Corps Plan Inadequate?
Levee Board member and Jackson developer Leland Speed made clear his belief at Monday's levee board meeting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has duped Rankin County mayors into prematurely accepting a flawed levee plan that the Corps has endorsed.
[Balko] Clemency on Trial
Most governors grant clemency for the wrong reasons, including Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. Here's what coverage of the Huckabee/Clemons case is missing.
Cochran Crosses Aisle to Bring Home the Bacon
Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran broke ranks with fellow Republicans Sunday to pass a $1.1 trillion omnibus federal spending bill for the 2010 fiscal year. The bill combined $447 billion for transportation, housing and urban development with roughly $650 billion for federal benefit programs like Medicare. It also included $3.9 billion in earmarks for special projects, of which $150 million went to Mississippi. Support from Cochran and two other Republicans, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, gave Democrats the 60 votes they needed to surpass a threatened GOP filibuster. The spending measure now awaits President Barack Obama's signature.
Cheryl Keeton Shelton
One wouldn't necessarily connect a sixth grade teacher with the FBI, but Daniel McMullen, special agent in charge of the FBI's Jackson division, selected just such a teacher for the 2009 Director's Community Leadership Award: Cheryl Keeton Shelton.
Mayor Proclaims Homeless Persons' Memorial Day
[verbatim] Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr., will proclaim Friday, Dec. 18, as James Ivory Homeless Persons' Memorial Day at an observance scheduled for 9:30 a.m. that day at the Stewpot Community Services sanctuary, 1100 W. Capitol St. in Jackson.
Levee Board Votes for Corps-Approved Plan
The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District voted this morning to move head with a levees-only flood-control plan endorsed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads moved to accept the Corps' recommendation that the levees along the Pearl River between Hinds and Rankin counties be extended.
Russell Thomas Jr.
Russell Thomas Jr. lives jazzas a teacher, a student and an advocate. The Mississippi Jazz Foundation recognized Thomas for his own musicianship as well as his education work last Friday, during its annual holiday concert at the Alamo Theatre on Farish Street. Thomas, who has taught jazz performance and music theory at Jackson State University since 1984, also promotes the music he loves in elementary and secondary schools. He founded "Jazz in the Schools," a music education program that teaches jazz history and jazz improvisation to elementary and high school students.
Public Meetings and Community Events
6 p.m. Jackson City Council Meeting at Jackson City Hall (200 S. President St.). The City Council holds its regular meeting, open to the public. Free; call 601-960-1033.
Youth Justice Project Sues Hinds County Schools
The Mississippi Youth Justice Project filed a lawsuit today against the Hinds County School District, alleging that the district unlawfully targeted a student for expulsion. The student, identified in the complaint only by his initials, A.H., was a freshman at Terry High School. District officials suspended, then expelled and placed him in an alternative school for his involvement in what the lawsuit calls a "coin-tossing game" on a school bus.
BREAKING: Levee Board Votes for Corps' Levee Plan
The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District voted this morning to move head with a levees-only flood-control plan endorsed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Flowood Mayor Gary Rhodes moved to accept the Corps' recommendation that the levees along the Pearl River between Hinds and Rankin counties be extended. The other mayors on the Levee Board including Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. all supported the motion, with only Jackson businessmen Leland Speed and Socrates Garrett voting against it. Rhodes cited the concerns of his constituents about the urgency of flood control in submitting the motion. Mayor Johnson seconded the motion.
Childers to Tour Crop Disaster Areas
Today, Rep. Travis Childers, representing Mississippi's first Congressional district, will lead a crop disaster tour throughout his district in the company of U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Michael Scuse. The tour will provide the agency first-hand information about the severe crop loss suffered to Mississippi farmers in the wake of heavy rains earlier in the fall, according to a release.
A Call from the Wild
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" is rare breed. It unfolds slowly and on its own time. It never drags; its pace is leisurely but well measured. The art style and stop-motion photography are as unique as the story; the low-tech but painstaking animation and cinematic puppetry works well in this uncompromisingly old-fashioned tale. Thoughtful and entertaining, "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is nothing short of fantastic.
CVP Gives Donna Ladd ‘Angel of the Year' Award
At its 2009 Christmas Gala last night, the Center for Violence Prevention surprised Jackson Free Press editor Donna Ladd with its "Angel of the Year" award. CVP Executive Director Sandy Middleton told the audience that Ladd and the Jackson Free Press had raised more than $50,000 in recent years for the center's work, which includes helping women and children who are victims of abuse, as well as running a new batterer's intervention program.
Fifth Circuit Overturns Paul Minor Bribery Conviction
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has partially overturned the convictions of Mississippi attorney Paul Minor and former judges John Whitfield and Walter "Wes" Teel. A federal jury convicted Minor, Teel and Whitfield in 2007 for federal bribery and honest services fraud, but they appealed, arguing that prosecutors changed jury instructions to muddy the definition of an exchange of services for corruption, among other arguments.
Jackson High School Wins National Honor
U.S. News & World Report has named Murrah High School in Jackson a Silver Medal school in the magazine's latest list of America's Best High Schools. Murrah was the only school in the state and one of 461 high schools in the nation to earn the Silver Medal designation, which is based on how well schools prepare students for college. No Mississippi schools were among the 100 selected as Gold Medal schools, the highest level.
Mark Chinn
Yes, he's a divorce lawyer, but if Mark Chinn has his way, that job description will sound less like a slur and more like an honor. Chinn, 56, wants to move his profession away from the litigious, take-no-prisoners mentality it currently holds to a more collaborative approach that seeks to heal families even as it separates them.
[Ratcliff] Energy Efficiency is the Solution, Not Coal
Climate change and what to do about it has been a contentious topic for some time now. Although Al Gore's film, "An Inconvenient Truth," did a terrific job of telling the story about the threat of global warming, too many people don't believe they can or should do anything about it.
Happening's this Weekend
Bundle up this afternoon and head to the historic Farish Street district for an evening of holiday celebration. At 4 p.m., join the Farish Street/Main Street Project for the annual tree-lighting ceremony in the park at the corner of Farish and Hamilton streets. Then, at 7 p.m., head the Alamo Theater (333 N. Farish St.) for "A Night of Music Artistry," when the Mississippi Jazz Foundation presents their sixth annual event. The show features Grammy nominee Kirk Whalum and Mississippi recording artist Michael Burton. Tickets are $35. For more entertainment options, visit the JFP Events Calendar for dozens of options every day.
MDH Offering Free Flu Vaccines
The Mississippi State Department of Health is now offering free vaccines for the H1N1 flu, commonly known as swine flu, to Mississippians. Residents 6 months of age or older can get either the injectable vaccine or the nasal-spray vaccine free at any MSDH at any county health department. Physicians and schools are also making the vaccines available.
Girl, 8, Shot at Boys & Girls Club
An 8-year-old girl was shot in the head while sitting inside the Boys & Girls Club on Sykes Road at around 2:30 p.m. today, according to Jackson police. The unidentified girl was reportedly doing her homework when a bullet came from outside.