JFP Blogs (http://blogs.jacksonfreepress.com/category/jackblog/page/6/)
Cry while sitting at the fountain at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Go listen to loud music at a local venue to drown out that blasphemy. Source: Giphy
Hide under the Louis XIV statue. Go read a book at Lemuria. Source: Giphy
Scream. Continue Reading
Gov. Phil Bryant tapped Sen. Sean Tindell, R-Gulfport, to fill an open spot on the Mississippi Court of Appeals this week, leaving a hole in the state Senate’s leadership. Tindell chaired the Judiciary A Committee, which approved of and pushed out the “Blue Lives Matter” and anti-sanctuary city legislation in the 2017 session. Tindell also let House Bill 1523, House Speaker Philip Gunn’s “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination” bill, out of his committee in 2016. HB 1523 is still in federal court, challenged by Bryant. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves will have to find a replacement for Tindell to chair the Judiciary A Committee, and Bryant will have to set a special election to replace Tindell soon. Continue Reading
It’s been a crazy month for the team behind Mangia Bene as they renovated and revamped the company’s longest-standing restaurant, BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar. From Aug. 28-Sept. 26, the restaurant went through a complete remodel, including fixing the foundation. Continue Reading
A new poll released by Millsaps College and Chism Strategies shows that Mississippians are less optimistic about the future of the state and the direction Mississippi is headed. Forty percent of the over 500 Mississippians polled believe the state is on the wrong track, while a little more than 36 percent believe Mississippi is headed in the right direction. The poll also asked Mississippians about support for public education, and the majority of Mississippians believe funding for the state’s public schools is too low. Political party had little affect on the response for public education funding, with 45 percent of Republicans polled agreeing that funding for public schools is too low. Mississippians also gave approval ratings of three top lawmakers in the state: Gov. Phil Bryant, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and Attorney General Jim Hood. Continue Reading
Your No. 1 enemy is pizza. Source: Giphy
2. You hate otters, cats and bears, oh my. Stuffed, of course. Continue Reading
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
The Root 100 list for 2017 is out, and two powerful Jacksonians are near the top. Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba is No. 9—above Beyoncé, y’all—and author Angie Thomas is No. 30. The honor goes to the most influential African Americans, age 25 to 45. Continue Reading
The City of Jackson today sent out an alert warning about a false “social media article” that was making the rounds and apparently alarmed the mayor’s office. “The City of Jackson has received information, via social media, stating that the City is ‘under an 8 p.m. curfew due to criminal activity,’ and the social media article also includes a quote from the Mayor. Both the article and the quote from the Mayor are completely false. The City of Jackson is not under a curfew.” When asked, city spokeswoman Kai Williams then provided the link to the fake-news alert on the react365.com site. Continue Reading
A year ago, Nigel Farage, a well-known Brexit-believer and former leader of the UK Independence Party in the United Kingdom, graced the stage for then presidential candidate Donald Trump’s rally in Jackson, Miss. Farage shared the stage with Trump, encouraging Mississippians to beat back the “Establishment” in the 2016 presidential election. Gov. Phil Bryant also graced that stage in August 2016, and after Trump won the election, Bryant found himself in good company with the Brexit boys again. Bryant reportedly invited Farage to the inauguration in D.C., where he introduced him to a room full of partygoers:
“We got the bad boys of Brexit here!” hollers Phil,” Guardian writer Marina Hyde wrote. Bryant’s connection to the United Kingdom did not stop in D.C. apparently, and on Sept. Continue Reading