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Acupuncture Licensing Proposed: Capitol Event Jan. 22

Mississippi is one of seven states that do not license acupuncturists. Instead, state law says that only medical doctors and dentists can perform acupuncture, and that with a minimal amount of training, about 200 hours.

Rep. Bennie Thompson

Opening up a forum for civil discussion and debate, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi's Second Congressional District addressed questions to more than 300 people last night on proposals for health-care reform. Standing shoulder- to-shoulder in Jackson's M.W. Stringer Grand Lodge, some attendees held signs supporting universal health care while others used handouts to fan themselves from the heat.

Entergy Claims Good Practices in State; Hood Begs to Differ

Entergy:

Entergy and Attorney General Jim Hood put out dueling press releases today about the company's claim that an audit has found that Entergy's practices are in the state's "best interests." The Entergy release is below verbatim, followed by Hood's response.

Woodrow Wilson Gets $1.6 Million Facelift

Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. is announcing the groundbreaking of the Woodrow Wilson overlay project today. The announcement will come at a press conference 1:15 p.m. at the corner of Peachtree Street and Woodrow Wilson Avenue.

Barbour: ‘We're Geared Up for a Major Storm'

Also see: Jackpedia: Hurricane Gustav to get/post vital information.

[Rob In Stereo] Evaluating a Five-Star Album

My family subscribed to Rolling Stone magazine through my grade school years. Though the stories often went over my head, I was always avidly interested in the album reviews—especially the star rating.

Medicaid Agreement Reached

Around 11 p.m. last night, House Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, announced from the House floor that the special budget committee has reached an agreement with Gov. Haley Barbour on the final sticking point holding up passage of the 2010 Mississippi state budget: Medicaid.

Myrlie Evers-Williams

Today, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn., named Myrlie Evers-Williams, 76, as a 2009 National Freedom Award winner. Widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, Evers-Williams became chairwoman of the NAACP in 1995, serving for three years.

Feds: Criticism of Airport Security ‘Without Merit'

This is an intriguing story today in The Clarion-Ledger. A federal investigation has found that criticism of the Jackson-Evers airport security, reported in recent months by The Clarion-Ledger, "are without merit," that found no "disciplinary action warranted."

[Talk] Let It Shine

It probably goes back to his babysitter on the southside of Chicago who was a deejay. As he grew older, Corio Thomas continued to fall in love with the music of the streets. By age 14, he was playing house and hiphop, sampling old disco records seldom heard outside nightclubs. By age 17, he moved to Ripley, Miss., to live with his grandmother; there he started spinning on the radio in Tupelo. Thomas realized that music was his niche; he started to observe any and everything related to music in and around Mississippi.

DIY: Produce Your Own Album

Without money to secure your band solid time in a studio, producing a record can be difficult. But this isn't a problem for Walter Young, whose band Alexander's Dark Heart's recorded and produced its last album "The Aleph" at home.

Rep. Cecil Brown

Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Hinds, represents the 66th District in the Mississippi Legislature. He is an investment adviser educated at Ole Miss and the University of Texas. Born in Meridian June 22, 1944, he has lived in Jackson for 40 years and has been a legislator since 2000. He is married to the former Nancy Haas and has three children: Lisa, Mickey and Lindy.

BizProfile: Dedicated To The Board

Ricky Byrd was an avid skater in his youth. He spent the '70s street skating with friends and participating in several races. He grew up from his youthful skating ventures to have "real jobs" with Simmons and General Electric. He got married and started a family. However, Byrd says that skating has always been his passion, and owning a skate shop has been his dream for the past 30 years.

Lobbying for Arts

"Give us a dollar, we'll give you a dime." That's the main refrain of the Motion Picture Incentive Act (House Bill 1780), which won the endorsement of the Mississippi House two weeks ago and was awaiting approval by the state Senate as the JFP went to press. The bill passed out of the House by a landslide margin of 117 votes to 2—gratifying news to Ward Emling, Nina Parikh and Betty Black at the Mississippi Film Office, as well as Reps. Diane Peranich and Mark Formby (she authored the bill, he presented it on the House floor), and other advocates of enhancing the state's appeal to filmmakers.

Liberals In The Christian Center

These days in Mississippi, it can be hard to admit that you're, gulp, not conservative. And don't even say the L-word in public. You might get summarily run over by a honkin' SUV with a "United We Guzzle" license plate and several American flags in various stages of decay.

Holding Steady

Tuition increases may be imminent in the state, especially if the Legislature does not at least fund state colleges at their current level—but even that would mean they wouldn't be able to meet growing needs. Earlier this month at both State College Board and State Board of Community and Junior Colleges meetings, a primary concern was budget cuts. The Legislative Budget Committee has recommended a 12.4 percent cut to universities and a 16.7 percent cut to community colleges.

[Talk] What's in the Water?

The City of Jackson was inconvenienced last week when officials released a precautionary boil-water alert because samples showed bacteria that can cause digestive problems. Everyone scrambled for alternatives. Residents lugged home gallons of store-bought water and cringed when they realized how hard it was to remember not to turn on a faucet. Restaurants fussed about ice and soda fountains. We're so accustomed to relying on a safe water source, and we're so used to expecting "them" to protect us. We're so spoiled to the convenience of turning it on and trusting it to flow and be safe. This alert caught everyone completely off guard when it showed up so "suddenly."

Healing Port Gibson

Those of us with the desire to integrate people through art need look no further than Port Gibson this weekend, when a diverse, intergenerational community will come together in Jo Carson's play "How the Deal Rocked Up." Commissioned and presented by Mississippi Cultural Crossroads, the play interweaves 50-plus years of local narratives collected by the organization as a part of the Claiborne County Oral History Project. Themes touched on—first-person accounts of shootings, racial tensions, land purchases under the New Deal—can be problematic to address anywhere, let alone in a town of 12,000 people in southern Mississippi.

DIY: Sword Fighting

The choreography of a ninja and the slice of a Samurai is what you learn during a duel with Gabriel Gordon, 31. Gordon has sword fought since he was 7, when he trained under his uncle who taught Kendo, Japanese fencing.

Score One for the City

The city of Jackson moved a step closer to a convention center last Saturday, when the Legislature passed a bill that allows for a voter referendum on the issue. The bill will enable the city to raise $65 million by putting additional taxes on restaurants and hotels in the Jackson city limits. Now 60 percent of voters in the city of Jackson will have to vote yea for it to pass and become a reality, assuming Gov. Haley Barbour signs it; he has indicated support for a Jackson convention center.

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