Jackson Jambalaya

 The Mississippi Department of Corrections issued the following statement: 

 "This isn't Seattle."  Ric Flair would be proud. 

"You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own and you know what you know and you are the guy who'll decide where to go. You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care. About some you will say, "I don't choose to got there." With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to do down any not so good street."  The late Dr. Frank Pollard used this Dr. Seuss story to illustrate how we are what we consume.  In other words, garbage in, garbage out.   Using 1 Peter 1 13-21,  Dr. Pollard  preached how we must guard our minds.  If you can't get to church because of the weather, enjoy the 1998 sermon posted below. 

Can Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann do what so many government leaders have touted but failed to accomplish and actually reorganize state government? He has his Mississippi Senate looking to restructure state government and run it more like a business.

A Hinds County judge ordered MDOC to pay up or else he will consider throwing Commissioner Burl Cain in jail. 

Will ban hunting hogs with night-vision? 

A bill about dog-hunting stirred up quite the ruckus among Mississippi hunters this week. Representative Justin Keen (R-Outlaw Raceway) filed HB #828.  Posted below is the text of the short bill.  Fire away in the comments.   

Nothing like a homemade fire to keep one warm......

 State Bean Counter Shad White issued the following statement Thursday. 

 I only saw my Dad cry once. Seeing tears running down his face bothered and confused me. We were watching television. I was just an elementary school kid and hadn’t understood all that had gone on the week before. 

 Berry's Seafood & Catfish House posted this video on social media.  

 Madison County Court Judge Ed Hannan announced in an email to the Madison County Bar Association: 

 Make no mistake, the Mullahs of Iran are massacring their own people.  The Sunday Times of London reported January 17: 

 JPD arrested one of the two alleged shooters in the Pop's Saloon New Year's Eve shooting.  

The FBI had quite the view into Jackson's drug culture as confidential informants fed it information. Huggie Bear had nothing on these guys.

 Music sensation Luke Bryan returns to Brandon with a few friends.  Tickets go on sale January 30 at 10 AM.  

Credit: Rolling Stone

 Meanwhile at Sam's Club......

It appears we are going to be iced in this weekend. Perfect time for some good ole hamburger steak. Check out ZeroBear PolyBear's recipe below in a downloadable format.  If for some reason you can't download the recipe, send an email.

 The Mermaid Cafe posted the following announcement on social media:  

 Lord Protector Tate Reeves issued the following statement. 

 Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens issued the following statement. 

 What Yogi Berra said. 

 Corey Ferraez is a free man after prosecutors gave him a nice plea bargain deal. 

Credit: Hattiesburg Patriot

It's Mardi Gras season and you know what that means.  Randazzo's King Cakes are back at Nandy's Candy.Want the real thing? Swing by and get one. Available flavors are cream cheese, traditional, and a limited amount of pecan praline, blueberry, and strawberry.  You can call 601-362-9553 to reserve one as well. Enjoy.  

Podcast available in audio and video.  

Grant Callen sits down with Governor Tate Reeves for a wide-ranging conversation about the state’s growing momentum and what comes next. The discussion explores why Mississippi is climbing national rankings for wage growth, household income growth, and overall economic performance. He offers a candid discussion of labor force participation, why that measure matters, and how connecting more Mississippians to work remains critical to sustained prosperity. Don’t miss this episode!

Correction: JJ erroneously reported Judge Hannan is retiring when in fact he qualified to run for re-election. Apologies. 

Here comes the judge but who will it be?  We love having elections in Mississippi and this year is no exceptions as judicial elections are scheduled for November.  Although most incumbent judges in the Jackson metro-area are running unopposed, there are still a few surprises.  

 The trial of Ted Dibiase, Jr. will go on hiatus until February 23.   

 Empire issued the following statement. 

Dude truly you know what and found out. 

 Confidential informants provided the FBI with a window into the drug-dealing culture of Jackson.  

There was a kid from my hometown who had it all figured out at twenty-one. Charm, dreams, a family who loved him. He was also speeding down 4th Street at 90 miles per hour with his headlights off and three police cars in pursuit.

 The accused arsonist in the burning of Beth Israel synagogue will stay put right in the Madison County jail where he belongs.  

It is a strange and sorrowful thing to watch history come full circle like a stubborn ghost. On a cold January morning in Jackson, flames scorched the walls of the Beth Israel Congregation — Mississippi’s largest synagogue and a house of worship with roots dating back to the 19th century — reducing its library and administrative center to charred ruins.

 The Justice Department issued the following statement. 

The fight between State Auditor Shad White and Attorney General Lynn Fitch is on today at the Mississippi Supreme Court.  Watch live at 1:30.

 A confidential informant claimed he paid Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes protection money of sorts, a claim Mr. Stokes called "Bullshit."

Has Jason Hulsman's luck finally run out? 

 It's report card time!!!

Note to readers: Apologies for not updating this story sooner.  JJ was unaware of Mr. Wellborn's death until last week. 

 Death rescued a Jackson attorney from prosecution after he shot two intruders at his rental property in Jackson.  

 The accused Beth Israel arsonist wants to get out of jail.  

Never let it be said former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba did not like to live life on the wild side, at least according to raw FBI reports.   

 Hope became a reality in Jackson Thursday as developer Gabriel Prado, Mayor John Horhn, and local bigwigs broke ground on the  $50 million Prado Lofts project on Meadowbrook Road. 

 Empire issued the following statement. 

Todd Higgins continues to be a menace to The Fondren.  Torching buildings, smashing windows, vandalizing homes are all part of his game.  JJ reported Friday he is a veteran of the Hinds County Catch & Release Program.  Check out the Fondren Firebug in action last month: 

The Mississippi Public Service Commission put on its Health Department hat and said water systems in Mississippi should stop adding fluoride to drinking water. 

Such is how a manager at the Downtown Cigar Company described Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and the rest of Jackson's municipal government to an undercover FBI agent.  The allegation was made in a sealed motion to dismiss filed by Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens.  Owens owns the cigar bar. 

 Polk County (Fl) Sheriff Grady Polk left no doubts as to what he thinks about all the "scrums" taking place in various states over illegal immigration. 

All was well in Israel.  The milk and honey flowed, a chicken there was in every pot, and the good times  rolled.  However, Amos warned the children of Israel they mistook paradise for a prelude to death.  Amos is not exactly one of the more pleasant books in the Bible as it foretells a judgement of destruction for the Israelites.  The late Dr. Frank Pollard pointed out how the ninth book of Amos spelled out how Israel would be laid waste for its sin.  Yet, Amos leaves us with a glimmer of hope "when the reaper is overtaken by the plowman."  Enjoy Dr. Pollard's 1998 sermon posted below. 

On the first day of the 2026 session, the Mississippi Senate took a strong position against public school vouchers. “Vouchers are not on the table in the Senate,” Mississippi Today reported Education Committee Chairman Sen. Dennis DeBar, Jr., as saying. Later that day the full Senate easily passed two education bills locking in that position.

 The FBI investigated then Jackson-Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba's relationship with lobbyist Quincy Merkuro.  

Posted below are the most recent tax returns for the MSU Foundation, Jackson Chamber of Commerce, Blue Cross Foundation, Hartfield Academy, and Ballet Mississippi.