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Remarks by Haley Barbour and Thad Cochran Today
Here are the transcribed remarks of Gov. Haley Barbour and Sen. Thad Cochran at today's MEMA press conference in Jackson. They only answered a few questions; Adam said an alarm …
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Election 2007 - Major Races
<b><em>Governor</em>
This year, conservative voters in the state have two clear choices—Haley Barbour, the corporate conservative who helped perfect the national GOP's "southern strategy," or John Arthur Eaves Jr., a Democratic …
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Gettin' Pumped?
The $220 million Yazoo Backwater Area Project, which involves installing a huge pumping station to drain 66,945 acres of Delta wetlands, horrifies many environmentalists, who say the 60-year-old endeavor is …
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Harrison Asking the Right Barbour Questions
Up in Tupelo, Daily Journal reporter Bobby Harrison is asking the right questions, as opposed to the ridiculous posturing coming out of The Clarion-Ledger's Sid Salter. He writes today about …
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Agency in Jeopardy Over Ad Oversight
House Democrats and Gov. Haley Barbour are squaring off against one another regarding how the state spends advertising dollars. The House and Senate were unable to come to terms with …
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Cigarette Tax Hike Still in Limbo
Mississippi legislators reconvene next week to continue haggling over whether to send a bill to increase taxes on cigarettes to the governor, and how high the tax should be, reports …
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Money to Dominate Legislative Session
Money is on the mind of every legislator entering the state Capitol tomorrow for the start of this year's Mississippi legislative session. Officials predict a shortfall of about $360 million …
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Business Training, Health Care and Fine Art
Current and aspiring business owners have a number of training opportunities in the next week. On Thursday, Aug. 5, the Small Business Development Center at Jackson State University hosts a …
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A Legislative Extension?
A session extension or a special session is on the horizon after the Mississippi Legislature went past a critical March 26 budget deadline without adopting a budget. House leaders refused …
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Barbour: Fund ‘Pet Projects' Now
Last week Gov. Haley Barbour called the House and Senate back for a special session, to begin May 18, to continue slogging away at the state's almost $4 billion budget. …
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JFP
Most Viral, Impactful Stories in the First 15 Years of the Jackson Free Press
The JFP has gotten hundreds of thousands of page views for our top-viewed stories since we started tracking a decade or so ago. Here are our biggest stories ever, and …
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Mississippi's Creative Economy
The Mississippi Development Authority and the Mississippi Arts Commission host a summit on Mississippi's Creative Economy Aug. 10 at the Jackson Convention Center.
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Epps Resigns as Miss. Corrections Commissioner
The Department of Corrections said state Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps has resigned without giving a reason.
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The Big-Money GOP Donors at Gunn's Private Party
By R.L. NaveThere were some high-dollar contributors at a private meeting Speaker Philip Gunn had in his office last night. An unusual amount of activity at the Capitol yesterday evening led a TV news crew and a print reporter to investigate, but the journalists were turned away by Capitol security, wrote Clarion-Ledger political editor Geoff Pender today.
According to Pender's report, Gunn's policy director Nathan Wells called the meeting small and consisting of Gunn supporters who hadn't had a chance to visit the speaker's office.
Attendees included oilmen Billy Powell and Billy Mounger as well as Wirt Yerger and their spouses. All the men are high-rollers when it comes to political donations.
Mounger, who has worked in oil and gas development, gave more than $100,000 in both 2007 and 2011, but a quick review of those disclosure filings reveal that Gunn was not a recipient from Mounger in those two cycles.
Mounger has also given handsomely to federal campaigns, including former Gov. Haley Barbour's political action committee and to Republican members of Mississippi's congressional delegation. Powell of Powell Petroleum has also given while Yerger, president of Cavalier Wireless, gave $3,500 to candidates in 2011, including $1,000 to Gunn.
Wells insisted that the meeting was not a fundraiser. He told Pender: "We have food brought in for meetings all the time. This was completely paid for by (Gunn). There were no contributions, and none asked for. It’s not an event. We eat food here at meetings all the time.”
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Mississippi Supreme Court Lineup Filled
By adreherGov. Phil Bryant has filled both Mississippi Supreme Court vacancies, following the departure of Justices Randy Pierce and David Chandler. Former District 1 Court of Appeals Judge James Maxwell and tenth district chancellor Dawn Beam will join the state's highest court in the new year.
Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. said in statement that Judge Maxwell's "energy and experience will serve the court and the citizens of the state well.” Waller expressed enthusiasm at Beam's arrival to the court. In a statement, he said Judge Beam has continued to go above standards in helping her court's district convert to an all electronic filing system. Beyond clerical duties, Waller said Beam "has tirelessly worked to resolve issues regarding placement and supervision of abused and neglected children.”
Judge Beam has been involved with her district's work to guarantee safe homes for all children and recently spoke at a community meeting in December praising the local Department of Human Services workers in Marion County for the changes they've made in their office--including upping personnel numbers. The increased personnel led to 160 children being removed from their homes due to court orders that cited deplorable living conditions or drug abuse at home.
Judge Maxwell was appointed to the district court by former Gov. Haley Barbour in 2009 and re-elected in 2014. He practiced civil law in Jackson and worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the northern district of Mississippi.
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$500 Million Just Ain't Enough
The New York Times reported on Friday about the wave of lawsuits in Mississippi and Louisiana over contracts for debris removal. In her piece, "After Hurricanes Comes Tempest Over Cleanup," …
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Personhood Heads to the Capitol
Just over a week into the legislative session, we're already seeing some movement on "personhood" bills, to define when human life and legal protections begin, similar to Initiative 26, which …
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Capitol Report
On Monday, Feb 28, a conference was held in Room 103 between the Senate and the House, where Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, accused the Senate of holding some of their …
