide grew 1.5 percent in the second quarter.

Workplace earnings grew as fast as nationwide, while income from financial investments and government programs trailed national growth.

Mississippi's workplace income from manufacturing of durable goods such as autos and ships grew strongly, but construction earnings shrank and earnings from professional, scientific and technical services grew slowly.

Personal income is all income from every source, including wages, business owner profits, interest, dividends, rent and government transfers.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Thimblepress, Community Playground and Mississippi Physicians - Jackson Free Press

Local design and letterpress company Thimblepress is a finalist in the 2014 Martha Stewart Living American Made Awards. The American Made Awards honor makers, small-business owners, and creative entrepreneurs in the fields of crafts, design, food and style.

The executive editorial team of Martha Stewart Living serves as category judges and oversees the selection process. Stewart herself is head judge and makes the final picks. The judges base their selections on the following criteria:

Innovativeness, demonstrated creativity and originality of idea

• Originality and level of creativity

• Clearly identifiable customer need

• Customer value and usability

Workmanship

• Quality of materials used

• Attention and care paid to product details and/or customer satisfaction

• Level of craftsmanship involved in production

Appearance

• Unique design aesthetic

• Visual appeal of product packaging

• Compelling logo and/or typography

Embodiment of American Made theme

• Use of local components and processes

• Engagement of local community

Kristen Ley, owner of Thimblepress and a lifelong lover of art, opened the shop in 2011 after purchasing a 1925 10 x 15 Chandler & Price antique printing press. Ley derives her store's name from her collection of thimbles from travelling across the U.S. Every time she went to a new state, she purchased a thimble to mark her visit. The collection remains in her office to this day. Ley has acquired two additional antique printing presses since opening her shop.

Thimblepress offers a range of products, including greeting cards, banner kits, push-pop confetti and party hats. The store also specializes in custom design work, hand lettering and illustration, and offers design services for weddings, parties, holiday occasions, stationery, brands and businesses.

Thimblepress (113 N. State St., 601-351-9492) is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday by appointment only. To vote for Thimblepress in the American Made Awards, visit Thimblepress' nominee page.

Voters can register six votes a day until Oct. 15. Learn more about Thimblepress at the store's website.

Multigenerational Playground Coming to Jackson Medical Mall

On Oct. 4, insurance company Humana and nonprofit group KaBOOM! are coming to Jackson to build a new multigenerational playground. A team of around 200 volunteers will complete the construction of the 43,740-square-foot playground at the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation Lot in just six hours. The collaboration is in its fourth year and has produced 50 playgrounds. KaBOOM! has also built more than 2,500 playgrounds since its founding in 1996.

The Jackson Medical Mall is considered the only facility of its kind in America that provides quality health care, human services and retail in one space. The Jackson Medical Mall Foundation has long planned to build a playground in an economically distressed African American community, where many residents struggle with poor health. The new playground will feature traditional kid-friendly equipment as well as walking paths and fitness stations designed for adults. This will allow both children and adults to engage in physical activity and reduce health risks such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

KaBOOM! makes sure that each playground is designed in part by kids who live in the area. In early summer, local kids were asked to design their dream playground and drew lots of slides and monkey bars in addition to nontraditional equipment such as zip lines, roller coasters, a haunted house, aquatic shows and an underground tunnel.

The Humana Foundation supports KaBOOM!'s Playful City USA initiative, which aims to spread the community playground movement across the U.S. For more information, visit playfulcityusa.org. Learn more about Humana at humana.com and KaBOOM! at kaboom.org.

Mississippi is the Top State for Physicians

Norwalk, Conn.-based Physicians Practice recently compiled its annual list of the "Best States to Practice," and chose Mississippi for the second straight year as No. 1 for physician-friendly locales to practice medicine, the Mississippi Business Journal reports.

Physicians Practice bases its decision on factors such as cost of living, disciplinary actions taken against physicians, tax burden per capita and physician density. States that consistently finish in the top 10 for each of the six qualitative categories comprise the rankings.

Mississippi finished at the top of all U.S. states and the District of Columbia, with Alabama, Texas and Nevada rounding out the top four states. Tennessee, South Carolina, Indiana, South Dakota, Arkansas and Oklahoma made up the remaining top 10.

Mississippi's key winning factors were low rates of physician density, cost of living, low tax burden and low malpractice payouts.

In addition to highlighting the four top states in its October journal, Physicians Practice also offers information online for medical practitioners to make their own determinations on the best location for them. A clickable map of the U.S. allows users to view the data points for each state and the District of Columbia, and then use the "Find Your Best State" tool to assign different weights to the metrics and sort the most physician-friendly states based on personal preferences.

Mississippi has 2 more cases of enterovirus - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi health officials are confirming two more cases of a virus that causes respiratory illness in children.

The Mississippi State Department of Health says in a news release that the two cases were reported in young children - one from Forrest County and the other from Calhoun County. A case was reported in a Hancock County child last week.

Enterovirus-D68 is a more virulent strain of the virus that causes the common cold. The virus can cause mild to severe illness, with the worst cases needing life support for breathing difficulties. Children with asthma are more vulnerable. No deaths have been reported.

Health officials say infants, children and teenagers are more likely to become infected because they do not have immunity to the virus.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Miss. officials question local school aid spending - Mississippi News Now

By JEFF AMY

Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - State education officials making their legally-mandated push to support Mississippi's school funding formula are being questioned about rising spending on administrators and whether it would be worth more to spend additional money outside the formula.

Lawmakers would have to add an estimated $311.7 million to the Mississippi Adequate Education Program in the 2016 budget year beginning July 1 to provide what the formula calls an adequate amount of aid to local school districts. That gap is up from $257 million this year, in part because officials will need to add more than $100 million next year to cover the second year of across-the-board teacher pay increases.

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and others are asking whether local districts are spending money wisely, citing increasing administrative costs and falling spending on instruction.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Miss. personal ie growth trails nation - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Personal income growth in Mississippi accelerated in the second three months of 2014, but growth still trailed the nation.

The measure expanded 1.4 percent on an annual basis, the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis said Tuesday, ranking Mississippi 40th among states from April to June. That rose from 0.3 percent in the first quarter. Personal income nationwide grew 1.5 percent in the second quarter.

Workplace earnings grew as fast as nationwide, while income from financial investments and government programs trailed national growth.

Mississippi's workplace income from manufacturing of durable goods such as autos and ships grew strongly, but construction earnings shrank and earnings from professional, scientific and technical services grew slowly.

Personal income is all income from every source, including wages, business owner profits, interest, dividends, rent and government transfers.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Thimblepress, Community Playground and Mississippi Physicians - Jackson Free Press

Local design and letterpress company Thimblepress is a finalist in the 2014 Martha Stewart Living American Made Awards. The American Made Awards honor makers, small-business owners, and creative entrepreneurs in the fields of crafts, design, food and style.

The executive editorial team of Martha Stewart Living serves as category judges and oversees the selection process. Stewart herself is head judge and makes the final picks. The judges base their selections on the following criteria:

Innovativeness, demonstrated creativity and originality of idea

• Originality and level of creativity

• Clearly identifiable customer need

• Customer value and usability

Workmanship

• Quality of materials used

• Attention and care paid to product details and/or customer satisfaction

• Level of craftsmanship involved in production

Appearance

• Unique design aesthetic

• Visual appeal of product packaging

• Compelling logo and/or typography

Embodiment of American Made theme

• Use of local components and processes

• Engagement of local community

Kristen Ley, owner of Thimblepress and a lifelong lover of art, opened the shop in 2011 after purchasing a 1925 10 x 15 Chandler & Price antique printing press. Ley derives her store's name from her collection of thimbles from travelling across the U.S. Every time she went to a new state, she purchased a thimble to mark her visit. The collection remains in her office to this day. Ley has acquired two additional antique printing presses since opening her shop.

Thimblepress offers a range of products, including greeting cards, banner kits, push-pop confetti and party hats. The store also specializes in custom design work, hand lettering and illustration, and offers design services for weddings, parties, holiday occasions, stationery, brands and businesses.

Thimblepress (113 N. State St., 601-351-9492) is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday by appointment only. To vote for Thimblepress in the American Made Awards, visit Thimblepress' nominee page.

Voters can register six votes a day until Oct. 15. Learn more about Thimblepress at the store's website.

Multigenerational Playground Coming to Jackson Medical Mall

On Oct. 4, insurance company Humana and nonprofit group KaBOOM! are coming to Jackson to build a new multigenerational playground. A team of around 200 volunteers will complete the construction of the 43,740-square-foot playground at the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation Lot in just six hours. The collaboration is in its fourth year and has produced 50 playgrounds. KaBOOM! has also built more than 2,500 playgrounds since its founding in 1996.

The Jackson Medical Mall is considered the only facility of its kind in America that provides quality health care, human services and retail in one space. The Jackson Medical Mall Foundation has long planned to build a playground in an economically distressed African American community, where many residents struggle with poor health. The new playground will feature traditional kid-friendly equipment as well as walking paths and fitness stations designed for adults. This will allow both children and adults to engage in physical activity and reduce health risks such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

KaBOOM! makes sure that each playground is designed in part by kids who live in the area. In early summer, local kids were asked to design their dream playground and drew lots of slides and monkey bars in addition to nontraditional equipment such as zip lines, roller coasters, a haunted house, aquatic shows and an underground tunnel.

The Humana Foundation supports KaBOOM!'s Playful City USA initiative, which aims to spread the community playground movement across the U.S. For more information, visit playfulcityusa.org. Learn more about Humana at humana.com and KaBOOM! at kaboom.org.

Mississippi is the Top State for Physicians

Norwalk, Conn.-based Physicians Practice recently compiled its annual list of the "Best States to Practice," and chose Mississippi for the second straight year as No. 1 for physician-friendly locales to practice medicine, the Mississippi Business Journal reports.

Physicians Practice bases its decision on factors such as cost of living, disciplinary actions taken against physicians, tax burden per capita and physician density. States that consistently finish in the top 10 for each of the six qualitative categories comprise the rankings.

Mississippi finished at the top of all U.S. states and the District of Columbia, with Alabama, Texas and Nevada rounding out the top four states. Tennessee, South Carolina, Indiana, South Dakota, Arkansas and Oklahoma made up the remaining top 10.

Mississippi's key winning factors were low rates of physician density, cost of living, low tax burden and low malpractice payouts.

In addition to highlighting the four top states in its October journal, Physicians Practice also offers information online for medical practitioners to make their own determinations on the best location for them. A clickable map of the U.S. allows users to view the data points for each state and the District of Columbia, and then use the "Find Your Best State" tool to assign different weights to the metrics and sort the most physician-friendly states based on personal preferences.

Mississippi has 2 more cases of enterovirus - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi health officials are confirming two more cases of a virus that causes respiratory illness in children.

The Mississippi State Department of Health says in a news release that the two cases were reported in young children - one from Forrest County and the other from Calhoun County. A case was reported in a Hancock County child last week.

Enterovirus-D68 is a more virulent strain of the virus that causes the common cold. The virus can cause mild to severe illness, with the worst cases needing life support for breathing difficulties. Children with asthma are more vulnerable. No deaths have been reported.

Health officials say infants, children and teenagers are more likely to become infected because they do not have immunity to the virus.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Miss. officials question local school aid spending - Mississippi News Now

By JEFF AMY

Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - State education officials making their legally-mandated push to support Mississippi's school funding formula are being questioned about rising spending on administrators and whether it would be worth more to spend additional money outside the formula.

Lawmakers would have to add an estimated $311.7 million to the Mississippi Adequate Education Program in the 2016 budget year beginning July 1 to provide what the formula calls an adequate amount of aid to local school districts. That gap is up from $257 million this year, in part because officials will need to add more than $100 million next year to cover the second year of across-the-board teacher pay increases.

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and others are asking whether local districts are spending money wisely, citing increasing administrative costs and falling spending on instruction.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Miss. personal ie growth trails nation - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Personal income growth in Mississippi accelerated in the second three months of 2014, but growth still trailed the nation.

The measure expanded 1.4 percent on an annual basis, the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis said Tuesday, ranking Mississippi 40th among states from April to June. That rose from 0.3 percent in the first quarter. Personal income nationwide grew 1.5 percent in the second quarter.

Workplace earnings grew as fast as nationwide, while income from financial investments and government programs trailed national growth.

Mississippi's workplace income from manufacturing of durable goods such as autos and ships grew strongly, but construction earnings shrank and earnings from professional, scientific and technical services grew slowly.

Personal income is all income from every source, including wages, business owner profits, interest, dividends, rent and government transfers.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Thimblepress, Community Playground and Mississippi Physicians - Jackson Free Press

Local design and letterpress company Thimblepress is a finalist in the 2014 Martha Stewart Living American Made Awards. The American Made Awards honor makers, small-business owners, and creative entrepreneurs in the fields of crafts, design, food and style.

The executive editorial team of Martha Stewart Living serves as category judges and oversees the selection process. Stewart herself is head judge and makes the final picks. The judges base their selections on the following criteria:

Innovativeness, demonstrated creativity and originality of idea

• Originality and level of creativity

• Clearly identifiable customer need

• Customer value and usability

Workmanship

• Quality of materials used

• Attention and care paid to product details and/or customer satisfaction

• Level of craftsmanship involved in production

Appearance

• Unique design aesthetic

• Visual appeal of product packaging

• Compelling logo and/or typography

Embodiment of American Made theme

• Use of local components and processes

• Engagement of local community

Kristen Ley, owner of Thimblepress and a lifelong lover of art, opened the shop in 2011 after purchasing a 1925 10 x 15 Chandler & Price antique printing press. Ley derives her store's name from her collection of thimbles from travelling across the U.S. Every time she went to a new state, she purchased a thimble to mark her visit. The collection remains in her office to this day. Ley has acquired two additional antique printing presses since opening her shop.

Thimblepress offers a range of products, including greeting cards, banner kits, push-pop confetti and party hats. The store also specializes in custom design work, hand lettering and illustration, and offers design services for weddings, parties, holiday occasions, stationery, brands and businesses.

Thimblepress (113 N. State St., 601-351-9492) is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday by appointment only. To vote for Thimblepress in the American Made Awards, visit Thimblepress' nominee page.

Voters can register six votes a day until Oct. 15. Learn more about Thimblepress at the store's website.

Multigenerational Playground Coming to Jackson Medical Mall

On Oct. 4, insurance company Humana and nonprofit group KaBOOM! are coming to Jackson to build a new multigenerational playground. A team of around 200 volunteers will complete the construction of the 43,740-square-foot playground at the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation Lot in just six hours. The collaboration is in its fourth year and has produced 50 playgrounds. KaBOOM! has also built more than 2,500 playgrounds since its founding in 1996.

The Jackson Medical Mall is considered the only facility of its kind in America that provides quality health care, human services and retail in one space. The Jackson Medical Mall Foundation has long planned to build a playground in an economically distressed African American community, where many residents struggle with poor health. The new playground will feature traditional kid-friendly equipment as well as walking paths and fitness stations designed for adults. This will allow both children and adults to engage in physical activity and reduce health risks such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

KaBOOM! makes sure that each playground is designed in part by kids who live in the area. In early summer, local kids were asked to design their dream playground and drew lots of slides and monkey bars in addition to nontraditional equipment such as zip lines, roller coasters, a haunted house, aquatic shows and an underground tunnel.

The Humana Foundation supports KaBOOM!'s Playful City USA initiative, which aims to spread the community playground movement across the U.S. For more information, visit playfulcityusa.org. Learn more about Humana at humana.com and KaBOOM! at kaboom.org.

Mississippi is the Top State for Physicians

Norwalk, Conn.-based Physicians Practice recently compiled its annual list of the "Best States to Practice," and chose Mississippi for the second straight year as No. 1 for physician-friendly locales to practice medicine, the Mississippi Business Journal reports.

Physicians Practice bases its decision on factors such as cost of living, disciplinary actions taken against physicians, tax burden per capita and physician density. States that consistently finish in the top 10 for each of the six qualitative categories comprise the rankings.

Mississippi finished at the top of all U.S. states and the District of Columbia, with Alabama, Texas and Nevada rounding out the top four states. Tennessee, South Carolina, Indiana, South Dakota, Arkansas and Oklahoma made up the remaining top 10.

Mississippi's key winning factors were low rates of physician density, cost of living, low tax burden and low malpractice payouts.

In addition to highlighting the four top states in its October journal, Physicians Practice also offers information online for medical practitioners to make their own determinations on the best location for them. A clickable map of the U.S. allows users to view the data points for each state and the District of Columbia, and then use the "Find Your Best State" tool to assign different weights to the metrics and sort the most physician-friendly states based on personal preferences.

Mississippi has 2 more cases of enterovirus - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi health officials are confirming two more cases of a virus that causes respiratory illness in children.

The Mississippi State Department of Health says in a news release that the two cases were reported in young children - one from Forrest County and the other from Calhoun County. A case was reported in a Hancock County child last week.

Enterovirus-D68 is a more virulent strain of the virus that causes the common cold. The virus can cause mild to severe illness, with the worst cases needing life support for breathing difficulties. Children with asthma are more vulnerable. No deaths have been reported.

Health officials say infants, children and teenagers are more likely to become infected because they do not have immunity to the virus.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Miss. officials question local school aid spending - Mississippi News Now

By JEFF AMY

Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - State education officials making their legally-mandated push to support Mississippi's school funding formula are being questioned about rising spending on administrators and whether it would be worth more to spend additional money outside the formula.

Lawmakers would have to add an estimated $311.7 million to the Mississippi Adequate Education Program in the 2016 budget year beginning July 1 to provide what the formula calls an adequate amount of aid to local school districts. That gap is up from $257 million this year, in part because officials will need to add more than $100 million next year to cover the second year of across-the-board teacher pay increases.

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and others are asking whether local districts are spending money wisely, citing increasing administrative costs and falling spending on instruction.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Miss. personal ie growth trails nation - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Personal income growth in Mississippi accelerated in the second three months of 2014, but growth still trailed the nation.

The measure expanded 1.4 percent on an annual basis, the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis said Tuesday, ranking Mississippi 40th among states from April to June. That rose from 0.3 percent in the first quarter. Personal income nationwide grew 1.5 percent in the second quarter.

Workplace earnings grew as fast as nationwide, while income from financial investments and government programs trailed national growth.

Mississippi's workplace income from manufacturing of durable goods such as autos and ships grew strongly, but construction earnings shrank and earnings from professional, scientific and technical services grew slowly.

Personal income is all income from every source, including wages, business owner profits, interest, dividends, rent and government transfers.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Thimblepress, Community Playground and Mississippi Physicians - Jackson Free Press

Local design and letterpress company Thimblepress is a finalist in the 2014 Martha Stewart Living American Made Awards. The American Made Awards honor makers, small-business owners, and creative entrepreneurs in the fields of crafts, design, food and style.

The executive editorial team of Martha Stewart Living serves as category judges and oversees the selection process. Stewart herself is head judge and makes the final picks. The judges base their selections on the following criteria:

Innovativeness, demonstrated creativity and originality of idea

• Originality and level of creativity

• Clearly identifiable customer need

• Customer value and usability

Workmanship

• Quality of materials used

• Attention and care paid to product details and/or customer satisfaction

• Level of craftsmanship involved in production

Appearance

• Unique design aesthetic

• Visual appeal of product packaging

• Compelling logo and/or typography

Embodiment of American Made theme

• Use of local components and processes

• Engagement of local community

Kristen Ley, owner of Thimblepress and a lifelong lover of art, opened the shop in 2011 after purchasing a 1925 10 x 15 Chandler & Price antique printing press. Ley derives her store's name from her collection of thimbles from travelling across the U.S. Every time she went to a new state, she purchased a thimble to mark her visit. The collection remains in her office to this day. Ley has acquired two additional antique printing presses since opening her shop.

Thimblepress offers a range of products, including greeting cards, banner kits, push-pop confetti and party hats. The store also specializes in custom design work, hand lettering and illustration, and offers design services for weddings, parties, holiday occasions, stationery, brands and businesses.

Thimblepress (113 N. State St., 601-351-9492) is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday by appointment only. To vote for Thimblepress in the American Made Awards, visit Thimblepress' nominee page.

Voters can register six votes a day until Oct. 15. Learn more about Thimblepress at the store's website.

Multigenerational Playground Coming to Jackson Medical Mall

On Oct. 4, insurance company Humana and nonprofit group KaBOOM! are coming to Jackson to build a new multigenerational playground. A team of around 200 volunteers will complete the construction of the 43,740-square-foot playground at the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation Lot in just six hours. The collaboration is in its fourth year and has produced 50 playgrounds. KaBOOM! has also built more than 2,500 playgrounds since its founding in 1996.

The Jackson Medical Mall is considered the only facility of its kind in America that provides quality health care, human services and retail in one space. The Jackson Medical Mall Foundation has long planned to build a playground in an economically distressed African American community, where many residents struggle with poor health. The new playground will feature traditional kid-friendly equipment as well as walking paths and fitness stations designed for adults. This will allow both children and adults to engage in physical activity and reduce health risks such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

KaBOOM! makes sure that each playground is designed in part by kids who live in the area. In early summer, local kids were asked to design their dream playground and drew lots of slides and monkey bars in addition to nontraditional equipment such as zip lines, roller coasters, a haunted house, aquatic shows and an underground tunnel.

The Humana Foundation supports KaBOOM!'s Playful City USA initiative, which aims to spread the community playground movement across the U.S. For more information, visit playfulcityusa.org. Learn more about Humana at humana.com and KaBOOM! at kaboom.org.

Mississippi is the Top State for Physicians

Norwalk, Conn.-based Physicians Practice recently compiled its annual list of the "Best States to Practice," and chose Mississippi for the second straight year as No. 1 for physician-friendly locales to practice medicine, the Mississippi Business Journal reports.

Physicians Practice bases its decision on factors such as cost of living, disciplinary actions taken against physicians, tax burden per capita and physician density. States that consistently finish in the top 10 for each of the six qualitative categories comprise the rankings.

Mississippi finished at the top of all U.S. states and the District of Columbia, with Alabama, Texas and Nevada rounding out the top four states. Tennessee, South Carolina, Indiana, South Dakota, Arkansas and Oklahoma made up the remaining top 10.

Mississippi's key winning factors were low rates of physician density, cost of living, low tax burden and low malpractice payouts.

In addition to highlighting the four top states in its October journal, Physicians Practice also offers information online for medical practitioners to make their own determinations on the best location for them. A clickable map of the U.S. allows users to view the data points for each state and the District of Columbia, and then use the "Find Your Best State" tool to assign different weights to the metrics and sort the most physician-friendly states based on personal preferences.

Mississippi has 2 more cases of enterovirus - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi health officials are confirming two more cases of a virus that causes respiratory illness in children.

The Mississippi State Department of Health says in a news release that the two cases were reported in young children - one from Forrest County and the other from Calhoun County. A case was reported in a Hancock County child last week.

Enterovirus-D68 is a more virulent strain of the virus that causes the common cold. The virus can cause mild to severe illness, with the worst cases needing life support for breathing difficulties. Children with asthma are more vulnerable. No deaths have been reported.

Health officials say infants, children and teenagers are more likely to become infected because they do not have immunity to the virus.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Miss. officials question local school aid spending - Mississippi News Now

By JEFF AMY

Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - State education officials making their legally-mandated push to support Mississippi's school funding formula are being questioned about rising spending on administrators and whether it would be worth more to spend additional money outside the formula.

Lawmakers would have to add an estimated $311.7 million to the Mississippi Adequate Education Program in the 2016 budget year beginning July 1 to provide what the formula calls an adequate amount of aid to local school districts. That gap is up from $257 million this year, in part because officials will need to add more than $100 million next year to cover the second year of across-the-board teacher pay increases.

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and others are asking whether local districts are spending money wisely, citing increasing administrative costs and falling spending on instruction.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Miss. personal ie growth trails nation - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Personal income growth in Mississippi accelerated in the second three months of 2014, but growth still trailed the nation.

The measure expanded 1.4 percent on an annual basis, the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis said Tuesday, ranking Mississippi 40th among states from April to June. That rose from 0.3 percent in the first quarter. Personal income nationwide grew 1.5 percent in the second quarter.

Workplace earnings grew as fast as nationwide, while income from financial investments and government programs trailed national growth.

Mississippi's workplace income from manufacturing of durable goods such as autos and ships grew strongly, but construction earnings shrank and earnings from professional, scientific and technical services grew slowly.

Personal income is all income from every source, including wages, business owner profits, interest, dividends, rent and government transfers.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Curtis Wilkie - Jackson Free Press

Imagine a window into your own history. You can watch yourself change, grow and experience events as if they're happening for the first time. Depending on the success of your mental picture, you might have an idea of how Greenville-born writer Curtis Wilkie feels about his new book, "Assassins, Eccentrics, Politicians and Other Persons of Interest" (University Press of Mississippi, 2014, $30).

The book is a categorized anthology of sorts, collecting 50 articles from Wilkie's younger self. He wrote many of the pieces several decades ago, including his 50-year-old story on Freedom Summer, during his time as a cub reporter for the Clarksdale Press Register, but he doesn't mind the imperfections.

"I put them in, warts and all. I think I say in the back story for one or two of them that these are certainly not perfect examples of a story," Wilkie said. "Maybe the wording is a little awkward, or I show some of the flaws that young reporters may have. But I didn't try to scrub them up. I showed them exactly as they appeared."

Initially, Wilkie, a visiting professor at the University of Mississippi since 2002, didn't set out to create a book. That idea came from Ann Abadie at the University of Mississippi's Center for the Study of Southern Culture, a friend who helped him arrange the college's annual book conference.

"She has major connections at the University Press, so she approached me a couple years ago and said, 'I really wish the University Press would put out a collection of your stories.' I said, 'Well, I'm flattered. I'd like that, too.'"

Sure enough, Leila Salisbury, the director of the University Press, contacted him soon after about working together on a book. Given that the company's catalog is mostly centered on the South, Wilkie decided to choose stories related to Mississippi and the surrounding states.

"That left out most of the stories I did over my career, because I started in Mississippi but spent the bulk of my career at The Boston Globe, overseas or working out of Washington," Wilkie said. "I'm happy with the selections, though, and I think most of them still have some relevance today, something people down here can relate to."

"Assassins" includes portions of Wilkie's coverage from the Civil Rights Movement, which, in the 1960s, created plenty of challenges for young, southern reporters like him.

"The '60s was a difficult time, writing for Mississippi papers, because you were writing about a movement that was widely unpopular with your white readership," Wilkie said. "And yet we did it in Clarksdale. I was proud that we had these stories in."

Wilkie, now 74, said the general consensus from white readers at the time was that they wanted the Civil Rights Movement to simply go away. They didn't want to read about it, so the coverage was often disliked and the subject of many complaint letters.

"Some of these stories weren't out on the front page. Some of them were, and some I can't remember. But they were there, and that was important," he said. "There were not a lot of papers in the state that covered the movement with their own reporters."

Wilkie named McComb's Enterprise Journal and Greenville's Delta Democrat Times as two of his comrades in civil rights coverage, but Jackson daily newspapers had no interest.

"The Jackson papers tried to ignore it. This earthquake that's going on in your state, and you're going to ignore it," he said. "Hell, they didn't even cover the Ole Miss riot with their own people. They would use wire service stories, so if someone complained to the editor or publisher, they'd say, 'Well, it wasn't our people covering.'"

Wilkie's collection also features some of his best profiles of important figures. He spent time with Martin Luther King Jr. only days before his death, and interacted with people who were making a difference. He attributes those opportunities to reporting in Mississippi, right in the midst of change.

"One of the joys of working in Clarksdale was that it was a hotspot during the movement—a lot of demonstrations, a lot of rallies," Wilkie said. "All the major speakers from the movement came through Clarksdale. ... I was exposed to this story that was not only national but also worldwide. Even though I was working for this small daily, I got to cover the best story going on in the country."

Curtis Wilkie will sign copies of "Assassins, Eccentrics, Politicians and Other Persons of Interest: Fifty Pieces from the Road" at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, at Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N.). For more information, visit lemuriabooks.com.

Thimblepress, Community Playground and Mississippi Physicians - Jackson Free Press

Local design and letterpress company Thimblepress is a finalist in the 2014 Martha Stewart Living American Made Awards. The American Made Awards honor makers, small-business owners, and creative entrepreneurs in the fields of crafts, design, food and style.

The executive editorial team of Martha Stewart Living serves as category judges and oversees the selection process. Stewart herself is head judge and makes the final picks. The judges base their selections on the following criteria:

Innovativeness, demonstrated creativity and originality of idea

• Originality and level of creativity

• Clearly identifiable customer need

• Customer value and usability

Workmanship

• Quality of materials used

• Attention and care paid to product details and/or customer satisfaction

• Level of craftsmanship involved in production

Appearance

• Unique design aesthetic

• Visual appeal of product packaging

• Compelling logo and/or typography

Embodiment of American Made theme

• Use of local components and processes

• Engagement of local community

Kristen Ley, owner of Thimblepress and a lifelong lover of art, opened the shop in 2011 after purchasing a 1925 10 x 15 Chandler & Price antique printing press. Ley derives her store's name from her collection of thimbles from travelling across the U.S. Every time she went to a new state, she purchased a thimble to mark her visit. The collection remains in her office to this day. Ley has acquired two additional antique printing presses since opening her shop.

Thimblepress offers a range of products, including greeting cards, banner kits, push-pop confetti and party hats. The store also specializes in custom design work, hand lettering and illustration, and offers design services for weddings, parties, holiday occasions, stationery, brands and businesses.

Thimblepress (113 N. State St., 601-351-9492) is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday by appointment only. To vote for Thimblepress in the American Made Awards, visit Thimblepress' nominee page.

Voters can register six votes a day until Oct. 15. Learn more about Thimblepress at the store's website.

Multigenerational Playground Coming to Jackson Medical Mall

On Oct. 4, insurance company Humana and nonprofit group KaBOOM! are coming to Jackson to build a new multigenerational playground. A team of around 200 volunteers will complete the construction of the 43,740-square-foot playground at the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation Lot in just six hours. The collaboration is in its fourth year and has produced 50 playgrounds. KaBOOM! has also built more than 2,500 playgrounds since its founding in 1996.

The Jackson Medical Mall is considered the only facility of its kind in America that provides quality health care, human services and retail in one space. The Jackson Medical Mall Foundation has long planned to build a playground in an economically distressed African American community, where many residents struggle with poor health. The new playground will feature traditional kid-friendly equipment as well as walking paths and fitness stations designed for adults. This will allow both children and adults to engage in physical activity and reduce health risks such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

KaBOOM! makes sure that each playground is designed in part by kids who live in the area. In early summer, local kids were asked to design their dream playground and drew lots of slides and monkey bars in addition to nontraditional equipment such as zip lines, roller coasters, a haunted house, aquatic shows and an underground tunnel.

The Humana Foundation supports KaBOOM!'s Playful City USA initiative, which aims to spread the community playground movement across the U.S. For more information, visit playfulcityusa.org. Learn more about Humana at humana.com and KaBOOM! at kaboom.org.

Mississippi is the Top State for Physicians

Norwalk, Conn.-based Physicians Practice recently compiled its annual list of the "Best States to Practice," and chose Mississippi for the second straight year as No. 1 for physician-friendly locales to practice medicine, the Mississippi Business Journal reports.

Physicians Practice bases its decision on factors such as cost of living, disciplinary actions taken against physicians, tax burden per capita and physician density. States that consistently finish in the top 10 for each of the six qualitative categories comprise the rankings.

Mississippi finished at the top of all U.S. states and the District of Columbia, with Alabama, Texas and Nevada rounding out the top four states. Tennessee, South Carolina, Indiana, South Dakota, Arkansas and Oklahoma made up the remaining top 10.

Mississippi's key winning factors were low rates of physician density, cost of living, low tax burden and low malpractice payouts.

In addition to highlighting the four top states in its October journal, Physicians Practice also offers information online for medical practitioners to make their own determinations on the best location for them. A clickable map of the U.S. allows users to view the data points for each state and the District of Columbia, and then use the "Find Your Best State" tool to assign different weights to the metrics and sort the most physician-friendly states based on personal preferences.

Mississippi has 2 more cases of enterovirus - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi health officials are confirming two more cases of a virus that causes respiratory illness in children.

The Mississippi State Department of Health says in a news release that the two cases were reported in young children - one from Forrest County and the other from Calhoun County. A case was reported in a Hancock County child last week.

Enterovirus-D68 is a more virulent strain of the virus that causes the common cold. The virus can cause mild to severe illness, with the worst cases needing life support for breathing difficulties. Children with asthma are more vulnerable. No deaths have been reported.

Health officials say infants, children and teenagers are more likely to become infected because they do not have immunity to the virus.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Miss. personal ie growth trails nation - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Personal income growth in Mississippi accelerated in the second three months of 2014, but growth still trailed the nation.

The measure expanded 1.4 percent on an annual basis, the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis said Tuesday, ranking Mississippi 40th among states from April to June. That rose from 0.3 percent in the first quarter. Personal income nationwide grew 1.5 percent in the second quarter.

Workplace earnings grew as fast as nationwide, while income from financial investments and government programs trailed national growth.

Mississippi's workplace income from manufacturing of durable goods such as autos and ships grew strongly, but construction earnings shrank and earnings from professional, scientific and technical services grew slowly.

Personal income is all income from every source, including wages, business owner profits, interest, dividends, rent and government transfers.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Miss. moves high security prisoners after riot - Mississippi News Now

By JEFF AMY

Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi Department of Corrections has removed some of the most dangerous prisoners from the privately-run Walnut Grove Correctional Facility following a July 10 riot, in the face of renewed legal claims that the prison's guards can't control such inmates.

A monitor who inspects the prison for those suing the state over conditions made a series of recommendations in March after a Dec. 31 riot, including removing such "close custody" inmates. The monitor reiterated that recommendation in August after reviewing video of the July riot.

Those suing want U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves to modify the decree that governs how the prison is run. Reeves plans to decide the request sometime after a November hearing.

Utah-based Management and Training Corp. has run the 1,500-bed prison for the state since 2012.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Curtis Wilkie - Jackson Free Press

Imagine a window into your own history. You can watch yourself change, grow and experience events as if they're happening for the first time. Depending on the success of your mental picture, you might have an idea of how Greenville-born writer Curtis Wilkie feels about his new book, "Assassins, Eccentrics, Politicians and Other Persons of Interest" (University Press of Mississippi, 2014, $30).

The book is a categorized anthology of sorts, collecting 50 articles from Wilkie's younger self. He wrote many of the pieces several decades ago, including his 50-year-old story on Freedom Summer, during his time as a cub reporter for the Clarksdale Press Register, but he doesn't mind the imperfections.

"I put them in, warts and all. I think I say in the back story for one or two of them that these are certainly not perfect examples of a story," Wilkie said. "Maybe the wording is a little awkward, or I show some of the flaws that young reporters may have. But I didn't try to scrub them up. I showed them exactly as they appeared."

Initially, Wilkie, a visiting professor at the University of Mississippi since 2002, didn't set out to create a book. That idea came from Ann Abadie at the University of Mississippi's Center for the Study of Southern Culture, a friend who helped him arrange the college's annual book conference.

"She has major connections at the University Press, so she approached me a couple years ago and said, 'I really wish the University Press would put out a collection of your stories.' I said, 'Well, I'm flattered. I'd like that, too.'"

Sure enough, Leila Salisbury, the director of the University Press, contacted him soon after about working together on a book. Given that the company's catalog is mostly centered on the South, Wilkie decided to choose stories related to Mississippi and the surrounding states.

"That left out most of the stories I did over my career, because I started in Mississippi but spent the bulk of my career at The Boston Globe, overseas or working out of Washington," Wilkie said. "I'm happy with the selections, though, and I think most of them still have some relevance today, something people down here can relate to."

"Assassins" includes portions of Wilkie's coverage from the Civil Rights Movement, which, in the 1960s, created plenty of challenges for young, southern reporters like him.

"The '60s was a difficult time, writing for Mississippi papers, because you were writing about a movement that was widely unpopular with your white readership," Wilkie said. "And yet we did it in Clarksdale. I was proud that we had these stories in."

Wilkie, now 74, said the general consensus from white readers at the time was that they wanted the Civil Rights Movement to simply go away. They didn't want to read about it, so the coverage was often disliked and the subject of many complaint letters.

"Some of these stories weren't out on the front page. Some of them were, and some I can't remember. But they were there, and that was important," he said. "There were not a lot of papers in the state that covered the movement with their own reporters."

Wilkie named McComb's Enterprise Journal and Greenville's Delta Democrat Times as two of his comrades in civil rights coverage, but Jackson daily newspapers had no interest.

"The Jackson papers tried to ignore it. This earthquake that's going on in your state, and you're going to ignore it," he said. "Hell, they didn't even cover the Ole Miss riot with their own people. They would use wire service stories, so if someone complained to the editor or publisher, they'd say, 'Well, it wasn't our people covering.'"

Wilkie's collection also features some of his best profiles of important figures. He spent time with Martin Luther King Jr. only days before his death, and interacted with people who were making a difference. He attributes those opportunities to reporting in Mississippi, right in the midst of change.

"One of the joys of working in Clarksdale was that it was a hotspot during the movement—a lot of demonstrations, a lot of rallies," Wilkie said. "All the major speakers from the movement came through Clarksdale. ... I was exposed to this story that was not only national but also worldwide. Even though I was working for this small daily, I got to cover the best story going on in the country."

Curtis Wilkie will sign copies of "Assassins, Eccentrics, Politicians and Other Persons of Interest: Fifty Pieces from the Road" at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, at Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N.). For more information, visit lemuriabooks.com.

Thimblepress, Community Playground and Mississippi Physicians - Jackson Free Press

Local design and letterpress company Thimblepress is a finalist in the 2014 Martha Stewart Living American Made Awards. The American Made Awards honor makers, small-business owners, and creative entrepreneurs in the fields of crafts, design, food and style.

The executive editorial team of Martha Stewart Living serves as category judges and oversees the selection process. Stewart herself is head judge and makes the final picks. The judges base their selections on the following criteria:

Innovativeness, demonstrated creativity and originality of idea

• Originality and level of creativity

• Clearly identifiable customer need

• Customer value and usability

Workmanship

• Quality of materials used

• Attention and care paid to product details and/or customer satisfaction

• Level of craftsmanship involved in production

Appearance

• Unique design aesthetic

• Visual appeal of product packaging

• Compelling logo and/or typography

Embodiment of American Made theme

• Use of local components and processes

• Engagement of local community

Kristen Ley, owner of Thimblepress and a lifelong lover of art, opened the shop in 2011 after purchasing a 1925 10 x 15 Chandler & Price antique printing press. Ley derives her store's name from her collection of thimbles from travelling across the U.S. Every time she went to a new state, she purchased a thimble to mark her visit. The collection remains in her office to this day. Ley has acquired two additional antique printing presses since opening her shop.

Thimblepress offers a range of products, including greeting cards, banner kits, push-pop confetti and party hats. The store also specializes in custom design work, hand lettering and illustration, and offers design services for weddings, parties, holiday occasions, stationery, brands and businesses.

Thimblepress (113 N. State St., 601-351-9492) is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday by appointment only. To vote for Thimblepress in the American Made Awards, visit Thimblepress' nominee page.

Voters can register six votes a day until Oct. 15. Learn more about Thimblepress at the store's website.

Multigenerational Playground Coming to Jackson Medical Mall

On Oct. 4, insurance company Humana and nonprofit group KaBOOM! are coming to Jackson to build a new multigenerational playground. A team of around 200 volunteers will complete the construction of the 43,740-square-foot playground at the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation Lot in just six hours. The collaboration is in its fourth year and has produced 50 playgrounds. KaBOOM! has also built more than 2,500 playgrounds since its founding in 1996.

The Jackson Medical Mall is considered the only facility of its kind in America that provides quality health care, human services and retail in one space. The Jackson Medical Mall Foundation has long planned to build a playground in an economically distressed African American community, where many residents struggle with poor health. The new playground will feature traditional kid-friendly equipment as well as walking paths and fitness stations designed for adults. This will allow both children and adults to engage in physical activity and reduce health risks such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

KaBOOM! makes sure that each playground is designed in part by kids who live in the area. In early summer, local kids were asked to design their dream playground and drew lots of slides and monkey bars in addition to nontraditional equipment such as zip lines, roller coasters, a haunted house, aquatic shows and an underground tunnel.

The Humana Foundation supports KaBOOM!'s Playful City USA initiative, which aims to spread the community playground movement across the U.S. For more information, visit playfulcityusa.org. Learn more about Humana at humana.com and KaBOOM! at kaboom.org.

Mississippi is the Top State for Physicians

Norwalk, Conn.-based Physicians Practice recently compiled its annual list of the "Best States to Practice," and chose Mississippi for the second straight year as No. 1 for physician-friendly locales to practice medicine, the Mississippi Business Journal reports.

Physicians Practice bases its decision on factors such as cost of living, disciplinary actions taken against physicians, tax burden per capita and physician density. States that consistently finish in the top 10 for each of the six qualitative categories comprise the rankings.

Mississippi finished at the top of all U.S. states and the District of Columbia, with Alabama, Texas and Nevada rounding out the top four states. Tennessee, South Carolina, Indiana, South Dakota, Arkansas and Oklahoma made up the remaining top 10.

Mississippi's key winning factors were low rates of physician density, cost of living, low tax burden and low malpractice payouts.

In addition to highlighting the four top states in its October journal, Physicians Practice also offers information online for medical practitioners to make their own determinations on the best location for them. A clickable map of the U.S. allows users to view the data points for each state and the District of Columbia, and then use the "Find Your Best State" tool to assign different weights to the metrics and sort the most physician-friendly states based on personal preferences.

Mississippi has 2 more cases of enterovirus - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi health officials are confirming two more cases of a virus that causes respiratory illness in children.

The Mississippi State Department of Health says in a news release that the two cases were reported in young children - one from Forrest County and the other from Calhoun County. A case was reported in a Hancock County child last week.

Enterovirus-D68 is a more virulent strain of the virus that causes the common cold. The virus can cause mild to severe illness, with the worst cases needing life support for breathing difficulties. Children with asthma are more vulnerable. No deaths have been reported.

Health officials say infants, children and teenagers are more likely to become infected because they do not have immunity to the virus.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Realtor's body found; suspect pleads not guilty - MSNewsNow - Jackson, MS - Mississippi News Now

By JILL BLEED

Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A parolee accused of abducting and killing a top-selling Arkansas real estate agent had contacted her to set up an appointment to view a vacant house, authorities said Tuesday, hours after discovering the woman's body in a shallow grave at a concrete company.

Police found Beverly Carter's body early Tuesday, five days after she went to show the house in a rural area near Little Rock and never returned. Authorities arrested Arron Michael Lewis, 33, on Monday on suspicion of kidnapping, and preliminary charges of capital murder and robbery were added after Carter's body was found buried at a business where Lewis previously worked.

Lewis, who was on parole for theft convictions, pleaded not guilty to the preliminary charges and remained in the Pulaski County jail Tuesday without bond. It wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney, though Lewis told reporters Tuesday while he was being taken to be questioned by authorities that he did not kill Carter.

When asked why Carter was targeted, Lewis responded: "Because she was just a woman that worked alone - a rich broker."

Pulaski County Sheriff's Capt. Simon Haynes wouldn't say how the 49-year-old Carter was killed or why, but described her as "a target of opportunity" for Lewis. He said Lewis scheduled the appointment to see the home in Scott, about 15 miles east of Little Rock, but wouldn't say how Lewis learned that Carter was a real estate agent.

Haynes and Pulaski County Sheriff Doc Holladay also wouldn't say what linked Lewis to the crime.

Prosecutor Larry Jegley said his office is still reviewing the case and that it's too soon to say whether he would seek the death penalty against Lewis.

"Events like this stain the soul of our community," Jegley said. "They leave scars, and we know that. And we also know that many of y'all are wanting answers that simply can't be given at this time."

Friends, family members and fellow real estate agents joined the search for Carter throughout the weekend. On Tuesday, many of them attended a news conference, wearing red shirts to honor the mother and grandmother.

"If you had a sweet scale, it was Beverly, and then there was sugar, and then there was other sweeteners. That's how sweet she was," said David Goldstein, a real estate broker who worked with Carter for more than 10 years. "Now, she was pretty feisty too. In her professional life, if you were being protected by her as a Realtor, if you were her client, that sweet had some teeth."

___

Follow Jill Bleed on Twitter at http://ift.tt/10kZ51w

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Miss. moves high security prisoners after riot - Mississippi News Now

By JEFF AMY

Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi Department of Corrections has removed some of the most dangerous prisoners from the privately-run Walnut Grove Correctional Facility following a July 10 riot, in the face of renewed legal claims that the prison's guards can't control such inmates.

A monitor who inspects the prison for those suing the state over conditions made a series of recommendations in March after a Dec. 31 riot, including removing such "close custody" inmates. The monitor reiterated that recommendation in August after reviewing video of the July riot.

Those suing want U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves to modify the decree that governs how the prison is run. Reeves plans to decide the request sometime after a November hearing.

Utah-based Management and Training Corp. has run the 1,500-bed prison for the state since 2012.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Curtis Wilkie - Jackson Free Press

Imagine a window into your own history. You can watch yourself change, grow and experience events as if they're happening for the first time. Depending on the success of your mental picture, you might have an idea of how Greenville-born writer Curtis Wilkie feels about his new book, "Assassins, Eccentrics, Politicians and Other Persons of Interest" (University Press of Mississippi, 2014, $30).

The book is a categorized anthology of sorts, collecting 50 articles from Wilkie's younger self. He wrote many of the pieces several decades ago, including his 50-year-old story on Freedom Summer, during his time as a cub reporter for the Clarksdale Press Register, but he doesn't mind the imperfections.

"I put them in, warts and all. I think I say in the back story for one or two of them that these are certainly not perfect examples of a story," Wilkie said. "Maybe the wording is a little awkward, or I show some of the flaws that young reporters may have. But I didn't try to scrub them up. I showed them exactly as they appeared."

Initially, Wilkie, a visiting professor at the University of Mississippi since 2002, didn't set out to create a book. That idea came from Ann Abadie at the University of Mississippi's Center for the Study of Southern Culture, a friend who helped him arrange the college's annual book conference.

"She has major connections at the University Press, so she approached me a couple years ago and said, 'I really wish the University Press would put out a collection of your stories.' I said, 'Well, I'm flattered. I'd like that, too.'"

Sure enough, Leila Salisbury, the director of the University Press, contacted him soon after about working together on a book. Given that the company's catalog is mostly centered on the South, Wilkie decided to choose stories related to Mississippi and the surrounding states.

"That left out most of the stories I did over my career, because I started in Mississippi but spent the bulk of my career at The Boston Globe, overseas or working out of Washington," Wilkie said. "I'm happy with the selections, though, and I think most of them still have some relevance today, something people down here can relate to."

"Assassins" includes portions of Wilkie's coverage from the Civil Rights Movement, which, in the 1960s, created plenty of challenges for young, southern reporters like him.

"The '60s was a difficult time, writing for Mississippi papers, because you were writing about a movement that was widely unpopular with your white readership," Wilkie said. "And yet we did it in Clarksdale. I was proud that we had these stories in."

Wilkie, now 74, said the general consensus from white readers at the time was that they wanted the Civil Rights Movement to simply go away. They didn't want to read about it, so the coverage was often disliked and the subject of many complaint letters.

"Some of these stories weren't out on the front page. Some of them were, and some I can't remember. But they were there, and that was important," he said. "There were not a lot of papers in the state that covered the movement with their own reporters."

Wilkie named McComb's Enterprise Journal and Greenville's Delta Democrat Times as two of his comrades in civil rights coverage, but Jackson daily newspapers had no interest.

"The Jackson papers tried to ignore it. This earthquake that's going on in your state, and you're going to ignore it," he said. "Hell, they didn't even cover the Ole Miss riot with their own people. They would use wire service stories, so if someone complained to the editor or publisher, they'd say, 'Well, it wasn't our people covering.'"

Wilkie's collection also features some of his best profiles of important figures. He spent time with Martin Luther King Jr. only days before his death, and interacted with people who were making a difference. He attributes those opportunities to reporting in Mississippi, right in the midst of change.

"One of the joys of working in Clarksdale was that it was a hotspot during the movement—a lot of demonstrations, a lot of rallies," Wilkie said. "All the major speakers from the movement came through Clarksdale. ... I was exposed to this story that was not only national but also worldwide. Even though I was working for this small daily, I got to cover the best story going on in the country."

Curtis Wilkie will sign copies of "Assassins, Eccentrics, Politicians and Other Persons of Interest: Fifty Pieces from the Road" at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, at Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N.). For more information, visit lemuriabooks.com.

Thimblepress, Community Playground and Mississippi Physicians - Jackson Free Press

Local design and letterpress company Thimblepress is a finalist in the 2014 Martha Stewart Living American Made Awards. The American Made Awards honor makers, small-business owners, and creative entrepreneurs in the fields of crafts, design, food and style.

The executive editorial team of Martha Stewart Living serves as category judges and oversees the selection process. Stewart herself is head judge and makes the final picks. The judges base their selections on the following criteria:

Innovativeness, demonstrated creativity and originality of idea

• Originality and level of creativity

• Clearly identifiable customer need

• Customer value and usability

Workmanship

• Quality of materials used

• Attention and care paid to product details and/or customer satisfaction

• Level of craftsmanship involved in production

Appearance

• Unique design aesthetic

• Visual appeal of product packaging

• Compelling logo and/or typography

Embodiment of American Made theme

• Use of local components and processes

• Engagement of local community

Kristen Ley, owner of Thimblepress and a lifelong lover of art, opened the shop in 2011 after purchasing a 1925 10 x 15 Chandler & Price antique printing press. Ley derives her store's name from her collection of thimbles from travelling across the U.S. Every time she went to a new state, she purchased a thimble to mark her visit. The collection remains in her office to this day. Ley has acquired two additional antique printing presses since opening her shop.

Thimblepress offers a range of products, including greeting cards, banner kits, push-pop confetti and party hats. The store also specializes in custom design work, hand lettering and illustration, and offers design services for weddings, parties, holiday occasions, stationery, brands and businesses.

Thimblepress (113 N. State St., 601-351-9492) is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday by appointment only. To vote for Thimblepress in the American Made Awards, visit Thimblepress' nominee page.

Voters can register six votes a day until Oct. 15. Learn more about Thimblepress at the store's website.

Multigenerational Playground Coming to Jackson Medical Mall

On Oct. 4, insurance company Humana and nonprofit group KaBOOM! are coming to Jackson to build a new multigenerational playground. A team of around 200 volunteers will complete the construction of the 43,740-square-foot playground at the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation Lot in just six hours. The collaboration is in its fourth year and has produced 50 playgrounds. KaBOOM! has also built more than 2,500 playgrounds since its founding in 1996.

The Jackson Medical Mall is considered the only facility of its kind in America that provides quality health care, human services and retail in one space. The Jackson Medical Mall Foundation has long planned to build a playground in an economically distressed African American community, where many residents struggle with poor health. The new playground will feature traditional kid-friendly equipment as well as walking paths and fitness stations designed for adults. This will allow both children and adults to engage in physical activity and reduce health risks such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

KaBOOM! makes sure that each playground is designed in part by kids who live in the area. In early summer, local kids were asked to design their dream playground and drew lots of slides and monkey bars in addition to nontraditional equipment such as zip lines, roller coasters, a haunted house, aquatic shows and an underground tunnel.

The Humana Foundation supports KaBOOM!'s Playful City USA initiative, which aims to spread the community playground movement across the U.S. For more information, visit playfulcityusa.org. Learn more about Humana at humana.com and KaBOOM! at kaboom.org.

Mississippi is the Top State for Physicians

Norwalk, Conn.-based Physicians Practice recently compiled its annual list of the "Best States to Practice," and chose Mississippi for the second straight year as No. 1 for physician-friendly locales to practice medicine, the Mississippi Business Journal reports.

Physicians Practice bases its decision on factors such as cost of living, disciplinary actions taken against physicians, tax burden per capita and physician density. States that consistently finish in the top 10 for each of the six qualitative categories comprise the rankings.

Mississippi finished at the top of all U.S. states and the District of Columbia, with Alabama, Texas and Nevada rounding out the top four states. Tennessee, South Carolina, Indiana, South Dakota, Arkansas and Oklahoma made up the remaining top 10.

Mississippi's key winning factors were low rates of physician density, cost of living, low tax burden and low malpractice payouts.

In addition to highlighting the four top states in its October journal, Physicians Practice also offers information online for medical practitioners to make their own determinations on the best location for them. A clickable map of the U.S. allows users to view the data points for each state and the District of Columbia, and then use the "Find Your Best State" tool to assign different weights to the metrics and sort the most physician-friendly states based on personal preferences.

Mississippi has 2 more cases of enterovirus - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi health officials are confirming two more cases of a virus that causes respiratory illness in children.

The Mississippi State Department of Health says in a news release that the two cases were reported in young children - one from Forrest County and the other from Calhoun County. A case was reported in a Hancock County child last week.

Enterovirus-D68 is a more virulent strain of the virus that causes the common cold. The virus can cause mild to severe illness, with the worst cases needing life support for breathing difficulties. Children with asthma are more vulnerable. No deaths have been reported.

Health officials say infants, children and teenagers are more likely to become infected because they do not have immunity to the virus.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Realtor's body found; suspect pleads not guilty - MSNewsNow - Jackson, MS - Mississippi News Now

By JILL BLEED

Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A parolee accused of abducting and killing a top-selling Arkansas real estate agent had contacted her to set up an appointment to view a vacant house, authorities said Tuesday, hours after discovering the woman's body in a shallow grave at a concrete company.

Police found Beverly Carter's body early Tuesday, five days after she went to show the house in a rural area near Little Rock and never returned. Authorities arrested Arron Michael Lewis, 33, on Monday on suspicion of kidnapping, and preliminary charges of capital murder and robbery were added after Carter's body was found buried at a business where Lewis previously worked.

Lewis, who was on parole for theft convictions, pleaded not guilty to the preliminary charges and remained in the Pulaski County jail Tuesday without bond. It wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney, though Lewis told reporters Tuesday while he was being taken to be questioned by authorities that he did not kill Carter.

When asked why Carter was targeted, Lewis responded: "Because she was just a woman that worked alone - a rich broker."

Pulaski County Sheriff's Capt. Simon Haynes wouldn't say how the 49-year-old Carter was killed or why, but described her as "a target of opportunity" for Lewis. He said Lewis scheduled the appointment to see the home in Scott, about 15 miles east of Little Rock, but wouldn't say how Lewis learned that Carter was a real estate agent.

Haynes and Pulaski County Sheriff Doc Holladay also wouldn't say what linked Lewis to the crime.

Prosecutor Larry Jegley said his office is still reviewing the case and that it's too soon to say whether he would seek the death penalty against Lewis.

"Events like this stain the soul of our community," Jegley said. "They leave scars, and we know that. And we also know that many of y'all are wanting answers that simply can't be given at this time."

Friends, family members and fellow real estate agents joined the search for Carter throughout the weekend. On Tuesday, many of them attended a news conference, wearing red shirts to honor the mother and grandmother.

"If you had a sweet scale, it was Beverly, and then there was sugar, and then there was other sweeteners. That's how sweet she was," said David Goldstein, a real estate broker who worked with Carter for more than 10 years. "Now, she was pretty feisty too. In her professional life, if you were being protected by her as a Realtor, if you were her client, that sweet had some teeth."

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Follow Jill Bleed on Twitter at http://ift.tt/10kZ51w

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Mississippi lawmakers begin FY16 budget hearings - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Top lawmakers are starting to plan Mississippi's budget for the coming year.

The Joint Legislative Budget Committee is meeting this week to hear state agencies' requests for money for fiscal 2016, which begins July 1.

The hearings are open to the public. They're being held Tuesday through Friday at the Woolfolk state office building near the Capitol.

Several agencies, including the Department of Education, are requesting an increase in funding.

Gov. Phil Bryant and the Legislative Budget Committee will release separate budget recommendations in the next few months. The election-year legislative session begins in January, and lawmakers have until early April to adopt a final spending plan.

Online:

Mississippi budget hearing schedule: http://1.usa.gov/1uWOpiP

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Gov. Jerry Brown signs California gun restriction - Mississippi News Now

By DON THOMPSON

Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California will become the first state that allows family members to ask a judge to remove firearms from a relative who appears to pose a threat, under legislation Gov. Jerry Brown said Tuesday he had signed.

The bill was proposed by several Democrats and responds to a deadly rampage in May near the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Supporters had said such a measure could have prevented the attacks, winning out over critics who said it would erode gun rights.

Law enforcement authorities in Connecticut, Indiana and Texas can seek a judge's order allowing them to seize guns from people they deem to be a danger.

The new California law gives law enforcement the same option and extends it to family members.

It continues California's efforts to lead the nation in preventing firearm injury and death, said Amanda Wilcox, an advocate for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, whose daughter was a victim of gun violence.

The greatest effect might be in preventing suicides or intervening where there is a history of domestic violence, she said.

"It's hard to know how much it will be used or how much it will prevent," Wilcox said. "It only takes avoiding one loss for this to be worth it."

Lawmakers approved the bill by Democratic Assembly members Nancy Skinner of Berkeley and Das Williams of Santa Barbara amid pleas that they act after the May 23 attack in which six people were fatally stabbed or shot and 13 others wounded in the community of Isla Vista.

Relatives of the victims and other supporters of the bill said the parents of 22-year-old Elliot Rodger were thwarted in their attempts to seek help for their troubled son before the rampage.

Weeks earlier, his parents had his therapist contact Santa Barbara County mental health officials. Sheriff's deputies talked to Rodger but never entered his apartment or checked to see if he owned guns.

They decided he was not a threat to himself or others and took no further action.

Rodger later wrote that had deputies searched his room, they might have found guns that police said he used to shoot three people after stabbing to death three others. Rodger killed himself while being pursued by police.

Under the California bill, whoever seeks the restraining order would have to sign an affidavit under oath. If they lie, they could be charged with a misdemeanor.

A court hearing would be held within 14 days after the restraining order is granted to give the gun owner a chance to argue there is no danger.

Republican lawmakers and some Democrats voted against the measure, known as AB1014.

In Rodger's case, there is no evidence his parents or anyone treating him knew he had weapons. That prompted Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, to introduce a related bill that would require law enforcement agencies to develop policies that encourage officers to search the state's database of gun purchases as part of routine welfare checks. That bill, SB505, also was signed by the governor.

Brown's signing of the bills "helped to honor the life of my son, Christopher, and so many others killed by senseless gun violence," said Richard Martinez, father of Isla Vista shooting victim Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez and an advocate for the group Everytown for Gun Safety.

"Nothing we can do will bring back Christopher, but I'm confident this new law will help save lives and prevent other families from experiencing this same kind of tragedy. States around the country should be exploring this life-saving measure," he said in a statement about the restraining order legislation.

Currently in California, authorities can seize legally purchased guns only from people convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, those subject to a domestic violence restraining order, or those who are determined to be mentally unstable.

The National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups opposed the restraining order legislation.

"Our concern is not so much what they intended to do; our concern is with the method they put in place to address people with mental or emotional issues," said Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California. "We think this just misses the mark and may create a situation where law-abiding gun owners are put in jeopardy."

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.