Scalia Defends Gay, Abortion, Gun Rulings at First Baptist
The United States should not look to other countries when interpreting its own Constitution, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said yesterday in a speech at First Baptist Church of Jackson sponsored by Mississippi College School of Law.
‘Chopper Bob' Rall
"Chopper Bob" Rall, Mississippi's only helicopter traffic reporter, and the "Skycopter" have been staples in the Jackson skies since 1997. Rall was 12 when he moved to Jackson in 1954 with his family from Pittsburgh, Pa. Four years later, he was on the airwaves, disc-jockeying at WJXN radio. Rall died in his sleep early this morning.
German Manufacturer Coming to Tunica
At a press conference yesterday, Gov. Haley Barbour announced that German company, Wilh. Schulz GMBH, has selected Tunica, Miss., just south of Memphis, for a new pipe manufacturing facility. The plant is estimated at $300 million, creating 500 new jobs over the next five years. The company will make an initial investment of $80 million and 200 jobs.
Money to Dominate Legislative Session
Money is on the mind of every legislator entering the state Capitol tomorrow for the start of this year's Mississippi legislative session. Officials predict a shortfall of about $360 million in revenue by the end of fiscal year 2010 in June, and everybody holding an elected job will be nervous that the cuts they agree on this year could impact them in the 2011 elections.
Supervisors Push Forward on Byram-Clinton Corridor
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors today approved taking another early step forward in the Byram-Clinton corridor road-construction project. Supervisors voted unanimously to advertise for engineering consulting services on the project, which Supervisor Peggy Calhoun called "vital to the future economic development of Hinds County."
Public Meetings and Community Events
Hinds County Community College Registration, at all campuses; extended hours: 8:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:15 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday. Go to http://www.hindscc.edu or call 1-800-HindsCC.
Sen. David Baria
A Mississippi lawmaker and attorney, Sen. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, arrived to the Senate after beating back conservative Democrat Scottie Cuevas in the Democratic primary in 2007. Since his arrival, the frequent insurance-industry critic has become a champion of insurance reform, pushing time and again for an insurance policy-holder's bill of rights, which includes new laws regulating the insurance industry's use of anti-concurrent causation clauses in home-protection policies.
DeLaughter Begins Prison Term
Bobby DeLaughter, former Hinds County prosecutor, rocketed to national fame in 1994 when, 31 years after the crime, he put Byron De La Beckwith behind bars for the 1963 murder of Medgar Evers.
Jackson Metro Ranked in ‘Strongest 20,' Again
The city of Jackson again ranked high in a report released by the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., a nonprofit, non-partisan public-policy organization. The institution's quarterly MetroMonitor report now places the city as No. 9 on the list of its "strongest 20 metros" category for the third quarter of 2009.
Sheriffs Ask Barbour to Spare Crisis Centers
County sheriffs from across Mississippi yesterday urged Gov. Haley Barbour to spare the state's mental-health crisis centers, which Barbour targeted for closure in his 2011 budget proposal. Speaking at the state capitol, Mississippi Sheriffs Association President Willie March warned that closing the state Department of Mental Health's seven crisis-intervention centers would force counties to house mentally ill citizens in county jails.
Rep. Steven Palazzo
While he represents Biloxi in the Mississippi Legislature, Rep. Steven Palazzo often seems to be acting on a national stage. Palazzo, a Republican, sent Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood a letter Dec. 21 urging him to "take the appropriate legal action against the federal government" if Congress passes one of the health-care reform bills currently under consideration.
Barbour Again Seeks More Budgetary Power
Gov. Haley Barbour, in a letter addressed to Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and House Speaker Billy McCoy, has again asked for additional power to cut Mississippi's state budget. Citing lagging revenue collections for this month and state economic recovery historical trends, Barbour wrote that the "best solution" was to give the governor the ability to make selective 10 percent cuts to agencies, doubling what he can currently cut.
"Kings of Tort": A Royal Hit Job?
The authors of the recent book "Kings of Tort: The True Story of Dickie Scruggs, Paul Minor and Two Decades of Political and Legal Manipulation in Mississippi" don't mince words when trying to convey a white-trash tale of former attorney Paul Minor, who was convicted on federal bribery and honest services fraud charges in 2007.
No More Sugarcoating
In the afterglow of the King Edward's re-opening and as we've prepared this "Most Intriguing" issue, I've been thinking a bit about Frank Melton. After spending the last several months untangling from all the emotions and frustrations of covering him for four years, I'm starting to realize that he may have done the city good.
Robert Graham: Positive Thinker
Robert Graham knows his way around a phone. The Hinds County Supervisor for District 1 keeps three cell phones and is not above using two at once, one on either side of his facea holdover from the 15 years he spent as media relations officer for the Jackson Police Department.
Step Outside the Mall Box
Last year's skyrocketing gas prices, combined with the housing bust, unemployment and a general economic malaise, is enough to make many suburbanites rethink their commutes and McMansions in favor of a return to an urban, mixed-use environment.
[Stiggers] Your Mind, Not Your Behind
Old School Pete: "You're listening to 108.1, WGST (Ghetto Science Team) radio, the station where listening is worth your while at the end of the dial. This is your old school deejay stimulating your mind, and not your behind, with the 'Round Midnight Music and Message Moment.
[Kamikaze] Milestones
The year 2009 marked a few interesting milestones in my personal and professional life, including significant highs and some unceremonious lows. These developments are steps on my path of maturation you guys have followed for some time now.
Jackson's Year in Review Timeline
Jan. 2 – State Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, announces his candidacy for mayor of Jackson.
JFP 2010 College Basktball Preview
Conference play is what it's all about in college basketball. Those games will start next week.