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Playin' Hurt in Jacktown
Thank you, Jackson, for being you.
We feel confident in saying that there a few headaches in the Jackson area today after hundreds of people packed into the Mississippi Museum of Art for the JFP's Sixth Annual Best of Jackson party. Local restaurants brought so much food that we had to scramble for extra tables. The beer and the wine from Kat's kept flowing. DJ Phingaprint worked the crowd into a frenzy as usual. Fedoras, pinstripes and flapper dresses were in abundance. The highlight of the night came around 7 p.m. when the JSU Sonic Boom drum line marched from outside straight into the packed museum and to the dance floor to perform. And perform they did. (Rumor has it that members of The Weeks tried to join the drum line later, and June Hardwick later reported that she heard them in her house blocks away.) Oh, yes, Josh Hailey outdid his gold lame jumpsuit from last year. Let's just say that, save for a sombrero and big black moustache and some itty-bitty speedos, he would have been buck naked. What's next year for Josh? We tremble to think.
Doris Shavers' Family: Melton Lied
Shalandria Shavers, the 21-year-old daughter of domestic-violence victim Doris Shavers, and James Hopkins, Shavers' brother, served notice today to the city of Jackson and Mayor Frank Melton of a wrongful-death claim against the city, the Jackson Police Department and "John Does 1-6," representing specific police officers who the family says did not prevent Shavers' death.
Telling Our Own Stories
Our readers' grass-roots "Fahrenheit 601" campaign to bring Michael Moore's film to Jackson is inspiring them to band together to bring other independent and edgy films to Jackson. Since we launched, this has been one of the JFP's active goals to help improve the cultural climate in the capitol city—and we have helped with a number of e-mail campaigns to help get people out to films like "The Pianist" and "Saved!" (now in theaters here). We've also run several stories about the need to bring better films here, and to tell our own stories through film. We are pulling some of those stories back to the top of the site this week to add some fuel to the current fire.
Generation Me-Me-Me
Carrie is 2 years old, with curly brown hair and Windex-blue eyes. In a still-life portrait, she would be adorable. In three dimensions, she's a cross between a Gerber baby and the Tasmanian devil.
Open For Business: Starting Small
Jacqueline Wells dreams of making films. That's why she's sitting in an office in an old shopping mall on Ellis Avenue, flanked by two portable fans compensating for the office's weak air conditioning.
Community Events and Meetings
Free Tax Counseling and Filing. IRS/AIM or AARP volunteers will do electronic filing. Bring all necessary documents. Joint filers must come together. Free.
Bearing My Soul
I wanted to write a book about some of the things I dealt with in my life, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. For now, I created a new blog so that I can post what's going on in my mind and other people can join the group and share their feelings as well. Maybe if I write enough articles, I can eventually put that book together.
[Queen] Raising a Man
As a single mother attempting to raise an astute son, I find that I am never sure what I'm doing.
[New Year's] Celebrate Good Times, Come On
Not sure what to do on New Year's Eve? Here's your guide to what many Jackson-area restaurants and nightspots are offering on the big night. If you're a venue and want to add your specials for the evening, just register and post it yourself under this story—or send the info to [e-mail missing], and we'll do it for you. Happy new year!
‘I Will Cream You Personally'
Looks like we left the press conference too soon yesterday! The Clarion-Ledger is reporting today that Mayor Frank Melton threatened one of their reporters:
Melton Plans Quick ‘State of the City' at the Alamo
Mayor Frank Melton says he only plans to talk for 30 minutes Friday morning on the "state of the city." The Clarion-Ledger reports:
Let's Do The Time Warp…Again!
You remember 1973, don't you? Elvis was in concert in Hawaii, Nixon began his second term, the Watergate hearings were in full swing, the Vietnam War ended, the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, Secretariat won the Triple Crown, and Pink Floyd released "The Dark Side of the Moon." OK — maybe not.
Dems Challenge Melton's Residency
ht>This story will appear in the print edition of the Jackson Free Press on Wednesday. by Adam Lynch
[Kamikaze] Political Cross-Dressing
I recently received an intriguing e-mail. It raised some interesting points about this year's presidential election, and I thought I'd share.
Confusion Over Jackson 2020
Last month, The Clarion-Ledger reported that a group of community citizens had formed a group called Jackson 2020 to combat Jackson's population shift and work on rebranding the city to attract more residents.
Gary Anderson Sends George Dale to the Showers
Democratic challenger Gary Anderson defeated incumbent Insurance Commissioner George Dale 51-49 percent Tuesday night. Dale had mounted his re-election campaign under intense scrutiny for his support of and by the insurance industry in the wake of Katrina. The tort-reform lobby had campaigned heavily for him, saying he was the candidate to counteract "lawsuit abuse" and accusing him of being the candidate for "personal injury lawyers." Many victims of Katrina have sued their insurance companies for trying to pay their policies, in most cases saying they lost their homes due to wind, not water. Because only a slab was left in many cases, policy holders could not point to a water line, as insurance companies said they needed to do. Many people on the Coast are still living in FEMA trailers.
Tarring and Feathering Faye Peterson
I was sitting in the student center at Belhaven College Friday afternoon, participating in a media-ethics forum with several other media leaders from around town. The conversation was compelling, and there was a great deal of mea culpa (not to mention JFP back-patting, I'm happy to report) over how local media covered, or did not cover, Frank Melton's shenanigans during the campaign and in the early months of his tenure as mayor.
Measuring Progress: The Evolution of Downtown Jackson Partners
Downtown Jackson Partners President Ben Allen resembled a proud father during a presentation to downtown property owners at the Mississippi Museum of Art on May 26. A video displayed images of a vast cityscape, streets filled with smiling young professionals and renovated lofts.
Crisler Leads after McMillin Endorsement
Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin's endorsement last Friday made a big difference for Councilman Marshand Crisler in the crowded field of Democratic mayoral candidates in Jackson, according to political consulting firm Zata|3.