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Marcy Nessel

Fischer Galleries on North State Street in Fondren has a steady, knowledgeable hand at the helm in art enthusiast Marcy Fischer Nessel. The gallery opened last November, after Nessel's former partner, James Patterson, returned to photography full time, but she's been part of the Jackson art scene for about 12 years, representing artists and helping get them established. Tonight, the gallery features art from the HeARTworks program at Stewpot Community Services.

McNamara Dead at 93

Robert McNamara, U.S. Secretary of Defense under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, died this morning at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 93.

Back Roads of Righteousness

While The 484 South Band claims to have started in 2005, it really began 20-something years ago in the small paper-mill town of Monticello, Miss.

Silky Soul Brotha

I was nearly 20 years old when I first heard a song by Eric Benét. I still remember singing to the tune of the popular duo song by Benét and Tamia—R&B beauty and superstar—titled "Spend My Life with You." It was No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard R&B charts for three weeks in 1999.

Bob Gilchrist

It wasn't until he was at Loyola University in New Orleans in fall 2011 that Bob Gilchrist finally became comfortable with the fact that he is gay.

The Game That Cost a Coach His Job

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WJTV is providing video of the post-game press conferences plus the firing announcement of the Ole Miss coach:

Get Out and Vote, Jackson

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Chokwe Lumumba to Run for McLemore Council Seat

[Verbatim statement] Friday, December 26, 2008, --- Jackson, MS - The Committee to Elect Chokwe Lumumba will hold a press conference on Monday, December 29, 2008 at 10AM at the Callaway High School, located at 601 Beasley Road, Jackson MS 39206. Lumumba will announce his plan to seek a seat on the city council, representing Ward #2.

Many New Mississippi Voters, But More Postage Required

The stamp box on your absentee ballot envelope isn't big enough, says Hinds County Circuit Clerk Barbara Dunn, but the NAACP and the U.S. Post Office say they will make sure that your vote will be counted.

Legislators Will Reconvene After Break

Mississippi's state constitution calls for an annual legislative session of 90 days. For 2009, 90 days after the Jan. 6 session start is Sunday, April 5. If by some miracle, both houses submit and then agree on a budget for the 2010 fiscal year by this Saturday, legislators will go home until next year. That seems a remote possibility, though, and the likelihood is that all 174 Mississippi legislators—122 representatives and 52 senators—will reconvene in May. Or perhaps, June.

Andre de Gruy

Attorney Andre de Gruy knows that the American justice system isn't perfect. Sometimes circumstances combine to convict people who didn't commit the crimes they're accused of. As director of Mississippi's Office of Capital Defense Counsel, de Gruy and his staff of lawyers represent people whom Mississippi has convicted of the most heinous crimes, mostly murders and rapes.

Senate Confirms Reeves to Federal Court

Newly confirmed Federal District Judge Carlton Reeves will keep his politics to himself, legal observers predict. Yesterday, the U.S. Senate confirmed the former Magnolia Bar president to serve as a Southern District Court judge in Mississippi, eight months after President Barack Obama appointed him.

Coal Plant Tax Cut: Is it $160 Million or $1.32 Billion?

The House Ways and Means Committee may be making a $1.16 billion miscalculation regarding an ad valorem tax exemption bill for a Kemper County coal plant. The committee appears to be considering a massive $1.32 billion tax exemption for the plant, though lobbyists for the development could be playing down the numbers, telling legislators that the exemption is only $4 million.

Bodyguard's Attorney Wants DOJ Meeting

Also see: Full JFP Melton Blog/Archive/Trial

An attorney for former mayoral bodyguard Michael Recio has asked the Department of Justice to reconsider its prosecution of the Jackson police officer. In May, federal prosecutors will try for the second time to convict Recio and Mayor Frank Melton on civil rights charges related to the 2006 destruction of a private house on Ridgeway Street. Recio and Melton were acquitted on state charges for the incident in 2007. Their first federal trial for the demolition ended in a hung jury last month.

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.

District 71 Re-Vote on for Tuesday

An attorney for Adrienne Wooten, the candidate who won the House District 71 race by about 200 votes, said her Republican opponent John Reeves had yet to prove his case for a re-vote, even as Wooten's supporters pressed to spread awareness about the Dec. 18 re-vote. "No voters came forward saying they had been deprived of the right to vote. … There are irregularities in every election, some confusion in every election. If we base the decision of a revote on some confusion on the voters' part then we're going to be re-voting in every election," Wooten's attorney Carlton Reeves told the Jackson Free Press.

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.

[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."

A ‘Mixed Blessing'

Along with the history of segregation and inequality among elementary and secondary education in the state, the state's historically black state universities, called HBCUs, have endured a longstanding tradition of neglect. Historical discrimination has left them, in many cases, with not only less-competitive academic programs then the state's predominantly white institutions, but also inadequate housing, buildings and resources.

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