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Tyler Cleveland

Stories by Tyler

JRA Going After Watkins’ Money

Not satisfied with removing David Watkins and his partners from the Farish Street project, the Jackson Redevelopment Authority is now going after Watkins’ money.

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De'Keither Stamps

When the Jackson Free Press first met De'Keither Stamps, he invited reporters to his home to talk about the issues facing Jackson and his candidacy for the Ward 4 seat on the Jackson City Council.

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Mississippi Pride Swells at Museum Groundbreaking

The grand opening may be four years away, but Thursday's celebration on North Street inspired enough Mississippi pride to last us until then.

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Civil Rights Museum to Break Ground

Former Mississippi Gov. William Winter remembers a time when "civil" and "rights" were two words that weren't used in tandem in many social circles.

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Council OKs Sales Tax Hike for 2014 Vote

Jackson citizens will vote whether to levy a 1-percent sales tax after all. The Jackson City Council voted 5-1 in favor of putting the referendum forward at Tuesday night’s city council meeting.

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Lumumba: Chamber Won't 'Betray' City on Tax Commission

Mayor Chokwe Lumumba brushed off concerns from Jackson City Council members at Monday's work session about the 1-percent sales tax, which Jacksonians would have to pass by referendum.

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JSU Salvages Homecoming After Grambling No-Show

The Jackson State University football Tigers woke up winners Saturday morning, and made the best of a bad situation by celebrating homecoming with a scrimmage and concert at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

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Farish Street, Round Two (or Eight?)

Much has changed around the capital city in the last several years, but Farish Street is not one of them.

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David Watkins Speaks on Farish

Embattled developer David Watkins is finally talking about the controversy that has swirled for weeks over the Farish Street redevelopment project in downtown Jackson.

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Farish Street Flap Heats Up

Since developer David Watkins responded to a flurry of criticism over his handling of the Farish Street renovation project with a letter yesterday afternoon, his camp has ratcheted up its war of words.

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JRA Moving on Farish, Slowly

The history of Farish Street's renovation efforts, which Jackson architect Steven Horn first proposed in 1983, is as shameful as the area is illustrious.

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Legality of Water-Sewer Plan Uncertain

Complaints over increased water and sewer rates have continued, even after the Jackson City Council passed the 2013-2014 fiscal-year budget.

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Filling Empty Houses In Byram

Another group has come to the table in the struggle to fill empty houses in the Jackson area. The nonprofit Home Again Inc. is teaming with Hope Credit Union and Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas to do it.

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Despite Big Backers, Robinson Mum on Hinds 2 Race

One might expect Willie Earl Robinson to be riding high and ready to shout from the rooftops after landing several big endorsements in the Hinds County Democratic primary for District 2.

Jackson Officials Back Robinson, Link McQuirter to GOP

Local officials expressed their full-throated supported for Hinds County District 2 contender Willie Robinson of Bolton.

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Metrocenter For Sale

After a year of being revamped and renovated, Metrocenter mall is up for sale.

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West Jackson Rallying Zoo Support

Everyone in town seems to have an opinion on which course of action the Jackson Zoo's leadership, faced with financial obstacles, should take to ensure the longevity of what former Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. called "one of Jackson's jewels."

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Tax Commission: Who’s on First?

When Mayor Chokwe Lumumba took a stand against the composition of a commission overseeing a 1-percent sales-tax increase during his mayoral campaign last spring, he won the votes of Jacksonians tired of the state treating Jackson like a bad seed.

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Metrocenter Listed for $6.5 Million

Real estate broker The Overby Company is listing Metrocenter Mall, once a commercial powerhouse, for sale at $6.5 million.

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Zoo Mulls Situation, Accreditation Appeal Pending

Even if the Jackson Zoo retains its accreditation, questions will remain about its long-term viability if it remains in West Jackson.

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Coming Soon: 1-Percent Sales Tax Increase?

Faced with steep spending increases to meet the challenges of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's consent decree and Jackson's crumbling roads, Mayor Chokwe Lumumba says he is moving ahead with a 1-percent sales tax.

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Preserving and Updating the Eastland Courthouse

Looking at the view from a corner office on the fourth floor of the James O. Eastland Federal Building, it's easy to see why someone would want to live in the 80-year-old building at the corner of Capitol and West streets.

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Fortification Street Funding: Round Two

Jackson's Department of Public Works may have found a way to break the impasse with the city council that has slowed construction on the Fortification Street renovation project for almost a month.

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Vision 2022: A Regional Vision

The greater metropolitan area of Jackson is a collection of loosely aligned, often-at-odds cities, towns and communities worthy of a university-sanctioned study on diversity and race politics.

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Having the Truancy Discussion

Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Cedrick Gray is supportive of an ordinance that would levy penalties against parents of truant students.

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Council Passes $502.5 Million Budget

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba is aware that his controversial budget, which the city council passed Sept. 12 with a 5-2 vote, would ruffle some feathers. But he's OK with that. He didn't run for office to win any popularity contests.

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Mukesh Kumar

The first time this reporter met Mukesh Kumar, he led me through the winding halls of Jackson State University's Urban and Regional Planning Department to his office.

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Lumumba, Chamber Break Sales-Tax Impasse

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba says he has found a way around the sales-tax commission issue, which has kept the city leaders from putting a 1-percent sales tax to a vote for years.

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Jackson's Budget Gets Green Light

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba convinced the Jackson City Council to pass his proposed $502.5 million budget after holding two town-hall meetings and two public hearings.

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Jacksonians Speak Out at Town Hall Meeting

Last night, the city of Jackson and Mayor Chokwe Lumumba hosted a second town-hall meeting to address the proposed water-and-sewer rate increases, this time in the heart of Ward 3 at Progressive Missionary Baptist Church.

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What $6.5 Million Will Buy

Budget talks heated Sept. 5 as Mayor Chokwe Lumumba began distributing some of the funds from his $503 million budget, starting with re-allocating $6.5 million from the public schools. The funds should help Jackson address nagging problems across the city.

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Enforcing Truancy Laws

Jackson Councilman Tony Yarber, Ward 6, doesn't split hairs on state truancy laws at Jackson Public Schools: He doesn't believe they are being enforced.

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Council Backs Mayor's Plan on Taxes

Mayor Chokwe Lumumba received approval from Jackson's City Council to reallocate 5.56 mills of tax money to bail out the zoo, among other things.

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Tea Party Express Rolls into Jackson

Tea Party Express Chairman Amy Kremer led a press conference at the downtown Marriott Wednesday, calling out legislators who have not sufficiently opposed the Affordable Care Act.

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Corner Store: Where Are You?

On a recent trip to the William F. Winter Archives and History Building, a couple of enterprising reporters dug up some old pictures and articles about Capitol Street.

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Jackson Ordinance Seeks to Curb State Gun Law

City Council President Charles Tillman has introduced a gun ordinance that would ban handguns from most public places.

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One Step Forward ...

The city of Jackson is re-issuing a request for proposals for a long-awaited downtown convention-center hotel, just two months after unveiling an agreement with a developer to build one.

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Ordinance Would Ban Guns In Public Places

Jackson's civic leaders have watched the gun debate unfold since Gov. Phil Bryant signed House Bill 2 into law, effectively making the "open carry" of guns legal.

New Bids Sought for Convention Center Hotel

Two months after the city of Jackson unveiled an agreement with a developer to build a long-awaited downtown convention center hotel, those plans are temporarily on hold.

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City Council Mulls Budget Proposal

In presenting his first budget to the city, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba banked on Jacksonians to understand that money doesn't grow on trees.

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The National Balance League

The NFL’s success is its philosophy, which is inherently communist.

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Lucky Town Brewery Expanding

The boys at Lucky Town Brewing Co. are expanding, and they want to put their first industrial-sized brewery right in the heart of midtown Jackson.

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Crowds Funding Local Entreprenuers

Jackson personal trainer Keith Richardson has a dream to own and manage a shoe store, and he's found a creative way to get it done. Now, he needs the community's help.

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Lumumba Proposes Sweeping Rate Hikes

Mayor Chokwe Lumumba has spent much of his first 50 days in office in preparation for the afternoon of Aug. 19 at City Hall, where he presented his proposed budget for fiscal year 2013 to the Jackson City Council.

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City Saving Bundles On Overtime

City officials believed switching to electronic monitoring of city employees' work hours would pay off, and now they have proof.

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Council Approves Hardwick

On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously approved the nomination of attorney June Hardwick to serve as a judge in Jackson's municipal court.

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Fortification Street Blues

Jackson City Councilman DeKeither Stamps is catching a lot of flack for voting to stop a change order that would have funneled additional funds into the pockets of Hemphill Construction, the company the city has hired to rebuild Fortification Street. He's also receiving some praise.

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Health-care Economy Could Be Answer for Jackson

When folks talk about tourism in Mississippi, most of the conversation centers on casinos, golf, the blues, civil-rights freedom trails or family reunions. But the emerging trend of medical tourism may soon join that list.

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White: Telling the Mississippi Story

Mississippi has a rich history, and we need to be the ones telling it. That's the message Mississippi Tourism Director Malcolm White delivered to the crowd Friday morning at Koinonia Coffee House.

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Green Approved as City CAO

The U.S. congressman who helped get Chokwe Lumumba elected now has a direct line to the Jackson mayor's office.