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Judge Ditches Post for Tea Party
Former state Supreme Court Justice Kay Cobb has suspended her duties as a substitute judge while she organizes the Oxford Tea Party.
Police Search for Suspect in Rash of Auto Burglaries
Jackson's Precinct 4 saw a rash of auto burglaries last week. Violent crime, however, remains down in the city.
City To Receive $550K Earmark for Art Facilities
Jackson is set to receive $550,000 from the federal government to upgrade three public arts facilities. The City Council will vote tomorrow on submitting a formal earmark request to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which would finalize the funding that Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker secured for the city last year.
Hinds Pushes Bonds for Sleep Inn, Valley Title
Hinds County Supervisors approved using federal stimulus bonds for two private development projects today. Supervisors approved a motion to provide $2 million in Recovery Zone Facility Bonds to the Jackson-based LEAD Group, LLC, which is constructing a Sleep Inn on Gallatin Street in downtown Jackson. The board also voted to provide $1.76 million from the same bond fund as an incentive to develop the Mississippi Valley Title building.
Karen Irby Sentenced to 18 Years
Hinds County Judge Tomie Green sentenced Karen Irby, who pleaded guilty March 26 to two counts of manslaughter in the deaths of two doctors, to two 18-year prison terms, which Irby will serve concurrently. State law prevented Green from ordering consecutive sentences.
JPD Preparing for Football Season
Read this week's crime report (PDF)
Legislature to Tackle Development Project
The Mississippi Legislature will convene Friday for a special session to approve incentives aimed at luring a $500 million economic development project to the state. Gov. Haley Barbour announced the session Aug. 20 but gave few details on the project, witholding the company name, industry and potential locations.
Scott Sisters' Clemency Momentum Growing
Support for imprisoned sisters Jamie and Gladys Scott is growing as an anticipated deadline for their clemency petition nears. The sisters, who are in the 17th year of their double life sentences for armed robbery, have a petition for clemency or pardon pending before Gov. Haley Barbour.
Jackson Violent Crimes Drop 18 Percent Last Week
Violent crimes in Jackson decreased by 18 percent last week, along with an overall 3 percent decrease in all major crimes, according to statistics released at a Jackson Police Department command staff meeting this morning for the week ending Nov. 29. For the year to date, violent crime is down 9.8 percent, while property crime is up slightly at 1.2 percent. Jackson has seen 38 homicides this year to date, compared to 66 by this time last year.
City to Consider Commuter Tax
Read the 2008 Census Report on commuter data.
King Edward Re-opening Today
Long a downtown eyesore and unpleasant reminder of Jackson's troubled past, the King Edward Hotel is re-opening tomorrow with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. A joint project of Jackson developer David Watkins' group, Watkins Partners, and Historic Renovation Incorporated of New Orleans, the six-year, $84 million renovation of the 300,000 square-foot historic building is complete, marking the end of a long and bumpy return to glory.
Openings In Fondren, West and South Jackson
Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. celebrates the opening tomorrow of Fondren Hall, a new events space and conference center on the site of an old Primo's restaurant. The opening marks the completion of Fondren Plaza, a shopping center redeveloped by Ali Jamila and his brothers, Khalid and Mohammed. Fondren Plaza also houses the Jamila's own business, Room By Room Furniture, along with the Jackson Police Department's Precinct 4 headquarters and other offices.
Jackson Chamber Eyeing Independence
The Jackson Chamber of Commerce, a subsidiary of the metro-area Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, is planning to become an independent body to better advocate for the city's economic interests. A move to complete autonomy is probably more than a year away but the leaders of both organizations are working to develop a plan for separation, current Jackson Chamber Chairman Jonathan Lee said, this week.
Barbour Repeats Health-Care Scares
Federal health-care reform will burden Mississippi with higher Medicaid costs, Gov. Haley Barbour told business leaders at a summit yesterday. Barbour claimed that the legislation would cost the state $230 million annually in additional Medicaid expenses, a charge he has made previously, without regard to the law's benefits.
Hinds Seeking Fed Money for Byram-Clinton Corridor
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors took another small step forward today on its long-delayed Byram-Clinton corridor road-building project. The board voted unanimously to earmark $2 million for the project out of the $14 million remaining from a 2007 bond issue.
Luckett to Speak in Jackson Friday
Clarksdale attorney and 2011 candidate for governor Bill Luckett will speak at Koinonia Coffee House in Jackson Friday morning. Luckett, who announced his candidacy in September, is the featured speaker at the 9 a.m. Friday Forum, a weekly series sponsored by west Jackson businessman Bill Cooley.
Crowded Agenda for Special Session
State lawmakers will work fast today in a special session of the Mississippi Legislature. The agenda includes tackling a major economic development project, a ban on synthetic marijuana and approval of a casino project in D'Iberville. Before noon, the House of Representatives passed a bill setting a 6 p.m. deadline today for all work during the special session.
Water Emergency in Jackson
Gov. Haley Barbour declared a state of emergency for the city of Jackson today due to water main breaks that have disrupted water service across the city. Speaking at a noon press conference after Barbour's announcement, Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said that the city has suffered roughly 70 water line breaks since Wednesday of last week, when freezing temperatures began taking their toll on the city's infrastructure.
Supes Address Emergency-Tech Delays
Hinds County emergency responders may have to wait another six months before technology that traces the location of cell phone 911 calls is available. Gaps in communication are to blame for the county's delay in implementing the technology, Blake Wallace, executive director of the county's Economic Development District, told the county Board of Supervisors today.
Carl Gibson
Carl Gibson has only been in Jackson for nine months, but he has already become a fixture of the city's music and arts scenes. The Kentucky native drums and performs poetry at open-mic nights around the city, so it wasn't a stretch for him to write about karaoke die-hards for the Jackson Free Press in July.