News

FEMA Offers Hurricane Victims Trailers for $1

Four years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast, and a month after the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it was going to end its temporary housing program necessitated by the storms, FEMA officials are offering victims a bargain: $1 will allow victims to own the trailers they've been calling home since August, 2005.

Budget Stalled Again

Mississippi lawmakers failed yet again to come up with a budget for the 2010 fiscal year. A small budget committee has been working overtime to come to an agreement, but yesterday's midnight deadline has passed without producing a result. The new fiscal year begins July 1, 27 days from today, and it's looking like the governor will need to call a special session to get a budget passed.

EEOC Finds Racial Discrimination at MDPS

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has found evidence that the Mississippi Department of Public Safety engaged in discriminatory practices against black state troopers. In a June 1 letter, EEOC acting Area Director Willie Schaffer wrote, "there is reasonable cause to believe" that MDPS "engaged, and is engaging in, unlawful employment practices in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The documentary, statistical and testimonial evidence disclosed (MDPS) discriminated against blacks as a class because of their race with respect to assignments, demotions, discharges, discipline, harassment, hiring, intimidation, hostile work environment, promotion and the overall terms and conditions of their employment.

Flu Cases Now at 50

The Mississippi State Department of Health reports that the number of confirmed H1N1 swine flu cases in the state hit 50 yesterday. The bulk of the cases remain on the coast, with 17 cases in Harrison County and 13 in Jackson County. Hinds County now reports two cases, as does Yazoo County to the north. Neighboring Madison and Rankin Counties report one confirmed case each.

Mississippi Lags in Internet Access

In a report released yesterday, Mississippi has the lowest rate of Internet access in the U.S., with 52.8 percent of households connected. The report, from the U.S. Census Bureau, shows data from 2007, the most recent data available, according to WREG in Memphis.

Trouble at Hinds Youth Detention Center

A Hinds County supervisors suggests a "cover-up" at the Hinds County Youth Detention Center.

Budget Deadlock Continues

State lawmakers remain deadlocked on a budget for the 2010 fiscal year beginning July 1, raising the possibility of a special session to settle the matter.

Entergy Seeking Friendlier Court

U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate said last week that he would rule within three weeks to 30 days on a motion for venue change requested by Entergy Mississippi.

Charles 'Smartypants' King, Jr.

"What's the only animal that will eat a skunk?"

FBI: Crime Dropped Nationwide in 2008

The FBI released its Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report on Monday, stating that violent crimes dropped by 2.5 percent nationwide, and non-violent property crimes saw a 1.6 percent decline last year. Overall, this is the second consecutive annual drop in the crimes reported.

Jackson Announces Amnesty Days

In effort to clear thousands of outstanding warrants, the City of Jackson will waive penalties on overdue fines for two days, city officials announced today. The initiative, called "Amnesty Days," covers traffic violations and all misdemeanors except those involving domestic violence, weapons, crimes against a person and driving under the influence.

Adopt a Stimulus Project

With the U.S. spending $27 billion in infrastructure projects as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, ProPublica wants to know how those projects are doing. The independent, non-profit Internet newsroom is looking for volunteers to adopt projects, investigate and report on them.

Lawmakers Facing Midnight Deadline for Budget

With the deadline for reaching a consensus creeping closer by the day, the Mississippi Legislature has until midnight tonight to agree on the state's 2010 budget before Gov. Haley Barbour forces them into a special session. Although lawmakers have stretched the time limits for passing a budget before, this year's session is in record-breaking territory.

Do Lake Plans Endanger Indian Mounds?

Pre-historic Native American settlements are among the obstacles faced by any plan to inundate the wetlands along the Pearl River, including the already-controversial "Two Lakes" project. Pam Lieb, chief archeologist for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, told the Jackson Free Press that any project to flood the Pearl River between Rankin and Hinds counties could inundate 19 sites eligible for the National Register of Historic Propertyincluding Choctaw settlement and burial grounds.

Get Out and Vote, Jackson

Read the JFP Endorsements

Read Candidate Interviews, Opinions and More on the JFP Politics Blog

Arkansas Shooter Pleads Not Guilty After Confession

This morning, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, 24, a Little Rock man formerly known as Carlos Bledsoe, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and 15 counts of engaging in terrorist activities. Muhammad is accused of shooting to death Pvt. William Long, 24, of Conway, Ark., and wounding Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, of Jacksonville, Ark., yesterday outside an Army/Navy recruiting center, according to CNN. Ezeagwula is in stable condition and is expected to recover.

McLemore to Retire, Sort of

Jackson City Council President and Acting Mayor Leslie McLemore, who has taught political science at Jackson State University for nearly 40 years, will soon retire from both politics and academia. But McLemore says he will still be busy.

Tuesday's Votes Will Decide Three City Posts

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Jacksonians will be going to the polls for the third time in four weeks tomorrow, casting their votes for mayor and city council seats. In the race for mayor, Harvey Johnson, Jr., who was the city's first African American mayor, serving from 1997 to 2005, will face four Independents and one Republican.

Jackson Clinic on Alert

The Jackson Women's Health Organization is on high alert today after an assassin gunned down Dr. George Tiller, an abortion provider in Kansas yesterday. The Jackson clinic is the only place in the state of Mississippi that provides legal abortions.

Weekend Happenings

It's not over until the fat lady sings. Tuesday are general elections in Jackson. Now is not the time to sit it out only to watch your candidate lose. Absentee Voting: Attorney General Jim Hood's office sent a release yesterday reminding Jackson voters who will be out of town for the Tuesday general election that the deadline to vote absentee is this Saturday, May 30 at noon. Mailed ballots must be received by 5 p.m. on Monday. If you have questions about voting, please see Answers to Election Day Questions. Also, make sure to read the JFP Candidate Interviews on the Politics Blog.

Several Independents Running for Jackson Mayor

Next Tuesday, June 2, Jacksonians will go to the polls once again, this time for the general elections and all the marbles in the races for mayor and council seats. Former Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr., who won the Democratic runoff election May 19, will face four Independent candidates:

Small Businesses Honored

[verbatim] The Mississippi U.S. Small Business Administration will honor its 2009 small business award winners during a dinner reception on Tuesday, June 16 at the Mississippi e-Center @ JSU located at 1230 Raymond Road in Jackson, Miss. Registration starts at 5:30 p.m.

Johnson Receives Crisler's Support

Read About All the Mayoral Candidates on the JFP Politics Blog

Lawmakers Idle Waiting for Budget

The Mississippi Legislature is spending about $19,000 a day with little or nothing to do, for the most part. Lawmakers have finished all of their business for the current session, with one glaring exception: the budget for the 2010 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2009, a little more than four weeks from today. But that task is not yet in the hands of the full 174-seat House and Senate; behind closed doors, a handful of members on a special negotiating team is doing all the work.

Bounds Asks for 200 Teachers

Teach for America, a program that trains college students to teach in under-served, poor communities, is seeing record numbers of graduates applying. Mississippi State Superintendent of Education, has asked the organization for 200 of those recruits to teach in the Delta, doubling the numbers from previous years, according to an Associated Press story.

Court Re-hears Seale Appeal

On May 21, the 17-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the case of James Ford Seale.

The 2009 JFP Interview With Robert Amos

Robert Amos is the youngest remaining candidate for mayor. At 35, he's already worked in more fields than some do in a lifetime—health care, education, criminal justice and business—and he's currently an adjunct professor at Jackson State University's College of Lifelong Learning.

John Kelly

While walking the streets of downtown Jackson one day, 27-year-old John Kelly had a simple revelation.

MPB Receives Four Emmy Nominations

[verbatim] Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) received four 2008 Emmy Award nominations for its work in Between the Lions, Simply Science at the Fossil Road Show and Mississippi Roads. The Emmy Awards recognize outstanding achievement in all fields of daytime television production.

Health Agencies Still See Rise in Flu Cases

Cases of H1N1 swine influenza (also known as Novel influenza A) remain at the top of disease control efforts by the nations health agencies, including the Mississippi State Department of Health. While the Magnolia State was one of the last to confirm swine flu cases in the nation, the count in the state continues to rise. As of yesterday afternoon, the department has confirmed 13 cases in four counties.

Ellington