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Friends in the Trenches
An appellate panel denied breach-of-contract claims by retired Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agent Robert Pierce against The Clarion-Ledger last week.
A Tamperin' They Will Go
Last week, the Mississippi Senate followed the lead of Gov. Haley Barbour in pushing for "home-rule" for the top-rated school districts in the state. The Senate voted 30-to-19 in favor of SB 2602, which supporters say would exempt schools from having to file needless paperwork with the state and allows the most freedom to the state's topmost rated schools, allowing those districts greater self-governance in regard to hiring and education practices for district employees.
Council to Finalize $2.8M in Bonds
The Jackson City Council will vote during tomorrow's council meeting on whether to allow a $2.8 million tax increment financing agreement help finance the redevelopment of the King Edward Hotel and Standard Life building.
Copy-Cat Immigrant Law Costly
Jackson City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen said he was confident that the city could be exposed to considerable legal liability if legislators pass a bill mimicking a controversial Arizona law, which pushes local police into civil immigration enforcement duty.
City Buzz
City Council President Ben Allen said last week that he wanted the city to crack down on soliciting, particularly in the downtown area. Allen said aggressive panhandling was helping drive businesses out of the city and discouraged new business and tourism in the area. He said that city attorneys were devising a proposal that limits panhandling to certain spots in the city.
Kids + Junie B. Jones = FUN
Kids ages 4-8 and their parents should get ready for a ton of fun when Junie B. Jones' Stupid Smelly Bus rolls into town June 14. The bright pink Junie B. Jones bus will be in the Jackson metro area as part of a five-week nationwide tour.
Notice to the World
For more than a decade, at least two mayoral administrations have been fighting to make a Jackson city convention center a reality. On June 12, it finally happened.
[ElectionTalk] Fighting For The Family: Hinds County Chancery Judge Races
Chancery Court District 5-1 is probably one of the busiest districts in the state. Every week, the district processes some of the most heart-wrenching court cases ever to face a family. Divorces, child-custody battles and estate problems usually have their day within the walls of chancery court—and the kind of issues facing judges can cause tremors. After almost two decades of service, incumbent Stuart Robinson is retiring from his $104,170-a-year post, leaving it to be fought over by four contenders.
No Favoritism Here
Mayor Frank Melton's home street of Riverwood Drive, in north Jackson, is getting repaved this week, just a few weeks after a reporter pointed out a pothole to the mayor at a press conference outside his home at 2 Carter's Grove.
Council OKs JRA decision on Standard Life
Incendiary remarks recently made by a former city employee regarding the Standard Life Building whittled down to a nod of acquiescence at the Jackson City Council's 4 p.m. work session.
Melton Details Jefferson Davis Youth Camp
Mayor Frank Melton abruptly called the Jackson Free Press last week to correct what he thought was misreporting in the paper, in a July 25 story about a camp for boys that he organized. "You know I don't read your paper," he said, "but someone told me that you reported that the city paid for the camp. It didn't cost the taxpayers. I paid all costs out of my pocket."
City Pulls $3 Mil From Reserves, May Need More
Jackson Mayor Frank Melton and the city administration got their wish from the council in a 3-to-2 vote in favor of raiding $3 million from the city's $7 million budget reserve fund to fix a lingering hole in the 2007 budget. The raid may not be enough to cover still more holes, as the city struggles to pay the federal government back for about $520,000 in law enforcement grants.
Quick and Sloppy
A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson's office said a more thorough preliminary damage assessment might have prevented the Federal Emergency Management Agency's initial rejection of Gov. Haley Barbour's petition for federal damage assistance for storm damage in Hinds County.
Providing Structure
Bill Skinner didn't expect to be a youth court judge. A former Jackson police officer and Hinds County Justice Court judge, Skinner wanted to hear adult criminal cases when he won a seat on the Hinds County Court in 2006, but senior county court Judge Houston Patton assigned him to the youth court.
Medicaid Deal Just In Time
State legislators were poised to pass a Medicaid agreement Tuesday evening, ending a months-long impasse over funding and removing the last major obstacle to a state budget, one day before a new fiscal year began.
New Sports Arena on the Way
Mississippi Headhunters team owner Greg Disotell got the go-ahead from the Jackson City Council Tuesday to begin pooling $40 million for the construction of an enclosed sports arena to host minor-league football, as well as other entertainment events.
Barbour Flaunting Phantom Surplus
State legislators are accusing Gov. Haley Barbour of misrepresenting the condition of the state budget.
The 2009 JFP Interview: David Archie
Independent Jackson mayoral candidate David L. Archie is a political animal. Over the last 10 years, he has run for the positions of local judge, Ward 3 councilman and Ward 1 councilman.
Not Your Typical Two-car Garage
Hinds County Supervisors voted 3-2 to hire Integrated Management Services, Neel-Schaffer and McElroy 3 and Associates Architects to design a proposed $14 million parking garage. Supervisors Charles Barbour and Peggy Calhoun voted against the project, with Calhoun saying she had too many concerns about its long-term costs.
'Si Se Pueda'
Protestors, some of them children, marched on the state Capitol last Thursday, holding signs reading "Working should not be a crime," "Raids tear families apart," and "Si se pueda" ("Yes we can").