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[Israel] State Needs Health Reform

Elizabeth, of Jackson, is a single mom and among the roughly 20 percent of Mississippians who are uninsured or 37 percent of Mississippians under age 65. She works at a small business that does not provide health insurance.

[Queen] A New Underground Railroad

I was 5 years old when I first learned about Harriett Tubman and the Underground Railroad. I felt an immediate connection to her, and I've carried it with me all my years.

[Dennis] For Goodness Sake

I had a physics teacher in high school named Mr. Jones. He was a brilliant older man who often solved problems in his head faster than the rest of us could key the numbers into our calculators. Inevitably, his lectures would venture away from the subject and toward some profound nugget of wisdom.

Dare to Be the Best

This week, under a tribute post to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on jacksonfreepress.com, reader "justjess" shared a story about keeping his dream alive. She told the story of her friend in Chicago speaking to a group of young men and women. There was no victim stranglehold in her message, which was essentially a call to be the best.

Still Some Life in Livingston Village

MPI Center Chief Executive Officer Mike Smith said he wants to move forward on plans to convert the site of the old Hood Furniture factory off Livingston Road in Jackson to mixed-use residential and commercial property.

New Court Rethinking Judge Policy

The Mississippi Supreme Court is deliberating a rule change that would force the Hinds County Circuit Court to abandon a case assignment system that two black judges and some black lawyers criticized as discriminatory.

Criminalizing Work

The Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance recently held a clothing donation drive to help immigrant workers that it says were laid off from a Morton meat-processing plant and a Jackson roofing company, among other businesses, in preparation for Senate Bill 2988 becoming law this July.

NOAA Expands Gulf No-Fishing Zone

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday that it is expanding the ban zone on fishing in the Gulf to about 20 percent of the entire Gulf as a result of the continuing jet of oil erupting into the ocean floor off the coast of Louisiana.

Calling Out Entergy

AARP and the Mississippi Sierra Club say Entergy Mississippi is not being completely honest in describing the reasons for the company's decision to increase customers' rates.

Eaves Pushing For Prayer

In a Tuesday press conference at the state Capitol, Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Arthur Eaves introduced a plan to legally re-introduce prayer into public schools.

Minor Bribery Conviction Overturned

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals partially overturned the convictions of Mississippi attorney Paul Minor and former judges John Whitfield and Walter "Wes" Teel.

Medicaid Drops Therapies

Adele Krichbaum's son is 18, but he has a 5-year-old's grasp of conversation. "He can learn things as well as anybody, but you have to be able to talk to him and convey the information you're trying to give him," said Krichbaum, who lives in Terry.

Barbour and HUD Under Fire

The Mississippi Conference of the NAACP and the Gulf Coast Fair Housing Center are suing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for allowing Gov. Haley Barbour to divert nearly $600 million in federal funding away from affordable housing recovery after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and into a pet port project that Congress had refused to fund earlier.

Money Games

Mississippi leaders experienced a rare moment of agreement last month on the frequently rancorous topic of education funding.

Voice of Change

Since Mississippi State University President Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong announced his resignation last Friday, students have vocalized mixed feelings about his two-year administration. A decorated four-star Air Force general, Foglesong held promise as a new, strong leader who would promote academic advancement. But many students and faculty members found his dictatorial leadership style overbearing.

Convention Hotel Waits on Financing

It's been a little over a month since the Jackson Redevelopment Authority passed a resolution to issue up to $95 million in bonds for the proposed convention center hotel complex, but the project's developers are still trying to get a financial structure in place for the development to move forward.

Legislative Update: Back Door to Abortion Restriction?

The House and Senate spent all of March firing bills at one another, waiting to see what the other side was going to do with them. It's that time of the session now where both chambers get to face the mutated monsters that come back to them.

Gimme Shelter

Some Jackson residents are growing concerned about the high number of halfway houses and homeless shelters populating the midtown area.

McLemore to Retire, Sort of

Jackson City Council President and Acting Mayor Leslie McLemore, who has taught political science at Jackson State University for nearly 40 years, will soon retire from both politics and academia. But McLemore says he will still be busy.

Mississippi Truth Project to Probe State's Race History

I am thrilled to share the news that a Mississippi Truth Project is officially kicking off this Saturday in Jackson. A major goal of the project is to create a Mississippi Truth Commission similar to those in Greensboro, N.C., and South Africa. Along with a diverse group of people from around Mississippi and beyond, I have attended meetings about forming the truth project in recent months, as well as served on the committee that drafted the declaration of intent (reprinted in full below). This is a very exciting effort and, I believe, one that can make Mississippi a better place for all of its residents.

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