JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A proposal to deliver on a nationwide agency to seek for Jackson’s subsequent public works director seems to be gaining little traction with the town council.
At a piece session on Monday, council members questioned the necessity for hiring a search agency, saying native expertise could possibly be utilized to fill the place.
In the meantime, members additionally questioned the price of the deal, which might be slightly below $30,000, in addition to why Jackson needed to pay a portion of that cash up entrance.
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba is proposing coming into into an expert recruiting providers settlement with GovHR LLC, to discover a new public works director for the town.
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Amongst duties, the corporate will probably be chargeable for assessing the place, promoting the emptiness, reaching out to potential candidates, and evaluating and screening them.
The contract is to not exceed $29,500, with 40 % of the bottom fee of $25,500 and bills due inside 45 days of the approval of the approval of the deal. The remaining funds are to be paid as soon as the agency recommends a candidate, metropolis paperwork present.
The purpose is to have the place crammed inside 90 days. The present director, who’s serving within the place on an interim foundation, says he doesn’t need the place full time. In the meantime, state statute mandates he should step down from the function after 90 days if not confirmed.
“After all, they can’t promise us that they’re going to have anyone inside 90 days, however they’re dedicated to doing that,” Human Sources Director Toya Martin mentioned. “They’ve a database… with those that qualify, folks which can be able to work and have the experience to do this.”
Council President Ashby Foote and Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay each requested why GovHR wanted a lot cash up entrance.
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“I don’t like the thought of beginning to pay out 40 % and we don’t know in the event that they’re ever going to deliver anyone in that may fulfill each the administration and the town council,” Foote mentioned. “I’d prefer to see a contingency-based payment the place they receives a commission if they bring about us an expert that we’re happy with.”
Lindsay additionally questioned provisions requiring a 12-month contract.
In line with metropolis paperwork, the contract would run from March 1, 2023 to at the least “12 months from the date a public works director is employed in an interim place with the town.”
Metropolis Legal professional Catoria Martin mentioned the contract is structured so if the director leaves throughout that point, GovHR would assist discover one other candidate to fill the place.
“This settlement continues to be legitimate, as a result of we don’t pay them any extra money however they [will] deliver us new candidates,” she mentioned.
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The proposal was accompanied with a request from the administration to boost the wage of the general public works director from its present vary to between $126,.030.31 to $153,555.45 a yr.
It’s an quantity the administration says is required to enhance the probabilities of recruiting a top quality candidate however continues to be too low primarily based on talks with recruiters.
“There’s not a line of certified folks which can be making use of to be the general public works director for the town of Jackson,” Toya Martin mentioned. “The microscope is on the town of Jackson and that was… among the issues that the nationwide corporations [were] saying to us. We see the issues that you’ve got occurring within the metropolis.”
Jackson has confronted quite a few public works points lately, most notably its a number of water crises and the court-ordered federal takeover of its water system.
That takeover got here in late November, when U.S. District Courtroom Choose Henry Wingate signed an interim stipulated order putting Jackson water in receivership.
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Months previous to that, Jackson made nationwide and worldwide information after tools failures on the O.B. Curtis Water Therapy Plant left tens of 1000’s of individuals within the capital metropolis with out operating water.
Town’s skill to fill the director’s place are additionally well-documented. Since 2020, Jackson has had 5 administrators, together with the interim director, Robert Lee.
Lee, beforehand the town engineer, advised the council he didn’t need the place full time.
Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee, in the meantime, requested why the town wanted to boost the director’s wage when the place is not over the water division.
“My different concern is the educational curve. As quickly as I make any inroads with one director, he’s gone. I’ve re-address my points with the subsequent particular person,” she mentioned. “We want somebody with institutional data. Now we have points which were sitting on the books for years, and yearly we’ve got somebody new.”
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Former Director Robert Miller, who joined the town throughout Mayor Lumumba’s first time period, resigned in 2020. He was adopted by Charles Williams, who was appointed in 2020 to the place solely to be demoted to his earlier place of metropolis engineer the next yr in favor of Marlin King.
King was reassigned throughout the August/September water disaster, resigning from the town shortly after. He was changed by Jordan Hillman, the town’s former planning director, who was by no means confirmed by the council.
Hillman is now deputy director over water and is on mortgage to JXN Water, the corporate shaped by ITPM Ted Henifin to supervise metropolis water.
Metropolis Engineer Robert Lee speaks at a earlier press convention.(WLBT)
For his half, Lee, no relation to the councilwoman, was named interim director on February 10.
Legal professional Martin urged the council to think about approving the contract, saying and not using a director, the town could be out of compliance with the stipulated order.
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“What the interim stipulated order says it that your public works director works instantly with the ITPM to make selections,” she mentioned. “We haven’t been in a position to do this as a result of till every week in the past we didn’t have an interim public works director.”
The council meets at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, February 27 at Jackson Metropolis Corridor.
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It was an all-Mississippi recruiting race for four-star safety Cortez Thomas.
It made sense, too. Thomas, who goes to Holmes County High School, hails from Lexington, Mississippi, and he clearly wanted to stay in-state to play college ball.
Despite 13 other offers, Ole Miss and Mississippi State were his top two schools.
The Bulldogs had an early edge for Thomas, admittedly, but there was a shakeup in Starkville that saw head coach Zach Arnett fired just 10 games into his first season. Jeff Lebby, former Oklahoma offensive coordinator, took over as new head coach, but that shakeup ultimately gave an edge to Lane Kiffin and the Rebels.
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“At first, I was leaning more towards Mississippi State until the coaching staff changed,” Thomas told On3’s Chad Simmons. “Mississippi State is always a great school to go to, but Ole Miss is more about business and I feel like that’s where I need to go.”
If the “business” of college football is winning, which it ultimately is, Kiffin has had Ole Miss on track. Entering his fifth season with the Rebels, he has a 34-15 overall record and is coming off an 11-2 season with a win in the Peach Bowl over Penn State.
“Lane Kiffin is all about winning. I’m pretty sure every athlete wants to play for a winning team,” Cortez said. “From what I’ve heard and seen so far, he’s a great person.”
According to the 247Sports composite, Thomas is the No. 18 safety in the 2025 class. He’s Kiffin’s 10th commitment for the cycle.
Courtesy National Weather Service, Pleasant Hill, Mo.
The “mighty Mississippi” and the “mighty Missouri” are both on the rise.
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A flood warning is now in effect for the entire length of the Missouri River in the Show-Me State, from north of the Iowa border all the way to where it flows into the Mississippi River north of St. Louis. Flood warnings are also in effect for several tributaries of the Missouri.
The Mississippi River is under a flood warning as well, from Cape Girardeau northward into Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
Heavy rains have been pushing through portions of Missouri most of the week. Workers in northeastern Missouri’s Hannibal have install five flood walls and the town of Clarksville downriver has been building a barrier the past few days to keep the Mississippi from flooding downtown.
Minor flooding on the Mississippi is forecast for Cape Girardeau. KFVS-TV reports that the river is expected to crest at 35.5 feet on July 10th, which is not high enough for the city to close its floodgate.
All that extra moisture will likely make it feel especially hot in parts of the state. An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect Thursday for the Bootheel counties of Dunklin and Pemiscot. North of the Bootheel, a large stretch of southern Missouri is under a Heat Advisory. Heat indices could reach between 105 and 110 degrees in the advisory area and climb higher than 110 degrees in the Bootheel.
Grab a watermelon from the grocery store and put it on ice. It will be chilled in time to enjoy while you’re watching fireworks tonight.
In my humble opinion watermelon should be the official food of the Fourth of July. On a steamy hot day, there is surely nothing better than biting into a wedge of ice cold watermelon. Mark Twain even said those who have tasted watermelon “know what angels eat.” How fortunate we are in Mississippi that peak watermelon season runs from mid-June to mid-July, when temperatures are soaring. There’s just no better treat to eat on a hot summer day.
Most large, seeded watermelons grown in Mississippi are Royal Sweet, 720 or Starbright. All have rich, red flesh that is sweet and juicy. There are also smaller “personal watermelons” and watermelons with yellow-flesh. But really, they’re all delicious.
According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, watermelon production, and consumption, has been on the rise in the past few decades. The organization estimates that Americans eat 15.5 pounds of watermelon per person each year. That’s a lot of watermelon seeds to spit out.
Surprisingly Mississippi doesn’t produce as many watermelons as you may think. There are just a few dozen watermelon farmers in the state, and the output is less than one percent of the United States market share, according to USDA data. But there is plenty to go around, and for most people, the quality is more important than the quantity, and we grow delicious watermelons in Mississippi.
They are so good, in fact, that they are celebrated with a festival each year in Mize, Mississippi. Mize is located in Smith County, which arguably grows the best watermelons on earth. For 46 years, the Mize Watermelon Festival has been held in downtown Mize, and it keeps getting bigger every year. This year’s festival will bel held July 19 and 20 and will feature some top-tier entertainment.
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Josh Gracin and Karley Nichols will perform on Saturday. Mike Cockrell from the Discovery Channel’s hit show Moonshiners will be at the festival. Mike is a Mize native, and he loves coming home to support the Volunteer Fire Department, the recipient of the proceeds of the festival.
It’s not too late to enjoy a watermelon today. Grab one from the grocery store and put it on ice. It will be chilled in time to enjoy while you’re watching fireworks tonight.
Top Ten Watermelon Facts
You will not grow a watermelon out of your head if you swallow a seed.
The U.S. Watermelon Speed-Eating & Seed-Spitting Championships held the first Saturday after Labor Day in September on the grounds of Chandler Park in Pardeeville, Wisconsin. There are rules. You can see them here (in case you want to hold your own backyard competition).
There is no wrong way to cut a watermelon. They are equally delicious cut into wedges, cubes, sticks, balls, or boats.
Watermelon is both a fruit and a vegetable, belonging to the same family as cucumbers, pumpkins and squash.
Watermelons live up to their name. They are composed of 92% water.
Watermelons are grown in 96 countries.
The heaviest watermelon recorded weighed 350.5 pounds, grown by Chris Kent in Sevierville, Tennessee. It was verified by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth on October 4, 2013.
Watermelon has only about 40 calories per cup.
Watermelon does not contain any bad fat or cholesterol.
In ancient Egypt, watermelons were placed in burial tombs to nourish the soul after they had passed.
Watermelon Lime Tajin Mocktails
And finally, here’s to the perfect Fourth of July drink from whataboutwatermelon!
Ingredients
1 cup seedless Watermelon, diced and semi-frozen
1/2 c Water
Juice from one Lime (or to taste), plus more for rimming the glasses
Pinch of sugar or honey (if needed)
Small Lime Wedge (for garnish)
Tajin Seasoning (for rimming the glass)
Instructions
Cut the watermelon into slices or “steaks” and then into cubes. Partially freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Using lime juice to adhere, rim the glass with Tajin seasoning. I find that placing the seasoning powder on a flat plate gives the most even coverage. Set aside.
Add the watermelon, about half as much water, a pinch of sugar (or drizzle of honey) and lime juice (to taste) to the blender. Puree until completely smooth.
Add to your mini glasses and garnish with a small wedge of lime.
Serve immediately.
Writer’s Note: A little vodka, gin, or tequila wouldn’t hurt.
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