Affirmative Action at work: Nettleton School District firestorm brewing.

Nettleton Middle School Principal Van Ross

Class Officers Segregated By Race Mississippi school divides posts into black, white seats

Children running for class officer posts at a Mississippi public school are only allowed to compete for certain positions based on their race, according to a memo handed out last week to students.

The Nettleton Middle School elections are divided between offices pegged for black and white students, according to the memo, which was provided to TSG by a parent. The document was handed out to every student in the school’s sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, and it details the race requirements for each of four class officer spots (president, vice president, secretary-treasurer, and reporter).

A few days ago, according to blogger Suzy Richardson, Nettleton Middle School students brought home the above memo, which spells out the requirements for students who want to run for class office:

Of the 12 offices for which students compete, eight are earmarked for white students (including the three class president spots), while four are termed “black” seats. Middle school administrators have not returned TSG phone calls, so it is unclear how this policy was established, or whether the number of offices apportioned for each race changes annually. Additionally, it is unknown how children who are not black or white would run for student government offices.

Students seeking class office were directed to return their election applications, complete with the petition signatures of 10 classmates, to science teacher Jenny Payne by August 24. The Nettleton middle school has about 400 students, and about 72 percent are white, according to a source familiar with the school board's operation. The majority of the remaining students are black.

TSG

Hospital for South Madison County takes another hit from State Health Officer

State Health Officer Dr. Mary Currier

Currier rules against St. Dominic in ‘hospital war’


State health officer Mary Currier has denied St. Dominic Health Systems’ request to build a 71-bed hospital just north of Madison.

Currier’s decision was announced yesterday. St. Dominic officials told The Clarion-Ledger they would appeal the decision to Hinds County Chancery Court.

Currier says she agreed with her staff that the hospital isn’t needed.

Health Management Associates, which owns the only hospital in Madison County, had opposed St. Dominic’s plan to relocate 71 beds from its Jackson campus to suburban Madison.

It was St. Dominic’s third attempt to open a facility in Madison County

MBJ

JJ: Let the hit pieces commence

Jerry Mitchell

Kingfish at Jackson Jambalaya takes the Clarion Ledger and reporter Jerry Mitchell to task for a one-sided story on State Auditor Stacy Pickering.

It didn't take long after Neshoba for the Clarion-Ledger to do a hit job on State Auditor Stacy Pickering.

Hmmm..... I wonder how Mr. Mitchell even found out about Mr. Pickering's use of a state vehicle. It wouldn't be at all surprising if the "tip" came from someone doing some "opposition research". Its pretty obvious to any political observer Mr. Pickering will be a serious candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Family name. Good looks. Base of Laurel and Hattiesburg. Name recognition in the Jackson area due to his current tenure as State Auditor. Then there are the family connections and networks that could help if made available to him. Its no coincidence the Clarion-Ledger wrote a hit piece on an up-and-coming young conservative politician.

Frankly, its hard to see what the fuss is about. Mr. Pickering is to be admired if commuting from Laurel as it shows dedication to his job and his family. Mr. Pickering could have imitated some current state senators: get another home here in Jackson, keep the family stuffed out of sight and mind in another part of the state, and make a mockery of his marriage. Mr. Pickering instead chose to commit himself to the roles of State Auditor, husband, and father. For doing so, he earned sniping from the "state newspaper" and the rest of the Jackson media. The same media that lauds one particular state Senator from another part of the state who is married, keeps a home here in Jackson, stuffs the family out of sight and mind back home, and flaunts his floozies in public for all to see while the media talks about what a great guy he is because he is the media's best friend. He is not the only legislator who does that either. Mr. Pickering returned over three million dollars to the taxpayers of Mississippi, dwarfing the record of is predecessor. For his troubles, Mr. Pickering earns a small salary, which he knew when he ran for office. If Mr. Pickering's use of a state vehicle costs even a few thousand dollars, its a bargain. Forget the fundraising numbers, if Mr. Pickering is receiving this kind of scrutiny from the Clarion-Ledger, somone must be worried.

Read the entire article at Jackson Jambalaya