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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.
Luckett, DuPree Push Education, Business Help
Mississippi's two leading Democratic gubernatorial candidates found much to agree on yesterday during their first one-on-one debate. Clarksdale attorney and businessman Bill Luckett and Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree both touted education as the key to the state's long-term economic success and promised support for small businesses to spur job creation.
Burton: Schimmel Pushed Edwards' Ouster
George Schimmel, member of the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees, drove the board's consideration of whether to replace Superintendent Lonnie Edwards, said Otha Burton, his fellow board member, today. Testifying at an ongoing hearing on Edwards' contract, Burton said that he did not see adequate reasons for replacing the superintendent when his contract expires at the end of June.
Justin Schultz
Justin Schultz believes that Jackson's arts scene is exceptionally supportive.
Byram Town Center Gets $5.5M TIF Boost
Construction workers have begun a commercial development that will bring new restaurants, shops and offices to the young city of Byram. The Hinds County Board of Supervisors voted today to approve a $5.5 million tax-increment financing, or TIF, plan for the Byram Town Center development.
Today is Confederate Memorial Day
State offices in Mississippi are closed today in recognition of Confederate Memorial Day, honoring Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. The state House of Representatives passed a bill this year that would have also established a "Civil Rights Memorial Day" on the last Monday in April, but the measure died in the Senate. Earlier this month, the white-separatist Council of Conservative Citizens claimed credit, with the state chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, for killing the bill.
Itawamba Student Sues District Over Rap
A year ago, the Itawamba County School District made national news for electing to cancel Itawamba Agricultural High School's prom rather than allow lesbian student Constance McMillen to bring her girlfriend as her date. A federal judge ultimately ruled that the district had violated McMillen's First Amendment rights. Now, the district faces another lawsuit alleging that it denied a student's constitutional rights.
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.
Baptist's Belhaven Shakeup; New Pizza Shack Opening
Baptist Health Systems will break ground this year on a five-story, mixed-use building in Belhaven. The 130,000-square-foot facility will house four floors of medical offices and a ground floor of retail on the North State Street site currently occupied by KFC. Baptist spokesman Robby Channell said that a start date for construction will likely depend on the possible relocation of Keifer's Restaurant. Baptist is in final negotiations to purchase the Keifer's property, and the restaurant is considering a move nearby.
Ruth's Chris Employee Fired Over E-Mail
The general manager of Ruth's Chris Steak House in Ridgeland has been fired, following an e-mail exchange in which he used the word "ghetto" to describe a reservation request by an African American woman. The manager, Andy Nesenson, forwarded LaTrenda Watson's Jan. 11 reservation request to Sales and Marketing Manager Wendy Partain with the comment, "Another ghetto Sat. Party. They really love us don't they. Especially on Sat."
Former Inmate: Youth Prison Was Hell
The Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility is failing to rehabilitate and is actually endangering the lives of its juvenile inmates, advocates and former inmates told state lawmakers today. Members of the House Juvenile Justice Committee heard a litany of complaints against the state-funded, privately operated prison, ranging from inadequate educational services to misconduct and physical abuse by prison staff.
Blues Marathon Growing Boon for City
When 2,000 people swarm Jackson streets tomorrow morning, they'll be bringing dollars and a growing sense of prestige to the city. Saturday's Mississippi Blues Marathon is only the fourth year for this event, but it represents a long evolution.
Scott Sisters To Be Released Today
Also see: Let My Daughters Go
Kidney Not Sole Condition for Sister's Release
UPDATED: This story has been updated to reflect information from the NAACP's press conference this morning.
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.
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.
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.
Alliances of the Little Guys
Jeff Milchen doesn't like big boxes. In 1997, Milchen noticed with alarm that large chain stores were rapidly displacing the locally owned, independent stores that gave Boulder, Colo., its character.
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.
West Jackson Program Pushes for Residents
An underused federal lending program could bring new life to west Jackson. Jackson State University's Center for University-Based Development is throwing its support behind a push by Jackson-based mortgage lender Cornerstone Home Lending called the "WESToration Initiative."
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