We're currently off the air due to a possible lightning strike at the station. We're working to get back on air as soon as possible. Barbie will have the weather when we are back on air.
KF note: They are streaming on their website.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
WLBT off the air
Mike takes on the NAACP
Just like the Energizer Bunny, he just keeps going and going....
Morgan Freeman gives Obama campaign $1 million
The Wall Street Journal reports Mississippi native Morgan Freeman donated $1 million to the Obama campaign:
"Actor Morgan Freeman donated $1 million last month to the super PAC backing President Barack Obama, the group announced Thursday morning.
That accounts for a solid chunk of the $6.1 million Priorities USA Action raised in June. The group, co-founded by former White House aide Bill Burton, has showed some gains in recent months convincing more wealthy donors to support their cause. Democrats, in general, have been less willing than Republicans to fund super PACs, which can accept unlimited donations. The groups are expected to allow Republicans to outspend the party holding the White House this year – no small feat.
“President Obama has done a remarkable job in historically difficult circumstances,” he says. “He ended combat operations in Iraq, put in place sensible reforms of Wall Street, saved the auto industry and protected the health care of every American. He has led our nation to be more tolerant and placed impressive, accomplished women on the Supreme Court. In return, he is the target of hundreds of millions of dollars from right-wing sources. I am proud to lend my voice – and support – to those who defend him. “
Remembering Rubel
Rubel Philips was born in Alcorn County and I was born in Alcorn County. The difference is: Rubel was raised on a farm in Kossuth; and I was raised in downtown Corinth. Rubel once called me something that no one else has ever called me. I suppose as someone from Corinth, ONLY someone from Kossuth could rightfully do so. He called me a “city slicker.”
But Rubel moved out of Kossuth and we were neighbors for several years. I don’t know all the Philips brothers very well, but I knew Rubel and I knew his brother Hal and I am convinced they are two of the brightest and most intellectual people to ever come out of Alcorn County.
Rubel started his career by winning an election to be circuit court clerk. What many of you might not know is, back then you could get married in 30 minutes in Mississippi. And people from Indiana and Illinois and Kentucky and Tennessee would drive to Alcorn County – because we were on the Tennessee line – to get married. And Rubel as clerk paid by fees, would sit there and issue out a marriage license for $25 dollars. So, he’d give five dollars to the county and he’d keep twenty for himself and he built up an impressive fund in preparation for his next campaign, which was for Public Service Commissioner.
Rubel was an outstanding Northern District Public Service Commissioner and a well respected chairman of the commission. Oh, if only we had Rubel as one of those commissioners today. He did so much for the state and had such understanding of what was good policy for both citizens and industry in Mississippi. He was a progressive leader focused on economic development and jobs for everyone. And that’s not true for all the public service commissioners today.
Well, Rubel had made a long journey from hoeing cotton in Kossuth, then circuit clerk, then public service commissioner, and now he was going to run for governor. And it was the sixties and the sixties were bad. Many of us lived through it and lived in the segregated society before then; others here may not have even been born.
Governor Faubus was screaming in Arkansas and George Wallace was screaming he would never be out segregated again after his loss in Alabama. And we had Ross Barnett who represented our state in such a poor way and did so much to damage our reputation nationally. Barnett gave us such a bad image. Mississippi and much of the South had such bad leadership from the Democratic Party. And then we had Paul Johnson, Jr. who vowed to carry on the Ross Barnett legacy.
But along came Rubel. It was 1963 and Wirt and others convinced Rubel he should run against Johnson as a Republican. He kicked off his campaign in Corinth with Grand Ole Opry member Roy Acuff. Roy Acuff had run as a Republican for governor in Tennessee and lost. Well, Rubel also lost, but he did win about forty percent of the vote and put a stamp on Mississippi as a two-party state. Afterward, Democrats even tried to legislate what they called “Republicanism” away. But they failed. The GOP was here to stay, thanks to people like Wirt and Rubel.
Four years later, in 1967, Rubel ran again, this time against John Bell Williams. John Bell had just returned from Congress where he had been voted the least influential congressman in the country. And John Bell Williams continued the same rabble rousing populist campaign the previous politicians had given us. But Rubel said something different. Rubel had true leadership.
I remember seeing him on television saying that ‘Congressman Williams is telling you we’re never going to integrate schools. I’m not going to tell you that, because we ARE going to integrate schools.’ Rubel said, and I’m paraphrasing this, that, ‘You know, when you reach down and help someone – you help the poor and underprivileged– when you do that, you help yourself. And that is what we must do to give a fair and equal education, to create an equal opportunity to work and make a living, to ensure justice and respect in the courts of law. That helps everyone, but it starts with those of us who can lend a hand to help out those who need a hand.’
It made quite a stir on television in Mississippi and across the country when Rubel kicked off that campaign. He said, “We have got to be willing to remove the barriers to economic advancement, and we have got to be willing to make an investment in future productivity.” That was Rubel’s theme for all Mississippians, blacks and whites alike. He said something that the voters of Mississippi had never heard from a mainstream candidate.
Some said when he was marked with the label “racial moderate” that it was the death nail to his political career. But that didn’t matter to him, because he believed in standing for what was right. Maybe it was Providence that put him in the position where he could say something new without fear of political ramifications. So he said it.
Wirt Yerger gave the party its birth; and Rubel Philips first gave the growth and scope statewide that the Republican Party was different from that other party that many of us were once members of. Rubel showed Mississippi that the Republican Party is the party of ideas, the party of opportunity, the party of leadership, the party of progress for a better Mississippi for all citizens regardless of race or economic standing.
On the morning after he was defeated, our pastor at Northminster Baptist Church called and said ‘we need to go give Rubel a little comfort; make sure he’s ok. Let’s get a golf game together.’ So we did. We went and played golf and Rubel was fine. He was disappointed I’m sure, but he handled it like he handled everything, with measured grace.
And we came in after we finished and the pastor said, ‘Rubel, you know, you lost that election. But in losing, you won. You were the first to tell the public the truth. You were the first to adopt a fair and progressive policy, and to get the public thinking about change, about changing their ways. So yes, you lost that election Rubel, but really you won.’
Rubel was able to make a difference in the private sector as well.
As a lawyer, he handled everything from divorces to serving as counsel for our company. I noticed that in several of the divorce cases Rubel handled, no one ever ended up divorced. Rubel was different from most attorneys. He wanted those spouses to settle their differences and get back together. Maybe he thought that as he had married half the country in Alcorn County, they might start wanting their money back. But seriously, Rubel didn’t want families going through a long term battle that drove up lawyer fees; he wanted to do what was right. And I observed what he was doing and observed how he could reconcile people and issues.
That was important to our company, so he represented us in acquisitions of small companies and large companies. He always had the respect of those he negotiated with be it in a small town like Longview, Texas or a big city like Chicago or Los Angeles. Everyone respected him because of his straightforwardness and his tremendous skills. One of his skills was to keep a transaction alive when others would have watched the deal fall through. He was always working on solutions and then closing the deal – not everyone can do that. There are too many legal standoffs that prevent a partnership from being sealed, but Rubel wouldn’t let that happen. Our company completed many, many transactions and acquisitions and without Rubel those successes wouldn’t have happened.
It was providential he became our in-house counsel at a critical time when we were in constant negotiations with big markets and the FCC and dealing with cellular licenses and applications that had to go through court processes and legal maneuvers. Rubel was invaluable and built up great value for our company and our stockholders.
I don’t know how best to explain what he did except: shortly after he put all our deals together, we sold the company to Bell South for an amount in excess of one billion dollars…So Rubel…thank-ya, buddy!
You know, Rubel was not elected governor, but he did nurture a solid Republican party -- not to take anything away from you, Wirt.
For the first time, people in this state were thinking differently. We realized the hurt and pain and damage our bad leaders had done. Since then, we have progressed in extraordinary and unimaginable ways. Today we are blessed with the exceptional leadership of Governor Haley Barbour, Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker, and other Republican elected officials.
Last week I heard Tom Brokaw say in a private conversation that Mississippi had come further than any state in progress in our race relations. Just think where we might have been today if Rubel had been elected our leader, our governor back then. Good leadership matters. Makes you wonder how much further, how much more progressed Mississippi might be today had we done the right thing and he had been elected.
Rubel was a public servant in Alcorn County and North Mississippi. He was a candidate that changed politics and people in Mississippi. He was a brilliant lawyer, a skillful businessman, and a wonderful father and husband. Rubel also helped start Northminster Baptist Church here in Jackson that forged a unique partnership with the Jewish community in Mississippi through Temple Beth Israel. Northminster continues today to be a positive force in the community for the poor and needy.
A family man, a business man, a man of vision, a man of faith.
Rubel, tonight we recognize you and honor you as our gubernatorial and Republican pioneer.
We admire you, and we thank you, Rubel Phillips.
*Brett Kitteridge published a post about Mr. Phillips when he died.
Click Here to Read More..
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Updated. AG rules Graves can not be on the ballot
Updated with copy of opinion
The Attorney General issued an opinion stating Incumbent Ward 2 Election Commissioner Candidate Bobbie Graves and Ward 5 candidate Blonda Mack can not be on the ballot in November. Ms. Graves submitted her qualifying papers to the chancery clerk the day after the deadline. State law mandates qualifying ends at 5:00 PM on the first Monday in June and the papers must be submitted to the chancery clerk. If she is not placed on the ballot, Josephine Anderson will run unopposed.
While board attorney Crystal Martin suggested at the meeting of the Supervisors cases from Washington and Smith counties suggested "substantial compliance" with the law was the standard, the AG said nope, statutory deadlines mandate "strict compliance" and the two candidates are thus not place on the ballot.
Can someone make sense of this?
Hinds County Election Commissioner Jemel Clark, no relation to Roger (see below), addressed the Hinds County Board of Supervisors Monday. R.L. Knave wrote a good account of the meeting at the Jackson Free Press website:
"Jackson's Ward 3 special election is eight days away and the city still doesn't have a contract with Hinds County to run the election. Jermal Clark, chairman of the Hinds County board of Elections Commissioners, told county supervisors that the city is working on it but that as of this morning, the commission did not have a contract for supervisors to review."
Article.
However, I do have one question. From 5:00 on in the video below, what exactly is Mr. Clark asking? Can anyone understand this?
Any resemblance?
Romney works Obama over about hard work comment
Romney fires back at Obama in this vigorous speech yesterday over Obama's comments regarding business and hard work. He was quite animated and frankly, I didn't think he had it in him. Here is the video.
Short clip:
Full speech:
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Need suggestions for businesswoman's poll.
It's about time I did the "Top Businesswoman in Jackson" (metro area) poll again. Please make suggestions in the comments of this post. No popularity contests. If you see one mentioned once or twice, I got it. She must be a business owner. No realtors or lawyers in 50-partner firms. Now, if she is a realtor and is the sole owner of a large firm, you get the idea. Same thing if she is a CPA or lawyer working out of her home for a small clientele and no one even knows she exists. Not going to include that type either. I got the idea after going to the MBJ top businesswoman's luncheon a few years ago and saw the winner was a government employee and too many were simply corporate employees, not true businesswomen. Make suggestions here and I'll put up the poll next week. I realize it's a popularity contest to a large degree, but short of putting in place a set of metrics and then judging more than a few businesses or charging money as MBJ does, there is no perfect way to do such a poll. It's a way of honoring those who work hard, sacrifice, and too often receive little recognition. Start nominating.
Click Here to Read More..
Meet Dr. Smith's twin (Video)
Warning: Do not drink coffee while you read this.
Meet Dr. Smith's twin who lives in Bolton. This is the lady who filed assault charges against former Hinds Emergency Operations Center Jimmie Lewis. Now she comes before the Hinds County Board of Supervisors yesterday making some rather um, interesting allegations. Wait til you get to the part about the Mayor. It's pretty funny.
Yes, we wasted 15 minutes on this.
Supes pull out of Old Capitol Green (Video)
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 yesterday to withdraw financial support for the construction of a parking garage for the Old Capitol Green project. Supervisor Phil Fisher moved to deny $17 million after the board discussed the project in executive session. Supervisor Kenneth Stokes said citizens were complaining about unemployment and economic development in neighboring counties. Mr. Stokes still maintains his opposition to the Byram-Clinton corridor project. Full Spectrum is the developer for the project.
Full Spectrum did not show any commitment letters from prospective tenants for the project. The decision yesterday only affects the parking garage, not the rest of the project. The board of directors for the Hinds County Department of Economic Development voted 8-2 on May 30 to recommend the county reject a $17 million loan request from Old Capitol Green developer Full Spectrum. Full Spectrum planned to finance the construction of a parking garage project with the loan. However, the company did not submit required financial documents to the county as requested for over six months. The Board of Supervisors will decide whether to extend the loan to Full Spectrum.
Old Capitol Green is a mixed-use development that is supposed to be environmentally friendly. The Mississippi Development Authority provided $20 million in funds originating from bonds to Hinds County. Hinds County in turn has the authority to lend the money to Full Spectrum to build the parking garage. It's not just any parking garage either, it's over 400 spaces with robots.
Full Spectrum representative Malcolm Sheppard requested $13 million from the county earlier this year but increased the request to $17 million in May. He said the Jackson Redevelopment Authority suggested Full Spectrum obtain the additional $4 million from Hinds County instead of borrowing it from JRA. Mr. Sheppard said JRA would then purchase the garage after the new market tax credit period expired. Mr. Sheppard said consolidating the two loans into one loan would be cheaper for his company. No work has begun on the project, although Full Spectrum said construction will begin in August.
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors voted in May to send a letter to MDA requesting the money to loan to Full Spectrum. However, the board stated in the resolution it would only do so if the developer provided the requested financial documents. The requested financial documents were commitment letters from prospective tenants, as well as tax returns and audited financial statements for the last three years*. Sources tell JJ Full Spectrum provided letters of interest (which are not commitment letters) and other financial documents to HCDED. However, the agency declined to recommend approval of the request after further review of the financial statements. It is not known whether Full Spectrum did not present all of the documents or if the financial condition of the company did not withstand review by the board. The board discussed the project for over an hour in executive session before it voted to send a letter to Hinds County attorney Crystal Martin stating its recommendation.
Editorial comment: About time the board did this. Fancy drawings and fancy promises are the extent of the Old Capitol Green project. The developers refused to provide any financial statements, (balance sheet and income statements), and tax returns for the last three years, until the county threatened to withdraw support. No commitment letters from tenants have been provided nor has any construction begun. The county had no business getting involved in Old Capitol Green. Check out the interview with Mr. Fisher in the second clip. Reporter didn't like being on camera. ;-)
Monday, July 16, 2012
Nice.
City of Jackson bush-hog cut a water line on the corner of Greenwood Avenue and Sennett. Looks like the house is getting drenched. Click Here to Read More..
DOJ approves Hinds Redistricting
Ward 1 Supervisor Robert Graham just announced the Justice Department approved the redistricting plan.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Latest crime stats
Here are the latest crime stats available online:
Jackson crime stats through July 8, 2012
Jackson major crimes overview through July 8, 2012
Property crime down YTD in most precincts across the board and in most cases by double digit percentage points, except for business burglaries in precinct 1- up over 60%. Same can't be said for violent crime (p.7) as it's up in most categories in all precincts. Carjackings in Precinct 4 are double from last year.
City of Madison crime reports through July 12, 2012.
Byram crime reports through July 7, 2012
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Another Fundraiser for Lynn Fitch
The money train for our treasurer continues to roll as there is another fundraiser on the gulf coast:
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Live from West Jackson
More degeneracy provided to you by Youtube and the Black Messiah:
Some people should not be given access to a cellphone camera.
Mississippi Center for Public Policy luncheon on Obamacare
Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute spoke at a luncheon sponsored by the Mississippi Center for Public Policy last Thursday. The topic: Implementation of Obamacare. Here is the video of his speech. He starts at 6:30.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Should Mississippi take the Medicaid money?
Bill Minor went nuts in his weekly column over the mere thought of state GOP leaders refusing to accept Medicaid expansion:
"Now the highest court in the land says it’s up to each state to accept federal funds with a tiny state match under an (almost) universal health care program covering persons with incomes of 138 percent of the poverty level. Every other developed nation has had universal care for years.
Our top three state governmental leaders (all Republicans) say the tiny state tax effort needed to expand the Medicaid program and significantly upgrade health care coverage for thousands Mississippians at the low end of the economic ladder--many who are employed but have no health coverage--will “bankrupt the state.” That’s pure hokum. Fear-mongering of the worst kind.
Injection of billions of federal funds under the Affordable Care Act into the nation’s economically poorest state will exponentially improve the health level of average Mississippians. At the same time, as non-partisan studies by several respected groups have shown, the state would get back far more money than it invests when the state match will reach a maximum of 10 percent in 2020. Notably, the major part of the program doesn’t begin until 2014. For the first three years the state gets a 100 percent federal match then it gradually reduces the next four years.." Column
Well, here is what Mr. Minor calls "a sliver" or "tiny": $160 million. Of course, this is the same Bill Minor who said PERS was broke until Pat Robertson corrected him. $160 million is the amount of money Medicaid expansion will roughly cost the state each year. The federal government picks up the tab for the first three years. The state then has to pay 10% each year. However, $160 million is only a "sliver" and only requires "a tiny" tax increase so don't worry. So tell me, Mr. Minor, where does the $160 million come from? Your precious public education lobby shrieks that MAEP is underfunded by $300 million. Earlier post about MDE budget request. Public safety? Let's put more criminals on the street. Colleges? Yup, lets take more money away from higher education. Raise taxes? In case you haven't noticed, all the jobs are going to Texas where there is no income tax. In fact, the states that have either cut their tax rates or have no income tax have fared better in the recession than the states who raised them. See Illinois and California.
However, other more sober and literate in financial matters had a few things to say about the expansion as well. The Wall Street Journal weighed in yesterday in an editorial on this issue:
"Accepting these terms means states will lose the autonomy they had left to make Medicaid decisions in line with their own choices about taxes and spending. Medicaid is already the largest line item for most statehouses, a little under a quarter of the budget on average, and nationwide Medicaid costs are expected to jump by—this is not a typo—20% in 2012. This spending is starting to crowd out other priorities like K-12 and higher education, public safety and building roads...
ObamaCare attempts to bribe the states by footing 100% of the cost of new Medicaid beneficiaries for two years, and then the federal share will fall to 90%. Supposedly this honeypot is too good an offer to refuse compared to the normal federal matching rate that ranges from 56% to 85%. The hospitals, which want more Medicaid revenue and are especially powerful at the local and state levels, are also aggressively lobbying Governors to accept the "free" money.
Not so fast. One problem is that the 100% matching rate is like a subprime loan with a teaser rate and balloon payment. Once the states accede, Congress will inevitably renege, since the federal fisc is nearly as stressed as state balance sheets. The new subsidies also only apply to the newly coverable, not to the nine million or so people who are already eligible for Medicaid but haven't signed up...." Editorial
Of course, don't tell that to Bill and Cottonchicken as they think money grows on trees or robbing Peter to pay Paul has no effect on the economy. The truth is, doctors and other health care providers do not make money on Medicaid. If anything, they lose money. Mississippi has struggled to meet the rising costs associated with Medicaid yet every year, it seems there is a Medicaid deficit the legislature must face. However, Bill Minor thinks asking where the money is coming from is "fear-mongering". Its a sad day when a reporter who was never scared of the Klan is scared of an honest question.
And now for the rest of the story
WAPT reported last night JPD fired an officer after a "citizen" filed a complaint against the officer for sexual misconduct. Story with video Well, sources told JJ the rest of the story.
It seems our young police officer felt the need to show that he was capable of making love not war on the citizens of Jackson. So when a male needed a ride home, the officer was allegedly more than happy to oblige him. However, the ride allegedly came with strings attached. The officer allegedly made the victim let him go down on him. Yup, you read that right. The officer allegedly performed on the victim.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Chaney speaks
Mississippi Insurance Commissioner issued the following press release about health insurance exchanges:
DHHS says it will issue waivers for welfare reform to states
Straight from the Department of Health and Human Services:
TO: States administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program and other interested parties<
SUBJECT:Guidance concerning waiver and expenditure authority under Section 1115
REFERENCE: Section 1115 of the Social Security Act. [42 U.S.C. 1315]; Section 402 of the Social Security Act. [42 U.S.C. 602]
BACKGROUND:Section 1115 of the Social Security Act provides authority for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider and approve experimental, pilot, or demonstration projects which, in the Secretary’s judgment, are likely to assist in promoting the objectives of Title IV-A. Section 1115 allows for waiver of compliance with section 402 of the Social Security Act to the extent and for the period necessary to enable a state to carry out an approved project. The statute also provides authority for costs of such projects which would not otherwise be an allowable use of funds under Part A of Title IV to be regarded as an allowable use of funds, to the extent and for the period approved.
As specified in statute, the purpose of Part A is to increase the flexibility of states in operating a program designed to: (1) provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives; (2) end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; (3) prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and establish annual numerical goals for preventing and reducing the incidence of these pregnancies; and (4) encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.
PURPOSE: HHS is encouraging states to consider new, more effective ways to meet the goals of TANF, particularly helping parents successfully prepare for, find, and retain employment. Therefore, HHS is issuing this information memorandum to notify states of the Secretary’s willingness to exercise her waiver authority under section 1115 of the Social Security Act to allow states to test alternative and innovative strategies, policies, and procedures that are designed to improve employment outcomes for needy families.
States led the way on welfare reform in the 1990s — testing new approaches and learning what worked and what did not. The Secretary is interested in using her authority to approve waiver demonstrations to challenge states to engage in a new round of innovation that seeks to find more effective mechanisms for helping families succeed in employment. In providing for these demonstrations, HHS will hold states accountable by requiring both a federally-approved evaluation and interim performance targets that ensure an immediate focus on measurable outcomes. States must develop evaluation plans that are sufficient to evaluate the effect of the proposed approach in furthering a TANF purpose as well as interim targets the state commits to achieve. States that fail to meet interim outcome targets will be required to develop an improvement plan and can face termination of the waiver project.
The demonstration authority provided by section 1115 and sound evaluation of approved projects will provide valuable knowledge that will help lead to improvements in achieving the purposes of the TANF program... Copy of directive
Mickey Kaus analyzed it at the Daily Caller while the Heritage Foundation's Robert Rector dissects it on his blog.
Throwdown at the Capital Club yesterday
This little video is of an exchange between Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney and the Cato Institute's Michael Cannon at a luncheon today at the Capital Club. Mr. Cannon gave a speech about Obamacare at the luncheon hosted by the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. Enjoy.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Ethan Thomas goes to court next week
Raymond Ethan Thomas gets to face some Texas justice next week as he goes to court over the charge of impersonating a public servant*. Mr. Thomas was arrested last year at his home in Reunion (without a pineapple it must be noted) by federal marshals on a warrant issued in Travis County, Texas.
Mr. Thomas is scheduled to appear in court on July 19 at 9:00 AM. Don't you worry, don't you fear, JJ is working on getting a correspondent in the courtroom. Mr. Thomas is currently free on a cash bond. Stay tuned. Earlier post about Mr. Thomas and prior conviction.
*1. Section 37.11(a) reads as follows:
(a) A person commits an offense if he:
(1) impersonates a public servant with intent to induce another to submit to his pretended official authority or to rely on his pretended official acts; or
(2) knowingly purports to exercise any function of a public servant or of a public office, including that of a judge and court, and the position or office through which he purports to exercise a function of a public servant or public office has no lawful existence under the constitution or laws of this state or of the United States.
(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the third degree.
§ 12.34. THIRD DEGREE FELONY PUNISHMENT.
(a) An individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the third degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the institutional division for any term of not more than 10 years or less than 2 years.
(b) In addition to imprisonment, an individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the third degree may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000.
The Hinds Circus continues Monday
Take a look at the agenda for the meeting of the Hinds County Board of Supervisors Monday:
Page 1. Doug Anderson wants to discuss the reinstatement of recently-terminated Emergency Operations Center Director Jimmie Lewis. Looks like the long arm of Bennie Thompson reached out to Doug on this one.
Page 1. Discuss the election commissioners.... again. Look under "Elected Officials"
Page 2: Kenneth Stokes. Wants to hire a lawyer to sue MDOT over inequitable highway funding between Hind, Madison, and Rankin counties. Here is a video of him raising hell about it at the last meeting:
Copy of agenda
This should be fun.
Possible Moody's downgrade for Mississippi Power
Moody's placed the ratings of Mississippi Power on review for a downgrade. The letter issued by the service states:
"New York, July 09, 2012 -- Moody's Investors Service placed the ratings of Mississippi Power Company (A2 Senior Unsecured) on review for downgrade. Moody's affirmed the ratings of The Southern Company (Southern, Baa1 senior unsecured) with a stable outlook. The VMIG-2 short-term rating on Mississippi Power's pollution control revenue bonds is not on review. We do not expect the review to result in more than a one notch downgrade of Mississippi Power's long-term ratings."
The review of Mississippi Power's ratings reflects the significant decline in the company's cash flow coverage metrics as a result of the construction of the $2.88 billion Kemper County integrated coal gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant. Because of the high capital expenditures and additional debt associated with this project, the company's cash flow pre-working capital to debt has fallen to slightly below 15% in 2011 from the 30% range as recently as 2009, which is now well below our parameters for an A2 rating. Financial metrics may not recover until well after construction is completed and the plant becomes operational in 2014.
The review also reflects a recent Mississippi Public Service Commission (MPSC) order denying the company recovery of financing costs during the plant's construction. The MPSC unanimously ruled that such recovery would not be prudent given a Sierra Club lawsuit challenging the plant's certificate of need pending before the Mississippi Supreme Court. The inability to recover financing costs and an uncertain timetable for a Mississippi Supreme Court decision on the matter will further stress already weak financial metrics and could lead to higher than anticipated rate increases when the plant is completed.
The review is also prompted by $366 million of cost overruns that the plant has experienced to date that have put the cost of the plant very close to its $2.88 billion MPSC approved cost recovery cap, as well as the additional debt the company assumed in 2011 to purchase the previously leased Plant Daniel combined cycle units..."
The ratings service does not expect the problems at Mississippi Power to affect its parent Southern Company, as it's a relatively small part of the company.
Freeh report on Penn State: Leaders concealed Sandusky's activities
Warning: Mature subject matter and much of it is downright disgusting and graphic in nature.
Former FBI Director Louis Freeh just released his report on Penn State and Jerry Sandusky. Mr. Freeh stated the leaders of the university actively concealed Sandusky's wrongdoing from the board of trustees, authorities and the public. The report damns them in this passage:
"Four of the most powerful people at The Pennsylvania State University- President Graham Spanier, Senior Vice-President and Business Gary C. Schultz, Athletic Director Timonty M. Curley, and Head Football Coach Joe Paterno- failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade. These men concealed Sandusky's activities from the Board of Trustees, the University community, and authorities."
Mr. Freeh states they chose not to find out who the child was and "exposed the child to additional harm by alerting Sandusky, who was the only one who knew of the child's identity, of what McQueary saw in the shower on thee night of February 9, 2001."
However, Mr. Freeh does not excuse the board either. He charges the trustees with failing to investigate or demand information from Mr. Spanier after the board learned senior university officials testified before the grand jury. Mr. Freeh states on page 16 the excuses given by the four men, but dismisses them as he states they were more concerned with avoiding "the consequences of bad publicity" and thus "repeatedly concealed critical facts.."
There is a very-detailed timeline on pages 19-30 of the report. Page 39 lists the key findings. Chapter 4 on p.62 lists the key findings of the response of university officials to the sexual abuse allegations in 2001. Pages 64-66 state the janitors observed Sandusky and another young boy in the showers but did not report it as they were scared the university would fire all of them. Chapter 5 on p.80 states the response (or lack of response) by university officials to grand jury investigations. Again the findings are disgusting to read. The emails start on p.167.
If you are so inclined, read the rest of the report as it tells the entire story. A story of pedophilia, sexual abuse, a coach more concerned with protecting his program, a university that slavishly followed the coach regardless of the consequences, and leaders that repeatedly forgot their charge was to lead and protect children, not victimize them.
This would be funny if It weren't so disgusting.
Romney speaks to NAACP
Here is the video of Mitt Romney's address to the NAACP today. Got applause several times but got booed when he mentioned Obamacare. Good move to go to what was probably close to a 100% Obama crowd.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Hee-hee-ho-ho-ha
Look like someone tried to make a funny and produced a video about Kenneth and Larita.
Romney comes to town next week
Here is the complete invitation for the Romney fund-raiser next week:
LaRita losing it
When in doubt, blame Whitey. That is the gist of an interview with LaRita Cooper-Stokes on WAPT last night. She says the Republicans are trying to take over Ward 3. Um, are there any Republicans in Ward 3? She doesn't provide any proof, and in reality, the Republicans really don't have any interest in Ward 3, but hey, who cares about reality when you are hell-bent on blaming whitey. You can't make this up. Interview. Here is a map of Ward 3.
Click Here to Read More..
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Complaint charges attorney used constable to give child to alleged child molestor.
Warning: The details provided in the complaint are graphic and of an adult nature.
I don't have time to post right now but here is a lawsuit filed against attorney Precious Martin and Constable Jerry Moore last week in U.S. District Court by attorney Dennis Sweet. Start on #14 on page 3. The complaint accuses Mr. Martin of having Mr. Moore abuse his authority by kicking in doors, lying to other police officers, taking a child away from a grandmother, and planting marijuana on the plaintiff. Here is the complaint.
It should be noted Mr. Martin was accused of using Hinds County Constable John Brown to intimidate the CEO of Brown Communications when he wanted to prosecute Nathan Hargrove and Stacy Stowers. Earlier post
How to run a business- Italian style.
The Wall Street Journal editorialized a few weeks ago about how hard it is to operate a business in Italy:
Prime Minister Mario Monti has issued a new "growth decree" to revive Italy's moribund economy. Among other initiatives, the 185-page plan proposes discount loans for corporate R&D, tax credits for businesses that hire employees with advanced degrees, and reduced headcount at select government ministries.
Will any of this solve Italy's economic problems? Only in the sense that one could theoretically drain Lake Como with a ladle and straw. Allow us, then, to illustrate why Italy's economy stagnates.
Imagine you're an ambitious Italian entrepreneur, trying to make a go of a new business. You know you will have to pay at least two-thirds of your employees' social security costs. You also know you're going to run into problems once you hire your 16th employee, since that will trigger provisions making it either impossible or very expensive to dismiss a staffer.
But there's so much more. Once you hire employee 11, you must submit an annual self-assessment to the national authorities outlining every possible health and safety hazard to which your employees might be subject. These include stress that is work-related or caused by age, gender and racial differences. You must also note all precautionary and individual measures to prevent risks, procedures to carry them out, the names of employees in charge of safety, as well as the physician whose presence is required for the assessment.
Now say you decide to scale up. Beware again: Once you hire your 16th employee, national unions can set up shop. As your company grows, so does the number of required employee representatives, each of whom is entitled to eight hours of paid leave monthly to fulfill union or works-council duties. Management must consult these worker reps on everything from gender equality to the introduction of new technology.
Hire No. 16 also means that your next recruit must qualify as disabled. By the time your firm hires its 51st worker, 7% of the payroll must be handicapped in some way, or else your company owes fees in-kind. During hard times, your company may apply for exemptions from these quotas—though as with everything in Italy, it's a toss-up whether it's worth it after the necessary paperwork.
Once you hire your 101st employee, you must submit a report every two years on the gender dynamics within the company. This must include a tabulation of the men and women employed in each production unit, their functions and level within the company, details of compensation and benefits, and dates and reasons for recruitments, promotions and transfers, as well as the estimated revenue impact.
The system does allow certain exemptions—provided your company stays small, or you hire the right gender or in certain areas. Industrial and security firms are exempt from paying into the national fund for temporary unemployment if they have 15 employees or fewer; retail and tourism companies don't have to start contributing until they hire their 51st worker; and trade companies are exempt until they hire their 201st employee.
Here's another loophole you might try to jump through: Businesses currently receive tax credits worth up to €15,200 per year per new permanent-contract hire—that being for new employees who are also women or under the age of 35 and live in the regions of Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Basilicata, Puglia, Calabria, Sardinia and Sicily.
Businesses with no more than 250 employees may also still be enjoying their three-year profit-tax holiday, which was granted in 2010 for small and medium-sized firms that reinvest their profits in forging "networks" for "innovation" with other small businesses nearby.
All of these protections and assurances, along with the bureaucracies that oversee them, subtract 47.6% from the average Italian wage, according to the OECD. Two-thirds of that bite comes before payroll, meaning many Italian workers are unaware of their gross cost to employers.
But you as the employer are aware of them, which may explain the temptation to stay small and keep as much of your business as possible off the books. This gray- and black-market accounts for more than a quarter of the Italian economy. It also helps account for unemployment at a 12-year high of 10%, and GDP forecast to contract 1.3% this year.
Still, who knows: With any luck, you may discover a loophole in Mr. Monti's new growth decree that will allow you to hire a few more employees without incurring too many costs—provided, one assumes, that all of the new hires are disabled, blue-eyed Sardinians under the age of 35.
T-P reporter has had enough
and sends an email to her bosses:
“Those of us laid off still have jobs to do until the 30th of Sept, but it’s going from bad to worse,” she tells Romenesko readers. “This newsroom is unhealthy, to say the least. I desperately want my job until October because I love it. But I also can’t just keep my mouth shut and pretend everything is okay, or that it doesn’t matter. So I sent this to editors/publishers/nola.com top brass this morning. Because I’m pissed.”.." Read the letter
Then a group of leading citizens of New Orleans asked the Newhouse group to sell the paper. A group of led by Tom Benson, Archie Manning, Wynton Marsalis, James Carville, and other notables purportedly have a buyer lined up to purchase the newspaper. Artcle.
Last but not least, there is our good ole Clarion-Ledger. No word on the new pricing model yet BUT a JJ reader posted this comment yesterday:
Anonymous said...
The latest. Got a letter today from the Clarion Ledger telling me my Sunday only delivery is going from $8.00 to $12.00 a month.
I then went straight to my account online to cancel, and guess what? You can do most everything to your account, but you cannot cancel online. Then I called the Clarion Ledger. They told me they had a large volume of callers and then gave me options as to what I wanted to do. One of the options was "Discontinue my Paper." I was put on hold, and stayed on hold about 15 minutes and was for some reason disconnected.
I immediately called back and the same thing happened. I was put on hold and stayed on hold for about 15minutes until a human finally came on the line. I was asked why I was canceling, and I told the lady I was not paying any more per month for my paper. She then went into a spill about not being able to read the paper online, too, if I cancelled, and I was then offered six months at what she called a "discounted" rate. I don't know what this rate would have been, because I told the lady I wanted to just cancel. She said OK.
So as of July 29, 2012 I will no longer take the Jackson paper after subscribing to it since 1968. So goodbye ole friend. I wish I could say I am going to miss you, but I already know I'm not.
July 9, 2012 4:15 PM
Monday, July 9, 2012
Airwave contracts will bankrupt Hinds E911 fund in 18 months
A spreadsheet obtained by Jackson Jambalaya shows the E911 fund for Hinds County will run out of money in March 2014 if contracts with Airwave LLC are not terminated in October when it is legal for the county to do so. E911 funds are collected through taxes on telephone service and are used to purchase radios, computers, and other telecommunications equipment used for 911 services. It is a major source of funding for such purchases by county and municipal law enforcement and first responders.
The fund will run out of money as payments to Airwave drain the account. Link to Airwave contract. Fee schedule on p.18. Airwave has two contracts with Hinds County for maintenance of the radio towers and another one for site maintenance. The contract for the radio towers pays Airwave $64,169 per month ($192,507 per quarter). The monthly payments escalate to $67,075 ($201,225 per quarter) in November and $70,429 ($211,287 per quarter) in November 2013. The contract expires in October 2014. The county pays $30,511 quarterly for site maintenance. The contract continues through 2017.
Unfortunately for fire and police departments in Hinds County, the fund runs out of money in March 2014 as the payments force the E911 fund into a deficit. The county make an annual $723,500 to Motorola for the lease/purchase of equipment for the Jackson radio system. The agreement placed integrated the Jackson radio system into the Hinds system. the county provided the equipment for the Hinds system to Jackson in exchange for the transfer of the system from Maycom to Motorola.
The fund enjoys a balance over $1 million until the next Jackson payment is made in March 2013. The fund plunges to a little over $400,000 and stays below $500,000 until the March 2014 payment is made. The fund then falls to a deficit of over $300,000. It climbs to a surplus of over $12,000 (Yes, that is thousand, not million) when the 2015 Jackson payment is made when it plummets to a deficit of $666,316.
Page 2 of the spreadsheet shows the cash flow of the E911 fund if the Airwave contract is terminated in October. The fund continues to enjoy a balance over $1 million even after the annual Jackson payments are made. The fund climbs to nearly $2 million as the year progresses before the $723,500 is paid to Motorola each year. Keep in mind the charts assume a constant monthly revenue stream of $245,000 and no equipment purchases for county and municipal 911 services.
Note: It is also important to remember the county uses the fund as a revolving credit card of sorts each year as it borrows against the fund to pay other bills from the county. The money is repaid in the following late winter when property taxes are paid. Below is a list of the loans made against the fund by the county:
2011: $2.035 million
November 15, 2010: $2,000,000 loan
November 2, 2010: $400,00 loan
October 18, 2010: $650,000 loan
March 1, 2010: $2,300,000 repayment
February 1, 2010: $15,000 repayment
November 16, 2009: $235,000 loan
October 19, 2009: $2,700,000 loan
September 30, 2009: $1,550,000 repayment
August 31, 2009: $750,000 loan
July 20, 2009: $1,500,000 loan
March 2, 2009: $2,900,000 repayment
January 5, 2009: $500,000 loan
December 15, 2008: $600,000 loan
November 17, 2008: $2,500,000 loan
February 19, 2008: $2,220,000 repayment
December 17, 2007: $2,220,000 loan
October 15, 2007: $1,095 loan
February 20, 2007: $3,655,000 repayment
February 5, 2007: $155,000 loan
January 2, 2007: $730,000 loan
December 18, 2006: $2,300,000 loan
December 4, 2006: $700,000 loan
February 21, 2006: $2,560,000 repayment
February 6, 2006: $550,000 repayment
January 3, 2006: $550,000 loan
Synopsis of Airwave : Airwave is owned by Stacy Stowers. Airwave has been the subject of some controversy after WLBT, the Northside Sun, and this website reported on the cozy deals Airwave has with Hinds County. Airwave obtained the following contracts:
*Contract to maintain weather sirens even though the sirens are brand new and covered by a five-year warranty. JJ estimates the payments for the siren contracts are $149,194.
*Contract to maintain professional services for the emergency communications system. The contract price is $122,000 per year to maintain six tower sites.
*Maintenance contract for the 800 Mhz radio system. $4 million contract for six years. Year one: $374,860 ($93,715 per quarter), Year two: $521,885 ($130,463 per quarter), Year three: $736,918 ($184,229 per quarter), Year four: $770,035 ($192,508 per quarter), Year five: $804,908 ($201,227 per quarter), Year six: $845,153 ($211,288 per quarter) Two of the contracts were awarded in 2008 even though Airwave LLC did not exist as a company until 2009.
Related posts Hinds BOS refuse to terminate Airwave contract and bid out services, Hinds awards multi-million dollar contract to non-existent company, , Hinds paid $2.2 million to Airwave, Hinds county did not advertise for bids for Airwave contracts
Sunday, July 8, 2012
It's report card time
JJ just reviewed the No Child Left Behind report cards for Jackson Public School District for the 2010-2011 school year. The top high school and middle school were only rated "Successful" again, while the remainder were Academic Watch, Low Performing, or At Risk of Failing. One high school and two middle schools improved one level while one high school improved two levels. Five middle schools declined by one level.
High Schools*
Wingfield: Academic Watch (At Risk of Failing)
Provine: Low Performing (At Risk of Failing)
Lanier: Academic Watch (Academic Watch)
Forest Hill: Successful (Successful)
Bailey Magnet: Academic Watch (Academic Watch)
Callaway: Academic Watch (Academic Watch)
Jim Hill: Academic Watch (Academic Watch)
Murrah: Academic Watch (Academic Watch)
Middle Schools
Blackburn: Low performing (Academic Watch
Brinkley: Low performing (Academic Watch)
Cardozo: Low performing (NA)
Chastain: Successful (Academic Watch)
Hardy: Low performing (Academic Watch)
Kirksey: Low performing (NA)
Northwest: Academic Watch (Academic Watch)
Peeples: Academic Watch (Academic Watch)
Powell: Academic Watch (At risk of failing)
Rowan: Academic Watch (Successful)
Siwell: Academic Watch (Academic Watch)
Whitten: Failing (At risk of failing)
*Prior year rating is in parenthesis. The latest report cards can be found here.
Clueless. (Video)
This poor schmuck from Waste Management doesn't have a clue. The JPS school board awarded a $837,933 contract to competitor NCS/Waste Pro a few weeks ago. Waste Management served the district for the last three years. In case this guy didn't notice, he didn't have a chance. Good service. Lowest bid by over $50,000. No price increase for three years. Experience, good service, and lowest price. Didn't have a chance and poor guy didn't even know it. See the video below.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
The Jet that ate the Pentagon
We got rid of the F-22 for this? Foreignpolicy.com reports on the problems and cost overruns associated with the flying piano, oops, I meant the F-35 program:
"This month, we learned that the Pentagon has increased the price tag for the F-35 by another $289 million -- just the latest in a long string of cost increases -- and that the program is expected to account for a whopping 38 percent of Pentagon procurement for defense programs, assuming its cost will grow no more....
How bad is it? A review of the F-35's cost, schedule, and performance -- three essential measures of any Pentagon program -- shows the problems are fundamental and still growing.
First, with regard to cost -- a particularly important factor in what politicians keep saying is an austere defense budget environment -- the F-35 is simply unaffordable. Although the plane was originally billed as a low-cost solution, major cost increases have plagued the program throughout the last decade. Last year, Pentagon leadership told Congress the acquisition price had increased another 16 percent, from $328.3 billion to $379.4 billion for the 2,457 aircraft to be bought. Not to worry, however -- they pledged to finally reverse the growth.
The result? This February, the price increased another 4 percent to $395.7 billion and then even further in April. Don't expect the cost overruns to end there: The test program is only 20 percent complete, the Government Accountability Office has reported, and the toughest tests are yet to come. Overall, the program's cost has grown 75 percent from its original 2001 estimate of $226.5 billion -- and that was for a larger buy of 2,866 aircraft. ...
A final note on expense: The F-35 will actually cost multiples of the $395.7 billion cited above. That is the current estimate only to acquire it, not the full life-cycle cost to operate it. The current appraisal for operations and support is $1.1 trillion -- making for a grand total of $1.5 trillion, or more than the annual GDP of Spain..."
That was the cost problem, now for the design problem:
"President Bill Clinton's Pentagon bogged down the already compromised design concept further by adding the requirement that it should be a multirole aircraft -- both an air-to-air fighter and a bomber. This required more difficult tradeoffs between agility and low weight, and the characteristics of an airframe optimized to carry heavy loads. Clinton-era officials also layered on "stealth," imposing additional aerodynamic shape requirements and maintenance-intensive skin coatings to reduce radar reflections. They also added two separate weapons bays, which increase permanent weight and drag, to hide onboard missiles and bombs from radars. On top of all that, they made it multiservice, requiring still more tradeoffs to accommodate more differing, but exacting, needs of the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy. ...
This grotesquely unpromising plan has already resulted in multitudes of problems -- and 80 percent of the flight testing remains. A virtual flying piano, the F-35 lacks the F-16's agility in the air-to-air mode and the F-15E's range and payload in the bombing mode, and it can't even begin to compare to the A-10 at low-altitude close air support for troops engaged in combat. Worse yet, it won't be able to get into the air as often to perform any mission -- or just as importantly, to train pilots -- because its complexity prolongs maintenance and limits availability...." Rest of article
Friday, July 6, 2012
BREAKING: Bobbie Graves files notice of appeal
Ward 2 Election Commissioner filed a notice of appeal in Hinds County Circuit Court today. The Hinds County Board of Supervisors rejected a motion to place her on the November ballot. Ms. Graves filed her petition for candidacy with the chancery clerk the day after the qualifying deadline. The Mississippi Code states the petition and 50 signatures of registered voters in the district (that have been approved by the Circuit Clerk) shall be submitted to the chancery clerk by 5:00 PM on the first Monday in June.
The supervisors did not place Ms. Graves on the ballot at its regular meeting last Monday. Ms. Graves is represented by Warren Martin, the brother-in-law of Board attorney Crystal Wise Martin, who is the daughter of Judge Patricia Wise. Earlier post with video.
Beer thread
So now that we have had craft beer for nearly a week, what are your favorites? What have you tried? What do you want to try?
Click Here to Read More..
We report, you decide.
Check out the twitter feed for Hollywood Luck after WLBT and the newspaper reported on using Jackson fire truck and uniform in video. Twitter feed.
Click Here to Read More..
Claiborne speaks again but when will he address reality?
Our dear friend, Claiborne Barksdale of the Barksdale Reading Institute and one of the leaders of the Public School Lobby, penned a column in the Clarion-Ledger about education recently.
"Recent commentary might lead one to conclude that the public school system in Mississippi should be abandoned and children scattered to the winds. "Choice, choice," they cry, but, for many who need choice the most, there will be no choices. The hysteria needs to stop. Do many schools need transformation - absolutely. Can they be transformed - yes.
Working since August 2000 in more than 100 under-performing schools in Mississippi, the Barksdale Reading Institute has seen many great teachers and school leaders, but much does need to be done to strengthen weak schools, and we have specific proposals to accomplish this. We also have concerns about various proposals that could harm the public schools and their students, parents and communities.
Three deep changes are essential. First, we need the strongest possible teachers in classrooms. We must implement as rapidly as possible the Mississippi Economic Council's 2011 Blueprint Mississippi education recommendations: increase entry requirements into the schools of education; increase teacher licensure requirements (recently adopted by the state board); make school of education curricula more content-area laden; implement merit-based pay for teachers and administrators with meaningful bonuses for strong results (being tested by MDE); and finally, ramp up significantly Teach for America and Mississippi Teacher Corps to have 1,000 such teachers working in the state annually (the Legislature appropriated $6 million for this in its most recent session).
Second, we must have transformative school leaders. A school is no better than its principal. We do not need managers, we need transformative leaders who will change fundamentally the culture and practices of the school, focus on academic progress, hold staff accountable, and involve parents and the community. BRI has funded the Principal Corps at the University of Mississippi to train principals. Thirty such leaders have been placed into schools. This year nine more will graduate.
Third, Mississippi must implement a quality early childhood system. In 2009-10, BRI administered a nationally normed assessment to 1,000 entering kindergartners with which we were then working. The average child scored in the 17th percentile; out of every 100 children nationally, 82 would have scored higher than the average child assessed. These 5-year-olds are starting school so far behind that it is difficult to catch them up.
All well and good and I have no doubt that a school district that commits to working with the Barksdale Reading Institute will improve if it does so on a large scale. However Mr. Barksdale, what do you do about a school district that rejected your brothers offer to donate money to hire the best superintendent? A school district that only has one middle and one high school at the "successful" level. A school district that blows money on attorneys left and right while teachers wonder if they will have toilet paper in the bathrooms. Schools that have dropout rates more than thirty percent. A district that blows off the parents. A district that can't seem to find qualified superintendents. A district that is losing its accreditation. A district that does not report its unexcused absences to the state so it can pad its attendance figures to get more money. A district supported by a NAACP leader that rejects your institute and methods?
What exactly do you propose to do with such a district, Mr. Barksdale, when they reject every bit of help you offer? What do you do with a district that is hell-bent on committing educational suicide? Does he think charter schools should invade that area? Should the state take over thee district? What do you propose, Mr. Barksdale, when they don't want your help?
Denbury wants to build pipeline across Rez
Denbury has applied to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build a 5.1 mile pipeline from Rankin to Madison Counties. The application states the length of the pipeline placed into an open trench at the bottom of the reservoir will be 14,800 feet. It will have a 2.5 feet thick concrete coating and at least five feet of soil cover. Here is the public notice. The application states Denbury will discharge "dredged and/or fill material into the reservoir. Maps and drawings are included.
The Corps is also considering a permit application for the establishment of a wildlife "mitigation bank".
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Dr. Smith appeals to Supreme Court for bail
Dr. Arnold Smith filed an appeal of a court order denying him bail at the Mississippi Supreme Court on July 2. The Leflore County Circuit Court denied bail after indicting him on two counts of conspiracy to commit murder and one count of capital murder. Dr. Smith owns and operates the North Mississippi Cancer Center in Greenwood. The state alleges Dr. Smith hired two individuals to kill Greenwood attorney Lee Abraham.
Dr. Smith asks the court to set bail at $100,000. He argues there is no basis for a capital murder charge as the state admits its investigator killed Keaira Byrd in self-defense. The doctor also argues the investigator was not engaged in one of the underlying felonies to support a charge of capital murder since he allegedly killed Byrd in self-defense. Dr. Smith states it is not fair for the state to set bail for one of the alleged hitmen, Cordarious Robinson, who has a criminal background while he is held without bond.
Related posts:
Dr. Smith arraigned (video)
Dr. Smith denied bond
A defense of Dr. Smith
Meet Dr. Smith. This is THE video.
Dr. Danger
The Illuminati is in Greenwood
Lacey is home safe and sound
Best reason for charter schools in the Delta
Mississippi Dems push for more Medicaid
The Mississippi Democratic Trust issued this press release:
Mississippi faces opportunity to improve healthcare model
July 5, 2012
Jackson, MS- Last year in Mississippi, uncompensated care, those costs incurred in treating uninsured patients, totaled $525.5 million. Of that amount, $315 million was not covered by any federal reimbursement program and was, instead, passed on to Mississippi taxpayers.
House Democratic Caucus Leader Bobby Moak (D – Bogue Chitto) said, “Mississippi hospitals and taxpayers make up for uncompensated care through higher taxes and higher costs for healthcare.”
Under the Affordable Care Act, deemed constitutional by the United States Supreme Court last week, many states will take advantage of Medicaid options that drastically reduce the amount lost each year to uncompensated care. According to estimates provided by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 330,000 Mississippians will be newly eligible for Medicaid under the plan.
“If those thousands of Mississippians who are currently using our emergency rooms for ‘doctors visits’ are able to access health insurance, it will drive down the amount Mississippi spends on uncompensated care,” said Moak.
Under the plan, Mississippi would receive $1.6137 billion per year for three years from the federal government to cover the cost of new healthcare recipients.
Brandon Jones, Executive Director of the Mississippi Democratic Trust, said, “This is a total of $4.8411 billion dollars in new healthcare funding that will not require tax increases at the local level or result in higher hospital bills for insured Mississippians.”
In the fourth year of the program, Mississippi would receive $6.29343 billion and would only be required to provide $161.37 million match.
Moak said, “Mississippi would pay no matching costs for three years and the matching costs in the fourth year would only represent a fraction of what we already pay annually for uncompensated care.”
Jones added, “Refusing healthcare funding under these circumstances would be a classic example of cutting off our nose to spite our face.”
###
PRESS NOTES:
1. To learn more about the Kaiser Family Foundation and to read the Foundation’s reports on the impact of the ACA on state Medicaid programs, visit www.kff.org.
2. Using the latest U. S. data, a Mississippi family of four with an income of $30,656.50 would be eligible for the program. Each additional person in the household would add $3,960 to that base amount.
3. Each year, Mississippi spends approximately $4,890 in healthcare costs per Medicaid recipient.
Brandon Jones, Executive Director
Mississippi Democratic Trust
Fitch downgrades Mississippi Power
The Mississippi Business Journal reports Fitch downgraded Mississippi Power Company from AA to A- after the Public Service Commission rejected a rate increase request:
"GULFPORT — Fitch Ratings has downgraded the Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of Mississippi Power Company (Mississippi Power) to “A-“ from “A” and revised the Rating Outlook to “negative” from “stable.”
Fitch wrote: “The downgrade is driven by the recent Mississippi Public Service Commission (MPSC) order to deny Mississippi Power’s revenue increase request to earn a cash return on construction work in progress (CWIP) associated with the Kemper Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plant. The MPSC did not deem it prudent to allow Mississippi Power to recover financing costs associated with the Kemper project from ratepayers until a pending appeal of the MPSC order regarding the plant’s certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) was resolved. On April 26, 2012, the Sierra Club had appealed the PSC’s final certificate order on remand to the Chancery Court of Harrison County, Mississippi....
“Fitch is also concerned with the escalation in capital costs of the Kemper IGCC project. Mississippi Power recently disclosed that it expects the construction costs to exceed its original estimate of $2.4 billion by 15 percent. The revised project cost estimate of $2.76 billion is now quite close to the $2.88 billion hard cap imposed by the MPSC for plant construction. If the cost of the plant exceeds $2.88 billion, the excess may not be recoverable from utility customers, a source of potential credit risk for Mississippi Power...." Article
Farish Street: We report, you decide.
Apparently JJ's recent posts about Farish Street got someone's attention. Here is a power point presentation that appeared on the website of Downtown Jackson Partners Monday. We report. You decide.
Farish Street video tour by JJ
JJ article on Farish Street grants
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