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Bomb Squad Responds to Women's Clinic
Jackson police blocked streets surrounding the Jackson Women's Health Organization in Fondren and "detonated" a package of clothes and personal items.
Legislative Special Session Underway
The Mississippi House and Senate are desperately hammering out an agreement on a state appropriation bill one day after Gov. Haley Barbour finally called a special session. Barbour had initially fought the idea of a special session, after disagreeing with a House and Senate conference settlement filling a Medicaid budget hole with a $60 million tax on hospitals that accept Medicaid patients.
A House In a Hurry
Within hours of the Legislature convening on Jan. 2, the House Appropriations Committee approved a total of seven money bills seeking attention with little dissent. H.B. 238, a bill seeking to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program for more than $2.2 billion easily passed the committee, although Rep. Bill Denny, R-Jackson, complained that the budgetary figures for the session were not recent enough to be a reliable gauge upon which to base a vote. He added that other priorities such as the Department of Corrections and Medicaid needed more immediate attention.
Appeals Allege Federal Tampering
In 2007, a federal jury convicted Mississippi attorney Paul Minor, who had made a name for himself in tobacco and asbestos litigation, of corruption. Last month Minor's lawyers appealed that decision, seeking to vacate the conviction and the sentence and to either dismiss the case or retry it before a new judge.
Unsealed Suit Reveals Diaz Suing Lampton
U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge James C. Sumner signed a June 22 order denying a motion to seal a suit against former Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz and his wife Jennifer, bringing to light the continuing saga of a federal court battle between Diaz and former U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton.
McMillin to Bring Back Crime Prevention Unit
Jackson's new police chief said the city is facing big bills this year thanks to overtime and unpaid debt—and is bringing back the Crime Prevention Unit that the mayor disbanded in order to help meet some of the city's policing challenges.
SafeCity Miffs McMillin, Residents
JACKSON—Local crime watchdog group SafeCity miffed the police chief, the Jackson City Council and many residents of all political stripes with its apparent stealth efforts to get the Legislature to create a discriminatory city "safety zone" that would have carried stiffer penalties for crimes committed in better-off parts of the city and allowed the state and the district attorney to usurp the chief's authority.
House Proposes Voter ID, Early Voting Bill; Hosemann Objects
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, a vehement voter ID proponent, opposes the Mississippi House of Representatives' attempt to codify voter ID Thursday saying the ID requirements are "unmanageable." He also objects to language in the bill that would bring early voting to the state.
Mississippi Ranks No. 1 in Teen Pregnancies, New Report Says
Mississippi's first againin term of the state with the highest teen birthrate. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the state's birthrate was more than 60 percent higher than the national average in 2006. Runner-ups include Texas and New Mexico, which logged in slightly more than 50 percent higher. A preliminary CDC report, based on a review of all the birth certificates in 2006 (see below), revealed that the U.S. teen birth rate had risen nationwide for the first time in about 15 years, though the new report details a state-by-state calculation on the increase.
Mississippi Farmers Could See 100 Percent Crop Losses
The Mississippi State Fair isn't the only thing suffering because of the state's run of bad weather. The state is considering declaring entire Mississippi counties disaster areas because of enormous farming losses due to weather, said Mississippi Department of Agriculture spokesman Andy Prosser.
IHL's Bounds: ‘We're in a Financial Crisis'
The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning heard some rotten numbers at this morning's IHL meeting. Gov. Haley Barbour recommended a flurry of budget reductions for the state's eight colleges and universities, spurring Higher Education Commissioner Hank Bounds to speak on the possibility of extreme cuts in university staffing, the elimination of some education programs and tuition hikes.
Barbour's Medicaid Letter a Half-Truth?
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour pinched a nerve in September that's still causing pain for some health-insurance reform advocates. Barbour sent a Sept. 8 letter to Mississippi Republican Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker warning both that the reform envisioned in Congress that month would raise the state's Medicaid costs.
Barbour Calls Special Session
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour called a special session this afternoon to consider increasing the amount that state, county and municipal employees pay toward retirement. Barbour, who made the announcement about three hours before the special session began, said he wants K-12 and college teachers and government employees to pay 9 percent of their paychecks toward retirement, instead of the current 7.25 percent, in order to save $56 million in the general fund and another $20 million in municipalities and county governments.
Gov. and Dems Play Blame Game
Gov. Haley Barbour and House Democrats are blaming each other for the Legislature's failure to re-authorize the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, an agency that provides workforce services and dispenses unemployment benefits.
Health Coverage Available for High-Risk Patients
Mississippi residents can apply for a new federally financed and operated high-risk health insurance pool this month as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that President Barack Obama signed in March.
Knife Fight at Holocaust Denier Book-Signing
A knife fight broke out at a Monday book-signing for Holocaust revisionist David Irving in Florida. Two audience members battled it out near a crowd of guests at the author's lecture at the Ritz-Carlton, Manalpan, near Palm Beach. Police there identified one of the men as a white supremacist from West Palm Beach.
PSC Orders Entergy to Comply with Audit
The Public Service Commission ordered Entergy to stop dodging an audit yesterday, threatening the company with subpoenas if it does not comply. Horne CPA, which is conducting two fuel adjustment audits of Entergy on behalf of the PSC, informed the state regulator in a Sept. 21 letter that Entergy is virtually dousing every page of information the CPA firm requests with gallons of lawyers.
Gaming Chairman: Lottery Effort ‘Swimming Upstream'
House Gaming Committee Chairman Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, had a difficult time making a decision on a bill paving the way for a state-run lottery to support education. House Bill 337 would create a statewide special election for the purpose of allowing the electorate to vote on establishing a state lottery as a form of legalized gaming.
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.
Supreme Court Settles Jackson Water Contract
Last week, the Mississippi Supreme Court put to end to a two-year battle over the Jackson water contract when it ruled that a new company, United Water, has the right to operate Jackson's water system.