Why does the Ledger's Brian Eason ooze contempt for so many Jacksonians?
OK, Snark King, it's your turn. I've had it in the back of my head to blog about a really offensive post by The Clarion-Ledger's city reporter Brian Eason for weeks now, but it had fallen to the side in the need to report actual news. But while cleaning up …
New York Times Finds (Parts of) Jackson Delightful
Social media is buzzing today about a New York Times article that features a lot of amazing personalities and locally owned businesses that make our city great—many of which started in the city's last decade of progress. This is the kind of media we need to see more of about …
Old Canton Road Closed at Crane for Repair of Sinkhole
A major sinkhole on Old Canton Road at Crane Boulevard that became a whipping post in the mayoral election is being repaired starting today. The city sent out this alert this morning: Traffic Alert The City of Jackson Department of Public Works announces that it has closed Old Canton Road …
Open Letter to Mr. Lumumba from Ward 7 Couple
This open letter came late on runoff night. We are reposting it verbatim. Send other "open letter" submissions (up to 1,000 words with verifiable facts and respectful tone) to [email protected]. Dear Mr. Lumumba, We are a white couple in our early 30s that live in Ward Seven who did not …
Open Letter to Jacksonians from Dorothy Triplett
Long-time Jacksonian Dorothy Triplett sent us this letter earlier today. It is reprinted verbtim: I supported Mayor Johnson in the primary, and was disappointed that the voters (only 30 percent of the eligible voters) chose not to send him into the runoff. Once I pushed that disappointment down and asked …
WAPT Poll Shows Lee's Lead Over Lumumba Down Dramatically
WAPT just released Mason-Dixon poll results that show that mayoral candidate Jonathan Lee's lead has shrunk three points since Friday, and Chokwe Lumumba's support has increased seven points. Lee leads 46 percent to 42 percent going into tomorrow's pivotal run-off face. The poll showed 12 percent still undecided. Lee led …
Clarion-Ledger and John Horhn Endorse Lee; Norwood Endorses Lumumba
Several new endorsements have happened over the weekend. Today, The Clarion-Ledger endorsed Jonathan Lee for mayor, after endorsing Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. in the primary. Sen. John Horhn, who ran for Jackson mayor, four years ago, has also endorsed Lee. Over the weekend, new Sen. Sollie Norwood, formerly a JPS …
FACTCHECK: Did Chokwe Lumumba "kill an FBI agent and get away with it"?
As we approach the mayoral runoff, which will most surely decide Jackson's next mayor, the rumors are flying fast and furious. One we heard yesterday is that Chokwe Lumumba "killed an FBI agent and got away with it." This is a false assertion. But it surely morphed out of his …
Attorney Herb Irvin's Open Letter to Jonathan Lee
This open letter to mayoral candidate Jonathan Lee just came via email. Here it is, verbatim: Jonathan Lee Candidate for Mayor of Jackson Public Letter Dear Mr. Lee: After watching one of your recent campaign commercials in which you portrayed Chokwe Lumumba as radical and racist, I was compelled to …
Can you vote in the May 21 runoff if you didn't vote in the primary?
A local television report apparently has people confused about whether they can vote in the Democratic runoff for Jackson mayor and city council if they didn't bother to vote in the runoff. The answer is yes. Here is a statement from Jackson City Clerk Brenda Pree: “ All registered voters …
WAPT: Regina Quinn Endorses Lumumba (Or Not?); Frank Bluntson Backs Lee
WAPT reported today on what is probably the most coveted mayoral endorsement, saying that Regina Quinn has endorsed Chokwe Lumumba for mayor. In a less significant announcement, Frank Bluntson has endorsed Jonathan Lee. During the campaign, Quinn was angry at Lee for spreading around that she had voted Republican. This …
Chokwe Lumumba: 'I AM A CHRISTIAN MAN, WITH AN AFRICAN NAME'
During the run-up to the Democratic primary, the main whisper campaign, coming from several candidates, seemed to be about who had—gasp!—voted Republican in the past. Now, it's over who is Christian enough to be mayor. Mayoral candidate Chokwe Lumumba is pounding the same drum that President Barack Obama had to …
This Ain't Cool, DOJ.
Today, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia released a statement joining other journalism organizations in protesting the U.S. Department of Justice's over-reaching subpoena of The Associated Press' phone records. The JFP joins other media organizations who have signed onto this letter by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. It …
JFP Calls Mayoral Race for Lee and Lumumba in Runoff
It looks like Jonathan Lee and Chokwe Lumumba are headed into the runoff. Share your predictions for what the next to weeks will be like!
FACTCHECK/UPDATED: Jonathan Lee Backers Gave More Than $1.2 Million to Republicans
Note: This story has been updated with a total donation figure that Lee's backers gave to federal Republican candidates since 2008. The new paragraph is bolded down below. In the WAPT-Clarion-Ledger debate, Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. alluded to the fact that he is a real Democrat when he unloaded on …
Lumumba, 20/20 PAC End Week in Campaign Reporting Hall of Shame
Who hasn't bothered to file campaign-finance reports for the primaries?
Fact Checking the Lee Email, Part 2: The Grants
We're trying to find the context of the $294,000/grant accusation in the email the Lee campaign sent out, but wouldn't document. We found the 2008 Clarion-Ledger story that the Lee campaign cited, as well as stories in the JFP. First, the Ledger story. It was about then-Mayor Melton's abysmal financial …
Allow Me to Rant About This Campaign for a Minute ...
The turn this mayoral campaign has taken is extremely frustrating, especially between the Harvey Johnson and Jonathan Lee campaigns. And from where we sit, trying to get out as much accurate information as possible, we see it all. It is one thing to get good, solid public information from a …
Chokwe Lumumba Talks about the 'Jackson-Kush' Plan on 'Solidarity' Site
Doing some research just now, I ran into this interview from last week with mayoral candidate Chokwe Lumumba that I think many of you will find interesting. In it, he discusses the "Jackson-Kush Plan" and where it fits into his organization's plan "for self-determination and economic democracy From the plan: …