Jackson Free Press

Week 7–Butt Tax and Task Force

Two tricky bills survived their respective sides of the Legislature, most likely to be stoned to death or ignored into oblivion by the opposing chamber in the upcoming weeks.

[Balko] The Year in Clemency

It was a strange year for clemency, the often misunderstood and generally misused power that allows the president and governors to grant pardons (which overturn convictions) and commutations (which reduce …

Come All Ye Faithful

In his column last week, The Clarion-Ledger's Sid Salter quoted the fifth chapter of Matthew to justify Gov. Haley Barbour diverting federal money away from low-income Katrina re-housing and into …

[Balko] Progress and Challenges in Mississippi

Last week Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour signed House Bill 1456, which would require anyone conducting autopsies in the state to be certified in forensic pathology by the American Board of …

Bill to Hamstring AG Office?

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and the Mississippi Senate are pressing for a new law that would force a competitive bidding process on plaintiff lawyers looking to contract with the Mississippi …

Greg Davis…Logician for Congress

So look at this, er, classic slippery slope argument by Southaven's mayor:

Check out Davis' attack ad on his opponent, Democrat Travis Childers. These two are vying for the seat in District 1 that Roger Wicker gave up after his appointment to …

Gaming Chairman: Lottery Effort ‘Swimming Upstream'

House Gaming Committee Chairman Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, had a difficult time making a decision on a bill paving the way for a state-run lottery to support education. House Bill …

Election Post-Mortem

Well, all, there weren't a lot of surprises Tuesday night, and a lot of our prayers about the state rising above the race game went unanswered ... for now. But …

The Truth About Barbour's ‘Blind Trust'

Bloomberg News is still hot on Barbour's trail. Today, they reveal much more about his so-called "blind trust" in the lobbying firm that lobbied the state for Katrina-related contracts—it pays …

Barbour Leads Anti-Health Reform Rhetoric

Gov. Haley Barbour and other opponents of health-care reform are making final efforts to derail an upcoming House vote on the Senate health-care package this Sunday.

GOP Primary #Overnotover, McDaniel Vows Challenge

The Republican primary for U.S. Senate is officially over—except it's not quite over.

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Obamacare: Five Years and Counting

With Bryant's vow to undermine the ACA, the feds concluded that a state-run exchange was untenable. In January 2013, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius turned down Mississippi's …

Reaching Agreement

The Civil Rights Museum and a Mississippi history museum live on after all. On Monday, legislators approved $20 million for construction of a proposed civil-rights museum and another $18 million …

PERS Commission Recommends Cuts

After a four-month wait and much speculation, a commission studying the Public Employees Retirement System has recommended freezing the cost-of-living adjustment paid to retirees for three years.

Bond Proposal Triumphs

To the astonishment of naysayers (and some supporters), an overwhelming majority of Jackson voters approved the recent $150 million Jackson Public Schools bond issue. Like the Convention Center bond proposal …

Bashing Sodas and Saving Schools

The 90-day legislative session will creep past the halfway mark this week, and the clock ticks on plenty of legislative efforts, including the deadline to except or trash fiscal-year 2011 …

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.

Education Under Attack

Anticipation stalked the halls of the Mississippi State Capitol. Agency heads showed up, educators camped out, advocates for children and families rallied. It was clearly crunch time. Lawmakers had only …

Fewer Profs, High Tuition

If current state budget cuts stand, Mississippi's eight public universities will have to shed 1,000 jobs and raise tuition over the next two years.

City Buzz: Remember The Alamo