July 2012 Archive

A federal lawsuit accuses Virginia College in Jackson of fraud, negligence, and breach of contract.

"But to look out and to see that plight in life, it just wasn't a conducive environment for them."

Teach for America places high-achieving recent college graduates in low performing, hard to staff schools. And it's an organization that is growing rapidly, both because of increasing demand and substantial political support. In Mississippi, the TFA has quadrupled in size in the last four years and plans to double in the near future.  We travel to Teach for America Delta Institute where all these new teachers get trained in rapid succession.

"We did not get married in the church that we had wanted to get married in because of the color of our skin. We did not walk in and say we don’t wanna get married because we're black. And if this is happening still in Mississippi what other small towns is it still happening in?"

Gulf Coast residents brought concerns  to Mississippi 4th District Congressman Steven Palazzo at a town hall meeting in Gautier. Issues inlcuded the health care overhaul, smoke-free cities, jobs and Social Security.

Mississippi is short on teachers. And the responsibility is increasingly falling on emergency staffing and alternative track teacher programs such as Teach for America. TFA places more teachers in the Mississippi Delta than in any region in the country. And they plan to double their numbers. The state has allocated millions to support TFA’s growth, but has done little to keep teachers, TFA members included, in the classroom.

The chairman of Mississippi two largest political parties discuss their plans for the future. 

"They did it with valor and distinction. It's an American story that makes you proud. And you see the courtroom is packed with family and friends and people that love this history. And we’re just glad to be here today with Sergeant Whitfield."

The Gulf Coast Tourism Partnership created to dole out $16 million from BP will have $10 million spent by the end of this year.

Governor Phil Bryant wants to do away with automatic raises for teachers and switch to a performance pay system.

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann says he believes the Justice Department will reject Mississippi's voter ID law.

Districts had their choice of sex education curricula.

Two Mississippi chefs are cooking at the Olympics in London. Chris Poplin of the IP Casino in Biloxi is cooking Cajun barbecue shrimp over grits with goat cheese, chives and smoked sausage. Calvin Coleman of Naomi's Catering in Gulfport is cooking seafood gumbo with alligator sausage.

Gulfport City Councilman R. Lee Flowers sent a letter to Governor Bryant yesterday recommending a change in leadership at the state port. Flowers says information about the benefits of a $570 million expansion has been kept from the public.

The state's top narcotics enforcement officer says Mississippi is leading in the fight against meth.