News

Medicaid Still Up for Debate

With a proposal on the table for an increased cigarette tax, the Mississippi Legislature is turning its attention to funding the $90 million Medicaid shortfall. Yesterday, a conference committee containing members from both chambers could not reach an agreement, reports the Commercial Appeal.

Campaign Finance Report: John Horhn

According to a campaign finance report (PDF) obtained by the Jackson Free Press, state Sen. John Horhn has $5,620 cash in hand leading up to Tuesday's Democratic primary. Among Horhn's largest campaign contributors are attorney John and Melody Maxey, of Jackson, and Jackson surgeon Dinesh Goel, both of whom donated $10,000. Horhn also received $1,000 each from businessman Leland Speed and fellow state Sen. Cecil Brown, as well as $2,000 from the Home Builders Association of Jackson and $2,500 from the Mississippi Association of Builders and Contractors.

Patrick Edmond

In a bustling Jim Hill High School hallway, students are yelping and shouting to one another joyfully, but one student remains unfazed by the exuberance.

The Mayor Bunch

Managing a city like Jackson is no easy task. It's the biggest city in the state—with a population of about 175,000, which appears to have lost a good bit of its affluent residents to the expanding suburbs.

Barbour Co-founds Anti-Democratic Group

Looking for a political comeback, leaders in the Republican Party yesterday launched a group to strategically oppose the Democratic agenda, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Ward 6: How to Win Votes And Influence People

In a pair of forums last week, contenders for the Ward 6 City Council seat struggled to distinguish themselves from the pack with 1-minute answers. Ward 6 has a whopping 12 Democratic candidates competing to replace Marshand Crisler, who is running for mayor. Most strived to be memorable, with varying degrees of success.

Feds OK $321 Million for Education

Although he has been loathe to accept some of the federal stimulus funds allotted for Mississippi, Gov. Haley Barbour announced today that the federal government has approved the state's plan for more than $321 million for education from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Mississippi ACLU Worker Found Not Guilty

[verbatim] On Thursday, April 23, a Jackson Municipal Court Judge found ACLU Public Education Coordinator Brent Cox not guilty on charges of interfering with police officer duties and disorderly conduct. The case was tried by ACLU Staff Attorney, Kristy Bennett, on Monday, April 16th, 2009, in Jackson Municipal Court. Cox was arrested on September 14, 2007 after watching a Precinct Four officer question an individual in front of Rainbow Whole Foods in Jackson, Mississippi.

Lawmakers Agree on 68 Cent Cigarette Tax

Mississippi legislators have come to a tentative agreement on a new cigarette tax: 68 cents a pack.

Anti-smoking advocates Communities for a Clean Bill of Health called the compromise "a win for Mississippi" in a statement.

Ward 1 Challenger Drops Out

Physician Jonathan S. Jones announced today that he is withdrawing his candidacy for the Ward 1 City Council seat currently held by Jeff Weill. In a statement, Jones, who was running as a Republican, said that he is dropping out because of the "difficult constraints placed on municipal primary elections."

Government and Unions to Control GM

Yesterday, General Motors, tenuously surviving on the federal government's $15.4 billion bailout, announced its restructuring plan. The plan, which includes cutting 21,000 production jobs in the U.S. and ending the storied Pontiac brand, offers to give the U.S. government a 50 percent equity stake in exchange for cancelling $10 billion of its debt, according to Bloomberg.com.

Judge Faces Key Decisions In Melton Trial

A federal judge will hear arguments today on whether to hold separate trials for Mayor Frank Melton and his former police bodyguard Michael Recio. Melton and Recio are under federal indictment for civil-rights violations in conjunction with the 2006 destruction of a Ridgeway Street duplex. They beat different state charges for the incident in 2007, and their first federal trial ended in a hung jury Feb. 24. Their re-trial will begin May 11.

Mental Health Legislation Passed

House Bill 897, signed into law by Gov. Haley Barbour, creates a panel to study issues surrounding delivery of the state's mental health services and make recommendations for improvement.

Flu Concerns Rising

On Friday, the Mississippi State Department of Health released a statement responding to reports of swine flu in Texas and California.

Harvey Johnson Leads in New Mayoral Phone Survey

Verbatim from Brad Chism:

Friends, Below is a topline from the survey yesterday. Further below is a repeat of the explanations and qualifiers-these are important. From the blog traffic it appears that some don't read below the first paragraph. I had several calls and emails this morning looking for this ZataPulse wave, one from a healthy critic of this exercise. And yesterday, I ran into one of the candidates, who will remain nameless. He blew off some campaign steam with a few choice words about our survey work. And then he wanted to make sure we were surveying again last night and insisted that I add him to the email list!! Go figure.

Weekend Events: Outdoors, Music & More

Planning your weekend? It should be great weather for the day-time events listed on our Best Bets page including the Jackson Zoo's Party for the Planet on Saturday, and Rainbow Co-op's annual meeting and picnic at the Cedars on Sunday.

Sunday: Neighborhood Association Solutions Meeting

[verbatim] The Jackson Police Department, Hinds County Sheriff's Department, and Leadership Greater Jackson (2009), will host "Neighborhood Association Solutions Meeting" on Sunday, April 26, 2009 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Clarion Ledger Community Room, 201 South Congress Street, Jackson, Mississippi. The event is free, and all Metro area residents are encouraged to attend.

What Did You Think of the Mayoral Debate?

All, add your comments below about what you thought of Thursday night's debate, brought to you by the Jackson Progressive, Jackson 2000, Leadership Jackson Alumni, WAPT and the Jackson Free Press. What were the best lines? Worst? Who scored the best points? Did you decide who to vote for?

Millsaps President Announces Resignation

Millsaps College President Frances Lucas has announced her resignation.

"Today I am announcing that I have decided to transition out of the presidency of Millsaps College," Lucas said in a statement. "My final day as president will be June 30, 2010, which will mark the conclusion of my tenth year. This decision, which I have been considering for approximately a year, is mine alone.

Democratic Primary Debate Tonight

Tonight, 380-plus Jacksonians will fill the Jackson Convention Center, anxious to watch the most talked-about political event of the year for the city: the 2009 Democratic Primary Mayoral Debate.

State Jobless Rate Up Slightly

Little changed in Mississippi's unemployment landscape in March, according to a report released Wednesday by the state Department of Employment Security. The unemployment rate rose by a scant one-tenth of 1 percent, from 9.3 percent to 9.4 percent. Still, that rate is up by 3.3 percent from a year ago, representing more than 43,000 people.

Jackson Crime Stats for April 13-19

Data for this week will be available Wednesday, April 29.

Major crime in Jackson decreased 8 percent in Jackson last week, according to data released yesterday by the Jackson Police Department. The JPD Comstat report (PDF) for April 13-19 shows slight decreases from the previous week in both property and violent crimes. Precinct commanders reported 170 property crimes, down from 185 the previous week, and 25 violent crimes, down from 27. Precinct 2, in West Jackson, reported 53 major crimes last week--the most of any precinct but also a 14 percent decrease from its total for the previous week. This week's numbers are slightly lower than figures from the same period last year, with property crime 10% lower than last year and violent crime down 7.4 percent.

2009 JFP Interview with Frank Melton, Part VI: Of Alcohol and Guns

In his office in February, Mayor Frank Melton talked about many issues with the Jackson Free Press. Here is an excerpt about his past abuse of alcohol and, if true, some surprising revelations about the guns he used to strap on himself to conduct nighttime "raids" in Jackson before the authorities told him to stop carrying weapons.

Open Ward 2 Race Brings Competing Solutions

In the wake of Ward 2 Councilman Leslie McLemore's decision not to seek re-election, eight candidates are vying to replace him. They offer similar views of the ward's needs but disparate visions of how to address them.

The 2009 JFP Interview with Dorothy Benford

Jackson resident Dorothy "Dot" Benford seems to run for office almost every time an election year comes around. She has a small list of unwavering supporters and an ant's determination to topple a rubber-tree plant.

Edward Hightower

Raised in Drew, MS, the Rev. Edward Hightower is one of 10 children. He speaks often of the Delta and her people, especially the troubles his community faced in the 1960s.

Strong Mayor, Weak Council

42 candidates are looking to claim a seat on the Jackson City Council in this year's elections. All have high aspirations, but many don't know what they're getting into.

‘Nature's Ritalin'

On a recent Friday afternoon at the Poindexter Park After-School Club, a third grader named Andrea fell in love with caterpillars.

Illegal Raids Costing City

The city is forking out big money for illegal business closings, but not nearly as much as it could be. Deputy City Attorney Pieter Teuwissen told City Council Monday afternoon that the city had managed to talk down damages regarding the 2006 illegal closing of a nude entertainment club to about $125,000.

Committee to Study Car Tag Costs

Mississippi's Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant yesterday announced the creation of a special legislative committee to study the cost of car tags in the state. The proposed committee will contain three members from each chamber, and "be responsible for providing reliable data with a reasonable solution to the high price of car tags," and make recommendations for legislative action, according to a release.

Ellington