Jackson Free Press

[Barbour] Leaving No PLAD Behind

Mississippi Medicaid was bleeding badly—doubling in cost over five years—and changes had to be made. Our dilemma was this: How to keep the Medicaid program sustainable while making sure everyone …

Turning Back the Clock

J. K. Morrison will turn over in his grave on July 1.

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[Head] And the Good News Is…

The 2011 legislative session begins Jan. 4, and it's likely to be exceptionally loud, complicated and messy. Mississippi faces an unusual alignment of unfavorable omens: a budget crisis, a national …

Shut ‘Em Down

In announcing his long-awaited committee appointments, House Speak Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, likened himself to a high-school football coach.

A Wish List for DV Legislation

With all the new faces in the Mississippi Legislature this year, advocates for new and strengthened laws to protect victims of domestic violence are being non-committal about the specific legislation …

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 …

Personhood on Trial Today

Jackson Attorneys Robert McDuff and J. Cliff Johnson will stand before the full Mississippi Supreme Court today at 1:30 p.m. and explain why a ballot initiative giving rights to microscopic …

Lawmakers Battle Barbour Over K-12 Budget

Mississippi Parent's Campaign Executive Director Nancy Loome praised a school funding bill the House passed yesterday, which she says adequately funds the state's K-12 education system.

Bike to Work Week Kicks Into High Gear

Gas prices got you down? Thankfully, leg muscles don't cost $3.95 for every 20 miles you travel. Make it easy this week by celebrating National Bike Month along with a …

‘It's Like A Dream': Scott Sisters Celebrate Freedom

Also see: Let My Daughters Go

Beating the Same Drums

The first week of the legislative session, which started Jan. 4, brought the beginning of bill submissions seeking to beat the Legislature's Jan. 17 deadline for general bills and constitutional …

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.

Legislators Promise to Keep ‘13th Check'

This morning, legislators tried to calm fears about upcoming recommendations from the Public Employees' Retirement System Study Commission, saying they would not be in favor of ending the "13th check," …

DuPree Aims to Win

Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree proved that grass-roots organizing matters more than cash when it comes to winning the Democratic Party nomination for governor. Now, many voters are wondering about the …

Protecting Women, Battling the Budget

Jackson state Sen. David Blount has pushed through three bills strengthening domestic-violence laws and protecting victims of abuse.

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 …

Medicaid on Hold?

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

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 …

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 …

Week 12: Cigarettes and Overrides

Legislators continued to negotiate a compromise on a proposed cigarette-tax increase Monday, as a Mar. 25 deadline loomed.