Background: Melton moved to the city in the early 1980s to run a local TV station, where he became known for his fiery op-ed pieces. in 2005, he was elected mayor. source
Conflict: His odd way of running the city led to charges that he and a bodyguard attempted to attack a duplex he considered a crack house with sledgehammers. source
Crisis: The charges, which were about to be retried in federal court, took a toll on his political career, and he ended up losing a heated primary for re-election. source
Resolution: Melton, in ill health for years, went to the hospital just after the primary results were announced and then died. He leaves behind a killer biopic. source
Mississippi: Ehhhh … Governor Haley Barbour, a Republican, says he won’t take some of the allocated funds for his state if it means extra costs for Mississippi down the road. He specifically noted the unemployment tax, which might force the state to pick up the tab for increased benefits. “I mean, we want more jobs,” Barbour said. “You don’t get more jobs by putting an extra tax on creating jobs.” source
Mississippi: Ehhhh … Governor Haley Barbour, a Republican, says he won’t take some of the allocated funds for his state if it means extra costs for Mississippi down the road. He specifically noted the unemployment tax, which might force the state to pick up the tab for increased benefits. “I mean, we want more jobs,” Barbour said. “You don’t get more jobs by putting an extra tax on creating jobs.”
Massachusetts: Bring it on! Democratic Governor Deval Patrick, on the other hand, has zero qualms with taking a ton of stimulus cash, if it means building up the state’s – and by extension, the country’s – infrastructure. He specifically mentioned roads. “Whether governors say they will or won’t take this or that as part of the stimulus bill, in some ways, is irrelevant,” Patrick said. “People want that help.” source