Jackson Jambalaya

Thalia Mara remediation to take 4-8 weeks. 

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba is holding his regular briefing right now.  He is expected to discuss the restoration of Thalia Mara Hall.  The presser is live-streamed below. 

 It appears the infamous Daiquiri Bar on Capitol Street is no more.  Workers removed various signage from the building yesterday.  

Locke Ward's good deeds went for naught in Jackson.  

 There were quite a few casualties after this past weekend.  

The manager of Thalia Mara Hall has been screaming for help for over a year as the auditorium deteriorated but to no avail.  WLBT reported Friday:

 The Mississippi Department of Public Safety issued the following statement. 

“Common sense needed to move Mississippi forward,” read the headline in the Magnolia Tribune. Who could disagree with that?

Jackson's zoological collection shrunk by half in only six years.

 Just another fight at the University of Colorado, right? 

Last week FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Associated Press that he was “hard pressed to think of a time in my career where so many different kinds of threats are all elevated at once.”

 Ardenland issued the following statement. 

 Actually, the post should be titled "Furry Funny of the Day."  

Waiting for my suitcase in the arrivals hall at Jackson airport the other evening, it occurred to me that the luggage carrousel was a pretty good metaphor for Mississippi politics. Like suitcases on a carrousel, many leaders simply sit on the conveyor belt of state politics, waiting their turn to get moved along to the next role.

 The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Opera, Ballet Mississippi, and Ballet Magnificat issued the following statement yesterday. 

 I will take the blame if this one is a repeat posting (Don't think it is) but honestly, it is "post twice good."

 A knucklehead managed to turn a speeding ticket into a felony yesterday.  Good job, moron. 

 Check out Empower Mississippi's latest podcast posted below. State Representative Fred Shanks (R-Gold Coast) discusses a plethora of topics such as ballot initiative, law enforcement training, the Goon Squad, tax reform with host Grant Callen. 

 The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra is moving out of Thalia Mara Hall - for now.  WAPT reported: 

 Rachel Vanderford authored the following press release for UMMC. 

The Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, in collaboration with the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, recently launched a new telehealth clinic to offer public university students free mental health services. 

 Convicted killer James Williams, III is a free man yet again after he was arrested nearly a year ago. Williams was paroled in May 2023 after serving 18 years in prison for killing his father and stepmother when he was 17 years old.

The incompetence of the Lumumba administration was on full display yet again today as Jackson officials admitted the city did not spend $700,000 the City Council appropriated a year ago for pothole repair.  You read that correctly.  The city is always complaining it has no money to do anything yet when it is given the money, it does nothing as usual.  Watch for yourself. 

 Jackson's First Consul, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, issued the following statement. 

My iPhone read 8 a.m. when I woke up this morning. For anyone who knows me, that’s quite the feat. My days typically start well before the sun even thinks about rising, my internal clock drags me out of bed between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. on most mornings, whether I’m ready to wake up, or not. But today was different. Today, I allowed myself the rare luxury of a late start, savoring a few extra moments under the covers, listening to the outboard motors slowly cruise by as early fishermen headed to their favorite fishing hole on the lake. I can’t remember the last time I slept this late, and to be honest, it felt a bit indulgent. But isn’t that what holidays are for? Especially one like Labor Day.

A small repayment has been made in the DHS scandal.  Anna Wolfe - yes, the Anna Wolfe - reported in Mississippi Today last week: 

Think about a powerful public speaker with the clarity and power of a Barack Obama. Then think about a distinguished educator who can capitative and motivate his students. Then imagine a politician unafraid to stand up for the rights of his constituents in the toughest political arena of all – local politics.

 The city buses will not roll today as JATRAN employees went on strike at 3 AM today. WAPT reported:

 Bill Maher took on the Opiate Fairy as he discussed the role of gasp, doctors in the opioid crisis.  Enjoy. 

 State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement. 

It's the last call for Jackson Jambalaya's annual fund-raising drive.  Your support makes this website possible and it would not have made it this far without you. JJ led the way in reporting on the Jackson water crisis and covered stories the media would not touch, right.  However, the need for your support remains as strong as ever. 

 Seen at Renaissance this weekend.  Anti-freeze, anyone? 

The friction between the prosecution and defense in the Carly Gregg case heated up Friday.  Rankin-Madison Assistant District Attorney Kathryn Newman accused Gregg's lawyers, Kevin Camp and Bridget Todd, of playing games in the media as well as the courtroom in several motions filed Friday afternoon.  

 Check out JPD Chief Joseph Wade working his second job.  JPD posted on Facebook: 

 A former JPD officer who brutally raped a woman during a traffic stop was released from prison in July. 

 Everyone likes a party, right?

 Attorney General Lynn Fitch issued the following statement Thursday.  

"You can make a difference, you can do something about it.  This world doesn't have to go to hell in a hand basket.  This nation doesn't have to rot from its interior disease.  There can be something that people can do.  The Church doesn't have to be weak and inefficient.  Your Christian life does not have to be a joyless, pitiful falling away from God.  You can make a difference, you can make a difference, you can make a difference."  Thus spaketh the late Dr. Frank Pollard as he preached from Jeremiah 5:1-5 in the 1996 sermon posted below.  Enjoy. 

Write about Millsaps he said. But the fascinating story about Millsaps College right now is him, the new president.

 Are parents actually parenting today? 

 The Capitol Police issued the following statement. 

And just like that Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democratic nominee for President of the United States of America, Leader of the Democratic Party, former California senator, former attorney general of California, former district attorney of Alameda County, and former district attorney of San Francisco. As a senator, Harris supported stricter gun control laws, the DREAM Act, federal legalization of cannabis, tax reform, and universal healthcare including abortions on demand.

 Check out the Jackson Zoo story published 100 years ago today. 

George County Sheriff Mitchell Nixon issued the following statement. 

 The question is who is the real idiot in the case of Deion Smith. 

Great news!  The University of Mississippi has just announced it will be closing its DEI department, the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement.  

Municipalities and law enforcement agencies are going to have to start paying Hinds County to house their prisoners come October 1.  They were not charged for such costs prior to the adoption of the new policy.  

It could happen! And when it does finally get cooler, we will all want some soup.

 Jackson City Attorney Drew Martin issued the following statement. 

Carly Gregg intends to claim she is not guilty of killing her mother by reason of insanity. 

15 year-old Carly Gregg and Bridget Todd, Esq.

Madison-Rankin District Attorney Bubba Bramlett issued the following statement.