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:: breakingstatenews

Unemployment Tops 20 Percent in Four Counties

March 11, 2010

Nearly 155,000 Mississippians received unemployment benefits in January, with the state's unemployment rate for the first month of 2010 exceeding the national average. Four counties reported jobless rates in excess of 20 percent: Holmes and Noxubee counties both reported rates of 23.1 percent unemployment;… read more »

Charters and Quasi-Charters

by Ward Schaefer
March 10, 2010

The Mississippi Legislature's wrangling over charter schools intensified yesterday when the House of Representatives passed a bill that would authorize "innovative schools" but voted down a provision for actual charter schools. read more »

Banking Locally

by Jesse Crow
March 10, 2010

Joe Magee, 59, is a third-generation poultry and cattle farmer. His farm, located just outside Mendenhall, produces a little more than half a million chickens and around 100 head of beef cattle a year. Magee operates the farm with the… 1 read more »

Lawmakers Debate Alternate Education Track

March 8, 2010

General classroom goals for high-school students, in Mississippi and elsewhere, emphasize pushing kids toward four-year college degrees. Some Magnolia state lawmakers are now looking at introducing a career-track curriculum for the many teens who may not be college bound, reports The Sun Herald. 5 read more »

BREAKING: Writer Barry Hannah Dies of Heart Attack

March 1, 2010

The Jackson Free Press has learned from sources in Oxford, Miss., that author Barry Hannah, 67, died of a sudden heart attack in his home there today. He was working with a graduate student, sources say. Hannah was born in Meridian, Miss., and raised… read more »

Veto Override Fails: Legislators Return to Negotiation

by Adam Lynch
February 25, 2010

The Senate failed to override Gov. Haley Barbour's veto of budget reconciliation act this morning, and opponents of the veto now argue that the state should put to use $36 million from savings accrued through a federal stimulus program. read more »

Barbour Vetoes Budget Restoration

by Adam Lynch
February 24, 2010

Gov. Haley Barbour vetoed budget reconciliation act Senate Bill 2688 today, a bill that restored $79 million in cuts he enacted for Fiscal Year 2011. The governor rejected the bill saying that it delayed "inevitable government reorganization and… read more »

Mason Says Merger Plan a Leaked ‘Idea’

by Lacey McLaughlin
February 19, 2010

As Jackson State University President Ronald Mason Jr. shook hands at a forum this morning at Koinonia Coffee House in Jackson, he sought to quell concerns about a possible HBCU merger idea he floated to legislators last month.… read more »

Black Farmers to Benefit from Obama Decision

by Adam Lynch
February 19, 2010

About 24,000 Mississippi black farmers could benefit from a decision by the Obama administration to include a $1.25 billion discrimination settlement in the 2010 federal budget. read more »

Senate Votes to Restore Budget Cuts; Barbour Promises Veto

by Adam Lynch
February 18, 2010

Gov. Haley Barbour claims he will veto a bill the Mississippi Senate passed today that would restore funding to offset cuts he made to state agencies. "This bill spends too much, burns too much of our reserves, and… 3 read more »

Plan B? Flood Control Beyond Lakes and Levees

by Adam Lynch
February 17, 2010

Part 2 in a Series

Flood-control options for the Pearl River seem limited as Jackson-area residents compare the ungainly design of the levee plan designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1996 with the… 3 read more »

Behind Barbour’s Prison Rhetoric

by Ward Schaefer
February 17, 2010

To hear Gov. Haley Barbour tell it, if he doesn't get his way, the state's fiscal crisis could force thousands of felons out of jail and into communities. Since his Jan. 13 State of the State address, Barbour… 2 read more »

House Tries Budget Restoration, Again

by Ward Schaefer
February 15, 2010

The Mississippi House of Representatives has sent the Senate a second proposal to restore some state budget cuts, while negotiators attempt to reach a compromise on an earlier proposal. The House plan passed by a wide margin Thursday morning, and… read more »

Bill Reduces Out-of-State Tuition

February 15, 2010

The Mississippi Senate passed a bill last week to reduce tuition for out-of-state students, bringing their tuition in line with in-state students. The bill, S.B. 2285, is designed to encourage more out-of-state enrollments into state schools, which have been historically unable to compete… read more »

Barbour Announces $21 Million More in Budget Cuts

by Ward Schaefer
February 5, 2010

Gov. Haley Barbour announced another round of state budget cuts totalling $21 million today. Today’s cuts, which represent roughly 0.5 percent of the state budget, bring total cuts for the 2010 fiscal year to $458.5 million. The governor warned that… read more »

Kemper Coal Plant Hearing Draws Protest

by Adam Lynch
February 5, 2010

A crowd of 100 piled into the chambers of the Mississippi Public Service Commission this morning, offering a variety of opinions in support or opposition to a proposed $2.4 billion coal gasification plant in Kemper County. 1 read more »

Barbour Delays Further Budget Cuts

by Ward Schaefer
February 5, 2010

Gov. Haley Barbour canceled a press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. this morning at which he was expected to announce additional state budget cuts for this fiscal year. A press release confirming the cancellation said that Barbour "continues to… 1 read more »

Sex Ed Advocates Attack ‘Just Wait’

by Lacey McLaughlin
February 3, 2010

National and state sex-education advocates are rallying in support of comprehensive sex education, citing a report released last week showing the failure of abstinence-only-until-marriage education in Mississippi. 8 read more »

State Arts School in Jeopardy?

by Ward Schaefer
February 3, 2010

With proposals for the merger of universities and public-school districts attracting substantial public outcry and debate, Gov. Haley Barbour's call for merging two statewide magnet high schools has drawn less vocal opposition at the state capitol. Educators, city… read more »

Legislature Week 4: Money and Meth

by Adam Lynch
February 3, 2010

The House and Senate were up against deadline yesterday for committees to either approve or reject proposed bills. The next deadline is a Feb. 11 end-date for the House and Senate to act on bills that survived committees. But… read more »

more breaking news »

:: stateblog

:: coverstories

Trust In Me

by Ward Schaefer
March 10, 2010

It's bitterly cold and almost 11 p.m. when the white van stops under the highway bridge in South Jackson. Fifty yards from the road, there's a small campsite lit by the flames rising from an oil drum.… read more »

more cover stories »

:: newsstories

Appropriations and Pole-Dancing

by Adam Lynch
March 10, 2010

The House and Senate agreed on a major appropriation bill last week, when negotiators came to terms on appropriations bill SB 2495, which restores $82 million to the Fiscal Year 2010 budget, including $37 million slated for K-12 public… read more »

more news stories »

:: opinioncolumns

[Editorial] Will U.S. Chamber Win Again?

February 24, 2010

In 2004, Attorney General Jim Hood hired attorneys Joey Langston and Timothy Balducci—who later pled guilty to corruption in 2008 and 2007, respectively—to recoup unpaid taxes and interest resulting from a multi-state tax fraud scheme Clinton-based WorldCom cooked up before the company's 2002 collapse. read more »

more opinion columns »

:: statecomments

Mar 11, 2010
JPD Investigating Officer for Michelle Obama Comments
BubbaT: Drummin- LOL Me? Support Obama? LOL Wrong. Never.

I take that back, if he came up with idea or policy I could support, I probably would on that issue, but so far he hasn't ...
Mar 11, 2010
JPD Investigating Officer for Michelle Obama Comments
DrumminD21311: I guess BubbaT really does support Obama after all. We appreciate your support for the cause BubbaT.
Mar 11, 2010
JPD Investigating Officer for Michelle Obama Comments
Mark Geoffriau: I can't imagine the relevance of Michelle Obama's weight (nor the weight of BubbaT's wife), but I'd be incredibly surprised if she was 120-130 lbs...she's nearly ...
Mar 11, 2010
The Commons: Continuity of Love
ladd: Agreed, deltabelle. The Commons' needs are crystal clear from this story. With any luck, they will now get the help they need.
Mar 11, 2010
JPD Investigating Officer for Michelle Obama Comments
justjess: You know ButtaT the description you gave of your wife fits that of The First Lady, Mrs. Michelle Obama. She weighs around 120/130, has beautiful hair, has all of her ...
Mar 11, 2010
JPD Investigating Officer for Michelle Obama Comments
baquan2000: Drummin D - that is a very interesting angle you provided on that, I couldn't agree with you more, in regards to negativity thrown towards the Obama's.
Mar 11, 2010
JPD Investigating Officer for Michelle Obama Comments
BubbaT: DrumminD- actually I more impressed with a woman who has reddish blond hair,120lbish,got all her teeth,and a mother of 2 fine girls,very intelligent and strong willed. Been ...
Mar 11, 2010
JPD Investigating Officer for Michelle Obama Comments
DrumminD21311: One awesome thing about the Obamas that nobody comments on is that they are excellent bigot magnets. Wherever they go and whatever they do, the bigots come out of the ...
Mar 11, 2010
JPD Investigating Officer for Michelle Obama Comments
DrumminD21311: Doesn't surprise me. I'm surprised it took so long for the comments to surface, and that there are not more! I'm sure most well-mannered hospitable Jacksonian white ...
Mar 11, 2010
[Collier] The Sweetest Taboo
baquan2000: Lori G - it's funny you brought the "business" photo up!?

Me and my co-worker were just talking about guys that have done that @ that work place?

It is shocking on how many fella's do that.

 


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