V16n20 - Will Vouchers Take the State?

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vol. 16 no. 20

FREE JANUARY 17 - 23, 2018

CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF THE JFP

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WILL VOUCHERS TAKE THE STATE?

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City Boosts Entrepreneurs Bragg, pp 6-7

The War on Crime Williams, p 13

Better Sans Ezra Smith, p 22

Dreher, pp 14-16


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JACKSONIAN Charles Tate Stephen Wilson

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harles Tate’s favorite quote to live by is, “Whenever you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will become successful,” from motivational speaker Eric Thomas. Tate, who is originally from Jackson, moved to Byram when he was in eighth grade, and began attending Byram Middle School. After graduating from Terry High School in 2010, Tate attended Hinds Community College for a year and a half, but decided that wasn’t the route he was ready to take. Two years later, Tate found out his girlfriend was pregnant with his first child, Madilynn Tate. It was in that moment that he decided to join the military, with hopes of finding both guidance and himself. “I joined the military because as a troubled child, I didn’t know where I was going in life,” he says. “At the time, I had a terrible relationship with my parents because I was disobedient and rebellious. I can honestly say I was a wreck, and I didn’t really care about the path I was headed down.” Before enlisting in the military, Tate became interested in fitness. “The more and more I researched and studied fitness, the more I realized that it was something that I was passionate about and wanted to do,” Tate says.

“When I came back from the military, I was a lot more humble, and I was ready to hit the ground running. I knew what I wanted to do. I started to set primary and secondary goals for myself that I could actually reach because my mind was so different.” His passion for fitness helped him channel all negativity into positive energy, he says. For him, the gym became a happy place. In 2011, he joined the Snap Fitness gym, and in 2014, after coming back from basic training, he became a certified personal trainer through a six-week online program. Tate attends Jackson State University, where he is obtaining his Bachelor’s of Science and Technology in civil engineering. “The army allowed me to be broken down and accept discipline and become more of a man so my daughter could have someone to look up to,” Tate says. “It also opened up an unlimited amount of career opportunities. In all honesty, I doubt I would be the person I am if I didn’t go. I’m not where I want to be overall, but I’m pretty close, so I can’t complain.” Tate’s primary goal is to someday own his own gym and have fitness apparel that he can sale online. —ShaCamree Gowdy

contents 6 ............................ Talks 12 ................... editorial 13 ...................... opinion 16 ............ Cover Story 24 ........... food & Drink 20 ......................... 8 Days 21 ........................ Events 21 ....................... sports 22 .......................... music 23 ........ music listings 24 ...................... Puzzles 25 ......................... astro 25 ............... Classifieds

8 Rest in Peace, Rosie

Airport Commissioner and community advocate Rose L.T.P. Johnson passed away late last week; memorials and celebrations of her life are scheduled for this weekend.

13 War on Jackson

“No one disputes that there is work to be done, but fighting violence with violence, eviscerating the rights of the people, taking power from the people and filling the prisons to the profit of capitalists will never work.” —Andrew Williams, “Project EJECT: A War on Jackson”

18 Ancient Traditions

Read writer Julie Skipper’s adventures in learning about the ancient tradition of fermentation and how to make wine.

January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

4 ............ Editor’s Note

courtesy Julie Skipper; courtesy Andrew Williams esq; imani Khayyam / file photo

January 17 - 23, 2018 | Vol. 16 No. 20

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editor’s note

by Donna Ladd, Editor-in-Chief

Bending Toward Justice at Civil Rights Celebration of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum is filled with clues on how to bend this arc toward equality and justice. It is engaging, jarring and provides the glue that shows how this conspiracy really worked—and Mark Humphrey/AP photos

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t’s been a long, difficult and often-violent time coming, but truth-telling about Mississippi’s race history has arrived in Jackson, Miss. It is only right that this honesty has taken root in the middle of the city that many called the “ground zero” of the Civil Rights Movement in the state that was arguably the most resistant to equal rights for its black citizens. The new Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and its fraternal twin, the also-honest Museum of Mississippi History, opened their doors in December to reveal the leaps of faith, the brutality, the unlikely collaborations and the sheer heroism by Americans who laid everything on the line to stop Jim Crow and bring equal opportunity to black Mississippians. Some, like Jacksonian Medgar Evers, died for those goals. The movement for true equality for citizens of all races is not over, however, and these museums contain the clues, the causes and the solutions to see this journey through to its end. And most importantly, they hold the inspiration found in the resolve of everyday people of all races and ages who linked arms and stood up to daunting defenders of white supremacy; they show us how to finish the job. It’s not old history—many of the Movement’s heroes are alive now, and still others are motivated by their bravery and their stories to keep the dream alive—until all Mississippians have the same access to opportunities, all our children can attend excellent, fully funded public schools, public leadership fully reflects our population, and the cycles of generational poverty, crime and trauma have been cured. These are lofty goals, but so was ending Jim Crow. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assured the world: “Let us realize the arc

Rep. John Lewis is coming to the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.

how it targeted anyone of any race who tried to change it. But most importantly, it is filled with everyday people from here and elsewhere doing extraordinary things for this state and nation. Medgar and Myrlie Evers; Martin and Coretta King; a young Hollis Watkins and Joan Trumpauer Mulholland were not superheroes. They were human beings who all saw a need for larger thought and action and took it on themselves to fill it. This is something we all can, and must, do. The museum is our roadmap, our beacon to point us toward the light. Every civil-rights hero, living or not, deserves to be known and honored. I am proud that a group calling itself the Friends

of Mississippi Civil Rights asked me to be part of a group that is starting what we hope to be an annual tradition of honoring past and present heroes of freedom and equality in Mississippi. On Tuesday, we announced the first Grand Celebration and Gala at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. We are thrilled that the first two honorees the committee chose—U.S. Congressmen John Lewis of Georgia and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi—have confirmed that they will attend on Feb. 23 and 24. The tickets to the gala itself are $50, and the Saturday events and symposiums, including a speech by Rep. Lewis, will be free to the public. This is a big deal because these men have fought for equality from a young age—with efforts and courage that transcend partisan politics. They both teach what young people can do when they decide to step up. Inspired by Dr. King and the Montgomery bus boycotts, Rep. Lewis organized sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters in Nashville. From 1963 to 1966, Lewis was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which he helped form. SNCC was responsible for much student activism in the South, drawing young people from across the country to demand that black people could enjoy basic dignities such as sitting at segregated lunch counters, as well as have the right to vote. He also helped organized the March on Washington in August 1963, where Dr. King shared his audacious dream. Rep. Thompson was a student nonviolent protester at Tougaloo College in the 1960s who stood with Dr. King, Bobby Kennedy and others for racial justice. As a young man, he joined SNCC and helped

with the dangerous work of organizing voter registration drives for African Americans on the ground in the Mississippi Delta. In upcoming weeks, the Friends committee will announce additional heroes and heroines who will receive awards at the Feb. 23 gala. The committee also plans to recognize former Gov. William Winter for his long-time work for civil rights and racial healing in the state, as well as former Gov. Haley Barbour for his role in ensuring that the state-owned museums would happen. Mississippi is poised to lead on difficult-but-vital race dialogue in America, probing not only racist actions but the inequities within them. These museums and the stories about everyday men and women who decided to step up for what’s right play a vital role in making freedom ring equally for all Americans. Dr. King spoke about our state on Aug. 23, 1963, in Washington: “I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.” This event’s organizers believe that’s possible, and the blueprint for that oasis awaits at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. Please join us on Feb. 23 and 24 for a celebration of every effort that got us to this point and of how far we’ve come—and inspiration to help that arc finally bend toward justice. Details on the Grand Celebration and Gala at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and how to get tickets will start going online at FriendsofMississippiCivilRights. org this week. Please join us. Follow Editor-in-Chief Donna Ladd on Twitter at @donnerkay.

January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

contributors

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Arielle Dreher

Ko Bragg

Stephen Wilson

Julie Skipper

ShaCamree Gowdy

Micah Smith

Rebecca Hester

Stephen Wright

News Reporter Arielle Dreher is working on finding some new hobbies and adopting an otter from the Jackson Zoo. Email her story ideas at arielle@jacksonfreepress.com. She wrote the cover story.

City Reporter Ko Bragg is a Philadelphia, Miss., transplant who recently completed her master’s in journalism. She loves traveling and has been to 25 countries to date. She wrote about local entrepreneurs.

Staff Photographer Stephen Wilson is always on the scene, bringing you views from the six. He contributed photographs for this issue.

Freelance writer Julie Skipper practices law by day and gets out and about around Jackson as much as possible the rest of the time. She fancies art, fashion and travel. She wrote about Sweet & Sauer’s fermentation workshop.

Features and Social Media Intern ShaCamree Gowdy recently turned “I’m not on the red carpet yet, but I’ve started writing my speech just in case,” into her life’s motto. She wrote about Jacksonian Charles Tate.

Music Editor Micah Smith is a longtime fan of music, comedy and all things “nerd.” He is married to a great lady, has two dogchildren named Kirby and Zelda, and plays in the band Empty Atlas. He interviewed Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra.

Events Editor Rebecca Hester recently moved to the Jackson area, and loves Alabama football, Boston Celtics basketball, the outdoors, music, dogs and volunteering as much as humanly possible. She edited the events.

Sales and Marketing Consultant Stephen Wright is a Clinton native who lives life through the four F’s: faith, family, football and food. For your advertising needs, contact him at stephen@jacksonfree press.com.


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Thursday, January 11 The Mississippi House of Representatives votes to use approximately $108 million in tax revenue for infrastructure repair to roads and bridges. … Edgar Ray Killen, a 1960s Ku Klux Klan leader who was convicted 41 years later in the “Mississippi Burning” slayings of three civil rights workers, dies in prison at the age of 92. Friday, January 12 Jackson Public Schools announces that the district will remain closed due to low water pressure caused by frozen pipes, and that JPS may need to add hours to the end of school days or hold make-up days on Saturdays to make up for the lengthy closure. Saturday, January 13 A false alarm caused by a Hawaiian official hitting the wrong button during a shift change warns of a ballistic missile heading for the island from North Korea, resulting in widespread panic until the warning is retracted 45 minutes later.

January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

Sunday, January 14 After referring to Haiti and African nations as “sh*tholes” in front of both Republican and Democratic lawmakers who heard the remarks, Donald Trump claims he never made the statement, telling reporters “I’m not a racist.”

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Monday, January 15 Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, the Rev. Bernice King, serves as the keynote speaker at a commemorative service honoring her father at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Tuesday, January 16 The House Appropriations Committee passes House Speaker Philip Gunn’s anticipated education-formula legislation, mainly along partisan lines. The full House is expected to vote on the legislation Wednesday. Get breaking news at jfpdaily.com.

— EdBuild CEO Rebecca Sibilia on “27 Percent Rule” with Democrats last week. She advises not cherrypicking the proposal.

Democrats signed on to bipartisan infrastructure funding p 10

Simplifying Entrepreneurship in City by Ko Bragg

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n Fridays an assortment of City workers situate themselves in a small conference room with a large wooden table and several cushy wheeled office chairs on the second floor of the Warren Hood building downtown across from City Hall. They corral an assortment of chairs from the planning department as the room fills for “the best meeting of the week.” It’s early, and everyone has a full day of other work ahead, but still a jovial spirit fills the air. Mary Manogin, who works in the City’s Office of Housing and Community Development, best demonstrated it when she shied away from greeting Vic Sexton, who handles minority business enterprise certifications. “Uh, uh,” Manogin began as she slid away from Sexton. “Are you still sick?” Everyone laughed. They are the “B.E.A.T.” team, a digestible acronym for the Business Entrepreneurship Assistance Team comprised of volunteers to smooth the process of starting a business in Jackson. In Director of Planning and Development Mukesh Kumar’s opinion, the group does not have a leader because he feels anybody ought to be able to help. “You don’t break silos by getting all of the top-level people and say ‘you all are going to talk to each other,’” Kumar said in an interview. “Because then you have a hierarchy of horizontally shared structures— that’s all you end up with.”

Stephen Wilson

Wednesday, January 10 EdBuild, the New Jersey nonprofit hired by the state Legislature, presents possible outcomes of the new education funding formula to representatives.

“It is inequitable, illogical and not good for kids.”

The City’s Director of Planning and Development Mukesh Kumar developed a new team to help entrepreneurs to get their start in Jackson.

Still, Kumar sits at the head of the table and asks questions to shape discussion, as others chime in with opinions. Since he is literally the boss for most people sitting in that room, it may take more meetings to shake that deference off—B.E.A.T. has only been meeting formally since November 2017. Tapping Potential Getting a business off the ground is

tedious and complicated—from zoning permits to obtaining fire-marshal approvals. Members of minority communities are slightly more likely than other groups to become entrepreneurs, Kumar said. When you hold income, education, networks, and environment constant, an African American 20-year-old is more likely to start a business than anybody else, he added. “The City of Jackson is going

More Headlines That Don’t Exist—But Should

by Micah Smith It is a tense time here in Jackson and in the United States at large. Cold weather is busting pipes here in the capital city, while Donald Trump is busting heads in Washington. The latter is more from everyone face-palming so hard, of course, but hey. We at the Jackson Free Press decided to come up with a few made-up headlines to help ease the tension.

L e g i s l at u r e B o i l -W at e r Passes Transparency Bill in

Alert Causes Rise in

T r uPress,m Said p Corrects

S e c r e t C r a w f i s h ‘Sh*tsylvania’ F o r t r e s s

S a l e s

Schools Close ‘Pizza Party’ Switch t o R e p l a c e Public Works: City f o r a Y e a r , ‘May Even Replace ‘Just in Case’

Nuclear B u tt o n

Tobacco Pipes’

W e a t h e r


“Do you know what are we going to cut to pay for it?”

“The City of Jackson is going to go where the businesses are going to go—it’s really that simple.”

— Rep. Jarvis Dortch, D-Raymond, asked when the House was asked to vote on a bill to divert $108 million in general-fund revenue to roads and bridges.

— Jackson’s Director of Planning and Development Mukesh Kumar on increasing entrepreneurship in the city.

Jackson City, Schools Shut Down in the Cold by Arielle Dreher

Imani Khayyam File Photo

to go where the businesses are going to go—it’s really that simple,” Kumar said the an interview. While the outset is simple, they face the challenge of breaking down complicated and institutional “silos,” as Kumar calls them, that make it harder for people of minority communities like Jackson to start businesses of their own. “We have a huge untapped potential,” Kumar said. “(R)educing those barriers as much as we can from the City’s point of view, we think that we can tap into that entrepreneurial propensity so that we can have more entrepreneurship formation happening here in the City of Jackson.” Now when someone starting a business comes into the planning office to get a privilege license, the business owner fills out a form designed to gather information about his or her background and financial plan. Meanwhile, the executive assistant finds a B.E.A.T. team member to meet the new business owner as the primary contact person. This fixed business owner having to call the planning office haphazardly with specific questions.

er makeup days built into the schedule that will make up for missing Monday and Tuesday, but because the district closed the rest of the week, students will have to make up for lost time somehow. Interim Superintendent Freddrick Murray told the board that his staff is exploring all options, including add-

Interim Superintendent Freddrick Murray told the school board that JPS will have to come up with a plan to make up a growing number of school days.

“That was one of the first things we realized,” Kumar said. “The businesses were getting frustrated when they called the main switchboard—the person might not know what the situation is so they might not be able to direct you to the appropriate location or office.” Kumar said often by the time new business owners contact the City about getting permits to open and get inspected, they’ve already invested money, sometimes substantially, instead of checking with the City first. If there’s an issue with the space, they’re often already deeply invested and might be stuck with it.” The team discussed this at their last meeting, even laughing at shared experiences of people failing to understand that zoning is one of the first major steps to getting a business off the ground. They turned their banter into an action item. “It’s almost like we need to have these workshops inviting folks in so that we can educate them,” said Michael Davis, business development manager in the City’s planning department. “Because for the most part, they’re already knee-deep in.”

ing hours to the end of school days or potential make-up days on Saturdays. “Extending the day is a possibility,” Murray said. “A few years ago we missed seven days, and we made days up in a myriad ways: we came on a Saturday; we came Memorial Day; we extended the day, so there were several different strategies to make the days up,” Murray told the board. “We will be transparent, and we will work with our teachers and community and the board (on a plan).” After four days of school closure, Murray said, the district would have the flexibility to add hours to the day, but before that the district has to make the days up individually. At this point, JPS students have missed six days of school. The board did not pass a plan to make up those days at its meeting but will have to in coming weeks. The board did approve the district’s new corrective action plan, however, and JPS will turn it in to the Mississippi Department of Education next week. JPS is on probation with the state Commission on School Accreditation, after an investigative audit found the district to be out of compliance with 24 standards. Board President Jeanne Hairston said the board will schedule work sessions with MDE to provide expertise about state accreditation process. The next board meeting is tentatively scheduled for 8 a.m. on Jan. 17.

Manogin left the meeting with the task to find potential dates and locations for open-house workshops throughout the City to inform citizens about the technical process of starting a business in Jackson before they began the legwork. The B.E.A.T. team also aims to help sole-proprietor businesses create more jobs beyond that of the business owner. By model, sole-proprietor businesses present the lowest barrier to entry into the market because an individual can just create a job for him/herself by going through the zoning and coding process with the City. That accessibility creates a lot of competition, particularly in the service-sector, Kumar said, and he hopes for his office to become a resource to shift the paradigm. “We want people to start thinking about ‘what can you produce?’” Kumar said. “Which is different from what the market already has.” Collective Genius Shifting from 13 years as a professor at Jackson State University into real-life application of his studies, Kumar now works to

implement livable ideas. He likes to think he is making a difference, but quickly clarifies that what he does is not more important than what others do. Kumar sees research as a sole enterprise, and working for the City has many more threads, and he has larger questions to answer—it’s a full-fledged enterprise to complete his metaphor for him. When the JFP photographer came into the interview, Kumar lost his train of thought. He seemingly does not like to be at the forefront, and even said later that the B.E.A.T. team should be the photographer’s focus because they’re the important factor. Soon after the photos began, he got to a part in the conversation where he spoke about mirroring Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba’s people-first approach in his role. “I would like to think that’s why the mayor asked me to do this…,” Kumar said. “A lot of things the mayor talks about (such as) the collective genius that is among us and that we need to tap into it, they’re not just ideas—they’re ideas that you can live.” Email city reporter Ko Bragg at ko@ jacksonfreepress.com

January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

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ackson Public Schools closed for another day on Tuesday, Jan. 16, meaning they have yet to return to school in the New Year. The City of Jackson initially scheduled to begin work Tuesday at 10 a.m. but then decided to stay closed, later closing Jan 17 as well. The sudden cold snap caused more than 100 city water main breaks in the last week. Frozen pipes mean more than low water pressure for local public schools and businesses, and while city officials lifted the city-wide boil water notice on Sunday, Jan. 14, another cold snap rolled in late Monday night. Jackson Public Schools was forced to close from Jan. 8-12 after the inclement weather froze many of the capital city’s aging pipes. Some schools had no water at all early in the week, and most of the schools need water pressure to heat and air condition the schools. JPS was supposed to resume classes after winter break on Monday, Jan. 8. Even by Jan. 15, three public schools in Jackson had little or no water pressure, a press release from the city shows. Schools that were warm last week are now cold, Don McCrackin, executive director of facilities, told the JPS Board of Trustees on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at its first monthly meeting. McCrackin said his staff is monitoring the schools but that about half the schools had too little pressure for working toilets as of Tuesday. JPS has two inclement weath-

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TALK | r.i.p.

Rosie L.T.P. Johnson ‘Loved All Things Jackson’ by Ko Bragg

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osie L.T.P. Johnson, a commissioner of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority Board, passed away late last week. Johnson’s family released the following statement: “The family of Rosie L. Thompson Pridgen Johnson would like to thank our friends and community for the out pouring of love and support that we have received following Rosie’s passing.

The family is taking donations to support the Mississippi School for the Blind in lieu of flowers. “Our family and friends will be hosting a Celebration of Life Benefit Event honoring her life and legacy,” the statement from the family says. “All donations received will be given to Leadership Greater Jackson through the Community Foundation of Greater Imani Khayyam File Photo

Jackson Municipal Airport Authority Commissioner Rosie L.T.P. Johnson passed away late last week. She was an advocate of the city maintaining control of its airport and known for her good works on many fronts.

January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

Rosie loved all things Jackson. The City of Jackson, the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, the Mississippi School for the Blind, and her dear Jackson State University. To those that are mourning, weep no more. We will celebrate her life in the same way that she lived it. We will celebrate her life with dignity, honor, and an uplifted spirit. Rosie was a beloved mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, Soror, and dedicated community member.”

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Most viral stories at jfp.ms:

1. “Dismantling the Last Debtors’ Prisons” by Arielle Dreher 2. “City Boil-Water Alerts: Updated Regularly” by Ko Bragg 3. “English Rocker to Play Steve’s Deli” by Micah Smith 4. “OPINION: Why the Silence on Project EJECT” by Adofo Minka 5. “Fixing Jackson’s $7 Million HUD Debt” by Ko Bragg

Jackson. Rosie’s lifelong passion for education lead her to many years of service at the Mississippi School for the Blind. Leadership Greater Jackson has committed to carry on her passionate work at MSB through the donations from the event. Donations will be taken at the door and online.” The current JMAA chairman, James L. Henley, Jr., issued a statement on Jan. 12—the day of Johnson’s passing— offering condolences to her family and

Most viral events at jfpevents.com:

1. Museum After Hours, Jan. 18 2. “Leslie Jordan Exposed,” Jan. 18 3. Fannye Cook: Mississippi’s Pioneering Conservationist, Jan. 18 4. “Even If It Kills Me” Short-Film premiere, Jan. 19 5. Wooooo Issa Show, Jan. 19 Find more events at jfpevents.com.

praising Johnson’s commitment to the airport. “Her enthusiasm for the City of Jackson and inexhaustible commitment to Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International and Hawkins Field Airports is irreplaceable and will be missed greatly,” the statement reads. In 2014, former Mayor Tony Yarber appointed her to the JMAA board. She served as chairwoman in 2015 and vice chair in 2016. Johnson was a vocal advocate for keeping the airport under City control throughout the Mississippi Legislature’s move to take over control of the Jackson airport in the last two years. “Some of the most negative impact this could have is, number one, it says to our children and other citizens that you can own something, you can follow the rules and so forth, but if someone decides that they may choose to change it (they can) without real logic, without making any business sense,” Johnson said in May. “That’s a message we don’t really want to be teaching.” Several former and current Jackson City Council members, Yarber and the JMAA filed a legal claim against Gov. Phil Bryant and a running list of state officials directly and indirectly involved with the airport “takeover” bill in 2016. The plaintiffs alleged that Senate Bill 2162 violated the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The legislation transfers control of the airport, which is in Rankin County but sits on City of Jackson property, from the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority to a larger nine-member board made up of appointed officials from the city, Rankin and Madison counties, as well as mayoral, governor and lieutenant governor appointees. The lawsuit halted any transfer of powers, and for now, the majority African American JMAA still maintains control of the airport, as Johnson wanted. “Ownership of the airports belongs to Jackson. Its citizens should not be disenfranchised by someone else arbitrarily deciding these are the things that we want to happen, we want to take your property, rearrange it and tell you in essence how you should operate,” Johnson said at the time. Johnson lived in Mississippi since the 1970s after graduating from Jackson State University. She held many degrees including a doctorate in philosophy from

Services and Events for Rosie L.T.P. Johnson Friday, January 19th Services held at the Rose McCoy Auditorium on the campus of Jackson State University Visitation – 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Zeta Phi Beta Ritual – 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dedication Ceremony – 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, January 20th Services held at the Rose McCoy Auditorium on the campus of Jackson State University. Lie in State – 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Funeral Service – 10 a.m. to Noon Burial Natchez Trace Memorial Cemetery 759 US Highway 51 Madison Repass Pilgrim Rest MB Church 852 Madison Ave. Madison Celebration of Life Benefit Event 9:20 p.m. to 1:20 a.m. Musical guests – Dexter Allen and Jake Dean Union Station 300 W. Capitol St. Jackson

Jackson State University and a master’s of education in blind rehabilitation, with an emphasis on orientation and mobility for the blind from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She served as the superintendent of the Mississippi School for the Blind for 15 years before retiring in 2013. She also served as the superintendent of the Mississippi School for the Deaf for two of those years. Henley closed his statement by praising Johnson’s accomplishments with JMAA, lamenting that Johnson’s passion and dedication to the airport and her community “will be cherished for years to come.”


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Legislature: Week 2

House Passes Road Bill, Discusses Ed Formula by Arielle Dreher

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Bills to Watch For House Bill 957: The Mississippi Uniform Per Student Funding Formula Act of 2018. The House is expected to vote on the new education funding formula as early as Wednesday this week. Senate Bill 2176: Gulf Coast Restoration Funds. The Senate has made little progress in the past few weeks, but the Appropriations Committee did pass this bill to divert all of the BP Settlement funds to a reserve fund to be used 100 percent on the Gulf Coast. HB 387: Re-entry Council Recommendations. The criminal-justice reform bill is back from last year, with an amendment to make the governor happy. The House could pass the measure this week, too.

January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

the latest proposal would affect the school districts they represent. The new proposal boosts the base student cost to $4,800 per student and incudes all the recommended EdBuild student weights for low-income students, English-language learners, high school students, special education and gifted students, as well as students in rural areas. Thirty-five school districts would lose state funding under the new proposal, data from EdBuild show, while the rest of the state’s 148 districts would receive more funding, with DeSoto County Schools receiving the most additional funds at $19.8 million. 10 Overall, the proposal would mean

spending $107 million more in the state’s education funding formula over the next five years than the Legislature is now, the Associated Press reported, but overall, the new formula scraps the amount of funding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program requires. Gunn’s bill does not eliminate the current formula’s “27 Percent Rule,” which diverts nearly $120 million to 53 school districts across the state. The rule could generate more funding from those districts that under the Mississippi Adequate Education Program are not required to contribute more than 27 percent of their total school funding, even if they are financially able. The loophole was written initially into the MAEP. Rebecca Sibilia, CEO of EdBuild, told Democrats that the speaker had not asked her to run numbers without the “27 Percent Rule,” despite EdBuild’s recommendation to get rid of it entirely. “It is inequitable, illogical and not good for kids,” she told House Democrats in a meeting last week. Doing away with the “27 Percent Rule” would fund the new formula at a higher rate in the first year than Gunn’s proposal after five years. Senate Democrats asked EdBuild representatives to come speak to them in a public meeting, but they declined after Senate leadership strongly discouraged them from doing so. Helping Roads, Bridges The Mississippi House of Representatives voted to use approximately $108 million in tax revenue for roads and bridges on Thursday in a bipartisan vote. House Bill 722 will divert 35 percent of the state’s use tax collections to cities, counties and a grant program to pay for infrastructure. The Department of Revenue collects use tax on goods residents purchase that are shipped and delivered into Mississippi from out-of-state. Recently, some online retailers including Amazon began to voluntarily collect the tax for the state. All brick-andmortar stores here already collect the use tax on purchases. Rep. Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, presented the legislation on the House floor Thursday. “House Bill 722 is the most significant piece of legislation that I’ve seen in my time here,” Lamar said. “It’s designed to provide a new dedicated stream of revenue back to the cities and counties of this state specifically ear-

marked for road and bridges repair.” The legislation divides the 35-percent diversion of use tax into three categories: 15 percent for cities, 15 percent for counties, and 5 percent for a grant program that the Mississippi Development Authority will administer to cities and counties that apply. County and city supervisors will have the authority to spend the funds on roads and Rep. Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, said Democrats will watch to see how Republicans, who control the state budget, divert $100 million of the general fund revenues to municipalities and counties to use on roads and bridges.

bridges as they see fit, Lamar told representatives. The $100 million sales-tax diversion will come out of general-fund revenues, however, meaning that lawmakers will have to cut other state-agency budgets in order to pay for the legislation. “Do you know what are we going to cut to pay for it?” Rep. Jarvis Dortch, DRaymond, asked Lamar. “I don’t,” Lamar said, noting that the House does not want to cut K-12 education funds to help pay for it. “... We’re going to have to make those tough decisions.” A Democratic Amendment Rep. Thomas Reynolds, D-Charleston, offered an amendment that named House Bill 722 the “Improve Mississippi Act of 2018,” and said the Legislature intends the bill to be the first phase in a comprehensive road plan. The amendment does nothing but re-name the act and add language that Democrats hope will hold Republicans accountable for passing more infrastructure legislation. House Ways and Means Chairman Jeff Smith, R-Columbus, said he did not care what the House did with the amendment, and it ultimately passed 60-53, with several Republicans voting for it.

House Bill 722 passed 118-0, moments later. The legislation will have to survive in the Senate to be a reality. “The Senate will review the proposals sent over by the House and will work over the next three months to find a solution to support infrastructure maintenance,” Laura Hipp, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves’ communications director, said. Stephen Wilson

ouse Speaker Philip Gunn is serious about re-writing the state’s education funding formula. Late last week, the Clinton Republican dropped the long-anticipated 300-pluspage legislation containing some of the recommendations from EdBuild, a schoolfunding nonprofit based in New Jersey, for replacing the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. By Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee passed the measure, and the full House will likely debate the bill this week. EdBuild’s contract with the Legislature is long over, but three staff members came back to the Mississippi Capitol last week to run numbers in their education-funding recommendations for representatives. EdBuild staff met with House Republican leaders first in a closed meeting and then with Democrats for an hour on Wednesday, Jan. 10. Democrats opened their time with EdBuild up to reporters. Lawmakers received handouts of how

Democrats held a press conference after the bill passed. Rep. Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, emphasized that Democrats plan to keep a close eye on where the $108 million diverted to the infrastructure bill will come from. “We don’t control the budget. Our party is not in control of the money, and we have recommendations on how that $108 million should affect the budget, and we will make those recommendations down the road,” Johnson told reporters. “We don’t feel comfortable going forward saying we don’t know where it will come from, but I can tell you this, we are committed to no cuts in education, no cuts in Child Protection Services and no cuts in Medicaid.” House Minority Whip David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, objected to House Bill 722 when Republicans brought it to the floor Wednesday, and he told reporters Thursday that he wanted to make sure his party had time to read the legislation. “I think that you’re going to find that the House Democrats are going to want to see the bill, read the bill and understand what’s in the bill before we debate and vote on that,” Baria said. Reynolds noted later that a lottery could pay for the transportation legislation, saying it was a possibility.


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A Student of Life

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n April, when I left my secure job to dance in risk and long hours, I paid close attention to my soul. See, after a decade or better on a job, I knew there was something happening around me, for me, to me. I refused to miss any part of it. I wanted all questions answered, even if the answer was uncomfortable. I was forced to fall back and remember what it was like to be a student of life. While the lessons I’ve already learned in life are secure, the shift still happened, and the teacher became the student. The air I breathed whispered relief and freedom, but I didn’t really know how to breathe it. I often tickled myself because I thought, “This can’t be my air. Somebody must have let their good air leak out, and I’m catching it.” I didn’t know air could feel like that. By November, I’d caught my stride, and I was focused, busy, no time to evaluate or spend time with my soul. As soon as things settled, and my mind took a back seat to my soul, I began to regurgitate emotion like a pregnant woman with morning sickness. This energy was unapologetic. It was unforgiving. It was determined, and it was aggressive. My soul was preparing for the birth of a new soldier, one that could not carry the characteristics I’d taught myself were necessary for peace—tenderheartedness, selfishness, fear, angst, affirmation, understanding, encouragement, support. The purge was necessary to thicken my skin and make the cause more important than my own feelings or desires. A leader who refuses to get out of their own way won’t lead long. If the charge is to elevate people, then the reason can’t be about the person doing the elevating. The reason has to be about the people. My assessment is that those who are charged to improve and impact the lives of others in some way, shape or form would serve themselves best by not being meek and mild. I’ve never been completely meek and never mild, but I was timid. But sometimes the calling upon your life doesn’t make room for timidity. My soul tells me that I should gear up to raise hell regardless of whether it is easy to digest or not. But I’m cool with that. It takes a lot of effort to chip away at a hard truth when you can easily just throw a punch. Truth is the truth whether you sugarcoat it or not. It doesn’t change the facts if you write it down on a notepad with hearts and smiles, won’t change the meaning if you sing the words or speak slowly. Most people don’t respond to those methods anyway. But it’s not just about delivery and presentation; one must also determine that even in the roughest of times, they will still hold tight to their passions, convictions and dedication. One must decide that they will go all the way, even if the way is narrow and full of obstacles. There comes a time in our lives where we shift from who we have been in preparation for who we are becoming. So often we think that receive our life tasks early, and that’s all there is to it. But tasks evolve, and we have to be on a course to stick to the right path. We can’t become complacent because it’s comfortable. If we know that life is a constant lesson, we must also understand that we aren’t always going to be teachers. There will be times when we must be the student. A time will come when it’s time to face a new challenge. We must always be open to growing and willing to be obedient to the growth and understand that these energy shifts come to move us to the next phase of our journey. It is our charge to hear it, learn to recognize it and plan to be obedient. No one said it was easy. But it is necessary. Funmi “Queen” Franklin is a word lover, poet, a truth yeller and community activist. She is the founder of an organization that promotes self love, awareness and sisterhood. Plus, she has a wicked addition to Lemonheads. This 12 column does not necessarily reflect the views of the Jackson Free Press. January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

A leader who refuses to get out of their own way won’t lead long.

Tell the Truth Now, Politic Later

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ver since Gov. Phil Bryant gave his “State of the State” address, and “Mississippi Today” chose to factcheck it but not the Democratic respondent, the media circuit around the capitol as well as some state lawmakers have been busy debating whether it is possible to be both nonpartisan and unbiased. Gov. Phil Bryant retweeted Alan Lange’s article from “Y’all Politics” that called the nonprofit website biased for only factchecking the governor and not Rep. Jay Hughes. One major takeaway from the defensiveness is this: Regardless of party, a truly free press can neither care about nor devote its energy to partisanship in any form, including making stories only about two partisan “sides.” Truth, justice and solutions must be at the core of journalism. No one is unbiased, but people can strive for fairness­—politicians and reporters too. Sure, outlets endorse candidates, but we also must watchdog them if elected and encourage factchecking of anyone of any party who collects taxpayer dollars. We have to report on both sides of the aisle and interact with people we may not fundamentally agree with. We can walk and chew gum at the same time—find the truth and get over what you don’t like about it. It is also hard to ignore that women’s voices were missing from this conversation about media

decisions, bias and partisanship—a reflection of what a lot of discussions in this nation and state around media and politics look like. Parties and even media organizations who seem to be stuck on their differences also seem to unite behind keeping men in power and their voices the loudest. In the meantime, even in the wake of the #MeToo movement and the Time’s Up defense fund, this week feels more like we’ve been launched into a rip tide as people around the nation, and even big newsrooms, have been unable to grapple with the nuances of consent. Consent and its retraction is not always black-and-white. However, that is not an excuse for people, and especially reporters, to avoid leaning into the nuances so that people can live without trauma. Put women in positions of leadership where they can spearhead conversations from the top down to model the types of behaviors that often stem from boys’ networks and habits. Mississippi is not typically a model for progressive behavior, but with growing awareness and national efforts now to give women voices, positions of power and also support when they speak out, we cannot afford to be last. We risk losing too many women and girls who could be our next governors, editors and factcheckers—all of whom we desperately need to retain. It’s time to listen to them.

Email letters to letters@jacksonfreepress.com, fax to 601-510-9019 or mail to 125 South Congress St., Suite 1324, Jackson, Mississippi 39201. Include daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Or write a 300-600-word “Your Turn” and send it by email, fax or mail above with a daytime phone number. All submissions are subject to fact checks.


Andrew j. Williams ESQ.

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lanked by police and civil leaders of Jackson, Miss., U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst spent a press conference arguing for draconian acts of “justice” to be inflicted on Jackson’s people—primarily her poor, disenfranchised and minority residents. He outlined a “crime-fighting” plan for federal, state, and local officials to team up against those accused of crime, locking them up without bail, refusing to negotiate any plea bargains and sending them to federal prisons in other states. Of course, the plan was not so explicitly stated. Instead, it was couched in terms of “protecting the community,” and “helping the people.” Project EJECT is apparently simple: “If you violate our laws, you will be ejected from our community.” While the initiative is purportedly supposed to only combat violence, Hurst’s choice of words are telling: Anyone accused of violating “laws” will result in ejection, not only those accused of “commit[ing] violence.” How long before any and every accusation is worthy of the Project EJECT strategy? The initiative is not original, and it is not a novel way to combat violence. It is the failed “war on drugs”; it is New York’s unconstitutional “Stop and Frisk” program and all other “tough on crime” crusades. Like all of them, it will result in collateral damage to society’s most vulnerable. In response to crime rates (which according to Pew Research are at all-time average lows), law enforcement and the State demand more power. The terrified people hand over power that should be theirs. The courts yield civil rights and protections to law enforcement. Time passes, but crime never ends despite overflowing court dockets. The people see no true change, but law enforcement showboats about arrest rates. The accused waste away in overcrowded jails, but the private-prison industry continues to profit. The convicted are forever separated from their families, who ultimately are their best hope for rehabilitation. Project EJECT is an attack on the people under the guise of protecting them. Hurst scornfully attacks the idea of bail for the accused, ignoring that it is a constitutionally guaranteed right. He threatens future defendants in his courtroom with a refusal to work out plea deals, disregarding that the entire purpose of the plea deal is

a fair result for each individual defendant. The threat of sending those convicted of a crime to prisons outside of Mississippi is an insult to the families of the accused. In a separate op-ed, Hurst paid lip service to the reality that “we can’t arrest our way out of crime” and suggests possible alternatives to incarceration. This is not the first time we’ve heard this. Every time the government launches a new anticrime initiative, it’s sold to the public as an alternative to the “old way.” Yet every time said initiative is enacted and time moves on, the reality comes to light: This is no alternative. The jails are still full. The U.S. still has the world’s largest prison population, with Mississippi having one of the highest incarceration rates. The new Jim Crow continues its bloody work. Jackson, do not fall for this. Yes, crime is awful. People are grieving for those whom violence has taken from them. No one disputes that there is work to be done, but fighting violence with violence, eviscerating the rights of the people, taking power from the people and filling the prisons to the profit of capitalists will never work. Demand real solutions. Attack the root causes of crime: extreme poverty; drug addiction; poor mental health; a lack of resources for quality education; the lack of jobs and affordable housing; a corrupt criminal “justice” system; and an economic system that benefits only the owners of capital, those with financial power and those who carry the banner of white supremacy. Crime in Jackson is not unassailable, but we do not stop it with draconian initiatives; we stop it by building a better city. We beat it with quality health care for the addict, the uninsured, the poor, for everyone to ensure society cares for the needy rather than cast them out. We prevent crime by investing in education. We reduce crime by overturning and rebuilding the system, which entraps young people of Jackson into cyclical poverty and want. Project EJECT wants to fight fire with fire. The people of Jackson must reject this useless plan, and work together to enact real and lasting solutions to help their city. Criminal defense attorney Andrew J. Williams Esq., lives and practices in his adopted home of Mississippi. This column does not necessarily reflect the views of the JFP.

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Project EJECT: A War On Jackson

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January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

The Push for Choices Ferretti, along with representatives from EdChoice and the conservative Heritage Foundation, presented their support for “school choice” to senators in a Senate Education Committee meeting on Jan. 9. EdChoice defines the vague phrase “school choice” as “ allow(ing) public educa-

positioned now to be successful” in the Legislature. Reeves supports expanding ESAs, the state’s highest-funded voucher program. ESAs are for students who have individualized education plans, called IEPs to receive special education in public schools. As long as a student has had an IEP in the last five years, they can qualify for an ESA.

The Push to

Expand Vouchers in 2018 by Arielle Dreher

tion funds to follow students to the schools or services that best fit their needs—whether that’s to a public school, private school, charter school, home school or any other learning environment parents choose for their kids,” its website shows. The meeting foreshadows a potential fight this year in the statehouse over the expansion of vouchers in Mississippi, which means that lawmakers might allow more public funds to flow to private schools. Both Gov. Phil Bryant and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves are vocal about support of various ways to give families ways to redirect their tax dollars into less-than-public education options. Supporters of allowing tax dollars to be used for education outside the public schools typically group the possible uses under the blanket phrase “school choice.” “I want to ask you again to expand ‘school choice’ for certain categories of children, offering special-needs scholarships to even more students,” Bryant asked lawmakers in his State of the State address. “I continue to believe that parents should have the freedom to (use) their tax dollars to send their children to the school of their choice, not one decided by the government.” Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves told the Stennis Capitol Press Forum that he thinks public charter schools and education scholarship accounts (which are vouchers) are “better

expand the voucher program. “What about a parent in poverty? They don’t have the ability to go pay for a private school. Same thing here. A person of wealth can send their child to Jackson Prep or St. Andrews, they are making a choice, so it’s no different than what a wealthy person can do with their wealth,” he said. Thirty states, including Mississippi and Washington, D.C., have implemented some sort of “school choice” measures, EdChoice’s website states. Only six states, including Mississippi, have ESA vouchers. Studies of voucher programs, even done by conservative-leaning groups, show that voucher programs that enable children to go from public to private schools has a detrimental impact on their academic performance, however. The Education Research Alliance studied the Louisiana Scholarship Program, which enabled students to use public funds in private schools. The Louisiana program is specifically designed for low-income students in the state, and roughly 87 percent of students with scholarships are black. Researchers studied academic performance in math and English before the children switched schools due to vouchers and the two years afterward. The results were shocking. “Our estimates indicate that a ... Stephen Wilson

eah Ferretti found out her son had dyslexia once a doctor diagnosed him with the condition. He had already been retained in kindergarten for a year at that point, and Ferretti asked the school district to offer him dyslexia therapy. “We took that to our district with full faith that he was going to be given the right services. We took it to them, and guess what, (they said), ‘We don’t say that word. We don’t say the ‘d’ word,’” Ferretti told the Senate Education Committee Jan. 9. “Do y’all know what the ‘d’ word is? Dyslexia.” Ferretti, an educator, decided to return to college to get her master’s degree in dyslexia therapy after the school district refused to offer her son therapy. By then, she told senators, her son hated school and would try to come up with excuses to not go. “A 6-year-old should not have a negative connotation of school. Every morning he would say, ‘Mommy, my stomach hurts, don’t make me go back there, can you home school me?’” Ferretti told lawmakers as she emotionally recounted her experience. Once Ferretti had the dyslexia therapy training, she asked the school district if she could come in and give that therapy to her son. The district said no, and Ferretti opted to remove her son from the school district, sending him to a private school. “We pulled him and put him in a private choice. We had to pay out of pocket on top of the (ad valorem) taxes we were already paying so that my child can get that customized education for him,” she said. “Because I know what’s best for my baby. I know what he needs: a school that allows me to come in and provide that therapy for him day-to-day.” Ferretti’s son likely qualifies for a dyslexia therapy scholarship, which she did not know about at the time she removed him from public school. Last year, the Legislature expanded that voucher program to extend all the way through 12th grade. The dyslexia therapy scholarship program is one of two active voucher programs in the state, which for now are limited to students with special education needs and dyslexia. The third voucher program offers speech-language therapy vouchers to students but the program is rarely used. The Cleveland mother’s story ended up being a plea for more options and access to needed services. “I get mamas calling me every day crying. Crying because they can’t get any help. … They don’t have any choice that they live in a ZIP code that doesn’t provide that service or is willing to listen to their plea,” she told senators. “… I refuse to be told that ‘you don’t have 14 a choice,’” she added.

Gov. Phil Bryant supports expanding school choice and vouchers for students with special-education needs and said so in his “State of the State” address.

Sen. Gray Tollison, R-Oxford, plans to introduce legislation to expand the program because he believes a lot of Mississippi children are in communities across the state where the public-school system is not the best fit for them, he told reporters. He cites the state’s special-education graduation rate (which was 34.7 percent in 2017) as one of the key factors in expanding the program. The Oxford Republican—who switched from the Democratic Party in 2011—also points to poverty as a reason to

scholarship user who was performing at roughly the 50th percentile at baseline fell 24 percentile points below their control group counterparts in math after one year and 8 percentile points below in reading,” the research brief says. The rest of the Education Research Alliance brief shows mixed results of the scholarship program for low-income students. While student academic performance in math fell, the researchers found that the program did reduce racial segre-


who listened to Ferretti’s story in the education committee, pointed out that the public-school districts need to find and train dyslexia therapists in the state. “Those schools or teachers in special education may not understand, so you can’t be too hard on the school systems until you get the teachers trained for this genetic (dis) order, and that’s what’s been the (biggest) problem,” Jordan said. Education Scholarship Accounts Education scholarship accounts are much larger and broader than the state’s dyslexia voucher program. Unlike the dyslexia vouchers, parents can use ESAs on any nonpublic school as long as it is accredited by a regional accrediting authority or by MDE. MDE must certify nonpublic schools where parents use dyslexia scholarships, but if parents receive ESAs, the list gets much longer. Students must withdraw from their public school to receive services, but the voucher may not cover the full cost of tuition at a private school. So far, families have used ESA vouchers at 88 schools this school year.

Sen. Gray Tollison, R-Oxford, plans to introduce legislation to expand education scholarship accounts, which are vouchers for specialeducation students to leave public schools and attend private schools.

The Legislature approved $3 million for the program most recently, which amounts to about $6,494 per student. This is the third year of the program, and it has grown significantly since the Legislature changed the rules. There are 404 active ESA accounts, with about 322 families that have asked for reimbursements so far this school year, Gretchen Cagle, state director of special education at MDE, said. The department has reached out to the other 82 of those families to determine if they plan to use the scholarships at all. MDE has not used all $3 million for ESA vouchers in past years, and so far, this

year, it looks like they will not either. Currently, MDE has appropriated out about $971,000, which Cagle said could be considered a halfway mark. Even doubled, that leave more than $1 million sitting in unused voucher funds. “That still leaves about $1 million that we’ve got to figure out will the program end up using and that depends on the parents and what they request for reimbursement,” Cagle told the Jackson Free Press. The ESA program is set so that once a student is enrolled, they get to stay in the program until they opt out or graduate. Cagle said the initial legislation planned to increase funding in order to add more participants, but the increase never happened. Families can use ESA funds on textbooks, curriculum, computers, tutoring or therapeutic services or transportation, among other things. The current law states that any child who has had an IEP in the last five years is eligible for the program, this potentially includes students already in private schools, although MDE does not track this statistic directly. “(Initially, students) had to have an ac-

tive IEP within the last 18 months, and we didn’t have as many applicants, but when they expanded it to five years, we had a huge increase in the number of applicants,” Cagle told the Jackson Free Press. “So I would say, you have a lot of people coming (into the ESA program) who are already in private schools, just based on that.” Last year in debates, Senate Democrats repeatedly made the point that public schools struggle to hire the appropriate teachers or have the resources to pay for special education because the state has underfunded schools for so long by not fully-

January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

Dyslexia Therapy Scholarships Mississippi lawmakers authorized dyslexia therapy scholarships six years ago, and most recently expanded the program in 2017. Students in first through 12th grades are eligible for the vouchers, after the Legislature changed the grade levels in 2017, as long as they have been properly screened and diagnosed with dyslexia. Families can use the vouchers at six private schools state-

wide that the Mississippi Department of Education has approved. While state law allows parents to move children with dyslexia diagnoses to different public-school districts, that school district has to accept the student, pending space and teaching resources available. The Legislature appropriates $1.025 million to the dyslexia voucher program, which allows 209 students to attend the six private schools. The total scholarship per student is $4,909 based on the funding provided, less than most private school tuition, although schools like the Magnolia Speech School offer substantial scholarships to help families afford their services. Last year, the Legislature authorized public-school districts to start screening kindergarteners and first graders for dyslexia, using MDE-approved tests. Robin Lemonis, director of student intervention services at MDE, said school districts can use two approved tests. School districts are required to report dyslexia data this year. School districts must screen all first graders by mid-October and kindergarteners are supposed to be screened in late April. Districts will have to report how many students they screened, which test they used and how many students passed and failed. There are not enough dyslexia therapists in the state to go around. Lemonis said there are 117 licensed therapists working in some capacity in the 148 public-school districts statewide. “We have 117, but that doesn’t mean that they are providing dyslexia therapy, they could just be in a classroom teaching a class (instead),” Lemonis told the JFP. The six schools where students can use dyslexia vouchers are concentrated in certain pockets of the state. Magnolia Speech School and New Summit in Jackson, North New Summit in Greenwood, the 3-D School in Petal and Ocean Springs, and the Tide School in Hattiesburg. Lemonis said Mississippi is now leading the country when it comes to dyslexia legislation, but noted that teachers need to receive additional training on teaching dyslexic students how to read in their college coursework. “One of the areas we feel like we need additional support with … in education programs, there needs to be an introduction to dyslexia because when you talk bout teaching reading, kids with dyslexia are the most difficult to teach reading,” Lemonis said. “And it’s important that they (teachers) learn that structure with the lessons of it before they are in the classroom.” MDE also gives grants to school districts to run their own dyslexia pilot programs. Seven districts have pilot programs, due to limited funds from the Legislature. Sen. David Jordan, D-Greenwood,

Imani Khayyam File Photo

gation. They also found no evidence that using vouchers improved “students’ nonacademic skills, such as conscientiousness.” Another study by the conservativeleaning Fordham Institute found that the Ohio EdChoice program meant students fared worse academically, too. “The students who use vouchers to attend private schools have fared worse academically compared to their closely matched peers attending public schools. The study finds negative effects that are greater in math than in English language arts. Such impacts also appear to persist over time, suggesting that the results are not driven simply by the setbacks that typically accompany any change of school,” the Fordham study says. Tollison’s bill would open up ESAs to more students and not just with special needs. “Priority will be given to specialneeds students, and then if there are no special-needs students, then it will be students in poverty and then anybody beyond that,” he said. “My end goal is to allow a child the opportunity to get a good education, however that may be. There are other choices that many wealthy Mississippians take advantage of but poor folks can’t because they don’t have the resources.” Nearly 67,000 students statewide have IEPs, who receive special-education services from their school district. Even with more than $4 million directed to vouchers, the majority of students in the state continue to receive special-education services from public schools. Funding for special education in the state is strained. In the efforts to re-write the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, lawmakers have expressed concerns about students in public schools struggling to get IEPs at all, let alone the services. The new education funding formula authored by House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, proposes a new way to fund students with special education needs in tiers based on the severity of the need. IEPs will not go away under the proposal, however, because school districts must comply with federal laws and the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, called the IDEA Act, which requires them to provide tailored education for students with special education needs. They cannot always afford it, however.

more VOUCHER, see page 16 15


funding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. The state is still in the throes of a major teacher crisis, and Cagle said a lot of teachers coming from alternate-route programs, meaning they did not get a fouryear education degree to teach but got to teaching another way, are not prepared to teach special education courses. “We get a proportionately higher share that are coming through alternate-route programs,” she said. “I hear from our deans and chairs in IHL that they’re struggling to stay open because there’s just not the traditional students who are wanting to go into special education.” Lots of school districts have to implement professional development for teachers to teach special education courses, instead, Cagle said. Selling Choice EdChoice CEO Robert Enlow said he was invited to speak to the Senate Education Committee, but his presentation sounded like a sales pitch for the vaguely named “school choice” umbrella. Enlow showed senators research that says parent involvement in their students’ education went up drastically as a result of “school choice.” He also showed parent research on programs from the state of Indiana.

Arielle Dreher

VOUCHERS from page 15 “Parents that get to choose are dramatically more satisfied than they were before,” Enlow said. He also noted that once “school choice” is in a state, it grows. “What you will find is that once states pass more choice for families, whether it’s public or nonpublic or charter, they want more,” he said. No organization or group spoke to senators about the potential challenges of vouchers or expanding “school choice” at the Jan. 9 meeting. Nancy Loome, with the Parents’ Campaign, says vouchers are a way to privatize education, while subsidizing private schools. She said private schools are not required to accept students with vouchers, which might account for funds leftover in the ESA program in past years. Loome said those funds could go to public schools to pay for special education there instead. “For the current year, special education funding in Mississippi public schools is underfunded by $26.5 million,” she said. Special-education funds are an add-on component of MAEP (which has been fully funded twice in its existence), and Loome said those funds cover the costs of special education teachers, not resources. Vouchers in the Legislature are a largely partisan issue. The expansion of dyslexia

Leah Ferretti, a Cleveland mother, talked to senators about expanding school choice to help Mississippi kids, like her son, whom she pulled out of public school to give him the proper dyslexia therapy he needed.

therapy scholarships passed predominantly due to the Republican supermajority in 2017, with most Democrats in the Senate and House voting against the expansion. Sen. Tollison’s voucher legislation was not on the Legislature’s website by press time, but Sen. Michael Watson, R-Pascagoula, has introduced two “scholarship” account programs this session. On the House side, Rep. Dana Criswell, R-Olive Branch, has introduced legislation to expand the dyslexia vouchers even more, allowing students to use them not only at a stateaccredited private school but any regionally or accredited private school as well. Rep. Jarvis Dortch, D-Raymond, who

is on the House Education Committee, said questions the capacity of private schools to provide services outside of metropolitan areas like Jackson. “A voucher to go where? Where am I going to go?” he said, emphasizing how rural Mississippi is. “There’s nothing that says that Jackson Academy is going to take me if I have a voucher, or Jackson Prep or Hillcrest (Christian School)... some of these private schools are not necessarily better than public schools,” Dortch added. Email state reporter Arielle Dreher at arielle@jacksonfreepress.com. Follow her for breaking state tweets at @arielle_amara.

Vouchers in Mississippi Education Scholarship Accounts

Dyslexia Therapy Scholarships

Eligibility: Students must have an individual education plan from public-school district from the past five years

Eligibility: Students must be tested and be diagnosed with dyslexia

Total Number of Accounts:

Total Number of Scholarships:

404

(322 used so far this school year)

209

Scholarship Value Per Student: Scholarship Value Per Student:

$4,909

Total Funding from Legislature:

$6,494 $3 million Total Funding from Legislature:

$1.025 million

Number of Private Schools Students Attend:

Number of Private Schools Students Attend:

88

(so far this school year)

6

Source: Mississippi Department of Education Data


16th Annual

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fter mingling over goodies such as rolling up our sleeves and crushing muscasauerkraut, mustard and kimchi, dines for wine. and a sampling of sake (Japanese “We have a lot of fruits around here rice wine), we began a sake and (in Mississippi) that aren’t great to chow wine fermentation workshop at Sweet & down on but are good to make wine with,â€? Sauer’s fermentation kitchen in The Hatch Jerome told the Jackson Free Press. (126 Keener Ave.) on Dec. 13, 2017. At the event, he said that learning the A dozen or so participants at the event basics of the technique, rather than a spewent around the room introducing ourselves and naming our favorite alcoholic beverage (“Hi, I’m Julie; I’m a wine girlâ€?). Though a small group, it represented a range of age, gender and race, and both long-time Jacksonians and several folks who were brand new to town. Patrick Jerome, who Patrick Jerome talks to participants about wineled the workshop, took making and fermentation at a workshop on Dec. that diversity as a sign that 13, 2017, at Sweet & Sauer in The Hatch. fermentation is something that all of us have in common, so it makes sense that it would appeal cific recipe, would allow us to go home and to such a mixed group. experiment with other bases—he suggested “We’re (all) covered in yeast and bac- strawberries, blueberries and figs. teria; you may as well put some of it to After crushing the fruit to extract the work,â€? he said at the event. juice, the muscadine juice and skins went Sweet & Sauer owner Lauren Rhoades into quart-sized glass jars—the skins would moved into her space at The Hatch in mid- add color to the wine—along with yeast, town in fall 2017. She has since opened it which turned the sugar in fruit into alcoto workshops such as this one. hol. Though we did wash our hands before Rhoades told the Jackson Free Press crushing the fruit, Jerome stressed that we didn’t need to sterilize anything. Bacteria, in this case, are friends, he said. “People get really nervous about germs and act like we have to be separate and closed off from our environment,â€? he told the participants. â€œâ€Ś The idea that everything has to be 100 percent pure doesn’t have a lot of reason. One way to counteract that in your own home is to cultivate friendly relationships with some of these (living) things.â€? Once we sealed our jars with a testDuring a recent fermentation workshop at Sweet & Sauer, tube-looking contraption called an airlock, participants mashed up muscadines we took them home to ferment in a cool, to make fermented wine. dark space for two to three weeks. When that time was up, it looked that hosting classes on fermentation gives rather unappetizing, but after pouring the her a chance to share ways to make healthy mixture through a strainer, Jerome was food fun and approachable. right about the fruit skins—the liquid was Teaching fermentation, which she a slightly cloudy blush shade of pink. The calls “the anti-fast food,â€? is a way to revive taste was definitely fruity. During the sake the ancient tradition of the techniques demonstration, he said that making sake is and “incorporate them into our modern trickier than fruit wine and recommended worlds,â€? she said. it for more advanced students. At the wine workshop, we literally got For more information, find Sweet & our hands dirty in that ancient tradition, Sauer on Facebook or visit sweetandsauer.co. courtesy Julie Skipper

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THURSDAY 1/18

SATURDAY 1/20

TUESDAY 1/23

Family Fun Science Night is at the Mississippi Children’s Museum.

“Rita Brent Live” is at the Alamo Theatre.

The Harlem Globetrotters play at the Mississippi Coliseum.

BEST BETS Jan. 17 - 24, 2018

History Is Lunch is from noon to 1 p.m. at Two Mississippi Museums (222 North St.) in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium. Guest speaker David Sansing discusses his new book, “Mississippi Governors: Soldiers, Statesmen, Scholars, Scoundrels.” Free admission; mdah.ms.gov.

Imani Khayyam / File Photo

WEDNESDAY 1/17

Artist Kira Cummings presents some of her latest work at “Woooooo Issa Show,” a visual arts and music showcase at Offbeat on Friday, Jan. 19.

THURSDAY 1/18

Kate Dearman

Museum After Hours: “Parchman Farm” Jan. 18, 5:30 p.m. The pop-up exhibition features photographs from Kim Rushing, who documented the lives of inmates at the Mississippi State Penitentiary. Includes music, a film screening, games and more. Free admission, food prices vary; msmuseumart.org. … “Leslie Jordan Exposed” is from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). The TV personality and comedian tells stories about being raised in the South and his professional career. Includes “Secret Stories of Country Music” as an opening act. $25 admission, $100 sponsor; newstagetheatre.com.

hart also performs. $7 in advance, $10 at the door; find it on Facebook. … “Woooooo Issa Show” is from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Offbeat (151 Wesley Ave.). Includes artwork from Kira Cummings, and music from Blk Crwn, Mr. Fluid, Yung Jewelz, Timaal Bradford, Cord Short, Mack Life and DJ Young Venom. $10 admission; find it on Facebook.

Stadium (1200 Lakeland Drive). The tryout is for ages 1218, and includes workouts, athletic assessment and skills evaluation in front of scouts. Packages $99 and up; call 800-641-4487; baseballfactory.com.

SATURDAY 1/20

“Bingo & Bills—PPYL Legislative Update” is from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at The Flamingo (3011 N. State St.). The Planned Parenthood Southeast Young Leaders host the event, which includes an update on the legislative sessions, snacks and bingo. Free; find it on Facebook.

Meeko’s Birthday Party is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.). The celebration of Meeko by Rebecca Hester the moon bear’s third party features crafts, bear-themed activities, a giant birthday-card signing and jacksonfreepress.com more. The first 50 guests receive a Fax: 601-510-9019 free slice of cookie cake and NesDaily updates at quik milk. Included with admisjfpevents.com sion ($8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for ages 2-12, free under age 2); call 601-352-2580; jacksonzoo.org. … The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Russell C. Davis Planetarium (201 E. Pascagoula St.). Keep Jackson Beautiful hosts the single-day festival, which features a variety of films relating to nature and activism. Free admission, donations accepted; call 601-953-1123; email keepjackson beautiful@gmail.com; keepjacksonbeautiful.com.

January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

events@

Americana act Oh Jeremiah premieres its short film and music video, “Even If It Kills Me,” at The Flamingo on Friday, Jan. 19.

FRIDAY 1/19

The “Even If It Kills Me” Short Film Premiere is from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at The Flamingo (3011 N. State St.). Mississippi-native folk band Oh Jeremiah performs and 20 screens its short film, “Even If It Kills Me.” McKenzie Lock-

SUNDAY 1/21

The Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout & College Prep is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Smith-Wills

MONDAY 1/22

TUESDAY 1/23

Jewish Cinema Mississippi 2018 is at 7 p.m. at Malco Grandview Cinema (221 Grandview Blvd., Madison). The festival includes screenings of the films “Riphagen: The Untouchable,” “1945,” “The Testament,” “The Women’s Balcony” and “On the Map.” Festival passes: $50 for adults, $25 for students; jewishcinemams.com. … Riverdance performs at 7:30 p.m. at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The international dance group performs a program featuring Irish dance and music as part of its 20th Anniversary World Tour. $35-$75; ticketmaster.com.

WEDNESDAY 1/24

Fred Eaglesmith performs at 7:30 p.m. at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). The Canadian alternative-country artist performs. Tif Ginn also performs. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. $15 in advance, $20 at the door; ardenland.net.


Dialogue Jackson Jan. 20, Jan. 27, Feb. 3, 9 a.m.-noon, at Capital Towers (125 S. Congress St.). The dialogue circle facilitates discussions around racial relations between different members of the community. Must register; email todd@jacksonfreepress.com; jackson2000.org.

COMMUNITY Events at Two Mississippi Museums (222 North St.) • History Is Lunch Jan. 17, noon-1 p.m. In the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium. David Sansing discusses his new book, “Mississippi Governors: Soldiers, Statesmen, Scholars, Scoundrels.” Free; call 601-576-6998; mdah.ms.gov. • History Is Lunch Jan. 24, noon-1 p.m. In the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium. Heather Wilcox presents on the topic “Mount Olive: Preserving and Restoring a Historic Cemetery.” Free; call 601-576-6998; mdah.ms.gov. Fannye Cook, Mississippi’s Pioneering Conservationist Jan. 18, 5-7:30 p.m., at Eudora Welty House & Garden (1119 Pinehurst St.). Marion Barnwell and Libby Hartfield discuss the life and work of Fannye Cook. Cathy Shropshire will perform an abridged version of her interpretive program on Cook. Free; mdah.ms.gov.

KIDS Family Fun Science Night Jan. 18, 6-8 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). Families experience science with hands-on exhibitions and activities involving robots, Mississippi wildlife, kinetic sand and more. Includes food vendors. $6 adults, $5 seniors, $4 ages 3-18; mdwfp.com. Storytelling Festival Jan. 20, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at Mississippi Children’s Museum (2145 Museum Blvd.). Guests include Rick Anderson, Dexter Allen, Andrea Thompson, Terrence Roberts and Peter Zapetal. $10; mschildrensmuseum.org.

FOOD & DRINK Tap Takeover Jan. 17, 6-9 p.m., at LD’s BeerRun (5006 Parkway Drive). Backwater Cider and Lucky Town Brewing Company present a special selection of ciders and beers. Includes giveaways. Free admission; find it on Facebook.

SPORTS & WELLNESS Dead Man Gravel Grind 2018 Jan. 20, 9 a.m., at Rocky Hill Baptist Church (4610 Greens Crossing Road, Ridgeland). The all-terrain bike race features a 14-mile option for beginners; 42-mile options for the Women’s Open category, men age 15-39, and men age 40 and up; and a 56-mile option for the elite men’s category. Awards will be given for each category. $40 per entry; call 601-218-1934; racesonline.com. Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout & College Prep Jan. 21, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., at Smith-Wills Stadium (1200 Lakeland Drive). The tryout is for ages 12-18, and includes workouts, athletic assessment and skills evaluation in front of scouts. $99 and up; call 800-641-4487; baseballfactory.com.

Harlem Globetrotters Jan. 23, 7 p.m., at Mississippi Coliseum (1207 Mississippi St.). The exhibition basketball team is known for its athletic stunts. $21.50-$93.50; ticketmaster.com.

STAGE & SCREEN Events at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.) • “Leslie Jordan Exposed” Jan. 18, 7:30-10 p.m. The TV personality and comedian from shows such as “Will & Grace” and “Boston Legal” tells stories about being raised in the

SLATE

• Riverdance Jan. 23, 7:30 p.m. The international dance group performs a program featuring traditional Irish dance and music for its 20th anniversary. $35-$75; ticketmaster.com. • “Shopkins Live! Shop it Up!” Jan. 24, 6:30 p.m. The musical stage show features characters from the popular grocery-themed toy series, including Bubbleisha, Peppa-Mint and Rainbow Kate. $15-$100; shopkinslive.com. Rita Brent Live Jan. 20, 8-10 p.m., at The Alamo Theatre (333 N. Farish St.). The Jackson comic has appeared on “Hart of the City” and the

the best in sports over the next seven days

by Bryan Flynn, follow at jfpsports.com, @jfpsports

It seems like the playoffs have opened up for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick to win a sixth Super Bowl. New England has the best quarterback left in a quarterback-driven league. THURSDAY, JAN. 18

College basketball (8-10 p.m., SECN): The UM Rebels women’s team is 0-3 against ranked teams but gets a chance at a big win against No. 12 Missouri at home. FRIDAY, JAN. 19

Tennis (8 p.m.-1:30 a.m., ESPN2): End your week with some great tennis in the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year. SATURDAY, JAN. 20

College basketball (2:30-4:30 p.m., SECN): The UM Rebels men’s team looks to stay in the SEC race against Arkansas. … College basketball (7:309:30 p.m., SECN): The MSU men need to turn around SEC play quickly but will have to do so against Alabama. SUNDAY, JAN. 21

NFL (2-5:30 p.m., CBS): New England will try to reach an eighth Super Bowl in the Brady/Belichick era if they can get past Jacksonville. … NFL (5:30-9 p.m., FOX): The Minnesota South and his professional career. Includes “Secret Stories of Country Music” as an opening act. $25 admission; newstagetheatre.com. • “Glory! Glory!—A Staged Reading” Jan. 20, 7:30-9:30 p.m. The play from writers Leslie Jordan, Linda Burgess and William Dunlap is about a time when tent revival meetings were part of life. $10; newstagetheatre.com. Wild & Scenic Film Festival Jan. 20, 1-7 p.m., at Russell C. Davis Planetarium (201 E. Pascagoula St.). Keep Jackson Beautiful hosts the single-day festival featuring films relating to nature and activism. Free; keepjacksonbeautiful.com. Events at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.) • “Dirty Dancing” Jan. 20, 2 p.m., 8 p.m. The musical is an adaptation of the 1987 film and features dance and music from the movie. $40-$80; ticketmaster.com.

Vikings can be the first team to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium if they beat the Philadelphia Eagles. MONDAY, JAN. 22

College basketball (5:30-7:30 a.m., SECN): In case football owned your Sunday, set your DVR to watch the UM women take on Florida. TUESDAY, JAN. 23

College basketball (7:30-9:30 p.m., SECN): The UM men’s team gets its shot against Alabama at home. … College basketball (8-10 p.m., ESPN): The MSU men’s team can make a statement against SEC big dog Kentucky. WEDNESDAY, JAN. 24

Tennis (9 p.m.-12:30 a.m., ESPN2): Tune in for the women’s semifinals of the Australian Open. Tom Brady has the same amount of Super Bowl wins as the other three quarterbacks left in the playoffs have postseason starts. Brady has made 35 postseason starts compared to the others five combined.

Ricky Smiley & Friends Tour. Comedian Jashad McCoy and musical act Heart Society also perform. $20, $25 reserved; find it on Facebook.

CONCERTS & FESTIVALS Kevin Griffin Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m., at Hal & Mal’s (200 Commerce St.). The singer-songwriter is the frontman of Better Than Ezra. J.R. Moore also performs. $25; ticketmaster.com. Events at Martin’s Restaurant & Bar (214 S. State St.) • The Stolen Faces Jan. 19, 10 p.m. The Grateful Dead tribute band hails from Nashville, Tenn. Admission TBA; martinslounge.net • The Quickening Jan. 20, 10 p.m. Guitarist Blake Quick fronts the funk fusion band. Admission TBA; martinslounge.net.

Events at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.) • Bishop Gunn Jan. 20, 9 p.m. The Natchez rock-and-roll band performs. Magnolia Bayou also performs. $10 admission; ardenland.net. • Fred Eaglesmith Jan. 24, 7:30 p.m. The Canadian alternative-country artist performs. Tif Ginn also performs. $15 in advance, $20 at the door; call 877-987-6487; ardenland.net.

CREATIVE CLASSES Events at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.) • Modern Brush Calligraphy Jan. 18, 6-8 p.m. Participants learn techniques behind calligraphy to make mail art and greeting cards. $110 registration, $20 supply fee; millsaps.edu. • Irish Ceili and Set Dancing Sessions I, II & III Jan. 21, 3-5 p.m. Margaret Cupples and Alex McCord teach participants traditional Irish dances. $50; millsaps.edu. • Basics of Investing Jan. 22, 5:30-7 p.m. Mark A. Maxwell is the instructor. Participants learn about the basic principles, processes and techniques of investing. $80; millsaps.edu. Significant Saturdays Jan. 20, 10 a.m.-noon, at Offbeat (151 Wesley Ave.). Lesley Collins leads the family-friendly art activity for participants of all ages. Includes music from dj cereal milk. Free admission; find it on Facebook. Kombucha 101: Brewing, Flavoring, Bottling Jan. 24, 5 p.m., at The Hatch (126 Keener Ave.). Participants learn how to make and bottle kombucha at home, while also learning about different cocktail ideas. $42.63; find it on Facebook.

EXHIBIT OPENINGS Museum After Hours: “Parchman Farm” Jan. 18, 5:30 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). The pop-up exhibition features photos from Kim Rushing, who documented life at the Mississippi State Penitentiary. Includes music, a film, games and more. Free admission, food prices vary; msmuseumart.org.

BE THE CHANGE Events at Mississippi State Capitol (400 High St.) • Mississippi Women’s March Jan. 20, 10 a.m.noon. The event includes a group of diverse speakers and performers with a call to action. Participants are encouraged to bring a donation for The Period Project to provide feminine hygiene products for homeless women and high-schoolers. Free; find it on Facebook. • ACLU Legislative Preview Jan. 23, 8 a.m.3 p.m. The event includes breakfast, a news conference, visits with legislators, a legislative briefing and more. RSVP. Free; aclu-ms.org. LGBTQ & Ally Resource Fair Jan. 20, 2-5 p.m., at Galleria Event Center (2640 Terry Road). The ninth annual fair highlights local and national LGBT and ally businesses and organizations for members of the community to support them. Free; call 601-691-4118; eventbrite.com. Check jfpevents.com for updates and more listings, or to add your own events online. You can also email event details to events@jacksonfreepress.com to be added to the calendar. The deadline is noon the Wednesday prior to the week of publication.

January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

JFP- SPONSORED

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music

B

With Better Than Ezra still touring, what inspired you to also get on the road doing solo shows?

I guess maybe two years (ago)—Ezra’s still touring a lot, and we do our summer tours—I wanted a forum where I could not only do Ezra songs, but I could also play the songs I get to write with other artists in just a less formal setting. There were suddenly a lot of rooms around the country, like City Winery in Chicago, … that were embracing that kind of (show). You know, they’re about 350- to 500seat rooms, and I thought, “Wow, that sounds really cool.” I started off just playing acoustic, and I kind of wanted to challenge myself to get back to doing that, maybe the purity of that. I like talking (to audiences) a lot and maybe taking left turns, so that’s really just a creative outlet.

I—“give” is a strong word—but have another artist do, and they’re mostly co-writes, rather than myself or Better Than Ezra. So you always have (the question), “If ‘Collide’ had been a Better Than Ezra song, would it have taken Better Than Ezra’s career to a whole other level?” So when I get to do these songs solo, I get to have that satisfaction of playing it live and hearing people sing along. … So it’s a two-way street: People enjoy hearing the hits that they didn’t know I’m a part of, and I get to kind of have that vicarious thrill you get when you play a song people know.

Better

Jeremy Cowart

etter Than Ezra fans will hear plenty of hit songs when the band’s frontman, Kevin Griffin, performs solo on Jan. 19 in Jackson. However, not all of those familiar tunes come courtesy of the New Orleans, La., alternative-rock act. Griffin has had a string of successful songs through Better Than Ezra since forming the group in Baton Rouge, La., in 1988, including “Good,” “King of New Orleans,” “In the Blood” and “Desperately Wanting.” What some listeners may not know is that he has also co-written hits for well-known artists such as Sugarland, James Blunt, Howie Day and Daniel Powter. The Jackson Free Press recently spoke with Griffin over the phone about his latest tour and what goes on behind the scenes in songwriting.

Sans

Ezra by Micah Smith

What can people expect to hear that they wouldn’t hear at a BTE show?

January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

Well, they hear songs that (are) hits I’ve had with other artists, from Howie Day songs or Taylor Swift or James Blunt, and just different artists like that—my versions of these songs. Usually, if it’s a female artist, it’s an octave lower. [Laughs] And (there are) just covers. I like doing things that wouldn’t be expected. When I do these shows, they’re still very, I guess, up-tempo. I love artists like Ray LaMontagne and Damien Rice, but I’m not that guy. When I do these shows, I have an amazing percussionist with me, so it’s a very upbeat, fun show. I may do a left turn into a Justin Timberlake song out of a Better Than Ezra song or a solo song I’m working on. So there are lot of stories, anecdotes, covers, songs I’ve written for other people, and you know, hopefully the songs we know and love by Better Than Ezra. What kind of response do you usually get when playing a song that some fans don’t know you wrote or co-wrote?

I love that because, let’s say a song like “Collide,” which is still getting tons of radio play, I’ll tell the story about writing it, I’ll play it, and then after the show, invariably, someone will come up to me and go, “Man, I love that cover you did of Howie Day.” They still won’t realize I wrote it, and that’s really funny. But it’s cool to see, for the most part, the awareness or realization that, “Oh wow, you wrote this? Let me hear how you interpret it.” I love seeing that look on people’s 22 faces. Then, you know, there are always songs that maybe

get the chorus together. That’s usually enough to see if the artist likes it. With Better Than Ezra, I’ll have the whole song done, and then the band will arrange it with me. We’ll figure out dynamics. With a co-write, there’s no point in me finishing the whole song, because if they don’t like the chorus, they’ll say, “What else do you have?” And also, you want to give the artist something to work on and (work) off of. That’s when the song really becomes great. When it’s good, the artist is a good writer, and they’re engaged and come up with some great verse, or they make the chorus even better. You just come up with what you think is the hook, play it for them, and they go, “Oh, I dig that, but let’s change this chord here.” So it’s kind of more a piecemeal thing when you’re working with other artists. When you do have an idea that you think is perfect for an artist, what do you do when they don’t respond well to it?

You know what? You just move on. It’s so often, and that’s just kind of the thing with songwriting. I never get bummed out about it anymore because, as a writer, you tend to think everything you do is great. “Oh, this is a great chorus.” Then, you realize, “Well, sometimes, that’s not the case.” Some songs you write, people dig, and other songs, for whatever reason, people aren’t feeling. Then, there are those writers who everything they write (is a hit), whether it’s Paul McCartney or f*cking Pharrell (Williams) or whoever is great. But most of us, we hit some out of the park, and others are just foul balls. So when I sing a song idea, you quickly move on because the worst thing you can do is keep trying to make them feel it. Either they feel it, or they don’t. … Part of the craft of songwriting is remembering your ideas. So then, I’ll work with another artist, and I’ve had songs that have been turned down that I’ve then played for other artists, and they love (the ideas). They ended up recording them. You keep the songs that you say, “I know this is f*cking good.” You know those songs, and it’s with a heavy heart that you finally will let one go when you’re like, “Man, I’ve played this for three people. I’m on a train built for one.” What can fans be looking forward to from you after this tour?

Singer-songwriter Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra fame performs at Hal & Mal’s on Friday, Jan. 19.

The thrill never goes away. From the first time I heard my song on the radio and the first time I heard people singing it live, I still have that today. How do you approach songwriting differently working with another artist compared to writing for Better Than Ezra or yourself?

What I’ll do is I’ll have a write with an artist, like I have some songs on the new Phillip Phillips record, and I won’t finish the song. I’ll say, “OK, this is a cool chorus idea and sounds like something I can hear Phillip singing,” so I’ll just

Better Than Ezra is doing a nationwide summer tour. Us and Barenaked Ladies will be playing. We’re not playing Jackson, but we’ll be playing Greek Theatre, Red Rocks and all these great amphitheaters, so check that out. That would be a fun trip this summer to take. I’ll have a solo record coming out in the fall, and I’ll be playing a few new solo songs at the show at Hal & Mal’s. Then, I’ve also started (Pilgrimage Music Festival), and we’ll have our fourth year this September 22 and 23, a Saturday and Sunday. Last year, our headliners were Justin Timberlake, Eddie Vedder, Ryan Adams, The Avett Brothers and many others. … It’s become one of the hottest festivals in the country in four short years. I’ll be playing it solo—Ezra usually does it—but it’s the third week of September in Franklin, Tennessee, and it’s brilliant. Kevin Griffin performs at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 19, at Hal & Mal’s (200 Commerce St.). J.R. Moore of Ingram Hill also performs. Tickets are $25 each at ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit kevingriffinmusic.com.


Music listings are due noon Monday to be included in print and online listings: music@jacksonfreepress.com.

JAN. 17 - WEDNESDAY Alumni House - Brian Jones 5:30-7:30 p.m. Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Cups, Clinton - The Brook & The Bluff w/ Tyler Key 7 p.m. Drago’s - Johnny Barranco 5:30-8:30 p.m. Fitzgerald’s - Jason Turner 7-11 p.m. Hal & Mal’s - New Bourbon Street Jazz Band 6-9 p.m. free Johnny T’s - Akami Graham 6:30 p.m. Kathryn’s - Larry Brewer & Doug Hurd 6:30-9:30 p.m. Pelican Cove - Josh Journeay 6 p.m. Shucker’s - Sonny Brooks 7:30 p.m. free Table 100 - Andy Henderson 6 p.m.

Martin’s - The Stolen Faces (Grateful Dead tribute) 10 p.m. Offbeat - “Woooo Issa Show” feat. Blk Crwn, Mr. Fluid, Yung Jewelz, Timaal Bradford, Cord Short & more 8-11 p.m. $10 Pelican Cove - Bad Example 6 p.m. Pop’s Saloon - Snazz 9 p.m. Shucker’s - Andrew Pates 5:30 p.m.; Spank the Monkey 8 p.m. $5; Dos Loco 10 p.m. Soulshine, Flowood - Jordan Owens 7-10 p.m. Soulshine, Ridgeland - Brian Jones 7-10 p.m. Table 100 - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Underground 119 - Fred T & the Band 8:30 p.m. WonderLust - DJ Taboo 8 p.m.2 a.m.

JAN. 18 - THURSDAY

JAN. 20 - SATURDAY

JAN. 19 - FRIDAY Ameristar, Vicksburg - Doug Allen Nash 8 p.m. Bonny Blair’s - Ronnie McGee & Hunter Gibson 7:30-11:30 p.m. Burgers & Blues - Jonathan Womble 6-9 p.m. Center Stage - Terrell Moses w/ Matt Larry 8 p.m.-midnight $15 admission $20 reserved Char - Ronnie Brown 6 p.m. Drago’s - Greenfish 7-10 p.m. F. Jones Corner - Dexter Allen midnight $10 Fenian’s - Katie & Doc 9 p.m. The Flamingo - “Even If It Kills Me” Premiere feat. Oh Jeremiah & McKenzie Lockhart 7 p.m. $7 advance $10 door Georgia Blue, Flowood - Shaun Patterson Georgia Blue, Madison - Chad Wesley Hal & Mal’s - Barry Leach 6-9 p.m. free; Kevin Griffin w/ J.R. Moore 7:30 p.m. $25 Iron Horse - Steve Powell Blues Trio 9 p.m. Kathryn’s - Sofa Kings 7-10:30 p.m. M Bar - Flirt Fridays feat. DJ 901 free

Ameristar, Vicksburg - Doug Allen Nash 8 p.m. Anjou - Stevie Cain 6 p.m. Bonny Blair’s - Travelin’ Jane 7:30-11:30 p.m. Capitol Grill - Southern Komfort Brass Band 9 p.m. $10 Char - Bill Clark 6 p.m. SNEAKERBOXX PHOTOGRAPHY

Bonny Blair’s - Chasin’ Dixie 7-11 p.m. Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Drago’s - Johnny Barranco 5:30-8:30 p.m. F. Jones Corner - Raul Valinti & the F. Jones Challenge Band 10 p.m. $5 Fenian’s - Joe Carroll 9 p.m. Fitzgerald’s - Barry Leach 7-11 p.m. Georgia Blue, Flowood - May Day Georgia Blue, Madison - Aaron Coker Hal & Mal’s - Thomas Lovett 6-9 p.m. free Iron Horse - John Causey 6 p.m. Kathryn’s - Two for the Road 6:30-9:30 p.m. Pelican Cove - Chad Perry 6 p.m. Shucker’s - Larry Brewer & Doug Hurd 7:30 p.m. free Table 100 - Andrew Pates 6 p.m. Underground 119 - Sorrento Ussery 7-10:30 p.m.

Surin of Thailand - Vibe Doctors 6-9 p.m. Table 100 - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Underground 119 - Christone “Kingfish” Ingram 9 p.m. WonderLust - Drag Performance & Dance Party feat. DJ Taboo 8 p.m.-3 a.m. free before 10 p.m.

Saturday Jan 27th

JAN. 21 - SUNDAY 1908 Provisions - Knight Bruce 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Char - Big Easy Three 11 a.m.; Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. The Hideaway - Sunday Jam 4-8 p.m. free Kathryn’s - Xtremez 6-9 p.m. Pelican Cove - Ronnie Brown noon-4 p.m.; Acoustic Crossroads 5 p.m. Shucker’s - Greenfish 3:30 p.m. Table 100 - Raphael Semmes Trio 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Dan Michael Colbert 6-9 p.m. Wellington’s - Andy Hardwick 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

JAN. 22 - MONDAY Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Fitzgerald’s - Johnny Crocker 7:30-11 p.m. Hal & Mal’s - Central MS Blues Society (rest) 7 p.m. $5 Kathryn’s - Joseph LaSalla 6:30-9:30 p.m. Table 100 - Andrew Pates 6 p.m.

Register to Run or Volunteer...

JAN. 23 - TUESDAY Yung Jewelz

Common Ground Covenant Church - “The Source JXN” Christian Open-Mic 7-10 p.m. free Drago’s - Brandon Greer 6-9 p.m. Duling Hall - Bishop Gunn w/ Magnolia Bayou 9 p.m. $10 F. Jones Corner - Big Money Mel & Small Change Wayne 10 p.m. $1; Todd Thompson & the Lucky Hand Blues Band midnight $10 Galleria Event Center - “Amethyst & Ice Party” feat. Sophia Dupree, Damion Davenport & more 10 p.m. $12.61 Georgia Blue, Flowood - Jonathan Alexander Georgia Blue, Madison - Skip MacDonald The Hideaway - Shatterframe 9 p.m. $10 Iron Horse - Barry Leach Band 9 p.m. Kathryn’s - Todd Thompson & the Lucky Hand Blues Band 7-10:30 p.m. Kemistry - Kujho & the Nasty Sho 9 p.m. Martin’s - The Quickening 10 p.m. Pelican Cove - Simpatico 6 p.m. Pop’s Saloon - Clay Cormier & the Highway Boys 9 p.m. Shucker’s - Acoustic Crossroads 3:30 p.m.; Spank the Monkey 8 p.m. $5; Chad Perry 10 p.m.

Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Drago’s - Johnny Barranco 5:30-8:30 p.m. Fenian’s - Open Mic 9 p.m. free Fitzgerald’s - Larry Brewer 7-11 p.m. Hal & Mal’s - Dinner Drinks & Jazz feat. Raphael Semmes & Friends 6-9 p.m. free Kathryn’s - Keys vs. Strings 6:30-9:30 p.m. Last Call Sports Grill - Top-Shelf Tuesdays feat. DJ Spoon 9 p.m. MS Museum of Art - Music in the City feat. Ausra Jasineviciute & John Paul 5:15 p.m. free Pelican Cove - Open Jam 6:30-9:30 p.m. Table 100 - Chalmers Davis 6 p.m. Thalia Mara Hall - Riverdance 7:30 p.m. $60 & up

JAN. 24 - WEDNESDAY Alumni House - Jerry Brooks 5:30-7:30 p.m. Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Drago’s - Johnny Barranco 5:30-8:30 p.m. Duling Hall - Fred Eaglesmith w/ Tif Ginn 7:30 p.m. $15 advance $20 door Kathryn’s - Gator Trio 6:30-9:30 p.m. Pelican Cove - Sid Thompson 6 p.m. Shucker’s - Sonny Brooks 7:30 p.m. Table 100 - Andy Henderson 6 p.m.

January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

MUSIC | live

23


Last Week’s Answers 51 South African golfer Ernie 52 Belgrade resident 53 Lab maze runner 54 Cough syrup holder 60 “Just a sec!” 61 It may follow a period of inattention

BY MATT JONES

Down

“The Price of Freedom” —a freestyle puzzle for today. Across

1 What standard, no-frills items lack 16 November 2017 thriller with Denzel Washington in the title role 17 “What a relief!” 18 “... ___ any drop to drink”: Coleridge 19 Norse god of wisdom and war 20 Thunder’s org. 21 Israeli desert 24 Unlocked 25 1930s heavyweight champ Max 26 Twelve months from now 28 Pox

29 Explode 30 Double-___ (big mobile homes) 33 Passion 34 Word whose figurative meaning is frowned upon by grammar sticklers 36 Bob of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” 39 Ancient artifact 40 Lawyers’ org. 43 Take ___ (suffer financial loss) 44 Graduate 46 Deck on a cruise ship 47 Cold-weather transport 50 Retriever restrainer

1 Mrs., in Madrid 2 “Wonderful” juice brand 3 Former Radiohead label 4 James of gangster films 5 Head over heels for 6 Cracked, as a door 7 Tupperware topper 8 Camera lens setting 9 Crumble away 10 ___ “apple” 11 ___ Vogue 12 Ending for glob 13 Red fox of medieval lore 14 Paul Anka hit subtitled “That Kiss!” 15 More unsophisticated 21 Tiny drink 22 “Ambient 1: Music for Airports” composer Brian 23 Interval 24 Pick out some food 25 Hide well 27 British islet 28 Able to be assessed 31 Before, in old poems 32 Course that gets its own bar? 34 30 Seconds to Mars singer Jared 35 Adjective dropped by rapper Bow Wow 36 Willamette U.’s locale 37 Kansas home of the Eisenhower Presidential Library 38 ___ Purchase (1853 deal with Mexico)

40 Gasteyer of the “NPR’s Delicious Dish” sketches 41 School vehicle 42 Incense stick remnant 45 Line of work 47 DIY stuff that might be made with glue and borax 48 Divided, as a highway 49 “___ knew that!” 52 Garbage-hauling ship 53 Completely engrossed

55 “___ Mine” (George Harrison autobiography) 56 Egg container: Abbr. 57 Burns’s dissent 58 Serpentine letter 59 Vietnamese holiday ©2017 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com) For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800 655-6548. Reference puzzle #860.

BY MATT JONES Last Week’s Answers

“Kaidoku”

Each of the 26 letters of the alphabet is represented in this grid by a number between 1 and 26. Using letter frequency, word-pattern recognition, and the numbers as your guides, fill in the grid with well-known English words (HINT: since a Q is always followed by a U, try hunting down the Q first). Only lowercase, unhyphenated words are allowed in kaidoku, so you won’t see anything like STOCKHOLM or LONG-LOST in here (but you might see AFGHAN, since it has an uncapitalized meaning, too). Now stop wasting my precious time and SOLVE! psychosudoku@gmail.com

MUST

BE

THE

coffee C U P S E S P R E S S O C A F E.C O M

January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

MEDITERRANEAN GRILL

24

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

Gilbert Stuart painted the most famous portrait of America’s first president, George Washington. It’s the image on the U.S. one-dollar bill. And yet Stuart never finished the masterpiece. Begun in 1796, it was still a work-in-progress when Stuart died in 1828. Leonardo da Vinci had a similar type of success. His incomplete painting “The Virgin and Child with St. Anne” hangs in the Louvre in Paris, and his unfinished “The Adoration of the Magi” has been in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery since 1671. I propose that Stuart and da Vinci serve as your role models in the coming weeks. Maybe it’s not merely OK if a certain project of yours remains unfinished; maybe that’s actually the preferred outcome.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

Many American women did not have the right to vote until Aug. 18, 1920. On that day, the Tennessee General Assembly became the 36th state legislature to approve the Nineteenth Amendment, thus sealing the legal requirements to change the U.S. Constitution and ensure women’s suffrage. The ballot in Tennessee was close. At the last minute, 24year-old legislator Harry T. Burns changed his mind from no to yes, thanks to a letter from his mother, who asked him to “be a good boy” and vote in favor. I suspect that in the coming weeks, Aries, you will be in a pivotal position not unlike Burns’. Your decision could affect more people than you know. Be a good boy or good girl.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

In the coming weeks, Destiny will be calling you and calling you and calling you, inviting you to answer its summons. If you do indeed answer, it will provide you with clear instructions about what you will need to do expedite your ass in the direction of the future. If, on the other hand, you refuse to listen to Destiny’s call, or hear it and refuse to respond, then Destiny will take a different tack. It won’t provide any instructions, but will simply yank your ass in the direction of the future.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

Looks like the Season of a Thousand and One Emotions hasn’t drained and frazzled you. Yes, there may be a pool of tears next to your bed. Your altar might be filled with heaps of ashes, marking your burnt offerings. But you have somehow managed to extract a host of useful lessons from your tests and trials. You have surprised yourself with the resilience and resourcefulness you’ve been able to summon. And so the energy you’ve gained through these gritty triumphs is well worth the price you’ve had to pay.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

Every relationship is unique. The way you connect with another person—whether it’s through friendship, romance, family or collaborative projects—should be free to find the distinctive identity that best suits its special chemistry. Therefore, it’s a mistake to compare any of your alliances to some supposedly perfect ideal. Luckily, you’re in an astrological period when you have extra savvy about cultivating unique models of togetherness. So I recommend that you devote the coming weeks to deepening and refining your most important bonds.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

During recent weeks, your main tasks have centered around themes often associated with strain and struggle: repair, workaround, reassessment, jury-rigging, adjustment, compromise. Amazingly, Leo, you have kept your suffering to a minimum as you have smartly done your hard work. In some cases you have even thrived. Congratulations on being so industrious and steadfast! Beginning soon, you will glide into a smoother stage of your cycle. Be alert for the inviting signs. Don’t assume you’ve got to keep grunting and grinding.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (1863-1944) created four versions of his iconic artwork “The Scream.” Each depicts a person who seems terribly upset, holding his head in his hands and opening his mouth wide as if unleashing a loud shriek. In 2012, one of these images of despair was sold for almost $120 million. The money went to the son of a man who had been Munch’s friend and patron. Can you think of a way that you and yours might also be able to extract value or get benefits from a negative emotion or a difficult experience? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to do just that.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

“I think I like my brain best in a bar fight with my heart,” says poet Clementine von Radics. While I appreciate that perspective, I advise you to do the opposite in the coming weeks. This will be a phase of your astrological cycle when you should definitely support your heart over your brain in bar fights, wrestling matches, shadow boxing contests, tugs of war, battles of wits and messy arguments. Here’s one of the most important reasons why I say this: Your brain would be inclined to keep the conflict going until one party or the other suffers ignominious defeat, whereas your heart is much more likely to work toward a win-win conclusion.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

When he was 24 years old, Scorpio-born Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398) was a novice monk with little money who had just learned to read and write. He had spent years as a wandering beggar. By the time he was 40 years old, he was the emperor of China and founder of the Ming Dynasty, which ruled for 276 years. What happened in between? That’s a long story. Zhu’s adventurousness was a key asset, and so was his ability as an audacious and crafty tactician. His masterful devotion to detailed practical matters was also indispensable. If you are ever in your life going to begin an ascent even remotely comparable to Zhu’s, Scorpio, it will be in the coming 10 months. Being brave and enterprising won’t be enough. You must be disciplined and dogged, as well.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

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200 years. 100 artists. 1 Mississippi.

In 1892, the influential Atlantic Monthly magazine criticized Sagittarian poet Emily Dickinson, saying she “possessed an extremely unconventional and grotesque fancy.” It dismissed her poetry as incoherent, and declared that an “eccentric, dreamy, half-educated recluse” like her “cannot with impunity set at defiance the laws of gravitation and grammar.” This dire diss turned out to be laughably wrong. Dickinson is now regarded as one of the most original American poets. I offer this story up as a pep talk for you, Sagittarius. In the coming months, I suspect you’ll be reinventing yourself. You’ll be researching new approaches to living your life. In the course of these experiments, others may see you as being in the grip of unconventional or grotesque fantasy. They may consider you dreamy and eccentric. I hope you won’t allow their misunderstandings to interfere with your playful yet serious work.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

Bubble gum is more elastic and less sticky than regular chewing gum. That’s why you can blow bubbles with it. A Capricorn accountant named Walter Diemer invented it in 1928 while working for the Fleer Chewing Gum Company. At the time he finally perfected the recipe, the only food dye he had on hand was pink. His early batches were all that color, and a tradition was born. That’s why even today, most bubble gum is pink. I suspect a similar theme may unfold soon in your life. The conditions present at the beginning of a new project may deeply imprint the future evolution of the project. So try to make sure those are conditions you like!

Homework: Report your favorite graffiti from a bathroom wall. Go to Freewillastrology.com and click on “Email Rob.”

CURRENTLY ON VIEW The Mississippi Museum of Art and its programs are sponsored in part by the city of Jackson and Visit Jackson. Support is also provided in part by funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Picturing Mississippi is supported by the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation and

MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM of ART | 380 SOUTH LAMAR STREET | JACKSON, MS 39201 | 601.960.1515

January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

“When one door closes, another opens,” said inventor Alexander Graham Bell. “But we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened.” Heed his advice, Aquarius. Take the time you need to mourn the lost opportunity. But don’t take MORE than the time you need. The replacement or alternative to what’s gone will show up sooner than you think.

John James Audubon (1785-1851), Wild Turkey, Cock, Hen, and Young, 1826. oil on linen. Collection of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. 2013.44

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COMING UP

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NEW BOURBON STREET JAZZ BAND Dining Room - Free _________________________

THURSDAY 1/18

Wednesday, January 24

Dining Room - Free _________________________

FRED EAGLESMITH

BARRY LEACH Dining Room - Free

Friday, January 26

FRIDAY 1/19

KEVIN GRIFFIN

OF BETTER THAN EZRA _________________________ SATURDAY 1/20

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IDEAS

ON TAP

MARTIN SEXTON

UPCOMING: _________________________

if you missed out on martin’s show in march, don’t make the same mistake twice

POOL LEAGUE Mon - Fri Night

DRINK SPECIALS "52'%23 s 7).'3 s &5,, "!2 GATED PARKING BIG SCREEN TV’S LEAGUE AND TEAM PLAY B EGINNERS TO A DVANCED I NSTRUCTORS A VAILABLE

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1/26 - Singer Songwriter Festival 1/27 Cary Hudson _________________________ OFFICIAL

HOUSE VODKA

Visit HalandMals.com for a full menu and event schedule Sat Dec. Jan 20 - KingFish

Saturday, January 27

ELIZABETH COOK

amazing singer-songwriter we can't wait to return

Saturday, February 3 THE DISCO STRANGLERS do you want to see the best eagles cover band out there? here's your chance.

son volt lead singer in the house! woop woop!

Red Room - 5-8pm - Free _________________________

DAILY 12pm BEER- 7pm SPECIALS

this is gonna be a VERY funky good time

$3 Members $5 Non-Members _________________________

Dining Room - 6-9pm - Free

Daily 11pm -2am

STOOP KIDS + LITTLE STRANGER

Monday, February 5

W/ RAPHAEL SEMMES

Thurs. Jan 18 - Sorrento Ussery

all hail the legend in our own venue. wow!

CENTRAL MS BLUES SOCIETY PRESENTS:

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MONDAY 1/22

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Friday, February 9 SHANNON MCNALLY an incredible evening of unforgettable blues-americanana

Saturday, February 10 SHOVELS & ROPE husband and wife folk rock duo are comin’ to bring the house down

Tuesday, February 13 ANDERSON EAST singer-songwriter returns to duling hall for another killer show

JX//RX COMPLETE SHOW LISTINGS & TICKETS

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January 17 - 23, 2018 • jfp.ms

WEDNESDAY 1/17

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