Latest news with #ClarionLedger
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
$60 million entertainment complex in Madison goes before zoning board. Was it approved?
The arts and entertainment district known as The Gallery passed its latest test before a board in Madison, on Tuesday, July 16. The City of Madison Planning and Zoning Board as well as the Board of Aldermen gave The Gallery a vote of approval to move forward. The Gallery is a privately funded, mixed-use destination that will include entertainment, dining, retail and office space in a designed community space, Work has begun on the Madison development project, located off Galleria Parkway on 17 acres visible from I-55 North. A local development group on April 22, announced intentions to build a $60 million arts and entertainment district for Madison. Ground has been broken on the economic development project, and now the city has given its blessing. "Securing approval for The Gallery: Arts and Entertainment District marks a major milestone not only for Bellamare Development but for the entire community," Chad Phillips, Senior VP, President of Bellamare Development Services, Bellamare Development, told the Clarion Ledger. "This project represents a bold vision to transform a major commercial thoroughfare, into a vibrant hub for culture, creativity, and commerce. We're honored to help shape a destination where people can live, work, and be inspired — and we're grateful to city leadership and the community for believing in this vision. The real work begins now, and we're excited to bring this district to life." Located off Galleria Parkway on 17 acres visible from I-55 North, The Gallery is a privately funded, mixed-use destination that will include entertainment, dining, retail and office space in a designed community space. "For years, Madison residents have voiced a clear desire: more local entertainment, more family-friendly spaces, more opportunities to gather," Phillips said. "The Gallery is designed with Madison families in mind — to elevate everyday life and offer something truly special, right here at home." At the heart of the project is Spinners, a 120,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor family entertainment center featuring bowling, skating and other games. While there is another Spinners location in Florence, Phillips told the Clarion Ledger the new location is much different and larger in scale. Just steps away from the entertainment venue will be what will be called Royal Street. It will be a French-inspired, New Orleans-style walkable area lined with local restaurants, boutique retail and upstairs office space. The focus, according to Phillips, is to support small businesses and create an environment that feels "charming and modern." Phillips said Bellamare is already in negotiations with multiple restaurant groups to bring dining options to Royal Street and will be prepared to announce those in the upcoming months. "It marks the beginning of an exciting journey, and we're excited to share that the first two buildings on Royal Street are already pre-leased with an incredible mix of restaurants, retail and office space," Phillips said. "We can't wait to reveal the standout businesses and concepts that will soon call The Gallery home.' The development is being designed and engineered by Mississippi-based partners, including WBA Architecture and MP Design Group. Groundbreaking is expected by fall 2025, with construction beginning shortly after. The project is privately funded, with no taxpayer dollars being used. Phillips said he expects much of the work will be complete by the Fall 2026. The 17 acres visible from I-55 North are part of 70 acres total that Bellamare owns along that tract. What comes next for the property is still to be decided. "This process will be dictated by what will be needed and the people of Madison tell us they want," Phillips said. "People riding down I-55 are going to begin seeing work done very soon. This project is ready to go, and I am excited for what this brings to Madison. Our focus all along is a family friendly environment that works for both kids and parents." Bellamare came to an agreement with the city in October 2024 and have been working on the details ever since. is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@ or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Madison approves $60 million entertainment complex The Gallery
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Purvis' JoJo Parker, Mississippi State signee, taken by Toronto Blue Jays with No. 8 pick of 2025 MLB Draft
Purvis baseball star and Mississippi State signee Joseph "JoJo" Parker was selected No. 8 overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft on July 13. Parker was rated as No. 9 prospect entering the draft. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound shortstop was recognized as Mississippi's top player after winning the 2025 Gatorade Player of the Year award. Advertisement He also was on the Clarion Ledger's All-State first team, a 2025 Dandy Dozen selection, and won co-MHSAA Class 4A Mr. Baseball, shared with his brother Jacob. He has been starting on Purvis' varsity team since middle school. This past season, he led Purvis to the MHSAA 4A state title game. The pick has a $6,813,600 slot value. Parker is slotted as the best high school prospect in the state, according to Pro scouts rave about his athleticism and impressive hitting ability. While he plays shortstop, scouts see him as a second or third baseman. JoJo Parker stats Parker started 37 games in the 2025 season for Purvis. Advertisement .463 batting average 44 hits 12 home runs 38 RBIs 2.54 ERA 90 strikeouts 8-2 record Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@ or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Purvis' JoJo Parker No. 8 overall by Toronto Blue Jays in MLB draft
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Inside a Mississippi execution: Clarion Ledger reporter recounts what it was like
Editor's note: This is the latest edition of Curious Mississippi, a service to the readers of the Clarion Ledger. Today we answer, What is it like to cover an execution? Other questions answered by Curious Mississippi have surrounded judicial appointments, recycling, potholes, UMMC construction, cicadas and the international nature of the Jackson airport. Readers can submit questions by email to CuriousMississippi@ and editors will pick out the best and reporters will answer them in an upcoming edition. The visitation center at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman has no windows, just fluorescent lighting, plastic chairs and tables in a cafeteria-style room. I could technically step outside, but only through a single entrance and doing so meant going through the full security screening all over again — it didn't feel worth it. A few friendly prison staff walked around, quietly watching us. The Wi-Fi cut in and out. All the while, I returned to the thought I was there to watch someone die. By 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, I had been sitting in the windowless visitation center for nearly 5 hours. I waited alongside six other journalists from throughout the state to witness the scheduled execution of Richard Jordan, 79, a convicted murderer who had spent the past 48 years on Mississippi's death row for the murder of Edwina Marter. A wife and mother of two, Marter was kidnapped by Jordan from her family home in 1976 and killed. This was my first time covering an execution, and from what I gathered in conversations with other journalists, it's not the kind of assignment anyone looks forward to. It's grim. You don't know what to expect. The weight of what's about to happen settles over you — I felt it most during the 3-hour drive from Jackson to Parchman that morning. But I kept thinking about something the late war correspondent Marie Colvin once said: our job as journalists is to "bear witness." I applied for permission to attend the execution in early June, as the state finalized preparations and Jordan's attorneys filed a flurry of last-minute appeals to halt the execution. The process to watch an execution is straightforward bureaucracy: you apply to the Mississippi Department of Corrections, providing your name, date of birth, Social Security number, phone number, email and the media outlet you work for. Then you wait. MDOC later notifies you if you've been selected. I was met at the prison by Clarion Ledger photojournalist Lauren Witte, who wasn't allowed to photograph the execution. She came to document the protests outside the prison and to capture photos and video from the press conferences by prison officials before and after the execution. I arrived an hour before a 2 p.m. press conference held by MDOC officials. The visitation center, located near the prison's main entrance, served as our staging area. After passing through airport-style security, I settled in. Finger sandwiches, chips, cookies and cinnamon rolls were laid out to hold us over while we waited. MDOC Commissioner Burl Cain came in to shake everyone's hand before the press conference, where officials shared what Jordan had ordered for his last meal. The press conference was over in minutes. For the next 4 hours, reporters fiddled with their laptops, others scrolled through their phones. One reporter read, some paced the room and made edits to the stories they would file once it was all over. Eventually, an MDOC spokesperson came to gather those selected to witness the execution. We went through security once more and were told we couldn't bring any electronics. Instead, we were handed a pad and pen to record our observations. Then the officials herded us into a police van and drove toward the layers of barbed-wire fencing surrounding Unit 17 — the prison's execution chamber. Unit 17 — the same building where Freedom Riders, arrested for civil rights activism, were held in 1961 — looks like a small prison within the larger one. It's a one-story building set back from the main road, with a long driveway leading up to it. Our van sat idling on that road for about 5 minutes, the air conditioning barely working, while corrections staff made final security checks. The driver then pulled up to the back entrance. We parked there for another minute before being told to exit the van and led single-file into one of the execution observation rooms, which had about 15 seats. Three in the front were already occupied — by Jordan's wife, one of his attorneys and his spiritual adviser. The rest of us filled in the remaining seats. A thin curtain blocked our view of the execution chamber, but we could hear people moving around behind it. Once we were seated, a prison official reminded us that there was to be no talking. Anyone who broke that rule, he said, would be escorted out of the building. Then he shut the door. The room went black — so dark I couldn't even see the notes I'd scribbled on the pad they gave me. No one spoke. The only sounds were the muffled shuffling of MDOC officials behind the window and the quiet sobs of Jordan's wife in the front row. The room was tense and still. We had been waiting for hours, and now we were just minutes away from the moment we had come for. The anticipation was real. I had no idea what I was about to see once that curtain rose. At exactly 6 p.m., the curtain lifted. Jordan was lying on his back, covered in a white sheet up to his neck, his arms stretched out to each side. Four MDOC officials surrounded him: Cain stood over his right shoulder, Regional Superintendent Marc McClure over his left, and two others were positioned near his feet — one of them a woman with a stethoscope around her neck. McClure asked if Jordan had any final words, and he gave them while reporters frantically wrote down notes on the pads. Then the lethal injection began. It's not like someone comes in with a big needle and injects him. In fact, Jordan's IV wasn't even visible. I could not tell you where the drugs were administered, but the three-drug protocol began with a sedative. Within moments, Jordan visibly drifted off to sleep — though his eyes remained partially open and his mouth fell slightly agape. I was sitting in the back row, so I stood to make my observations. You could hear the scribbling of reporters taking notes, occasionally glancing up at the clock mounted on the wall of the execution chamber. MDOC officials observed quietly. At 6:08, a man wearing sunglasses and a hat — looking almost like he was in disguise — entered to perform the court-mandated consciousness check and declared Jordan unconscious. By law, MDOC is not allowed to reveal the identity of the man who conducted the unconsciousness check. Additional drugs followed. Eight minutes later, at 6:16, the woman with the stethoscope checked Jordan's vitals and pronounced him dead. The curtain slowly dropped, and once again, we were sitting in total darkness. It may feel strange to put it this way, but the execution unfolded quietly and without incident. There were no visible complications — none of the convulsions or delays often associated with botched executions. Everything about the process had been orderly, almost mechanical. Each moment planned, each movement accounted for. The calm didn't make it any easier to watch. We sat in the dark for a few more minutes until an official led us back to the police van. On the ride back to the visitation center, reporters talked — piecing together the timeline, already thinking about the stories we'd soon have to file. It felt strange, but also familiar — slipping back into work mode after something so heavy. Back at the visitation center, we waited for a press conference. Commissioner Cain and McClure gave brief remarks. Members of Marter's family also spoke, offering a statement that was somber but resolute. "She was loved and needed," said her nephew. Marter's husband and sons did not attend the execution. Afterward, officials quickly began ushering us out. We were told to gather our things and leave the property. Just like that, it was over — hours of waiting, a life ended and then the parking lot. Contact Charlie Drape at cdrape@ This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Covering an execution in Mississippi death chamber
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pinkins leaving MS Democratic Party, running as independent. What to know
Ty Pinkins, a Democrat who in recent years has run several political campaigns for both federal and statewide offices, has announced he is leaving his party and is now running as an independent for U.S. Senate in 2026. Pinkins told the Clarion Ledger on Monday his decision stemmed from disagreements with campaign finance raising between the Democratic Party and himself. "I refuse to operate in a system that prioritizes money over people," Pinkins said. "I was asked more about fundraising than about any values or anything about my vision as United States senator coming from Mississippi than anything else. It was all about money. I don't think that's leadership, it's gatekeeping, and that's why I'm running as an independent now, to stay accountable to the people and not the party." Pinkins also made note of being pushed to drop out of the race for another candidate, which he refused to do. "When I first entered this race, party officials didn't ask me about healthcare, veterans or education," he said. "They asked how much money I had. And when I refused to step aside for their handpicked, millionaire-backed candidate, they tried to buy me off — and then they threatened me." Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Cheikh Taylor did not respond to requests for comment by press time. Pinkins said he did not give the Democratic Party a prior warning to the announcement. In May, the Clarion Ledger reported Lowndes County District Attorney Scott Colom would likely run for U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde Smith. U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, according to previous Clarion Ledger reporting, thinks Colom is the right man for the job. If Colom follows through, Pinkins would now avoid a primary with a well-respected candidate in the Democratic Party. Pinkins said that fact was not part of his decision to run as an independent in the Senate race. "I think that there's a problem with money in our politics, and I think both parties are compromised with the amount of money that's in politics, and the only way that we can get out of it is for independent candidates to step forward and tell them, 'I don't accept big corporate PAC money,'" Pinkins said. "'I don't accept money for billionaires,' so that voters can see that they have a candidate that's not lost in the big money machine." The 2026 senate race will be Pinkins' third campaign in under three years. In 2023, Pinkins had begun his first Senate campaign against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, but at the Democratic Party's request, he changed gears and ran for Mississippi Secretary of State. He lost to incumbent and current office holder Michael Watson. In 2024, Pinkins picked back up the Senate campaign against Wicker but was unsuccessful in the November election. Because Pinkins is now an independent candidate, he will need 1,000 Mississippians' signatures to qualify for the race and also $1,000. Both will be needed to put his name on the state's ballot in 2026. Pinkins is also now the second high-ranking Democrat to leave the Mississippi Democratic Party. Shuwaski Young, a politician and former candidate for secretary of state from Philadelphia (Mississippi) left the party in October 2024. Pinkins would at this time be the only independent running for Mississippi's U.S. Senate seat in 2026, which also would leave Colom without a Democratic opponent in the 2026 primary. Hyde-Smith, who was first appointed to the U.S. Senate by former Gov. Phil Bryant, does at this time have one challenger in her party, Sarah Adlakha, a resident of Ocean Springs. Grant McLaughlin covers the Legislature and state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@ or 972-571-2335. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ty Pinkins leaving Mississippi Democratic Party
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Yahoo
Jackson police search for suspect in shooting death of 53-year-old man on Gentry Street
The Jackson Police Department is searching for a suspect after a 53-year-old man was fatally shot multiple times Wednesday afternoon, June 18, on Gentry Street. Police released those details via press release on Thursday, June 19. JPD Public Information Officer Tommie Brown said officers received a call around 3:40 p.m. Wednesday regarding a shooting in the 1200 block of Gentry Street. Brown said through investigation, detectives learned Troy Howard Jr., 53, was shot multiple times. According to Brown, Howard was taken to the University of Mississippi Medical Center where Howard later died from his injuries. Former Mississippi police chief dies: Former Pearl Police Chief Dean Scott dies of natural causes, authorities say More: Do you have to open the door for police in Mississippi? Brown told the Clarion Ledger on Friday, June 20, that police are still looking for a suspect in this case. Brown said the suspect is described as "a Black male of large stature last seen wearing all black and walking on Livingston Avenue." Anyone who has any information relating to this case can contact Crime Stoppers at (601) 355-8477 or JPD at (601) 960-1234. Pam Dankins is the breaking news reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Have a tip? Email her at pdankins@ This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson MS: Gentry Street murder suspect search
