FIGHTING DUCKS-NO PHIL, NO SHOW!

Credit to pjmedia.com

The Robertson family, stars of Duck Dynasty, have released a statement regarding their relationship with A&E TV on the Duck Commander website.

We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support.  The family has spent much time in prayer since learning of A&E’s decision.  We want you to know that first and foremost we are a family rooted in our faith in God and our belief that the Bible is His word.  While some of Phil’s unfiltered comments to the reporter were coarse, his beliefs are grounded in the teachings of the Bible. Phil is a Godly man who follows what the Bible says are the greatest commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Phil would never incite or encourage hate.We are disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right.We have had a successful working relationship with A&E but, as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm.  We are in discussions with A&E to see what that means for the future of Duck Dynasty.   Again, thank you for your continued support of our family.

That’s a gentle way of suggesting that with no Phil, there is no show. At least on A&E.

Talking points. !% tax hike- YES or NO! Live from FB posts. Special thanks to CJ Lawrence Esquire

Post by CJ Lawrence Esquire.

THE BUS DRIVER STRIKE-JPS: Parents, be prepared to pick up your kids, and drop them off.

Well, it seems as though all is not well with the state's second largest school district once again. This time, the bus drivers are taking to action over what they call low wages and demand a wage increase and other issues as in problematic children and no action being taken about them. . Talks have gone well superintendent, but a few bus drivers chose to work during this strike. What is your 2 cents on the issue.

GET INFORMED!- WHAT WILL YOU DO?

All credit to Mr. Brad Franklin on this one.

Frustrated? Saddened that 3 kids were shot a couple days ago?
Angry after hearing about the triple homicide? Fed up? You want to move?


Who ya blaming? Jackson?? JPD?
You want the crime to stop but you dont want the police "all up in your hood". You should have to do NOTHING but sit at home and wait for the police to round up all the bad people?? Some of yall complaining and you KIN to or KNOW some of the folks that are out here creating the chaos you complaining about


Is there a homeowners or neighborhood association where you live? Have you joined it? Do you go to meetings? IS there a neighborhood watch where you live? Do you participate? Is your neighborhood even organized? Do you go to the C.O.P.S mtgs in your precinct? Do you even know about them? But its ALLLLL JPD's fault right? Theyre incompetent right? But YOU know who sells the dope in your hood. Most of us do. You partying with em. You know where they posted. Folks dying cuz its a dope war on the streets but you expect JPD to be everywhere. Your hood is under siege but you waiting for the SWAT team to come in and clean it up? You dont get the idea of "community" I see.


Me? Im ON my neighborhood's board. I GO to C.O.P.S mtgs. I joined my neighborhoods social media group. Im helping organize neighborhood watches. Why? (and this is gonna be harsh to some) cuz these vigils, marches, rides, whatever we keep having ARE NOT WORKING! In fact...they aint doin s***!! No offense. I will support. It feels good at the moment but have produced NO results.


Look...I dont like the police any more than some of you. Im a Black male whos been accosted, profiled, and talked bad to by law enforcement. But Im also not Batman. So with that said we've got to learn to squash the antagonistic nature of the relationship between the hood and the police. And learn how to create VILLAGES again. COMMUNITY again. Not just "hood" but NEIGHBORhood. That is...if you REALLY want to start making things safer.

And to add to that, a fourth body has just been found on Moon Street. We have to wake up. 

How do you feel. 

WATKINS ALERT!!!-Secretary of State Investigates David Watkins for Fraud in Money Transfer

Uh OH!
Credit to Jackson free press on this release

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann is investigating whether developer David Watkins fraudulently financed a Meridian development with bond money allocated for redevelopment in Metrocenter Mall.

#Watkins testified Tuesday in proceedings related to his dealings with Retro Metro LLC at the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office. At issue is Watkins' decision to move over half a million dollars directly from Retro Metro LLC’s account on April 12, 2011, into the account of Meridian Law Enforcement Center LLC while he was a manager of both companies.

#He denied any wrongdoing in the transaction. "Absolutely not," he said.

#The secretary of state is investigating whether the alleged transfer of money between Retro Metro to MLEC is tantamount to securities fraud. The central question seems to be why Watkins moved the money and whether it was an illegal transaction.

#Watkins formed Retro Metro LLC in August 2010, along with partners including Socrates Garrett and Leroy Walker, to renovate the former Belk building in Metrocenter Mall. But Walker announced that Watkins had resigned from Retro Metro in 2012 after it surfaced that he was facing lawsuits from subcontractors who he allegedly had not paid for work in Metrocenter. (He is still listed, however, on the secretary of state's website as a director.)

#During the same period of time that he was pursuing the Retro Metro project, Watkins formed Meridian Law Enforcement Center LLC, in Meridian in April 2011 to redevelop an old Cowboy Maloney building on 22nd Avenue into a new police station at an estimated cost of $9.2 million. The Meridian Star reported then that the project was being financed through Watkins Development LLC and Citizens National Bank in Meridian.

#However, that project fell into controversy after work began in May 2012 but then stalled, with Watkins saying he was waiting for new market tax credits to help pay for the development due to problems with coordination of the various entities involved with the credits. Watkins is the only officer listed on the secretary of state's site for that group.

#In June 2012, the Meridian City Council decided to re-examine the lease with Meridian Law Enforcement Center LLC, deciding to hold rental funds for the building, scheduled to be paid to Watkins' group, in escrow until the work was done. Watkins had originally started planning the project in Meridian in 2010, according to The Meridian Star, for a $10,000-a-month consulting fee that would be automatically renewed each year "for a number of years," the agreement stated. But the city council and Watkins agreed in 2012 to reduce the fee to be paid to him to $1—to keep him "on line" with the city, Ward 1 Councilman George Thomas said then.

#At the hearing today, Watkins attorney Brad Pigott, a former U.S. attorney, asked Watkins about a $5.1 million bond that the Mississippi Department of Corrections issued to Retro Metro for renovations in Metrocenter.

#Watkins denied that he had planned to use money from the bond for the Meridian project. “I had all kinds of ways—getting loans, paying cash from my own reserves,” Watkins said. “There were multiple ways I could have come up with the money.”

#During Pigott's questioning, Watkins stressed that he was wearing multiple development hats at the time of the transfer. When he moved the money from Retro Metro to a different company, he said, he was simply settling the debts of Retro Metro as a manager, and he was in a time crunch to deposit money into the MLEC account.

#Watkins assured Pigott that entities owed him more money than he needed to send to Meridian. “Retro Metro was one of the entities that owed me a lot more than $587,000,” Watkins said.

#During Watkins' testimony, Pigott asked him about the timeline of events in an attempt to show that Watkins could not have foreseen the necessity for money for the Meridian project when he closed on the bond to renovate parts of Metrocenter Mall.

#The developer emphasized that he was pulled a lot of directions at the time. “We were very busy,” Watkins said. “We had dozens and dozens of projects we were working on. Meridian was only one of them. We had multiple projects we were working on. We had a housing redevelopment (and) a hotel in the Fondren area called Whitney Place. We were looking at turning the Mississippi Valley Title building into a hotel. We were trying to talk the Jackson Public Schools into relocating all of their public offices to Metrocenter, and w were looking at redeveloping property on State Street near the new federal courthouse.”

#The secretary of state's investigation of Watkins is just one more layer in the mounting controversy roiling around him. The Jackson Free Press has reported in recent weeks that the Jackson Redevelopment Authority fired Watkins from the Farish Street Entertainment District project, and that Watkins and the JRA are suing each other over the controvery.

#The hearing went to recess at 5:30 p.m., and will resume Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. Watch the JFP website and @tylercleveland and @jxnfreepress for updates.

The FIGHT for FARISH is ON! Who will win!

VS

David Watkins vs the City of Jackson

You've read about it, and your heard about it for years, but as of about 10 days ago, the war has gotten a little heated. We would like to know how you feel in the FIGHT FOR FARISH. #FFF. Who do you think will win and why or how do you feel about the situation in its entirety. 

hashtag
#FFF

Jack-Asses of the day-Brought to you by the Pearl PD

This is the new trend that is sweeping the south. Take a look.

Five HCC students had a hand in the prank, one of them shooting the incident from the second floor.

Pearl Police Lieutenant Butch Townsend says the "Bass Pro Challenge" is a new trend among college students, and it has happened in other places as well, like San Antonio and Nashville.

Townsend says the boys were charged with misdemeanors. They are John Edwards, William Guion, and John Hicks, all 18, and all from Yazoo City.

Nineteen-year-old Brent Pigg of Yazoo City and 19-year-old Thomas Smith of Clarksdale were also arrested. All five are charged with disorderly conduct and interference with a business

Five HCC students had a hand in the prank, one of them shooting the incident from the second floor.

Pearl Police Lieutenant Butch Townsend says the "Bass Pro Challenge" is a new trend among college students, and it has happened in other places as well, like San Antonio and Nashville.

Townsend says the boys were charged with misdemeanors. They are John Edwards, William Guion, and John Hicks, all 18, and all from Yazoo City.

Nineteen-year-old Brent Pigg of Yazoo City and 19-year-old Thomas Smith of Clarksdale were also arrested. All five are charged with disorderly conduct and interference with a business

 

Here is some more footage of others,.....taking the challenge.
 

 

JACK-ASS of the Day

Jackson police say a man is facing 21 counts of auto burglary after a rash of car break-ins at a Jackson apartment complex.

Fredrick Harris, 26, was arrested Sunday and charged with possession of cocaine with a firearm in addition to the auto burglary counts.

He's accused of burglarizing cars at the Cameron Park Apartments on Noble Street in west Jackson.

Harris is currently on probation with the Madison County Sheriff's Department.

WTF? Is crime Really Paying in the city...........

AS THE WORLD TURNS, So does Downtown Jackson.

Credit to Jeff Ayers on this one. Great Read.
#GETINFORMED

The former James O. Eastland Federal Courthouse in downtown Jackson should have a different feel by the end of next year, with apartments, a restaurant and commercial space taking the place of jury boxes, judges’ chambers and holding cells.

Developers with Watkins Development announced Tuesday a $20 million effort to transform the 80-year-old building at 245 E. Capitol St. into Capitol and West, which will feature about 50 apartments ranging from 700 to 1,100 square feet in designs from two-bedroom to studio. They’ll be located on floors 2 through 5 of the development. A commons area will be fashioned in what is currently a fourth-floor courtroom.

The ground floor will feature a restaurant and bar, and developers hope to attract businesses they say aren’t easily found downtown, such as a small grocer, coffee bar or hair salon, to the lower level of the building. Many of the building’s historic touches, such as the Greek-style marble columns inside and outside the building and the post office boxes inside — the building also once housed a post office — will be maintained, developers say.

The project as a whole should wrap up by the end of next year, but lead developer Jason Goree says the fifth-floor apartments should be ready for occupancy by next summer. Construction crews already are going through the building removing any potentially harmful material, and roofing work should start next week.

Pre-leasing is set to start early next year. Pricing hasn’t been announced, although developers say the apartments will be offered at market rates.

The building has been largely empty since its court functions relocated in 2011 to a new courthouse building a few blocks away, and space inside has been available for development for more than a year. Goree says 35 of the apartments will feature one bedroom, another 10 or so two bedrooms, and the rest will be studio apartments.

He said he was attracted to the building by “the history, in and of itself, and (the chance) to repurpose it.” That history has been sometimes controversial. For years, a mural depicting a white family outside a plantation-style house while black subjects picked cotton and played a banjo hung in the courtroom, although it had long since been covered behind a curtain.

Goree, an African-American, says the new development will help symbolize how far Jackson has progressed since the heyday of the Civil Rights era.

The development could also further an important goal for downtown Jackson’s business, civic and political leaders — creating more living space downtown, particularly for young professionals who otherwise might be swayed to live in other parts of the city or Madison or Rankin counties.

Downtown Jackson Partners president Ben Allen said surveys of other large cities repeatedly show high demand for downtown living.

About $6 million of the development’s cost is being covered through tax credits designed to assist in rehabilitating historic buildings while preserving those buildings’ historic aspects. The state Department of Archives and History is working with developers in that capacity.

“The history is going to be readily (apparent), but with a wonderful new use,” said Todd Sanders, an architect with the agency.

Public invited to proposed water and sewer rate hike hearing

Today, the city is set to hear gripes and complaints about yet another hike to the already overly excessive municipal water charge. We will not hesitate on this subject. Let's just get directly to the point. The city of Jackson has been continuously passing the bill on to the loyal citizens of the city for an issue that they themselves are responsible for. A few days ago, no one was given warning that their water would be brown from the issues the city was experiencing. Now the story is, the water is safe to drink, but not safe to wash your clothes in. Something about this story does not even seem REAL. The bulk of the matter is the ongoing maintenance issues that the city's waterworks piping and drainage systems are experiencing. 

It has already been said in the past, that the piping below our city are older that some of the nations oldest cities. Every winter season, we experience some of the most dumbfounded outages that not even some major metropolitan cities experience. So that leads one to wonder, is this a planned repair to help with the coming winters issues. No one knows. What EVERYONE does know is that the city does nothing to repair the issue longtime. Its all simple expensive patchwork. In 2010 the city spent 20 million dollars to repair severe issues that the city was having during a winter snap. 20 MILLION DOLLARS. And when they patch the work, it is done with iron. So were spending an excessive amount of taxdollars to repair cast iron 100 year old piping with simple ductile iron. And each time one is fixed, it seems as though 5 more breaks occur somewhere else on another edge of the city. SO the city now proposes a hike in the water services for the citizens. The council is holding a public hearing at 6:00 p.m. for you to voice your thoughts on the rate increase proposal. If approved, city water rates would go up by about 30% and sewer rates would double.

Let's think about that. You want to raise the rates by 30% and double the sewer rates with no gaurantee that this will not happen again. We patiently waited to see what the first move from the new Lumumba regime would be and sad to say, we kept an open heart and hoped for the best. But with a budget of 357 million dollars annualy, why is the city raising prices to still not fix the problem that they are responsible for maintaining. And to top that of, there is no real plan for the future. So to that I propose this. 

Trenchless Pipe Replacement 

The picture below is pretty accurate of how our city water lines are looking right now. Trenchless Pipe replacement gets rid of cast iron and iron and replaces those pipes with a durable plastic that has for years been tested and constantly upgraded to a point where it has reached  a standard for a 40+ year replacement window. OUR COUNCIL is behind the power curve. We spoke about this earlier this year about being with the times of technology and advancement. Why is this not the method our city is moving towards. It cannot be a money issue. If they can put money aside for a planned toll road and city developements of the future, then we may as well write a bond or float some funds for this long overdue project. This is our S.O.S to the council. SAVE OUR CITY. It crumples one pipeline at a time and you are doing nothing to stop it. We no longer need patchwork for 5 years. We need standards for the next 50. We urge everyone to make it down to the council meeting tonite to express their concerns. We will be there. 

More info on T.R.R

KENNETH STOKES-IS RACISM THE ONLY THING YOU KNOW?

MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS
I am not really sure what point he is trying to prove here, but this is another repeated attempt to get a point across in the worst way possible. What do you think. Click the link .


This is the response from the station manager.

Hinds County Supervisors Robert Graham and Kenny Stokes don't want to fund a special election for the two vacant supervisor positions.

These two think they can run Hinds County all by themselves. Graham and Stokes make one great comedy team.

Hey, I have an idea, why don't we do a reality show. The whole country could laugh at us, why should we keep Graham and Stokes all to ourselves.

I can see it now The Hinds County's Biggest Losers starring Robert "snooker" Graham watch him as he cuts back room deals and Kenny "Boo Boo" Stokes as he calls press conference after press conference.

Hinds County could make a fortune with a show like this. Then maybe we could afford to have elections and actually elect qualified people.

Its a bad LOOK for US! - WHY?

IDIOTS OF THE DAY!

LOVE THY CITY-Joe Thomas of Mayor

I learned something today thanks to this man. Watch and learn.


Your comments are welcome as well as your insight.

Devil's advocate Poll-Show me the PROGRESS

Things that will be finished before the new Jatran Station and Farish Street.
List your top 5 items.
Place your list in the comment box below.


#getinformed

WHY KENNY, WHY?????? Stokes is at it again!!!

JACKSON, Miss. —Hinds County Supervisor Kenneth Stokes led a protest Monday in front of the Governor's Mansion against a new gun plant coming to Mississippi.

Dozens of anti-gun protesters circled the Governor's Mansion in Jackson carrying signs. Some of the protesters were crime victims' relatives who said they're against Talon Ordnance, which plans to open a gun factory in Ridgeland.

Gov. Phil Bryant helped make the announcement last week about the new jobs coming with the opening of the plant.

Stokes compared taking jobs from the gun manufacturer to blood money in Mississippi.

"Let them go somewhere else. That's blood money. You know, even the Bible tells you about blood money -- it's bad. We have families out here that have lost their babies, and we just want the governor to show some sensitivity to these families," Stokes said.

Bryant declined to comment about the protest, but Talon CEO Clay Baldwin did respond with a statement.

"Linking guns to be produced by Talon Ordnance with illegal gun violence is the same as linking vehicles produced at the Nissan plant with drunk driving. Both assertions are absurd. As previously stated, Talon advocates the safe, responsible, lawful use of firearms," Baldwin said.

The new plant is expected to create at least 10 jobs in Ridgeland.

 Devils Advocate:
Now this is what seems senseless to me. Here are my issues
1. If no one in Ridgeland is protesting, which is where the plant is going, why the fuck do your 2 sense matter #stokes
2. Guns don't kill people. People KILL PEOPLE, with use of any weapon they can get their hands on. 
3. As any representative, I don't want anyone in the Stokes line of work speaking on my behalf. If you don't understand, rewind the tape and listen to the way this man is talking. Like a 4 year old. "Guns is bad"-"That's Blood Money"

Really Mr. Stokes, Blood Money. Instead of knocking job creation in the state, how about you organize a class for gun ownership and operating responsibilities. Instead of telling people how bad things are, how about you take some of that time, that I am paying for with my tax dollars, and use it to teach RESPONSIBILITY and RESPECT for firearms. 

Stay tuned.

#GETINFORMED

The "U" is shutting down-Inside issue?

The University Place, or "The U," on J.R. Lynch Street is no longer open for business, but the owners have not said why.

Many customers 16 WAPT News spoke to on Monday said they hate to see the business leave the community.

Any insight into this please comment below. We are saddened to see this happen to the developing area around JSU? Is this something like a curse. 

Back from the break

We would first like to thank those of you whom have been clicking the links of our articles. We have worked hard and stumbled into something that we feel is great and will be a great insight to the city of Jackson and surrounding areas. In our much needed break, we looked at what is going on in and around us and have decided to change our format just a little bit. We will no longer cover just the issues. We now will also cover the progression of the municipalities as balanced as we can with no flux for how they operate. We want to be fair and balanced. The TRUTH is what needs to be brought out more and that's what we will focus on. In closing, the remainder of the year will be fast and full of different developments for us and you our faithful readers. We ask that you stay tuned in, and if you have something you would like us to cover or have something to say, feel free to send us an email or make a comments under the associated article. But trust that we know, and see the world just as you see it. We want to be a catalyst for change and great information vessel for people from all walks of life. So the next time you see the name,  GET INFORMED, know that it is US diversifying your workday with the best information and insight NO MONEY CAN BUY!

Thank you
The Staff

Ju-Water Season

As the Ju-Water season approaches, I would like to send this helpful hint to the administration of the great city of Jackson on how to solve its water issues for the next 20 years. This system is worth its weight in cost and whatever else you want to wager it against. Can someone one call Chockwe and get them to look at this.

Closing Arguments of the Treyvon Martin Vs George Zimmerman Trial

Get #informed-Force Feeding Prodecure performed by Mos Def (Yasiin Bey)

GTMO detainees are going through this prodecure 2x a day and it normally takes about 2 hours. This should be looked into.

WHISTLEBLOWER EXPLOSION-Now Hear THIS!!!

Be careful where you dine. This could be somewhere local.

Jack-ass of the WEEK-Is this what the city is amounting to?

Comments are welcomed and encouraged!

Main Story Link Here

When is enough.......ENOUGH?

As I awoke this morning, I glance at a newspaper as I am grabbing me some breakfast. The headline I read was the norm of the day, but on a side article, I noticed the words that anger ANYONE who read it aloud. "Child almost DIES in sinkhole!"

I won't say much, but DEAR MAYOR, if you fix the streets, everything else is easy. 

Comments welcomed.

How would you feel if this was your child. 

#getinformed

WE MADE THE LIST AGAIN!-Are we REALLY this BAD?

As we awake and begin our morning session, something jumps out and grabs me. ANOTHER one of those great lists came out last night and guess who cracked the top 10. Now before I go into the type of list I will say something that is heavy on my soul. It is the job of media to report things. It also the job of someone to come up with these formulas and statistics that give insight to certain areas in a nation. But these things do NOT make up the fabric of what WE are about here in Mississippi, and especially Jackson. Too much time, I feel is being spent, to formulate and put spotlight on who is doing bad in our nation when the truth is we ALL are fighting for our right to survive this weak dollar, and struggling economy, along with a piss poor example of political representation both locally and in Washington. I encourage anyone reading this to go to a neighbor and shake their hand and get to know them if you don't already. In the long run, we all may need each other if this ship we are riding in capsize's. Now, on to the list.

Most Dangerous Cities in the United States.

#25 Milwaukee, Wis.

#24 Hartford, Conn.

#23 Atlanta, Ga.

#22 Minneapolis, Minn.

#21 Kansas City, Mo.

#20 New Haven, Conn.

#19 Dayton, Ohio

#18 Buffalo, N.Y.

#17 Stockton, Ca.

#16 Cincinnati, Ohio

#15 Baton Rouge, La.

#14 Little Rock, Ark.

#13 Memphis, Tenn.

#12 Philadelphia, Pa.

#11 Birmingham, Ala.

#10 Newark, N.J.

#9 Baltimore, Md.

#8 Jackson, Miss.

#7 St. Louis, Mo.

#6 Cleveland, Ohio

#5 New Orleans, La.

#4 Bridgeport, Conn.

#3 Oakland, Calif.

#2 Detroit, Mich.

#1 Flint, Mich.

Now that you have had a chance to read through this list, let's start a discussion. How is this list complied you ask. Here is how. Jackson suffers 36 murders, 77 forcible rapes and 454 robberies per 100,000 people. Racial tension is one of the top reasons for the violence, according to Businessinsider.com. So in basic terms, per 100,000 people, if you look at our numbers, its on the wrong side of this formula. SO, my question is, where is CHICAGO, in this list. You mean to tell me just because you picked a particular type of formula that we fall into the top 10 and chicago is NOWHERE in the top 25. Well that's comparing apples to oranges they say. But for me, its plain and simple. Look at your violence per year. If you outnumber other cities, then you are a dangerous place. I do not support certain statistical data, and this is one of them for the simple fact that they do not highlight anything positive. Violence is a problem in this NATION. And we as people need to learn how to lead and teach youth and other grown adults how to take a better way to work through problems. With that being said, let's work on exiting the top 10 for next year.

Comments are welcomed. 
#getinformed

JACKASS- Of the DAY(Reason to not give your child a Camera Phone)

Your comments are welcomed!

Even you, can prevent this.........whatever you want to call THIS^!

RUMOR HAS IT.......................

Rumor has it that our beloved sheriff is on house arrest....for of all things....DOMESTIC VIOLENCE!

Said to have been seen out sporting a nice ankle bracelet over the weekend. 

Comments and info are welcomed. 

GO!

Update: Seems as though this is not due to DV but due to an issue with an old, let's just say this, CASE FILE, that he was on. Well, either way, SUCKS TO BE HIM!

JACKASS-Pic of the day

So tell us how you REALLY feel about the moves our beloved police department make when they seize things. This is one of them. GO!

Started from the bottom..........NOW were moving in the right direction.

There’s good news for the children of Mississippi; their state is no longer the worst place to be a kid. That’s because a new set of annual rankings on children’s welfare says New Mexico has dethroned Mississippi's perennial hold on the bottom ranking of the Kids Count list.

For the past 24 years, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has used a series of 16 indicators to rank the well-being of children in all 50 U.S. states. This year’s edition is the first to not place Mississippi at 50 out of 50 on the list, citing gains in health and education. However, Mississippi is still No. 49 on the list.

The foundation also noted that a third of Mississippi’s children continue to live in poverty. By comparison, 13 percent of New Hampshire’s children are listed as living at or below the poverty level.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts finished at the top of the children’s well-being list.

“While we are not where we need to be, the fact that our child and teen death rate, along with some decrease in the percentage of children without health insurance has been helpful,” Mississippi Kids Count Director Linda Southward told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

There also appears to be an overall improving trend in the South. Louisiana, which was 46th on the list, is the only other Southern state to finish in the bottom five. However, the Southwest has fared less well—three of the bottom-five states are New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada.

Southward said Mississippi saw its gains through improvement in the number of children enrolled in preschool and general student improvements in math for eighth-graders and reading for fourth-graders. Overall, Mississippi was 48th in the Kids Count educational rankings. However, it did not see any economic gains during the same period, continuing to rank 50th on that list.

“The evidence is clear—we help children by helping families,” Southward said. “The importance of quality child care, fully funding education opportunities for children and promoting evidence-based practices, underscored by economic development, is crucial to continued outcomes.”

This year’s rankings were based on national data compiled between 2005-2011. For those years, Mississippi’s numbers improved across eight of the 16 statistical areas measured. Overall, the United States improved in 10 of the categories during the same period.

Mississippi saw other gains on the list, including a drop in teen pregnancy rates and a drop in its infant mortality rate that has shown an improvement outpacing the national average.

“We are still woefully behind the country in reading proficiencies, and the high percentage of high school students not graduating on time continues to be of concern,” Southward said.

Source credit-Yahoo News

To PROTECT or SERVE......their own agenda.

It is not uncommon to hear, its more common to see, as the tax base of the city of Jackson shrinks, some things are becoming more forward standing to others thought process. Today, we will talk about the city's police. We call this piece to Protect or Serve.....their own agenda. 

Every place in the world has crime and issues surrounding it. The city of Jackson has a bit more than most. Consistently ranked every year in the list of the most violent cities in America, we wonder does anyone feel the need to change the way things are working, and is that even possible. The reason we put this piece together is to speak about one of the things we see and hear about most. The lack of what seems to be motivation amongst our police force. From constantly seeing them posted up on corners instead of patrolling to seeing some make rounds of lunch breaks on more than a once a day occasions. We will speak about  issues that people which are employed there feel they are justified in holding a particular type of stance on the issue as well as the things that can be done to move forward. So let us begin.

1. They don't pay enough

Constantly we hear a lot of officers and people who think of becoming officers gripe about pay. Here is the number. 

Police Recruit - $23,750.00 (Annually), after successful completion of a 14-week training program. $28,887.00 (annually), after one year of employment.

Now, that's not that bad of a number, if you look at the shrinking tax base in the city. So let's see how they match up to surrounding municipalities

Ridgeland- $31,002 - $46,503

Madison- Salary levels are competitive and are based on the results of periodic salary adjustments.  Salary levels are also dependent upon officers' rank within the Department.

Clinton-$31,200.00

So according to these numbers, the city seems to be under about $3,000 of what the norm is. But, with that being said, you know what you are getting into before you sign up for it, so why sign up and complain. Especially when it will not change anything. 

2. Work Ethic

Whether it is actually pursuing a criminal, or just sitting back and logging paperwork, a lot of officers lack for the better word, proper motivation. And let's not begin to talk about the scandals and other issues. For example, one officer and a higher up have a relationship while on duty on a regular basis, and its known to the entire precinct but no one says anything or does anything until it hits the fan and they break up. Now they have to be separated for unit cohesiveness reasons. Or how about the fact that no matter how out of shape a person is, if they get into recruit training, they cannot be dropped. Which leaves a bunch of out of shape and improperly educated personnel on force. The look of your establishment can sometimes determine how 

people treat you or determine how much respect people have for you. Just look at the sheriff's department personnel. They look more in shape and carry themselves a lot differently that city police do. All of these elements are valuable to the look and functionality of your force. Shape it up. Because the failure to do so is looking at us daily. 

Furthermore, some may inquire, "Well, what do they do?" Come to the scene, look around, give me a card, and never come back. I can personally say, I have been on the receiving end of that card exchange more than I would have wanted to. Never got a call back and never got the case solved. Its a wonder crime and other issues are as high as they are. These are the things that have to change and fast. In any other municipality, if you don't get anything done, or you are unhappy with the service provided, a phone call or email can give you results that are better than the service you got. But a lot of the leadership does not even answer those. Huge catch 22 on that piece. 

3. "I'm just here for the benefits"

WE have heard this on occasion ourselves from parties in and out of uniform. The whole objective of police is to protect and serve. But some seem to want only to serve their own agenda. They will not get involved in any danger or do anything that they feel will bring them harm when they are off the clock. Is this TRULY the spirit of our city. Have we amassed a catalog of "I ONLY WANT MINES" employees who don't care to protect. True you will have bad apples in any police force, but do some digging and I bet you will find more here than in any surrounding ones. I mean look, if there was guaranteed overtime to anyone who wanted it, why not do the job. Its not you who has to pay the cost. The city is over budget and not well managed and this type of attitude needs to be removed from our law enforcement. 

In closing, we hope you pass this on and give a little more insight on how you feel about the force and the people working with it. If you think we can rid the department of a bunch of extra costs, say so, you never know who may be reading. 

#GETINFORMED

P.S. Road blocks don't solve or deter crime. Let's see if we can limit those. 

Protect YOURSELF-How the new open/carry law may affect citizens.

Now before we get started, I will attempt to tell this from 3 sides. The opinion of the people, the opinion of our staff, and the facts of the matter at hand. Strap up, no pun intended, keep and open mind, and let's #GETINFORMED.

Effective July 1, the new open/carry law will be effective in the entire state of MS, not just in Jackson. The law clarifies what was already placed in the state constitution in 1890.

-The new law allows any Mississippian, who is not otherwise disqualified, to openly carry a gun, with or without a permit. A permit is still required if the weapon is concealed.  The new law allows any Mississippian, who is not otherwise disqualified, to openly carry a gun, with or without a permit. A permit is still required if the weapon is concealed.  

Now this is the point where it get's a little sketchy.

THE PEOPLE
It was the talk of the day. We are heading back to the days of the O.K. Corral; It just makes no sense. Open any social network feed and follow friends and you will see somewhere that the news has spread. It has a lot of people up in arms, and about the same amount feeling as if nothing has changed. The feeling that things are going to get extremely violent has some understanding. But, Jackson crime statistics report an overall downward trend in crime based on data from 11 years with violent crime decreasing and property crime decreasing. Based on this trend, the crime rate in Jackson for 2013 is expected to be lower than in 2010.

Also, if you want to play devil's advocate, numbers don't lie. Here is another fun fact. 

The city violent crime rate for Jackson in 2010 was higher than the national violent crime rate average by 144.39% and the city property crime rate in Jackson was higher than the national property crime rate average by 158.62%.

Furthermore, In 2010 the city violent crime rate in Jackson was higher than the violent crime rate in Mississippi by 265.76% and the city property crime rate in Jackson was higher than the property crime rate in Mississippi by 154.88%.

So given these statistics, its understandable why some people are scared that this clarity law will make things worse. 

THE STAFF'S TAKE

PROTECT YOURSELF! The choice is simply this. WE know that we reside in a city where the law enforcement is under trained and not able to perform the simplest crime fighting tasks at hand. We spend so much time living in fear of so many things. In this case, some of the fear makes sense. There are more stories than we can count of how at time JPD has done too much on a simple issue and not enough on bigger issues to ensure the safety of the people. And people at this point are calling it as they see it. Will gun violence increase inside city limits. In our opinion, maybe. But one thing that is true about this whole situation is that the law has been on the books for well over 100 years. Its just simply being clarified. With other states having the same law, I don't worry about us seeing a huge increase in numbers. But there is a personal responsibly one has to take with his own life as well as his or her families. If you feel like you cannot and do not want to rely on the local authorities to take action on your behalf, then lock and load and take care of your home and your own life yourself. With the sheer size of the force, they cannot be in certain places at all times, but how they manage to miss the things they do is not an upstanding look. We will cover that story later. Uninformed and under trained personnel can and will make this issue a highlight in the coming months. Mark our words. 

The Facts:
Things are bad, but not as bad as we see in major metropolitan areas. Should we wait for it to get so before we start telling our children and fellow neighbors what to do and how not to act? This is a question that has to be answered on a person to person basis. But in our opinion, the media should do a better job of covering this and informing the demographic on what is and is not about this new law and point out some of the soft spots. All people do not share information like they should. But for some reason, we LOVE to listen to the news. The leadership needs to do mail outs and press conferences to call and relax people about this issue and assure them that they are in control and there is nothing to worry about. The WRONG thing to do in this situation is say NOTHING and let people form their own opinion on what they think. The facts are out there and they are real. There will not be mass shootings and gun wielding crazy people. There are laws that prevent certain things like discharging a firearm in public and endangering the public for no reason.  This is a state law. Now outside the city demographic, one may worry a little more but that is a deeper story. We hope you enjoyed the conversation. Lets carry on. 


#GETINFORMED601