JackBlog

Gov. Bryant Taps Another Supreme Court Justice to Lead Child Protection Services

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Gov. Phil Bryant tapped Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jess Dickinson to be the next commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services on Tuesday, leaving an open seat on the state’s highest court. The appointment comes on the heels of former Justice David Chandler announcing his retirement after leading the department for a little over a year. Bryant initially tapped Chandler to lead the newly created department in December 2015. Bryant went back to the court to find Chandler’s replacement. Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. said Dickinson would be missed on the high court in a statement. Continue Reading

JackBlog

JPS School Board Pushes Meeting Back a Week

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The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees, which is down to three members, pushed back its next meeting an additional week. The meeting, initially scheduled for next Tuesday, has been pushed to August 8 instead. The board is at a stand still, at least to approve consent-agenda items, because to vote, they need a quorum of members. A quorum for the JPS board is four. After Dr. Richard Lind left the school board last week, the JPS board does not have a quorum. Continue Reading

Politics Blog

Another House Rep Resigns After Winning Vicksburg Alderman Spot

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The House of Representatives continues to lose members this summer after election season. Rep. Alex Monsour, R-Vicksburg, announced his retirement after Vicksburg residents elected him the new South Ward Alderman for the City of Vicksburg. “After reviewing the Attorney General’s opinion, I have decided to resign from my seat in the Mississippi House of Representatives,” Monsour said in a press release. “This was a tough decision for me to make, but ultimately it is the best thing for the citizens of Vicksburg and for me. By leaving the House, I will be able to devote all my time and energy to my new position as South Ward Alderman.” Continue Reading

JackBlog

Yarber Offers Final PSA About ‘Illegal Content,’ Then Doesn’t Show to Lumumba Inauguration

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Outgoing Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber offered a final public service announcement Saturday night on his Facebook page. It said:

“PSA: before you jump in my inbox or on my page being jazzy like young E.S. Jamison did, be sure you’ve deleted all illegal content from your page. Cause I’m screen shooting and sending to the FEDS. Be sure you’re current on ya child support and have no active warrants. Be sure your HUD and DHS documents are legit. Continue Reading

Politics Blog

Secretary Hosemann on Request to Hand Over Mississippi Voter Info: ‘They Can Go Jump in the Gulf’

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One of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises included looking into what he believed was widespread voter fraud in the 2016 presidential election (despite reports that there were fewer than 10 instances of voter fraud nationwide). After signing an executive order, Trump created the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. The commission made headlines today, when a June 28 letter to the Alabama Secretary of State surfaced. The letter, signed by Kris Kobach (the Kansas Secretary of State), who is the vice-chairman of the bi-partisan commission, asks secretaries of state to disclose a lot of personal information about their voters including:

“…(T)he full first and last names of all registrants, middle names or initials if available, addresses, dates of birth, political party (if recorded in your state), last four digits of social security number if available, voter history (elections voted in) from 2006 onward, active/inactive status, cancelled status, information regarding any felony convictions, information regarding voter registration in another state, information regarding military status, and overseas citizen information.” Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann released a statement saying he had not received any correspondence or letter directly from the commission, but had seen the copy of the letter addressed to another secretary. Continue Reading

Politics Blog

Democratic Representative Retires; Special Election Necessary for District 38

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Rep. Tyrone Ellis, D-Starkville, announced his retirement today, after serving in the Mississippi House of Representatives for 38 years. Ellis began his term representing his Starkville-based district in 1980. He is a member of the MS Legislative Black Caucus. “I have truly considered myself blessed and privileged to have served the citizens of District 38, as well as the citizens of Mississippi as a whole over the years,” Ellis said in a press release. “However, the time has come to close this chapter of my life and allow God to utilize me in another capacity.”

The Democratic leadership in the House chose Ellis to serve as the first Majority Leader of the Mississippi House of Representatives back in 2008. Continue Reading

JackBlog

Kemper County Plant Suspends Coal Operations, Continues Natural Gas Production

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This week the Mississippi Power Company notified the state’s Public Service Commission that they would suspend lignite coal gasification at the Kemper County plant. The news comes after years and billions of dollars worth of investment and construction followed by the perpetual delay of the new plant opening. Then the New York Times published a 2016 investigation, which documented the mismanagement of the project all along the way, including piles and piles of previously private documents. The Kemper County plant will continue to operate as a natural gas plant, but hopes for “clean coal,” which began during the Obama administration, are looking dismal. The Public Service Commission has asked the parties in the Kemper County Power Plant case to relicense the plant as a natural gas facility as well as ensure that Mississippians won’t see a rate increase due to the (for now) terminated coal portion of the plant. Continue Reading

gop

Gov. Bryant Seeks Donations for ‘Trump Strong’ Mississippi

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In the midst of the GOP-dominated political atmosphere at both the national and state levels, Republicans are back in the driver’s seat, pushing policies to roll back the Affordable Care Act’s reforms as well as cut taxes. The party’s success nationally and in the state signal the GOP’s popularity amongst some parts of the country. Nevertheless, Gov. Phil Bryant signed off on a Mississippi GOP email sent out today, asking for donations. The party’s mid-year fundraising goal of $10,000 is running behind, the email shows. The party has raised $2,791 of its $10,000 goal. Continue Reading

JackBlog

Prepare for Tropical Storm Cindy

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This is a verbatim release from the Mississippi MEMA regarding Tropical Storm Cindy:

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is closely monitoring  Tropical Storm Cindy in the Gulf of Mexico.  MEMA wants to remind everyone that now is a good time to review your family emergency plan and listen to the advice of your local officials. “Even though Mississippi is not expected to experience dangerous winds from Cindy, we are definitely going to see widespread and heavy rainfall,” says MEMA Executive Director Lee Smithson. “Intense flooding, and possible storm surge are our main concerns, so we want the residents of South Mississippi to start planning ahead now to make sure that they are ready for what this system will bring.”

Here is the latest information on Tropical Storm Cindy from the National Weather Service:

Tropical Storm Cindy should make landfall in western Louisiana Thursday morning. Greatest threat is heavy rainfall and flooding on the east side of the storm which will inundate Mississippi. Rainfall of 4 to 8 inches, and 10-15 inches possible in some areas of south Mississippi. Continue Reading

JackBlog
Dr. Jerryl Briggs

IHL Board Appoints an Acting President for Mississippi Valley State

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The State IHL Board named Dr. Jerryl Briggs as acting president of Mississippi Valley State University at their meeting today. Dr. Briggs currently serves as executive vice president and chief operating officer at the university. The board named Delta State University president William Bynum as the new president of Jackson State University on May 31, throwing the university reeling after a tumultuous search process and budget cuts that led to interim president Rod Paige ordering consolidation of departments and cutting 42 staff members (not faculty though). While at Mississippi Valley, Dr. Briggs has helped to improve the University’s retention rate by 10 percent for fall 2014 and 12 percent for fall 2015 and help work to increase overall university enrollment that resulted in more than a 200 percent increase in dual enrollment students for fall 2016, a press release from IHL says. He also managed a $17 million capital improvement project for the university’s athletic complex, with additional planning underway for renovations to residence halls and other campus buildings. Continue Reading