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Posted Yesterday, 11:40 AM
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Join Date: May 2023
Location: JXN Mississippi
Posts: 941
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New Capitol Complex Improvement District Municipal Court in Jackson delays opening
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The location for the new Capitol Complex Improvement District Municipal Court in Jackson has been changed from a temporary home at the War Memorial Building in Downtown Jackson to a new one just around the corner, further delaying the opening of the court.
The only concrete step actually having been completed for the court to open so far is Attorney General Lynn Fitch picking four attorneys from her office to serve as prosecutors for the court, Communications Director Maryasa Lee told the Clarion Ledger Wednesday.
"We have designated prosecutors in the Attorney General’s Public Integrity Division to assume these duties, and we’ll evaluate any further staffing needs as we see how the docket develops," Lee said.
Fitch's office did not respond to further questions about who specifically from the Public Integrity Division was chosen to prosecute.
Mississippi Supreme Court Spokesperson Beverly Kraft told the Clarion Ledger the court's location has been changed from the War Memorial Building at 120 N. State St. to the Continental Trailways Bus Station, behind the Naval Reserve Center building on South Jefferson Street, just West of the State Fair Grounds.
The War Memorial Building was initially supposed to serve as a temporary home until renovations were complete to the Wright and Ferguson building at West and High streets.
Department of Finance Administration Deputy Director Glenn Kornbrek said the change was made earlier this year after DFA determined the auditorium space at the War Memorial Building simply wasn't going to cut it because there wouldn't be enough space, offices or meeting rooms for attorneys, judges and others. He also said the War Memorial Building being a historic building created delays for renovation.
Kornbrek said renovations to the old bus station will include roof work, running electricity lines and a full interior renovation. They expect to finish that work by Oct. 1. Meanwhile the Mississippi Supreme Court has issued a request for proposals for a case management system.
The brick wall will be relaid all the way up to the Capitol Police precinct building using the old bricks and bricks that closely resemble the old ones in Jackson, Miss., seen on Thursday, Apr. 4, 2024. "WFT Architects is taking great efforts to restore and maintain a certain appearance that will resemble the old construction," Clayton Plunkett, field superintendent for Flagstar Construction, said.
"Some of the logistical issues we were having at the war memorial was that it serves all other tenants in the building," he said. "There's not very much parking, and it was just problematic. IT was problematic because we couldn't just drop lines in that building because everywhere you turned has a historical finish, and we couldn't just bore holes or drop (electrical) lines for court systems and computers."
Kornbrek said the bus station will only serve as a temporary house for the court while renovations to the Wright and Ferguson building are still being complete. He did not have an update on when that work is expected to be complete.
Kornbrek declined to give cost estimates for the project on South Jefferson Street or at the Wright and Ferguson building near the State Capitol.
A recap of the CCID Court and how it will function
The CCID municipal court was established with the passage of House Bill 1020 in the 2023 Mississippi Legislative session.
Per the law, the court was slated to open in January, but several lawsuits were filed seeking to dismantle or block the court's existence.
Attorneys in those cases argued over the bill on whether state-appointed judges working alongside elected ones, as well as the court not having a process for making appeals, was unconstitutional. The state's highest court ruled in 2023 that the court would have an appeals process. Other federal lawsuits filed by the NAACP sought to block the court's existence, but Judge Henry Wingate stopped those blocks, and the court is now slated to open later this year
Once complete, the court will feature one judge, appointed by Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Randolph, four prosecuting attorneys appointed by Attorney General Lynn Fitch and a court clerk and support staff.
According to HB 1020, people who are arrested by Capitol Police in the CCID once the court is established would be incarcerated at East Mississippi Correctional Facility. Those who are convicted of misdemeanors are typically placed in county jails.
Kraft said interviews for the municipal court clerk will be conducted this month, and that judge interviews have been conducted. Kraft did not say when Randolph plans to announce his judge pick.
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/...4/74701977007/
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Precinct Four (Jackson Police) moving headquarters to I-55N shopping center
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Precinct 4 should soon be at its new location on the I-55 North corridor.
It will occupy space at 5469 I-55, which is the address for the shopping center that houses Mr. Chen’s Authentic Chinese Restaurant and Cowboy Maloney’s Home Store, according to information in the Jackson City Council packet for the July 30 meeting.
The move is a strategic one that will place the precinct in the I-55 North corridor, Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade told the council members during its July 30 meeting. “Right now, Precinct 4 is located in the far northeast corner of the city,” he said.
He expects with the new precinct location, which is on the west I-55 North frontage road near Briarwood Drive, that police officers will be better able to respond to homeless people, transient individuals and vagrants in the area.
JPD officers in the area are engaged in field contact, which involves learning about individuals on the streets by asking questions about who they are, where they are from, what resources they need and directing them to where they can find help, he said. The information gleaned is shared with Capitol Police and federal law enforcement partners, he said.
Ballew T. Dale 240809
Not all individuals that officers speak with want help, Wade said, but instead prefer to remain transients and panhandlers.
The new precinct location should make it easier for officers to keep an eye on the burned-out Hotel O, which is on the west I-55 frontage road near Northside Drive and has attracted homeless people and drug users, and that will be helpful until the city can demolish it, he said. Jackson Municipal Court Judge Jeffrey P. Reynolds ordered the city to demolish the hotel.
The council didn’t discuss when the precinct will move, but, according to information in the council’s July 30 meeting packet, the lease at the current Precinct 4 location is up on Aug. 31.
A lease for the new location has not been presented to the council for approval.
The council approved an order for the city to pay Armstrong Transfer & Storage Co. an amount not to exceed $7,550 for moving office furniture and other items from the current Precinct 4 location in Canton Mart Shopping Center to the new location.
The quote submitted by Armstrong Transfer & Storage included the moving of one L-shaped desk, 11 desks, 72 chairs, two credenzas, two hutches, 40 tables, one sofa, two refrigerators, two microwaves, two conference tables, two recliners, two bookcases, one armoire and several miscellaneous pieces of furniture.
The quote gave this breakdown of the costs: one truck, $1,050; one driver, $1,050; four movers, $3,600; one project manager, $1,500; fuel, $100 fuel, and boxes and materials, $250.
Ashby Foote, who represents Ward 1 on the council and has at times advocated for the precinct to remain in his ward at Colonial Mart Shopping Center, said precincts offer a police presence in the community because their parking lots are usually filled with numerous patrol cars.
“I hate to see the precinct leave the Colonial Mart area,” he said, “because I think police presence is critical to public safety. Chief Wade made a promise to me that the move wouldn’t diminish the police presence in Ward 1.”
The I-55 frontage road location will give police officers easy access to the area and I-55, which is important, he said. “It seems like a pretty reasonable place to have it,” he said.
Argent Trust MAG 8/2024
Precincts also provide officers with a place where they can meet citizens and complete reports, but it can be hit or miss to find an officer at a precinct after business hours. Civilians answer phone calls at the precincts from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The largest number of officers at a precinct are there for roll call, which usually takes about 15 minutes. After that, officers disperse to patrol their beats.
Precinct 4 covers a large area that includes not only northeast Jackson but also the Belhaven and Midtown neighborhoods. Fortification is the south border for Precinct 4.
“There are a lot of different opinions about where a precinct office should be located,” said Virgi Lindsay of Ward 7, president of the council. “Everybody wants it near them. The beat officers are not at the precinct, but they are out patrolling in the community.”
The I-55 North corridor should be a good fit for Precinct 4, given its accessibility to the interstate and all the businesses nearby, she said.
Lemuria 8/09/24
“Anything closer to I-55 is better,” she said. “You can jump on I-55 in Jackson and be anywhere in about 10 minutes. This is definitely a step in the right direction.”
Since 2016, Precinct 4 has occupied space at Colonial Mart, which was welcomed as a more user-friendly location than the previous one in Fondren.
Until the move to Colonial Mart, Precinct 4 had been located at 3304 N. State St. in the Fondren neighborhood since 2002.
Precinct 4 used to be located in a building on Old Canton Road before moving to Fondren.
The late Dr. Hugh G. “Doc” Ward, a Jackson veterinarian who was responsible for expanding Canton Mart Square shopping center from Briarwood Animal Hospital where he practiced, and members of the Exchange Club led the way in raising funds and constructing the building on city-owned property across from Briarwood Wine and Spirits for Precinct 4.
JPD outgrew the building that the Exchange Club constructed, and it was torn down in 2017 by local nonprofit Revitalize Mississippi free of charge, after it was in a state of disrepair for years.
https://www.northsidesun.com/precinc...?e_term_id=120
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Pearl River Community College cuts ribbon on new Hancock County campus
• Video Link
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The Pearl River Community College Aviation and Aerospace Workforce Academy in Hancock County has opened. Governor Tate Reeves, Congressman Mike Ezell and several dignitaries gathered for the dedication and official ribbon cutting on Monday.
“Approximately twenty-one million dollars has been invested in this facility, setting Pearl River Community College up to be successful in the future. Because the reality is that when Pearl River wins, what really happens is our people win,” Reeves said.
Located on Fred and Al Key Road in Hancock County, the Academy is an expansive 38,000-square-foot facility signifying PRCC’s expanded presence near Stennis International Airport, Hancock High School, and the Stennis Space Center Buffer Zone. It boasts eight classrooms, five labs, a reception area, faculty and staff offices, a staff break room/kitchenette, an indoor student sitting/vending area, and an outdoor courtyard. Programs based in the Academy include academic, Career and Technical Education, and Practical Nursing programs. Additionally, workforce training classes and adult education will be held in the facilities.
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New mural going up in Town of North Carrollton, MS
Sidewalk project continues on Marshall Rd in Town of North Carrollton
Chick-fil-a visits Carrollton
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Town of Carrollton, MS
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Saturday, June 22 is the day Chick-fil-a comes back to Carrollton! They will be here from noon until 7 pm. They are part of the Backyard Summer BBQ event. Come enjoy live music, a cornhole tournament, a classic car show, and shopping!
Remember, Chick-Fil-A does not accept cash.
https://www.facebook.com/carroltonms...U2ceYQpdr7yhxl
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Holmes County Consolidated School District first day of school photos
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