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Update: Melton Is Appearing in Meridian Court Today
Oct. 2, 12:20 p.m.: Mayor Frank Melton has been spotted in the Meridian courtroom where jury selection took up the morning. The judge has asked all parties to be in the courtroom after lunch. More updates soon...
JUST IN MONDAY: Key Witness Turns Self in to Melton
Monday, 9:30 p.m.: According to Mayor Frank Melton tonight, Christopher "Smiley" Walker turned himself into the mayor tonight and is now in custody. Melton refuses to publicly disclose Walker's whereabouts, telling the JFP tonight, "I arrested him to protect him. They're trying to kill this kid." More details as they develop ...
The Proposition, by Judy Jacobs
When I heard James Taylor was coming to the Pyramid in Memphis on Friday, May 23, I snapped up two tickets. I got great seats on the floor. Well, two weeks later tickets went on sale for his Jackson concert, which was two days before the Memphis one. I got even better seats, on the floor, row 6. James was just as I remembered him, his hair being the exception. Excellent.
Council Rejects Melton Budget; Stokes Drops Coup Effort
More details soon ...
Just got word that the City Council has rejected the Melton adminstration's new budget with its $3 increase in garbage fees. Also, Kenneth Stokes has withdrawn his coup attempt to unseat President Marshand Crisler—who has become a leading critic of the mayor, as well as the council members who vote in lockstep with him: Frank Bluntson, Charles Tillman, as well as Stokes. Four council members joined forces to reject the budget as presented: Ben Allen, Margaret Barrett-Simon, Leslie McLemore and Crisler.
Restless Lucero, by Palmer Houchins
Calling Memphis country-rockers Lucero restless might be an understatement. Over the past two years, the group has logged almost 400 live shows. Despite a commitment to touring that would spell musical suicide for most groups, the band has also managed to record and release two records in just over a year. "It's always nice going home for a bit, but after you've been there for a bit, it's like 'What am I doing here?'," says Lucero vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Ben Nichols after apologizing for sounding a bit sluggish due to a "late evening" the previous night.
D.A.: Melton Investigation Headed to Grand Jury
BREAKING: District Attorney Faye Peterson tells the Jackson Free Press that the county's investigation of Mayor Frank Melton's alleged rampage the evening of Aug. 26 and the morning of Aug. 27 has been concluded. "We will review the information the sheriff has submitted and present it to the first available grand jury," she said Thursday. When asked when that would be, she said, "The next one that's officially scheduled is the second week in October." Could a special grand jury be convened sooner in the case? "It's always possible," she answered.
Singing the Gospel, by Stacia V. Hunter
I've been on the gospel scene in Jackson for almost 10 years as a gospel announcer, writer and an event planner; as a result, I've seen the ebb and flow of the rich gospel scene here. I've witnessed the birth of crossover contemporary gospel as well as the passing of some of gospel's legends. I've also observed the multi-talented local gospel artists that we have here in the Jackson and surrounding areas.
Reed Branson: Race No Longer a Factor?
Commercial-Appeal writer Reed Branson examines the Mississippi primaries in the light of their race implications: "Mississippians are once again about to dance with, or around, the awkward issue of race. And if history is an indication, it will be tense and sometimes clumsy. But it also could be a watershed moment."
20 Police Officers Fired; No Details Given
WLBT reported Friday night that the mayor and police chief have fired another 20 or so police officers, but will say what they did to deserve, or even how many were fired:
Open Primaries in Mississippi?
Is the closed-primary system outdated? The Sun-Herald explores.
Green Party of MS Says Stop Buying Public Offices
(Aug. 16, 2003, press release) The Green Party of Mississippi announces its support for a new project called "White House for Sale" which tracks the special-interest contributions to President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign and analyzes the record of favoritism, conflicts-of-interest and influence peddling related to those contributions. The project is sponsored by Public Citizen, a national, nonprofit public interest organization with 140,000 members, which focuses on returning the power of government to the voters and taxpayers.
Melton Armed in Drug Havens; Violating AG Warning?
According to a WLBT report, Mayor Frank Melton was armed when he demolished a house Friday at 1616 Valley Street in Jackson. Melton told the station that he is demolishing places where "dope (is) being sold or consumed." If that is the case, Melton may well have violated a direct directive yesterday from Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood who told him in June in a strongly worded letter that he would be prosecuted if he continues violating state criminal statutes. One of those statutes prohibit the mayor, or anyone else other than a real law-enforcement officer, from carrying a weapon in one of 19 locations. Those locations include places where illegal drugs are sold or used. The list also includes churchs and public parks—both places Melton has been seen carrying weapons since the attorney general's letter warning him to not violate the law by carrying weapons into illegal places.
They Call Him Mr. Bass, by Katherine R. Dougan
Everybody knows him, either by name or reputation.
When I first met Raphael Semmes, I didn't realize he was a legend on bass guitar. My first impression: Semmes was a super-nice guy who played bass. Moments later, I learned better.
Why Does Dee-Moore Have to Be the ‘Last' Case?
It's odd how so much of the media want to quickly proclaim the Dee-Moore case the "last" of the "cold cases" from the 1960s likely to be prosecuted. I'm hearing this over and over again, even in some of the more intelligent commentary on outlets like NPR. Why is this? There are many cold cases, and if the evidence is there, or can be found, they should be prosecuted as well.