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[McLaughlin] A Woman's Role

Over the weekend, I ended up at the last place I would have thought I'd spend a Sunday afternoon: the Premier Bridal Show at Jackson Convention Center. I filled in as a writer, and accompanied freelance photographer Meredith Norwood for the event's bridal fashion show.

Entergy Misses Audit Deadline

Mississippi Public Service Commissioners predicted last week that they may have difficulty approving an audit of Entergy's fuel purchases prices.

Bills That Ain't About Money

All eyes at the state Legislature are on how politicians will handle the state's nearly $400 million revenue deficit, but other bills outside of money issues are creeping their way into committees.

Council Mulling Budget Consultant

The Jackson City Council is looking into the idea of hiring a year-round budget inspector to act as a liaison between the city council and the administrative branch.

Legislature Slows Its Roll

The Mississippi Legislature got off to a productive start last week, with the passage of an economic incentive package and an extension of workforce training funds, two measures that Gov. Haley Barbour had requested. That spirit of compromise seems to have waned, though, as the House and Governor's office remain locked in a standoff over Barbour's budget-cutting authority.

Barbour to Deliver State of the State

Gov. Haley Barbour will deliver the annual Mississippi State-of-the-State speech tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. from the state capitol. The speech will be broadcast live by Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

State Workers Forced to Furlough?

Mississippi Sen. Alice Harden, D-Jackson, said she will submit a bill this legislative session forcing all state employees not directly connected to essential services, like hospital care, to accept a one-day-a-month furlough.

Tease photo

Mississippi Legislature Faces a Dire Task

Mississippi legislators skulked back into the state capitol Jan. 5, keeping their body movements at a minimum and their heads low in case somebody noticed them and asked them questions containing the words "budget shortfall."

Barbour/Palin Ticket Could Carry 2012 GOP Primary

Mississippi State University political science professor Marty Wiseman predicted that a Sarah Palin/Haley Barbour ticket could easily win the Republican presidential primary in 2012, if the two came together long enough to form a united front. Palin, the former governor of Alaska who abandoned her office last year for a career in public speaking, has been making a big name for herself over the last few months. Barbour, meanwhile, will be unable to run for Mississippi governor after this term, and may be fishing around for another political post, providing he does not dedicate his full efforts to being chairman of the Republican Governor's Association and a high-powered Washington lobbyist.

Money to Dominate Legislative Session

Money is on the mind of every legislator entering the state Capitol tomorrow for the start of this year's Mississippi legislative session. Officials predict a shortfall of about $360 million in revenue by the end of fiscal year 2010 in June, and everybody holding an elected job will be nervous that the cuts they agree on this year could impact them in the 2011 elections.

Supervisors Push Forward on Byram-Clinton Corridor

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors today approved taking another early step forward in the Byram-Clinton corridor road-construction project. Supervisors voted unanimously to advertise for engineering consulting services on the project, which Supervisor Peggy Calhoun called "vital to the future economic development of Hinds County."

Sen. David Baria

A Mississippi lawmaker and attorney, Sen. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, arrived to the Senate after beating back conservative Democrat Scottie Cuevas in the Democratic primary in 2007. Since his arrival, the frequent insurance-industry critic has become a champion of insurance reform, pushing time and again for an insurance policy-holder's bill of rights, which includes new laws regulating the insurance industry's use of anti-concurrent causation clauses in home-protection policies.

Rep. Steven Palazzo

While he represents Biloxi in the Mississippi Legislature, Rep. Steven Palazzo often seems to be acting on a national stage. Palazzo, a Republican, sent Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood a letter Dec. 21 urging him to "take the appropriate legal action against the federal government" if Congress passes one of the health-care reform bills currently under consideration.

Barbour Again Seeks More Budgetary Power

Gov. Haley Barbour, in a letter addressed to Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and House Speaker Billy McCoy, has again asked for additional power to cut Mississippi's state budget. Citing lagging revenue collections for this month and state economic recovery historical trends, Barbour wrote that the "best solution" was to give the governor the ability to make selective 10 percent cuts to agencies, doubling what he can currently cut.

Robert Graham: Positive Thinker

Robert Graham knows his way around a phone. The Hinds County Supervisor for District 1 keeps three cell phones and is not above using two at once, one on either side of his faceĀ—a holdover from the 15 years he spent as media relations officer for the Jackson Police Department.

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