Update: Mississippi Democrats Arrive in Denver

In a follow up to my story from the other day, Mississippi's democratic delegates have arrived in Denver for the Democratic National Convention. The convention kicks off Monday and I'll be providing updates throughout the week. My stories will give readers an up close, local look at the convention. Check back Wednesday for my next post as I'm off Monday and Tuesday.

Mississippi Reacts to Obama's VP Pick

Sen. Joe Biden was announced as Sen. Barack Obama's vice presidential pick Saturday. Mississippi Republicans were quick to respond to the presumptive democratic nominee's pick. Mississippi Democrats fired right back. Check out today's local reaction to Obama's selection.

Mississippi Democrats Headed to Convention

Mississippi Democrats are headed to Denver for next week's Democratic National Convention. I spoke with a couple local democrats and will follow their week via pictures and phone interviews. Check back to get an inside look at what local Mississippi leaders are seeing and experiencing in Denver.

Fay Headed Toward Mississippi

Tropical Storm Fay is in Florida and moving straight west toward Mississippi. This is hurricane country, so we are bracing for just lots of heavy rain this weekend into early next week. Fay dumped close to 30 inches on Florida. By the time it reaches Jackson it will probably dump up to 6 inches. Today, I talked to MEMA (Mississippi Emergency Management Agency) about their preparations. There should be video for this story, but we've been having some technical problems. Hopefully by the time you see it the video will work.

Welcome!

Welcome to the brand new "Matt Johnson Live." Here you can see some of my recent work along with photos, a slideshow, a poll, story links, and much more to come.

Please feel free to comment and tell me what you think!

More Medicaid Mess

Mississippi's Medicaid program is still a mess. The governor's cuts are set to go into effect in less than two weeks. Hospitals fear the affect of the cuts. They are running out of time to file legal action to block the cuts. I'm all over this complicated story. It's not as thrilling as a video story would be, but for now, that's what I've got. Enjoy.

Playing Catch Up

Hey all...it's been awhile since I've updated the blog. It is a sign that I've been busy, busy, busy at work. We're still working hard to get on the air very soon, but I don't know exactly when. Check out my updated web stories over the last few days including some videos! We are able to edit more extensively now, so you may be seeing more edited pieces. Most likely they won't be the full video stories you're used to seeing, but it's something. Also, feel free to comment on the stories.

I've also added a few new features, including a new template, poll, slideshow and photo captions. Look for more changes soon! Tell me how you like the new look!

Citizens March to "Stop the Violence"

This story is a little older, but I never posted it up here. Jackson has a major crime problem. We've had something like 48 murders this year so far. We had 57 all of last year. Fortunately, I live in a good neighborhood, but they're not all that way. I marched with a group of people last weekend through some areas where people were murdered. The group is hoping to get the word out to help "Stop the Violence." This story includes a brief video, more to come later this week when I edit a full video as part of our practice in learning to edit.

State to Hear Citizens Sound Off on Tax Changes

As mentioned in my previous entry, Mississippi is considering a major overhaul of the state's tax system. Click here to read how it will affect taxpayers.

State Report Recommends Cigarette Tax Hike

Mississippi is considering sweeping changes to the state's tax system. Among them is a proposal to double the cigarette tax. It's currently just 18 cents/pack. The funds would help fund various health programs, mostly Medicaid, which is in desperate need for cash. Click here to read the story.

Vandals Target Foreclosed Homes

Mom gave me this story idea. Vandals are targeting foreclosed homes in the Jackson area. When the homes sit vacant--for weeks at times--vandals take aim. The result is that realtors have a tough time selling the homes. Who wants to buy a vandalized home? Vandals aren't the only ones doing damage, though. Often times, the homeowner--knowing they're getting their home taken away due to foreclosure--will strip everything they can from the house before they leave. It's a problem Jackson realtors don't deny. Click here to read the story and see video of a local realtor walking me through the home.

New Polls Show Tight Mississippi U.S. Senate Race

Check out my latest political piece. I did some digging and found new polling numbers in the heated race for Mississippi's U.S. Senate seat. The former Governor, Ronnie Musgrove (D) is facing interim U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R). I've been doing several stories and will be doing many more with both campaigns as election night (Nov. 4th) nears. The Mississippi U.S. Senate Race is expected to be one of the closest in the country this election cycle. Click here to read my story.

State Health Lab Likely Won't Close

The Mississippi Public Health Lab--run by the MS Dept. of Health--got into trouble a while back for improper lab testing procedures. The feds threatened to close the lab by the end of this month, but that may not happen now. Click here to find out why.

Heated Medicaid Debate Comes to an End

The debate over Mississippi's Medicaid mess has finally ended--at least for now. I was at the state capitol all day Monday chasing down lawmakers in their various meetings on fixing the funding shortfall. The democratic led House and the republican led Senate (supported by the governor) have been in major disagreement on how to fund Medicaid. The special session ended Monday, but not without a little drama. This is a complicated topic to cover, but I enjoy the challenge. Click here to see Monday's story.

Governor Announces Medicaid Funding Solution

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour announced Friday a plan to fund the state's Medicaid budget shortfall. It's a solution in reaction to no legislative action. This story developed more a few days later. Check it out.

Stormy Stormy Saturday/Sunday

Mississippi is the severe weather capital of the world if you ask me. We had an extremely busy severe weather weekend in which I worked plenty of overtime Saturday night into about 3a.m. Sunday morning. Check out this weekend's severe weather story, including lightning video and pics. Click here to see it.

Obama Campaign Opens Mississippi Office in Jackson

Barack Obama's campaign just opened its Mississippi state office in Jackson Saturday. The presumptive democratic presidential nominee won the MS democratic primary against Hillary Clinton. We'll see how he does in the election in a typically conservative state. The Obama campaign hopes the African American vote will push Obama over McCain. Mississippi has elected a republican president every year since 1980 when Jimmy Carter was the last democrat elected here. Click here to see Saturday's story.

One Year Later: A Progress Report on Mississippi Bridges

It's been a year since the I-35W bridge collapse in my hometown of Minneapolis. A sad and tragic day certainly woke us all up to the dangers of bridges all over the nation. I remember reporting on the story when I was in Chattanooga. I was on the set with our anchors discussing the tragedy and my experience as a Minnesota native who had traveled that route. Now, a year later, I'm in Mississippi, where bridge safety is indeed a problem. Check out today's story, a progress report on Mississippi bridge safety.

Above here is a picture of a riverboat in the foreground of the Mississippi River bridge in Natchez, Mississippi, on the state's Western border with Louisiana, about 45 minutes West of Jackson. It's a beautiful, historic part of the state.