Jackson Free Press

Candidates running in Jackson's Special Election today are hosting election watch parties this evening. Information for the individual events is listed below.

John Horhn Election Watch Party 7:30 p.m. Central City Complex 609 Woodrow Wilson Ave. Food and refreshments will be provided.

Harvey Johnson Pre-Election Tailgate -- Fish Fry and concert 4-8 p.m. Smith-Wills Stadium Lakeland Drive

Chokwe Antar Lumumba 7 p.m. Jackson State eCenter 1230 Raymond Rd.

Tony Yarber Classics Bar and Lounge 5571 Robinson Rd Ext.

Margaret Barrett-Simon Her home 1322 Hazel St.

Regina Quinn 7:30 p.m. Lakeover Center 6531 Dogwood View Parkway

Melvin Priester Priester Law Firm 5375 Executive Place

Live Tweeting the #jxnmayor Run-off. Who will be mayor in this special election for Jackson's next mayor?

As of now, the LGBT community is not protected in Mississippi's hate crime law. But Rep. Deborah Dixon, D-Raymond, authored a bill that could change that.

House Bill 534 would amend the constitution to increase the penalties for crimes committed against people because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation. The law currently defines a hate crime as a crime committed against a person because of their race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion or national origin.

HB 534 has been referred to the Judiciary B House Committee, chaired by Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton.

While his committee has a meeting tomorrow morning, Gipson told the Jackson Free Press he has not looked at HB 534 yet.

In what feels like a surprise move (at least, to me) the Times-Picayune in New Orleans is reporting that multiple sources have given word that the New Orleans Saints are trading Pro Bowl Tight End Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks.

The Saints will receive 28-year-old center Max Unger and Seattle's first round pick, while the Seahawks will receive Graham and the Saints' fourth round pick.

This (apparent) trade comes one year after protracted negotiations resulted in a 4-year, $40 million contract last year. Graham joins veterans Pierre Thomas and Curtis Loftin as locker-room casualties as free agency deadlines loom.

Breaking news: This morning, the Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee passed the SB 2162 to the full Senate floor over the objections of Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, who accused the bill's proponents of trying to "control" the airport.

Here is the full report. Also, read this story from yesterday detailing why the bill could cause the FAA to close the airport and why it may present conflict-of-interest concerns for the state.

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.

Lance Bass, the Mississippi-born pop-singer, actor and producer who rose to fame as a member of NSYNC has joined actress Mary Elizabeth Ellis to encourage Governor Phil Bryant to veto HB 1523, the anti-LGBT "religious conscience" bill.

Sombra Mexican Kitchen is following in the footsteps of Amerigo Italian Restaurant. In November, a new location of the restaurant will open in Flowood in the former space of Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen.

The new space is 8,400 square feet and will be able to seat 225 guests. It will also have an outdoor patio.

“With the overwhelming embrace of Amerigo opening in Flowood earlier this year, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to open Sombra next door,” David Conn, who is a co-owner in 4-Tops Hospitality, the company that owns and operates Amerigo, Char Restaurant and Anjou, said in a press release. “The people of Flowood and Rankin county have been great to us, and we look forward to bringing our unique take on Mexican cuisine and house-made specialties to the neighborhood.”

Look out for our business round-up next Tuesday for more information.

The City of Jackson announced repairs to a 24-inch water line at Larson and Moody Streets today, and they have issued a boil water notice for the following areas:

 [1200-1399] High Street; 39202

 [600-199] Monroe Street; 39202

 [1200-1399] Harding Street; 39202

 Larson Street; 39202

 Vine Street; 39202

 Foley Street; 39202

 Harris Street; 39202

The advisory applies to about 50 connections on the city's drinking water system. Residents will be notified when the boil water notice is lifted.For more information, customers may call 601-960-2723 during business hours or 601-960-1778 (or 601-960-1875) after 4:00 p.m. and on weekends. Please note, this water line repair is not related to the water outage and repairs planned for this weekend.

The Rachel Maddow show did a long segment last night tying the inaction in Congress (yet another meaningless vote on "Obamacare") to action in Mississippi -- a court case to determine whether Mississippi legislators overstepped in trying to close down the state's only remaining clinic where abortions are performed.

The court case, which was Tweeted, live-blogged and throughly photographed by JFP team coverage on Wednesday, got the attention the Maddow show, which quoted extensively from our piece. Enjoy!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Props to the whole team!

It takes a big man to admit he was wrong.

Last night, that big man was five-foot funnyman and Daily Show host Jon Stewart, who had a little fun at Mississippi's expense last week when the news broke the state never officially ratified the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.

In the bit, Stewart does what people who've never stepped a toe in Mississippi tend to do when talking about Mississippi, and lampooned the entire lot of state officials who were in charge when the Legislature ratified the amendment in 1995 -- I know, I know; we probably deserve that one -- as slavery-loving racists.

Among those officials was then-Secretary of State Dick Molpus, whose office was to oversee the handling of the official ratification paperwork. For reasons that remain unknown, the paperwork never made it to the federal archivist in Washington, D.C.

Stewart (or, more precisely, his comedy writers) implied that Molpus likely destroyed the documents -- you know, being the scheming white xenophobe that too many folks ignorantly presume every Mississippi politician to be.

But after getting a flurry of pushback from people who know Molpus, Stewart admitted last night that the show erred in using "Dick Molpus...as an avatar for racial bigotry, forgetting, perhaps that Dick Molpus is a real person with a real record on civil rights."

That record, as Stewart notes, includes apologizing in 1989 to the families of the murdered civil-rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. Despite the threats he received against his life, Molpus counts the apology as among his proudest moments.

In doing so, Stewart proved himself to be a class act (it was, after all, a bad week for satirists. See: The Onion debacle). And if any good came out of the whole thing, it's that the rest of America learned a little bit about the classy Dick Molpus and about Mississippi.

House Minority Leader Bobby Moak released the following statement on the announcement that Harrah's will close its Tunica casino:

Jackson, MS- Today Harrah’s announced they are closing their casino in the Tunica market. This is a loss of Thirteen-Hundred (1300) Mississippi jobs, not to mention a tremendous blow to the credibility and future viability of our Mississippi gaming market. Casinos are a legal business in our state. They account for over twenty-five thousand direct jobs and, in particular, are the main reason Tunica was able to remove itself as one of the poorest counties in the nation.

Leadership in our state has refused to afford this vital industry the tax incentives and credits it offers to existing businesses or even those used to lure in new industries. We are now paying the price for this with the loss of jobs and tax revenues to local governments and the state. Contrary to popular belief, casinos are not immune to both economic downturns and the dramatic impact of the growth of out-of-state gaming operations in neighboring states such as Arkansas. We are no longer the only game in town. Regional gaming competition is not a phenomena that ends in Tunica, either. It is one of the most dangerous threats to the Mississippi gaming markets and lurks around the corner in states like Alabama, Florida and beyond.

No taxpayer funds are expended when a new casino enters our Mississippi market and creating, on average, 1,500 good-paying jobs. In return for their investment, Mississippi does not treat this industry as others within our borders. Mississippi offers no credit for hotel renovations or infrastructure, no credit for restaurant construction/improvements and does not even allow front line employee training, as other businesses are allowed to do, at the community college level - even though they pay taxes to support the community college system.

There is lacking a vision by Mississippi leadership to look at other jurisdictions and implement sound business investment incentives to take care of the casino industry that now resides in our state and foster growth and reinvestment by existing operators. With the closure of Harrah’s Tunica, we are seeing what happens when we exclude this industry from our overall state business investment model.

This industry must be allowed the opportunity to develop assets that not only help their bottom line, but state coffers as well. It has been almost 3 years since the federal government opened the door to internet gaming at the state level. Mississippi has refused to even consider allowing this to be developed in our state. While I am not asserting that internet gaming is the silver bullet that will allow gaming in Mississippi to regain its foothold, there is no doubt that it is but one tool of many that could be effectively employed to increase the attractiveness of this market to gaming-centric tourists. Harrah’s is a leader in the internet gaming effort in the halls of Congress and states around the nation. We have continually shut the …

Rock 'n' roll superstar Meatloaf once sang, “Two out three ain’t bad.” That lyric could be used for college baseball teams from Mississippi in their respective tournaments.

As conference baseball tournaments drag toward the weekend, both the University of Mississippi and the University of Southern Mississippi are off today. The Rebels and the Eagles have reached the semifinals of the SEC and C-USA Tournaments.

More on those semifinals in a bit.

But first, let's spend a little time discussing Mississippi State University. The Bulldogs' 6-2 loss to Louisiana State University has put MSU in the loser's bracket of the SEC Tournament.

That means MSU has to beat No. 4 seed the University of Florida tonight at 6:30 p.m., in an elimination game that will be broadcasted on the SEC Network.

Beating the Gators is no small task, and that just gets the Bulldogs past the foothills of the mountain they now have to climb. And by losing to LSU, MSU is going to have to climb a mountain if it wants to win this tournament.

If MSU wins tonight, the team will have to beat LSU twice on Saturday. Advantage goes to the Tigers. If the Bulldogs do accomplish that feat, they will reach the championship game.

The question is what kind of shape the pitching staff be in after playing six games in five days. That is why today’s rest day is so important for both LSU and the Rebels.

The Tigers and Rebels began play on Tuesday when the tournament was single elimination. The fact that LSU and UM have had some of the hottest bats in the tournament has helped both teams.

LSU beat the University of Tennessee 5-4, Florida 5-3 and MSU 6-2, committing six errors along the way. While LSU has gotten away with errors, three from the Bulldogs cost them the game against the Tigers.

The Rebels, on the other hand, have been crushing teams. They beat the University of Georgia 5-1, University of South Carolina 10-4 and Vanderbilt University 12-9.

UM can reach the championship game if the team can beat the winner of the Vanderbilt and Texas A&M University game. Whoever faces the Rebels, the Commodores or Aggies will have to win twice to reach the title game.

The Rebels and Tigers are in great position to advance if they don’t get cold having the day off.

Speaking of days off, USM is also off today. The Golden Eagles have had some of the hottest bats in the C-USA Tournament.

USM has beaten Old Dominion University 17-5 and Marshall University 9-3. Southern Miss has hit a grand slam on each tournament game.

Now, the Golden Eagles await the winner of the Marshall and Florida International University game. Whatever team meets USM, it will have to beat the Golden Eagles twice to reach the championship game.

On the other side of the C-USA Tournament bracket, Rice University is off …

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported three new cases of Zika virus in the state today, which brings the state's total cases to eight. The department said all three cases were travel related for residents from Chickasaw, Hinds and Rankin counties who recently traveled to St. Thomas, Nicaragua and Guatemala.

Last week, two cases were reported from DeSoto and Madison counties, in travelers to Jamaica and Guatemala respectively. Three other travel-related cases occurred earlier this year, the department's press release states.

In 2016,four cases of West Nile Virus were reported in Hinds, Grenada, Lamar and Rankin counties. The state health department only reports laboratory-confirmed cases to the public. In 2015, Mississippi had 38 West Nile Virus cases and one death.

“At least 46 other U.S. states and territories have already reported travel-associated cases,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs in a press release. “Now that school is out, we know it is a popular time for mission trips and vacations to these areas. Please be especially mindful of protecting yourself from mosquitoes while you’re abroad. Simple steps can make a big difference.”

Below is information from the state health department about Zika and necessary precautions from their press release:

Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that may cause serious birth defects if contracted during pregnancy. Zika virus infection can cause a mild illness with symptoms (fever, joint pain, conjunctivitis or rash) lasting for several days to a week, but 80 percent of those infected have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Death is very rare. The MSDH strongly advises pregnant women not to travel to countries where Zika is actively being transmitted.

Zika has been seen in parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands for years, but has recently been reported in approximately 30 countries, mostly in the Caribbean, Central and South America. The breed of mosquito that is spreading Zika – Aedes aegypti – has not been detected in Mississippi since the early 1990s. The MSDH is currently conducting surveillance for Aedes mosquito populations in every county in the state.

In previous years, WNV has been reported from all parts of the state. All Mississippians are potentially at risk – not just the areas where cases are reported.

Symptoms of WNV infection are often mild and may include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, a rash, muscle weakness or swollen lymph nodes. In a small number of cases, infection can result in encephalitis or meningitis, which can lead to paralysis, coma and possibly death.

The MSDH suggests the following precautions to protect yourself and your environment from mosquito-borne illnesses: · Use an EPA-registered mosquito repellent that contains DEET while you are outdoors.

· Remove all sources of standing water around your home and yard to prevent mosquito breeding.

· Wear loose, light-colored, long clothing to cover the arms and legs when outdoors.

· Avoid areas where mosquitoes are prevalent.

The most recognizable Brazilian athletic star, Pelé, won’t be on hand during the opening ceremony tonight at the Rio Olympics. It would be an understatement to say that he is Brazil's biggest and best-known athlete.

Even though he hasn’t competed in nearly 40 years, he is the standard all soccer players are judged against.

The 75-year-old soccer star’s health has been in decline over the last few years. Pelé recently had hip surgery and walks with the help of a cane. Due to his poor health, he said he wouldn’t be at tonight’s ceremony.

The soccer star was rumored to be the person organizers had asked to light the cauldron, but that hasn’t been confirmed.

Now, the honor falls to someone else. Who will light the cauldron is a mystery. That will add a bit drama tonight as the opening ceremony is broadcast around the world.

The broadcast in the U.S. begins on NBC at 6:30 p.m. central time. The opening ceremony will be at Maracana Stadium, and coverage goes until 11 p.m., so you can pace yourself as you watch.

It might be best to stay off Twitter and other social media because NBC is tape-delaying the opening ceremony by an hour. People could give things away, as the company wants to have time to “curate” coverage to provide proper context to what viewers are seeing.

Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira and Hoda Kotb will serve as the hosts during the broadcast. NBC’s primetime Olympics host, Bob Costas, will open the telecast.

Michele Tafoya and Ros Gold-Onwude will also provide reports from the stadium. NBC correspondent David Feherty will discuss the return of golf to the Olympic games after a 112-year absence.

Part of Feherty’s interview with Pres. Barack Obama will be broadcasted during the opening ceremony. Viewers can see the rest of the interview on the Golf Channel's “Morning Drive” on Saturday or stream it on NBCOlympics.com or GolfChannel.com.

During the open ceremony, nearly all the athletes from every nation will enter the stadium carrying their nation’s flag; however, some athletes such as soccer players might not be in attendance. The most decorated Olympic athlete in history, Michael Phelps, who has 22 medals, will enter the stadium as flag bearer for the U.S.

Phelps’ teammates voted for him to carry the flag. Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad was reportedly second in the vote to be the flag bearer. Muhammad is the first American to wear a hijab in Olympic competition.

If you are not near your TV, you can stream the opening ceremony on the NBC Sports app or on NBCOlympics.com.

The biggest complaint against NBC will be when everyone finds out the opening ceremony was taped-delayed. At some point, things will get ruined on social media for those who don’t know about the delay.

The New Orleans Saints defeated the St Louis Rams 26-24 in the preseason opener for both teams. While the win is great if you are a Saints fan, in the preseason the final score doesn't really matter much.

What does matter is how individual players look in game action. As New Orleans looks to build this year's team, questions must be answered, jobs must be won and future stars need to shine.

Here are my quick thoughts:

Ingram shines in first half

Mark Ingram looked like he was entering a contract year. The running back out of Alabama looked lighter, had more speed, quicker feet, made defenders miss and finished off runs.

Ingram had 30 yards on his first three carries of the night and he finished the night with 83 yards on 8 carries and a touchdown. His night was done before halftime but he looked impressive and picked up where he left off late last season.

New Orleans didn't pick up Ingram's fifth year option. The reason Saints declined to pick up the option because they would owe Ingram $5.2 million (way too much to pay for a running back in today's NFL) and Ingram hasn't played like a first round pick due to injuries and being inconsistent.

Tonight Ingram looked like he wanted to be the lead man in a crowed backfield. Another running back Khiry Robinson also had a good night with 23 yards on five carries.

New Orleans has plenty of talent at running back. Ingram is not just playing for this season but for next season as well when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Backup quarterback battle

Drew Brees didn't play tonight while he recovers from a strained oblique. Brees will be fine as long as he gets some work before the season begins.

The injury does give the Saints a chance to figure out their backup quarterback situation. Veteran Luke McCown is battling second year player Ryan Griffin for the right to sit behind Brees.

Tonight, McCown got the start, he didn't look terrible as he got to play with the starters but he wasn't super impressive either. His final line of the night was seven for ten for 49 yards with no touchdowns.

McCown did have an ugly interception that killed the Saints first drive. New Orleans had been moving the ball very well on the St Louis starting defense.

Griffin replaced McCown and went 11 for 16 for 103 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions at the half. In the second half, Griffin went five for seven for 76 yards and a touchdown (Saints first touchdown of the preseason).

I have been hearing how the Saints were impressed with Griffin. Tonight he looked impressive with a strong arm, the ability to avoid the rush, nice pocket awareness and some quick feet.

If Brees doesn't play or plays sparingly in the next preseason game, New Orleans should give Griffin some work …

Organizers today cancelled the 37th Annual Mississippi Picnic in Central Park, saying it would not happen this year due to passage of House Bill 1523. The picnic was planned for Saturday, June 11, Noon to 5:00 pm in Central Park at 5th Avenue and 72nd Street. The theme of the 2016 picnic was to be “Nothing but the Blues,” as a tribute to B. B. King.

The New York Mississippi Society organizes the picnic, which has been a huge promotional and networking opportunity that draws together Mississippi natives living in New York City and tourism and other business officials who travel there for the picnic.

A woman who answered the phone at the number posted on the website promoting the picnic earlier today said that an update would be posted on the website soon.

Mississippi Development Authority spokesman Jeff Rent said today, via email, that the State and MDA were not consulted in advance of the decision, which came from the organizers based in New York. "The New York Mississippi Society has made the decision to cancel the Mississippi Picnic in Central Park. We are disappointed in not only their decision, but also their lack of discussion with Mississippi partners before cancelling the event," Rent wrote.

Two years ago, famed Oxford chef and restaurateur John Currence and Ole Miss students brought a pro-LGBT message to Central Park after Gov. Bryant signed the earlier, but less odious religious-freedom act.

A petition had urged New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and others to stop the picnic in Central park after the passage of House Bill 1523.

The website states:

Faster than a New York minute, we can tell you one thing, Mississippi should not be proud, nor does it deserve to celebrate their State in this park if they don't share New York’s values of diversity, inclusion and mutual respect.

The official website for the picnic lists their mission as "To preserve the culture and heritage of the state of Mississippi." The "heritage" of Mississippi has no business being on full display in the cathedral of parks in New York City. Mississippi has routinely been on the wrong side of history and once again in 2016, the state passes legislation that puts members of the LGBTQ community at risk. At an event of this nature, Mississippi wants to claim the literary great in native son Tennessee Williams, a gay man, who if alive today could now be legally denied a meal in an Oxford restaurant because the owner didn't approve of his sexual orientation.

The front page of the website promoting the picnic changed dramatically in the last half hour, from the top image here to the bottom one:

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2016/apr/12/25355/

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2016/apr/12/25356/

UPDATE: The Copiah County Courier has a copy of a press statement from the picnic organizers posted. Here is is verbatim:

Annual New York - Mississippi Picnic Cancelled Event was scheduled for June 11 in Central Park

We, the founders …

Mayor-elect Chokwe Lumumba will be sworn in today at noon, but the proverbial cat may be out of the bag on his first announcement after being inaugurated.

On Saturday, Jackson State University put out a press release congratulating Deputy-Chief Lindsey Horton on being named the city's next police chief.

City officials have not confirmed that Horton has been chosen, but Lumumba hinted to television station WAPT to expect an announcement soon after he was sworn in today at the Jackson Convention Center.

Horton would replace Rebecca Coleman, whose four-year tenure as chief ended Saturday.

You can read more about Horton in a 2011 JFP profile here.

19,000 Mississippians awoke this morning to the possibility of no paycheck.

People in Jackson and around the world are responding to the news that first-term mayor Chokwe Lumumba died this afternoon.