| JFP Mobile | Jackson, Mississippi

UPDATE: House Rebukes Barbour on Tuition Funds

The Mississippi House of Representatives struck a combative pose Thursday, restoring $17.2 million to higher education that Gov. Haley Barbour had ordered cut in November. By a vote of 87-34 in the afternoon, the House passed House Bill 290, which directs money from the state's rainy-day fund to institutions of higher learning, community colleges and junior colleges.

Recio Subpoenas City Attorney

Cynthia Stewart, attorney for Michael Recio, has subpoenaed Jackson City Attorney Sarah O'Reilly-Evans in the civil rights trial of Recio and mayor Frank Melton.

Recio Attorney Challenges Retrial

Also see: Full JFP Melton Blog/Archive/Trial Documents

Cynthia Stewart, the attorney representing Michael Recio, filed a motion (PDF) today accusing federal prosecutors of violating government policies by retrying Recio and Jackson Mayor Frank Melton. Recio is Melton's former bodyguard and his co-defendant in a case concerning the destruction of a Ridgeway Street duplex in August 2006.

Mississippi Soldiers Head Back to Iraq

This May, nearly 3,200 Mississippi Army National Guard soldiers will begin final training before shipping out to Iraq, reports WAPT.

Gannett Earnings Drop 16% in 2008, 22% Quarter

News is grim today at the Gannett Corp., which owns The Clarion-Ledger. A company press release (PDF) reveals the news that earnings overall dropped 16 percent in 2008 and 22 percent in the last quarter alone. It is rumored that more job cuts are on their way to the Ledger, which has cut 25 percent of its positions in the last year. The paper recently dropped or combined some sections of the paper, further reducing its space for news coverage, and is banking on Metromix, an outlet of a national entertainment Web-site chain, to help make up for other losses. As the paper announced job cuts last year, it offered overtime pay to editorial staffers to go to local bars to take party pictures for the site. The publisher blames the local economy, and staffers say, is urging employees to shop more in local businesses. In recent years, The Clarion-Ledger has pushed a national ShopLocal service, which ironically heavily marketed big-box and chain retailers to local consumers. The current crisis is hitting big-box retailers hard, however, with many experts saying that local businesses, and media, are in a better position to weather the storm.

Mayor Melton Back In Town, Back To Work

See full JFP Melton Archive/Blog here.

Fred Harris

Last night, Jim Hill High School students in Jackson gathered to honor and remember Fred Harris, the school's assistant principal and boy's basketball coach. Harris, 47, died unexpectedly Sunday of a heart attack at the University Medical Center around 5:30 p.m. .

Melton Memorial to Stream Live

WAPT will offer a live video stream of the noon memorial for late Jackson Mayor Frank Melton at Thalia Mara Hall.

Cooking up Something Good

Today the Viking Cooking School, along with its partners Riverwood Home Appliances and Everyday Gourmet, will open its doors to the public. The grand opening is from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., with cooking demonstrations, food tasting and drawings for cooking classes.

True Stories

You need to meet C.P. Ellis, a Klansman turned civil-rights activist. And Emma Knight, a jaded, feminist Miss USA. ("The only beauty queen in history that didn't cry when she won.") And a certain wise Puerto Rican bellhop. And a young black woman returning to college to make a better life for her family.

Priest Victims Win Victory

The Mississippi Supreme Court last week struck down an argument by the Catholic Diocese of Jackson that the First Amendment protected it from being sued for the cover-up of sexual abuse by priests. The $48 million lawsuit filed by the Morrison brothers in 2002 may proceed under the decision.

Goodbye, Cherokee

It's two o'clock on Tuesday afternoon and cars are whizzing by the Cherokee Inn on North State Street. The neon Budweiser sign says that today's blue-plate special is beef tips or meatloaf, rice and gravy, fried okra and lima beans for only $6.50. A hive of activity buzzes in and out of the wooden kitchen door as waiters take food orders in and bring food out.

Delaying Treatment

Cornelius Harvey was a 27-year-old barber when, in fall 2005, his stomach started hurting. Harvey could not afford health insurance, though, so he waited. Ignored his stomach pains for several days, thinking that he had a virus.

Federal Bill May Hike Insurance Bills

Attorney General Jim Hood said he was worried about a bill pending in the U.S. Senate taking insurance industry oversight away from state officials. More specifically, the legislation, authored by Sens. John Sununu, R-N.H., and Tim Johnson, D-S.D., allows the insurance industry to set its own rates without state regulation. SB 2509 would create an Office of National Insurance within the Treasury Department.

Cheap Smokes, Empty Bellies

Legislative failures this year included the death of HB 247, which would have raised the tax on cigarettes and reduced the sales tax on Groceries. That bill died after Barbour told Appropriations Chairman Tommy Robertson to kill the bill, despite outcry from health advocacy groups and polls revealing the bill's popularity.

JSU Presidential Pick Named

The board of trustees for Mississippi's universities announced Nov. 22 that it had selected Carolyn W. Meyers to serves as the next president of Jackson State University. Meyers is the former president of another historically black institution, Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Va., and would the first female JSU president.

Walker, Belafonte Appearing at JSU Civil Rights Conference

Actor Harry Belafonte Jr., writer Alice Walker and filmmaker Keith Beauchamp are headlining the third annual Conference of the Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement at Jackson State University starting this Thursday.

Precinct 4 to Relocate

The Jackson City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to move Jackson Police Department's Precinct 4 office from its current location on North State Street to the plaza across from Mikhail's about a mile away on the same street.

Good News for Victims

Announcing some good news on the domestic violence front, Attorney General Jim Hood says that the Domestic Violence Division has made significant progress in educating the state's law enforcement, judges and attorneys. In the past year, the division has sponsored or participated in 31 trainings, providing information and instruction to more than 2,000 individuals.

Week One: Education Funding

The House of Representatives struck a combative pose at its first full session, restoring $17.2 million to higher education that Barbour had ordered cut in November. By a vote of 87-34, the House passed House Bill 290, which directs money from the state's rainy day fund to institutions of higher learning, community colleges and junior colleges.

All results / Stories

Sort By

Date

Authors