Clarion-Ledger Backtracking from ‘Tort Reform' Hysteria
It's intriguing to note that The Clarion-Ledger, after years of gullibility on the U.S. Chamber's stance on "tort reform," is now starting to question what they have not dared to question in the past. On Sunday, they ran a long opinion piece by Alex Alston (whom Adam has been quoting on these topics for years now) about Mississippi Supreme Court justices routinely reversing jury awards. And right now, they have a weekly reader poll up asking if tort reform has gone too far. (So far, more than 60 percent say yes.)
Barbour Adds Farish to Special Session Call
[verbatim statement] Governor Haley Barbour today amended the current Special Session call to include an initiative allowing the sale of alcohol in Jackson's Farish Street historic district. "At the request of a majority of members of the Hinds County legislative delegation and after conferring with the Speaker and Lieutenant Governor I am adding to the call language allowing certain business in the Farish Street historic district to sell alcohol," Governor Barbour said.
Moore Alleges DA ‘Misconduct'
The attorney for Sharrod Moore, who is awaiting his Sept. 15 trial for the Nov. 14, 1995, murder of Jackson police officer Robert J. Washington, is accusing Hinds County District Attorney Robert S. Smith of "prosecutorial misconduct." Smith, they say, used "perjured" witness accounts to get the indictment, has not provided timely discovery documents and alleged a police "cover-up" in the case in a Jackson Free Press interview in May.
Chip Pickering Files for Divorce
WAPT is reporting that the Republican U.S. congressman stepping down to spend more time with his family has filed for divorce from his wife, Leisha.
Paul Minor Appeals Bribery Conviction
The Sun Herald is reporting that attorney Paul Minor, who is serving a 12-year prison term on bribery charges Congress is investigating as a possible political persecution by Republicans, has filed an appeal:
Lawyers File New Appeal for Condemned Man, Citing ‘Sham'
Phelps Dunbar attorney James Craig released the following statement about the appeal of death-row inmate Dale Bishop:
FOX News is the Media Scum of the Earth
Check this out. While conservative blog-queen Michele Malkin was talking about how it's fine to criticize Michelle Obama as long as people don't take "cheap shots," FOX News was flashing across the screen that the possible future first lady is "Obama's Baby Mama."
Scruggs Sentenced to Five Years
The Associated Press is reporting:
Clothing Needed for Laid-Off Workers
The Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance is asking for donations of clothing for immigrant workers recently laid off in Scott County, possibly as a result of a new anti-immigrant law passed by legislators this year. MIRA will accept any clothing items, though standard t-shirts and pants are practical. MIRA will also accept footwear, including shoes, sandals and socks. The organization will hold a conference on the lay-offs and take donations at their headquarters on 612 N. State St. at noon Wednesday. Interested donors may call 354-9355 or 968-5182 for more information.
Hood Wants Execution Date for Dale Leo Bishop
[Verbatim from Attorney General Jim Hood] Jackson, MS- Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood filed a motion with the Mississippi Supreme Court today requesting an execution date for Dale Leo Bishop on or before July 23, 2008. This action follows the ruling by the United States Supreme Court today, denying Bishop relief. Executions by lethal injection had been put on hold by the United States Supreme Court pending review of a Kentucky case regarding the constitutionality of lethal injection. The Court concluded its review of the Kentucky case last April, affirming the use of lethal injection.
State Diverting Katrina Funds Away from Housing
With 6,000 people still living in FEMA trailers on the Coast, Mississippi officials are diverting Katrina funds away from needed housing, the Associated Press reports:
Hmmmm…‘Frank Was Right'?
The Jackson Free Press received an anonymous letter (PDF) apparently sent to a variety of media and local churches this week. The letter called on churches, in particular, to do more to help fight crime in Jackson. Over all, the letter makes a lot of sense. It starts:
So, Does This Mean Bennett Will Walk?
So, it is possible that Mayor Frank Melton has fibbed againthis time about the suspect in the Memorial Day shooting confessing to him on tape. The D.A. doesn't have the tape, the detective doesn't have the tape, and an old police friend of Melton'swhom Melton said he gave it towon't confirm or deny whether he did. WTF? The bigger question this should raise for people is how many of the men who have "turned themselves in" to Melton over the years have ended up going free? And is that why they do itbecause they know the track record might help them? We've reported numerous cases in which these men have gone free, and we have questioned why media in the past allowed Melton to pit them against the JPD when they complained about him and his cop friends "bringing in" certain criminals.
Melton Protégé History Complicated
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.
Barbour: No! Don't Mingle Tobacco Taxes and Medicaid!
[Verbatim from Gov. Haley Barbour] While an increase in tobacco taxes to fund Medicaid is being talked about, no such proposal has passed either house of the Legislature during the current Special Session. In fact, most recently, the effort failed in the House. And, while some like to talk about finding a compromise to Medicaid's revenue problems, the fact is SB 2013 – which passed the Senate on an overwhelming 41-to-7 vote – is the only compromise on the table, having been agreed to after extraordinary negotiations by the Mississippi Hospital Association, the Division of Medicaid, and the Governor's Office, and then passed by the state Senate.
Ledger Staffer Swipes at Obama's Daughter
... and for what? Because she was reading during one of her father's speeches. Marcela writes:
Melton Recruiting Young People; Wants $1 Million
WAPT reported yesterday that Mayor Frank Melton wants a last-minute approval from City Council for $1 million for summer youth jobs. WAPT:
NPR Listeners Dissect, Unload on Mississippi
NPR's Bryant Park Project did a piece yesterday about segregated school proms in Charleston, Miss. (a piece that was inspired by Kamikaze's column in the Jackson Free Press on the topic). The segment is drawing quite the array of comments about Mississippi on NPR's blog. Here's one to consider:
Back from Philly, Whew
Todd and I got back yesterday from the AAN national convention in Philly (Pa., not my Mississippi hometown). It's good to be homewhere it's actually cooler than it was in the Northeast, believe it or not. As usual, we worked hard (Todd gave a presentation; I coordinated one; and I did board meetings and the like), and met lots of folks. One thing that is cool is how accepted and welcomed Mississippi is in the alternative-newspaper world after only five years of membership. People really admire what we're doing with diversity and online (blogging way back in 2002, oh my), and are impressed with the native talent that we are blessed to have working for the paper. The best moment for the JFP were the awards we wonincluding two first places. The big one was the community service award we won for our team's investigative work (and blogging) over the last three years that helped put James Ford Seale in jail. That meant a lotand felt a whole lot like Mississippi standing up to publicly face and confront our past. It's very different from having "outsiders" assume we haven't changed; it's great to give them award-winning evidence that we are actively evolving.
The Perils of Hillary as Veep Choice
It comes as no surprise to me that polls are showing a mixed blessing were Barack Obama to choose Hillary Clinton as his running mate, as her supporters are pressuring him to doin part by saying that he needs her help to win. An Associated Press story today begins:
Out With the Old: Obama Clinches
Finally, we can get that Clinton baggage off our backs and move on. The Associated Press says Obama has "effectively" clinched the nomination. Big sigh of relief. Out with the old.
AG Web site Tracks Fraudulent Contractors
[verbatim statement] Jackson, MS-Mississippi consumers can now track fraudulent contractors through a new website of the Office of the Attorney General. Mississippians can now go to http://www.agjimhood.com and find a list of contractors arrested for home repair fraud under the "alerts" and "consumer" links. The list includes the name of the person arrested, the name of the company they were "doing business as" and a brief status report on the case.
McCain's Controversial Supporter to Speak in Jackson
The Associated Press is reporting that an extremist Texas televangelist who has embraced presidential candidate John McCain is coming to Jackson to speak. Rev. John Hagee, who said on NPR in 2006 that Hurricane Katrina was an act of God to punish sinful New Orleans, is speaking at a Congregational Methodist Church conference on June 7. Hagee has also in the past suggested that God sent Adolf Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land and blamed Jews for the Holocaust. He has made comments offensive to Muslims by misinterpreting the Qur'an for his own purposes, saying that "those who live by the Qur'an have a scriptural mandate to kill Christians and Jews... it teaches that very clearly." He has also offended Catholics by saying that the religion pursues a "theology of hate."
Koinonia Coffee House To Hold Grand Opening on June 6
As the Jackson Free Press alerted you in our Young Influentials issue several weeks ago, Koinonia Coffee House is about to open in West Jacksonthis Friday. We urge everyone to help make Koinonia a wide success. Here's a verbatim press release from the owners:
When Not to Trust Your ‘Gut'
Maureen Dowd's column today talks the uninformed George Bush revealed in his former press secretary's new bookand the problem with "trusting your gut" when it is filled with ignorance:
FEMA Clears Disaster Relief for Hinds County
[verbatim from Gov. Barbour's office] Governor Haley Barbour has been notified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that Hinds County will receive a major disaster declaration from the President due to the April 4 severe storms and tornadoes. "I am grateful to FEMA for making a serious review and recognizing that sufficient damages did exist even though preliminary information didn't make our case very well. FEMA gave us a fair second chance, which resulted in this decision that will help speed recovery from these devastating storms," Governor Barbour said.
Calling B.S. on Voter ID Plan
Today, the 5th Circuit called bullsh!t on a lower court's plan to force Mississippi voters to register by political party and show photo ID at the polls in order to vote. The court struck down U.S. District Judge Allen Pepper's "political" ruling last year requiring the state to re-register all voters and requiring voters to declare a party, or "unaffiliated." The problem with Pepper's plan, which hadd come in response to a Mississippi Democratic Party lawsuit trying to keep Republicans from squatting their primaries, was that it overreacted to a problem that had not been shown to exist, the court said.
Former Bush Flack: Iraq War ‘Not Necessary'
The bombshell of the day is former Bush press secretary Scott McClelland's new book, which is very frank about Bush selling the war in Iraq with "lies." AP reports:
DA Alleges Cop Murder 'Cover-Up'
The capital murder trial of Sharrod Moore, indicted in January for the 12-year-old murder of Jackson police officer Robert J. Washington, was supposed to happen this week. But Judge Swan Yerger has pushed the case back due to the inability of both sidesthe prosecution and the defenseto get the information they say they need to best try the case.
House Subpoenas Rove in Justice Political Scandal
As expected, the House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed former presidential adviser Karl Rove to testify about his role in the alleged political investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice into Democrats perceived as enemies of the Bush administration. This investigation potentially has direct implications on the prosecutions of Democratic lawyer Paul Minor and Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz, as previously reported by the Jackson Free Press.
Wyatt Explains Wealth, Equality and Liberalism to Us
Wyatt Emmerich crawled out from under his Northside rock long enough this week to pen this priceless column, which appears in one of his Delta newspaeprs:
Alamo, Dorothy Moore Honored with Blues Marker Today
Jackson's own Dorothy Moore, Jobi Martin and Wanda Collier Wilson will speak today at 3 p.m. at a celebration to dedicate a new Blues Trail marker today on Farish Street. Per a press statement: "The Mississippi Development Authority/Tourism Heritage Trails Program, the Mississippi Blues Commission and the Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau will unveil a marker honoring the Alamo Theater and Dorothy Moore. The Alamo Theater has served as a performing arts theater since the 1940's featuring black vaudeville acts, stage bands and renowned black performing artists. Dorothy Moore, renowned Blues recording artist, was a frequent performer at the Alamo Theater filling Farish Street with the sounds of the Blues and Soul. This will be Jackson's 4th historic blues marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail and the second marker erected on Farish Street. Entertainment by the Lanier High School Choir will begin at 2:45 p.m. before the ceremony."
A Tangled Web: The Mysteries of Frank Melton
After Frank Melton urged Donna Ladd in March 2005 to look into "rumors? about his past, the JFP conducted a three-year investigation into the specifics of those allegations.
Dairy Bar of Confusion
More than three years after Frank Melton challenged the JFP outside Bravo! restaurant to look into the rumors about him, it is clear that his Jackson web of young friends, and enemies, is complicated and crosses generational lines.
What, Hampton? Crime ‘Better' Than When?
As part of The Clarion-Ledger's odd collection of articles today, seemingly designed to kiss and make up with the city it has scorned and bashed for so long, David Hampton pens a fluff column about the "preconceived notions" about Jacksonthe ones his paper has made money off of for years. He writes: "There are those who have their own agendas and prejudices who will not listen no matter what. That's OK; the development is happening regardless." Funny to see what we've all been trying to tell that corporate newspaper repeated back to us all in its pages as if we don't know it. Thanks, Ledger. Right on time.
Barbour Calls May 21 Special Session for Medicaid and MDES
Read background on ad oversight controversy here.
Droppin' Hard
In his March 27, 2008, deposition, Stephen Hickman said that drugs were long flown into Jackson's Hawkins Field and then distributed among various drug heads.
Melton Drug-Dealing Rumors Back
A recent deposition raises years-old questions about Frank Melton and past investigations.
Childers Victory Sends ‘Shock Waves' Through GOP
The Washington Post is reacting to Travis Childers' victory tonight in Mississippi 1st Congressional Districthistorically a conservative Republican stronghold:
New Film Incentives for Mississippi
[verbatim] Jackson, Miss. (May 13, 2008) – Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has signed HB 1351, creating new incentives for the motion picture and television industry. The rebate program applies to feature, television, documentary and commercial production, and is effective immediately. "The film industry is important to Mississippi, as it is an industry in constant growth," Governor Barbour said. "We consider ours a long term commitment to community and economic development and to the creation of jobs in all sectors in every corner of our state.
Former Madison Central QB Indicted for Selling Drugs
WAPT is reporting that Jared Foster has been indicted in Madison County Circuit Court for selling steroids and released on a $5,000 bond. He pled not guilty and waived arraignment.
Greenwood Councilman Lambasted for Racial Slur
The Associated Press is reporting that Greenwood Councilman John Lee sent an e-mail last week to a group of whites criticizing black Council President David Jordan, and calling him a "n*gger":
Obama Takes Lead in Superdelegates
The Associated Press is reporting that Sen. Barack Obama has officially gone ahead of Sen. Hillary Clinton in the race for Democratic superdelegates:
William Winter to Receive JFK ‘Profile in Courage Award'
Former Gov. William Winter is one of three people receiving the coveted John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award Monday in Boston for his "courageous decisions of conscience" during his lifetime. "Governor William Winter gives testimony to President Kennedy's belief that politics can truly be a noble profession," Caroline Kennedy said in a statement. "His lifetime of public service, both to his country and his beloved state of Mississippi, has been distinguished by its devotion to equality and justice. We are proud to honor him with a Profile in Courage Award for lifetime achievement." Winter is being honored with the lifetime achievement award. California Secretary of State Debra Bowen and Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner are also receiving Profile in Courage awards.
Attorney General Holding Domestic Violence Conference May 13-14
[verbatim statement] The Domestic Violence Division of the Mississippi Attorney General's Office, in cooperation with the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, will hold its second annual Domestic Violence Conference on May 13 and 14. The conference will be held at the Silver Star Hotel and Casino in Choctaw, Mississippi, and is entitled Domestic Violence in Our Communities: Response, Accountability, and Progress. Any law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, court clerks, probation and parole officers, and advocates working in the field of domestic violence or victims rights are invited to attend.
Imagine Bush or McCain Playing Taboo!?!
The Associated Press has a fun story about Barack Obama playing Taboo on his campaign plane with young journalists. From the story:
Ledger Does Melton-Denying-Allegations Story
Read the JFP Melton blog/archive here.
It seems The Clarion-Ledger is suddenly going somewhere it hasn't dared to go in over 20 years in its story today about the R.J. Washington case. The bizarre thing is that there are no new allegations here, although perhaps new to them. I recall an editor over there belittling our stories back during the campaign (stories that Melton himself tipped us to, starting with this one) about the old criminal allegations against Melton (and his denials), saying that they were bogus. The question is, if the Ledger believes that, why are they running this story today—which has no evidence, other than a deposition and some history of the criminals who have been living in his home? It's presented like a big investigative package, but there isn't anything there but the deposition, some known background on the Sharrod Moore case and some quick rehash of stuff we've reported for years. Odd, but very Ledger.
BREAKING: Supreme Court Rules Against Berry
Update: Today, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the appeal of doomed prisoner Earl Berry. His attorney, Jim Craig, released the following statement:
Big Fix Rig Needs Cats to Spay This Week
If you have a cat that needs to be fixed—you know who you are—the Big Rig Fix is doing low-cost spays and neuters in Jackson five days a month, and are in town this week (May 1-3) with not enough cats to fix. They can do up to 40 cats a day, and right now only have six scheduled for Saturday, and none for the other days.
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.