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BREAKING: Wade Files for Melton Removal

WJNT radio host Kim Wade has filed a petition for removal (PDF, 270 KB) against Mayor Frank Melton with the circuit clerk's office, Wade confirmed to the Jackson Free Press this afternoon.

Melton Doesn't Show, Fails to Deliver on Promise

Amid rumors that he is en route to Las Vegas for a music awards event, Jackson Mayor Frank Melton fell through on his pronouncement to deliver a new budget proposal this morning—and didn't show up himself for city budget meetings. Melton told the council yesterday that he would procure a new budget himself overnight that did not include a tax increase, after enduring accusations from council members that his preferences—such as cuts to JATRAN and the JRA—were not reflected in the current budget proposal.

The FBI Serves Subpoenas, Reserve Spending is a Possibility

The city of Jackson has been hit with more subpoenas this week, according to Special Assistant to City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen.

BREAKING: Melton Appeals to Supreme Court

Attorneys for Mayor Frank Melton filed motions this morning calling for Melton's arrest warrant to be vacated or stayed.

City's War on Sex Toys Is Back

Just when you thought that the Jackson Police Department isn't up to the challenge posed by escalating crime, they prove you wrong. Per The Clarion-Ledger tonight:

BREAKING: Did Mayor Fire Cops for Muddling Domestic Case?

Sources tell the Jackson Free Press that Mayor Frank Melton may have fired police officers who muddled the response to reports on Ludlow Street Monday that Henry Phillips, 50, was brandishing a weapon outside the house of his ex-girlfriend, Doris Shavers, 40.

BREAKING: New Supreme Court Pleadings

Today, Judge Tomie Green filed a response (PDF, 128 KB) to attorney Dale Danks' Tuesday motion calling for emergency relief from the Mississippi Supreme Court. Danks, who is the lead attorney on Mayor Frank Melton's defense team, accused Green of larceny for withdrawing a decision on March 5 and replacing it the morning of March 6. In her response, Green calls for Danks' motion to be stricken from the record.

BREAKING: Council Mulls Mothballing Legal Dept.

Four members of City Council said they are considering withholding funding to the city's legal department after what they described as that department's clear bias toward the mayor's office.

BREAKING: Magnolia Bar Calls for Danks Sanctions

<i>Photo credit: Adam Lynch

Photo caption: Jaribu Hill of the Magnolia Bar Association called for sanctions against Dale Danks Wednesday.

Melton: ‘I'm An Expert Swimmer and All That ..."

A hasty council vote to select a new president delivered predictable results last Tuesday, as two deeply divided factions squared off against one another. The meeting also featured a mayor who apologized, threatened, cajoled, rambled and alleged that two of the young men who live in his own house had affairs with their Jackson Public Schools teachers.

Day 2: Welch Watching ‘Walking Tall' Before Attack

In the opening statements and first testimony in the Mississippi v. Melton et al. trial, prosecutor Stanley Alexander came out of the gate with a focus on the events of Aug. 25, 2006, when he promised to show that Frank Melton, Michael Recio and Marcus Wright are guilty of the five felony charges they face. He also mentioned that Melton was "loaded" that night. He promised to prove that Evans Welch and his friend, Lawrence Cooper Jr., were watching TV when Wright broke down the back door and Melton came to the front porch, and soon attacked the side of the house with a "long Walking Tall stick," breaking out several windows.

Day 1: JFP Blogs Figure Prominently in Voir Dire

On Monday, defense attorney Merrida Coxwell Jr. conducted voir dire for Melton. In his second question, he asked if any potential juror read or made comments on media blogs, specifically the Jackson Free Press. One prospective juror said he had read the JFP online. Coxwell asked if any had read the JFP in print, describing it as a "little magazine they have outside grocery stores." Altogether, two prospective jurors said they had read articles about the defendants in the JFP, and Webster said attorneys could question them in chambers.

Danks Renews Charges, AG and Green Fire Back

Three motions regarding Judge Tomie Green's renewed call for sanctions against former Mayor Dale Danks, who is Mayor Frank Melton's private attorney, were filed with the Mississippi Supreme Court in the last two days.

Melton Embarks on PJ Parties

The city issued a press release today announcing that Mayor Frank Melton will begin a "series of overnight visits" with members of the community to "see first hand living conditions experienced by citizens in each neighborhood." Melton will share his first "evening of fellowship" with the Austin family at Brotherhood Homes tonight at 6 p.m.

BREAKING: Wade Defends Melton Removal

In a March 22 filing (PDF, 215 KB) in Hinds County circuit court, local WJNT host Kim Wade has responded to a motion from former Mayor Dale Danks, who serves as Mayor Frank Melton's private attorney, asking the court to dismiss Wade's call for Melton's removal from office.

BREAKING: Danks Subpoenas Peterson

Former Mayor Dale Danks, who is an attorney for Mayor Frank Melton, filed a subpoena today ordering District Attorney Faye Peterson to appear before Judge Joe Webster at 9:30 a.m. on April 13.

BREAKING: Ramie Ford Leaves City Government

Ramie Ford, who Mayor Frank Melton tapped to head up a proposed Neighborhood Enhancement Division, has left city government to become the director of state parks under the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

Melton Lawyers Attack

Prosecutors and defense lawyers filed motions (PDF, 196 KB) at an accelerating pace as Mayor Frank Melton's felony trial approached.

BREAKING: Ben Allen Responds to Melton's "Sideshow"

Council President Ben Allen said at a press conference this afternoon that Mayor Frank Melton had put the city through an "18-month sideshow," but added that the council was prepared to address the issue of city leadership with the mayor facing arrest.

Melton Presents New D.A., Kept Distance During Campaign

Citizen bloggers are reporting that a jubilant Mayor Frank Melton introduced Robert Smith, his choice for district attorney, last night at Smith's campaign gathering. In his remarks, made before Smith's, the mayor said that Smith was his choice for the office, but that he had needed to keep his distance during the campaign. Melton remarked to the cameras using first person: "The first thing that we have to do is take care of the staff." In a Clarion-Ledger photo this morning, Melton political operative Bob Hickinbottom is grinning over Smith's shoulder.