Story
Politics
Off to the Races ... and the Chopping Block
Money was front of mind over the last week in the Mississippi Legislature as Senate and House appropriations committees began budget hearings for state agencies last week.
Story
State
Expert: Parent-blaming Does Little to Prevent Crime
Overwhelmingly, parent-blaming was the most frequent mantra at a recent crime forum at Wingfield High School, with visible frustration over the need for families to keep their kids out of …
Story
State
No ‘Hiney Contests,’ Got It?
When a warning by a state Alcohol Beverage Control investigator spooked Ben Shemper, the owner of The Dollarbox Showroom in Hattiesburg, into canceling Big Freedia's Feb. 12 there, it did …
Story
City & County
Eubanks Creek: A Step Closer to Relief
Residents along a section of Eubanks Creek in Fondren are a step closer to getting relief from flooding and high-cost flood insurance. In the past year, developers, architects and city …
Story
China Foreign Minister Downplays Missile Deployment Reports
China sought to downplay reports it had positioned anti-aircraft missiles on a disputed South China Sea island, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday accusing the media of hyping the …
Story
Apple to Fight Order to Help FBI Unlock Shooter's iPhone
Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook says his company will fight a federal magistrate's order to help the FBI hack into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino, …
Story
City & County
War Against Potholes: The City Battles Nature, Resources
To people in Jackson, who have to battle blown tires, crooked front-end alignments and nearly drowned children, the distinction between potholes, sinkholes and utility cuts are meaningless.
Story
State
Urban, Rural Areas Need Food Stores, Health Clinics
Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, introduced legislation in the 2015 session that would have provided tax incentives for grocery stores to enter communities considered to be "food deserts" by the USDA's …
Story
Art
A Common Identity
Our Jackson community is full of shared traditions that bind us together and create a shared common identity.
Story
Food
A New Frozen Treat
When customers walk into Fondren Fro-Yo, which recently opened in the Jackson neighborhood, bright colors, designs and topping dispensers surround them.
Story
City & County
What If We Could Fill Potholes ... With Jobs?
Are potholes the worst problem we face in Jackson? No. But they represent a pretty big problem for more than one reason.
Story
Jacksonian
Austin Wilkes
Madison-based hip-hop artist Austin Wilkes, known to fans as Mildred Noor, entered the music world with a bit of an awkward conversation.
Place
Lisette’s Photography and Gallery
Located at Historic Canton Square, photographer and artist Lisette Otero-Lewis's gallery showcases contemporary photography and modern art.
Feature
The City's War Against Potholes
In recent months, city residents have seen a spate of high-profile pothole-related incidents. Residents are ready for a solution.
Feature
Fix Potholes With Jobs
Publisher Todd Stauffer says it's time to stop talking about the streets and fix them.
Story
Obama: Will Name Indisputably Qualified Nominee for Court
President Barack Obama said Tuesday he would nominate a candidate to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court who is "indisputably" qualified. He called on the staunch Republican opposition in …
Entry
Mississippi Solar Alerts Fans of Solar Power (and Energy Oversight) to Legislative "Power Grab"
By toddstaufferMississippi Solar LLC, a solar panel installation company, sent an "urgent alert" today to media and followers regarding House Bill 1139 and Senate Bill 2089 in the Mississippi legislature, which they say would gut the power of the Mississippi Public Service Commission, reverse recent moves toward net metering and widely deregulate the companies that offer electric power in Mississippi.
In one section of the House bill, the authority of the PSC to oversee rates set by these corporations (which have a monopoly granted by the states) appears to be completely overturned, as well as the ability of the PSC to regulate consumer benefits such as net metering and smart-grid investment:
A corporation * shall have the power to fix, adjust, charge, collect and pay reasonable rates for electric energy and other facilities, supplies, equipment, products, commodities, goods and services furnished by, offered by or furnished to the corporation. All rates of a corporation formed or operating under the provisions of this article shall be established by the corporation's board and shall not be regulated by the Mississippi Public Service Commission.
The commission also shall not regulate nor attempt to regulate corporations formed or operating under this article with respect to the subject matters of standards established by the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, including, but not limited to, those established at 16 USC Section 2621(d), and including, but not limited to, the following matters: cost of service; declining block, time-of-day, seasonal, and interruptible rates; load management techniques; integrated resource planning; conservation and demand management; energy efficiency; wholesale power purchases; net metering; fuel sources; fossil fuel generation efficiency; time-based metering and communications; interconnection for distributed generation; and smart grid investments and information.
The House bill was introduced by Republican Charles "Jim" Beckett, chair of the Public Utilities committee, whose 2015 campaign filings show nearly all of his campaign contributions were from corporations or PACs, many of which are subject to oversight from the PSC.
Rep. Beckett accepted $2000 from Entergy's PAC (and another $1000 in 2014), $1000 from Mississippi Power's PAC, $500 from the Electric Power Associations of Mississippi's PAC (pre-election in August); he also accepted money from Koch Companies Public Sector LLC, Cable PAC MCTA, Verizon and Comcast Corp., AT&T PAC, Chevron, North American Coal PAC, Atmos Energy Corp PAC and others.
Beckett began the year with $73,447 in the bank (including repaying a $10,000 loan on the same day he received it February of 2015, according to campaign filings) and ended it with $75,518, thanks in part to a post-victory $2500 donation from Electric Power Associations of Mississippi in December.
Seems they're already big fans.
[Note: The above was corrected; I originally thought the $10,000 repaid in February was loaned in the previous year. If you know of some clever political accounting reason to loan yourself money the same day you repay it, clue me in.]
Here's the text of Mississippi Solar LLC's …
Story
Politics
Hood: Politicians Playing 'Partisan Games' with Wiretap Bill
The state auditor would be able to request wiretap authority to investigate public corruption if House Bill 944, which passed through the House Judiciary-A Committee today, becomes law.
Story
Obama Holds First Summit in US With Southeast Asian Leaders
President Barack Obama and leaders of Southeast Asian nations discussed regional security issues Tuesday before closing a summit called to show solidarity and U.S. seriousness about staying engaged in a …
Story
Judiciary Chairman Open to Hearing for Supreme Court Pick
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is leaving open the possibility of holding a hearing for President Barack Obama's choice to fill a Supreme Court vacancy, amid signs of …
