FBI: Crime Dropped Nationwide in 2008
The FBI released its Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report on Monday, stating that violent crimes dropped by 2.5 percent nationwide, and non-violent property crimes saw a 1.6 percent decline last year. Overall, this is the second consecutive annual drop in the crimes reported.
Adopt a Stimulus Project
With the U.S. spending $27 billion in infrastructure projects as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, ProPublica wants to know how those projects are doing. The independent, non-profit Internet newsroom is looking for volunteers to adopt projects, investigate and report on them.
Lawmakers Facing Midnight Deadline for Budget
With the deadline for reaching a consensus creeping closer by the day, the Mississippi Legislature has until midnight tonight to agree on the state's 2010 budget before Gov. Haley Barbour forces them into a special session. Although lawmakers have stretched the time limits for passing a budget before, this year's session is in record-breaking territory.
Get Out and Vote, Jackson
Read the JFP Endorsements
Read Candidate Interviews, Opinions and More on the JFP Politics Blog
Arkansas Shooter Pleads Not Guilty After Confession
This morning, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, 24, a Little Rock man formerly known as Carlos Bledsoe, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and 15 counts of engaging in terrorist activities. Muhammad is accused of shooting to death Pvt. William Long, 24, of Conway, Ark., and wounding Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, of Jacksonville, Ark., yesterday outside an Army/Navy recruiting center, according to CNN. Ezeagwula is in stable condition and is expected to recover.
Tuesday's Votes Will Decide Three City Posts
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Jacksonians will be going to the polls for the third time in four weeks tomorrow, casting their votes for mayor and city council seats. In the race for mayor, Harvey Johnson, Jr., who was the city's first African American mayor, serving from 1997 to 2005, will face four Independents and one Republican.
Jackson Clinic on Alert
The Jackson Women's Health Organization is on high alert today after an assassin gunned down Dr. George Tiller, an abortion provider in Kansas yesterday. The Jackson clinic is the only place in the state of Mississippi that provides legal abortions.
Weekend Happenings
It's not over until the fat lady sings. Tuesday are general elections in Jackson. Now is not the time to sit it out only to watch your candidate lose. Absentee Voting: Attorney General Jim Hood's office sent a release yesterday reminding Jackson voters who will be out of town for the Tuesday general election that the deadline to vote absentee is this Saturday, May 30 at noon. Mailed ballots must be received by 5 p.m. on Monday. If you have questions about voting, please see Answers to Election Day Questions. Also, make sure to read the JFP Candidate Interviews on the Politics Blog.
Several Independents Running for Jackson Mayor
Next Tuesday, June 2, Jacksonians will go to the polls once again, this time for the general elections and all the marbles in the races for mayor and council seats. Former Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr., who won the Democratic runoff election May 19, will face four Independent candidates:
Small Businesses Honored
[verbatim] The Mississippi U.S. Small Business Administration will honor its 2009 small business award winners during a dinner reception on Tuesday, June 16 at the Mississippi e-Center @ JSU located at 1230 Raymond Road in Jackson, Miss. Registration starts at 5:30 p.m.
Johnson Receives Crisler's Support
Read About All the Mayoral Candidates on the JFP Politics Blog
Lawmakers Idle Waiting for Budget
The Mississippi Legislature is spending about $19,000 a day with little or nothing to do, for the most part. Lawmakers have finished all of their business for the current session, with one glaring exception: the budget for the 2010 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2009, a little more than four weeks from today. But that task is not yet in the hands of the full 174-seat House and Senate; behind closed doors, a handful of members on a special negotiating team is doing all the work.
Bounds Asks for 200 Teachers
Teach for America, a program that trains college students to teach in under-served, poor communities, is seeing record numbers of graduates applying. Mississippi State Superintendent of Education, has asked the organization for 200 of those recruits to teach in the Delta, doubling the numbers from previous years, according to an Associated Press story.
Court Re-hears Seale Appeal
On May 21, the 17-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the case of James Ford Seale.
[Mott] Blue Dog Dems and Health Care
The Democratic Blue Dog Coalition has announced its agenda for reforming American health care. Not surprisingly, heading the list is controlling costs in the current systems.
Love for an Enemy
In America, as elsewhere on the planet, terrorism in the name of religious fundamentalism seems to be humankind's currently unavoidable cause of suffering, providing fertile fields for bigotry, hatred, wars and devastation on a worldwide scale.
'Teabaggers' Spin the Tenth
Interpreting the Constitution is a favorite American pastime. Differing opinions on just one sentence fill libraries to overflowing, and land legal cases in appeals courts and supreme courts from coast to coast.
MPB Receives Four Emmy Nominations
[verbatim] Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) received four 2008 Emmy Award nominations for its work in Between the Lions, Simply Science at the Fossil Road Show and Mississippi Roads. The Emmy Awards recognize outstanding achievement in all fields of daytime television production.
Health Agencies Still See Rise in Flu Cases
Cases of H1N1 swine influenza (also known as Novel influenza A) remain at the top of disease control efforts by the nations health agencies, including the Mississippi State Department of Health. While the Magnolia State was one of the last to confirm swine flu cases in the nation, the count in the state continues to rise. As of yesterday afternoon, the department has confirmed 13 cases in four counties.
Hoseman Petitions for Voter ID
Voter ID died an ignoble death during the regular 2009 Legislative session when Senate Republicans killed a bill because it included a provision to allow early voting in Mississippi. Now, Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, also a Republican, is attempting to bypass the Legislature to pass voter ID through a referendum vote.
Big Tobacco Loses Appeal; Wants Little Tobacco Taxed
On Friday, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. agreed with a 2006 ruling to ban cigarette labeling such as "low tar," "light," ultra light" or "mild." The ruling found big tobacco guilty of racketeering and fraud, and said that the companies are deceiving the public about smoking dangers, according to The New York Times.
Legislature Back in Session
State lawmakers have returned to Jackson today to hammer out the 2010 budget. The Legislature must agree on the Mississippi budget by the end of June as the new fiscal year begins July 1.
GOP's Answer to "Charting a New Course": Name Calling
You've got to love it. On Wednesday, Republicans abandoned the idea of relabeling the Democratic Party. The proposed new name? The Democratic Socialist Party. The Republican National Committee actually held a special session about it.
Youth Baseball Program Comes to Town
The Mississippi Department of Human Services is teaming with the Cal Ripkin, Sr. Foundation to offer the Badges for Baseball program to at-risk youth in 10 Mississippi communities. The program will kick off May 28 at Trustmark Park in Pearl.
It's the Weekend!
Are you ready? Plenty of folks are headed out of town for the long Memorial Day weekend. But if you're not on the road, no worries. There's lots to do right here in Jackson.
Zata|3 Analyzes the Runoff
Brad Chism from Zata|3 has provided his post-runoff-election analysis. Via e-mail, Chism wrote:
Here's our Monday-morning quarterback analysis about the margin of victory. And yes, here too is my admission that I had no clue that the margin of victory would be so large.
Gas Prices Rising
Filling your tank this holiday weekend will cost you a bit more than it did earlier this month. Still, compared to the same time last year, gasoline is still relatively cheap.
Kaze and McLemore on WAPT
JFP columnist, rapper, Crisler supporter and all 'round man about town Brad Franklin (aka Kamikaze) gave his opinion about the Democratic runoff side by side with acting Mayor, JSU prof, Johnson endorser and former City Council President Dr. Leslie McLemore on WLBT. We heart them both. Click here to see the videos. (There are two, both about four minutes long.)
Runoffs Provide Decisive Wins
More than 32,400 voters turned out to vote in Jackson yesterday, handing former Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. a decisive win in the Democrat runoff elections. Hinds County's unofficial results show Johnson beating former two-term City Councilman Marshand Crisler by just under 8,500 votes. The final tally is Johnson, 20,475 (63.089 percent) to Crisler, 11,979 (36.911 percent). Johnson now faces a slate of Republican and Independent candidates in the June 2 General Election.
Maybe We Should Call it the "Sin Cinch"
In a story titled "How do You Spell Lust? M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I," Internet spirituality Web site Beliefnet cites a new study by Kansas State University, saying: "Las Vegas may be known as "Sin City," but when it comes to transgressions per capita, parts of the Bible Belt may burn much hotter."
AG's Office Co-Hosts Domestic Violence Conference
Mississippi's Domestic Violence Division in the attorney general's office is teaming with the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault to host "Domestic Violence in Our Communities: Helping Victims Find the Missing 'Peace.'"
State Gets EPA Award
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality will receive $356,700 to improve water quality and create green jobs through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Nationally, the agency will award a total of $39 million.
Fondren: Ride the Trolley to the Polls
Your votes today could determine Jackson's next mayor. Whether or not you voted in the primaries, if you're a Jackson resident and an eligible voter, you can vote today. See Answers to Election Day Questions for information on eligibility, poll hours, who to contact if you run into problems and more.
State Dems say Crisler Calls ‘a Mistake'
[verbatim] Chairman Jamie Franks said today that the state party remains neutral in the Jackson mayoral Democratic runoff. The statement comes in response to calls made on behalf of Councilman Marshand Crisler from the state party headquarters.
Runoff Will Decide Three Council Seats; May Decide Next Mayor
In a town where the majority of residents vote Democratic, tomorrow's runoff election in Jackson will decide the winner in many races. With historically low voter turnout in runoffs, however, tomorrow's winners may not be the people the majority of voters want in those positions if they don't turn out to vote tomorrow.
Court to Rehear Seale Case Thursday
See full JFP coverage of the Dee-Moore case.
Mississippi Reports First Swine Flu Cases
The Mississippi State Department of Health today confirmed three cases of H1N1 flu, commonly called swine flu, in Harrison County on the Gulf Coast. The people infected, two adults and one child, have all fully recovered.
Higher Cigarette Tax Effective Today
After a protracted battle between Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, the state Legislature and lobbyists, taxes on a pack of cigarettes is 68 cents in the Magnolia State, effective today. The increase is the first in the state since 1985.
Goings On Around Town
Before you go tonight's debate, head over to Nunnery's Gallery (426 Meadowbrook Road) for the opening reception of Tony Di Fatta's new show of abstract work, "Chaos and Order," starting at 5 p.m. Also tonight in Flowood, the opening reception for P. Sanders McNeal's sketches of Byron De La Beckwith's trial for the murder of Medgar Evers. The show hangs at the Bryant Galleries (3010 Lakeland Cove, Suite A, Flowood) through June 12.
200 Metro Kids Going to Camp
The Salvation Army of Metro Jackson is extending an invitation to over 200 local school children to attend Camp Hidden Lake in Lexington, MS, at no cost to the families.
Mississippi Chrysler Dealerships Closing
Chrysler is closing almost 800 dealerships across the country as part of their bankruptcy agreement, including six in Mississippi. The Magnolia State dealerships on the closure list are:
Tonight's Mayoral Debate: No Tickets Required
See Complete Election Coverage including Candidate Interviews
Irby Pleads ‘Not Guilty'
In a process that took about a half hour, Karen Irby, 38, pleaded not guilty Monday to multiple felony charges connected to a car crash on Old Canton Road that killed two young doctors and severely injured Irby and her husband Stuart, 56.
Barbour Signs Cigarette Tax Increase
Gov. Haley Barbour has signed a bill today increasing cigarette taxes in Mississippi by 50 cents per pack. The bill brings the total tax per pack to 68 cents, up from the current 18 cents, which is the third lowest tax in the nation.
Former Police Chief to Endorse Crisler
The Marshand Crisler campaign has announced that former Jackson Police Chief Robert Johnson will be endorsing Crisler for mayor this morning at 11:30 in a news conference to be held in front of the Jackson Police Department.
Horhn to Endorse Johnson
Mississippi Sen. John Horhn, a recent candidate in the race for mayor of Jackson, will announce his endorsement of former Mayor Harvey Johnson this morning.
Yerger's Revisionist ‘Lily White' History
The Mississippi Republican party is holding events today honoring the party's founding chairman, 79-year-old Wirt Yerger, Jr., and last Sunday, Clarion-Ledger columnist Sid Salter interviewed Yerger. Just a few questions into the interview was this exchange:
Melton Memorial to Stream Live
WAPT will offer a live video stream of the noon memorial for late Jackson Mayor Frank Melton at Thalia Mara Hall.
Jackson Zoo Welcomes New Arrivals
Meet Mort, Levi, Eli and Junior, four Red Ruffed Lemurs born at the Jackson Zoo April 19. They've been indoors with their mom, Moon, since their birth, but made their public debut last Sunday, Mother's Day.
Jackson to Host China Trade Forum
The Jackson Convention Complex is the site for a China trade forum later this month, hosted by the Mississippi Development Authority and Gov. Haley Barbour, reports WXVT 15 in a story from the Associated Press.