Jackson Jambalaya

Hinds County Court Judge Melvin Priester, Sr. recused himself from the Robert Shuler Smith Case.

My old and good friend Nick Kolinksy, a patriot if ever there was one, died on July 5, a day after his 77th Independence Day.

Nick was an Army veteran, who loved his country and the men and women who fought for it. But he was much more than that, as we will see. He was a football star, a square-jawed, bull-strong linemen on a national championship (1962) team at Southern Miss. A Pennsylvania native, Nick learned about USM when he was in the Army and drinking beer with some other soldiers in a German beer hall. One had attended USM and raved about it. Nick decided right then he was going to go to college in the funny-named town of Hattiesburg. And he did. When he left Pennsylvania, he told his mother he was headed for Mississippi. Her reply: “Son, that's a river, isn't it?”

It appears the nephew of Hinds County Chancellor Denise Owens is the aunt (by marriage) of Jody Owens, II.  The Southern Poverty Law Center website states:

The Clinton Police Department issued the following statement:

Will Mississippi's two charter schools close?  The Southern Poverty Law Center asked a Hinds County Chancellor yesterday to declare Mississippi charter schools unconstitutional and illegal.  The nominal plaintiffs are  John Sewell, Kimberly Sewell, Evelyn Araujo, Charles Araujo, Cassandra Overton-Welchlin, Lutaya Stewart, and Arthur Brown*.  The case was assigned to Chancellor Denise Sweet Owens.   The suit names Governor Phil Bryant, the Mississippi Department of Education, and the Jackson Public School District as defendants.

It looks like our Mercedes-Benz dealership is moving.

A Terrence Williams posted this studious social commentary on Facebook about the recent troubles in America:

JPD issued the following press release AND mug shots.

Remember when the Mississippi Department of Education said the school ratings would be released in June?  Well, it is now July and MDE still has not released the A-F ratings for public school districts and their individual schools.  The ratings are normally published around Labor Day each year but were not published last year.  JJ reported in May:

Major Max Geron of the Dallas Police Department wrote this essay that appeared on the Homeland Security Watch website.

"Hey man this is Reuben. I don’t know if you heard but there’s a city-wide assist and reports of officers down at the demonstration. I’ve got some guys and we’re headed that way and I just wanted you to know in case you hadn’t heard.”

That was my first indication that something had gone horribly wrong. I glanced at social media and immediately saw throngs of people scattering from the anti-police brutality protests going on in downtown Dallas. I knew it was bad. They reported one officer having been evac’d to the hospital in a squad car – you know it’s bad when cops are evacuating other cops in squad cars and not waiting for ambulances.

Yes, these NYU students are that dumb:

It's been a deadly week in America and I'm sure many of you are still absorbing what took place this week.  Consider this thread to be your chance to vent.  Feel free to posts links to relevant stories.  Read your comment if it is not approved and I'm sure you will see what was wrong with it.  No racist comments, no personal insults.

A New Orleans freelance journalist blew up on Instagram when her New York Daily News cover photo about the Albert Sterling shooting in Baton Rouge was pushed to the side in favor of coverage from Dallas.  She busted her butt to get a photo that was going to get some national recognition for it and then boom!  Her photo gets bumped for an even bigger story.  Needless to say, she did not take it too well.  See for yourself.

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey posted this message on Facebook: 

JPD issued the following statement:

The organization "No One Stands Alone" issued the following press release:

A Hinds County grand jury indicted Joshua Dukes on June 24 for four counts of capital murder.  The case is assigned to Judge Bill Gowan.  JPD Chief Lee Vance called him a "serial killer" when he announced his arrest. The four counts of the indictment state:

The Hinds County District Attorney and Attorney General traded licks in Hinds County Circuit Court today.  District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith asked the court to dismiss all charges against him.  Mr. Smith was arrested two weeks ago on six charges of illegally helping criminal defendants.  (A.G. press release) The charges are misdemeanors.   Mr. Smith is represented by Tupelo attorney JIM Waaaaaaiiiiide.  Circuit Judge Jeff Weill barred Mr. Smith from handling cases before him after the arrest took place. 

The New York Times published an expose on the Kemper fiasco. It ties in Mississippi Power, former Governor Haley Barbour, and a friendly legislature that greased the wheels for the construction of the plant.  The reporting is thorough and included interviews with several engineers.  Read the entire story for yourself  or read some excerpts published below.

Here are the public records requests filed with the city of Jackson since March 1, 2016.  Enjoy.

The recent report that Mississippi State and Southern Miss will renew their basketball rivalry came as welcomed news to this observer.

State and USM will play four games over the next four Decembers, all in Mississippi Coliseum in the Capital City. Good for State. Good for USM. Good for Jackson. Good for Mississippi basketball.

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following statement:

Are Jackson public schools safe? Tis the question asked by auditors from the Mississippi Department of Education.  Their audit unfortunately found JPS students attend too many schools where discipline does not exist and violence is all too often a normal part of the school day.  The report doesn't pull any punches as auditors visited every school in the district.  Security guards aren't trained and are often absent from their posts.  One high school teacher played on his phone instead of teaching. Kids come and go as they please at some schools.  Students are often unsupervised.  Meanwhile Superintendent Dr. Gray and his staff forbid principals to call JPD when needed and are effectively handcuffed when they try to impose discipline.

Attorney General Jim Hood issued the following press release:

Governor Phil Bryant issued the following press release: 

Our condolences go to Marshall Ramsey and his family.  His father passed away today.  Please keep the family in your prayers. Here is a picture of Marshall and his Dad:

JPD issued the following statement:

A male teen was killed and another seriously injured in a wreck that took place by John Deer Landscaping on Fannin Landing Circle today.  The driver and passengers were all males and ranged in age from 17 to 19 years old.  The deceased is Cole Kirby.  He was a member of the MRA baseball team and the National Honor Society.  The other teens are Peyton Horton, Parker Madeo, and Tyler Price.  They are all in critical condition. 

The boys were riding in a 2000 Jeep Wrangler.  Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said the Jeep went off of the road and the driver overcompensated in trying to get back on the road.  The Jeep flipped several times.  Sheriff Bryan Bailey said his office is investigating.

Update (9:00 AM, 7/5/16): Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued this statement:

The Ridgeland Police Department issued the following press release and mug shot:

JJ will publish its next post about the dismal JPS audit Tuesday.  JPS faces the real possibility of losing its accreditation.  Readers may remember that JPS narrowly avoided losing its accreditation back in 2012.  The district cut a deal with the Mississippi Department of Education that kept JPS off of probation.  However, some school board members threw tantrums as this video shows.

It's time to go back to work and get caught up on the local scene.  The coverage about the District Attorney's arrest has picked up steam so we will pick up where we left off last week. Mollie Bryant reported in the Clarion-Ledger:

JPD issued the following statement and mug shot:

Attorney General Jim Hood issued the following statement on the HB #1523 decision:

JPD issued the following press release and mug shots:

U.S. Attorney Greg Davis issued the following press release:

Attorney General Jim Hood issued the following press release: 

Secretary of State Dibbert Hosemann issued the following press release:

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

You can't make this up. The site Askamanager.com posted a letter that shows  what happens when communism meets the real world:

Downtown Jackson Partners filed a motion to compel Linda Brune's deposition yesterday in the County Court of Madison County.  DJP sued Ms. Brune for the recovery of $40,439 she allegedly embezzled while working as a secretary.  District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith told DJP that Ms. Brune could not testify because she was a "victim" in the criminal case his office is prosecuting against Ben Allen.

JPD issued the following press release and mug shot.

The Mississippi Department of Education blistered JPS in a recent audit.  The violations are simply too numerous to mention in one post and aren't merely technical in nature.  MDE reported JPS had dangerous schools, too many unlicensed teachers, graduated students who should not graduate, and a host of other serious problems.  JPS faces a loss of accreditation, as MDE will downgrade the accreditation status of JPS from "accredited" to "probation".   JPS violated 22 of a possible 32 standards as it flunked the audit.  MDE notified JPS in a June 15 letter stating JPS could contest the findings within the next thirty days.  MDE will present the findings to the Commission on School Accreditation on August 4.   JPS can request a hearing to contest the findings.

JJ is going to cover this subject a little differently than others. The report is 247 pages and is simply too long to cover in one post while giving it the attention it deserves. The public needs to know how bad really things are at JPS. JJ is going to publish a series of posts about the audit. The full audit is posted below if you want to read ahead. Here are the first batch of highlights from the report.

What I remember most about Darryl Strawberry's one summer in Jackson was the explosive sound of his bat launching the baseball. It was shocking, really, no matter how many times you heard it. And we heard it often in 1982.

When “Straw” got hold of one, it sounded more like a rifle shot than a home run. His home runs left Smith-Wills Stadium so quickly and often went so high and far into those pine trees behind the right field wall. Remember? We called that area behind the right field fence “The Strawberry Patch.”

JPD issued the following press release:

Jackson Ward 3 City Councilman Kenneth Stokes defended Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith to WJTV yesterday:

Dr. Arnold Smith asked a Hinds County Circuit Court to remove Attorney General Jim Hood in a complaint for Quo Warranto filed yesterday.  Dr. Smith argues that the Mississippi Constitution places the Attorney General under the  judicial branch  and thus Mr. Hood can not serve in the executive branch of state government.

Attorney General Jim Hood issued the following press release: