All results / Stories / Adam Lynch
Ed Peters Demands Legal Fees from City
Jackson Mayor Frank Melton's assurance that he would be covering court costs in his April 2007 felony trial did not apply to his co-defendants, judging by a Nov. 30 letter submitted to the Hinds County Circuit Clerk's office. Melton's old felony indictments resurfaced late November when Former Hinds County District Attorney Ed Peters submitted a motion for allocation of attorney's fees to the clerk and city attorneys. Peters is demanding payments of $15,000 apiece for attorneys Robert Shuler Smith (Hinds County district attorney-elect) and Winston Thompson for their representation of Melton's bodyguards Michael Recio and Marcus Wright.
McGowan Questions Levee Board's ‘Backbone'
Would-be Two Lakes developer John McGowan reacted strongly this week to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers statement that it was not taking seriously his or any other plan to create lakes around the Pearl River, preferring a comprehensive levees plan to control flooding.
Market Wars
The new Mississippi Farmers' Market, brainchild of Agricultural Commissioner Lester Spell, opened in February at a cost of $4 million, and first stirred up controversy when it displaced vendors working in the longstanding Jackson Flea Market occupying the same ground.
Coal Plant on Public Hot Seat This Week
The Mississippi Public Service Commission began the second phase of hearings this week to determine the need for a proposed $2.4 billion coal plant in Kemper County.
Council Round Up
At the Aug. 24 Jackson City Council meeting, council members voted and passed several actions.
Barbour Flipping On MAEP?
Gov. Haley Barbour has said that the Mississippi Adequate Education Program formula will likely receive full funding from the Legislature now that the state superintendent of education has released a revised calculation dropping $34 million off the August estimate.
Of Hats, Cowboys and Corporate Taxes
Republican attorney general candidate Alben Hopkins, a successful Gulf Coast trial lawyer, attacked Attorney General Jim Hood Monday for using private attorneys to take on lawsuits on behalf of the state of Mississippi. Hood responded that the state does not have the staff to wage an expensive lawsuit against a corporate giant like MCI, which had to pay $100 million in cash and $15 million in property into the state coffers in 2005 for overdue taxes.
‘It's About Ethics'
Democratic Insurance Commissioner candidate Gary Anderson signed a statement Monday pledging to refuse contributions from any insurance company, insurance company PAC or insurance company executive or corporate officer.
Fire Department Recruits Flunk
The 2007 Jackson Fire Department recruit class has hit another obstacle. Almost half the graduating class, 10 out of 23, failed a field delivery test administered by the state fire academy. Recruits who failed the field delivery test may now opt for the state-certified minimum standards test.
Running Out Of Gas
Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin says his fleet is suffering from increased gas prices and claims the Hinds County Board of Supervisors does not have a serious grasp of the problem. The board denied McMillin's request for $58,750 at its recent board meeting, forcing McMillin to swap money from other places in the department. McMillin says he has accounted for past budget deficits within the Sheriff's Department by leaving department vacancies unfilled.
Chaney Critical of Insurance Hike Request
Allstate has submitted its request for a home-owner rate increase on more than 50,000 Mississippi homes because of higher expenses in the state.
No Money To Fund Partisan Radio, Democrats Say
The Mississippi House of Representatives may consider a bill forcing more oversight on how the state pays for advertising in 2009. The state spent more than $14 million on newspaper, radio and television advertising in 2006, but some House members say the state is funding partisan radio.
Out With The Old?
New arrivals on the Hinds County Board of Supervisors formed a new majority, putting Supervisor Doug Anderson out in the cold this week.
Hood Threatens Insurance Industry
Attorney General Jim Hood attacked State Farm Fire and Casualty Co.'s decision last week to suspend new home-owners and commercial insurance policies in Mississippi. Hood said the national insurance company was essentially holding policies for ransom in order to influence legislators and judges.
Candidate Knocks Election Poll
Jackson Democratic Mayoral candidate Robert Johnson attacked two recent polls from Washington, D.C.-based polling company Zata|3.
State Farm Rate Hike an Exit Policy
Democratic Sen. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, says State Farm Insurance company's request for a 45 percent rate hike may be an attempt to pull out of the covering the state's coastal areas.
Bob Moser: 'Reclaiming the South'
Bob Moser, who has reported for The Nation and Rolling Stone, and served as the editor of the tough Independent Weekly in North Carolina, has written a book on the manner in which the Democratic Party lost the once-solid South.
The Toothless Union
A state union organizer is seeming to do an about-face when it comes to support of city employees.
On The Issues: Educating The Candidates
The economy, the war in Iraq and personal attacks have succeeded in slapping attention away from the nation's education issuenot an easy feat considering how highly communities generally rate education in political importance in polls.
Federal Bill May Hike Insurance Bills
Attorney General Jim Hood said he was worried about a bill pending in the U.S. Senate taking insurance industry oversight away from state officials. More specifically, the legislation, authored by Sens. John Sununu, R-N.H., and Tim Johnson, D-S.D., allows the insurance industry to set its own rates without state regulation. SB 2509 would create an Office of National Insurance within the Treasury Department.