Jackson Jambalaya

As to point 2, I see your point. Go easy on her. She obviously has talent.

Just because she is good looking doesn't men she can steal without paying retribution. P> S> Who was willing to let this slide? Maybe he and possibly his wife should look into this.

Kingfish joins Jackassery!

The same Freddy Harrell who owned the dirt pit and made a ton of money off the non-16th section land Weathersby built the new Brandon school on! While he was the school board attorney .

Freddy Harrell was and is a crook.

Point 2 supercedes all.

Why would there be a NP at a school? This has got to be a high salary. They might have updated her job title as administrator but does she get same salary? Well, administrators get big salaries too. Is this young lady qualified? And can she do the work under her dads authority? Send her to another district to see if she holds up and check her credentials !!! I am so sick of too many families and buddies obtaining govt jobs. Thats why outsiders cant get interviews and this behavior is rampid not only with state jobs, schools, but also IHL big.time! Thats why we have much incompetence.

Not Guilty!

We all know daddy is gonna pay it...
Case dismissed after that..

What I refer to as the rankin county wealth tax.

After that, nurse Jackie needs to haul ass!!!

Pickering, oh Pickering...you completely missed the boat on this one. Why didn't you also look at the fact that the superintendent's daughter works for him in a high paying admin job?!?!? Talk about a case of nepotism! Where else can you go and your daughter work for you in a high paying job?!?! Answers boys and girls:Rankin County School District or be a child of Donald Trump's! How did Picker miss this one right under his nose?

Maybe Robert Graham can loan her some vacation days.

I don't think you people have any idea what this girl is going through. Not realizing the picture was lower in the article, I googled her image, and found a closeup shot. From the photo, it appears that fuzzy caterpillars have attached themselves to each of her eyelashes. Putting myself in her shoes, in order to understand her plight, I would (depending on whether the Caterpillars dis this voluntarily - as an infestation, or if they were coaxed onto the eyelashes as a cosmetic enhancement):

A) Seek therapy for the infestation, at least 40 days per year.

B) Have the Caterpillars regularly replaced by professionals (considering the brief periods they remain at that stage, prior to becoming Butterflies). This would take at least 40 days per year. Additionally, I would require an extra hour at lunch, as well as lengthy breaks throughout the workday, in order to brush Caterpillar Food onto my eyelashes.

Ya'll lay off. She just had a baby and is married to a Garner, of the Ti Garner real estate developer and builder dynasty (Ti's brother). All the wives in the extended family are hot. (See women who own MiGi's)

Also, she is a nurse practitioner, which is more than just a nurse. She was the school district NP, not just a "school nurse". However, she never went to work or did anything.

Obviously the district has no anti-nepotism policy (do any?). So, it does no good to harp and bitch about the employment of relatives. All that legally can be done is to catch them violating state law or PERS policy. That seems to be what Pick has done.

so basically angelface stole from the taxpayers throw her In jail

I bet Haley Barbour's operatives had Pete Perry pay Constitutional Clayton to sneak in and snap that photo. There is obviously some conspiracy here to make Chris McDaniel look dirty, and I want the tea party home office to get to the bottom of it.

Time to pay up, princess.

Look at Pickering prior announcements about money owed by other government employees. No one ever pays initial press release amount. Pickering always settles for less. If she pays anything it will be substantially less than 16I

Will she be in The Grove this fall?

If you look at who Stacey Pickering goes after demanding money and/or prosecution you can only come to one conclusion, he is participating in a war on women more so than the owners of Hobby Lobby. Just go to his annual Audit Exceptions Report for 2013 and you will see many women who where prosecuted. You will also see a group of men who misused over a million dollars in taxpayer's money through the bogus Marine Resource Foundation. Pickering negotiated a settlement that forgave most of the money.The only assets he did recover was not money but 2-30 year old boats that were donated to this foundation. These directors walked away without paying one penny out of pocket. It is obvious based on this case alone the state auditor prefers ugly men.

Why is this a big deal? The employees of the MS Supreme Court take leave they dont have all the time. For example one employee who had worked there less than a year took a three month maternity leave with pay. Go Figure.

Wasn't this story posted on here last year at some point? I could've sworn it was. Maybe there was just an investigation at that time. Anyway... A few thoughts:

1) I've known Melanie for almost 30 years. Anyone who knows her can tell you that whatever happened here wasn't a grand scheme to bilk the taxpayers of Rankin County. I'm very interested in hearing more details.

2) As someone mentioned above, she's a nurse practitioner. She isn't in schools wiping noses and taking temperatures -- she is more of an administrator.

3) The Auditor's office said she "took numerous days off" that were not recorded. How many, and what does that really mean? Did she keep up with her own time? Surely she reports to someone. And the RCSD Board "credited [her] for more than 40 days of leave . . . in excess of those earned." How did the Board miss this, or why did they approve it?

3) RCSD's nepotism is an absolute embarrassment to the county. Any decent person would be ashamed to hire relatives the way the RCSD administration does. Lynn Weathersby is a hayseed former Supervisor who got booted from office and had to find some way to stay on the public dole. He not only allows nepotism, he encourages it. I suppose being older than dirt has some bearing on his inability to comprehend why one would avoid even the appearance of impropriety. He alone should be reason enough to eliminate elected Superintendents.

4) Speaking of impropriety, I fail to understand how Ass. Superintendent (and, if you know him, you know "Ass." is deserved) Hugh Carr can steal an air conditioner condenser from RCSD, how Freddie Harrell -- father of Melanie -- can sell fill dirt to RSCD, and how special agents from the State Auditor's office can raid the RCSD administration building, yet all they can come up with is that Melanie got paid for days she didn't work. Stacey Pickering's incompetence (or intentional disregard) is stunning.

I hope more details come out that explain a little more about what happened. I suspect if one dug a little deeper, there would be a far bigger story than what's being reported.

For now, the story definitely looks bad for Melanie. I can promise you that she's devastated to be going through this, so a lot of y'all can be delighted with that. Those of us who know her will support her and wait for the rest of the facts to come out.

The 'war on women' conspiracy theorist is similar to the folk who holler 'racism' at the tilt of any hat. Also similar to those who cry discrimination at the paddling of black boys.

Could it be that most 'courthouse' and 'corridor' theft is carried out by the fair sex, just as most criminal acts and school outbursts are perped by black yoot?

Thank you Auditor Pickering for going after this and presenting your findings! Now, bring on more staff members and start digging in the Rankin County School System - there is enough going on in that entity to keep a number of your staff busy for a while! Rankin County School District is one (if not the) most corrupt school districts in the State of Mississippi! I do not understand why the Rankin County citizens are not up in arms over the things that go on there! Are they afraid, that complacent or just do not give a damn??? Open your eyes, people!!! Weathersby is taking all of you for a ride; he's getting wealthy and all of you are paying the tab!!!

1024am- if that employee had leave time banked, and she took a leave of absence, she can use her banked leave time and be paid. but if she had no time banked, then she should not have been paid. however, she might have signed up for short term or long term disability and would be paid from that entity depending on the option selected. if this employee had no time banked, and the agency just paid her a straight salary, then this is nothing but corruption. and is this person a daddy's girl too? or politically placed? cuz you know they get freebies.

"I bet Haley Barbour's operatives had Pete Perry pay Constitutional Clayton to sneak in and snap that photo. There is obviously some conspiracy here to make Chris McDaniel look dirty, and I want the tea party home office to get to the bottom of it."

So, you're posting this rant on THIS thread because it will help you achieve your goal just exactly HOW, again?

No, cupcake, we're not laughing WITH you. Bless you lil' TP heart.

I am not voting for pickering again either. He picks and chooses who he investigates even if you have proof. it depends on who it will hurt politically......that's why he is very careful which agency or politician he investigates. I am ready to get rid of everyone in office and replace with fresh blood. and no vote from me for Greg Harper either! Never again!!!!!

When mentioning Weathersby's daughter, don't forget his son (who recently got a promotion), his daughter-in-law, and his nephew's wife who all have jobs at the Taj. Worth mentioning that at the last election, Weathersby ran unopposed and only garnered about 94% of the vote. Not sure how many votes my candidate, ANYBODY ELSE, got! Threats, intimidations, and bribes have kept other names off the ballot. I know from personal experience, it's not a wise career move to criticize the "good ole boys."

She is not married to a Garner of the Ti Garner family. There are four brothers and I personally know each of their wives. None of whom is Melanie Garner. Please get your facts straight before you name someone in your comments. Ti Garner's wife is Misti Garner. His brother has a wife named Wendy, his other brother lives on the Coast and his other brother lives in Oxford. Please don't involve the Garner Company in this article.

1:37 thank you for getting that straight! people are so wrong sometimes.

11:02 sez: As someone mentioned above, she's a nurse practitioner. She isn't in schools wiping noses and taking temperatures -- she is more of an administrator.

Oh! Then perhaps you can tell us what the hell her administrative duties are. Posting a job description would be a good start. Not one available? How convenient.

And the silly insinuation about being on some sort of disability leave is laughable. That would be FMLA, which is unpaid. But, nice try.

I'm unable to decide which is more corrupt....this district or that of Kuykendall in Desoto.

To the smart human that finally told the Weathersby family chain, ALL employees of RCSD, thank you for spreading the truth!
ONE better, you would be SHOCKED to know the people at District Office most of them have husbands or wife's in the school system. Bet that interview was a shoe in!
RCSD has done so many employees wrong yet they continue to have All The Powers! Wake up Rankin County!!

Rankin county is not big enough for pickering to investigate- big grant money like marine res. Is worth their time then of course later to them off easy? Doesn't make sense. Plus does rankin county heavily support one candidate in senate race? Nope, he ain't gonna investigate.

Yes - it is time that someone examined the nepotism at RCSD. It is am embarrassment to the citizens of Rankin county. Employees of the district are well aware of an unwritten gag order on them. This is a vindictive administration that is morally bankrupt when it comes to taking care of their immediate families.

Stacey Pickering will rue the day on this one. I know Mel and she is an absolute upstanding person and I know for a fact she treated kids. She will have the last laugh and Dork boy Pickering will look foolish again. See a pattern.

1:31-thank you for exposing the entire Weathersby clan. I didn't know all of them were feeding off the troff! What's the lesson Lynn & fat cat family members are teaching our children: No matter how hard you study, no matter how hard you work, no matter what you do, you'll be limited by your family connections! Want to actually TEACH the children a lesson?!?!? Make all of his family members resign, hire an outside company to objectively review and rate applicants & make hiring decisions! The lesson he would teach the children: when you do wrong, you make it right. Before all you Lynn supporters start saying that his family are good hard workers, blah, blah...there are hundreds of good hard workers in the RCSD. But, were they given these opportunities reserved for Lynn's clan?!?!? The answer is no. Think about this-what if Obama wanted to name is brother-in-law to the Supreme Court or his daughter to run the VA? You all would be screaming-Unfair!!! Why? Because it's his family member. I make the same point about Lynn-because it's his family. Certainly one of you reading this can take it to the dept of education or another entity who can do something about this?!?!? Right is right and wrong is wrong-a lesson I learned in first grade. Lynn & his fam obviously never learned it & certainly don't practice it. This is a sad example for those entrusted to teach our next generation. Shame on all of you.

Stacey Pickering should be required to report how much of these demands/settlements/judgements are actually paid. As an example Dr. William Walker, the fired, indicted and convicted ex-director of the MsDMR is to pay $572,689.14 in restitution when he gets through serving his 60month sentence. The FBI said he misspent $1,881,000 which the Ms Auditor agreed with. And this amount is just for the crimes investigated. So in 5 years when he is broke and all assets disposed of he will pay the one third he is required to pay? Right. Why are they not taking his state retirement like Pickering has done in the past from thieves like Walker? Much of the money Stacey Pickering announces in these news releases is never collected and that needs to be reported.

Like Mr. McRaney sez in his commercial, "Less Face fax folks". The fact is Weathersby is elected by the people and school districts do not have nepotism policies. You Rankintonians elected this guy and entrusted him with running a billion dollar empire.

There is no rule, no law, no policy precluding him from hiring relatives, friends of friends and children of cronies. He's obviously at the ego-trip-level now when he's not in the least embarrassed or bothered by the public exposure of his antics. Hell, just imagine what his PERS check will be.

And his thirteenth check will be over 40 thousand dollars a year within a few years of retirement. The man is untouchable just like his soul brother up in Desoto County.

"And the silly insinuation about being on some sort of disability leave is laughable. That would be FMLA, which is unpaid. But, nice try. "

Not if the employee has purchased disability insurance. If the employee paid for it it is non-taxable income. If they are using an employer-paid disability plan it is taxable income.

Melanie is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. I've known her for over 15 years and these insinuations and slurs are ridiculous. She was hired to oversee all of the school nurses at all of the schools in the RCSD. She wasn't hired to see patients. She just had a baby and I'll assume that her time off has to do with her pregnancy.
Please remember that she is a human made in the image of God, and the hateful comments are uncalled for.

I agree that her daddy and Wethersby have both had shady dealings in the past, but to trump up charges against her is just plain terrible.
Weathersby is the biggest crook in Rankin. His office in the new marble office tower he built (while kids were still going to class in trailers) rivals that of a four star hotel. It has a bathroom that is nicer than most folks home master baths. His daughter makes $150k per year and does NOTHING!
Leave poor Mel alone. If you knew how sweet and giving of a person she really was, you would be ashamed of yourselves.

"...was hired to oversee all the school nurses at all of the schools..."

What freaking nurses are you talking about?? When did any, much less ALL RCSD schools, get nurses? Please tell me what schools have nurses. The RC school where I worked never did.

"Poor Mel" ripped off the school district; i.e. taxpayers (I heard her salary was in the $60,000 ballpark - true?)and I certainly hope she is prosecuted and has to pay every penny of that $16,000+ demand.

Did Melanie learn how to maneuver some "shady dealings" from her daddy?

6:38, when reading your comment, I get this mental picture of you sitting on the veranda of the house 'Big Daddy' built for you and your hubby. You're sipping sweet tea and just all in a flutter because mean people have said unkind words about your "sweet and giving" Mel.
Grow up.

The speculation about disability and pregnancy leave is laughable. If the law was being followed, in either case her leave would have been FMLA. FMLA does not require paid leave in either case. And if an employer pays for that leave for one, it must for others as well.

And if she were on FMLA, the record would not have shown her to be taking paid leave which she did not have banked. FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) only mandates UNpaid leave for qualifying employees.

It's fine if she was off due to either of those conditions; however, the employer would not be paying her. A disability policy (pie in the sky theory) is fine, but is not relevant to the investigation or ruling.

I'm sure the auditor, as challenged as he seems to be on occasion, has knowledge of federal FMLA regulations.

And if the district chose to pay her while on leave but while having no leave time banked, they've set a precedent for all other employees requesting the same. If not, there exists not only the potential for a discrimination charge, but the FMLA investigation (conducted by EEOC) will conclude there was inconsistent application of FMLA regulations among employees. A federal violation.

But, really...all we have here is Weathersby telling the payroll people to pay the daughter of his buddy while she wasn't at work and had no job duties.

10:52- get a life. I have no idea which RC school you worked at, but most of the schools have nurses, as well as health programs. Your characterization is way off, I have no veranda, "Big Daddy" didn't build my house, and I despise sweet Tea.
How can you make such claims about this case with just the small amount of information that has been released? Utterly ridiculous.
I can see you sitting around the above ground pool behind your "manufactured home".....

So now it's 'most' of the schools have nurses. OK. Of the 28 schools in RC, how many have nurses?

Bottom line is this: Melanie Harrell Garner was apparently paid a lot of money for NUMEROUS days she did not work/time-off she did not earn. As an 'administrator' with a NP degree, what exactly were her job duties? What did she do to earn any money when she was at work? Can anyone with real insider knowledge of the situation answer those questions?

Even though Ms. Garner might be considered by those who know her as the most giving, kindest, sweetest, nicest, prettiest, most wonderful whateverest person - is she so naive to not know that one does not legally, morally, or ethically get a paycheck for days not worked/time-off not earned???

The RCSD has problems and Ms. Garner's situation is only a small part of it. Weathersby, several on the school board, and various administrators obviously lack integrity. Weathersby has never worried or cared - apparently he thinks he is untouchable. Sadly, so far that has been true. I sincerely hope the State Auditor's continue with their digging and make more demands.

Now on a positive note: During my years at a RC school, I worked with dedicated, hard-working educators, office, and support personnel. They genuinely cared about the students. They honestly earned every paycheck they received.

******

Now, Miss 6:38/2:19, I'll have you know that I've worked full time since graduating from college and have lived and worked in Rankin County for the majority of those 40 years. My guess is that I have been a RC taxpayer much longer that you have been on this earth.

I don't like having my hard earned monies going to anyone who or any entity that misuses it. So to your friend, Mel, I say "PAY UP". To the State Auditor's Office I say "Keep digging for more RCSD dirt".

Sweet tea not to your liking...
go have a glass of wine and whine some more.

Doesn't surprise me one bit. She's as crazy as her twin sister and they learned the system from their father. Runs in the family.