Johnson Attending Obama VisitCity of Jackson Spokesman Chris Mims confirmed today that Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr., was invited to attend first lady Michelle Obama's personal visit to the city on Wednesday. Obama is visiting the city tomorrow as part of her "Let's …
Fisher: Hinds Supes ‘Hiding' In Executive SessionHinds County Supervisor Phil Fisher accused his fellow supervisors today of evading public scrutiny by relegating two potentially inflammatory decisions to executive session. In a closed session during its meeting this morning, the Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to fire …
Obama Appoints Mason to Federal HBCU BoardPresident Barack Obama announced Friday that he wants Jackson State University President Ronald Mason Jr. on the President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The board exists to strengthen the nation's list of HBCUs, many of which …
JPS to Cut Jobs, Fill ClassroomsState budget cuts this year and next will force the Jackson Public School District to cut teacher positions and increase class sizes, a district official said today. Michael Thomas, the district's Deputy Superintendent for Operations, told an audience at the …
Nightclub Has Big Plans for JacksonLocated on the corner of Gallatin and West Capitol street, Dreamz Jxn is a three-story club and entertainment complex in downtown Jackson. Inside the club are sophisticated features that include 25 plasma screens, VIP rooms, three bars and three dance …
Convicted Former Klansman Sues FBIConvicted former Ku Klux Klansman Edgar Ray Killen is suing the FBI for millions, claiming violations of his civil rights, reports The Los Angeles Times. Killen, 85, convicted in 2005 of manslaughter in the 1964 slayings of three civil rights …
Veto Override Fails: Legislators Return to NegotiationThe Senate failed to override Gov. Haley Barbour's veto of budget reconciliation act this morning, and opponents of the veto now argue that the state should put to use $36 million from savings accrued through a federal stimulus program.
Andrew YoungIn honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Jackson State University today hosted Andrew Young, one of King's closest advisers during the civil-rights movement of the 1960s. Young 77, has a long career of public service, including terms as a …
The Power of NowWhen I moved back to Mississippi in 2001, I was naïve. I thought I was coming home to write about the past that shamed me as a white Mississippian. I wanted to be a white Mississippian who wasn't afraid to …
Irby Trial On ScheduleThe criminal trial of Karen Irby, wife of Jackson businessman Stuart Irby, is set for March and looks ready to proceed. At a Feb. 17 pre-trial hearing, Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Tomie Green indicated that she foresaw no delays …
Schoolhouse to StatehouseYvonne Horton made an unconventional job transition in 2007, joining a lobbying firm after 30 years as a public-school teacher. Horton, 60, is a Bolton native and a 1971 graduate of Jackson State University.
Bashing Sodas and Saving SchoolsThe 90-day legislative session will creep past the halfway mark this week, and the clock ticks on plenty of legislative efforts, including the deadline to except or trash fiscal-year 2011 appropriation and revenue bills.
Mason: No Plans for Public Input on MergerAs Jackson State University President Ronald Mason Jr. shook hands at a forum last Friday at Koinonia Coffee House in Jackson, he sought to quell concerns about a possible HBCU merger idea he floated to legislators last month. He maintained …
Will U.S. Chamber Win Again?In 2004, Attorney General Jim Hood hired attorneys Joey Langston and Timothy Balducci—who later pled guilty to corruption in 2008 and 2007, respectively—to recoup unpaid taxes and interest resulting from a multi-state tax fraud scheme Clinton-based WorldCom cooked up before …
Pseudopolitics Equals PseudofailureRecently the Mississippi Legislature passed legislation outlawing the sale of medical products containing pseudoephedrine without a prescription. The intent of this legislation is to reduce the rampant methamphetamine epidemic.
Barbour Vetoes Budget RestorationGov. Haley Barbour vetoed budget reconciliation act Senate Bill 2688 today, a bill that restored $79 million in cuts he enacted for Fiscal Year 2011. The governor rejected the bill saying that it delayed "inevitable government reorganization and relied on …
[Oppenheim] ‘Listen to Me!'Last spring, as I sat in a Murrah High School classroom, surrounded by the brilliant young minds of the Civil Rights, Civil Liberties Club, I was struck by the contrast between these young people—who were deeply committed to contributing positively …
Chief Unsure of New Police Review ProcessJackson Police Chief Rebecca Coleman is doubtful about a proposed independent community advocacy review process for police matters. Last night, the Jackson City Council delayed voting on a city ordinance for a board of citizens independent from the police department …
Council Set to Vote on Police OversightThe Jackson City Council may decide today whether to institute a civilian review process for the Jackson Police Department. Long a pet item for Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes, a proposal for a civilian oversight of police complaints passed the …
City Seeks Removal of Visitor's Bureau Expiration DateThe Jackson City Council's Legislative Budget Committee moved forward to re-authorize the Convention Center & Visitors Bureau yesterday, but committee Chairwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon said the committee should ask the state Legislature for a law change that could make future re-authorizations …
[Balko] Flashbangs Under FireThe New York Times reported last week that the New York City Police Department has halted the use of "flashbang" stun grenades. The department began phasing out the devices in 2003 after their deployment in a mistaken drug raid caused …
Guilty Verdict in JSU Murder TrialA Hinds County jury found Stanley Cole guilty of the murder of Latasha Norman this afternoon. Cole, 26, faces life in prison for killing Norman, his ex-girlfriend.
Barbour Goes National, AgainGov. Haley Barbour was in Washington, D.C., this weekend for the National Governors Association's annual conference, but he made headlines for extracurricular activities, speaking against the federal stimulus bill and rallying Republican opposition to health-care reform and climate-change regulations.
Mason Says Merger Plan a Leaked ‘Idea'As Jackson State University President Ronald Mason Jr. shook hands at a forum this morning at Koinonia Coffee House in Jackson, he sought to quell concerns about a possible HBCU merger idea he floated to legislators last month. He maintained …
Senate Votes to Restore Budget Cuts; Barbour Promises VetoGov. Haley Barbour claims he will veto a bill the Mississippi Senate passed today that would restore funding to offset cuts he made to state agencies. "This bill spends too much, burns too much of our reserves, and fails to …
Auto Burglaries puts JPD on AlertA spike in auto burglaries has the Jackson Police Department increasing patrol units and asking residents not to leave valuable possessions in their cars.
PSC to Rule on Kemper County in MayThe Mississippi Public Service Commission will deliver a decision on a proposed $2.4 billion coal plant in Kemper County in May.
Plan B? Flood Control Beyond Lakes and LeveesFlood-control options for the Pearl River seem limited as Jackson-area residents compare the ungainly design of the levee plan designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1996 with the $1.4 billion cost of a lake-development plan.
Behind Barbour's Prison RhetoricTo hear Gov. Haley Barbour tell it, if he doesn't get his way, the state's fiscal crisis could force thousands of felons out of jail and into communities. Since his Jan. 13 State of the State address, Barbour has repeatedly …