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College Town Boy
"College town boy, get off your ass and do something," Dent May croons with a bit of humorous mockery and disdain.
[Annual Manual 2006] Bright Lights, Big City
By day, only a skillful parallel parker can wedge into a space on the streets of downtown Jackson. Men and women in business suits stride with purpose down West Street and Capitol. Hot dog kiosks and the occasional horn honk convince us that we live in a capital city.
Parting The Curtain
Mississippi Values: It sounds innocuous, even noble; yet under the pens of Alex A. Alston Jr. and James L. Dickerson, the phrase takes on an ominous ring. Magnolia State residents "have a long history of being against whatever the rest of the nation is for," the authors write in "Devil's Sanctuary: an Eyewitness History of Mississippi Hate Crimes".
[Sue Doh Nem] The Next Generation
Poochie: "It's me, the talking, literate black dog. Today, I'm starring in a sitcom pilot called 'Ruff Times,' an updated version of the famous television series 'Good Times.' Kunta 'Rahsheed X' Toby is the executive producer, writer and director, and several members of the Ghetto Science Team repertory theater group play the roles of Florida, Michael, Thelma, J.J., Wilona and Penny. I play the role of Penny's granddaughter's adopted black dog, Poochie.
Crossing Neighborhood Lines
"There just isn't a sense of community here like there was back home," a Denver, Colo., transplant told me after moving to Jackson. In a city with almost three times the population of Jackson, residents there felt that city government and business owners had built up their cities to be inclusive of many people's needs. The lack of this trend in the city that I have called home for 21 years is becoming more and more clear as issues like crime and development become hot-topic items for discussion. Jackson has neighborhoods and associations that create community among a certain group of people, but the community of Jackson is vastly underserved and disjointed.
God's Secret Club
The shocking details of Leisha Pickering's suit against the alleged mistress of former U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering is only the latest scandal connected with C Street House, a Washington, D.C.-based political fraternity and Christian fellowship home.
Seersucker Friday
When @FlyJFP Twitter followers make a request, I try my best to deliver. I hear that there are people around town who adhere to the rules of Seesucker Fridays from Easter to the end of the summer. So when they asked for a spread, I was out the next day scouring the city for all the seersucker I could find.
BP and Main Streets
BP may seem like a strange benefactor for Gulf Coast businesses in light of the damaging oil spill still fresh in Mississippi memories, but BP America has announced a partnership with the Mississippi Main Street Association's communities on the Gulf Coast.
Belhaven Park Wins Award; Hinds Branding Meetings Set
During its annual awards ceremony June 28, the Mississippi Main Street Association named Belhaven Park the best public-private project is the state.
Politics of Tobacco
The House sent a veto-proof cigarette tax bill to the Senate Thursday, along with the message that one side of the Mississippi Legislature is standing behind the tax, even if former tobacco lobbyist Gov. Haley Barbour and his Senate allies have no intention of letting the bill come up for a vote.
Back Roads of Righteousness
While The 484 South Band claims to have started in 2005, it really began 20-something years ago in the small paper-mill town of Monticello, Miss.
Weekend Happenings
It's not over until the fat lady sings. Tuesday are general elections in Jackson. Now is not the time to sit it out only to watch your candidate lose. Absentee Voting: Attorney General Jim Hood's office sent a release yesterday reminding Jackson voters who will be out of town for the Tuesday general election that the deadline to vote absentee is this Saturday, May 30 at noon. Mailed ballots must be received by 5 p.m. on Monday. If you have questions about voting, please see Answers to Election Day Questions. Also, make sure to read the JFP Candidate Interviews on the Politics Blog.
Goings On Around Town
Before you go tonight's debate, head over to Nunnery's Gallery (426 Meadowbrook Road) for the opening reception of Tony Di Fatta's new show of abstract work, "Chaos and Order," starting at 5 p.m. Also tonight in Flowood, the opening reception for P. Sanders McNeal's sketches of Byron De La Beckwith's trial for the murder of Medgar Evers. The show hangs at the Bryant Galleries (3010 Lakeland Cove, Suite A, Flowood) through June 12.
Rep. Bennie Thompson
Opening up a forum for civil discussion and debate, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi's Second Congressional District addressed questions to more than 300 people last night on proposals for health-care reform. Standing shoulder- to-shoulder in Jackson's M.W. Stringer Grand Lodge, some attendees held signs supporting universal health care while others used handouts to fan themselves from the heat.
Healing Port Gibson
Those of us with the desire to integrate people through art need look no further than Port Gibson this weekend, when a diverse, intergenerational community will come together in Jo Carson's play "How the Deal Rocked Up." Commissioned and presented by Mississippi Cultural Crossroads, the play interweaves 50-plus years of local narratives collected by the organization as a part of the Claiborne County Oral History Project. Themes touched on—first-person accounts of shootings, racial tensions, land purchases under the New Deal—can be problematic to address anywhere, let alone in a town of 12,000 people in southern Mississippi.
What To Do This Weekend
Looks like we may have seen the last of the summer heat, and the rain may finally be clearing out. Saturday will be a great day to grab a sweater and finally get to the Mississippi State Fair if you haven't gone, yet. But tonight, kick off the weekend by taking in a movie with the Crossroads Film Society's Global Lens Series at the Mississippi Museum of Art. If you'd rather spend the evening where you can do the most good, head to the Jackson Convention Complex for the Mississippi Center for Justice annual "Champions of Justice" dinner at 6 p.m., or to Clinton for the annual Pink Ribbon Gala to benefit the American Cancer Society at 7 p.m. Find the details on the JFP Best Bets page.
Michael Barranco
Michael Barranco visited with his friend Sergio Fernandez at River Hills Club last Sunday after a weekend camping trip with his family. Fernandez says Barranco enthusiastically described his recent musical performance at Underground 119, and that people will remember him for his passion--for architecture, for music and for his family.
It's the Weekend, Baby
The old WJMI slogan "It's the weekeeeeeeend, baby!" fits in well with all there is to do in Jackson in the next few days. First, get away from your personal three-ring circus and see a real circus tonight. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus presents its "Illuscination Tour," and it is back in town at the Mississippi Coliseum. The show starts at 7 p.m., or you can go tomorrow at 2 p.m. or Sunday at 6 p.m. Tickets are $14-$45 and tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
Sports, Stennis and a Saloon
SportsEvents magazine, an industry publication for sports event planners, has named Jackson as one of the top destinations for sports events in its 2012 Readers' Choice Awards issue.
[Wine] Sun-Kissed Grass and Citrus
Before my days as a devoted mother of the most precious baby girl in the world, it was not unusual to find me (after work, of course) planted on a barstool somewhere around town. Yes, a social creature was I, and quite a thirsty one, too. Especially in hot weather. There is almost nothing more refreshing to me than an icy cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc. (For all of you too-technical wine enthusiasts, I know that when white wines are too cold you don't experience the full range of flavors, but with temperatures hitting the high 90s, who cares?) In my opinion, there are few varietals that offer as much delightfully crisp and tangy flavor no matter where in the world it comes from.