News

The Poop on the Oxford Debate

To keep up with specifics (and find out about ticket and media info, event schedules and the like), check out the Ole Miss Presidential Debate Site. The main UM debate site is here, and the Commission for Presidential Debates is here.

Rock the Vote Poll: Youth Want Obama; No Palin Effect

Michael Connery is blogging about the new Rock the Vote poll results of young voters at futuremajority.com:

Meredith: ‘No, Just Acting Like Students, I ‘Spose'

In this video shot during the Ole Miss uprising over his enrollement, James Meredith sure looks a lot younger, but he rather sounds just like he does today when he says of the angry students around him, "No, Just Acting Like Students, I 'Spose."

John McCain's Mississippi Roots

Jake Tapper (now of ABC) and Arkansas journalist Suzi Parker wrote a piece for Salon back in 2000 during the last presidential election in which they revealed to the world, and to McCain, that his family in Mississippi had owened 52 slaves in Carroll County (incidentally Trent Lott's home county and a hotbed for the Citizens Council back in the day):

James Meredith Will Not Be in Oxford for the Debate

Ole Miss' most famous alumnist, James Meredith, has made it clear that he will not attend the debate Friday at Ole Miss. His wife, Dr. Judy Meredith, and one of his sons will be in attendance, however. She told the JFP today that she is told that the two of them will be escorted to the debate by Secret Service.

Ole Miss Debate a Conspiracy to Help Obama?

You gotta love it when the conspiracy theorists get going. This blog asks, "Was the debate schedule gamed for Obama too?. (Wonder if they know when the debate was scheduled for Oxford?)

‘Hot Democratic Women' Present the Oxford Debate Music Guide

Now we get around to the important stuff: music in Oxford this week. The advance word on the Obamarama at The Lyric. We'll see what the JFP's road team has to say; they rushed out this afternoon to get there in time. We await their reports.

Obama Prepping for Debate in ‘Battleground' Florida

Per a CBS blog: Barack Obama is taking the day off from campaigning today – instead he will be preparing for Friday's presidential debate at an undisclosed location in the Tampa, Fla., area.

Katie Couric Asks You-the-People to Help Her Interview Palin

On her chatty blog, CBS' Katie Couric wants to know what you would ask Sarah Palin! She's going to interview her next week! She thinks Palin has made the campaign really exciting! She won't ask "gossipy stuff"! She needs you! Read more:

Families United Supporting Troops at Oxford Debate

The Pontotoc Progress is reporting (in a whole bunch of one-sentence paragraphs):

Oxford's Changeand the McCain Slaves

NPR has one of the requisite stories about how far Oxford has come since 1962. (Doh.) This one has some good stuff from Boston Globe reporter Curtis Wilkie, who was a famed civil rights reporter and now teaches at Ole Miss:

Another Oxford DebateThis One Malcolm X

Allow us to pause during Debate Week madness in Mississippi to observe a different tall, skinny black man in an Oxford debate.

State Democrats Plan ‘Turning Mississippi Blue' Rally

[Verbatim] Mississippi Democrats will celebrate the first 2008 presidential debate with a political rally Thursday night, Sept. 25, in Oxford where party candidates and leaders are expected to speak. The "Turning Mississippi Blue" rally starts at 6 p.m. at the Oxford Activity Center. Democrats who plan to speak include state party Chairman Jamie Franks, former Gov. William Winter, former Gov. Ray Mabus, Oxford Mayor Richard Howorth, U.S. Senate candidate Erik Fleming and U.S. House candidate Joel Gill.

State Launches Site for Visiting Debate Journalists

[Verbatin] An estimated 3,000 journalists are expected to descend upon Oxford this week for the first 2008 Presidential Debate. To assist media with resources for broadcasts and articles pertaining to Mississippi, the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) has created a website containing helpful information regarding the state. Media and journalists can access the site at http://www.msdebate08.org . "The first 2008 Presidential Debate being held on the campus of the University of Mississippi is a historic event – not only for Ole Miss and Oxford, but also for the entire State of Mississippi," Governor Haley Barbour said. "We have a great story to tell, and this event is an excellent opportunity to share it with the world. The website is designed to help the media tell the story, and I am sure the information contained within the site will be useful to anyone wishing to learn more about the state."

Millsaps Grads Win ‘Quiz Me,' Get Debate Tickets

[Verbatim] After correctly answering 106 questions during a quiz bowl competition, two Millsaps grads have received two highly coveted tickets to the first presidential debate on Friday.

UPDATED: Prosecutors Appeal Seale ‘Acquittal'

A 2005 Jackson Free Press investigation helped spur Seale's prosecution. See JFP Archive of Seale Investigation. Also, see http://www.roadtomeadville.com for full coverage.

MEMA Headed to Oxford Debate

[Verbatim] PEARL – The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is coordinating with key federal, local and university personnel to provide support and resources for the Presidential Debate at the University of Mississippi in Oxford on Sept. 26. "We are proud to be a part of this historic event," said MEMA Director Mike Womack. "The preparation for this monumental debate has been a collaborative effort among MEMA, other state agencies, federal entities, city and county officials." MEMA is scheduled to deploy its Mobile Command Unit and members of its state emergency response team Wednesday to set up a forward state emergency operations center near the Oxford Police Station.

March Against Fear '08

About 25 people carrying banners, flags and posters gathered Saturday morning at Freedom Cornerthe intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Medgar Evers Boulevardto kick off a 172-mile march to Oxford, where the first presidential debate will be held Sept. 26. The group, part of the Stand Against AIDS, plans to present a list of demands to the nominees, most importantly the demand of a National AIDS Plan signed within the first 100 days of office to deal with the growing health crisis.

UPDATED: Hosemann Releases Revised Ballot

After losing a legal battle to put a U.S. Senate special election on the bottom of the November ballot, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann released a revised sample ballot (PDF, 31 KB) for the Nov. 4 election today. The ballot displays the special election for the remainder of Trent Lott's U.S. Senate term directly below the Senate race between Erik Fleming and incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran.

Supreme Court Rules Sample Ballot is Illegal

The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled against Gov. Haley Barbour and Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann today in their appeal concerning the contested sample November ballot. Justice Jess Dickinson's majority opinion (PDF, 496 KB) stated that the sample ballot, which listed the U.S. Senate race between Roger Wicker and Ronnie Musgrove near the bottom, is illegal.

State Defying Its Own?

The ACLU of Mississippi filed a lawsuit on behalf of Mississippi residents Jerry Young and Christy Colley in U.S. District Court Friday, challenging the state's denial of voting rights to citizens with felony convictions.

A ‘Brazen' Ballot Battle

Gov. Haley Barbour took the fight over a sample election ballot to the Mississippi Supreme Court on Friday.

Rosemary Maxey

Rosemary Maxey is a veritable human Rolodex. Her friends often joke that she knows you, has heard of you or wants to get to know you.

Bold 'New' City

As the JFP turns 6 (!), we take our traditional birthday look at Jackson's progress.

BRAVO! Goes Smoke-Free

The Smokefree Jackson Coalition honored BRAVO! Italian Restaurant Tuesday for voluntarily prohibiting smoking indoors before a citywide ban takes effect Feb. 1, 2009. City Council President Leslie McLemore commended Bravo co-owner Jeff Good for setting an example and jokingly declared "Jeff Good Day" in Jackson.

Another Mucked-Up Hurricane Response?

Folo has a good post, and several links, pointing to another inadequate response to a hurricane disaster, this time in Texas. And there are reports that Texas Gov. Rick Perry is trying to keep the severity of the problem under wraps. Can this really be true?

Hood Takes Gloves Off Over Barbour Ballot Scheme

[Verbatim from Attorney General Jim Hood] Jackson, MS-Gov. Haley Barbour's ill-conceived attempt to gain a partisan political advantage for his party and violate state law is an embarrassment for both his office and the state's voters, Attorney General Jim Hood said today. "If Gov. Barbour believes his legal acumen is greater than that of a legal staff with a combined 100 years of experience in election law -- including two attorneys considered the deans of election law in Mississippi -- then he is walking in a dream world," General Hood said in reference to the career attorneys in his office.

M-Braves Claim Crown

The Mississippi Braves are the 2008 champions of the Southern League.

Barbour Appeals Ballot Ruling

[Verbatim from Governor] Today's ruling by the Hinds County Circuit Court is being appealed today. The official ballot recommended by the Secretary of State, which I approved, is proper and supported by state law. It was prepared using the same format that's been employed for decades. Democratic Secretary of State Eric Clark arranged the ballot in this manner and Republican Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann arranged the ballot in the same way; I approved both of them.

Green Rules Against Ballot ‘Ball of Confusion'

Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Tomie Green heard arguments Thursday on a preliminary injunction against the distribution of a November ballot that would place the U.S. Senate race between Roger Wicker and Ronnie Musgrove near the bottom. Green denied a last-minute motion to dismiss by Gov. Haley Barbour and Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann. Green will likely rule later today.

Ellington