Jackson Jambalaya

 Former Mississippi Department of Education Director Cerissa Neal submitted a petition to plead guilty to one count of engaging in a monetary transaction with funds gained from an unlawful activity in U.S. District Court today. A federal grand jury indicted Neal, Joseph Kyles, David  Hunt, and Lambert Martin for a bid-rigging and kickback scheme.

Meanwhile over in Georgia (although it should be in Florida): 

Small Town Guy

— John Mellencamp 

I'm a small town guy. I have good friends who live in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and large metropolitan areas all over the country. They thrive in those environments. I get it. I love the access that big cities afford— so much at your fingertips— and for a guy who eats, sleeps, and breathes restaurants, big cities are in my professional wheelhouse.

At this writing, the debt ceiling drama – the annual political kabuki theater between Congress and the White House over agreeing on the total amount of money that the United States government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations – continues in earnest.

Commissioner of Agriculchah & Commerce Andrew Gipson issued the following press release. 

 The Mississippi Automobile Dealers Association, representing car dealers across the state, endorsed Delbert Hosemann in his bid for re-election for Lt. Governor today. 

“Legislation aimed at growing our educated workforce and encouraging our state’s small businesses to thrive and grow are priorities for us. With his past experience as a businessman, Delbert understands the important role car dealers play for Mississippians and the communities we serve,” MADA President Marty Milstead said.

 Cappaert Manufactured Housing shut its Vicksburg doors recently.  The manufactured housing manufacturer opened in 1987.  

Must serve at least 10 years day for day. 

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

 Hinds County jail escapee Joseph Spring won't be able to count on one family member for help although there might be a family reunion once he is captured.  

This guest column was authored by Mississippi Center for Public Policy President Douglas Carswell. 

Mississippi, it is often said, has an incarceration problem. Our state locks up too many people for too long, we are told.   

 The Mississippi Supreme Court agreed to expedite consideration of the appeal of the dismissal of the HB #1020 lawsuit in Hinds County Chancery Court.  

 Update: Lewis is captured. 

Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones issued the following statement and mug shots. 

Update: Aiken was ticketed and arrested only for speeding.  His court date was supposed to be in January but when he lawyered up, the case was postponed until September.  

Never let it be said the Mississippi Highway Patrol doesn't hand out switches and coals for Christmas.  Check out this arrest in Marshall County on Christmas Eve last year. 

 The University of Mississippi Medical Center issued the following press release. 

 The Madison Police Department issued the following statement. 

The spokes are strong, the wheel turns as it should, but how far will the bicycle go if the hub is weak? Tis the question the late Dr. Frank Pollard asked in the 1995 sermon posted below as he used the parable of the rich fool to illustrate how money corrupts the hub as it destroys yet another life.   Enjoy the brief sermon as Dr. Pollard could say more in 15 minutes than many preachers say in 50 minutes (or more).  

 You probably missed the Mississippi Legislature’s PEER Committee report on the Mississippi Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS). Most of these annual discourses have been worth missing. But PEER’s FY 2022 report issued May 18^th was a little more bold than usual.

 The Battle over the Briarwood 1 building will end in a total demolition of the Briardwood Drive landmark.  

 Special Counsel John H. Durham submitted “Report on Matters Related to Intelligence Activities and Investigations Arising Out of the 2016 Presidential Campaigns” last week.

Bodycam video shows Jackson police officers repeatedly tasing Keith Murriel until he died.  A Hinds County grand jury indicted former officers Kenya McCarty and James Land for second-degree murder and Avery Willis for manslaughter in Murriel's death.  McCarty's bodycam video is posted below. 

Update: Mississippi Democratic Party files notice of appeal. 

Political troublemaker Bob Hickingbottom pulled it off.  Special Circuit Judge Forrest Johnson just placed Mr. Hickingbottom back on the Mississippi Gubernatorial Democratic ballot.  The Mississippi Democratic Party refused to accept his candidacy so Hickeydoo went to court to get his way.  

Do you remember the Jackson location for Steak and Ale? They were on the I-55 N frontage road, beside Blackwell Chevy, probably where the (now closed) Luby’s and Fuddruckers building is. During their time, I must have eaten at Steak and Ale 100 times. Back then, I had a boss from Chicago who was in residence in Jackson for several years during a start-up. He loved the place, and we would do business dinners, sometimes twice a week, because his wife refused to leave Lincoln Park for J-Town and he hated to cook in an empty house.

Thousand Island Dressing

Hinds County is actually moving closer to getting a new jail.  Sheriff Tyree Jones posted the following statement and photos on Facebook: 

Christina Dent penned this guest column.  She is the Founder & President of End It For Good, a Mississippi-based nonprofit inviting people to support approaches to drugs that prioritize life and the opportunity to thrive. She lives with her husband and sons in Ridgeland.

The recent indictment of El Chapo’s sons for their role in drug trafficking, money laundering, and violent crimes, highlights one more time what US drug policy has illustrated for decades. When the market for a popular drug is forced underground, all hell breaks loose.

 Meanwhile, over at WJTV's Youtube page.....

The indictments for former JPD officers Kenya McCarty and James Land are posted below.  The indictments state: 

Justice won yesterday in Desoto County as a MHP trooper's vendetta against a citizen came to naught. Special Justice Court Judge dismissed speeding, careless driving, and of course, disorderly conduct charges against James "Jimbo" Fischer in Desoto County Justice Court yesterday.    

 The Justice Department issued the following statement. 

 A Hinds County grand jury indicted three former Jackson police officers for second degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Keith Murriel. 

 Is it a coincidence several hospitals are leaving the Mississippi Hospital Association after the organization made a $250,000 donation to Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley? The Magnolia Tribune reported:

This post is a paid advertisement. 

Today, Governor Tate Reeves announced his first campaign television ad along with a $1.3 million advertising purchase that will run through June and into July. This is the beginning of a major media campaign to keep Mississippi in Republican hands and to promote the conservative leadership that Governor Reeves has demonstrated since taking office. 

 CHICAGO— I have been coming to this city almost every May for the past 35 years. This time of year is a perfect time to be in Chicago because the weather is brisk, the throng of summer vacationers have yet to arrive, and the restaurants and bars are jamming. The reason they’re so busy is because the National Restaurant Association’s annual trade show and conference is in town. The show brings around 65,000 restaurateurs to the city each year to peruse through the 700,000 square feet of convention center space dedicated to everything that has anything to do with the restaurant business. 

 The victims of the Brecon Drive armed robbery last week claimed on social media it took JPD over a half hour to show up after they called 911.  911 call logs indeed verify their claim.  

  Like most Mississippians, I was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of Johnny Morgan of Oxford in a plane crash in Arkansas. Morgan – a larger-than-life presence personally and politically – died May 17 while piloting his twin-engine Beech King Air E-90 aircraft near Fayetteville, Ark.

 A Hinds County grand jury indicted Jordan Cummins for two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of Josh Spann and Auden "Jubilee" Simpkins on March 25, 2023.  The indictment states:

The Mississippi Manufacturers Association Political Action Committee (MMA PAC), which represents manufacturers across the state, endorsed Delbert Hosemann in his bid for re-election for Lt. Governor today. MMA President and Chief Executive Officer John McKay said Hosemann’s record on workforce development and his advocacy for pro-business legislation earned their continued support. 

 Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following statement. 

 The city of Jackson finally beat San Francisco in something although it was not cuisine.  Oh well, beggars can't be choosers.  The San Francisco Standard reported: 

 Raiders of the Lost Ark, yes, Raiders of the Lost Ark is returning to the Jackson area in two weeks.  Whether reliving the childhood or exposing the kids to something new, the movie is fun for everyone.  Reserved seats are available on Fandango. 

Baghdad Bob, move over.  Mexican President Lopez Obrador  claims fentanyl is not produced in Mexico.  President Obrador peddled the fiction after a federal grand jury indicted 28 members of the Sinaloa Cartel for fentanyl trafficking and other crimes in April. CBS News reported: 

The Mississippi Department of Corrections issued the following press release.  

 The Jackson Cracker Barrel is now closed.  

 The suspects in the Brecon Drive armed robbery last week are still at large but JJ has been able to obtain some information on the suspects.  

 Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba is holding his weekly press conference right now.  The presser is streamed below. 

 JPD keeps on shrinking despite the city's best efforts to hide that little fact.  WLBT reported last week: 

Pearl, Canton, JPS Gain, Clinton Declines 

The Mississippi Department of Education issued the following statement. 

 A federal indictment provides a window in the world of terror that belongs to the Mexican drug cartels.  El Chapo might be behind bars but his little Chapitos are anything but little as they terrorize Mexico and parts of America with their control of the fentanyl drug trade.  

 What is faith? It's a question asked by many while bedeviling many through the ages.  Quoting Hebrews 1:1-6, the late Dr. Frank Pollard preached faith is a combination of intellect, emotion, and will in the 1993 sermons posted below. 

 “What’s Driving Presidential Turnover in Mississippi?” read Inside Higher Ed’s headline last week. “Four presidents have left Mississippi’s eight public institutions since last June, with little explanation,” began the article.