Jackson Jambalaya

The House Committee on Agriculture voted downHB #831 Wednesday afternoon. The bill, introduced by Representative Linda Whittington of Leflore, would have made animal cruelty a third-offense felony.

The bill would have made a first offense conviction a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not less than $200 and not more than $1,000 and imprisonment from thirty to one hundred eighty days. A second offense conviction would have doubled the fines and increased the minimum term of imprisonment to ninety days. A third conviction imposed fines of not less than $5,000 and imprisonment from one to five years.

Observers at the committee meeting inform JJ only three committee voted for the bill on a voice vote. Observers also said the voices voting against the bill were very loud as committee members showed their true feelings towards the bill. Chairman Greg Ward abstained from voting. It must be noted this is not Senator Hewes' much-publicized bill.

Stay tuned.

Why is Rankin County Sheriff's office investigating a possible homicide committed by a former reserve officer? Shouldn't the task be handed over to another law enforcement agency so as to avoid any appearances of impropriety?

the word on the street is Arnie Headerman will replace Brad White as interim Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party.

Did you know that Hinds County just awarded $40,000 to Derrick Johnson to handle redistricting for the county? Neither did anyone else as the item was not included in the agenda for the December 20, 2010 meeting but was brought up at the end of the session (Copy of Agenda) with no notice to the public. Minutes from the meeting state Supervisor Robert Graham made a motion"

Here are latest videos I found on Youtube of our glorious office-seekers:

The Mississippi Business Journal interviewed Republican gubernatorial candidate Dave Dennis. Check out the candidate for yourself in this video:

See Evans Case page for a collection of all posts on Evans case.

Update: Here are the plea agreements of Charles Evans and Chris Evans.


Charles and Chris Evans pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and bank fraud in U.S. District Court this morning before Judge Dan Jordan. Judge Jordan will sentence both defendants on June 27 at 1:00 PM. Charles Evans will remain in custody and Chris Evans will remain out on bail. JJ estimates the Evans brothers bilked over 40 banks for over $70 million.

Since a commentor last night wrote: "Palin's spotlight obsession is a problem.",I thought I would provide some examples of what was taking place out there in the editorial cartoon world to give one an idea of how much blame was being thrown at Sarah Palin last week. However, the commentor and other commentators here in town had a problem with her defending herself, not the comments or cartoons directed towards her. Enjoy the cartoons below.

Evans brothers are to plead guilty today at 9:30 AM in federal court.

Then there is this gem in the Clarion-Ledger on the Evans case from a few weeks ago:

"A case involving a former Jackson lawyer suspected in a multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud scheme was postponed in U.S. District Court Wednesday.

Charles Evans, 56, shackled and wearing an orange Madison County Jail jumpsuit, was escorted from a federal courtroom after Judge Dan Jordan announced a number of plaintiffs had not received ample notice of the hearing.

John Colette, Evans’ attorney, said the case likely will resume after the new year.

Evans and his younger brother, Chris, have been accused of using fictitious titles on commercial properties to cheat more than 30 Mississippi banks out of millions in loans.

Ladd's Palin obsession continues:

"You sure wouldn't think so, golden. But she is the one who insulted every Jew, as well as others who know the meaning of "blood libel" a few days later because she couldn't resist making it about her. Can you imagine how she would deal with all the criticism she'd get as president. Would we get a youtube of the day?
She missed such an opportunity to if not look presidential at least look like a confident, compassionate human being by leaving off the bottom of that statement and, instead, calling for everyone to be kinder and gentler toward each other. Like Obama did. Of course, she wouldn't be where she is based on kinder political discourse, so I guess it doesn't serve her needs. So very sad. posted by DonnaLadd on 01/14/11 at 09:22 AM"

Oh really? Gee Ladd, she might have posted a response after people like your idol Paul Krugman and others linked her to the Arizona massacre for several days in very prominent fashion. Then there is the matter of the obsession with Palin. After Palin received the Republican nomination for Vice-President, Madame Deladd wrote 18 out of 25 straight blog posts about her. She then tried to link her to slavery, the Confederacy, neo-seccesionists, and David Duke, then posted a headline calling her "white trash". How's that for toned-down rhetoric?

While we are talking about Palin, lets talk about what has happened to her over the last two years:

Her church was burned down yet was not considered a hate crime. Yeah, burn down that anti-Semite and Jew-hater Reverand Wright, and make no mistake, he IS an anti-Semite and see what would happen.

Comedians on national tv talk about raping her 14 year old daughter.

Prominent liberal websites such as Andrew Sullivan and Daily Kos repeatedly claim her child is not her own. That is pretty sick when you think about it and far worse than the wild charges hurled by birthers or truthers. Claiming a mother is not the mother of her child and trying to use it in politics. Disgusting. Ladd tried to blame this on conservatives.

Comedians saying she should be gang-raped by a bunch of black men. No call to tone down the rhetoric there by Ladd. or better yet: Sleazebags making porn movies about her (It was done to Hillary too, I know.).

Folks, we can disagree all day long about everything under the sun. Colorful language is fine. Its used in abundance on this site and others. Indeed, Voltaire and Twain are two of my favorite authors. You can think Palin is an idiot. You can call her a dingbat. A quitter. Opportunist. even a right-wing scumbag. If there is one thing some of my liberal and conservative friends agree on, it is they both think Palin is stupid. However, name-calling is not what is taking place here.

Burning down her church, talking about raping her daughter, making porn movies about her, claiming her child is not her child- that is pretty sick stuff and no politician, I mean no politician, should have to endure such garbage. This is not a matter of being a liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat, or Black or White. Ladd can sit there and bash Palin all she wants but the truth is, Ladd and Sullivan have something in common: a sick obsession with the former Alaska Governor that ignores all slights or crimes against her and criticizes her whenever she defends herself. The truth is, Ladd is threatened by strong, conservative women and becomes unhinged whenever they appear on the horizon. Pointing out Ladd's hypocrisy is not a matter of binary thinking but rather a matter of putting her comments into context. Some of the ugliest and meanest things said in the local media under the guise of journalism takes place on that website and have done so for years. Melton, McGowan, Barbour, Palin, Clarion-Ledger, it doesn't matter. All that matters is the enemies list and the CAUSE, everything else be damned.

old smear by Ladd against Palin, and another one

Might want to read this post in a forum first before you do.

Rescued a Ruby Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from a pound in West Memphis a couple of months ago. Madison came from a puppy mill that voluntarily shut itself down and turned in all of its "inventory" to the pound. Said inventory consisted of Pekineses, Poodles, and Cavaliers. Drove up there and got her. She was very friendly and trusting, much too good for her previous owners. Madison had ear mites real bad and then a bout of ghiardia right after I got her (of course she developed those symptoms five minutes after five the day before Thanksgiving.). To top it off, her back knees were both malformed and hip muscles were very weak. She was incapable of climbing steps or jumping on the couch. Poor thing walked real funny, kind of a waddle, because of her knees. Two vets said they were malformed due to living in a cage her whole life. Her bones and joints sounded real fragile. Every time I grabbed her a certain way or pulled on her, her body sounded like someone stepping on twigs: snap, crackle, pop. And hygiene. She had no clue what it was like to be clean (She was cleaned up when I got her.). At first she would always hide her food instead of eating it. I learned later this is typical behavior from puppy mill dogs. Even her stomach still sagged from a recent litter. She was around six years old. They must've been cranking those litters out of her every chance they got. The shelter in West Memphis was run by the city. It was strapped on resources but the staff was friendly and took good care of the animals. They were literally doing the best they could. Madison couldn't have been any nicer. She was completely docile. Her idea of fun was sitting next to you while you watched tv or read a book.













Pictures taken by Gloria Scott.

Well, she fit right in at home. Got the mites cleared up, put her on some good dog food by Natural Balance. She got to walk around the house as she pleased and never saw a cage. She discovered she loves riding in cars and laying on pillows. After two months of normal exercise and decent dog food, the creaking has mainly disappeared. Last week she jumped up on the couch for the first time ever. Apparently just normal walking around a house and yard as well as the diet has strengthened her hip muscles somewhat. Hopefully there will be more progress in the upcoming months. She will not lick your face but will lick your hands to death if you let her. She went to her new home last week where she is spoiled by two little girls, one in particular who likes to read to her. She now has not one, not two, but three pillows at her new home bought for her. No word yet if she has gotten a trip to the spa yet. She is still figuring out how to be a dog but has made much progress.

I posted an essay from the Wall Street Journal written by a Chinese-American comparing Chinese and American styles of parenting. The essay drew quite a few comments here and generated no small amount of traffic. Needless to say, the trend held true for the WSJ. A typical American mom wrote her own essay in response. More than a few letters were published as the original essay triggered an explosion of support and outrage among parents. Being the Yale Law Professor that she is, the Tiger Mother wrote her own response. Interesting reading.

the word on the street is David Landrum is Phil Bryant's finance chairman.

Quentin Whitwell's website is up. No word on whether anyone else will run against him although Marcus Ward's name is bandied about in some circles.

New poll is up: Is it time to change the name of the Ross Barnett Reservoir? Fire away.

This has been a busy week for Billy Hewes. Press conference discussing his bill to make animal cruelty a first-offense felony. The Hewes campaign also released this commercial posted below. Its cute and similar in nature to the Dilbert, um, Delbert, ads from a few years ago. Not a bad idea because the biggest challenge to Mr. Hewes right now is name recognition on a statewide basis (Reminds me of a joke Uncle Earl used to tell on the campaign trail.). The debates and policy outlines will come later. At this point Mr. Hewes probably just needs to concern himself with introducing himself to the voters. He did introduce one bill, #SB 2011 that will require drug testing for welfare recipients if enacted into law. All in all, the Lieutenant Governor's race is starting to take shape.

JJ readers voted State Senator Lee Yancey, a Republican from Brandon, as their favorite Mississippi legislator. Mr. Yancey received 21% of the vote in a field of 18. State Senator Walter Michel received 17% of the vote.

Who can forget this blast from the past when Farm Bureau threatened Jackson Jambalaya?

the word on the street is......

Pelahatchie Mayor Knox Ross is running for Lee Yancey's State Senate seat.

Wonder if this guy will perform at Ruth's Chris:

Well, its official. Mac's running for re-election. What do you think? Will Tyrone come back for a rematch of his ass-kicking four years ago? Is there a masked marvel waiting to step into the ring? Discuss.

This took place last summer and received a microscopic amount of coverage by the local media but I thought it was worth mentioning on this site. U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate sentenced her on June 11, 2010 to fourteen months in federal prison and four years of supervised release for one count of bank fraud and ordered her to pay $59,307 in full restitution. The U.S. Attorney's office indicted her on July 21, 2009 for embezzling from her employer, Regions Bank. Ms. Miller was a branch manager at the Ridgeland location. Ms. Miller pleaded guilty to the indictment.

The indictment states Ms. Miller would use false pretenses to inflate customers' lines of credit and then withdraw the excess amount, converting "those funds into cash or official checks for her personal use and benefit." The indictment also states she would withdraw funds from other credit lines to repay funds she had already "withdrawn from other customers' credit lines" from December 2006 until February 2008.

Not bad for nearly 40.

JJ reported a year ago 1232 Jackson employees had access to Fuelman cards according to a public records request submitted to the city. This public records request came on the heels of then-councilman Jeff Weill's much-publicized efforts to determine how much abuse took place in the fuelman program. WLBT reported on December 1, 2008 1008 city employees had access to Fuelman cards. Earlier post.

Since WLBT's report was published during the Melton administration, it is not fair to compare the number of employees with access to Fuelman cards in two different administrations. JJ submitted a public records request last week, a year after submitting the last one, asking how many employees had access to Fuelman cards. The city's response stated:

"The City currently has 1,254 employees that have a PIN number to access Fuelman. This number is assigned to them only and all purchases will show under their name and department."

Thus the number of employees with access to Fuelman cards has increased by 22 employees in a year and 246 employees in two years (including seven months of the Melton administration). JJ did not request the number of cards as cards are assigned to vehicles. The city assigns PIN numbers to employees. Phone calls seeking comment from the city yesterday were not returned. This correspondent will update this post with any new information provided by the city. It is also important to note while the number of employees given access to Fuelman cards may have increased, the gasoline expense itself may have decreased.

KIM Waaaaaaaaade is back on the air on WYAB, 103.9 FM. You can listen to his show live on the website.

You have a hearing on February 1, 2011 according to PACER:

"Notice of Hearing (RE: related document(s)[49] Motion for Default Judgment filed by Plaintiff TRAVELERS CASUALTY AND SURETY COMPANY OF AMERICA). Hearing to be held on 2/1/2011 at 02:30 PM Courtroom - Jackson for [49]. (McDowell, Kimber)"

Travelers has filed a motion for default judgment for $6.4 million against you by the way. Since you can't seem to get your notices that are mailed to you, consider this post a public notice that attempts to comply with the requirements of due process. In case Judge Ellington issues a bench warrant for failure to appear, here is a piece of very good advice: don't reach for a gun in a zipped-up bag with two Marshals holding guns on you. Ask Charles Evans how that turned out.

This dog was shot in the head prior to the burning of a house. Farm Bureau does not think such an act should be a first-offense felony.

WTNH in New Haven, Connecticut reports:
"East Haven, Conn. (WTNH) - Police in East Haven say a dog was shot in the head prior to a fire being set at a house on Warner Road. Now donations are needed to help the dog make a speedy recovery.

The bullet went in the right side of Sasha's face and broke her jaw..."
Article & video.

Senator Billy Hewes, R-Harrson and candidate for Lieutenant Governor, introduced SB #2127. This bill will make animal cruelty a felony-offense. Mississippi is one of only four states that do not have such a law. MS-FACT will hold a press conference today at 9:00 AM to promote Senator Hewes' bill. The press release is posted below.

I know, most of you will think of the author as being too harsh. A Chinese mother and Yale Law School professor, she doles out some stinging criticism to American mothers in the Wall Street Journal:

"A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:

• attend a sleepover
• have a playdate
• be in a school play
• complain about not being in a school play
• watch TV or play computer games
• choose their own extracurricular activities
• get any grade less than an A
• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama
• play any instrument other than the piano or violin
• not play the piano or violin...

Think she's tough? You haven't seen anything yet. Read the rest of her essay.

Update 1-11-11: Travelers filed a motion for default judgment yesterday.

Claiborne Frazier did not appear at a pre-trial conference last week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Judge Ellington presided over the conference in the $6.4 million complaint filed against Mr. Frazier by Travelers Insurance. Judge Ellington said Mr. Frazier did not return service of process even though notices were sent to his addresses in Mississippi and Florida. Mr. Frazier is not represented by an attorney after his counsel withdrew in April.

Travelers bonded several projects for Frazier Construction. Frazier fell on hard times and Travelers paid $6,405,585 for the completion of the projects. The insurance company claims it discovered after the loss, Claiborne Frazier's "financial were materially false and misleading" and "grossly overstated the value" of his assets and "grossly understated" the value of his liabilities. Travelers alleges Mr. Frazier sold heavy equipment and hid the sale despite the fact Travelers had a lien on the equipment. Mr. Frazier is said to have committed bankruptcy fraud and engaged in an "elaborate scheme" to defraud creditors and Frazier Construction.

Travelers seeks a judgment of $6,405,585 against Claiborne Frazier. Claiborne's brother Austin Frazier agreed to a non-dischargeable judgment of $5,000,000 with Travelers in his bankruptcy case. Travelers recently accused Sherry Frazier, Nan Copeland, Spencer Copeland, and several other defendants of working in concert with the Frazier brothers to defraud Travelers.

The Travelers complaint is not the only point of controversy in Claiborne's bankruptcy as several parties have obtained non-dischargeable judgments against Mr. Frazier in bankruptcy court while other actions are pending as well. Mr. Frazier in October 2008. Laws Construction and Bankfirst filed notices of appearance. The court dismissed the bankruptcy petition after Mr. Frazier failed to pay the $299 filing fee and was did not correct deficiencies in his bankruptcy filings. The case was reinstated a few months later. Mr. Frazier's 2004 exam is posted below.

Mr. Frazier claimed $5,847,300.00 in assets and $23,814,051 in liabilities in his schedule filed on October 28, 2008. Some noteworthy claims by creditors (Those mentioned later were not listed):

Amy Atwood Frazier: $24,000 (child support)
Acoustics Inc: $273,018
Baker Donelson: $55,000
Bancorpsouth default judgment: $1,269,533
Bankfirst: $200,000
Copeland Cook: $75,000
Hines-Philips Properties: $209,580
John Lyle Acoustics: $300,000
Kay Vanskisker: $75,000
Laws Construction: $389,238
Margaret Frazier: $1,000,000
Mark Smith: $34,696
Billy Atwood: $112,458
William Mathison: $250,000

The following actions have taken also place in his bankruptcy:

*Bancorpsouth obtained a non-dischargeable judgment against Mr. Frazier in bankruptcy court for $1,214,533 approved by Judge Ellington. BancorpSouth lent $5,400,000 to Van Buren Group LLC to build thirty condominiums in Oxford on September 5, 2001. Claiborne Frazier is the managing member of Van Buren. The debt was guaranteed by Austin Frazier, C.E. Frazier, Shelby Brantley, and Robert Crumpton. Van Buren defaulted on the note and BancorpSouth obtained a judgment in 2008 of $1,214,533 (plus interest of 8.5%). BancorpSouth claimed Claiborne sold seven units without turning over the proceeds of the sale to the bank in order to pay off the note. 21 units were sold by Van Buren, the proceeds of each sale were used to retire the debt. The bank alleged Mr. Frazier sold units for $251,289 (2003), $266,716 (2005), $265,857 (2003), $182,000 (2005), $250,418 (2003), $399,000 (2004), and $300,000 ($50,000 was paid to BancorpSouth). The bank claims other units may have been sold in similar fashion. The foreclosure and tax sale of the condos were the subject of a separate ruling by the Mississippi Court of Appeals.

Claiborne Frazier did not disclose these funds or actions in his 2008 bankruptcy petition. BancorpSouth showed up in bankruptcy court to contest the bankruptcy and obtain a non-dischargeable judgment against Mr. Frazier. (See below for complaint.) BancorpSouth claimed the debt should not be discharged under 18 USC 727 (debt can not be discharged if fraud took place).

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Edward Ellington issued an agreed order granting BancorpSouth's petition and imposed a non-dischargeable judgment of $1,146,649 on Claiborne Frazier on October 31, 2009. (Happy Halloween.) One part of this ordeal will sound familiar to readers who are familiar with the Evans case: Mr. Frazier apparently took the money from the buyers without transferring clear title to the condo units they purchased (Here's another bit of trivia for you Evans case experts: What do the Bancorpsouth deal and the G&B lawsuit have in common?).

*Kay Atwood Vanskiver filed a complaint on July 31, 2009 in Claiborne's bankruptcy objecting to discharging his debt owed to her. Ms. Vanskiver loaned Mr. Frazier $75,000 in 2006. Mr.Frazier informed Ms. Vanskiver she would be repaid if he sold any of three properties he owned. Frazier sold "his interest in Duck and Rice Farms, LLC" for $209,217 several months later and did not repay Ms. Vanskiver. She also accused Mr. Frazier of failing to disclose his debts and assets in the bankruptcy petition.

Mr. Frazier admitted the allegations and agreed to a non-dischargeable judgment of $85,000 plus an interest rate of 8.5% per annum from September 15, 2005, costs of collection, and attorneys fees of $17,000.

*Regions (formerly Amsouth) filed a notice of appearance. Regions obtained a judgment for $3,328,933 in 2007 in U.S.District Court. Regions filed suit in 2006. Regions loaned Vicksburg Developers, LLC $3,420,000 to construct Halls Ferry Station in Vicksburg. Claiborne Frazier is the managing member of the LLC. Vicksburg Developers defaultedin 2006. It should be pointed out the judgment was awarded by an arbitrator and approved bythe court. Regions has not filed a complaint against Mr. Frazier in bankruptcy as other creditors have done.

*Scott, E.R. (Jr.), and Shirley Hines filed a complaint against Mr. Frazier objecting to the discharge of his debts and accusing Mr. Frazier of fraud and false pretenses. The Hines allege Mr. Frazier induced them to invest $350,000 in a partnership with him under Frazier Development, LLC and other companies owned by Claiborne Frazier to purchase several "income-producing" properties in 2004 (Operating agreement). The Hines' allege once again Mr. Frazier (Say it out loud, class) sold the properties behind their backs and pocketed the money without giving the partners their contractual share of the proceeds. The complaint alleges Mr. Frazier received $1,423,274 from the sale of the properties in October 2005 and they did not learn about the sale until December from other parties. Mr. Frazier paid Scott Hines $190,000 when confronted about the sale.

The complaint also claims Mr.Frazier induced the Hines to invest in two companies he owned, Madison Market One, LLC and Madison Market II,LLC. The two companies owned land on Highway 51 in Madison. The Hines invested $292,000 in April 2005 in the two companies. The complaint accuses Mr. Frazier of selling the property a year later for $1,164,163 and once again, did not notify his partners about the sale and pocketed the proceeds (Closing statement). The Hines obtained a judgment against Mr. Frazier in Madison Chancery Court in September 2007 for $295,597 and another one in October 2007 for $322,330 plus interest. The debt claimed by the Hines in bankruptcy court is $341,000 and interest of 2,047 per month.

*Mr. Frazier's ex-wife, Amy Atwood Frazier, filed a judgement, claiming a $120,000 "loan" to Mr. Frazier. Travelers disputed the validity of the loan. It should be noted Ms. Frazier obtained the judgment from Judge Brewer in Madison Chancery Court the same day Mr. Frazier filed for bankruptcy. The couple was divorced in 2007.

*Holly Dian Hughes Crawford filed a copy of a child support order and judgment from Tennessee and Madison County and a motion to enter a judgment against Mr. Frazier for child support of a child fathered by Mr. Frazier. Mr. Frazier has not acknowledged the child nor provided any DNA evidence disputing paternity. His parental rights were terminated. The judgment amount is $106,800.

*Judge Ellington approved the sale of Mr. Frazier's interest in Six Shooters Hunting Lodge.

Judge Ellington instructed Mr. Crawford to schedule a hearing and if Mr. Frazier does not appear after sufficient notice is transmitted to him, a default will be awarded to Travelers after the proper procedures are followed.

Additional documents:Frazier sale of Six Shooter interests, Amended creditor list, Schedule of assets and liabilities

Earlier posts:
Travelers accuses Fraziers of "plundering" company
Travelers seeks $6.4 million from Claiborne Frazier
More on Frazier collapse: Claiborne Frazier's 341 exam

Animal Rescue Fund in Pelahatchie:

"we need hay! ASAP. if anyone wants to purchase us 3 or 4 bales, then if enough people bring us hay, we can get these babies snuggled up for the storm tomorrow. please consider helping. if you need someone to pick it up, either post here or call 601-750-2740 thanks"

Mr. Pickering will hold a press conference Monday announce his intention to run for re-election as Mississippi State Auditor.

Update: Hearing has been moved to 9:30 AM.


PACER today:

"Set/Reset Hearings as to Charles H. Evans, Jr, Jon Christopher Evans: Change of Plea Hearing reset for January 18, 2011 at 1:30 PM in Courtroom 2 (Jackson) before District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III. (SP)"

Hopefully the prosecution will notice the victims this time. ;-)

Attorney Vann Leonard will plead guilty January 31, 2011 in U.S. District Court. A notice filed in PACER states Mr. Leonard will waive indictment and submit a guilty plea to "count one of the information".

Mr. Leonard is accused of stealing $327,585 from the estate of Shirley Douglas. Ms. Douglas retained Jackson attorney Richard Schwartz after suffering injuries in an automobile collision. Ms. Douglas filed bankruptcy before Mr. Schwartz obtained a $500,000 settlement for her. Mr. Schwartz hired Mr. Leonard to deposit the settlement in the bankruptcy estate and approve payment of his $172,414 fee out of the estate. The judge approved payment to Schwartz. Ms. Douglas and the bankruptcy trustee sued Mr. Leonard and alleged he "stole" the remaining funds. Ms. Douglas claims the settlement would have paid off her debts. Instead of enjoying some financial freedom, Ms. Douglas's wages are garnished every two weeks due to her bankruptcy.

Jackson crime stats are up. Big thanks to Chris Mims who did the work himself to put them on the city website. Here ya go.

Jackson crime stats for week ending January 2, 2010.

Major crimes overview for week ending January 2, 2010.

Governor Barbour edged out Governor Christie in the latest JJ poll: Who should be the 2012 GOP nominee for President? I voted for Christie although I think in terms of ability to lead they are probably dead-even. Romney came in third. By the way, a little bird told me some of the recent hits on Haley in the conservative press and Politico are coming out of the Romney camp. No, the little bird does NOT come form the Barbour nest. Hope Mitt is ready for the big leagues because the Governor is not exactly someone with whom I would pick a fight.

City of Madison crime reports through January 4, 2010.

No updated crime stats for Jackson. Last reported ones are for week ending December 12, 2010. City informed me the person at JPD responsible for them is no longer at JPD. Chris Mims said he is working on updating them on the website.

Today is the day Charlie Mingus left this world. Probably my favorite Jazz musician of all time. He wasn't as prolific as Miles but when he was on, no one could touch him. No one. Here are two of my favorite pieces by him:

Molly Parker linked this lil ole report on state salaries on her Clarion-Ledger blog. Thought you guys might find this interesting. Enjoy.

Jeff Weill is now Judge Weill. Success hasn't gone to his head as he plans on driving the same beat-up Ford pick-up truck to work everyday. No Bentley's or Lexii for him. Congratulations to Judge Weill.

The word on the street is.....

The Wall Street Journal reported December 23:

"The head of the United Auto Workers said Wednesday the union will begin a campaign in January to organize hourly factory workers at foreign-owned car plants in the U.S..." Article

The Wall Street Journal provided a few more details in a story published about the UAW's efforts:

"The United Auto Workers union said it is prepared to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in a bid to organize employees, including a new push for hourly factory workers at foreign-owned car plants in the U.S..." Article


However, the UAW may not be interested in playing nice:

"But if the companies don't agree to a set of rules being promoted by the union to ensure what it calls free and fair union elections, he indicated the fight could turn nasty—and global.

The UAW, he said, would hold demonstrations at the corporate headquarters of these companies outside the U.S. as well as at their U.S. plants. In addition, it would picket their dealerships in the U.S. and abroad, and sports events globally that are sponsored by the car companies.

Mr. King said he will tap the union's strike fund of more than $800 million for the push, calling it the best way to protect his current membership. "We have, in many ways, pretty deep pockets in terms of what we're willing to spend," said Mr. King, adding that the union already approved spending $60 million on organizing at its convention in June. "We have really unlimited resources to devote to this. It's unlike anything that's been seen in the UAW in many, many years."

Driving GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy isn't enough for the UAW. While they brag about what they accomplished through "cooperation" with the Big Three, they conveniently forget the role their unreasonable contracts and jobs banks programs played in driving up the Big Three's labor costs (and yes, management made bad decisions as well.). The same hypocritical UAW that blasts Southern states for giving incentives to foreign auto manufacturers while it lobbies Northern states to do the same for Detroit. Earlier post about Northern financial aid, See earlier post about UAW propoganda. If America wants to wipe out Toyota, BMW, Mercedes, and Nissan, there is no better way to do it then sic the UAW on them. The UAW, doing to Mississippi what it did to Michigan.

Brad White is stepping down as Executive Director and Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party to run for Chancery Clerk of Simpson County this year. Mr. White made an announcement on his Facebook page. The announcement makes no mention of his status as Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party but sources have told JJ Mr. White will step down as Executive Director and Chairman.

When I first posted about the Frazier Construction debacle, I honestly had no clue what take place on this site. Simply put, this story received more traffic than anything related to Heather Spencer, Karen Irby, or Richard Troy Jones. However, once I began to dig into this story, its easy to see why this is the case. Numerous failed partnerships and real estate ventures. High-flying lifestyles where Aspen, the beach, and expensive hunting lodges were considered home. Child support lawsuits for an unclaimed child. Multiple multi-million dollar judgments the bankruptcy court refused to discharge. Prominent Jackson businessmen and families victimized. Lawsuits charging fraud and embezzlement. Banks claiming payments meant for them instead went into the Fraziers' pockets and so on. Here is Mr. Harris Claiborne Frazier's Chapter 7 341 meeting. Such a meeting is required under bankruptcy law. The creditors and trustee meet with the debtor in order to determine his true financial situation. I'm still reading through it but it contains some interesting information. Read on.