For Those We Love
We buried my cousin Anita last week. She was a beautiful, saucy blonde who used to tag around her brother Martie and me back on Fork Road in Neshoba County. Our mamas--both deliciously loud women married to Ladds--were great buddies, and took turns "keeping" us all. Martie and I were born the same year, and people used to think we were twins.
The High Cost of Calories
A state tax on sodas, sponsored by Rep. John Mayo, D-Clarksdale, was effectively dead on arrival at the state Legislature this year, given the difficulty of passing any revenue measure during an economic recession.
Young Gun: Toby Barker
At 28, Toby Barker first-term representative, looks closer in age to the blue-blazered pages ferrying bills across the House floor than he to some of the more grizzled legislators around him.
Bonds, Boards and the School for the Blind
Ah, spring—the season when a state lawmaker's mind turns to money. The Mississippi Legislature spent most of last week considering appropriations bills; lawmakers had until Friday to concur or invite conference on appropriations or revenue measures for the upcoming 2011 fiscal year.
Bluster Isn't Enough, Governor
Earlier this week, Gov. Haley Barbour announced that he would sue the federal government over the new health-care law the U.S. Congress passed March 21. In his usual windy style of political rhetoric, his press release was full of statements guaranteed to scare the bejeezus out of the uninformed while adding nothing substantive to the national conversation.
[Stiggers] Rabid Race Mixers
Mr. Announcement: "On this episode of 'All God's Churn Got Shoes,' members and supporters of Operation White Backlash have organized a Tea Party protest rally and barbeque outside the offices of the Progressive Multi-Cultural Review, World Report and Other Stuff Journal Inc.
[Hutchinson] An Ugly Glare
The throng of angry whites jeered, catcalled and spat out borderline racial insults at the small group of mostly black protesters. The charged racial confrontation happened March 14, 2010, in the self-billed all-American, mostly white Los Angeles suburban bedroom city of Torrance, Calif.
A Story That Deserves Telling
When three white men invaded the home of an African American family in rural Attala County, the nation saw much of the story through the eyes of Billy McMillan, a photographer and reporter at his father-in-law's weekly paper, the Kosciusko Star-Herald.
‘Killing Ourselves with Convenience'
On a Sunday afternoon at Lumpkin's BBQ on Raymond Road, a predominately African American crowd dressed in formal suits and dresses fill their plates from a buffet line. The restaurant's Sunday dinner features southern staples including fried chicken, beef brisket, ham hocks, collard greens, green beans and cabbage.
How to End Obesity: Components of the "Let's Move" Program
How do you think we could solve the obesity problem? Here are some ideas that could help with the fight.
Health Reform: What's In It?
President Barack Obama enjoyed rising approval ratings Tuesday as he signed a historic health-care bill the U.S. House of Representatives passed late Sunday without a single Republican vote--the same health-care bill the Senate approved last December.
MIRA Leading Census Effort
Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance President Bill Chandler says his organization will be working full time to make sure Mississippi's Latinos are counted in the 2010 census.
John Yu
When John Yu was a student at Jackson's Chastain Middle School, he witnessed firsthand the effects that bullying can have. A boy in one of his classes brought a revolver to school to defend himself from bullies who had threatened him consistently that year. Yu, now 28, still vividly remembers the fear he felt on that day.
Building to be Named for Slain Civil-Rights Workers
The Mississippi House debated yesterday over naming the new FBI field office building in Jackson for three slain civil-rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, reports the The Commercial Appeal.
School Board Violated Lesbian Student's Rights, Judge Says
A federal judge ruled today that the Itawamba County school board violated Constance McMillen's free speech rights when it canceled a prom after she asked permission to bring her girlfriend as her date. U.S. District Court Judge Glen Davidson denied McMillen's request, filed by the Mississippi ACLU, for a preliminary injunction forcing the school board to hold a prom, however.
Council Mulling JATRAN Consent Decree to Help Disabled
The Jackson City Council may approve an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice on making city buses more accessible to the disabled at its 6 p.m. meeting tonight.
[Balko] Pre-Crime Policing
To hear them tell it, the five police agencies who apprehended 39-year-old Oregonian David Pyles early on the morning of March 8 thwarted another lone-wolf mass murderer. The police "were able to successfully take a potentially volatile male subject into protective custody for a mental evaluation," announced a(Medford, Ore., police department.) press release. The department had recently placed the subject on administrative leave from his job, was "very disgruntled" and had recently purchased several firearms. "Local Law Enforcement agencies were extremely concerned that the subject was planning retaliation against his employers," the release said. Fortunately, Pyles "voluntarily" turned himself over to police custody, and the legally purchased firearms "were seized for safekeeping."
Legislators Want Session Postponed for Education Funds
The Mississippi Legislature should suspend negotiations on the 2011 budget for three weeks until lawmakers know whether the state will receive an additional $150 million in federal money, Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, said today. Speaking at a rally in support of education funding, Brown said that the U.S. Congress is poised to pass an extension of the Medicaid assistance in the 2008 federal-stimulus package. This additional money, which would increase the federal government's contribution to state Medicaid expenses, would free up funds for education.
Angela Stewart
Angela Stewart knows that preserving the past through sharing stories---especially about women and civil rights--is essential for changing the future.
Jeff Weill Announces Run for Judge Seat
Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Weill, who turns 53 tomorrow, is announcing this morning that he will run for the seat of Hinds County Circuit Judge Swan Yerger this year. Yerger, 75, announced his retirement last year, and Weill said he believes his 28 years of legal experience has him ready for the job. "I've been an assistant DA, an investigator for the DA's office, I've handled public safety issues on the city council, and I'm a mediator," said Weill, who has served on the city council since winning a special election in 2007 after Ben Allen stepped down suddenly, citing health reasons.