Jackson Free Press

This year, Crossroads Film Festival, which is is March 31-April 3, kicks off with a screening of 'The Hollars.'

John Krasinski, who most recently starred in '13 Hours,' directed and starred in the film, which shot in locations in the Jackson metro area such as Fondren, Methodist Rehabilitation Center and St. Dominic Hospital in 2014.

“I am delighted that Mississippians will have this opportunity to get a sneak peek of this great movie filmed across the area,” said Robbie Fischer, Mississippi Crossroads Film Society president, in a blog post on the festival's website. “This screening celebrates the culmination of many Mississippians’ talents and Tom Rice’s commitment to make movies in his hometown.”

Crossroads will screen the film at the Malco Grandview Cinema in Madison beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20. For more information, go to the Crossroads Film Festival blog post.

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Only a few weeks after Big Freedia resolved her battle with Hattiesburg over a wrongly cancelled performance, which is now back on, the New Orleans hip-hop artist has become embroiled in a battle of a different kind.

On Wednesday, March 16, Freedia pleaded guilty to the theft of about $35,000 in Section 8 low-income housing vouchers from 2010 to 2014, New Orleans TV station WWL reports. Officials released her on a $25,000 bond, with her sentencing scheduled for Thursday, June 16. Freedia now faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine in addition to the value of the vouchers.

According to WWL reporter David Hammer, federal prosecutors repeatedly referred to Freedia, a prominent member of the LGBTQ community who identifies as a woman, in masculine terms, as her legal name is Freddie Ross Jr.

U.S. District Judge Lance Africk, on the other hand, first asked Freedia how the court should address her and chose to refer to her as "Ms. Ross" despite her statement that she had no preference.

Freedia admitted to the court that from February 2011 to December 2014, she received $695 per month in federal housing vouchers by claiming only $12,000 to $14,400 in assets annually, well below the $21,700 to receive Section 8 assistance.

When Africk asked if Freedia understood that her crime went far beyond financial oversight, she said that she did and accepted full responsibility.

As of press time, Big Freedia hasn't made any statement to suggest that her legal situation will affect her performances at Martin's Restaurant & Bar in Jackson on Thursday, March 24, and at the Dollar Box Showroom in Hattiesburg on Friday, March 25.

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Jackson City Councilman De'Keither Stamps, of Ward 4, says he voted against the Trilogy Engineering Inc. contract to do a corrosion study for the city last week because it is an "unfunded mandate" by the State of Mississippi—and one the taxpayers cannot afford. In two videos on his YouTube channel, Stamps said his main priority wasn't who was getting the contract, but that the State was demanding that the City suddenly pay $400,000 for a corrosion study, instead of helping the capital city.

"I know several of the subcontractors personally," he says in the most recent video (see below). The issue is I don’t want to spend $400,000 when we don’t have it. This is an unfunded mandate from the State of Mississippi. If they can help us, I’m all for it. … It’s not something we’ve budgeted for."

Stamps, who has unsuccessfully asked for an emergency declaration over the lead issue several times, says the City needs stand and/or federal assistance in order to make sure Jackson residents are safe, especially in areas where 90 percent of the water tested positive for at least trace elements of lead.

"I want to test every child in the whole city that’s in these affected areas," he said in the second video below.

In the wake of Governor Bryant's declaration of Confederate Heritage Month, the NAACP of Mississippi has created a petition calling for "Union Army Appreciation Month."

After 18 years in the international alternative music scene, Motion City Soundtrack has announced that the band will enter an indefinite hiatus following its upcoming 29-date United States tour.

The tour will begin May 5 in Portland and end June 24 in Minneapolis, the city where vocalist Justin Pierre and guitarist Joshua Cain, the two remaining founding members, first began playing together as Motion City Soundtrack in 1997. Over the course of the band's career, Pierre and his cohorts released six studio albums, the most notable being 2007's "Even If It Kills Me," which reached No. 16 on the Billboard Charts, and 2010's "My Dinosaur Life," which debuted at No. 15. The group released its final album, "Panic Stations," on Sept. 18, 2015.

"It has been a quiet winter for us," the band said in a press release. "We've had some time at home after a very busy 2015. With this time, we've been able to think about the past, present and future of Motion City Soundtrack.

"All of this thinking has led to several conversations, and these conversations have led us to a very bittersweet realization: We have no idea what the future holds, but for now we are done. Needless to say, we're feeling all the feels - you may be, as well. If so, or if you've ever been touched by our music, we ask you to come out and sing along with us one last time in 2016."

For more information, visit motioncitysoundtrack.com.

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Fresh off a controversy in Hattiesburg, in which the owner of the Dollar Box Showroom said he was pressured to cancel her show, Big Freedia is returning to Mississippi with a vengeance. In what the New Orleans bounce artist is calling "Twerkloose" performances, her manager Reid Martin told the JFP today that they have added a March 24 show at Martin's in Jackson, the day before the rescheduled Hattiesburg performance.

Get ready, Jackson.

Amidst the general political chaos of the presidential primaries and visits from Bill Clinton and Donald "Drumpf" Trump, Grammy Award winner CeeLo Green also made a stop in the city of Jackson. As is usually the case with the eccentric singer and songwriter, he didn't come alone.

Wherever Green pops up, whether it's a TV appearance or an interview, his Yorkshire terrier, Harrison Zulander, or "Zu" for short, is usually tagging along and looking simultaneously nonplussed and adorable. He even came to Jackson for Green's performance at Hal & Mal's on Tuesday, March 8.

Zu isn't just a tag-along trophy pet, however. When not eliciting smiles from famous folk such as Ashanti, Steve Aoki and Blake Shelton, he's a social-media socialite, with more than 1,400 followers on his Instagram and another 254 followers on his Twitter.

The Yorkie is also a spokes-puppy and model for Los Angeles-based Dogs of Glamour. Zu is featured prominently on the website for the high-end canine accessories brand, rocking pieces from the Dogs of Glamour product line, such as jackets, t-shirts and classy carrier bags.

Oh, and if anyone was curious, Zu is available for "speaking" engagements.

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Today at noon, Pastor Dwayne K. Pickett and Pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant will lead a rally to take down the Mississippi flag on the Miss. capitol steps. The Take It Down team released this statement today:

On this day of history where Mississippians head to the polls for its primary presidential race, Pastor Dwayne K. Pickett, chairman of BMA Inc., will be joined by Pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant of Baltimore, Md., for a rally to TAKE DOWN THE REBEL FLAG. Jamal Harrison Bryant, former director of the NAACP youth and college division, (a) leading voice for black lives matter, and mega-church pastor in America has come to Jackson. Jamal Bryant will voice the grave concern about the state of Mississippi still flying a flag that was used to lynch African Americans and is a known tool at KKK gatherings across the United States of America.

It's also presidential primary election day, and polls will be open until 7 p.m today. If you're in line at 7 p.m., you can vote. For those who don't have their voter ID, these are forms of ID accepted at the polls:

• Driver's License
• Photo ID card issued by a branch, department, or entity of the State of Mississippi
• United States passport
• Government employee ID card
• Firearms license
• Student photo ID issued by an accredited Mississippi university, college, or community/junior college
• United States military ID
• Tribal photo ID
• Any other photo ID issued by any branch, department, agency or entity of the US government or any state government
• A Mississippi Voter Identification Card

For more information on elections or to find your polling place, visit the Secretary of State's website here. If you see any problems at the polls, call the JFP at 601-362-6121 ext. 12, or email [email protected].

As votes come in tonight, campaign parties for presidential candidates will take place across the metro area. The Hillary Clinton Mississippi Campaign party will start at 6:30 p.m. at Hal and Mal's (200 S. Commerce St.). Please call 601-720-7653 for more information. The Bernie Sanders Mississippi Campaign will be following the returns at their headquarters at 824 Foley St. in Jackson. Please call 601-937-1524 for more information.

This afternoon is the deadline for general bills held on a motion to reconsider to pass through both the House and the Senate. The Senate calendar includes Jackson airport "takeover" bill and a bill that would prohibit "sanctuary cities" in the state, while the House could take up a bill that passed by one vote that would require the Attorney General to receive written approval from the Outside Counsel Oversight Commission for any lawsuit that would cost more than $250,000 in the amount sought.

The House passed the Attorney General oversight commission bill last Tuesday, but the bill was held on a motion to reconsider after it passed by a vote of 61-60. The Senate debated the airport "takeover" bill for over two hours last Thursday, and after it passed (mainly along party line votes), it was held on a motion to reconsider and not taken up on Friday. The House and the Senate both reconvene at 4 p.m. this afternoon.

This weekend, I've seen a lot of excuses for Donald Trump's bigotry and xenophobia from his supporters, who don't seem to have many reasons for supporting him other than they are sick and tired of the way things are now. One gentleman showed up on my Facebook page to defend supporting Trump, saying it's not about bigotry and calling me "intolerant toward those holding different opinions" because I was willing to call out Trump's blatant bigotry.

I looked at his Facebook page, and he had reposted a letter to the RNC supposedly explaining why Trump supporters are fed up. The gist of it was about getting rid of "rabid, messy, mean raccoons":

You’ve been on vacation for two weeks, you come home, and your basement is infested with raccoons. Hundreds of rabid, messy, mean raccoons have overtaken your basement. You want them gone immediately…You call the city and four different exterminators, but nobody could handle the job. There is this one guy however, who guarantees you he will get rid of them, so you hire him. You don’t care if the guy smells, you don’t care if the guy swears, you don’t care how many times he’s been married, you don’t care if he was friends with liberals, you don’t care if he has plumber’s crack…you simply want those raccoons gone! You want your problem fixed! He’s the guy. He’s the best. Period. Here’s why we want Trump: Yes he’s a bit of an ass, yes he’s an egomaniac, but we don’t care. The country is a mess because politicians have become too self-serving. The Republican Party is two-faced & gutless. Illegal aliens have been allowed to invade our nation. We want it all fixed! We don’t care that Trump is crude, we don’t care that he insults people, we don’t care that he had been friendly with Hillary, we don’t care that he has changed positions, we don’t care that he’s been married three times, we don’t care that he fights with Megan Kelly and Rosie O’Donnell, we don’t care that he doesn’t know the name of some Muslim terrorist.

When I asked the gentleman on my Facebook page (whom I don't know) who he thought the "raccoons" are, he said he "assumed" that the piece he was reposting meant "illegal immigrants"—perhaps not knowing that he is speaking of human beings that Trump has said the most horrible things about, especially the darkish ones south of the U.S. border. He also added: "Not agreeing on issues or politicians or political parties is one thing but when either side turns to vile hate towards others that don't agree with them then that is bigotry."

I'm seeing this argument all the time now from Trump supporters: It is just as "racist" — ??? — to point out someone's bigotry as it is to be the bigot, at least according to their twisted rationalization. In addition to being incredibly absurd logic, this is a straight-up defense of …

Mayor Tony Yarber posted an announcement on Instagram (@tonyyarber) tonight of a "Straight Outta Patience: Take Down the Flag" rally for Tuesday, March 8, at noon at the state capitol in downtown Jackson. Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, a well-known pastor from Baltimore, will help lead the rally, which he is also promoting on social media (@jamalhbryant on Instagram and Twitter). He wrote on Instagram tonight: "Mississippi!!! ... is last state to wave the Confederate flag! Tuesday we suing the governor to bring it down! Meet me."

Bryant founded the Empowerment Temple in Baltimore in 2000, which his website calls "the fastest-growing church in the A.M.E. denomination."

Mayor Yarber just wrote simply, "Straight Outta Patience!! See y'all Tuesday!"

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Mississippi is one step closer to election reform after the House passed the 283-page election code bill this morning. The bill is the product of a committee formed by the secretary of state last year, which included lawmakers, circuit clerks and election commissioners from around the state. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann told the Stennis Capitol Press Forum in February that the reform is "well worth our efforts, and all of these changes are big parts of an interwoven election code that should be passed."

A similar election reform bill is still on the Senate calendar, but it would have to pass today to stay alive. The deadline for original action on either chamber floor for general bills is today. For bills that have been held on a motion to reconsider, the deadline is tomorrow.

Developing story ...

Rep. Jay Hughes, D-Oxford, says his failed amendment to HB 1444 which would have required all educational institutions that receive state tax dollars – explicitly charter schools - to publicly disclose the name and salary of individual teachers, failed because it doesn't match the "Capitol's way" of ensuring transparency.

Hughes posted that his "version of transparency" failed 63-54.

Read Jay Hughes’s Facebook post here.

Super Tuesday is here, with 865 pledged delegates up for grabs for the Democratic candidates and 595 available to the Republican candidates. Here's a visual guide to the states in play and the delegate counts.

Here's the Presidential Primary tracker, updated as results come in:

This is a verbatim statement from Jackson State University:

The Spring 2016 Academic Calendar has been revised because of two high-profile speakers for the undergraduate and graduate commencements. The graduate commencement is Friday, April 22, 2016, at 6:00 p.m. in the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center. The undergraduate commencement is Saturday, April 23, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. at the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Click here to view the revised schedule: See the Calendar PDF

Rolling into the South Carolina primary this weekend, here's a visual look at some of the polling data.

While former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is favored by a significant margin (59-40), it is interesting to see the older candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, with stronger support among the youngest voters.

Sanders polls at 63% among 18-29 voters and 55% of 30-44 voters, according to the YouGov/CBS News poll.

Clinton swings back with 69% of the over-45 vote among Democratic primary votes.

The Mississippi Black Legislative Caucus will continue to slow down Republican lawmakers and the legislative process after House Bill 868 set off a debate Wednesday. Rep. Earle Banks, D-Jackson, said his caucus is not going to give up their slim majority and even after a meeting with the Speaker today, have not changed their position.

Rep. Banks said that House Bill 868, which would re-district Simpson County into the same Supreme Court district as Hinds and Madison counties, caused the caucus to vote to slow down the process yesterday. House Bill 868 prompted hours-long debate on Wednesday but ultimately passed to the Senate (after a tabled motion to reconsider).

Today, the Black Legislative Caucus opposed House Bill 14, which would create a moratorium on superintendent salary increases for school districts with C, D and F grades. They asked that the 431-page bill be read, after a long debate on the bill. The bill is still being read and has yet to be voted on. To listen to the live reading click here.

Below is the Black Legislative Caucus' press release in full, from Rep. Banks:

"During the 2016 Legislative Session, the Mississippi House Republicans have hosted one substantive hearing this session. That was on the election dispute involving Bo Eaton and Greg Tullos.

There, the Republican Leadership ignored the testimony of election experts; including the local election commissioners and the Secretary of State; and threw out 5 duly recorded votes. So it's not surprising that the House GOP has given up on the pretense of debating and vetting policy.

Instead, they have rushed out bills that would wreck public education; change voting districts; and throw up bureaucratic red tape for public health programs. Last summer, Speaker Phillip Gunn made a promise that he would not involve any democrats in the policy process. And so far, he has kept his word.

Now comes House Bill 868 which greatly reduces the black vote in the central district. Which in turn would insure a majority white representation from the Supreme Court to the Public Service commissioner. The current political climate in the State of Mississippi has changed like fall winter night as the Republicans have displayed their might in pushing bad legislation to the deferment of our State.

Today, caucus members met with Speaker Gunn to discuss our concerns. As a result, the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus has not changed its position to slow down the process by which Republican lawmakers are passing bills we view as detrimental to Mississippians."

The Filmmaker's 'Black Tie & Blues' Bash event, which is Feb. 27, marks the end of the annual "It's About You" Film Festival. NMHS recently announced its lineup for the bash. Here is a press release from the organization, verbatim.

NMHS Announces Chef Line-Up for the Filmmaker’s Bash

(Jackson, MS) – NMHS Unlimited Film Productions recently announced the chef line-up for the “Filmmaker’s ‘Black Tie & Blues’ Bash” event. The Filmmaker’s Bash wraps-up the annual “It’s About You” Film Festival and is scheduled for Saturday, February 27 at the Mississippi Museum of Art. The Bash will feature a “Farm to Table” competition by several area chefs. Guests will be able to vote for their favorite chef in the “People’s Choice” competition. One chef will also be awarded the “Top Bash Chef” by a panel of judges. The 2016 event also includes the new “Top Chef Challenge” in which Nick Wallace of the Mississippi Museum of Art and Jesse Houston of Saltine cook-off using a secret ingredient. The evening will include entertainment by international touring blues artist Dexter Allen and the melodic melodies of Melvin “House Cat” Hendrex, a new silent auction and an awards presentation.

Featured chefs of the Filmmaker’s Bash include the 2016 Coordinating Chef, Nick Wallace with the Mississippi Museum of Art; Alex Eaton with The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen; Kendrick Gordon with One Guy Steak and Chicken; Jesse Houston with Saltine; Grant Nooe with Grant’s Kitchen; Damian Shelby with the Mississippi Museum of Art; and Mike Roemhild with Table 100.

“I am very excited to have such talented people participate in our fourth annual event,” said Wilma E. Mosley Clopton, Ph.D. of NMHS Unlimited Film Productions. “Several of our chefs are returning from the previous year and we are also welcoming new chefs. We already have three designated “Top Chefs” in this group and I cannot wait to see who will become the fourth addition. In this competition, each chef’s dish must include local ingredients, -more-

which focuses on our “Farm to Table” competition. I am thrilled to showcase our local talents utilizing our local ingredients.”

The black tie event begins with a VIP Reception from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. VIP Reception tickets are $100 per person. The Bash and “Farm to Table” Competition will take place from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. General admission tickets are $50 per person. Tickets can be purchased online at blackhistoryplus.com

The purpose of the film festival is to showcase films that highlight the rich contributions of Mississippi African Americans. To view a complete film festival line-up and event details, visit www.blackhistoryplus.com.

Thank you to our generous sponsors for their support: Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau, ChefWorks, the Mississippi Film Office, The W.E.B. Du Bois Honors College, The Lanier Historical Museum and Arts Guild, Inc., The Lanier High School National Alumni Association, Women for Progress of Mississippi, The Jackson Advocate and Dependable Source Corp. This project is supported in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, …

Mayor Tony Yarber reiterated during a press conference at City Hall Wednesday night that the city’s drinking water system is safe, while at the same time mentioning meetings with Jackson Public Schools superintendent about needed renovations to the corrosion control system.

“I spent a little time today with the superintendent,” the mayor said. “He and I will wrap around. I wanted to make sure that I meet with the team so that…the message will be uniform.”

The city also discussed the possible repair plan to the corrosion control system, estimating the total cost at around $500,000. Director of Public Works Kishia Powell said the city applied for a grant to pay for the repairs but did add that if the money did not come from outside sources, it would come out of the city budget.

Read more about the city of Jackson and the Mississippi State Department of Health's statements on lead levels here.

Note: This post was reported and written by Tim Summers Jr.

A news release from the Mississippi State Department of Health about City of Jackson drinking water is reproduced in its entirety below:

Today the Mississippi State Department of Health– after consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency, is advising all residents who receive their drinking water from the City of Jackson Water System to take the following precautions:

· Before using tap water for drinking or cooking, run your tap on cold for one to two minutes; for more detailed information visit www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/tips/water.htm; · Households should never use hot water for drinking or cooking; · Any child five years of age or younger and any pregnant woman should use filtered water (NSF53 certified filter http//info.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU) or bottled water for drinking and cooking; · Baby formula should be “ready-to-feed” or prepared using only filtered water or bottled water; and · Parents with children six years or younger should contact their child’s pediatrician or primary care provider to ensure adequate lead screening and blood testing have been performed.

“Although the majority of home lead testing performed identified no lead, or lead below the action level of 15 ppb, we are issuing these recommendations as a special precaution for young children and pregnant women,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs.

“It’s important to remember simple measures, such as flushing the faucet for one to two minutes, can markedly reduce lead levels in tap water,” added Dobbs.

The Mississippi State Department of Health will mail the above health recommendations about lead to all customers on the City of Jackson Water System, and will closely monitor the City of Jackson’s progress to reduce the corrosiveness of water. Corrosive water leads to leaching of lead in some older homes where plumbing contains lead pipes or lead solder.

“We believe these precautions should remain in place at least six months while the City of Jackson makes the necessary changes required to stabilize the alkalinity and pH levels in the system. These changes should ensure better optimization of corrosion in the Jackson Water System, which should lead to minimal leaching of lead in home plumbing,” said Director of Health Protection Jim Craig.