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Obama to Sign Hate Crime Legislation
In a ceremony today at the White House, President Barack Obama will sign a bill into law that has been in the works for more than a decade. The bill updates the 1968 federal hate crime statutes that currently protects individuals from attack because of their race, religion or ethnicity, adding sexual orientation and disabilities to the list.
Burns' Execution ‘Very Likely'
Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps briefly spoke with reporters at Parchman Penitentiary at 2 p.m. today.
Alex Hampers Oil Clean-Up Efforts
Rought weather caused by Hurricane Alex, the season's first hurricane-strength storm in the Gulf of Mexico, is impeding cleanup efforts on the Coast, reports ABC News. Alex is headed for the Texas-Mexico border, and is not interfering with the cleanup effort at the site of the Deepwater Horizon gusher; however, on shore, winds and high tides are keeping workers from the beaches.
U.S. Supreme Court Delays Execution ... Briefly
6:37 p.m. UPDATE: WLBT is reporting that the U.S. Supreme Court has denied Burns' petition.
Kristen Thigpen
Before accepting her new job with the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Kristen Thigpen didn't personally know anyone who had been a victim of intimate partner abuse. Since she took the job Oct. 1, she's been researching the issue, which has opened her eyes. "I always had a heart for abused women," she says about taking her new job. "I didn't actually know how common the problem really is. I was really shocked. ... It's really breathtaking."
Barbour: Slavery Omission ‘Doesn't Matter for Diddly'
Speaking Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," Gov. Haley Barbour defended fellow Republican Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's recent proclamation of Confederate History Month that did not reference slavery. While McDonnell has been backpedalling in Virginia, repeatedly apologizing and calling it a "major omission," according to The Washington Post, Barbour called the incident "just a nit."
Bus Drivers Fighting for Contract Improvements
School bus drivers in Hinds, Madison, Clay and Yazoo counties are negotiating for better wages to bring them up from the lowest levels in the area. The drivers, employees of First Student are members of the Teamsters Union. Currently, their wages start at about $9.25 an hour, which is $3 an hour less than drivers receive in neighboring areas, reports Reuters.
Gulf Oil Spill ‘Potentially a Valdez'
This morning, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said the spill from the leaking BP oil well in the Gulf of Mexico was about 16 miles from the coast of Louisiana, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Initially, the well, damaged when an oil rig exploded and sank, had one leak pumping approximately 42,000 barrels of oil a day into the Gulf; however, a second leak is now spilling 5,000 barrels a day, and officials attempting to control the spill have discovered a third leak.
Casting Call Saturday
Paramount Pictures will be in Jackson Saturday, Jan. 2, looking for a young actress to star in the new Coen Brothers' film, "True Grit," which will begin shooting in spring. Writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen "would love, love, love to find somebody unknown" Casting Director Rachel Tenner said in a release. "Any girls with an instinct to try should come and give it a shot."
Fairgrounds Setup for Tornado Victim Donations
Officials are accepting donations for nonperishable food and bottled water at the Mississippi fairgrounds to assist victims of Saturday's tornados, reports The Sun Herald. The state Department of Agriculture opened the fairgrounds yesterday to receive aid.
Barbour to Deliver State of the State
Gov. Haley Barbour will deliver the annual Mississippi State-of-the-State speech tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. from the state capitol. The speech will be broadcast live by Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
Bill Adds Teeth to Stalking Law
Sitting on Gov. Haley Barbour's desk this morning awaiting his signature is a bill designed to give Mississippi's stalking laws some bite. House bill 1309 revises and strengthens the definition of stalking and creates more appropriate penalties.
Tonight: Ward 2 Community Meeting
Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. will host a community meeting in Ward 2 tonight at 6 p.m. The meeting's purpose is to discuss city services and plans, and will include a question and answer session.
Mark Scurlock
Donut entrepreneur Mark Scurlock is delivering Christmas a few days early for Jackson. This morning, Scurlock celebrated the grand opening of his new location at 125 S. Congress St. at the corner of Pearl Street in the heart of the city's downtown.
Hearings Set for Kemper Coal Plant
The Mississippi Public Service Commission has announced phase one hearings for a proposed new "clean" coal power plant in Kemper County. The hearings are in reponse to a petition filed by Mississippi Power, seeking a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the proposed $2.4 billion electricity-generating plant, and "associated transmission facilities, associated gas pipeline facilities, associated right-of-way and related facilities in Kemper, Lauderdale, Clarke and Jasper counties," according to a release.
MDE Releases New School Ratings
This morning, the Mississippi Department of Education released the details of its new public school ratings system, after more than two years. The MDE needed the new accountability model "to align with the State Board of Education's goals and a new, more rigorous curriculum implemented two years ago by the State Board," according to a release.
Funds Available for Home Heating
For Mississippians who need assistance heating their homes this winter, federal funds are available to help those eligible pay their gas and electric bills through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, administered through the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
Council to Vote on Melton's Legal Fees
On tomorrow's agenda for the Jackson City Council is the question of whether to pay former Mayor Frank Melton's legal fees and those of his two bodyguards. City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen and Councilman Kenneth Stokes are bringing the question to the council Tuesday, according to WAPT.
Oil on Mississippi Beaches
More than two months after the Deepwater Horizon sank in the Gulf of Mexico and millions of gallons of oil began spewing into the waters, on Sunday, Mississippi began to feel the pain of its neighboring states as tar balls and blobs of oil washed onto her shores. Oil was reported in Jackson County near Ocean Springs, on the beach in Pascagoula and Biloxi, and "masses and streams" of oil showed up south of Pascagoula in the Mississippi sound, reports The Sun Herald.
Jackson One of 20 Strongest-Performing Markets
A new report issued by the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., ranks Jackson as one of the nation's strongest-performing metro areas in the country. The MetroMonitor report tracks the recession and its recovery, and examined the 100 largest metropolitan areas for the second quarter of 2009.