2012 Legislative Session Ends
The mood in the Mississippi House chamber after Rep. Mark Formby made the motion to adjourn sine die was similar to the last day of school before summer vacation.
Rev. Jesse Jackson an Honorary Hinds Deputy
There's a new sheriff in town. Well, technically there's a new Honorary Deputy Sheriff Chaplain in town -- and his name is the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. The Hinds County Sheriff's Department posted 30 photos on its Facebook page of the longtime civil rights leader's swearing in as an honorary county cop yesterday.
Delbert Hosemann
Because of Mississippi's sordid history of trying to stop black people from voting, the U.S. Justice Department has to OK changes to voting laws in the state, including a recently adopted requirement that voters prove their identity before casting ballots on Election Day.
Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.
Pity the Callaway High School basketball team. Speaking at Callaway this morning, the Rev. Jesse Jackson asked members of the championship squad to stand as he asked a series of questions related to their commitment to the sport. Jackson, who heads the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH coalition, pressed the young athletes on how long and how often they practice, whether they're allowed to listen to music during practice, and if they're allowed to chat with their girlfriends during workouts.
One Lake a ‘Game Changer'?
Turtles like the proposed "One Lake" flood-control plan. Now developers just have to convince the U.S. Corps of Engineers and Jackson area residents who'll be affected.
Few Fireworks Over Budget
Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. Spent Monday, April 30, lobbying lawmakers to pass a bill to let the city to levy a small sales tax increase for infrastructure improvements. At first, the mayor's charm seemed to work on lawmakers. In less than 24 hours, everything had changed.
AG Lambastes Sunshine Bill
Here's the statement from Hood's office on the House's adoption of the bill's conference report:
The Mississippi House again debated a bill aimed at rolling back the powers of the state attorney general. And again, it passed. Dubbed the Sunshine Act, HB 211 lets state agencies circumvent the AG's office, who normally handles the state's legal affairs, and hire their own lawyers whenever the agency perceives a conflict of interest is present. Republicans who've pushed the bill claim that transparency is needed in the process of hiring private law firms to do contract work. To that rationale, Democrats say poppycock -- the bill is all about neutering the state's last Democratic statewide officeholder, Jim Hood, who doesn't always play nice with the state's Republican officeholders. Or, at least Hood doesn't always play how the GOP wants him to play. This morning, the House adopted the negotiated conference report on the bill. The Senate is still considering the conference report. If it's adopted, it will go to Gov. Phil Bryant's desk, where he's likely to sign it faster than you can say "Satan wins."
Kenneth Wayne Jones
During a heated debate in early April over a bill to implement the voter-identification law voters said they wanted last fall, Sen. Kenneth Wayne Jones, a Democrat from Canton, warned that attempts to restrict minority voting rights always end up on the wrong side of history.
Lawmakers Work Weekend to Craft Budget
The seersucker was on full display this weekend as state lawmakers completed most of the heavy lifting on a $5.6-billion state budget for the next fiscal year starting in July 2012.
Kemper Plant Again Gets Approval
Plans for a multi-billion dollar coal-fired power plant are back on. This week, the Public Service Commission, which oversees electric utility companies in the state, voted 2-1 along party lines, to re-approve Mississippi Power Co.'s plant now under construction in Kemper County.
House Unveils Voting Maps
The wait is over, kids. Mississippi House members finally have a new legislative district map to vote on. The maps, which add two districts in rapidly growing DeSoto County, were unveiled at the Capitol today. Under the plan, several Democrats could lose their seats either by hasquaring off with fellow Democrats or by having to compete in mostly GOP districts.
At Capitol, Jackson a Winner and Loser
You know that old expression about the calm before the storm? Such has been the mood at the state Capitol for the past couple weeks. The relatively tranquil period follows a tumultuous period of fiery debates on abortion and immigration and hallway shoving matches over charter schools and workers' compensation. Expect the tide to turn when lawmakers hunker down to clear the calendar of thorny political issues before sine die (adjournment) the first week of May.
Herb Frierson
Herb Frierson doesn't draw large crowds. For example, the audience Frierson addressed at the John C. Stennis Institute's press luncheon yesterday was only about half its normal size. In introducing Frierson, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reporter Bobby Harrison recounted bumping into Frierson alone in downtown Jackson without a gaggle of lobbyists trailing behind.
Another Charter Schools Bill Killed
The latest attempt to pass legislation establishing charter schools met defeat in the Mississippi House moments ago. House members voted to send HB 1152, which had been modified to include language from a Senate charter school bill that didn't even make it out of the House Education Committee, to a conference committee where it will likely die. Lt. Gov. Reeves, who, along with the state's other top Republican leaders, has pushed for a charter bill all session called the House vote disappointing.
New Redistricting Map on the Way
New legislative district maps are coming, which means some Democratic lawmakers could be on their way out.
No More Regs, Except ...
During his 2011 campaign for governor, Phil Bryant promised that, if elected, his administration would closely scrutinize state regulations on small companies.
Changing ‘The Perceivers' of Black Males
As a young student entering the University of Connecticut in the mid-1960s, James Lyons received all the parental advice one would expect about being respectful and not hanging around the crowd.
GOP Touts Biz Moves
What essentially became a pep rally for Mississippi's economic future last Thursday began with a parade.
AG Settles Meat Plant Beef
Mississippi taxpayers will receive the meaty sum of $4 million from a settlement in a case against the owners of a failed beef plant built with state-backed loans, Attorney General Jim Hood's office announced yesterday afternoon.
Hinds Co. to Jackson: Get Your Own Jail
Hinds County wants the city of Jackson to have its own detention center to house misdemeanor offenders.
Jackson Zoo in Full Swing
Juno and Rosie, the 31- and 39-year-old African elephants the Jackson Zoo gave up in 2010, are doing well in Nashville, the zoo's executive director Beth Poff reports.
Arts, IDs and ALEC
Malcom White, executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, constantly battles the perception that his and the state's other "cultural agencies" are not core government functions.
How the Charter School Bill Died
Rep. Chuck Espy's voice cracked as he jabbed his left index finger into the podium so forcefully that it's a miracle he didn't break the appendage. "I have watched this great body rise to some of its greatest points, and I've seen tensions flare and rise to levels I've never seen. But when a member is touched in any way, it is unacceptable," railed Espy, a Democrat from Clarksdale.
Workers' Rights Under Fire
Imagine you're a Sumerian servant in 2050 B.C., carving tiny jewels for King Ur-Nammu's scepter and--oops--you accidentally slice off your finger. Under the king's law, written on stone tablets, you would receive a monetary award depending on which body part you hurt. Ur's payment schedule for worker injuries is the earliest known workers' compensation system, which pays employees who get hurt while doing their jobs.
After Fiery Debate, Voter ID Passes
Following one of the hottest Senate debates of recent weeks, Mississippi's constitutional amendment to require would-be voters to prove their identities at the polls, inched closer to realization this morning.
Gov. Bryant Signs Craft Beer Bill
Beer lovers in Mississippi can finally raise their glasses and pour out some liquor for the state's antiquated beer laws. This morning, Gov. Phil Bryant signed a bill that could significantly increase the state's beer variety.
Workers' Rights Again in Focus
Mississippi workers got a mix of good and bad news in the past couple of days.
Lawmakers Laser in on Finances
Legislatively speaking, it was a bad week for Mississippi conservatives and the state's top Republican leadership, all of whom were ardent supporters of measures to toughen state immigration laws, limit abortions and establish charter schools.
‘Internalized Racism'
Damien Henderson scrawled the words "Rest in Paradise" on a vent outside his brother Ryan's dorm room at Jackson State University last week before leading approximately 200 college students dressed in red in a peaceful march to the Palisades Apartments, where Ryan was shot and killed March 25.
State Segregating Mentally Ill
One night last fall, Watson Dollar became angry when his mother would not let him drink from her water bottle. At the time, Pam Dollar was fighting a cold and did not know how to explain to Watson why he couldn't drink after her. Watson has limited language capabilities due to the autism he developed at age 2.
Abortion, Immigration Bills Die in Committee
Two of the most contentious bills of the current legislative session--an anti-abortion "heartbeat" bill and an anti-undocumented immigration measure--won't become law in Mississippi after all.
Opponents Denounce ‘Greed Bill'
Anyone with a television has seen the ads common this time of year inviting people to apply their income-tax refunds toward everything from bedroom furniture to big-screen TVs. The businesses behind the ads are often consumer-finance companies that make small loans with higher-than-average interest rates to people who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford the purchases.
In 2-1 Vote, PSC Lets Kemper Move Forward
Voting 2-1 this morning, the Mississippi Public Service Commission agreed to let Mississippi Power Co. continue building a lignite coal plant in Kemper County -- at least for the time being. In 2011, the commission allowed Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta,Ga.-based Southern Co., revise its price tag for the 582-megawatt internal gasification combined cycle plant from $2.44 billion to $2.8 billion without public input.
House Flips on Workers' Comp
If employees are like the cartoon sailor man Popeye and companies are like Popeye's brutish nemesis, Bluto, then workers' compensation is spinach--an equalizer between big guy and little guy.
New Details Emerge in JSU Student's Death
Jackson police released more details this morning about yesterday's arrest of Jarrod Emerson, a cousin of Jackson State University freshman Nolan Ryan Henderson who was shot and killed at a party over the weekend.
Arrest Made in JSU Student's Murder
Statement from Jackson City Hall on the arrest made in the shooting death of Jackson State University student Nolan Ryan Henderson at an off-campus party over the weekend:
Immigration Bill's Fate Rests with Senate Dem
Here's Reeves' statement:
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' office just sent out a statement on the controversial anti-undocumented immigrant HB 488. In the release, Reeves states that he's heard the concerns about the bill's potential costs to law enforcement agencies and the state economy. To that end, Reeves assigned HB 488 to the Senate Judiciary B, chaired by Hob Bryan, a Democrat from Amory for further study.
Promised Land: Are Mississippi's Anti-Immigrant Efforts Bad for Business?
'Reasonable suspicion usually goes to a crime, something you can measure. Reasonable suspicion that you are unlawfully present is not something you can observe.'
Family Rallies: ‘Ryan's Life Mattered'
Around 200 college students dressed in red gathered in front of Alexander Residence Hall at Jackson State University to remember Nolan Ryan Henderson, a freshman shot and killed after attending an off-campus party.
The Legislature, Week 12: Budgets, Taxes and Loopholes
The Mississippi House and Senate started working through spending bills this week as lawmakers face a couple of important deadlines in the coming weeks. By Thursday, March 29, legislators must pass appropriations from the bills' originating in their chamber.
Cassandra Wilson Brings Music to Town
Starting any new business venture in the current economic climate is risky. The fact that Cassandra Wilson, an internationally renowned two-time Grammy award winner, would stick her neck out and bring a new music venue to Jackson sings volumes about the confidence she has in her home town.
Michael Brown
Michael Brown is coming back from California. A Clinton native and former captain of the Stanford University soccer team, Brown has signed with Mississippi Brilla FC.
State Executes William Mitchell
William Mitchell was already affixed to the metal table with thick, heavy, tan leather straps when prison guards escorted witnesses into the execution viewing rooms at Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Dressed in a red jumpsuit and surprisingly clean black and white sneakers--MSP's version of Converse's All-Star--Mitchell's bulky 6-foot-1-inch frame filled every available inch of the gurney that was bolted to the floor. Underneath the slab, curiously, sat a small, wooden step stool.
Business Good at ‘The Strip'
Go west, Jackson—specifically to the west side of State Street between East Mitchell and Duling avenues.
Despite More Revenue, Budget Fight Looms
Even though no legislative budget exists yet, that hasn't stopped Democratic and Republican legislators from staking out positions on key areas.
Prosecutor Recounts James Anderson's Murder
The following is Hinds County Assistant District Attorney Scott Rogillio's verbatim account of the events that transpired when Deryl Dedmon and his friends encountered James Craig Anderson in June 2011. The narrative would have provided the basis for the prosecution's case against Dedmon, who pleaded guilty to Anderson's murder this afternoon. Because racial hatred inspired the crime, Dedmon, who is white, received the maximum penalty of two life sentences for his part in a plot to target blacks in Jackson. A word of caution, some of the language in the account is explicit.
Rebuilding His Party
Brandon Jones says the Mississippi Democratic Trust, a new political action committee he helped start in 2011 and now heads as executive director, grew from "humble recognition" of his party's shortcomings, many of which helped Republicans achieve a near-sweep in the last statewide election.
Dedmon Pleads Guilty to Murder
Deryl Dedmon stood by silently, his face expressionless as Hinds County Assistant District Attorney Scott Rogillio read aloud an account of the murder prosecutors say Dedmon committed last year when he was 18 years old.
Suppressed GOP, Frustrated Dems
Philip Gunn didn't fully realize what was in store for him when colleagues elected him as speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives. Gunn, a Clinton Republican, told attendees at a Capitol Press Club luncheon Monday that he's been surprised by how many groups want to him to speak or that international visitors to the Capitol would solicit his thoughts on nuclear-arms proliferation.
Budget Battlelines Forming
The state may have more money to work with for the next budget year, but early talks about spending priorities suggest that negotiations will be as contentious as ever.