News

Irby Trial On Schedule

The criminal trial of Karen Irby, wife of Jackson businessman Stuart Irby, is set for March and looks ready to proceed. At a Feb. 17 pre-trial hearing, Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Tomie Green indicated that she foresaw no delays in the case and that she plans to sequester the jury.

Schoolhouse to Statehouse

Yvonne Horton made an unconventional job transition in 2007, joining a lobbying firm after 30 years as a public-school teacher. Horton, 60, is a Bolton native and a 1971 graduate of Jackson State University.

Bashing Sodas and Saving Schools

The 90-day legislative session will creep past the halfway mark this week, and the clock ticks on plenty of legislative efforts, including the deadline to except or trash fiscal-year 2011 appropriation and revenue bills.

Mason: No Plans for Public Input on Merger

As Jackson State University President Ronald Mason Jr. shook hands at a forum last Friday at Koinonia Coffee House in Jackson, he sought to quell concerns about a possible HBCU merger idea he floated to legislators last month. He maintained that his proposal was merely "an idea that was leaked."

Barbour Vetoes Budget Restoration

Gov. Haley Barbour vetoed budget reconciliation act Senate Bill 2688 today, a bill that restored $79 million in cuts he enacted for Fiscal Year 2011. The governor rejected the bill saying that it delayed "inevitable government reorganization and relied on one-time money to cure recurring budget woes."

Linda Mann

Linda Mann always thought she would leave Mississippi after she graduated from college and never return. She moved to Jackson from Birmingham when she was 3 and by the time she graduated from Provine High School in 1964, she was ready to leave the city.

Corps Re-certifies Pearl Levees

Also see: Complete Pearl River Archive

Chief Unsure of New Police Review Process

Jackson Police Chief Rebecca Coleman is doubtful about a proposed independent community advocacy review process for police matters. Last night, the Jackson City Council delayed voting on a city ordinance for a board of citizens independent from the police department to review complaints against police officers--rather than rely on officers to conduct the investigations.

Road to Nowhere?

Yesterday, the Mississippi House approved $300 million in bonds for infrastructure improvements in the state. Among the projects is $42 million for a new highway from Pontotoc to Sherman, site of the as-yet completed Blue Springs Toyota plant, reports The Commercial Appeal.

City Targets Pit Bulls

The Jackson City Council Rules Committee, spurred by the recent death of 5-year-old Terry resident Anastasia Bingham from a pit-bull attack, voted Monday to ask the city's legal department to write an ordinance banning pit bulls dog inside the city limits, and to consider a second ordinance giving police officers more discretion in handling complaints against dogs.

Council Set to Vote on Police Oversight

The Jackson City Council may decide today whether to institute a civilian review process for the Jackson Police Department. Long a pet item for Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes, a proposal for a civilian oversight of police complaints passed the Planning Committee yesterday. Stokes and Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber voted for the measure, while Ward 5 Councilman Charles Tillman abstained

City Seeks Removal of Visitor's Bureau Expiration Date

The Jackson City Council's Legislative Budget Committee moved forward to re-authorize the Convention Center & Visitors Bureau yesterday, but committee Chairwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon said the committee should ask the state Legislature for a law change that could make future re-authorizations for the bureau unnecessary.

George Bishop

While George Bishop was on a camel safari in India, he went to sleep and had a dream about a mother who longed for her daughter. The next morning he woke up and started writing down his dream.

Guilty Verdict in JSU Murder Trial

A Hinds County jury found Stanley Cole guilty of the murder of Latasha Norman this afternoon. Cole, 26, faces life in prison for killing Norman, his ex-girlfriend.

Barbour Goes National, Again

Gov. Haley Barbour was in Washington, D.C., this weekend for the National Governors Association's annual conference, but he made headlines for extracurricular activities, speaking against the federal stimulus bill and rallying Republican opposition to health-care reform and climate-change regulations.

Local Catering Business Serves Home-Cooked Favorites

Macy Chester, 31, owner of Cosmopolitan Catering in Fondren, learned the ins and outs of the catering business from her mother, Terry Gibson, a former caterer in Yazoo City.

Community Events and Public Meetings

3:00 p.m., Mississippi Reproductive Justice Coalition Legislative Strategy Meeting, at ACLU of Mississippi (753 N. Congress St.), in the conference room. Topics include the Comprehensive Sex Education Bill 837, the Child Protection Act and the Personhood Amendment. Free; call 601-354-3408.

Charlie Maris

A few days before Assistant Attorney General Charlie Maris went into heart surgery, he left his Bible on his desk with a notation in Romans 8 that read "a mind controlled by the Spirit equals life and peace."

Mayor Invites Jacksonians to One-on-One Meeting

Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. urges Jackson residents to speak with him one-on-one. Johnson will hold one of his regular meetings prior to tomorrow's City Council meeting to discuss issues, take reports about problems or just speak with concerned citizens tomorrow, Feb. 23, starting at 5:30 p.m..

Judge Rules for Law Firm in MCI Case

Hinds Circuit Court Judge Winston Kidd handed down a ruling today that will allow the Langston Law Firm to keep the $14 million fee it earned for representing the state in a $110 million settlement with former telecom giant MCI, formerly WorldCom, over unpaid taxes. MCI paid the legal fees directly to the firm, without impacting the state's share of the collected funds.

Mason Says Merger Plan a Leaked ‘Idea'

As Jackson State University President Ronald Mason Jr. shook hands at a forum this morning at Koinonia Coffee House in Jackson, he sought to quell concerns about a possible HBCU merger idea he floated to legislators last month. He maintained that his proposal was merely "an idea that was leaked."

Sonia Sanchez

Sonia Sanchez stands with confidence, petite in stature with her natural dreadlocks hanging just below her shoulder. Her voice is strong, not in its volume, but in the passion and conviction that oozes from the words she speaks: "Our vision is our voice ... we are people made of fire ... give me courage so I can spread it over my face and mouth ..."

Black Farmers to Benefit from Obama Decision

About 24,000 Mississippi black farmers could benefit from a decision by the Obama administration to include a $1.25 billion discrimination settlement in the 2010 federal budget.

Magic Johnson HIV Testing Tour in Jackson

Some 231,000 Americans are infected with HIV and don't know it. Hoping to make an impact on those numbers, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Magic Johnson "Testing America" tour is stopping at Hinds Community College today from 8 a.m. until noon to offer free testing.

Senate Votes to Restore Budget Cuts; Barbour Promises Veto

Gov. Haley Barbour claims he will veto a bill the Mississippi Senate passed today that would restore funding to offset cuts he made to state agencies. "This bill spends too much, burns too much of our reserves, and fails to adequately address Corrections, where we still face the possibility of turning criminals loose due to the lack of funding. I expect the bill to reach my desknext week, and I will veto it and send it back to the Legislature," Barbour said in a statement.

City Threatens Ridgeway Duplex Owner

City's letter to Jennifer Sutton (PDF)

Auto Burglaries puts JPD on Alert

A spike in auto burglaries has the Jackson Police Department increasing patrol units and asking residents not to leave valuable possessions in their cars.

Rev. Eric Pridmore

Rev. Eric Pridmore, 38, hasn't let blindness stop him from hunting. The mounted antlers from a three-point buck he shot hang over his fireplace, a testament to his marksmanship. Pridmore's friend, Ted Kendall IV, helped him gain his trophy.

Soda Tax Will Fizzle Out

Sweetened drinks add to the problem of childhood obesity, according to Andrew Hysall, associate vice president of advocacy and public policy for the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign for Healthy Kids. A proposal to add a 2-cent per ounce tax to those beverages has little chance of getting through the Mississippi Legislature, however.

Bills Target Jackson Development, Infrastructure

In the sixth week of its session, the Mississippi Legislature passed a number of bills relevant to the city of Jackson.

Ellington