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Mayor Johnson Weekly Newsletter 5/26

Tennis Center South Improvements. Mayor Johnson showcased ongoing improvements to Tennis Center South Wednesday. This center located off of McDowell Road is a very popular facility and it attracts tennis enthusiasts from Jackson and also surrounding communities for both league and leisure play. We have upgraded four of the courts at the 14-court facility by providing new fencing, new lighting, resurfacing the courts and re-striping them. Some upgrades in landscaping were also part of this project.

Mayor Johnson Weekly Newsletter 5/13

Bon Air Housing Construction Slated to Begin. Mayor Johnson announced the kickoff of new home construction as part of the Bon Air Housing Project Monday. If you drive down Calhoun Street right off Capitol Street, it is hardly recognizable anymore. Once a street riddled with crime and substandard housing, today Calhoun Street is truly being transformed into a place of pride and of family.

Friends for a Cause / Relay for Life

Each team tries to keep at least one team member on the track at all times.

Friends for A Cause will have a booth at the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life on April 29 at Lefleurs Park. The booth will be open from 5:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m. It is a fun-filled overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money for research and programs for the Society.

ACLU Mississippi Meeting

The ACLU of Mississippi "Reproductive Freedom Project Coalition Meeting," April 25th (Anniversary of the March for Women's Lives!) Jackson City Hall, City Council Chambers,

Mayor Johnson Weekly Newsletter 4/15

Mayor Johnson and Fire Fighters Union Sign Agreement. Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. and General President Harold A. Schaitberger of the International Association of Fire Fighters signed a proposed labor agreement, Tuesday, April 11, 2005. The proposed agreement will go before the City Council for consideration in a week. Mayor Johnson was the first Jackson Mayor to recognize the fire fighters union in 1998. This historic signing will mark the first time the City of Jackson executive branch and International Association of Fire Fighters have a proposed formal labor agreement. "This is a great act of good faith on the part of the IAFF and the city of Jackson," said Mayor Johnson. "I look forward to the long relationship we intend to have with the union." The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in Washington, DC, is the 15th largest union among the 58 national unions that make up the AFL-CIO. The IAFF represents more than 267,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics who protect 80 percent of the nation's population. More than 2,900 affiliates and their members protect nearly 6,000 communities in every state in the U.S. and in Canada. The IAFF is one of the most active lobbying organizations in Washington; its Political Action Committee, FIREPAC, is in the top 1 percent of all PACs, ranking in the top 25 among more than 4,500 registered committees. The IAFF has experienced 35 consecutive years of membership growth and is in the top five fastest-growing unions in the AFL-CIO. Siwell Road Improvement Project Gets Started

[Chick] The Official Vetting

Back in my soccer mom days, I battled an addiction that my friends found somewhat disturbing. They'd beg me, plead with me even, to partake in moderation, to just put it away for a day and to find the true root of my problem. One friend now admits she even entertained the idea of staging a girlfriend intervention, a la Charlotte and her Rabbit on "Sex and the City." But praise the Lord, it blew up in time to save me from the Betty.

Mayor Johnson Weekly Newsletter 4/8

Battlefield Baseball League

Mayor Announces Two Housing Initiatives this Week. Mayor Johnson had the pleasure of sharing the details for two new Employer Assisted Housing Initiatives this week that will benefit employees of five medical centers and three institutions of higher learning right here in Jackson. The first program is with the Jackson Medical Education District (JMED) participating institutions, Jackson Medical Mall Foundation and Jackson State University. The program was initiated by Jackson's Office of Housing and Development in partnership with Fannie Mae. The program will provide down payment assistance to qualified JMED employees. The seven JMED institutions employ some 14,000 people. The second program is with Jackson State University. The Workforce Home Benefit Initiative will provide the university's 1,400 faculty and staff members a variety of important home buying resources, including special loan products with flexible features for JSU employees, financial literacy/homebuyer education and new or renovated homes built near worksites. This initiative was a partnership between Freddie Mac, Trustmark Bank, Jackson State and the City of Jackson. Department of Parks and Recreation is Gearing Up for Summer with Great Programs

Mayor Johnson Weekly Newsletter 4/2

Thirty-three fire recruits graduated today, after having completed a twelve-week training program at the Jackson Fire Training Academy. The graduates were presented their badges, diplomas and assignments at the ceremony. "Firefighters are often in perilous situations," said Mayor Johnson. "Fighting fires, working accident scenes, or when they are called upon to help in rescue situations, they are often in harm's way. They put their lives on the line, and never hesitate when called upon, no matter what the dangers may be." The Jackson Fire Department maintains a level-3 insurance rating, the best rating of any fire department in the state. Capital City Convention Center Commission Appointees Take Oath. Appointees of the Capital City Convention Center Commission were sworn in Monday afternoon. Mississippi Supreme Court Justice James Graves administered the oath. The Commission had its first official meeting just minutes after the swearing-in ceremony. Smith Wills Stadium Has New Turf! Monday, Mayor Johnson unveiled Smith Wills Stadium new Sprint Turf. This project installed infield and outfield turf to cover a total of 110,000 square feet. "This new state-of-the-art turf has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for Smith Wills Stadium, and we are quite pleased with the new uses this facility can now accommodate for the citizens of Jackson," said Mayor Johnson. "The turf enhances the stadium's marketability by truly enabling it to be a multipurpose facility able to be used for concerts, all types of sporting events (football, soccer, tennis, softball and baseball) and other endless possibilities." Mayor's Community-Wide Ward Meeting

Mayor Johnson Weekly Newsletter 3/28

JATRAN Acquires Six New Handilift Busses. Last Monday, JATRAN (Jackson Public Transportation Co., Inc.) unveiled one of its new 2005 Ford Starcraft Cutaway Handilift paratransit vehicles. The new vehicles seat sixteen passengers plus two wheel chairs or twenty walk-on passengers. JATRAN has a total of 9 paratransit vehicles in its fleet.

JSU April Events

Women Without a Clue

Lakshmi Chaudhry writes for Alternet about women in the media: