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Lobbying Plan A Joke?
For more than two weeks, city lobbyist Marcus Ward effectively ducked council members seeking to question him on his plan to attain $29 million from Washington.
Hate-Crimes Grossly Under-Reported
There were no hate crimes in Mississippi in 2005 or 2006, according to the most recent FBI statistics. Nationwide, say the stats, hate crimes rose 7.8 percent in '06, with 7,722 incidents.
Prosecutors Provide Court Info on Cold Cases
Responding to an Oct. 16 request from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in the case of James Ford Seale, federal prosecutor Tovah Calderon wrote that the Federal Bureau of Investigations "currently is reviewing 22 civil rights related 'cold casesҔ under that Court's jurisdiction, with seven cases being "particularly promising."
Alert the Media: Council Agrees
The Jackson City Council at least temporarily agreed on something when they voted Monday to confirm three mayoral picks for top city positions. Council members Frank Bluntson, Charles Tillman, Kenneth Stokes and Margaret Barrett-Simon voted to confirm Assistant Chief Vernon Hughes as fire chief in a 4-to-0 vote, with Marshand Crisler abstaining.
Pearl River-Related Bills
Legislators introduced a number of bills during this year's legislative session that would have had some bearing on Pearl River flood control, although a few of the measures are dead.
Change Meets Fear at JSU
Members of committees affiliated with Jackson State University are worried that the university will cut programs in a curriculum reorganization.
City Appeals Byram Incorporation
The city of Jackson shook off a recent deal with the community of Byram, after a Hinds County Chancery Court judge's decision to allow Byram residents to incorporate.
A Sordid History: Manhunt Leader Has History of Violence
The man who allegedly led a group of armed white citizens assisting in a search for a black burglary suspect in Sumner had a history of taking the law into his own hands.
The Left v. Health-Care Reform
Critics are lining up against the U.S. Senate health-care reform bill.
A Delta Manhunt, With Booze and Guns
Federal authorities are investigating an Aug. 20 incident in which armed white citizens, using a military vehicle, helped search for an unarmed black burglary suspect in the Delta.
Bringing Traditions Together
Dr. Beverly Lanzetta isn't afraid of life's Big Questions. The New Mexico author, ordained interfaith minister and monastic is the founder of the Desert Interfaith Church and the Interfaith Theological Seminary. She has written and edited six books on spiritual contemplation and contemporary religious thought.
‘Thine is the Kingdom'
At the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, a large 307-pound man clad in a red prison jumpsuit lies on his back on a gurney. Seven straps cover Paul Everette Woodward: one around each ankle; a strap around his shins; one above his knees; one above the inmate's rising and falling belly; and two straps crisscrossing each other over his chest.
Melton Protégé Pleads
Mayor Frank Melton says he will be waiting for Michael Taylor to get out of prison, probably before he is 21. "He is too good of a kid to give up on," Melton told The Clarion-Ledger last week. "I will be there for him when he gets out." Currently, Melton is refusing to speak to the Jackson Free Press.
ANALYSIS: Council Dodges Numerous Bullets
The Melton administration this week proposed to dip into the city's budget reserves in an attempt to cauterize the bleeding city budget—and even pay rent on police precincts that are months behind. The news of the budget crisis came in the wake of city moves to waive millions of dollars in fees to downtown developers.
Monitor Blasts State on Training Schools
Mississippi school children continue to suffer physical abuse at the Oakley and Columbia training schools, according to monitor Joyce L. Burrell's report. For the fifth time in five quarterly reports, Burrell reports abuse of students and stalled progress in the state's efforts to reform the schools.
Amid Shouts, A 911 Overhaul
The mood in the House on Feb. 8 was affable, as it had been throughout most of the Legislative session since it opened in January. Lawmakers passed more than 10 bills in a row with only minimal argument and a healthy smattering of jokes.
It's OK to Win ... Or Not
Olivia Hardges, 9, a third-grade student at Marshall Elementary arrived at the JSU e-Center before 8 a.m. on Jan. 23. As other kids gathered in the California room, also wearing their uniform polo shirts and khakis, Olivia passed the time before the chess tournament playing Mancalaa strategy game involving small stonesrather than practicing the game she came to win.
The 2009 JFP Interview with Dorothy Benford
Jackson resident Dorothy "Dot" Benford seems to run for office almost every time an election year comes around. She has a small list of unwavering supporters and an ant's determination to topple a rubber-tree plant.
PEER to Levee Board: Move Faster!
The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District's navel-gazing on flood control along the Pearl River this month drew fire from he Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review.
Proposed Coal Plant Finds Opposition
Opposition is mounting against a proposed 582-megawatt coal gasification plant in Kemper County that could increase Mississippi ratepayers' utility bills by 15 percent.