February 2008

At the University of Mississippi yesterday, experts on the black press discussed how African American papers have impacted the media, and where they're headed in the future. MPB's Stephen Koranda reports.

City streets and public utilities in Biloxi that were covered with Hurricane Katrina's surge of water are getting a make over. The project is expected to cost more than three hundred and fifty million dollars. MPB's Gary Michiels report.

According to an FBI memo in the Scruggs judicial bribery case, a lawyer says he was promised half a million dollars by Dick Scruggs to convince the Mississippi Attorney General not to indict State Farm Insurance on criminal charges. MPB's Sandra Knispel spoke with Jim Hood about the allegations.

A dropout prevention summit will take place in Jackson today. And as MPB's Lawayne Childrey reports School Officials from around the state are already weighing in on the subject.

April is the most active month for tornadoes in Mississippi, second only to November. MPB's Patty Davis reports on efforts by Emergency responders this week, to keep residents prepared.

The cost of insurance on the Gulf Coast is skyrocketing. Some relief may come from a government backed policy that would cover all forms of damages at lower rates. But while an all-perils policy is being debated in Congress, increasing insurance rates continue to take a toll on Coast residents. MPB's Gary Michiels reports.

Every year, thousands of disturbance calls that involve domestic violence go unreported because the victim is afraid to press charges. But the laws are changing. as MPB's Patty Davis reports, Law Enforcement personnel have been brushing up on changes in domestic violence laws.

The Barack Obama Presidential Campaign has a staff of five at its new headquarters in downtown Jackson, and plans for more offices around the state. With such a tight race for the Democratic Nomination, Obama supporters are trying to sway undecided voters and settle fears of political history repeating itself. MPB's Patty Davis reports. *Senator Hillary Clinton's web site doesn't indicate that she has a campaign office in Mississippi.

One of the most difficult decisions an adult child of an aging parent needs to consider is that parent's care when signs of dementia present themselves. MPB's Karen Brown talks with Dr. Rick DeShayzo, an Internist and Geriatrician at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.