All results / Stories / Donna Ladd
John Reeves Plans to Contest Loss
The Clarion-Ledger is reporting that Rep. John Reeves is alleging voter irregularities and plans to contest his loss to attorney Adrienne Wooten. (Also note that next to that story, the Ledger has declared Reeves the winner.)
AP: Feds Seize $425,000 from Ed Peters
AP is reporting:
Federal authorities have seized $425,000 from a former district attorney linked to the most sweeping judicial bribery investigation in Mississippi in years. While no formal charges have been made public against former Hinds County District Attorney Ed Peters, prosecutors have spelled out his alleged involvement in court documents. Peters is perhaps best known as the DA whose office successfully prosecuted a white supremacist in the cold case slaying of a Mississippi civil rights leader. "Peters was a member of a conspiracy to corruptly influence a sitting State of Mississippi Circuit Court Judge," according to a motion that seeks forfeiture of the money.
The Abstinence-Only Delusion
The New York Times is calling for Congress to either drop ill-fated abstinence-only education funding, or expand it to include safe-sex messages, which studies are showing do actually help lower teen pregnancy:
Coalition Calls for ‘Meaningful' Insurance Reform
Gov. Haley Barbour may be getting more than he bargained for in the 2004 Extraordinary Session he called to wrangle the House of Representatives into accepting his versions of tort reform and voter ID. A coalition of legislators, consumer advocates, civil rights organizations and everyday people gathered this morning at the Capitol to call for insurance reform in the state of Mississippi—a first for the Magnolia State. Rep. Jaimie Franks, D-Tupelo, organized the press conference to call for legislation to roll all insurance rates—not just medical malpractice—back to 2001 levels. Franks said that insurance companies saw nearly $30 billion in profits in 2003, and have no intention of lowering rates, whether or not the Legislature gives Barbour his non-economic damage caps—the sticking point in the special session. Franks wants Mississippi to follow the lead of states like California and Missouri, which have regulated insurance companies to ensure that doctors, small businesses and everyday citizens aren't bilked by exploding rates.
Civil Rights Museum Part of Tougaloo ‘Master Plan'
Tougaloo College President Beverly Hogan told The Clarion-Ledger today that a civil rights museum has been part of the college's "master plan" for years:
Landrum Campaign Reacts to Voting Revelations
From Bill Lampton, campaign manager for David Landrum, who is running for the Third Congressional District as a Republican/verbatim:
Deadly Storm Surges Likely for Louisiana and Mississippi
As you're tracking the storm, don't just focus on where the eye of Gustav will make landfall. As we all learned during Katrina, the storm surge is one of the most dangerous components of a massive hurricane. You can track projections of the Gustav storm surge here (scroll down for map).
Clueless in Condi-land? U.S. Endgame in Lebanon?
Here's more food for discussion on Lebanon, from Michael Young at Reason mag, who is also the opinion editor of the Daily Star newspaper in Lebanon:
GAO: Terror Suspects Bought Guns in U.S.
AP is reporting:
Watch Live Stream of Barbour Budget Presser Tuesday
[Verbatim]Jackson, Mississippi) – Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour will hold a press conference on Tuesday, November 18, to discuss his Executive Budget Recommendation for Fiscal Year 2010. The press conference will begin at 11 a.m. in the Governor's Press Room on the 18th floor of the Sillers Building, 550 High Street. Credential press only. Copies of the budget recommendation will be available. For those who cannot attend, the event will be streamed live at http://www.governorbarbour.com.
Surprise, Surprise: Supreme Court Backs Barbour
Gov. Haley Barbour told us all that the Mississippi Supreme Court would overturn the lower court decision requiring him to follow statute in scheduling the special election to replace Sen. Trent Lott, and he was ... drum roll ... right. His statement today:
Update: Sheriff McMillin is New Chief
Update: Just came in on text message...Mac is the new chief. Donna and Adam are covering and will be in with the scoop. (Listen to the radio show at noon for more: WLEZ-FM, 103.7FM.)
Just Days Left to Vote in Best of Jackson - Until Dec. 15
OK, all, the voting in the JFP's 6th Annual Best of Jackson reader's choice awards closes Saturday at midnight CST. If you're voting online, do it before then. If you're mailing a ballot, it's got to be postmarked by Dec. 15. So stop your procrastinating, and get 'er done.
LAST CALL: VOTE Today Until 7 p.m.
Attorney General: Jim Hood - won
The Jackson Free Press urges everyone to go to the polls today and vote in state and county elections. Polls are open until 7 p.m. Following are the JFP's endorsements in races where we prefer one candidate to the other (which is slightly different from the print version. We dropped our endorsement of David Blount, and added one of Dick Hall due to the tone of campaign ads.)
Cedric Willis Sues City of Jackson
Cedric Willis, who served 12 years in prison until he was exonerated last year, has announced that he is suing the city of Jackson for $36 million for wrongful arrest. As Brian Johnson reported in his award-winning feature about Willis in in the JFP in 2006, when Willis left prison he had received no education, no job training and had not a penny to his name. The state of Mississippi does not currently offer restitution for wrongful conviction. Willis was exonerated because The Innocence Project showed that the district attorney's office did not present evidence in the original trial that indicated his innocence, as Brian wrote in his feature last year:
Walker on the Run
Christopher Walker told the Jackson Free Press three weeks ago that either someone from his old Wood Street neighborhood would shoot him, or he would shoot one of them. And he blamed that inevitability, as he characterized it, on his former mentor, Mayor Frank Melton.
Subject: Send to your Republican friends all across MS
The following e-mail went around the Sunday before the March 11 primary. When one of the JFP writers got it (through an account for an organization he volunteers with), it had the sender's name listed, as well as a list of other e-mail addresses it went to, including many people who work at a bank in Brookhaven and members of the local business press. We are seeking a comment from the sender.
JSU's Jaymar Johnson Goes In Sixth Round of Draft
The Associated Press is reporting that the Minnesota Vikings chose Jackson State University receiver Jaymar Johnson in the sixth round of the NFL draft today. The No. 198rd pick overall, Johnson is the first player from a Mississippi college to be drafted in the 2008 NFL draft and the first JSU player to be drafted since 2000.
Hear Podcasts of JFP on WLEZ
Radio JFP, which airs every Friday at noon on WLEZ, 103.7 FM, is now being podcast on WLEZ's Web site. Click here to listen to last week's show, with discussions about the district attorney, the Melton administration and the "Mississippi, Believe It" campaign.
Time for Gratefulness, and Shopping Local
View Flip FLY!
As Americans come together to express gratefulness today for the blessings we enjoy, the JFP wishes you a safe and loving Thanksgiving. We also urge you to support the local economy for shopping on Black Friday and beyond at locally owned businesses that re-invest all of your money in the local economy. And remember to take the JFP Pledge to spend $100 in local stores this holiday, and be in the drawing for prizes worth hundreds of dollars, and yes donated by locally owned businesses. As we've urged for years now: Think Global, Buy Local!