Jackson Jambalaya

The following alert was issued just a little while ago.

The late Frank Pollard preached from the Sermon on the Mount in this 1990 sermon.  Enjoy. 

Stimulated by Trump’s tax cuts, the national economy grew 4.2% in the second quarter (final BEA estimate), up from 2.1% in the first quarter. Corporate profits jumped 3.0%, up from 1.2%. The national unemployment rate at 3.9% is the lowest since December 2000. Total nonfarm employment is nearly 150 million, the highest ever. And average wages are the highest ever.

What can I say? It IS Ascension Parish.

Double cop-killer suspect Marquis Flowers was out on parole for three charges of auto burglary in Pike County.  Two Brookhaven police officers were killed in a shootout this morning.  Another suspect was killed as well.

Two Brookhaven police officers and a suspect were killed in a shootout this morning in Brookhaven.  Posted below is the latest WAPT coverage of the story.  Say some prayers.

The bloodiest battle in American history began 100 years ago.  The Meuse-Argonnes Offensive cost nearly 27,000 American lives but it broke the back of the Imperial Army of the German Empire. The Great War series on Youtube covers the opening of this battle in this week's video. 

The President of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce was gunned down Thursday night.  CNN reported:

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba issued the following press release.

A homicide took place on the Natchez Trace near Ridgeland a few days ago.   Law enforcement sources said a man was murdered and shot multiple times.  However, the National Park Service has jurisdiction since it occurred on federal property.  The FBI is supposedly handling the investigation.

A "trash mayor"? You can't make this up.  The first few minutes are gold.

Translation: Takeover by Our Lady of the Lake

St. Dominic Hospital issued the following statement.

It's the Twitter, stupid.  WLBT reported:

The Madison Police Department issued the following press release and mug shots.

JPD issued the following press release and video.

Note: Comment on the Kavanaugh hearings in this post. 

Actress Alyssa Milano and a small mob tried to occupy the office of Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith yesterday.  The protestors was perturbed that the Senator defended Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on the floor of the Senate yesterday and wanted to have a few words with her.   Start watching video at 20:30.

A civil lawsuit in Hinds County shows how William "Napoleon" Edwards dynamited himself and landed back in prison for several years.  Edwards took on the role of Facebook community activist a few years ago in Jackson.  His shtick was to cover Jackson politics through the use of Facebook live videos.  To say that he made colorful allegations against those who drew his ire is putting it mildly.  His handle was "The Cipher".

Hmmm........... what's wrong with this column in the Daily Mississippian?

The Jackson Fire Department issued the following statement.

Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith issued the following statement and video.

And there arose to the north of Eden a tribe called the Hotty-Toddys, who were also called metros. And the Hotty-Toddys were very displeasing; they didst place centerpieces on their banquet tables, and didst exalt themselves much. And they didst glorify the southern kingdom of the past.

JPD Corporal Colendula Green will run for Hinds County Sheriff next year.  The JPD Public Information Officer posted this message on her public Facebook page recently:

In the old days, a long drive on a state highway through stretches of rural Mississippi were a reasonably reliable barometer of the voter support or at the very least the fiscal health of a statewide campaign. All one had to do was count the billboards and yard signs.

JPD issued the following statement and picture.

It's time to call it a night but JJ will leave this memento of Hollywood at its finest.  Enjoy.

Reunion's chef, Rene Bajeux, was struck down of a heart attack.  Mr. Bajeux was one of only 55 French Master Chefs in America.  He came to Reunion Golf & Country Club this summer to serve as Executive Chef for it's new $15 million restaurant.  The Times-Picayune's food critic, Brett Anderson, memorialized him:

The Cipher won't be broadcasting on Facebook for a few years as he goes back to prison - unless he is incarcerated at the Raymond Detention Center.   William "Napoleon" Edwards was convicted of false pretenses and posting of messages through electronic media for purpose of causing injury to a person in Madison County.  Circuit Judge Steve Ratcliff sentenced him to serve six years in prison.  

JJ owes an apology to Madison County Circuit Clerk Anita Wray.  Yours truly wrongly criticized Mrs. Wray on election night back on June 5:

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba issued the following statement.

State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement.

Mississippi casinos dread August families stay home, kids go back to school, and the roulette wheels spin less and less.  However, 2018 saw a surprising reversal of this tradition.  Casino revenue increased from July to August for the first time ever in Mississippi when sports betting first became legal. 

The Pearl River Valley Water Supply District issued the following statement.

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

It appears Ole Miss is losing it's monopoly on legally growing marijuana.  The Associated Press reported last week:

No doubt this dude was made because he ran out of craft beer and life hasn't been the same since Kurt left.

The late Dr. Frank Pollard preached on how to be happy in this 1990 sermon. Enjoy.

Mississippi politics will be a happening thing through the next two Novembers.

Enjoy the thug version of Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible.   Amazing how the play is not dated, especially after everything that took place in Washington this week. 

This post will make more than a few Ole Miss and Mississippi State fans happy.  The cratering of tailgating at LSU continues thanks to nothing more than good ole fashioned corporate greed.  A harder-to-keep secret is the decline of tailgating down on the Bayou.  Game-day atmosphere is dying as the boneheads in the LSU administration tries to push fans off-campus so it can make money off of you guess it, corporate tailgating.   Check out these ads:

JPD issued the following statement.

Bill Walker of DMR fame is back in prison after he failed to make restitution payments as part of his sentence.  The Sun Herald reported yesterday:

Pour the Maker's and light up a cigar.  Enjoy this completely remastered version of Metallica's 1992 Jackson concert that popped up on Youtube.

A Madison County jury sentenced a man to death after it convicted him of killing a 13 year-old boy.  Madison-Rankin County District Attorney Michael Guest issued the following press release.

The Jackson City Council voted to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of a man who died in police custody several years ago.  The Clarion-Ledger reported:

Note: This is a sponsored post by Bigger Pie Forum. 

When a city hires a consultant to perform a feasibility study for a stadium or a convention center, it’s obvious that the result is a foregone conclusion. The game at hand is not football or baseball, but cronyism.

The Dead Mall folks visited Metrocenter a few months ago and produced one of their Youtube videos.  Check out the old Metrocenter commercial at the beginning of the video.

Well, JJ was going to post the 2017 ratings for public schools in Mississippi at 12:01 PM today.  The key word in that sentence is "was."  MDE postponed releasing the ratings until October.  MDE issued this statement:

Posted below is a video a Jackson mother recently posted on Youtube about her child's visit to the Jackson Zoo.  There has been quite a bit of coverage this year over the problems at the Jackson Zoo.  Sometimes we need to sit back and just look at it through the eyes of a child.  Enjoy.

The DMR fiasco continues.  The Sun Herald reported this morning:

The Clinton Police Department issued the following statement.

Meet our accused triple killer, Maurice Forte, who posted this on Youtube earlier last year.

The Family First Initiative Metro Advisory Council has scheduled three meetings to discuss a pilot program aimed at preventing child neglect and reducing the number of children who are removed from their homes and placed in foster care.

A demoted Captain at the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics will regain her rank as well as back pay after the Mississippi Employee Appeals Board ruled she was improperly demoted.  The demotion cost Tammy Reynolds $48,000 per year.

UMMC issued the following press release.

The so-called “jungle primary” to choose a successor to retired Republican Mississippi U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran took a truly strange turn in downtown Oxford last week.

We could use a laugh around here.  Enjoy this blast from the past. 

Well that was quick.  First Consul Chokwe Antar Lumumba will submit Interim JPD Chief James Davis to the Jackson City Council Thursday for confirmation as Police Chief.   Mr. Davis has served as Interim JPD Chief since June 28. He will also nominate Frank Figgers as the Ward 3 Representative on the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees.

What would Pelahatchie be without yet another ruckus at City Hall?

The long-time practice of Mississippi Mayors avoiding getting their friends confirmed by calling them  an "interim appointment" was dealt another blow last week. The Attorney General ruled that interim appointments requiring a confirmation vote can only hold office for 90 days.  The legislature placed a 180 day limit on such appointments several years ago but passed a bill this year that shortened the interim period from 180 days to 90 days if a confirmation vote is required for the appointment.  The limitation also applies to municipal boards and commissions as well.

The Jackson City Council passed the FY 2019 budget last week.  Ward 2 Councilman Melvin Priester, Jr. offered a sober analysis on Facebook:

Please Disney, don't mess it up. You know, as you did with the Star Wars franchise.

Posted below are the latest crime stats for Jackson for the week ending September 2, 2014.   The precinct reports are included as well.

Update: State Auditor Shad White issued a statement that is posted below. 

The Executive Director of the Mississippi Board of Dental Examiners had a good ole time during her reign until the Board fired her in August.  State Auditor Shad White blasted Diane Howell  in a scathing audit that told the story of an Executive Director who treated a state agency as her own personal fiefdom for 24 years. State Auditor Shad White said "What we found at the Dental Board is an example of particularly bad management." 

I was chillin' with Mr. Sam down at Regions Plaza the other day when the storied Jackson shoe-shine man waxed about how men today know less about shoes than in years past.  The discussion provided an excuse for a JJ PSA.  Take a break from the crime stories, politics, the latest Ole Miss beatdown, and learn a few things about shoes.   This video contains a few nuggets of info about shoes that are pretty interesting.  Consider it to be Men's Shoes 101.

JPD issued the following statement. 

JPD issued the following statement.

The late Dr. Frank Pollard preaches about atheism and creation in this edition of Sunday Morning Sermon.  Enjoy.

Years before Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, conservatives would regularly tune in to hear Paul Harvey on the radio. Admired for his unique voice and storytelling talent, Harvey broadcast his conservative messages for over three decades. He was particularly known for revealing to his audiences "the rest of the story."

One of the plaintiff's in the Southern Poverty Law Center's lawsuit withdrew from the case last month.  It doesn't take a genius to figure out why he did so.  

You simply can not make this up.

Krystal is replacing its stores in the Jackson area with a new-fangled version.  The company stated in a press release last month:

Children are supposed to come first in Mississippi State Department of Health's First Steps program.  However, the children are apparently coming last thanks to good ole fashioned bureaucratic bungling.  Mississippi Today's Larrison Campbell has been reporting on the problems children currently face in the program.  She kicked off her coverage in late July with this story:

Hinds County Circuit Judge and Court of Appeals Candidate Jeff Weill issued the following press release.

Quite a few people frequent the Chevron station at the corner of Highway 51 and Hoy Road in Madison as they make their way to work every morning.    Unfortunately, the cheerful face that greeted them for years will no longer be there.

Watch Hurricane Florence as it moves through the Atlantic Ocean on this webcam.

Editorial Note:  Folks, this is a big deal.  What just took place is that Jackson's bond rating was lowered to one grade above junk status, er, I mean speculative grade status.  There is no more "cushion" for Jackson in terms of its bond rating. 


Moody's Rating Service issued the following press release.

The city of Jackson issued the following statement.

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following statement.

Note: Since Robert Shuler Smith has a trailer in Rankin County, does this mean he is a Rankin County Redneck?

Update: Jury acquitted Smith on the robbery charge but deadlocked on the aggravated stalking charge.

Clarion-Ledger reporter Justin Vicory has been covering the Rankin County trial of Robert Shuler Smith. Check out his Twitter feed for blow by blow coverage of the trial.   Both sides will have 45 minutes to present their closing arguments.   Mr. Vicory reported on the newspaper's website:

A woman accused of creating child porn and promoting prostitution in Jackson will remain behind bars after Hinds County Court Judge Bill Skinner denied her bond. The arrest warrant states that Kayla Ponder worked with several other suspects to run a prostitution and sex trafficking ring at the Extended Studio Hotel off of Fortification Street.  Ponder was also arrested in July for conspiring to smuggle drugs and a cellphone into the Raymond Detention Center.

Conservative newspaper columnist George Will is a magnificent political observer and a marvelous writer. Whether it’s politics or baseball, Will’s stuff is a reliably good read.

A Will column earlier this month on Democrat Mike Espy’s current run for the U.S. Senate in Mississippi was mostly spot on. Espy is a tested, honorable public servant who would be capable of representing Mississippi in the U.S. Senate if elected.

Karen Wilson will resign her position as Interim Executive Director of the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners on September 30.   Ms. Wilson became the Executive Director when the Board fired Executive Director Dianne Howell.   Ms. Howell served as Executive Director since 1994.  Ms. Wilson announced her resignation at the Board meeting on August 31.  She began her career at the agency as an administrative assistant in 1997. 

Don't mess with Buffy.  Just because someone wants to walk away doesn't mean she is weak.... or soft.

It appears a Simpson County woman is in the Hinds County jail after being charged with promoting prostitution and some human trafficking.  U.S. Marshals arrested Angela Berch on September 7 for those two charges as well as child endangerment.  Her initial appearance is in County Court tomorrow before Judge Bill Skinner. 

Here are the "C" ratings for Jackson metro area restaurants issued since January 1, 2018.  The Mississippi Department of Health inspects and grades each restaurant.  The department inspects the restaurant again within ten days after the "C" is issued.  The restaurant listed below all passed their follow-up inspections unless otherwise noted. More information can be obtained at the MSDH restaurant inspection web page.

State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement. 

It seems the Mississippi Department of Education blew a bunch of money on a Dr. John Q. Porter contract and is now pulling the plug.  The Clarion-Ledger reported last week:

President Donald Trump cancelled his rally that was scheduled to take place in Jackson Friday due to Hurricane Florence.  Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith stated:

The Pearl River Valley Water Supply District issued the following statement.

Just another day at the Rebelwood Apartments in South Jackson.  At least no one was killed - this time.

JPD issued the following statement and photos.

Its been 11 years since Luciano Pavarotti left this world to join a greater choir.  Enjoy these memories of the Golden Tenor.

Thugs invaded The Grove yesterday as a brawl broke out that was captured on video.  Needless to say, it appears The Grove IS GONE.  Watch the video posted below.

Enjoy this morning's edition of Sunday Morning Sermon as the late Dr. Frank Pollard preached from Isaiah Chapter 6 in this 1989 sermon. 

Was that a kinder, gentler Tate Reeves emerging from the recently concluded special session of the Mississippi Legislature?

If you want a break today, check out the Joe Rogan's lastest podcast.  He interviewed one Mr. Elon Musk for 2 1/2 hours while the legendary certified super-genius drank some good whiskey and smoked some weed. 

JJ got a copy of a draft of the new officer-involved shooting ID policy for JPD.  The draft has not yet been reviewed by Jackson's legal department nor has Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba approved the policy.  The draft is posted below.

Leftenent Governor Tate Reeves tweeted yesterday:

The Cindy Hyde-Smith Senate Campaign issued the following statement. 

A trip to traffic court over a speeding ticket didn't go exactly as planned.

JPD issued the following statement. 

It appears the Clarion-Ledger is upgrading its sports coverage.

This post was originally published on April 3, 2011.  Bias is in the custody of MDOC.  He is scheduled to be released in 2025. 

Jake Bias raped his 3 year-old daughter and gave her two STD's. Judge Tomie Green sentenced him to 20 years and suspended 5 years of the sentence.

The Justice Department issued this statement.

The Ridgeland Police Department issued the following press release. 

A Congressman gives a lesson in how to shut down a protestor.

A Madison woman was convicted of simple assault by threat after she was arrested for threatening  and casting a  fishhook at an 11 year-old boy who was jet-skiing  on the lake at Natchez Trace Village in Madison..  Madison Municipal Court Judge Richard Mitchell fined Mary Watkins $500 on July 19 and ordered her to pay $143 in court costs as well.  Watkins is an officer of the Natchez Trace Village Homeowners Association.  She appealed the conviction to County Court.  Judge Mitchell ruled she was not guilty on two counts of disturbing the peace. 

The word out of Jackson is, now that Gov. Phil Bryant has signed the Alyce G. Clarke Mississippi Lottery Act into law, it will take about a year to get the lottery up and running. When that transpires, Mississippians who want to play the lottery and those non-gamblers who will merely benefit from the tax revenue should give pause to remember the great lady for whom the lottery act was named.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba issued the following statement. 

Carlos the Clown is at it again.

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following statement. 

Insurance Commish Miguel Chaney issued the following statement on Tropical Storm Gordon:

This took place in June in Texas.  At least the baby wasn't injured. The cra-cra was strong with this suspect.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol issued the following press release:

JPD issued the following statement and pictures. 

One of the biggest travesties in Jackson tv sports history took place 27 years ago today when the Labor Day Telethon preempted the US Open coverage on WJTV.  Needless to say, Jacksonians missed one of the best tennis matches ever to take place in New York City as a 39 year-old Jimmy Connors came back to beat Aaron Krickstein in a fifth-set tiebreaker.   Posted below is video of the match.  Enjoy.

24/7 Wall Street ranked state economies and well, Mississippi didn't fare too well on yet another list.  The financial gurus  placed Mississippi's economy at 47 out of the 50 states.  USA Today reported the findings last week:

Perhaps you should try this ad for your safe driving campaigns. 

The short-changing of disabled children in Mississippi is an old story.  Mississippi Today's Larrison Campbell dove deep into how Mississippi's First Steps Program treats  disabled children - when it actually treats them - in a series of stories recently.  She reported last week:

The late Dr. Frank Pollard (First Baptist Church - Jackson) preached from John 20 in this edition of Sunday Morning Sermon.  Enjoy.

The stock market is in a secular bull market and has years to run, says one respected analyst. A major trading firm, on the other hand, warns the end of the bull run is near.

Had to make a trip to Lowes today and saw these nice deals on Weber gas grills.  These prices may not be listed on the website.

How did your city or county fare with the legislature's proposed distribution of "use taxes"?  Read the chart below.

The city of Jackson issued the following chart and statement about the FY2019 budget on it's Facebook page.