City Settles With Cedric Willis
The Jackson City Council voted tonight to settle Cedric Willis' case against the city for his wrongful arrest for murder and rape.
Rep. Moak Responds to Bryant SOTS
Democratic Response to State of the State
State Rep. Bobby Moak, of Bogue Chitto, gave the Democratic response to Gov. Phil Bryant's state-of-the-state speech. Here's the text of Moak's remarks:
Bryant Makes 1st State of State (Full Text)
Governor Phil Bryant
Gov. Phil Bryant delivered his state-of-the-state address this evening at the Captiol. Supporters and admirers heralded the speech as the first in the Mississippi history to take place outdoors.
Don't Fall Off Cliff, House Told
What seemed like a hundred House Appropriations Committee members, their staff members and others crammed into a room built for half that number this morning at the Capitol to sift through a telephone book-size legislative budget report.
Mimi's to Close
After almost two years in Fondren, Mimi's Family and Friends (3139 N. State St.) will close at the end of next month.
Doris Jones
Oral storytelling is the oldest form of media and entertainment in human society. Since the introduction of spoken language, man has entertained, educated and informed with stories told from generation to generation.
Hinds Judge Grants Extension in Pardon Case
This afternoon, Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie Green postponed a hearing on whether to strike down reprieves former Gov. Haley Barbour granted on his final days in office. On Jan. 12 Green issued a temporary restraining order to stop the more than 200 pardons from moving forward and ordered five former inmates who worked in the governor's mansion to show proof they complied a constitutional requirement to file public notice.
Zero Tolerance for Children
Nsombi Lambright, executive director of ACLU Mississippi, doesn't bother going to her son's school anymore for lunch. She tried it as a way to connect with him, offer support for the school and show other students that adults care. But something wasn't right.
NOAA: 2011 Saw U.S. ‘Climate Extremes'
It was very hot last year. In fact, 2011 broke records for climate extremes, as the U.S. battled historic levels of heat, precipitation, flooding and severe weather, according to scientists from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
Laurel Isbister Irby
Laurel Isbister Irby released her sophomore album, "Nautilus," Jan. 21 at the Commons at Eudora Welty's Birthplace. "It's something for the creative community of Jackson," Isbister Irby said. "Jackson has been a really nurturing place for me as an artist so I wanted to share that with other artists and spread that around." The event featured visual art from Tony Davenport, Jessica Russell and Ellen Langford.
Community Events and Public Meetings
Free Income Tax Return Preparation Jan. 23-24, at Jackson State University (1400 John R. Lynch St.), at the College of Business, rooms 201 and 202. The Center for Business Development and Economic Research, and the Accounting Society offer the service from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Free; call 601-979-2029 or 601-979-2699.
Barbour Pardons Helped Many More White People Than Black Ones
I'm sure this will come as a surprise to no one, but it's official: Haley Barbour's last-minute pardons overwhelmingly benefitted whites. A Reuters team, including stringer and JFP political freelancer Robbie Ward, analyzed the race of the criminals on the list and found that although black peoplerepresent more than two-thirds of MIssissippi's prison population, fewer than a third of Barbour's pardonees were black:
Obama's in For the Good Times
Why is everyone so surprised that that President Barack Obama hummed a few surprisingly well-sung notes of Al Green's"Let's Stay Together" at a New York City fundraiser last night? After all, his boo, Michelle, just celebrated her 48th birthday a few days ago
Gunn Pulls Trigger on Committees
Now nearing the end of the third week of the Mississippi legislative session, House Speaker Phillip Gunn, R-Clinton, made his long-awaited announcement this morning of who's going to head up which committees in that chamber.
MSU Seeks Diversity
Mississippi State University wants to increase diversity in its faculty, students and alumni. While the school has added more blacks and more women leaders, at least one administrator recognizes that the university has room for more.
Jarvis Summers
Ole Miss was on a three-game losing streak to Mississippi State at home in C. M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum. The Rebels were on a six-game losing streak overall to their in-state rival Bulldogs.
Which Pardons Hold Up Under Legal Scrutiny?
Attorney General Jim Hood released a statement this morning, saying he has found 21 people among former Gov. Haley Barbour's 200-plus pardons who have fulfilled the constitutional requirements to receive pardons. The statement said that 156 people did not meet the requirement to publish their intent to ask for a pardon in a newspaper for 30 days. Hood's office is still processing 26 files.
Ala. Attorney: ‘The South Has Changed'
A county in Alabama is challenging a component of the Voting Rights Act that keeps a watchful eye on states with a history of civil rights abuses, the Associated Press reports.
HOOD: 156 of Barbour's Pardons Did Not Meet Legal Rules
Attorney General Jim Hood this evening released his latest findings about Gov. Haley Barbour's barrage of last-minute pardons. This is verbatim statement from Hood:
Why He Did it: Barbour Gives Rationale in WaPo
In a Washington Post op-ed published today, Haley Barbour defended clemency pleas he granted in the waning hours of his governorship. He said that the ensuing controversy stemmed from people not knowing the difference between clemency and letting people out of jail.