The Northside Sun from Jackson, Mississippi • 1

northside sun the weekly For 50 Years, Covering Northeast Jackson, Madison and Ridgeland Vol. 50, No. 46 Three Sections, 40 Pages, Thursday, August 31, 2017 9,166 Circulation; 30, 248 Readership www.northsidesun.com 50 CELEBRATING YEARS LABOR OF LOVE New Deal? City officials working to reduce consent decree costs Four out of eight counts dismissed in airport case Salvation Army plans race FAMILY INFLUENCE ORE THAN a year after the state passed egislation to take over the Jackson-Medgar iley Evers International Airport, the ffort to stop the takeover continues. owever, city and airport were recently ealt a major blow in their case by the U.S. istrict Court.

udge Carlton Reeves recently dismissed our of the eight counts in the Jackson unicipal Airport (JMAA) suit. MAA Executive Director Carl Newman eclined to comment on the matter, saying he case is still in litigation. I his order Reeves dismissed laims that the bill authorizing the takeover iolated both the U.S. Constitution and the Mississippi Constitution. Among claims, the city and JMAA hold firm the state violated Mississippi Code Section 61-3-7, which prohibits the creation of a regional airport a public hearing has been provided to communities affected by the proposed Further, the city argued that it would be unable to fulfill the requirements of certain federal grants, if the ownership is transferred to the state.

The claims hold water with Reeves, who said 61-3-7 how municipalities may create (or disband) a regional airport it does not attempt to govern a municipality or due process rights to object to the consideration of a new airport As for contractual obligations on grants and the like, Reeves ruled the city would be of its contractual obligations if the Airport Operating Certificate is Other counts were not dismissed. The city and JMAA are also claiming that the efforts to appoint a new authority prior to the approval of the FAA cast a pale of uncertainty and irreparably harm the current business opportunities and good will of the JMAA and undermine its efforts to continue managing and operating Jackson- Medgar THE SUIT ALSO CLAIMS the law was passed in whole or in part on discrimi- See Airport Takeover, Page 10A By MeGan ILLIPS Sun riter ALTHOUGH NEELY Carlton Lyons comes from a family with many successful and hardworking members, many of whom have worked in public service, it is her great-aunt, Zelma Wells Price, who has influenced Neely the most. full name was Zelma Wells Price. She was raised in Calhoun County. She came from a large family, and she was by all acclaims an entrepreneur and strong person, both in will and character from the very Neely said.

Within the entire family, Neely called Zelma the focal point. was a leader and helped others She was the sister of my grandmother, Hazel Wells While working, Zelma decided to become a lawyer. She was self-taught and, after passing the bar exam, practiced law in Greenville where she ran for the Legislature. ran for the Legislature in the and became, not the first female to serve in the Legislature, but she was the first female to serve on a money committee in the a position of prestige and power and influence. Her legislative career was marked with a great deal of leadership in that Notably, Zelma was a huge point of influence in the when discussions were held to move the state medical school from Oxford to Jackson, and change it from a two-year to a four-year program.

father and nephew, Frank Carlton, lived with Zelma and commuted with her to session so he could work at the capital post office. Right before it was time to vote on relocating the medical school, Zelma and Frank were involved in an accident. story is that the two of them were on a one-lane bridge at night and played chicken with another car and Neely said as she told the tale. drove off into a ditch and wrecked and she said to my father, are you and he said, I and she said, not. Go get That accident led to her being hospitalized for a broken During the time Zelma was hospitalized for her injury, the vote came up to move the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) to Jackson.

I am sure, all types of effort on the part of many, arrangements were made for her to come to the capital and cast the deciding vote to take the bill beyond committee consideration to the floor. She cast the deciding not sure she recognized in that moment how many lives would be touched. But she certainly was willing to stand in the door, if you will, and open the door for all ZELMA WENT ON to become the first female to serve as a trial court judge in Mississippi. See Neely Page 8A LEGACY OF PUBLIC SERVICE INSTILLED IN NEELY CARLTON LYONS BY GREAT-AUNT By ant ony arren Senior riter A NEW DEAL COULDbe in the works when it comes to the capital sewer onsent decree. However, that mean Jackson will be off the hook when it comes to making some $400 million in epairs to bring its system into compliance with federal law.

he city entered into the decree in 2012 and was given 17.5 years to bring its sewer system into compliance with federal clean water laws. Five years into the decree, Mayor Chokwe Antar staff is working to modify that deal with federal officials. ity leaders discussed efforts at a recent ouncil meeting. a case where the consent decree does not match up with our financial ability to deliver. looking to modify (the ecree) so we can still meet the goals of the decree, but align it more with the abili- of the city to meet its financial said Chief Administrative Officer Robert Blaine.

The city met recently with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and was given two months to draw up modifications to the plan. At press time, Jackson had about six weeks remaining to complete the report. Jackson is eligible to renegotiate the deal, i part, because the city qualifies as an justice Blaine said. Over the years, several executive orders have been handed down by presidents elated to Terry Williamson, the consent ecree attorney, said the orders essentially look at how environmental compliance impacts minority communities. In case, the EPA and U.S.

Department of Justice want more information on how the $400 million decree will affect poorest residents. Typically, cities raise water and sewer rates to cover consent decree costs, which would place greater strain on lower-income See Consent Decree, Page 9A.