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Stepping Stones

"I never thought I'd be going to a community college," Josh Raila laments. "I imagined that I would immediately get a bachelor's and a master's and a Ph.D."

I first met Beaux Miller in 1996 at Fenian's. How he struck me there behind the bar, pouring, smoking, chuckling, angry one minute, ebullient the next, gathering a customer in for a joke, a bracelet jangling against a poised bottle of Beam, a plaque with his name on the wall: not Bo, as in a pet or frat brother, but BEAUX, an event.

Danks, Danks Everywhere

The Jackson City Council voted last week to allow Mayor Frank Melton to hire attorney Dale Danks, who will help the city's shorthanded legal department clear its caseload. The council made this decision despite the fact that Danks represents both the city of Byram and a North Jackson family, the Berryhills, in cases against the city, as well as serving as the mayor's personal attorney in lawsuits against Melton himself.

The Maple Street Scramble

A couple of weeks into his new career as mayor of Jackson, Frank Melton issued an executive order saying he would "evacuate, close down and tear down" the Maple Street apartments—also called the Jackson Apartments—at 1129 Maple St. in Georgetown. Days later, Melton said he'd since ascertained that he does not have sole authority to close down an apartment complex, and said he was willing to work with residents and complex owners in renovating the buildings.

Honey, They're Shrinking Lynette

Yeah, I know it's that time of year when we're supposed to have made resolutions and already broken or forgotten each and every one of them. And I'm not about to tell you I'm any different, but I did make one and have kept it. On Monday, Jan. 5, I made my way in the blasted cold at about 6:20 p. m. to sign up for The Greater Jackson Shrinkdown 2004.

Chasing Sunset

A group of men, who are not residents of the Lincoln Garden Apartment Complex at 4125 Sunset Drive, crowd the side of the wide entrance to the complex. They are leaning against their trucks, watching who comes in and out. The manager's office is closed. Children are playing between the buildings. They are trying to walk the edge of the curb, with hands out, using air for balance. But, the main difference between them and their friends who live somewhere else is that if they lose their balance they fall into free-flowing sewage.

Why Can't You Behave?

Sometimes plot just gets in the way. "Ain't Misbehavin'," at New Stage Theatre through June 20, highlights the music of Thomas "Fats" Waller—a strong personality—with the sexy backdrop of Harlem cotton clubs and jazz spots in the swing era.

Clinton: Do Well, and Do Good

The sign at the New Village Bar and Grill Road read "Welcome Pres. Clinton Parking $10.00." Parking was indeed a premium, so many people parked near I-55 and trekked up West County Line Road. The marchers were taking part in the rhythm of the morning as hundreds of people arrived at campus to listen to a "heart-to-heart" speech from a man many of them admire greatly.

They Could Care Less

Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, was right. The Mississippi Legislature passed a $3.7 million budget in the nick of time—on Mother's Day as he had predicted. Lawmakers finally agreed at the 11th hour of the 120-day session on the big items they had been stuck on—education and Medicaid—leaving tort reform for a probable special session.

[Talk] eVoting Next for State

Hurry, you only have until Monday, July 28, to get in your two-cents about Mississippi's voting upgrades.

Not In My Backyard

Some residents of the Fondren community are steadfastly protesting the building of a 40-bed crisis intervention center for the mentally ill in what they consider their backyard.

As the Capitol Turns

This year, the lawmakers at Mississippi's Capitol have had time to do great things such as reforming the juvenile-justice system and settling some Medicaid issues. They have also spent many hours rubbing elbows with B.B. King and Faith Hill, criticizing Jim Barksdale's offer of $50 million for education (Gov. Haley Barbour's chief of staff called it a "bribe"), naming a state reptile and declaring that the Magnolia state does not need new streams of revenue—especially in the form of a tobacco tax.

How to Fake Being a ‘Real Man'

What does it take to be a real man? The serious answer is probably something about listening to the people around you, being able to patiently explain the infield fly rule and being strong enough to help other people when they're temporarily weak—whether that weakness is psychology, physical or both. In honor of Father's Day, however, we've put together a few slight less weighty thoughts on how those of us who still teeter on the brink of manhood can push ourselves over the edge. It only occurred to us after writing this piece that real men probably don't write tongue-in-check lists about how to be real men.

Jackie Richmond

Jackie Richmond, 32, took Jackson by storm these last few months as the hip, young campaign manager for Mississippi Supreme Court Justice James Graves, who was re-elected in a run-off election on Nov. 16, defying conventional political wisdom that he could not win a run-off. As her work with Graves neared its end (yes, there's still work to be done after Election Day), Richmond took a few seconds off to chat.

Crash of The Blue Screen

The Help America Vote Act of 2002, passed in response to the troubled 2000 presidential elections, requires each state to have up-to-date voting machines installed and ready by Jan. 1, 2006. Meeting this demand, Mississippi followed through with its own modernization. Secretary of State Eric Clark showed off the results at an Aug. 3 conference at the state Capitol.

Quote o' the Week

"I'm going to do what I have to do. I don't give a damn about what anybody has to say." — Mayoral hopeful Frank Melton to daughter of crime victim, Aug. 25, 2004

Mayor Announces, Melton Pounces

Read full report here.

Daddy's Little Running Back

As a child, my dream was to play running back for the greatest professional football team, at that time the Chicago Bears. I thought I would never see the day when young girls or women would be wearing jerseys, shoulder pads, helmets, cleats and rushing down the field for six points, all the while avoiding No. 46 who just sent her teammate to the sidelines with a thunderous hit. Could I ever realize my dream? Probably not, but I'm getting closer.

Robbed At The Pump

Gas prices at the pumps hit an all-time high last week, but even before the price whacked $2.46, some gas station workers said theft was already on the rise.

Living, New York Style

Though the general consensus is that downtown Jackson is dead, a hairdresser and an architect stand strongly in opposition. Architect Robert Polk owns the 736 South President St. building, where he and his family reside in one of the three completed loft-style units. He has owned the building for the past nine years. Currently, aside from the three living units, there are several businesses in the building, including a photography studio.

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