Pushing Back Against Library CutsGov. Phil Bryant's budget recommendations call for a 15-percent funding reduction for the Mississippi Library Commission. Bibliophiles are gearing to keep the cut from being so steep and, at the least, keep them on par with proposed cuts at other …
Mitchell Staying at Clarion-LedgerAward-winning journalist Jerry Mitchell is not among a dozen Clarion-Ledger employees facing an early retirement buyout choice. Speaking at this morning's Friday Forum at Koinonia Coffee House, Mitchell addressed the future of the Gannett-owned daily newspaper.
Personhood Mississippi: We Are Listening to VotersPersonhood Mississippi founder Les Riley sent out a statement this morning praising Personhood legislation in the Oklahoma Senate and promising further efforts in Mississippi that will address voters' concerns about contraception and in vitro fertilization.
APAC Celebrates 30 yearsThe magnet school opened in January 1982 and serves students in grades 4-12 who want extra instruction in the arts. Last fall, the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts
Runaway, Prostitute or Victim?Not too long ago in another state, a high-school boy offered a high-school girl a ride home. He drugged her drink, took nude photos of her and used the pictures to blackmail her into having sex with a series of …
City: Spending Down, Overtime UpWhen Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. and the city of Jackson set the budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year, they didn't plan to do as well as the first-quarter numbers now indicate.
Rep. Brown: Irby Clemency File MissingHouse Democrats have just released a statement from Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, on former Gov. Haley Barbour's pardons. In it, he says files are missing for several pardon recipients, including Karen Irby.
Dems: Ain't No Sunshine in this BillThis time around, the "sunshine" bill didn't wither. Despite their best efforts to slow down and trip up House Bill 211, which supporters argue adds a layer of transparency to the state's use of hiring outside legal firms when disagreements …
Evolve My MindI have always measured the quality of my education against what my father taught me. School bored me mostly, but having a conversation with Papa rarely did. He was a natural teacher of philosophy, political science and history. He peppered …
Pardongate: ContinuumImagine that every person who received a pardon from Gov. Haley Barbour did exactly what the state constitution says and ran a newspaper ad for 30 days before they received the pardon. Then what?
Bring the NoiseLegislative Republicans are setting 'em and knockin' 'em down. After a clumsy first month when the House didn't even have committee assignments, bills are starting to soar through the committee process and going to the floor.
Personhood ReduxJust three months after voters turned down a Personhood Initiative, at least one legislator is trying to get it back on the ballot.
More than FactoriesA member of the Screen Actors' Guild, state Sen. John Horhn has some ideas on keeping the state's economy from sagging.
Truth TroopsSome people—including some journalists I've worked with over the years—assume Stars and Stripes is a propaganda arm of the Department of Defense. It's not. It's an all-American institution that is in danger.
No Miracle Cure'The business of education is not a business, so you can't run it like a business.'
Time to Swim, not Sink, TogetherWith evidence everywhere that good public education is key to our city and our state's economic future, not to mention public safety, it is time that to slay the dinosaurs of the past who don't want to fund or reform …
Time to Swim, not Sink, TogetherWith evidence everywhere that good public education is key to our city and our state's economic future, not to mention public safety, it is time that to slay the dinosaurs of the past who don't want to fund or reform …
[Johnson] Right the First TimeCharter schools have the potential to be a boon for children in our state's education system.
Education: A Strong State Economy Starts HereResearch shows that struggling schools and low education levels hurt individuals as well as the state as a whole, bringing economic and social challenges. Fortunately, people outside the educational community are starting to talk about how Mississippi can make its …
Of Love and Pardons: How They MetOn the night of Dec. 7, 1992, Joseph Ozment and three friends arrived to rob J & R's Old Store in Hernando and found Ricky A. Montgomery there, working alone. During the robbery, one of Ozment's accomplices shot Montgomery three …
Drilling the Front LinesCaptain Louis Skrmetta is on the front lines. So far, Skrmetta, whose family has operated tour boats between the mainland and Mississippi's barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico since 1926, is fighting a winning battle to rebuild his business …
Sunshine Act Still Clouds LegislatureDebate over the Sunshine Act, which Speaker Philip Gunn introduced last week and failed on a technicality later in the week, continued to rain down on the Legislature as a House committee returned the issue on Monday.
Record Store Coming to FondrenIn an age of iPods and MP3s, Fondren is about to get a dose of good-ol' vinyl LPs and their younger, shinier CD brothers.
Ward 3 Election TodayThe Jackson City Council will fill the empty seat left by recently elected Hinds County Supervisor Kenneth Stokes today after voters in Ward 3 select their new council member.
JFP Endorses Beneta Burt for Ward 3 Council SeatAt a Ward 3 candidate forum last week at the Medical Mall, several themes emerged: First, most of the plethora of candidates who are running for Kenneth Stokes' vacated seat had few specific, new ideas to share. Second, Stokes' wife, …
Fillingane Introduces Anti-Abortion ResolutionWithin the last couple of hours, Sen. Joey Fillingane introduced a resolution to amend the state constitution "to protect the life of every unborn child from conception to birth."
Metrocenter Moving ForwardA city councilman who used to be a lawyer and lobbyist for David Watkins and some of his firms made a motion Tuesday to allow the mayor to negotiate payments with the Watkins' firm Retro Metro for needed computer cabling …
Memorializing MedgarIt's unlikely that Medgar Evers will be forgotten for a very long time.
Ward 3 Candidates SpeakChange, moderator Othor Cain said, was the theme of a Feb. 7 forum at the Jackson Medical Mall. Nine candidates vying to represent Ward 3 on the Jackson City Council discussed crime, street improvement and economic development.
Unemployment Down AgainUnemployment figures in the United States continued their downward trend last month from the most recent high of 10.2 percent in October 2009.
Research shows that struggling schools and low education levels hurt individuals as well as the state as a whole, bringing economic and social challenges. Fortunately, people outside the educational community are starting to talk about how Mississippi can make its …