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Ronni Mott Responds to Hood on Hayne
On March 12, 2010, Radley Balko, formerly of Reason Magazine, published an email from Hood to coroners and others urging them to get legislators to vote against H.B. 1456. The bill, signed March 19 by Gov. Haley Barbour, requires that anyone hired by a Mississippi county to do an autopsy be American Board of Pathology certified in forensic pathology.
Oberhousen: Hinds County Needs Fresh Leaders
Brad Oberhousen, Democratic candidate for Mississippi House of Representatives in Hinds County's District 73, is the kind of guy you could meet and easily have a three-hour conversation with. He is easy going, agreeable and is slow to make campaign promises. Oberhousen, 33, is an attorney and owner of the Oberhousen Law Firm in Jackson. The Terry resident earned his bachelor's degree from Mississippi State University in 2000 and his law degree from Mississippi College in 2002.
Reader's Guide : Wickard v. Filburn
In 1942, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government has the right to regulate economic activity in the case of Wickard v. Filburn.
Craig Noone's Unfinished Business
People leave unfinished business. Sometimes they just move on to other projects. Or they meet with tragedy, leaving others to complete the unfinished business. It is the living who follow through on these unfinished dreams, plans and business. They are the ones who can help define the life of the deceased and leave an undying legacy.
Denny: A Busy Man
State Rep. Bill Denny, R-Jackson, is a hard man to find. He doesn't seem to have a campaign website or someone to send out press releases. When I called the number listed on his official page at the Mississippi House's website, his wife was apologetic, but said he was a busy man and not interested in an interview. When a coworker gave me his cell phone number, he reiterated that he was busy and said he did not have time for an interview as he was in the middle of door-to-door campaigning.
Stevenson: Raising the Bar
The qualifications to run for justice court judge are pretty simple: a high-school diploma and $10 to pay the county circuit clerk to file your paperwork. You also must be a resident of the county you wish to run in for two years before the election and take a training course within six months of beginning your term in office. Perhaps this is why the race has been somewhat an unknown quantity this election season.
Personhood: A Pandora's Box
Atlee Breland picked her three young children up from preschool and drove home to Brandon. A self-employed computer programmer, Breland is able to adjust her day around her children. Her husband, Greg Breland, came home later in the afternoon, and the family sat down and ate dinner together.
Inside Yes on 26
Yes on 26 Campaign Director Brad Prewitt is an unassuming man. The 36-year-old with boyish features looked a bit uncomfortable wearing a suit and tie during the campaign's "Festival of Life" at New Horizon Church in Jackson Sept. 28.
Imam in the Middle
In June 2007, I took a once-in-a-lifetime 12-day trip to Turkey. During our stay, our group visited multiple historic and religious sites. What made this trip different from a typical tourist agenda was that we also visited schools, hospitals and businesses, and met with students, teachers, doctors and entrepreneurs.
[Stiggers] Re-educate the People
"We're fed up with the present government regulations that force us to give more to the poor. We've seen enough of the under classes rising up and making history. The madness must stop. Therefore, we must do all we can to continue to mis-educate the lower class through social media, radio, television and print."
A Long Time Coming
In 1983, Jackson landscape architect Steven Horn presented Jackson city leaders with a detailed plan to revitalize Farish Street. His plan, under the city's guidance, would transform a two-block section of Farish Street into an entertainment district that would include a B.B. King Blues Club and resemble New Orleans' Bourbon Street—only classier.
The JFP Interview with Jim Hood
Attorney General Jim Hood appears to be a natural prosecutor, although it was a career path he initially resisted. His father was a Chickasaw County attorney and prosecutor. In 2003, Hood began his first term as Mississippi's attorney general, and he is currently seeking his third term in office, running against former Department of Public Safety Commissioner Steven Simpson.
The JFP Interview with Steve Simpson
When Stephen Simpson stands over you with his 6-foot-7-inch frame, you might want to think twice before disagreeing with him. The Republican will tell you that "it's easy being on the right side," and makes no apologies or excuses for his position on issues. Perhaps it's his boisterous confidence that has aided his career as he progressed from attorney to circuit-court judge and Department of Public Safety commissioner.
[White] The War at Home
After my uncle's first deployment, he was a different person. His temper was short, and he berated my aunt about the changes she made in his absence. He wanted her to stop working and stay at home. When I came to visit, we weren't allowed in the house if he was there.
Money Talks
If Hinds County Supervisor candidate John Dennery had to choose an animal he identifies with the most, he says he would pick a guard dog. The Republican candidate for the District 1 seat isn't happy about how the board has spent taxpayer money over the past few years and pledges that he will eliminate wasteful spending if elected.
Fire in Carson's Belly
Dorsey Carson, 40, has lived in northeast Jackson most of his life. He calls himself one of the "floodplain kids," youngsters who lived there during the Easter Flood of 1979. Carson graduated from Mississippi State University in 1993 and got his law degree from the University of Georgia in 1996. He has spent time in Atlanta and London, but returned in 2002 to Jackson where he lives with his wife, Susan Hays Carson, and 15-month-old daughter, Hays Elizabeth Carson. He is a Democrat challenging Republican incumbent Bill Denny in the Nov. 8 election for the District 64 House seat.
Moran Pledges Smart Development
Connie Moran was six weeks into her first public-office position as the mayor of Ocean Springs when her world turned upside down. Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed her coastal town, displacing residents and razing homes. Leading residents through the disaster and using it as an opportunity to reinvent her town are just a few of the experiences Moran, a Democrat, likes to talk about when she lists her qualifications to hold the office of state treasurer.
Being Proactive
Public Service Commissioner Lynn Posey was traveling when he called for this interview. As he was talking about his family—Kathy, his wife of 27 years, his son, Hunter, and his daughter, Kaitlyn—the call dropped. When he called back, Posey feigned indignation at the bad cell phone service and blamed it on Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley, before laughing and admitting he was still in his Central District.
Power Choices
Food is powerful, very powerful. In short supply, it causes starvation and war; in over-abundance, it causes obesity and gluttony. Food has the ability to both help cure and cause disease, and politicians and businessmen use it to create and destroy cultures (as recently as the invention of the TV dinner).
Strong Opinions
Addie Green has strong opinions about life's basic necessities. She is running for a seat on the Public Service Commission, she said, because water, phone and sewage bills are too high. The PSC approves utility-rate increases, answers complaints from the public, and decides whether utility companies should construct new facilities and who should pay for them.