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Paul Minor Appeals Bribery Conviction

The Sun Herald is reporting that attorney Paul Minor, who is serving a 12-year prison term on bribery charges Congress is investigating as a possible political persecution by Republicans, has filed an appeal:

Millsaps Named ‘Best Buy'

[verbatim] Millsaps College is one of only 24 private colleges nationwide and the only college in Mississippi named a "Best Buy" in the 2010 edition of Fiske's Top Financial Finds on the College Tuition Market.

Melton Prayer Vigils, Funeral Scheduled

Mayor Frank Melton's memorial service is scheduled for noon Tuesday, May 12, at Thalia Mara Hall. On Monday, his body will lie in state at City Hall from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Melton's graveside service will take place at the Houston Memorial Gardens in Pearland, TX. In lieu of flowers, Melton's family is requesting donations to the Farish Street YMCA.

Hood Warns of Stimulus Scams

[verbatim from the Mississippi Attorney General's office]

Attorney General Jim Hood, along with the Federal Trade Commission, is warning consumers about bogus web sites and emails promising to help them qualify for a payment from President Obama's economic stimulus package. The scammers tell consumers they can help with only a little information or for a small payment from the consumer.

Fahrenheit 601

Over the last week, the online version of the JFP has been alive with efforts to bring Michael Moore's controversial film "Fahrenheit 9/11" to the Jackson area, as well as other independent and edgy films that often skip the Capitol City. The hoopla started with a news posting on June 19 about the radical right targeting theaters across the U.S., trying to dissuade them from showing the film, which takes a harsh look at President Bush's foreign policy since Sept. 11, 2001. After a blogger posted the news that the film was only opening in Tupelo in the state of Mississippi, even as it was opening in less-than-urban locales such as Shreveport, La., and Montgomery, Ala., readers mounted an online campaign to encourage calls to the theaters to demand the film.

‘We Can No Longer Hide'

On March 23, in the middle of a budget stand-off, House Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, warned that the state budget will have some holes that will hurt Mississippians if the Senate refuses to work with the House to raise some form of revenue.

Going ‘Round in Circles

What's the toughest thing to get people to talk about? Crime? Race? How about commercial development? Funding city services? These are the types of social topics that are being tackled around the country in "study circles," an approach to community-building and public forums championed by the Topsfield Foundation of Pomfriet, Conn., which created the Study Circles Resource Center in 1989.

Early, Early Music

"Early music" in Mississippi really started with a birthday party. Dr. Ernst Borinski, a professor of sociology at Tougaloo College since 1947, threw elaborate annual birthday parties throughout the 1970s to bring together many of the progressive elements in Jackson. Until his death in 1982, Borinski inspired and helped train many social activists and attorneys, and hosted a forum series during the 1960s that brought many of the nation's leading thinkers and activists to Tougaloo and contributed to the college's leading role in the Civil Rights Movement. In the late '70s, at an ACLU auction, Borinski purchased an evening of music by organist John Paul and intended to have him perform at his annual party.

A Dream Forgotten

The author of "Her Dream of Dreams: The Rise and Triumph of Madam C.J. Walker" will sign at Lemuria Books 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. She will also sign May 2 at 5 p.m. at Square Books in Oxford.

Artiste At Work

For two months the lights at the large, older brick home on Morningside Street in Belhaven Heights burned the night. There's no "artist at work" sign on the outside; however, a peek inside the house reveals organized chaos, with silk batik scarves draped from clotheslines stretched across the length of a spare bedroom/studio, in doorways and on a screened back porch.

Shakin' Loose

The newly created Sangha Theater Company performed "Shake Loose My Skin" at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center on March 11-13 as its inaugural production. Named for the collection of poetry by Sonia Sanchez, the montage of dance, drama and song celebrated the women poets who taught America what it was to be black, bold and beautiful.

No More Rotting Hulks

Every little acorn dreams of oak trees, the saying goes. Well, one little seed has come to Jackson, and is now looking to grow a virtual forest of a community.

Jackson's Losses

Over the last couple weeks, Jackson lost several bright lights of our big city. We salute the memory of three who will be missed by many. Thalia Mara moved to Jackson in 1975 at the age of 64, the age when most of us are planning our retirement.

[Talk] Beauty and Mystery

September sunshine streamed through the Atrium windows at the Mississippi Arts Center as the small crowd waited. In truth, on that Friday, Sept. 26, the crowd looked like one anywhere; some members of the crowd are always seen as different, though. Why? They are disabled—some so that anyone can readily see it, with canine assistants or wheel chairs—some not so easily seen, with hearing aids or mental illnesses that have no outward physical manifestations. That day, though, they were the artists-in-residence. "The Mississippi Forum for Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities" was planned with them in mind.

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.

The Race Conversation

Race in Mississippi usually comes with many tons of baggage and several degrees of heat. Certainly, it's unusual to have the words "race" and "dialogue" on the same page, let alone the same sentence.

Senate Candidates on Education

With concerns on the issue with education, Ronnie Musgrove, Roger Wicker, Thad Cochran, and Erik Fleming offer their views.

No Damages Against Melton

A Lauderdale County Circuit Court jury voted unanimously last Friday that former Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Director Frank Melton should not have to pay damages after leaking a memo falsely incriminating two former MBN agents.

[City Buzz] no. 13 December 13 - 20

King Edward Still Moving

Jackson Attorney David Watkins, who is a partner in King Edward Revitalization Co., along with Deuce McAllister and other investors, said the King Edward redevelopment is still ongoing, despite the absence of cranes and hard hats around the hotel lately.

Ayers Endowment to Ask Legislature for Funding

The Ayers Endowment Committee may ask the state Legislature to supplement a diminishing endowment used to fund three historically black universities.

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