Jackson Jambalaya

The Mississippi Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Carly Gregg's appeal tomorrow morning at 10:30.   The hearing will be live-streamed on the Court's website, courts.ms.gov.  JJ will live stream the hearing and offer commentary as it takes place.  

 I've seen it all now. 

“The biggest mistakes are mistakes of omission, not commission. It’s the things you knew enough to do — they were within your circle of competence — and you were sucking your thumb. Those are the ones that hurt.” — Warren Buffett, University of Georgia, 2001

 While Mississippi politicians brag about the "Mississippi Miracle", third-grade reading-gate scores fell for most school districts in the Jackson metro area. Only Madison and Canton public schools saw improvements 

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

Should Republicans "redistrict" Congressman Bennie Thompson out of Congress? Tis a question dominating Mississippi political news right now so JJ is engaging in a little bit of political thunderdome.  Should the Governor have cancelled the redistricting special session? What should be done about the Congressman?  Redistricting rage dominates the political news in Mississippi right now so JJ is engaging in a little bit of political thunderdome.   JJ invited State Auditor Shad White and former Hinds County GOP Chairman Pete Perry to offer their thoughts on the matter.  Enjoy the pro and con below. 

One of my favorite reads. I first came across this essay in college and it  stayed in my mind. Written by Written by a Vietnam Veteran, it is not your typical memorial. Fred Reed writes with acid as he has a few things to say.  Heaven knows he earned the right to say them.

 And.... Bill Maher says it's back to the 1930's.  

 Barbie Bassett struck out again after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of her discrimination lawsuit against WLBT Friday.  

Credit: Vicksburg Daily News

 Public Service Commissioner De'Keither Stamps submitted this column on redistricting.  The column was originally a letter to Governor Tate Reeves. 

The Biloxi Police Department issued the following statement. 

 It's just another Saturday night in downtown Jacktown.  Who needs pay per view? 

The Texas legislature passed a law allowing the concealed carry of handguns in 1996.  There was debate over whether such carry should be allowed in church.  A State Senator said allowing concealed carry in church "would greatly enhance the content of the sermons and would shorten the length of the service if everyone carried a gun."  The law passed but still banned concealed carry in church.  Taking it in stride, the late Dr. Frank Pollard implored his 1998 congregation "I'm here to preach and you're here to listen.  If you get through before I do, just hold up your hand and that will be sufficient" to much laughter.  Once he cleared up that bit of housekeeping, he preached on Psalm 34 and how David praised the Lord amidst his tribulations.  As it was, Dr. Pollard kept the sermon to 14 minutes or so.  

Flowood Police got a little surprise this morning.   

 Where is Republican outrage over Trump’s $1.8 billion scam labeled a “settlement” of his lawsuit against the IRS? Or his get-out-of-jail-forever pass issued by his former lawyer now serving as acting Attorney General?

 Good news for Downtown Jackson.  The Daiquiri Bar is finally closing.   The owner announced on Facebook: 

 Some foolishness happened down at graduation in Port Gibson last night.  

 For the past 25 years God has been loudly calling America to repent and return to Him. Actually, God has never ceased calling us to return to Him over the past 250 years. Our founders recognized God as “the Supreme Judge of the World” and relied “on the protection of divine Providence” as they wrote the words of our founding documents setting a firm foundation. 

Two plus months into the war with Iran and the fog of war is becoming the fog of peacemaking. What was a shoot-out has become a stand-off. The key terrain feature remains the Strait of Hormuz. It is the key to this conflict in much the same way that Vicksburg was to the Civil War. The double blockade of the Strait is creating a siege atmosphere and mindset. Daniel Yergin, the great energy scholar and scribe, calls this the biggest energy disruption in history. Resolving this grand disruption will not be easy or quick.

It appears someone might need some Coppertone. 

 The Animal Rescue Fund needs your help.  Let's face it, animal rescue is a dirty business.  Most rescuers don't get paid.  They crawl under houses, go into the hood, and endure seeing dogs suffering from neglect, abuse, and yes, torture.  It is a thankless job but also a calling of the highest order.  You saw the media reports on how a thief repeatedly vandalized the ARF, stealing lawn care equipment, vaccines, drugs, dog food, and other supplies.  Please donate to the ARF as it desperately needs your help.  Click here to donate through PayPal or mail.  The ARF's Executive Director, Pippa Jackson, posted an update on Facebook yesterday: 

 Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following statement. 

Fox

Goon Squad victim managed to get himself in trouble yet again after a Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper caught him with firearms even though he is a convicted felon.  The police report states: 

 Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following statement. 

 Summertime means garden time and garden time means veggie time.   ZeroBear PolyBear left us with his recipe for a veggie dinner in a downloadable format.   Enjoy the fixin's and helpings.  

 JPD issued the following statement. 

 Madison Timber Receiver Alysson Mills suffered an embarrassing loss in federal court yesterday after a jury found Baker Donelson not liable for damages and faulted the Receiver for not pursuing claims against investors who profited from the Ponzi scheme. The Receiver also announced she settled with UPS for $6.5 million in a separate lawsuit.

 The Animal Rescue Fund on Mayes Street is going through some tough times right now after a thief hit the ARF three times in the last week.  WLBT reported: 

 Well, well, well, it appears someone might, might, be interested in running for Governor. Not enough of our best and brightest step up to lead so this could be a good thing. 

Convicted swindler Charles Evans is back in Jackson after serving 14 years in federal prison for bank fraud and money laundering in 2011.  However, Evans has no place to live so he obtained approval to live an additional six months at a halfway house. 

 Eddie Parker got in trouble again.  The Mississippi Highway Patrol arrested Parker after he wrecked his vehicle on Highway 49 in Simpson County.  MHP charged Parker with being a felon in possession of a firearm after the trooper found an AR-15 in his vehicle.  

Update: Judge Johnson dismisses lawsuit with prejudice. 

A California company withdrew its False Claims Act lawsuit that accused Mississippi billionaires Thomas and James Duff of committing PPP fraud today in U.S. District Court.

 A man accused of molesting his granddaughter received a $4 million bond in Jackson Municipal Court today.  

 The NAACP issued the following press release yesterday. 

 State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement. 

 CHICAGO—The first restaurant show I ever attended we still wrote guest checks by hand.

You took the order on a paper ticket, you carried it back, and you clipped it to a stainless steel wheel in the kitchen window. The cook spun the wheel. That was the system. That was the technology.

 Just another morning in Byram, Mississippi. 

When President Ronald Reagan appointed Tom Stewart Lee to the federal bench some 42 years ago last week, the usual national advocacy groups that spar over federal judicial appointments were hard-pressed to generate much opposition or support for the nomination. That’s because most of his judicial experience came in rural Scott County, Mississippi, as a county prosecutor, youth court judge, and municipal judge.

 JPD asked the public to help identify several people in the parking lot of the Hideaway Saturday night.  A video was released and is posted below. 

 A federal judge delayed the trial for accused synagogue burner Stephen Pittman today.  

 State Senator Daniel Sparks (R- La Vino) will throw his hat in the ring for State Auditor today. 

It appears the Catch & Release Program spread to Lafayette County.  Seth Rokitka ran over and killed Walker Fielder in the Oxford Town Square in 2022.  Although he pleaded guilty to aggravated DUI-Death and leaving the scene, such meant nothing to a Lafayette County judge who suspended Rokitka's sentence after he served a little more than a year in jail. Kill a kid, get a cookie.  

It's never a good idea to sneak drugs into prison.  Exhibit A: Jessica Hopson. 

 Who says JPD can't connect to the community? 

 Want to buy a hotel?  The Hilton on East County Line Road is up for sale. 

It's always important to  learn life's lessons.   

 It appears we got us a food fight in the Sheriff's Office of Clarke County.  This little message from some deputies appeared on Facebook: 

 First Consul Tate Reeves had a few things to say about redistricting on social media this afternoon: 

 Gubernatorial candidate and Ag Commish Andy Gipson issued the following statement and map on Facebook. 

Check out some Pearl Street Jam. 

The Public Service Commission will get no help from the Public Utilities Staff or the Attorney General as it decides whether to allow Prado AI to build a 350-megawatt natural gas fired electric generation facility to power an AI data center in Ridgeland.  

 JPD issued the following statement. 

 JPD issued the following statement. 

He was a Jew, she was a Samaritan.  Auburn and Alabama had nothing close to the hatred that exists between those two groups.  However, the Jew, Jesus Christ, broke down the wall between them.  No tricks, no miracles, no dazzling displays of power.  Just a message of friendship and love.   The late Dr. Frank Pollard used this story to show the power of friendship and how we are to be friends to others.   Enjoy the 1998 sermon posted below. 

 It seems a State Representative got himself into a wee bit of trouble.   

 What would AI models Copilot, Chat AI Plus, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude write about their datacenter hosts if asked to concoct speeches like Rep. Noel “Soggy” Sweat’s 1952 whiskey speech? Sweat’s storytelling legacy was highlighted Sunday by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

 It's been 19 years since one of the greatest moments in Mississippi journalism history took place.  

Did Van's have an ATF problem? 

William McHenry isn't quite ready to go to prison.   Convicted of lying to a bankruptcy court. the former associate of Lamar Adams in the Madison Timber scheme filed a motion to continue his sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court Wednesday.  

 Crisler tried to rat out (allegedly) D.A. to Federalis

Jody Owens sensational ploy to get his indictment dismissed went down in flames Thursday in federal court.  

 We’re all in a mess now. Or, as Hardy often accused Laurel, “This is another fine mess you’ve gotten us in to.” 

 The State Auditor has not announced he is running for Governor but it appears a platform is starting to take shape

 Attorney General Lynn Fitch issued the following statement. 

The funeral arrangements for Dan Fordice are posted below. 

 The light at the end of the tunnel is getting a little bigger for liquor stores, restaurants, and casinos in Mississippi as the ABC made substantial progress in reducing its backlog last week. 

Imagine your family spent more this year than you earned. Uncomfortable, but manageable. Now imagine your family had spent more than it earned every single year since 2001. By now you would be destitute.

 The son of the late Senator Thad Cochran struck out again after a Madison County jury convicted him of trespassing and stalking his ex-wife. 

 In this week's recipe, ZeroBear PolyBear remembers how once upon a time, we cooked from recipes found in magazines, newspapers, and other media.   Such ways have seemed to disappear so the Bear took a step back into the past.   

 State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement. 

 Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann issued the following statement. 

 Want to have some good clean fun?  The Christian music band MercyMe announced it is coming to Brandon this year.  More information is posted below. 

The obituary of Daniel Fordice is posted below.  May his family find comfort and peace in the midst of their pain.   Our prayers are with them. 

The communities of Vicksburg and Tallulah are mourning the tragic loss of Dan Fordice, a respected businessman, pilot, veteran advocate, and philanthropist who died Tuesday in a plane crash involving a P-51 Mustang warbird at Tallulah Vicksburg Regional Airport. His sudden passing has left family members, friends, veterans, and members of the aviation community grieving the loss of a man whose life was defined by service, leadership, and compassion.

 Who wants to go to Northpark Mall? 

 Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following statement Tuesday. 

A group of thugs trashed North Panola High School.  The Panola County Sheriff announced on Facebook: 

 It's back to the 80's with Goose, Iceman, and of course, Maverick.  Yup.  Top Gun is back in town at the theater for a whole week. Showtimes are posted below. 

or when killing is a family affair 

The Hinds County Catch & Release Program is very much alive.  Exhibit A: Cardarow Harden, killer extraordinaire.  

 The city of Gluckstadt issued the following statement. 

First Consul Tate Reeves issued the following statements on social media. 

I had to drive five thousand miles from home to figure out what was sitting in my own front yard.

 Texas Head Football Coach Steve Sarkisian piled on Ole Miss after Lane Kiffin took a shot at his former employer.  USA Today reported: 

 This is a tough one to write.  Danny Fordice, III. crashed his P-51 Mustang near Tallulah, Louisiana.  He is the son of the late Mississippi Governor Kirk Fordice.  He was a U.S. Army Officer and graduate of the Airborne and Ranger schools.  Rest in peace, Sir.  You were a fine company commander.   At least he died doing what he loved most.  

 It appears Lane Kiffin is walking back some of his comments about Ole Miss.  Blake Levine reported: 

 Todd Mardis just won't take no for an answer as he tries to get out of prison.  Mardis pleaded guilty to aggravated domestic violence after he beat his wife to a pulp in 2022. 

Is the foodie scene shrinking in Madison County? 

 U.S. Magistrate Lakeysha Greer-Isaac issued a protective order in U.S.A. v. Jody Owens, II et al yesterday. 

 Lane Kiffin just can't stop himself from poking the Black Bears of Ole Miss.  What did he do now, you ask? For some strange reason, the LSU football coach trashed the whole Ole Miss thing in an interview with Vanity Fair: 

 State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement. 

 The University of Missouri issued the following statement: 

Hoist on your own petard — an unpleasant surprise. A bomb that goes off in your hand. A screen pass that turns into a pick six. A developer's fantasy that puts Entergy in a bind of its own making.

Heaven knows we could use a laugh around here.  Well, get ready to get your funny bone tickled because comedian Matt Rife is coming to Brandon this fall.  

The Dope Boyz won't be guarding Lake Caroline any longer.  The Lake Caroline Homeowner's association announced: 

 Bill Maher took on the Assassination Culture Friday night, and yes, there is such a culture in America today.  Hell, Mangione is getting a musical dedicated to him.  You can't make this up.  Check out what he had to say. 

 A student at Northeast Lauderdale High School went full klukker recently in a video posted on social media.  The school issued the following statement. 

 JPD issued the following statement. 

She was what the Pharisees considered to be a gentile dog as they thought of all gentiles.  She was a single mother, possibly widowed.  She was a woman of no influence and probably little means.   However, she did possess two things: an overwhelming love for her daughter and a powerful faith.   Bring the two to Christ, her daughter was healed.   The late Dr. Frank Pollard used this story from Mark as he discusses the power of a mother's love.  Enjoy the 1993 Mother's Day sermon posted below.  

 We miss Paul Harvey letting us know “the rest of the story.” 

 The Justice Department issued the following statement. 

 Well, Pizza Shack is closed.  The door is locked, the shelves are empty, and the lights are turned off.   No "closed" signs grace the doors nor are there any updates on social media.  An employee at a nearby business said the restaurant had been closed for at least a few days.   

 Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following statement. 

 Some people just can't be rehabilitated, right.  

 Last week House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) described his party’s efforts to draw state districts favoring Democrats, “We are in an era of maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.”  

The Traffic Light Doctor of Youtube fame recently rolled through Jackson and well, had a few things to say about our traffic lights.   Check out the video.  

 A man is barricaded in a Rankin County home after a family dispute turned violent.  Two victims are dead.  The incident is on Monterey Road near Florence. More information will be posted when available. 

For decades, ideas hatched in the seminar rooms of 1960s France have been quietly percolating through American institutions. The result is a moral and intellectual climate in which a generation of young Americans has been taught to see themselves not as free individuals in charge of their own destinies, but as positions in a hierarchy of victimhood, defined by race or sex.

Madison County deputies arrested the security guards at Lake Caroline possessing drugs while on duty.  Kenneth I. Stokes would be proud.  

 The Order of the Sisters of Rukia is not happy about the upcoming redistricting in Mississippi. 

There is not yet light at the end of the tunnel but progress continues to be made reducing the backlog of orders at the ABC warehouse.  

ZeroBear PolyBear gave us quite a few tasty recipes.  However, some are not exactly friendly on the caloric side.  Um, make that too friendly.  The Bear took a break from such cooking to provide us with a keto-friendly concoction of chicken, shrimp, and asparagus.  Enjoy.   

How did concert ticket prices get so high?  Tis a question asked by many as they are forced to fork out hundreds of dollars per ticket just to see their favorite artists perform live.  The Youtube channel More Perfect Union explains how the Ticketmaster/Live Nation monopoly strangles customers and venues alike while it rakes in the dough.   The video is relatively short but says quite a bit.  Enjoy. 

 A former Yazoo City police chief has been sitting in jail for over a year even though he  has not been indicted. 

Racism is big business for the Southern Poverty Law Center according to its tax returns.   No fewer than 16 employees make over $210,000 per year while it parks $31 million offshore and enjoyed nearly $800 million in investments.  Good grub if you can get it.  

 Who needs wrasslin' at the Coliseum when there is regular entertainment of the pugilistic variety in other parts of Jackson? 

Politicians not included.  

Ag Commish Andrew Gipson issued the following statement. 

 JJ offers its sincerest apologies to the Pizza Shack.  Yours truly saw "news" of its closing on Nextdoor, went to Facebook, and saw the announcement.  Just one problem.  The announcement was for a similar named restaurant in another state.  JJ's usual practice is to drive by the site to determine if a restaurant is actually closed.  Drove by last night and can report the Pizza Shack is open.  Apologies again to the owners.  JJ will catch hell for it but that is to be expected when you screw up.  We are big boys and can handle it.  

 Jackson Mayor John Horhn issued the following statement. 

"the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." James 3:5-6 (NIV)

Running off at the mouth could get mighty expensive for Steve Gaines after Goon Squad victims Michael Cory Jenkins and Eddie Parker sued the Rankin County Supervisor for defamation in Rankin County Circuit Court Monday.

There are some people whom can't be hated enough.  One such woman is Roxanne Record in Baton Rouge.  Record killed her four year-old granddaughter by forcing her to drink over half a bottle of Canadian Mist.   WJTV star alumnus Kiran Chawla reported on her website, Unfiltered Kiran: 

Are the garbage trucks at Richard's Disposal safe to drive?  A federal lawsuit accuses the company of firing a driver who dared to report several trucks were not safe to drive.   

 There is a hamburger in Stone County better than 90% of the hamburgers being served in this country, and it is being cooked roughly 200 feet from the cattle that died to make it.

 Be wary of these pop-up "events" where gold is bought and sold as they may not be legal.   One would-be gold tycoon found out that lesson the hard way in Madison after the city shut down the "event." 

For sixty years, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act served as a kind of quiet referee in Southern politics. It didn’t tell voters how to think or politicians how to govern. It simply enforced a basic principle: lines couldn’t be drawn in a way that systematically canceled out minority votes.

Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens issued the following statement.

 Well, well, well.  Yet another attorney got busted for the misuse of AI to write briefs.  The Mississippi Court of Appeals ordered famed Gulf Coast attorney Michael Crosby to show cause why he should not be held in contempt of court after he filed a brief containing no fewer than eight phony citations.    

State Representative Lee Yancey (R - Shaggy's) announced he will run for State Senator Dean Kirby's seat next year after the Senate lion said he will not run for re-election.   Mr. Yancey posted on Facebook: 

 JXN Water enjoyed a collection rate of 86% while the water system's performance continued to improve reported JXN Water in its quarterly status report Friday.  

 JPD did its job - finally.  It's latest press release states: 

A key battle in the war between Jackson Academy and the Voyles family will take place in Hinds County Court next month. 

The Stokes is strong with this one.   

Sometimes playing cowboy is not a good idea as Rankin County redneck William Butler found out today.  

The Jackson Police chief done did it again.   

Update: State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement. 

The first person was sentenced to prison today in the welfare fraud scheme that my office uncovered over six years ago. My understanding from prosecutors is that the court will be sentencing the other six people who pleaded guilty soon," said State Auditor Shad White. "Our court system often takes time to function, but today it took a step toward justice for the taxpayers who were defrauded in the largest public fraud scheme in state history.

Original post: Hinds County Circuit Judge sentenced Anne McGrew to serve one year in prison and four years on house arrest for her role in the Nancy New scandal today. 

In March 2026, two Mississippi cities raised their water rates. Ridgeland increased its typical residential bill by $6.31 a month. JXN Water increased its by $8.88. Similar numbers. Very different decision processes.

 If you want to keep up with the Capitol Police, check out its latest newsletter posted below. 

 Country music sensation Jelly Roll is coming to Brandon.  Tickets go on sale Thursday.  More information is posted below.  

 Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens issued the following statement Thursday. 

 "I will not learn your new dumb word."  Aptly said.  Overton Window, anyone? 

 "Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways" said the 25th chapter of a Psalm written before the age of smartphones and social media where sins are rarely forgotten.  However, preached the late Dr. Frank Pollard (First Baptist Church - Jackson), our sins can be forgiven and even forgotten.  All we have to do is ask.  Enjoy Dr. Pollard's 1998 sermon posted below as he discusses the forgetting of our sins no matter how heavy they are.  

 Civil discourse? What? Let’s talk about controversies – the Iran war, immigration, the farm bill, spying on Americans, etc. Those are more dynamic and timely topics, right?

Wonder what set him off.  

JPD issued the following statement. 

 Jackson Mayor John Horhn issued the following statement. 

 “Man on the street” interviews show the true feelings of average Americans on any given day. “What happened in Washington, DC, Saturday night, April 25, at the Washington Hilton?” Uh, I don’t know, what?  

Governor Tate Reeves issued the following statement on Facebook. 

If are you of a certain age, you remember the shame of the Iranian hostage crisis that lasted for over a year.  The military suffered one of its worst humiliations ever with the Desert One disaster.  Little remembered is what the savages did afterwards.   

The State Rating Bureau dropped Jackson's fire rating from a third class to a fourth class rating today.  

 Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following statement.

It will be a steel cage, no rules, no time limit, loser must leave town match next month as the city of Jackson and the State of Mississippi square off in a federal courtroom over who controls the airport.  

For decades, Mississippi sat near the bottom of every economic ranking that mattered. Income, education, growth — the conventional wisdom held that the state was a permanent laggard, useful mainly as a punchline.

The residentially challenged can get pretty creative but this is a new one on High Street.   

 Will the Mississippi Parole Board set yet another double-killer free? 

We are in for a rainy weekend which means it's the perfect time to make some divinity candy.  ZeroBear PolyBear was kind enough to provide us with his recipe in a downloadable format.  Get to work.