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Independent Woman

Peggy Calhoun's office in the Hinds County Circuit Court building has a big window overlooking Pascagoula Street and Jackson's City Hall. It's a privileged perch. Most of her fellow Hinds County supervisors have offices across the street in the County Chancery Court building. That distance is fitting for a woman who prizes her independence.

Dem Support for Power Grab Not Likely, Holland Says

Joint Legislative Budget Committee member Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, says House Democrats will not readily agree to hand Gov. Haley Barbour more power to personally cut the state budget. "We're likely to give the governor that kind of authority on the same day we'll agree to consolidating the school districts and universities and reorganizing government," Holland said.

GOP Senators Agree to Unemployment Extension

After a days-long stand off, U.S. Senate Republicans agreed to unanimously support extending unemployment and homebuyers' credits yesterday.

Going Rogue

On his county-provided laptop, Phil Fisher has replaced the standard mouse icon with a sword. A former Marine and a current brigadier general in the Mississippi Army National Guard, Fisher has a bit of the warrior in him, and his stint on the Hinds County Board of Supervisors has been marked by vocal opposition to many of the board's actions.

Johnson Fumbles

Mayor Harvey Jr. Johnson rode back into the mayor's office on a platform of openness to the media and the voting public, but he recently left himself vulnerable to criticism on this very issue.

Council Renames Northside Library for Tisdale

The Jackson City Council voted 5-to-2 this morning to name the city library on Northside Drive after former Jackson Advocate Publisher Charles Tisdale, who died at age 80 in 2007. The council voted along racial lines, with black members Kenneth Stokes, Charles Tillman, Frank Bluntson, Chokwe Lumumba and Tony Yarber voting in favor of the decision and white members Margaret Barrett-Simon and Jeff Weill voting against.

Mike Huckabee Criticizes Government Emergency Assistance

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee used his address at Salvation Army's annual dinner in Jackson last night to criticize the role of government in assisting in emergencies such as Hurricane Katrina. "Frankly, I'd rather see the kind of help that people need come through a relief agency than necessarily just come in a check in the mailbox from the government," Huckabee told reporters before the dinner.

Weill Lone Vote Against New Chiefs

The Jackson City Council confirmed Police Chief Rebecca Coleman and Fire Chief Raymond McNulty after a brief hearing yesterday. Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes was not available for the hearing, and could not be reached to explain his absence. The remaining members confirmed both leaders with a 5-to-1 vote.

Costs Mounting for Levees, Lake Plans

Legislators say the chances of the Mississippi Legislature approving funding to build levees in Jackson and surrounding counties are slim, especially since it has taken so long to reach consensus on how to mitigate flooding along the Pearl River.

Weill Challenges Mayor Over Bond Money

The Jackson City Council and Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. got off on the wrong foot at the Monday work session after Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Weill inquired whether the city administration was spending a portion of a recent $26 million street-paving bond on budget items the council had not approved.

Karen Parker

Before Byron Knight opened Sneaky Beans coffee shop on North State Street in Fondren, just about a year ago, the little house was home to Karen Parker's store, New Vibrations, for more than four years. The aroma of coffee has now replaced the scent of incense, but for the former denizens of Parker's store, the space will always have a slightly purple tint to it.

Wicker and Cochran Vote to Protect Contractors, Not Women

Both U.S. senators from Mississippi—Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker—voted against an amendment by Minnesota Sen. Al Franken halting government funding for defense contractors who deny assault victims their day in court. The amendment, successfully introduced to the fiscal year 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill last week, restricts funding to defense contractors who force employees to sign binding arbitration in the case of sexual assault.

Public Option: A Necessity?

Blane McClellan, co-owner of Security Services Inc. of Jackson, says he wants a public option in the national health-care plan to compete with insurance companies that routinely refuse to cover his daughter due to her history of medical ailments.

Barbour Targeting Dem Governors

It's political deja vu all over again. In his new role as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Gov. Haley Barbour is playing a key role nationally again—strategizing about how to beat Democrats in races around the country, as well as fighting for redistricting in other states that can help Republicans win races.

Immigrants, Reform, and You

Republicans throughout the country, especially in the South, have raked "ObamaCare" over the coals, swearing that the president is paving the way for free health care to illegal immigrants.

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