| JFP Mobile | Jackson, Mississippi

no. 50 September 6 - 13

<b>Leave Them Shops Alone</b>

What if I said in an opinion in the Jackson Free Press that all black people were crooks, or all Islamic people were murderers? In his "Don't Feed the Natives" (July 26, 2006) article, Ken Stiggers did just that to my industry. He made a blanket statement about something he obviously knows little, if anything, about: the pawn shop industry. "One block away is the pawn shop where burglars could receive cash for their stolen items," Stiggers wrote.

[Mott] Pulling Hard for Our Future

Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Prize-winner from Kenya, planted seven trees in 1977 in honor of seven women environmentalists. Jailed and reviled for her own environmental activism, Maathai's seven trees became 40 million over the course of two decades, planted by village women in her honor. When she received the call about the Nobel Prize, her first reaction was: "I didn't know anyone was listening." Maathai's story demonstrates power. Her actions generated far-reaching results, even when they were mostly invisible to her.

Cold Case Revived

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton told reporters last week that he's getting telephone threats for pursuing a murder case against Jackson resident Sherrod Moore. Police arrested Moore last week in the deadly shooting of 37-year-old Jackson Police Officer Robert J. Washington, who disappeared Nov. 14, 1995, while patrolling his beat in Precinct 2. Police located his body the following day in a field near U.S. Hwy. 80 West and Whiting Road.

Annual 'Taste of Mississippi' Benefits Stewpot

This year's "Taste of Mississippi: Homegrown Hunger Relief" is scheduled for Monday, March 30, beginning at 7 p.m. at Highland Village in Jackson. More than 40 area restaurants and beverage vendors have confirmed that they'll be dishing up tasty treats and pouring libations this year, all to benefit Stewpot Community Services.

New Club, King Edward to Open Downtown

Even in the midst of an economic downturn, enterprising entrepreneurs take advantage of opportunities. A new downtown club and the reopening of a venerable Jackson landmarkafter decades of abandonment and decaytestify to the entrepreneurial spirit of the capitol city.

Officer Sues Melton, City for Retaliation

Jackson Police Officer Robert Watts filed a notice of intent to sue (PDF) the city Monday. Watts claims Jackson Mayor Frank Melton arranged to have him transferred to a different beat for speaking to FBI agents in the weeks leading up to the mayor's federal indictment. A federal grand jury indicted Melton in July for his role in the destruction of a home on Ridgeway Street. His bodyguard, Marcus Wright, pled guilty for his role in the incident, and is currently working with authorities.

Urban Myth 101

Last week, the Jackson Free Press received several e-mails proclaiming "Jackson Crime Alert" in the subject line. Obviously having been forwarded through dozens, maybe hundreds of prior e-mail addresses, the story the e-mails tell is about a man named Hong Kong, who peddles his hip-hop CDs in neighborhood parking lots and gas stations in Jackson.

City Council Tables Additional Funds for Attorneys

This morning, Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes pulled a resolution he submitted along with Jackson City Council President Frank Bluntson encouraging the city to approve up to $240,000 in extra payments to city and contract attorneysincluding former City Attorney Sarah O'Reilly-Evansfor legal fees related to bond work. The fees are connected with work regarding a swap for water and sewer system revenue and revenue refunding bonds, which fell through.

House Subpoenas Rove in Justice Political Scandal

As expected, the House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed former presidential adviser Karl Rove to testify about his role in the alleged political investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice into Democrats perceived as enemies of the Bush administration. This investigation potentially has direct implications on the prosecutions of Democratic lawyer Paul Minor and Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz, as previously reported by the Jackson Free Press.

Madison: Gated City?

Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler's recent strategy to keep outsiders from attending a city festival is consistent with the city's history of enforcing strict neighborhood covenants and zoning regulations that restrict rental properties in the city.

Don't Drink the Water

A month ago, Martin and a handful of neighbors in rural Sunflower County made national news, when ABC Nightly News devoted two minutes to their six-year fight for what many would consider a basic resource and right.

New Homes 'Tested and Passed'

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton stepped away from his federal trial Friday to announce that city inspectors no longer have concerns about infrastructure problems at the Timber Falls and Forest Hills Place neighborhood developments.

Funny Math At The Fair

The Neshoba County Fair was calm this year. There are no candidates fighting for state-wide races, leaving many politicians free to make jabs at national candidates like presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

BREAKING: Jackson 11th Best City For Small Business

The Jackson Free Press has just learned that Fortune Small Business has named Jackson a "best place to launch" a small business. Jackson ranks 11th on the magazine's list of mid-size American cities, which it released online today. JFP reporter Ward Schaefer contributed the profile of Jackson and local entrepreneur Devereaux Galloway, CEO and founder of Solar Power of Mississippi.

Walking for Pierce

Pierce lay motionless in her arms, with his little Mohawk hair, dark brown and full. "I got to see his face," says Leah Helms, 33, about what she remembers most vividly in the final moments of her son's life. "I'm glad that we got to have that moment. ... (My husband, BJ, and I) were both just speechless ... how pretty to see his nose and mouth and face."

Charters and Quasi-Charters

The Mississippi Legislature's wrangling over charter schools intensified yesterday when the House of Representatives passed a bill that would authorize "innovative schools" but voted down a provision for actual charter schools.

Boycott du Jour

That was then.

I recently met David Baria, president of the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association, for the first time. He was in the lounge side of Bravo Restaurant in Highland Village, lightheartedly holding court with his wife, also an attorney, a couple family members, and various and assorted other confident folks in business suits drinking red wine and martinis. He was boisterous, even as the state Legislature was facing a contentious debate over whether or not to enact civil tort reform—his personal bête noir—in the state. I got the feeling that he and his entourage might gather often in that very same spot; they were clearly a part of the vibrant young professional scene at Bravo.

snark >:-(

As if having charges dropped against the woman who allegedly stayed in the house with their beaten-to-death young relative wasn't bad enough, the family of Heather Spencer was hit with a March 26 Clarion-Ledger article that was riddled with errors, including one of the most chilling fashion. Ledger reporter Nicklaus Lovelady actually gave the last name of the victim to the mother of George Bell, who has admitted to bludgeoning Spencer to death last year, referring to Robbie Bell as "Robbie Spencer."

The Viking Classic is Set to Tee Off Thursday

In 2009 the Viking Classic was cancelled to due rain and Mississippi missed out on hosting its only PGA event. This 2011 edition of the Viking Classic is a make up for the missed 2009 tournament.

Do I hear 15? Yes, we can!

Thank you one and all for making this a very special Chick Ball, for helping to save lives.

Wow. The JFP Chick Ball raised $14,000 this year ... so far ... toward a new Freedom Van for the Center for Violence Prevention. Not to be greedy, but I sure would like to see us get up to $15,000 over the next couple weeks. Send donations of at least $15, and we'll send you a 2008 Chick Ball CD with samples of the great poetry and music you missed Saturday night. E-mail sage (at) jacksonfreepress (dot) com for details on exchanging your donation for this wonderful CD! Make checks out directly to Center for Violence Prevention and mail to: Sage Carter-Hooey, Jackson Free Press, P.O. Box 5067, Jackson, MS 39296.

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