Jackson Free Press

Crime stats released through city communications director Chris Mims Wednesday afternoon showed that overall crime in Jackson has decreased 16.2 percent year-to-date.

According to JPD numbers, total property crime has dropped by 17.6 percent and violent crime is down 9 percent from last year.

"In property crime, the most significant decreases were seen in grand larceny which has dropped some 48.1% and business burglaries which have decreased by 47.3%," the release said. "Other decreases include: auto burglaries which have decreased by 7.5%, and auto thefts which have decreased by 19.2%. Violent crime categories showing significant decreases included homicides with a 28.6% decrease, aggravated assault with a 15.6% decrease and armed robbery with a 6.5% decrease over this time last year."

Crime statistics are readily available to members of the public every other week at the Jackson Police Department’s COMSTAT meetings. The next meeting is April 4, 2013 at 9 a.m. at JPD headquarters on Pascagoula Street.

Statistics provided by today were based on COMSTAT numbers through March 24, 2013.

Health-justice advocates are still calling on state lawmakers to expand Medicaid, and state lawmakers still aren't answering.

The latest rally-cum-presser was this morning when hundreds of representatives of non-profits and social service agencies gathered at the Capitol to call on legislators to consider expanding the state health program for the poor.

"It's time to put people over politics," Sam Cameron, executive director of the Mississippi Hospital Association, said this morning.

Hospitals are especially interested in Medicaid expansion. Starting next year, hospitals will lose millions of dollars in federal funds that have historically offset the cost of caring for poor people who can't afford their hospital bills.

Citing the fact that state would have spend a little extra cash to fund Medicaid, Republican Gov. Phil Bryant and Speaker Gunn don't want Medicaid expansion to take place. Right now, the issue is at a standstill even as social-justice and religious groups have insisted that the Legislature at least have a debate on the question.

"Justice is a common ground on which we stand and we see this as a justice issue," said The Rev. Steve Casteel, president of the Mississippi Religious leadership Conference.

Gov. Phil Bryant has nominated staunch pro-life activist Terri Herring for the Mississippi Board of Public Health.

The Committee to Elect Chokwe Lumumba, Jackson mayoral candidate Chokwe Lumumba's political action committee, shared its first campaign finance report with the Jackson Free Press this morning.

The report, which you can see here, was filed almost two full months late. But it is just the fourth report filed by the 14 candidates vying to be Jackson's next mayor. The others were filed by front-runners Jonathan Lee and Regina Quinn, as well as incumbent Harvey Johnson Jr.

Mr. Lumumba's campaign raised $22,141 in 2012, with $18,750 coming from major donors (gifts of over $250) and $3,391 coming from smaller donors. His biggest supporter is Jackson attorney Barry Wayne Howard of Jackson, who gave $10,000 to the PAC on May 14, 2012.

Other donors reaching or topping the $1,000 mark include Moore's Used Auto Sales, LLC on Gallatin Street ($1,000), Jackson attorney Winston J. Thompson ($1,200), Deerfield Pest Control, Inc. on West Mayes Street ($1,000), Jackson attorney Dennis Sweet III ($1,000), and Dr. Vonda Reeves-Darby ($1,000).

The campaign spent $19,026 and reported a total amount of cash-on-hand of $7,491 as of January 1, 2013.

Gov. Phil Bryant's Education Works bill is going to a conference committee after all.

Yesterday, the House delivered a crushing defeat to Gov. Phil Bryant's Education Works agenda, the governor's everything-but-the-kitchen sink education-reform bill that includes charter schools, a third-grade reading improvement program, teacher merit pay and many other provisions.

Today, the House went the other way. Now details of the bill, HB 890, will be negotiated by members of the House and Senate Education Committees as well as yet-to-named legislators.

The House voted 60-58 against the governor's bill, which passed in the Senate, meaning a few Republicans broke ranks and sided with Democrats in opposing the bill. Today's vote appears to be more a rebuke of Bryant's ram-it-down-throat tactic than of any individual education idea.

It was of little consequence since most of the important provisions of Education Works, including the charter-school bill, remain alive in separate pieces of legislation.

Ironically, the vote against Bryant's agenda fell on the same day at the former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is in town pushing education reform at Mississippi College. Bush's nonprofit, the Foundation for Excellence in Education drafted much of the model legislation on which Bryant's education plan was built.

As you can see from this story by R.L. Nave, Hal White is an institution in the Jackson area. He is half the team that created Hal & Mal's three decades ago—the site of so many good times, so many new and old connections, and so much activism for great causes. Jackson would not be Jackson without the efforts of Hal White, and his brother, Malcolm. (This newspaper was even planned sitting at their bar.) And so many are grateful for his wonderful culinary creations, including his popular gumbo. (I, as a vegetarian, just appreciate him allowing me to order my special onion ring po-boys over the years.)

Over the weekend, Hal suffered a brain aneurysm and has endured three surgeries since at St. Dominic's. He is surrounded by loving friends and family, and his larger friend and support base is essentially holding a social media vigil, sending prayers up for his swift recovery.

The Jackson Free Press sends love and prayers to the White family, along with thanks for everything they've done for us and the city over the years. You got this, Hal.

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2013/mar/26/11074/

The Attorney General is requesting that the Mississippi State Supreme Court set an execution date for Willie Jerome Manning on or before April 24.

The Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration, which oversees the operation of state buildings, has recommended the former Worldcom Building in Clinton as the permanent home for the Department of Revenue, now housed in what's practically a shed, also in Clinton.

Downtown Jackson had been a front-runner for agency HQ, especially after a 2011 report commissioned by then-Gov. Haley Barbour said buying the Landmark Building would be the cheapest option for our cash-strapped state.

The issue has since become politically charged with Speaker Philip Gunn wanting to keep the agency close to his Clinton district.

DFA explains its rational in the following verbatim news release:

MS Department of Finance & Administration Recommends New Location for the MS Department of Revenue

Today, the MS Department of Finance & Administration has determined that, on the basis of receiving the highest evaluation score, the Mississippi Department of Revenue should execute a 20 year lease agreement with Duckworth Realty for the relocation of its offices to the South Pointe Building (the former Worldcom Building) in Clinton, MS. The initial annual cost to the State would be $2,878,000 resulting in a total cost of $41,428,492 (net present value) for the term of the lease agreement. This offer represented the lowest total cost to the State. The proposal submitted by Duckworth for the South Pointe Building includes 187,511 square feet of office space, 600 parking spaces, tenant improvements, security and janitorial services. The lease term would begin July 1, 2014.

Kevin J. Upchurch, Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Finance & Administration, stated “We are pleased to have a more permanent solution to the issue of housing the MS Department of Revenue. The selection process was thorough and comprehensive. The main objectives of this process were the cost to the taxpayers, ease of access for citizens, and securing a more permanent, functional facility for MDOR employees. I am satisfied that this location meets all of those objectives.”

On November 1, 2012, DFA issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to obtain new offices for the Mississippi Department of Revenue (MDOR) via a long term lease. A team consisting of three DFA employees and two MDOR employees was assembled to evaluate all proposals based on pre-defined calculations and scoring criteria. The State received six proposals and three were selected for further review. The three finalists were Hertz Investment Group, LLC (The Landmark Building), Ergon (Diversified Technologies Building), and Duckworth Realty (South Pointe Building).

DFA contracted with Allred Architectural Group, P.A. of Ocean Springs, MS to perform test fit analysis, building assessments, and environmental assessments of the three proposed buildings. This review was designed to determine each building’s ability to meet the needs of the MDOR. The review was also designed to identify any deficiencies within the buildings. Based on the results of these analyses, each finalist was asked to the submit a Best and Final Offer in which they were to explain how any noted deficiencies would be addressed, as well as, make any final …

During this 10th anniversary of the Bush invasion of Iraq, I remember well the week that the war started. The JFP was only a few months old and still making a name for ourselves. When we realized that Bush was actualy pushing ahead with the threatened Iraq campaign, we postponed our planned cover story (an interview with then JPD Chief Robert Moore) and published this "myths" of the Iraq War instead. (The other story ran the next week.) At the time, the war was popular, and supporters were lying through their teeth as we now know, even trying to convince Americans that attacking Iraq was, somehow, a way to go after Saddam Hussein (presumably because they had Islam in common).

This was one of those decisions we didn't have to make. We knew it wouldn't be a popular move to publish a cover story and a cover that was clearly against Bush's war, but we started this newspaper to tell the truth, no matter who it perturbs. So in one of our early "do the right thing and wait" moves (which publisher Todd Stauffer now calls stories like these), we put the issue out and waited for the other shoe to fall.

It didn't. The issue after this one had our biggest ad sales as of that time, and we only lost three distribution spots (one of which returned, and the other two are out of business).

The truth isn't always popular, but it is the Fourth Estate's responsibility to tell it. I'm fond of saying that my editorial decisions over the year have kept my conscience clear. This one was no exception.

May all of the soldiers, and civilians, who lost their lives in the Iraq War rest in peace. That includes my cousin, Josh Ladd, who died in Iraq believing he was fighting for a just cause.

In what could be seen as a win for Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr., the Jackson City Council voted this afternoon to approve his proposed $12 million bond to repave major thoroughfares throughout the city.

The city council voted 3-1 in favor of the measure, with Ward 2 Councilman and mayoral candidate Chokwe Lumumba casting the lone vote against. Ward 1 Councilman Quintin Whitwell, Ward 6 Councilman and Council President Tony Yarber, and Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon all voted in favor.

Ward 3 Councilwoman LaRita Cooper-Stokes, Ward 4 Councilman and mayoral candidate Frank Bluntson, and Ward 5 Councilman Charles Tillman were not present.

The mayor's plan calls for at least $1 million to spend on road and street resurfacing in each of Jackson's seven wards, as well as sidewalk, bridge, and culvert improvement and repair.

More details at JFPDaily.com tomorrow.

Just in time for the spring food issue of the Jackson Free Press next week, we asked on Facebook: What is your favorite dish at a locally owned restaurant in the Jackson area? What and where? We've gotten dozens of responses so far—and some great suggestions! Here they are:

Nicholas Scott Whitehead EVERYTHING at CS'S!!

ReBecca Christine McDonald Beef Shwarma at Petra's Cafe

Christopher Alan Burrow Fish Tacos at The Islander ate great!

Leah Murry Mine is a "wish they were still here" - it was the GT's fries (and shrimp po-boy) at Good Time Deli. How I wish they were still around! No one has fries like that. Sigh.

Zachary Murphy Any and everything at Keifers!!!

Lindsey George Chicken & Dressing at George's Museum Cafe!

Melissa Burks Dearman Red fish and scallops at the Mayflower. And of course the comeback dressing!

Mandy Montgomery Mullen Hey Leah Murry, I am TOTALLY with you on that! We actually make em at home now just so I can 'get my fix' My Favorite dish tho would have to be the Pork Belly Taco at Babalu...I could eat those EVERY DAY! Or Shrimp and Grits at Table 100, which changed my view on Greens for life! Man, I could do this all day...

Sarah Asmus My favorite dish is grits and grillades at Steve's Downtown Deli & Bakery. Or the chicken salad. Or any of the cookies. Or the focaccia bread.

David Martin Buchanan Fried chicken sandwich with portobello fries at Julep

Richard Laswell Camerones al a Diabla from El Portrillo's in Flowood.

Marilynne Nelson Gyro with mushrooms, mozz, and feta dressing instead of tzatziki from Keifer's.

Savanah Perry Pimento and cheese at Brent's!

Bridgette Iupe Thursday lunch plate at walkers meatloaf with Mac and cheese. Just makes me feel good.

Tasha Grayson Bibb Short ribs with garlic potatoes and creamed spinach at Char! Oh! And that cornbread.....

Janice Hogan Grilled salmon and oysters at Eslava's on Lakeland

Pam Keith Dollar Shrimp and Grits and Creme Brulee at Bon Ami - and Peach Tea too - can't forget that!

Dorothea Brock Red fish Anna, Walkers

Lonnie Ford Lamb chops at Aladdins grille

Ashley Cummins Jolly PM burger at Parlor market.

Happy O'Quinn Shrimp pasta at Sugar's Downtown

Duan Carter Pho @ Saigon, Turkey Burger from Cool Al's, Chicken from Two Sisters, Rib Tips & Hot Links from E&L BBQ, Supreme Pizza from Pizza Shack, last but not least Steak Burrito from the Valdez on Old Canton! I know you said one - but those are my favs - just keeping it real.

Duan Carter OH - off the cuff - Saigon is moving into the old Fazzoli's on Ridgewood Road, they are supposed to be moved in and rolling by May - they closed the location on County Line road. Good for me, bad for Rankin county - yes indeed!

Leah Murry @mandy montgomery mullen - I don't think I could make them at home to taste anything like Good Time Deli! …

The progressive group Women For Progress held their bi-annual meeting at the Old Capitol Inn Friday, and the guest list looked like a who's who of women running for municipal office in Jackson. Most notably, mayoral candidate Regina Quinn and city council candidates June Hardwick (Ward 7) and Fran Bridges (Ward 5) were in attendance.

What stole the show, however, were the startling numbers that the group is trying to combat. Among other problems highlighted, women hold just 17 percent of seats in the U.S. Congress, 23 percent of seats in state legislatures in the U.S. are held by females, and just six out of 50 states have female governors.

Add all that up, and the United States ranks 87th in the world when it comes to the number of women serving in its national legislative body.

The answer, according to the group, is to encourage more women to run for office. Thus the title of Friday's meeting: "She Should Run."

To learn more about Women For Progress, check out their web site here.

The office of Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann's office has responded to a request by the JFP to clarify the legal status of a campaign for municipal office being incorporated as a non-profit organization.

In response to the question "Can a campaign set up as a unincorporated nonprofit corporation?" the SOS office responded "A nonprofit corporation can be incorporated for any lawful activity."

In regards to the second question "Can an incorporated non-profit organization serve as the fundraising arm of a municipal election campaign?" the state office answered "A corporation may perform any lawful activity. A contribution made by a corporation to a candidate, political party or committee is limited to $1,000 per calendar year."

At hand is the campaign of Jackson mayoral candidate Regina Quinn, which is set up as an incorporated non-profit organization. It's important to note that Quinn's campaign is the only one in the mayoral race set up in this way. But running for public office certainly falls under the category of "any lawful activity," so it appears Quinn's campaign is on solid legal ground.

Sources from other campaigns raised questions as to the legal status of a campaign being organized as a non-profit, and Regina's husband John May, Jr., who filed the paperwork to incorporate "Jackson United to Elect Regina Quinn Mayor" admitted to the JFP he had received conflicting responses on separate dates from the secretary of state's office as to whether it would be considered legal.

It is a confusing situation to all but political gurus, but the answers we received to these questions seem to back up the claims from May, who is also an attorney, that everything the campaign is doing is legitimate.

In an e-mail to the JFP Thursday afternoon, Quinn explained the campaign's decision to form as a non-profit.

"We set up our political committee as a nonprofit in light of the fact that we wanted to make it clear to our contributors that we are not seeking to profit from my running for Mayor." Quinn wrote. "Win or lose, we will donate any excess funds to charity. Also, our organization is permissible under state statute and within the guidelines of the Secretary of State's Office for political campaigns."

First there was Bill Clinton. Then there was Barack Obama. Then came Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Now there's former Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove.

OK, maybe not in that exact order, but all of these elected officials eventually evolved to become–for lack of a better and less condescending word–accepting of same-sex-loving people.

The latest, Musgrove, penned about his change-of-heart today at the Huffington Post.

He writes: "My evolution on LGBT adoption came from intensely personal reflections on my own life. What is sad to me is that my understanding of this issue did not come until after I had left office and no longer had the power to right this wrong. This reality weighs heavily on me to this day."

Portman, who had been a foe of marriage equality, has a gay son and publicly reversed his position last week. Musgrove also said he agrees with Portman's new stance on gay marriage.

In a move that should surprise absolutely no one, the leadership of the city of Jackson is united behind Jackson State University's proposal for a 50,000-seat domed stadium.

The proposed project, expected to cost approximately $250 million, got votes of confidence from the city council Tuesday night and from Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. Wednesday afternoon.

"I agree with this concept (of a domed stadium)," Johnson said. "I have gone on the record and said that I don't want to lose seats. We're the capital city and we have 62,000 seats in our stadium. We have to compete with Little Rock, Mobile, Baton Rouge and Memphis, as well as other venues in the south. If we ended up with a new outdoor stadium that seated 25,000 people, then I couldn't support that. Then I started meeting with the people at Jackson State, and a domed stadium would be unique to the state and the region. It also offers versatility that an open-air stadium would not offer. "

Jackson State officials have estimated the proposed stadium would infuse $64 million annually into the city's economy and host music and entertainment events and conventions along with sporting events.

The 50,000 seats would make the stadium the third-biggest stadium in the state behind Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford and Davis-Wade Stadium in Starkville. Both of those venues were built with private donations, are open-air and used almost exclusively for football.

The current Mississippi Legislature, under the watchful eye of a radical-right governor, Phil Bryant, is attempting a number of disturbing pieces of legislation this session. But few, if any, are more disturbing in a heart-of-being-an-American way than their recent legislation to protect the identifies of the residents who apply for the privilege of carrying a concealed weapon.

Regardless of your views on guns, this legislation is textbook overreach by the government. They passed legislation to protect from public view the list of people who are allowed to concealed a weapon on their person. That is, Mississippi is walking all over the First Amendment in its over-zealous attempt to convince voters that they are for the Second Amendment.

Meantime, this means there is no accountability to the state's concealed-carry laws. Watchdog media (or what there is left) will not be able to get in there and determine whether the law is being enforced equally and in a non-discriminatory way. I personally have no interest in publishing the list of concealed-carry permit holders, but that is beside the point. Because the NRA freaked out because media in other states requested the names of the concealed weapon carriers—a First Amendment right—the Mississippi Legislature decided to pass a law that clearly violates both transparency ideals and the First Amendment.

This means that a parent who believes their child is at higher risk around a person with a concealed weapon, for instance, cannot know who in their family and friends circle carries one. Knowing that information gives everyone in the conversation the right to make their own decisions about whether to associate with people who secretly carry weapons. The state government is making this kind of parental and personal decision-making impossible. It is a vast over-reach, but entirely predictable from state lawmakers who are sold out lock, stock and barrel to the gun industry.

Very sad. We hope that the law will not stand up in court.

Ha. I was just doing research on mayoral candidates and found this piece I wrote about now-mayoral candidate Chokwe Lumumba when the JFP was all of about two weeks old. My (white) photographer Jaro Vacek and I showed up to cover this meeting and were not treated very well. It was clear they asked us to leave because we were white press.

However, I chose to do my homework and write a fair story about Lumumba, and include that they kicked us out but not black media. When we attended the next meeting, we were treated very differently, and he has treated us respectfully since then.

Interesting trip down memory lane.

The Mississippi Insurance Department has arranged for insurance companies to use the Mississippi State Fairgrounds as damage inspection stations.

The campaign to elect Regina Quinn mayor of Jackson has sent over a copy of the campaign finance report it plans to file for 2012. You can read it here.

Quinn's biggest supporter is her husband John May Jr., who gave $25,966 over a six month period.

The report does not have the seal of Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, meaning the copy we received had not been filed when it was scanned and sent to us, but this is the first glimpse into the finances of the Quinn campaign to date.

Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. and Department of Public Works Dan Gaillet gave an update on the status of construction on the JATRAN facility at Highway 80 and Valley Street at Tuesday night's city council meeting.

The status: there has been no change in status.

Gaillet laid out the timeline for the stalled project, which you can read about here, and said the city is still waiting on a waiver from the Federal Transit Administration before the project can move forward. If the city does not receive the waiver, the HVAC units in the building will have to be stripped from the existing structure, and replacement parts will have to be purchased and installed.

If that happens, Johnson told the council the city will likely pursue a legal route to insure the city is not solely responsible for the added expenses.

The expected date of completion was originally set for December of this year, and Gaillet said if the city receives the waiver, it can still hit that mark. If not, the project could still be finished by late spring.