‘Mad and Scared’: The Religious Shift in U.S., Mississippi PoliticsFormer Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says no one has seen a presidential election like this one in his lifetime, at least. Speaking at the Mississippi Economic Council's Hob Nob event last week, Barbour said Americans are "mad and scared" because …
'Mississippi's Elections Are Not Rigged,' Secretary of State PromisesMississippians will head to the polls in a week at more than 1,800 precincts around the state. Each polling precinct will have some of an estimated 10,000 trained poll workers and a bailiff. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann reminded reporters …
House Speaker: MAEP Has ‘Failed’"Antiquated, confusing, inefficient, unreliable, unpredictable. What do these words describe?" House Speaker Philip Gunn said at the annual Hob Nob on Oct. 27. "They describe the Mississippi Adequate Education Program funding formula."
Electing Justice: The JFP Interview with Justice Jim KitchensMississippi Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens will complete his first full eight-year term on the state's highest court this year. Before joining the court in 2008, Kitchens worked primarily as a civil and criminal trial lawyer in Copiah County, where …
Political War StoriesMany American voters are profoundly unhappy with the candidates from both major parties this election. Fifteen years of war are enough, you two! Americans are sick of war.
Do Not Appeal Frivolous Planned Parenthood LawA federal judge struck down Mississippi's political Medicaid reimbursement law for "nontherapeutic abortion providers" last week in an attempt to block Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funding.
Gov. Bryant: Do the Right ThingIf the governor expects Mississippians to take his offer of reconciliation seriously, he has to apologize to our state—apologize for Confederate Heritage Month, apologize for fighting on the wrong side of the flag debate—and moving forward, support the removal of …
Changing the Form of City GovernmentOn a vote of 4-1, the Jackson City Council last week shot down Ward 4 Councilman De'Keither Stamps' proposed resolution supporting a citizen-led initiative to change the form of government from a "strong mayor" to a council-manager form of government. …
Secret Tapes Reveal DA’s Private SideFormer Assistant District Attorney Ivon Johnson taped conversations with Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith on May 9 and June 18, the last session only four days before sheriff's deputies arrested Smith on an affidavit from the attorney general's …
A Nation of ImmigrantsThough I don't know where I come from, one thing is clear: At some point in my ancestry, my family migrated to this country. Like many families that came to live in this state and in this country, they were …
What’s Next in Planned Parenthood Bill Fight?Mississippi women who use Medicaid can legally continue to get family-planning services like birth control and cancer screenings at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Hattiesburg and at the state's only abortion clinic after a federal judge struck down the Mississippi …
Mississippi: Stop Disenfranchising Black VotersMississippi has the second highest rate of voter disenfranchisement in the country, largely due to post-sentence restrictions. The state is one of 12 where a person can serve his or her time, be released and not automatically be able to …