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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.
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.
An Innocent Woman? Michelle Byrom vs. Mississippi
If Mississippi executes Michelle Byrom, now 57, she will be the first woman the state has put to death in 70 years. It may also be a horrible injustice.
The Lumumba Legacy: What Happens Now?
Chokwe Lumumba was the first to admit that he was a radical. He was never satisfied with the status quo. He became a lawyer for the express purpose of defending people from civil-rights abuses.
Town Hall Meeting in Jackson Tonight
Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi's Democratic congressman from the state's Second Congressional District, will host a town-hall meeting in Jackson tonight. The meeting, providing an opportunity for constituents to get their questions answered about the health-care reform measures being debated in the U.S. Congress, begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Stringer Grand Lodge, 1072 J.R. Lynch St. in Jackson.
Gas is Giving Me Heartburn
This morning, I paid more than $52 to buy 3/4 of a tank of gas. Lucky for me that I live in Mississippi instead of San Francisco, where the cost of regular topped $4 per gallon this week. But the end isn't in sight, and despite the general outcry over the astronomical profits of the corporate oil giants, gas prices continue to climb. People are paying more than $100 to fill up their SUVs.
Weekend Planning Headquarters
If you're planning for the weekend, make sure to check out these events:
* The Eudora Welty Tribute Concert tonight, with Claire Holley, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kate Campbell and Caroline Herring.
The Real Roots of Evil
"When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak." —Audre Lorde
Building Jackson Strong, One Person at a Time
Shoppers looking for organic and locally sourced food are familiar with the unassuming little grocery on Old Canton Road in Fondren. Mostly, they just call it Rainbow.
Weekend Events: Outdoors, Music & More
Planning your weekend? It should be great weather for the day-time events listed on our Best Bets page including the Jackson Zoo's Party for the Planet on Saturday, and Rainbow Co-op's annual meeting and picnic at the Cedars on Sunday.
Obama in Gulfport Today
President Barack Obama begins his fourth visit to the Gulf Coast this morning, starting in Gulfport. Gov. Haley Barbour said that he will be on hand to welcome the President. Obama will be touring the U.S. Coast Guard command center and meet with locals before he heads to Theodore, Ala., this afternoon, reports gulflive.com.
Jones: Living Up to Potential
John H. Jones Jr. is a highly educated and experienced administrator, and he wants to bring those qualities to the Jackson mayor's office.
Meet Jackson's Democratic Mayoral Candidates
[verbatim] On Saturday, February 28, 2009, Young Democrats of Mississippi (YDMS) will host a candidate forum for all Democratic mayoral candidates in Jackson. The forum will be at 1:00 p.m. at the IBEW Union Hall.
The Wonder of it All
In the early 1960s, Mama and Papa leased an old, rundown gas station in Liberty, N.Y., in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, and spent every weekend of one winter and spring converting the property into our summer "retreat." We lived in Brooklyn at the time, but my parents were determined to get my sisters and me out of the city as much as possible, especially during the summer.
Ledger Spreads Bad Info About Columbus Daily
The Commercial Dispatch in Columbus was surprised to learn yesterday that it was changing format from a daily newspaper to a weekly "advertiser" format. Except that it wasn't true. Turns out The Clarion-Ledger was mailing subscribers in the town, spreading false information to try to increase its own subscriptions in the area.
Youth Baseball Program Comes to Town
The Mississippi Department of Human Services is teaming with the Cal Ripkin, Sr. Foundation to offer the Badges for Baseball program to at-risk youth in 10 Mississippi communities. The program will kick off May 28 at Trustmark Park in Pearl.
Nicole's Been Sprung
Dancer Nicole Marquez left the hospitalhopefully for goodon Thursday. Jacksonian Marquez, who was featured in a JFP cover story in November, moved to New York City about a year ago to pursue her career as a dancer and actress. Last Aug. 30, her building super found Nicole in an airshaft after she fell six stories from the building's roof, breaking her neck, back, pelvis and half her ribs. She has been in the hospital since then, with a few brief furloughs in the past couple of months.
Burns' Execution ‘Very Likely'
Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps briefly spoke with reporters at Parchman Penitentiary at 2 p.m. today.
Come Together
I once had a client who considered himself completely uncreative. An entrepreneur with a thriving small business, Mr. Jones (not his real name) had a peculiar stance about artists: He couldn't understand why they were necessary, couldn't see why anyone would give them the time of day and considered their "sensitive" natures a bunch of malarkey. It is merely social habit, he said, that allows artists to get away with being thin-skinned and quirky.