Jackson Jambalaya

Will the Mississippi Department of Education take over the Jackson Public Schools district? JPS flunked a very troubling MDE audit last year and faces a loss of accreditation by MDE.  MDE followed the 2016 audit with a more thorough audit for in the 2016-2017 school year.  MDE will take up the matter at the September 13 board meeting.  State Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright said:

The Jackson City Council questioned whether the regular meetings of the Board of Directors for the Jackson Zoo should be public.  The Jackson Zoological Society by-laws bar the public from attending these meetings.  Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks took the lead in raising the issue while the rest of the City Council and Mayor Lumumba chimed in with their support of Mr. Banks. 

Attorney General Jim Hood issued the following statement and pictures.

You are not reading The Onion.  This post is not a piece of satire or parody.  This article really did appear in the Daily Mississippian:

Update: Post is updated with video of friends and family speaking in support of Klauser. 

The former CFO of Innovate Mississippi is going to prison after she admitted stealing $598,143 from her former employer.  Madison County Circuit Judge Steve Ratcliff sentenced Tonya Klauser to serve ten years in prison after she pleaded guilty to two counts of false pretenses in June.  However, Judge Ratcliff suspended six years of the sentence.

JPD issued the following information on Twitter:

Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith fired two assistant district attorneys and his personal secretary yesterday.  One of the fired prosecutors was Randy Harris. It appears Mr. Harris received his reward for prosecuting Ben Allen.

Geoff Pender delved into the world of independent contractors working in state government yesterday in the pages of the Clarion-Ledger:

The former wife of a Hinds County Deputy accuses a Lieutenant in the Hinds County Sheriff's Department of having her locked up after they had a nasty text message exchange regarding marriages and homewreckers.  Alicia Alexander sued Hinds County, the Hinds County Sheriff's Department, Deputy Sheriff Janie Myles, and several John Does in U.S. District Court on August 14.

You and your child are stranded in floodwaters for several days and manage to survive.  You are tired, cold, and hungry, oh, and traumatized.  So you get off the bus and BOOM!, a CNN reporter shoves a microphone right in your face.  How do you think this ended?

Update #3: Judge Clay set bond for Dixon at $1 million. 

Update #2: Dixon surrendered. 

Update: Jackson Municipal Court Judge Ali Shamsid-deen gave Coats a $200,000 bond. 

JPD issued the following press release:

Some readers took me to task last week for daring to question the anti-vaxxers. How quickly we forget our past. Take a look at these newspaper articles from nearly 100 years ago.   Mississippi had over 6,000 Measles cases in one month alone although there were other months were only a few hundred cases developed. To say Measles was a scourge was an understatement.

What is wrong with this picture on the Clarion-Ledger website?

Despicable.  The Cajun Navy is getting shot at while trying to rescue people in Houston while catching grief from Bedwetters online.  WDSU (NOLA) reported:

Amazon didn't waste any time in cutting prices at Whole Foods:

John Doe, yes THE John Doe - Ole Miss Booster #14, provided the following statement to the Ole Miss Spirit:

Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker issued the following press release.

Curtis Wilson and his boyfriend Leon Miles were arrested last week for stealing a BMW on August 10 in the Castlewoods subdivision in Rankin County.  He was arrested in May for (allegedly) committing several burglaries in Rankin County but posted a $125,000 bond.  Earlier post.

Mad Dog Mattis made a few remarks to some troops at an undisclosed location overseas:

If you can't make it to church this morning, enjoy this sermon given by the late Dr. Frank Pollard.  This sermon was given on Super Bowl Sunday in 1986.

Straight from the baristas at the Seattle Times:

Steven Godfrey wonders whether Ole Miss and Mississippi State are engaged in mutually assured destruction in a story published yesterday in SBNation- with Leo Lewis playing the part of the nuke:

Seven Days in May, written by Fletcher Kneble and Charles Bailey and published in 1962, portrays a tense, nearly successful coup of American government by a cadre of senior generals. A quote on the cover of the paperback attributed to the Army Times said, “They say it can’t happen here, but if it does, it probably will be pretty much as Knebel and Bailey say.”

Jackson Ward 4 Councilman DeKeither Stamps was in rare form last night on WMPR.  Hell, I'm not going to deprive you of your fun by giving away what he said.  Just listen at 3:20 for 90 seconds or so and then at 16:50 for a couple of minutes.  You simply can not make this up.

Police have not released the name of the passenger in Chelsie Kirchsten's car  at the time Chelsie was murdered a week ago on Fortification Street.  JPD has not yet made an arrest for her murder. The passenger was arrested for cocaine possession in Jackson last month.

Attorney General Jim Hood issued the following statement. 

What was once unthinkable is now taking place.  Measles was thought to be eradicated in this country over 15 years ago.  However, human nature being what it is, we just can't stand success.  The anti-vaxxers are gaining more followers so the Journal of the American Medical Association issued some warnings about what this trend could mean for public health (The report is posted below).  It's really quite simple.  Measles cases will substantially increase if fewer Measles vaccines are given.  This is not hard to understand.  To paraphrase Algore: one goes up, the other goes down. JAMA reported:

A Madison County grand jury indicted Linda Brune for embezzlement from her former employer, Downtown Jackson Partners. Ms. Brune was the secretary for Executive Director Ben Allen. The five-count indictment accuses her of forging signatures on several checks that she made payable to herself out of the Downtown Jackson Partners account at Trustmark Bank.  The indictment accuses her of the following forgeries:

You can't make this up: Shreveport shoplifter in action.

It keeps getting worse.  ESPN reported yesterday:

An owner of Mugshots Ridgeland asked a federal judge to divorce his partner from the restaurant. William Walker sued fellow Mugshots Ridgeland owner Chris McDonald and several McDonald companies in U.S. District Court on April 13, 2017.  The complaint charges McDonald with defrauding the restaurant and the plaintiff.  Mr. Walker also asked the court to declare him the sole owner of the Mugshots Ridgeland franchise and terminate his partner's rights under the operating agreement.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba offered his condolences to the families of several victims who were recently murdered in Jackson at a press conference today.  The press conference was held at City Hall.  The Mayor said his administration was taking a strong stand against crime.  Several murders took place in Jackson over the last week:

Malik McIntee was killed on I-220 yesterday at 1:00 AM.  JPD said he was driving alone on I-220 near Watkins Drive when someone in another car shot several times into McIntee's vehicle and killed him.  However, the victim was indicted earlier this year for first degree murder.

The President of Jackson Academy will be the new CEO at Gulliver Schools in Miami. Jackson Academy sent this email yesterday:

A Brandon man is attempting to get his gun rights back after serving nearly nine years in prison for killing his infant son in 2005. 

WLBT reported last week that the Madison County Economic Development Board is taking another look at the vote to fund a $1.2 million airport study by Warnock & Associates: 

Gunbuyer has a great deal on the Smith & Wesson MP Shield 9mm.  Great pistol for concealed carry and a great one for women to be used by women.  It has much less recoil than the dummy-proof .38 and the trigger pull is much lighter as well. Check it out:

Update: Rueters just reported:

 Johnson & Johnson on Monday was ordered by a California jury to pay $417 million to a woman who claimed she developed ovarian cancer after using the company's talc-based products like Johnson's Baby Powder for feminine hygiene.

JPD issued the following statements.

The Mississippi media has only filed 35 public records complaints since the Ethics Commission began accepting such complaints in 2010.  The Clarion-Ledger led the way with a grand total of 13 public records complaints.  Yours truly came in second with five.  The Greenwood Commonwealth acquitted itself well by coming in third with four complaints.  The rest of the Mississippi media took a dive.  Only one tv station filed a complaint.  14 media outlets filed public records complaints and two of those are Steve Robertson (Scout) and the Mississippi Crime Crier.

What does this picture have to do with Ole Miss?

If you can't make it to church this morning, enjoy this sermon on spiritual growth by the late Dr. Frank Pollard. 

It seemed like a good time to post this rather entertaining video since it's Book Weekend in Jackson.  Pete O'Toole gives a funny performance in Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell.  The late British columnist was a bit of a rake and somewhat of a sot  so one can imagine Mr. O'Toole having some fun with this role.  Enjoy.

Did you read Geoff Pender's terrific column "Take some aspirin before searching Transparency Mississippi website" in the Clarion-Ledger? If transparency in government spending matters to you, this is a must read.

The Mississippi Division of Medicaid issued the following statement.

What's wrong with this picture?

It's time for the last call for the annual fund-raising drive for Jackson Jambalaya.

Thank you very much for your support of Jackson Jambalaya and reading the blog over the years. We've come a long way since we started up in 2007.  This blog couldn't have gotten as far as it has without support from the readers.  You've donated money, provided tips, and helped provide information when it was needed.  JJ is asking for your help again this year.

Read the Clarion-Ledger's attempt to cover the Fortification Street murder.  Notice anything missing from the article?

JPD issued the following statement. 

JJ readers will have to wait awhile longer to find out who John Doe is in the Ole Miss NCAA scandal.  The Mississippi Supreme Court issued a stay of the enforcement of Hinds County Chancellor Dewayne Thomas's order that said Ole Miss had to disclose the identity of John Doe.  The order stated:

The Mississippi Department of Education issued the following press release and test scores.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba issued the following statement. 

The Wall Street Journal dug up more dirt in the Hugh Freeze scandal:

The Mississippi Department of Education issued the following statement.

It appears Jackson is about to get a new Public Works Director from....... the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board.  The Morning Advocate (BR) reported yesterday:

High school football hits full swing in the Magnolia State this weekend. College football Saturdays are two weeks away. The NFL season kicks off Thursday night, Sept. 7.

It's here. And in this state that has produced the likes of Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, Brett Favre and so many more, football is a huge and integral part of our culture.

Hinds County Chancellor Dewayne Thomas ordered Ole Miss to release the name of John Doe within seven days.  Judge Thomas issued the order this afternoon after a hearing was held in Hinds County Chancery Court this morning.

Attorney General Jim Hood issued the following press release. 

Some people don't know when to leave well enough alone.  The cabbies are howling about Uber as they are unable to handle the free market.  WLBT reported:

The city of Jackson issued the following statement. 

Two Sisters Restaurant actually received a mention in the Wall Street Journal today  Commentator Roger Simon wrote:

Circuit Judge Jim Kitchens postponed the sentencing for wife-beater Brian Clark last week. He pleaded guilty in May to Aggravated Assault-Domestic Violence after he beat his wife to a pulp in 2013.  His order is the fifteenth time the case has been continued.  The order states District Attorney Will Colom did not oppose the continuance. The order is posted below.  Clark is a member of the family who owns Clark Oil & Gas.  His uncle is the CEO of Lord Snow. 

Special Circuit Judge Henry Lackey ruled that Hinds County paid $4.3 million to a company that didn't exist.  Hinds County terminated a multi-million dollar radio maintenance contract with Airwave Consultants, LLC in 2014.  Airwave sued for damages caused by the termination in Hinds County Circuit Court.  Judge Lackey ruled that the company had no rights to damages since it never registered as a corporate entity with the Mississippi Secretary of State.  No company, no money. 

Houston Nutt called Ole Miss's bluff.  Ole Miss said that the former football coach was only interested in money after he sued the school for breach of contract in U.S. District Court.  However, Mr. Nutt offered to settle the case in exchange for a public apology and a donation of $500,000 to establish a sports integrity commission in Mississippi. The settlement dispute is currently moot after the lawsuit was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction last week although Mr. Nutt said he will re-file the lawsuit in state court.

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following statement and photos.

If you can't make it to church, enjoy this sermon from the late Dr. Frank Pollard. Dr. Pollard preached from 1 Samuel 2:12-26.  He had a few words to say about the PTL scandal and the moneychangers in the temple. 

WOW!!! Team Targaryen showed up after getting knocked around for a few weeks.  No more misdirection plays or reverses.  Dany used the try and stop it offense and unfortunately for the Lannisters, no one figured out how to stop an honest-to-goodness fire-breathing dragon backed up by a Mongol horde.  Some thoughts on "Spoils of War".

Broken turbines and failed pumps dominated the news in New Orleans this week as residents found out to their horror that the Sewerage and Water Board had lied to them for years about the condition of the pumping system while they suffered more flooding.  The Times-Picayune blasted the Board and Mayor Mitch Landrieu yesterday:

The 13-state Appalachian Regional Commission just released its latest county economic status rankings. Mississippi has 24 ARC counties with 12 ranked "distressed," nine "at-risk," three "transitional," and none "competitive" or "attainment." Rankings did not change from last year.

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety continues to coverup the federal government's demand for $7 million after DPS was caught misusing DUI-enforcement grants.   Unfortunately, DPS stonewalsl all attempts to obtain information about the dispute.  JJ published proof two weeks ago that DPS has been lying after obtaining the federal demands from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

The leadership of the city of New Orleans provided a great lesson over the last week in how not to handle a crisis.  9 inches of rain fell on New Orleans last weekend.  Unfortunately for the Crescent City, 16 pumps didn't work (We will get around to the turbines that failed today in a separate post.) and flooding commenced. The city lied and said they were working at full capacity but the city used a different definition for "full capacity."  The Times-Picayune reported:

Mississippi might have a shot at landing another Toyota plant.  Bloomberg News reported:

Madison-Rankin District Attorney Michael Guest issued the following statement.

Ole Miss posted today the NCAA response to its response to the NCAA notices of allegations.  The NCAA response to the response is posted below.   Ole Miss will appear before the NCAA Committee on Infractions on September 11 in Covington, Kentucky.

The NCAA response provides much more information on John Doe's intrigue.  Start on p.77.  First pour a drink and light up a cigar.  You're welcome.

Former Ole Miss Head Football Coach Houston Nutt's lawsuit against the university was dismissed today in U.S. District Court.  Mr. Nutt sued Ole Miss and the Institutions of Higher Learning on July 12 for breach of contract that occurred when Coach Hugh Freeze and Athletic Director Ross Bjork allegedly defamed him in conversations with the media.

"I really believed I was going to die."  So states a petition for a restraining order against Brian Clark that was filed in May 2016 in Okaloosa County, Florida by his girlfriend at the time.  Clark is the member of the Clark family who owns Clark Oil.  He pleaded guilty last May in Lowndes County to aggravated domestic assault.  Clark savagely beat his wife and split her head open in 2013.   Earlier post with pictures of gruesome photos of victim's injuries.

Super Bowl XX was memorable for many reasons, including that Refrigerator Perry, an overweight defensive tackle, was allowed to score a meaningless late touchdown instead of the late, great Walter Payton, who was playing in his only Super Bowl.

Two RFP's for the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority are posted below.  The first one is a solicitation for proposals for air service development.  The second one requests bids for terminal upgrade work for the two concourses at the airport.

The jury acquitted Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith of all three counts. Attorney General Jim Hood issued this statement:

Governor Phil Bryant issued the following statement.

Mississippi College issued the following press release. 

The City of Jackson issued the following statement. 

State Auditor Stacey Pickering issued the following statement.

The video doesn't lie but it can be spliced and diced to show a story that is different from what really happened.  The media jumped all over a Byram arrest last year when a man released video of police tasing and arresting his sister in his front yard.  However, JJ obtained a copy of the bodycam video that tells a slightly different story. 

Many people, including government employees, are not aware of what rights citizens have under the Open Meetings Act.  The Kingfish recently paid a visit to a local city hall so he could review the minutes of the 2017 meetings of the board of aldermen.  Reading the minutes of your government at work should not be a problem, right?  Guess again.  A city employee said that I would have to file a public records request.  Doing so means the government could take up to fourteen business days to provide me with a copy of the minutes I wanted to review.  Fortunately, the Open Meetings Act provided a way out of this bureaucratic logjam.

Today is the 72nd anniversary of Little Boy's debut.

These folks got a little bit of a surprise while out on water. Wait until the end.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections issued the following statement and pictures.

If you can't make it to church this morning,  enjoy this 1988 sermon from the late Dr. Frank Pollard. 

Wow.  Game of Thrones shifted gears last Sunday and stepped up its game, no pun intended. Tomorrow night should bring a fiery crescendo to the mid-point of the season as internet chatter says the show will be a top five episode.

The UAW went down down in defeat yesterday in Canton after it spent a great deal of time and money trying to unionize the plant.  See where the UAW spent it's money in the spreadsheet posted below. 

Recited the Pledge of Allegiance lately?

Gentleman Jim Giles filed a motion for to intervene in State v. Robert Shuler Smith today.  His motion asks the court to declare a mistrial.   The motion is posted below. 

Remember to contact Crimestoppers, NOT the police, with any information. 

Crimestoppers issued the following alert for a fraud case in Madison:

A battle royale has raged over the phone records of Hugh Freeze although it hasn't taken place in a steel cage nor will the loser have to leave town.  Ole Miss tried to charge former Head Football Coach Houston Nutt $25,100 for a copy of  former Head Football Coach Hugh Freeze's phone records.  Ole Miss backed down this week and "waived" the fee.  However, it seems that the phone didn't belong to the university but was the property of the Ole Miss Athletic Foundation. Ole Miss told the Houston Nutt team:

This article is reprinted with permission of the Laurel Leader-Call.

The deputy who arrested Greg Burroughs for drunk driving with his 8-year-old daughter in the vehicle last summer did show up for court when he was supposed to, Sheriff Alex Hodge said.

Hodge cited records that then-Deputy Josh Welch, who is now a Laurel police officer, was in Jones County Justice Court, but it was Burroughs who was a no-show. That delayed the court hearing again, and then all five charges against Burroughs were inexplicably disposed of by Judge Howell Beech.

We are raising a generation of kids who don't know tv is free as the good ole wabbit ears still have a place in the land of television. The Wall Street Journal reported today:

JPD catches them while the Hinds County criminal justice system does its darndest to turn them loose.  The Mississippi Court of Appeals reversed the conviction of  Kadarius White and sent his case back to circuit court for a new trial.  The District Attorney had a recording of White confessing his crimes to his girlfriend for two years but did not tell the defendant about the recording's existence until the morning of the trial's first day.  Judge Winston Kidd did not grant a continuance to White so he could review the evidence.

A Canton police dispatcher was arrested for taking what can only be called an illegal smoke break.  Madison County deputies arrested Earl Haney on the late hours of July 21 at the Gluckstadt exit ramp on I-55 South. 

U.S. Magistrate Judge Roy Percy issued a stay order in Nutt v. University of Mississippi et al today.  The order is posted below.

The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum has worn a funeral wreath on its doors five times since last year's induction ceremonies. That's because Boo Ferriss, Orsmond Jordan, Robert Morgan, Larry Grantham and Eddie Crawford all have died in the interim.

The Laurel Leader-Call accused Sanderson Farms of pulling its advertising after the newspaper investigated a homicide.  Publisher Jim Cegielski took on the Laurel Police Department and  Sanderson Farms in a scathing editorial.  This line says it all: "some of the richest and most powerful people in our community seem to want to punish and threaten this newspaper and its employees for attempting to uncover the truth and get justice for Katherine and her family."  Writing with acid, Mr. Cegielski defends his newspaper.   The editorial is reprinted below with the permission of the newspaper.

Lindsey Miller compared Rebel Rags to Josef Stalin and Evel Knievel in a motion to strike filed yesterday in Lafayette County Circuit Court.  Mr. Miller is the step-father of former Ole Miss football star Laremy Tunsil. Rebel Rags sued Mississippi State football players Leo Lewis and Kobe Jones for defamation in Lafayette County Circuit Court on June 9.  The complaint also named Lindsey Miller and several John Does as defendants.   A NCAA Notice of Allegations charged that Rebel Rags gave free merchandise to two unnamed players in violation of NCAA guidelines.

President Trump appointed John Parrish Peede as Acting Director of National Endowment of Humanities.  The NEH website announced:

Update: Child is deceased. 

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following statement.

JJ is looking at revamping the website.  What changes would you like to see to the layout? Yes, I know everyone wants the ability to like or dislike comments.  What other changes to the format would you like to see? Thanks. 

Jackson Ward 2 Councilman Melvin Priester, Jr.  provided this information about Mayor Antar Lumumba's nomination to the school board, Letitia Johnson:

Our man Marcus "Troublemane" Lawson finaallly got indicted for his carjacking escapades in October 2015.  However, he was not indicted until April 17, 2017, 18 months after he allegedly committed the crime.  This indictment comes nearly three years after he was indicted for stealing a Clarion-Ledger photographer's camera and Ipad.  You can't make this up.  Check out Troublemane's tour of duty in the Hinds County criminal justice system.

The Houston Nutt v. Ole Miss Athletics Foundation et al plods along in U.S. District Court.  Judge Neal Biggers issued a case management order yesterday that is posted below.