Jackson Jambalaya

Jackson Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth I. Stokes announced he will not run for Mayor. 

Will measles or polio make a comeback in Mississippi?  Mississippi led the national in childhood vaccinations for years.  However, a new law allows parents to exempt their children from required vaccines.  WLBT reported: 

How much do you imagine it costs to send a child to public school in Hinds County every year? $5,000 per year? Maybe $10,000? $15,000?

 Richard's Disposal managed to miss a few neighborhoods in Northeast Jackson yesterday yet again.  Good job, Richard's, good job.  

 Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives, Jason White, issued the following statement. 

Let's talk about sandwiches, starting with the historical legacy of a famous English Dude who made Time Magazine's Man of the year in 1762.

 The wheeling and dealing is going on at the capitol as the legislature is in session. A power broker of the House, State Representative and Trey Lamar breaks it all down in Empower Mississippi's latest podcast.  

 The Clown may be the court fool but he will no longer serves as a judge.  The Mississippi Supreme Court permanently suspended Grenada attorney Carlos Moore from the bench. 

 Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following statement. 

It's Mardi Gras season and you know what that means.  Randazzo's King Cakes are back at Nandy's Candy.Want the real thing? Swing by and get one.    Available flavors are cream cheese, traditional, and a limited amount of blueberry and strawberry.  You can call 601-362-9553 to reserve one as well. Enjoy.  

 The Baptist Medical Clinic in Northeast Jackson will close.  WLBT reported: 

 The city of Jackson issued the following statement. 

 Check out what Jackson mayoral candidate Zachary Servis suggested on Facebook: 

 Mississippi Today received quite a bit of assistance from Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba when his indictment was unsealed in November. 

Most of my life, I wasn’t a fan of Mardi Gras king cakes. Even during the decades when I consumed bucketsful of sugar—cereal straight out of the box, candy by the case—I still thought king cakes were over the top. Too sweet, too dry, too artificial. The filled ones I came across were like oversized jelly donuts with what seemed like overly sweet and gelatinous, pre-made canned filling, a thick, crackly layer of icing finished with so much colored granulated sugar it looked like someone emptied out the craft cabinet.

Mississippi is sporting a growing ability to recruit and land high-technology economic development prospects. One thing that Mississippi has not been known for is national expertise in computer science and cybersecurity. But as of last week, that reality changed when the U.S. Air Force announced that Keesler Air Base in Biloxi, Mississippi is now the national hub for cyber operations training in that branch of service.

 The city of Jackson issued the following statement, video, and artist renderings of the new park development, the Post at Farish Street, today. 

 Wille Nelson and family are coming back to Brandon in April. 

Top Golf took Ridgeland by storm when it opened December 20. While the rest of the media covered the grand opening in typical corporate fashion, the Kingfish covered it from a different angle.  JJ commissioned two Ole Miss students who just happen to be DJ's to cover the festivities from a different perspective.  Watch ZoZo and Mad Dog as they explore Top Golf. Enjoy. 

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

Thalia Mara Hall to open on January 18 as scheduled!

 Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba held his regular briefing this afternoon.  The presser as well as observations are posted below. 

 So I'm sitting in the middle lane of North State Street (Northbound) stopped at the UMC crosswalk Saturday.  Stopped in the right lane next to me was a minivan with a vanity plate that said "VOTEDEM."  

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

 All good things must come to an end, even down South.  

Watching this clip makes Buck and Aikman sound like nails on a chalkboard.

 It's the dawn of the New Year when hopes are birthed and goals are made.  Unfortunately, they all too often fade away as the new year ages.  What one needs is what the late Dr. Frank Pollard called "staying power."  Using the examples of Demus, Judas, and Paul, Dr. Pollard preached on the building blocks of staying power - while reciting all of Kipling's classic poem, If.  Enjoy the 1996 New Year's sermon posted below. 

The math for tax cuts gets a “bit tricky,” wrote the Magnolia Tribune in an article about cutting the sales tax on groceries. “Add in another likely attempt to fully eliminate the state income tax, and the path for more taxpayer relief is clouded at best.”

Need something good to watch this weekend? Check out these movies streamed on Youtube for, dare we say it?, Free! There are some real gems below.  

 Millsaps College suspended a professor because he allegedly emailed his personal opinions to students on his Millsaps email account. The Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression issued the following statement on its website: 

 Check out the city's new animal shelter. 

Uvalde "police" could learn a lesson from the New Orleans Police Department.  NOPD released body cam video of the response to the Bourbon Street Massacre.  

 A little firebug thought he was going to do some more of the Devil's work in Los Angeles.......

 Mold, rats, crumbling buildings.  Hotel O?  Nope.  Such describes Jackson's fire stations.  The long-suffering firefighters have had enough and are speaking up.  WAPT reported: 

The patty melt is one of several rye sandwiches, all of which taste really good and are easy to make. That's all I need to say.

 Check out the original opening scene of Lethal Weapon.  For some reason, this clip made it to the cutting room floor. 

 The Madison Police Department issued the following statement. 

 Mississippi gazillionaire Tommy Duff is entering the political fray.  

 Well, well, well.  Someone tried to prank Kenneth I. Stokes.  

 First Consul Tate Reeves issued the following statement. 

 Legends tell the tale of a long-lost casino up in Tunica, Ms.  Although it has eluded treasure-seekers and archeologists for many years, a team of determined YouTubers explored the wilderness of Tunica County in an attempt to find the ghost casino. The video of their search is posted below.  

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," John 13:15. 

 The Justice Department issued the following statement. 

Just another night at a local establishment.  

For most of my early life, barbecue wasn’t much of a staple. Not because I didn’t like it—far from it—but because there simply weren’t a lot of barbecue options in Hattiesburg, Mississippi during the 1960s and 70s. There was a popular legacy restaurant called The Wagon Wheel, and it was beloved by locals, though many folks raved more about their yeast rolls than the actual barbecue. I’m sure I ate barbecue there at some point, but I wish I had eaten more. We just didn’t eat out much when I was a kid, and by the time I became interested in restaurants and food, The Wagon Wheel had served its last meal.

 There's still some fight left in Leroy Walker and Socrates Garrett.  Retro Metro filed a notice of appeal in U.S. District Court on December 19 after it failed to get the Court to enforce its Metrocenter lease against the city of Jackson. 

Native Mississippian Wilson Golden is a proud “yellow dog” Democrat. A Marshall County product with strong ties to Clarksdale and Greenville, Golden’s connections to the presidential campaigns of former President Jimmy Carter are significant.

Even though he's past 40 years old, the Mayor still got some moves.  Respect.   

 State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement. 

If you are an artist in twelfth grade or lower, enter a contest to win a $1,000 college scholarship. 

Apparently the 23 year-old Mayor of Bogalusa loves to part-ay.  The Louisiana State Police issued the following statement.