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District 70 Race Ends With Primary

The race for District 70 this year will again end in the Democratic primary. The race carries some small entertainment value; former Hinds County public defender Matt Eichelberger dropped out in June.

Step Up, Ledger

If you read the JFP's account of the Mayor Melton's "open" meeting with department heads this week (page 6), and then you read the Clarion-Ledger's online account posted Monday, you would have thought our reporters were at two different meetings.

[Purvis] The Zen of Gardening

The weekend is over. I sit on my back patio, watching the endless parade of squirrels shimmying up trees and trotting across the top of my weathered-wood privacy fence. My arms ache to the bone. They have acquired a new crop of bruises of unknown origin.

JPS' Special-Education Problem

Jackson Public Schools has trouble with special education, but it's hardly unique. The district's failure to provide adequate services to students with emotional and behavioral disorders came to light earlier this month with the release of a Nov. 22 state-agency finding.

Federal Aid Coming Fast, With Strings

A coming flood of federal aid is forcing state agencies, city government and community organizations to balance local needs with the demands of timeliness and accountability.

Training Schools Flunk Again

Mississippi school children continue to suffer physical abuse at the Oakley and Columbia training schools, according to monitor Joyce L. Burrell's report. Burrell reports numerous allegations of abuse and glacial progress in the state's efforts to reform the schools.

Dancing with Race

Charles Evers is a Republican Barack Obama supporter. A radio talk show host and the manager of WMPR 90.1 FM, a local blues and gospel radio station, Evers has lived here since 1963, when his brother, civil rights leader Medgar Evers, was shot and killed.

Nobody Minding the Store

The Jackson City Council grudgingly approved about $45,000 of payments to the U.S. Treasury Department Tuesday after the city failed to manage two federal law-enforcement grants. The council voted 6-0, with Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes absent, approving a $40,394 payment to the U.S. Treasury Department because the city misspent money from a 2004 local law-enforcement grant, and another $4,687 repayment of a 2002 local law-enforcement grant. The action increased the city claims docket from $2,304,563 to $2,349,645.

Piano Man's Exit Leaves a Void

I first met Jim Dickinson in the mid-1980s, when I was writing editorials about the Memphis music industry for The Commercial Appeal in an effort to revitalize the local music scene, which had fallen on hard times since the demise of Stax Records.

Michael Feldman

Radio quipster Michael Feldman has been compared to Groucho Marx, though without the cigar and brothers. A lapsed schoolteacher and failed cab driver, he has been hosting the comedy quiz radio show "Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?" since 1985.

Wiggin' Out

The Bachelorettes will perform April 2 at One Blu Wall during Arts, Eats and Beats. For more info, visit http://www.thebachelorettes.com.

The Streets We Live On

Can the width of our roads actually affect the quality of our lives? That's one of the questions central to the discussion surrounding "infill" and revitalization development in urban areas. It's something, for instance, that local urban planners are discussing in regard to the planned Jackson Metro Parkway and its impact on the surrounding neighborhoods—indeed, its impact on anyone doing business in central Jackson. But the design of a street can affect us on every level—at home, getting to work, heading down to the grocery store or fighting traffic at the mall.

Robbed At The Pump

Gas prices at the pumps hit an all-time high last week, but even before the price whacked $2.46, some gas station workers said theft was already on the rise.

Vying For The Ball

The air is thick with humidity, and beyond the buzz of cicadas and crickets, the July night is quiet except for the intermittent sound of Pearl River players idly conversing and fairground jubilation in the far distance.

Boxers, Cows, Horses and Hogs

Advocacy groups this week denounced Senate Finance Committee Chair Tommy Robertson for killing an embattled tax swap bill that would have cut the state's grocery tax by half and raised the tobacco tax to $1 per pack.

Hood Drops Barbour's Defense

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood says he will not defend Gov. Haley Barbour in a Hinds County Chancery Court case, saying his defense would conflict with other branches of government.

Happenings in Jackson This Weekend

If finding the perfect, one-of-a-kind holiday gift is what you're after, this is one weekend to get it done. Head to the Mississippi Trademart today until 6 p.m. today or tomorrow from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. for the annual Handworks Holiday Market. Admission is $5. If your tastes run more to a fabulous dinner and contributing to worthy causes, make sure to check out "A Taste of New York," tonight at the Fairview Inn. Along with food from seven top local chefs, you get wine, music, performance artists, carriage rides and more. $125 for dinner or $60 for the reception only; call 601-948-3429 (extension 316) for more info. Where's the best place to look when you're planning your weekend? Start with the JFP Best Bets page to find these events and more.

City Eyes Open-Government Technology

Jackson doesn't have a reputation for being a particularly tech-savvy place, but this fall, city government will begin changing that image. City hall is poised to adopt two new technologies that will--hopefully--improve the efficiency and responsiveness of the city's police, fire and public works departments, among others.

Businesses Gear Up for Sales-Tax Holiday

For the second year in a row, the Mississippi Department of Revenue is holding a sales tax holiday in time for back-to-school shopping. From 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 30, to midnight Saturday, July 31, the state will waive its 7 percent sales tax on clothing and footwear.

Jackson Police Battling Burglaries

Jackson police reported 226 crimes last week, up from 177 the previous week, according to crime statistics released at a Jackson Police Department command staff meeting this morning. Officers reported 190 property crimes, up from 144 the previous week, and 36 violent crimes, a slight increase from the 33 reported the week before. Auto burglary increases occurred in Precincts 2, 3 and 4 while house burglaries rose in Precincts 1, 3 and 4.

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