V13n22 Sketching a Plan for the City

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February 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

COURTESY TRISH HAMMONS

JACKSONIAN TRISH HAMMONS

C

ustom Optical has been in Fondren for 26 years, and though the store has only been in owner Trish Hammons’ hands since 2006, she’s made it an eyewear staple in the Jackson area, especially if you want something a little out of the ordinary.

“I like to be known as, ‘If you want something different, go to Custom Optical,’” Hammons says.

Hammons, a Jackson native, entered the eye industry when she joined Royal Optical at the age of 16 in 1976. After 25 years in wholesale eyewear, she began working at Lakeland Optical in 2002. Then, in 2005, she met former Custom Optical owner Ralph Shows at a seminar. He told her that he planned to sell the business in the following year.

“I was not going any further in my job (at Lakeland Optical),” Hammons says. “I was assistant manager over there, and unless the manager left, I was not going to be able to move up in that particular store. I came over to talk to (Shows) during one of my lunch breaks, and I said, ‘If it’s anywhere in my ballpark range, I’d like to buy it,’ and so it worked out to where I could get it.”

The shop’s location in Fondren meant that she had to build a younger client base while staying faithful to the old one, but business has steadily grown over the last few years.

Hammons, 54, has the distinction of being a certified independent optician, which presents its own advantages and disadvantages.

CONTENTS

For example, Custom Optical assembles glasses in-store, which includes cutting the glass and assembling the frame, but the store doesn’t have a resident eye doctor so Hammons depends on people bringing in outside prescriptions.

Hammons likes solving problems for her clients. “I was in the wholesale end, and I was doing final inspection on glasses before they went to the doctors, so having the wholesale experience helped me with the retail side because I was trained to look for something wrong in a pair of glasses,” she says. “When I started working in the retail side, I could see so many things wrong with people’s glasses that probably nobody else would notice. I just enjoyed working with the public at that point, helping people.”

Hammons prides herself on Custom Optical’s unique selection of glasses, which includes fairly common brands such as Ray-Ban, Michael Kors and John Varvatos, in addition to designer frames from brands such as ooh lala de Paris and Ogi Eyewear. Along with her regular clients, Hammons works with organizations such as Wells Memorial United Methodist Church and Deliver Me Senior Support Services to offer glasses for senior citizens, children, the homeless and people who were recently released from prison.

When she’s not at Custom Optical, Hammons likes to play cards and dominos, go to the movies, camp and put together puzzles. She has two sons, Dewayne and Derek, and three grandchildren. —Amber Helsel

Cover photo of Mayor Tony Yarber

by Trip Burns

9 A Question of Leadership

Who’s running the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center? A recent report says people aren’t quite sure.

24 Alien Food

Read about Assistant Editor Amber Helsel’s experience at Chef Yana Gilbuena Filipino-style #SALOseries.

28 Civil Union

“It’s hard to imagine them sketching that proficiently when the battle is happening in real time. It’s pretty amazing. It’s just a different way to look at the Civil War. It’s not this static (event), when you can see the motion of the (artist’s) hands. There is this kind of continuity, this kind of fluidity to it that really makes it more alive.”

—Julian Rankin, “Caught in the Action”

February 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

4 ............................. EDITOR’S NOTE 6 ................................................ YOU 8 ............................................ TALKS 14 ................................ EDITORIAL 15 .................................... OPINION 16 ............................ COVER STORY 24 ......................................... FOOD 26 ....................................... 8 DAYS 27 ...................................... EVENTS 28 .......................................... ARTS 29 ....................................... MUSIC 29 ....................... MUSIC LISTINGS 31 ..................................... SPORTS 32 .................................... PUZZLES 33 ....................................... ASTRO

JOSEPH BECKER, COURTESY MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM OF ART; AMBER HELSEL; TRIP BURNS/FILE PHOTO

FEBRUARY 4 - 10, 2015 | VOL. 13 NO. 22

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EDITOR’S note

by Amber Helsel, Assistant Editor

Superheroes in Jackson?

L

ately, I’ve found myself with a lot more time on my hands. I try to fill that time with as much as I can, whether it be working to get ahead at the Jackson Free Press, dreaming about the novel I’m working on, fencing on Thursdays and Saturdays, or volunteering for organizations such as Community Animal Rescue & Adoption.

But more often than I’d like to admit, I find myself sitting in my room with nothing to do. In my down time (which I’m trying to greatly reduce), I generally use it to catch up on my favorite TV shows, whether it be “2 Broke Girls,” “New Girl,” “Marvel’s Agent Carter” or my new favorite, “Arrow.”

I’m not a huge fan of DC Comics (at least their movies and TV shows) because I find many of the more mainstream characters, such as Superman and Batman, to be more than a little boring and overly dramatic. Batman’s story is heartbreaking and gutwrenching, and I generally stay away from drama. And Superman is more than a little boring to me. But heroes such as The Green Arrow make me want to look a little closer at the comic conglomerate.

The Green Arrow is a billionaire playboy (not unlike Tony Stark, my favorite Marvel character) who has been through a lot and because of that, he’s changed his entire persona. He’s gone from a selfish, egotistical jerk to someone who cares about people and is trying to help rebuild the city his father and others tried to tear down. At first, everyone sees him as a vigilante who does help the city, yes, but he’s not doing it within the realms of the law, so that makes him an enemy of city law enforcement.

Regardless of how citizens and the police force see him, one thing is clear: No matter what means he goes by to do it, he’s always fighting for his city. It took five years on a dangerous island to get him there, but he came back with a vengeance.

I’ve finally finished the first two seasons, and due to that, I’ve grown to understand the character a little better. In the second season, he makes an effort to stop killing in the name of justice, even knowingly putting himself and those he loves in danger because he refuses to take another life (though there are always casualties). In the first season, he sets out with vengeance in mind, but he chooses to honor those he lost by defending the city against the many threats that creep up.

Sometimes when I watch “Arrow,” I think about the city I feared for most of my life, but over the last two years, have grown

They alone can’t change our mindset when it comes to crime. to love: Jackson. It almost reminds me of Gotham City or Starling City. It seems big, but it’s actually a small city with a fairly tight-knit community. And like the cities that lie throughout the comic-book world, it has its problems.

The Jackson Police Department reported that, in the 28 days leading up to Jan. 11, 2015, the total major crimes, which include auto burglary, grand larceny, homicide and rape, committed in Jackson went up 15.4 percent from the same period the previous year. The current statistics include 120 cases of car theft (that number was 86

last year), 34 cases of business burglary (43 last year) and three homicides (two last year).

On Jan. 7, a group of young men allegedly murdered Carolyn Temple while she was picking up a neighbor’s garbage can at her boyfriend’s house in the Belhaven neighborhood. Days later, in south Jackson, Christal Summers died in a shootout that he may have started.

Tyson Jackson, the lead organizer for the Mississippi Association of State Employees-Communication Workers of America local 3570, wrote a column in last week’s issue, “On Life and Crime in South Jackson,” saying that in December 2013, two men shot and killed a 15-year-old girl a block from Jackson’s house.

Scary stuff, right? It adds fuel to the fire that tries to make you believe the worst about Jackson—while ignoring crimes in other places, including the suburbs, from child pornography arrests to the group of Rankin County teens that drove into Jackson and killed James Craig Anderson.

Jackson is not a bad place to be. It’s good, in fact. I promise that you won’t find such diversity and soul anywhere in the world. You won’t find people who care more than the people of Jackson. And you won’t find such a focus on “local” in many other places—an emphasis this newspaper has pushed since the beginning.

It says something that, after Temple’s murder, residents of Belhaven and nearby neighborhoods started a dialogue on their Nextdoor website that turned into an open and honest discussion about crime in the city, with meetings planned to discuss solutions and ways to prevent crime. It’s people outside the city who see news like Temple’s murder and shiver in their bones.

But like Oliver Queen, I love my city, and I take offense when someone tries to write it off as a place where nothing but crime happens. If I had his capabilities, I’d

don a hood and defend it, but I can’t. I’m not a superhero, and the most self-defense I have is what I’ve learned in fencing and the little I know about shooting a gun.

I’m not a superhero, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. The ones I’m thinking of probably don’t have expert archery skills and can’t catch an arrow before it makes skin contact. They don’t have millions of dollars or the technology to create a high-powered titanium alloy suit with repulsors and the ability to fly. They have passion and hope.

What I like about the Green Arrow the most is that Queen doesn’t have out-of-thisworld superpowers so he’s fairly relatable. I mean, I could probably become a master archer if I wanted to. Queen is more or less a regular person who’s dealt with a lot of loss, but still sees the best in his city—and is willing to fight for it.

I always want to imagine what it would be like if Jackson had superheroes. It’s got the right atmosphere for a comic book world— varied types of architecture, slums, an overwhelming sense of hope in the air (yes, I believe in that).

Superheroes wouldn’t be bored in a city like ours, and sure, they could definitely help keep crime down, but they alone can’t change our mindset when it comes to crime.

We have to stop looking at crime as an epidemic that needs to be stopped. You can’t completely wipe out crime because evil can lurk behind any corner. But we can change how we respond to it when it does happen or maybe even come together to help keep young people from becoming criminals. And we have to stop thinking that it’s something that only affects Jackson. Crime and evil are everywhere. You just can’t focus on that.

Assistant Editor Amber Helsel graduated from Ole Miss with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Email her arts, food & drink, and wellness story ideas at amber@jacksonfree press.com

February 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

CONTRIBUTORS

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R.L. Nave

Anna Wolfe

Dustin Cardon

Zachary Oren Smith

Jon Wiener

Micah Smith

Kimberly Griffin

Brandi Stodard

R.L. Nave, native Missourian and news editor, roots for St. Louis (and the Mizzou Tigers)—and for Jackson.

Send him news tips at rlnave@ jacksonfreepress.com or call him at 601-362-6121 ext. 12. He wrote the cover story.

Investigative Reporter Anna Wolfe, a Tacoma, Wash., native, studied at Mississippi State. In her spare time, she complains about not having enough spare time. Email her at anna@jacksonfreepress. com. She wrote a news story.

Web Editor Dustin Cardon is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi.

He enjoys reading fantasy novels and wants to write them himself one day. He wrote the Week in Review.

Editorial Intern Zachary Oren Smith comes from a long line of storytellers and decided he might as well make a dime off the family business. And no, he’s probably not related to the Smiths you’re thinking. He wrote an arts story.

Sportswriter Jon Wiener is the host and producer of “Home Cookin’” on ESPN 105.9 FM The Zone. The native Jacksonian has a bachelor’s degree in English and master’s degree in broadcast journalism. He is joining the JFP as a columnist.

Music Editor Micah Smith took a look, and indeed, it was in a book—the Reading Rainbow. He never learned how to Dougie, but that rarely comes up in conversation. He also performs with the band Empty Atlas. He wrote a music story.

Advertising Director Kimberly Griffin is a fitness buff and foodie who loves chocolate and her mama. She’s also Michelle Obama’s super secret BFF, which explains the Secret Service detail.

Sales Representative Brandi Stodard is a Baton Rouge transplant who loves Ole Miss football She has a passion for networking, promoting and connecting local businesses.

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4HANK 9OU for .OMINATING 5S

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[YOU & JFP] Name: Tina McGahey Age: 44 Residence: Clinton Worked in Jackson: “Since last October�

JFP reader: “4 or 5 years�

Favorite part of Jackson: “Working downtown. The people.�

Write us: letters@jacksonfreepress.com Tweet us: @JxnFreePress Facebook: Jackson Free Press

Favorite piece of wisdom: “Be your own self.�

Secret to life: “Being happy.�

YOUR TURN

CORRECTIONS

Why Few Mississippi Mothers Nurse Their Babies

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February 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

udos to writer Sharon Lerner and the Jackson Free Press on an in-depth investigation of breastfeeding obstacles in Mississippi. It is the most comprehensive I have ever read and the first time a local paper has contributed so much space to the issue. However, the author erred in reporting on the circumstances surrounding breastfeeding bill, HB 678 in 2010. HB 678 was my second attempt to pass legislation to stop formula companies from preying on new unsuspecting mothers, particularly those who were interested in breastfeeding. My first failed attempt was SB 2281 in 2008.

HB 678 was sponsored by Rep. Alyce Clark, D-Hinds, on my behalf.

Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, chairman of the Public Health and Human Services Committee at the time, gave me his southern gentleman’s word that if I managed to get the bill out of the subcommittee, he would bring it up for a vote in the full committee. The bill would need to pass both committees before reaching the floor, which is where all House members would vote on the bill. If it had survived the House, then it would be sent to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee.

After Pat Jones, a lactation expert, and I, a public health expert, testified before the sub-committee, its members voted in favor of the bill and referred it to the full committee. Unfortunately, Holland did not honor his word; rather, he allowed it to die in full committee. This

6

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often happens to good public-health bills, such as tobacco and gun control.

Politicians like Holland sit on the Public Health Committee in both the House and Senate. The vast majority have no understanding or real interest in public health or saving lives. Moreover, they ignore the recommendations of publichealth experts. I believe the main reason Holland did not support this bill is because it would have interfered with funds that formula companies give to hospitals in order to promote their products to mothers who deliver in these facilities.

Holland was dishonest when he stated, “The bill did not come to a floor vote because the members of his subcommittee did not agree on it.� And, if Lerner had gone a step further, she would have revealed the truth surrounding this bill.

There were witnesses on record, and Holland was not one of them.

Getty Israel, MPH Public Health Practitioner Pathway To Wellness, LLC In regards to the 2010 breastfeeding bill, House Bill 678, Rep. Steve Holland, DPlantersville, said he fulfilled his responsibilities by bringing the bill up in the House Public Health Committee. “There was a bunch of folks that came down and testified, and they really camped out for a whole session here at the Capitol, and I gave them their day in court. But I ‌ don’t remember the disposition of that,â€? Holland said. “I had the hearing, and the committee voted, but I can’t remember how they voted.â€?

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In the Best of Jackson issue (Vol. 13, Issue 20, Jan. 21-27), we left some finalists off the listing for Best Open Mic Night. (They’ve been corrected in electronic editions.) Here they are.

Best Open Mic Night: McB’s Bar & Grill (815 Lake Harbour Drive, Ridgeland, 601-956-8362) / Ole Tavern on George Street (416 George St., 601-960-2700) / Synergy Nights at Mediterranean Fish and Grill (6550 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland, 601-956-0082) In the story on the winner for Best Music Festival, Fondren After 5, in the Best of Jackson issue (Vol. 13, Issue 20, Jan. 21-27), we mentioned that Jackson does not have a multi-day music festival. However, this is not accurate. The Jackson Rhythm and Blues Festival takes place over two days. We apologize. #ORRECTION AND CLARI½ CATION

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YOUR TURN Response to “Every Single Life Matters� by Donna Ladd bender “Our job is to create conditions that keep more people from turning to a life of crime that victimizes us all.� Who do you mean when you say “our job�?

Its not my job to be a parent for street thugs. My job is to work hard, provide for my family and teach my kids the difference between right and wrong. Why don’t you write an article about how the fathers are for these kids instead of using a broad cop-out excuse like “it’s our job.� joe none It’s always ______ fault: White people, white men, men, religious people, people who move out of Hinds County, Republicans.

Donna Ladd It’s not about “fault,� joe. It’s about shared responsibility in a civil society.

And preventing crime. It feels a lot like the people who are trying to point fingers are the ones obsessed with blaming

and finding fault. That is such a waste of time.

It also must be said that this isn’t just about young people of color and what they need to avoid a life of crime. It’s also about, say, that group of white kids from Rankin County who came into Jackson to night-ride and look for black people to abuse (and then killed one in a horrible fashion). My heart breaks for them as well; society failed them just as much it fails young people of color in difficult circumstances.

Tom Head When you’re asked to take responsibility for something that you have some measure of control over, do you always dismiss it as an attempt to guilt-trip you?

Because even ol’ Uncle Ben knew that with great power comes great responsibility, and everybody on your list has been given disproportionate power in this culture. Should you use that power to benefit only you and yours, or do you also have a mandate to love your neighbor? Think about it. See: jfp.ms/opinion

Two perfect dates for the wine or beer lover in your life!

Stressing over plans for Valentine’s Day with that special someone in your life? Skip the crazy Valentine’s Day date crowds over Valentine’s weekend and opt for an intimate evening before or after the weekend instead!

Tallulah Winery & Aratás Wine Dinner Join fellow wine lovers for an evening of fantastic

Napa wines with Mississippi roots and a 5-course dinner at BRAVO! Visit BravoBuzz.com to see the menu.

Monday, February 9th | 7 PM $80 per person RSVP: 601.982.8111 or TanyaB@bravobuzz.com

Bayou Teche Brewing Beer Dinner Celebrate Valentine’s Day AND Mardi Gras at

Sal & Mookie’s LUNDI GRAS Beer Dinner with Bayou Teche Brewing.

Visit SalandMookies.com to see the menu.

Monday, February 16th | 6 PM $65 per person RSVP: 601.368.1919 or Webb@salandmookies.com

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Thursday, January 29 The European Union calls for more help from Internet companies to fight online terrorist propaganda in the face of the terror attacks in France. â&#x20AC;Ś The E.U. extends existing sanctions against Russian and pro-Russia separatist officials by six months because of continued fighting in eastern Ukraine and plans further action.

Friday, January 30 Mitt Romney, the Republican Partyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2012 presidential nominee, officially announces that he will not seek the White House in 2016. â&#x20AC;Ś NATO announces that it will deploy small units in six Eastern European nations to help coordinate a spearhead force set up in response to Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actions in Ukraine.

Saturday, January 31 Actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Stephen Fry join others in calling for the British government to pardon 49,000 gay and bisexual men convicted in the past under the defunct â&#x20AC;&#x153;gross indecencyâ&#x20AC;? law. â&#x20AC;Ś An online video purports to show an Islamic State group militant beheading Japanese journalist Kenji Goto after days of negotiations for a possible prisoner swap.

February 4 - 10, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

Sunday, February 1 The Super Bowl scores its highestever overnight ratingsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;49.7â&#x20AC;&#x201D;for New Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 28-24 win over Seattle.

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Monday, February 2 Large-scale human testing of two potential Ebola vaccines begins in Liberiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital of Monrovia.

Tuesday, February 3 Standard & Poorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pays $1.38 billion to settle government allegations that it knowingly inflated its ratings of risky mortgage investments that helped trigger the financial crisis.

Daily breaking news: jfpdaily.com.

Special Ed: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Been a Rollercoasterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

by Anna Wolfe

H

olly Hardinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son was suspended twice in a week in January. Hardin, a Mississippi mother and student, had to stay home with her 8-year-old for several days during his last suspension. The Jackson-metro area elementary school punished the student after he became frustrated in class and balled his fist around his pencil, an action that the school called â&#x20AC;&#x153;aggressive.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a rollercoaster,â&#x20AC;? Hardin said.

Hardinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son was diagnosed with Aspergerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s over a year ago, but because he is not getting the services he needs, his behavior has not improved. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There needs to be someone trained specifically with Aspergerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s children â&#x20AC;Ś that knows the quirks of the disability that can â&#x20AC;Ś watch him in social situations and help guide him,â&#x20AC;? Hardin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nobody there to do that.â&#x20AC;?

While her son is very bright academically, his low social skills result in behavioral issues. Recently, the school asked Hardin to pick him up in the middle of the school day because, Hardin said, her 8-year-old would not look his teacher in the eye. The inability to make eye contact is a common condition of people with Aspergerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

Starting Somewhere Joy Hogge, executive director of Families as Allies, gets calls from parents like Hardin every day. The issues facing Hardin are common, and they are statewide. Ultimately, she says, the problems stem from the state not following the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The law is about what school systems

should do, and the laws say that the school systems need to be proactive in finding these children and identifying them, and getting them the services they need,â&#x20AC;? Hogge said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;From what we see, that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen.â&#x20AC;?

Hardinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tested to see if he

complish anything,â&#x20AC;? Hardin said.

Many educators, disability advocate Mandy Rogers said, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know the procedures regarding students with special needs, such as what kinds of disabilities, like dyslexia, are covered under disability law.

TRIP BURNS

Wednesday, January 28 The Obama administration orders immigration agents to ask immigrants they encounter living in the country illegally whether they might qualify under President Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans to avoid deporting them. â&#x20AC;Ś The Federal Trade Commission orders the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest prepaid mobile provider, TracFone Wireless, to pay $40 million to settle government claims that it misled millions of smartphone customers with promises of unlimited data service.

Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, is introducing legislation this session to help parents of students with special needs understand their rights and improve graduation rates among those students.

qualified for an individualized education program until more than a year after his disability was first recognized. Even then, it took several months for Hardin to get her sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first IEP meeting, which had to happen before he could start receiving services.

Her son, Hardin said, is only allotted 90 minutes of behavioral counseling over the course of nine weeks. Divided evenly, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10 minutes per week and â&#x20AC;&#x153;isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough to ac-

As children with special needs in the state have gained more attention in recent years, the Legislature will address two bills aimed at improving special education in the state this session. Senators already passed Senate Bill 2695, authored by Republican Sen. Nancy Collin from Tupelo, through the Senate Education Committee. It would create the Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs program. Similar bills have

News Headlines That Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Exist - But Should Between crime talk and controversy, the news can look pretty bleak.

Here are a few headlinesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;some wishful and some weirdâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that would brighten Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day.

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been unsuccessful in recent years.

Rep. Carolyn Crawford, R-Pass Christian, filed essentially the same bill, House Bill 394, in the House this session.

Rogers supports this measure, which would give scholarships, or vouchers, to students to use on alternative school support, such as tuition to private schools. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to start somewhere,â&#x20AC;? Rogers said.

However, opponents of the bills worry that the scholarships will only benefit a small percentage of students, when the state should be focusing on solving the special-education issues in public schools that affect all children.

The scholarship program, Hogge said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t address a much huger problem.â&#x20AC;?

Getting the Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Act Together Crawford, who is a mother of a student with special needs, said she doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think these children â&#x20AC;&#x153;need to sit and wait until (public schools) can get their act together in some of these schools that are not doing well. â&#x20AC;Ś Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s give these children what they need now.â&#x20AC;?

Hardin, on the other hand, doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how helpful transferring her son to a private school would be. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can take your

kid out of public school and put him in private school, and it would be the same situation,â&#x20AC;? Hardin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unless theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trained to work with Aspergerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if it would be any different.â&#x20AC;?

Hogge explained that students with special needs in private schools may not be protected under the law to receive the education they deserve because private schools are not obligated to comply with IDEA. Countering that argument, Rogers said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our students donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have protections in the public schools even though we have a federal law. They just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t.â&#x20AC;?

David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, introduced House Bill 649, which would create the Mississippi Office of Educational Special Needs Counsel. The counsel would provide guidance and advocacy to parents of children with disabilities to help them obtain special education services.

Baria is also pushing an amendment to the bill that would give high school diplomas to students with special needs who complete their individualized educational program.

Hardin said legal counsel for parents of students with special needs would really make a difference in her childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education be-

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cause it would give her access to information and legal support regarding education law. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have no clue. â&#x20AC;Ś Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a way for me to be aware of everything,â&#x20AC;? Hardin said.

But expensive lawsuits seem like a diversion to the real issues these students face.

Over the course of a four-year lawsuit between one family and the Quitman Consolidated School District, Rogers said that the district spent nearly $1 million on legal fees to defend its side. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What these parents were asking for would have cost nothing,â&#x20AC;? Rogers said. The lawsuit came as a result of a school rule that prohibited two autistic boys from using laptops, a crucial element of their IEP, she said.

In 2014, the family and school district settled the lawsuit, but still the district did not fulfill its promise to provide services for students with special needs, she added.

Rogers understands the seemingly endless battle over special education in the state.

She served on the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special-education task force in 1993 and in 2014. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still talking about the same issues,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Hogge, who has also served on the task force, said she is concerned Mississippi is not receiving all of the federal money under

IDEA that the state is entitled to. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is our state really drawing down every dollar it can draw down?â&#x20AC;? Hogge said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And when those dollars come into the state are they really, really being used for these children?â&#x20AC;?

Rogers said the state probably is drawing all of the IDEA money. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Are we using it effectively and efficiently? No. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think we are,â&#x20AC;? Rogers said.

If the state could make sure the funds it gets through IDEA are actually targeted to special education, both Hogge and Rogers recognize, it could make strides toward providing special education to students in Mississippi, like Hardinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son, who really need it.

Another bill this session might help to do just that. Rep. Nick Bain, D-Corinth, authored House Bill 814, which would create a separate line item in the state budget for special education, separating it from the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.

The bill would also require MDE to provide a position for a statewide autism coordinator to develop policies to help students with autism. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to have to be a better accountability of how special education funds are being spent,â&#x20AC;? Rogers said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And I really hope thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transparency in that.â&#x20AC;?

Despite Youth Jail Report, Bluntson Says â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Calling the Shotsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; TRIP BURNS / FILE PHOTO

O

n Oct. 18, 2014, a teenage boy was booked into the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center. The boy has bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and the facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s medical staff did not believe he should be admitted because the jail lacked the resources to treat the young manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mental illness.

Subsequently, Hinds County Youth Court Judge William Skinner arrived at the facility and overrode the decision of the medical staff and, in the presence of the sick boy and law enforcement officers, made some phone calls. During one of the calls, the jailâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s security cameras captured Skinner calling Brenda Frelix, a one-time director at the facility, a â&#x20AC;&#x153;stupid bitch.â&#x20AC;?

Disability Rights Mississippi, one of the organizations that filed a lawsuit against Hinds County in 2011 on behalf of children, filed a formal judicial misconduct complaint with the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Judge Skinnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unprofessional and unethical behavior constitutes judicial misconduct. We recommend that this incident be investigated and suggest training for the Judge on proper treatment of individuals

Frank Bluntson, a juvenile-detention center director, takes issue with a report that says employees are confused about who is in charge.

with disabilities, the appropriate limitations on his role with respect to oversight of Henley-Young, and his obligation to follow the federally approved Settlement Agreement, which prohibits the use of profanity in the presence of youth,â&#x20AC;? DRM Executive Director Anne Maclaine wrote in a letter to the commission.

Messages could not be left on Skinnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office phone, and emails to Skinner and his court administrator were not returned as of press time.

The incident drew the attention of Leonard B. Dixon, a juvenile-justice expert the county hired to monitor improvements ordered as a result of a 2011 lawsuit against the county. Dixonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest report details rampant backbiting, infighting, cliques jockeying for power and widespread fearâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; not among the children in Hinds Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth jail, but among the adult staff and administrators running the facility.

That includes Judge Skinner.

Dixon has been visiting the youth jail and issuing quarterly reports for two years, since the county settled with youths and their advocates over abusive conditions and lack of access to educational services. In that time, Dixon has noted that the county at times failed to make even relatively minor fixes, such as installing lights in dark areas, and he has detailed the facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ongoing challenges with keeping detention officers as well as turmoil in the upper ranks of leadership. Dixon begins the report by referencing the Skinner incident, calling it a â&#x20AC;&#x153;major concern.â&#x20AC;?

Politicking within the facility has created a â&#x20AC;&#x153;disheartening environment for staff and youth,â&#x20AC;? Dixon noted, adding: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This in turns creates an environment where children are not the main focus and personal agendas are. It is my professional opinion that this hurts youth, staff and the facility because there is a level of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;fearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and unprofessional behavior that permeates the facility.â&#x20AC;?

In conclusion, Dixon states: â&#x20AC;&#x153;At this point the staff is floundering because they are unaware of who is in charge of this facility. The bottom line is someone has to say â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;enough is enoughâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and focus on these already vulnerable youth.â&#x20AC;?

Frank Bluntson, the interim executive director of the juvenile justice center, declined to comment about Skinner, with whom he says he has good working relations, but disagrees with Dixonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assessment of the confusion about leadership. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any problems because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m calling the shots. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know where that comes from,â&#x20AC;? Bluntson told the Jackson Free Press Tuesday.

Email R.L. Nave at rlnave@jacksonfree press.com. Comment at www.jfp.ms.

February 4 - 10, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

by R.L. Nave

9

TALK | city

Farish Street Still in the Balance

by R.L. Nave

D

asbestos removal, boarding up and other structural enhancements. Another building on that block needs an estimated $125,000 to support its roof, while another group of buildings will require more than $140,000 to stabilize them.

TRIP BURNS

uring the day, little is happening on Farish Street.

As most people know, plans to redevelop the historic street, which once stood as the central-business-district for Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s African American community, lagged for years only before new hope met a legal morass in 2012.

Yet another complicating layer was added earlier this year, when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ordered the City of Jackson to pay back government grants that helped the city buy the land.

The main players include the city, the Jackson Redevelopment Authorityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a quasi-governmental arm of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and Farish Street Group, the David Watkins-led private development group that once held the master lease on redevelopment plans.

Individually, the parties often talk about the need to have a meeting of the minds to hash out solutions to detangling the Farish mess, but so far no such gathering has taken place. The stalemate has come into focus recently as JRA has grappled with how to handle several buildings that are falling down and represent a public-safety hazard. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do we violate the law by doing something, or do we violate the law by nothing?,â&#x20AC;? JRA Commissioner Mat Thomas asked fellow commissioners at a Jan. 28 meeting.

A structural analysis revealed that several JRA-owned buildings in the 300 block of North Farish are a liability in their current condition.

Two buildings that are side-by-side need $87,755 for

When it comes to Farish Street, the Jackson Redevelopment Authority feels damned if they do and damned if they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t.

Together, the repairs will cost more than $353,000. JRA explored demolishing buildings, but the Jackson Historic Preservation Commission denied that request, prompting JRA to file a public-records request asking the city commission to explain the rationale for the denial.

Pernila Stimley Brown, JRAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board attorney, said the authorityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meeting minutes should be a sufficient paper trail to prove that JRA has not been negligent. In the meantime,

JRA is looking at the temporary solution of propping up the structures, but, depending on what the engineers come up with, it could get JRA in trouble with HUD. In September, a federal review of the expenditure of community-development block grants earmarked for Farish Street resulted in the HUD requiring the City of Jackson to repay $1.5 million used to buy Farish properties. In a letter to Jackson city officials, HUD monitors said they were doubtful that Farish Street would ever become the entertainment district and economic engine planners originally intended.

In addition to requiring repayment of the CDBG money over the course of three years, HUD also suspended several organizations from working with HUD-funded programs.

They include the Jackson Redevelopment Authority, which owns the buildings and has leased the property to several development groups over the years. Also included were Farish Street Group (FSG) LLCâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a project that Watkins led and held the master lease on until last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Watkins Development LLC and Jason Goree, a former Watkins employee who now heads up economic development for Jackson.

The JRA and city are in talks to pay the money back so that development on Farish Street is not tied up for years to come. But with that suspension still hanging over the project, some JRA commissioners are unsure whether supporting the crumbling buildings would violate HUDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s order to halt development. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need a meeting with all hands on deck,â&#x20AC;? Brown, the JRA attorney, said.

Read more about the Farish saga at www.jfp.ms/watkins.

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LEGISLATURE: Week 4

No Legislation Is Dead Until It’s Dead

by Anna Wolfe

TRIP BURNS

Children in Danger?

Parents could receive vaccination exemptions for their child if the vaccine is against their personal beliefs under House Bill 130, introduced by Rep. Mark Formby, R-Picayune, and Senate Bill 2800, from Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville.

Mississippi and West Virginia are the only two states in the nation that do not allow for vaccine exemptions based on either religious or philosophical reasons.

“We’re not doing this blindly. Other states have similar exemptions,” McDaniel told the Jackson Free Press Members of Mississippi Parents for Vaccine Rights echo McDaniel’s claims and say they want the choice to skip or delay some of the vaccines administered to their children.

The current schedule for immunizations for children, as recommended by the federal government, suggests that children should have 14 vaccines by the time they are 2 years old. But supporters of HB 130 and SB 2800 complain that some of the vaccines must be administered more than once, which amounts to 36 shots by 24 months.

“Our schedule is just so huge,” MPVR Co-director Mary Jo Perry said.

But Dr. Joanna Storey, a pediatrician with Children’s Medical Group in Jackson, said the exemption could put children in danger.

“Looking at other states where they

have more permissive policies about parents lenge us,’” said Shannon Eubanks, principal ous dog” owners who do not keep their pet choosing to opt out of vaccines for their at Enterprise Attendance Center. securely confined and restrained. In the bill’s school-aged children, there have been many Eubanks said the bill could penalize language, “dangerous dog” is defined as a pit outbreaks,” Storey said. educators simply for talking about legisla- bull.

She referenced the measles outbreak tion, even that which affects schools, with Pit bull owners in Mississippi took to at Disneyland in California, where fewer their colleagues while at school. social media to oppose the legislation and children are vaccinated under their lenient The bill provides that violators will be show that their dog is not dangerous. The exemption laws. fined $10,000 for their first offense and lose Majority Project, a campaign designed to Some children cannot be vaccinated for their professional license on second offense. reverse the stereotype that specific breads medical reasons, and if fewer parents vacciKidd pointed out that $10,000 is of dogs, like pit bulls, are inherently vicious nated their children due to personal reasons, nearly half of a beginning teacher’s sal- animals, posted many pictures on its website they could be putting those of smiling Mississippians and children with medical exemptheir dogs. tions at risk, she said.

Meanwhile, House McDaniel said those Bill 534, introduced by Rep. who oppose the bill are reactDeborah Dixon, D-Raymond, ing to it “out of fear and not adds enhanced sentencing out of logic.” He also said that for crimes committed against states with similar exemptions people because of their sexual haven’t seen negative impacts orientation—something that from parents choosing not to does not already exist in Misvaccinate, although children sissippi law. in states with more lenient Both bills have been vaccination laws are at much referred to House Judiciary greater risk of contracting preB Committee, chaired by ventable illnesses.

Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Brax“The pushback is natural ton. On Jan. 27, the Helping because it does change an exOverturn Wrongful LegislaRep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, House Judiciary B Committee isting mechanism,” McDaniel tion (HOWL) Facebook page chairman, must decide to either kill or let his committee said in the interview. posted a video of Gipson, in vote on several bills before the Feb. 3 deadline.

Storey said Mississippiwhich he acknowledged Misans are lucky to live in a state sissippians’ concerns with the with strong vaccination laws, pit-bull bill. “because it means our children are protected ary—which will rise to $34,390 due to “It’s clear that there is some fundamenfrom illnesses that can make them very sick this year’s teacher pay raise. “There is no tal issues with that bill,” Gipson said. and that are very preventable.” one who has more expertise about educa“My intention is not to bring the bill tion than educators. So why wouldn’t you out of committee.”

Silencing Educators, come to the educators for more information On Jan. 28, Gipson told the Jackson Killing Common Core to know exactly what it is that we need and Free Press that he had not yet read HB 534.

After a nearly year-long push from how we need it to be done,” Kidd said.

While Dixon’s bill would penalize educators and advocates to change the state While threatening to silence educators, people who commit hate crimes against the constitution to require the Legislature to Republican lawmakers moved to change the LGBT community, the Legislature is sitting adequately fund public education, House state’s academic standards and method of on two other bills that could be potentially Education Committee Chairman Rep. John statewide testing on Jan. 29. lifesaving.

Moore, R-Brandon, has authored a bill that The House voted 116-3 on House Bill House Bill 750 and Senate Bill 2474, could hurt their efforts.

385 to opt out of the Partnership for Assess- authored by two Jackson Democrats, Rep. House Bill 449 would create penalties ment of Readiness for College and Careers Alyce Clarke, and Sen. Sollie Norwood, for any educational professional—teachers, testing, which the state board of education strengthen the existing anti-bullying law to principals or superintendents—who en- already chose to do on Jan. 16. identify students who are often targeted by gage in “political activity” while on school The Senate Education Committee bullying based on their disability, appeargrounds. took a bolder step on the same day when ance, sexual orientation, and gender idenShanel Kidd, who is on the Mississippi it passed Senate Bill 2161, which would ef- tity and expression. In 2013, the Mississippi Educators Association board of directors, fectively kill Common Core in the state.

Department of Health Vital Statistics found said the bill tells educators: “We don’t want that 635 youth ages 10 to 24 have committo hear what you have to say. We don’t want Discrimination Against ted suicide since 2000. Bullying is the mostto know what your concerns are.”

People And Dogs cited cause in these cases.

In HB 449, political activity includes While a bill to protect LGBT people In addition, Rep. Chuck Espy, Dany efforts with the purpose of supporting a from hate crimes has received little atten- Clarksdale, introduced House Bill 1279, political party or position. It could also pro- tion from the media, a bill to protect people which would require police officers to wear hibit educators from emailing their legislator from dogs, written by two Republicans, has body cameras while on duty, in light of rewhile at school. seen major pushback. cent incidents of police brutality in Fergu“This is a blatant attempt to tell eduHouse Bill 1261, by Rep. Larry Byrd, son and around the country. cators, especially principals and superinten- R-Petal, and Rep. Tommy Taylor, R-Boyle, Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email Anna 13 dents: ‘Keep your mouth shut. Don’t chal- would create criminal penalties for “danger- Wolfe at anna@jacksonfreepress.com.

February 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

I

t’s election year in Mississippi, and that means that state legislators will go for the controversial jugular if it might translate into votes back in the home district. And while committee chairmen may ultimately kill bills that would stir the pot, a torrent of eyebrow-raising legislation continues right up through one of the first major deadlines.

A so-called dangerous-dog bill, vaccineexemption bills, and an effort to penalize teachers for engaging in political activity on school grounds have resulted in outrage on social media and in Capitol corridors.

All that energy might be wasted. If a bill does not pass its assigned committee by Tuesday, Feb. 3—the day this goes to press—it is ostensibly dead (although, as lawmakers are prone to say, no bill is dead until it’s dead, dead, dead on the last day of the session).

While the death of some frivolous bills could allow for some productivity the rest of the session, lawmakers are likely to be frustrated if certain bills, on which they plan to build reelection campaigns, do not make it onto the floor.

In the meantime, anti-bullying bills, a police-body camera bill and a measure that would enhance sentencing for crimes committed against people based on their sexual orientation also hang in the balance.

Like A Tree Without Roots

M

iss Doodle Mae: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jojoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Discount Dollar Store is ready to educate the Ghetto Science Community during Black History Month with the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;From Here to Timbuktu Sale.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; An interview on C-SPAN 2, featuring Mr. Randall Robinson, an African American lawyer, author and activist, inspired our fearless leader, Jojo. He listened to Mr. Robinson eloquently break down why black people living without knowing their history is extremely dangerous. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In three minutes, Mr. Robinson shared an inspiring story about Timbuktu, a city in the West African nation of Mali. In its Golden Age, the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s numerous Islamic scholars and extensive trading network made possible an important book trade. Timbuktu was a scholarly center in Africa where smart people once thrived. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The late Marcus Garvey said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; This means that poor African American communities live in danger. I guess itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because of all of those fallen trees dealing with lack of education, depression and hopelessness. Therefore, self-knowledge ensures better health, development, and well-being. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jojoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Discount Dollar Store wants to end the dangerous oppressive cycle of misinformation and miseducation by recreating the legend of Timbuktu. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Along with selling low-priced items for a dollar, Jojoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Discount Dollar Store will host informative black history presentations, book sales and cultural entertainment in isle 7 and 2/3. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jojoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Discount Dollar Store invites the Ghetto Science Community to take an uplifting Black History journey at the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;From Here to Timbuktu Sale.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

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February 4 - 10, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

°'OV 0HIL "RYANT AT THE *ACKSON #HAMBER 0ARTNERSHIP MEETING LAST WEEK TOUTING -ISSISSIPPI´S BUSINESS FRIENDLY CLIMATE

14

Why it Stinks: No, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t keep women chained to stoves down here in Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but we do plenty else thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s harmful. For example, we are a state that relentlessly fights against funding education, limits reproductive care and rejects attempts to close the wage gap between men and women, to name just a few. Moreover, what Gov. Bryant fails to realize is that perhaps the reasons such immense opportunities exist for women here is because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re starting from so far behind the 8-ball. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re happy that women are finally coming up in Mississippi, but letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s be completely honest about it.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Politicize Special-Needs Education

I

n reporting about the various proposals over special-needs education in the Legislature, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard many disturbing stories. The most frightening involved local school officials who thought the best way to deal with a distraught elementary-school aged child was to call the cops and threaten the student with jail.

Then, there were the tales of parents in limbo, stuck between public schools that are obviously ill-equipped to serve special-needs students and the high costs and uncertainty of moving their children to the private-school system.

As we talk to these families, the desperation in their voices is painfully inescapable. It would be unconscionable to exploit that anxiety for political gain. However, recent legislative deliberations, which come in the context of a larger debate over Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education crisis, have a whiff of just that brand of election-year pandering in the same way politicians try to churn fears about terrorism with soccer moms in presidential election years.

That needs to stop. While we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t question anyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sincerity in doing more to help Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special-needs students and their parents, we are baffled as to why so many of the proposed answers tend to fall into the category as same-old same and why other smart reforms to the existing public-education system fail to even come up, much less gain traction.

For example, with the amount of data that now exist about the harmful effects of zero-tolerance policies, including overuse of police for

discipline issues, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downright shocking that any school is still using law enforcement to deal with children who present behavioral challenges.

At the same time, the continued underfunding of public schools in Mississippi has forced some districts to choose between fixing heating systems and hiring new teachers.

For those schools, training school staff on interventions for special-needs students sounds like a luxury, like supplying every teacher with a Rolex. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to; often, they just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the resources.

In special education, as with most things, the best solutions are not either-or. We shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t choose between classroom disruptions and throwing kids in jail, or between poorly equipped and improperly trained public schools and private schools that are not necessarily any better equipped to teach special-needs students (and where the use of vouchered public money would be even less accountable to the public).

Right nowâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;admittedly this is at least partly due to politicsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a rigorous debate is taking place about special education. But neither legislators nor local school officials need to reinvent the wheel to improve special-needs education. Adequate funding of public schools, better training for teachers and other school personnel, eschewing zero-tolerance and reforming the alternative school system could go a long way.

And because of the energy going into debate, if there ever was an opportunity for bipartisan leadership in Mississippi, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this one.

Email letters and opinion 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, as well as factchecked.

SHANNON EUBANKS Why I Fight for Education Funding

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R

ecently, public-education supporters gathered 200,000 signatures to place on the November ballot an amendment to the Mississippi Constitution that, if approved, would mandate “adequate and efficient” funding of public schools and allow for judicial relief if a chancery court found that the funding fell short.

Almost immediately after convening in January, the Mississippi House of Representatives, long a bastion of antipublic-school sentiment, passed an alternative to Initiative 42, which at best will muddle the issue and, most likely, doom the initiative outright. Shortly thereafter, the Mississippi Senate followed suit and passed the House alternative. This alternative calls on the Legislature to establish “effective” schools, whatever that means.

But the implication is that school funding should be tied to achievement.

Only about 30 percent of student achievement comes from in-school factors such as teachers, principals and class size; almost 70 percent comes from outside factors such as poverty, parents and access to resources. This is amplified in Mississippi, which ranks at the top of negative social issues such as poverty, teen pregnancy and illiteracy. So if lawmakers wanted to make the biggest effect on student achievement, they would focus on those home and community factors that matter most.

However, to overcome these factors, it would take a greater commitment of focus and resources than our lawmakers want to give, or the voters insist upon. So, the public school is asked to perform miracles and use its 30-percent effect to overcome the 70-percent effect outside school.

To do this, public schools need resources. And because most communities across Mississippi do not have enough resources to fund their own schools, the state is asked to help out.

The Mississippi Adequate Education Program is how Mississippi determines what resources to give schools to educate children. Basically, the state funds schools on the low end cost of what a C or ‘Successful’ district costs to operate. (Side note: There is a move to fund MAEP at A or B levels instead of C, saying it is more effective. This is a shell game; most A and B districts are more affluent, have a lower minority makeup and do not have the same outside obstacles to overcome. Therefore, these districts need less help from the state, i.e., lower MAEP costs).

Importantly, the Legislature chose MAEP as how it would fund schools “adequately”—teachers, books, materials, power, water, heat and air, etc.—to avoid a lawsuit over underfunding public schools, which is a historic problem in Mississippi,

and lawmakers knew they would lose.

And even today, courts are ordering states such as Kansas, Texas and South Carolina to meet their obligations to fund public schools.

Now, there are those (both elected officials and their allies) who maintain money is not the answer. They claim by offering competition and choice (merit pay, charter schools, vouchers, etc.) then student achievement will improve while lowering costs. Besides, they argue, any increase in school funding goes toward administration anyway, not the classroom.

Hogwash. The facts are: • A December PEER report on school efficiency and funding found no clear

vouchers that theoretically sound good (special-needs vouchers) are poorly written to provide a backdoor to transfer public money to private schools with no evidence that student achievement improves.

• Mississippi only pays for 65 percent of what a school district needs to operate, but 85 percent of district costs go to the classroom. So the Legislature is not even fully funding the classroom, much less school administrators. But to the charge that administrator salaries are rising while teacher salaries are not, it’s simple: When a 30-year teacher retires, he/she is often replaced with an inexperienced teacher, which saves up to 1/3 of salary costs, whereas when school administrators who aren’t

The Legislature is not even fully funding the classroom, much less school administrators. factors between funding, efficiency and achievement, other than poor districts requiring more money. In fact, districts scoring a C, D or F were spending more on instruction than A or B districts.

• Teacher quality is very important, and maybe most important in a classroom. But evidence from other states demonstrates that about 80 to 90 percent of all teachers are comparable in effectiveness, with only a small percentage at the extremes: master teacher and ineffective teacher. So unless a child has a truly terrible teacher, she or he will have a quality teacher. But telling teachers they are only valuable if they are in the top 1 to 5 percent (i.e., merit pay) undermines and discourages teachers to the point it becomes difficult to retain or recruit any.

• Research demonstrates that charter schools, as a whole, are no better than community public schools and in many cases are worse. A recent study in Ohio showed that most charters were outperformed by their public school counterparts. New Orleans Recovery District, which is held as a model for charters, scored a D in the most recent rankings. And for this, charter CEOs are often paid three times what school principals are paid.

• School vouchers transfer public dollars to private schools with little to no oversight. Louisiana, Indiana, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., which use vouchers extensively, report no real improvement in student achievement, no accountability for how public dollars are used and no remedy when voucher dollars are misused. Even

on salary scales retire, they are replaced with an experienced educator for about the same salary. Basically, this is a wedge issue to divide educators and remove the focus from underfunded schools.

Elected officials claim they will spend more money on education, but not MAEP. Instead, the money will be “targeted.” What are the targets? Testing (e.g., 3rd grade reading gate), vouchers, charter schools, merit pay pilot, private Pre-K grants—not universal Pre-K—and others. It’s a ruse because more than 90 percent of Mississippi students attend public schools. But instead of investing in those schools, lawmakers want to shift funding to sources that will only benefit 10 percent of students. This is a return to the days when schools were only funded for the affluent, leaving poor and minority schools neglected and underfunded.

The argument about school funding and MAEP is simple: Do you support a chance at a quality education for all students and believe that the purpose of schools is to prepare students to take their place in our society and be a contributing member? Or do you believe in a dual system, for the haves and the have-nots, and that money is wasted trying to educate the poorest, highest minority, economically depressed areas of our state?

Traditionally, Mississippi has held the latter; I work to try to make it the former.

Shannon Eubanks is the principal of the Enterprise Attendance Center in Brookhaven. Opinions stated here are his own.

February 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

Editor-in-Chief Donna Ladd Publisher Todd Stauffer

15

I Sketching a Plan for Jackson: The JFP Interview with

Mayor Tony Yarber

February 4 - 10, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

TRIP BURNS

by R.L. Nave

16

t started seven months ago, with a simple message: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re right!

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve changed. Why havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you?â&#x20AC;?

To date, Mayor Tony T. Yarberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s has posted 37 of his motivational napkins on Instagram since taking the top job in City Hall in April 2014. What Yarber said started as an earnest exercise in jotting down a few notes for a public-service announcement on a local radio station grew so rapidly in popularity that followers started demanding them. For his part, Yarber, the youngest person ever to be elected Jackson mayor, has happily obliged, using the medium as to communicate with and engage citizens.

So far, Yarber isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t overwhelmed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You know what, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel any pressure to napkin all the time,â&#x20AC;? he told the Jackson Free Press recently. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only by inspiration.â&#x20AC;?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just as well because Yarber, who turned 36 days before he took the oath of office last April, has plenty of other pressures. He inherited a generationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth of water-sewer and other infrastructure woes so long ignored that the federal Environmental Protection Agency slapped the city with an order to fix its sewer system.

He also faces the day-to-day challenges of running a medium-sized city in the South beset with crime fears and poverty, and threatened with stagnation.

At the same time, even though Jackson has a strong-mayor form of government, the city council that he left to become mayor has a mix of sage wisdom and youthful vigor that has been reluctant to grant Yarber the deference given to mayors in the recent past.

The council has closely scrutinized many of the administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moves from Yarberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reluctance to implement a city minimum-wage increase the council passed, to the hiring of North Carolinabased Raftelis Financial Consultants, to switching the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial institution.

Despite all that, Yarber still counts the filling of 5,000 to 6,000 potholes (out of 200,000), the development of the master plan for spending the 1-percent sales-tax money voters agreed to, and overhauling the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s process for remediating dilapidated and abandoned houses as successes.

Infrastructure remains a thorn in the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side as well, particularly related to the Capitol Street two-way project, which hit several snags and has frustrated business owners downtown. In addition to continuing outreach to businesses on Capitol, Yarber said that as part of the legislative agenda for the upcoming session, the City would seek to create a special

In April 2014, then-Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber defeated Chokwe A. Lumumba, in a special election to become mayor of Jackson.

improvement district that could involve asking the state to share the responsibility of maintaining or transferring ownership of infrastructure near the Capitol.

Yarber recently invited the Jackson Free Press to the ceremonial mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office on City Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first floor to discuss his views on napkining, infrastructure financing, his trip to the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital, the political rumor mill and how not to get racially profiled in Walmart.

Of the successes you recently named for your team, whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something started under your administration that you were able to see through to fruition?

It would have to be the infrastructure master plan. People went to the polls and voted for the 1-percent sales tax back on Jan. 14 (2014) last year, and Mayor Lumumba got that kicked off by putting it in front of the people. The pressure was on for us to get that commission in place and to make sure we had a solid plan in place. The commission has a draft, and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll vote on it this month. We think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to move toward seeing dirt turning over this year.

Have the commissioners talked specifics about how the money will be spent?

The conversation has been about financing, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been about prioritization. So weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been able to show them, through use of Raftelis and them helping construct a financial model. Hopefully, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get the council to approve our (financial adviser) and our financial adviser will come on and help us construct some kind of financial strategy. What we think is that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to leverage maybe half of that money thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s raised and then use the rest for PAYGO (pay-as-you-go) in certain situations.

So leveraging simply means being able to go after grants, funding. Some of the grants call for matching. What we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to do is put all this money toward debt service; that would be irresponsible.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had a great reception from the (U.S.) EPA. The EPA has seen the framework of our plan, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors Council Water has seen it. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done presentations for both of those groups.

Are you talking about the (EPA) consent decree?

No, this is about the master plan.

What weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done is an integrated master plan. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the question to frame it. I was asked a question by (U.S.) Sen. (Roger) Wicker last week: How are you all going to balance what needs to be done with what everyday people want to see done?

So we know what the needs are. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got PRUH <$5%(5 VHH SDJH

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17

The JFP Interview with Mayor Tony Yarber

from page 16

TRIP BURNS

infrastructure under the ground. People want to see potholes and stuff taken care of, so the best way weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve understood how to do that is through an integrated master plan that gives us the ability to do all those things, comprehensively at one time.

The sales-tax money is separate from city money. If weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re talking about an integrated plan, does that present problems for how the money gets doled out?

So youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to satisfy the consent decree while also doing other things?

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to deal with compliance issues as well as what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m calling our triple bottom-line benefits in the infrastructure master plan: We believe we can achieve social benefits as a result of it, environmental benefits and economic benefits.

Under the social piece, we think it gives us the opportunity to give appropriate and fair access to curbs and sidewalks for our (disabled) community. So weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not a community thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all-inclusive unless we have sidewalks that do the kinds of things that will provide for accessibility.

Right now, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see that. Through this integrated master plan, you look at things like complete streets and being able to ensure that if weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to tear up an entire street, that when we reconstruct that street that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not just impacting

ture. We think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a responsible, specifically in response to what the (U.S.) Senate did the other day in voting 99 to 1 in accepting that climate change is real.

The success or failure of Mayor Tony Yarberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administration rests largely on how he handles millions of dollars of infrastructure repairs the city must make.

Yarber says setting up the oversight commission and developing a master plan for 1-percent sales tax funds is his most significant accomplishment so far.

the infrastructure itself, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re impacting the quality of life in that community.

(In terms of) economics, we look at the fact that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re about to spend a lot of money. So how do we make sure the money weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re about to spend gets in the hands of Jacksonians, ultimately affects our eco-

nomic stability in the city and makes sure people are able to spend money?

Environmentally, we want a model of green infrastructure. We want to show how we can be responsible to the environment and infrastructure by using green infrastructure and not just gray infrastruc-

The legislation is clear on what we can and canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t spend it on. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve outlined in the plan. We can spend the funds in the integrated plan because we specifically say in the infrastructure master plan what one aspect is for and whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;bridges, drainage, streets and roads, water-line improvements. Those are things the 1-percent legislation says we can spend it on.

We have created a plan that deals with all of these at certain points collectively.

So for example, west Jackson and Capitol Street, they may have drainage issues, street and road issues and water-line issues. What weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re saying is through an integrated plan, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to deal with the water line, street and drainage issues all at PRUH <$5%(5 VHH SDJH

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February 4 - 10, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

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18

Civil War Drawings from the Becker Collection is curated by Judith Bookbinder and Sheila Gallagher and the traveling exhibition is organized by Curatorial Assistance Traveling Exhibitions, Pasadena, California. Drawings from the Becker Collection premiered at the McMullen Museum at Boston College in the exhibition, First Hand: Civil War Era Drawings from the Becker Collection which was organized by the McMullen Museum and underwritten by Boston College and Patrons of the McMullen Museum. The Mississippi Museum of Art and its programs are sponsored in part by the city of 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. Support for this exhibition is provided through the Thomas G. Ramey and Peggy Huff Harris Fund of the

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.MSMUSEUMART.ORG 380 SOUTH LAMAR STREET JACKSON,MISSISSIPPI 39201 601.960.1515 1.866.VIEWART @MSMUSEUMART F. Schell, Rebel Cavalry Officers Driving Back the Skulkers (detail), 1862. Becker Collection CW-FHS-MD-9_17_62.

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19

The JFP Interview with Mayor Tony Yarber the same time. So it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go and spend $25 million on streets and roads this year.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; No, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s make sure it is contiguous. I think the idea is that you measure twice and cut once. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to put down all this street pavement and then come back in a year and tear the street up just to do water line replacement. So infrastructure planning talks of sustainability, it makes sure that the plan we have

way out of the contract or at least to have it renegotiated?

I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play lawyer, but what I do know is that we have some concerns about being able to realize the savings that have been promised through the contract.

What I know now is weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done $90 million, which has primarily gone towards equipment and not into infrastructure.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a water-line improvement project, but

from page 18

tees that we were told we would receive. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to jump ship because if you jump ship, you still lose.

I think we still have to keep pressure on those people who have made promises and contractual agreements to us to deliver. I would be looking to renegotiating going forward but not jumping ship.

You mentioned Sen. Wicker earlier.

COURTESY TONY YARBER

funds. We understand that in the past, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been concern with how the city handles external funds, whether or not weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been timely and compliant, so we walked in saying hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing to make sure we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t embarrass you and to make sure the city is no longer looked at as being a black hole in terms of money.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see how that goes. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll continue to be persistent. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a representative there, Ice Miller, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our lobbyist.

We plan on being extremely engaged and making sure our congressional delegation is plugged into what Jackson is doing so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be sending them quarterly reports so they can see whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s congressional agenda?

Primarily infrastructure and transportation. I really want to tap into (U.S.) Department of Justice funds to really give an injection to our Fresh Start (offender reentry) program. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s some funds out there I think that could give us a very serious reentry program, that the city of Jackson can own. Right now, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of bare bones. We had a planning grant, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about it. Right now, we really need some operational funding.

Is Fresh Start still going?

Mayor Tony Yarberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family from left: Toni Michelle (daughter), Rosalind (wife), Tony, Carmen (daughter), Braylen (grandson) and Cameron (son).

in place is something that will actually outlive us.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the hearings?

timeline

for

public

I think the plan is for the public feedback to start on Monday, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll publish those and put it out in communities, in churches and libraries, online and then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be two weeks for the public to provide feedback.

February 4 - 10, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the front-end amount to get the ball rolling?

20

This first year, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at $60 million, and the projects are outlined â&#x20AC;&#x201D; until we get public feedback, which could change our direction.

You said recently that you wanted to take back your vote on the city council in favor of the Siemens contract and kind of alluded to the fact that the performance guarantee might not be met. Could that be a

we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t replaced a water line. So if had known then what I know now, and thank God weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got Keisha Powell, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been an amazing tutor for myself and the council that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re better positioned to make better decisions.

So are you going to try to renegotiate the contract?

If you talk to folks, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just lie down and let people do anything to me.

If we find that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s some issues where recourse is there, then weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll pursue those.

When do we get Raftelisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; report?

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done a substantial amount.

The only thing weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re waiting on is the piece for the infrastructure master plan so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll receive a report on the entire scope of work of the project that Raftelis has.

If you could end the contract, would you?

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not necessarily sure Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d end it. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d look for opportunities to get the guaran-

Have you had a chance to talk to the new chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee (U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran)?

I have.

Was that conversation fruitful?

Those kinds of conversations, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really know how fruitful they are until you start seeing the fruit if you know what I mean.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m encouraged because we were able to walk in and do what we were told this city has not done in the past. That is, we walked in with a plan, a list of asks and asserting ourselves into the process. Now, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see if that pans out and if it equals us being able to tap into pots of money that we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been able to tap into.

I met with the senator ... as well as Congressman (Bennie) Thompson (and) Congressman (Gregg) Harper all last week. And the conversation was the same with everyone, and that conversation was: Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a plan, here is how we are doing checks and balances for external

Still going, and as I stated in the year in review, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been to put several (people) to work through that. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to find those nooks and crannies that gives us an opportunity to fund a lot of this projects that we have. I took a letter of support to each one of the congressional delegates, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bill that Sen. Wicker and Sen. (Cory) Booker of New Jersey have cosponsored, and it is an Innovation in Surface Transportation Act. A measure is in that bill that gives cities like ours the ability to receive some funds directly as opposed to having to go through your typical (Metropolitan Planning Organization) process. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be big for us. So we know that transportation is going to be a hot button, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll tell you now, any candidate who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use transportation as a top priority on their agenda, they shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even run.

What Jackson is experiencing is a national conversation about infrastructure and transportation. I was at the U.S. Conference of Mayors convention, and every mayor in the room whether they were black or white, big city or small, their issue is infrastructureâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;pipes, sewer, sanitary sewer overflows. I think the drumbeat on that is getting louder.

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You are cordially invited to join the American Lung Association for

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Proceeds from this event will raise much needed funds and awareness for Lung Disease here in Mississippi.

21

The JFP Interview with Mayor Tony Yarber What are we specifically talking about for transportation?

American Mayors’ Association.

What I understand clearly is that there is a stigma down the street at that state capitol, and there’s a stigma in D.C. by many of our delegates about my city.

I can maintain who Tony Yarber is and who the city of Jackson is and at the same time create an opportunity for us to benefit from these other towns and cities have benefitted from. This isolation idea

from page 20

Here’s how my first meeting with the governor went: I sat down, I said: ‘Governor, we already know what we don’t agree on. I’m not here to talk about abortion.

I’m not here to talk about these things that are contentious because I have my position, and you have yours. It’s clear that I’m a Democrat and you’re a Republican. That probably won’t change for me.

But here are some issues we can work on

R L NAVE

Our vision for Jackson is to go to an intermodal transit system where we see different forms of transportation throughout the city. Our priority, though, is to create a type of express transportation piece.

You hear complaints about JATRAN all the time, about how long folks have to wait, the fact our operational hours aren’t convenient for everyday people. I would love to see JATRAN turned into an arterial/perimeter system where we have things like the big buses bringing people into the city and doing park-and-rides. (Or) we’ve got an express piece in the city where we’re taking folks from downtown to UMMC hospital, downtown to state street (or) to County Line Road and for those things to happen every 15 minutes. We are working on a plan as part of our comprehensive plan to do that.

The other piece is high-speed rail. I’ll be in Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. At his first State of the City address, in July 2014, Yarber prepared residents for the challenges that lie ahead. In addition to admitting that there would be growing pains, Yarber 6 meeting with the African unveiled plans for what has become his mantra—a bold, new city.

American mayors’ association and (U.S.) Secretary of Transportation (Anthony) Foxx. I’d love to see the I-20 mayors get together to do high-speed rail hasn’t worked for us so we’ve got to be right now together,’ and he agreed. Those along that I-20 line, where we could see mindful of our core principles, but we’ve issues are (that) people want to feel safe, folks shooting in and out of these cities. also got to understand that if we’re going people want to make sure the water that Jackson is the only real hub in I-20 be- make this stuff work, we’ve got to make they’re drinking is healthy, people want to cause we’ve got I-55 and I-20. We recently ourselves amiable and available to these make sure that the schools that people send submitted to Secretary Foxx ... a plan for networks that we haven’t been a part of their children to are great schools. That pipeline-ready projects. Hopefully, we can in the past. transcends our political philosophies; that get approval for those ... projects. We have ought to touch on why we do this job. this idea that we can connect transit to the The Wicker-Booker bill sounds like a cool thing. If there were, say, a Do you think there’s a political infrastructure component.

February 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

Sens. Wicker and Booker are an interesting pairing. In the recent U.S. Senate race in Mississippi, we saw a new political paradigm emerging of black Democrats working with our Republican members of Congress. What are your thoughts on that?

22

I always have reservations about new partnerships and new friendships. It’s no different than when I meet people. In this particular case, all politics are local.

The mayor’s job is probably the only job where you get to impact people’s lives every day right away; not even the president of the United of States can do what mayors around this country are able to do. That’s why (the Obama) administration has been so welcoming to the U.S. Conference of Mayors and African

Yarber-Phil Bryant initiative, it would be met with suspicion here.

I think we get beyond that by winning. When I first went to the governor’s office, I knew because of politics it would be a problem. But you know what? The only people it’s a problem for is politicos in this city…. When we are visiting with folks who’ve got drainage issues, they don’t care about why we don’t get along with people on the other side of the aisle. What they’re saying is, ‘y’all figure this stuff out.’ A guy made a comment on Instagram. He said he don’t like Yarber, he don’t like the council, he don’t like nobody elected because they are selfserving. On the surface, he is absolutely right because when you forget about the people who sent you there and why they sent you, it becomes all about you. It’s no long about public service anymore.

downside for you in this?

(There) is, but if you’re going to be a good leader you’ve got to be willing to be sacrificial and take a risk for the people that sent you here. If in 2017 somebody wants to say Tony Yarber is a sellout because he talked to the governor, and I’m able to show where my selling out was to get downtown reinvented, get the zoo and Livingston Park working well, get drainage happening in neighborhoods like the Sub where those folks haven’t had their ditches dug out in forever, then you call me what you want. What you won’t be able to say is that our people are still in need. I didn’t run for mayor to be mayor forever. I ran for mayor because I was born here, I was raised here, I love this place, and I had what I believe is a God-given responsibility to have what we need in order to succeed. I’ll sit at the table with anybody, but everybody sit-

ting at the table with has to play with both hands on the table.

There’s a sense that people are waiting for you to make a fatal mistake. Specifically, I’m thinking about reactions I see on social media, the spread of rumors of your arrest in November. Is that something you feel you need to do something about?

What can I do about it? I was in (Washington) D.C. last week watching the State of the Union address, and the president was going down his list of accomplishments. Then, he started talking about how women should receive equal pay. Everybody on the left stood up and clapped, and everybody on the right side, with the exception of maybe three or four people, sat and didn’t clap. I looked over the balcony, and I realize there were women who did not stand, nor did they clap.

Wow. There are people in this room who would rather see people suffer and be poor than to support his vision and his mission.

Then I said to myself “Tony Yarber, get over it and keep doing what you do.”

Let me quote (attorney and Lumumba mayoral aide) C.J. Lawrence. He said — I wrote it down because it was powerful—“Work hard for the people that put us here and who will keep us here.” Fiftyfour percent of the people put us here. I’m working hard for that 54 percent. When I go in Walmart, when I go in Dirt Cheap, when I go in Sprint Mart, when I go in the barbecue shop ... my children don’t like to go places with me in the daytime in public. You know why? Because so many people are stopping us to tell us about the good work that we’re doing. That’s the 54 percent. In this game, there are people who will never support what you do. I’m the first mayor from this city to attend the State of the Union address, to have a faceto-face meeting with the E.P.A administrator concerning our consent decree.

There are opportunities since I came into office to sit with the secretary of the (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development), to be in a room with these people, who are finally putting their gaze on Jackson. Guess who’s proud of that?

The 54 percent.

What about the 46 percent?

They have to decide that I’m the leader until they get (an) opportunity to vote. ... So what’s the option? Because you’re not my guy, we shut the city down, that we don’t move forward? And if you choose that option, what’s that say about your real commitment and motive? It doesn’t say much about this city because Yarber’s agenda is to move the city (forward). I’m not on that anymore; I’m beyond that.

Is the criticism a distraction for you?

Not anymore. It was. I think it was a distraction because I just couldn’t understand how people could just not like the good guy.

Even as it relates to my family stuff. Y’all only knew (about past infidelity) because I told you. That wasn’t a scandal. But I can’t be to (detractors) what they are to me. That ain’t how my mama raised me or how my daddy raised me. You asked about 46 percent. I’m going to work hard for the 46 percent, but the 46 percent should also consider working hard with the programs that we’re setting forth.

poor and black now and being poor and black when my daddy was growing up, and they were able to make better choices.

There’s been a lot in the news in the past few months about young, black men and how black parents should talk to their kids about Mike Brown and Tamir Rice. You’re a daddy to a black son and black daughters.

What are those conversations like in the Yarber household?

During the Mike Brown (protests), my son was watching and asked, ‘Daddy, so they shot him and his hands were up?’

And I said ‘Yeah, that’s what they’re saying.’ So my son wanted me to take a picture of him and when I get ready to take the picture, you know what he does? He puts his hands up.

That prompted me to have that conversation, the same conversation that my daddy had with me when I first started driving. And this is how the conversation went, the same conversation that’s been going on for generations in African American homes with daddies or mamas who are concerned about their kids: When the police pull you over, you put your hands on the steering wheel, and you don’t take them off. When they come to the car, you say “yes sir” and “no sir.” When they ask for your permission to get your license, he taught me which hand to reach with.

When I go in Walmart, I don’t stay in Walmart long. I walk fast. I get what I need and leave. I’m the mayor, but I’m still programmed that way. My son was in Walmart, and the security guard stopped them, him and my nephew, and said they were stealing. They had money. So the conversation I had with my son was when you go into Walmart, know what you’re going to get. Don’t walk around looking lost. Go get the dadgum candy and get out. When he starts driving, he’s going to get the same conversation.

And it’s not because there’s a distrust of law enforcement; it is because I am a daddy who doesn’t want to give anybody an excuse to do something to my child, and I’m a part of this system now that can help to make these changes.

Comment at www.jfp.ms/yarber.

Email at rlnave@jacksonfreepress.com.

Call me what you want. What you won’t be able to say is that our people are still in need.

A number of young men were arrested as suspects in several crimes in the area. Since you are in a position to make changes, from where you sit, what changes could have happened in their lives that could have produced a different outcome?

I don’t know what did or didn’t happen in their lives. What I do know is that every boy needs his daddy. I’m not talking about a dude that shows up and takes a young man to the store or to the movies because there’s a difference between being present and being a presence. So I don’t know about those young men, but what I do know is that every boy needs his daddy, and if his daddy isn’t there, every boy needs some man to be that presence.

I think that’s the difference between being

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February 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

I consider myself a good guy. I don’t mess with folks. The reason I won in 2009 is because I was connected to the community that elected me. I beat a former judge. I won reelection, (with) 80something percent (of the vote). We won mayor because 54 percent of the people believed in the work that I’d done. We’ve always been on the outside looking in.

The only thing I know to do is to win.

I get up every morning, I come to work, and we try to get it done for the city.

De’Keither (Stamps, city council president) said on the radio—I tweeted what he said—“You shouldn’t have to lobby the people that represent you.”

When I get up and come here, I’m coming to make sure the people’s business gets done.

23

8 DAYS p 26 | ARTS p 28 | MUSIC p 29 | SPORTS p 31

AMBER HELSEL

A Foreign Experience

by Amber Helsel

February 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

I

24

consider myself a foodie. I’m always searching for new dishes to try. For example, I have an obsession with trying chocolate that has unlikely flavors in it, such as the peppercorn-Parmesan dark chocolate I found at Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago. I want to believe I get pretty adventurous with food, but for the most part, I only try new dishes within the realm of what I already know, due to a lack of accessibility and my own picky-ness.

When I sat down at the long banana-leaf-covered table at La Finestra Jan. 11, I knew it would be a new food experience, but I didn’t really know what I was in for. For one thing, Chef Yana Gilbuena had participants sit at long, communal tables and asked that each person try to sit by someone they didn’t know. We also weren’t using utensils of any kind. Our fingers were our only tool (which isn’t good if you’re like me and hate being sticky).

Before Gilbuena began her pop-up series, cooking was a hobby for her, though she’s been doing it since she was a child in the Philippines.

“I was an only kid, and I was hyperactive,” she says. She says her grandmother, Purificacion, “cannot handle my energy, so she would send me to the kitchen to help out with the cooks or sometimes as a form of punishment.”

Gilbuena moved from her native Ilo Ilo in the Visayas area of the Philippines in 2004. She lived in Los Angeles for seven years before moving to New York City in 2011.

SALOseries began out of her frustration of not being able to find the right flavors when she cooked. It started out as a chance to educate people on Filipino food, but after Typhoon Haiyan struck her native island in November 2013, SALOseries became her way to give back.

She took the pop-up dinners on the road, heading to a city in each state with a prolific food scene and people she knew. Jackson presented a little bit of a challenge because Gilbuena says she didn’t know anyone here, so before she came, she took to Twitter, tweeting with La Finestra a few days before the dinner to set it up.

Gilbuena worked with La Finestra on the menu, which included items such as razor clams, sweet breads and duck. As she does for each pop-up, Gilbuena sourced her ingredients locally. La Finestra owner Tom Ramsey helped her find local produce and meats, and she got pecans from someone’s backyard, and her balut (fertilized duck eggs) from Mr. Chen’s.

The first dish was Ensaladang Singkamas, a turnip salad with tomatoes, onions, cane vinegar and fried anchovies, and rices made with crab fat and coconut milk. With Ramsey and Gilbuena’s OK, attendees dug into the first course.

The courses introduced diners to new dishes or twists to

familiar ones, depending on how far they had ventured in the food world.

The dinner made me think of the many things I haven’t tried, yet. For example, I’ll probably never try sweet breads again, but I enjoyed new flavors. I even enjoyed the balut (fertilized duck egg). I also enjoyed talkAt a recent pop-up dinner, ing with people I didn’t chef Yana Gilbuena know, something I’m introduced guests new at doing. to Filipino dishes The dinner cost such as and a fried anchovy salad. $50. Proceeds from Gilbuena’s 50 pop-up dinners go toward the Advancement for Rural Kids organization in the Philipines, which works to rebuild classrooms destroyed during Typhoon Haiyan and teach kids how to grow their own produce. She and ARK’s founder, Ayesha Vera-Yu, come from the same island but different provinces, so it was close to her heart. Gilbuena’s goal is to raise $5,000 to build a classroom that will sustain itself for three years.

“Where they have these schools that were devastated

by Typhoon Haiyan, they actually build a farming and feeding program and, at the same time, rebuild the classrooms that have been devastated so that the children have a place to gather and be educated,” she says. “After that, they teach the kids to start growing their own produce. In that way, they’re not dependent as a consumer.”

When she’s done with SALOseries (at press time, she will be in New Mexico), Gilbuena will go to the island of Panay to help build the classroom and work with the children.

SALOseries was the first of a series of pop-up dinners at La Finestra (120 N. Congress St., 601-345-8735, eatlafinestra.com). Each will happen the last Monday of each month, tickets are $50, and seating is extremely limited. For more information on Yana Gilbuena’s SALOseries, visit thesaloproject.com. For more information on La Finestra’s pop-up dinners, find the restaurant on Facebook.

Sweetbreads with Coconut Sauce Ingredients

1 can of coconut cream 1 can of coconut milk 2 tablespoons sautéed shrimp paste 1 head of garlic 1/4 cup of Thai chillies, chopped 1/2 cup of diced red onions 1 pound sweet breads 1 cup rice 1 cup chopped garlic 1 cup coconut oil 1/2 cup scallions, chopped

Directions Sauté garlic and red onion in the pot with coconut oil until brown. Add coconut milk and cream and stir. Add Thai chillies and sauteed shrimp paste. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce it. Sauté garlic and red onions and add meat. Cover until cooked, then set aside. Cook one cup of rice and set aside. Fry one cup of chopped garlic in one cup of coconut oil until browned. Then, add rice and cook. Add meat on plate, then add sauce. Garnish with 1/2 cup scallions.

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February 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

on the Half Shell

Sunday - Thursday after 5pm till Valentines.

25

THURSDAY 2/5

SATURDAY 2/7

TUESDAY 2/10

Rock the Runway is at the Jackson Convention Complex.

“Spectrum: A Tribute to Motown and R&B” is at Thalia Mara Hall.

Couples Blacksmithing is at Mississippi Craft Center in Ridgeland.

BEST BETS FEB 4 - 11, 2015

COURTSESY NEW STAGE THEATRE

WEDNESDAY 2/4

Author Ravi Howard signs his book “Driving the King” at 5 p.m. at Lemuria Books (Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 202). The book tells the story of Nat King Cole and his friend and driver Nat Weary, exploring race and class in pre-Civil Rights Movement America. Reading at 5:30 p.m. $25.99 book; call 601-366-7619; email info@lemuriabooks.com; lemuriabooks.com.

THURSDAY 2/5

COURTESTY RAVI HOWARD

The opening reception for the Art Faculty of the Colleges of Jackson is from 5-8 p.m. at the Cedars Historic Home (4145 Old Canton Road). See works from Nate Theisen, Gretchen Haien, Charles Carraway, Chung-Fan Chang, Sandra Murchison, Kristen Williams, Randy Jolly, Albert Smathers, Johnnie Mae Maberry and Bruce O’Hara. Hangs through Feb. 27. Free; call 601-366-5552; fondren.org.

Actors from New Stage Theatre perform “Walk, Don’t Ride! A Celebration of the Fight for Equality” at the Old Capitol Museum on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

Maggie Moon O’Neill is the instructor. $15 suggested donation, $10 seniors and students; call 769-218-8602; email maggie@maggiemoonbeams.com.

SATURDAY 2/7

Bacchus Ball is from 7 p.m.-11 p.m. at the Country Club of Jackson (345 St. Andrews Drive). The masked ball with a Mardi Gras theme includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, auctions and live music. Black tie optional.

BY MICAH SMITH Proceeds benefit the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi.

Admission TBA; call 601JACKSONFREEPRESS.COM 957-7878; msdiabetes.org. …

FAX: 601-510-9019 J Dilla Day begins 9 p.m. at DAILY UPDATES AT OffBeat (151 Wesley Ave.).

JFPEVENTS.COM Includes deejay sets from DJ Brik-A-Brak, DJ Sketch and DJ Young Venom. The event is a fundraiser for the J Dilla Foundation. $5; call 601-376-9404; offbeatjxn.com.

February 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

EVENTS@

26

Author Ravi Howard, winner of both the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and a Sports Emmy, signs copies of his novel “Driving the King” at Lemuria Books on Wednesday, Feb. 4.

FRIDAY 2/6

The Sacred Circle Dance is from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church (3921 Oakridge Drive). In Oak Ridge Hall. The Jackson Quakers and Joyflow Yoga host the event. Participants learn meditative and festive repetitive steps and rhythms. No dance experience required.

SUNDAY 2/8

Matt Hines performs at 5 p.m. at Burgers & Blues (1060 E. County Line Road, Suite 22, Ridgeland). Free; call 601-899-0038; find Matt Hines on Facebook. … “Oliver!” is at 2 p.m. at the Vicksburg Theatre Guild’s Parkside Playhouse (101 Iowa Blvd., Vicksburg). The musical is based on Charles Dickens’ novel about an orphan’s relationship with a gang of young thieves. Performances also Feb. 6 and Feb. 7, 7:30 p.m. $20, $15 seniors, $10 ages 12 and under; call 601-636-0471; vicksburgtheatreguild.com.

MONDAY 2/9

The Tallulah Winery and Aratás Wine Dinner is at 7 p.m. at BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar (Highland Village, 4500 Interstate 55 N.). Enjoy a five-course dinner with wine from Napa Valley wineries. RSVP. $80 per person; call 601-982-8111; email tanyab@bravobuzz.com; bravobuzz. com. … George Winston performs 7:30 p.m. at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). The pianist performs songs from his upcoming album, “Spring Carousel—A Cancer Research Benefit.” Proceeds benefit Friends of Hudspeth. Adults must accompany children. $75 in advance, $85 at the door; call 601-292-7999; email arden@ardenland.net; ardenland.net.

TUESDAY 2/10

“Walk, Don’t Ride! A Celebration of the Fight for Equality” is at 6 p.m. at the Old Capitol Museum (100 S. State St.). Performers from New Stage Theatre use words and songs to chronicle the Montgomery bus boycott, the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins and the Freedom Rides. Free; call 601-948-3533, ext. 232 or 233; newstagetheatre.com.

WEDNESDAY 2/11

The Metro Jackson College Fair is 8 a.m. at the Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). Free; call 601-366-0901; parents-kids.com. … History Is Lunch is from noon-1 p.m. at the William F. Winters Archives and History Building (200 North St.). Pearl McHaney discusses her book, “A Tyrannous Eye: Eudora Welty’s Nonfiction and Photographs.” Book sales and signing to follow.

Free; call 601-576-6998; mdah.state.ms.us.

#/--5.)49 Events at William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.) • History Is Lunch Feb. 4, noon-1 p.m. Playwright Carole Cannon and actor Jasmine Rivera present scenes from the one-woman play, “The Women of Farish Street.” Free; call 601-5766998; mdah.state.ms.us.

• History Is Lunch Feb. 11, noon-1 p.m. Pearl McHaney discusses her book, “A Tyrannous Eye: Eudora Welty’s Nonfiction and Photographs.” Book sales and signing to follow. Free; call 601-576-6998; mdah.state.ms.us.

+)$3 Face to Face with History Feb. 5, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., at Old Capitol Museum (100 S. State St.). School groups come face to face with key figures who helped shape the history of the Old Capitol and the state of Mississippi. Reservations required.

Free; call 601-576-6920; mdah.state.ms.us.

Teen Dating Violence Summit Feb. 7, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at Metrocenter Mall’s Event Center (3645 Highway 80 W.). On the lower level in the east wing. The event is for youth ages 10 and up along with their parents. Includes focus group workshops on several topics such as sex trafficking, depression, student rights and law enforcement. Free; call 601-953-5747; email evajustice5@hotmail.com.

&//$ $2).+ Tallulah Winery and Aratás Wine Dinner Feb. 9, 7 p.m., at BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar (Highland Village, 4500 Interstate 55 N.). Enjoy a five-course dinner paired with wined from two Napa Valley wineries. RSVP. $80 per person; call 601-982-8111; email tanyab@bravobuzz.com; bravobuzz.com.

30/243 7%,,.%33 Yoga in the Galleries Feb. 7, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m., at Walter Anderson Museum of Art (510 Washington Ave., Ocean Springs). Moira Anderson of River Rock Yoga Studios leads the class in the east wing. Registration required. $25; call 228-8723164; email development@walterandersonmuseum.org; walterandersonmuseum.org.

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Popovich Comedy Pet Theater Feb. 5, 7 p.m., at Bologna Performing Arts Center (Delta State University, 1003 W. Sunflower Road, Cleveland).

Enjoy the comedy and juggling skills of Gregory Popovich, and the talents of his cats and dogs. All animals in the show are shelter rescue pets. $20$25; call 662-846-4626; bolognapac.com.

“Walk, Don’t Ride! A Celebration of the Fight for Equality” Feb. 10, 6 p.m., at Old Capitol Museum (100 S. State St.). Performers from New Stage Theatre chronicle the Montgomery bus boycott, the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins and the Freedom Rides. Free; call 601-948-3533, ext. 232 or 233; newstagetheatre.com.

#/.#%243 &%34)6!,3 Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music Concert Feb. 5, 7:30 p.m., at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral (305 E. Capitol St.). Cellist Taylis Fernandez and pianist John Paul perform. $20, 5 students; call 601-594-5584; ancientmusic.org.

Moon Taxi Feb. 5, 8 p.m., at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). All-ages show. Adults must accompany children. $20 advance, $25 at the door, $3 surcharge for patrons under 21; call 601-2927999; email arden@ardenland.net; ardenland.net.

Sean Chen Feb. 6, 7:30 p.m., at Mississippi College (200 S. Capitol St., Clinton). In Swor Auditorium. The pianist is the Crystal Award winner of the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. $25, $15 MC employees, $5 students; call 601-925-3440; email serio@mc.edu; mc.edu/marketplace.

“Spectrum: A Tribute to Motown and R&B” Feb. 7, 7:30 p.m., at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra accompanies Spectrum with classic and contemporary R&B hits. $15 and up; call 601960-1565; msorchestra.com.

,)4%2!29 3)'.).'3 “Driving the King” Feb. 4, 5 p.m., at Lemuria Books (Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 202). Ravi Howard signs books. Reading at 5:30 p.m. $25.99 book; call 601-366-7619; email info@lemuriabooks.com; lemuriabooks.com.

Events at Off Square Books (129 Courthouse Square, Oxford) • "Driving the King" Feb. 5, 6 p.m. Ravi Howard signs books. This is a Thacker Mountain Radio event. Call 662-236-2828; email books@ squarebooks.com; squarebooks.com.

• "Miss Hazel and the Rosa Parks League" Feb. 9, 5 p.m. Jonathan Odell signs books. $16 book; call 662-236-2828; email books@squarebooks.com; squarebooks.com.

• "Silver Screen Fiend" Feb. 11, 5 p.m. Actor and comedian Patton Oswalt signs books. Reserved seating. $25 book; call 662-236-2828; email books@squarebooks.com; squarebooks.com.

#2%!4)6% #,!33%3 Events at Farmer’s Table Cooking School (Town of Livingston, 129 Mannsdale Road, Madison) • Barnyard Bird Cooking Class Feb. 4, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Registration required. $69; call 601-506-6821; farmerstableinlivingston.com.

• Mardi Gras at the Farmers Table Cooking Class Feb. 10, 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Recipes include barbecued shrimp, chicken and sausage gumbo, steamed rice and caramel cheesecake. Registration required. $99; call 601-5066821; farmerstableinlivingston.com.

Couples Blacksmithing with Lyle Wynn Feb. 10, 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m., at Mississippi Craft Center (950 Rice Road, Ridgeland).

Registration required. $35 per person; call 601-856-7546; email education@mscrafts.org; craftsmensguildofms.org.

%8()")4 /0%.).'3 Opening Reception for the Art Faculty of the Colleges of Jackson Feb. 5, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., at The Cedars Historic Home (4145 Old Canton Road).

Exhibitors include Nate Theisen, Gretchen Haien, Charles Carraway, Chung-Fan Chang, Sandra Murchison, Kristen Williams, Randy Jolly, Albert Smathers, Johnnie Mae Maberry and Bruce O’Hara. Show hangs through Feb. 27. Free; call 601-366-5552; fondren.org.

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.

JFPmenus.com Paid advertising section. Call 601-362-6121 x11 to list your restaurant

AMERICAN/SOUTHERN CUISINE Basil’s (2906 N State St #104, Jackson, 601-982-2100) Paninis pizza, pasta, soups and salads. They’ve got it all on the menu.

Broad Street Bakery (4465 Interstate 55 N. 601-362-2900) Hot breakfast, coffee drinks, fresh breads & pastries, gourmet deli sandwiches.

The Feathered Cow (4760 I-55 North 769-233-8366) Simple and homemade equal quality and freshness every time. You never leave The Cow hungry!

Primos Cafe (2323 Lakeland 601-936-3398/ 515 Lake Harbour 601-898-3400) A Jackson institution for breakfast, blue-plates, catfish, burgers, prime rib, oysters, po-boys & wraps. Famous bakery!

Rooster’s (2906 N State St, Jackson, 601-982-2001) You haven’t had a burger until you’ve had a Rooster’s burger. Pair it with their seasoned fries and you’re in heaven.

Two Sisters Kitchen (707 N. Congress St. 601-353-1180) Lunch. Mon-Fri, Sun. PIZZA Sal & Mookie’s (565 Taylor St. 601-368-1919) Pizzas of all kinds plus pasta, eggplant Parmesan, fried ravioli & ice cream for the kids!

Mellow Mushroom (275 Dogwood Blvd, Flowood, 601-992-7499) More than just great pizza and beer. Open Monday - Friday 11-10 and Saturday 11-11.

ITALIAN La Finestra (120 N Congress St #3, Jackson, 601-345-8735) Chef Tom Ramsey’s downtown Jackson hot-spot offers authentic Italian cuisine in cozy, inviting environment.

BRAVO! (4500 Interstate 55 N., Jackson, 601-982-8111) Award-winning wine list, Jackson’s see-and-be-seen casual/upscale dining.

STEAK, SEAFOOD & FINE DINING The Islander Seafood and Oyster House (1220 E Northside Drive, Suite 100, 601-366-5441) Oyster bar, seafood, gumbo, po’boys, crawfish and plenty of Gulf Coast delights in a laid-back Buffet-style atmosphere.

The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen (1200 North State St. #100 601-398-4562) Transforms the essence of Mediterranean food and southern classics.

The Penguin (1100 John R Lynch Street, 769-251-5222) Fine dining at its best.

Rocky’s (1046 Warrington Road, Vicksburg 601-634-0100) Enjoy choice steaks, fresh seafood, great salads, hearty sandwiches.

Sal and Phil’s Seafood (6600 Old Canton Rd, Ridgeland 601-957-1188) Great Seafood, Poboys, Lunch Specials, Boiled Seafood, Full Bar, Happy Hour Specials Saltine Oyster Bar (622 Duling Avenue 601-982-2899) Creative seafood classics. Named one of Jackson’s Best New Restaurants.

MEDITERRANEAN/GREEK Aladdin Mediterranean Grill (730 Lakeland Drive 601-366-6033) Delicious authentic dishes including lamb dishes, hummus, falafel, kababs, shwarma.

Vasilios Greek Cusine (828 Hwy 51, Madison 601-853-0028) Authentic greek cuisine since 1994, specializing in gyros, greek salads, baklava cheesecake & fresh daily seafood.

BARBEQUE Chimneyville (970 High St, Jackson 601-354-4665 www.chimneyville.com) Family style barbeque restaurant and catering service in the heart of downtown Jackson.

Hickory Pit Barbecue (1491 Canton Mart Rd. 601-956-7079) The “Best Butts in Town” features BBQ chicken, beef and pork along with burgers and po’boys.

Pig and Pint (3139 N State St, Jackson, 601-326-6070) Serving up competition style barbecue along with one of the of best beer selections in metro.

COFFEE HOUSES Cups Espresso Café (Multiple Locations, www.cupsespressocafe.com) Jackson’s local group of coffeehouses offer a wide variety of espresso drinks. Wi-fi.

BARS, PUBS & BURGERS Bonny Blair’s (1149 Old Fannin Rd 769-251-0692) Traditional Irish pub food and live entertainment. Open 11am daily.

Burgers and Blues (1060 E. County Line Rd. 601-899-0038) Best Burger of 2013, plus live music and entertainment!

Cherokee Inn (960 Briarfield Rd. 601-362-6388) Jackson’s “Best Hole in the Wall,” has a great jukebox, great bar and a great burger.

Fenian’s Pub (901 E. Fortification St. 601-948-0055) Classic Irish pub featuring a menu of traditional food, pub sandwiches & Irish beers on tap.

Hal and Mal’s (200 S. Commerce St. 601-948-0888) Pub favorites meet Gulf Coast and Cajun specialties like red beans and rice, the Oyster Platter or daily specials.

Legends Grill (5352 Lakeland Dr. 601-919-1165) Your neighborhood Sports Bar and Grill.

Martin’s Restaurant and Lounge (214 South State Street 601-354-9712) Lunch specials, pub appetizers or order from the full menu of po-boys and entrees. Full bar, beer selection.

Ole Tavern on George Street (416 George St. 601-960-2700) Pub food with a southern flair: beer-battered onion rings, chicken & sausage gumbo, salads, sandwiches.

One Block East ( 642 Tombigbee St. 601-944-0203) Burger joint and dive bar located in downtown Jackson. Great music, tasty beverages and Bad Ass Burgers is what we do.

Time Out (6270 Old Canton Road, 601-978-1839) Your neighborhood fun spot! Terrific lunch special and amazing Happy Hour!

Underground 119 (119 South President St. 601-352-2322) Pan-seared crabcakes, shrimp and grits, filet mignon, vegetarian sliders. Live music. Opens 4 p.m., Wed-Sat Wing Stop (952 North State Street, 601-969-6400) Saucing and tossing in a choice of nine flavors, Wing Stop wings are made with care and served up piping hot.

ASIAN AND INDIAN Fusion Japanese and Thai Cuisine (1002 Treetop Blvd, Flowood 601-664-7588) Specializing in fresh Japanese and Thai cuisine, an extensive menu features everything from curries to fresh sushi VEGETARIAN High Noon Café (2807 Old Canton Road in Rainbow Plaza 601-366-1513)Jackson’s own strict vegetarian (and very-vegan-friendly) restaurant adjacent to Rainbow Whole Foods.

February 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

27

DIVERSIONS | arts

WEDNESDAY 2/04

Restaurant Open as Usual THURSDAY 2/05

CHRIS

C ARPENTER (Restaurant)

FRIDAY 2/06

NOTS WITH

TRAMPOLINE TEAM (Red Room) free admission MPB filming for music series.

SATURDAY 2/07

Ardenland Presents:

SAM HUNT (BIG ROOM) Doors 7PM Show 8PM - $20- tickets

MONDAY 2/09

Central MS Blues Society

PRESENTS BLUE MONDAY 7PM - $5 (Restaurant) TUESDAY 2/10

PUB QUIZ

W/ ERIN & FRIENDS

7pm, $2 to play!

(Restaurant)

UPCOMING: ARDENL AND PRESENTS: 2/13 Fides with Mississippi Shakedown 2/27 Lucero w Ryan Bingham & Twin Forks 4/22 JJ Grey & MOFRO 5/1 Neutral Milk Hotel tickets at Ardenland.net

PROUD LARRY & LYRIC OXFORD PRESENTS February 4 - 10, 2015 • jfp.ms

2/26 BIG K.R.I.T.

OFFICIAL

HOUSE VODKA

Visit HalandMals.com for a full menu and concert schedule

601.948.0888

200 S. Commerce St. Downtown Jackson, Mississippi 28

L

ines of men discharge rifles into more lines of men. paper in the 19th century. Rankin explains that although phoHorses rear back as a night sky streaks with artillery tography was available for centuries, it had limitations that fire. Drummers lead line after line of bearded soldiers made illustrations preferable for newspapers printing images into a conflict that might claim all of their lives. of the Civil War. At the time, slow shutter speeds required Among the battle scenes we might expect from an photo subjects to stand still for a long time. “If there weren’t exhibit titled “Civil War Drawings from the Becker Col- people sketching, there would be no other way for people to lection,” there is also a drawing of see what was happening,” he says. “All women sorting clothing to send to the photographs were basically of the soldiers. Another depicts a campbattlefields afterward, with dead bodies site of white tents surrounded by lying around or people sitting really still lonely watchmen sleepily looking in portraits. There was no way to really for a warning of invasion. One see what was happening during the batmore features men dancing around tle (with photography).” their campfire to escape, if just for The exhibit walks an atypical line a second, the impending fear of for the art museum, which generally annihilation. strays away from exhibits typical of hisFor the first time in the Deep torical museums. This line between art South, “Civil War Drawings from and history, exhibit and commemoraby Zachary Oren Smith The Becker Collection” is on exhition is exactly what makes the drawbition at the Mississippi Museum ings so interesting. of Art. Many of these 85 original “We are not a history museum, so we illustrations were drawn on “battry to make sure the art we show is of high tlefields and locations like Shiloh, quality, and these really are when you see Vicksburg and Gettysburg,” says them,” Rankin says. “It’s hard to imagine a statement from the museum. They commemorate the them sketching that proficiently when the battle is happening “150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, emancipa- in real time. It’s pretty amazing. It’s just a different way to look tion and the steps toward the reunification of the nation.” at the Civil War. It’s not this static (event), when you can see the Julian Rankin, the museum’s marketing director, com- motion of the (artist’s) hands. There is this kind of continuity, pares the artists to the photographers of the Vietnam War this kind of fluidity to it that really makes it more alive.” and the filmmakers that produced the movie “Restrepo.”

“Civil War Drawings from the Becker Collection” runs “There are definitely battle scenes but also just getting from Jan. 31 through April 19. The Mississippi Museum of the reactions of the people in the war—the humanity of Art (380 South Lamar St., 601-960-1515) is open Tuesday the soldiers,” he says. “I think it is sort of similar to (other through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. war documenters) in a lot of ways. These guys were em- Admission is free for museum members, $10 for adults, $8 for bedded in these camps.” seniors, $5 for students, and free for children 5 and under. For The artists worked for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated News- more information, visit msmuseumart.org.

Caught in the Action

JOSEPH BECKER, COURTESY MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM OF ART

C O M I NG U P

Images such as “Evening Amusement of the Coloured Servants and Contrabands During the Seige of Petersburg” by Joseph Becker are on display in the Mississippi Museum of Art’s “Civil War Drawings from the Becker Collection” from Jan. 31 through April 19.

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Sam Hunt Conquers the Learning Curve

by Micah Smith

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Country artist Sam Hunt brings his cross of country and urban-pop music to Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Saturday, Feb. 7.

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atch just about any music awards show, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find that there arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t many actual â&#x20AC;&#x153;new artists.â&#x20AC;? Most musicians spend decades toiling away at their craft before receiving any sort of recognition. Notice I said â&#x20AC;&#x153;most.â&#x20AC;?

Country singer-songwriter Sam Hunt has only been performing for about seven years, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already made a name for himself as a certified hit-maker. After moving to Nashville in 2008, he co-wrote several big songs for established artists, including Kenny Chesneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Come Over,â&#x20AC;? Billy Curringtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;We Are Tonightâ&#x20AC;? and Keith Urbanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cop Car.â&#x20AC;? The latter also appears on Huntâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debut album, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Montevallo,â&#x20AC;? which he released last October.

While Hunt taught himself to play guitar during college, he had no intention of becoming a songwriter. Throughout high school and college, the Cedartown, Ga., native focused on sports. He was a starting quarterback for two years at Middle Tennessee State University and for another two years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he graduated with a bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in philosophy in 2007. He even spent some time with the Kansas City Chiefs, but soon after, Hunt chose to bench his football career and pursue music. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I started writing songs just out of the newfound passion I had for music after picking up a guitar and learning to play,â&#x20AC;? he says.

Admittedly, Hunt didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have much practice with live performance before settling in Music City. After college, he began booking local gigs wherever he could, but Hunt says most of his stage-time occurred over the last 18 months of touring to support â&#x20AC;&#x153;Montevallo.â&#x20AC;? The album has been a learning experience and, thankfully, an uplifting one. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When the album was coming out, being a new artist, I figured it would take a lot of time. Luckily, it did well right off the bat, which I attribute to touring

and releasing free music over the past few months,â&#x20AC;? he says.

Huntâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-time fans will note that his signature blend of urban-pop and classic country elements has gained favor in popular music, but a few years ago, that wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the case. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I first moved to town, I really didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any rules about how I should be writing, and that naturally came out,â&#x20AC;? Hunt says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Ś After listening to what everyone was doing in town, I kind of second-guessed that style. I wondered if it would fit. For a while, I wrote songs that sounded more traditional, but most of it never authentically represented me as an artist.â&#x20AC;?

With his first full-length release, Hunt decided to embrace his style, which combines the best of his musical tastes. His love of hip-hop informs many of his songs, such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Leave the Night Onâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Single for the Summer,â&#x20AC;? with electronic beats and speedily delivered lyrics. When it comes to the content, though, Hunt turns to folk singer Steve Earle, whose music inspired him to write more visually.

Audiences are certainly responding to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;newâ&#x20AC;? Hunt. His show at Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on Saturday, Feb. 7, sold 1,000 tickets in under a week, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of 14 already sold-out shows on his Lipstick Graffiti Tour. For Hunt, it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t about how many units he sells, though. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finally doing what comes naturally, and the fact that listeners are responding is an added bonus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look at the numbers,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I try to gauge by live shows and enthusiasmâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;how many people come out and sing the songs back, things like that.

I take that as an indication that folks are finding the album and enjoying it.â&#x20AC;?

Sam Hunt performs at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, at Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (200 S. Commerce St., 601-948-0888). â&#x20AC;&#x153;Montevalloâ&#x20AC;? is available on iTunes and Amazon. For more information, visit samhunt.com.

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DIVERSIONS | jfp sports

SLATE

by Bryan Flynn

THURSDAY, FEB 5 NBA (7-9:30 p.m., TNT): The LA Clippers head east to take on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a matchup of top NBA teams.

FRIDAY, FEB 6 NBA (6-8:30 p.m., ESPN): The Toronto Raptors get their chance to host the LA Clippers as two more top teams from the East and West clash.

SATURDAY, FEB 7 College basketball (3-5 p.m., SECN) Mississippi State hits the road to face Arkansas, which is currently in a log jam for third place in the SEC. â&#x20AC;Ś College basketball (5:30-7:30 p.m., SECN): Ole Miss, currently one of those teams third in the SEC, take on Auburn who at the bottom of the SEC. SUNDAY, FEB 8 College basketball (2-4 p.m., SECN): Watch a Top 25 matchup as the No. 17 Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs host the No. 14 Texas A&M Lady Aggies.

MONDAY, FEB 9 NHL (7:30-10 p.m., NBCSN): Your weekly hockey fix features the Chicago Blackhawks against the Arizona Coyotes.

TUESDAY, FEB 10 College basketball (8-10 p.m., SECN): Mississippi State is currently 3-5 in SEC play and faces Alabama, which also happens to be 3-5 in SEC play.

WEDNESDAY, FEB 11 NBA (7-9:30 p.m., ESPN): LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers host Jamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; former team the Miami Heat with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade.

By now everyone should know that Butler went from working at Popeyeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to making the play to win the Super Bowl.

Follow Bryan Flynn at jfpsports.com, @jfpsports and at facebook.com/jfpsports.

by Jon Wiener

T

he most exciting football season in Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s memory came to a fitting close Sunday night, with little-known Vicksburg and Hinds Community College product Malcolm Butler playing Super Bowl hero and stealing the show on the gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest stage.

Wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it all a doozy? But hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the good part: The stories to come in the next few months will prove lasting and one-of-akind as well. It will be our privilege to share them with you here in an expanded effort by the Jackson Free Press to cover the sports and teams that impassion so many Jacksonians and Mississippians.

Will the University of Mississippi close out the Tad Pad era with an NCAA Tournament trip? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not far-fetched and will rest on Jackson-born, Provine High School-printed star point guard Jarvis Summers.

What will happen to the University of Southern Mississippi basketball program?

Success came with an apparent price under former coach Donnie Tyndall: NCAA violations. Now with attrition, losses and more investigations on the way, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a question of how low the floor is, but if the bottom has fallen out entirely.

How far can Mississippi State Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s women go? On the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side, is it time for Rick Ray to go? Led by star freshman and Scott County product Victoria Vivians, the No. 18 Lady Bulldogs (22-3, 7-3 SEC) are fabulous, while Rayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team (10-11, 3-5 SEC) flounders for a third straight season.

The biggest story of the basketball season in Mississippi brings interest from all levels. Callaway High School super senior Malik Newman, the consensus No. 1 high-school guard in America, goes for four straight state championships, while college

bryan flynn

I

basketball fans across the country await his ensuing college decision.

Even though the football games are over, the players that go in and out of the programs will make big headlines. Feb. 4 marks what many SEC football fans treat COURTESY MSU ATHELETICS

How quickly can the Super Bowl change?

The first half saw former CFL player Chris Matthews as the unknown hero and ended with Vicksburg native Malcolm Butler as the hero of the day.

A Sporting State

Victoria Vivians led the Mississippi State University Lady Bulldogs to 223, 7-3 SEC this season.

like a national holiday: National Signing Day. Then, April 30-May 2, pro fans will have their turn with the NFL Draft.

Mississippians can delight in both as

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the latest showcases of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SEC football uprising. Both programs are building more momentum with a highly ranked class of high school stars signed on Wednesday, and each will have departing stars selected early in Aprilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s draft.

The meaningful stories extend well beyond the big sports and schools in Mississippi. Those stories are as thick of a thread as any in our rich sports tapestry. After all, it was an unheralded kid named Jerry Rice from Crawford, Miss., who ended up at tiny Mississippi Valley State University that went on to weave the greatest one of all.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m excited to be able to write about these stories in this space in the coming months. The JFPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s increased focus on sports aligns with the paperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s core principle of covering and celebrating Jackson and Mississippi. Our passion for our sports is such an integral part of that conversation.

Sometimes weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be critical, others, inquisitive. Often, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll look at things in sports that impact the community in broader ways, such as a proposed downtown ballpark, for instance. Mostly weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll just be excited about sharing and discussing these stories with you.

So come in and buckle up. It should be another unforgettable ride.

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Winning in the Classroom

t was a great college football season for a lot of fans in Mississippi. Both Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi had seasons to remember, and Alcorn State University won the SWAC Football Championship Game.

Winning on the field is great, but preparing these players to win in life is even more important. The NCAA lists two types of rankings on graduation. The first is the NCAA used graduation success rate, and the other is the federal graduation rate. The GSR is the formula the NCAA uses to determine if schools are getting the job done in the classroom and determine punishments if they are not. GSR is very forgiving for schools and takes the players

going pro into account, transfer students and other potential misleading things.

FGR is not so forgiving to schools.

For example, the Ole Miss has a GSR rate of 52 percent but has a FGR of 35 percent. The Rebels are succeeding on the field but not in the classroom. Mississippi State has a GSR of 66 percent, but the FGR is 50 percent. The Bulldogs are doing well but have plenty of room to improve.

Of the so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Big Three,â&#x20AC;? the University of Southern Mississippi might be a mess on the field but is getting it done in the classroom. The Golden Eagles have a 67 percent GSR but that number is 53 percent for FGR, though Southern Miss and MSU are still the best FBS schools in

our state. The three SWAC schools in our state have different athletic programs from FBS schools in this state world but are still judged by the same rules. Alcorn State has the best GSR of the three schools at 52 percent, followed by Jackson State University at 44 percent. Both the Braves and the Tigers are still better than Ole Miss at FGR at 36 and 40 percents, respectively.

Mississippi Valley State University is the only school that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t change from GSR to FGR at 33 percent.

But it is amazing to see Ole Miss is second to last in FGR in this state. Not a good look for a school that likes to tout its academics.

February 4 - 10, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

the best in sports over the next seven days

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Color February 14th

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