News

Shades of Gray

On the evening of Oct. 27, the mayor of McComb, Miss., was in the city's board room, arguing with his city attorney about fractions. The mayor wanted to block a vote to fire the city's accountant.

Is Beleaguered Bon Air Back?

The city of Jackson announced new funds for the development of the Bon Air Subdivision on West Capitol Street last weeka project with a long trail of controversy behind it.

Leona Bishop

Leona Bishop, 37, will be the first to tell you: Where she started is nowhere near where she is today. However, where she is today is exactly where she needs to be.

Green Grads Hit the Ground Running

Laborers' International Union Local 145 President James Anderson said at yesterday's graduation ceremony that he trained his students well before sending them out into the workforce. "We had 14 students. It was a three-week class. They actually built a little house out back, and put in the doors, windows and walls, and weatherized it all," Anderson told the Jackson Free Press.

Burnham Selected as Superintendent of Schools

The Mississippi Board of Education announced its unanimous selection for Superintendent of Schools yesterday: Dr. Tom Burnham, 56, who held the position from 1992 to 1997. Burnham replaces Interim Superintendent Dr. John Jordan, who took on the job when former-Superintendent Dr. Hank Bounds took the position of Commissioner for Higher Education in July.

No Quorum At JPS Board Meeting

Only two board members appeared at this evening's meeting of the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees, not enough for a three-member quorum. Board members H. Ann Jones and Jonathan Larkin were present and listened to public comments, many of them from parents protesting the board's Oct. 20 decision to discontinue a music education program. Both Jones and Larkin favored renewing the Strings in the Schools program, which brings Mississippi Symphony Orchestra musicians into schools to perform and teach.

Parents Prepare to Defend Music Program at JPS Meeting

Parents of children in a Jackson Public Schools music program are gearing up to defend it at a school board meeting today, but as of this writing the issue was not on the meeting agenda. The JPS Board of Trustees failed to the renew the program Oct. 20, voting 2-to-2 on the district's $300,000 contract with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, which the district had maintained for 43 years. The board meets today at 5:30 p.m.

Council Renames Northside Library for Tisdale

The Jackson City Council voted 5-to-2 this morning to name the city library on Northside Drive after former Jackson Advocate Publisher Charles Tisdale, who died at age 80 in 2007. The council voted along racial lines, with black members Kenneth Stokes, Charles Tillman, Frank Bluntson, Chokwe Lumumba and Tony Yarber voting in favor of the decision and white members Margaret Barrett-Simon and Jeff Weill voting against.

Andrew Chaikin

Award-winning science journalist and space historian Andrew Chaikin is touching down in Jackson, Miss. today. Chaikin, who has been writing books and articles about space exploration and astronomy for a quarter of a century, will visit the city planetarium and speak at Millsaps College tonight. Chaikin is best known as the author of "A Man on The Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts," the book that was the basis of Tom Hanks' exhaustive 12-part HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon," which added a whole new dimension to the words "Houston, we have a problem."

State Tax Revenues Down Again

Mississippi tax collections for October were behind estimates for the month by 6.74 percent, or $28.5 million, Gov. Haley Barbour stated yesterday. For the year to date, the first four months of the fiscal year, which began in July, are down 7.5 percent, or $111.7 million.

Supreme Court Refuses to Decide Statute of Limitations in Seale Case

Former Klansman James Ford Seale will remain in prison, at least for now. The U.S. Supreme Court today refused to address a question from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to decide whether too much time had passed for the case against Seale to proceed. "While we are disappointed that the U.S. Supreme Court chose not to decide the statute of limitations issue now, we look forward to our opportunity to present the issue to the court again when the remaining issues in the appeal have been finally resolved by the 5th Circuit," Seale's attorney Kathryn Nester said.

Hinds Supes Appoint New County Attorney

At a board meeting this morning, Hinds County Supervisors appointed Sherri Flowers to replace Malcolm Harrison as county attorney. Harrison became Gov. Haley Barbour's first African American judicial appointment in October, when the governor picked him for the Hinds County Circuit Court seat formerly held by Bobby DeLaughter.

Public Meetings and Community Events

Nov. 1-7, Jackson State University Homecoming 2009 at Jackson State University (1400 Lynch St.). A week of activities for students and alumni. Cost varies; visit http://www.jsums.edu/studentlife/.

Laurence C. Jones

A hundred years ago, Laurence Clifton Jones established The Piney Woods School in rural Rankin County with $2 and three students. Jones, born Nov. 21, 1884, in St. Joseph Mo., graduated from the University of Iowa in 1908. He turned down a job at Tuskeegee Institute in Alabama, opting instead for the Utica Institute in Mississippi.

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Plea in Seale Case

In a statement today, the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a plea from the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals to decide whether the statute of limitations had run out in the case of reputed Klansman James Ford Seale, convicted in 2007 of federal kidnapping charges for his involvement in the murders of Charles Moore and Henry Dee in 1964.

Flu Vaccine Available Today

Officials with the Mississippi Department of Health have announced that the H1N1 swine flu vaccine is available in the state as of today in county health clinics and some schools reports the Sun Herald. At this time supplies are limited, and certain groups will have priority, including pregnant women, children from 6 months to 4 years old and infant caregivers.

Jackson Recognized, Again, for Business Climate

Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. send out a statement this afternoon, announcing that Jackson has again been recognized for the city's strong business climate, as it has several times in recent months. Johnson stated, verbatim:

Aerospace Alliance Draws Fire From Unions

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour's support for an aerospace jobs initiative among Gulf Coast states puts him at odds, with a familiar opponent: labor unions. On Oct. 26, Barbour joined his fellow Republican governors from Louisiana and Alabama in announcing the Aerospace Alliance, a non-profit collaboration between the three states aimed at bringing aerospace manufacturing and supplier jobs to the Gulf Coast.

Robby Channell

Robby Channell, media manager at Baptist Health Systems, received the Senior Practitioner award from the Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), Oct. 8 at the Gold Strike Casino Resort In Tunica.

First Black Judge Sworn In Under Barbour

The state of Mississippi swore in its first African American judge under Republican Gov. Haley Barbour this morning.

Jones Drafts Legislation to Protect Abuse Victims

A Mississippi Gulf Coast lawmaker is drafting a bill that will protect domestic-violence victims from being victimized again. Rep. Brandon Jones, D-Pascagoula, vice-chairman of the House Insurance Committee, says his legislation will prevent health-insurance companies from denying victims coverage.

Knife Fight at Holocaust Denier Book-Signing

A knife fight broke out at a Monday book-signing for Holocaust revisionist David Irving in Florida. Two audience members battled it out near a crowd of guests at the author's lecture at the Ritz-Carlton, Manalpan, near Palm Beach. Police there identified one of the men as a white supremacist from West Palm Beach.

Crime Reports Mixed: Jackson Crime Stats for Oct. 19-25

Major crimes in Jackson last week stayed level with numbers from the previous week, according to a report released today at a Jackson Police Department command staff meeting. Officers reported 216 total property crimes and 26 total violent crimes last week.

Flu Vaccine Info ‘Nearly Pure Bunk'

People have been receiving all kinds of bad information about the new vaccinations for swine flu via e-mail and flyers. "We've seen e-mails stating that the vaccine is tainted with antifreeze or Agent Orange, causes Gulf War syndrome, or has killed U.S. Navy sailors. One says the vaccine is an 'evil depopulation scheme.' The claims are nearly pure bunk, with only trace amounts of fact," states FactCheck.org.

Sweet and Safe

These days, not a lot of people go door-to-door for trick-or-treating. Many families attend local harvest festivals or parties at their kids' schools or churches. Nevertheless, if you are taking your kids out this Halloween, remember to practice these few candy safety rules.

Otis "Obeyjah" White

Sitting in a lounge chair in his living room, dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and wearing a red, green and yellow Rastafarian crown, Otis "ObeyJah" White beats conga drums in a melodic fashion.

Mayor to Hold Up Sales Tax Hike?

Last session, the Mississippi Legislature enacted a referendum vote for a sales tax increase to fix city streets and improve public safety, but Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. says that vote may be on hold indefinitely.

Barbour's Medicaid Letter a Half-Truth?

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour pinched a nerve in September that's still causing pain for some health-insurance reform advocates. Barbour sent a Sept. 8 letter to Mississippi Republican Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker warning both that the reform envisioned in Congress that month would raise the state's Medicaid costs.

Obama to Sign Hate Crime Legislation

In a ceremony today at the White House, President Barack Obama will sign a bill into law that has been in the works for more than a decade. The bill updates the 1968 federal hate crime statutes that currently protects individuals from attack because of their race, religion or ethnicity, adding sexual orientation and disabilities to the list.

JSU Breaking Ground on University Place

A long-awaited development project near Jackson State University has begun its first phase at the corner of Dalton and Lynch Streets. The JSU Development Foundation, which supports the university through investments, will celebrate the groundbreaking on the four-story, mixed-use building at 10 a.m. tomorrow, marking the official start of construction on its $125 million University Place development.

Ellington