Fondren

Demolition for Hotel Destroys at Least Two Fondren Buildings Today

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The demolition of buildings on prime real estate is underway today to make room for a large Hilton Homewood Suites hotel. After putting up poles, but apparently no protective fences around what is known as the “Fondren House,” the building was destroyed today, as this video shows. https://www.facebook.com/jasonpmeeks/videos/10210139140294830/
Neighbors are complaining that Alan Lange, a businessman who owned the property and now invests in the hotel, had said in a public meeting earlier this week that “the Fondren House will be the last thing torn down.” He also told a Fondren promotional publication, Find It in Fondren, in August that the developers would be sensitive to the Fondren House. “We’ve spent many hours researching the possibility of relocating the ‘Fondren House,’ more recently used as offices,” Lange told the Fondren glossy. Continue Reading

animals

Ronnie the Rhino Passes Away

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On Friday, Aug. 4, the Jackson Zoo announced that its almost-45-year-old rhino, Ronnie, passed away on Wednesday, Aug. 2. “He was a very special animal to work with, and keepers found him very easy to care for,” Animal Care Supervisor Willie Bennett said in a press release. “The past few years had seen a major increase in his needs as he got into his 40s (the median age of a white or wide-lipped rhino is 34 years). Continue Reading

JackBlog

UMMC To Close Two Jackson Wellness Centers

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The University of Mississippi Medical Center will close the University Wellness Center Downtown and University Wellness Center Northeast, both in Jackson, by April 1. The press release from UMMC says the closures are due to “unanticipated cuts in patient care reimbursement and other budget reductions.” “We regret having to close these locations but our need to improve our finances leaves us little choice,” said Kevin Cook, chief executive officer of UMMC’s health system said in a press release. “We are attempting to minimize impacts on employees and members through this transition.”

On Feb. 22, UMMC administrators announced that departments and units across campus must identify ways to reduce expenses and/or increase revenue by a net $24 million by June 30. Continue Reading