Jackson Free Press

Stadiums and Sticky Hands

Jackson State University will be the new owner of Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium if Gov. Haley Barbour agrees.

Redistricting: Get Moving

The Mississippi House of Representatives did the right thing this week by stapling its Senate-rejected redistricting plan onto the Senate's own redistricting map. Both chambers must approve each other's redistricting …

State Economic Picture Improves

In light of an improved economic outlook, a panel of state lawmakers agreed today to adopt slightly higher estimates for state revenues in the 2011 and 2012 fiscal years.

Barbour Spokesman Resigns

Gov. Haley Barbour accepted the resignation yesterday of Press Secretary Dan Turner. Turner's resignation comes after a Politico blog entry about daily e-mails Turner sent out to the governor's staff …

Barbour Takes on National Economy

As the Mississippi Legislature gears up for a battle over the state's 2012 budget, Gov. Haley Barbour heads to Chicago today where he is expected to criticize President Barack Obama's …

School Funding Takes Hopeful Turn

An upcoming revised revenue estimate for Mississippi could give public-education advocates and supporters some breathing room. The state Legislature's Revenue Estimating Committee met this week, and Mississippi Parents' Campaign Executive …

HIV/AIDS Advocates Speak Out

Donna M., a homeless Jackson woman infected with HIV, threw away her medicine while living with family members, fearing that they would find out about the disease that she was …

MS Senate Keeps Ed Funding

A Senate Appropriation Committee's amendment that would have reduced Mississippi's K-12 education funding by $81 million failed yesterday in the Senate's 29-22 vote.

Back in the Saddle

Like many of us, I started off the new year so well. I actually began an intensive fitness makeover at 6 a.m. on Dec. 30--just so that I would have …

Transparency and Head Trips

State agencies will have to put their spending and contracts on a website for public scrutiny if the Mississippi House of Representatives and Senate work out their differences with a …

MPB Eyes Self Sufficiency

The Mississippi Public Broadcasting board voted this morning to start considering where to make budget cuts in response to threats to end its state funding.

Community College Boost Awaits Barbour's Pen

Mississippi's community colleges could get an extra $15 million if Gov. Haley Barbour signs off on a funding bill approved by both chambers of the state Legislature. The version of …

A Museum Split?

The total cost of a proposed Mississippi civil-rights museum could depend on its location. While Gov. Haley Barbour and a majority of the state House of Representatives have backed a …

Barbour's Cross to Bear

In 1968 in Yazoo City, Police Chief Ardis Russell Sr. arrested a black mother, LeBertha Owens, for trying to take her young daughter, Gloria, to the public library for materials …

Barbour's Bad Education Math

If Gov. Haley Barbour gets his way, Mississippi public schools may end up short-changed by $65 million because of a vanishing pot of federal money.

Sex and Pay Raises

The Mississippi Tea Party tried to target immigrants once again in a bill that would have charged $5 for out-of-country wire transfers exceeding $500, plus 1 percent of the amount …

Judging Carefully

For Judge Leslie King, serving on the Mississippi Supreme Court is a natural career move, if not necessarily one he expected. Last week, Gov. Haley Barbour appointed King to the …

Integrating Yazoo: Race and Change in Haley Barbour's Hometown

Gloria Owens froze with fear as a German shepherd barreled toward her at the entrance of Yazoo City Junior High School on a fall morning in 1968. "Get that n*gger," …

Barbour Testifies at Health-Care Hearing

During a U.S. House of Representatives health-care reform hearing yesterday, Gov. Haley Barbour argued against the law's mandatory requirement for states. President Barack Obama, however, endorsed a bipartisan Senate bill …

Barbour Signs AG's Domestic Violence Bill

<i>Verbatim statement:</i>

A domestic violence related bill sponsored by Attorney General Jim Hood has been signed into law. Gov. Haley Barbour signed SB 2426, which makes it a misdemeanor for someone to …