Another Obamacare Casualty: McDonald's May Drop Health Plan

McDonald's Corp. has warned federal regulators that it could drop its health insurance plan for nearly 30,000 hourly restaurant workers unless regulators waive a new requirement of the U.S. health overhaul.

McDonald's warned federal regulators that it could drop its health insurance plan for nearly 30,000 workers unless regulators waive a new requirement of the U.S. health overhaul. Janet Adamy discusses. Also, Neal Lipschutz discusses the exit plan that the U.S. has agreed on to exit the governments interest in AIG.

McDonald's May Drop Health Plan: The chain has told regulators it may ditch its plan unless a new health-care requirement is waived, Janet Adamy reports.

The move is one of the clearest indications that new rules may disrupt workers' health plans as the law ripples through the real world.

Trade groups representing restaurants and retailers say low-wage employers might halt their coverage if the government doesn't loosen a requirement for "mini-med" plans, which offer limited benefits to some 1.4 million Americans.

The requirement concerns the percentage of premiums that must be spent on benefits.

While many restaurants don't offer health coverage, McDonald's provides mini-med plans for workers at 10,500 U.S. locations, most of them franchised. A single worker can pay $14 a week for a plan that caps annual benefits at $2,000, or about $32 a week to get coverage up to $10,000 a year.

Last week, a senior McDonald's official informed the Department of Health and Human Services that the restaurant chain's insurer won't meet a 2011 requirement to spend at least 80% to 85% of its premium revenue on medical care.

McDonald's and trade groups say the percentage, called a medical loss ratio, is unrealistic for mini-med plans because of high administrative costs owing to frequent worker turnover, combined with relatively low spending on claims.

Read entire article: WSJ

Kingfish has the skinny on the rejection of Rudy Warnock's complaint against independent investigator Richard McAfee

The Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors cleared Richard McAfee of any wrongdoing in response to a complaint filed by Madison County Engineer Rudy Warnock.


Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler and Madison County Engineer Rudy Warnock skirmished a few months ago over his work for Madison County.

The Board took a nice long look at it all and told Rudy: sorry kid, better luck next time. The Board met yesterday and rejected Mr. Warnock's complaint. The Board informed Mr. Carson in a letter that was obtained by Jackson Jambalya through a public records request yesterday.

You can read the entire post and the document links at JJ

For Related Posts of all things Rudy go HERE.

Agency seeks eminent domain initiative on 2011 Mississippi ballots

The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation says it will deliver more than 118,000 certified signatures of registered voters to the secretary of state's office Thursday in hopes of forcing a statewide vote on eminent domain.

The measure is designed to let voters decide on a proposal to prevent the taking of private property to give to private developers. Opponents warn it could stifle some economic projects.

The federation had faced an Oct. 6 deadline to submit at least 89,285 certified signatures to get the issue on the November 2011 ballot.

In 2009, the Legislature by an overwhelming margin passed a bill similar to the Farm Bureau's initiative. Republican Gov. Haley Barbour vetoed it, saying it could hurt the effort to recruit major manufacturers.

CL

MCH: Operation Jaguar to aid MC's military

Madison Central High School is commencing Operation Jaguar.

The community-wide project aims to reach out to Madison Central graduates and the uniformed men and women serving with them in war zones with a little touch of home.

"Currently, there are 369,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines located at duty stations outside the United States. Of those, 94,000 are deployed to Afghanistan and 56,000 are deployed to Iraq, some of whom are Jaguars," MC teacher Aaron King said.

One of those Jaguars is First Lt. Brian King, 2003 graduate of MC, 2008 graduate of the United States Military Academy and the brother of Aaron King, a 2005 graduate of West Point.

"It is the mission of Operation Jaguar to provide some of the basic comforts we all take for granted," said King, who is joined by Lt. Col. Mike Gentry of the school's Air Force Junior ROTC program, in leading the drive for donations of money and items for the troops.

Madison Central is first targeting Bull Company, which has about 200 soldiers, for the wave of toiletries, foods and fun items, Gentry said. "Then, based on recommendations from faculty and staff, we want to hit as many others as we can."

Donations will go toward deployed military personnel.

"It would be hard to say just how many former students are serving or have been deployed, but everyone knows someone who has either been overseas or is on the way," King said.

Read more: MCH

New Ridgeland Zoning Ordinances take affect in October

The City of Ridgeland’s stricter requirements for new payday lenders, pawnshops and other businesses takes effect in October.

Formal approval of the zoning changes by alderman came last week. The restrictions will take effect in 30 days.

The Clarion-Ledger reports that the new rules also affect tattoo parlors, title loan businesses, check-cashing establishments, cash-for-gold entities, nail salons and bail bondsmen.

The restrictions prevents such businesses from coming within 2,000 feet of each other. Those businesses cannot exceed 3,000 square feet of space, and they can’t combine into a single office to sidestep the new rules.

Ridgeland aldermen also extended the city’s moratorium on such establishments until Nov. 2, preventing any from moving to the area until after the new zoning rules go into effect.

The new rules don’t effect those already in business.

Ridgeland aldermen originally adopted a temporary ban on these establishments in Aug. 2009. That October, the moratorium was extended for nine months for aldermen to decide whether they wanted stricter or more permanent bans.

Other areas have adopted or are considering such zoning rules.

MBJ

Sheriff Trowbridge tells state lawmakers illegals are a "security problem", Commissioner Simpson disagrees

Immigration proposal sparks legislative hearing

A Mississippi sheriff told state lawmakers Tuesday his deputies take illegal immigrants into custody on a nearly hourly basis, and the booking process has burdened his department.

Madison County Sheriff Toby Trowbridge told a Senate panel it's difficult to keep track of illegal immigrants because they don't have identification and they may use variations of their names each time they're picked up.

"We encounter one or two people an hour in Madison County," Trowbridge said. "It's a security problem. Anytime you encounter anyone without identification, we view it as a homeland security problem." Not all of them face charges in Mississippi; many are being held for immigration authorities, he said.

The Senate Judiciary A Committee was holding hearings this week to gather information for a plan to introduce a bill like the law in Arizona that allows police officers to check the status of people they think might be in the country illegally.

Some lawmakers have said they would support such a measure during the 2011 session that starts in January. Opponents say the proposal could foster racial-profiling and harassment.

Mississippi isn't a border state like Arizona. Officials don't know the size of the state's illegal immigrant population, but most agree it is far smaller than Arizona's.

Trowbridge said the proposed law would help police and sheriff's departments by forcing immigrants to pursue legal status and get identification. But Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Steve Simpson said he doesn't want legislators to pass an unfunded mandate.

Simpson said state troopers routinely ask for identification after stopping someone for a violation. He said detaining illegal immigrants isn't a "widespread" problem for troopers.

"We're stretched very thin right now and do not need a lot of unfunded mandates on us," Simpson said.

Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, who observed the hearing, said the federal government's lawsuit to block Arizona's law shouldn't prevent Mississippi from pursuing its own legislation "that would stand up to a federal challenge."

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, said the hearing would help determine how the proposal could be tweaked to fit Mississippi's needs. After the hearing, Fillingane said the proposal "had merit."

Karla Valez, a case worker who works with immigrants for Catholic Charities, said immigrants already live in fear of being harassed. She said many would leave the state if a tougher law was enacted.

"Mississippi would be hostile," Valez said. "They would be targeting people who don't look white or African American."

Read more: TU

CL: Canton police probe burglaries

Canton police are looking into leads to identify anyone involved in a recent rash of burglaries across the city.

Chief Vickie McNeill said homes and churches have been targeted by criminals.

“It takes a very small person who wants to burglarize, and when you go after a church, you have no substance as far as I’m concerned,” McNeill said.

CL

SDN: A Talk with Congressman Harper, Part 1

By BRIAN HAWKINS

Editor’s note: The following is the first in a series of stories based upon an interview conducted Monday afternoon with U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Miss., at the Starkville Daily News offices. Today’s installment deals with Harper’s comments on extension of the Bush tax cuts and federal government spending. Other installments will be published over the next few days to address other issues.

U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper has had a whirlwind few days in Mississippi while Congress has recessed briefly before heading back later this week to finish work before its scheduled recess early next month.

“Probably the biggest single issue facing us for the rest of this year is what will happen with the extension of the Bush tax cuts,” said Harper, referring to the tax cut package passed in the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act in 2003 as proposed by then-President George W. Bush.

Not extending the tax cuts will impact Americans at all income levels, Harper said Monday.

“If nothing is done, then on Jan. 1, 2011, you will see the single largest tax increase in the history of the United States,” said Harper. “It will have a great impact at every level, particularly for the middle class. Every tax rate will go up.”

It would also mean that the nation’s estate tax — commonly referred to as the “death tax — would return at the beginning of the year. The estate tax is imposed on the transfer of the “taxable estate” of a deceased person, whether by will, life insurance or other means.

The estate tax is something he believes “needs to be permanently done away with,” Harper said.

“It’s really hurt a lot of family farms and other folks in Mississippi over the years, and we need to lay it to rest,” Harper said.

There has also been discussion by congressional officials — among them House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. — over allowing the cuts to expire for those making at least $250,000.

“The problem with our current economic and tax situation is those that making $250,000 are the small business owners who are doing the hiring and fueling the economic recovery,” Harper said. “They’re waiting to see what will happen with the rates.”

Federal government spending is another issue that will affect the nation’s economy. Harper said the current level of spending is a “roadblock and a detriment to what we’re doing” to try to create jobs.

“Non-defense discretionary spending went up by 84 percent the first year of President Obama’s administration. Deficit spending hit $1.4 trillion in the first year of a leadership with Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, (D-Nev., Senate majority leader) as composed to $400 billion in President Bush’s last year,” Harper said. “And there’s no real end in sight.”

Should Republicans win a majority of the House and Senate seats in November’s general election, there will be a push in 2011 to significantly reduce federal government spending to “pre-stimulus and and pre-bailout levels,” Harper said.

“That would be a significant amount. When we talk about the loss of jobs across the country ..., the federal government had the nerve to add over 25,000 new federal employees over the last year,” Harper said.

“We should be setting the standard and getting out of the way so that business can do its work.”

SDN

Congressman Thompson among those taking money from bailed out GM's PAC

Congressman Bennie Thompson

 General Motors has already sent money to more than 40 members of Congress.

Auto giant General Motors restarted its long-dormant political action committee this summer and has already sent money to more than 40 incumbent members of Congress.

The July and August donations from GM PAC are the first since the committee stopped donating after GM filed for bankruptcy in June 2009. Who’s on the receiving end? Both supporters and opponents of the auto bailout, Democrats and Republicans and, mostly, incumbents.

Much of the money went to powerful members who sit at or near the top of influential committees. In the House, Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Transportation Committee Vice Chairman Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) and Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) all received donations.

In the Senate, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) received $1,000, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) — still the ranking member on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee despite losing a primary challenge — received $1,000.

The list of other GM PAC money recipients, according to Federal Election Commission reports, spans the political map from California to Georgia and includes those running for the House, the Senate and a handful of governor’s mansions.

Politico

HT Respond Mississippi

Viking Classic Kicks Off With Pro-Am

The Viking Classic, Mississippi’s premiere sporting event, is expected to attract thousands of spectators not only on the golf course, but also in the culinary tent.

The 2010 Viking Classic kicked off Monday and runs through Sunday at Annandale Golf Club in Madison. It will be the first event of the PGA Tour’s 2010 Fall Series.

Several days of rain canceled last year's tournament for the first time in its 43-year history. It still raised $560,000 for local charities, including $100,000 for the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children.

"Since our inception in 1994, we've managed to give $6 million to local charities, including last year when we were able to give just under $570,000," said Gene Simmons, the president of Century Club Charities.

Organizers said this year's event will have a $20 million effect on the area's economy.

The first round of the PGA tournament tees off Thursday at 7 a.m. The final round is Sunday.


Viking Range Corp. has agreed to sponsor the event through 2011. This year's purse is set at $3.6 million, with $648,000 going to the winner.

For tickets and information on the Viking Classic, visit http://www.vikingclassic.com/ or call the tournament office at 601-898-GOLF (4653).

WAPT

John Boehner Would Like to Have an “Adult Conversation” With America About Entitlements Just So Long As That Conversation Contains No Solutions

BY:  Peter Suderman

The GOP’s House Minority Leader, John Boehner, appeared opposite Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday over the weekend and doubled down on last week’s pledge to avoid talking about any sort of actual policy proposal to deal with the unsustainable growth of entitlement spending. He said he wants to have an “adult conversation” about runaway entitlements, but apparently that doesn’t include any discussion whatsoever of what he and his party propose to do about some of the biggest drivers of federal spending and deficits. Here’s the key exchange:

WALLACE: But forgive me, sir. I mean, isn't the right time to have the adult conversation now before the election when you have this document? Why not make a single proposal to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid?

BOEHNER: Chris, this is what happens here in Washington. When you start down that path, you just invite all kinds of problems. I know. I've been there. I think we need to do this in a more systemic way and have this conversation first. Let's not get to the potential solutions. Let's make sure Americans understand how big the problem is. Then we can begin to talk about possible solutions and then work ourselves into those solutions that are doable.

The “adult conversation” line is really laying it on thick considering that what he’s actually demonstrating is that, at best, the GOP wants to baby voters through the basics of the entitlement situation before actually broaching the topic of specific policy changes.

Obviously many Republicans are afraid of political blowback from any proposal that could be portrayed as a cut to Medicare or Social Security, both of which have large constituencies that vote consistently. And to some extent that’s a legitimate fear, at least from a purely political standpoint; after all, one of the most effective (if frustrating) Republican attacks on the new health care law was that it cuts Medicare. But this fear fails to realize that proposals to control spending on entitlement programs are in fact proposals to preserve and strengthen those programs. Paul Ryan’s Roadmap, whatever its flaws, wouldn’t change Medicare a bit for anyone who is within 10 years of entering the program, and, perhaps with some adjustments, would at least set the program (as well at the federal budget) on a rough path to long-term sustainability.

In a way, though, Boehner is correct that “this is what happens here in Washington”: Voters become angry about government debt and spending. And so they turn to the GOP, which runs on a loud but vague campaign to cut spending and then, once in power, follows through by cutting taxes but not spending, thereby making the problem worse.

Reason

The Lighter Side of Deadbeats

BY: Tim Cavanaugh

After more than a year in action, the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) is showing improvement on redefaults. But that improvement will turn out to be brief, and the details demonstrate how little impact the expensive program can ultimately have.


Redefault occurs when a delinquent borrower works with a bank to change the terms of a mortgage, but then after some period of time stops making payments again. It occurs in half of all modified loans, and the alarming rate of redefaults prompts interventionists to call for more generous principal-reduction loan mods – the idea being that if you give enough money to demonstrated bad borrowers, eventually they will become responsible.
 
(T)he direct quarter-by-quarter comparisons show a definite comedown in delinquencies at the six-month mark -- though the change is substantial only for deadbeats who got haircuts of 20 percent or more.


But dig a little deeper into the report and you will see how little meaning there is in a time frame of less than six months. Even loans that received the most charitable modifications start redefaulting at higher rates once you get out to a year or more, with most categories over 50 percent redefault rates at the 12-month mark. The category of de jure government-guaranteed loans (In effect, all mortgages are now government guaranteed) has a whopping 64.8 percent redefault rate. Overall, 49.7 percent of all modified loans are back in default within a year.

HAMP is only a $75 billion program. So where is the money going to come from? And when will they stop claiming that taking money from taxpayers (the vast majority of whom have never been late on a mortgage payment) and giving it to deadbeats and stupid banks does anything but drag out the problem?

Read the entire article: Reason

Obama Administration Wants Authority to Wiretap the Internet

Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations for the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is “going dark” as people increasingly communicate online instead of by telephone.

Essentially, officials want Congress to require all services that enable communications — including encrypted e-mail transmitters like BlackBerry, social networking Web sites like Facebook and software that allows direct “peer to peer” messaging like Skype — to be technically capable of complying if served with a wiretap order. The mandate would include being able to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages.

The bill, which the Obama administration plans to submit to lawmakers next year, raises fresh questions about how to balance security needs with protecting privacy and fostering innovation. And because security services around the world face the same problem, it could set an example that is copied globally.

James X. Dempsey, vice president of the Center for Democracy and Technology, an Internet policy group, said the proposal had “huge implications” and challenged “fundamental elements of the Internet revolution” — including its decentralized design.

“They are really asking for the authority to redesign services that take advantage of the unique, and now pervasive, architecture of the Internet,” he said. “They basically want to turn back the clock and make Internet services function the way that the telephone system used to function.”

Officials are coalescing around several of the proposal’s likely requirements:


¶ Communications services that encrypt messages must have a way to unscramble them.
¶ Foreign-based providers that do business inside the United States must install a domestic office capable of performing intercepts.
¶ Developers of software that enables peer-to-peer communication must redesign their service to allow interception.

Read the entire article: NYT

Flouting the rule of law seems to be a family trait.

Obama's Aunt, you may remember, became an issue during the campaign. But, it all magically went away. She's still here, and she thinks you have an obligation to take care of her, because God said so.

Police warn residents after Whisper Lake children are approached by motorist

Madison police are warning residents to be wary of unfamiliar vehicles in their neighborhoods after a report of a motorist talking with children at the Whisper Lake section of Annandale Saturday.
According to witnesses, a driver in an older model white van resembling a construction van pulled alongside three children out walking and began to ask them if they were going to the clubhouse to swim. Madison Police Capt. Robert Sanders said the three became uncomfortable with the questions and ran to a nearby home to report the incident. The driver continued driving on Whisper Lake Avenue toward Whisper Lake Boulevard.

The motorist was described as a bald man in his late 30s to early 40s with no facial hair.

Similar situations of a motorist approaching children happened in July in Bradford Place and Sherbourne subdivisions. A Jackson man, Ricky Wayne Davis, 49, was arrested last month and charged with two counts of attempted enticement of a child and two counts of attempted kidnapping. He is in the Madison County Detention Center on $2 million bond.

Anyone with information about this or with concerns should call the Madison Police Department at (601) 856-6111.

MCH

MC Herald: Ridgeland teen arrested on Madison burglary charge

A Ridgeland teen has been arrested by Madison police on burglary charges.

Brandon Lambert, 17, of 102 Chicot Cove, is being charged as an adult with one count of house burglary, possession of burglary tools and a switched car tag, according to a police statement.

He is being held at the Madison County Detention Center pending an initial appearance Monday. No bond has been set.

MCH

Hedgecock: Democrats Want to Destroy Fiorina and Angle

by Roger Hedgecock

This much we know.

Carly Fiorina overcame a competitive field to decisively win the California Republican Senate primary election, earning the right to compete against incumbent Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer in the November election.

Sharron Angle came from way behind to win decisively in the Nevada Republican primary election, earning the right to compete against incumbent Democrat Sen. Harry Reid in November.

What is not yet publicly known is the scorched-earth negative campaigns already beginning against both of these Republican women.

Hints in recent weeks have made it clear that the Democrats will not only campaign to retain these Senate seats, they will launch an immediate, relentless personal assault designed to destroy both women's reputations personally and politically.

What the liberal elites cannot stand about both women goes far beyond disagreement over their political views.

Both women were endorsed by Sarah Palin. Palin's endorsement in these races and others (notably Nikki Haley) made a positive difference. By contrast, Obama's endorsement didn't help Arlen Specter, or John Corzine, Creigh Deeds or Martha Coakley and only Bill Clinton saved Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas.

Why does Palin and everything she says and does provoke such a torrent of bile and abuse from the left? It’s because she is a successful, powerful woman who is definitely not a liberal feminist, and because she is an authentic American women of her time.

Palin is a success in her career, while she is also a mother facing the kind of difficulties in her family that sound all too real to many American families. She lives the daily juggling act that liberal feminists only write about.

Worse yet for the liberal elites in government, academia, and the media, she is politically powerful because she is authentic.

I witnessed Palin's appeal firsthand at the Tea Party Express rally in Harry Reid's hometown of Searchlight, Nev. On a cold, wind-swept day in the high desert before a crowd of nearly 30,000, Sarah Palin was introduced to a standing ovation.

But then something extraordinary happened. Women in the audience rushed the stage, many holding up Palin's book and all chanting "Sarah, Sarah." When was Nancy Pelosi last (or ever) greeted this way?

The gap between arrogant ruling liberal elites and "We the People," which fueled the Tea Party movement in the first place, has never been more apparent than when comparing the Botox phony feminist with a real accomplished American woman.

So get ready Carly and Sharron. The tornado of bitter, mean, false labels and charges is just beginning.

In Fiorina's case, Boxer has already previewed the witch's brew. According to Senator (don't call me ma'am) Boxer, Fiorina, as CEO of Hewlett-Packard, deliberately outsourced American jobs overseas, violated environmental standards and gouged her employees and the consuming public in a greedy drive to amass an obscene fortune while she, Barbara Boxer, by contrast has devoted her life to public service and the public good. Translation: Carly has actually created thousands of private sector jobs.

As for Sharron Angle, if you listen to Reid's paid shills in Nevada, she's a right-wing nut who would dismantle all the successful, necessary agencies of government and is backed by gun-toting militias full of Timothy McVeigh wannabes.

Apparently, Angle has the temerity to question the effectiveness of the federal Department of Education, and other monuments to wasteful, failed (and unconstitutional) liberal programs. And Americans who understand the importance of the 2nd Amendment do support her. Reid will soon find out that those supporters include the majority of Nevadans.

But beyond being prepared for the liberal smear machine, both Fiorina and Angle have a golden opportunity to unleash a secret weapon—the truth.

The truth is the U.S. cannot borrow its way to prosperity, our indebtedness to China is not an asset, and government "stimulus" is not creating good jobs. In short, Obama's campaign of HOPE has produced anxiety and despair and the CHANGE is widely seen as destroying jobs.

Hard times caused by failing Obama policies championed by Boxer and Reid cannot be forever masked by extending unemployment benefits.

Beyond telling the truth (You know, folks, the Emperor has no clothes), these candidates—and all who would win in November—need to tell us what needs to be done. What would they propose as an alternate to the failing policies now in place?

What real reforms would actually make the American healthcare system work better at a lower cost to more people? Could putting more power in the hands of patients be the beginning of a better plan than Obamacare, which starts by putting all power and choice in the hands of the government?

What is the proper role of government regulation now that the most regulated parts of the economy (banks, insurance and oil companies, for example) have experienced the most failure while the least regulated parts of the economy (Apple, for example) are the only good news we have.

Now that we know that the open border policy pursued by George Bush is also the policy of President Obama—and with equally disastrous results—what would these two candidates, if elected to the U.S. Senate, offer as an alternative? Our national security as well as the nation’s sovereignty hangs in the balance on this issue.

In foreign policy, now that bowing to foreign despots and apologizing for America has not brought greater security but rather emboldened America's enemies to new levels of atrocity, is “Peace Through Strength” an idea whose time has come again ?

Nikki Haley has shown that personal attacks can be turned to an advantage, and I wish Carly and Sharron the same success in the coming mud-slinging season,

More importantly these women have the opportunity to re-state the vision that inspired generations of Americans: Liberty guarded by a limited government, low taxes, an opportunity society anchored in personal responsibility, a free-market economy spreading the wealth to all who choose to earn it.

With this vision, the candidates win and the country wins too.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roger Hedgecock is a nationally-syndicated radio talk host. Visit http://www.rogerhedgecock.com/ . The Roger Hedgecock Show is syndicated on the Radio America network.

Water running in West Madison, but questions remain.

According to a late Thursday afternoon report water began running about 5:30 p.m. Thursday for customers of the West Madison Utility District.

The district tapped into a back-up well for Flora which is being purchased by the Madison County Economic Development Authority for the utility district’s use after its own well collapsed, shutting off water for the Kearney Park and Magnolia Heights areas Sept. 12.

About a mile of pipe was laid to reach the well, which will also be used by Flora if a back-up well is needed.

This is great news for many out in the Kearney Park area. But, some questions remain.

Is this now going to be forgotten again? This problem has been ongoing for more than 25 years, and officials have known it.

Is this band-aid fix going to be the only thing that happens until another crash of the system? Over the years, small fixes have held the system together, oftentimes after residents have gone days or weeks without safe water. When the water would begin to flow again, West Madison and Madison County officials would fall back into business as usual.

Will the West Madison Utility District and Supervisor Karl Banks attempt to blame the residents when nothing is done again? Residents have been blamed for not signing a survey so that a grant could be obtained to help. But, there are a wide range of funding options throug a variety of agencies if officials really wanted to do something. Furthermore, residents and stakeholders were often turned away from board meetings, or the West Madison Utilities Board would go into Executive Session when they didn't want to answer tough questions. In one instance, a resident refused to leave and was threatened with arrest. That officials refuse to allow stakeholders to participate in solutions, yet blame them for not signing on to the only solution offered is arrogant and protectionist. People that would rather do a poor job than allow other solutions to be considered should be removed from the equation.

Will the West Madison Utility District find a way to blame the Town of Flora again for the problems that is the responsibility of West Madison? Flora residents and officials have come to the aid of Kearney Park and the West Madison Utility District countless times. Yet, when there is no easy excuse for their ineptitude they blame the Town of Flora for not pushing through "paperwork".

Or . . .

Will resident's come together and make some demands of Madison County to clean up the real problem? That problem is in the makeup of the utility district leadership itself, and how it has been politicized by the current Supervisor in order to protect his turf come election time. The underlying current here is race and socioeconomics. There have been many times that white and black residents have tried to come together to affect some change. There have also been a few times where there have been some investors interested in revitalizing the old Industrial area, a move that would benefit residents and businesses immensely. But, changes to the social and economic order mean those in power who mismanage, would begin to lose that power. No real infrastructure improvement, means no change to the status quo, and those in office stay in office. Resident's must come together and force the change.

West Madison Commissioner Lawrence Morris said, "That Flora well can supply us with water until we dig a new well.” Yet, there is no timetable for digging a new well.

If residents strike now, they can demand a plan be put together that will finally get this problem under control. It took an emergency for everyone to work together. But, it will take some changes in leadership to get it to stay that way.

Related Post: Here we go again! Decades old problems with West Madison Water District again rears it's ugly head.

Related Post: Madison Co. Routes Water From Flora To Help Cover Outage
Related Post: Madison Co. residents without water get relief
Related Post: Biting the hand the quenches? West Madison Utilities' Morris blames Kearney Park water problems on Town of Flora


West Madison Utilities/Kearney Park

MDEQ Promotes Drug Take Back Events

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) is encouraging Mississippians to participate in the upcoming drug take back events sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) this Saturday, September 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. People may bring unwanted solid prescription and overthe-counter medicines so they may be disposed of safely. Liquid medications, such as cough syrup will not be accepted.

Law enforcement agencies in Mississippi that are participating in the event and the addresses of the drop-off locations are as follows:

Brandon Police Department
1455 West Government Street
Brandon, Ms 39042

Gulfport Police Dept. Operations Bldg.
2810 34th Avenue
Gulfport, Ms 39501

12th Circuit Court Narcotics Enforcement Team
Forrest Countyn Multi-purpose Bldg.
962 Sullivan Drive
Hattiesburg, Ms 39401

Olive Branch Police Department
First Baptist Church 9235 Pigeon Roost Road
Olive Branch, Ms 38654

Pascagoula PoliceDepartment
Jackson County Civic Center
2902 Shortcut Road
Pascagoula, Ms 39567

Pass Christian Police Department
Pass Christian Public Library
111 Hiern Avenue
Pass Christian, Ms 39571

Pearl Police Department
Pearl Police Department Lobby
2422 Old Brandon Road
Pearl, Ms 39208

Terry Police Department
Terry Community Center (on side of Post Office)
104 Madison Street
Terry, Ms 39170

Warren County Sheriff’s Office
1000 Grove Street
Vicksburg, Ms 39183

Warren County Sheriff’s Office
Vicksburg Factory Outlet Mall
4000 S. Frontage Road
Vicksburg, Ms 39183

The event does not restrict drop off to only residents of the sponsoring community; therefore, residents may drop off unused medications at any nearby event site.

Unused drugs that are stored around the home may present a danger to people as well as to the environment when disposed of. Removing unused medications from the home can help prevent intentional misuse and unintentional poisonings of children and pets. However, dumping the medication down the drain or flushing it down the toilet can become a source of water contamination. Research is continuing into whether such water contamination adversely impacts human health or aquatic life.

Additional information on the take back events nationwide is available on the DEA’s website: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/takeback, and information on pharmaceuticals as pollutants can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/ppcp/

Gluckstadt GermanFest 2010 set for September 26

The 24th annual Gluckstadt GermanFest is scheduled for Sunday, September 26, 11 am - 5pm at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Gluckstadt.

The family-oriented festival is best known for its food and music. Free music will be provided by Die Mitternachters, an authentic German folk band. The band, which has entertained at GermanFests since the first festival 24 years ago, is a crowd pleaser. People who have never experienced a polka will tap their toes and maybe even get up and dance. And then there is the Chicken Dance, a favorite of young and old which truly has to be seen and heard to be fully appreciated.

Sizzling shish kabobs, bratwurst slathered in sauerkraut and authentic German desserts as well as pies, ice cream and other home-made favorites aplenty will be dished out all day. The menu also includes giant fresh oven-baked pretzels, hot dogs, and rippchenkraut, which is pork chops with homemade sauerkraut. Dark and light beer will be on tap, along with Pepsi products and bottled water. A special treat this year will be a German wine tasting booth.

Meal tickets cost $5 in advance, and will be $6 on the day of the festival. Advance meal tickets are available from parishioners of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Ticket information is also available by calling the parish office at 601-856-2054.

Horse drawn wagon rides, a climbing tower and an assortment of childrens games will provide hours of entertainment. A stroll about the grounds to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells is an experience to be savored.

For those who want to take home something to enjoy, the Country Store will be in business with an assortment of commemorative items, t-shirts, home made breads, desserts, jellies and canned goods. The hottest seller usually is the sauerkraut. Church members make hundreds of quarts of the salty cabbage delicacy using a recipe handed down through generations of German descendants living in Gluckstadt. Gifted church folk also have their creative energies in overdrive to produce fun craft items for sale.

The Gluckstadt community was founded in 1905 by families of German descent. Many of the descendants of the original families still attend St. Joseph. Each year St. Joseph Catholic Church hosts the GermanFest the last Sunday in September. GermanFest is the annual fund raising event for the church.

No coolers or solicitors will be allowed on the grounds. Festival goers are also asked to refrain from bringing pets.

The festival is held on the grounds of St. Joseph Catholic Church, which is located off Interstate 55 north of Madison. Take Exit 112 at Gluckstadt and go west three-tenths of a mile on Gluckstadt Road to Church Road. Or just follow the crowd from the Interstate.

Admission and parking are free. Festival goers may wish to bring a lawn chair. There usually aren't enough hay bales to go around.

For more information, call Pam Minninger, St. Joseph Catholic Church, 601.856.2054.

Yazoo bullying problems persist

Accusations of bullying have landed some Yazoo County high students in hot water. The school district is not commenting, but several parents are.

WLBT first began getting calls about bullying at the Yazoo County high school last Friday.

Monday we interviewed one parent of a student who was accused of being a bully. Jeanetta March says her son was sent home from school after she attended a meeting at the high school Monday morning.

March says her son was not involved, but was blamed for participating in a bullying incident where 13 students surrounded another student and harassed them.

March says the incident happened over two weeks ago, and that school officials were warned by students claiming to be victims, but nothing was ever done to prevent it.

March said, "The principals were advised as to what was going on before it got to that level and before it came to the point where the parents now are having to be called in for meetings and get involved in something that should have been squashed. Should have been handled on their level a long time ago when it was first addressed to them."

Just last year, an incident resulting from bullying was caught on a school bus camera in the same school district.

A 14-year-old was seen waving a gun at other students on her bus, after she claimed she was the victim of bullying.

The gun was eventually wrestled away from her by a football player, and no one was hurt.

Yazoo county officials would only say the incident is under investigation.

WLBT

This woman really has a screw loose.

Pelosi thinks Dems are headed for a victory in the House.

There is a joke here. I'm just undecided as to what it is, exactly.

Clinton helps launch clean cook stove initiative

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has announced a new program to introduce cleaner cook stoves around the world.

2 percent of Miss. teacher contracts not renewed

The state Department of Education says Mississippi schools cut about 2 percent of the jobs for certified teachers this academic year because of tight budgets.
That's a loss of about 705 jobs among the roughly 33,000 teaching positions.

State Board of Education member Claude Hartley told legislative budget writers Tuesday that losing teachers can mean larger class sizes, which can affect the quality of education.

The 705 job losses are for teachers whose contracts were not renewed.

The numbers don't include teaching jobs that are open because someone retired and a position wasn't filled.

The state Department of Education says 150 of the 152 school districts responded to its survey about employment levels. Agricultural high schools in Hinds and Coahoma counties did not respond.

SH

AP: Tea party group announces $1 million donation

A tea party group announced a $1 million donation from an anonymous donor Tuesday, a shot of cash to be spent before the election by a movement that has relied on grassroots outreach to fiscally conservative voters.

The nonprofit Tea Party Patriots said it had received the donation from a single contributor who wants it divided up and given to local coordinators by Oct. 4. The group's spokesman told reporters that recipients of the money must spend it by Nov. 2, but they are barred from using it for ads or fliers that mention a specific candidate.

Organizers said the donor wished to remain anonymous.

The Tea Party Patriots is one of several groups that have capitalized on a wave of voter anger and their message of fiscal prudence and smaller government. Candidates backed by tea party groups defeated Republican Party backed candidates in a number of Senate primary races.

Read the entire article: AP

Miss. jobless rate falls to 10 percent in August

Mississippi's unemployment rate dipped to 10 percent in August from 10.8 percent in July.
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics says that Mississippi was one of 13 states that recorded a decrease last month, on a seasonally adjusted basis.

The agency says there were 11,100 fewer people listed as unemployed last month in the state, while the civilian labor force dropped by 3,000. There were 800 more workers on non-farm payrolls, compared with July.

Mississippi's unemployment rate in August 2009 was 9.8 percent.

The national unemployment rate for August was unchanged from July at 9.6 percent. That rate was 9.7 percent in August 2009.

SH

Suspect convicted on bribery charge

A suspect on a drug charge in Madison County was convicted of trying to bribe a Madison County sheriff's deputy.

Dennis Jerome Beal was arrested on the bribery charge Feb. 5 after he delivered $4,000 to a deputy, expecting to have the drug charges pending against him dismissed, a sheriff's statement said.

Beal was given the maximum sentence of 10 years as a habitual offender, and the eight years of probation he was serving for a previous conviction was revoked.

He is facing trial on a sale of cocaine charge. If convicted, he will face a potential 120 additional years.

CL

Biting the hand the quenches? West Madison Utilities' Morris blames Kearney Park water problems on Town of Flora

As the Town of Flora officials and residents pitch in yet again to help out the people in Kearney Park with their water woes, Lawrence Morris with West Madison Utilities decided to blame Flora and the "paperwork" for the decades old problem. Morris told WAPT that it's taken so long because of the paperwork between West Madison Utilities and the Town of Flora.

"We finally got it together. You know, the paperwork can sometimes burn you out and delay some things," Morris said.

This statement comes despite the fact that Flora officials continue to work diligently to help West Madison Utilities connect the pipes that will run for more than a mile and tie into the main water line in Kearney Park. Flora Mayor Leslie Childress is working with the West Madison Utility District to hook up an emergency water line to the town's well.

There's also this: Madison Co. Routes Water From Flora To Help Cover Outage


West Madison Utilities still has no backup water system as required by health department regulation. But, that one is easily blamed on someone else, too.

County leaders said the community has been denied grants in the past to update the water system because of a failure by residents to fill out the required surveys. Officials said they are hoping residents will now be more motivated to get a new water system flowing.

There's more on the "survey" and grant denials HERE.

It would seem that many of the people of Kearney Park are having a hard time seeing they are being used by their "leaders" who don't care about doing anything but applying a bandaid to the problem. Maybe this time they will awaken to the reality of the situation.

Related Post: Here we go again! Decades old problems with West Madison Water District again rears it's ugly head.
Related Post: Madison Co. Routes Water From Flora To Help Cover Outage
Related Post: Madison Co. residents without water get relief


Urtak 3355

A Sad Ending To The Story

Ethel Simpson

Authorities await positive ID on body found at Edwards hog farm


Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin was tight-lipped today on details of the investigation into the killing of a woman believed to be 81-year-old Ethel Winstead Simpson of Clinton.

“I’m not going to comment on any aspects of the investigation,” he said, citing concerns that what he might say would adversely influence a future grand jury or trial jury considering charges against 39-year-old James Cobb Hutto of Jasper, Ala.

Law officers believe Hutto killed Simpson late Sept. 13 or early Sept. 14. Simpson was last seen the night Sept. 13 at Riverwalk Casino in Vicksburg wearing a red shirt and khaki pants. She was with Hutto, a convicted sex offender and kidnapper.

An examination of dental records today will provide information needed to positively identify the body.

Read the entire article at the Clarion Ledger Online

Related Posts: Clinton PD asks for help finding missing Clinton woman last seen with sex offender

Madison Co. residents without water get relief

One week without water. That's what nearly 500 households and businesses in west Madison County are dealing with.

Four hundred eighty-four West Madison Utility District customers have had little to no water pressure since last Sunday. They are all located in the Kearney Park area just north of Flora.

Utility Commissioner Nathaniel Johnson tells WLBT an old well collapsed and was shut down.

Sunday night a resident living near the area has running water and decided to share it.

"Friends of mine came by and said Erik we don't have any water to even flush out toilets. The little water that we have we have to wait until tomorrow to flush our toilets so I said no. It's time for me to do something so I went out, got a couple guys and girls together and we decided to do this and we decided we was not going to stop until we get the job completed," Erik Battle said.

Battle went door to door, helping his neighbors. The county is supplying bottled water to drink and residents have been instructed to boil any water available from the tap.

Flora Mayor Leslie Childress is working with the West Madison Utility District to hook up an emergency water line to the town's well.

No word on when water will begin flowing normally.

WLBT

Related Post: Here we go again! Decades old problems with West Madison Water District again rears it's ugly head.
Related Post: Madison Co. Routes Water From Flora To Help Cover Outage

UK Proposes All Paychecks Go to the State First

The UK's tax collection agency is putting forth a proposal that all employers send employee paychecks to the government, after which the government would deduct what it deems as the appropriate tax and pay the employees by bank transfer.

The proposal by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) stresses the need for employers to provide real-time information to the government so that it can monitor all payments and make a better assessment of whether the correct tax is being paid.

Currently employers withhold tax and pay the government, providing information at the end of the year, a system know as Pay as You Earn (PAYE). There is no option for those employees to refuse withholding and individually file a tax return at the end of the year.

If the real-time information plan works, it further proposes that employers hand over employee salaries to the government first.

"The next step could be to use (real-time) information as the basis for centralizing the calculation and deduction of tax," HMRC said in a July discussion paper.

HMRC described the plan as "radical" as it would be a huge change from the current system that has been largely unchanged for 66 years.

Even though the centralized deductions proposal would provide much-needed oversight, there are some major concerns, George Bull, head of Tax at Baker Tilly, told CNBC.com.

"If HMRC has direct access to employees' bank accounts and makes a mistake, people are going to feel very exposed and vulnerable," Bull said.

And the chance of widespread mistakes could be high, according to Bull. HMRC does not have a good track record of handling large computer systems and has suffered high-profile errors with data, he said.

The system would be massive in terms of data management, larger than a recent attempt to centralize the National Health Service's data, which was later scrapped, Bull said.

If there's a mistake and the HMRC collects too much money, the difficulty of getting it back could be high with repayments of tax taking weeks or months, he said.

"There has to be some very clear understanding of how quickly repayments were made if there was a mistake," Bull said.

HMRC estimated the potential savings to employers from the introduction of the concept would be about £500 million ($780 million).

But the cost of implementing the new system would be "phenomenal," Bull pointed out.

"It's very clear that the system does need to be modernized… It's outdated, it's outmoded," Emma Boon, campaigner manager at the Tax Payers' Alliance, told CNBC.com.

Boon said that the Tax Payers' Alliance was in favor of simplifying tax collection, but stressed that a new complex computer system would add infrastructure and administration costs at a time when the government is trying to reduce spending.

There is a further concern, according to Bull. The centralized storage of so much data poises a security risk as the system may be open to cyber crime.

As well as security issues, there's a huge issue of transparency, according to Boon.

Boon also questioned HMCR's ability to handle to the role effectively.

The Institute of Directors (IoD), a UK organization created to promote the business agenda of directors and entreprenuers, said in a press release it had major concerns about the proposal to allow employees' pay to be paid directly to HMRC.

CNBC

Candidate, Election Workers Kidnapped on Eve of Afghan Poll

Afghan officials say the Taliban has kidnapped 19 people, including a candidate and several campaign workers, on Frifay, the eve of nationwide parliamentary elections.

An Independent Election Commission spokesman confirmed Friday that a candidate had been kidnapped in eastern Laghman province. Eight election officials and 10 campaign workers were also reported kidnapped in northwestern Badghis province

Taliban militants have already killed at least three candidates and several campaign workers in the run-up to Saturday's vote. The group is threatening to stage countrywide attacks, as it did during last year's presidential elections in an effort to intimidate voters.

Read more at VOA

Clinton PD asks for help finding missing Clinton woman last seen with sex offender

Ethel Simpson

Clinton police and family members of an 81 year old Clinton resident are fearing the worst. This after she was last seen with a violent offender.

Ethel Simpson visits the Baptist Healthplex Center on the Mississippi College campus every day. Monday she had a fender bender in the parking lot. She went back inside and was approached by a stranger who had signed in using a guest pass. 39 year old James Cobb Hutto.

WLBT obtained pictures of the wanted man. He is wearing a black T-shirt and signing in for a guest pass. We ask if she was targeted? "It's difficult to say but a good strong possibility," replied Chief Don Byington during a Thursday morning news conference.

Police say Hutto befriended the woman. He and Mrs. Simpson are seen leaving the healthplex together, with Hutto behind the wheel of her Mercedes. That sent up a red flag. An employee was on the last people to talk to her around 4:30 Monday afternoon. "She said she felt sorry for him. She said I really think he's on the up and up," according to Jan Cossitt.

James Hutto

But was James Hutto truthful? We have learned they went to lunch, then she dropped him off at a Clinton hotel. "He said to Simpson, that he had not told anybody but he had cancer and he had no family," according to Chief Byington.

Despite warnings, the elderly woman winds up with Hutto at a Vicksburg casino Monday night. They were last seen leaving the casino together around 11;40 p.m. What she didn't know was, this man has a violent criminal history.

"At present he is wanted for not registering as a sex offender." The Alabama man's rap sheet reveals a troubling history. Criminal trespassing, domestic violence, 1st degree kidnapping and felony sexual abuse. According to Jan Cossitt, "He just prayed on a big hearted elderly lady, he is an excellent con man apparently."

The last known sighting was at 3:00 in the morning. The Mercedes was seen traveling east on I-20. No one knows if Ethel Simpson was in the car.

Simpson's Mercedes is a silver C 240 4-door model, with a broken rear tail light on the driver's side. The tag number is HXH 426.

Anyone with information about Ethel Simpson or James Cobb Hutto's whereabouts should contact the Clinton Police Department 601-924-5252.

UPDATE: James Cobb Hutto, the man sought in connection with the disappearance of an elderly Clinton woman, has been arrested in Alabama. There is still no sign of the missing woman, Ethel Simpson. Hutto was driving her car when he was found.


WLBT

Have Democrats become this blatant because they have no fear of prosecution, or is it just ignorance?

Eleanor Holmes Norton

The title of the post on Big Government says Shock Audio. I know when your given the word "Shock" these days its usually just to get your attention and very seldom is it truly shocking. This, however, truly is shocking.

I kept listening for the end when some voiceover would say, "GOTCHA!" But, it didn't happen. Go to the link below and scroll down and listen to House Member Eleanor Holmes Norton make a fundraising call to a lobbyist. What's worse than the call is the fact that she was ignorant enough to leave such a detailed and incriminating voicemail.

Shock Audio: Facing ‘Obligations’ From Leadership, Democrat Congresswoman Leaves Voicemail for Lobbyist Cash

MCJ: Supervisor wants more time to look at budget

Supervisor D.I. Smith

Madison County approved a $70.9 million budget without a tax increase, but at least one supervisor complained that he and the public didn't have a chance to see the numbers far enough in advance.

Overall, the budget is up slightly over last year, but $20 million in one-time bond monies helped inflate the 2009-2010 numbers and forced some department heads to make cuts this year.

District 2 Supervisor Tim Johnson touted the budget, thanking Comptroller Quandice Green and others for their had work balancing the budget and avoiding a tax increase in a hard economic year.

Supervisor Tim Johnson

"It was a tough budget, but we're going to move forward with no tax increase," Johnson said. "There's only one county that has lower taxes than Madison County and that's Tunica. And not that I'm advocating it, but if they allowed us to open a casino on the Pearl River we could probably beat Tunica County too."

The board voted 3-2 to approve the proposed budget with District 1's John Bell Crosby and District 3's D.I. Smith voting against.

Smith said that he was disappointed that he didn't get a copy of the budget until last week and felt the public had no information ahead of time.

"To me it's unconscionable to hold a public hearing when the public hasn't even been given anything to look at," Smith said. "We should be giving an overview of what we're getting in this budget and what we're losing."

Read the entire article at The Madison County Journal

Madison Co. Routes Water From Flora To Help Cover Outage

Water Brought In For Residents

Madison County has restored water to about 250 residents, but another 250 are still without, officials said.

On Tuesday, officials with the Madison County Utilities Board attributed the outage to a pump that stopped in the Kearney Park community. Residents there have been without water for about three days.

The county has also brought in a 6,000 gallon tanker to provide water to residents to use for household purposes. Bottled drinking water has also been distributed to residents, county officials said.

County officials said the faulty pump should be fixed by the end of the week.

WAPT

Related Posts: Here we go again! Decades old problems with West Madison Water District again rears it's ugly head.

Does it really matter that they were stupid?

Jamie and Gladys Scott

200 protesters marched in support of the release of sisters, Jamie and Gladys Scott, who have spent 16 years in prison for a robbery. Apparently it's supposed to matter that they only managed to get 11 bucks for the effort. Does being a stupid criminal mean it's somehow less of a crime?



Chokwe Lumumba

 How stupid? Well they've hired attorney, New Afrikan, and Jackson Councilman Chokwe Lumumba to represent them. So, they've definitely not gained a great deal of intelligence in the past 16 years.

Hundreds Rally For Release of Miss. Women,


Nearly 200 protesters marched to the governor's mansion and the Mississippi Capitol to call for the release of two sisters who are serving life sentences for a robbery that netted $11.

Representatives of the Mississippi ACLU and several other groups joined civil rights veterans in the effort to get a pardon for Jamie and Gladys Scott, who have served nearly 16 years in prison for the 1993 crime in Scott County.

The sisters' attorney Chokwe Lumumba met Wednesday with one of Gov. Haley Barbour's staff attorneys about their petition for a pardon or a reduced sentence. Barbour's office has said the governor is waiting to receive a recommendation from the state Parole Board.

WJTV

Opinion: Evil Islam Cannot Be Tolerated

BY: Steve Casey

On 9/11, this year, I received two email videos that reveal the reality of the depth of the propaganda and lies we are hearing about the "peaceful religion" of which we should "be more tolerant."


The first video was of Muslims burning Christians – not books – they were burning people alive. They threw them into a shallow ditch and set leafy branches on fire on and around them. If they tried to escape they were beaten and pushed or dragged back into the fire. An old lady trying to escape was brutally knocked down and pushed back in the fire. All while others stood around and watched. How evil can humans get?!

The second video was of a young Muslim woman being beaten and kicked as punishment for her crime. What crime? Refusing to marry the old man that had been picked to be her husband/master. The judge ordered that she be killed. She was dragged into the street and executed by a mob of men and boys in compliance with Islamic Sharia Law. Her life ended as a man took a cinder block and mashed her head twice. The video was filmed on a cell phone as young boys took pictures with their cell phones.

This is the Islamic Sharia Law of which we are being asked to be more compliant and honor within our courts.

Evil of this nature cannot be tolerated by a civilized people. Sure there are peaceful Muslims around, but we don’t hear any outcry from them against this evil brutality. These radicals rule Muslim countries and they will not be content until they rule everyone.

We need to face the truth about these radicals we are dealing with. The truth may not be politically correct. But then the politically correct is seldom true.

Memorial Fund set up for Blake Walley

Daniel Blake Walley

The Bank of Yazoo has set up a memorial fund for Blake Walley. Walley was killed in a one vehicle accident in Louisiana on Sunday. Blake, reffered to by many as just "Walley", was a great guy, a good friend to many and always greeted people with a smile and a handshake. He was the type of person the world needs more of.

Troopers say the 26-year-old Walley of Flora was eastbound on Interstate 12 Sunday when he ran off the road and hit a tree. A medic from the U.S. Navy travelling with his wife witnessed the wreck, and pulled over to help until emergency officials could make it to the scene. Walley was taken to the Ochsner Medical Center in Slidell where he was later pronounced dead.


Checks should be made payable and mailed to:

Blake Walley Memorial Fund


Bank of Yazoo
P.O. Box 360
Flora, MS 39071


Or call the Flora Branch of the Bank of Yazoo at 601.879.0060

Obituary

Funeral services are scheduled for today at 6 PM at First Baptist Church of Flora. Visitation will begin at 3 PM also at the church. Interment will follow in the Flora Cemetery.


Walley as he was known to his friends, which was everyone because he never met a stranger, was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi on June 30th 1984. Walley was a Cowboy's Cowboy, that was actually born a 100 years after his time, loved horses, cattle and the wide open range.

Walley would have given John Wayne a run for his money. He loved his friends and family. Walley would jump from the cowboy range to the sands of a beach sipping a cool drink and listening to Jimmy Buffet wide open before you could say "Hey Walley want to go to the beach?"

Blake would help anyone from an elderly woman on the side of the road with a flat tire to perfectly healthy grown man. "No" was a word that didn't exist in Walley's heart or mind, he was a joy, a bright light that shone on everyone he was near. Kind words, funny words, always full of words that kept you on your toes and in stitches.

"Wallyisms" are what his best friends called them, the beautiful, witty words of wisdom that always flowed from his sweet mind and lips. I am sure we can all recall many "Wallyisms". He was our McClintock, our comedian, our star of stage and screen, he was our Star.

Julia and I thank God for the gift of Blake and the 26 wonderful years we were given. We know you all loved him dearly and we wish for you the same joy he had, as Blake would say "Everyday is a Holiday".

He is preceded in death by his grandfather, Lt. Col. D.R. Walley, Sr.

He is survived by his parents, Dan Walley and Julia Childress Walley; his maternal grandparents, William Lee and Mary Nell Childress; and his paternal grandmother, Jo Nell Walley.


Related Posts: Flora Man Dies After Vehicle Hits Tree

Here we go again! Decades old problems with West Madison Water District again rears it's ugly head.

The issue of bad pipes, pumps, and a poorly managed Water District in Kearney Park and Magnolia Heights is decades old. For years Supervisor Karl Banks has used West Madison Water District to his benefit to keep poor and underpriviledged people in his pocket when he needed their votes. Banks has promised grant money and improvements so many times over the past 25 years that most of the residents have lost count. Yet somehow he has a new solution just in time for his reelection every 4 years. If only those voters put him back into office, he'll get it done for them. When he needs a scapegoat, he blames the whole problem on residents that refuse to sign a survey for the grant.

Watch the Water Board Commissioner at 1:01 of THIS VIDEO FROM WAPT trumpet yet another call for the illusory grant that never materializes. They have been in the "process" of getting this grant for years. Also, watch around 1:33 when the report quotes Banks using the survey excuse. Also, note that Mr. Banks doens't bother to provide a statement on camera.

During the last election cycle, I and the now Flora Mayor Leslie Childress were walking the streets of Magnolia Heights talking to folks. Childress was challenging Banks for Supervisor, and I was writing an article on the water problems in Kearney Park and how residents have had to deal with it for decades. One of my interviews was with Evelyn Brown, seen in the video above. She's been fighting this fight a long time. At the time of our visit, the residents were going through yet another water problem, with pipes busting and water heaters exploding in homes. Within 45 minutes of our first visits with residents, a car drove up full of Banks supporters to argue with us in the street about what a good job Mr. Banks was doing, and how a grant was available if he was re-elected. It became obvious that residents are being watched to ensure their compliance in the ongoing charade.

Same Old Story.

It's right out of the Bennie Thompson playbook. Keeping his district poor and black means Ole Karl stays in power. Too much infrastructure improvement might lead to investment from people with money and resources; people who wouldn't put up with this crap. Of course, in his bid to remain in power, ethics or the appearance of impropriety have never really concerned the longest seated Supervisor in Madison County.

Concerned citizens have tried to attend board meetings to see how they could help, and local contractors have offered assistance. But the West Madison Water District Board wouldn't know an Open Meetings Law if someone hit them in the head with it. When confronted with the fact that they haven't been doing their job, they simply go into executive session, and have even called the cops on residents who refused to leave the meeting.



Report from WJTV:




And from the CL

Flora water system to be out for days

Madison County is supplying water to residents around Flora who normally get their supply from the West Madison water district.

The 500 or so residents in the Magnolia Heights and Kearney Park areas went under a boil water notice Friday and the water system failed on Sunday, Butch Hammack, the county's emergency operations director said.

Repairs are being made to the system, but the well could be out of working order anywhere from three to 10 days, Hammack said.

The county has taken a 6,000-gallon tanker to the area for residents to use for household purposes and cases of bottled water for drinking, he said

This problem won't be fixed until people in Kearney Park come together and decide that Mr. Banks politics is not worth the price they are paying.