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AG Hood Warns Against Misleading Voter Registration Info

[Verbatim from AG Hood] Jackson, MS -- Phone calls to the Attorney General's Office suggest some mis-information may be circulating about the upcoming election and designated deadlines. Attorney General Jim Hood would like to clarify what Mississippi law mandates for Mississippi voters. Per state statute, the deadline for voter registration in Mississippi is Saturday, October 4 at NOON. "The Secretary of State's Office has done a good job in letting Mississippians know the deadline to register to vote is October 4 for those counties that will be open on that day," said Attorney General Hood. "However, it is important to note, that the law specifically says NOON on October 4. Calls in to our office suggest that some people may think they have the entire day, when in fact they do not."

Mississippi Foreclosures Increase, Maybe

A California-based company that tracks foreclosures, RealtyTrac, reported last week that Mississippi has seen a huge jump in foreclosures last month. The company currently lists 1,893 foreclosed properties in the state, however Forbes reports 755 new actions in June, representing an increase of 74 percent over the previous month.

Mississippi Foreclosures Buck National Trend

New foreclosures in the Magnolia State remain relatively low despite other states reporting rates as high as one in every 55 homes. Mississippi foreclosures fell last month, in fact, by 25 percent, while nationally, foreclosures increased by 24 percent in the first three months of 2009. That statistic represents another 804,000 families losing their homes, bringing the national total to nearly 2 million.

State Unemployment Tops 10 Percent

More than one out of every 10 Mississippians was officially unemployed in July138,100 individualsaccording to new data released by the state Department of Employment Security, with the state's unadjusted rate hitting 10.5 percent. Three counties reported jobless rates over 20 percentJefferson, Holmes and Claywhile two others pushed toward that high-water mark. Claiborne and Noxubee County reported a 19.1 percent and 19.5 percent unemployment rate, respectively.

Gasoline Tax Hike Proposed

The Mississippi Department of Transportation is considering requesting a possible increase of 5-cent per gallon to the state's gasoline tax to bolster the department's budget for new roads and existing road maintenance, reports WLOX. The new tax would be an addition to the state's current 18-cent tax.

Ronnie Agnew: Clarion-Ledger ‘Reducing News Space,' Sections

In his column today, Clarion-Ledger Executive Editor Ronnie Editor announced major changes in the statewide, Gannett-owned newspaper starting tomorrow, including shrinking news "hole" (space for coverage), dropping the TV supplement and combining sections such as sports and business. He writes:

MDOT: Traffic Contraflow to End Sunday Night

(Verbatim from MDOT) JACKSON, MISS., --- The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) announces the following traffic information. Officially LA/MS Hurricane Gustav Contraflow operations for Interstates 55 and 59 will terminate at 4:45 p.m., Sunday August 31, 2008. Louisiana is in the process of handing off Contraflow to Mississippi. MDOT anticipates it taking around four (4) hours to clear traffic in order to place the southbound contraflowed interstate back to normal southbound flow.

COPS Money Available to City

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is funneling money to the ailing federal Community Oriented Policing Services program and the Hiring Recovery Program, and will soon be available to the city of Jackson.

How to Donate to Help Hurricane Victims

Also see: Jackpedia: Hurricane Gustav to get/post vital information.

Inner-City Community Garden Planned

[verbatim] The Jackson Inner-city Gardeners (JIG) invites volunteers and youth to join in the fun of planting Jackson's first community garden, where seasonal, organic, vegetables will be grown and sold at affordable prices, and youth will be taught valuable life skills.

Nick's Restaurant Opens in Fondren

Longtime Jackson favorite Nick's Restaurant is re-opening Saturday, Jan. 2 in a new mixed-use development at 3000 Old Canton Road in Fondren. After 26 years on Lakeland Drive in Jackson, owner Nick Apostle decided to move his namesake restaurant when he realized it would be cheaper than closing for three months while he renovated the old location.

Barbara Ann Harris Johnson

Instead of only recognizing African Americans in February each year, Barbara Ann Harris Johnson decided that African American accomplishments should always be honored. Through her column, "Black History Every Month," which appeared monthly in the Jackson Advocate, she upheld that belief.

Mississippi Roads to Blame for Wrecks

The magnolia state ranks in the top ten for road-condition related vehicle crashes, reports WLBT. The 2006 cost to Mississippi for those wrecks stands between $103.4 million and $131.4 million.

Leslie Coleman

A former student recently stopped by Principal Leslie Coleman's office at Casey Elementary School. He had just one thing he wanted to say: "Thank you."

Appliance Rebates Provide Economic Boost

Con "Cowboy" Maloney, co-owner of the only local electronic and appliance dealership, Cowboy Maloney's Electric City, says the new State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program is a boon to the local economy.

Bryant Backpedals on Oil Smell Comment; Tar Balls on the Beach

Speaking Wednesday at the Coastal Development Strategies Conference, Mississippi Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant flatly denied that anyone can detect the odor of crude oil wafting over the waves to the Mississippi Gulf coastline. "No, you can't" he said, according to a report by The Sun Herald. Bryant said the smells might be coming from lawnmowers.

It's the Weekend!

Are you ready? Plenty of folks are headed out of town for the long Memorial Day weekend. But if you're not on the road, no worries. There's lots to do right here in Jackson.

MDOT Officials Traveling Abroad On Taxpayers' Dime

An investigation in today's Sun Herald reveals a years-long trend of Mississippi Department of Transportation officials using taxpayer money for trips of dubious value. Over four years, Michael Newsom reports, MDOT officials have spent $207,000 on travel, with two officials,, Executive Director Butch Brown and Southern District Commissioner Wayne Brown (no relation), responsible for the bulk of those expenses.

Lawmakers Idle Waiting for Budget

The Mississippi Legislature is spending about $19,000 a day with little or nothing to do, for the most part. Lawmakers have finished all of their business for the current session, with one glaring exception: the budget for the 2010 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2009, a little more than four weeks from today. But that task is not yet in the hands of the full 174-seat House and Senate; behind closed doors, a handful of members on a special negotiating team is doing all the work.

Sharrod Moore Murder Charge Dropped

District Attorney Robert S. Smith was absent again when Hinds County Circuit Judge Swan Yerger dropped murder charges against Sharrod Moore in the 1995 killing of Jackson Police Officer Robert J. Washington. Yerger dropped the charges because prosecutors, after indicting Moore twice, could only produce one witness, Harold Hackett, who said that Moore told him he killed Washington.

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