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Sen. John Horhn to Announce Run for Mayor Friday
[Verbatim statement] December 31, 2008, Jackson, Mississippi - John Horhn will announce his candidacy for Mayor of Jackson on Friday, January 2, 2009, at 12:00 noon at the corner of Raymond Road and McDowell Road in Jackson. Horhn's campaign will focus on economic development, housing and community development, education, crime, and replenishing the city's infrastructure. He plans to conduct a series of town-hall-style meetings for the purpose of listening directly to citizens' concerns and desires for Jackson's future.
Doris Shavers Killed in Domestic Dispute
WAPT is reporting that Doris Shavers, 40, has died after being shot in the head, allegedly by Henry Phillips in a domestic dispute last night on Ludlow Street. While Shavers was in UMC fighting for her life, police had originally charged Henry Philips, 50, with aggravated assault, a felony, and domestic violence. He is now charged with murder.
Why do people move to/stay in Jackson?
OK, I promised. Here is the next user-generated list in our quest to educate ourselves about why people leave/stay. Please add your reasons (or reasons you've heard people give whether you agree with them or not) to the list below and pass it around. (Remember to add reasons to this one, too: Why do people leave Jackson?
This Here Alternative Universe
I'm sitting here, OK lying here, in a humongous, brick-colored sofa far away from Jackson in the Pacific Northwest, counting my blessings about life in Mississippi. I didn't start out to wax about my good fortune, however. Truth is, we left Jackson in a flurry after putting out our biggest issue (The Annual Manual) and holding an open house for 100 people to honor our interns and young staffers (who produced the Manual). So I didn't have time to write my editor's note before we left.
[Road to Wellness] Onward and Upward, Weeks 5 and 6
Well, gang, we've put in a full month of trying to live a well-rounded, healthier life. Mr. Gunter and I are still (pretty) hard at it. He's discovered a new addiction: honey-roasted soy nuts. I found them at the Jitney 14 (Winn Dixie) in the produce section, and I can't seem to keep him away from them. I'm admittedly not doing as well on the walking lately, but I promise to pick it back up if all y'all do, too. So without any further ado … onward and upward.
Teresa Nicholas
I've never met writer Teresa Nicholas, but I'm getting to know her quite well. My buddy JoAnne Prichard Morris (who is also an editor of the Jackson Free Press) strongly suggested several weeks ago that I get her new book, "Buryin' Daddy" (University Press of Mississippi, 2011, $28). You'll love it, she told me.
Fannie Lou Hamer
Last Sunday, my partner, Todd Stauffer, and I set off on another of our weekend road trips that take us wherever we end up. This time, we landed in Ruleville, northwest of Greenwood, at the grave of Fannie Lou Hamer and her husband, "Pap" Hamer.
Mother Nature: First, Do No Harm
"Y'all are just against economic development." That ribbing came from a Levee Board member who shall remain anonymous due to drinks on the table (a pretty good rule for journalists, by the way).
Transcript of Frank Melton Remarks in Short Press Conference Wednesday
JACKSON CITY HALLMayor Frank Melton called a press conference for 10 a.m. today to address plans for Maple Street Apartments, "new and ongoing economic development iniatives" and "continued/long-term focus on serving the City of Jackson." His remarks lasted about three minutes, and he left without answering any questions from the media. A full transcript of his remarks follows.
BREAKING: Boilwater Notice Lifted for Most of Jackson
[Verbatim from city] BOIL WATER NOTICE LIFTED FOR SURFACE WATER SYSTEM
Mayor Johnson announced during a press conference today that the Health Department reported that water samples taken from the city's surface water system were all clear. The boil water notice for the approximately 175,000 residents on the surface water system is now lifted. The well water system in southwest Jackson's pressure is still building and when it reaches an acceptable level, testing will begin for it. City crews expect that testing should begin Monday. Residents on that system are still on a boil water notice. Please see the details below.
[Ladd] Just As I Am
I was baptized when I was 13 in a Southern Baptist church in Neshoba County. I wasn't particularly spiritual; there was more anger and selfishness and confusion in my heart than love. I couldn't have been ready to live a godly life; I didn't know what it meant. I just walked down the aisle because everybody else was doing it.
Generals Telling Truth About ‘Dash to Baghdad'
As Iraq teeters on a civil war the U.S. cannot control, the New York Times has an in-depth story about what happened with generals who protested the U.S.' initial rush into Baghdad:
Feeling the Indie Pulse, by Herman Snell
Those of us old enough to remember W.C. Don's, Midnight Sun, Inez's, The Mosquito and the University Pub recall these ground-breaking Jackson music establishments with a nostalgic sigh of passing. In Jackson over the years I've seen The Strokes, Smash Mouth, Unrest, Stereolab, The Flaming Lips, R.E.M., The B-52s, The Cult, Henry Rollins, Sebadoh, Social Distortion, Man Or Astroman, The Connells and thousands of amazing, virtually unknown indie talent. For the past several years, a lack of consistency and information, among other problems, has created a void in this once-thriving scene. International bands like American Analog Set, Of Montreal, The Field Mice and True Love Always played Martin's Lounge, and no one showed up. Crippled and unorganized, the masses of indie creed are beginning to feel for a pulse. The once-isolated efforts of a few frustrated individuals are now starting to band together to cross-promote and get the word out on what is happening. And that's a good thing.
Happy Mother's Day
Arise, then, women of this day!
Here is the original, pre-Hallmark, Mother's Day Proclamation, penned in Boston by Julia Ward Howe in 1870:
White Men for Obama?
A long New York Times magazine feature by Matt Bai explores the question on everyone's mind: Can white men bring themselves to vote for Barack Obama in November? This is near the end:
Gifts Losers Don't Give
It's only days until Christmas and—this is the point where a lot of people really screw up. If—like me—you haven't quite finished your shopping (or started), you might be tempted to run to a mall and grab anything that looks like a gift. Don't. This is how people end up with useless appliances and way too many golf accessories they'll never use.
Greenwood Councilman Lambasted for Racial Slur
The Associated Press is reporting that Greenwood Councilman John Lee sent an e-mail last week to a group of whites criticizing black Council President David Jordan, and calling him a "n*gger":
Oh, the Places You'll Go: Project EJECT Expels Gun Offenders to Faraway Prisons
U.S. Attorney Michael Hurst has charged 35 people since he first announced the anti-crime initiative Project EJECT in late 2017.
Dredging Up the Past: Why Mississippians Must Tell Our Own Stories
It was warm under the mammoth magnolia tree on the north side of the Neshoba County Courthouse, just yards from where the Confederate soldier stood on his marble pedestal until a storm knocked him over and broke his arm off a few years back.
The JFP Interview with Joey Lauren Adams
Filmmaker Joey Lauren Adams, 39, is a fan of drinking Budweiser and driving along flat Arkansas highways looking at cypress trees, not necessarily at the same time. The first time I interviewed her, for a hoity-toity celebrity magazine in New York City in the summer of 2001, she was home in North Little Rock from her adopted city of Los Angeles, hankering to live in the South again. But as a successful and respected actress—she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her starring role in "Chasing Amy"' and is a charter member of director Kevin Smith's hipster actor posse—her life and business were far from Arkansas.