Place
Place
Story
City & County
Large Turnout Expected for Amnesty Days in Jackson
Jackson police say they are expecting a large turnout for the city's Amnesty Days.
Story
Records Disputes Could Go to Miss. Ethics Group
The Mississippi Ethics Commission could gain power to settle disputes over requests for public records.
Story
Music
Meet The New South
On the front porch of his home in Hattiesburg, Drew Young invites musicians to join him to talk about and play music. His collaborator and former student, Paul West, directs …
Story
Music
Grammy-Worthy Gospel
Although it was Grammy night and Tye Tribbett had been nominated in three categories, he didn't expect to win, especially after being asked to present at the event. But during …
Story
Theater
Perspectives on a Tragedy
"The Laramie Project" is based on a community's reaction to the 1998 murder of 21-year-old college student Matthew Shepard.
Story
Style
Getting Schooled in GMOs
GMOs in the form of corn, soy, wheat and rice—the crops most affected by genome modification to make a plant more resistant to insects or poor growing conditions—are at the …
Place
Story
Education
State Takeovers: A Fix for Failing School Districts?
When the state took control of the Hazlehurst City school district in 2008, the small rural district was in chaos and suffering from abysmal academic performance.
Story
Crime
Will Byrom Be Tortured to Death?
Mississippi's pending executions of Michelle Byrom and Charles Crawford—which are not yet scheduled—have mired the state in a controversy over what constitutes "cruel and unusual" in executions.
Story
Jacksonian
Robbie Fisher
Since she left her law career and position as Mississippi Nature Conservancy's state director, Robbie Fisher's main focus has been filmmaking, specifically producing films.
Story
Editor's Note
Protect the Innocent: End the Death Penalty
Michelle Byrom is a textbook case of what is wrong with the state executions in Mississippi and the rest of the nation.
Story
Music
For Lou’s Sake
The late New York rocker Lou Reed and his street-wise songs might seem worlds away from music made in Mississippi, but many Jackson musicians cite the musician as an important …
Story
Story
Crime
Diaz: Michelle Byrom Did Not Get a Fair Trial
Former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Oliver E. Diaz jr. explains why Michelle Byrom did not get a fair trial and does not deserve to be executed. And he wants to …
Story
LGBT
Same-Sex Couples Apply For Marriage Licenses in Hinds County
Same-Sex Couples applied for marriage licenses this morning at the Hinds County courthouse in Jackson.
Entry
Mississippi AG Jim Hood declines interview, sends statement on Michelle Byrom execution
By Donna LaddThe Jackson Free Press last week requested an interview with Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood about the pending Michelle Byrom execution.
He so far has declined an interview issued this statement instead. Needless to say, we still have questions.
Reprinted verbatim:
Basis for Requesting an Execution Date When Certiorari has been denied in a case, pursuant to the rules of the United States Supreme Court, the order of denial is legally effective as of the time of its entry by the Supreme Court and the Mississippi Supreme Court may then take further appropriate action in light of that denial. It is at that time, that the State must file a motion to set an execution date and pursuant to Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-106, assert in the motion, “that all state and federal remedies have been exhausted . . . .” The denial of certiorari after federal habeas corpus litigation has normally been the end of the normal litigation in a death penalty case. Then, pursuant to Miss. Code Ann. § 99-39-29, “the Supreme Court of Mississippi shall forthwith fix a day, not more than thirty (30) days distant from the date of said denial or the vacating of any stay entered by any federal court, for the execution of the sentence, and a warrant shall forthwith issue accordingly.” The State filed the motions to set execution dates in both Byrom and Crawford on the day of the denial of Certiorari, which was February 24, 2014. The Mississippi Supreme Court then ordered responses to those motions from Crawford and Byrom. Crawford filed his response on February 28, 2014, and Byrom filed hers on March 3, 2014. Both motions are still pending with the Mississippi Supreme Court as of March 25, 2014. We would also note that both Byrom and Crawford filed motions with the Mississippi Supreme Court for leave to be allowed to file a successive petition for post-conviction relief in the trial court. Those motions are likewise pending before the Court. In the past, in such situations, the Court has withheld setting an execution date until it has taken action on those motions. Thus, it is doubtful that any dates will be set in either of these cases until the Court has ruled on those motions.
Place
Story
Biz Roundup
Soul Wired, Mama Hamil's and Outlets of Mississippi
Soul Wired Cafe offers healthy cuisine with plenty of vegetarian items, geared toward getting people to eat right and is also a cultural venue that provides a mix of music, …
