News

Shantala to Bring 'Bliss and Devotion'

For the third year in a row, Butterfly Yoga is bringing a unique musical experience to Jackson. Shantala, aka Benjy and Heather Wertheimer, will lead a Kirtan (pronounced keer-tahn) and perform songs from their albums "The Love Window" and "Church of the Sky."

Gay Rights Activists Protest MC

Photo credit: Brian Johnson

Photo caption: Soulforce co-director Katie Higgins was among those arrested at Mississippi College Thursday.

Lose the Residency Requirements

Jackson's City Council is considering extending the residency requirements of fire and police employees to an area 30 miles beyond the city of Jackson. City ordinance currently demands that city employees live inside Hinds County, but a 30-mile extension would allow the city's personnel department to consider applications from deep within nearby counties like Madison and Rankin.

Fighting Back In Klan Nation

When Mary Geraldine Briggs heard a horn blaring outside her small house, under shady oak trees on Highway 84 in Roxie, Miss., she would go get the shotgun and head to the door to protect her family. The horn was the signal from her husband, Rev. Clyde Bennie Briggs, that a carload of Klansmen was on his tail again. His wife was instructed to do anything she needed to do to protect herself and their six kids, and the one on the way. She was armed and ready.

Summaries galore

Location: Blue Springs, Mississippi (outside of Tupelo)

HOUSEKEEPING - A WEEKLY SUMMARY REPORT FOR THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 2, 2007 JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI The announcement that Japanese auto giant Toyota will build a manufacturing plant in Northeast Mississippi clearly dominated talk in the State Capitol during the ninth week of the 2007 Legislature. Once the announcement was made that we had secured the plant, the Legislature went to work on the incentives package. After consideration by the House Ways and Means Committee, the full House and Senate then voted on Friday to approve the $293.9 million package. This means that work on the plant site will begin almost immediately. The new plant, to be located just northwest of Tupelo where Lee, Pontotoc and Union counties join on the industrial site known as Wellspring, will have the capacity to build 150,000 vehicles annually of Toyota's popular Highlander sport utility vehicle. Production is scheduled to begin by 2010. The new plant represents a $1.3 billion investment by Toyota and is expected to create approximately 2,000 new jobs for the region and indirectly create work for many more. Operations at the plant will include stamping, body weld, plastics, paint, and assembly. Toyota is pressing General Motors to become the world's largest automaker. Toyota manufacturing Executive Vice President Ray Tanguay pointed out several factors that led to Toyota's site selection decision. "On my visits to Northern Mississippi, I have talked with area companies and observed their workforce," said Tanguay. "What I observed were people who are educated, ethical and friendly with a strong work ethic—a perfect match for the Toyota Way." He added that the area's existing companies had high praise for the workforce. "They were definitely the best sales people." Speaker of the House Billy McCoy, who attended the announcement in Tupelo, called Tuesday, Feb. 27 "a great day in Mississippi. I wish all of you could have heard the way the Toyota leaders talked about the things that the Legislature has worked hard for over the last 25 years, like education, economic development and transportation. They talked well of the region and the entire state." Outline of Toyota Mississippi

Melton's Lawn Crew, Unveiled

The Jackson Free Press has learned that the head of a lawn service, financially seeded by Mayor Frank Melton, was arrested for armed robbery and rape in recent years. However, the young man tells the JFP that he pled to a lesser robbery charge, and the woman who accused him of rape in 2001 dropped the charge and is, in fact, the mother of one of his four children.

Tiara Robinson

When she walked into the front office of Wingfield High School, she gracefully introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Tiara Robinson," she said with a huge smile and firm handshake. This small gesture told me that Robinson is a person with high standards.

FBI Arrests Alleged Child Molester

[Verbatim FBI Press Release]

On Tuesday, March 13, 2007, at approximately 7:00 p.m., in Madison, Mississippi, Special Agents of the Jackson Division of the FBI and deputies of the Harrison County Sheriff's Office, assisted by the Madison County Sheriff's Department, arrested STEPHEN RANDY LUXFORD, age 52. A search warrant for LUXFORD's residence in Madison had been executed on March 2, 2007, in connection with this investigation.

Betsy Bradley

In a hard hat and heels, Betsy Bradley artfully maneuvered past the piles of rubble, plywood gangplanks laid over shallow ditches, and piles of sand and sawdust that surround the construction site of the new Mississippi Museum of Art.

Unsealed Docs Unveil Melton's 'House Arrest

A transcript from a Nov. 15, 2006, meeting (PDF, 1.3mb) between Judge Tomie Green and Frank Melton, along with three of his attorneys, in her chambers reveals that the judge helped the mayor downplay the severity of his sentence after he pled to three gun charges. The transcript, unsealed March 6 by the judge in response to a request by Melton attorney Dale Danks, reveals for the first time that in order not to serve jail time, Melton agreed to a stringent form of "house arrest," under which he had to wear an electronic ankle bracelet, had to adhere to a schedule set by his probation officer and could not leave his home without notifying Probations Services Company of his intentions.

BREAKING: Melton Asked Allen to be Mayor

Mayor Frank Melton chose Council President Ben Allen to head up the executive branch if the mayor was incapacitated by his heart surgery last month.

Special Session averted

Judge Keeps Seale in Jail

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate denied several motions from lawyers representing James Seale, the 71-year-old former Klansman held in federal custody for his alleged role in the abduction and murder of Charles Moore and Henry Dee in 1964. Wingate denied a motion to dismiss all charges against Seale and a motion to revoke a Jan. 29 order for Seale to remain incarcerated without bond in federal prison.

Tekla Sanders

Tekla Sanders fairly shone on the sunny day when we met for lunch, her glossy curls framing her expressive eyes and wide smile. At 27, she still considers herself a newly-wed after 18 months of marriage, and she's expecting her first baby, a boy already named David Caleb, in May. Sanders' mother has 12 siblings, 10 of them girls, so "the fact that we're having a boy is very big news," Sanders said. Her mother wants to see the proof for herself.

AG Gonzales to Old Klansmen: ‘We Are Still on Your Trail'

The U.S. Department of Justice held a press conference this morning in Washington to announce the formation of a cold-cases division to pursue old civil-rights murders, such as the case of Charles Moore and Henry Dee. Here are his verbatim remarks:

Summary from the week ending 2/23

Corps: Twin Lakes Plan ‘Economically Infeasible'

The Clarion-Ledger is reporting:

Crafton Beck

In seventh grade, Crafton Beck agreed to play an instrument he had never heard of before. Beck had wanted to play the trumpet, but the band director at his middle school in West Memphis, Ark., said to him: "Son, you can't play the trumpet, you've got braces. How about the oboe or the clarinet?" Beck had no idea what either instrument looked or sounded like, so when the band director suggested the clarinet, he agreed. Years later, at Ohio State University, where he had received a scholarship to study clarinet, Beck finally parted with his arbitrarily acquired instrument and found his true vocation—conducting.

BREAKING: $100 Million Sewer Crisis Ahead?

The city will be left holding what could be a $100 million bill if it does not move to regionalize its sewer treatment facility in the next few months, according to Council President Ben Allen.

Take It to the Feds

Download the motion (PDF 1.44MB)

Tonight, Feb 21 "The War Tapes" Screening at Rainbow, Free

Straight from the front lines in Iraq, "The War Tapes" is the first war movie filmed by soldiers themselves. This movie is the complete story of three very different soldiers. The film focuses on the war, life back home, and how the war affects families and relationships. This utterly unique film is a vivid depiction of the mindset of American soldiers and the incredible cost of war. Free, tonight at 7 p.m. at the Computer Co-op in Rainbow Plaza (2807 Old Canton Road). 601-981-6925

James Ford Seale Wants Charges Thrown Out

Read the JFP's full Dee-Moore-Seale package.

Hood and Barbour Disagree Over State Farm

Today, Jim Hood sent out a statement asking the governor and insurance commissioner to follow Florida's lead and require State Farm and other insurance companies to continue writing policies in the state. In a response, the governor say no. Both statements are below verbatim. First, the AG's:

The Lawyers and the Statistician

By day three of the Michael Ellis termination hearing, the Ellis women had moved up to the first row of the hearing room. They wore apparel appropriate for Valentine's Day—a red hat, a red coat, a red sweater, a red dress.

Last two summaries

Auditors: Billions Squandered in Iraq

AP is reporting:

About $10 billion has been squandered by the U.S. government on Iraq reconstruction aid because of contractor overcharges and unsupported expenses, and federal investigators warned Thursday that significantly more taxpayer money is at risk. The three top auditors overseeing work in Iraq told a House committee their review of $57 billion in Iraq contracts found that Defense and State department officials condoned or allowed repeated work delays, bloated expenses and payments for shoddy work or work never done. More than one in six dollars charged by U.S. contractors were questionable or unsupported, nearly triple the amount of waste the Government Accountability Office estimated last fall.

It is campaign time again!

Vista Arrives, Apple Connives?

The reviews and press coverage of Microsoft's long-awaited release of Microsoft Vista have been interesting for this particular Mac-centric writer to watch. Many reviewers laud the new features and eye candy in Vista, saying it runs particularly well on new PCs that can handle its hefty hardware requirements. Just as often, however, the suggestion is to wait before upgrading. Sometimes the recommendation is to wait until you buy a new machine that comes with Vista pre-loaded.

Unholstered: A Greenwood Family Fights For Its Rights

The bell rang for fifth period at Greenwood High School, and James Marshall walked to class. The 17-year-old wore his throwback Dave Wilcox jersey that his mom had bought him, a bright red 49ers uniform from 1964 with three-quarter sleeves that reached below his wrists. On the way, he spotted his friend Jarvis Williams, who was telling a group of boys about his tattoo.

Althea Stewart

"I wear a lot of hats," Althea Stewart says. When Jim Hill students want to get something going at their school, they usually call on 39-year-old Stewart, who already sits on the Black History committee, is a cheerleading coach, coordinates homecoming and organizes all the school dances.

Ellington