Story
Biz Roundup
Fondren Water Woes, The District, Young Entrepreneurs and More
Beginning Friday, Feb. 14, through Monday, Feb 17, more than 80 leading designer and name-brand stores at Outlets of Mississippi will treat shoppers to additional savings beyond the up to …
Story
Politics
State Eyes Changes to Guardianship Laws
Desiree Henley knew Mississippi's guardianship and conservatorship laws were outdated, ineffective and likely stripping elderly and disabled citizens of their basic human rights.
Story
Governor Nixon Orders National Guard to Ferguson
Missouri's governor on Monday ordered the National Guard to a St. Louis suburb convulsed by protests over the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen, after a night in which …
Story
Obama, Palestinian Leader Meet as Deadline Nears
A deadline fast approaching, President Barack Obama is seeking to ease the logjam in elusive Mideast peace talks and keep Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from walking away, despite few signs …
Story
California Bill Reignites Affirmative Action Fight
Nearly 20 years after California became the first state to ban the use of race and ethnicity in college admissions, a proposal to reinstate affirmative action has sparked a backlash …
Story
Nearly 40 Percent of Wal-Mart's US Workers to Get Pay Raises
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is spending $1 billion to make changes to how it pays and trains U.S. hourly workers as the embattled retailer tries to reshape the image that its …
Story
GOP in Charge, Eager to Move on Keystone XL, Taxes
Republicans' resounding victory gives them an opportunity to push legislation that's been bottled up in the Democratic Senate, from targeting elements of President Barack Obama's health care law to constructing …
Story
City & County
On the Road, Through the Water and Underground with Kishia Powell
Reminiscent of scenes where a commander-in-chief visits troops in a conflict zone, Kishia Powell, Jackson's public-works director, spent a day touring facilities and meeting with workers under her command.
Story
Hitched
City Love
When she was a student at Mississippi College, Lindsey Brooks, now 30, attended a Blue and Gold social club party at Northpointe Barn and told a girlfriend, "I'm going to …
Story
Pistorius Could Get 15 Years for Culpable Homicide
A South African judge on Friday found Oscar Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp but declared him not guilty of murder. Prosecutors said …
Entry
JFP Guide to Watching the Results Tonight
By Todd StaufferNate Silver at Five Thirty Eight gives Obama a 91% chance of winning tonight; PPP, a left-leaning pollster, predicts over 300 electoral votes for Obama.
But others show the race closer, and the Electoral College race could be nail-biter, based on all sorts of factor such as weather, long lines, voter ID, GOTV efforts and some election officials in swing states who seem to be hell-bent on confusing folks on their way to the polls.
So here's a quick guide to watching the results tonight and getting a sense of how things are going for either side.
First, a summary: You've got to get 270 electoral votes to win the Electoral College; 269-269 is a tie (which would be decided in the U.S. House of Representatives, probably in Romney's favor).
The New York Times' Electoral Map suggests that Obama has 243 electoral votes that are totally safe or lean toward him; Romney has 206. That means Obama needs to hold those states and get just 27 more electoral votes to win; Romney needs to hold his and win 64 more electoral votes.
The Swing States in this math are New Hampshire, Ohio, Virginia, Florida, Wisconsin, Iowa and Colorado. (Others that lean Obama that Romney might pick off are Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota and New Mexico. States that Obama could pick up from leaning Romney are North Carolina and Arizona.)
Now, the timeline... all times are Central.
5:00 p.m. Some polls close in Indiana and Kentucky. Obama won Indiana in 2008, but it's polling strongly for Romney this cycle. Interesting to watch, though, is the race between Tea Party GOP favorite Richard Mourdock (rape pregnancy is a gift from God) and Congressman Joe Donnelly, the Democrat. Mourdock knocked off Richard Lugar in the primary, but may now lose the seat for the GOP thanks to his national renown -- and Tea Party-vs.-normal-people schisms in the Indiana state GOP.
6:00 p.m. Final polls in Indiana/Kentucky. Polls close in Virginia. (They also close in Georgia, South Carolina and Vermont.) It may not be called all that quickly but Virginia is the first toss-up state to watch closely. If Obama wins it, he's probably having a good night -- he would only need one other swing state (other than New Hampshire) to get to 270 if he holds his "leaners." If Romney wins Virginia, his path to victory could tack "Southern" and he could still win without Ohio.
6:30 p.m. Polls close in Ohio and North Carolina (and West Virginia). Ohio may still have long lines and provisional ballots to count, but it'll be one of the most important states to watch.
One particular House race to watch while the results are coming in, according to PolicyMic, is Ohio District 16, which pits "business" against "labor" in an expensive House showdown between GOP Rep. Jim Renacci and Dem. Rep. Betty Sutton. If Sutton wins, that's one sign that Obama will, too; if Renacci wins, then Ohio may be trending …
Story
Scott Sisters Story Goes Viral
After languishing in obscurity for 16 years, the story of imprisoned sisters Jamie and Gladys Scott received its 15 minutes on the national stage last week after Gov. Haley Barbour …
Story
Stimulus Starts At Home
This week we're proudand perhaps a little surprisedto be publishing one of our largest issues of the Jackson Free Press so far in Volume 7; and one of the most …
Story
[City Buzz] No. 22 February 14 - 21
Dennis Grant, Probation Services Company Offender Services Coordinator said in a letter to Mayor Melton that he has not received proof of Melton's recent surgery in Texas. Melton's bond for …
Story
Interview
William Waller Jr.: No Agenda
Criticized for political donations, Mississippi State Supreme Court Chief Justice William Waller Jr. says as long as the state constitution requires judges to run for office, contributions are necessary.
Story
Cyberstalker Hindman: Well-Connected
When you're caught in a sting to catch online sex predators, like Douglas Hindman was, it pays to have friends who dine at the governor's mansion when it comes time …
Story
National
Obama Says We Need to Fix Voting Lines. But How?
At Tuesday's State of the Union address, Michelle Obama was joined by 102-year-old Desiline Victor, who, like many in Florida and elsewhere, waited hours to vote on Election Day.
Story
Editor's Note
Making it Work
I love the Academy Awards—analyzing starlets' sartorial choices on the red-carpet pre-show (while trying to ignore the inane Ryan Seacrest-y questions, of course), attempting to predict the big winners and …
Story
U.S. Retailers Report Best Sales Growth Since March
This summer, Americans were walking contradictions: They opened their wallets despite escalating fears about the slow economic recovery and surging gas prices.
Story
Art
'Recycling Is Not Ugly'
Despite having a joint art exhibit in the ARTichoke gallery, Jo Patterson, 46, and Alissa DiAmonti, 41, only recently met for the first time. The women's show consists of works …
