Leaders of the Republican-dominated Mississippi Legislature put only a few big items on their to-do list for 2018, and two of the biggest — education and transportation— remained unresolved when the nearly three-month session was gaveled to a close Wednesday. The House and Senate completed two must-do items: They wrote a $6.1 billion state budget for the year that begins ...
Read More »TODD SMITH — Facebook finally responded to Cambridge Analytica crisis
The media, communications pros, lawmakers and investors – along with the rest of the world – continuously asked: where is Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in the wake of the spiraling Cambridge Analytica private data crisis. Zuckerberg and Facebook faced significant media criticism for not addressing reports that Cambridge Analytica obtained the private data of tens of millions of the platform’s ...
Read More »PHIL HARDWICK — Time to sell a house; might try St. Joseph for a little help
Spring is the best time of year to sell a house. But what if the house still isn’t selling after springtime? The seller could lower the price, increase marketing efforts or maybe call on St. Joseph. Does planting an upside down statuette in your front yard increase the odds that your house will sell sooner than later? If it is ...
Read More »Analysis: Conservatives eye constitution to cut spending
Some Mississippi lawmakers are again seeking constitutional changes to balance the federal budget and limit federal government power. The House last week voted for a resolution calling for a convention of the states to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution, passing the resolution and sending it on to the Senate on a 76-42 vote. This may sound familiar to Magnolia ...
Read More »BILL CRAWFORD — Key GOP legislators must be fake Republicans too
Hey, all you Mississippi legislators who switched from Democrat to Republican. Yes, all y’all who vote the conservative party line and give Republicans super-majorities in the House and Senate. Are y’all really fake Republicans? That seems to be the message coming from your colleague Sen. Chris McDaniel regarding another former legislator who switched from Democrat to Republican. “”Before ...
Read More »TODD SMITH — Social media landscape dotted by longstanding trends, emerging narratives
A new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults finds that the social media landscape in early 2018 is defined by a mix of long-standing trends and newly emerging narratives. Facebook and YouTube dominate this landscape, as notable majorities of U.S. adults use each of these sites. At the same time, younger Americans (especially those ages 18 to 24) stand out ...
Read More »BOBBY HARRISON: New U.S. senators in Mississippi don’t come along often
In my lifetime, Mississippi’s two United States Senate seats have been held by five men – John Stennis, James Eastland, Thad Cochran, Trent Lott and Roger Wicker. During roughly the same time period, there have been 12 presidents, 13 governors of Mississippi, 18 No. 1 hits (a disputed number) by Elvis Presley, 11 head football coaches at Mississippi State University ...
Read More »Analysis: Auditor wants improved use of accounting system
State Auditor Stacy Pickering says an increasing number of accounting problems shows state employees need more training in governmental accounting practices and how to use the $100 million accounting software system that the state turned on in 2014. But maybe the more important question is, can anyone make recalcitrant agencies care? That’s one main thrust of the findings that Pickering ...
Read More »BILL CRAWFORD — McDaniel switcheroo shifts hot seat from Wicker to Bryant
Call it what you will, state Senator Chris McDaniel blinked. Despite his earlier caustic rhetoric, he will not challenge incumbent U.S. Senator Roger Wicker in the Republican Primary. Instead, he will compete in what he hopes will be an easier pathway to the Senate, the special election to fill retiring Sen. Thad Cochran’s seat. Assuming his billionaire funders stick with ...
Read More »JACK WEATHERLY — Saying no to the press is the wrong order
It’s not often a retailer will turn down free publicity. But I was rebuffed the other day when I attempted to write something about Cook Out, a fast-food restaurant chain that just opened a store on High Street. It happens to be located on the street I take twice each work day, to and from the Journal offices downtown. Um, ...
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