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University Mergers Loom?
Rumors of university consolidation gave way to outright threats Monday when Gov. Haley Barbour released his executive budget recommendations for the 2011 fiscal year. Painting a dismal picture of the state's finances for the next three years, Barbour called for consolidating the state's eight public universities into five institutions.
One Man, Many Sparks
"Each one, teach one," says Helena Brown, director of the Young People's Project in Jackson.
Shrimp Processors Fear for Livelihood
Wally Gollott, owner of the Gulf Pride Seafood Company in Biloxi, leads me to a large metal door at the company's freezer, down the street from where 43,000 pounds of shrimp are being peeled and packed by 30 or so workers.
Dianne Alford: Auctions, Babies, And Bread Pudding
After a busy lunch, traffic through Two Sisters Kitchen had slowed down by mid-afternoon last Friday when I met owner Dianne Alford. The restaurant, which has been a Jackson institution for almost 20 years, boasts Jackson's best fried chicken (as voted by Jackson Free Press readers repeatedly) and other trademark southern dishes.
Voter ID Ruling Far Away from Mississippi
A U.S. Supreme Court decision last month could add weight to Mississippi Republicans' call for voters to present photo ID at the polls—even though supporters do not provide evidence that the regulation is necessary.
A Smoking ‘Play on Words'
A Jackson City Council committee on Monday approved a change to a 2003 city ordinance banning smoking in many businesses, extending the ban to restaurants—unless they have a bar.
Melton Polling High in First JFP/16-WAPT Poll
A March 12 telephone poll of 763 registered Jackson voters conducted by ZATA-3 Consulting in Washington, D.C., found that Jackson Mayor Frank Melton gets an excellent grade from 42 percent of those polled, while almost two-thirds want him to spend more time being mayor and less acting as a policeman.
Budget Deadlock Continues
State lawmakers remain deadlocked on a budget for the 2010 fiscal year beginning July 1, raising the possibility of a special session to settle the matter.
Tracks Of Their Tears
Velma Berry lives in a brick house seven miles due west of the Mantee exit off the Natchez Trace in Northeast Mississippi. The well-kept lawn, thriving tomato plants and orange kitty-cat lolling on the carport near a hot-pink lawn chair show signs of vibrant life that belie the pain of the woman who now lives alone inside the house.
The Weeks Unveils 'Comeback Cadillac'
Some things are worth waiting for, no matter how long you might have to sit still and be patient. The Weeks' debut release, "Comeback Cadillac," finally arrives to fill the void, stop the toes from tapping and start the heads bobbing. The Weeks went through a growth period over the last two years, starting out on their own, then hooking up with Misha Hercules' Olympic Records and finally joining forces with the formidable Esperanza Plantation label, which is responsible for turning out the final product.
JPS Moves Ahead in Bond Projects
Minority make-up was the point of interest for school board members in an Oct. 1 special meeting of the Jackson Public School Board. The meeting, which ran into the wee hours of the morning, called for presentations from six design firms, all hoping to receive bids for construction in conjunction with the $150 million bond project. The board prefers that design professionals meet guidelines outlined in JPS's "Jackson First" initiative and a goal of 20 percent minority participation in the projects.
Grading the Lawmakers
Political and community activist Rims Barber released a 2010 political report card grading legislators based on their votes for 10 progressive bills that filed through the 2010 legislative session before it temporarily recessed in March.
Confusion and Clarity On Islam
The past week has seen rallies, protests, outraged individuals who oppose abortions and those who believe that a woman's choice about her womb should be her own. Within the often-heated exchanges during the week, members of Operation Save America and their supporters took the opportunity to present other platforms that seemingly have little to do with reproductive health. Saturday, July 15, in Smith Park at the pro-choice rally, holding signs and yelling at the "Sodomites," several people were clad in shirts that on the front read, "Intolerance." Days later, anti-abortion zealots burned a Koran in front of Making Jesus Real Church.
Melton Drug-Dealing Rumors Back
A recent deposition raises years-old questions about Frank Melton and past investigations.
Gimme Shelter
Some Jackson residents are growing concerned about the high number of halfway houses and homeless shelters populating the midtown area.
Sports Hall of Fame to Induct Six in 2009
The Mississippi Sport Hall of Fame is inducting six new members at a banquet to be held at the end of the month.
Bar Association Cries Foul
The Magnolia Bar agrees that Assistant District Attorney Timothy Jones lied to Circuit Judge Dale Harkey in order to remove a black juror, Chauncey Thompson, and facilitate a guilty plea against Anthony Booker. Booker is serving life in prison after a May 2004 conviction for kidnapping, robbing and killing Dorian Johnson.
[City Buzz] no. 12 December 6 - 13
Ex-jobs for Xmas Season?
With three weeks until Christmas, Mayor Frank Melton is again talking pink slips. Melton told WAPT Monday that he plans on shaking up the city's Public Works and City Housing Departments. Days after a year-long water-line break in North Jackson hit the news, Melton said that there are big problems in two departments, and he wants to clean house.
Grading Government
Released at the same time as Gov. Haley Barbour's budget recommendation for the upcoming 2012 fiscal year was a report card for state government. Since 1997, state agencies submit performance reports along with their annual budget requests, as required by the Mississippi Performance and Strategic Planning Act.
snark >:-(
Sometimes life has a way of spiraling in on itself. Last week, I was asked to speak about advanced reporting and media ethics during Journalism Week at Ole Miss. Apropos to both topics, I spoke on the "myth of objectivity," among other things. I zeroed in on the problem of he-said-she-said journalism, where an important story and its facts and context get lost (or left out) in a battle of sound bites between two "sides" or, more likely, "spokesmen" with polar-opposite agendas. So "objectivity" ends up as opinion-vs.-opinion, and neither is very enlightening.