Reed is considered one of the architects of the rise of the Republican Party in the South during the 1960's that helped build the "two-party system" we have today.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Republican Stalwart Reed Reportedly Injured In Accident In Greenville
Reed is considered one of the architects of the rise of the Republican Party in the South during the 1960's that helped build the "two-party system" we have today.
Senator Kyl: Administration holding border security "hostage" until it is combined with immigration reform (Video)
Immigration
Friday, June 18, 2010
Congressman Harper Discusses the BP Drilling Incident with GOP Leaders(Video)
Yesterday, Congressman Harper discussed his thougts with GOP leaders about the Gulf Oil Spill, and the steps needed to correct the situation.
Bentonia Blues Fest This Saturday, June 19.
The Bentonia Blues Festival takes place in downtown Bentonia, located off U.S. 49 between Jackson and Yazoo City. Performers at the free event include headliner Bobby Rush, scheduled to appear at 9 p.m. The day's events begin at 9 a.m. with a series of gospel performers.
The festival is run by bluesman Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, proprietor of Bentonia's Blue Front Cafe, one of the oldest juke joints in the state. Holmes' parents, Carey and Mary Holmes, started the cafe in 1948, and the festival evolved out of blues gatherings at their home.
Holmes, who began performing actively in the last decade, has recorded four mostly acoustic CDs and aims to keep alive the distinctive local tradition most famously represented by blues pioneer Skip James.
"It's an honor to pay homage to the old guys like Skip James, Jack Owens and Jacob Stuckey who laid down the foundation for it all," says Holmes. "I feel like it's because of them that I'm doing what I'm doing, and to take it in another direction would be to dishonor them."
Last weekend Holmes performed at the Chicago Blues Festival on the Mississippi Juke Joint stage, which is underwritten by the Mississippi Development Authority to promote blues tourism. The Bentonia event will feature a number of other artists who appeared in Chicago, namely Dexter Allen, the Jarekus Singleton Band and the duo of Alphonso Sanders and Bill "Howlin' Madd" Perry.
Also performing are Eden Brent, 19th Street Red, the Roosevelt Roberts Blues Review and Brian Sivils.
Related events include a free screening of the blues documentary M For Mississippi, which features Holmes, at the Triangle Cultural Center in Yazoo City at 6:30 tonight, and a jam session at the Blue Front Cafe that begins at 5 p.m. Friday.
For more information, visit Bentonia Blues Festival on Facebook.
Breaking records: Holmes Ridgeland hits new heights in enrollment
"Even with that in place, we won't have enough room, but that's a great problem to have," vice president Joe Adams said. "We'd rather have it overcrowded than have empty spots out there."
Empty spots in the parking lot or in the classrooms haven't been a problem, nor do they seem likely any time soon. The two-year college continues to break its records for enrollment this summer, building on growth that hits new highs each fall and spring.
Taking classes in the first summer session are 2,098 students, and the June 23 registration for the second term in July will push that number higher. Last summer's total enrollment was 1,940. Since 2007, the increase in summer enrollment has risen 33.5 percent.
"We're very busy," Adams said. "We are meeting the educational needs of both the traditional students, 18-21 years of age, which represents 55 percents of our enrollment, and the non-traditional students by offering classes during the day, evening, and online."
Bumping up summer enrollment are the students coming home from the four-year colleges they attend.
Michael Tate Webb of Madison will head back to the University of Mississippi in August as a sophomore with 12 credit hours from Holmes summer sessions added to his transcript.
Last summer he took a three-hour course at Holmes before joining the freshman class at Ole Miss.
"This is an opportunity to catch up on credits and get ahead for the year," Webb said. "Plus, it gives me something to do over the summer."
Read the entire article at The Madison County Herald
Proposed Landfill Concerns Madison County Residents
RIDGELAND, Miss. -- Neighbors are concerned about another landfill that could go up in Madison County.
It's set to go next to the Little Dixie Landfill on North County Line Road in Ridgeland. There's also another landfill on the road.
It was a packed house at Potter's House Worship and Fellowship Center in Jackson Thursday night.
The meeting was for neighbors to voice their concerns about the proposed landfill. Most said they worry about the affects it'll have on their health.
"These types of landfills can cause many, many health problems," said the Rev. Holiness Barnes Jr. "First, it has to do with our respiratory system, water intake. I'm deeply opposed for that reason."
"I don't think anybody wants a landfill next to their house, but this proposed landfill is going to be located between two other landfills and my clients understand that," said Bryant Clark, the attorney for North County Line Thomas Lane Community Association. "What else can be in between a landfill than another landfill?"
Barnes said the landfills in the area aren't kept up.
According to Clark, developers said the proposed landfill will have vegetation planted along the road so it won't be noticeable to drivers.
WAPT
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Plain Spoken New Jersey Governor Just Tells The Truth, It's An Odd New Politics
I've posted a few videos of the of the new plain-spoken Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie. Every time I view one, I like him more and more.
Sierra Club, others sue to stop Miss. Power plant
The Sierra Club filed a lawsuit Thursday trying to stop Mississippi Power Co. from developing a coal-fired, electric-generating plant in the east central part of the state.
The lawsuit was filed in coastal Harrison County Chancery Court.
In May, the state Public Service Commission voted 2-1 to ease restrictions it had put on the Kemper County plant.
Sierra Club state director Louie Miller described that decision as a "flip flop." He said it would allow Mississippi Power to charge rate payers for the costs of the plant before it's even built.
Miller said the PSC refused to order Mississippi Power to disclose how much customers will pay in rates for the new plant.
"Agreeing to unknown increased electric rates for Kemper is like buying a car when the salesman won't tell you what it costs," Miller said in a statement. "This is an outrage and betrayal of the public trust."
Mississippi Power officials had no immediate comment. The lawsuit represents only one side of a legal argument.
Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of the Atlanta-based Southern Co., has said the plant would use a new technology that converts lignite into a gas that would fuel turbines to create electricity. Company officials said the lignite would be locally mined and would be cheaper than natural gas.
The utility said more than 4 billion tons of lignite are underground near the plant site, and it has options on 30,000 acres.
The proposed 582-megawatt plant is expected to begin generating power by 2014, according to the utility.
Mississippi Power officials say the plant will create 260 permanent jobs and 1,000 jobs during the construction phase.
Associated Press
The lawsuit was filed in coastal Harrison County Chancery Court.
In May, the state Public Service Commission voted 2-1 to ease restrictions it had put on the Kemper County plant.
Sierra Club state director Louie Miller described that decision as a "flip flop." He said it would allow Mississippi Power to charge rate payers for the costs of the plant before it's even built.
Miller said the PSC refused to order Mississippi Power to disclose how much customers will pay in rates for the new plant.
"Agreeing to unknown increased electric rates for Kemper is like buying a car when the salesman won't tell you what it costs," Miller said in a statement. "This is an outrage and betrayal of the public trust."
Mississippi Power officials had no immediate comment. The lawsuit represents only one side of a legal argument.
Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of the Atlanta-based Southern Co., has said the plant would use a new technology that converts lignite into a gas that would fuel turbines to create electricity. Company officials said the lignite would be locally mined and would be cheaper than natural gas.
The utility said more than 4 billion tons of lignite are underground near the plant site, and it has options on 30,000 acres.
The proposed 582-megawatt plant is expected to begin generating power by 2014, according to the utility.
Mississippi Power officials say the plant will create 260 permanent jobs and 1,000 jobs during the construction phase.
Associated Press
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Proof that "A mind is a terrible thing to waste"
The celebration of ignorance continues, and even after being told in terms a 6-year old could understand what the theme of the card meant, they still thought it was about "black whores".
Stupid is as stupid does, and you can't fix stupid.
FOX
Stupid is as stupid does, and you can't fix stupid.
NAACP Urges Hallmark to Pull 'Racist' Card From Shelves
LOS ANGELES --- A space-themed, talking Hallmark graduation card is being pulled from store shelves because of the card’s reference to a black hole.
But members of the Los Angeles NAACP say the message sounds like "black whore" in the card's audio recording. That's how they hear it, and they say it's racist, KABC-TV in Los Angeles reported.
"That was very demeaning to African-American women when it made reference to African-American women as whores, and at the end it says 'watch your back,'" said Leon Jenkins of the Los Angeles NAACP.
The Hallmark card reads, "Hey world, we are officially putting you on notice," before playfully touting the ambitious future of the new graduate.
Characters known as "Hoops" and "Yoyo" banter on: "And you black holes, you are so ominous. Watch your back."
Hallmark calls the outrage a misunderstanding, claiming that the space theme emphasizes the power the graduate has to take over the universe, even energy-absorbing black holes.
"The intent here is to say that this graduate is not afraid of anything," explained Hallmark spokesman Steve Doyal.
Apparently, NAACP members heard something different.
FOX
Monday, June 7, 2010
Only in the minds of government bureaucrats is spending more considered "cost -saving"
Inspector General’s Memo: Census Says It Hired More Workers Than It Needed As a ‘Cost-Saving Measure’
The U.S. Census purposefully hired more workers than it needed, telling the Office of the Inspector General of the Commerce Department that it did so as a “cost-saving measure,” according to a memorandum that Todd J. Zinser of the inspector general’s office sent to Census Bureau Director Robert Groves last week.
“According to Census,” said Zinser’s May 26 memo to Groves, “‘frontloading’ its workforce (i.e. hiring and training more enumerators than necessary to offset turnover) is a cost-saving measure.” The inspector general’s memo, however, suggested that in at least one Census Bureau operation excessive staff had increased the “cost of operations” and that in another operation deployment of an unnecessarily large number of workers "increased the operation’s direct labor and travel costs."
In the first quarter of this year (January-March), personnel from the inspector general’s office observed Census Bureau operations in four programs. These included “update/leave” (U/L), in which Census workers deliver questionnaires to homes that would not be reached by ordinary mail service; “update/enumerate” (U/E), which counts people in communities where the homes lack ordinary mailing addresses or street names; "enumeration at transitory locations" (ETL), which counts people at places where their residences are potentially mobile, such as recreational vehicle parks, campgrounds, marinas and carnivals; and “service-based enumeration” (SBE), which counts homeless people at places such as homeless shelters, mobile food vans and so-called “targeted non-sheltered outdoor locations” (TNSOL).
The inspector general’s memo said that the Census Bureau had “overestimated” the staff needed for the program to enumerate people at transitory locations. “During the ETL operation,” said the memo, “crew leaders overestimated the number of Census staff needed to enumerate transitory locations, thus increasing the cost of operations.”
The memo also said that there were so many people hired for the “service-based enumeration” that there turned out to be one Census enumerator for every seven homeless people counted, and that the inspector general’s office “observed significant periods of enumerator inactivity at certain locations.”
"In another operation [which the inspector general’s office confirmed to CNSNews.com was the SBE program],” said the memo, “we found many enumerator teams to be unnecessarily large—an average ratio of one enumerator for just seven homeless respondents. We observed significant periods of enumerator inactivity at certain locations, which increased the operation’s direct labor and travel costs.”
As a result of these problems, the inspector general suggested that the Census bureau should “reevaluate” frontloading—that is, the practice of hiring more enumerators than necessary to cover anticipated turnover. “Census should reevaluate its practice of frontloading and develop a better process to estimate workload and cost assumptions,” said the memo. “A more streamlined enumeration process could reduce training and travel costs and be more responsive to changing economic conditions.”
The inspector general’s quarterly report to Congress on the Census, published on May 5, also noted that there had been one Census enumerator for every seven homeless people counted at locations other than “targeted non-sheltered outdoor locations” in the SBE program. “We also found many enumerator teams to be unnecessarily large--an average ratio of one enumerator for just seven homeless respondents for non-TNSOL operations,” said the report. “As a result, we observed significant periods of inactivity at these locations, which unnecessarily increased the cost of the SBE operation.”
CNSNews.com asked the inspector general’s office if it had determined that the Census Bureau’s practice of hiring more workers than needed, the so-called “frontloading,” had indeed been a “cost-saving measure” as the bureau had contended and whether the program referred to as “another operation” in the quotation above was in fact the SBE program. The inspector general’s office confirmed via email that the program in question was indeed the SBE program, but said it had not done the analysis to determine whether or not the Census Bureau’s “frontloading” in hiring had saved money.
“Our office has not done the analysis to conclude that Census’s practice of ‘frontloading’ its workforce is or is not a cost-saving measure,” said the email from the inspector general’s office. “Our recommendations are based on our observations of the operations mentioned in the second paragraph of the memo—update/leave (U/L), update/enumerate (U/E), enumeration at transitory locations (ETL), and SBE.”
CNSNews.com asked the Census Bureau two questions about the inspector general's memo: Did the bureau contest the inspector general's conclusion that there was an average of one enumerator for each seven homeless people counted in the SBE program? Does the bureau still contend that "frontloading" its workforce by "hiring and training more enumerators than necessary in order to offset turnover" is in fact a cost-saving measure?
Michael C. Cook, public information officer for the 2010 Census, responded by email. "Experiences in 1990 and 2000 have demonstrated cost and time efficiencies associated with the early training of sufficient employees to replace those lost through attrition," he said.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday that employment in the United States grew by 433,000 jobs in May, but that those jobs included 411,000 temporary workers hired by the Census Bureau.
CNS
Census
The U.S. Census purposefully hired more workers than it needed, telling the Office of the Inspector General of the Commerce Department that it did so as a “cost-saving measure,” according to a memorandum that Todd J. Zinser of the inspector general’s office sent to Census Bureau Director Robert Groves last week.
“According to Census,” said Zinser’s May 26 memo to Groves, “‘frontloading’ its workforce (i.e. hiring and training more enumerators than necessary to offset turnover) is a cost-saving measure.” The inspector general’s memo, however, suggested that in at least one Census Bureau operation excessive staff had increased the “cost of operations” and that in another operation deployment of an unnecessarily large number of workers "increased the operation’s direct labor and travel costs."
In the first quarter of this year (January-March), personnel from the inspector general’s office observed Census Bureau operations in four programs. These included “update/leave” (U/L), in which Census workers deliver questionnaires to homes that would not be reached by ordinary mail service; “update/enumerate” (U/E), which counts people in communities where the homes lack ordinary mailing addresses or street names; "enumeration at transitory locations" (ETL), which counts people at places where their residences are potentially mobile, such as recreational vehicle parks, campgrounds, marinas and carnivals; and “service-based enumeration” (SBE), which counts homeless people at places such as homeless shelters, mobile food vans and so-called “targeted non-sheltered outdoor locations” (TNSOL).
The inspector general’s memo said that the Census Bureau had “overestimated” the staff needed for the program to enumerate people at transitory locations. “During the ETL operation,” said the memo, “crew leaders overestimated the number of Census staff needed to enumerate transitory locations, thus increasing the cost of operations.”
The memo also said that there were so many people hired for the “service-based enumeration” that there turned out to be one Census enumerator for every seven homeless people counted, and that the inspector general’s office “observed significant periods of enumerator inactivity at certain locations.”
"In another operation [which the inspector general’s office confirmed to CNSNews.com was the SBE program],” said the memo, “we found many enumerator teams to be unnecessarily large—an average ratio of one enumerator for just seven homeless respondents. We observed significant periods of enumerator inactivity at certain locations, which increased the operation’s direct labor and travel costs.”
As a result of these problems, the inspector general suggested that the Census bureau should “reevaluate” frontloading—that is, the practice of hiring more enumerators than necessary to cover anticipated turnover. “Census should reevaluate its practice of frontloading and develop a better process to estimate workload and cost assumptions,” said the memo. “A more streamlined enumeration process could reduce training and travel costs and be more responsive to changing economic conditions.”
The inspector general’s quarterly report to Congress on the Census, published on May 5, also noted that there had been one Census enumerator for every seven homeless people counted at locations other than “targeted non-sheltered outdoor locations” in the SBE program. “We also found many enumerator teams to be unnecessarily large--an average ratio of one enumerator for just seven homeless respondents for non-TNSOL operations,” said the report. “As a result, we observed significant periods of inactivity at these locations, which unnecessarily increased the cost of the SBE operation.”
CNSNews.com asked the inspector general’s office if it had determined that the Census Bureau’s practice of hiring more workers than needed, the so-called “frontloading,” had indeed been a “cost-saving measure” as the bureau had contended and whether the program referred to as “another operation” in the quotation above was in fact the SBE program. The inspector general’s office confirmed via email that the program in question was indeed the SBE program, but said it had not done the analysis to determine whether or not the Census Bureau’s “frontloading” in hiring had saved money.
“Our office has not done the analysis to conclude that Census’s practice of ‘frontloading’ its workforce is or is not a cost-saving measure,” said the email from the inspector general’s office. “Our recommendations are based on our observations of the operations mentioned in the second paragraph of the memo—update/leave (U/L), update/enumerate (U/E), enumeration at transitory locations (ETL), and SBE.”
CNSNews.com asked the Census Bureau two questions about the inspector general's memo: Did the bureau contest the inspector general's conclusion that there was an average of one enumerator for each seven homeless people counted in the SBE program? Does the bureau still contend that "frontloading" its workforce by "hiring and training more enumerators than necessary in order to offset turnover" is in fact a cost-saving measure?
Michael C. Cook, public information officer for the 2010 Census, responded by email. "Experiences in 1990 and 2000 have demonstrated cost and time efficiencies associated with the early training of sufficient employees to replace those lost through attrition," he said.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday that employment in the United States grew by 433,000 jobs in May, but that those jobs included 411,000 temporary workers hired by the Census Bureau.
CNS
Census
Stossel: One-Size-Fits-All Government
That's bad, but should the punishment be... life in prison? That was the sentence that she got.
In the sentencing, which is on youtube, the defense attorney argues:
"The sentence here shocks the conscience… The minimum penalty for first degree murder is 50 years. She could get 25 years for 2nd deg murder... She is getting a greater penalty for letting a boy touch her breast than for murder.”
The prosecutor didn't argue that a life sentence was reasonable -- rather, he just informed the judge that there was no choice:
"This is the sentence that the legislature of Nevada has created for this type of crime… now really there’s nothing left to be done except for the imposition of a life sentence."
after delivering the life sentence, The judge offered a confused-sounding explanation:
Ms. Taylor, you were charged with a crime with this sentence and apparently you weren't offered any plea deal... I've done a lot of these cases and I can't figure it out. To tell you the truth I don't know why they charge what they charge... and why they give plea bargans to some and others not, but I know that you had a jury trial, and you were charged, and this is the sentence. Good luck.
Good luck!? Julie Stewart of the group "Families Against Mandatory Minimums" tells us:
We are following this to its bitter end -- fighting to get it overturned in the State Supreme Court -- to try to make sure that this is overturned not just for her case, but that they overturn the law.
Once again, one-size-fits-all government policy imposes its nasty results.
Fox Business
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Some Gluckstadt residents hope community will become Madison County municipality
Canton Mayor has no objection, Madison Mayor withholds judgement pending more information
Read more at The Clarion Ledger
Gluckstadt Incorporation
Group pushes hopes for city
The future of the proposed city of Gluckstadt rests on 10 sets of petitions circulating in the Madison County community.
"We're going to put a push on this summer to get the signatures we need," said Bill Weisenberger, listed as the proposed mayor of Gluckstadt for incorporation purposes if a successful petition drive can get the cause to Madison County Chancery Court.
Two-thirds of the qualified electors living in the proposed city have to sign the petition asking for incorporation.
That number is "simply a moving target. The pool of qualified electors changes every day" as people move in and out of the community, said Jerry Mills, the attorney for city-status supporters. "You've really got to prove a super majority of voters - on the day of filing - want this incorporation."
Weisenberger said no target date has been set for getting the required number of signatures, but "we'd like to get them as soon as possible."
The committee overseeing the incorporation effort plans come-and-go meetings in the coming weeks for residents to sign the petitions and find out more.
Read more at The Clarion Ledger
Gluckstadt Incorporation
Man arrested for cocaine possession in Madison
A traffic stop lands one man behind bars in Madison County.
A Ford Explorer was traveling northbound on Interstate 55 when a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop. After questioning the driver 47-year-old Jose Delarosa the deputy grew suspicious and requested consent to search the vehicle. A false compartment was discovered with five kilos of suspected cocaine inside.
Delarosa is charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, driving with a suspending drivers license and following too closely.
The vehicle was also seized.
Delarosa is being held in the Madison County Detention Center.
WLBT
A Ford Explorer was traveling northbound on Interstate 55 when a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop. After questioning the driver 47-year-old Jose Delarosa the deputy grew suspicious and requested consent to search the vehicle. A false compartment was discovered with five kilos of suspected cocaine inside.
Delarosa is charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, driving with a suspending drivers license and following too closely.
The vehicle was also seized.
Delarosa is being held in the Madison County Detention Center.
WLBT
Madison Police need help finding burglary suspect
Madison Police have a composite sketch of a suspect wanted in an attempted house burglary in Cobblestone subdivision.
The burglary, in which an occupant of the house struggled with the suspect, occurred May 27.
The witness to the crime assisted police in creating the composite sketch. The suspect is about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and had an "unshaven, unkempt appearance," according to a Friday statement from police.
Anyone with information about the attempted burglary should call the Madison Police Department at (601) 856-6111.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Obama Administration decides it's time to shoot the messengers and create their own.
What hasn't been widely-known, until now, is that a year ago the new Democrat administration ofBarack Obama launched a major internal study intended to design a major government rescue plan for the nation's financially-troubled information media, primarily newspapers.
What's widely-known is that Americans are not buying newspapers anymore in droves.
That strident sound you hear are the alarms going off in minds and offices across the country: Government helping the press? Which press? How help? In return for what?
Well, two years ago who'd have thought the feds would own General Motors with major holdings in a bunch of banks and financial institutions, reshaped the healthcare industry, spent $787 billion on who-knows-what to create some jobs, have rewritten a package of new financial regulations to corral Wall Street and still not be securing the U.S.-Mexico border?
The Federal Trade Commission has just released a major staff study of modern American media titled "Potential Policy Recommendations to Support the Reinvention of Journalism." And....
...silly you thought the private business of journalism was doing that by itself in its own stumbling ways without the help of the Washington branch of the Chicago Democratic political machine.
The study notes those industry-wide revival efforts and adds:
There are reasons for concern that experimentation may not produce a robust and sustainable business model for commercial journalism. History in the United States shows that readers of the news have never paid anywhere close to the full cost of providing the news. Rather, journalism always has been subsidized to a large extent by, for example, the federal government, political parties, or advertising.
True, there have been government subsidies over the decades in the form of below-cost postal rates and printing contracts. But this FTC study is rated R for anyone who thinks the federal government, the object of copious news coverage itself, has no business deciding which sectors of the private media business survive and thrive through its support, subsidies and encouragement with things like tax incentives
Yet that's what this Obama administration paper is suggesting as another of the ex-community organizer's galactic reform plans.Would you believe: major changes to the copyright law, including government licensing provisions; government pilot programs to investigate potential new media business models, antitrust changes to allow media companies to unite on imposing online pay walls, establish a journalism division of AmeriCorps with government underwriting the training of young journalists, tax incentives per news employee, increased funding of public broadcasting, a 5% tax on consumer electronics and/or assessments on users of public airwaves.
Mark Tapscott of the Washington Examiner tells independent journalist they better wake up:
Those in the administration who clearly view independent journalism as an obstacle to "change we can believe in" and their numerous allies in the old media, non-profit, and academic communities who either share a similar ideological vision or see the FTC process as their salvation against the Internet, will no doubt dismiss my assertions as extemism or alarmism.
Fine, call me whatever, but what they cannot deny is what is clearly written in the FTC document and what it reveals about the intention behind the initiative, which is to transform the news industry from an information product collected by private individuals and entrepreneurs as a service to private buyers, to a government-regulated public utility providing a "public good," as defined and regulated by government.
The authors hide this dangerous intention behind carefully worded expressions of concern for preserving "quality journalism" and "addressing emerging gaps in reporting,"
Read the FTC Report here.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Apartment plan draws citizens' ire
South Madison County residents are expressing outrage over a proposed apartment complex at Gluckstadt that could put as many a 500 new students in an already strapped district that has struggled for decades to keep up with growth.
Superintendent of Education Michael D. Kent said the district is not equipped to handle such a sudden influx of new students and issued a strongly-worded letter of opposition last week.
"This just blows us out of the water," Kent said, noting their district is already facing major budget cuts. "A high-density complex like this could overcrowd Germantown (Middle School) and (Madison) Crossing (Elementary) and Gluckstadt High School overnight and destroy all this planning we've done."
The proposed development includes 250 to 300 apartment units on a 26-acre tract of land directly across Interstate 55 from Germantown Middle School near the Nissan assembly plant.
The city of Canton on Tuesday announced a rezoning hearing had been canceled due to "legal issues," but officials said they expect to reschedule the hearing in about a month.
In a letter to the Canton Zoning Board, Nelwyn Madison, president of Ingleside Homeowners' Association and board member of the Madison Organization of Neighborhood Associations, said the apartment project is nothing more than a "bait and switch" involving developers.
"I am sick of developers begging for TIF (Tax Increment Financing) money and once awarded, come back and wanting to change the rules. I cannot believe the city of Canton would even consider this."
The area was approved for $1 million in Tax Increment Financing in January 2005 and language limited the accepted uses and prohibits apartments, according to District 3 Madison County Supervisor D.I. Smith.
Read more at the Madison County Journal
Related Posts: Canton Zoning Board meeting canceled due to 'legal issues'
Mike Kent wants your help
School Board Opposes Canton Apartments
Superintendent of Education Michael D. Kent said the district is not equipped to handle such a sudden influx of new students and issued a strongly-worded letter of opposition last week.
"This just blows us out of the water," Kent said, noting their district is already facing major budget cuts. "A high-density complex like this could overcrowd Germantown (Middle School) and (Madison) Crossing (Elementary) and Gluckstadt High School overnight and destroy all this planning we've done."
The proposed development includes 250 to 300 apartment units on a 26-acre tract of land directly across Interstate 55 from Germantown Middle School near the Nissan assembly plant.
The city of Canton on Tuesday announced a rezoning hearing had been canceled due to "legal issues," but officials said they expect to reschedule the hearing in about a month.
In a letter to the Canton Zoning Board, Nelwyn Madison, president of Ingleside Homeowners' Association and board member of the Madison Organization of Neighborhood Associations, said the apartment project is nothing more than a "bait and switch" involving developers.
"I am sick of developers begging for TIF (Tax Increment Financing) money and once awarded, come back and wanting to change the rules. I cannot believe the city of Canton would even consider this."
The area was approved for $1 million in Tax Increment Financing in January 2005 and language limited the accepted uses and prohibits apartments, according to District 3 Madison County Supervisor D.I. Smith.
Read more at the Madison County Journal
Related Posts: Canton Zoning Board meeting canceled due to 'legal issues'
Mike Kent wants your help
School Board Opposes Canton Apartments
Tulane-Madison approved for student loans
MADISON — Tulane University’s Madison branch has now been cleared for students to receive federal student loans, a little too late for some classes that were scheduled to begin this week.
Sherry Chance, director of the branch, tells The Clarion-Ledger that the U.S. Department of Education handed down the official certification of the campus as an institution of higher learning yesterday.
The federal approval is needed so that lenders can process federal student loans.
On May 28, university officials decided to cancel the five classes that were to start yesterday and run through July 12.
Richard Marksbury, dean of the School of Continuing Studies that operates the Madison campus, said the university expected the federal approval before classes were to start.
MBJ
Related Posts: Tulane-Madison 'glitch' cancels classes
Tulane Madison cancels classes
Sherry Chance, director of the branch, tells The Clarion-Ledger that the U.S. Department of Education handed down the official certification of the campus as an institution of higher learning yesterday.
The federal approval is needed so that lenders can process federal student loans.
On May 28, university officials decided to cancel the five classes that were to start yesterday and run through July 12.
Richard Marksbury, dean of the School of Continuing Studies that operates the Madison campus, said the university expected the federal approval before classes were to start.
MBJ
Related Posts: Tulane-Madison 'glitch' cancels classes
Tulane Madison cancels classes
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Even the President is having a hard time dealing with the Health Care Law's red tape.
White House misses early deadlines in ObamaCare implementation
Critics say missed deadlines and other signs show the Obama administration is stumbling out of the gate on its early steps to implement the president’s health-care law.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has already missed as many as four deadlines under the law – not on any major regulations — but still a worrying trend, critics say.
Congressional staff and industry representatives have also been asking HHS for a timeline specifying when it will issue the numerous regulations required by the law. They were shocked to find the agency has not produced such a document, one aide said.
The issue is important because vast industry sectors are trying to plan their own implementations of the health-care law and most of the details remain in bureaucrats’ hands, leaving a vacuum of uncertainty about the final burdens the law will impose.
The missed deadlines include creating task forces on breast cancer and Alaskan health care, publishing a list of new authorities granted under the law, and setting a schedule for a Government Accountability Office study and financial audit.
HHS spokeswoman Jessica Santillo noted the administration had already implemented numerous parts of the health care law in advance of deadlines.
“HHS has been working to get the benefits of the new law to the American people as quickly as possible which is why several important benefits are taking effect well in advance of their deadlines, such as ending the practice of rescinding coverage of Americans who get sick, and allowing young adults under 26 to stay on their parents coverage,” Santillo said.
She defended the administration’s approach on one of the missed deadlines – a requirement under the health-care law that HHS publish “a list of all of the authorities provided to the secretary under this act” on its website.
Santillo pointed The Daily Caller to a page listing the names of sections in the law, such as “Sec. 1562. Conforming amendments.”
Republican critics say the list, which links to parts of the actual bill text, doesn’t meet the letter or spirit of the law’s requirement, which is included in a section of the law titled, “Transparency in government.”
“Now it looks like the simplest job assigned to the Obama administration – outlining its own new authorities and responsibilities — was so daunting that HHS decided just to reprint the table of contents from the new law until they can sort things out,” said Lisa Miller, a spokeswoman for Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, a key Republican on health-care issues. “It’s troubling because, if they can’t even explain what they are supposed to do, how do we expect them to actually manage a sixth of the economy?”
While missing the deadlines, the administration has found time to send promotional material touting the law’s benefit, including a brochure for senior citizens and post cards from the IRS advertising tax breaks under the law.
The brochure for seniors may improve the law’s perception among lawmakers – the 111th Congress is the oldest in history by average age – but it is not assuaging some Republicans who call it propaganda.
Read more at The Daily Caller
Health Care Reform
Critics say missed deadlines and other signs show the Obama administration is stumbling out of the gate on its early steps to implement the president’s health-care law.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has already missed as many as four deadlines under the law – not on any major regulations — but still a worrying trend, critics say.
Congressional staff and industry representatives have also been asking HHS for a timeline specifying when it will issue the numerous regulations required by the law. They were shocked to find the agency has not produced such a document, one aide said.
The issue is important because vast industry sectors are trying to plan their own implementations of the health-care law and most of the details remain in bureaucrats’ hands, leaving a vacuum of uncertainty about the final burdens the law will impose.
The missed deadlines include creating task forces on breast cancer and Alaskan health care, publishing a list of new authorities granted under the law, and setting a schedule for a Government Accountability Office study and financial audit.
HHS spokeswoman Jessica Santillo noted the administration had already implemented numerous parts of the health care law in advance of deadlines.
“HHS has been working to get the benefits of the new law to the American people as quickly as possible which is why several important benefits are taking effect well in advance of their deadlines, such as ending the practice of rescinding coverage of Americans who get sick, and allowing young adults under 26 to stay on their parents coverage,” Santillo said.
She defended the administration’s approach on one of the missed deadlines – a requirement under the health-care law that HHS publish “a list of all of the authorities provided to the secretary under this act” on its website.
Santillo pointed The Daily Caller to a page listing the names of sections in the law, such as “Sec. 1562. Conforming amendments.”
Republican critics say the list, which links to parts of the actual bill text, doesn’t meet the letter or spirit of the law’s requirement, which is included in a section of the law titled, “Transparency in government.”
“Now it looks like the simplest job assigned to the Obama administration – outlining its own new authorities and responsibilities — was so daunting that HHS decided just to reprint the table of contents from the new law until they can sort things out,” said Lisa Miller, a spokeswoman for Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, a key Republican on health-care issues. “It’s troubling because, if they can’t even explain what they are supposed to do, how do we expect them to actually manage a sixth of the economy?”
While missing the deadlines, the administration has found time to send promotional material touting the law’s benefit, including a brochure for senior citizens and post cards from the IRS advertising tax breaks under the law.
The brochure for seniors may improve the law’s perception among lawmakers – the 111th Congress is the oldest in history by average age – but it is not assuaging some Republicans who call it propaganda.
Read more at The Daily Caller
Health Care Reform
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie continues to speak the truth
| Christie speaks in Washington DC, calling Newark schools 'absolutely disgraceful' |
More proof there's no shortage of race-pimps ready to cash in on "oppression"
The president of the Arkansas chapter of the NAACP said Tuesday that he’s worried racism is rearing its ugly head in Arkansas’ 2nd district Democratic runoff.
Dale Charles, of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he is concerned about what Speaker Robbie Wills and his supporters really mean when they question the “electability” of the other candidate, state Senate Majority Leader Joyce Elliott, who is black.
“To say that she’s not electable — that’s a code word for racism,” Charles said. “She is electable in her [state Senate] district and served three terms in the [state] House. She came out on top in a field of five in the primary. ... Why all the sudden does the word electability come up?”
Elliott won just under 40 percent of the vote in the May 18 primary to set up a Tuesday runoff with Wills, who took second place in the primary with about 28 percent.
The winner of the runoff will face former U.S. attorney Tim Griffin, who has been highly touted by national Republican leaders to take over the seat being vacated by Rep. Vic Snyder (D).
Read more at Roll Call
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