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Best of Jackson 2008 Ballot Is Here

Yes, Best of Jackson season is upon us again. In the current print edition, you will find the ballot for this year's reader's choice awards. And the online version is now up. So have at it.

Dear Coach Croom

I have repeatedly criticized your coaching abilities since you became head football coach at Mississippi State University. Your teams were absolutely horrible. Due to that undeniable conclusion, I publicly questioned whether you were capable of performing the job you were hired to do. And I wasn't really sure if you were. Honestly, after witnessing painful season after painful season, I no longer cared to know. Watching MSU football broke my spirit.

Fred Hammond

Fred Hammond understands changing careers; his call to church ministry is the third major shift in his life. At 51, "Reverend Fred" is the Unitarian Universalist Church of Jackson's new minister, and a novice to the profession.

A Minor Injustice

Alexandre Dumas' most popular novel, "The Count of Monte Cristo," revolves around the narrative of Edmond Dantès, the captain of a merchant vessel who visits Napoleon on the isle of Elba and where the deposed emperor entrusts him with a letter to a dear friend in Paris. On his return to Marseilles, Dantès sets out to see his betrothed Mercédès. He is unaware that he has a competitor for Mercédès' affections in Fernand Mondego, who has learned of his dealings with Napoleon and has denounced him to the prosecutor, Villefort.

Dem At Your Own Risk

The year 2000 was the dawn of the tort-reform craze in Mississippi, when out-of-state groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce poured money into state elections in an attempt to roll back court regulation. The Chamber interpreted Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz as too friendly to plaintiffs and targeted his campaign, dumping millions of dollars into an ad blitz supporting Diaz' opponent, trial judge Keith Starrett, while refusing to identify its contributors. The Chamber even succeeded in getting an emergency appeal from ultra-conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia to vacate injunctions challenging the legality of the Chamber ads.

AG Jim Hood to Testify in State Farm Lawsuit

Forbes is reporting:

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is scheduled to testify Wednesday - a day after his re-election bid - at a hearing for a lawsuit that accuses him of violating an agreement to end a criminal investigation of State Farm Insurance Cos. U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Parker refused Tuesday to postpone Hood's scheduled appearance at a federal courthouse in Jackson, or to limit the scope of his testimony in the case. [...]

John Reeves Plans to Contest Loss

The Clarion-Ledger is reporting that Rep. John Reeves is alleging voter irregularities and plans to contest his loss to attorney Adrienne Wooten. (Also note that next to that story, the Ledger has declared Reeves the winner.)

Haley Barbour Wins Second Term

(Post by reader promoted from forums.)

The Associated Press is reporting that Haley Barbour has won a second term as governor. This in a state that is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Many believe Haley is the only politician who came out looking good after the natural disaster.

LAST CALL: VOTE Today Until 7 p.m.

Attorney General: Jim Hood - won

The Jackson Free Press urges everyone to go to the polls today and vote in state and county elections. Polls are open until 7 p.m. Following are the JFP's endorsements in races where we prefer one candidate to the other (which is slightly different from the print version. We dropped our endorsement of David Blount, and added one of Dick Hall due to the tone of campaign ads.)

Campaign Parties Around Town

If you want to go out and watch the campaign staffs get drunk, the winners gloat, the losers try to take the high road (or not), or to congratulate or yell at one of the candidates for ugly campaigning, here's where they'll be:

BREAKING: Lee Vance New Police Chief; Anderson Out?

More details as they emerge.

WAPT is about to report that Mayor Frank Melton today promoted Commander Lee Vance to the position of police chief, meaning that current Chief Shirlene Anderson is out.

Melton Unlists Phone Number

Mayor Frank Melton has changed his old phone number, 601.206.3116, "to an unlisted number," according to a recording on the old number. Assistant Editor Maggie Burks learned about the number change when she tried to call for a response to the change in police chief guard.

Radio JFP to Discuss Immigration Campaign Rhetoric

Tune in today at noon on WLEZ-FM, 103.7 (streaming live at http://www.wlezfm.com) to hear Todd Stauffer and Donna Ladd talk about the use of anti-immigration rhetoric by both Republicans and Democrats in their campaigns. We will start a discussion about the myths and realities of illegal immigration. Also joining us to talk about the rights of the disabled in at election polls will be Andi Agnew, who is also the JFP music editor.

‘A Way Out' Talks on Domestic Violence

Nov. 1 - Ridgeland Library on Hwy. 51, 6:30-7:30 p.m., free

The JFP is a proud sponsor of two upcoming panel discussions on domestic abuse and violence, both called "A Way Out: A Community Discussion on Domestic Abuse and Violence." Desare Frazier of WAPT will moderate both panels:

Willis Fires Back

Former Parchman inmate Cedric Willis is suing the city of Jackson, the police department, and officers Gerald Jones, Ned Garner, Jim Jones and Joe Wade for $36 million for wrongful arrest and prosecution in a conviction that locked him away from friends and family for more than a decade.

Shandra Wilson

Between her son, her full-time job and life coaching, Shandra Wilson, 35, says her biggest challenge is "having time to do everything."

Mr. Washington Comes To Mississippi

Photos by Jaro Vacek and Roy Adkins

When Democrats speak of Gov. Haley Barbour, it's usually either with some degree of admiration or a great deal of venom.

The Reality Of Tort Reform

Photos by Darren Schwindaman and Roy Adkins

On Aug. 31, 1999, 73-year-old McComb obstetrician Edsel Stewart signed a pack of Prudential Life Insurance papers that he believed gave him a million dollars worth of life insurance for his family for $105,000 a year. Getting insurance at that age was no easy feat, and Stewart counted himself lucky for nabbing a "Select Preferred Class H Rating" with Prudential.

Election 2007 - Major Races

<b><em>Governor</em>

This year, conservative voters in the state have two clear choices—Haley Barbour, the corporate conservative who helped perfect the national GOP's "southern strategy," or John Arthur Eaves Jr., a Democratic trial lawyer who often sounds more conservative—Dixiecrat, even—than Barbour.

BREAKING: Tyrone Lewis Promoted to Deputy Chief

[Verbatim from the mayor's office] Mayor Frank E. Melton announced today that Commander Tyrone Lewis has been promoted to the position of Deputy Chief of Training and Standards for the Jackson Police Department. The promotion will be effective immediately. According to Mayor Melton, "Chief Lewis will have ninety days to make a difference in the recruitment, training and retention of officers for the police department."

BREAKING: Mother of George Bell Indicted

More details as they emerge.

The Jackson Free Press has confirmed that Robbie Bell, the mother of a young man accused of bludgeoning his girlfriend, Heather Spencer, to death, has been indicted in the case as an accessory to the crime, which occurred in her home in North Jackson. It was reported that Robbie Bell was in the house when Spencer was killed the night before her body was found.

Melton to Fire Officer for Rolling Eyes at Him?

In an interview with Howard Ballou of WLBT, Mayor Frank Melton said he plans to fire Jackson police officer Mike Braxton, who made public a police report (PDF, 1013 KB) he filed after Melton allegedly verbally abused him with profanity last summer.

Frank Melton's $6 Million Dollar Plan

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton told a doubtful city council today that he believes his administration has located $6 million in extra reserve funds in the Department of Public Works. Melton said he was not sure if the money, from Public Works' Enterprise fund, was fully established as unnecessary funds, but trumped up the cash as a possible means to duck the combined 15 percent water and sewer increase that he had earlier proposed in order to help balance his administration's budget.

Police: Melton Contaminates Crime Scenes

WAPT is reporting that the Jackson Police Officer Association is complaining to the City Council about the mayor's disruptions in the department, and blaming his interference for low morale among the police force, which is contributing to a severe police shortage:

Cedric Willis Sues City of Jackson

Cedric Willis, who served 12 years in prison until he was exonerated last year, has announced that he is suing the city of Jackson for $36 million for wrongful arrest. As Brian Johnson reported in his award-winning feature about Willis in in the JFP in 2006, when Willis left prison he had received no education, no job training and had not a penny to his name. The state of Mississippi does not currently offer restitution for wrongful conviction. Willis was exonerated because The Innocence Project showed that the district attorney's office did not present evidence in the original trial that indicated his innocence, as Brian wrote in his feature last year:

State Investigates ‘Lawn Service' Contracts

Better late than never. It looks like the state and the media are finally playing catch-up on investigating the city's allocation of money to Frank Melton's "lawn service" contracts to young friends from the Wood Street area. The Jackson Free Press has been trying to get attention to this matter for many moons now, and it seems that the feds took heed before the state auditor bothered to take a closer look. For background, here is one of our stories, from last March, on the issue in which I interviewed the head of the "lawn service" (and that story links to documents that we acquired and published for the first time).

BREAKING: City Council Has Standing Against Mayor

The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled today that the Hattiesburg City Council has standing to seek a writ of mandamus against Mayor Johnny DuPree.

Ed Blount

Ed "The Prezs" Blount, 38, wants to form a new type of neighborhood association. Working as a bartender at the Upper Level by night, and driving a Head Start school bus by day, Blount recognizes the need for direction and unity in neighborhoods. To jumpstart his community movement, he and the Dalton/Deerpark Neighborhood Association are holding the first Neighborhood Homecoming.

Strike Three For Melton

Mayor Frank Melton has backed out of his tax proposals for the third time since he became mayor in 2005. City Attorney Sarah O'Reilly Evans told the city council on Monday that the administration has no plan to stick behind its commitment to raise city water and sewer rates by a combined total of almost 15 percent. Melton proposed the fee increase in September to cover shortfalls in the 2007-08 budget cycle. O'Reilly-Evans informed council members that Melton's decision would create a $3.2 million budget deficit.

Shrinking JPD Springs a Sex-Toy Sting

So, the city can manage to find money to do sting operations in order to seize dildos. What a relief. Clarion-Ledger is reporting:

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