The Southern Poverty Law Center charged that the state favors white school districts such as Desoto County over black school districts such as Jackson Public Schools when funding education. However, the lawsuit was long on rhetoric about discrimination and short of any analysis of the actual finances of each district. A short comparison of the two districts is posted below. JJ dug through the audits that are submitted to the State Auditor each year in an attempt to do Will Bardwell's homework for him. The audits reveal that Jackson spends nearly $2,000 per student than does Desoto despite having 6,111 fewer students Desoto.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
A Tale of Two School Districts
Who will watch the fox?
Well, well, well. It seems someone doesn't want outsiders looking at public schools in Mississippi. HB #905 would have transferred the authority to audit public schools from the State Auditor to the Mississippi Department of Education. The bill stated:
Junior League gives $400,000 to Children's of Mississippi
UMMC issued the following press release.
Rick Cleveland: Blues Marathon needs a sponsor.
Jackson's highly acclaimed Mississippi Blues Marathon, which annually draws thousands of participants from all 50 states and several foreign countries, has been running for 10 years.
There might not be an 11th, and that, for my money, would be a shame.
AG: D.A. indicted again
Attorney General Jim Hood issued the following press release.
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Indictment: D.A. pointed a gun at girlfriend.
Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith is on his way to the Rankin County government complex to pick up an indictment against him. A Rankin County grand jury indicted him for one count of aggravated stalking, one count of robbery, one misdemeanor counts of simple assault domestic violence. The Attorney General is prosecuting the case. The indictment and mug shots are posted below.
Kingston Frazier update: The deputy in question.
A disgraced former JPD officer was working a security detail at the Kroger on I-55 North when Kingston Frazier was kidnapped on May 18. Hinds County Deputy Mertis Walker was indicted for extortion when she was a JPD officer in 2002 but her prosecutions ended in mistrials. It is not known where she was when six year-old Kingston Frazier was kidnapped early that morning. He was murdered several hours later.
Remembering the fallen
JJ kind of took a break over the holiday weekend but does not want to leave Memorial Day without posting this video produced by the Marine Corps.
Southern Poverty Law Center sues Mississippi over education funding. (Updated)
Quite a few readers have asked about the Southern Poverty Law Center lawsuit that was filed last week against the state of Mississippi over the funding of education. It is posted below for your perusal. The SLPC also issued the following statement on its website that provides a concise summary of the lawsuit:
Monday, May 29, 2017
Victims names released.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations released the names of the victims killed in Lincoln County yesterday:
"Suicide by cop was my intention."
Yesterday was a horrible day in Mississippi. A Lincoln County man killed eight people at three different locations yesterday. One of the victims was a Lincoln County deputy. Three women and two boys were killed as well.
Sunday, May 28, 2017
D.A. will appeal to Supreme Court
The odds of the continuance of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith's trial scheduled to take place next month just increased. Mr. Smith filed a notice of appeal with the Hinds County Circuit Court Friday. Special Circuit Judge Larry Roberts denied the defendant's motion to bar a retrial due to double jeopardy. Mr. Smith was indicted for improperly helping criminal defendants. His January trial ended in a mistrial. However, Mr. Smith has not yet filed an actual appeal.
Trading the soul for the self
The late Dr. Frank Pollard preaches on putting God first in this 1988 sermon. He even works some Nietzsche and Hegel into one of his better sermons. Enjoy.
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Farewell to Gregg Allman
Greg finally left this world to join Duanne in the next. Here is a memory of those two magnificent musicians:
Bill Crawford: Mississippians getting older.
Mississippi is getting older. No, this is not about our Bicentennial, but
our people.
Since 1980 Mississippi's total population increased 18.5% but the
population of residents aged 65 and older jumped 43.3%. This pushed the median age up from 27.6 years
in 1980 to 36.5 years in 2015. Over that time, the percentage of population aged
65 and older moved from 11.5% to 14%.
Click Here to Read More..
Friday, May 26, 2017
For your viewing pleasure.
Three-day weekend and nothing to do? JJ makes some recommendations for those who want to lounge around the house this weekend. .
The Burglary Blues
Someone tried, tried mind you, to rob E&L Barbeque this week in a rather humorous fashion:
AG issues Consumer Guide on body shops
Attorney Generalissimo Jim Hood issued the following statement.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
The Great Game begins
HBO dropped a new Game of Thrones trailer yesterday. There is one scene that is pretty awesome.
13 year-old rapist gets 25 years.
Remy Harvey was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to kidnapping, armed robbery, and carjacking yesterday in Hinds County Circuit Court. He was only 13 years old when he and 16 years-old Eddie Devine kidnapped and raped a woman at gunpoint at Hallmark Gardens Apartments in April 2014.
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| Harvey yells at reporters in 2014. Source: WAPT |
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Third-grade reading-gate results: The kids are readin'.
More and more Mississippi third-graders are learning how to read. The little tots showed tremendous improvement on the third-grade reading-gate tests this year. The Mississippi Department of Education press release mildly states that the passing rates improved from 85% in 2015 to 87% in 2016 to 92% this year. However, the real story is in the weeds. The number of schools that saw over a third of their students fail the test went from 47 in 2015 to 0 this year. It appears that after a rough first year, the students, teachers, and parents buckled down and got to work on learning how to read.
Still partying in the county jail
The partying continues at the Raymond Detention Center. Check out Demario Webster. He is just Facebooking away while he is sitting around at the Hinds County jail.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Funeral for Kingston
Here is the funeral information for Kingston Frazier.
Epps goes to slammer for 235 months
The Justice Department issued the following press release.
Should Oliver resign?
Representative Karl Oliver (R-Bull Run) tried to apologize for his lynching comments he made on Facebook but calls for his resignation grew. The Unreconstructed Southerner made this comment on Facebook Sunday:
Sex offender gets 40 years
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood issued the following statement.
The airport follies continue
The city of Jackson submitted an open records request to various airport authorities and their corresponding local governments throughout Mississippi. The requests are rather interesting in that they ask for color photographs of their respective governing bodies. Jackson did not request that there be a paragraph and arrows on the back of each color glossy photograph.
Rick Cleveland: The ladies lead the way.
We are nearing the halfway point of 2017. Interesting to note, in Mississippi sports these first five months, women have provided the most meaningful and poignant success stories, the most lasting memories.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Enter the Dragon
New photos from season seven of Game of Thrones were released yesterday:
No bond for accused Kingston killers (Updated with complete coverage)
Madison County Justice Court Judge Bruce McKinley denied bond for Dwan Wakefield, DeAllen Washington, and Byron McBride at their initial appearance today. A preliminary hearing will be held for them on June 26 at 9:00 AM. Madison County Prosecutor Pamela Hancock told Judge McKinley that the state will seek the death penalty for McBride.
Insurance Commissioner issues bulletin on opioids.
Mississippi Commissioner of Insurance Mike Chaney issued the following bulletin.
Monday, May 22, 2017
"My son didn't kill that baby!"
Byron McBride, Sr. lashed out at the media today after a Madison County Justice Court Judge denied bond for his son. Judge Bruce McKinley denied bond for Byron, McBride Jr. He was arrested for capital murder in the death of six year-old Kingston Frazier. McBride attacked the media, saying they had already convicted his son. Watch the video for yourself:
Accused Kingston killers face Judge today
The suspects in the murder of young Kingston Frazier will make an initial appearance in Madison County Justice Court today. However, Dwan Wakefield, Jr., DeAllen Washington, and Byron McBride will not actually appear in the courtroom, but will make their appearance through the use of video conferencing. Death threats have been made against the suspects and law enforcement officials decided to take no chances with their safety.
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Dumbass of the Day
Update: Speaker Philip Gunn called on Oliver to apologize:
“I condemn the comments recently posted on Facebook by Rep. Karl Oliver,” said Speaker of the House Philip Gunn. “They do not reflect the views of the Republican party, the leadership of the House of Representatives or the House as a whole. Using the word “lynched” is inappropriate and offensive. We call on Rep. Oliver to apologize.”
One of our esteemed legislators decided to get real stupid on Facebook and that is putting it mildly:
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Tag info not required for Amber Alert Activation
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Med Board cans Executive Director
The Mississippi Board of Medical Licensure fired Executive Director Dr. John Hall less than a year after it hired him. The Board fired him last Thursday because he and the Board apparently did not agree on how doctors should be disciplined. The Clarion-Ledger reported:
Sunday morning sermon
The late Dr. Frank Pollard was on fire as when he preached this sermon in 1988. It is probably his most direct commentary on society today out of the 40 sermons that have been posted on this website. If you can't make it to church, enjoy the sermon.
Saturday, May 20, 2017
The cultural kudzu of East Jackson
Collection of all Gold Coast posts.
The Gold Coast didn't slow down in 1947 even after the 1946 crackdown that took place after a Rankin County Constable and bootlegger killed each other. Some Clarion-Ledger headlines give an idea of the lawless culture that defined the Gold Coast:
Click Here to Read More..
MC carjacker returned to Mississippi
The Clinton Police Department issued the following press release.
Click Here to Read More..
Bill Crawford: Stand up to tax dodgers.
It's time for Mississippi taxpayers to stand up to tax dodgers.
It's time to revolt against the State's unfair and discriminatory behavior in the collection of taxes on retail sales.
Click Here to Read More..
Friday, May 19, 2017
Take a break.
This place could use some dog therapy after the last couple of days:
Kingston Frazier update: Who told what when?
When did the Hinds County Sheriff's Office learn about the kidnapping of the late Kingston Frazier? Sheriff Mason told reporters at a press conference yesterday that his deputy did not know a crime had been committed until 2:30 AM:
Kingston was shot more than once.
It's time to kill a rumor about the murder of little Kingston. This rumor is spreading like wildfire on social media:
Capital Murder!!!!
Madison County Sheriff Randy Tucker arrested D'Allen Washington, Byron McBride, and Dwan Wakefield for capital murder in the death of six year-old Kingston Frazier yesterday:
Coming soon
We could all use a break. Check out what is coming to Netflix:
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Third person arrested in Kingston's murder.
The Madison Sheriff arrested Byron McBride a few minutes ago. Law enforcement sources tell JJ that McBride is the suspected shooter in the murder of little Kingston Frazier.
Wakefield was Ridgeland QB, Washington arrested.
Update #3 (3:05 PM): Washington is in custody in Madison County and is under arrest. He and his attorney left the Hinds County Sheriff's Office and went to Madison County to surrender.
Update #2 (2:55 PM): Washington turned himself in to Hinds County authorities. David Kenney (WLBT) reported on Twitter: "I'm not sure this second suspect is in custody. He's getting into a private vehicle, no handcuffs on, with a towel to hide his face."
Update: There is a big rumor that Washington was killed by a SWAT team at the Azalea Manor apartments. Police sources say that is not true and he is going to turn himself in later today.
Police have in custody Dwan Wakefield of Ridgeland. Wakefield is a person of interest in the murder of little Kingston Frazier. Wakefield was the quarterback last year of the Ridgeland High School football team. Keep in mind he is a person of interest, not a suspect. His father was convicted of cocaine possession in 2011.
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