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$8.6 Million Pipeline to Link Treatment Plants

Jackson officials say a new $8.6 million, 54-inch water main will help keep water pressure up during freezing weather and will move the city one step closer to closing the 98-year-old J.H. Fewell Water Treatment Plant.

Police in 3 Washington Towns Targeted by Gunfire

A day after dozens of gunshots were directed at police in three Snohomish County towns, law enforcement officials said little about what prompted the rampage.

Giving credit where it's due

I've been quite critical of some posts on the Downtown Jackson Partners blog in recent days as in-depth discussions about why people stay/leave Jackson have unfolded on our website. But I have to give DJP credit today (even as I wish they'd clean up the use of quotations and italics over there, but I digress). I just looked at the blog and see that there is all sorts of relevant, interesting content, rather than the usual mix of posts about Two Lakes and other "bodacious" (expensive) projects and events listings (nothing wrong with those, of course). There is great news about the state renting space downtown and extension info on urban spaces and interesting new urbanism stats and such. Also good news on DJP's Venture Incubator that Ward Schaefer wrote about in the last issue of Boom Jackson.

[City Buzz] Best Gov, Gandhi in Jackson, Two Lakes Doom, more

BEST GOVERNOR: Haley Barbour may have ridden the GOP machine into town, but he's got a long way to go before he can take over the throne of Governor Emeritus William Winter. Winter was honored yet again for his contributions to Mississippi—which meant meeting race and education problems head-on—when the new William F. Winter Archives and History Building was dedicated on a chilly Friday afternoon.

LeFleur Lakes Developer Plans to Go Around Corps

The Northside Sun has two intriguing pieces this week for John McGowan's next plan on how to get his LeFleur Lakes development to move ahead, one a slight news piece about a positive (and unscientific) poll on his Web site, and more interesting, a publisher's note by Wyatt Emmerich. He says that McGowan now wants to go around the federal government—and is worried that the new bill to restrict eminent domain in the Legislature will hurt his chances:

‘One Lake’ Can’t Outsmart Nature

A new Pearl River dam and lake raise huge concerns for the short and long term: lots of lights and lots of traffic; new flooding downstream in Mississippi and Louisiana; and negative impacts to industry, wildlife, air and water quality, Gulf fisheries, recreation and public health.

Two Men And A River

To look at 23-year-old Josh Evans, a Jackson native and Jackson Academy graduate, is to look at an artist, an intellectual, a man with scruffy stubble who fits in well with the aesthetics of the Fondren district. Evans' counterpart is the aptly named Dallis Ketchum. Ketchum, 25, and a native of Memphis, is also a thinker. But unlike Evans, he is lively, considerably animated in conversation, tan and clean-shaven. On the surface, there are few similarities between the two; however, on Sept. 3, three days after Hurricane Katrina's catastrophic landfall and trek up from the Gulf of Mexico, this unlikely duo joined forces in a kayak to battle the most formidable of foes: the monstrous, 2,300-mile Mississippi River.

[City Buzz] no. 10 November 22 - 29

A Hasty Decision Reconsidered?

The Jackson City Council will vote this week on whether or not to rescind approval of the construction of a parkway running to the international airport in Pearl.

Calif. Fire Prompts Unhealthy Air Warnings in Nev.

The giant wildfire burning at the edge of Yosemite National Park has not only destroyed buildings and threatened water supplies, electricity and sequoias, it has also unleashed a smoky haze that has worsened air quality more than 100 miles away in Nevada.

Consider The Alternatives

Is it possible that the LeFleur Lakes proposal—a project to damn the Pearl River and create a system of lakes in the name of flood control and Hinds/Rankin development—isn't the only solution for the Pearl?

Northside Sun Praises John McGowan for Outsmarting Environmentalists

One wonders if Northside Sun publisher Wyatt Emmerich is actually working against John McGowan and this Two Lakes project. This week in his column, Emmerich smugly praises the oilman from Texas for his ability to "outsmart" environmentalists:

In Wake of Tragedy, Parents Buy Armored Backpacks, Gun Enthusiasts Buy More Guns

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The reaction to the Connecticut school shooting can be seen in gun stores and self-defense retailers across the nation: Anxious parents are fueling sales of armored backpacks for children while firearms enthusiasts are stocking up on assault rifles in anticipation of tighter gun control measures.

‘This Is All A Big Game’

What a gathering it was two years ago when Terry McAuliffe got together with his buddies Bill Clinton and Haley Barbour in Horn Lake to celebrate the plant opening of GreenTech, a then-McAuliffe-led producer of battery-charged automobiles.

Hood Spars with Medicaid Director Over $24 Million

On Wednesday, Medicaid Director Bob Robinson accused Attorney General Jim Hood of failing to investigate an alleged $24 million case of Medicaid fraud. Today, Hood counter-accused the director of defending Tri-Lakes Medical Center, the same provider that Robinson claims Hood refuses to investigate.

[New Releases] Great Lake Swimmers "Bodies And Minds"

Great Lake Swimmers – "Bodies and Minds" (Misra, 2005) This album is less the kind of music you can sit down and listen to and more the kind of music for which you assume the fetal position to let it wash over you or, conversely, to let it help you mourn your breakup/loss of a loved one/etc. This is not a bad thing, per se: the 11 tracks are all sweet and melodious, and-—for the most part—pleasant to listen to. No one will be offended if you're all hanging out, and you put this on the stereo. On the other hand, no one will be particularly impressed, either, aside perhaps from a little initial indie-rock cred in your favor.

[New Release] Sufjan Stevens "Illinois"

— Alex Slawson and Herman Snell

Sufjan Stevens — "Illinois" Sufjan Stevens, a singer/songwriter from Michigan by way of New York, devised a lofty goal to create an album for each state in the union. The first installment, 2003's "Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lakes State," was a beautiful post-rock and folk inspired take on the state for which it is named; one could almost see the glistening lakes and smell the towering pines while listening. The second installment, simply titled "Illinois," evokes images of its namesake as well. The buoyant title track "Come on feel the Illinoise" has a Tortoise-meets-Polyphonic Spree feel with its jazzy/post-rock vibe, choral vocals and Vince Guaraldi inspired piano. The most notable track, however, is the grisly ode to "John Wayne Gacy." The lyrics are heartbreaking as they describe the deaths of "27 people, even more, they were boys, with their cars and summer jobs, Oh My God." With 22 tracks covering the good and bad of Illinois, Sufjan has amassed a second success in his 50-part installment—very highly recommended!

Crews Release Pressure on Dam

Emergency crews continue to relieve pressure on the dam--an earthen levee--at Percy Quin State Park and prepare for a controlled release of the pressure Tropical Storm Isaac put on it.

Airport Toll Road Moves Forward

The Mississippi House and Senate moved forward last week in making the Airport Parkway a possibility.

10 Local Stories of the Week

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.

Board Asking for Federal Money for Levees

The Rankin-Hinds Pearl Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board approved discussions with Mississippi's U.S. delegation, including Sen. Thad Cochran and Rep. Bennie Thompson over how to draw down a portion of the $133 million federal allotment for flood control for the Pearl River between Hinds and Rankin counties.

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