• Pardon of violent criminals sets up Miss. legal battle

    On his last days in office, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour confused many of his constituents when, without explanation, he granted pardons or early releases to more than 200 convicts. NBC's Mark Potter reports.

    By msnbc.com staff and news services

    Updated 8:40 p.m. ET: In response to criticism about the pardons, former Gov. Haley Barbour released a statement from his office Wednesday evening that said 189 of the more than 200 people pardoned were already out of prison.

    "My decision about clemency was based upon the recommendation of the Parole Board in more than 90 percent of the cases," the statement said.

    The statement, reported by WTVA of Tupelo, went on to say 13 of the 26 inmates released from custody cost the state a lot of money due to their medical expenses and can be returned to custody if they commit another crime.

    Updated 8 p.m. ET:  Mississippi Circuit Judge Tomie Green has temporarily blocked the release of 21 inmates who'd been given pardons or medical release by Republican Haley Barbour in one of his final acts as governor.

    Original story

    JACKSON, Miss. -- The state attorney general on Wednesday moved to block the release of some inmates pardoned by Gov. Haley Barbour in his last days in office, claiming the move may have violated the state Constitution.

    Attorney General Jim Hood said the law requires a legal notice of plans to pardon to be published 30 days prior to the action. He said his office couldn't find such a record.

    “Unfortunately our research has revealed that Gov. Barbour violated the Constitution,” Hood told The Clarion-Ledger. “We’re seeking to stop the release of any prisoners.”

    Hood told WLBT-TV in Jackson, Miss. that he planned to file an injunction at Hinds County Circuit.

    Read original story from WLBT.com

    On his last day as Mississippi governor, Barbour, a Republican, surprised friends and foes by granting more than 200 pardons, clemency or early release for people convicted of crimes including murder, rape and armed robbery. His actions included 21 people convicted of murder, according to NBC News. 

    Also included were four inmates who had worked at the governor's mansion doing odd jobs under a program that rewarded good behavior.

    Among the pardoned was the brother of retired National Football League star quarterback Brett Favre. Earnest Scott Favre was convicted in 1996 of driving while intoxicated resulting in the death of his best friend. He was sentenced to a year of house arrest and two years probation.

    'Seems very excessive'
    While pardons by outgoing governors and presidents are not unusual, the number and the types of crimes stand out, said Marty Wiseman, a Mississippi State University political scientist and director of the school's John C. Stennis Institute of Government.

    "That seems very excessive to me," Wiseman told The Associated Press. "I don't recall this many crimes that serious being pardoned by anybody."

    Barbour has provided no public statement on the decisions. Former Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, also a Republican, has officially taken office as governor.

    Until this month, Barbour had issued only five pardons and three indefinite suspended sentences in eight years as governor.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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  • Vicksburg residents prepare for 'epic flood'

    SEAN GARDNER / Reuters

    Freddie Walker stacks sandbags to protect Ergon Marina along the Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Mississippi on Tuesday.

    By Thanh Truong, NBC News Correspondent

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – Austin Golding is the third generation in his family making a living off the Mississippi River.

    Back in 1967, his grandfather founded Golding Barge Line. The company moves millions of pounds of product (mostly petroleum) up and down the river each year – but now its office in Vicksburg is surrounded by water. We met him as he gave us a lift in a boat across what used to be the office's parking lot.

    "I was raised around this river, and I've never seen it this high. No one alive has seen it this high. When you're around the water this much you learn to respect the river and its power real quick," he said.

    With his bright blue eyes and youthful face, the 25-year-old spoke with a tone of experience you would expect to hear coming from a river man twice his age. But he and most people in Vicksburg know the potential for flooding. The Mississippi River and Yazoo River meet in Vicksburg. The city expects to see the water rise to levels not seen since 1927.

    "This is going to be an epic flood. I just pray that the infrastructure that's in place and the work that's been done will protect us," said Golding.

    Scott Olson / Getty Images

    Jermaine Jarrett paddles a boat down a flooded street in his neighborhood on Monday in Memphis, Tenn. Click on the photo to see a slideshow of the floods across the U.S.

    There are temporary flood walls along the levees near downtown; water though is already seeping through those walls. Low-lying areas along the Yazoo River have already had roads swallowed by rising water. The worst flooding isn't expected for at least another week.

    "We'll be here, we're not going anywhere. This is our life. This river has given us so much but when it comes – you just get the hell out of its way," Golding said.

    Mighty Mississippi crests in Memphis

  • Coming together in Waveland to rebuild

    Ron Mott/ NBC News

    Butch Jones, left, and Sylvester Harrington, right, walk together in Waveland, Miss.

    By Ron Mott, NBC News Correspondent

    WAVELAND, Miss. – When you're counting the days, five years can seem like a really long time. And, yet, when you're trying to recover from arguably the most devastating natural disaster in U.S. history – day by day – five years goes by like that, with far less progress than one might have hoped or expected.

    That's the reality I found on Mississippi's Gulf Coast, and it took me a bit by surprise. I was certain they would be farther along. I was wrong.

    While so much has been done to recover from the knockout punch that Hurricane Katrina delivered, there is still so much work unfinished – if it's even started, in many instances.

    Having spent a lot of time reporting from here over the past five years, I was struck by how the once-brisk pace of rebuilding appears to have stalled. Empty lots are plentiful, and the sound of circular saws and hammering no longer fills the background as much as it used to.

    Some blame the economic slowdown, others the insurance companies, and still others cite new building requirements along the coast that simply make it more expensive and risky to return.

    Nevertheless, people continue coming back to the place they call home, undeterred by the obstacles and passage of time. People fortunate enough to afford the costs of rebuilding were typically the first to get back on their feet. And then there are those fortunate enough to find organizations and individuals willing to help them stand again.

    So much generosity
    Sylvester Harrington Jr. and his family here are among the lucky ones. Floodwaters poured into their one-story ranch-style home on Aug. 29, 2005, forcing Harrington and two relatives to the attic to survive.

    When the water receded, the Harringtons were left with a mess they didn't have the means to restore.

    But one day Harrington met a gentleman named Butch Jones, who worked for a group called Mission on the Bay – a faith-based joint venture that sent armies of volunteers up and down the Gulf Coast, giving families like the Harringtons free labor to help them pick up the pieces and put their lives back together.

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    In the Harrington's case, everything was free – nails, siding, drywall, paint, flooring, you name it. There was so much generosity, Harrington said, that it often left him speechless and in tears, as this was the only way, he added, his family could return.

    "I wouldn't have been finished yet," Harrington said, "because I didn't have the capital. Our insurance company gave us $1,700. That's what we got paid.”

    The Harringtons, like many coastal residents, did not have flood insurance. He said his insurance company wrote a check for minor roof damage caused by the wind.

    Good things coming out of tough times
    Jones, Harrington’s connection to Mission on the Bay, also lost his home in Gulfport to the storm. But, he says he also found a gift in the aftermath of Katrina – a wife.

    Elizabeth Wheatley was in charge of the outreach ministry for Lutheran Episcopal Services in Mississippi, which organized Mission on the Bay’s massive volunteer drive that attracted helping hands from all over the world.

    Through the dirty, exhausting work of mucking out houses and starting over, Jones and Wheatley uncovered love.

    And while they will soon leave the area for a new life in northern Mississippi – with Mission on the Bay ending as the fifth anniversary of Katrina is marked – the couple say they are leaving their hearts here.

    "It could be sad to say that we can't continue, but we look back at the almost 800 families that we've rebuilt their homes or we built new homes for," Jones said. "Although there is a great deal that's left to be done, the people on the Mississippi Gulf Coast – with the help of thousands upon thousands of people – are resilient. And they are a hope-filled people. And, they're not going to be stopped."

    The recovery continues, of course. Churches are moving into new sanctuaries. City halls and police departments are only now opening the doors to their new homes. Road detours are everywhere, but damage infrastructure is at last being repaired.

    If only more people could say the same.

    Katrina: Five years later