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Hinds Supes Approve Hwy. 80 Beautification
Hinds County Supervisors opened bids today on a roughly $240,000 beautification project for Highway 80. The road, which runs through South Jackson, was once a major commercial thoroughfare and business center, but is now a prime example of blight in the city, dotted with dilapidated and vacant buildings. The area is also the subject of a $500,000 economic development and revitalization study commissioned by Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. in November and scheduled for completion in August.
Council to Vote on Bluntson Investigation
The Jackson City Council is set to decide tomorrow whether to launch an investigation of Council President Frank Bluntson's use of city employees to campaign for his daughter-in-law, who lost a bid for Madison County Court judge Nov. 2.
Crazy Cat Opens New Fondren Location
Fondren shoppers have another place to indulge their sweet tooth. On Monday, Nov. 9, Highland Village confectioner Jon Lansdale opened a second location of his Crazy Cat Bakers in the Fondren Corner building. Crazy Cat is selling grab-and-go lunches and drinks, along with its renowned cakes, brownies and cookies, in the small 16 foot by 16 foot space that used to house Cosmo Tots children's boutique.
Panel Withholding Data, Education Advocates Say
A governor-appointed panel on school district mergers is withholding the data it used to identify 18 Mississippi school districts for potential consolidation, frustrating a group of education advocates.
JSU Gets $500K Entergy Grant
Jackson State University is dedicating a laboratory and a new power-systems degree track in its engineering program, thanks to a grant from Entergy. The power company has awarded JSU with $400,000 to purchase equipment for a new laboratory and an additional $100,000 for student scholarships.
Mayor Hypes Restarted Housing Project
Tucked into Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.'s July 7 State of the City address was the news that a 26.7-acre housing development previously held up by a lawsuit is now back on track. Johnson's speech highlighted a number of well-known economic-development projects in varying states of completion, but it also indicated that the Agape housing project in northwest Jackson has cleared a major obstacle.
JPD Probing Irby Crash Investigation
The Jackson Police Department is conducting an internal investigation of one of its own officers' work in reconstructing a Feb. 11, 2009, car crash that took the lives of two Jackson doctors. Karen Irby, wife of Jackson businessman Stuart Irby, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter Friday for her role in the collision. Irby admitted that she had drunk two glasses of wine that night before speeding in her Mercedes-Benz down Old Canton Road, where it collided with a pickup truck carrying Dr. Mark Pogue and Dr. Lisa Dedousis. Stuart Irby was injured in the crash and did not testify in his wife's trial.
Council Set to Vote on Police Oversight
The Jackson City Council may decide today whether to institute a civilian review process for the Jackson Police Department. Long a pet item for Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes, a proposal for a civilian oversight of police complaints passed the Planning Committee yesterday. Stokes and Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber voted for the measure, while Ward 5 Councilman Charles Tillman abstained
David Powe
As chief administrative officer for the University of Mississippi Medical Center, David Powe oversees the daily operations of an economic powerhouse. The center represents 10 percent of the Jackson metro area's economy, and its clout is only growing. Six years ago, when Powe took over as CAO, UMMC reported annual revenues of $686 million. This year, the center is on track for $1.2 billion in revenue.
Big Fair Numbers, Medical Mall Groundbreaking, Creative Class Conference
The Mississippi State Fair is attracting much larger crowds than it did last year, when rain kept attendance low. An estimated 307,052 people attended the fair through Monday, according to the state Fair Commission. Attendance through the weekend was almost 100,000 above last year's numbers.
Jackson Police Putting Focus on Property Crime
Assistant Police Chief Lee Vance called on Jackson police to concentrate on property crimes in the city, noting at a meeting today that the Jackson Police Department has a "realistic chance" of finishing the year with an overall crime reduction from last year.
JSU, Alcorn Presidential Picks Unveiled
The board of trustees for Mississippi's universities announced its preferred candidates today for the presidencies of Alcorn State University and Jackson State University. M. Christopher Brown, executive vice president and provost at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., is the board's pick for president at Alcorn. The board selected Carolyn W. Meyers, former president of Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Va., for the Jackson State post.
McCoy, Bryant Announce Dueling Oil Spill Panels
Two newly-created committees of state legislators will begin hearings on the Gulf oil spill as early as next week. Yesterday morning, House Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, announced the formation of a special House committee to monitor the response to the disaster, which has surpassed the Exxon Valdez as the largest spill in U.S. history. Later the same day, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant announced the formation of a Senate committee for a similar purpose.
Barbour Gives Details on Bio-Fuels Plant
A Houston-based company manufacturing a crude-oil substitute from timber has picked Mississippi to locate its first three production facilities, Gov. Haley Barbour announced at a press conference this afternoon. Barbour has called a special legislative session tomorrow to authorize an economic incentive package for the start-up company, KiOR.
Johnson's Chief Appointees Get Mixed Reviews
One day after Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. announced his nominees for Jackson Police Chief and Fire Chief, many city officials and employees are waiting to form their opinions. Johnson's appointees require approval from the Jackson City Council before taking office.
MPB Cancels ‘Fresh Air' for ‘Inappropriate Content'
Updated 5:15 p.m. (See the full statement from MPB Executive Director Judy Lewis in comments below.)
Jackson Sees Sharp Drop in Major Crimes
Major crimes in Jackson decreased 18.1 percent last week, according to statistics (PDF) released at a Jackson Police Department command staff meeting this morning. Officers reported a 14.2 percent decrease in property crimes and 35.7 percent drop in violent crimes from the previous week.
Jackson's Recovery Top 20 In Nation
Despite suffering its worst recession in three decades, Jackson's economy is recovering faster than many U.S. cities. Jackson was one of only 10 metropolitan areas in the country--almost all of them in the South--to experience positive job growth in the last quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010, according to a report issued yesterday by the Brookings Institution.
JFP Freelancer of the Month: Bryan Flynn
A layoff became an opportunity for Bryan Flynn to do what he loves. Two years ago, Flynn, 33, lost his job as a grocery manager for Walmart. With his wife's encouragement, Flynn started playtowinthegame.com, a website for his musings and analysis of professional and college sports. Since August, Flynn has been a regular freelance contributor to the Jackson Free Press.
Birdland Reopening, Economy Still Lagging
Farish Street nightclub Birdland is open again after spending eight months closed under a court order. The club renewed its privilege license and dancehall permit Friday and was open last weekend, Jackson Police Department spokesman Detective Roderick Holmes told the Jackson Free Press today.