News

Let's Make a Deal

The Mississippi Center for Justice is still looking to buy the old library building at 301 N. State Street, the site of the historic "read-in" by nine Tougaloo College students during the Civil Rights Movement. MCJ, a nonprofit, public-interest law firm, wants to make the building—which had served as the city's "whites only" library until the read-in—the future site of its offices. MCJ President Martha Bergmark said the role the building played in the Civil Rights Movement made it a fitting location in synch with the nonprofit group's prime agenda of providing equal justice to everybody.

‘The Nightmare Is Over'

After serving 18 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, Levon Brooks walked away from the Noxubee County courthouse a free man on March 13. Arrested for the rape and murder of his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter, Courtney Smith, in 1990, Judge J. Lee Howard released Brooks on his own recognizance on Feb. 15, pending today's hearing. Brooks received a life sentence for the crimes in 1992 after two years in jail waiting for his trial.

One in 100 Behind Bars

America reached a new record this year, but it's not one that comes with bragging rights: We've reached the point where one in every 100 adults is behind bars. In Mississippi, one in every 97.3 adults is in prison or jail.

The Emerging Mississippi: Are New Voters Changing State Politics?

Photos by Kenya Hudson

When presidential hopeful Barack Obama entered the Rose Embley McCoy building at Jackson State University on March 10, he flowed easily into the hungry arms of the crowd. At least 100 young people—mostly females—pressed against the metal barricades, screaming and crying to shake his hand, crushing hapless reporters who had the misfortune of already standing at the barricade.

Mississippi GOP Politicizes Scruggs Plea

The head of the Mississippi Republican Party is using the guilty plea of Richard "Dickie" Scruggs to try to focus the scandal spotlight away from Republicans and put it squarely on Democrats, especially Attorney General Jim Hood, who was re-elected last November with more votes than any statewide elected official, including Gov. Haley Barbour. Scruggs, the brother-in-law of former U.S. Sen. Trent Lott and known for campaign contributions to both major parties, pled guilty last week to conspiracy to bribe a Lafayette County Circuit Court judge.

Hot 97.7 No Longer Blazin' Hip-Hop

[verbatim statement] Effective March 17, 2008, HOT 97.7FM has changed its name to 97.7FM WRBJ and no longer promotes itself as "Jackson's Blazin' Hip-Hop and R&B Station." In addition, the station will no longer carry the nationally syndicated Russ Parr Morning Show. 97.7FM WRBJ will now dedicate more of its programming to R&B music that is more appropriate to the entire expanse of the community. In addition, 97.7FM will air the nationally syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show.

Civil Rights Museum Part of Tougaloo ‘Master Plan'

Tougaloo College President Beverly Hogan told The Clarion-Ledger today that a civil rights museum has been part of the college's "master plan" for years:

SNL Slams Mississippi

"Saturday Night Live"

"This week Barack Obama won Mississippi with 90% of the black vote and a quarter of the white vote with Mississippi's one Asian guy still hiding indoors afraid to go outside."

Scruggs Pleads Guilty

The Sun-Herald is reporting that attorney Dickie Scruggs has pled guilty:

‘The Nightmare Is Over': Levon Brooks Finally Free

After serving 18 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, Levon Brooks walked away from the Noxubee County courthouse a free man this morning. Arrested for the rape and murder of his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter, Courtney Smith, in 1990, Judge J. Lee Howard released Brooks on his own recognizance on Feb. 15, pending today's hearing. Brooks received a life sentence for the crimes in 1992 after two years in jail waiting for his trial.

Lorenzo Bailey

Go to college. Play basketball. Live out your dream.

Clarion-Ledger Downplays Huge Turnout, Hosemann's Error

Remarkably, even in the light of day, Clarion-Ledger reporter Natalie Chandler is still repeating an abysmally off turnout prediction by Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann as if it were accurate, and she as yet has not corrected or apologized for a massive error about party turnout that she posted on the Ledger site last evening. (Click here for last night's discussion of those errors as they unfolded.)

OBAMA WINS; Eyes on Mississippi Tonight

Thoughts? Comments? Returns? Concerns?

The polls just closed, and the world is watching Mississippi's Democratic primary. (Sit up straight.)

UPDATED: Civil Rights Museum a ‘Done Deal'

A Civil Rights museum commission appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour approved the location of a planned National Civil Rights Museum Tuesday with a 22-to-9 vote in favor of a controversial site near Tougaloo College. Commission members, including Tougaloo President Beverly Hogan, voted in favor of the Tougaloo location despite outcry from advocates of a location in Jackson.

Chelsea Campaigning for Mama at Cups, Broad Street

Update: See Roy Adkins' photos of Chelsea Clinton at Cups here.

Obama Speech Streaming at WJTV

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As they did with Senator Hillary Clinton last week, WJTV plans to live-stream the video from Senator Barack Obama's appearance at JSU later this evening. WJTV's e-mail anticipates that things will get underway around 7pm. The viewer widget is below the fold.

Rights Museum Hidden Costs, Lobbying Questioned

As a vote to approve a controversial placement of a new civil rights museum looms, a commission member is saying that extra taxpayer costs of locating it in a planned development zone near Tougaloo College are being dramatically downplayed by supporters of that plan. "(Consultants) say the road wll be completed by April 8. That's impossible. ...The road is not going to be able to begin construction until the railroad is raised, and I believe there's some funding missing for the railroad at the current time," Civil Rights Commission member Susan Lunardini told the Jackson City Council Thursday.

Obama Coming to JSU; Clinton Speaks in Canton

Mississippi has suddenly found itself a focus of presidential politics as the March 11 primary approaches, and the two major Democratic candidates scrap for votes. Sen. Hillary Clinton attended the 26th annual Jefferson-Jackson Hamer Day Dinner last night in Canton, and Sen. Barack Obama announced today that he would attend a rally at Jackson State University on Monday evening.

Booming Jackson Topic of Radio JFP Friday

Tune in at noon Friday, March 7, to hear JFP Publisher Todd Stauffer interview Ben Minnifield of Novia Communications and Charles Richardson of the Fondren Renaissance Foundation about the renaissance of Jackson. Show is on WLEZ-FM, 103.7 FM, or listen to a live feed at http://www.wlezfm.com.

JFP Editor on MPB Friday 8:30 a.m.

Mississippi Public Broadcasting will interview JFP Editor Donna Ladd Friday at 8:30 a.m. about next week's Mississippi primary. Tune in at http://www.mpbonline.org.

WJTV Plans Live Stream of Clinton Speech

WJTV called this afternoon to let us know that they'll have a live stream of Senator Hillary Clinton's speech tonight at the Democratic Party's 26th Annual Jefferson Jackson Hamer Day Dinner in Canton. Viewer widget below the fold.

Clinton's Plan for ‘Forgotten' Afghanistan

Hillary Clinton's Plan for the Forgotten Front Line in Afghanistan

With the Mississippi primary next week, suddenly the Clinton campaign is courting Mississippi voters with a vengeance. This is one of her statements that are filling our inbox today/verbatim:

Hillary Clinton Comes to Canton

Hot off her wins in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island, presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton is turning her attention to Mississippi. Clinton will be appearing tomorrow at the Mississippi Democratic Party's 26th Annual Jefferson Jackson Hamer Day Dinner in Canton.

Undocumented Workers, Felons and Fines

Illegal immigrants and employers of illegal immigrants beware. The House passed Senate Bill 2988 by a wide margin today. The bill, called the Mississippi Employee Protection Act, forces all employers in the state to check employees' resident status with the E-verification System, available online at the Department of Homeland Security's Web site. It also makes any undocumented worker and anyone employing an undocumented worker a felon, with a punishment of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

The Scruggs Saga Comes Home To Hinds County

Photos by Jaro Vacek

On June 11, 2005, Jackson Police Officer Jeffrey Middleton ran a red light on Highway 18 while coming back from Raymond. Middleton had no siren or police lights on at the time, and a cop car without a blaring siren is just another death machine when it decides to ignore a traffic signal. When Middleton slammed into a car making a turn under a green light, driver Desmonde Harris probably didn't know what hit him—and certainly not that it was a man pledged to uphold the law.

Mitchell Shears

Looking like a giant among the three-feet-tall first-graders pouring into the bright, sun-filled hallway of Clausell Elementary School, Principal Mitchell Shears steps into the main office where three students await his arrival. "I know it's good," he says, willing their presence to be one of praise instead of punishment. "Oh, it is," one of them replies. No sooner are the words out of his mouth that a kindergarten student is attached to his navy blue pants leg. "Great morning, Mr. Shears," she says, shaking her head and smiling, as the white beads hanging from her braided hair rattle. "Thank you," he tells her.

Clinton Gets 12 New Delegates; Obama Still Leads

Even as Hillary Clinton is trying to claim a major victory last night—and seems to think that Ohio speaks for the nation—her wins Tuesday netted her 12 new delegates when all was said and done, according to the Associated Press. Still, even though she still trails Obama by 101 delegates, she is hinting today that he should be her vice president (because Ohio said so):

Landrum Campaign Reacts to Voting Revelations

From Bill Lampton, campaign manager for David Landrum, who is running for the Third Congressional District as a Republican/verbatim:

AP Reports on Columbia Training School Abuse

This isn't exactly a new story–see the JFP story from January 2005–but it is good to see the Associated Press taking our training-school horrors to a national stage. The story, about juvenile abuse claims across the country, begins:

Delbert Tries to Hose More Felon Voters?

[verbatim statement from Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann]Jackson, MS—Our current Constitution excludes certain felons from having the right to vote. These include criminals convicted of murder, rape, bribery, theft, arson, false pretense, purgery, forgery, embezzlement or bigotry. Yet, there are hundreds of other felonies in which the right to vote is not taken away. The Mississippi Legislature has begun to debate this issue.

Ellington