Jackson Jambalaya

Who will pick up the garbage tomorrow in Jackson? Special Chancellor Jess Dickinson said in a draft opinion that a garbage contract was not valid unless presented by the Mayor and approved by the City Council.  However, the Mayor said Richard's Disposal will collect garbage tomorrow after he sent a notice of expiration to Waste Management this afternoon.  However, the City Council fired right back with a cease and desist letter of its own: 

This week, Will Smith -- perhaps the most bankable star of his generation -- won an Oscar for Best Actor for "King Richard." But that wasn't why he made headlines. He made headlines because during the Academy Awards ceremony, comedian Chris Rock told a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Jada, it seems, suffers from alopecia; Rock, presumably not knowing about her condition, made a joke about her starring in "G.I. Jane 2," a nod to her closely shaven head. Initially, Will Smith laughed. Then he glanced around and saw Jada was upset. 

Update #2 (6:00 PM): Judge Dickinson issued order.  See below. 

Update #1: City Attorney Tori Martin told WLBT Richard's Disposal will pick up the garbage tomorrow.  Mayor Lumumba notified Waste Management that its contract expires at midnight.  Waste Management offered to continue service for three more months while the dispute is resolved. 

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba's end run around the Jackson City Council is going to end up in the garbage disposal.  Special Chancellor Jess Dickinson is going to rule the emergency contract awarded to Richard's Disposal is invalid since it was not approved by the City Council.  He stated in an email sent to the attorneys: 

Just another night in Jackson.

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

Mayor Wins.  City Council must produce minutes by Monday. 

The Jackson City Council and Jackson First Consul Chokwe Antar Lumumba will square off yet again in court today.  Hinds County Circuit Judge Faye Peterson will hold a hearing in Lumumba v. Jackson City Council at 9:30.  The issue is the City Council's alleged failure to present the minutes to the Mayor for approval since September 2021.  Earlier post.  The hearing will be streamed so this post will be updated.  This link should work.  

Complete video posted below. 

It's 6:00 PM and that means we gonna have us a little hearing on the garbage contract in Hinds County Chancery Court.  JJ is going to live-blog the hearing so stay tuned.

 Thankfully no one was hurt.  Even more thankfully, the artwork in the mansion was spared. 

 Clinton Police are looking for a credit card thief (alleged) after a shooting took place Sunday near the Super 8 hotel.

 Richard's Disposal said it spent more than one million dollars preparing to take over Jackson's garbage collection on April 1.  

 For the good part of the past decade I have hosted groups of American travelers— mostly Southerners— in this part of the world. I have always believed that Tuscany is a lot like the American South. It’s an agrarian society, but instead of soybeans and cotton they grow olives and grapes. The Tuscans are friendly and hospitable. They love food, and love sharing a meal with family and friends. They love having fun and they know how to party.  That’s why Southerners connect with the people over here. 

 Like Ross Barnett, Jim Buck Ross, Robert “Blowtorch” Mason, and J.P. Coleman before him, highly successful trial lawyer John Arthur Eaves Sr. was a master of populist political campaigns and always made of most of his ten-minute speaking slot at the Neshoba County Fair, the Jacinto Courthouse and other Mississippi venues where people liked hearing old time “stump” speeches.

 Jackson City Engineer Dr. Charles Williams submitted his resignation today.  The former interim Public Works Director will leave the city’s employment on April 29.  Best wishes to a man who had a thankless job.  

 The Richard's Disposal trucks have arrived over by Hawkins Field. 

Hood vlogger Charlie Moore popped up in Jackson recently.  The Detroit native has created quite a popular Youtube channel that focuses on the hoods of urban America.  There is no narration or commentary.  Mr. Moore just rolls the camera as he rolls through the hood.  He recently popped up in Jackson and posted the following video to his channel. Check it out.  

The legislature passed a bill yesterday that will create a new wastewater authority district for west Hinds County.  

 UMC issued the following statement. 

 What's wrong with this picture?

The meatrginder that is the Express Grain case chewed up more casualties Friday.  U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Celene Maddox ruled she will sanction attorney Don Barrett for violating a protective order covering financial information in the Express Grain bankruptcy. 

Some Russian propaganda and Biden public relations ineptitude combined to create a false narrative the U.S.A. operated/funded/outsourced biological weapons labs in Ukraine.  Cue up the conspiracy theorists and scientific know-nothings such as Tucker Carlson as they set social media afire with claims the U.S. operated secret bioweapons laps in Ukraine.  Thankfully, National Review's Jim Geraghty dove deep into the weeds and reported there were no such labs in Ukraine: 

Special Chancellor Jess Dickinson will hold a status conference hearing on all pending motions Wednesday night at 6:00 in Lumumba v. Jackson City Council.  

 The city of Jackson issued the following statement. 

This week on StokesRadio, the Ward 3 City Councilman discusses the streets, the Lumumbas smearing of a Supervisor candidate, Mitzi Bickers, The Missing Million Dollars, sellouts, and allegations on the Mayor's recreations.  

Welcome back to another edition of Sunday Morning Sermon.  Laughter might be the best medicine but it is rarely mentioned when discussing matters of faith.  The late Dr. Frank Pollard, a fine practitioner of humor himself, preached on using laughter to find joy in the trials we all must face in this 1993 sermon.  

 Mississippi’s economy survived COVID much better than the nation, state economist Corey Miller said earlier this month. The state economy contracted only 1.8% compared to the national decline of 3.4%. Miller attributed much of this to federal transfer payments, pointing out such payments were up 26.4%.

 If you could use a good laugh, check out this video of, wait for it, how to hustle pool.  A complete example of a bad 80's video.  You name it:  bad video editing, the hair, 80's cheese & sleaze,  it's all there.  Enjoy.

 What if the world had already been conquered and we didn’t know it? What if America is Orwell’s 1984 fictional world of Oceana and all we know about the past and present is what the Ministry of Truth tells us?

 Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann and Speaker of the House Philip Gunn issued the following statements. 

 Well, well, well, guess who wound up in jail.  

 Even the wars that historians judge to have been noble and beneficial rely on popular support marketed and sustained by lies. Contrary to what the English government told its people during World War I, German soldiers didn't bayonet Belgian babies in their cribs. The "cocaine" U.S. troops claimed to have found in Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega's home was nothing of the sort. The Taliban offered to turn over Osama bin Laden -- it was George W. Bush who refused to take him because to accept would have denied him his excuse to invade Afghanistan.

There is not much to report about Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba's two lawsuits against the City Council today.  Attorney Samuel Begley filed a notice of appearance in the Hinds County Circuit Court lawsuit.  However, the Mayor opposed dismissing several City Council members from the Chancery Court lawsuit.  

A carjacking did not turn out to well for the carjacker.  Good kid. 

 The city of Clinton issued the following statement. 

 Once upon a time, a group of Jackson activists tried to run the state golf course at Lefleur's Bluff.  Needless to say, it didn't end so well as the course quickly fell into a severe state of disrepair.  The state wound up revoking the contract and local golfing guru Randy Watkins went to work.  Some of the names will be familiar. 

 Once again, we encourage the Mississippi Public Service Commission to do its job: assure reliable affordable electricity for Mississippi customers.  It’s supposed to make Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power do this.  It regulates these legal monopolies which have no competitors to offer customers better alternatives.

 Special Chancellor Jess Dickinson approved the motions to intervene for both Waste Management and Richard's Disposal this afternoon. The battle for Jackson trash will take place in Hinds County Chancery Court. Attorney Sam Begley represents the City Council while Felicia Perkins, Esq. represents Hizzoner.  

Comments are turned off.  Comment in the post below. 

The Jackson City Council and Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba will square off next week in Hinds County Circuit Judge Faye Peterson's court over the minutes of the City Council meetings.  

 Governor Tate Reeves posted the following message on Facebook. 

Former Atlanta powerbroker Mitzi Bickers is going to prison.  A jury convicted her on nine counts of money laundering, conspiracy to commit bribery, and wire fraud Tuesday but found her not guilty on corruption charges involving Jackson.  WXIA reported: 

 The Mississippi Department of Agriculture & Commerce issued the following statement. 

 Jackson Municipal Court Judge Jeff Reynolds set bond at $500,000 for Montreal Nichols  on a charge of aggravated domestic violence after he allegedly stabbed his girlfriend in the neck several times.  

 The Raymond Detention Center earned another federal contempt of court citation against the Hinds County Board of Supervisors.  U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves said Hinds County has not squared away the jail despite being under a consent decree since 2016.  Judge Reeves said he will determine "an appropriate sanction for that contempt."  

 Speaker of the House Philip Gunn issued the following statement. 

After hiding from Commissioner Andy Gipson,  Express Grain Terminals, LLC will fight the revocation of it's warehouse license by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce in February.  The company filed a notice of appeal on the revocation in Leflore County Chancery Court on March 11.

Nine days into this Spanish deep-dive, I find myself sitting in the front jump seat of a tour bus typing on a borrowed laptop because my laptop is in the possession of a sneaky thief who swept my backpack up in a hotel lobby in Valencia. I have preached over and over to my guests about holding onto their purses and wallets at every turn. I got caught in a moment of trying to solve a guest emergency and was off my game for just a second. But that’s all it took, a lone second.

Forget for a moment, if you can, the horrible human cost of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Set aside the sad visages of the dead and maimed, the displaced and suffering, and the millions of refugees facing catastrophe.

Update (3/23): Circuit Judges Wooten and Green recuse themselves. Case is reassigned to Circuit Judge Faye Peterson. 

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba opened another front in his court fight against the Jackson City Council.  Hizzoner filed an emergency petition for writ of mandamus in Hinds County Circuit Court yesterday against the City Council.

 This week, The Walt Disney Company, which has approximately 200,000 employees spanning the globe, decided to radically reshape its politics in response to a tiny contingent of radical activists. According to The Wall Street Journal, Disney CEO Bob Chapek had steadfastly refused to embroil his company in the politics of the various states and countries where Disney did business; he correctly noted that the job of the company was to continue to make magic, not to do the political bidding of any favored coterie. 

 JPD arrested vagrant Lance Moburg for two counts of business burglary after several businesses in the Capital Towers  were burglarized and vandalized.  

Correction: Post originally said Congressman ranked fifth among Republican members. 

Congressman Steve Palazzo is earning his nickname of "No-Show Palazzo" as he voted by proxy no less than 66 times in the 117th Congress, highest among all Mississippi Congressmen and twentieth among Republican members.

 Ruth Cummins authored the following UMC press release. 

When the first COVID-19 patient arrived in March 2020 at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the state’s only safety net hospital was already honing its focus on the global public health emergency.

Most consumers are well aware of how impacted they are by inflation -- and each industry that has to explain why its prices have gone up has a slightly different explanation.

 The Justice Department issued the following statement. 

Video of hearing posted below. 

Special Chancellor Jess Dickinson is holding a hearing on Waste Management and Richard's Disposal's motion to intervene right now.  This post will be updated as as the hearing progresses.

Two Jackson Academy students were carjacked last Thursday in the parking lot of Covenant Presbyterian Church on Ridgewood Road.  The two teens were not harmed.  A vehicle pulled up and several hoodlums jumped out with guns pointed at the victims.  JJ has not been able to obtain a description of the suspects.  

KF note: Speaker of the House Phillip Gunn last week said he would not approve any ARPA spending until the Senate passed his bill eliminating income taxes.  This post is a guest column by Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann.

Let me be very clear: failing to appropriate the one-time $1.8 billion in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for infrastructure and recovery projects is not a rational option for our state.

Update below: Richard's Disposal requests injunction 

The battle for Jackson's garbage contract is shaping up to be a steel cage loser-leave-town battle royale in Hinds County Chancery Court.  Richard's Disposal filed a motion to intervene yesterday in Lumumba v. Jackson City Council.  It is the third such motion filed in this case.

 Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann issued the following statement Thursday. 

Welcome to another Sunday Morning Sermon presented by the late Dr. Frank Pollard, one of Jackson's finest preachers.  Dr. Pollard preached from Luke 4:14-30 in this 1993 sermon.  If you missed church, enjoy the remedial sermon. 

 Remedial math has been the most in-demand developmental class in Mississippi colleges for decades. Perhaps that helps explain the difficulty many public officials seem to have in grasping budget issues.

 This post is reprinted with permission of The Taxpayers Channel. 

Court filings this week in the Express Grain bankruptcy case show that EG repeatedly sold soybeans to three finance companies, and then stole the soybeans, in multi-million bushel quantities, over a 20 month time frame.

Politicians never solve problems. On the contrary, politicians are more likely to cause problems than to solve them. In fact, Politicians revel in problems they make or benefit from, and they always benefit from problems. 

 The Mississippi Department of Transportation issued the following statement. 

 Former Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber testified in federal court today that Mitzi Bickers provided all kinds of goodies to him in exchange for a big chunk of gummint grub in Jackson when he was Mayor.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported: 

The fog of war prevents accurate reporting in the Russo-Ukrainian War.   Chris Capetello released another video analyzing the war's progress on his Youtube channel, Task & Purpose, Wednesday.  The Iraq War vet tries to cut through the fog and social media bubbles to show what is really taking place in Ukraine.  Check it out below. 

   I have won two Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards, been a Pulitzer Prize finalist, published more than 20 books and have seen my political cartoons and columns appear in hundreds of newspapers and magazines. So why do I have Russian state media as one of my clients?

Your State Treasurer’s office administers two college savings plans designed to help Mississippians save for college. MACS is the Mississippi Affordable College Savings Plan which allows families to save for college starting with as little as $25. MPACT is the Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition Plan which allows families to prepay college tuition to lock in today’s rates and avoid skyrocketing tuition increases that are outpacing the rate of inflation in most places.

 Jackson suffered yet another water crisis last November when part of O.B. Curtis was forced to shut down due to the delivery of "a bad batch of chemicals."  However, Mississippi State Department of Health emails state the shutdown took place because equipment was not replaced when it failed and the back-up had no back-up.

 A 13 year-old, yes, 13 year-old was arrested for armed robbery in Jackson. JSMDH.

 The Mississippi Department of Education issued the following statement. 

 Mississippi Speaker of the House Philip Gunn issued the following statement. 

 There is no substitute for American strength. When America's enemies find weakness, they exert pressure. And today, America's enemies are finding weakness at nearly every turn.

State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement. 

Correction: Post stated Dennis Sweet, III, Esq. represents defendants.  Mr. Sweet represents Robinson's family in a civil suit filed against Fox, Lampley, and Barney. 

Former JPD officer Anthony Fox accused accused District Attorney Jody Owns of hiding a video tape that will clear him of a second-degree murder indictment in a motion to dismiss that was filed Monday in Hinds County Circuit Court. 

Hollywood is rebooting, are you ready for this, White Men Can't Jump.  This is not a joke.  IGN reports: 

The city of Jackson issued the following statement. 

The Jackson City Council wasted no time in asking a special judge to speed things up in Lumumba v. Jackson City Council.   The City Council filed a motion for an emergency hearing in Hinds County Chancery Court today.  The motion also asks the Court to void a one-year emergency garbage contract Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba awarded to Richard's Disposal of New Orleans. 

 Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann issued the following statement. 

Jackson finally released its 2020 financial report and it contained  both good news and bad news for the water/sewer department.  The good news is the water/sewer department didn't have a $17 million loss as it did in 2019. The bad news is the water/sewer department still operated at a $10 million loss. Ouch.

MADRID— I spent the final month of 2011 in Spain. I was nearing the end of a six-month sojourn with my wife, 14-year-old daughter, and 10-year-old son. We covered a large part of the country— Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, and Malaga. There were several other stops such as Segovia for the meats and Bilbao for the arts, but our focus was on those other cities.

Keifer's will open a restaurant on Highland Colony Parkway across from Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison. 

Third-generation Mississippi newspaper publisher William Henry (Billy) Harris, Jr., 70, died March 1 at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo. A chapter closes on a rather remarkable family’s contribution to print journalism in this state with his passing.

 As expected, Waste Management filed a motion to intervene in Lumumba v. Jackson City Council today in Hinds County Chancery Court as it tries to open a second front against Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba.  

The Russo-Ukraino War continues to dominate the news.  Unfortunately, that means we are afflicted with clueless broadcasters, propaganda from both sides, and of course, the military expert. No war coverage is complete without the respected military expert.  The airwaves and bandwidths are saturated with exes, formers, and retireds expounding away night after night as they try to penetrate the fog of war while we try to figure out what it all means.  Ignore most of them.  They don't know much more than you do about what is going on over in Ukraine, they just know how to make their ignorance sound better is all. However, if you want to gain a better understanding of what is taking place in the war,  you might want to check out a book published a few years ago by none other than the U.S. Army.  It might know a thing or two about the Russian military.  

The Foreign Military Studies Office of the U.S. Army published a study of the Russian military in 2016,  The Russian Way of War: Force Structure, Tactics, and Modernization of the Russian Ground Forces.  If seeking a better understanding of the war and how the Russian army fights, this book is not a bad place to start.  It can be downloaded for free in pdf format.  The book is posted below as well. 

The Mississippi Legislature continued to SLRP at the public trough last year.  What, you may ask, is SLRP? SLRP is a special benefit the legislators voted themselves many moons ago.  The acronym aptly describes the program: a bunch of pigs slurping away getting fat and happy at our expense.  The Legislature created the Supplemental Legislative Retirement Plan in 1989 to give themselves an extra retirement benefit not available to other state employees.  Call it time and a half pay for doing half of the work. 

 Ridgeland lawyer David Merideth, M.D. sued Russian Premier Vladimir Putin in Madison County Circuit Court for $10 billion yesterday.  

 Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann issued the following statement. 

 Waste Management took its ball and went home today in Hinds County Circuit Court after it filed a motion to withdraw its lawsuit against the city of Jackson without prejudice.  However, Waste Management's lawyer, Chase Bryan, entered an appearance in Lumumba v. City Council of Jackson in Hinds County Chancery Court this afternoon. Motion to intervene, anyone? 

 Leftenent Governor Delbert Hosemann issued the following statement. 

 It appears Hinds County is getting a new jail.  WLBT reported last week: 

 Train up a child the way he should go and verily I say unto you he will not depart from his ways. 

Charles Conway sued Beth Ann White  and Billy McQueen in Hinds County Circuit Court on March 8 for the wrongful death of his wife and baby in November.   Police charged White with two counts of Aggravated DUI-Death after she allegedly plowed into the Conways' vehicle on Highway 18, killing Allison Conway and her infant son.  Two other daughters were severely injured in the crash.  

 The city of Jackson attacked Waste Management's "empty lawsuit" Thursday in Hinds County Circuit Court.  Waste Management sued for an injunction against Jackson after Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba issued an emergency one-year contract to Richard's Disposal of New Orleans.

This week on StokesRadio, the  Jackson Ward 3 City Councilman discusses his meeting with the FBI, the garbage contract, and of course, suing the Mayor.  One thing the show won't be is boring.  Enjoy. 

 More than a few people probably missed church this morning due to the time change.  If you are one of the late-sleepers, posted below is a 1993 sermon by the late Dr. Frank Pollard of First Baptist Church (Jackson).  What are the fuzzies? Dr. Pollard mentioned them in relation to an "unfocused life."  Enjoy

 Let’s see. Last summer at the Neshoba County Fair, Gov. Tate Reeves and House Speaker Philip Gunn pledged to prevent Mississippi schools from teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT). Reeves called CRT “a push from radical leftists.” Gunn called it a ““socialist agenda item.”

 If you are looking for some good music tonight, check out Fleetwood Mac's 1975 concert from the Capital Center in Largo Maryland.  The gang is all there but the concert takes place before the days of Rumors and better known albums.  The show is posted below as is the setlist.  Fix a drink or some medical marijuana and enjoy. 

 If you want a different perspective on the Russo-Ukraino War, check out the Youtube channel Task & Purpose.  Former Army infantryman Chris Cappy analyzes the "40 mile convoy" and why it may not be stalled as he provides a somewhat different analysis than what one sees in the media.  Keep in mind the video was released Monday so some of the information is probably dated.  

 COVID-19! It’s spreading around the world and nothing can stop it. No one is immune. No medications can stop it or even impede its spread. We are all going to die! If everyone locks down for two weeks, we can bend the curve. Three more weeks. Isolate all summer, wear masks, distance socially. Close churches and all other non-essential places where people gather. 

 Our state economist had a perfect explanation for inflation last week.  WLBT reported: 

 Maybe it's time to change the flag on your social-media avatar.

 Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones issued the following statement. 

 The Administrative Office of Courts issued the following statement. 

Convicted pimp Steve Hutton is going home.  The former Director of the Mississippi State Fairgrounds pleaded guilty to promoting prostitution in Madison County Circuit Court in August.  

Hinds County District Attorney issued the following statement.

 Courtney Rainey struck out in her attempt to win her freedom after the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed her conviction for voter intimidation. 

 Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba's staff tried to manhandle the media Tuesday after City Attorney Tori Martin stormed out of the City Council meeting. 

 The Mississippi Department of Education issued the following statement. 

 It appears the Executive Director of the Mississippi Board of Dental Examiners likes to wear a gun and a badge when he leaves the office. 48 Hours, anyone? 

Update (3/10/22;12:30 PM): City Council voted to hire the Martin & Martin law firm to fight Mayor's lawsuit.  

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba sued the Jackson City Council today in Hinds County Chancery Court in an effort to break the deadlock over awarding a garbage contract to Richard's Disposal.  

 Welcome to another edition of StokesTV.  Local celebrity Othor Cain interviewed Jackson Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth I. Stokes last week and as expected, it was quite entertaining and informative as well. Enjoy. 

For the past couple of months, we have hosted a special guest in our home. Feline Been is the daughter of our good friend Marina Mengleberg. Marina, Feline, and her brother Alec all live in the small Tuscan village of Barberino-Tavarnelle. In addition to being friends with Marina we work together hosting tours in Tuscany and other Italian locales. I have gotten to know her children over the years and— even though I didn’t go through the official ceremony— I consider them both my godchildren.

 A shooting took place at the Faurecia  plant in Gluckstadt.  

 The Jackson City Attorney had a complete meltdown during the special meeting of the City Council yesterday as the City Council sparred with her over what else but the garbage contract.  

 State Sen. John Polk, R-Hattiesburg, the chairman of the Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee, kept observers wondering for the first two months of the 2022 legislative session what would be the fate of efforts to revive the state's ballot initiative process.

 The Clarion-Ledger is eliminating the Saturday newspaper.  If you subscribe to the Wall Street Journal or New York Times, you probably got this message today: 

 This week, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine dragged on, gas prices in America soared to their highest levels since 2008, increasing over 57 cents in just one month. In parts of the United States, gas at the pump costs in excess of $7 per gallon.

 The Mississippi State Department of Health issued the following statement. 

Deandre Harper is going back to prison.  Flowood Police arrested Harper and a woman in a carjacked vehicle on February 24.  The Flowood Police Department said: 

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

 This post is reprinted with permission of The Taxpayers Channel. 

According to inventory reports and warehouse receipts examined by The Taxpayers Channel, Express Grain sold soybeans to at least one financing company that it didn't actually possess.

 Blast from the past or back to the future? You decide. 

 The complications arising in the production of wine can be so voluminous that it takes a multi-year college degree to master the basics, and after that it takes years to become an expert in all of its manifestations.

 Mayor Lumumba's press conference just started.  Will he fire back at Kenneth Stokes or the City Council? Tune in below. Start at 9:45. 

 What would a Hinds County Board of Supervisors meeting be without some fireworks? 

 Ruth Cummins authored the following press release for UMC. 

 When Dr. Kristina Cherry became chief nursing executive at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the global pandemic was still in full swing – as was a national nursing shortage.

She put into action a short-term goal: workforce planning, not just for the present, but for UMMC’s future.

 A battle is brewing in the Mississippi legislature over how to help Jackson's water system.  A State Representative got her bill through the House only to see the Senate gut her bill and replace it with language from another bill last week. 

 Jackson Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes tripled down on his dope comments this morning on WOAD.  JJ could only record the last 13 minutes of his soliloquy but those 13 minutes are colorful as always when Mr. Stokes is the speaker.  Enjoy.

 Missed church? No problem, JJ has ya covered with a remedial sermon.  Enjoy the late Dr. Frank Pollard's preaching in this 1993 homily. 

 The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) wants to stand up a new venture capital non-profit to handle $52 million in COVID funds coming to Mississippi. A bill is pending in the Legislature to do just that.

Hmmm.

 To those still rational enough to know their own biological gender (a challenge the woke have elevated to the equivalent of solving the Goldbach Conjecture) do not be surprised by a world of lemmings who cannot discern cause and effect, but only which way to run.

 Good news is coming to the Planetarium downtown. WAPT reported:

 American media outlets characterize Russia's invasion of Ukraine as, variously and concurrently, the bloodthirsty act of a Hitlerian madman, part of an attempt to reconstitute the former Soviet Union and, predictably continuing the silently debunked Russiagate narrative of the last six years, an assault on the concept of democracy motivated by President Vladimir Putin's supposed fear that his own people might get jealous of the freedom next door. Sen. Marco Rubio even implied that U.S. intelligence officials believe two years of COVID lockdown drove Putin nuts.

 Some readers have been dying to discuss a certain topic and tonight they are going to get their wish.  None other than Russell Brand took on the topic of the World Economic Forum.  Dr. Klaus Schwab, digital IDs, social credits, and heartbeat IDs were all discussed on his Monday show. Enjoy.

 The Jackson City Council voted to condemn Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and his staff for accusing the Council of accepting bribes on the garbage contract. Mayor Lumumba did not attend the meeting.  

 Jackson Urban Praetor Chokwe Antar Lumumba issued the following statement. 

State Representative Nick Bain apparently has no problem with kids setting dogs on fire.  The House Judiciary "B" Committee Chairman refused to bring up SB #2261 for a vote before the March 1 committee deadline. 

 State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement yesterday. 

 War rages in Ukraine as the natives fight heroically while the Russians do what they always do, overwhelm the enemy with numbers.  Sun-Tzu stressed the importance of knowing the enemy.  Putin is portrayed as a madman, tyrant, and even Hitler in some circles. It is so human to turn such foes into cartoon characters. Such thinking is sloppy and often ignores reality. Well, the world suffered because the few who read Mein Kempf failed to take it seriously.  In the same vein, it might not be a bad idea to become familiar with Alexander Dugin.  Some call him the most dangerous philosopher in the world.  Others call him "Putin's brain."

 Check out the agenda for tomorrow's meeting of the Jackson City Council. 

 In September 2020, January Littlejohn went to pick up her 13-year-old daughter from middle school. Littlejohn is a stay-at-home mother to three children and a licensed mental health counselor in Florida. So when her daughter informed her that the school administration had begun encouraging her to identify as transgender, Littlejohn was shocked. 

Correction: The post originally reported the Mississippi Supreme Court suspended Mr. Yoder.  Although the Supreme Court issued the order, a complaint tribunal rendered the decision and authored the opinion.  

A complaint tribunal suspended attorney Dow Yoder from the practice of law for three years Tuesday after he commingled clients' funds with his own personal funds. 

 The Flowood Police Department posted the following statement on Facebook. 

 December is considered the month for giving in these parts, but something is going on in February. Last week I was gifted an organized binder filled with many of my original handwritten recipes from the early days at my first restaurant. This week through the love, care, and concern of one of my longest standing friendships, I received one of the most thoughtful gifts imaginable.

 Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann issued the following statement. 

No comment.  No comment at all.  Not.saying.a.word.

 The Mayor claimed the Jackson City Council reappointed him to the 1% Sales Tax Commission yesterday.  However, the appointment may not be an appointment after all since a majority of the City Council did not vote for the Mayor.

 Dayumn.  Jackson Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes went fourth and accused Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba of well, partaking in certain recreations.  Watch the video. 

 Our esteemed Senator, the honorable and distinguished Roger Wicker, thinks we should establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine.  The Huffington Post reported Monday: 

 Last week’s Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent resistance efforts by Ukrainian defenders of their homeland was neither unexpected nor particularly surprising to members of the Mississippi State University students and faculty who heard now-prophetic warnings of just such actions from former Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Valeriy Chaly during an August 2016 visit to Mississippi that brought the diplomat to the MSU campus.

Correction: The post reported the City Council rejected the Mayor's nomination to the 1% Sales Tax Commission. The City Council voted 3-2-2 to approve the nomination.  However, there is a question whether the Mayor needed a majority of the votes or just one more yea than nea to win the appointment.  The Mayor and the City Attorney told WLBT he was reappointed.  The one-minute video posted below will show the confusion surrounding the vote. 

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba claimed victory today after the City Council voted 3-2-2 for his reappointment to the 1% Sales Tax Commission. 

The Sacred Cow of Sacred Cows in Mississippi continues to spiral out of control.  The Thirteenth Check mushroomed to a record $800 million in 2021 as the PERS annual cost of living adjustment shot up $48.5 million. 

 The Clinton Police Department issued the following statement. 

 Attorney General Lynn Fitch issued the following statement. 

 Will the House Judiciary "B" Committee help the Buddy's of Mississippi? Buddy is a sweet dog a 12-year old demon set on fire last year.  The hellion could not be prosecuted because of his age.  Senate bill #2261 aims to fix that problem but it may die in the committee today.