Barbour: Hands Off Damages CapGov. Haley Barbour is working hard to keep non-economic damages caps on lawsuits thoroughly capped. Barbour's office submitted a Dec. 17 amicus brief to the Mississippi Supreme Court, arguing that plaintiff Ronnie Lee Lymas should not be able to challenge …
Alabama Dem Switches to GOPIn a move that some Democrats find unsurprising, first-term Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith announced yesterday that he was switching his party affiliation from the Democrats to the GOP. In a prepared statement, Griffith said there was no place in the …
City Again Helping Minority BusinessesThe city of Jackson is returning its Equal Business Opportunity Office to its former glory. On Dec. 1, the city hired professional speaker and public relations consultant Pamela Confer as head of the office, which serves to increase minority business …
Barbour Names Commission on School ConsolidationGov. Haley Barbour announced yesterday the formation of an advisory panel on school consolidation, one of the more controversial suggestions from his November budget recommendations. Composed of state and local education officials, business leaders and legislators, the 16-member Commission on …
Otis AshfordOtis Ashford is suing the City of Moss Point and three Moss Point police officers for civil-rights violations related to an April 2008 arrest. Ashford, a Moss Point resident, was visiting the house of his sister, Dell Jones, also of …
Hinds Supes Approve Hwy. 80 BeautificationHinds County Supervisors opened bids today on a roughly $240,000 beautification project for Highway 80. The road, which runs through South Jackson, was once a major commercial thoroughfare and business center, but is now a prime example of blight in …
Mark ScurlockDonut 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 …
Senate Health-Care Bill Clears Crucial HurdleThe U.S. Senate won a victory early this morning in the health-care debate, reports The Washington Post. In a 1 a.m. 60-to-40 vote, Senators approved the first of three procedural motions to move reform legislation to final passage, now scheduled …
College Board Loosens Firing RulesFacing steep budget cuts this year and a bleak outlook for the next two years, the state College Board gave initial approval yesterday to a policy change that would allow university presidents greater flexibility in firing tenured and tenure-track professors.
Barbour Comparison Off the Mark?Gov. Haley Barbour made national news again this week by comparing health-care reformas envisioned in the U.S. House and Senateto the horror of the Jonestown massacre. Speaking as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Barbour equated the Democrats' health-care reform …
College Tuition Increases PossibleOne of the things the Mississippi College Board is considering to offset the decrease in state funding is to increase tuition for students. During yesterday's meeting at the state Institutions of Higher Learning offices, Commissioner Hank Bounds brought the issue …
Jackson Crime Sees Slight DecreaseMajor crimes in Jackson decreased slightly last week, with a 22.9 percent drop in violent crime and a 1.3 percent increase in property crimes over the previous week, according to statistics released at a Jackson Police Department command staff meeting …
King Edward Re-opening TodayLong a downtown eyesore and unpleasant reminder of Jackson's troubled past, the King Edward Hotel is re-opening tomorrow with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. A joint project of Jackson developer David Watkins' group, Watkins Partners, and Historic Renovation Incorporated …
Levee Board Votes for LeveesThe controversial "Two Lakes" saga ended Monday when the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District voted to move ahead with a levees-only flood-control plan endorsed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Minor Bribery Conviction OverturnedThe Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals partially overturned the convictions of Mississippi attorney Paul Minor and former judges John Whitfield and Walter "Wes" Teel.
Contractor, State Trade BlowsThe State of Mississippi wants Hinds County Chancery Court Judge William Singletary to dismiss a suit launched against it by multi-national corporation Utility Management Corp.
Casey Amendment Targets Poor Children's CarePennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey is pushing an amendment to keep children in the national Child Health Insurance Program from getting rolled into an insurance exchange.
Buying Judges: Tell the Whole StoryThe 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals partially overturned the convictions of Mississippi attorney Paul Minor and former judges John Whitfield and Walter "Wes" Teel Friday.
Council Agrees to Invest in South Jackson DevelopmentThe Jackson City Council voted to issue more than $1 million in bonds for a South Jackson development at Tuesday's council meeting. The decision, which is connected to the development of the much-disputed Timber Falls development near Forest Hill High …
2011 Budget Slashes State JobsFollowing Gov. Haley Barbour's cost-cutting lead, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee released their proposed budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 2010. Among its recommendations is eliminating 3,600 state jobs, and cutting another 10 percent from agency funds, …
[Balko] Clemency on TrialMost governors grant clemency for the wrong reasons, including Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. Here's what coverage of the Huckabee/Clemons case is missing.
Youth Justice Project Sues Hinds County SchoolsThe Mississippi Youth Justice Project filed a lawsuit today against the Hinds County School District, alleging that the district unlawfully targeted a student for expulsion. The student, identified in the complaint only by his initials, A.H., was a freshman at …
Childers to Tour Crop Disaster AreasToday, Rep. Travis Childers, representing Mississippi's first Congressional district, will lead a crop disaster tour throughout his district in the company of U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Michael Scuse. The tour will provide the agency first-hand information about …
Fifth Circuit Overturns Paul Minor Bribery ConvictionThe Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has partially overturned the convictions of Mississippi attorney Paul Minor and former judges John Whitfield and Walter "Wes" Teel. A federal jury convicted Minor, Teel and Whitfield in 2007 for federal bribery and honest …
Jackson High School Wins National HonorU.S. News & World Report has named Murrah High School in Jackson a Silver Medal school in the magazine's latest list of America's Best High Schools. Murrah was the only school in the state and one of 461 high schools …
[Ratcliff] Energy Efficiency is the Solution, Not CoalClimate change and what to do about it has been a contentious topic for some time now. Although Al Gore's film, "An Inconvenient Truth," did a terrific job of telling the story about the threat of global warming, too many …
Girl, 8, Shot at Boys & Girls ClubAn 8-year-old girl was shot in the head while sitting inside the Boys & Girls Club on Sykes Road at around 2:30 p.m. today, according to Jackson police. The unidentified girl was reportedly doing her homework when a bullet came …
Developers Push a Lake for DowntownJackson developer David Watkins, whose ventures include the King Edward Hotel and the Farish Street entertainment district, unveiled plans for a downtown lake and riverwalk at a media event yesterday. The project, which is still in the early stages of …