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Bring on the Budget

"We've been needing to talk about (the budget) for weeks. What we were told was the end of March. I hope by Monday we can get a grasp of where we are," Ward 6 Councilman Marshand Crisler said at Monday's work session, noting that the administration had already missed two budget deadlines.

Worried in Florida

Pensacola Beach is packed. People sunbathe on the white sand, parents look on as their children make sand castles and run into ankle-deep water, and surfers take full advantage of the waves in the crystal blue water.

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.

FBI Raids Barbour Niece

Gov. Haley Barbour's niece continues to be the object of federal scrutiny over Hurricane Katrina contracts. Last Thursday, FBI agents raided the Mississippi office of Alcatec LLC, owned by Rosemary Barbour. Rosemary Barbour is married to Hinds County Superintendent Charles Barbour, who is Haley Barbour's nephew.

Energy Overkill?

The former mayor of Tupelo is heading a new energy advocacy group that critics say is pushing for a prohibitively expensive lignite coal plant and expansions of the Grand Gulf nuclear facility.

DHS Wants Training School Lawsuit Dropped

Last week, the Mississippi Department of Human Services filled a motion to dismiss a lawsuit, filed on behalf of eight teenage girls, who guards reportedly shackled, and in other instances abused, at Columbia Training School. The Mississippi Protection and Advocacy Systems sued a lengthy list of officials including Gov. Haley Barbour and Department of Human Services Executive Director Don Taylor on July 11, 2007.

Save Our Routes

Ineva May-Pittman took the mic and walked with a slight limp toward the front of the room to face the audience. Someone said, chuckling, "Ms. Pittman!" If her salt-and-pepper bob and conservative dress didn't give it away, what she said confirmed her senior-citizen status. May-Pittman's car-insurance rates have increased.

Health Reform on the Way

The Mississippi Primary Health Care Association and Health Help for Kids hosted a community forum last week featuring federal and state leaders who outlined some of the changes Mississippians could expect as a result of the new health-care legislation.

Appropriations and Pole-Dancing

The House and Senate agreed on a major appropriation bill last week, when negotiators came to terms on appropriations bill SB 2495, which restores $82 million to the Fiscal Year 2010 budget, including $37 million slated for K-12 public education. House and Senate negotiators reached an accord after Gov. Haley Barbour sliced more than $450 million from the 2010 budget.

CityBuzz [10.4.06]

'Allen and His Loony Squad'

Former JFD Assistant Chief Tony Davis got free rein at the Jackson Advocate two weeks ago in a vitriolic column describing Council President Ben Allen's "hidden agenda for the city of Jackson." In the column, Davis called Allen a "pick-pocket racist," who hates other races but still wants their support. Davis recently resigned after he demanded written substantiation of firefighter complaints made to the JFP. The fire department suspended five firefighters for failing to comply, but Mayor Frank Melton soon returned them to duty. It was Davis who got the boot.

Gulf Oil Spill FAQ

Earlier this month, ProPublica published an FAQ that attempted to explain what's known about how the Deepwater Horizon spill happened, whether it could've been prevented,and who's on the hook for the disaster.

Better Late Than Never

A large group gathered in the gymnasium of Higgins Middle School in McComb, Miss. for a ceremony, Thursday, June 22. This graduation was different. There was no buzzing and flittering about. There were very few teenagers dressed in Sunday best. College students eager to start their new lives weren't standing in line, either. Instead, 10 60-somethings dressed in green caps and gowns with gold trim were anxious to receive honorary diplomas.

MySpace v. Domestic Abuse

Pussy for Peace is a married 25-year-old woman from Tehran. The MySpace page she manages is a sprawling hive of women's news and thoughts with a Middle East flavor. When a woman is attacked, shot or beaten anywhere in the world, the news often appears here, along with a host of pro-female thoughts.

Police Assaulted Boy, Mother Says

A Jackson mother alleges that a JPD officer threw her child against a police car and gave his face a cut that required 11 stitches.

2009 JFP Interview with Frank Melton, Part I: Health

The day after Mayor Frank Melton got a reprieve from prison due to a hung jury, he held a brief press conference in City Hall to talk about his plans for the city. Soon afterward, Jackson Free Press editor Donna Ladd approached Melton for a new set of JFP interviews and then sat down with him for nearly three hours in his mayoral office on Thursday. Following is part 1 of that interview.

Boxers, Cows, Horses and Hogs

Advocacy groups this week denounced Senate Finance Committee Chair Tommy Robertson for killing an embattled tax swap bill that would have cut the state's grocery tax by half and raised the tobacco tax to $1 per pack.

Jennifer Gillom: 'Feeling of Pride'

This past weekend, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum inducted six new members, including Jennifer Gillom. Originally from Abbeville, Gillom, 44, played for Ole Miss after high school under Coach Van Chancellor.

‘Kaze Goes Kanye At Millsaps

During a concert on the campus of Millsaps College, Kamikaze, local hip-hop artist and JFP columnist, gave social and political commentary about President George W. Bush Thursday, Sept. 28.

No More Decree

The Jackson Police and Fire departments are no longer bound by a 1974 consent decree in the promotion and hiring of employees. Last week, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate determined that the city "has fulfilled its obligations under both decrees," which were devised to counter racial discrimination in hiring and promotions.

[City Buzz] no. 13 January 31 - February 7

The Mississippi AFL-CIO held a press conference on Monday, demanding the Senate pass two worker-friendly bills sent to them from the House.

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