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Tougaloo Prez Says Museum Funding Up to Barbour

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City Employees Stealing Gas?

The Jackson City Council's budget committee will meet today at 1 p.m. to discuss reports of 945 city employees allegedly misusing city gas cards a total of 9,288 times during the months of July through September.

Squeezed by Taxes? You're Not Alone

Chewing some gristle on tax day? Here's a bit of news for you. Mississippi's two Republican senators in Washington, D.C., Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker, voted for another tax break for the über-wealthy this month, voting to raise the full exemption on inheritances from $7 million to $10 million per couple and to drop the top rate on fortunes over $10 million from 45 percent to 35 percent.

UPDATED: Melton Blames Council for ‘Oversight' Woes

The Jackson City Council learned during a Tuesday budget meeting that the city has "no supervisory oversight" on numerous municipal transactions, which is costing the city revenue and could ultimately jeopardize some federal grants. The internal audit, which led to Mayor Frank Melton walking out of the meeting, also revealed that some checks issued by the city are not clearing one year after issuance, and that the city is not accounting for its fixed assets.

Committee Says Melton ‘Boldly Lied'

Jackson Attorney Dorsey Carson, who represents the Jackson Democratic Executive Committee, is arguing in a March 24, position statement in Hinds County Circuit Court that the committee had the right to reject Jackson Mayor Frank Melton from the Democratic ballot, and that the burden of proof is on the mayor to prove his primary residence is in Jackson. Melton sued the committee in Hinds County Circuit Court March 18 after the Committee unanimously refused to recognize him as a Democratic candidate running in a local election. The committee argues that they do not believe he qualifies as a Jackson resident.

Council Bans Smoking in Jackson Restaurants

After three failed starts this morning, an amendment to change a 2003 city ordinance banning smoking in all businesses except standalone bars passed the Jackson City Council this morning. "We're very excited," said Jennifer Cofer, executive director of the American Lung Association of Mississippi and chairwoman of anti-tobacco group Communities for a Clean Bill of Health. "The council saw that they needed to revisit this issue and vote on something today for the city of Jackson. Although it is not 100 percent inclusive, it's the best we can do given the current environment here in the city. This means we can protect the most Mississippians we can without that one exemption.

Capitol Police Re-locate War Vigil at Last Minute

Sharon Lobert, Jackson resident and organizer of the candelight vigil today in Jackson protesting the war in Iraq, said Capitol Police moved the vigil to the steps of the capitol at the last hour. Organizers had originally planned the vigil at the War Memorial, on State Street, but were ferried away to a different location at the last minute.

MDOT Approves Fortification Street Project

A Mississippi Department of Transportation commission voted to approve a plan to narrow Fortification Street and install traffic-slowing features Wednesday. "Obviously we're extremely pleased that we received an affirmative vote on the alternative 3B plan for Fortification," said Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon. "We've been working on this for years, and we think that with MDOT's blessing it will finally move forward.

City In Recovery

A spring storm went overboard last Friday, spawning about five tornados in the Jackson area and leaving a large portion of the city and some adjoining communities without power well into the following week. Hinds County Emergency Operation Director Larry Fisher called the storm the worst thing to hit the city since the Easter flood of 1979—another meteorological disaster spurred by frumpy spring weather.

Workers Rally Against Human Trafficking

A group of about 70 Indian workers marched onto the Mississippi State Capitol Thursday protesting treatment by Pascagoula construction company Signal International, LLC. "These people endured a kind of slavery," said Saket Soni, director of the New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice. "That is really the word for it."

Nobody Minding the Store

The Jackson City Council grudgingly approved about $45,000 of payments to the U.S. Treasury Department Tuesday after the city failed to manage two federal law-enforcement grants. The council voted 6-0, with Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes absent, approving a $40,394 payment to the U.S. Treasury Department because the city misspent money from a 2004 local law-enforcement grant, and another $4,687 repayment of a 2002 local law-enforcement grant. The action increased the city claims docket from $2,304,563 to $2,349,645.

New Jackson Council Meets Today

The new Jackson City Council will be meeting for the first time today at 4 p.m. Leaving the council this year is former Council President and Ward 2 Councilman Leslie Burl McLemore, who announced his retirement prior to the Democratic primaries. McLemore is also retiring from his job at Jackson State University.

DA Alleges Racism; Former DA Weighs In

Even as Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith is alleging racism in the Hinds County Justice system, his African American predecessor says that it was her job to find a way to work within the parameters set by the judge.

BREAKING: Mississippi Supreme Court Censors Dissenting Opinion

The Mississippi Supreme Court censored the dissenting opinion (PDF, 456 KB) of Justice Oliver Diaz yesterday, a possibly "unprecedented" move "in the history of American jurisprudence," according to Diaz.

Illegal Raids Costing City

The city is forking out big money for illegal business closings, but not nearly as much as it could be. Deputy City Attorney Pieter Teuwissen told City Council Monday afternoon that the city had managed to talk down damages regarding the 2006 illegal closing of a nude entertainment club to about $125,000.

More Pay for JPD Awaits Barbour Approval

Mississippi Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, said legislation he sponsored to pay the Jackson police department $16,000 survived a conference committee and is now waiting for Gov. Haley Barbour's signature. "The chief and I talked about this months ago. I've been working hard on it all session, and I appreciate very much the help of Lt. Gov. (Phil) Bryant and Sen. Alan Nunnelee in helping to pass the bill," Blount said this week.

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