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Voter ID Planning Begins
Valencia Robinson, founder and executive director of Mississippi in Action, an advocacy group, sat at a table in the front of the room and riffled through brochures and printouts from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and the Mississippi Secretary of State's office, trying to sort out the requirements of the voter identification initiative that passed last week.
AG Offers Consumer Safety Tips for Cyber Monday
With the holiday shopping season upon us, Attorney General Jim Hood is warning Mississippians to beware of unscrupulous people selling counterfeit or pirated goods, either in person or online. Many times, they sell these items on websites that look legitimate, accepting credit cards and decorating their site with corporate advertisements; however, the "amazing" deals may not be legitimate. These scam artists often set up temporary retail shops as well, where they are poised to defraud consumers with the same inferior goods.
Melody Musgrove
It's a rainy day at Callaway High School. Tell-tale water stains spread in brown patches on the ceiling, and tiles bulge under the weight of water from the leaky roof. Custodians have stacked boxes of replacement ceiling tiles in the front hall and placed buckets under the worst leaks.
Jim Hood Eases into Third Term
By 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, supporters at Jim Hood's re-election party were only mildly paying attention to the four television monitors showing election returns in the King Edward Hotel's banquet room.
Study: Jackson 6th Largest Metro for Concentrated Poverty
The Jackson metro has some of the most concentrated poverty areas in the country, with the majority of those poor individuals living inside city limits, a Brookings study released today finds. The report states that living in poor neighborhoods creates additional obstacles and burdens for individuals such as lack of quality education, increased crime rates, lower property values and lack of goods and services. Poverty also strains local governments.
Tollison Defecting to GOP?
State Sen. Gray Tollison, D-Oxford, may switch political parties. One newspaper report speculates that Tollison's endorsement of Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant over fellow Democrat Johnny DuPree could be one indication of the rumor's validity.
The Lone Democrat
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood celebrated a large victory last Tuesday when he won his third re-election term against Republican challenger Steve Simpson, winning 60 percent of the vote. But Hood's real uphill battle may lie in next year's legislative session with Gov.-elect Phil Bryant and a Republican-controlled House and Senate.
Farish to Face More Delays Without Financing
The opening of the Farish Street Entertainment District's venues could be pushed back again to the fall of 2012 if the Farish Street Group does not receive $8 million in bonds from the Jackson Redevelopment Authority, Watkins Partners Vice President Jason Goree said yesterday.
Bennie Hopkins
As Bennie Hopkins prepares for his new role as the city of Jackson's director of planning and development, he reflected on what he has learned from working with Corinne Fox, who is ending her 45-year career in regional and urban planning today.
Claire Holley
Although Claire Holley didn't spend her childhood sitting on a picturesque front porch swapping family tales, Mississippi's culture and landscape has still managed to work its way into her pensive, country-folk music.
Bryant Claims Victory
In claiming victory as Mississippi's 64th governor, Phil Bryant invoked the names of Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, former Mississippi Gov. Kirk Fordice and current Gov. Haley Barbour.
Albert Wilson
Almost as soon as Albert Wilson learned Councilman Kenneth Stokes was running for a Hinds County supervisor's position, he decided he wanted to campaign for the job of representing Ward 3. Last week, Wilson made his candidacy official.
The Ole Switcheroo
Flanked by Gov. Haley Barbour and incoming Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, state Sen. Gray Tollison announced that his becoming a member of the Republican Party was the best thing for his constituents.
Local Party Chairs React to Party Switchers
Political leaders at the county level can have tremendous sway in elections. A strong county chairperson can motivate loyal precinct captains to get the party faithful to the polls on Election Day, which is just as much about numbers and turnout as it is about character and ideas.
Destiny Everitte
Millsaps College student Destiny Everitte is donating 12 hours of her time today to hold a sign opposing Initiative 26 on the corner of State Street and Riverside Drive.
Ballot Initiatives Draw Reaction
While the proposed Personhood amendment garnered most of the attention locally as well as from national media, voters approved two other controversial statewide ballot measures on Tuesday.
Light Bulbs and Awards
Oil and gas company CITGO provided more than 1,000 energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs to Jackson residents last weekend.
The Day After: Bryant, Hood, Voter ID In; Personhood Out; House May Go GOP
What a night in Mississippi! With national eyes on us, the biggest news of the night is that the state voted about 40-60 against the Personhood Initiative. Predictably, Phil Bryant took the gubernatorial seat, Jim Hood was re-elected attorney general, voters chose eminent-domain limits and voter identification. And this morning, with several seats in limbo awaiting absentee ballot counts, the House of Representatives is set to go Republican.
New Restaurant, Old Favorite
El Mezquite Bar and Grill has opened at 4240 Robinson Road (in the former El Chico site) near Metrocenter Mall. Luther and Magda Reyna own the new restaurant.
One-lake Project Could Offer Flood Reduction
Early analyses of a proposed one-lake development along the Pearl River reveals that flood-reduction benefits are possible, said Pearl River Vision Foundation team member Dallas Quinn.