Jackson Free Press

The monthly meeting of the Jackson Redevelopment Authority was uneventful Wednesday morning, at least in the portion of the meeting open to the public.

For the first hour of the meeting, which began at 10 a.m., board members discussed issues it has had in regards to Union Station, including repeated break-ins on the second floor and a roof that has leaks. The second discussion item involved a planned renovation to the hospitality area adjacent to the meeting room at 218 Presidents Street, where the group meets.

The board then went into executive session to discuss important matters such as the proposed convention center hotel project and an update and call for action regarding the ongoing renovation of Farish Street.

Members on hand included President Ronnie Crudup (Ward 6), who was re-elected to lead the group at the meeting, Beau Whittington (Ward 1), John R. Reeves (Ward 5), Beneta Burk (Ward 3), Gregory Green (Ward 4). Executive Director Willie Mott and Administrative Assistant Denise Drake were also in attendance.

An email distributed by former mayoral candidate Jonathan Lee and his "Friday Forum" group, which meets every Friday morning at Koinonia Coffee House, is asking for letters of support for the Jackson Zoo.

The Jackson Zoological Park's accreditation is up for review later this month, and the Community Outreach Committee of the Zoo Area Progressive Partnership (ZAPP) is collecting letters of support on behalf ot he zoo "from residents, businesses, churches and friends of West Jackson" in an effort to help the zoo keep its current status.

"If you haven't written a letter," Lee wrote, "please take a minute to write a few words about your Zoo-going, your interest in keeping the Zoo in West Jackson, your commitment to help re-develop the Zoo area and promote memberships and visits."

Letters will be accepted until Thursday, September 5, and can be addressed to Ms. Beth Poff at [email protected].

Leave your parking and traffic worries behind and let Jackson's JATRAN do the driving.

It's not that Gov. Phil Bryant has a problem with gay people. In fact, he might tell even tell you that he knows some gay people. He just doesn't want it done on state property.

This week, for the first time same-sex-loving people could apply for federal benefits under a key U.S. Supreme Court decision handed down earlier this summer.

However, Bryant, who is commander-in-chief of the Mississippi Guard when they're not federalized, has said because Mississippi has a state constitutional ban against gays marrying, same-sex couples would not be able to apply for federal benefits on property the state owns, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Mississippi and Texas are the only states that have decided to bar gay couples from accessing for their constitutionally protected rights. (It's unclear whether Bryant will also block gay couples from exercising their constitutional right to bear arms by not letting them apply for concealed-carry permits or hunting licenses).

As a result of the Mississippi decision, gay people would have to travel to a federal facility (e.g. Meridian's Naval Air Station or Keesler Air Force Base on the Coast) to apply for their rights.

Today, the Mississippi American Civil Liberties Union took Bryant to task for the decision, calling the move "a slap in the face to legally married lesbian and gay service members."

"They should not have to travel when similarly situated heterosexual couples don't have to travel," Bear Atwood, the ACLU's legal director, told the Jackson Free Press this afternoon.

Government officials in 13 other states where gay marriage is also banned — including Arizona, Oklahoma, Florida, Michigan and Georgia — have decided to honor the sacrifices of its service members and process their benefits applications.

Are you interested in understanding how race and other forms of diversity affect all of us?

The Jackson City Council will hold a public hearing on the subject of Chokwe Lumumba's proposed budget at 6 p.m. tonight in council chambers at City Hall.

The meeting follows a 4 p.m. meeting of the council's Budget Committee, chaired by former City Council President Tony Yarber (Ward 6).

All interested citizens are encouraged to attend. It will likely by the last public hearing before the council votes on the budget at next week's regular meeting of the city council on Sept. 12 at 10 a.m.

If after working out in the sweltering sun all day today, and you turned on your faucet for a cool drink only to get a glass full of brown of liquid, don't worry.

It's just a little "discoloration."

The city sent out a discolored water alert today after "experiencing a temporary widespread discolored water occurrence in our distribution system."

The water's perfectly imbibable, according to the release: "The discolored water being experienced during this discolored water episode is SAFE TO DRINK" and " Your water continues to meet all State and federal drinking water standards for public health and safety. NO BOIL WATER ALERT IS IN EFFECT."

City crews are "aggressively flushing lines" to make the water the right color again. In the meantime, you probably shouldn't wash your clothes or run your dishwasher, the city cautions. The city is handing out bottles of Red-B-Gone, a rust-stain remover, to citizens who request it.

Here are some helpful numbers:

Action Line 311
Hours: Monday - Friday 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM

Water Maintenance
601-960-1777 / 601-960-1778
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Water Lab
601-960-2723
Hours: Monday - Friday 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM

After 5:00 PM Monday through Friday and on weekends, please call 601-960-1875.

The chorus of opposition among environmental advocates and downriver residents against a flood-control lake project is growing louder.

Thursday night, the St. Tammany Parish, La., council passed a resolution opposing a plan proffered by groups with ties to petroleum businessman John McGowan. Known locally as "One Lake," the flood-control plan involves damming the Pearl River to keep flooding down in the capital city and would create water-front development opportunities.

St. Tammany Parish officials are concerned about the proposed lake's effects on water levels, salinity, wetlands and wildlife.

In statement, Andrew Whitehurst, director of water policy director with the Gulf Restoration Network, said: “Combined with existing effects to the Pearl from the Ross Barnett Reservoir, a new 1,500 acre lake in the Jackson area is inevitably going to impact the flow and amount of water that reaches downstream communities like Monticello, Columbia and Pearlington in Mississippi, and Pearl River in Louisiana.

Whitehurst added: "Oyster beds and coastal marshes in both states rely on the vital fresh water that the Pearl provides and this proposed dam is a direct threat to that resource.”

The Jackson Free Press emailed Dallas Quinn, spokesman for Pearl River Vision Foundation, which McGowan created in 2011 for the purposes of completing an environmental-impact assessment that will be used as part of a federal application to proceed with flood plan, and will update the story when Quinn responds.

PRVF and the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood Control and Drainage District (Levee Board) recently held a scoping meeting in Jackson to address concerns and questions from members of the public.

The meeting was well attended, but conservation-minded attendees were disappointed with the format. Several people who spoke to the Jackson Free Press believe the meeting was designed to suppress any perceived public opposition to the plan.

Keith Turner, the Levee Board's attorney, said he believed the format was better for soliciting feedback and addressing concerns that a traditional public meeting in which individuals speak from a microphone one after the other.

If you hold a boycott and no one notices, did it ever happen?

The Mississippi College Athletic Department was proud to announce earlier today the National Collegiate Athletic Association has granted the school permission to rejoin Division II. The JFP received this press release just before noon:

Mississippi College can now move forward to become an NCAA Division II member and rejoin the Gulf South Conference, NCAA officials said Friday.

After being initially turned down earlier this summer, Mississippi College leaders appealed. The NCAA Membership Committee overturned the earlier decision to pave the way for acceptance into the Division II membership process.

“We’re on our way to Division II,” MC Vice President for Advancement Bill Townsend said today. “It’s a great day for Mississippi College athletics and athletes.”

Returning to the Gulf South Conference – MC was a member from 1972 through 1996 – the Choctaws will renew rivalries with teams like Delta State, West Alabama, Valdosta State, North Alabama, and face new Baptist-affiliated opponents like Union University of Jackson, Tennessee and Shorter University of Rome, Georgia.

“This is a great day for the Gulf South Conference,” said GSC Commissioner Michael Salant, who was reached in New York at the time of the announcement on the Clinton campus.

With the additions of all-sports members Shorter, Union, Lee University and Mississippi College plus Florida Tech in football and West Florida to start football, the GSC, “is more cohesive and stronger than it probably ever has been,” he said.

“It’s great to renew old rivalries and establish some new ones,” said Townsend, who worked on the appeal in recent weeks with MC trustee Andy Taggart and others at the Christian university. “As we transition into Division II, we will miss our American Southwest Conference friends.”

MC President Lee Royce and Athletic Director Mike Jones scheduled a press conference at noon at the A.E. Wood Coliseum to discuss details of the move from NCAA Division III to Division II.

There is a lengthy process involved as Mississippi College becomes part of the Division II candidacy starting with the 2013-14 academic year.

MC leaders will need to continue to meet with NCAA leaders every year for three years to remain in good standing.

Why go Division II?

In terms of academics and stronger retention efforts, MC leaders say they are pleased to be one of the 300 NCAA Division II colleges and universities nationwide that count 100,000 student-athletes on their rosters. NCAA reports show 73 percent of the freshmen Division II athletes who entered school in 2004 received college degrees six years later.

The move to play athletic opponents in the region in the Birmingham-based Gulf South Conference will greatly reduce travel time for MC student-athletes and enable the Choctaws to receive greater media exposure around the South and nation. Every fall, CSS broadcasts GSC games of the week.

Mississippi College student-athletes were pleased to hear that the Baptist-affiliated school will be returning to the GSC and Division II. It means athletic scholarships will become available once again for MC students who participate in the 15 NCAA …

If you're looking for work or you're ready for a change, it's time to polish your resume.

The city of Jackson will host a town hall meeting to discuss and answer questions the public may have regarding the proposed water and sewer upgrades. The next Town Hall Meeting will take place in Ward 3 on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 6:30 p.m. at Progressive Missionary Baptist Church at 2323 Powers Avenue.

Concerned or interested citizens are encouraged to attend.

Todd reviews Devil's Harvest Pale Ale, a brew by Southern Prohibition and a staple in the JFP Beer Fridge.

Jackson State University has announced plans for a vigil for a student who died over the weekend.

James Shearer, a senior political science major, died the morning of Sept. 8. He was a member of the Mississippi Army National Guard and was active in the Student Government Association, JSU’s Army Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and Reformed University Fellowship, according to a release from the school.

The vigil is scheduled for 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, on the Gibbs-Green Pedestrian Walkway.

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2013/sep/10/13668/

The City of Jackson is proud to announce the grand opening of Trustmark Bank at the Baptist Healthcare Complex is set for Thursday, Sept. 12 at 11 a.m.

The city sent out a press release Wednesday morning announcing the event.

The city of Jackson has relaunched an updated version of JacksonMS.gov, the city's official web site.

The revamped site is more aesthetically pleasing, and features easy-to-follow links to basic information about the city. Another re-vamped feature is video of the city council meetings, which had been spotty in the past.

The meeting from yesterday (Sept. 10, 2013) is already on the web site, and meetings will be shown live, going forward.

If you get a minute, check it out.

One day only special, $9.11.

A couple of musical tidbits...

With this morning's approval of a city budget, Jackson Zoo officials are hoping to reverse the recent decision to deny the park accreditation.

On Sept. 8, an Association of Zoo and Aquariums (AZA) committee denied renewal of the Jackson Zoo's accreditation citing "concerns of the zoo's financial stability at the time of the accreditation review and hearing," a zoo press release states.

The zoo, which asked the Jackson City Council for $1.4 million to cover its approximately $675,000 budget deficit, blames the denial on the timing of the city budgeting process -- the accrediting hearing took place four days before the council voted on the city's budget.

"Although the mayor (Chokwe Lumumba) provided a firm promise to support the Zoo's request for $1.4 (million) prior to city council's approval of the full budget, the guidelines of the AZA Accreditation Commission clearly state that approved funding must be secured and that conditional or promised funds are not considered sustainable operating funds," the zoo release said.

The zoo also recently received $10,000 from Hinds County and was the subject of a letter-writing campaign ahead of the accreditation hearing, which took place in Kansas City.

Now that the city council has approved its budget, the zoo plans to appeal the accreditation. During the appeals process, the zoo will retain its accreditation with the AZA.

Job seekers and students will receive a helping hand as Mayor Chokwe Lumumba and the city of Jackson host the Third Annual Jobs for Jacksonians Job Fair: Graduation Matters on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at Metrocenter Mall.

Jacksonians who are seeking employment are urged to attend to discuss employment opportunities with business participants and to register with the city's Jobs for Jacksonians Coordinator for future opportunities.

More than 75 vendors, including local, national and international companies, are expected to have booths.

Other service providers will also be on hand to conduct interviews and resume writing seminars, and to share best practice tips to improve college preparedness. Local colleges and junior colleges will be represented to discuss educational opportunities as well.

The job fair is sponsored by the City of Jackson, the Governor's Job Fair Network of Mississippi, Millsaps College, the Department of Veteran's Affairs and Metrocenter Mall.