Clarion Ledger by Gary Pettus As a cashier making above minimum wage, Christale Thomas could easily do the math: Her paycheck minus expenses equaled a renter's nightmare. "I couldn't even afford a one-bedroom apartment that cost more than $500," said Thomas of Jackson, a single parent with three...
New York Times By John Schwartz From the numbers alone, you might think Kenneth R. Feinberg would be a popular guy. Since taking over the $20 billion fund to compensate victims of the Gulf Coast oil spill in July, he has handed out $3.8 billion, with $2.6 billion...
New York Times By Campbell Robertson and John Schwartz BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. — By October, Tim Nguyen found that his work in a Mississippi shipyard was no longer paying the bills. His hours had been cut back, part of the general ebb of work along the...
Redbook By Whitney Barkley If you’re having problems paying your mortgage, you aren’t alone. Across the country, homeowners are struggling to keep their heads above water in a recovering economy. Whether it’s because of a job loss, mounting medical bills, or a home that’s now worth less...
Sun Herald by Nicole Dow Government funding for AmeriCorps, a national community service program that provided recovery aid to the Coast following Katrina, may end as Congress approves budgetary decisions for fiscal year 2011. Recent legislation from the U.S. House of Representatives eliminated all government spending for the...
Sun Herald By ANITA LEE South Mississippi’s last Katrina recovery program brought in 17,776 applications for assistance with housing repairs or requests for help with placement of Mississippi cottages. Coast Housing Director Gerald Blessey said the Mississippi Development Authority expects next week to request proposals from contractors who...
Clarion Ledger by Jerry Mitchell Gov. Haley Barbour plans to sign a bill aimed at reducing the 572-percent equivalent interest on payday loans, his office said Monday. "The legislation has not reached the governor's office yet, but once it does - unless there's some unforeseen problem or surprise...
Clarion Ledger Editorial Board The House vote Monday for payday lending reform represents precious little reform and appears headed to one of those legislative instances in which "victory" is declared over a problem that remains unsolved The House and Senate conference committee compromise on payday lending legislation last...
Clarion Ledger by Molly Parker Compromise legislation that cleared the House Monday would extend the payday lending industry in Mississippi another 2 1/2 years while lowering the equivalent 572 percent interest rate allowed under current law. Religious and consumer advocates lined up against the bill, saying it didn't...
Clarion Ledger by Jerry Mitchell House Banking Committee Chairman George Flaggs said the House will vote today on whether to adopt payday lending reform to lower Mississippi's 572 percent equivalent interest rate. The House and Senate conference committee agreed on compromise legislation last week. "I can't write a...
