All results / Stories / Adam Lynch
Alert the Media: Council Agrees
The Jackson City Council at least temporarily agreed on something when they voted Monday to confirm three mayoral picks for top city positions. Council members Frank Bluntson, Charles Tillman, Kenneth Stokes and Margaret Barrett-Simon voted to confirm Assistant Chief Vernon Hughes as fire chief in a 4-to-0 vote, with Marshand Crisler abstaining.
Change Meets Fear at JSU
Members of committees affiliated with Jackson State University are worried that the university will cut programs in a curriculum reorganization.
City Appeals Byram Incorporation
The city of Jackson shook off a recent deal with the community of Byram, after a Hinds County Chancery Court judge's decision to allow Byram residents to incorporate.
The Left v. Health-Care Reform
Critics are lining up against the U.S. Senate health-care reform bill.
ANALYSIS: Council Dodges Numerous Bullets
The Melton administration this week proposed to dip into the city's budget reserves in an attempt to cauterize the bleeding city budget—and even pay rent on police precincts that are months behind. The news of the budget crisis came in the wake of city moves to waive millions of dollars in fees to downtown developers.
Amid Shouts, A 911 Overhaul
The mood in the House on Feb. 8 was affable, as it had been throughout most of the Legislative session since it opened in January. Lawmakers passed more than 10 bills in a row with only minimal argument and a healthy smattering of jokes.
The 2009 JFP Interview with Dorothy Benford
Jackson resident Dorothy "Dot" Benford seems to run for office almost every time an election year comes around. She has a small list of unwavering supporters and an ant's determination to topple a rubber-tree plant.
PEER to Levee Board: Move Faster!
The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District's navel-gazing on flood control along the Pearl River this month drew fire from he Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review.
Proposed Coal Plant Finds Opposition
Opposition is mounting against a proposed 582-megawatt coal gasification plant in Kemper County that could increase Mississippi ratepayers' utility bills by 15 percent.
City Pays Melton's Legal Fees
During a June 16 City Council meeting, the council votedwithout issue or debateto pay the late Mayor Frank Melton's $37,500 attorney fee in connection with his federal trial for demolishing a home on Ridgeway Street.
Money, Medicaid and ... Money
The House and Senate addressed funding for state agencies last week, passing a number of revenue bills tapping into the state's projected $19 billion bank account. One of them was House Bill 1677, which funds the state's K-12 education program with $2.5 billion.
Bond Proposal Triumphs
To the astonishment of naysayers (and some supporters), an overwhelming majority of Jackson voters approved the recent $150 million Jackson Public Schools bond issue. Like the Convention Center bond proposal passed in 2004, the school bond issue required 60 percent approval citywide. It got 81 percent of the vote.
Better Late Than Never?
District Attorney-elect Robert Smith got a nice boost from the Supreme Court less than 24 hours into his successful run-off against former Hinds County District Attorney Faye Peterson. Using $160,000 in grant money obtained by Gov. Haley Barbour, the Mississippi Supreme Court decided to appoint a second special judge to assist Hinds County in reducing its criminal docket, months after county residents—and the outgoing D.A.—began screaming for help.
Is Fire Department Up To Par?
An unnamed source inside the Jackson Fire Department says he is worried that the Jackson Fire Department may not retain its current ISO rating when the city is up for inspection early this year.
Legislators Eye State Budget
The Mississippi Legislature was back in action April 20 to approve a $5.5 billion fiscal-year 2011 budget and the re-authorization of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.
MayorWatch [10.25.2006]
Jackson Mayor Frank Melton is slowly working up to his day in court. Court dates are set regarding Melton's alleged rampage on Ridgeway Street and a related charge surrounding his violation of gun laws.
Lake Plan Faces Cost Hurdle
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson said federal funding to study building a lake on the Pearl River will not be easy to obtain, despite the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' renewed interest in the plan.
AG: Hands Off the Judges
Mayor Frank Melton called a March 10 press conference to announce the arrest of two municipal court clerks charged with conspiracy to destroy criminal records. At the same conference, Melton declared that corruption in the Jackson municipal court system was so bad that he intended to put court services under the direct supervision of the Jackson Police Department.
Barbour Caves on Tobacco Tax
Gov. Haley Barbour this week announced that he would support a 24-cent-per-pack hike in tobacco taxes. Some say it's not enough.
Airport Commission Under Axe?
Mississippi Department of Transportation Executive Director Larry "Butch" Brown asked the Jackson City Council and Jackson Mayor Frank Melton Tuesday to pull the city's membership from the Airport Parkway Commission. The decision, if approved by the council, would dissolve the commission, which is dependent upon equal participation from the cities of Flowood, Jackson and Pearl to remain viable. MDOT devised the commission as a means to build a parkway linking downtown Jackson to the airport in Rankin County, empowering it to do the environmental and planning studies and oversee land acquisition for right of way. Brown said the project would cost about $400 million.