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Nappy Roots, Funk, Kamikaze at Farish Street Fest

The JFP is a sponsor of the Farish Street Fest This Weekend! Oct 1, Food, Fun and Entertainment for the entire family. See Terry Cummings, Kamikaze, Eddie Cotton, Nappy Roots, Tina Diamond, Original P, Mr. Nasty, Storage 24. Also a full stage of gospel music and a special Kiddie Kottage with face painting, space jump and more. Tickets $12 advance (BeBop and BIP records locations) and $15 at the gate.

T.G.I.F Humor Break

Quote o' the Week: The following statement is the funniest thing I've seen in a while, although The Onion is outdoing itself of late:

Barbour's ‘State of the State' Monday 6 p.m.

Gov. Haley Barbour's "State of the State" address will be tonight at 6 p.m., broadcast live on MPB. Read his verbatim prepared address on StateDesk.com.

Dunn Lampton Under Investigation?

Raw Story is reporting that the U.S. Departments of Justice and Treasury may be investigating U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton:

D.A. Questions Judge Allowing Officer to Walk

The Clarion is reporting today that District Attorney Faye Peterson is outraged that Judge Bobby DeLaughter has allowed a police officer charged with vehicular manslaughter to go free with no jail time. After Jeffrey Middleton, who ran a red light and killed a man in 2005 while on duty, pled guilty to the charge that carries up to 20 years in prison, DeLaughter placed him on probation and withheld adjudication, which means that the judge can undo his guilty plea if he doesn't violate the terms of his short probation, and then expunge his record. That, Peterson says, could mean that Middleton is allowed to become a police officer again.

Evacuees Saying Contraflow in Mississippi ‘a Joke'

On the Gambit Weekly blog, New Orleans evacuees are complaining that the contraflow plan fell apart in Mississippi today. "Huck" wrote:

Charles Evers to Interview Mayoral Hopeful Robert Johnson

See and update: Robert Johnson on Jackpedia

Jackson Roll-Off Dumpster Day Saturday, Jan. 10

The City of Jackson Solid Waste Divisions will hold its next Roll-off Dumpster Day - Saturday, January 10, 2009. Residents can take yard debris and other household items to one of the below locations:

Melton to Fire Officer for Rolling Eyes at Him?

In an interview with Howard Ballou of WLBT, Mayor Frank Melton said he plans to fire Jackson police officer Mike Braxton, who made public a police report (PDF, 1013 KB) he filed after Melton allegedly verbally abused him with profanity last summer.

AG Web site Tracks Fraudulent Contractors

[verbatim statement] Jackson, MS-Mississippi consumers can now track fraudulent contractors through a new website of the Office of the Attorney General. Mississippians can now go to http://www.agjimhood.com and find a list of contractors arrested for home repair fraud under the "alerts" and "consumer" links. The list includes the name of the person arrested, the name of the company they were "doing business as" and a brief status report on the case.

WAPT: Former JSU Student Shot, Recovering

WAPT is reporting that former Jackson State student Lamar Smith, 24, of Lithonia, Ga., was shot once last night. He was treated and released from St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital.

U.S. Supreme Court to Review Texas Redistricting Scheme

AP is reporting today:

BREAKING: Mayor Frank Melton Running for Re-election

In an interview in City Hall today, Mayor Frank Melton broke the news to the Jackson Free Press that he is going to run for re-election as mayor of Jackson. "Yes," he replied when asked if he is running for a second term.

Unsealed Docs Unveil Melton's 'House Arrest

A transcript from a Nov. 15, 2006, meeting (PDF, 1.3mb) between Judge Tomie Green and Frank Melton, along with three of his attorneys, in her chambers reveals that the judge helped the mayor downplay the severity of his sentence after he pled to three gun charges. The transcript, unsealed March 6 by the judge in response to a request by Melton attorney Dale Danks, reveals for the first time that in order not to serve jail time, Melton agreed to a stringent form of "house arrest," under which he had to wear an electronic ankle bracelet, had to adhere to a schedule set by his probation officer and could not leave his home without notifying Probations Services Company of his intentions.

UPDATE: Mayor Melton Released from Hospital

Goldia Revies just released a statement saying that Mayor Frank Melton has been discharged from St. Dominic Hospital, and that he expects to spend the next few days resting. "I'm deeply touched by the outpouring of public concern about my health," said Mayor Melton. "I want everyone to know how much I truly appreciate their prayers and support. It's definitely no fun being laid up, but I've been fortunate enough to be in the care of some of the best doctors in the world."

Barbour: Toyota to Honor Commitments

[Verbatim from Gov. Barbour] Jackson, Mississippi -- Governor Haley Barbour announced today Toyota will honor financial commitments made to the state and local entities even though the company has delayed start of production at its Prius plant, which is under construction in Blue Springs. "Toyota has told me it will cover its portion of debt service for the state and local entities, and will work with suppliers to ensure they do likewise. Toyota doesn't want the state or local taxpayers to suffer financially because of this delay, and that is an approach I genuinely appreciate," Governor Barbour said.

Clarion-Ledger Features Casey Parks

The Clarion-Ledger did right by JFP contributing editor Casey Parks today in a delightful feature written by Gary Pettus. (Cheers, Gary. You make our profession proud.) And they flag the story on Page 1 with Casey's photo (taken in our newsroom). Thank you for a good piece, Ledge.

Happy Inauguration Day! Share Your Thoughts.

Jan. 20, 2009, is here, and Barack Obama will make history as the next president of the United States. What are your thoughts on this historic occasion? What message do you want to send to Obama? To fellow Americans? Please share your feelings with the JFP nation below.

Poll: Clinton, Giuliani Top Party Pick

AP reports:

While Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Rudolph Giuliani are their party's top picks for the 2008 presidential nominations, both remain highly polarizing figures, according to a national poll released Friday. Forty percent of Democrats polled said they favored Clinton, the New York senator, for the party's nomination while 18 percent opted for Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the loser of the 2004 presidential race.

USDA Recalls 143 Million Pounds of Beef

The Associated Press is reporting: