Jackson Jambalaya

A Jackson man stands accused of savagely beating, strangling, and kidnapping his girlfriend (now ex-girlfriend) while he was a student at Ole Miss in 2016.  His pictures show a baby-faced, happy go-lucky 22 year-old man, but the indictment and civil lawsuits filed against Sheldon Alston, Jr. portray a different person.   

Update: 12:50 PM: Supporter just walked up an placed a McDaniel for U.S. Senate sign on the podium as Mr. McDaniel spoke.  Mr. McDaniel said "I guess the cat's out of the bag, now let's talk about the bag."  

State Senator Chris McDaniel is addressing a crowd right now at Jones Junior College.  He is expected to announce his candidacy for U.S. Senate.  Watch below.

A Hinds County grand jury indicted Jushun Paige, Lidarious Dixon, and Nicholas Coats for capital murder in the death of Chelsie Kirschten.  They were also indicted for attempted armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery of the deceased and the passenger in her car.  The indictments are posted below.  All three men are in custody at the Raymond Detention Center. 

Greentech filed for  Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Eastern District of Virginia.  Guess who is in the top five creditors? If you guess Mississippi ($2.8 million) and Tunica ($2 million), you would be correct.

Leftenent Governor Tate Reeves issued the following statement. 

The Jackson Municipal Airport Authority issued the following request for statement of qualifications & expression of interest for the rehabilitation of International Drive.

UMMC issued the following press release.

Mississippi State Senator Chris McDaniel posted this message on Facebook Live just a few minutes ago:

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety issued the following statement. 

Politico reported today:

The Mississippi Board of Medical Licensure posted  updated amendments to its prescription regulations and an economic impact statement on the Secretary of State's website.  A hearing will be held on the economic impact statement on March 7 at 1:00 PM.  The amendments to regulation 2640 and the economic impact statement are posted below.  JJ hasn't been able to fully review the filings but here are some highlights:

The University of Mississippi Medical Center issued the following statement. 

Someone went crazy at the Walmart in South Jackson.   JPD is on the scene.  More information will be posted when it becomes available.

The Parkland Coward (I wanted to use another word that was more alliteration-friendly) apparently wore a bullet-proof vest during the massacre.  You can't make this up.  Watch the video.

It seemed fitting to replace the weekly Dr. Frank Pollard sermon with one by Billy Graham today.  If you can't make it to church this morning, enjoy Reverend Graham's sermon.

Love him or hate him for it, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves stays true to his autocratic ways. He dropped his complex $1.1 billion “Building Roads, Improving Development, and Growing the Economy (BRIDGE) Act” on the Senate one day last week and passed it the next.

Here are the 990's for Jackson Academy, 100 Black Men of Jackson, Jackson Prep, St. Andrews, and MRA.  Enjoy.

Attorney Jim Hood issued the following statement. 

My favorite chapter of Nietzche's Beyond Good and Evil is "Epigrams and Interludes". The philosopher chooses to collect a wide array of various thoughts and place them into one chapter.  I have decided to post my observations about the current scene in the same vein instead of writing one big monster column.  Enjoy.

ESPN is the first media outlet to report what seems to be common knowledge about the firing of Mississippi State University Head Baseball Coach Andy Cannizaro:

Crazy chick hated spending 15 months in jail so much, or a concentration camp where she was tortured as she put it, that she did everything she could do to go back to jail.  Let us just say threatening LSU officials and their children is not a good idea after what took place in Florida last week.

The administration of Millsaps College issued the following email to its faculty after some rather vulgar graffiti painted by students in a campus building last year came to light earlier this week.

Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith submitted a motion for rehearing with the Mississippi Supreme Court yesterday after the Court rejected his request to order Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie Green to hold a bond hearing for Nicolas Coats.  Coats and Lidarious Dixon were chaged with capital murder in the death of Chelsie Kirschten.  The motion is posted below.

The city of Ridgeland issued the following press release.

The Clinton Police Department issued the following press release and photos.

Once upon a time, it was actually possible to enjoy summers in the Jackson area.....

Attorney General Jim Hood issued the following statement.

When will the government start being held accountable for these school shootings? Such is the question asked by John Fund in National Review as he savages the FBI and other law enforcement agencies for their failure to take warnings of mass murder seriously.  Backing the Blue doesn't mean butt-kissing the blue.  Mr. Fund writes:

His soul never wavered even as his body waned.   Billy Graham passed not away but on to heaven this morning at the age of 99.  Here is one of his sermons. 

It's been 18 years since a raging fire burned down a large section ofMain Harbor.  JJ discovered a video of the fire on Youtube.  64 boats and several piers were lost that awful night.  To make matters worse, it was discovered in the aftermath that boat owners lacked insurance, thus suffering a total loss.   However, the Dock did not suffer any damage.  That particular tidbit bit of news brought chagrin to some and joy to others. The video is posted below.

U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst issued the following statement.

Crazy chick just got released after spending 15 months in the slammer and what does she do? Go to Youtube and threaten the Bossier City police chief.

One of the suspects in the Fortification Street murder might be going to prison soon - real soon. Jushun Paige is on probation for a carjacking conviction and has a suspended prison sentence of seven years.  MDOC notified the Hinds County Circuit Court on January 24 that JPD charged Jushun Paige with accessory after the fact- murder in the death of Chelsie Kirschten. Earlier post on October 2017 arrest.

The New Rockstars dissected the new latest Westworld trailer on its Youtube channel.  Some interesting theories were presented and keen observations were made.  Why was the Man in Black allowed to live? Enjoy.

Yet another car crashed into a building:

Although this incident took place nearly a year ago, the pictures are just now making the rounds in social media.  The website, Big League Politics, posted photos of  graffiti of the uncouth variety that was painted in the Christian Center.  Millsaps students painted the graffiti at the encouragement of a professor or two and proudly stood by their work:

The Pelahatchie Board of Aldermen met on Saturday morning at 9:00 AM.  The notice was posted on the doors of City Hall Thursday.  It is unheard of to hear of a city council or board of aldermen meeting on a Saturday morning absent an emergency or to approve a bill that requires immediate payment.  However, such was not the case as the war between Mayor Ryshanda Beechem and the Aldermen continued.

JJ has learned that the Hinds County grand jury will decide Tuesday whether to indict the three suspects in the murder of Chelsie Kirschten.   

If you can't make it to church this morning. enjoy this sermon given by the late Dr. Frank Pollard from 1986. 

Basic math and what the Wall Street Journal calls "Trumponomics" are headed for a brutal collision.

Here's why.

GRRM posted an update on when we can expect The Winds of Winter to be published on his blog.  CNET reported:

Posted below are the 990's of  Mississippi Action for Progress, Parents for Public Schools, Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi, Mississippi High School Activities Association, and the Central Mississippi Civic Improvement Association.  Enjoy.

The Mississippi Hospital Association said bend the knee and the Mississippi House of Representatives did so.  It is not known if knee pads were worn.  Larrison Campbell reported in Mississippi Today on February 8:

State Representative Andy Gipson issued the following statement.

The Mississippi Department of Education issued the following statement.

The Northside Sun has waged war  for years against crony capitalism and government subsidies for businesses.  Imagine the Kingfish's surprise when he read this column by the publisher last week:

MDOC issued the following press release and photos.

Submit this post to the Lead Laxative Report.  A Jackson hoodlum found out yesterday that crime does pay..... in lead.  JPD issued the following statement. 

The Broward County high school killer warned a Mississippi bail bondsman he was going to shoot up a school last fall.  Nikolas Cruz made a comment on a video produced by Ben Bennight on Youtube last summer.  Mr. Bennight tells the story in the video posted below.  The bail bondsman contacted the FBI as he should have done.  He tells his story in the video and also shows screenshots of Cruz's comments. 

Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith asked the Mississippi Supreme Court yesterday to order Hinds County Senior Circuit Judge Tomie Green to hold a hearing on the release of Nicholas Coats.  Nicholas Coats was arrested and charged with the murder of Chelsie Kirschten on Fortification Street in October.  County Court Judge William Skinner denied bond for Coats but ordered him to be released if he was not indicted within 90 days.  Coats was released from the Raymond Detention Center on January 10.

I found this matchbook while cleaning out stuff last night. Let's see who can figure out what this is without cheating on the internet. 

Einstein is said to have said: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over. And expecting different Albert Einsteinoutcomes.” This was the lede in an earlier article about public education. (Fortunately, education is changing.) It also applies to the Mississippi Public Service Commission and the Mississippi Legislature. They haven’t changed in response to the Kemper lignite plant fiasco.

Update: Guard is rehired. 

Some supporters of the Mississippi state flag showed up at the Civil Rights Museum last weekend to protest in favor of the flag.  A security guard had a mild confrontation with them that consisted of a bunch of jawing back and forth although he did grab a stick bearing a flag for a brief moment.  The videos of the latest drama are posted below.   He lost his job. Should he have been fired?

The Mississippi State Department of Health issued the following statement. 

The Madison Police Department issued the following press release.

The Mississippi Board of Medical Licensure withdrew its proposed opioid from the Secretary of State's website today.  This action comes as no surprise since the Board passed a revised version of the amendments at its February 1 meeting.  Expect the updated amendments to Regulation 2640 to be filed soon.  The notice is posted below.

Hinds County Chancellor Dewayne Thomas upheld the constitutionality of charter schools today and dealt a blow to the Southern Poverty Law Center's attempt to outlaw charter schools.

This post is a paid advertisement.

Some people think Mardi Gras is bad now, check out this headline from 89 years ago when six people were killed.

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety's attempt to purge a sissy from its ranks failed last week when the Mississippi Employee Appeals Board ordered DPS to reinstate a fired trooper with back-pay and benefits.  The Board ruled that DPS illegally fired Sergeant James Richards for taking prescription medications after he had major hip replacement surgery.

Posted on Craigslist Jackson tonight:

The Mississippi Board of Medical Licensure issued the following press release.

Byron McBride took a picture of a murdered 6 year-old Kingston Frazier and then showed it to Dwan Wakefield and D'Allen Washington according to Washington's testimony in Madison County Circuit Court on February 5.   Washington pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to kidnapping.  Judge William Chapman accepted the guilty plea.  The transcript of the hearing is posted below.

From our Ward 3 Councilman:

The late Dr. Frank Pollard preached from Acts 24:24-27 in this 1986 sermon.  Enjoy this sermon if you can't make it to church this morning. 

Federal Railroad Administration Deputy Administrator Heath Hall was forced to resign his position yesterday after Politico questioned the activities of a public relations company he owns in Mississippi, Strategic Marketing Group.  Mr. Hall is a resident of Madison County.  Politico reported:

JJ posted the tax returns of Mississippi non-profits and charities for the better part of a year several years ago.  JJ is re-firing that project and posted several 990's below.  More will be posted next week.  Today's installment includes Farm Bureau Federation of Mississippi, Mississippi Children's Museum, Friends of Children of Mississippi, Mississippi Center for Justice, and the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency . Enjoy. 

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following statement and pictures. 

JPD issued the following statement.

State Representative published the following post on Mississippi Truth Journal about the "Gun Lawsuit Bill", HB# 1083:

The Veteran's Administration issued the following press release.

Same song, second, third, and fourth verse.  Our old friend, Fisher Construction, is back with more claims of discrimination after it was fired for not performing work for the contractor that has the Jackson sludge-removal contract.  The Clarion-Ledger reported Tuesday:

D'Wan Wakefield, Jr. will be tried as an adult in the murder case of 6 year-old Kingston Frazier. Madison County Court Judge Staci O'Neal certified Wakefield as an adult today and transferred his case to Madison County Circuit Court.  Wakefield was 17 years-old when Frazier was murdered.  He was arrested and charged with Capital Murder but District Attorney Michael Guest said he will be probably be indicted for accessory after the fact- murder.  Wakefield is currently free on a $250,000 bond. 

Leftenent Governor Tate Reeves issued the following statement. 

The rehabilitation of Smith Park moves forward.  Check out these photos that were shot at the end of January.

The Madison Police Department issued the following press release.

The sexual harassment trial in Tomeka Barnes and Cheryl Matory v. Victor Mason and Hinds County et al has been postponed until November in U.S. District Court.  Magistrate Judge Robert Walker issued the following scheduling order on January 18:

Start kissing the cd goodbye.  Billboard reported yesterday:

Witnesses to the shooting of 17 year-old Charles McDonald testified that he chased Wayne Parish and grabbed his gun when he was shot to death by Parish in July 2016.  One witness also stated that Parish had scratch marks on his arms and  hands that were inflicted by McDonald.   Parish shot and killed 17 year-old Charles McDonald, Jr.  during a struggle over a gun at Performance Oil on McDowell Road on July 21, 2016  A grand jury indicted Parish for murder but Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith remanded the case last week.  However, McDonald's mother is still pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit against Parish in Hinds County Circuit Court. 

Medicaid is and will be for many years to come a critical issue for Mississippi and its government. There a BPF View - Medicaid 101: Part IIwill be considerable discussion about Medicaid managed care during the current Mississippi Legislative Session. Medicaid managed care has been in the news since last summer when the Mississippi Division of Medicaid re-competed and awarded new Medicaid managed care contracts to two existing vendors, Magnolia Health and United Healthcare Community Plan and a new vendor, Molina Healthcare. Seven vendors vied for three slots in the open competition. Two of the loosing vendors, Amerigroup and Mississippi True (a provider sponsored plan backed by over 60 hospitals and the Mississippi Hospital Association) filed protests and then lawsuits for rebid of the contracts. Amerigroup subsequently withdrew its protest and lawsuit. Mississippi True is still pursuing theirs.

The Brandon Police Department issued the following statement.

This video shows what took place at the end of the Pelahatchie Board of Aldermen meeting Monday night.  Miss Patsy Watson stood up to speak and urged everyone to get along.  Kumbaya feelings didn't sit too well with some people as an Alderman Michael Adams took  offense to it and made his feelings known.

Take a break from all the serious news of the past couple of days.  HBO dropped the trailer for the second season of Westworld during the Super Bowl.  The show returns in April.  Enjoy the preview below.

The mother of murder victim Chelsie Kirschten posted this interview with a tv station on Facebook.

Note: The unedited video of the entire Board meeting, agenda, and Board packet are posted below. 

The Pelahatchie Board of Aldermen voted unanimously last night to ban the possession of cellphones at its public meetings (14:27 in the video posted below).  It also voted to cut the pay of  Aldermen and the Mayor.  There was no discussion on the matter.  The conference room was packed with Pelahatchie citizens and was standing-room only.   The Board of Aldermen also took several other actions:

Carlos the Clown was sanctioned yet again.  A Leflore County Judge sanctioned attorney Carlos Moore for $27,467 after he failed to appear in court for a trial because he had a "speaking engagement" in Texas.

Stacey Kirschten, the mother of murdered Chelsie Kirschten, issued the following statement.

The Clinton Police Department issued the following statement and mug shot.

D'allen Washington pleaded guilty in Madison County Circuit Court today to accessory after the fact to kidnapping in the Kingston Frazier case.  He also pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of simple robbery.  He was indicted for armed robbery before six year-old Kingston Frazier was kidnapped and murdered.  Judge William Chapman presided over the guilty plea.

Byron McBride's trial for Capital Murder is scheduled for April 23.   Washington's attorney, Warren Martin, issued the following statement:

JPD responded to a suicide on Eastover Drive this morning. 

Investors in the Livingston Township development are suing each other in federal court.  A Washington state investor, Cascade Capital Group, LLC, sued David Landrum, Michael Sharpe, Chestnut Developers, LLC, and Livingston Holdings, LLC in U.S. District Court on December 1, 2017 seeking repayment of over one million dollars of a defaulted loan plus interest.  However, the two defendant companies claimed they never signed a promissory note and were victims of Cascade's fraud and bullying ways.  All of the parties are involved in developing Livingston Township in Madison County. 

The Clinton Police Department issued the following statement and photos. 

Enjoy this 1988 sermon given by the late Dr. Frank Pollard if you can't make it to church this morning.  Learn the meaning of Kangaroo in this sermon.  Seriously. ;-)

Check out this old 1935 advertisement of Jackson's progress that was published in the Clarion-Ledger. 

JPD arrested Jushun "Red" Paige in the Chelsie Kirschten murder case and charged him with accessory after the fact to murder. The 24 year-old woman was shot to death on Fortification Street on August 17, 2017.  Police also arrested and charged Nicholas Coats and Lidarius Dixon with Capital Murder.  None of the suspects have been indicted for any charges related to her murder.  Paige is currently on probation for carjacking.

Good news.  Mozart in the Jungle returns to Amazon Prime on February 16.  Check out the trailer for Season 4 below.  The quirky series is pretty amusing and sports a solid cast.  If you can't wait and want to watch something new, check out The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime.  The trailer is also posted below.  Enjoy.

We are going to try something new here at JJ.  Posted below is the docket for inmates who will be up for parole in March.  

The Mississippi Board of Medical Licensure hired local physician Dr. Kenneth Cleveland as its new Executive Director yesterday.  Board President Dr. Charles Miles said he was chosen after an "exhaustive extensive search."  The Board issued the following statement:

Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith tried to put accused killer Nicholas Coats back behind bars yesterday.  Coats was arrested in October for allegedly killing  Chelsie Kirschten.  A judge's order denying him bond also ordered him to be released if he was not indicted within 90 days.

UMMC issued the following statement. 

JJ obtained a copy of the arrest report for former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour.  It is posted below. 

The report states that the arrest took place at 11:14 on January 2.  It states Mr. Barbour was carrying a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver that held five rounds in his carry-on bag.  The screener noticed the revolver in the carry-on bag when it was x-rayed.  The screener notified airport police who removed the revolver from the bag and unloaded it.  He posted a bond and was released.  A trial date was not set in the report. 

Check out item VII(E) on the agenda for the January 3 meeting of the Canton Board of Aldermen.

It looks like the Mississippi Hospital Association made some progress in its attempt to muscle its way into getting some Medicaid bidness.  Larrison Campbell reported at Mississippi Today last night:

Sheriff's deputies busted a dog fighting ring in Wayne County.  WDAM reported: