Coast Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. for 85th Birthday

SOUTH MISSISSIPPI -- Monday's culmination of Martin Luther King Jr. Day marked the 28th year of celebrations that began officially Jan. 20, 1986, three years after President Ronald Reagan signed the national holiday into law.

The much anticipated Coastwide Parade and Battle of the Bands started at 19th Street and 30th Avenue in Gulfport, kicking off at 11 a.m. with some numerous units that included civic organizations, churches, and bands from local high schools and college groups from across the South. Hundreds of other residents spent the day performing community service.

A cornucopia of events marked the week and weekend leading up to Monday's federal holiday, marked by closing of most government offices and an increasing number of private businesses.

Jackson County Celebrates MLK
Sun Herald MultMedia (VIDEO) Jan. 20, 2014
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Main article: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Beginning in 1971, cities such as Saint Louis, Missouri, and states established annual holidays to honor King.^[242] At the White House Rose Garden on November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a federal holiday to honor King. Observed for the first time on January 20, 1986, it is called Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Following President George H. W. Bush's 1992 proclamation, the holiday is observed on the third Monday of January each year, near the time of King's birthday.^[243][244] On January 17, 2000, for the first time, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially observed in all fifty U.S. states.^[245] Arizona (1992), New Hampshire (1999) and Utah (2000) were the last three states to recognized the holiday. Utah previously celebrated the holiday at the same time but under the name Human Rights Day.^[246]

Attorney General Hood Wants Lawsuit Against Entergy Sent Back to Court

JACKSON, Miss. — Attorney General Jim Hood is asking a federal court to send the State of Mississippi’s lawsuit against Entergy back to state court.

In its recent ruling inMississippi ex rel. Hood v. AU Optronics Corp., the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed with Attorney General Hood’s argument that cases brought by attorneys general to enforce their states’ laws should be heard in state court. The Court’s unanimous holding is significant because it reversed a decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit which said such cases should stay in federal court.

In December 2008, the Attorney General's Office was forced to file a lawsuit against Entergy on behalf of the state, charging the company with violations of the Mississippi Consumer Protection Act, the Mississippi Anti-Trust Act, Fraud and related claims.

Entergy moved the state’s lawsuit from state court to federal court. Federal Judge Henry Wingate denied the state’s motion to remand the case to state court based on the Fifth Circuit’s decision. On Tuesday, the United States Supreme Court held that the Fifth Circuit’s view of the law was incorrect. The state has now filed a motion with Judge Wingate asking him to remand the case to state court in light of the Supreme Court’s unanimous opinion.

“Entergy has already admitted to overcharging Mississippi ratepayers for power,” said Attorney General Hood. “As we argued in our motion to remand, this is a state issue and should be addressed in state court. We think it only fair, given this recent ruling clarifying the point, that we ask the Court to reconsider the remand denial.”

Attorney General Hood has asked Entergy to turn over documents about its business practices to shed some light on the way in which it operates. Entergy has refused every request.

 

Report provided by State Attorney General's Office. Contact Jan Schaefer, public information officer, at jscha@ago.state.ms.us and 601-359-2002.