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Cold Case Advocate to Meet with Holder

Alvin Sykes, longtime advocate for the victims of civil rights era cold cases, will meet with the nation's "top cop," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, to discuss the Department of Justice mandate to solve those cases and bring the killers to justice.

Daniel McMullen

Eighteen-year FBI veteran Daniel McMullen is the new special agent in charge (SAC) of the FBI's Jackson Division, moving from his most recent position in Los Angeles where he was SAC for criminal matters. FBI Director Robert S. Mueller appointed McMullen to replace SAC Frederick T. Brink, who recently retired.

LoungeList Photos: Convention Center Opening

LoungeList.com photographer Kip Caven got some great shots of people -- reportedly tens of thousands -- attending the Jackson Convention Center grand opening in downtown Jackson on Saturday, January 17, 2009. Enjoy!

City Council Candidate Forums Scheduled

The Mississippi Link, The Jackson Advocate and WRBJ 97.7 have planned a series of City Council forums to be held from March 26 through April 6.

Legislators Consider Fire-Safe Cigarettes

A bill requiring that cigarettes extinguish themselves when unattended has the support of Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney and the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes, a group working to prevent cigarette-ignited fires, according to WLOX.com.

Hinds Firefighter Jailed for Domestic Violence

Charged with domestic violence for allegedly beating his wife of 10 years, Hinds County deputies arrested Jackson firefighter James McCaffery, 30, on New Year's Eve. Due to the extent of the wife's injuries, the Sheriff's department upped the charge to felony aggravated assault Monday.

Childers Launches Recovery Tracker Web Site

[verbatim] Congressman Travis Childers (D-MS) (yesterday) introduced the North Mississippi "Recovery Tracker" to promote transparency and accountability during the allocation and implementation of funds provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Recovery Tracker, which is located on the Congressman's Web site, will allow constituents to trace Recovery Act funds in Mississippi's First District and throughout the state, as well as direct them to helpful resources specific to Mississippi.

Attorney General Holding Domestic Violence Conference May 13-14

[verbatim statement] The Domestic Violence Division of the Mississippi Attorney General's Office, in cooperation with the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, will hold its second annual Domestic Violence Conference on May 13 and 14. The conference will be held at the Silver Star Hotel and Casino in Choctaw, Mississippi, and is entitled Domestic Violence in Our Communities: Response, Accountability, and Progress. Any law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, court clerks, probation and parole officers, and advocates working in the field of domestic violence or victims rights are invited to attend.

Education Falls Under Barbour's Knife

Governor Barbour announced $171.9 million in budget cuts to state agencies today. Education, which accounts for over half of the state's budget, will pick up the brunt of those reductions, after state lawmakers protected it during a tight-fisted budgeting process this spring.

State Jobless Rate Up Slightly

Little changed in Mississippi's unemployment landscape in March, according to a report released Wednesday by the state Department of Employment Security. The unemployment rate rose by a scant one-tenth of 1 percent, from 9.3 percent to 9.4 percent. Still, that rate is up by 3.3 percent from a year ago, representing more than 43,000 people.

Legislature Back in Session

State lawmakers have returned to Jackson today to hammer out the 2010 budget. The Legislature must agree on the Mississippi budget by the end of June as the new fiscal year begins July 1.

Governor Signs Jackson Sales Tax Bill

Wednesday evening, Gov. Haley Barbour signed SB 3268 into law. The bill authorizes the City of Jackson to impose a special 1 percent sales tax to raise much-needed revenue for police and fire protection, and road and sewer repairs.

Adopt a Stimulus Project

With the U.S. spending $27 billion in infrastructure projects as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, ProPublica wants to know how those projects are doing. The independent, non-profit Internet newsroom is looking for volunteers to adopt projects, investigate and report on them.

AP: Feds Seize $425,000 from Ed Peters

AP is reporting:

Federal authorities have seized $425,000 from a former district attorney linked to the most sweeping judicial bribery investigation in Mississippi in years. While no formal charges have been made public against former Hinds County District Attorney Ed Peters, prosecutors have spelled out his alleged involvement in court documents. Peters is perhaps best known as the DA whose office successfully prosecuted a white supremacist in the cold case slaying of a Mississippi civil rights leader. "Peters was a member of a conspiracy to corruptly influence a sitting State of Mississippi Circuit Court Judge," according to a motion that seeks forfeiture of the money.

Jackson Crime Stats for April 6-12

Data for next week will be available Wednesday, April 22.

Major crimes in Jackson decreased again last week, according to Jackson Police Department data released Wednesday. The ComStat report (PDF) for April 6-12 shows a 7.7 percent decrease in major crimes from the previous week, with 13 fewer violent crimes and 3 fewer property crimes. Precincts 1 and 3, in South and Northwest Jackson, respectively, reported decreases in property and violent crime. Precinct 4, in Northeast Jackson, reported a decreased in auto burglaries, especially along the I-55 corridor, where 10 occurred the previous week and only 2 took place last week. the precinct experienced an increase in auto thefts and armed robberies, however. Precinct 2, in West Jackson, reported 13 more property crimes than the previous week and 6 violent crimes, down from 7 in the first week of April.

Barbour to Sign Cigarette Tax Increase

Gov. Haley Barbour said yesterday that he will sign the 50-cent cigarette tax increase approved by the Mississippi Legislature, reports the Associated Press on Forbes.com. The legislation passed by a vote of 40-4 in the state Senate, and 102-18 in the House. Barbour did not say when he would sign the bill.

Agency Ready to Provide New Mortgages

On Monday, Mississippi Home Corporation, whose mission includes mortgage financing for the state's working families, announced that it is taking reservations for $25 million in bond funds for home buyers.

Jackson Crime Down Again

Major crimes in Jackson decreased slightly last week, according to statistics (PDF) released yesterday at the Jackson Police Department's weekly COMSTAT meeting. For the year to date, violent crime is down roughly 10 percent compared to last year, while property crime is up less than 1 percent. Last week, officers reported 23 violent crimes, compared to 29 the previous week, and 209 property crimes, down from 211 the week before.

Green Stimulus Funds Come to Jackson and State

A Jackson-based company will receive $3.75 million in federal stimulus funds to improve energy efficiency in public buildings around the state. The company, SmartSynch, provides smart grid infrastructure, in the form of energy meters, software and wireless networks. SmartSynch's metering system allows users to track their energy consumption in real time and identify energy "leaks." The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that energy consumption drops by as much as 15 percent when consumers can track their usage.

Flu Cases Now at 50

The Mississippi State Department of Health reports that the number of confirmed H1N1 swine flu cases in the state hit 50 yesterday. The bulk of the cases remain on the coast, with 17 cases in Harrison County and 13 in Jackson County. Hinds County now reports two cases, as does Yazoo County to the north. Neighboring Madison and Rankin Counties report one confirmed case each.

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