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Jackson Metro Ranked in ‘Strongest 20,' Again
The city of Jackson again ranked high in a report released by the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., a nonprofit, non-partisan public-policy organization. The institution's quarterly MetroMonitor report now places the city as No. 9 on the list of its "strongest 20 metros" category for the third quarter of 2009.
Johnson Pulls Ordinance After Debate
Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. pulled a proposed ordinance he introduced after a council member argued during yesterday's work session that it removed power from the city council to appoint members to city boards.
Katrina Victims to Receive $132 million
The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development settled a $132 million lawsuit last week allowing individual Gulf Coast renters to claim up to $75,000 for Katrina-related destruction.
Speed Answers Ethics Questions with Challenge to Levee Board
After giving away part of his family's property bordering the Two Lakes development footprint last week in response to ethics questions, Jackson businessman Leland Speed today asked fellow Levee Board members to provide a list of gifts they have received from vendors and contractors doing business with the levee board.
Medgar's Office in Dispute
Jackson resident Delores Orey said the city's grant to restore the historic NAACP headquarters during the Civil Rights Movement may be misplaced. The administration of Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. intends to apply for a $712,500 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant for the purchase and renovation of property occupied by NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers, who was murdered in his driveway by white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith in 1963. (A Hinds County Circuit Court jury convicted Beckwith for the murder in 1994 after two all-white juries failed to convict him in 1964.)
House Votes to Expand Unemployment Benefits
More Mississippians could qualify for unemployment insurance under a bill the Mississippi House of Representatives passed Saturday. The Senate adjourned hours before the vote, meaning the Legislature will not bring up H. B. 1755 and 1756 until the Senate returns April 20. But the House vote suggests that both Republicans and Democrats may finally be on board with a bill that re-authorizes the Mississippi Department of Employment Security while drawing down more federal stimulus money.
State Wasting Money on Well?
Mississippi Department of Transportation's decision to drill a $390,000 well in downtown Jackson to supply water for government buildings is a "duplication of services," city of Jackson spokesman Chris Mims said today.
Levee Board Votes for Corps-Approved Plan
The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District voted this morning to move head with a levees-only flood-control plan endorsed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads moved to accept the Corps' recommendation that the levees along the Pearl River between Hinds and Rankin counties be extended.
Johnson: Test Scores Reflect Education Funding
Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson blames legislators for the state's low rank in a national summary of elementary school math grades. "The Nation's Report Card: Mathematics 2009," released yesterday, outlines achievements of fourth- and eighth-graders on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics test, administered by the U.S. Department of Education. The report compares national results in 2009 with prior assessments, and concluded that the state of Mississippi hit rock bottom, second to last behind the District of Columbia, with few improvements among the children tested.
Judge: Entergy Overcharged Customers
Read the ruling (PDF)
A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission judge ruled last week that Entergy Corporation has been selling overpriced energy to Mississippi customers.
Net-Metering Advocates Push for Support
Advocates for net metering pressed legislators this morning to submit and pass laws during this legislative session making the consumer-based electricity policy a reality in Mississippi.
Commission Loosens Kemper Conditions
A majority of the Mississippi Public Service Commission revised their April 29 decisions yesterday that would have capped the cost of a Kemper County coal plant at $2.4 billion, raising the approved construction costs to $2.88 billion. In March, Mississippi Power Company, which wants to build the plant in Kemper County, estimated that costs could potentially rise as high as $3.2 billion. The company argued that the $2.4 billion limitation forced shareholders to finance any costs above that amount, and told reporters that they could not build the plant under that condition. The PSC reported in its decision today that the company claimed lenders and investors would find the deal unpalatable unless ratepayers footed the bill.
Controversial Ordinances Back in Committee
The Jackson City Council failed to approve two controversial ordinance changes this morning, despite overall favorability for the ordinances among a majority of the council.
Socrates Garrett
Jackson business owner Socrates Garrett encouraged community members to work across political and racial divides during a forum at Koininia Coffee House this morning.
Changing the Face of Highway 80
In 10 years, the Highway 80 corridor will look nothing like it does today if the city of Jackson has its way.
Moving JPS to Metrocenter a ‘Game Changer'
Jackson developer David Watkins said this morning that other cost savings justify the estimated $1 million annually it would cost Jackson Public Schools to relocate its administrative offices into the empty Belk store site in the Metrocenter Mall.
City Addresses Complete Smoking Ban
Restaurant Zydeco is a place where you can get delicious crawfish pie. It is also one of the few restaurants in the city where you can still smoke, so long as you sit in the bar area. Zydeco General Manager Patrick Barnes is confident his restaurant is obeying city codes—only it isn't.
Water Pressure Restored, Boil Water Through Weekend
City workers have restored water pressure to all parts of the city, Mayor Harvey Johnson said at a press conference this afternoon. Johnson said that crews have successfully bypassed the section of 54-inch water line that failed last night, triggering a drop in water pressure across the city. Workers were able to determine the source of the failure: a cap on the water main, which is part of an unfinished section connecting the city's O.B. Curtis and J.H. Fewell water plants.
Supreme Court: Fairview Illegally Zoned
The Mississippi Supreme Court refused to revisit its August decision regarding a four-star bed and breakfast in Jackson. The court had earlier decided that the city of Jackson had illegally spot-zoned the property for the Fairview Inn, on Fairview Street in Belhaven, allowing the placement of a business in a residentially zoned area in the affluent north section. The court decided not to reconsider that decision with a 6-to-3 vote.
State Workers Forced to Furlough?
Mississippi Sen. Alice Harden, D-Jackson, said she will submit a bill this legislative session forcing all state employees not directly connected to essential services, like hospital care, to accept a one-day-a-month furlough.