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Dodging Bullets

Shorter SessionOne of the first moves the Legislature made this year was to cut its hours.

Medicaid on Hold?

Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, said he wants the Mississippi Senate to belly up and help the House fund Medicaid.

City Council President Ben Allen said last week that he wanted the city to crack down on soliciting, particularly in the downtown area. Allen said aggressive panhandling was helping drive businesses out of the city and discouraged new business and tourism in the area. He said that city attorneys were devising a proposal that limits panhandling to certain spots in the city.

Recycling Crime

U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate has put the clamps on an effort to change a new state law regulating the metal-recycling industry. The law specifically demands scrap buyers keep all scrap purchases on their property for three days, so authorities can check it as potentially stolen merchandise.

Money and Marriage

The biggest fight in the Mississippi Legislature still centered on money in week 3 of the 2010 session. The House refused to consider a Senate bill giving Gov. Haley Barbour the power to selectively cut 10 percent of certain state agency budgets while sparing other agenciesnamely the Department of Corrections. So Barbour responded with a more constitutional blanket cut.

AG Can Sue BP without OK

British Petroleum announced that Mississippi will receive a total of $65 million to fight oil coming onto the beaches and for tourist advertising, but Attorney General Jim Hood says he requires none of those funds to pursue a suit against the oil giant, should one become necessary.

Judge Malcolm Harrison: A New Man

Newly appointed Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Malcolm Harrison is a careful man when it comes to talking politics about Mississippi's judicial system.

Rev. Olivier Returns to South Africa

Rev. Ross Olivier, "Reverend Ross" to his Galloway Methodist Church parishioners, will return to his native South Africa in January after serving the Jackson church since July 2004. In recent years, Olivier (pronounced Ollie-FEE) has become a Jackson staple at social justice and racial reconciliation events, drawing from his work and experience during the apartheid era in South Africa, where he was a vigorous opponent of the brutal oppression he found there. Archbishop Desmond Tutu asked Olivier to establish a council of churches during that time, and in 1994, the year of South Africa's first democratic elections, he facilitated the Methodist Church's re-visioning for the new, emerging democracy, chronicled in the book "Journey Begun," which he co-authored.

‘Fidelity to the Law'

Frank Farmer prides himself on his evenhandedness. Farmer, 34, a candidate for Hinds County Court Judge in District 1, grew up in Hattiesburg, the son of a veterinarian and a physical therapist. He studied biology briefly at Rhodes College in Memphis before deciding to major in political science.

GOP Rift Hurts Hinds Primaries

Hinds County Republican Party Chairman Pete Perry said a rift between his administration and that of his predecessor, Ken Avery, complicated the Aug. 7 primary with staff shortages, long waits and some crossover voting.

Medicaid Ultimatums

Legislators are digging in on both sides over Medicaid during the quiet days preceding the June 26 reconvening of the special session.

Bribery Indictments Expand

The federal indictment of attorney Dickie Scruggs continues to snatch up lawyers like an expanding avalanche barreling down a ski slope. Booneville attorney Joey Langston pled guilty to a corruption charge last week, admitting that he tried to influence a Hinds County Circuit Court Judge.

City Shaken By Departures

Last week saw a flurry of resignations from Mayor Frank Melton's administration, starting with City Administration Director Peyton Prospere, whose resignation became public Wednesday. On Friday, Deputy City Attorney Herb Irvin and grant writer Lisa Lucas also resigned. These resignations came only days after Melton vowed to WAPT that he would fire some members of city government.

A Smoking ‘Play on Words'

A Jackson City Council committee on Monday approved a change to a 2003 city ordinance banning smoking in many businesses, extending the ban to restaurants—unless they have a bar.

House Votes to Accept Senate's Tort Reform Bill

After a long floor debate today, the Mississippi House of Representatives voted 76-38 to concur with the Senate strike-all version of HB 13 — a bill that institutes $1 million damage caps on general business liability and removes the exemption for disfigurement. Rep Ed Blackmon—who had previously said he would not support any non-economic damage caps—made the motion to concur with the bill (which means it will go straight for the governor's signature). The measure passed 76-38 at 2:19 this afternoon.

Hell Freezes Over

Deuce McAllister won't "run it up in there," my dad likes to say. Or so said an opposing coach, he claims, debating the last position for the Magnolia squad in the 1997 Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Classic. The Morton High back eventually made the team and saw the ball maybe twice amid a collection of more hyped pass-and-catch stars headlined by Romaro Miller. Miller set a Classic record by attempting 34 passes, but Mississippi lost, 10-6.

Legislators Pass Bills Aimed at Teens

Two bills aimed at keeping Mississippi teenagers safe are on the legislative docket.

The first, SB 2280, is about driving for 15 and 16-year-old teens. The bill proposes prohibiting texting and driving by kids with learner's permits or intermediate driver's licenses, and adds six months to their learning curve. The Mississippi House passed the bill yesterday and it is now Senate bound.

[Update] Speaker McCoy: Gov, Senate Move ‘Terrible Thing'

After spending eight days in special session, costing taxpayers a total of $41,162 so far (see below), the Mississippi House of Representatives went home Friday, saying they will return next Tuesday and start over on tort-reform legislation after the Senate and governor ceremoniously rejected their plan, saying it was "flawed" and "halfway tort reform." House Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, spoke forcefully on the floor of the House late Thursday afternoon, saying that civil justice reform is "one of the most delicate subjects that exist in American democracy, but, in the end, this House spoke." The Senate should have let the democratic system proceed, he said: "I conferred with the governor and assured him that this House would pass any measure brought by and referred by conferees. ... That was the best we could do. They did not believe that; I regret that very much. They were wrong. ... They made a mistake; they have wasted the people's money."

Nissan to Expand Canton Plant

Despite declining auto sales worldwide, Nissan announced plans today to expand its Canton, Miss. plant to produce a new commercial vehicle, according to a release:

Council Votes No to Raises; Yes to Legal Fees

Members of the Jackson City Council reversed themselves on a number of decisions during Tuesday's council meeting, June 16. The council agreed to pay the legal fees of the city's former mayor and voted down an employee pay raise, though individual council members were inconsistent with their records on some issues.

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