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Court upholds election on constitutional initiatives Associated Press
JACKSON — An amendment that seeks to define life as beginning at conception and one about eminent domain can appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. A majority of the nine justices reinforced a 2000 ruling that said they cannot rule on the constitutionality of measures until voters or the Legislature has had a chance to pass them. They dismissed challenges filed by opponents. An initiative to require people show proper ID to vote also will be on the ballot. The state Election Commission meets Friday to finalize the sample ballot that will be sent to counties. “Over 100,000 Mississippi citizens expressed their desire to have a voice on the Personhood and Eminent Domain constitutional initiatives. The Supreme Court has decided to allow the initiatives to stay on the ballot.
Voters will now determine whether these initiatives will be part of our constitution,� Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said in a statement. A Hinds County judge had earlier rejected opponents’ arguments against the amendments dealing with life beginning at conception or “personhood� and eminent domain. The judge said both had gotten the proper number of signatures to be placed on the ballot. The judge did not address the constitutional issues raised in either lawsuit. While abortion has been the central issue in debate about the initiative, opposing sides in the lawsuit have clashed over whether the “personhood� amendment oversteps the boundaries for proposed state constitutional amendments. Groups that support abortion rights — Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the state and national chapters of the
American Civil Liberties Union — helped file the original lawsuit. “A measure will be on the ballot that will allow the government to dictate what is a private matter that’s best decided by a woman, her family and within the context of her faith. Mississippi voters should reject this intrusive and dangerous measure,� said Nsombi Lambright, executive director of the ACLU of Mississippi. Others — such as Pro-Life Mississippi, the American Family Association and the Mississippi Baptist Convention — support it. “Today we rejoice and celebrate this hard-won victory, but tomorrow we roll up our sleeves and return to work. Our opponents are discouraged, but not yet ultimately defeated. They will be back, spreading fear, confusion, and dire ‘sky-isfalling’ warnings about this simple Amendment, and we must be ready to rebut their baseless charges and
set the record straight,� said Stephen Crampton, the attorney for the proponents. Eminent domain is the process that government uses to take private land for projects ranging from road construction to industrial development. The proposed constitutional amendment would prohibit state and local government from taking private land to give to another person or business. “This court is without power to determine the constitutionality of a proposed statute, amendment, or initiative prior to its approval by the Legislature or electorate,� wrote Justice Randy Pierce in a 7-2 decision. Pierce also said that the Supreme Court couldn’t review a constitutional question that was not addressed by the Hinds County court. Opponents were asking the court to rule on whether a proposal was constitutional before it had been adopted into the constitution, he said.
Teen births cost $154.9M in 2009 Associated Press
JACKSON — Groups pushing for comprehensive sex education classes in Mississippi schools say there’s a good economic reason for what they’re doing. A new analysis shows births to teen or preteen mothers cost the state $154.9 million in 2009. That includes increased costs of foster care, social services and incarceration for young people born years ago to teen moms. It also takes into account lost revenue from people who have lower levels of education and lower-paying jobs because they became parents when they were younger than 20. The study was done by a nonprofit, nonpartisan group called the Mississippi Economic Policy Center and was sponsored by the Women’s Fund of Mississippi. It was also supported by Mississippi First, an advocacy group for health and education issues. Carol Penick, executive director of the Women’s
Fund of Mississippi, said an evidence-based sex education curriculum that includes information about contraception, disease prevention and responsibility can help reduce the rates of teen and preteen pregnancies. “This is not an unsolvable problem,� Penick said. Jamie Holcomb, director of programs for the Women’s Fund, said parents also need information about how to talk to their children about sex. “Parents are part of the solution,� she said. Mississippi has long had one of the highest teenage birth rates in the country. State Health Department statistics show that in 2009, there were 7,078 live births to mothers aged 10 to 19. That meant that for every 1,000 girls or women in that age group, 64.1 gave birth to a baby who lived. The rate for the U.S. was 39 live births among every 1,000 girls or women younger than 20. The statistics do not include pregnancies that ended in stillbirths, mis-
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carriages or abortions. A new state law enacted this year requires school districts to teach some form of sex education. Parents must give permission for their children to take the classes. Districts must choose between teaching abstinenceonly or “abstinence-plus,� which includes information about contraceptives and sexually transmitted diseases. Each district must adopt a policy by June 30, 2012. The state Department of Education will spend the next several months reviewing proposed courses before adopting a curriculum list for districts to use. Under a previous law, Mississippi school districts were not required to teach either comprehensive sex education or abstinence. Districts were allowed to teach abstinence, but if they wanted to teach more than that, they needed local school board approval. The new law requires classes to be separated by gender, and schools won’t
be allowed to demonstrate the use of condoms. Rachel Canter, executive director of Mississippi First, said the teen pregnancy rate shows that an abstinence-only approach is not working. She said young people often will take pledges to abstain from sex until marriage, “but then they don’t behave that way after the programs.� An effective, comprehensive sex education program starts with a base of abstinence but includes medically accurate information about contraceptives and health, Canter said. Legislators who’ve objected to schools offering comprehensive sex education say it’s a subject that parents, not government, should teach. State Rep. Alyce Clarke, D-Jackson, pushed for years to enact a law that would allow comprehensive sex education to be taught in schools. She said Mississippi has an epidemic of “almost babies having babies.�
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Briefs Associated Press
Man killed outside Hattiesburg home HATTIESBURG — Hattiesburg police have arrested an 18-year-old man on a charge of murder in the shooting death of Rogerick Balam. Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict says Balam died at Forrest General Hospital shortly after the shooting of what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the chest. An autopsy was being conducted. Police detectives Capt. Michael Shappley says James Harold Smith was charged with murder. Smith was being held without bond in the county jail. Shappley says Balam was found in the backyard of a home. Â
Desoto to Memphis bus temporarily nixed
HERNANDO — DeSoto County has shelved for the moment a proposal to offer a rapid transit system to Memphis, Tenn., along the proposed Interstate 69. Board of Supervisors president Allen Latimer tells The Commercial Appeal that the action was taken after the county’s cash-strapped cities bowed out. Latimer says the county can’t under take the project alone. Planners had put capital costs at about $3.5 million with an 80/20 percent federal-local funding formula. Annual operating costs would have been split between Memphis and DeSoto County and its participating cities. Ridership forecasts had been projected nearly 1,200 daily boardings and more than 343,000 annual boardings by 2018. Latimer says local cities had expressed interest but had no money to dedicate to the project. Â
Man gets 5 years for targeting 2 banks
JACKSON — A federal judge has sentenced Samuel Terrail Young to more than five years for the robbery of a Jackson bank and the attempted stickup of another. U.S. District Judge Dan Jordan sentenced Young in federal court in Jackson on Thursday. Young also must spend five years on supervised release after getting out of prison. Another suspect, Pierre J. Daughtry, pleaded guilty in the case on Wednesday. His sentencing is set for Nov. 28. Authorities say they tried to rob the State Bank and Trust the morning of Oct. 12, but didn’t get any money. They robbed a Jackson Trustmark branch later the same day. Court records said
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both men were convicted felons at the time of the robberies. They allegedly used guns during the crimes. Â
Toddler’s death under investigation
HATTIESBURG,— A Hattiesburg man has been charged with felony child abuse after the death of a 17-month-old child. Forrest County deputy coroner Jonathan Nobles says Kamarie Echols died Wednesday in Forrest General Hospital’s emergency room. Police spokeswoman LaKeisha Bryant says 28-year-old Johnny Elliot Craft, identified as the boyfriend of the child’s mother, has been charged with felony child abuse. He was being held without bond in the Forrest County Jail pending an initial court appearance. Bryant says officers are waiting for the preliminary autopsy results to decide whether to upgrade Craft’s charges. Bryant says the child showed signs of abuse. Â
Leflore supervisors results disputed
GREENWOOD, — Leflore County Circuit Judge Ashley Hines will hold a hearing Sept. 15 to decide who won a dispute Democratic primary for a supervisor’s post. The Greenwood Commonwealth reports that the dispute has also split the local Democratic Party executive committee. One committee faction certified oneterm incumbent Preston Ratliff and another certified challenger Anjuan Brown. However, those actions were taken without a quorum of the 30-member committee. The winner, whoever it may be, will face independent Charles McCain Jr. in the Nov. 8 general election. Unofficial results showed Ratliff losing to Brown. Ratliff was leading before the count of absentee ballots gave the lead to Brown by 89 votes. Ratliff had challenged the result, alleging that fraud and other problems involving absentee ballots cost him the nomination.
Former judge released from prison JACKSON — A former judge has been released early from prison for good behavior after serving almost four years related to a judicial corruption case that toppled one of Mississippi’s most prominent lawyers. Former Harrison County Chancery Judge Wes Teel had been in prison since December 2007. He was convicted in a judicial corruption case along with Gulf Coast attorney Paul Minor and former Harrison County Circuit Court Judge John Whitfield. Prosecutors said Minor went to banks and guaranteed loans for the judges, then used cash and third parties to pay off the debts himself. The judges allegedly ruled in his favor in civil cases. Minor has said the loans were meant to help friends in times of need and that he expected nothing in return. Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman Ed Ross says the 60-yearold Teel was released Tuesday. His attorney, George Lucas, was out of the office and didn’t immediately respond to a message.