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Respect for the City

Campaign adviser and lobbyist Quentin Whitwell is looking to get his own campaign moving this year. Whitwell, 38, announced to supporters last month that he plans to run for the Ward 1 Jackson City Council seat that Councilman Jeff Weill will vacate in January to take his seat as a judge in Hinds County Circuit Court.

[Stiggers] Spiteful Weather

Big Roscoe: "Live from the Clubb Chicken Wing Multi-Purpose Complex, it's the ‘Clubb Chicken Wing Christmas TV Special.' On behalf of Lil' Momma Roscoe and the Clubb Chicken Wing staff, we hope that the Ghetto Science community, financially challenged individuals and the unemployed have a happy and prosperous holiday season."

Lumumba Defends Minority Contract Push

Instead of pushing for an investigation of Council President Frank Bluntson's use of city employees during last night's Jackson City Council meeting, Ward 2 Councilman Chowke Lumumba defended his push for minority contracts.

Corps Will Consider Lake Plan

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Senior Project Manager Gary Walker assured the local levee board this morning that the Corps will consider a smaller, one-lake plan in an upcoming feasibility study.

Council to Vote on Bluntson Investigation

The Jackson City Council is set to decide tomorrow whether to launch an investigation of Council President Frank Bluntson's use of city employees to campaign for his daughter-in-law, who lost a bid for Madison County Court judge Nov. 2.

Johnny DuPree

Johnny DuPree wants to take Mississippi from last to first place in national rankings. DuPree, 57, the mayor of Hattiesburg, was the guest speaker today at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce's Friday Forum at Koinonia Coffee House. DuPree is touring the state before filing formal qualifying papers to be a candidate for the Mississippi governor's race in 2011.

[Editorials] Be Honest About Tax Cuts

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker defended his vote against two Senate measures on Dec. 4 that would have preserved soon-to-expire tax cuts for individuals reporting less than $200,000 in personal income and for families and business owners making less than $250,000 in taxable income (after expenses).

Wicker To Introduce ‘States' Rights' Bill

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker said he intends to undermine a federal health-care reform law President Barack Obama signed this year by introducing a bill this week allowing state officials to challenge federal regulations.

Mississippi Lawmakers Split on Tax Cuts

Mississippi Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker will likely side with their Republican colleagues Saturday in blocking a return to pre-Bush-era tax rates for wealthy Americans that the U.S. House of Representatives passed yesterday.

Payday Lenders Big Donors to Lawmakers

The Mississippi Center for Justice says short-term lenders donate heavily to legislative banking committee chairmen in hopes of extending an exemption allowing them to charge up to $21.95 for every $100 loaned.

Lumumba Pulls Probe; City Approves Fee Increase

Ward 2 Councilman Chokwe Lumumba wants all Jackson City Council members present before he makes a motion to vote on conducting an investigation into Council President Frank Bluntson's alleged use of city employees for personal reasons.

Cochran Votes Against Doomed Earmark Ban

UPDATED 11/30/10 2:54 p.m.

Mississippi U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran was one of eight Republicans to vote against an earmark ban, which failed in a 39-to-56 vote in the Senate today.

Fix the Earmarks Process

Mississippi's U.S. Sens. Cochran and Wicker, whipped to a fury by Republican deficit hawks, have committed themselves to the idea of no longer sending earmark money back to their home state.

Priester Wins Runoff

Melvin Priester Sr. won a seat as Hinds County Court Judge in yesterday's runoff election.

Priester, who faced Jackson attorney Brent Southern in subdistrict 1, will take the seat of Judge William Barnett, who did not seek re-election, after a swearing-in ceremony Jan. 3. Priester received 61.9 percent, or 6,083 votes, and Southern 38 percent, or 3,376 votes, according to the Hinds County Election Commission's unofficial returns.

Earmark ‘Kings' Pledge Ban

Mississippi's two U.S. senators signed onto a pledge last week by fellow Republicans to refrain from requesting earmark funds for their home state during the upcoming 112th Congress. Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker--ranked as the No. 1 and No. 3 "earmark kings" in the U.S. Senate--announced they would go along with the Senate Republican Conference's call to temporarily halt federal "pork-barrel" spending, which is the long-time practice of sending congressionally budgeted funds to specific local projects from highway construction in the Delta to Hurricane Katrina restoration projects. Pork accounts for about 1 percent of the federal budget.

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