JACKSON–  The three-member state Elections Commission on Monday denied Jackson attorney Latrice Westbrooks a spot on the ballot to run for a Court of Appeals post because she does not live in the district. Westbrooks does not argue with the fact that she lives outside District 2  — by less than a mile. The only [...]

JACKSON — Perhaps the most intriguing person signed up to speak at last week’s hearing on whether the state should strengthen and enforce federal immigration laws was John Palmer, a successful Jackson businessman and former ambassador to Portugal during the George W. Bush administration. House Judiciary B Committee Chair Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, allowed all people [...]

JACKSON — Two special elections set for November to fill vacancies in DeSoto County legislative seats could have a significant impact on charter school legislation. During the 2012 session, charter school legislation was killed in the state House  because a handful of Republicans  teamed up with the Democratic minority to block the proposal. The bulk  [...]

JACKSON — When talk first started about Mississippi creating a health insurance exchange to allow people to shop and get the best price for  insurance, many Mississippi Democrats privately expressed opposition. Under President Barack Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, states have the option to establish an exchange. But if states do not, the [...]

JACKSON — Did he or didn’t he? Media reports last week said Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney had reversed course, due to intense pressure from the Tea Party, and was no longer developing a health insurance exchange for the state. Chaney denied that, but said the final decision would be made after the November elections. Republicans [...]

JACKSON — The plans to redraw state House and Senate districts to match population shifts found by the 2010 census still have not been submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice for approval. The plans were approved by the House and Senate in late April and early May during the final days of the 2012 [...]

JACKSON — Richard Thompson, who served two tenures as state superintendent of education, after coming to Mississippi from North Carolina to head the Tupelo School System, says Claude Hartley’s contributions to public education in the state have been many. Hartley served 10 years as a member of the Tupelo School Board and finished a tenure [...]

JACKSON — Perhaps it is just symbolic, but it is the right kind of symbolism. Gov. Phil Bryant is hosting a 5-kilometer run at 8 a.m. June 30. Bryant, an avid runner, often talks of the need to reduce the state’s obesity rate, which is the highest in the country. A 5K run sets the [...]

JACKSON — House Appropriations Chair Herb Frierson, R-Poplarville, held a meeting Wednesday to educate members of his committee about the budgeting process. Many of the members are serving on Appropriations for the first time. And for others, a refresher course cannot hurt. Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton attended the meeting. Attendance made sense for the first-term [...]

JACKSON — This is a little late, but I was saddened to learn of the death of South African Methodist minister Ross Olivier earlier this month. Olivier served a stint at minister of Galloway United Methodist Church in downtown Jackson and was a treat to converse with or to listen to from the pulpit. Mac [...]