Jackson Jambalaya

What a shame....great salads and paninis.......Hopefully Keefer's doesn't follow suit........pretty soon nothing will be left on President's Street...

Moved out of Jackson 15 years ago, recently went downtown for the first time in nearly a decade. It's over, folks.

Even if downtown were safe, it is surrounded by miles upon miles of blighted sprawl before you come to any viable place to live. There is no reason for anyone in Madison, Flowood, Clinton, or Byram to ever make the trek there. It is the opposite of accessible urban design. It's run by incompetents. And the third-world infrastructure and pitiful public schools make it impossible to gentrify even tiny sections of it at a time.

Mississippi needs cities to avoid falling even further behind its neighbors. It's time to start considering moving the state capital and investing in a do-over.

Radical !!!

Congratulations Mayor Lamumbsa. Your leadership dstrikes again. Wonder who will be next!!!

Your insight and vision are inspiring.

Thanks LuDUMBa

Moving the state capitol. That is kind of funny. Do you have any idea, any concept, of what building a state capitol would cost? Yeah, let's spend a that kind of money to have a random building near the MLEOTA in Rankin County. We are better off putting up concrete walls and razor wire similar to E. and W. Germany.

Maybe Jackson will go back to the way it used to be after they refurbish the auditorium.

Basil's and Roosters are open in Flowood in the strip mall next the the theater at Airport and Lakeland.

1:46, he wrote about the CapitAl, not the CapitOl. Look it up, son. It's been done before. And it could be done again. I personally think most of the Legislature would fit in along Highway 468 already. The prison and Whitfield are already built and paid for.

1:46 that is what is being talked about and is slowly starting to happen per the political circles. Look at what all they are moving out that way already. Just give it time.

Where is Jodi and his real estate development when you need him. Maybe he can bring in the the FB... I mean investors to bring in new food joints

Democrats will continue to destroy cities via chaos and crime so people that don’t vote Democrat will not move in to cities like Jackson that would throw the Democrats out.

White elitist Democrats will continue to live safely behind gates, in the burbs or their favorite college town making sure their children aren’t exposed to the stray bullets and pitiful public school systems; while keeping their silence in exchange for Democrat votes for white elitist Democrats in state and federal elections.

Radical!

Actually this one doesn't surprise me. That place has closed and re-opened like 4 times over the years.

It had pretty good food. Great place for lunch. But nowadays you can't survive on just serving lunch

Wonder if Basil's Downtown tried to renovate like Fenian's tried to only to have their plans shot down over and over by Lumumba's admin causing the contractor to not want to deal with the City/Lumumba anymore?

I used to work downtown Jackson 20 years ago. Moved for a better position. Was downtown about 4 years ago and what happened in and around where I worked shocked me. We need a vibrant and SAFE capital. We do not need to be joking that the two largest cities in Mississippi are Memphis and New Orleans, we need a healthy Jackson. That is not what we have and it appears that it will become worse before it gets better. What a shame.

Many of the big law firms which populated downtown Jackson have relocated to safer areas in the past decade. The ones that remain there do so at their peril-and will , over time, be following those who have left.

The cost of doing business in Jackson is high. All have utility bills but the new water rates are high for individuals. I can't imagine what a business pays for their monthly meter charge. Crime is bad (thanks to the judges who catch/release). If crime is high, traffic to your business is going to be lower. Streets are in bad condition (I just paid mechanic, again, after hitting another pothole). Jackson politicians suck.

Things need to change. Different Mayor. Different city counsel. Make Henifin understand that the 500 folks left can't shoulder the water costs for the 9000 not paying their bills (imagine the lost revenue from just the people/businesses who have left during 2024). A complete audit of all city records to get a clear picture of where the money is going.

Just my 2 cents.

Chuck couldn't care less if all the business leaves. He will demand Federal dollars from Kamala to keep himself and Rukia paid, and if he meets any resistance...its racist. He does not care about his dumb fans and luckily they are too dumb to know that.
I think we are just reaching the finish line of humanity.

Will the last restauranteur to leave Jackson please turn off the lights and dump the trash. Thanks.

I can't understand why local investors of all backgrounds don't come together and finance a candidate for Mayor who is competent and business friendly. There are several cities with somewhat similar demographics around us who have done just that and are having success.

Implosion. And yet we're supposed to believe that the city should go deep $ub$idizing a new convention center hotel. ROFLMAO

I've been saying that same thing for years 3:49.
The wealthy pay so much to live in NEJxn for reasons I will never understand, so I guess its fitting that I also don't understand why they don't organize and overthrow this government. I'm clearly too poor to understand the logic.

The only person currently running for Mayor of Jackson that can and WILL make a difference is Kim Wade. Period. Everyone else is just more of the same identity politics politician. Jackson can ONLY be brought back with tough love (we've seen what mamby pamby does with the current idiot in office), and Kim's the man to do it. Will people understand what will be required and vote for him? Only time will tell.....but if anyone else is elected, just expect more of the same closures, etc. found in this article.

KF says thank you to the free editing advice to readers. There is always at least one in every group.

Martin's is killing it and it looks like Hal and Mals is doing good. Both have quick access to I55. Martin's, Hal and Mals and Krystal by the old metrocenter. That's about all that will be left.

At the rate we are going we won't even be considered the fast food capital of the state or world for that matter.

Chimneyville

With all the large firms that moved out of downtown Jackson, I’m not surprised. No matter how good your food is, you can’t make it with no one to buy it.

Kim Wade is an entertainer, not a leader. Kind of like Tater. Just playing to the ignorant masses.

Restaurant advice for people in that business. Location, Location, Location. You hope and expect your car to be there when you leave with all windows in tact.

@ August 28, 2024 at 1:46 PM - There was a timely article published about the subject recently. Evidently, there have been 6 capital locations for MS over time, and various places have served the purpose of a capitol building.
https://www.wjtv.com/news/state/the-history-of-mississippis-capitol-buildings/
But, either the City of Soul gets its shiggity together or it's going to lose much, much more than just its tax base.

Got somebody better? Bring it on....

There are likely other macro factors like work from home policies still in place since COVID, but you have to wonder how many non-government employees are still downtown to generate enough demand for lunch only restaurants. Trustmark may be one of the largest, but you have to wonder how much longer they will be there.

Keifer's has opened a much larger restaurant in Madison, and the parking lot is usually packed when I pass by. The food is just as as in Jackson.

Are you saying Jackson has a leader, now?

I remember "Parents for Public Schools." The nice white liberals sent their kids to McLeod and Casey elementary schools. When they looked at what Chastain Middle School had devolved into the PPS parents sent their kids to Jackson Prep. Then the nice white liberals got on the Prep school board and soon Prep had a Chief Diversity Officer from Brown University. Jesse Howell ran Prep in it's early days with two assistants. Prep now resembles a university with it's bloated payroll of administrators.

Frankly, I'm surprised any restaurant is able to survive in a city where crime is rampant, streets are in such disrepair as to damage vehicles traveling on them, and the water is a huge question mark at any given time.

Basil's once had a decent pizza. Too bad it's not on the menu anymore.

8:47 PM, white liberals, as you call them (Democrats), know everything don’t they? White elitist Democrats have all of the answers. They talk that elitist loud mouth talk, just can’t back it up with the walk.

Someone in the medical field said recently that many of the doctors moving to the Jackson area are Democrats. I responded yea, where are they buying their homes? She responded, in Bridgewater and Madison. I said yea, and let me guess, they’re sending their children to private schools, right?

And the poor stupid party Republicans let these white elitist Democrats get away with it.

7:57 better doesn't mean electable. The people who actually show up to vote in Jackson don't want change. They want the promises of free stuff that Lumumba sells to them. They aren't aware enough that he is just using them as the electorate to get his name out to propel him onto another progressive liberal organization's payroll or polital staff. That is the end goal for him. Jackson Mayor is a stepping stone.

Capital goes where it is appreciated and leaves where it is punished. It’s really that simple.

Yep - Phelps Dunbar just moved to Flowood in the new beautiful Community Bank HQ building!

@6:51 - Kim Wade has never labeled himself as a "leader" - he is a problem solver that will find and assign "leaders" that have the expertise to fix and solve problems utilizing and incorporating "common sense" folks that know how to get things done. Politicians are not "problem solvers"....time to get back to our basic roots and return someone to that office that truly cares about "leaving all the political mess at the door." It's time to really put Kim Wade in that office.

6:51 The best US President of my lifetime was once an entertainer. It's not about background, it's about principles and motivation.

Very well put, 12:45 PM. Thank you.

7:57 better doesn't mean electable. The people who actually show up to vote in Jackson don't want change. They want the promises of free stuff that Lumumba sells to them.

Bologna! Jackson residents have been through 5 mayors in the last 20 years, compared to the surrounding burbs. They are engaged and have shown, frequently, they are willing to replace an incumbent when a credible challenger is in the race. They've shown it with Melton, Johnson, Yarber, and safe to assume this will be Antar Lumumba's only term, with Marcus Wallace and Tim Henderson in the race.

I didn't know Phelps moved to Flowood, but that's great. I'm surprised that Jones Walker only moved from downtown to Fondren.