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He said, BP said

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant's response to the oil spill has been anything but dramatic and has often sent conflicting messages. Bryant criticized the national media during a May 12 press conference for "overreacting" and said the oil spill was not the Exxon Valdez.

Making Elbow Room

Police Chief Shirlene Anderson has been pushing the idea of a misdemeanor jail as part of her plan to battle repeat offenders in the city.

Strip (Miners) and Sex (Fiends)

The final round of appropriations bills shot through joint committees March 30, though Rep. Jamie Franks, D-Mooreville, temporarily held some appropriations bills. Franks said he got nervous over an appropriation bill for Fisheries, Wildlife and Parks containing language allowing the agency to sell or lease state parks for private development. The same language had been in state law for nearly three years, but avid hunters and conservationists, like Franks, raised a flag after numerous attempts by parks committee chairs in both the House and Senate at opening some state parks for strip mining and development.

Do The Right Thing

This story originally ran in the Daily Mississippian, Ole Miss' student newspaper.

Not The Mayor's Man

Under heavy clouds and intermittent drizzle, Jackson Police Commander Tyrone Lewis declared his intention to run for Hinds County sheriff at a brief press conference in front of Lanier High School last Thursday.

Woodward Execution Date Set

Attorney General Jim Hood is asking the state of Mississippi to execute two death-row inmates, the first since 2008. Hood's office submitted requests to the Mississippi Supreme Court last month to set execution dates of May 19 and 20 for Paul Woodward and Gerald James Holland.

The 2009 JFP Interview with Frank Melton, Part II: Being Mayor

2009 JFP Interview, Part I

Hinds Unloading Title Building

For three years, the Mississippi Valley Title Building has weighed on Hinds County's budget without contributing much of anything in the way of revenue. Purchased in 2007 for a planned expansion of county offices, the building has sat more or less dormant since the county scrapped those original plans.

‘Personhood' Petition Filed

Personhood Mississippi, an anti-abortion organization led by Les Riley of Pontotoc, has filed a petition with the secretary of state's office to put the issue of when life begins on a ballot for voters to decide, reports WXVT. The organization's position is that life begins at fertilization.

Change on the Horizon

Barack Obama can win Mississippi for the Democratic Party. A laughable statement in political circles as recently as last year, this was the message Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean delivered during a Friday, July 18, address at Tougaloo College with a seriousness and fervor reminiscent of his 2004 presidential campaign.

Lumumba Seeks Ward 2 Slot

Jackson attorney Chokwe Lumumba announced his candidacy for Ward 2 Councilman Monday.

Gusher in the Gulf: June 2010

June 1: NOAA Fisheries Service revises the fishery closures to include more than 31 percent of the Gulf of Mexico.

Melton Hires Reeves

Local attorney John Reeves has decided to represent Jackson Mayor Frank Melton in November when Melton goes on trial for constitutional violations stemming from the Ridgeway demolition.

Feds: Peters ‘Corruptly Influenced' DeLaughter

Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter, famous for prosecuting infamous civil-rights murderer Byron de la Beckwith, was arraigned last week in federal court for his role in a bribery scandal involving attorney Dickie Scruggs and DeLaughter's former boss, ex-Hinds County District Attorney Ed Peters.

Jonathan Larkin: The Exit Interview

The Jackson Public Schools Board that Jonathan Larkin served on for almost eight years is a far cry from the board's current, collegial incarnation. Larkin, 55, served from 2002 until this spring, when Monica Gilmore-Love replaced him.

Oh Yeah, The Plan

The Jackson City Council cut off Police Chief Shirlene Anderson before she could go into the details of her proposed modular misdemeanor jail on Monday, saying they were looking for a more detailed version of the chief's crime plan.

Temp-Gate Rocks City

In a contentious Dec. 21 meeting, City Council voted 4-0 to an amendment refusing to make payments for temp agencies supplying workers to the city of Jackson. On Tuesday, the council voted down a claims docket based on concerns over temporary workers, and some members demanded more details on those workers before they would approve the docket.

Easy On Community Colleges?

In a budget proposal that suggested drastic consolidation of the state's K-12 school districts and public universities, Gov. Haley Barbour was noticeably less adamant about changes to the state's community college system.

Pumps No More?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may pull the plug on plans to build a $220 million flood-control system in the Yazoo River Basin. Environmentalists warned last December that The Yazoo Backwater Project—devised to control flooding along the Yazoo River Basin—would destroy thousands of acres of wetlands.

Fears and Committees

Gulfport Councilman Kenneth Casey said he fears the oncoming hurricane season and what it could mean to the waters and shoreline of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

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