News

Picayune Sees Improvement in Dropout Prevention

[Verbatim From Mississippi Department of Education] When the number of dropouts reached the double digits this school year, administrators and teachers at Picayune Memorial High School decided it was time to do something drastic.

Mississippi's First Embassy Suites Design Option III Opens in Jackson

[Verbatim from Embassy Suites] Memphis, TENN, January 5, 2009- Embassy Suites Hotels today announced the highly anticipated opening of the brand's first Design Option III property, the 145-suite Embassy Suites Jackson - North/Ridgeland - the brand's first in Mississippi. Located in Ridgeland, Miss., an upscale community north of Jackson, the property also boasts the brand's first Flying Spoons, an innovative new restaurant concept that will only be available at Embassy Suites Hotels. The opening marks the brand's 198th hotel.

City Council Revisiting Fuel Theft Today

The Jackson City Council will meet today for an update on the city's continuing problem with alleged fuel theft. In early December, council members voiced concern that more than 80 percent of city employees with city–paid gas cards were not properly tracking odometer readings, and could be abusing the card and stealing from the city. The council gave four recommendations to the city at a Dec. 1, 2008, meeting, and will revisit the issue at 2:30 p.m. today.

[In Discussion] 2009 Jackson State of the Arts

Jackson's artists and arts advocates will gather Jan. 5 and 15 at One to One Studio in the Millsaps Arts District to discuss the 2009 State of the Arts in Jackson.

Fannie Lou Hamer Home Destroyed By Fire

The Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement confirmed this morning that a fire destroyed the Fannie Lou Hamer home in Ruleville, Miss., New Years Day. There are no details, yet, on what caused the fire, but continue to watch jacksonfreepress.com for updates.

Mayor Frank Melton Admitted To Hospital

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton was admitted to St. Dominic Hospital Saturday night, City Information Director Goldia Revies told WLBT. Melton, who is scheduled to stand trial Feb. 2 on federal civil rights charges, has congestive heart failure and is in the end stage of cardiomyopathy. Melton's trial was supposed to begin this week, but Judge Dan Jordan granted Melton a continuance last week, finding he was not fit to stand trial, yet. Revies would not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Melton entering the hospital. Reached Monday for coment, Melton attorney John Reeves said he did not know if the mayor had been released.

Photos: John Horhn Announces Candidacy for Mayor

Photos of the announcement press conference and rally for Mississippi State Senator John Horne, who announced his intention to run for Jackson city mayor in 2009. Photos by Kip Caven:

Horhn Suggests State Rebate To Generate City Revenue

"The question has often been asked of me by some of my saner friends, 'Why on earth would you want to be mayor of Jackson?' To that point, my reply is always: Because I love this city and don't want to see it fail," he said.

Rick Whitlow Announces Mayoral Platform

Today, Rick Whitlow released a detailed 2009 mayoral campaign platform. "This is the platform from which I will work should I decide to run for the Office of Mayor in Jackson," he said in an e-mail to media. "There are still several matters I have to take into consideration before making a final decision on my candidacy. The decision will officially be announced the first week of March just prior to the filing deadline." The full platform and Whitlow's biography are below, verbatim.

[Wicker] New Year Brings Major Changes in Iraq

On New Year's Day, U.S. forces handed over security responsibilities to the Iraqi government. This marks a milestone that could be the beginning of a year of major change in the country. This dramatic shift is the result of a security agreement recently agreed to between the U.S. and Iraqi governments. The agreementknown as the Status of Forces Agreementbuilds on the security and political gains achieved in Iraq last year and will continue to allow the Iraqi government to stand on its own so our troops can continue coming home.

Sen. John Horhn to Announce Run for Mayor Friday

[Verbatim statement] December 31, 2008, Jackson, Mississippi - John Horhn will announce his candidacy for Mayor of Jackson on Friday, January 2, 2009, at 12:00 noon at the corner of Raymond Road and McDowell Road in Jackson. Horhn's campaign will focus on economic development, housing and community development, education, crime, and replenishing the city's infrastructure. He plans to conduct a series of town-hall-style meetings for the purpose of listening directly to citizens' concerns and desires for Jackson's future.

Clinton and Palin Encourage Women Politicos

Women believe that Sen. Hillary Clinton and Gov. Sarah Palin crashed a few glass ceilings in the Nov. 4 general elections. Despite the media treating them unfairly, concentrating far too much on hairstyles and clothing, the majority of women voters say that the two politicians have paved the way for more women to run for office in the future.

Judge: Melton Trial Postponed Until Feb. 2, 2009

Over the objection of federal prosecutors, Judge Dan Jordan has announced that the trial of Mayor Frank Melton and bodyguard Michael Recio has been postponed until Feb. 2, 2009 due to the mayor's bad health. The order (PDF, 41 KB), just filed today, states that Melton's counsel just notified the judge on Dec. 23, 2008, that Melton had been in the hospital in November and December for severe heart problems that are life-threatening.

Sanford Knott

Sanford Knott doesn't sound like a typical Jacksonian. A childhood hearing problem kept him from speaking clearly until he was in junior high school.

Lumumba Seeks Ward 2 Slot

Jackson attorney Chokwe Lumumba announced his candidacy for Ward 2 Councilman Monday.

BREAKING: Judge Won't Rule on Melton Health Today

Full JFP Melton Archive/Blog

District Court Judge Dan Jordan's office has confirmed that he will not rule on Mayor Frank Melton's ability to stand trial next week until Wednesday morning. According to an order, Jordan will "conduct a confidential telephonic conference with all parties" at 8:30 a.m. on New Year's Eve to get the medical opinion of Dr. J. Murray Estess Jr., appointed by the court to comment on Melton's medical condition. He will then issue an order. Read Dr. Estess' vitae here.

Melton Admits 'Failure' on Crime Issue

Download audio of Melton press conference on 12.30.08 (.wav, 15.42MB)

UPDATED: Judge to Rule on Mayor's Health Today; Melton Holds Press Conference

The health of Jackson Mayor Frank Melton is having a decided impact on the trial over his role in the 2006 illegal demolition of a home on Ridgeway Street. U.S. District Judge Dan Jordan, who is presiding over Melton's trial, held a three-hour closed hearing yeaterday to review whether the mayor is healthy enough to face a jury. At the end of the hearing, Jordan allowed reporters back in the courrtoom. "I've heard testimony from two of Melton's doctors and his bodyguards, and as you know, Melton has made a motion for continuance of trial. I will look at some cases this evening and transcripts from witnesses and enter a ruling tomorrow," he said.

Ronnie Agnew: Clarion-Ledger ‘Reducing News Space,' Sections

In his column today, Clarion-Ledger Executive Editor Ronnie Editor announced major changes in the statewide, Gannett-owned newspaper starting tomorrow, including shrinking news "hole" (space for coverage), dropping the TV supplement and combining sections such as sports and business. He writes:

Chokwe Lumumba to Run for McLemore Council Seat

[Verbatim statement] Friday, December 26, 2008, --- Jackson, MS - The Committee to Elect Chokwe Lumumba will hold a press conference on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 10AM at the Callaway High School, located at 601 Beasley Road, Jackson MS 39206. Lumumba will announce his plan to seek a seat on the city council, representing Ward #2.

Paul Lacoste

When he showed up at training camp for the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League in 1999, Paul Lacoste was considered a mere "camp body," not a serious prospect.

Genesis Food Bank Giving Away Turkeys NOW

Attention all locals, The Genesis Food Bank located at 435 Hiawatha Street near Gallatin Street, has 3 truckloads of 20-pound turkeys and is giving them away to people in need *right now.* If you know someone in need please let them know as soon as possible. Call 601-354-3663 for more information.

City Defaults on $500,000 Commitment, Developer Says

Developer Mike Peters filed a breach of contract complaint in Hinds County Circuit Court last March, claiming the city stiffed him out of $500,000 in public grants for the $7 million renovation of the Plaza Building. According to the suit, which was reported by The Clarion-Ledger this week, Peters approached the city's director of planning and Development Corinne Fox in 2004, under then-Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. about contributing money to make the renovation affordable. Fox urged the city to approve the commitment and gave Peters the go-ahead to get started, explaining that the city had been planning to obtain a community development block grant to reimburse itself for the $500,000 pay-out.

Entergy Caught with Hand in Louisiana Cookie Jar

[Verbatim, December 23, 2008] Jackson, MS--Attorney General Jim Hood announced today that the Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) has found an Entergy affiliate guilty of the same illegal conduct that is included in his lawsuit recently filed against Entergy Mississippi, Inc.(EMI), Entergy Services, Inc.(ESI), Entergy Power, Inc. (EPI) and Entergy Corporation (Entergy). By order dated December 4, 2008, the LPSC found that Entergy Louisiana, L.L.C. (ELL), an affiliate of the parent company, Entergy Corporation (Entergy), improperly recovered, through its fuel adjustment clause (FAC) non-fuel costs which are prohibited by law, specifically these costs included non-fuel operation and maintenance expenses and "hypothetical SO2 allowance costs" paid to its affiliates. These "hypothetical SO2 allowance costs" were disallowed from present-January 2002.

City Loses $240,000

The legal collapse of a Mississippi auctioneer could cost the city of Jackson almost a quarter of a million dollars. Durham Auctions, near Brooklyn Miss., wrote two bad checks to the city totaling about $240,000. The company had a contract to auction vehicles from the city's impound lot since May 2005. That contract expired in May 2008, but the city granted an extension to the company to hold one more auction this year. That auction, held in August, generated $240,000 in revenue that Durham Auctions never paid the city.

College Basketball: Ole Miss Coach Strikes Back

Memo to self: The next time you're in Cincinnati, take a bus.

Ole Miss basketball coach Andy Kennedy filed suit Friday against a Cincinnati cab driver who accused him of assault and a parking valet who says he saw the incident.

UPDATED: Hosemann Seeks More Power

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann asked the Legislature for subpoena power last week to make it easier for him to purge the state's voter rolls. Hosemann suggested to the Senate Elections Committee that his office should be able to assume control of any county election commission "found in default," and he proposed a new statute allowing his office to subpoena records, documents and other evidence related to voting in state and local elections. Hosemann also requested new restrictions on the use of assistants for certain voters on Election Day, excluding any people allied with candidates.

Bush Sidesteps Senate, Approves Auto Bailout

President Bush approved a $17.4 billion loan for General Motors and Chrysler today, after Senate Republicans blocked passage of a bailout bill from Congress. The money will come out of the $700 billion Congress already approved for the Treasury Department. This will certainly burnish the outgoing president's conservative credentials:

[Wicker] Adoption Provides Children With Loving Home

The holidays are a time for coming together with family. This holiday season, because of the gift of adoption, 330 children in Mississippi will be able to celebrate with a new family. Across Mississippi and our country, families are opening their homes to children through adoption. The Mississippi Department of Human Services has reported that adoption was up 19 percent in our state this year.

George Street Once Again

Locals Jason and Shannon Cockrell, owners of Sam's Lounge, are the proud new owners of 416 George Street. They've been renovating the circa 1910 building, which once housed the George Street Grocery, since last October and have renamed it the Ole Tavern on George Street.

Ellington