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[Hightower] Money In, Money Out

Surely you don't think that campaign donations from wealthy interests are intended to buy favors from our lawmakers, do you?

[You Turn] Oxford's Mean Girls

At the Lyric Theater in Oxford I recently encountered a very strange example of Southern femininitythe vicious sorority girl inflamed by pledge week. The Lyric has quickly become a world-class music venue, perhaps the best in Mississippi, due in large part to the booking of excellent bands such as Wilco, Umphrey's McGee and Modest Mouse.

Stop the Injustice of ‘Justice'

Nothing brings the inequality and foibles of our justice system into stark relief like an upcoming execution. As lawyers battle over last-minute efforts to save a human life, it's impossible not to weigh one man's sentence of death against others who receive lesser sentences—or even pardons—for equivalent crimes.

Taxpayers Deserve to See Pearl Study

In 2003, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District agreed to begin a three-year feasibility study to update the cost of a 1996 levee plan originally endorsed by the Corps, and analyze a plan to flood the Pearl River between Hinds and Rankin counties.

[Sue Doh Nem] A Brainwashed State of Christmas

Nurse Tootie McBride: "This holiday season I want to provide encouragement for the hopeless, jobless, broke and stressed out individual who feels like ending this year with a bang or two. I want to reason with you for a moment. I hope that I'm able to relieve your troubled state of being.

Reeves Gets His Way

Weeks ago, an amendment to HB 284 spun heads in the House when Rep. John Reeves, R-Jackson, sought to add an amendment allotting Jackson seven of 13 seats on the Hinds County 911 Emergency Commission. Even without the amendment, HB 284 re-tooled the board, increasing Jackson's representation to five members, instead of its current two.

City Appeals Byram Incorporation

The city of Jackson shook off a recent deal with the community of Byram, after a Hinds County Chancery Court judge's decision to allow Byram residents to incorporate.

GO Zone Deadlines Coming and Going

Local governments in southern and central Mississippi must begin using federal funds for disaster recovery by the end of the year, according to Gov. Haley Barbour. Barbour recently sent a letter to the 39 cities and counties that received a combined $41 million in GO Zone Community Revitalization grants, setting a Jan. 1 deadline for projects to start.

Jackson's Crime Rate

Jackson's crime rate put Mississippi's capital city at the No. 23 spot of 385 U.S. cities, according to "City Crime Rankings, 2008-2009," released by the CQ Press earlier this month. The city's ranking puts it in a better light than New Orleans, which had the highest crime rate, followed by Camden, N.J., Detroit, St. Louis, Oakland, Calif., and 17 other U.S. cities.

How To Invest in the Community

For every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $45 stays in the local economy. That is the finding of a study by Civic Economics, which found that shopping at a chain store only renders $13 back into the local economy.

Indecent Proposal?

The Associated Press reported last week that the scandal of jailed former lobbyist Jack Abramoff reaches fairly far into Mississippi. Abramoff's former deputy Todd Boulanger told U.S. District Judge Richard W. Roberts that he provided thousands of dollars worth of goodies to Capitol Hill aides who could help him land legislation favorable to his clients.

Welcome to FY 2010: Where's the Budget?

At around 8 p.m. last night, the Mississippi House approved a $60 million hospital tax promoted by Gov. Haley Barbour to fund the state's Medicaid program, after a nearly two-and-a-half hour readingout loudof the 81-page bill, reports the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The tax will increase by another $30 million over the next three years to reach the original $90 million figure the governor wanted.

[Jordan] New School Year; New Beginnings

Interim State Superintendent of Education

It's that time again. Summer break for our boys and girls is nearing an end. Communities are preparing activities to get everyone excited about the new school year. Parents are shopping for school clothes and supplies. Teachers are readying their classrooms to welcome students, ensuring that their rooms are equipped with all the tools they need to make learning fun.

AAN Awards Diversity Grant to Melishia Grayson

The Association of Alternative Newsweeklies announced today that JFP intern and columnist Melishia Grayson is the recipient of a 2007 diversity grant. Melishia will report, write and blog 20 hours a week for the JFP, focusing on state and city issues. She will be part of the JFP's expanded legislative team at the State Capitol for the 2007 legislative session. Melishia is a 2005 graduate of Lanier High School where she was student body president. She is now a Jackson State University sophomore studying mass communications. This is the third diversity grant the JFP has received from AAN; the first two went to Ayana Taylor, a graduate of Tougaloo College and now a contributing editor of the JFP, and photographer/filmmaker Thabi Moyo, a graduate of Howard University who now works with the Crossroads Film Festival and the Canton film office.

Mississippi Schools Get New Rating System

Earlier this month, the Mississippi State School Board approved a new accountability rating system that gives top schools a "Star School" rating among its seven levels, instead of the previous numbered ratings of "Level 1" for the lowest scoring schools, to "Level 5" for the highest scoring.

Will Senate Allow Stimulus Discussion?

Last week, the Mississippi House passed a resolution to override Gov. Haley Barbour's decision to reject some of the stimulus funds for the state. Barbour has stated that he will not accept more than $50 million to extend unemployment benefits.

Mayor Harvey Johnson Returns to JSU Faculty

(JACKSON, Miss.) -- Mayor Harvey Johnson plans to return to his love of teaching next month as he joins the faculty of Jackson State University. Johnson, along with university officials, will make the announcement at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 21 in the College of Business.

State gets D+ for Protecting Water Quality

Mississippi rates a lowly D+ for protecting the quality of natural water sources, according to the Gulf Restoration Network. The organization, an alliance of local individuals and national and regional groups, issued a report card grading how committed (or non-committed) state officials are at incorporating the standards of the Clean Water Act of 1977. The Clean Water Act established goals of reducing national water pollution and eliminating the release of water fouled with high amounts of toxic waste.

MPB Receives Four Emmy Nominations

[verbatim] Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) received four 2008 Emmy Award nominations for its work in Between the Lions, Simply Science at the Fossil Road Show and Mississippi Roads. The Emmy Awards recognize outstanding achievement in all fields of daytime television production.

Jury in Melton Retrial to Come From Coast

Also see: Full JFP Melton Blog/Archive/Trial

The second federal civil rights trial of Mayor Frank Melton and bodyguard Michael Recio will take place in Jackson, with a jury called from the Gulf Coast, a federal judge ruled yesterday. Melton and Recio's first trial for the 2006 demolition of a Ridgeway Street duplex ended in a hung jury on Feb. 24.

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