Mayor Frank Melton of Jackson, Miss., was jailed yesterday for violating the terms of his probation that were established last fall after he pleaded guilty to three gun charges. Stories by the Jackson Free Press led directly to those gun convictions, and last month, the alt-weekly broke the news that Melton had violated his probation by breaking midnight curfew. The Jackson Free Press' coverage also led directly to five felony charges Melton faces in April for allegedly leading police officers and juvenile friends on a warrantless raid.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved H.R. 1309 this morning, just two days after it was reported out of subcommittee. It's "the most comprehensive legislation to reform the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in a decade," says the Sunshine in Government Initiative, a coalition of media groups that includes AAN. The bill restores meaningful deadlines for government agencies; requires agencies to create hotlines and tracking systems for requests; creates an ombudsman to resolve disputes and avoid litigation; makes it easier to recover legal fees if a requester is forced to sue; and penalizes agencies for delays. H.R. 1039 is scheduled to hit the House floor next Tuesday. AAN members are encouraged to contact their representatives to voice support for the bill.
Lacey Phillabaum, a former staff writer for The Source Weekly and C-Ville Weekly, entered a federal detention center in January, six months before she will be sentenced for her role in torching a $4 million University of Washington horticulture facility, the Hook reports. Phillabaum pleaded guilty to three counts of arson in October, and faces three to five years in prison. "She's really eager to put this behind her," says friend James Johnson. The Hook also reports that friends of Phillabaum have set up an informative website about her in part "to counter the radical left-wing blogs that have accused her of being a snitch."
In a report (PDF file) released this week, the U.S. Office of the Surgeon General called on alcohol marketers to cut back on outdoor ads, end college-newspaper advertisings, and eliminate alcohol-sponsored events at colleges, Advertising Age reports. Beer Institute President Jeff Becker says brewers "wholeheartedly agree" with the recommendations, noting the industry already requires ads to be placed in media where 70 percent of the audience is 21 or older.
Robert Chavez's 90-day suspension from his post as president of the Tennessee Hispanic Chamber of Commerce "will become a permanent termination" at the next meeting of the chamber's board, the Scene reports. Chavez was suspended just two weeks ago, following a Scene article detailing his "nefarious business activities and poor chamber leadership." The Nashville alt-weekly also reports that Chavez has lost his attorney, Delain L. Deatherage, who had represented him since at least November.
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