“I hate that this item has brought such a division to a part of Jackson that we really need to be united.” — Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes on his vote against neighborhood gates.
Wednesday, September 20 Gov. Phil Bryant tells reporters he is not going to rush judgment to sign a resolution declaring a state of “extreme emergency” in Jackson Public Schools.
Friday, September 22 Donald Trump says National Football League owners should fire players who kneel during the national anthem and encourages spectators to walk out in protest during a Huntsville, Ala., rally. He also slammed new NFL safety rules, saying they ruin the game. Saturday, September 23 A strong earthquake hits Mexico after an earlier magnitude 7.1 quake.
September 27 - October 3, 2017 • jfp.ms
Sunday, September 24 Trump tweets that the NFL should make it mandatory to stand for the national anthem, prompting nationwide protests in which 200 players sit, lock arms, kneel, raise their fists or stay off the field altogether during the anthem.
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Monday, September 25 The U.S. Supreme Court gives attorneys for Gov. Phil Bryant until Oct. 18 to respond to a lawsuit that challenges the Confederate battle emblem on the state flag. … The Dallas Cowboys team and owner Jerry Jones kneel on the field before the national anthem for unity and equality ahead of a 28-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Tuesday, September 26 Equifax CEO Richard Smith steps down after the credit reporting agency’s damaging data breach that exposed highly sensitive information for about 143 million Americans. ... Republicans abandon the latest attempt to repeal Obamacare after failing to get enough votes to get it through Congress. Get breaking news at jfpdaily.com.
Hotel Project Pops Up in Fondren, Demolished Houses Cause Outrage by William H. Kelly III
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ess than 36 hours after developers of a Hilton Homewood Suites Hotel explained their plan to neighborhood residents, the remains of “Fondren House” lay in ruins by the time darkness fell on Sept. 21. The house dates to the early 1900s and housed descendants of David Fondren Jr., the former namesake of the neighborhood and is in the heart of the Downtown Fondren Historic District. Fondren-area residents say that original property owner and hotel partner Alan Lange stated during an informational meeting on Sept. 19 that the yellow house would be the last property considered for demolition in order to build the 125-room Hilton hotel with 4,000 square feet of retail space. Lange also owned land now being cleared for the hotel. The hotel will be located off of North State Street between Lorenz Boulevard and Fondren Place. As word spread of the property being destroyed, including a video of demolition machinery breaking through the walls of the house that faced State Street, many Fondren residents were distraught. Erica Speed had attended the meeting with Lange, and told the Jackson Free Press after the meeting that he had made assurances that the Fondren House would be the last to go. Thomas Rosell posted on the Preservation in Mississippi that Lange had assured residents, as Rosell put it, “that the Fondren House would be the last building demol-
Come One, Come All— Aw, C’mon by Micah Smith
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t may be fair season, but not everyone is playing that way. There have been plenty of less-than-perfect political moves in the past few weeks on the city, state and federal levels. In honor of the Mississippi State Fair, we thought we’d see if a little old-fashioned carnival showmanship might help.
William H. Kelly III
Thursday, September 21 U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke recommends the Jackson home of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers for national monument designation. … Hinds County Circuit Judge Jeff Weill sentenced Darnell Turner to 45 consecutive years in prison on three felony counts, while talking about DA Smith.
Darnell Turner sentenced to 45 years, amid cross-talk about DA Smith. p8
Construction workers clean the debris and remains from the “Fondren House” on North State Street that developers demolished on Sept. 21.
ished for a new hotel, leaving the possibility that the home of the neighborhood’s namesake could be relocated and saved.” “He clearly gave the impression that we had time to figure out if it could be saved,” Speed told the JFP about Lange. In fact, the Fondren House was one of the first to fall that week. “It’s another lie. Another lie. Another lie,” Speed said. Developers also demolished the duplex apartments nearby, but the old site of Que Sera Sera and more recently Green Ghost
Tacos is still intact, with a fence around it, awaiting demolition at press time. The Little Yellow House After developers held a press conference in late August to announce their “ultra-modern” hotel, citizens quickly reacted through social media and the NextDoor website. The result of their outcry was the “off the record” Sept. 19 meeting at St. James Episcopal Church, where residents presented personal complaints to
• The JPS Takeover Teacups • The “Teensy Tax Increase” Ring Toss • The Mississippi Flag’s Confedera-Skee Ball • The State Budget Lack-of-Fortune Teller • The GOP’s DACA Dunk Tank • The Whack-a-White-House-Mole • Trump’s “Pointless Show of Strength” Tester