Johnson Welcomes Public to Inaugural EventsTomorrow, July 3, marks the official inauguration for acting Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr., with public events starting as early as 8 a.m. and continuing throughout the day until midnight. All of the events are free and open to the …
Mississippi No. 1 in Obesity, AgainAt 44.4 percent of children and 32.5 percent of adults, Mississippi leads the nation in obesity. According to the 2009 edition of "F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America," "The obesity epidemic is harming the health …
Ruth OguhebeAs she walks into the empty school library, 17-year-old Ruth Oguhebe smiles and reaches out for a hug before sitting down at a table and taking off her shoes.
Medicaid Deal Just In TimeState legislators were poised to pass a Medicaid agreement Tuesday evening, ending a months-long impasse over funding and removing the last major obstacle to a state budget, one day before a new fiscal year began.
Diaz Calls on D.C.Former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz outlined allegations of political persecution last week at a Washington, D.C., forum. The Sarah McClendon Group, a government and media watchdog association, held a forum on alleged selective prosecutions by the U.S. Department …
Welcome to FY 2010: Where's the Budget?At around 8 p.m. last night, the Mississippi House approved a $60 million hospital tax promoted by Gov. Haley Barbour to fund the state's Medicaid program, after a nearly two-and-a-half hour readingout loudof the 81-page bill, reports the Memphis Commercial …
Closing the Clean-Up DealThe city may have brought to a close the troubled business relationship between local debris-removal contractor Garrett Construction Company and Pearl River, Miss.-based Nungesser Industries.
Medicaid Agreement ReachedAround 11 p.m. last night, House Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, announced from the House floor that the special budget committee has reached an agreement with Gov. Haley Barbour on the final sticking point holding up passage of the 2010 Mississippi …
Lawmakers Pass Another Tobacco TaxAfter years of not raising taxes on cigarettes, yesterday Mississippi lawmakers approved the second cigarette tax hike this year. Even more surprising, Gov. Haley Barbour, a former tobacco lobbyist who vetoed raising the state's excise taxes numerous times in the …
Millsaps Named ‘Best Buy'[verbatim] Millsaps College is one of only 24 private colleges nationwide and the only college in Mississippi named a "Best Buy" in the 2010 edition of Fiske's Top Financial Finds on the College Tuition Market.
Legislative Special Session UnderwayThe Mississippi House and Senate are desperately hammering out an agreement on a state appropriation bill one day after Gov. Haley Barbour finally called a special session. Barbour had initially fought the idea of a special session, after disagreeing with …
Hood Provides Microsoft Settlement FAQsSubsequent to Mississippi's $100 million anti-trust settlement with software giant Microsoft June 10, Attorney General Jim Hood has posted a list of frequently asked questions on the Attorney General Web site. Among the questions answered are:
Johnson to Hold Public ForumsAs part of the incoming mayor's transition to Jackson's top spot after his July 3 inauguration, Harvey Johnson Jr. and his transition team will be holding a series of public forums beginning tomorrow and running into July. Each forum begins …
[Evans] A New Model for Cutting Medical CostsWord is that Harvard Professor Dr. Atul Gawande's article on McAllen, Texas, is required reading in the White House. Published in the June 1, 2009 issue of The New Yorker, the Boston surgeon asks why McAllen's health care costs are …
Making Weekend Plans?It's Friday, y'all, and you know what that means: It's time for weekend planning. As always, the Jackson Free Press is here to let you know what's happening, who's in town and where the "don't miss" events are taking place.
Governor Adamant About Port ExpansionDespite pleas to reconsider his earlier decision to divert money from funds designated for rebuilding housing on Mississippi's Gulf Coast, Gov. Haley Barbour told reporters yesterday that he's not changing his mind. The $570 million will go toward expanding the …
Governor Chides Lawmakers for Unfinished BusinessGov. Haley Barbour took time off from nationwide GOP fundraising efforts to announce that he has no plan to call a special session to address the state's non-existent budget just yet. Barbour, who is not a legislator, told the Senate …
Unemployment Rate Jumps AgainThe unemployment rate in Mississippi increased a full percentage point from April to May, inching toward 10 percent once again, according to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. That one point, from 8.6 percent to 9.6 percent, represents an additional …
Barbour Takes Top RGA SpotIn the wake of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's untimely departure from the Republican Governors Association, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is taking over the organization's leadership. Barbour had already accepted the organization's chairmanship for next year, but when Sanford admitted …
No Budget ‘Disastrous' for Medicaid PatientsBecause of the Governor's refusal to call a Special Session of the Mississippi Legislature, it appears the Division of Medicaid will cease to exist after midnight on June 30, 2009. The Governor's lack of action will have disastrous results for …
The Tangled Web of HateThe Southern Poverty Law Center counts the Council of Conservative Citizens as a "Neo-Confederate" hate group, which, like the more radical League of the South, fights for the rights of "the Confederacy." The CofCC stops short of calling for a …
Protesting PovertyAs the sun beams above her, Wilma Irving, a resident of Kenner, La., fans herself and begins to tell me the purpose of her journey to Jackson.
Banking on PRIYDESixteen-year-old Laurin Paris is using her fashion sense to get her to college.
Jed OppenheimAlthough his parents were activists, Jed Oppenheim says he first realized the inequalities of race and class systems during the 1992 riots in his hometown of Los Angeles.
Guess Who's Coming To JacksonGordon Baum, the chief executive officer of the Council of Conservative Citizens, can tell a good story.
DOJ weighs in on JATRANThe U.S. Department of Justice has intervened on a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Jackson, buttressing accusations of the inaccessibility of Jackson's public bus system. The lawsuit, filed late last year by 11 Jackson residents with disabilities and …
It IS the HeatWe've all heard the old saw: "It's not the heat; it's the humidity." Well, during this extended early heat wave in Mississippi, the heat really is the thing to watch out for. Especially for those who finds themselves outdoors for …
Dems Play "Where's Waldo?" with BarbourMississippi Gov. Haley Barbour seems to be almost anywhere but in the state of Mississippi these days, a fact that hasn't escaped the attention of the state's Democratic Party leadership. Picking up on the quintessential game of "Where's Waldo?" where …
Muscle Meets BivalveJohn McGowan and McGowan Working Partners laud the city of Jackson's economic benefit of the Two Lakes plan, a proposed project that would dam the Pearl River and create a series of islands between Hinds and Rankin counties.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour seems to be almost anywhere but in the state of Mississippi these days, a fact that hasn't escaped the attention of the state's Democratic Party leadership. Picking up on the quintessential game of "Where's Waldo?" where …