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Voter ID Bill Passes the House
House Bill 1533, "The Election Reform Act," is the first bill containing a requirement for state-issued photo ID to pass the House this sessionthough the bill did not leave the House without a fight and a pile of baggage.
City Council Feuds Over Secrecy
A meeting of the City Council descended into bitter acrimony Monday over whether or not to go into closed session regarding a construction contract. Reginold Harrion, deputy city lawyer for public works, told the council that the city opened competitive bids for a bulldozer for a solid-waste facility south of Byram. The council initially accepted the bid of lowest bidder Lyle Machinery last July, but then rescinded their award and handed the contract to second-lowest bidder Puckett Machinery on Dec. 5, when Lyle Machinery did not deliver the bulldozer by the 120-day deadline, Harrion said.
Muscle Meets Bivalve
John McGowan and McGowan Working Partners laud the city of Jackson's economic benefit of the Two Lakes plan, a proposed project that would dam the Pearl River and create a series of islands between Hinds and Rankin counties.
DOJ weighs in on JATRAN
The U.S. Department of Justice has intervened on a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Jackson, buttressing accusations of the inaccessibility of Jackson's public bus system. The lawsuit, filed late last year by 11 Jackson residents with disabilities and two non-profit organizations, including the Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities, alleges the city is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (ADA).
Paul Minor's Wife Dies Without Him
Also see: Dem At Your Own Risk
John Reeves to Represent Melton in Federal Trial
Weeks after Mayor Frank Melton tapped him to serve on the Jackson Development Authority, local attorney John Reeves told the Jackson Free Press that he has decided to represent Jackson Mayor Frank Melton in November when Melton goes on trial for constitutional violations against some Jackson residents. Reeves said he would not discuss the particulars of the upcoming trial for ethical reasons. "I can't make any comments about a case that's in litigation. There are rules of ethics that govern what lawyers can say and can not say and we strictly adhere to those rules by just not commenting at all," Reeves told the Jackson Free Press.
Former DA Peters ‘Will Be Barred from Practicing Law'
Former Hinds County District Attorney Ed Peters has turned in his law license to the Mississippi Bar Association. The Bar received Peters' resignation last week, but had to wait until the Mississippi Supreme Court opened its doors after the holidays to file Peters' "irrevocable resignation" with the court clerk. Bar General Counsel Adam Kilgore said that Peters surrendered his license after an unnamed party filed a complaint against him for unethical conduct.
Mattel Settles Lawsuit After Pass From Barbour
Mississippi is one of 38 states that reached a settlement with Mattel Inc. and Fisher-Price Inc. over the companies' unhealthy level of lead in children's toys. An agreement filed today in Hinds County Chancery Court is the product of more than a year's worth of investigation and comes within months of Gov. Haley Barbour vetoing a bill that would have made willful contamination of children's toys a felony.
Union Head: Don't ‘Rush to Judgment' Over Fuel Use
Brenda Scott, president of the Mississippi Alliance of State Employees, a workers' union, issued a press release warning the Jackson City Council not to jump to conclusions regarding recent allegations of fuel card abuse, as reported Dec. 2 by the Jackson Free Press. According to council members, 945 of 1,088 city employees with access to gas cards were not keeping track of the odometer readings at fill-ups during the months of July, August and September. Other records show more than one refueling on the same vehicle in one day, or reveal employees putting 50 gallons of gas in a vehicle built to hold no more than 20 gallons.
HUD, Barbour Under Fire for Diverting Money from Poor
Mississippi organizations are suing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for allowing Gov. Haley Barbour to divert nearly $600 million in federal funding away from affordable housing recovery after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and into a pet port project that Congress had refused earlier to fund with controversial earmarked money.
Barbour Ignoring Black Judge Applicants?
The Mississippi Magnolia Bar claims Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has proved leery of appointing blacks to judicial positions since he won the governor's office in 2003.
Mayor Rattles Councilwoman's Cage
Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon said Mayor Frank Melton rattled her cage this morning on the way to a special council meeting. Barrett-Simon told the Jackson Free Press that Melton's vehicle pulled up behind her car as she drove to a 10 a.m. special meeting on city payroll and claims. Barrett-Simon said Melton's car pulled "up to the bumper" before sounding off its police-issue horn, reportedly shaking Barrett-Simon's car while she drove.
AG Jim Hood Celebrates State Farm Settlement
Attorney General Jim Hood said Tuesay that his office has reached a class-action settlement with State Farm in the Katrina lawsuit. Policy holders and Hood claim the insurance company wrongfully denied coverage for storm surge damage.
Bell Pleads Guilty, Sentenced to Life
For background on this case, read the JFP's investigative feature, "Grant Me Justice."
Council Doubts Mayor's Rosy Budget Talk
Several Jackson City Council members disagree with Mayor Frank Melton's recent assessment that the city budget is in wonderful financial shape. Melton said at a February press conference, and repeated in recent Jackson Free Press interviews, that the budget is in "the best fi nancial shape" it's ever been in, which prompted raised eyebrows after the city announced days later that it was calling for a 3-percent cutback in all departments. The mayor then blamed sliding sales revenue and demanded that all unfilled positions be frozen. He also asked department heads to cut back on overtime pay, travel and office supplies.
Poll: 80% Prefer Tobacco Tax Hike Over Barbour Plan
Sources tell the Jackson Free Press that a new poll by the anti-smoking group Communities for a Clean Bill of Health finds that 80 percent of Mississippians polled preferred an increased tobacco tax, while 8 percent preferred a hospital tax pushed by Gov. Haley Barbour. The group will hold a press conference Thursday at the Mississippi State Capitol revealing Mississippians' overall support for a $1 tax increase on a pack of cigarettes over Barbour's proposed plan to tax hospitals to cover a $90 million Medicaid shortfall.
Legislative Black Caucus Foils Plan to Unseat McCoy?
Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, told the Jackson Free Press Friday that the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus adopted a position on Thursday against the candidacy of Columbus Rep. Jeffrey Smith's run for Speaker of the House. "We voted unanimously not to support Jeff Smith for Speaker and to not make a commitment to the position of Speaker Pro Tempore position, and to have another meeting later on," Flaggs said.
Crisler Could Benefit from Low Turnout
Jackson's historical voting patterns suggest Councilman Marshand Crisler could have the upper hand in the run-off if minorities stay true to form and stay home May 19. The municipal run-off for mayor hasn't been this close in recent memory: Hinds County election results show Democratic candidate and former Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. with a maddeningly close lead of 9,380 votes to Crisler's 9,097 votes, a difference of less than 1 percent. Even though Crisler trailed Johnson in precinct victories, winning about 30 precincts to Johnson's 50, Crisler rallied among the city's white voters, with huge majorities in predominantly white precincts.
Minor Appeal Set
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in the appeal of Jackson attorney Paul Minor on April 1, in Austin, Texas.