All results / Stories / Todd Stauffer
Think Global, Buy Local
Welcome to the "Good" issue. Our goal with this intern-created issue is to present you with ways that you can give back, give thanks and consider some opportunities to do some good this holiday season before you sink into shopping madness.
Civil Obedience
It wasn't much of a Juneteenth celebration, but the Mississippi ACLU and the Mississippi Green Party (which can, at times, appear to be one person—activist Landon Huey), sponsored a Freedom Forum at the temporary city hall downtown in honor of the holiday that celebrates African-American freedom from slavery. The forum itself held the interest of the not-quite-scores of people in attendance, with a presentation and discussion regarding the USA PATRIOT Act, the current Department of Justice and the potential dangers posed to civil liberties.
[Drive] The Ultima Armrest Test
I rolled up to Ms. D. and pulled the car to a stop, as I'd successfully navigated the Hertz desk and become the proud temporary proprietor of a red 2003 Nissan Altima. "It's got bird #$@% on it," she said, pointing. n fact, she did not say "#$@%," but rather an actual expletive that I feel I should censor here in the interest of our discerning readers. I will admit that I was not shocked, however, as I have been conditioned to expect this behavior.
Gallup Poll Not ‘Tightening' on National Vote
The assumption is that four days out from a Presidential election, the national polls would show continued tightening in the race between the two major party candidates. And, while these polls are only broad indicators of the candidates' chances (since it's the Electoral College that ultimately matters), it's interesting to see today that Gallups three models -- registered voters, traditional likely voters and expanded likely voters -- all showed increases for Obama in Friday's three-day rolling poll. One-third of the poll was conducted after the Obama infomercial and joint rally with Bill Clinton on Thursday.
Creative Class Rising
Now and then, we bring our first cover story ever back to the top of the site to remind readers just how close Jackson is to becoming a magnet for young creatives, and what we need to do to make it happen.
[Drive] Revenge of the Minivans?
What is the deal with my life and minivans? All of a sudden I seem to find myself ensconced in the little buggers just a little more often than I care to admit. (Although the careful reader will note that I'm admitting it here in print.)
Think Local First
I'm currently reading the book "Big Box Swindle" by Stacy Mitchell, who wrote our cover story this week. The book argues that much of what we believe about big-box developmentthat it creates jobs, wealth, tax dollarsare myths.
Clarion-Ledger to Independents: Drop Dead!
May 9, 2006 Want to know how far The Clarion-Ledger/Gannett Corp. is willing to go to control the competition? Keep reading. This past Monday, I sat down in Cups in Fondren with Lee Warmouth, the circulation director of The Clarion-Ledger, so that he could tell me about an "exciting new service" that his company has devised for free-distribution papers like the Jackson Free Press.
Take That, Mad Cow
Somehow being a vegetarian also makes me a Father Confessor—people constantly tell me their diet-altering plans, even in polite conversation. Well, what with the New Year and Mad Cow, the din of discussion from those deciding to carve a little bovine muscle out of their diets is growing slightly louder. In response I say, "Hooray!" and offer some street-level suggestions to anyone trying to cut meat from their diets.
[Drive] The Other Mini
It occurred to me the other day, as I climbed into Ms. K's new Toyota Sienna to take it for a spin, that I haven't reviewed a minivan in at least half a decade, and I haven't been inside one in years. The last time time I was up-close-and-personal with such a personnel transporter was when Ms. D and I still lived in Manhattan.
The Convention Center Quandary
Although the JFP did its own feature story on the convention center a few weeks ago (Sept. 23-29, 2004), and I've talked to many of the players personally, I was still hoping that The Clarion-Ledger's recent package of stories and opinions would help me come to a conclusion about the convention center's viability. But what I read was just more of the same, and I'm not much closer to a decision on what makes the most sense. (Although I did get a giggle out of Sid Salter sounding off in support of new taxes and a big-government municipal project.) By next week, the JFP hopes to endorse one way or another. But we need a few more answers first.
[Geek] Gawking At Gadgets
Image courtesy of Apple Computer
Topping the gadget list this week is Apple's new Mac mini, an entire computer that is only a little bulkier than a stack of six or so CDs in jewel cases. Looking more like a coffee cup warmer than a PC, the Mac mini sports a 1.25 GHz G4 processor, 256 megabytes of RAM and a 40 gigabyte hard disk for $499; a $599 model sports a 1.42 Ghz G4 processor and an 80 gigabyte drive. (Check it out at http://www.apple.com/macmini/ on the Web.)
The Little Weekly That Could
We celebrate a milestone with the issue of the Jackson Free Press that you hold in your hand, as it's the first issue of our fifth year of publishing. We're 4! It's been quite a ride from our start as a small bi-weekly upstart to our current incarnation as a mid-sized (and growing!), award-winning, story-breakin' weekly publication and a daily news-driven Web site. And we hope, a positive media force in the Jackson Metro community. We certainly couldn't have gotten to this point without dedicated readers, advertisers and—increasingly—the citizen journalists who call to give us tips and participate via our Web site.
The Alternative to What?
July 20, 2005 One question I'm asked frequently about the Jackson Free Press is why we call ourselves "alternative." It's a good question—with an easy answer that I don't even have to think about anymore. We're the alternative to the (tired, old, gray, craggy) daily newspaper.
Shop Local and Support Jackson's Best
I find myself, every year, getting in a certain mood around the holiday season. Yes, there are fattening goodies in the JFP break room—every single day—which will hopefully also put me in the mood to hit the YMCA more often.
Boise State v. OU: I Dub It: ‘The Calls'
Those of us who watch a little too much football between teams that don't matter to us personally are probably doing it so that we can witness a game like the Frito-Lay Cool Ranch Tostito Dippers Fiesta Bowl that I just watched between Boise State and OU. OK, so I hate OU from my childhood in Dallas and for them having foisted, indirectly, Barry Switzer on my once-beloved Cowboys.
Crossroads: Telling Our Own Stories
I was privileged this year to serve as the president of the Crossroads Film Society's board of directors, which meant an opportunity to work with a wonderful group of creative folks. Mostly, I would tell them things like, "No, that's not in the budget."
[Drive] Focus on Chivalry
Ms. D and I have a running point of, er, discussion regarding, of all things, remote keyless entry. I say it's an absolutely must-have feature in terms of the next vehicle that we decide on, and that I'm willing to consider spending an extra $1,000 for a power package in order to get it. (As you might expect, our 1986 Toyota Tercel 4WD does not offer such a feature. To me, keyless entry still seems like The Future.) Ms. D has a different take. "It's unchivalrous. You don't open my door when you use it."
UPDATED: Levee Board Approves ‘One Lake' Plan, Not ‘Two'
Members of the Rankin-Hinds Pearl Flood and Drainage Control District held a press conference this afternoon at the Mississippi TelCom Center, where chairman Billy Orr announced that the District has selected a flood control plan for Metro Jackson, called the "Lower Lake" plan. The plan will incorporate nearly all the levees recommended in the Comprehensive Levee Plan that the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers created in the mid-1990s, but adds a weir to the Pearl River just south of I-20, causing the Pearl to flood and form a single lake from I-20 to just north of Lakeland Drive, across from downtown Jackson.
[Stauffer] On Mr. Moore and Making Us Talk
I saw "Fahrenheit 9/11" twice in the past few weeks—on opening night in San Antonio, and a second time at the UA Parkway Place in Flowood, during a screening that the Jackson Free Press sponsored with Crossroads Film Festival and The Collective. In the time between the two screenings, I'd read some of the responses to the movie, including many from the independent press. In fact, independent and alternative news outlets seemed to be treating the movie more critically than the mainstream press, which was, perhaps, more eager to move on to more important news … such as the release of "Spider-Man 2."