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Mississippi Gulf Coast in the Shadows
The New York Times reports today on the largely overlooked devastation on the Gulf Coast:
A Sense of Urgency: Sen. John Horhn Pledges to Cure What Ails City Hall
Sen. John Horhn may have been in the Mississippi Legislature for 24 years, but the Jackson man doesn't always get what he wants.
What the Mamas Taught Us
When I heard 40 days before Election Day that the "No on 26" folks were trying to hire a spokesperson, I just knew women didn't have a chance. Thankfully, I was wrong.
JFP Needs Reader Health-care Stories
P.S. We would like to use your real name, and run a picture of you where possible.
All, we're looking for health-care stories from people in and around Jackson to feature in the next issue of the JFP, which will focus on health-care issues. We would like a variety of people: small business owners, unemployed, self-employed, younger, older, recent parents, etc. You can do it several ways: post comments below, e-mail them to me at [e-mail missing] or just send contact info so a writer can get in touch with you. We do need it fast--by the end of the week. But we're not looking for long, complicated stories. So please add your voice to the conversation (and help it be a conversation instead of a shouting match). Be in touch!
Second Best Ideas
I vividly remember the day when Ward 1 City Councilman Ben Allen bounded into my office at the Jackson Free Press. During the Frank Melton mayoral administration, it wasn't unusual for Allen to pop by; we didn't agree on everything and fought like banshees on the Internet from time to time, but we were on the same page when it came to some of the crazy coming out of city hall. We found common ground on the need for Jackson, and particularly downtown, to get its groove back.
Learning to Win
Near the end of August every year, I start getting jittery. Yes, I'm ready for cooler temperatures. I also like being a Libra and having an October birthday--the big 5-0 this time!--and I love the crispness and smell of Autumn air. Football weather, I call it, just like my daddy did.
[Ladd] The Prosperity of Living
Here in Jackson something really special is happening. People are joining hands to face down the naysayers and forge a new future for our city. We're putting our pennies together and investing locally. None of us is perfect, but we know that we are very strong when we put aside differences and work together for the city and her people.
Defense Cannot Use Prostitute Allegation Against Bodyguard
See JFP Melton Blog/Archive here.
Federal District Judge Dan Jordan ruled this morning that defense attorneys for Mayor Frank Melton and former bodyguard Michael Recio cannot use allegations of sexual misconduct by former bodyguard Marcus Wright to impugn his testimony or character during the civil rights trial in downtown Jackson. The judge ruled that defense attorneys could only ask "generic" questions about whether prosecutors convinced Wright to testify by threatening to make public the 2005 allegations that he had sex with two transsexual prostitutes.
Site for ‘Mississippi Renewal Forum'
Keep an eye on the plans of Gov. Haley Barbour's "Mississippi Renewal Forum" on this Web site. The front page states:
Beto O'Rourke: Trump Used ICE to 'Terrorize' Mississippi Hispanics
"(Donald Trump) is terrifying this community. People who have done nothing to anybody else posed no threat to America. So there's no other reason to raid this community than to terrify this community. And that's exactly what he's done," Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke said in Canton this morning.
Council Rejects Melton Budget; Stokes Drops Coup Effort
More details soon ...
Just got word that the City Council has rejected the Melton adminstration's new budget with its $3 increase in garbage fees. Also, Kenneth Stokes has withdrawn his coup attempt to unseat President Marshand Crisler—who has become a leading critic of the mayor, as well as the council members who vote in lockstep with him: Frank Bluntson, Charles Tillman, as well as Stokes. Four council members joined forces to reject the budget as presented: Ben Allen, Margaret Barrett-Simon, Leslie McLemore and Crisler.
You See the Blue Lights: What Next?
To some, the question of police harassment is simple: If you're doing something wrong, the police should be able to stop you, no matter what. And if you're not drunk, why not just take the Breathalyzer test rather than "act guilty" by refusing?
Hush! Somebody's Calling Our Name
Never say things can't change. Sometimes remarkable change comes, and it seems so obvious that people barely notice. That was apparent recently when both the Mississippi House and the Senate voted to rename two stretches of highway after civil-rights martyrs: Highway 19-South out of Philadelphia after Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner and US-49 East would be renamed Emmett Till Memorial Highway, in honor of the black teenager beaten to death by white men in 1955 in Money, Miss.
Join the JFP Tonight at Pi(e) Lounge
The JFP's monthly Lounge is tonight—Thursday, March 13—at Pi(e) Lounge, Sal & Mookie's new tres-chic cocktail spot. Please join us 6 to 9 p.m. for a specially designed "creative class" cocktail concocted in honor of the JFP (we haven't even tried it yet!), and free munchies. And if you haven't been to Pi(e), yet, now is your chance to visit the hottest little watering hole in town. Oh, and there are also tables out front for what looks to be a gorgeous night. Please join us!
State GOP Offended that Hood Supporting Kerry
"Kedwards"? Are they guys for real? They sound like a bunch of fourth-graders.
The state GOP party is all bent up like a pretzel over the fact that a DEMOCRATIC attorney general is supporting the DEMOCRATIC candidate for president. They whine on their Web site: "Jim Hood (D - Houston) ran for Attorney General as a mainstream, small-town Mississippian, but yesterday he came out for the gun-grabbing, anti-Mississippi, anti-family agenda of the Kerry/Edwards - 'Kedwards' - ticket. What is he thinking? Are Hood's true beliefs coming out now that the election is over? One thing is certain, Hood's endorsement of Kedwards is a long way from mainstream Mississippi values. Do we really want him issuing legal opinions on our behalf?"
Daddy, Get Up: This Son of Natchez Wants Justice, Too
Photo of Wharlest Jackson Jr. by Kate Medley
When Wharlest Jackson Sr., 36, left his job at the Armstrong Rubber Co. in North Natchez the evening of Feb. 27, 1967, life was looking pretty good for him.
Tough Questions for David Banner
"God I know that we pimp, God I know that we wrong, God I know I should talk about more in all of my songs, I know these kids are listening, I know I'm here for a mission, but it's so hard to get ‘em when 22 rims are glistening."
City Urges Residents to Prepare for Pearl River Flooding
See earlier coverage of the rising Pearl River
Christopher Hitchens Endorses Obama; Palin ‘National Disgrace'
The always-contrarian Christopher Hitchens writing in Slate the way pretty much only he can:
Growing Black Outrage Over Katrina Victims
The New York Times is reporting: