All results / Stories / Adam Lynch
Where's the Money
The state Legislature is still rumbling over money issues and executive power this week. The Senate passed Senate Bill 2495 last Wednesday, a bill that would grant Gov. Haley Barbour the selective power to cut the budget of some state departments up to 10 percent, without having to cut all departments by 10 percent.
Costs Mounting for Levees, Lake Plans
Legislators say the chances of the Mississippi Legislature approving funding to build levees in Jackson and surrounding counties are slim, especially since it has taken so long to reach consensus on how to mitigate flooding along the Pearl River.
Crime High, Perception Bleak
Recent Jackson Police Department statistics reveal that major crime this year remains stubbornly high compared to last year's figures. Though the May 8-14 ComStat Overview Report reveals that crime is tracking 2 percent lower than the last ComStat figures—which the JFP obtained from an anonymous source and published several weeks ago—it still registers a 14.1 increase in crime over last year's numbers.
Coalition Condemns Lewis Demotion
The Mississippi Coalition for Justice condemned Police Chief Malcolm McMillin's decision to demote former Deputy Chief Tyrone Lewis to sergeant on Monday.
Melton's Mile-High Gun Club
"I do not carry guns on planes, I carry two guns," Melton told WLBT reporters on May 28, admitting that he had carried a weapon on almost every commercial flight for years.
Melton Targets Homeless People
Jackson Mayor Frank Melton incited the wrath of advocates for the homeless when he used the city's emergency order to enforce a 10 p.m. curfew for the city's homeless population.
Pickering Move to Cost State $3 Million?
State Auditor Stacey Pickering filed an Aug. 5 motion in Hinds County Circuit Court for summary judgment in the 2005 Mississippi WorldCom settlement case that could prove costly. Pickering contends that Joey Langston's law firm attempted to "bypass the laws and legislative safeguards" of the state when they negotiated a $14 million attorney's fee with WorldCom during a $126.2 million tax-fraud settlement with the state in 2005.
Talking Heads Reflect on Election
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson flexed his muscles over the U.S. Senate race, according to politicos, possibly influencing Democratic candidate Ronnie Musgrove's loss to interim Republican Sen. Roger Wicker. Clarion-Ledger columnist Sid Salter said Thompson's apparent lack of support might have injured Musgrove.
A Public Nuisance Again?
Tension between the city and one of its more popular nightclubs has returned after three Monday morning shootings near the club.
Week 6: Voter ID, Sex Ed, Government Secrecy
As last week came to a close, many 2009 bills met their death in the Mississippi Legislature due to the deadline for passing bills originating in their respective chambers.
Defense More Difficult This Time
Jackson Mayor Frank Melton will be back again in court July 16 for the Aug. 26, 2006, destruction of a duplex on Ridgeway Streetan incident first reported by the Jackson Free Press on Sept. 1, 2008.
Students: We Want Our Black History
A clash between Murrah High School students and school administrators was diffused recently when the principal agreed to dedicate some school afternoon time and the school auditorium to the celebration of Black History Month. That celebration finally occurred on April 6.
Playing Civil Rights Favorites?
Animosity continues to rage between advocates of the city of Jackson and friends of Tougaloo College over the proposed location of a National Civil Rights Museum with advocates of a downtown location saying that neither the commission nor the consultants tasked with choosing a location has played fair during the process.
PEER Questions Funding
The Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review is warning against the likelihood of the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board funding a lake or similar impoundment for flood control in the Pearl River.
No Flood Plan = Higher Rates
Jackson insurance agent Hank Aiken warns that some home-owner insurance policies could triple in price if the Federal Emergency Management Agency changes local flood maps without the benefit of a final flood-control plan for the Pearl River.
City Won't Pay, Yet
The Mississippi Link, a small black newspaper in Jackson, can't celebrate just yet. Even though Link owner Socrates Garrett won a lawsuit against the city last month, the city has announced that it will appeal Circuit Court Judge Winston's Kidd's decision.
Education STILL Underfunded
Lawmakers did the political equivalent of a high-five March 26 when they reached a deal on the state's $4.5 billion budget.
Making Elbow Room
Police Chief Shirlene Anderson has been pushing the idea of a misdemeanor jail as part of her plan to battle repeat offenders in the city.
Strip (Miners) and Sex (Fiends)
The final round of appropriations bills shot through joint committees March 30, though Rep. Jamie Franks, D-Mooreville, temporarily held some appropriations bills. Franks said he got nervous over an appropriation bill for Fisheries, Wildlife and Parks containing language allowing the agency to sell or lease state parks for private development. The same language had been in state law for nearly three years, but avid hunters and conservationists, like Franks, raised a flag after numerous attempts by parks committee chairs in both the House and Senate at opening some state parks for strip mining and development.
Lumumba Seeks Ward 2 Slot
Jackson attorney Chokwe Lumumba announced his candidacy for Ward 2 Councilman Monday.