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Schools to Receive Federal Aid

Millions from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will go toward Mississippi's struggling public education system, according to WXVT 15 in the Delta.

Toyota Building Eco-Friendly Plant in Mississippi

[verbatim release from governor's office] Toyota Motor Corp.'s designation of its Mississippi plant as a worldwide model of environmentally-friendly operations is a dramatic statement of confidence in the Mississippi project, Governor Haley Barbour said today. "Toyota has designated its Blue Springs plant as a model that will emphasize the importance of nature in creating production sites that harmonize with their natural surroundings," Governor Barbour said. "This puts Toyota and Mississippi on the leading edge of a totally new concept in building automotive manufacturing plants that can truly live in harmony with the environment and local community."

New Film Incentives for Mississippi

[verbatim] Jackson, Miss. (May 13, 2008) – Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has signed HB 1351, creating new incentives for the motion picture and television industry. The rebate program applies to feature, television, documentary and commercial production, and is effective immediately. "The film industry is important to Mississippi, as it is an industry in constant growth," Governor Barbour said. "We consider ours a long term commitment to community and economic development and to the creation of jobs in all sectors in every corner of our state.

Jackson Schools Complete Renovations

Nearly three years after the Jackson Public School District passed a $150 million bond issue for a capital improvement program to aid deteriorating infrastructure and overcrowding, renovations are complete at two Jackson elementary schools.

House Tries Budget Restoration, Again

The Mississippi House of Representatives has sent the Senate a second proposal to restore some state budget cuts, while negotiators attempt to reach a compromise on an earlier proposal. The House plan passed by a wide margin Thursday morning, and the full Senate could take it up when it reconvenes tomorrow.

Barbour Calls Special Session

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour called a special session this afternoon to consider increasing the amount that state, county and municipal employees pay toward retirement. Barbour, who made the announcement about three hours before the special session began, said he wants K-12 and college teachers and government employees to pay 9 percent of their paychecks toward retirement, instead of the current 7.25 percent, in order to save $56 million in the general fund and another $20 million in municipalities and county governments.

FEMA Clears Disaster Relief for Hinds County

[verbatim from Gov. Barbour's office] Governor Haley Barbour has been notified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that Hinds County will receive a major disaster declaration from the President due to the April 4 severe storms and tornadoes. "I am grateful to FEMA for making a serious review and recognizing that sufficient damages did exist even though preliminary information didn't make our case very well. FEMA gave us a fair second chance, which resulted in this decision that will help speed recovery from these devastating storms," Governor Barbour said.

Mississippi Soldiers Ship Out Today

The U.S. Army Reserve's 296th Transportation Company ships out today for final training in Wisconsin before heading to Iraq. The Mississippi company of 169 men and women, which was last deployed in 2003, will serve overseas for one year beginning in September, according to The Mississippi Press.

Barbour Orders More Cuts, Including to MAEP

January 14, 2009 - Gov. Haley Barbour today ordered more state budget cuts, including $76.6 million from the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, a 3.49% cut to that program. Barbour released the following statement about his cuts, verbatim"

Mental Health Legislation Passed

House Bill 897, signed into law by Gov. Haley Barbour, creates a panel to study issues surrounding delivery of the state's mental health services and make recommendations for improvement.

Dee, Moore Lawsuit Goes Forward

Read the JFP's Dee-Moore archive here for background and complete stories.

Cellular South Expands Mississippi Services

Ridgeland, Miss.-based Cellular South, the largest privately-held wireless carrier in the U.S., has announced expanded third-generation coverage in 78 cities across 26 Mississippi counties this year. The ambitious plan allows the company to "maintain its leadership position as the provider with the most 3G high-speed data coverage in its primary footprint and nationwide," according to a release.

FBI: Jackson Violent Crime Decreases in 2008 over 2007

Jackson's overall rate of violent crime decreased slightly for the first six months of 2008 as compared to the same period of 2007, according to the FBI's preliminary Uniform Crime Statistic report released Jan. 12. Numbers for murder and aggravated assault rose slightly, while rapes and robberies fell. The report shows a total of 729 violent crimes in the capital city from January through June 2008, as compared to 760 for the same period in 2007. The city's overall 4.1 percent decrease in violent crime is in line with the FBI's national statistic of a 3.5 percent drop in violent crime.

Gov. Barbour 'Pleased' With President-Elect

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour reported today that President-Elect Barack Obama's Tuesday meeting with state governors on addressing the recession was "cordial."

Warrs Say ‘Not Guilty'

Former Republican Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr and his wife Laura both pleaded not guilty yesterday to four new charges of misleading loan officers on two mortgage loans in 2003, before Warr became mayor in 2005. The new indictments follow a 16-count indictment that federal authorities launched against the Warrs for Katrina fraud, including misrepresenting occupancy and losses to FEMA, to which the Warrs also pleaded not guilty in January.

Utilities Battle Raging Today in Special Session

The opening salvo in Mississippi's legislative special session goes to the Democratic-majority House of Representatives, with the House Appropriations Committee approving funding for the Public Service Commission this morning. The bill, which the full House voted to approve, would grant the Public Service Commission an additional three staff members and allow the PSC to reallocate money to fill three more vacant positions. All told, the bill would give the PSC three staff lawyers for $292,000 and three rate analysts. That appropriation is a more modest offer than the 11 additional staff members that the PSC originally requested during the regular legislative session.

Trent Lott, Harry Reid Call for ‘New Blood' in White House

The New York Times reports today that prominent lawmakers of both parties, including Sens. Trent Lott and Harry Reid are calling for the president to make shake-ups in the White House, in the wake of Friday's indictment of Scooter Libby, who is both special assistant to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney's chief of staff. Lawmakers are also calling for a major investigation in Dick Cheney's role in the scheme to cover up the lies about WMD that convinced the American people to support the Iraqi War.

Judy Lewis

Mississippi Public Broadcasting's board of directors unanimously appointed Judy Lewis, 59, as its new executive director last week. Lewis, a native Mississippian from Morton, holds a doctorate in higher education from the University of Mississippi and a bachelor's and master's degree in education and speech communication from Mississippi College. She succeeds Marie Antoon, who announced her retirement in May, and will begin her new job Aug. 1.

Jesse Jackson Seeking Macon Man's Release

AP is reporting: "The Rev. Jesse Jackson will contact religious leaders in Iraq to seek the release of Thomas Hamill, the American civilian truck driver abducted in Iraq, Hamill's wife said Saturday. Kellie Hamill, who has been pleading in the media for her husband's release, said Jackson made the offer last week and she asked him to intervene. 'We talked with him several days ago,' she said in a telephone interview from the couple's home in Macon. U.S. Sen. Trent Lott said Friday at a news conference in Tupelo he had talked with Jackson and helped the longtime civil rights advocate contact the Hamill family.

Emotional Nature

The Gulf Coast has produced plenty of well-known artists, including the very renowned Walter Anderson. Anderson pledged his life to communion with nature in 1947 and moved to a cottage in Shearwater, frequently visiting a group of barrier islands along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where he lived primitively through the end of his life in 1965. Living on the island, he sought to become one with nature.

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