Jackson Free Press

We just received this press release, verbatim, expressing sympathy for the death of Hal White. I post it below without further comment:

PRESS ALERT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 29, 2013 Jackson suffered a major loss yesterday in the passing of Hal White, a business owner and a founder to the internationally recognized St. Paddy's Day parade, an annual event here in Jackson, MS. Along with my husband and son, we were able to participate as a family in our first Hal and Mal's St. Paddy's Day Parade, and we thoroughly enjoyed sharing this experience. Hal's St. Paddy's Day parade vision has led to one of the most successful events in this City. Hal will be truly missed. My heart and prayers go out to Hal's family and all those impacted by his passing.

Democrats may not have the votes to expand Medicaid to cover 330,000 more people. Republicans don't have the votes to pass Medicaid without at least talking about expansion first.

That has been painfully evident every time Medicaid has come up for a vote on the House floor.

Today, for the second time this week, the House failed to pass the Medicaid budget. Democrats want to force House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, to allow debate and up-down vote on Medicaid expansion. Despite House Republicans' repeated efforts to block expansion, several GOPers delivered passionate defenses of Medicaid today. Earlier in the session, the House also voted down its own Medicaid reauthorization plan while the House Republican leadership spiked a Senate version that would have allowed Medicaid debate to commence.

After members killed the Medicaid bill this past weekend, House Appropriations Chairman Herb Frierson, of Poplarville, implored his colleagues to approve the Medicaid budget today saying he doesn't "like to lose." Medicaid Committee Chairman Bobby Howell, R-Kilmichael, told members before the voted they would risk the lives more that 700,000 sick and elderly Mississippians if they voted the bill down.

House Minority Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, put out a statement a few minutes ago saying: “The decision by House Republican leadership and the Governor to not allow a full debate, much less a vote, on Medicaid expansion, could cost the taxpayers $30,000 per day if a special session is called.

"On the other hand, if the Governor does not call a special session, 700,000 people who depend on the program will be in jeopardy along with the 300,000 Mississippians that would be eligible under the expansion program.”

I was thrilled to hear today that the Associated Press, of which the Jackson Free Press is now a member, has rejected the use of "illegal" and "illegals" to describe undocumented immigrants. Media diversity expert Richard Prince blogs about the move:

The battle to eliminate use of the term "illegal" or "illegal alien" to describe human beings has been proceeding at least since 1994, when the four associations that staged the first Unity convention "issued a joint statement on the term 'illegal aliens':

" 'Except in direct quotations, do not use the phrase illegal alien or the word alien, in copy or in headlines, to refer to citizens of a foreign country who have come to the U.S. with no documents to show that they are legally entitled to visit, work or live here. Such terms are considered pejorative not only by those to whom they are applied but by many people of the same ethnic and national backgrounds who are in the U.S. legally,' " as a 2006 statement from the National Association of Black Journalists recalled.

The AP released its statements on its blog today:

The Stylebook no longer sanctions the term “illegal immigrant” or the use of “illegal” to describe a person. Instead, it tells users that “illegal” should describe only an action, such as living in or immigrating to a country illegally.

Why did we make the change?

The discussions on this topic have been wide-ranging and include many people from many walks of life. (Earlier, they led us to reject descriptions such as “undocumented,” despite ardent support from some quarters, because it is not precise. A person may have plenty of documents, just not the ones required for legal residence.)

Prince reported that The New York Times expected to follow suit, as early as this week.

It's about time. The Jackson Free Press has long adhered to the principle that a human being cannot be "illegal" and that the phrasing is not only not precise, but it is dehumanizing. We're glad that the AP and The New York Times have realized that it is no place of journalism to encourage offensive labels for human beings.

Right on.

Update: According to Jackson Director of Communications Chris Mims, Babe's was seeking $300,000 in damages. He added that the actual payout is likely to be around $105,000, give or take a few thousand dollars.

A lawsuit City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen called "the last lawsuit against the city from the Melton administration" has been decided in favor of Babes Showclub vs. the city of Jackson.

The adult entertainment venue is seeking damages for loss of revenue "in the hundreds of thousands." On Tuesday, the city council voted 5-2 to settle with the club, closing the door on the final civil lawsuit against the former administration.

The history:

The Jackson Police Department shut down Babe's Showclub, an adult entertainment venue in the 1100 block of West Street back in March of 2006 on the grounds the city had no record of Babe's adult entertainment renewal application.

Attorneys for Babes called the closure illegal, and local attorney Chris Ganner and Tampa, Fla., attorney Luke Lirot argued that the city had also squelched the owner's rights to appeal the closure.

Babes General Manager Bo Powell argued that his club had applied for its 2006 license in October 2005 and complained that the city's application process was "confusing." He also claimed that city officials, whether accidentally or intentionally, had misdirected his application efforts.

Powell re-applied for a temporary license, but the city said it couldn't legally give out temporary licenses, despite Babes' attorneys' protestations that a temporary license is the only kind Babes could get if the city didn't follow through with the licensing process on its end.

Powell testified that an employee filed an application with the city's sign and license division because no one was available in JPD to take the application. Two city employees in the sign and license division testified that they'd accepted a $200 license renewal fee and stamped the document as a receipt. City employee Yolanda Shaw said she told JPD that Babes had made the payment, though JPD license and permit officer Samuel Gardner claimed at the time he had no record of the application.

Gardner also said he'd told Babes two months later that they had no license registered, but Powell said he had no hint of the problem until police showed up to close his club down in March.

Pass the Kleenex. Jackson ranks at the top of the list for spring allergies.

Since last year's surprising defeat of charter-school legislation in the Mississippi House Education Committee, proponents of the public-private schools seemed to want passing a charter school law priority No. 1. In the offseason, Speaker Philip Gunn even stacked the committee to clear the way for charter schools to pass and land on the House floor for a vote.

When the session started, I expected the legislative equivalent of shock-and-awe, a ramming down the throat of a charter school bill by the Republican leadership to show everybody who was in charge.

In the intervening 90 days, however, the Legislature has busied itself adding meaningless layers to existing laws on top federal laws. Affirming the right to bear arms and school prayer, constitutionally enshrined protections that weren't going anywhere even had the Legislature not sprang to action. So inane were some of the proposals--exempting Mississippi from federal law, banning bans on big soda--that Mississippi lawmakers couldn't stay out of the comedy headlines.

Finally, this week, both houses got their ish together to pass a long-coveted measure to expand charter schools in Mississippi. The House approved the conference report earlier in the week with no debate. Today, after a lengthy discussion, the Senate followed suit.

Next up: a bill signing by Gov. Phil Bryant.

What happens after that is anybody's guess.

The American Cancer Society is urging local residents to sign up so that cancer’s greatest mysteries can be unlocked.

Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. introduced two new pieces of technology designed to make the Jackson Police Department more efficient, transparent and accountable.

The first demonstration was technology that will allow the city to track city vehicles in real-time on an online map of the city. Johnson said they have already outfitted 50 city vehicles - including work trucks, police cars and heavy equipment - with trackers and are working out the bugs before they put the technology into all the vehicles.

The Mayor said that technology will make the vehicle operators more accountable, make the police department more efficient in their coverage and reduce the carbon footprint from vehicles in the city by helping them map out the most direct route to their destinations. That project has a $55,000 price tag.

The second piece of technology is an e-ticketing system that will allow traffic stops to easier and more efficient. The handheld devices, already issued to 37 officers, allow them to scan a drivers license using a card-swiper, and enter the information for the citation digitally. If he/she issues a ticket, it will be printed instead of hand-written, and the information will insert itself directly in the county or municipal clerk's office instead of having to be filed manually.

Those devices cost $3,300 per unit.

Mayor Johnson also gave out the COMSTAT trophy for the most-improved precinct to Precinct 1 (Jackson's south side), where crime has dropped nearly 30 percent in the past three months.

The JFP received this release from the mayor's office Wednesday afternoon:

South Jackson has dramatic decrease in property crimes

Recent Jackson Police Department statistics reveal that South Jackson’s Precinct 1 led the entire city in crime reduction for the first Quarter of 2013. The Precinct saw a 28.9% drop in overall crime. Property crime decreased by 28.2% and violent crime decreased by 32.5%.

Each quarter the Jackson Police Department recognizes the precinct with the greatest drop in overall crime. That precinct is then awarded the traveling COMSTAT Trophy.

For Precinct One to win the COMSTAT Trophy represents a “remarkable turnaround” said, Police Chief Rebecca Coleman.

She further stated, “This is a tribute to the hard work, dedication and perseverance of the police officers that are assigned to Precinct One. Working in conjunction with the citizens of South Jackson, and implementing several crime fighting strategies, we have seen great success. Commander Wallace of Precinct 1 and her staff are very deserving of this recognition.”

In recent years, Precinct 1 has routinely led the city in the number of House Burglaries committed. They have averaged as many as fifty a week. Beginning in 2009, Chief Coleman implemented strategies aimed towards reducing these numbers. These included the following:

• Increasing the number of beats from 8 – 10
• Re-assigning support personnel to patrol duty in areas most affected
• Using the D.A.R.T. Unit in these areas as much as possible

“The biggest impact we have seen has been in the individual beat officer’s response time, …

The State Farm Neighborhood Assist grant will be used to build an off-leash dog park on CARA Property.

A University of Mississippi student-body panel ruled this week that the male winner of a campus popularity contest would not longer have the title "Colonel Reb."

The Daily Mississippian, Ole Miss' school newspaper, reported that the Associated Student Body Judicial Council ruled the title of “Colonel Reb” was unconstitutional per the student government bylaws.

The DM quotes former ASB Judicial Chair Courtney Pearson, who last fall became the first African American homecoming queen in Ole Miss' history explaining: “An anonymous complaint was filed and the ASB Judicial Council took the appropriate steps to hear the complaint.... We followed the appropriate guidelines that we could have according to the most current Codes and Constitution. The decision is final.”

The Colonel Reb character is a old coot of an officer in the vanquished Confederate army, and has stirred controversy over the years. In 2003 then-Chancellor Robert Khayat announced in 2003 the Confederate throwback adopted as the official mascot in 1979 but whose image had been around since the 1930s, would no longer be a staple of Ole Miss on-field matchups. Khayat’s public reasoning was that having “a 19th century person representing a 21st century university in such a highly visible role” seemed odd.

As they are prone to do when anyone so much as sneezes in Colonel Reb's direction, Ole Miss were furious about the ASB committee's decision. Rob Pillow, ASB Attorney General Rob Pillow, vowed to investigate the name change, which he concedes is permanent.

The 2013 legislative session temporarily drew to close today. Because lawmakers failed to renew the state Medicaid program, Gov. Phil Bryant will have to call a special session sometime before July 1. Anyhow, a lot of people had stuff to say, mostly through emailed press statements.

Here's a flavor from around the Capitol:

From Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves:

JACKSON – The 2013 legislative session brought landmark education reforms, including public charter schools and rigorous literacy standards for students, a conservative $5.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2014 and new laws aimed at strengthening and protecting families, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said today.

Of the new measures enacted, key items include legislation allowing a grant program to help schools hire trained law enforcement officers, increased funding for all levels of education and protection of Mississippians’ Second Amendment Rights.

“During the 2013 session, the Senate addressed issues that will have an impact on the state for many years to come, and I appreciate each member of the Senate who worked hard to ensure Mississippi stays on the road to economic recovery and continues to encourage the creation of better, higher-paying jobs,” Lt. Gov. Reeves said. “I appreciate working with Speaker Gunn to enact strong, conservative policies to push Mississippi forward.”

Key notes from the 2013 legislative session include:

Improving public education

The 2013 session will be remembered for the successful efforts to reform education and raise academic achievement for every student. The first steps toward school choice were made with the creation of public charter schools and legislation to end social promotion of students who cannot read at grade level.

“Mississippi students will rise up to meet these new standards for academic achievement, and parents will respond by demanding better from principals and teachers, many of whom work hard for public education every day,” Lt. Gov. Reeves said. “A quality education provides a stronger foundation for a well-trained workforce to grow Mississippi. We need graduates who are ready for highly skilled careers that pay well and will keep our children and grandchildren in Mississippi.”

The Legislature approved House Bill 369 creating public charter schools in D- and F-rated school districts with approval from a state authorizing board. School boards in districts rated as A, B or C can veto a public charter school application and deny giving parents educational choice. While Lt. Gov. Reeves pushed for a stronger public charter school law, he believes the new law will help foster demand for school choice across Mississippi.

Other measures passed include Senate Bill 2347, a “Third-Grade Gate” that measures literacy skills for students in Kindergarten through third grade, provides intervention programs for students needing assistance and requires third-grade students to meet reading standards before moving to the fourth grade. Gov. Phil Bryant’s Education Works package, Senate Bill 2658, established a $15,000 scholarship for students who score at least a 28 on the ACT and a 3.5 GPA and plan to enroll in a teacher education program. It …

Jackson residents are invited to take part in a second telephone town-hall meeting with Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson.

This Associated Press story just illustrates how absurd it was for the Mississippi Legislature, and Gov. Phil Bryant, to push and pass a law that tries to circumvent the First Amendment, which wisely tells government to stay the hell out of (my words, not theirs) people's religious choices. As I wrote in a recent column, the wise men who wrote the Constitution knew from this nation's early experiences that any interference by government on any level into worshiping (or praying) creates the conditions to squelch someone's freedom of religion.

Of course, we all know that the legislators and Bryant did this because they believe the move will appeal to "faith voters," whom they assume do not think and read well enough to understand that there is an "establishment" clause in the First Amendment precisely to protect all of us from, well, folks like them who want to push one flavor of religion on everyone.

In other words, this is exactly the kind of political chicanery the First Amendment was created to prevent. Too bad that the government of the state of Mississippi, once again, makes us look bad and stupid to the rest of the world.

It leaves us asking: Are these so-called anti-government types, or so they claim, really bent on having government create the roadmaps for people's faith and prayer? That is downright terrifying, not to mention hypocritical.

[From Jackson Director of Communications Chris Mims]

Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. announced this morning that the Jackson Police Department Family is having a candlelight vigil on the steps of Jackson Police Department Headquarters, Thursday evening at 6 p.m. for fallen officer Eric T. Smith. The vigil will celebrate the life of Detective Smith and his eighteen years of service to the Jackson Police Department and the citizens of Jackson.

“We ask you to continue to keep the Smith family, his friends and the Jackson Police Department lifted in prayer,” said Police Chief Rebecca Coleman.

The Smith Family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to The Eric T. Smith Charity Fund that has been set up through Trustmark National Bank. Citizens may also make donations to the Jackson Police Department’s Youth Police Athletic League (PAL), through the Jackson Police Foundation Inc., Post Office Box 80, Jackson, MS 39205, noting: In Memory of Eric Smith for Youth Police Athletic League. The PAL program is a youth crime prevention program that relies on education, athletic and other recreational activities creating bonds between police officers and the youth in our community. The PAL Program is available for children from ages 6 to 15 years of age.

A criminal investigation is being conducted by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations. Additionally, an Internal Investigation is being conducted by the Internal Affairs Division to into any policy or procedural violations. Both investigations are progressing.

“We realize that there are questions relating to details surrounding this tragic incident. However, at this point both investigations have not concluded,” said Mayor Johnson. “We will be prepared to share as much information as possible once the investigations are complete. A news conference will be called and officials will be made available to answer questions early next week.”

Funeral Services for Detective Eric Smith will be held, Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 11 a.m. at the Athletic Assembly Center located at Jackson State University.

“In the remaining days before the interment we ask for the media’s cooperation in allowing Detective Smith’s family, his law enforcement family and citizens of Jackson time to mourn his death and celebrate his life,” said Mayor Johnson.

In the immortal words of Ice Cube's Doughboy: Either they don't know, don't show or don't care about what's going on with circus elephants in the Tupelo, Miss. 'hood.

The Associated Press reports that a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus elephant was hit by a bullet in an apparent drive-by shooting in Tupelo. Circus spokeswoman Melinda Hartline says the elephant, named Carol, was not seriously hurt and that no other animals were harmed.

Tupelo Police Chief Tony Carleton said a vehicle drove past the arena about 2 a.m. and fired into the area, AP reported.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Former U.S. Rep. Travis Childers also offered a $250 reward.

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2013/apr/09/11413/

Jackson Police Department crime statistics through the end of March show a slight to moderate improvement in almost every category.

According to the data, through March 31, auto burglaries, auto thefts, business burglaries, grand larcenies, house burglaries, aggravated assaults, armed robberies and homicides are down from last year.

Carjacking is up by five cases (47 YTD in 2013, as opposed to 42 in 2012), and there have been four more reported acts of rape (26 YTD in 2012, 30 in 2013).

You can check out the whole breakdown of the report here.

Jackson mayoral hopeful Jonathan Lee hit the airwaves last night with the premier of his television spot, now he's released a 14-page brochure—a prospectus, if you will—you can find here.

In it, Lee discusses, sometimes in detail, his plan to tackle crime, employment and economic development, infrastructure and education.

Lee has taken heat in recent debates, albeit indirectly, for being a DINO (a Democrat in name-only). But Lee has pushed back, saying his voting record speaks for itself, saying at the last mayoral forum, ending his closing remarks with "At the end of the day, these potholes don't have a party affiliation."

The Mississippi Department of Corrections announced the death of Lessadolla Sowers at Mississippi State Penitentiary.

Sowers, formerly of Tunica County, was convicted of 10 counts of voter fraud in April 2011. She was sentenced to five years at Parchman for submitting fraudulent ballots in the August 2007 Democratic primary election.

Sowers appealed to the Mississippi State Supreme Court, which upheld her conviction in November 2012.

MDOC officials said Sowers, 69, possibly died from stroke complications on April 7.

It's unclear whether North Korea has gone ahead with its plan to launch a nuke, but it does appear that the universe has imploded.

Today, the Obama Administration announced it would hold off on cutting a program that partially reimburses hospitals for caring for the poor -- and Mississippi's Republican Medicaid foes are welcoming the news.

These funds, known to health-care policy wonks as disproportionate-share hospital payments, were set to expire next year. Under a deal the White House struck with hospitals to get their support for Obamacare, hospitals agreed to accept DSH cuts in exchange for putting more people on state Medicaid rolls.

However, Republican governors in states that are most in need of improved health-care vowed to resist growing their Medicaid programs.

Governing magazine reports that Marilyn Tavenner, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said "postponing the reductions would allow states to complete their decision process about the Medicaid expansion."

Surprisingly, Mississippi Republicans are trumpeting the Obama Administration decision. The Legislature reached a stalemate on funding Medicaid as well as expanding the program during the legislative session that recently ended.

Gov. Phil Bryant, who is expected to convene a special session to deal with Medicaid, said he is "pleased" with Obama.

Said Bryant, through a news release: "I have long advocated that cuts to this program should not be used to affect budgets in states that choose not to expand Medicaid. This move should give us additional time to make a reasonable decision about any changes to the Medicaid program."

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2013/apr/10/11443/

"We will find out who did this, and we will hold them accountable."