Jackson Free Press

Verbatim release:

City of Jackson Launches Self-Service Portal for Water Customers

The City of Jackson will launch the new customer self-service portal on Monday, Aug. 1, providing convenience and useful information to the City’s water customers. The portal allows water customers to pay bills online, view account balances and copies of previous months’ bills, and monitor and track water usage.

Customers can visit https://waterwebcss.jacksonms.gov/OUCSSPortal to set up an account.

Users of the self-service portal will see the same data that is available to the Water Department as they generate monthly bills. Data is available in near real-time and is supplied from the automatic water meter on your property. If customers need more information than what is available on the portal, they can contact the Water Sewer Business Administration at 601-960-2000.

Customers can take simple steps to reduce water consumption and water bills:

Five-minute showers use about 10 gallons of water, or about 75% less water than baths.

Turning off the water while you brush teeth can reduce your water usage to less than 1 gallon, whereas letting the water run for 2 minutes will waste as much as 4 gallons of water.

Watering your lawn uses about 2 gallons per minute; consider how much time you need to water your lawn—and whether the lawn really needs it.

If you wash dishes by hand, you can use as much as 27 gallons of water. Consider scraping dishes first, letting them soak in soapy water before rinsing, and not letting the water run the entire time you’re washing.

The Department of Justice charged two more people involved in the former Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Christopher B. Epps' case today. Both press releases from the DOJ are reproduced verbatim below:

Texas Man Charged with Conspiracy to Bribe Former Corrections Commissioner

Mark Longoria, 53, of Houston, Texas has been charged in a Criminal Information with conspiracy to pay bribes to former Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) Commissioner Christopher B. Epps, announced Acting United States Attorney Harold Brittain and FBI Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Donald Alway. Longoria will appear for arraignment on Tuesday, July 26, 2016, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Ball. The maximum penalty for conspiracy is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Deputy Criminal Chief Darren LaMarca, Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Lemon, and financial analyst Kim Mitchell.

The public is reminded that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Teresa Malone Charged with Conspiracy to Bribe Former Corrections Commissioner

Teresa Malone, 54, of Carthage, Mississippi has been charged with paying kickbacks to former Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner (MDOC) Christopher B. Epps in exchange for receiving a consulting agreement involving the MDOC and its operations, announced Acting United States Attorney Harold Brittain and FBI Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Donald Alway.

Malone will appear for arraignment on Wednesday, August 3, 2016, at 2:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Ball. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine for the conspiracy count, and a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine for the bribery count.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Deputy Criminal Chief Darren LaMarca, Assistant United States Attorney Patrick A. Lemon, and financial analyst Kim Mitchell. The public is reminded that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

After careful review of the law, and the social and fiscal impacts of HB 1523, I have decided not to appeal the Federal Court's injunction in this case against me. I am convinced that continuing this divisive and expensive litigation is not in the best interests of the state of Mississippi or its taxpayers.

Forest Thigpen, president of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, issued the following statement regarding the lawsuit filed on July 11 by the Southern Poverty Law Center that alleges the state's charter school law violates the state's constitution by enabling ad valorem taxes to cross district lines, leaving the district they were meant to support:

Charter schools are public schools, and since they charge no tuition, any rational person would conclude that they are "free" schools as referenced by the state constitution.

Parents are responsible for their children's education. It is immoral for the government to force parents to send their children to schools that do not meet their academic and related needs, especially when other public options are available, including charter schools.

Parents who have enough money to move to a better district or to send their children to private schools already have options. Charter schools, as demonstrated by the student population at the two schools that opened this year, primarily serve families who cannot afford either of those options.

Improving educational outcomes is one of the most important ways to lift children out of poverty, and charter schools offer that hope to parents who want a better future for their children. By pursuing this lawsuit, it appears as though the Southern Poverty Law Center wants to perpetuate, not alleviate, southern poverty.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reported three new cases of Zika virus in the state today, which brings the state's total cases to eight. The department said all three cases were travel related for residents from Chickasaw, Hinds and Rankin counties who recently traveled to St. Thomas, Nicaragua and Guatemala.

Last week, two cases were reported from DeSoto and Madison counties, in travelers to Jamaica and Guatemala respectively. Three other travel-related cases occurred earlier this year, the department's press release states.

In 2016,four cases of West Nile Virus were reported in Hinds, Grenada, Lamar and Rankin counties. The state health department only reports laboratory-confirmed cases to the public. In 2015, Mississippi had 38 West Nile Virus cases and one death.

“At least 46 other U.S. states and territories have already reported travel-associated cases,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs in a press release. “Now that school is out, we know it is a popular time for mission trips and vacations to these areas. Please be especially mindful of protecting yourself from mosquitoes while you’re abroad. Simple steps can make a big difference.”

Below is information from the state health department about Zika and necessary precautions from their press release:

Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that may cause serious birth defects if contracted during pregnancy. Zika virus infection can cause a mild illness with symptoms (fever, joint pain, conjunctivitis or rash) lasting for several days to a week, but 80 percent of those infected have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Death is very rare. The MSDH strongly advises pregnant women not to travel to countries where Zika is actively being transmitted.

Zika has been seen in parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands for years, but has recently been reported in approximately 30 countries, mostly in the Caribbean, Central and South America. The breed of mosquito that is spreading Zika – Aedes aegypti – has not been detected in Mississippi since the early 1990s. The MSDH is currently conducting surveillance for Aedes mosquito populations in every county in the state.

In previous years, WNV has been reported from all parts of the state. All Mississippians are potentially at risk – not just the areas where cases are reported.

Symptoms of WNV infection are often mild and may include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, a rash, muscle weakness or swollen lymph nodes. In a small number of cases, infection can result in encephalitis or meningitis, which can lead to paralysis, coma and possibly death.

The MSDH suggests the following precautions to protect yourself and your environment from mosquito-borne illnesses: · Use an EPA-registered mosquito repellent that contains DEET while you are outdoors.

· Remove all sources of standing water around your home and yard to prevent mosquito breeding.

· Wear loose, light-colored, long clothing to cover the arms and legs when outdoors.

· Avoid areas where mosquitoes are prevalent.