MLILY Mattresses in Jackson, MS

For Immediate Release:

March 2, 2022

Mayor Lumumba announces debt relief for Jackson water customers

(Jackson, Miss.) – The City of Jackson – in cooperation with the City’s Interim Third-Party Administrator, Ted Henifin, JXN Water and Promise – is excited to announce some long overdue and equitable relief for Jackson residents struggling with their water bills.

Beginning Thursday, Jackson residents have been given the opportunity to apply for debt relief from their bills as part of the People’s Relief Campaign. The campaign is the return on a promise from Mayor Lumumba to not only find funding to fix the City’s long neglected water infrastructure, but with the help of Henifin to also provide residents the relief they deserve from a water meter and billing system in disrepair in the aftermath of the City’s massive contract with Siemens Industry LLC.

“Some time ago, we promised to repair our broken and aged water infrastructure and get the resources that were necessary.” Mayor Lumumba said Thursday in the lobby of the Water/Sewer Business Administration in the Metrocenter Mall. “We said we would fight for equity in the water practice and billing process, and that we would make residents whole. This is a prime example of promises made, promises kept.”

The relief is a sign of good things to come as the City of Jackson, Henifin and his company, JXN Water work to systematically repair the neglected system from the ground up and come up with creative ways to address the crisis.

It follows the largest federal allocation of infrastructure funding in the history of Jackson, nearly $800 million, which was made possible by the work of Mayor Lumumba along with state and federal partners.

Thursday, Mayor Lumumba clarified the relief is separate from debt forgiveness since the funds will be used to pay outstanding water bills, not forgive any debt. By mid-afternoon, over $5 million in debt relief had already been allocated to Jackson residents, with more relief on the way.

The Mayor also cautioned residents to avoid misinformation about the program. He reminded residents that if you have a water bill and are in the system already, you will not be required to submit additional information. The Mayor called efforts to spread inaccurate information to residents irresponsible and self-defeating since the program is based specifically on helping Jackson residents.

Jackson residents can find more information about the program on the City’s social media page and the website of JXN Water. Both entities will continue to publish updated information on the program moving forward.

If residents were unable to apply for assistance at any of the nine locations set up to help, they can call 601-374-5787 for more information or apply online at peoplesreliefcampaign.com

Jackson has been selected by former President Barack Obama's Change Collective as one of three cities nationally to participate in a new leadership community "to connect, elevate and train local changemakers."

Obama released a a video message today to launch the latest initiative, the Change Collective. The Change Collective's vision, according to a statement, is to reinvent civic life for the 21st century by investing in and supporting the next generation of emerging leaders who are bridging divides and driving change in their communities. Members of the Change Collective, including Jackson, will have access to training opportunities, leadership development and a wide network of mentorsboth locally and nationally.

The effort will launch a pilot program in three cities, including Jackson, Chicago and Detroit. From there, it is expected to expand to additional locations. Each place-based cohort will include 25 leaders representing a range of identities, backgrounds and ideologies.

The Change Collective will be housed at Civic Nation, a nonpartisan nonprofit. Participants will receive a series of leadership development trainings to learn how to engage and organize members of their community, public officials and institutions before launching a neighborhood-based civic action project.

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"It's a way to bring emerging leaders from different identities and backgrounds together, and help them build relationships and solve problems in their communities," Obama said in the announcement. "Because real change happens one person, one community, one connection at a time. And we all need to learn how to better work with folks who have different backgrounds and beliefs."

According to the release, only half of U.S. adults, consider themselves civically engaged, and these numbers are even lower for people with low incomes and those who do not have a college degree. The Change Collective will combat this issue by preparing the next generation of local leaders to build a more equitable, welcoming and inclusive democracy.

"We do not have to accept political polarization and disconnection as the norm," said Kalisha Dessources Figures, Senior Fellow at Civic Nation who will lead the new initiative's work. "By focusing on building bridges and embracing difference as a source of strength, the Change Collective will build a bench of local leaders working to make our communities more durable and better connected."

This is a developing story. Come back for more.

The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning spent much of Thursday debating a personnel matter at Jackson State University.

According to sources close to the university, the meeting was to discuss the future of President Thomas K. Hudson.

The IHL concluded its meetings Thursday after multiple executive sessions with no announcement about what had been discussed or decided other than to say there were discussions about a personnel matter at the HBCU. By law, actions from executive session have to be reflected in the minutes within 30 days.

The discussions reflect instability at the top of the HBCU, which has had six presidents in 14 years.

Thursday's IHL meetings come on the heels of the JSU faculty senate expressing a vote of no confidence to Hudson on Jan. 27.

Phone calls and texts to Hudson were not returned. JSU communications officials had no comment and directed inquiries to the IHL.

Phone calls were not returned from Dr. Al Rankins, Commissioner of Higher Education for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.

According to JSU Faculty Senate President Dr. Dawn Bishop McLin, who confirmed the vote in January, a resolution was presented by the executive committee and voted on by the university’s faculty senators. However, she could not say whether this IHL vote as to do with the vote of no-confidence. McLin was present at Thursday's IHL meeting.

Prior to Hudson, in February of 2020, then-JSU President William Bynum was arrested in Clinton on charges of procuring services of a prostitute, false statement of identity, and simple possession of marijuana.

Dr. Robert Luckett, Director of the Margaret Walker Center and a full professor of history at JSU, said he would be terribly disappointed if Hudson was ousted.

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“I don’t think he is being treated fairly, personally,” Luckett said.

Yet, the 14-year veteran at JSU did want to talk about JSU’s past and Hudson.

“Here is what I will say. We have had terrible leadership at the highest levels until Thomas Hudson,” Luckett said. “What he inherited at Jackson State, financially, which was on the brink of bankruptcy. The reputation he inherited of a university in which the president had just been arrested.”

He went to praise Hudson’s leadership through COVID-19, which started just three months his investiture.

"The work he has done at Jackson State has been exemplary, especially when you consider where we were, what we inherited and how bad the leadership had been at Jackson State the last 15 years," Luckett said. "If he is leaving, for me it will be a sad day.”

At the time of the no-confidence vote, McLin painted a different picture of Hudson.

"The Jackson State University Faculty Senate did in fact vote in favor of the resolution to move forward with bringing concerns to the Jackson State University campus community and other stakeholders,” McLin said. “This Resolution sets forth that there is no confidence in President Thomas Hudson and various leaders of the administration."

As to the vote on no confidence in January, President Hudson responded by saying he is committed to the university.

"I look forward to working with the entire body of the faculty senate to address any concerns. Shared governance, academic prominence and student success are common goals that we mutually agree are essential to the growth of our institution," Hudson said then.

Luckett said that if Hudson’s potential removal has anything to do with the faculty senate resolution he would be disheartened.

“I am shocked now and I was shocked and disappointed at the faculty senate vote,” Luckett said.

Ron Mason, Les McLemore, Carolyn Myers, Ron Page, William Bynum and Hudson have all been at the helm as president since Luckett has been at JSU.

“The institutional turmoil and turnover is detrimental to the university,” Luckett said. “I don’t necessarily believe that is the institution’s fault. The people who have made the decisions at the highest level have made poor decisions, until they hired Thomas Hudson. I don’t know all of the details, but I do know I respect Thomas Hudson. He is a great leader, particularly in respect to what I have seen since I have been at Jackson State. If he is leaving that is just one more moment that our school has to regroup and start over again. It is sad. At some point, we need long-term stability.”

Hudson grew up in Jackson, where he attended and graduated from JSU in 1999. He went on to receive his Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law.

With an equity-based focus, Hudson established a private practice, and served as an EEO specialist for the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA. However, he returned to his alma mater in 2012.

Hudson served as acting president of JSU before being named president on Nov. 19, 2020, by the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.

***GRANTS ARE A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVE PROCESS. COMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL BE EVALUATED FOR ELIGIBILITY***

Purpose:

To assist small businesses located within the City of Jackson, Mississippi, in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Jackson's Small Business Relief Grant will provide direct payments to businesses with necessary expenditures to responsibly and safely operate during a public health emergency with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic. Necessary expenditures could include the safe operation of small businesses resulting from mandates, closings, and occupancy limitations imposed by various local, state, and federal governments, during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and ends on December 30, 2020. The maximum grant amount is $15,000.

GRANTS ARE A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVE PROCESS. COMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL BE EVALUATED FOR ELIGIBILITY

Who can apply?

This grant is available to qualifying for-profit businesses with 35 or fewer full-time equivalent employees in Jackson, Mississippi, as long as funding remains for the program. The grant proceeds must be spent on eligible expenses necessary to remain open and sustainable during an endemic, with respect to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), as outlined below.

To be eligible, your company must be headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, and either has been forced to close or severely curtail business operations due to closure orders from the state or city and have annual revenue of $1 million or less prior to the impact of COVID-19.

To be eligible, a small business must ALL of the following criteria to qualify for grant award consideration:

Who is not eligible to apply per HUD guidelines?

Multiple applications/applicants may not simultaneously compete for funding for the same property parcel or address.

Required documentation for grant execution:

If an application is incomplete, it will be deemed inactive, and processing will cease.

What expenses will be covered?

CDBG-CV funding is only available for eligible activities that address the prevention of, preparation for, or response to the Coronavirus. All documents, supporting documentation, and any additional information provided will be considered by the Review Committee. Direct assistance is to private for-profit entities for an activity determined to be appropriate to carry out an economic development project.

Eligible business expenses:

Businesses may receive reimbursement under this program for only the following documented business expenses incurred during a 6-month period from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022:

Ineligible expenses specifically include but are not limited to the following expense categories:

The CARES Act provides payments from the Fund that may only be used to cover costs that—

IMPORTANT NOTE:

PLEASE ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS.

FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN YOUR APPLICATION BEING DENIED.

APPLICATIONS ARE FINAL UPON SUBMISSION; THEREFORE, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL NOT BE REQUESTED OR CONSIDERED.

*** IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ ALL OF THE CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND GUIDANCE FOR STATE, TERRITORIAL, LOCAL, AND TRIBAL GOVERNMENT INFORMATION ***

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Special to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger

Belhaven Town Center, a mixed use development in the heart of one of Jackson’s most historic neighborhoods is welcoming two new businesses to its eclectic mix of dining, shopping, and entertainment establishments.

Described as a “new kind of general store,” Beans and Bananas held their grand opening Jan. 6 while Pulito Osteria, an upscale Italian eatery, officially opened Jan. 31.

The two businesses are located at 800 Manship Street at the intersection of North Jefferson Street in a renovated building that formerly housed laundry facilities for Mississippi Baptist Medical Center. The building also serves as home to the popular Fertile Ground Beer Company and a variety of business and office suites. Neighbors located directly across Manship Street include District Donuts and Elvie’s.

Beans and Bananas is the brainchild of owner Emily Pote and her longtime friend, store manager Zita Webb. “We are neighbors and have been friends for over a decade,” Pote said.

Inspiration for the business began during the Covid-19 pandemic, she said, when the business partners found many items needed for their homes became hard to find at local stores.

“People want to shop locally yet we found that a lot of the things we needed for our family we were having to order online,” Pote said.

She began discussing her ideas with Belhaven Town Center developer Ruffin Lowry as well as many of her friends. “People in the community seemed excited,” Pote said.

Webb, who is the daughter of well known Jackson restaurateur and promoter Malcolm White, describes Beans and Bananas as “three stores in one.” The merchandise is roughly one-third groceries (yes, you can actually buy bananas); one-third kids items (toys, games, puzzles, etc.); and one-third home goods (purses, hair accessories, shampoo, pet foods, gifts, party supplies, and more).

Pote said that as a new business they are vitally interested in hearing ideas from their customers as to what new merchandise might be a good fit for the store. “We will continue to become what the community needs,” she said.Hours for Beans and Bananas are from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon until 6 p.m. Sunday. They may be reached through beansandbananas.com or by calling 601-259-1799.

Pulito Osteria

Just next door, Webb’s husband Jonathan is partnering with executive chef Chaz Lindsay to open Jackson’s newest Italian eatery, Pulito Osteria.

The restaurant’s new state-of-the-art kitchen features an imported Fiero Firone wood burning pizza oven that can also be used to cook flounder, chicken, roasted mushrooms and vegetables and other items.

A specialty of the house will be made-from-scratch noodles, which Lindsay describes as a rarity in Jackson.

“It is a lot more work but the rewards are much greater,” he said.

Lindsay has been cooking for approximately 17 years, having served in a number of local restaurants including Parlor Market. He also spent time working in Italy, and describes the new restaurant’s name thusly:

“In Italy restaurants are classified into five tiers: 1. Cafe/bar; 2. Pizzeria; 3. Trattoria; 4. Osteria; and 5. Restorante. An Osteria is the second-to-highest tier offering high quality food without being strictly black-tie,” he said.

He predicts that the menu will change slightly with the seasons and will be influenced partly by traditional Southern cuisine. “We are trying to bridge Southern cuisine with Italian cuisine," Lindsay said. A full service bar with specialty cocktails will also be featured.

Lindsay’s mother, Jackson Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay, for many years served as executive director of the Greater Belhaven Foundation and was among those instrumental in making the initial plans for Belhaven Town Center several years ago.

She said the area had previously become blighted and she is proud of the way young entrepreneurs have contributed to its revitalization.

“I knew that it would be the next generation to make the vision real,” she said.

Dining hours for Pulito Osteria are from 4:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday with bar service open until 11 p.m. They may be contacted through pulitojackson.com or by calling 601-914-9696. Reservations are recommended.

Belhaven Town Center began as a project in early 2020 when several businesses including Elvie’s, Spectrum Sip, and an office complex opened in what were formerly three abandoned buildings. Phase II began that fall with construction of an outdoor entertainment courtyard and a three-story mixed use building with 12 private offices, a conference room, first class common areas and 12 residential apartments.