Jackson Free Press

Folo Exposes Shocking Hinds County Case

The Folo folks are still doing a great job digging out documents related to Dickie Scruggs controversy, and most compelling and relevant to us here in Hinds County, cases related …

Week 3: Cigs and Cells

Now that House Speaker Billy McCoy has named committee chairs, the House is going into overdrive regarding bill production.

Bill to Hamstring AG Office?

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and the Mississippi Senate are pressing for a new law that would force a competitive bidding process on plaintiff lawyers looking to contract with the Mississippi …

Corn Hath No Fury: The JFP Interview With Billy McCoy

Photos by Mac Gordon

House Speaker Billy McCoy speaks in a halting stutter at times. A stroke shook his frame in 2004. He has recovered to a point, though the scars are still plain. …

Barbour Pledges to Fund Education

Gov. Haley Barbour named K-12 education as a high priority in his state-of-the-state address Monday night, addressing budget shortfalls and upgrading the state's roads, but his overall message this year …

Barbour's ‘State of the State' Monday 6 p.m.

Gov. Haley Barbour's "State of the State" address will be tonight at 6 p.m., broadcast live on MPB. Read his verbatim prepared address on StateDesk.com.

Other Cards in the Deck

Much has been made about whether Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama played "the race card" in a series of press-filtered exchanges that included an]http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/us/politics/15dems.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=clinton+king&oref=slogin]an analogy to Martin Luther King, Jr. …

No Money To Fund Partisan Radio, Democrats Say

The Mississippi House of Representatives may consider a bill forcing more oversight on how the state pays for advertising in 2009. The state spent more than $14 million on newspaper, …

Haley Barbour's 2008 Inaugural Address

Read the verbatim full text of the governor's prepared remarks over on StateDesk.

Just In: Delaughter Voids Barbour's Election Date

Late today, Hinds County Circuit Judge Bobby Delaughter ruled in favor of Attorney General Jim Hood's argument that Gov. Barbour was acting unconstitutionally by trying to force Mississippi voters to …

Former Hinds D.A. Ed Peters Accused of $1M Bribe

The Scruggs scandal is hitting closer and closer to Hinds County. In a story about Booneville attorney Joey Langston pleading guilty to corruption charges, The Clarion-Ledger buried explosive accusations, made …

Clutter: Bad for Your Health?

The New York Times has a piece that links health issues, including weight problems, to disorganization and clutter:

Amid Tears, McCoy Keeps Seat

Democratic Rep. Billy McCoy reclaimed his seat as House speaker by only two votes Tuesday. House members, including new members Kimberly Campbell and Adrienne Wooten—both of Jackson—approved McCoy by a …

Two Districts Competitive in 2008?

Both U.S. House District 1 and former Sen. Trent Lott's seats could prove competitive this year, despite a decades-long trend of Republican domination in Mississippi.

Are Obama Comparisons to JFK Unhealthy ‘Baby-Boomer Reminiscing'?

New York Times blogger Matt Bai argues that it's time to move forward instead of backward, as all the Kennedy comparisons do:

UPDATE: House Speaker McCoy Wins in 62-60 Vote

The Legislature is in session, and the House will vote on a new speaker shortly. Keep an eye out here for the outcome of the contentious battle, with Gov. Haley …

NOW Clinton Is Worried About Young Voters?

Since Barack Obama proved that the under-30 vote mattered in Iowa, and could well be a deciding factor in the presidential election, Hillary Clinton is adjusting her strategy to start …

Obama, Huckabee Win Iowa

And they're off. The Associated Press reports:

[Dortch] Legislature: Raise Cigarette Tax by $1

"Of all the concerns, there is one—taxation—that alarms us the most. While marketing and public and passive smoking restrictions do depress volume, in our experience taxation depresses it much more …

2008 Legislative Preview: New Session, Old Problems

Photos by Adam Lynch, Donna Ladd, and Jaro Vacek

The Mississippi legislative session is coming around again Jan. 8, bringing with it some tough decisions. The Legislature took a stroll through roses last year, oddly, thanks to Hurricane Katrina. …