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Purvis: ‘Melton Did Not Put Me in the Race'
Jackson 2000 held a district attorney candidate forum today at noon at Schimmel's. The Jackson Free Press moderated, asking questions provided by audience members. We will have a full report on the event later today, and with any luck, a podcast of all of the comments. Meantime, here is a press statement candidate Michele Purvis sent out this morning, stating that Melton did not ask her to run. It is important to note that she blames the district attorney for putting that information out there. To our knowledge, the D.A. has not initiated those statements, which she denied doing at the forum, although Sheriff Malcolm McMillin told Adam Lynch last week that Melton has put up the two Democrats running against him, as well as the district attorney. Here is Purvis' statement:
David Hampton ‘Worried' About Frank Melton
It seems that concern is growing over at The Clarion-Ledger for their hand-picked choice for mayor. Editorial Director David Hampton writes today:
JFP EXCLUSIVE: Jackson Crime Surges
Read the story that the city is talking about, based on a report the Jackson Free Press unearthed on Monday. You saw it here first.
[Sawyer] A Stroll Down Prosperity Street
"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days." (James 5:1-3)
Are We Losing the Peace in Iraq?
Fables of Reconstruction: A Coalition memo reveals that even true believers see the seeds of civil war in the occupation of Iraq
Melton's Boys Come to His Defense
Additional reporting by Ward Schaefer
Three of Mayor Frank Melton's previous mentees, and the mother of another who died more than a decade ago, have filed affidavits in support of their mentor's efforts in what the U.S. Department of Justice believes was a drunken Aug. 26, 2006, double attack on a duplex at 1305 Ridgeway St. One of those affidavits, if true, indicates that federal agents have investigated the long-time rumors that Melton is involved in the city's drug trade, and had asked at least one of the young men to turn evidence on him.
Crossing the Line?
Madison and Rankin cops are angering both drivers of color and white business owners. Are they going too far?
McCoy Urges Barbour Against Cold Feet on Stimulus
Mississippi House Speaker Billy McCoy offered a public plea Thursday to Gov. Haley Barbour to accept federal money offered through a proposed congressional stimulus package worth more than $800 billion. The House is considering the package to jump-start the faltering national economy. "We're in a recession the likes of which we haven't seen for many, many years. We've been very encouraged with the stimulus package thus far, and we're appreciative of the president. But we've been very disturbed at the recent news of our governor considering not taking part of the stimulus package," McCoy said, referring to the House proposal that had not yet passed the Senate Thursday.
BREAKING: Melton, Bodyguards Back in Upper Level
Club-goers are reporting that Mayor Frank Melton, and an entourage including bodyguards, Dets. Michael Recio and Marcus Wright, arrived at the Upper Level nightclub in Jackson close to 2 a.m. todaySunday, Feb. 11. The mayor arrived in a black Chrysler, witnesses say, along with several JPD police cars. There are reports that Chief Shirlene Anderson was among the entourage, but her presence could not be confirmed Sunday.
Rebel Belles: The Dixie Chicks Reload
Anyone who can't admit that it took courage for Natalie Maines to say she was ashamed George W. Bush came from Texas, and for her band mates Martie Maguire and Emily Robison to back her up, should have to answer this question: Has your life ever been threatened for expressing a political opinion?
The Myth Of Separation
Photos by Ronni Mott
Young Abraham left his father Azar's house after losing all hope of teaching him about God.
UPDATED: Council Denies Emmerich Airport Board Slot
The push by Mayor Frank Melton and three members of the Jackson City Council to place Northside Sun owner and publisher Wyatt Emmerich on the board of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority appears over, after the council denied Emmerich's confirmation Monday in a split 3-3 vote, with Councilman Kenneth Stokes not present to break the tie. In the final vote, Jeff Weill, Frank Blunston and Charles Tillman voted in favor, and President Leslie McLemore, Marshand Crisler and Margaret Barrett-Simon opposed the appointment.
Alert: Lawsuit Abuse! Lawsuit Abuse!
I hear stories like this one and I get furious at the people who refuse to understand that the most important use of lawsuits is to financially deter crap like this from happening:
AP: Census Shows Many Couldn't Afford to Evacuate
An Associated Press analysis of Census data shows that the residents in the
Here's one for the dumbasses who tried to blame the victims, saying they just should have evacuated like the other folks did. The Associated Press is reporting that an analysis of Census data show that, surprise!, many of the victims were simply too poor to evacuate. It seems—alert the media—that not everyone can afford a car, or even the fuel to run one.
[Greggs] Here's to You, Ali Robinson
This past weekend I went on a date with a man eight years my junior. (I'll pause so that all the older women may give me mental high-fives and formulate extremely personal questions that will not be answered in this column. And no, I'm not going to state my age.)
[Kamikaze] The Real World, Jackson
This probably isn't the best time for "I told ya so's." But … I told ya so.
I Want Justice, Too: Brother Wants Mississippi Cold Case Murders Re-opened
The Jackson Free Press teamed with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. to follow an Army vet and Mississippi native on his journey back home, looking for justice for his little brother who was killed by the Klan in 1964. This is his story—and it helped send James Ford Seale to prison.
Ban the Paddle?
Minority and special education students are more likely than their peers to receive a paddling, according to a recent report by the Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union. Nationally, African Americans made up 35.6 percent of students paddled in the 2006-2007 school year, but only 17.1 percent of the student population.
Ledge's Ronnie Agnew Lays Down the ‘Bottom Line'
Clarion-Ledger Executive Editor Ronnie Agnew's column today is bizarre in so many respects that we're not sure where to begin. He is certainly laying down the law for the newspaper's favorite mayor, closing with:
Daylight Curfew?
The Clarion-Ledger ran a piece today about the impact of Melton's state of emergency. The short version is that the state of emergency is more a rhetorical gesture than an actual change in policy.