Latest news with #MikeHenderson
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mike Henderson seeks reelection to Oxford council
OXFORD — Mike Henderson has announced his candidacy for reelection to the Oxford City Council. Henderson, 68, a lifelong resident of Oxford and a 21-year veteran of the council, said he wanted to continue enhancing the quality of life for city residents. A retired banker with a 46-year career in the industry, culminating in the position of City President of F&M Bank in Oxford, Henderson said his ties to the community run deep. He is a graduate of Oxford High School and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Jacksonville State University. "My motivation has always been to improve the quality of life for our citizens," Henderson said. Henderson has several priorities outlined if he were to win reelection. He stressed the importance of completing ongoing and planned infrastructure projects efficiently — such as the work that has begun on the Leon Smith Parkway. Major infrastructure projects underway that will continue into the next term include the Friendship Road bridge replacement, which is expected to begin within the next two years, and a major drainage project in the Bynum area, where engineering work is being finalized. Henderson said there have also been discussions between the city and the Alabama Department of Transportation 'regarding some solutions to provide traffic relief along the parkway such as bridge widening or possibly another exit from the (Oxford) Exchange.' 'There has been some preliminary engineering work done regarding this option,' Henderson said. Additionally, he proposed the construction of three new area-specific substations for the Oxford Healthcare Paramedics service, or potentially the construction of a dedicated animal intake facility. 'We have had citizens attend meetings concerned about people dumping animals, primarily dogs, and them roaming our streets and neighborhoods,' Henderson said. 'Several have complained about their pets or themselves being attacked by packs of dogs that possibly have no owners.' 'The city currently has limited options for places to take animals picked up by animal control. A shelter is desperately needed to address this problem. The proposed shelter would be a humane facility with the plan to adopt out animals picked up by animal control,' he continued. Henderson said he believes his extensive experience and varied skill set make him a strong candidate. "My experience on the council, my ability to get things done, my knowledge of the city and its needs, financial knowledge and fiscal responsibility, vision, honesty and integrity, and my Christian faith are qualities I bring to the council," Henderson said.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Missouri bill seeks to crack down on meritless lawsuits targeting free speech
State Sen. Mike Henderson stands as he is introduced to the Missouri Senate on the first day of the 2025 legislative session in January (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). Lawmakers are once again pushing for Missouri to join more than 30 other states that have enacted protections against frivolous litigation aimed at silencing free speech. The proposal targets strategic lawsuits against public participation, or 'SLAPPs,' which are often filed without any expectation of winning in court and are instead simply an attempt to intimidate a person or organization by threatening a lengthy, expensive legal battle. 'These are lawsuits used to punish people with costly litigation to suppress free speech,' state Sen. Mike Henderson, a Desloge Republican sponsoring the legislation, told the Missouri Senate Judiciary Committee last week. 'Even if a defendant wins, the financial burden discourages them and others from exercising their free speech.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A coalition of groups testified in support of the bill, including Missouri Right to Life and the Missouri Press Association. There was no opposition during the Senate hearing. 'News organizations and journalists across the country are frequent targets of these meritless lawsuits that aim to silence reporting through expensive and protracted litigation,' said Chad Stebbins, executive director of the Missouri Press Association. 'Missouri's current statutes only protect conduct or speech undertaken or made in connection with a public hearing or public meeting.' The bill would require plaintiffs in these lawsuits to demonstrate a basis for their claim early in the litigation A judge would then have to rule in an expedited manner on whether the case should be dismissed, easing any expense to the defendant and avoiding a drawn out process. Businesses and politicians are increasingly using legal intimidation to stifle journalism and dissenting voices. Elon Musk's social media company X filed multiple lawsuits against liberal advocacy group Media Matters for America in 2023 over reports by the nonprofit organization that led to an advertising boycott. Media Matters was forced to lay off dozens of staffers because of the lawsuits. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has reportedly spent more than $500,000 defending himself in a defamation lawsuit over how a book he recently wrote described debunked claims of election fraud made in the video presentation to state legislators. The suit was filed by the wife of a Texas multimillionaire and ardent support of Donald Trump. In 2023, a professor at University of Notre Dame filed a defamation lawsuit against a student-run, conservative Catholic newspaper after it published a news story about her abortion-rights activism. Because of Indiana's anti-SLAPP law, the case was dismissed but the paper still spent $175,000 defending itself. Citizens exercising their free speech rights should not have to endure the toll of litigation and the risk of financial ruin to defend themselves against meritless claims, said Susan Klein of Missouri Right to Life. 'Obviously we have freedom of speech, but sometimes people or organizations are intimidated by the threat of a lawsuit and are encouraged to not speak out,' she said. 'And so because of this harassment and intimidation, we need to have some added protection for our freedom of speech.' The Missouri anti-SLAPP legislation has had success in both the House and Senate in previous years, but has never made it to the governor's desk. Last year, it was included in a wide-ranging judicial bill that cleared the House but ran into gridlock in the Senate, where GOP infighting resulted in fewer bills passing than any year in living memory. 'This has been around since 2021,' state Sen. Nick Schroer, a Republican from Defiance and chair of the judiciary committee, told Henderson during last week's hearing. 'You've got my full support.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
