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Jackson Ad Firm Featured in Book

The Ramey Agency has plenty to brag about. The Jackson-based branding and marketing firm boasts an impressive roster of clients, from Viking Range, to Millsaps College, to the Mississippi Museum of Art. Now, Ramey has one more accolade to add to its already full trophy shelf--a spot in "Where We Work," a book published by Harper Collins that showcases inspiring interior designs from workplaces around the world.

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The JFP Interview with Bill Luckett

In Clarksdale, Miss., Bill Luckett may as well already be governor. An attorney by training, he seems to have a hand in nearly every significant activity in town. Down the road from his law office, a revitalization effort is afoot in downtown Clarksdale. Ground Zero Blues Club and Madidi Restaurant, two ventures Luckett owns with actor Morgan Freeman, are central to this progress.

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Oxford Police Still Working Overtime

OXFORD—I sat down with Oxford Police Chief Mike Martin this morning to talk about his preparations for the debate and how his officers have responded to uncertainty. He wouldn't say exactly how many additional officers he's put on duty, citing security concerns, but he confirmed that he has "a good many" officers working overtime.

Nick's Restaurant Opens in Fondren

Longtime Jackson favorite Nick's Restaurant is re-opening Saturday, Jan. 2 in a new mixed-use development at 3000 Old Canton Road in Fondren. After 26 years on Lakeland Drive in Jackson, owner Nick Apostle decided to move his namesake restaurant when he realized it would be cheaper than closing for three months while he renovated the old location.

Cathy Baker

As head server and bartender at the Fairview Inn's restaurant, Sophia's, Cathy Baker is responsible for more than just food and drink. She is an unofficial ambassador for the city.

What Are We Gonna Do With All This Stuff?

OXFORD—You're going to hear more from us tomorrow about the money Oxford stands to lose if the debate falls through. But it's also time to consider those purchases Ole Miss made that will quickly seem ridiculous without a presidential debate. We appreciate the hospitality, Ole Miss, but you might regret getting:

Mixed-Use at JSU, Fondren Market, County PR

Jackson State University is seeking retailers for a four-story mixed-use development on track to open this fall. One University Place will host 78 apartments on its top three floors. JSU's Center for University-Based Development is currently soliciting potential retail tenants for the building's ground floor, director Kimberly Hilliard said. The Center hosted an open house for retailers last week.

Feds Support Mississippi's Obesity Fight

When it comes to addressing and preventing obesity, federal action can help set the tone for efforts, but true progress will come from local action, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said today. Speaking at the Global Obesity Summit 2010 at the Jackson Convention Complex, Sebelius explained the Obama administration's approach to fighting obesity and encouraged state and local actors to take the lead.

Reactions From The Square

OXFORD—Judging from applause, the McCain supporters on the Square are still most excited about his running mate. McCain's biggest applause line by far was his Sarah Palin "maverick" shout-out.

The Fuzzy Math of Arenas

Talk of a proposed entertainment arena in downtown Jackson has been largely devoid of hard figures, by necessity. Arena supporters are still cobbling together the private money to pay for a feasibility study. As of Dec. 3, the downtown arena "steering committee" had raised $65,915 of the $80,000 it hopes to raise for the study before the end of the year. The study would inject some rough cost estimates into discussions of the proposal.

Carl Gibson

Carl Gibson has only been in Jackson for nine months, but he has already become a fixture of the city's music and arts scenes. The Kentucky native drums and performs poetry at open-mic nights around the city, so it wasn't a stretch for him to write about karaoke die-hards for the Jackson Free Press in July.

Andre Cooley

Andre Cooley says he lost his job because he is gay. Cooley served as a juvenile corrections officer with the Forrest County Sheriff's Department from November 2009 until June 15 of this year. On Monday, the ACLU filed a lawsuit on Cooley's behalf against the sheriff's department, Sheriff Billy McGee and two other department officials.

Community Remembers the Homeless

Candles burned in Galloway United Methodist Church today to commemorate the lives of six homeless men who died in Jackson this year.

Sushi, Tattoos and Redevelopment

The Fondren neighborhood will get a long-awaited sushi restaurant in April, developer Mike Peters says. Peters told the Jackson Free Press that Fatsumo Sushi, an American-style sushi restaurant in Gulfport, will open a location on Duling Avenue April 1. The Fondren location, between Fischer Galleries and the redeveloped Duling School, was originally set to house a different franchise, Fuze Sushi. A number of hiccups, including the death of the restaurant's original chef, delayed the opening indefinitely, however.

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A Boom of Our Own

When a tree grows, it marks the passing of each year in distinct rings—thick rings represent the fat years when it grew quickly; thin rings for the leaner years when it barely grew at all. If Jackson were a tree trunk, its ring for 2010 would be one of the thickest, yet.

Jackson Gets a Taste of the Caribbean

The hungry downtown crowd has spicy new option for lunch, thanks to husband and wife duo Richard and Chandra Higgins. The two opened up Taste of the Island Caribbean Take-Out June 22, and the restaurant has already developed a thriving customer base. Chandra, a native Jacksonian, spoke to the Jackson Free Press in between lunch rushes about opening a business downtown.

Hospitals Feud Over Equipment

As the state's only teaching hospital, the University of Mississippi Medical Center occupies an awkward position. Its reputation as central Mississippi's charity hospital is sometimes at odds with its new image as a high-quality medical research center. And while its place under the authority of the state board for Institutions of Higher Learning insulates it from some of the rough-and-tumble economics of the health-care industry, it still competes with the Jackson area's three other hospitals for patients and, by extension, money.

JSU Breaking Ground on University Place

A long-awaited development project near Jackson State University has begun its first phase at the corner of Dalton and Lynch Streets. The JSU Development Foundation, which supports the university through investments, will celebrate the groundbreaking on the four-story, mixed-use building at 10 a.m. tomorrow, marking the official start of construction on its $125 million University Place development.

Downtown Arena, Anyone?

It's become a rite of passage: The rebounding city builds a sports-and-entertainment arena, a shiny mark of maturity and status, like a 16-year-old's new car.

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Steven Wells Hicks: Writing For Sock Monkeys

Steven Wells Hicks was a creative advertising director for 35 years before becoming a novelist. Born in Omaha, Neb., Hicks has lived in Jackson since July, 1974 and calls himself a "southerner by choice."