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Private Prisons Flourish on Desperation
If you drive around Natchez, a sleepy river town of 16,045 people, and talk to folks, everybody has an opinion on whether Adams County Correction Center and its parent company, Corrections Corporation of America, have had a positive impact on the area.
It's a Family Thing
Football has always been a way for my father and me to bond. When I played in high school, my father would help me keep in shape and work with me to get better.
Shrimp Processors Fear for Livelihood
Wally Gollott, owner of the Gulf Pride Seafood Company in Biloxi, leads me to a large metal door at the company's freezer, down the street from where 43,000 pounds of shrimp are being peeled and packed by 30 or so workers.
Wreckers Causing Burglaries
Read this week's crime report (PDF)
Thompson Schedules Health-Care Town Hall Meetings
In an effort to give Mississippians an opportunity to discuss the proposed health care reforms currently under debate in the U.S. Congress, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of the state's 2nd Congressional District has scheduled a town-hall meeting in Jackson. The Aug. 24 meeting will be held at the Stringer Grand Lodge, 1072 J.R. Lynch St. in Jackson, starting at 6:30 p.m.
Madden, MS gets… Madden?
In other news, I'm going somewhere peaceful and uninhabited to found the city of Metal Gear.
In a heartwarming act of customer appreciation, the evil corporate suits over at Electronic Art$ (Look, I used a dollar sign instead of an S! I'm so risque.) decided to have a 'Maddenoliday', in which the adorably hick residents of the tiny town of Madden, Mississippi all recieved free XBOX 360's and a copy of EA's newest item in their eternal series, Madden Football '07. Let's hear it for the residents of Madden, who probably don't even have electricity.
Events to Benefit CARA
McAlister's Deli plans to use the grand reopening of its Maywood Mart location next week as a fundraising opportunity for a local charity. Everyone who visits the restaurant June 5 and donates a bag of dry dog food to Community Animal Rescue and Adoption will receive a voucher for a free meal on their next visit to the Maywood location.
Fairy Tale Fun
The 19th Annual Puppetry Jam Performing Arts Festival for Children combines all the necessary ingredients for some proper fun on April 14-15 at the Ag Museum—a fairy tale, puppets, rhythm, dance, storytellers, a clown, and the chance to make your own puppet.
Civil Rights Education Summit in Neshoba County
PHILADELPHIA, MS – Public school teachers from around the region will converge in Philadelphia, Miss., June 22-24 for what is expected to be a landmark event aimed at providing teacher training through first-hand perspectives on the 1960's Civil Rights Movement. At the same time, two blocks away in the Neshoba County courthouse, Edgar Ray Killen stands trial for the gruesome murder of three civil rights workers forty one years ago in this small Mississippi town. The conference has been planned by Philadelphia Coalition, which initiated the call for justice in the 1964 case and the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi.
Jackson Public Meetings This Week
6:30 p.m., Health-care Town-Hall Meeting with Rep. Bennie Thompson, Stringer Grand Lodge, 1072 J.R. Lynch St.
Barbour's Lobbying Firm Now Open to Dems
In a dramatic sign of how the political winds have shifted, lobbying firm BRG (formerly known as Barbour, Griffith & Rogers) today announced that it has acquired a Democratic lobbying firm. This is huge because Haley Barbour and partners revolutionized what had been the bi-partisan nature of lobbying in Washington by opening a firm that would not cater to Democrats, helping create an intensely divided Washington. [...]
Rita Victims Living Like ‘Cavemen' on Texas Coast
AP is reporting:
Nearly four days after Hurricane Rita hit, many of the storm's sweltering victims along the Texas Gulf Coast were still waiting for electricity, gasoline, water and other relief Tuesday, prompting one top emergency official to complain that people are "living like cavemen." In the hard-hit refinery towns of Port Arthur and Beaumont, crews struggled to cross debris-clogged streets to deliver generators and water to people stranded by Rita. They predicted it could be a month before power is restored, and said water and sewer systems could not function until more generators arrived.
[Mangum] The Life and Death of Hamburger
I keep getting asked why I don't eat red meat. Not to be an Oprah, but I actually do worry about Mad Cow Disease. There's a story, too—the real reason I don't include red meat in my diet.
How to Shop Fondren
When the Fly Girl and the Girl About Town get together, we shop. Or at least we talk about shopping. So, we decided to start a series of "How to Shop" guides. Our first stop: Fondren. The little gem of a neighborhood is packed full of fantastic restaurants and locally owned boutiques stocked with everything from artisan gifts, art and fair-trade finds.
The Football Fanatics Book Shelf
From Friday nights at small-town high schools to Monday evenings in NFL stadiums, fans around the country are ready for some football.
Homeless Shelter Closes Due to Lack of Funding
Opportunity Center, the only daytime homeless shelter in Jackson, closed Friday. The shelter, which was operated by Stewpot Community Services, offered a variety of social services. On daily basis about 175 homeless men and women could use laundry and shower facilities, receive mail and phone calls, and seek day-labor work.
JFP People of the Day: Laura Crawford and Russ Roca
When Laura Crawford and Russ Roca quit their day jobs to bike around the country, they had only one requirement: As long as they were having fun, they would continue to travel.
Love My Labyrinth, Baby
A labyrinth, geodesic dome and solar water pre-heater in Jackson? They are just a few of the exhibits that will be featured at the free Mississippi Vision 2020 Future Fair and Film Festival at Millsaps College Wednesday, March 26, through Saturday, March 29. The Sustainability Film Festival, part of Millsaps' "Green Semester," will kick off the events on Wednesday and Thursday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The films featured will explore our relationship with our planet and how to build a sustainable global environment through communities, companies and economies.
Fear Of A New Tax
Last week, Gov. Haley Barbour did as expected and vetoed Senate Bill 2310, calling it an "irresponsible" revenue change "in a time of fiscal uncertainty." Barbour's office claims the state would lose $1.5 billion, and cities would lose $166 million over nine years. The bill went back to the Senate, but the Senate Finance Committee voted almost immediately 14-to-10 in favor of recommending that the Senate override the governor's veto.
Brittany Hickman
Brittany Hickman never thought she would be a lobbyist, but when she started speaking out on legislation to advance women's rights, she realized the process was much easier than she thought.