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Immigrants Left Behind
Many immigrant workers labored in the Gulf Coast's thriving hospitality industry before the wind and water of Hurricane Katrina reduced the industry to matchsticks and filthy shreds of insulation. Three kinds of workers made up the majority of production: native-born, H2B workers (hired directly through the Labor Department with labor certification) and those contracted out—housekeepers, mostly undocumented.
Mayoral Debate: Cheap Talk and Sound Bites
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Deuce Does Business
New Orleans' Saints running back Deuce McAllister last week joined the MetroJackson Chamber of Commerce and the Mississippi Development Authority for a ribbon-cutting of Deuce McAllister Enterprises at Union Station. McAllister, with HRI Properties, has invested in the renovation of the King Edward Hotel and is also opening a Nissan car dealership in the southern portion of the city. Deuce McAllister Motors, in particular, will be supplying 50 new jobs in Jackson, according to the Chamber. The pre-owned grand opening kick-off will happen in June, followed by a launch of the new car franchise in December.
There Goes Another One
After two days of deliberation, the House passed the Momentum Mississippi package and is now working with the Senate and Gov. Haley Barbour on a bond bill to finance other projects, which stalled.
[EarthReport] The New Gas
The high price of gasoline is starting to make alternative fuels look better. Biodiesel, a simple derivative of vegetable oil, ethanol and lye that can be brewed in a backyard still, was written off for decades while oil dribbled out of the ground at costs of $1.80 a barrel. On Sept. 9, however, the same barrel of light crude stood at $64.08—a short-term drop of 41 cents from the previous day.
Budget Deal Undercuts Education
The Mississippi Legislature left the state capitol with a $4.6 billion budget finally hammered into shape May 28 after a nine-day, $347,000 special session. The session was called into order specifically by Gov. Haley Barbour to deal with Momentum Mississippi, a telemarketer no-call list and other priorities. Initially, Barbour's call did not include either the budget or the state's under-funded education system.
Booting Delinquents
After raising the hackles of several City Council members, Jackson Mayor Frank Melton walked out of a meeting Nov. 22 after presenting a proposal for a controversial "boot camp" for troubled teens. The course, financed through the Jackson Police Department, will offer training in "personal growth areas such as self-esteem, self-motivation, self-discipline, life skills, self-awareness, academic responsibility, career opportunities and life choice awareness," according to a booklet the city gave to Council.
Let ‘Em Fry
Let's be honest. A roasted turkey sports a fine figure while sitting in the middle of a holiday table, but if you take away the warm oven heat, the family camaraderie, the smell of dessert and all the little side items that bring out the flavor, you're basically left with white protein matter that gets caught easily between the teeth. Freshly baked turkey meat, despite names like "Butterball," has about the same dry consistency it will have coming out of the refrigerator tomorrow afternoon. It isn't easy keeping the moisture in, no matter how many times you baste it or how tightly you wrap it in its silly-looking oven bag. The meat just doesn't hold water.
Katrina Helps, Hinders Local Business
Hurricane Katrina is costing literally billions of dollars—potentially more than $125 billion—and at least some of that burden is hitting home for businesses right here in Jackson.
Alone And Forgotten
Novella Buckley's house is a nondescript brick and asbestos shingle structure, tucked away on the corner of Woodrow Wilson and Morton Avenue, just knocking on the very edges of the Georgetown Community. The home itself could be no more than 60 years old, possibly one of the many homes thrown up when the boomer population exploded upon the return of combatants from World War II.
Dungeons and Detainees
The Hinds County Penal Farm may be down for the count, thanks to a federal court order demanding the facility close its doors. The recent court order allows 120 state inmates to be kept at the farm, but only until Oct. 1, 2006.
Just Wait 15 Minutes
Jackson Mayor Frank Melton rode a "no new taxes" bandwagon into the office that he took over July 4. "I'm not going to burden you with more taxes. I'm just not going to do it," Melton told a crowd of supporters at a campaign rally prior to the Democratic primaries.
Shipping Off Bodies
Hinds County is paying twice as much as it should for forensic services, according to crime prevention activists. Hinds County forensics consultant Ann Williams joined others March 13 on the steps of the Capitol building to call for adequate funding for the state crime lab, as legislators inside warred among themselves over the salvation of Medicaid.
Making The Grade
Cassandra Williams, principal of Davis Magnet Elementary School, had good reason to be smiling Aug. 17. Williams announced at a ceremony that day that Davis Magnet, on North Congress Street near downtown Jackson, had made the grade internationally. The school received official authorization as an International Baccalaureate World School.
Fourth Time's A Charm?
In a session rivaling all others this year in terms of brevity, state lawmakers approved $14 million for Baxter Healthcare in Cleveland July 15 in less than two hours. The money, another installment of a $24 million legislative commitment will allow Baxter to expand its product line and remove the cloud hanging over the heads of the company's almost 800 employees.
‘This Don't Make No Sense'
The tone was tense at a hastily called Sept. 2 emergency briefing between City Council members and Jackson Mayor Frank Melton. Though slow to release public statements in the days after Katrina struck, Melton announced at the briefing that the city was under an emergency order "to give us the latitude" to address massive power outages across the city and the corresponding fuel shortage attributed to Hurricane Katrina.
Gone With The Wind
Three weeks after Hurricane Katrina, state Attorney General Jim Hood unleashed a storm of his own. Hood announced a Sept. 15 civil action against some members of the insurance industry last week, declaring that provisions excluding flood damage from the policies of hurricane victims are void and unenforceable.
Bloomberg: Jackson 11th Strongest Economy
CORRECTION: We described circa, a store in Fondren, incorrectly. We should have said it is a lifestyle store.
NAACP Asks Barbour to Condemn Klan Plate
Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson is asking Gov. Haley Barbour to condemn the Mississippi Sons of Confederate Veterans' push to create a commemorative license plate for Confederate General and the Ku Klux Klan's first Grand Wizard, Nathan Bedford Forrest.
FIGMENT Organizers Call for Participation
Organizers of the May 14-15 FIGMENT art festival will host a party to rally support and participation for the event this weekend. At Koinonia Coffee House's Friday Forum this morning, FIGMENT Jackson Co-Producer Whitney Grant called Sunday's event with the Jackson Bike Advocates "a throw down with bikes, art making and music."