Jackson will soon be-- almost-- smoke-free.   The City Council initially
rejected, then approved, a revised public smoking ordinance at its
meeting Tuesday morning.  Beginning in February, bars will be the
only businesses in the city where people can legally light up.  Restaurants
had been exempted under the previous ordinance.   Some council
members tried to hold out for a full-fledged smoking ban, at first
refusing to accept the compromise offered by Councilman Marshand
Crisler, who proposed the bar exemption.  A proposal from the
council's Planning Committee would have also allowed restaurants
to permit smoking in their own bars as long as those areas had
separate ventilation systems. 


Retired Maj. Gen. Buford Blount is just back from a visit to Iraq--
his first trip in about three years-- and says he's impressed with
the progress that's being made in turning security responsibilities
over to the Iraqis.  Blount's Third Infantry Division led the invasion
in 2003.  He now lives in Hattiesburg and serves as a lecturer at
Southern Miss.    Blount's visit to northern Iraq two weeks ago was part
of a business trip.  He says that part of the country seems relatively
safe now.  Blount says the process of restoring electric and water
service in Iraq is moving too slowly and casts a cloud over other
progress that's being made in Iraq.  He says the American public
doesn't hear about much of what's happening in the country now
because reporters are no longer embedded with U-S forces-- and
usually don't show up until after something happens.


You know all about 900 numbers and the kind of telephone charges
you can rack up by calling them.   Now, the Better Business Bureau of
Mississippi is warning, "beware of 809, 876 and 284".  Those area codes             send your call to the Caribbean or Central America where con artists
will try to keep you on the line for as long as possible, then bill you a
large fee.  The phone companies in those countries are in on it and split
the charges with the scammers.  And the BBB says there's not much
you can do about it, since the companies aren't subject to U-S law.
It says the scam uses emails, phone calls, pages and regular mail
to hook its victims.







Tornado season update: 
The National Weather Service has revised its preliminary tornado
total for Mississippi, now counting 82 tornadoes from last October
through May.  That's nine more than the previous total.  (It seems
the NWS missed a few from February).  It also falls just one short
of the all-time record for tornadoes during the fall through spring
season.  That distinction still belongs to the period October 2004
through May 2005.  For calendar year 2008, our total now stands
at 68, well above our yearly average of 26.  
  But we've got a long way to go before
threatening our record of 99 tornadoes in 2005.  The most important
statistic is this-- unlike all of our neighboring states (Tennessee 31,
Arkansas 20, Alabama 6, Louisiana 1) Mississippi hasn't had a tornado
fatality this year. 


At the bottom of the page, I'm continuing to post some of my favorite
stories, old and new.  You'll find "Next Stop, New Orleans", a feature
from last year that was named co-winner of Best of Show by the Miss.
Association of Broadcasters-- and more recently, an RTNDA regional Edward R.
Murrow Award winner.  Also, there's "A Visit to Holsten's", a story about the
place in New Jersey where the final scene in the final episode of HBO's
"The Sopranos" was filmed.  And now, there's a story from last year about
a World War Two hero who died in Hattiesburg recently-- "Jack Lucas,
American Hero"-- and a new story, "Mickee the Medic" about a local
ambulance company employee who's saving lives after almost losing
his own.  Finally, there's "British Baseball Fan", a story from last year about
an Englishman who visited Trustmark Park as part of his quest to see a
baseball game in every state in America.   This story won a national
Edward R. Murrow Award this year, honored as the best example of sports
reporting among small-market radio stations.