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Bill Luckett

Clarksdale attorney Bill Luckett has confirmed that he will run for the Mississippi governor's seat in 2011. Luckett told the Mississippi Business Journal yesterday that he will formally announce his candidacy sometime in the spring, but that he has moved beyond merely considering a run. A staffer at Luckett's political action committee, Progress for Mississippi, confirmed Luckett's candidacy to the Jackson Free Press today.

Barbour: Stop the Lame Games

Gov. Haley Barbour butt-thumped a community organization devoted to poor people this week.

[Stiggers] You Lie!

Boneqweesha Jones: "Welcome to the motivational portion of Hair Did University's fall semester orientation. Our guest speaker is Smokey 'Robinson' McBride, representative of Ghetto Science Team District No. 1042 and 2/8."

Two Lakes Developer Long a 'Green' Foe

Northside Sun Publisher Wyatt Emmerich declared in a recent column that the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District should appoint Jackson oilman John McGowan to head the board's technical advisory committee. The committee will work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to devise flood control for the section of the Pearl River between Hinds and Rankin counties—and is considering a controversial plan developed by McGowan himself.

The GOP's Obsession with Tort Reform

As the health-insurance reform debate swirls, Gov. Haley Barbour is claiming that most Americans are actually looking for tort reform, not a government-guaranteed insurance option, to lower their health-care costs.

Barbour Misses ACORN Bandwagon

The day after Gov. Haley Barbour announced he was cutting state funds to ACORN, the JFP broke the news that the state gives no money to the group—which no longer exists here.

Roger Wicker

Passed by a 68-to-30 Senate vote, an amendment authored by Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, mandates that Amtrak allow passengers to carry handguns in their checked baggage. The amendment is an addition to a $122 billion housing and transportation bill, of which $1.2 billion is for Amtrak, and would deny funding for the carrier if it doesn't comply by March 2010.

BCBS: Domestic Abuse Not Pre-Existing Condition

State Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney has clarified a statement he made to the Jackson Free Press used in a story Wednesday regarding Mississippi being one of the eight remaining states whose laws allow insurance companies to use a history of domestic abuse as a reason to deny health-care coverage.

State Sued over ‘Abstinence'

In an effort to stop taxpayers from funding religious events, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in federal court last week against the Mississippi Department of Human Services for promoting religion at its annual abstinence-only-until-marriage summit this year.

Council OKs Budget, No Pay Raises

The Jackson City Council voted to approve the city's 2010 budget Monday with a five-to-two vote, with only minor changes in the $359.5 million package. The budget, only rejected by Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes and Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Weill, makes use of more than $4.2 million from the city's cumulative fund balance, which contains savings left over from previous budget years. The council passed the budget with a clear majority, even though it did not include a $1,000-per-employee pay raise that the Budget Committee asked the mayor to attempt to fund last week.

Paul E. Winfield

Vicksburg Mayor Paul E. Winfield was one of 18 mayors in the country to participate in the Cities of Service Inaugural Summit last week in an effort to engage citizens in community service initiatives and to provide a platform to address community challenges.

Council Seeks $2.6 Million for Pay Increases

The Jackson City Council's budget committee passed a motion yesterday, 3-2, asking the Johnson administration to locate funds to finance a $1,000 per employee pay raise, a cost increase of about $2.6 million, according to the preliminary estimate of Jackson Chief Administrator Rick Hill.

Spreading False Fears

Women are stupid. At least that's what the National Independent Women's Forum seems to believe. This week the Republican-leaning non-profit advocacy group aired a television ad with inaccurate information about health-care reform specifically targeting women.

Time To Talk Back

A remarkable thing has happened on the way to a national public dialogue about health reform: Bullies (many of them well-funded by industry groups) have taken over the conversation by yelling into microphones.

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The Young and the Uninsured

Amanda Starnes, 24, is in duress. She learned a few months ago that she suffers from Type 1 diabetes. She is a Holmes Junior College student and unemployed, with no federal or state health aid.

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