| JFP Mobile | Jackson, Mississippi

The Out-of-Towners

The month of September has started out as a barnburner for Jackson musicheads like me.

Dr. Aaron Shirley is challenging those opposed to a government-run public health plan to put their convictions where their mouths are. Shirley says that if they believe what they're saying, they should burn their Medicare cards. "I want to have a demonstrationBoston Tea Party-likeand burn those cards," Shirley told The Washington Times.

DeLaughter to Plead Guilty to Misleading Feds

Suspended Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter is expected to plead guilty tomorrow in U.S. District Court in Aberdeen. The plea will likely spell an end to a five-count indictment against the judge, as DeLaughter accepts a guilty plea to lying to federal authorities over corruption charges.

PSC Orders Entergy to Comply with Audit

The Public Service Commission ordered Entergy to stop dodging an audit yesterday, threatening the company with subpoenas if it does not comply. Horne CPA, which is conducting two fuel adjustment audits of Entergy on behalf of the PSC, informed the state regulator in a Sept. 21 letter that Entergy is virtually dousing every page of information the CPA firm requests with gallons of lawyers.

Lumumba Pulls Probe; City Approves Fee Increase

Ward 2 Councilman Chokwe Lumumba wants all Jackson City Council members present before he makes a motion to vote on conducting an investigation into Council President Frank Bluntson's alleged use of city employees for personal reasons.

Hinds DA: Castle Doctrine Has Gray Areas

Mississippi's "castle doctrine" law, which allows for the use of deadly force in certain self-defense situations, has some gray areas, Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith acknowledged in a community meeting yesterday.

Amani Floyd

For students at Jackson's Bailey Magnet School, Amani Floyd's dedication as a teacher has paid off well. Floyd, a student in the Mississippi Teacher Corps program at the University of Mississippi, helped the kids raise their American history test scores by 10 percent, with 95 percent of students passing the state exam. That's the highest rate of inner-city students passing the exam in four years.

Just Rewards

Christmas came early for Thomas Moore when Mississippi religious leaders agreed to offer a reward for tips about the 1964 murders of his brother and his friend.

Nickel and Dimed

Councilman Kenneth Stokes proclaimed at the June 1 Jackson City Council meeting that "kids looking for a job are often turned away and only have the dope lords to turn to." In response, Alfrenett Johnson-Orr, director of the Mayor's Youth Initiative, described her summer tutoring program as a remedy for that concern, asking for City Council to approve the funding for her program.

Et Tu, Kazoo?

What do kazoo-playing, pink umbrella-carrying women have in common with cave-dwellers, gypsies, cows, Hollywood stars, and toga-wearing females riding emus? They're all the same women—the Krewe of Kazoo. Since they first blew their kazoos in front of the Buckethead Judges 20 years ago, the Krewe of Kazoo has made their own brand of fun fit right in with the St. Paddy's Day Parade theme, and then some.

Bills Target Jackson Development, Infrastructure

In the sixth week of its session, the Mississippi Legislature passed a number of bills relevant to the city of Jackson.

A Boon for Fire Safety

In a special meeting on Tuesday, July 24, the Jackson City Council voted 4-0 (Ward 2 Councilman Leslie McLemore was absent) to approve a contract authorizing Jackson Mayor Frank Melton to exercise a contract between the Jackson Fire Academy and Mississippi State Fire Academy to secure materials and modules to improve testing scores of the city academy.

DHS Wants Training School Lawsuit Dropped

Last week, the Mississippi Department of Human Services filled a motion to dismiss a lawsuit, filed on behalf of eight teenage girls, who guards reportedly shackled, and in other instances abused, at Columbia Training School. The Mississippi Protection and Advocacy Systems sued a lengthy list of officials including Gov. Haley Barbour and Department of Human Services Executive Director Don Taylor on July 11, 2007.

Jennifer Gillom: 'Feeling of Pride'

This past weekend, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum inducted six new members, including Jennifer Gillom. Originally from Abbeville, Gillom, 44, played for Ole Miss after high school under Coach Van Chancellor.

Airport Toll Road Moves Forward

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

The Trial That Wouldn't Start

In the week leading up to Mayor Frank Melton's federal trial, the mayor's wavering health has become a factor in the possible postponement of his trial. U.S. District Judge Dan Jordan requested testimony from Melton's doctors, and decided Tuesday to delay his decision on Melton's Dec. 29 oral motion for a continuance until Wednesday morning.

Hinds Unloading Title Building

For three years, the Mississippi Valley Title Building has weighed on Hinds County's budget without contributing much of anything in the way of revenue. Purchased in 2007 for a planned expansion of county offices, the building has sat more or less dormant since the county scrapped those original plans.

All results / Stories

Sort By

Date

Authors