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Baria: Barbour's Wind Pool Veto Raises Rates

Sen. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, successfully added an amendment to a bill by voice vote yesterday that continues the state's annual $20 million payment to the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association Reinsurance Assistance Fund, also called the wind pool. The measure passed the Senate unanimously, reports The Sun Herald and is on its way to the House.

Jones Drafts Legislation to Protect Abuse Victims

A Mississippi Gulf Coast lawmaker is drafting a bill that will protect domestic-violence victims from being victimized again. Rep. Brandon Jones, D-Pascagoula, vice-chairman of the House Insurance Committee, says his legislation will prevent health-insurance companies from denying victims coverage.

Linda Francomb

When Linda Francomb's daughter, Heather Spencer, was brutally murdered by her boyfriend Sept. 11, 2007, Francomb could have chosen to spend her days wallowing in grief; no one could have blamed her. Instead, the tragedy galvanized her to get busy, doing what she could to save other women from her daughter's fate.

Crime Reports Mixed: Jackson Crime Stats for Oct. 19-25

Major crimes in Jackson last week stayed level with numbers from the previous week, according to a report released today at a Jackson Police Department command staff meeting. Officers reported 216 total property crimes and 26 total violent crimes last week.

Melody Golding

The Smithsonian Institute in Washingon, D.C., has selected Vicksburg photographer Melody Golding's photo collection "Katrina: Mississippi Women Remember," to add to the Smithsonian Archives Center this month. Golding's work is the institute's only acquisition documenting the effects of Hurricane Katrina on Mississippi.

State Waits on Personhood Ruling

A war of semantics filled Judge Malcolm Harrison's courtroom this afternoon, as opposing parties debated the constitutionality of a 2011 ballot initiative asking voters to determine when life begins.

Gusher Twice as Big; BP Grants to Miss. Upped to $65 Million

Yesterday, government scientists announced yet again that the amount of oil gushing from the BP well in the Gulf of Mexico is at least twice as much as previously believed. The new "official" amount is now between 20,000 and 40,000 barrels per day, reports The New York Times. That means that for the past 52 days, 840,000 to 1.68 million gallons have been spewing into the sea every day.

Jordan Mohr

Determined to rebuild the lives of Mississippians who are coping with the aftermath of a devastating tornado, Americorps National Civilian Community Corps member Jordan Mohr arrived in Yazoo City this morning prepared to help assess damages and sort through the rubble.

Swine Flu Vaccine Injections Available

The Mississippi Department of Health has received an injectable version of the Swine Flu vaccine, reports WXVT. Spokeswoman Liz Sharlot said the state took delivery of 60,000 doses of the new vaccine in addition to the 69,000 doses of the nasal spray version already being distributed.

BREAKING: Levee Board Votes for Corps' Levee Plan

The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District voted this morning to move head with a levees-only flood-control plan endorsed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Flowood Mayor Gary Rhodes moved to accept the Corps' recommendation that the levees along the Pearl River between Hinds and Rankin counties be extended. The other mayors on the Levee Board including Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. all supported the motion, with only Jackson businessmen Leland Speed and Socrates Garrett voting against it. Rhodes cited the concerns of his constituents about the urgency of flood control in submitting the motion. Mayor Johnson seconded the motion.

Domestic Abuse Bills Near Deadline

With an early deadline for bills bearing down Tuesday at midnight, state legislators have only two days to act on a number of bills that would stiffen the penalties for abusive behavior.

Shannon Goodwill

Shannon Goodwill wants families affected by domestic violence to know that the community supports them. Goodwill, a sixth-grade art teacher at Brandon Middle School, is organizing "Art and Sole," an art project she and her students are donating to a domestic-abuse shelter in Jackson.

Harvey Walden IV

Wearing military fatigues and shouting into his megaphone, Harvey Walden IV isn't afraid to push Hollywood celebrities to the limit. As the trainer on VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club," Walden uses his 23 years of experience as a Marine to help celebrities get in shape.

Consultants Recommend Merging School Districts

A consulting firm hired to evaluate Mississippi public school districts for possible consolidations have recommended merging 18 of the state's 149 underperforming districts with their larger neighbors. The company, Augenblick, Palaich and Associates, presented their findings yesterday to a school-consolidation commission appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour.

Barbour Declares Third Emergency

Several north Mississippi counties joined Gov. Haley Barbour's emergency list yesterday because of severe storms, flooding and tornados that left at least three Mississippians dead. The counties of Benton, Lafayette, Panola, Tippah and Union joined several mid-state counties where the governor declared a disaster April 28 due to tornados, and the entire Gulf coast awaiting the encroaching sea of oil headed for the beaches.

Big K.R.I.T.

Mississippians will have the opportunity to see some home-grown talent this Friday when Meridian native and hip-hop artist Big K.R.I.T. performs in Jackson.

State Earns "F" from March of Dimes but Shows Improvement

Mississippi received a failing grade from the second annual March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card, but the organization states that it showed improvement on some criteria. The report, released yesterday on the seventh annual Prematurity Awareness Day, says as a whole, the United States gets a "D," with more than a half million newborns not getting the healthy start they deserve. No state received an "A" on the report card and only Vermont received a "B."

Jackson Violent Crimes Drop Again; Property Crimes Increase

Major crimes rose slightly last week in Jackson, with a drop in violent crime offset by a rise in property crimes, especially house burglaries. According to statistics released at a Jackson Police Department command staff meeting this morning, patrol officers reported 21 violent crimes last week, down from 36 the previous week, and 186 property crimes, up from 158 the week before. Those figures are consistent with recent trends: For the year to date, violent crime is down 10.8 percent over 2008, while property crime is up 0.9 percent.

Brad Rogers

For better or worse, Pearl Mayor Brad Rogers proved he's his own man when it comes to making a decision on the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District. Rogers was one of the five members of the levee board who voted in favor of a motion to adopt a levee plan for flood control along the Pearl River, as well as one of four mayors on the board who favored levees. Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads explained that he had constituents who wanted the board to get moving on some kind of flood-control plan, be it levees or a lake plan, and warned that the Corps had limited their choices by pulling the plug on the lake option.

Chief Keeping Close Eye on Fuel Cost

http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/v3/images/documents/MajorCrimes050210pdf.pdf

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