Jackson Jambalaya

Stupid is as stupid does and stupid describes Pierre Smith, Jr.  Smith got a break in May after he was indicted last year for cocaine possession while possessing a firearm.  Smith struck a deal with the prosecutor that allowed him to avoid going to jail by entering a pre-trial intervention program.  Fast forward to this month and Smith decided to party in New Orleans with women but in this case, partying meant  child sex trafficking.  New Orleans police arrested him on July 13 for sex trafficking.  The victims were two teen-aged girls who Smith forced into prostitution.   Hinds County Assistant District Attorney Michael Henry moved to revoke Smith's pre-trial agreement two days after his New Orleans arrest.  Mr. Henry stated in his motion:

The University of Mississippi Medical Center issued the following press release:

Will Pizza Hut continue to operate in Maywood Mart? Pizza Hut of America, LLC is trying to stay in its current location facing I-55N while landlord Maywood Mart Tei Equities, LLC is trying to terminate Pizza Hut's lease.  Pizza Hut sued Maywood Mart in U.S. District Court on April 11. 

The Pearl Police Department posted this statement and accompanying photos on Facebook:

 A Madison County attorney had a bit of a conniption at last week's meeting of the Madison County Board of Supervisors last week when things didn't go her way.   Janice Jackson attempted to qualify for the District 1 Election Commissioner election but failed to submit her qualifying papers to the Chancery Clerk before the deadline.  She asked the Board to accept her candidacy but the Board rejected her request.  The Madison County Journal reported:

Wikileaks is having some fun with the Democrats and that is putting it mildly.  Wikileaks posted this message on its website:

It appears the Jackson Redevelopment Authority managed to sell $9 million of urban renewal bonds to fund construction of the Westin Hotel project that had stalled.   An official statement was registered yesterday with EMMA* that stated eight maturities were sold.  The project's progress stopped last month as it awaited funding from JRA.

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following press release:

Hinds County Chancellor Denise Owens recused herself from the charter school lawsuit yesterday.  Read this post for more information about the lawsuit.  That leaves the following Chancellors available to hear the lawsuit: Thomas, Wise, and Singletary. Stay tuned. 

Republicans love to say that only in government does someone get rewarded for failure.  However, an article in National Review makes the case that the Republican Party has its own share of trough-feeders who fail and fall upwards.   The author calls it the "Republican-industrial complex has turned missteps into millions" in an allusion to Ike's classic term.   Polijunkies and Democrats will enjoy reading this essay that is rather thorough in nature.  Matthew Sheffield writes:

Mayor Tony Yarber issued the following statement: 

The Mississippi Department of Corrections issued the following press release:

One East Baton Rouge Parish deputy gets to go home to his family.

Update (4:45 PM): Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following press release:

The Jackson Municipal Airport Authority issued the following press release:

A Jackson doctor and North Jackson Medical Clinic are trying to move a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the children of deceased Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, Sr.  out of the Jackson metro area.  Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Jr. filed a wrongful death action against St. Dominic Hospital, North Jackson Medical Clinic, and several doctors in February in Hinds County Circuit Court.  Attorneys Dennis Sweet, III and Dennis Sweet, IV are representing Mr. Lumumba.  The case is assigned to Judge Winston Kidd.

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey issued the following statement: 

4:00 PM update: U.S. Magistrate Keith Ball set a $10,000 unsecured bond for Dr. Reddix. Dr. Reddix was represented by attorney Lisa Ross. He admitted to the court that he is currently undergoing treatment for alcohol abuse.


The U.S. Attorney's office  issued the following press release:

Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith  asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to dissolve a court order barring him from participating in cases.  Mr. Smith was arrested and charged with six misdemeanor counts of improperly helping criminal defendants. Hinds County Circuit Judge Jeff Weill issued the order shortly after the arrest took place.   The D.A. also asked the County Court of Hinds County to unseal several documents that he claims will help his case. The various motions provide new information and a look at what has been taking place behind the scenes in Hinds County.  Mr.  Smith apparently tried to bring one judge before a grand jury.  The filings are posted below. 

I have on my desk a perfectly preserved game program from the Mississippi State-Ole Miss football game played Nov. 24, 1945. On page 1, it tells us about school colors: “For Ole Miss, Red and Blue; for Mississippi State, Maroon and White.”

That hasn't changed. Most everything else has.

 Hinds County Circuit Judge Jeff Weill set trial for the capital murder prosecution of Gerome Moore on September 12 at 9:00 AM.  A Hinds County grand jury indicted Moore for the shooting death of Carolyn Temple in January 2015.

The Mississippi Department of Education issued the following press release: 

Check out this building behind the King Edward hotel:

The Clarion-Ledger is conducting a poll for your favorite reporter and other forms of media coverage.  Vote here.  
Remember, this is Mississippi so vote early and often.  It is not known if absentee ballots are available.  

The blog Hypeline reported that some bedwetters in Cleveland freaked out over the police living in campus dorms during the Republican National Convention:

The release of the school accountability ratings last week drove the Parents' Campaign's Nancy Loome into a frenzy last week as she sent out several blast emails blasting everything.  Ms. Loome is the Executive Director and lobbyist for the non-profit organization funded by Jim Barksdale and Dick Molpus. She blasted the Mississippi Department of Education. She blasted legislators. She blasted her fellow lobbyists.  She blasted standardized tests.  It is not known yet if she blasted herself.  She sent out the first email early last week:

JPD issued the following statement:

Louisiana State Police Colonel Mike Edmondson briefed reporters about the attack and provided a great deal of new information and photos at a press conference today.  Three officers were killed yesterday.  One East Baton Rouge Parish deputy is fighting for his life while another faces more surgeries.

 Start watching the video at 11:30.  Colonel Edmondson takes viewers through the timeline and diagram at 18:00. It is a very informative part of the briefing.  He takes the readers through the attack.

Can you stand some good news?  A group of men spent sixteen years restoring a B-29 Superfortress.  It made its first flight since restoration yesterday.  Fightersweep.com reported:

JPD issued the following press release and mug shot:

Does MBN have a good ole boy culture of crude sexual jokes, harassment of female employees, and a dreaded "Perkins Scale"? that rates women based on looks? The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics settled a sexual harassment suit last month for undisclosed terms.  MBN Special Projects Officer Mary Katherine Sullivan sued MBN on September 4, 2015 for alleged acts of sexual harassment committed by MBN Deputy Director Mike Perkins. 
Ms. Sullivan alleged in her complaint:

It appears defendants were paying bribes to Hinds County prosecutors to reduce bonds. The U.S. Attorney filed a bill of information in U.S. District Court Friday that alleged Hinds County Assistant District Attorney Ivon Johnson and an unnamed co-conspirator fixed bonds for criminal defendants in exchange for cash payments.  The bill of information states:

Here are some of the latest news on the attack in police officers in Baton Rouge today.

Three police officers were killed this morning in Baton Rouge.  Three other officers were injured as well and their status is currently unknown.  The story is moving fast and is constantly updated online every few minutes.  The best way to keep up with the news is to read media feeds on Twitter. There were two to three shooters.  One witness said one covered his face with a mask while another hid in the bushes.  The attack took place near the intersection of Carolyn and Airline Highway.  It is between I-12 and BRPD Headquarters a few blocks away on Airline Highway.  Louisiana State Police report they are still looking for two shooters.

An eyewitness posted a rather intense video of the shootout on Facebook. She later removed the video.  However, JJ was able to record the video itself.  The audio is posted below and is rather intense.  The video component was removed so no one could identify the woman recording the video.  Most of the video are shots of the roof and vehicle of her SUV.  There is no video of the actual action taken place. 

A man is Samuel L. Jackson.  A man provided a recap of the Game of Thrones series in rather colorful fashion for newbs:  

The Dallas Morning News reported  a robbery went awry earlier this week:

The Sun-Herald's Anita Lee continues to school journalists in Mississippi.  She busted a big-time boondoggle that took place on the coast.  Wrap your head around this opening sentence: "The state of Mississippi has spent $158.5 million on a road that does not exist."  Ms. Lee waded through the weeds and provided more horrifying details:

The Clarion-Ledger published a story about Judge Melvin Priester, Sr. recusing himself from State v. Robert Shuler Smith Wednesday.  JJ broke the story on Tuesday but the newspaper reported some very interesting information:

It is a rather simple equation.  Bar + neighborhood homes = conflict.   Fondren residents are upset that a bar/pizza joint/pool hall/whateveryoucallit opened at the corner of Patton and North State Street.  The complaints soon arose and Patton Avenue residents took their fight to City Hall this week.  The video posted below shows a stream of neighbors addressing the City Council. 

Twin Creeks, Kior, Stion.... the names roll off the tongue more easily after awhile as the list of failed alternative energy experiments grows longer.  Jack Weatherly reported in the Mississippi Business Journal reported solar panel manufacturer Stion will probably not meet its goal of creating 1,000 jobs after receiving a $75 million loan from Mississippi:

State Auditor Stacey Pickering issued the following press release:

The Mississippi Department of Education released the PARCC results and issued the following statement:

JPD issued the following statement:

This video is better than the smell of napalm in the morning.    Warning: GRAPHIC VIOLENCE!!!

Public Service Commissioner Cecil Brown submitted this column to JJ. 

The Mississippi state budget is a mess. For the state budget year that began on July 1, the legislature authorized spending millions more dollars than the state can expect to collect. The leadership admits that nearly $57 million of the projected 2017 revenue does not exist. In addition, Attorney General Jim Hood has said that some $70 million more of their estimated revenue will not be available as a matter of law. And, if current revenue shortfalls continue, the budget hole will be deeper by many millions more.