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DOJ Investigation Hits Close to Cochran

A U.S. Department of Justice investigation is creeping closer to Republican Sen. Thad Cochran. The DOJ indicted Ann Copland, Cochran's 29-year legislative aide, for accepting more than $25,000 worth of meals and event tickets from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, in exchange for aiding Abramoff's clients.

Supremes' Decision Could Affect Minor

The U.S. Supreme Court's June 29 decision to vacate the 2006 fraud conviction of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman and remand that case back to the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals could mean good news for convicted Mississippi attorney Paul Minor.

Nobody Minding the Store

The Jackson City Council grudgingly approved about $45,000 of payments to the U.S. Treasury Department Tuesday after the city failed to manage two federal law-enforcement grants. The council voted 6-0, with Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes absent, approving a $40,394 payment to the U.S. Treasury Department because the city misspent money from a 2004 local law-enforcement grant, and another $4,687 repayment of a 2002 local law-enforcement grant. The action increased the city claims docket from $2,304,563 to $2,349,645.

Illegal Raids Costing City

The city is forking out big money for illegal business closings, but not nearly as much as it could be. Deputy City Attorney Pieter Teuwissen told City Council Monday afternoon that the city had managed to talk down damages regarding the 2006 illegal closing of a nude entertainment club to about $125,000.

Feds Want Melton Retrial Moved To Gulfport

Federal prosecutors want to move the retrial of Mayor Frank Melton and his bodyguard Michael Recio to the Gulf Coast to avoid intense media scrutiny. In a motion (PDF) filed yesterday, the government argued that moving the trial to Gulfport would minimize the impact of the "all-encompassing" media coverage from the mayor's first federal trial, which ended in a hung jury on Feb. 24.

Council Anxious Over Farish Street Zoning

Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon is nervous about potential rezoning efforts connected to the Farish Street Entertainment District. Renovation of the Farish Street project has been ongoing for about a decade, stalled by strict guidelines for construction in a historically designated area, city/developer disagreements and a host of money issues. The massive endeavor changed hands last year from Memphis' Performa Chairman and CEO John Elkington to the Jackson developer of the King Edward and Standard Life projects, David Watkins, after Performa took a hit from the national economic downturn and was unable to secure reliable funding.

The Medicaid Compromise?

Administrators from two hospitals that have a no-refusal policy regarding patient admittance warned House members today that a hospital bed tax proposed by Gov. Haley Barbour will force cuts in hospital staffing and reduce services for their low-income patients.

Mississippi Farmers Could See 100 Percent Crop Losses

The Mississippi State Fair isn't the only thing suffering because of the state's run of bad weather. The state is considering declaring entire Mississippi counties disaster areas because of enormous farming losses due to weather, said Mississippi Department of Agriculture spokesman Andy Prosser.

Health Coverage Available for High-Risk Patients

Mississippi residents can apply for a new federally financed and operated high-risk health insurance pool this month as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that President Barack Obama signed in March.

Edwards Denies Influence on Book Purchases

Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Lonnie Edwards spent nearly an hour at a press conference yesterday sharing the story that inspired him to write a book, but skirted around specific questions on how his former school district purchased and used that book.

City Defends Fee Hikes, Lay-offs

City officials and Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. stressed cost increases as the reason for water and sewer fee hikes and JATRAN employee cuts yesterday at Jackson City Council session.

Melton Defense Continues; Chris Walker Today?

JFP Coverage of Defense Witness Christopher Walker

5th Circuit Rejects Minor's Request for Bond

Judging from a decision by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday, the cancer-inflicted wife of convicted Mississippi attorney Paul Minor will likely die without her husband.

Eclipsing Slave History

America's economy was built largely on the backs of slaves, and the South's "peculiar institution" affected America's cultural development for decades. So, the story of the generation of black Americans that emerged just after slavery ended should make for one of the country's most enriching narratives.

Big Fix Rig Needs Cats to Spay This Week

If you have a cat that needs to be fixed—you know who you are—the Big Rig Fix is doing low-cost spays and neuters in Jackson five days a month, and are in town this week (May 1-3) with not enough cats to fix. They can do up to 40 cats a day, and right now only have six scheduled for Saturday, and none for the other days.

‘Wishy-Washy Approach To Public Policy'

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton dismissed rumors at a Monday press conference that he had forced a local contractor into subcontracting a Louisiana company he originally favored to remove debris from an April 4 storm in North Jackson.

‘Destroyed' By The Curfew

Mayor Frank Melton announced Sept. 9 that the emergency curfew issued for the city of Jackson—a curfew that some city officials called "unenforceable"—in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina had been lifted, ending days of businesses closing prematurely and perhaps unnecessarily.

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