V13n27 Troubled Water

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March 11 - 17, 2015 • jfp.ms

TRIP BURNS

JACKSONIAN OLIVIA COTÉ

O

livia Coté, a 9th grade English teacher at Murrah High School, grew up watching her mother, Anne Karges, hard at work at her craft. Karges, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Johnson Elementary where she has taught for more than 10 years, showed her daughter the importance of educators, in and out of the classroom.

The 25-year-old Jackson native graduated from Murrah High School in 2008. She went on to major in secondary English education at Holmes Community College in Ridgeland and at Mississippi College in Clinton, where she received a bachelor’s degree in the subject in May 2014. After graduating, she applied to teach in Jackson, specifically at Murrah. She began teaching there in August 2014.

In January, Coté co-founded a community organization called Books for Incarcerated Mississippians along with Shelby Parsons of Rainbow National Grocery; Kelli Gann, a 3rdgrade teacher at Spann Elementary; and Hannah Lipking, a graphic designer for the Ramey Agency. The organization’s goal is to provide books to Mississippi’s adult prisons and to juveniles in alternative schools and juvenile jails.

“We’re still in the early planning stages and have been meeting once a week since early February,” Coté says.

“We started this after the Prison Books Collective, another prison book group that distributes nationwide, announced that they no longer had the resources to send books to

CONTENTS

Mississippi and wanted someone to start a Mississippi-based group in their place.

Coté likes to push back on negativity about Jackson Public Schools and its students. She believes the community simply does not talk about the good things about JPS as much as the bad things.

“The kids are all so funny, bright and smart, and it’s an honor to get to know them,” Coté says. “As for the parents, they’re doing a lot to help their kids and the schools.”

Coté says that the best thing JPS parents can do to help their children succeed in school is to stay in contact with teachers. “It’s not the parents’ fault that they can’t always talk to teachers directly,” she says. “But taking the time to email or text (with teachers) to see what the children are working on or what they need to be working on at home makes a world of difference. Just take a few minutes whenever you can to stay in touch and be involved.”

Coté’s advice to any up-and-coming teachers is to take the time to get to know each of their students, even if it takes away somewhat from instructional time.

“It’s important to approach each kid differently, because kids are different,” Coté says. “… Sometimes people joke and say stuff like ‘I feel bad for you,’ (for how much trouble you go through) but I’d say you don’t have to feel bad for me, because I really love my job, and I love what I’m doing.”

—Dustin Cardon

Cover photo of water meter

by Imani Khayyam

6 The Beautiful Ones

A shocking new report shows that sex trafficking is a serious problem right here in Mississippi.

22 Improve Your Surroundings Read about how to clean your vinyl records and how to keep yourself from going crazy when you move into a new house.

25 A Good Man

“(‘Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead’) deals with a lot of big issues, especially for teens. Bullying is really a big issue in the play, and eating disorders and finding your sexual identity, and in general, finding your identity. That’s the main point of it all—them trying to figure out who they are.”

—Katie Beth Jewell, “You’re a Good Man, CB.”

March 11 - 17, 2015 • jfp.ms

4 ............................. EDITOR’S NOTE 6 ............................................ TALKS 12 ................................ EDITORIAL 13 .................................... OPINION 15 ............................ COVER STORY 22 ............................................ DIY 24 ....................................... 8 DAYS 25 .......................................... ARTS 27 ......................................... FOOD 28 ....................................... MUSIC 28 ....................... MUSIC LISTINGS 29 ...................................... EVENTS 30 ..................................... SPORTS 31 .................................... PUZZLES 33 ....................................... ASTRO

AMBER HELSEL; TOMMY BURTON; ASSOCIATED PRESS / ELENA PERLINO

MARCH 11 - 17, 2015 | VOL. 13 NO. 27

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EDITOR’S note

by Amber Helsel, Assistant Editor

Because I Proved Him Wrong

B

eing at the level I am at fencing allows me to go between beginner and advanced classes, helping the new students learn the new skill and getting stronger in my own craft by practicing with the others.

But it also means that because some of the other students have been at this for longer, and are therefore better, I tend to lose a lot of bouts.

For the most part, I’m OK with this. I get it, and I know I’m getting better. Many of the kids I fence with have been doing it since they were little, so it comes more naturally to them than it does to me. It’s also harder to learn something like this at my age. I try not to let the losses get me down, although they occasionally do.

A couple of Thursdays ago, I went in to fencing a little early to help my coach with the new students. Thirty minutes later, I put on my body cord for electric bouting and waited as the other students trickled in.

One of the advanced students and I were the first to bout. As he hooked himself to the scoring box, a newer student stood off to the side with him. As I waited a few feet away, I heard the new student bet the person I was going up against that I would lose 5-0.

Now, I can’t count how many times the score has ended up that way against this particular person. But I always remind myself that it’s OK. I’m still learning, I’m still growing, and every time I fence someone difficult, I get stronger and smarter.

I’m not the best fencer in the world, but I give it my all any time I go up.

For the most part, I’d say we have a pretty good club. Everyone tries to lift each other up and make each other better. We get along, and anytime someone loses, no one is sitting there saying how bad he or

she did. Not that it never happens. I just don’t hear it. Never in the year of fencing have I ever heard someone actually say that they thought I or anyone else would lose. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy when I heard that.

So I fought my current opponent (lost 1-5), and then when the newer student went up against me, I beat him 5-3.

It’s not like it was some great defeat, but winning that match made me happier than any of the others I had won. Because

I want them to treat women the way they should be treated.

I proved him wrong.

The reason I like fencing so much is because it levels the playing field between men and women. It invalidates society’s argument that women aren’t as good as men because in fencing, women are good at certain things, and men are good at certain things. It’s just the nature of the sport.

The new student based his opinion on how he perceives my skill level, and he wasn’t entirely off point. But his judgment points to something else, as well. Would

he have said the same thing had I been a man or a boy around his age?

If I was, I doubt he would have helped me, but I think he would have been less inclined to make a comment like that. I would have been on his same level, instead of a grown woman going through the trial and errors of a new skill.

Maybe that’s a judgment on my part, but I can’t help but think that I’m not too far off. Especially considering a friend’s reaction when I told her was to shake her head and say, “Boys.”

My editor’s notes always somehow talk about a YouTube video, and I have one in mind while writing about this. Earlier this year, an Italian media company called Fanpage.it made a video about young boys’ attitudes toward violence against women and girls. In the video, boys ages 7-12 are asked a series of questions, including what they want to be when they grew up.

The interviewers then introduce them to different girls and have them do different things to them, such as make funny faces and give them a friendly hug. Then, the interviewers tell the boys to slap the girls. You could tell that the boys are taken aback by the question. Each thinks about it, and then every single one says no.

At the end of the video, one of the participants says, “As the saying goes: ‘girls should not be hit, not even with a flower.’”

When I fence, I have to remind many of the younger boys that I’m wearing protection so in this instance, it’s OK to hit hard.

So many are hesitant to even poke me.

But that attitude seems to change once boys hit their teens. Suddenly, it becomes less important to treat women with respect. They begin to see them as less than themselves. Even my little brother can sometimes have that attitude, although my mom, my sister and I are always quick

to remind him otherwise.

If boys keep that attitude throughout their younger years, eventually it carries over into adult life, and before you know it, they turn into men who don’t respect women and may even end up being domestic abusers. They turn into men that women talk about on the Tumblr page Stopthecatcall, where street-harassment stories range from fairly inane ones to ones that veer toward the scary and even dangerous.

So many women want to excuse boys for “just being boys,” but I don’t buy it. I want to be an example of someone who proves to men that women are equal to them, if not a little more fierce. That’s why I fence and why I kickbox (besides the fact that I want to be able to defend myself should I ever have a story worthy of Stopthecatcall).

I want the boys in the fencing club to see me and the other girls as worthy opponents. I want them to treat women the way they should be treated, and not just as objects or people who don’t deserve everything men do.

In the last few weeks, I’ve seen so many men on social media comment about how male privilege isn’t real. But it is, and it needs to be stopped. We need to stop letting young, impressionable boys grow into the men who abuse women, physically or emotionally.

Being a boy is no excuse.

Assistant Editor Amber Helsel graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Mississippi in 2011.

She has begun her journey as a superhero (and fencing is part of that) and is currently writing a novel that she hopes to publish by the end of the year. Email her arts, food & drink, wellness and hitched story tips at amber@jacksonfreepress.com

March 11 - 17, 2015 • jfp.ms

CONTRIBUTORS

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R.L. Nave

Dustin Cardon

Anna Wolfe

Tommy Burton

Maya Miller

Imani Khayyam

Josh Sheriff

Gina Haug

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.

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 Jacksonian and is in charge of jfpdaily.com.

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 two Talks.

Music Listings Editor Tommy Burton is keeping the dream alive, one record at a time. He can usually be seen with a pair of headphones on. He wrote a DIY story and compiled the music listings. Send gig info to music@jacksonfreepress.com.

Freelance writer and former JFP editorial intern Maya Miller is a senior psychology major at Jackson State University. She enjoys books by Stephen King and Netflix marathons. She wrote a music story.

New Staff Photographer Imani Khayyam is a Jackson native and a graduate of Tougaloo College. When he’s not busy scheduling fashion models in New York, he’s snapping pictures for the JFP. He shot the cover and other photos.

Design Intern Josh Sheriff is a senior at Jackson State University. He’s come from many places, but he’s sure of where he wants to go in life.. He helped design the issue.

Account Manager Gina Haug is a self-professed information collector who has a love for all things fun. She is a huge Ole Miss and Saints fan, and her birthday is her favorite holiday.

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March 11 - 17, 2015 • jfp.ms

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Wednesday, March 4 The U.S. Department of Justice clears white former Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of unarmed black 18-year-old Michael Brown, but also issues a scathing report calling for sweeping changes in city law-enforcement practices it calls discriminatory and unconstitutional.

Friday, March 6 Several thousand people storm a prison in northeastern India and drag away a man accused of rape, then pelt him with stones and beat him to death.

Saturday, March 7 Boko Haram, weakened by a multinational force that has dislodged it from a score of northeastern Nigerian towns, reportedly pledges formal allegiance to the Islamic State group. ‌ President Obama signs legislation awarding participants in three civil-rights marches a half century ago with Congressional Gold Medals, the highest honor awarded by Congress.

March 11 - 17, 2015 • jfp.ms

Sunday, March 8 Thousands of people gather in Selma, Ala., to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, a bloody confrontation between police and peaceful protesters that helped bring about the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

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Monday, March 9 A Swiss-made solar-powered aircraft takes off from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in a historic first attempt to fly around the world without a drop of fossil fuel. ‌ The University of Oklahoma president severs the school’s ties with a national fraternity, calling them “bigots,â€? and orders that its on-campus house be shuttered after several members took part in a racist chant caught on video.

Tuesday, March 10 Congressional Democrats accuse Senate Republicans who signed a letter to Iran’s leadership of undermining President Obama in international talks aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear program and preventing the need for future military conflict.

by Ronni Mott

M

ost reported child sex trafficking in central Mississippi happens within families. In a report filled with difficult realities, this was the most shocking finding for researcher Wendy Bradford. “What we found was that there was lots of single parents, lots of single moms (with) limited employment opportunities,â€? she said. â€œâ€Ś The sad reality is that because of the limited opportunities, you have people who are preying on these women. The way they prey on these women is to say, ‘Give me your daughter for the drugs I’m providing for you.’ Or, ‘Let me give you shelter, but you have to give me your daughter.’â€? “Many people assume that kids are kidnapped off street corners, or they’re ’re re runaways,â€? added Angela Gaddis, head of Belhaven University’s’ss Department of Social Work. “ ‌ That’s’ss not always the case.â€?

Bradford is the co-author of “Rapid Assessment on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking� and founder of Beautiful Ones Ministries in Brandon.

To produce the report, released March 2, the ministry worked with Belhaven University students under professor Gaddis’ guidance. Shared Hope International, based in Vancouver, Wash., developed the tool used for the analysis. “In cases of familial trafficking, the children still go to school, attend functions and go out in the community,� the report states. “Even when victims have freedom of movement, it does not mean they are not trapped.

In fact, this can make them even more loyal to their trafficker because it allows them to think they have a ‘choice’ in staying.�

Many, Many Hidden Victims The three-month project covered Hinds, Madison, Rankin and Warren counties to determine the scope of domestic minor sex trafficking in central Mississippi, and to identify challenges and needs. A third ob-

Bradford said. â€œâ€Ś We know that there are many, many victims who are hidden, who are not self-identifying.â€? She speculated that victims may not be aware they are being trafficked, or they may be too intimidated to come forward.

ASSOCIATED PRESS / ELENA PERLINO

Thursday, March 5 Liberia releases its last Ebola patient from a treatment center in the capital. ‌ Islamic State militants destroy the ancient Nimrud archaeological site near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

‘Little Birds’: Families Sex Trafficking Own Kids

The 90 trafficked children researchers found in central Mississippi are just “a scratch on the surface� of the problem, researcher Wendy Bradford says.

jective was to lay a foundation for best practices for DMST victims.

Researchers contacted law enforcement, prosecutors, public defenders, juvenile court judges, juvenile detention centers, government agencies and nongovernmental service providers; however, for a variety of reasons, only 36 individuals consented to interviews.

The team’s estimate of 90 DMST cases within the study area is low. “This was a scratch on the surface of what is going on,�

Mississippi has a number of factors contributing to the vulnerability of children to sex trafficking, the report concludes. Among them is the state’s high incidence of poverty and low educational levels; Mississippi leads the nation in both areas.

That’s not to say sex trafficking is limited to the poor. “Just as any social problem in society ‌ it crosses all socio-economic cultures,â€? Gaddis said. Nevertheless, “When you have a young child that is in poverty, and you have a pimp that promises

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the moon to them, then they are more vulnerable to becoming a victim than a child (coming from) an upper income.�

The majority of the trafficked children researchers identified also come from areas with high-crime rates and police corruption, other contributing factors. “[I]t’s not just people being smuggled into the country in cargo boxes. It is a 15year-old girl being prostituted out in Jackson off of Meadowbrook Drive,� said Steve Pickett, chairman of the Mississippi Parole Board and executive director of Joyce’s Hope Home for Girls, a Jackson shelter for runaway girls.

Selling ‘Little Girls’ But perhaps the single biggest single contributing factor to child sex trafficking is lack of information—in the community and among the victims.

Despite strengthening Mississippi’s sex trafficking laws in 2013, little has changed.

In the two years since, only one person has been prosecuted in the research area under state trafficking laws in a Madison County case. Police still tend to misidentify trafficked children, charging and criminalizing them instead of treating them as victims. “We started seeing little girls get arrest-

ed in a hotel room with seven or eight guys.

They will be 13 or 14 years old, (and) all the guys are over 20,� William Skinner, a Hinds County Youth Court judge, told researchers. “Law enforcement would arrest the girl because she would be a runaway, (but) they would not do anything to the guys.�

Sex trafficking in the U.S. has only recently come to wide public attention, and training for first responders, including medical and social service personnel, is still rare. In conjunction with stronger laws, Gov. Phil Bryant assembled a task force to address the problem.

One organization that has begun to tackle the training issue is the Center for Violence Prevention in Pearl. “Looking back over the girls we’ve had over the past few years ‌ so many clients we have coming in as adults, I’m thinking, ‘Were they trafficked as children’?â€? an independent service agency worker, who was not identified by name, speculated in the report. “Just looking at the number of sexual partners they’ve had and the age they began sex, it’s really making me question that ‌ (and) it’s making me think, ‘Are we missing something?’ We’re definitely missing something as a community if not us specifically.â€?

‘Survival Sex’ Often, victims don’t understand that what they are doing is problematic, an attitude supported by a culture of sexualizing and exploiting children for profit. “The local girls and high-school students don’t feel that they’re doing anything wrong,� Tony Willridge of the Ridgeland Police Department told researchers. “So, trying to get them to understand that this is against the law, you get, ‘Everybody’s doing it’ and ‘I’m not hurting anybody.’� “Young girls are led to believe that stripping and escorting and even exotic dancing can be a glamorous lifestyle—(they’re told) how much money you can make off of this, it’s low risk and ‘you’re not going to be hurting anybody.’ That’s what leads them into the cycle,� said Rebekah Allen, the lead student researcher.

Many trafficked children, especially runaways and those without stable homes, perform “survival sex,� for food, a place to stay or a cell phone, not necessarily cash.

Exacerbating the problem is a nearcomplete absence of services for victims and no funding to put such services in place. “The lack of placement options (for DMST victims) facilitates the cycle of enslavement,�

a public defender told researchers. “The first two we had ‌ once I was able to break through and get the truth, they were like ‘help me get me out of this, I don’t want to do this anymore.’ They did not want to be prostituting. I was unable to find a place for them to go. They ended up going back home which ended up putting them back on the street. We repeated that cycle several times. They believed me less and less. They didn’t think I was being truthful. They lost hope of getting out of the cycle. I could not find a place for them to go that was safe.â€?

Allen added that she was surprised to see 90 cases in the research area. â€œâ€Ś What will happen when we are educated and everyone is on the same page and we have protocols for these kids?â€?

Sandy Middleton, executive director of the Center for Violence Prevention in Pearl, told researchers that child victims, who have often suffered extreme, complex trauma, require long-term assistance to achieve some semblance of normalcy. “The public has the attitude that they are a little bird in a cage. When you open the door they’re going to fly away and be happy, be a completely different person,� she said. “The reality is that is just not how it is.�

Are Schools Still Pushing Kids Out?

K

rystal Polk’s 13-year-old daughter, Krystin, has been arrested twice this school year. The first time, the eighth-grader spent the night in a juvenile detention center. “He said he was arresting her for her own good,� Polk said of the officer who she says picked up her daughter and drove her around for an hour before delivering her to the detention center. Because it was after office hours and she didn’t know her rights, Polk said she was unable to get her daughter released from the center.

This happened after Krystin ran away from her school, Magnolia School, in Horn Lake, Miss. Polk said her daughter was experiencing what her individual educational plan calls a meltdown. Running, hitting and biting are all behavioral issues associated with Krystin’s disability: autism.

She attends Magnolia School, a public institution designed to support students with social difficulties, to improve her behavior through therapy and conflict resolution.

Instead, Polk said, “They are punishing them or trying to correct (behavior) through

punishment, and I don’t think that is the correct way to do that.�

“They are punishing them or trying to correct (behavior) through punishment, and I don’t think that is the correct way to do that.�

Now, Krystin has not only missed weeks of school, but she has assault charges on her record. “She only does that when she is touched in the middle of a meltdown,� Polk said.

Pushing Kids Out When the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the University of California Los Angeles released its February 2015 report show-

ing that Mississippi schools suspend more students than most other states, it validated trends familiar to many Mississippians.

The study, called “Are We Closing the School Discipline Gap?,� ranked Mississippi No. 3 for its rate of elementary-school suspensions and No. 4 for its rate of secondary-school suspensions. It noted a decrease in suspension rates in many districts nationwide, but also found disparities in suspensions between white and black students as well as between disabled and non-disabled in the United States. “Everybody in the advocacy field pretty much is aware that there are higher rates of suspension related to young males of color than to other populations in the publicschool setting,� said Oleta Fitzgerald, director of the Children’s Defense Fund in Jackson.

Students with disabilities are suspended at a higher rate than any other population since, especially in Mississippi, they are not getting the services they need and are entitled to, Fitzgerald said.

Krystin’s story illustrates the tendency for schools to use punishment to drive stu-

dents, not just students with special needs but those educators deem disruptive, out of the classroom.

This trend, called “push out,� also can apply to students who are simply not performing well, according to the American Civil Liberty Union’s report on the schoolto-prison pipeline. “Schools may actually encourage dropouts in response to pressures from test-based accountability regimes such as the No Child Left Behind Act, which create incentives to push out low-performing students to boost overall test scores,� the ACLU writes.

A National Bureau of Economic Research 2005 study, “Testing, Crime and Punishment,� found that this trend can increase during testing times as teachers and administrators focus on keeping test averages high. “While schools always tend to assign harsher punishments to low-performing students than to high-performing students throughout the year, this gap grows PRUH 6863(16,21 VHH SDJH

March 11 - 17, 2015 • jfp.ms

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substantially during the testing window,” the report states.

Greenville, Suspended The 2015 UCLA report found that Greenville Public Schools in Greenville, Miss., had the second highest suspension rate of any

discretion wasn’t allowed. That was the initial point of “zero tolerance”: all situations were treated the same, regardless.

The End of ‘Zero Tolerance’?

Taylor arrived at Greenville School District in 2012. Since then, the school district has moved away from using zerotolerance policies. In fact, it is applying a whole host of new policies, programs and training, Taylor said.

As a result, the school district’s current COURTESY POLK FAMILY

A Target on her Back Fitzgerald attributes many of the suspension problems in American schools to zero-tolerance policies, which led to schools dishing out high penalties for minor offenses and could be used to justify “push-out.” The policies are, in many ways, still used in Mississippi, even if more subtly.

The term “zero tolerance” was first attached to school policy beginning just before 1990 and mandated expulsion for drugs, fighting and gang-related activity.

It became national policy in 1994 when President Bill Clinton signed the Gun-Free Schools Act in response to several school shootings across the nation.

Since then, “zero tolerance” has been applied to situations including fighting, swearing, disrupting class, disobedience, truancy and other forms of misbehavior.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in Jackson’s U.S. District Court in 2012, claiming that students in Meridian have been shuffled into a school-to-prison pipeline due to “zero tolerance” punishment for minor offenses. The department found that students had been sent to juvenile detention for offenses as minor as dress-code violations.

In each case, the harsh policies disproportionately affected African American and disabled students—who, studies show, are often punished more stringently for the same offenses by white kids. For some students, being sent to juvenile detention made them susceptible to harsh punishment for smaller infractions in the future.

Polk said her daughter’s record causes her to have a target on her back, and she says that educators and administrators punish Krystin more severely for minor offenses because of her history with police.

Because “zero tolerance” implies that everyone will be disciplined equally for the same misbehavior, students with special needs often are sent home for behaviors associated with their disability, zero-tolerance critics say.

“Are We Closing the Discipline Gap” urges schools to review their discipline policies to address these disparities and also advocates for greater teacher training. “[E]ducators have an opportunity for serious and successful reform in this area, and … they are legally and morally obligated to take action. Whether at the federal, state, district or school level, the time to act is now,” the report advises.

district in the nation, with a rate of 59 percent in the 2011-2012 school year, an increase of 6.3 percent over the 2009-2010 school year.

It is important to note that in the UCLA study, and in most cases where suspensions are calculated into proportions, the rate refers to the number of suspensions divided by the student body. So if a school has a 20-percent suspension rate, that means it gives 20 suspensions per 100 students, including repeat offenders. This does not necessarily mean that 20 percent of its students have been suspended.

Krystin Polk (front) has been sent to juvenile detention for behavior associated with her autism diagnosis. Her mother, Krystal (back), believes her daughter is not being disciplined correctly.

Fitzgerald said the Children’s Defense Fund did not find numbers this high in Greenville during their analysis regarding zero tolerance policies in 2013.

“This is very troubling,” she said.

But this could be because Greenville has changed its policies since 2011, as have many districts in the U.S., and that the UCLA report reflects older data that do not reflect the effects of revising the zero-tolerance approach.

Imagine a student in a busy hall at a Greenville high school. The student walking in front of him is carrying a backpack, which breaks and falls on top of him. In reaction, the student curses, a teacher overhears and sends him to the principal’s office.

“That child would get a five-day suspension back in 2011,” Greenville School District Superintendent Leeson Taylor said.

On the other side of the hallway wall, a student stands up from his desk and curses out his teacher, disrupting the entire class. He is also suspended for five days “because it’s for the ‘use of profanity’,” Taylor said, suggesting that the two circumstances deserve different penalties.

“We had to put in some case-by-case analysis to get some of those things out of the way.”

In the political fervor in the 1990s to institute harsher discipline, however, such

data show a decrease in school suspension by roughly 40 percent. “We’ve actually reduced our suspension rate down to around 18 to 19 percent,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he was surprised Greenville was ranked so high in the UCLA report and said it is not reflective of what’s really going on in his district now.

His goal is to change the attitudes of the teachers and the relationships with their children. Taylor said if educators are encouraged to use conflict resolution as opposed to banishing students from their classrooms, more children will be in schools learning.

And that’s the mindset Taylor he wants teachers to have. “If children are not at school, we can’t do our jobs,” Taylor said.

The policy changes include a model to analyze behavioral issues by each individual circumstance through a corrective, not punitive, disciplining system and limiting the number of days a child can be suspended.

Another Mississippi school district, Madison County, ranked fourth across the nation in the UCLA report for its suspension disparity between disabled and non-disabled students. In the 2011-2012 school year, the school suspended only 1.5 percent of its nondisabled students and 38.1 percent of its students with special needs.

Ellen Aregood, Madison County School District’s administrative assistant to the super-

intendent, did not return calls to the Jackson Free Press. It’s unclear if the school has taken measures since 2012 to help students with special needs correct their behavior without suspension.

Suspension Solutions One thing is clear to many education professionals, and that is, “suspension doesn’t solve the problem,” Taylor said.

But the fact that suspension is still so rampant in Mississippi and U.S. schools suggests some attitudes of teachers and administrators towards pushing disruptive students out of the classroom haven’t changed.

Taylor said Greenville reviewed its faculty and let educators go who were not willing to use conflict resolution and develop relationships with their students. Jackson School Board President Otha Burton said his district’s disciplinary procedures changed when current Superintendent Cedrick Gray came in 2012. This also included making changes in personnel, Burton said.

“It’s a question of training and options,” said Jed Oppenheim, who has been involved with youth advocacy in several organizations including the Southern Poverty Law Center and the ACLU. “If it’s easier to call a school resource officer or a school safety officer and that’s what you’re being told to do, then that’s what you’re going to do. But if you’ve been trained on positive interventions or conflict resolution, then hopefully that’s what you’d be doing. And really we should only be using suspension and expulsion for the most extreme situations.”

The National School Boards Association 2013 report, “Addressing the Out-Of-School Suspension Crisis: A Policy Guide for School Board Members,” found that out-of-school suspension is little more than an ineffective disciplining strategy.

“The number of students missing instructional time highlights an urgent need to significantly decrease, if not eliminate, the use of out-of-school suspensions. The practice has been shown through research to adversely impact student learning and undermine students’ growth in the classroom,” the policy guide states. “Out-of-school suspensions as a disciplinary practice are indicative of gaps in policy strategies that must be remedied to ensure students have access to the necessary student-centered services to succeed.”

Instead, the NSBA urges schools to use Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, which look at the different reasons as to why students behave the way they do.

“This way of viewing school discipline is built on a more positive, collaborative and holistic framework for understanding how students connect with their school community,” the report states.

The method is also designed to intervene before a situation escalates.

Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email Anna Wolfe at anna@jacksonfreepress.com.

March 11 - 17, 2015 • jfp.ms

6863(16,21

9

LEGISLATURE: Week 9

Kill Bill Vol. 3: Education, Entertainment, Elections

by Anna Wolfe

O

Future of Third Grade Teachers across Mississippi felt some sense of relief when the possibility of the third-grade reading gate being delayed arose in a legislative amendment weeks ago. Rep.

March 11 - 17, 2015 • jfp.ms

COURTESY ASHLEY DOUGLAS

10

Ashley Douglas, a third-grade teacher at Enterprise Attendance Center, is worried about her students because of a literacy test that will determine if they go on to fourth grade

Rita Martinson, R-Madison, designed House Bill 745 to exempt students with special needs—those with individualized education plans—from being held back in third grade if they didn’t pass the literacy test.

Rep. Lataisha Jackson, D-Como, introduced an amendment to provide a one-year

delay to the third-grade gate for all students so teachers could better prepare for their students for the test. The bill, along with the amendment, died in committee after being double referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees.

Teachers like Ashley Douglas, a thirdgrade teacher at Brookhaven’s Enterprise Attendance Center, worry about the implications the law has on their students’ success.

“I don’t think one test should determine a child’s future like that,” Douglas said, adding that there should be measures to provide intervention earlier on, before students ever get to third grade. “I don’t feel like it’s fair to third-grade teachers in a way.”

Shannon Eubanks, the Enterprise Attendance Center principal, points out that Florida’s third-grade gate, on which Mississippi’s is based, has exceptions that make the number of students who are actually held back very low. Mississippi did not include these exceptions, such as for special-needs students with IEPs, in its law.

“Number 2, we still haven’t funded it,” Eubanks added.

Florida has devoted $1 billion to its program. But, Mississippi is “not even a drop in the bucket,” Eubanks says of the $16 million the state spent on the program’s first year.

The test is also norm-referenced, which means that the students’ scores are compared to each other and that teachers don’t know what a passing score looks like.

Based on data the Mississippi Department of Education gathered in 2012 and 2013 from the state’s MCT2 test, 44 percent of Mississippi third graders performed at less than proficient. MDE estimates that roughly 20 percent of third-grade students will be held back as a result of the gate.

The Senate Education Committee also killed three other education bills that the House passed—the assistant teacher pay raise, greater funds for teacher supplies and $15 million for vocational education schools.

Dead on Arrival Rep. Bill Denny, R-Jackson, tried to amend the state’s election law to make it so Mississippi voters would not have to have “intent” to ultimately vote for a party’s candidate in order to first vote in that party’s primary as current law requires. But House Bill 1069 died after being referred to the Senate Judiciary A Committee.

Mississippians still cannot file a wrongful death suit for the death of a fetus—which would presumably affect the legality of abortion—thanks to the death of House Bill 1338, introduced by Rep. Chris Brown, RAberdeen.

Recording studios will not get incentives to strengthen the local music industry

this session. The Senate Finance Committee did not discuss House Bill 907, the Mississippi Entertainment Investment Act, effectively killing it on the March 3 deadline.

COURTESY MS LEGISLATURE

n the Feb. 3 bill deadline in the Mississippi Legislature, committee chairmen—like the katana-wielding Uma Thurman—swiftly killed several bills aimed at helping educate Mississippi children, creating a music industry in the state and clearing up election law.

With less than a month left in the session, lawmakers instead are honing in on legislation they really want, seemingly in order to benefit either their citizens or their chances during election season.

The deadline required committees to take action on general bills originating in the opposite chamber. If they didn’t act, the bill died. Both chambers’ tax-cut plans are up in the air and will be subjected to a March 17 deadline for legislators to discuss appropriation bills on the floor. Lawmakers do have a chance to revive some of the dead legislation by stuffing it into other appropriation bills.

Still, legislation that could have significant impacts on Mississippians is active, like bills to ban texting and driving, eliminate the vehicle inspection sticker and give vouchers to students with special needs.

Rep. Lataisha Jackson, D-Como, offered a measure to delay the thirdgrade reading gate one year for all students. However, the bill died in the Senate Education Committee.

The House struck down Senate Bill 2585, which would have placed people who have tuberculosis and do not take proper medication in county jails, on the floor 70-39.

“To bring forward legislation that would virtually create a laboratory for TB to be transmitted is unbelievable, said Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, who served as the House’s public heath chair for over 20 years.

“We are happy our Republican colleagues joined us in laying aside political party agendas and working toward a reasonable solution in defeating this legislation.”

Tweaked Bills Legislators tweaked the language of some bills, ridding them of their original intent. House Bill 1127, the Iran Divestment Act of 2015, which would bar the state from contracting with businesses that have ties to Iran, passed the Senate March 4. The chamber added exceptions to the law that would prohibit it from affecting businesses the state already invested in prior to the date the law is to be enacted.

This is essentially the same bill the Senate initially passed, then killed after Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, warned it could have negative consequences for Mississippi’s Toyota plant, which is on the list of Iran-affiliated businesses that North Carolina compiled after it passed a similar law.

Some lawmakers criticized legislation that deals with foreign policy, saying that the

state is working above its pay grade. Others suggest these bills illustrate an exaggerated fear of terrorism.

In an attempt to clarify the state’s intent, the Senate amended the bill to add: “The concerns of the State of Mississippi regarding Iran are strictly the result of the actions of the Government of Iran and should not be construed as enmity towards the Iranian people.”

Lawmakers also amended Senate Bill 2407, an open-meetings law designed to make public hospitals in Mississippi more transparent, in committee so that it would only apply to Jackson County’s hospital, Singing River.

The House Public Health Committee, chaired by Rep. Sam Mims, R-McComb, passed the bill March 3.

“When you see that legislation hit the floor, I think you’re going to see Republicans and Democrats in the position of probably having to defeat the amendment that came out of (Mims’) committee, and it turn, support legislation that opens up the hospitals so that everything is transparent and not just limiting it to that one hospital,” said Rep. Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto.

The Last Standing Parents of students with special needs would get a $6,000 scholarship to leave the public-school system under legislation passed out of the House Education Committee.

The Equal Opportunity for Students With Special Needs Act would ultimately cost the state nearly $410 million and take more than 125 years to serve all students with special needs in the state. The bill provides $3.25 million in the first year to serve approximately 500 students.

Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, plans to introduce an amendment to get rid of the voucher proposal and instead create the Office of Special Needs Counsel to help parents of students with special needs get the legal advice they need to compel school districts to provide services for their children.

Texting and driving may soon be illegal in Mississippi under legislation that made it out of committee by the deadline. Legislation is moving forward to eliminate the requirement for vehicle inspection stickers as well.

House Bill 412, which would allow the state to sell the building currently occupied by a landmark Jackson restaurant, Hal & Mal’s, passed through the Senate Public Property Committee. Malcolm White, director of the tourism division of the Mississippi Development Authority and the “Mal” who helped start Hal & Mal’s, said that the restaurant will consider buying the property if the Legislature approves the sale.

Comment www.jfp.ms.

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Concessions available.

11

FUNMI FRANKLIN A Woman Who Changed My Life

March 11 - 17, 2015 • jfp.ms

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efore college, I was fortunate enough to work with a program called JTPA. The program placed teenagers in real work situations for onthe-job training. I worked at the Justice Court. This was an experience that I will never forget, especially because I was able to sit in court and observe the different styles of the Justice Court judges.

I was also able to converse with the constables. They were the first indication I had that there were people in the suits that owned the guns and badges. Before that, the uniform was all I saw. Every face was the same.

I carry many I didn’t recognize it then, but there was a womwomen with an there who made an impact on my life that didn’t really affect me until years later, recently actually. me, proudly.

At the end of last year, I had a health scare that changed my life. I’m sorry to say that it took that to kick me into gear, mentally and professionally, but it’s reality. I’m thankful that it happened while I still have a chance to correct it. As I lay in bed, thinking about how I got to such a place at 40 years old, I started doing some heavy evaluating.

The torture I’d been doing to myself was facing me with great zeal and determination. I was unable to run from it, and finally I gave in.

So, I gave up Misty cigarettes. I also elected to limit my cocktail intake. I removed caffeine and fast foods and even committed to drinking more water.

Initially, my body was in shock. It was awesome.

I decided to de-stress my entire life. I found out that I sort of thrived on stressful situations, and I was sickened by that fact. Who does that?

Well, for someone who has a high desire to succeed, it becomes a part of the territory to be a magnet for high stress situations. That would be fine if it didn’t physically steal from my wellbeing.

I knew I needed to change my approach to my entire life, not just the health and wellness. I had to change my mentality about who I am; what I wanted to do; how I wanted to do it. I had to decide to be different, to accept newness. I literally had to say to me, “If you want this, YOU have to go get it.”

I worked at the Justice Court for two months and never saw Shirley Bass repeat an outfit. A coworker and I watched, intentionally, each day to see what she’d be wearing. She was my supervisor; however, after she made the assignment for the week, she barely spoke to us again. I found her to be stunningly beautiful. She was professional at all times. She did very little socializing with the staff. She was focused, but she was polite and very pleasant. She smiled often, so there was really no need to converse. She was highly impressive.

Thankfully, this reflection has created some much-needed adjustments to my life’s journey. Much like the ancestral mothers I of- She gave me the ten pull from to get me through, I’ve learned drive I needed to that I don’t have to travel far to find the in- accept the best fluence I need. Often, the feminine-owned power my energy seeks has passed through parts of me. my journey, in my own lifetime.

Even after all these years, with no thought of Ms. Shirley, I pulled from her energy. She became a sort of subliminal inspiration. I decided that I would channel her and begin to think bossy, classy and professional. I decided to own the feminine power that poured from her pores. A power that I didn’t even recognize seeped into my soul as a teenager. She gave me the drive I needed to accept the best parts of me, professionally.

You may not know what’s happening, while it’s happening, but women have a connection to each other. We are universally one. All we have to do is learn to draw from each other and honor the elements that are faithful enough to our journey to place us at the right place at the right time.

While I am setting the path for who I am to be during this next phase of my life, I smile in knowing that I have what I need. I carry many women with me, proudly. I am grateful for the smallest touch of their feminine greatness.

Maybe one day I’ll be some young woman’s Shirley Bass.

Funmi “Queen” Franklin is a word lover, poet and advocate for sisterhood. She has a weakness for reality shows and her puppy, Shaka.

Stop Meting Out Harmful School Discipline

E

ducation advocates, especially those focused on getting rid of disparities in public education for African American students, recognize the detrimental effects of suspension and expulsion. They know that losing class time hurts student performance, and can lead to “push-out” (see Anna Wolfe’s story, pages 7-9).

They even know that “punitive and reactive disciplinary measures heighten the incidence and severity of the behaviors they are designed to reduce,” as the National School Board Association’s policy guide puts it.

They also recognize the very real school-toprison pipeline, which prompted the U.S. Department of Justice to bring suit against the City of Meridian in 2012 for its schools’ tendency to send students to juvenile detention for minor offenses.

If administrators—like Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Cedrick Gray, who revamped the district’s discipline policy when he arrived in 2012—know that “suspension doesn’t solve the problem,” as Greenville Public Schools Superintendent Leeson Taylor told the Jackson Free Press, why does excessive punishment still occur?

Jed Oppenheim, a youth advocate in Jackson, said the difference comes through training and implementation.

The corporal-punishment conversation that swept the nation after NFL running back Adrian Peterson was accused of child abuse compelled people to further examine different methods of behavior modification for children.

The same analysis should be done as it relates to school discipline to ensure that the methods used are not hurting the students, or increasing the odds of them getting into more trouble while out on the streets, which makes communities less safe.

As an alternative to removing kids from schools, children’s advocates encourage schools to train teachers and administrators on different techniques of discipline that use conflict resolution and move away from banishing students from the classroom.

The University of California Los Angeles Civil Rights Project’s latest report, “Are We Closing the Discipline Gap?,” gives three recommendations to policymakers: analyze the data about discipline methods; give schools resources to provide training and professional development; and create a method of accountability.

During its research on the “great spanking debate,” the Jackson Free Press found overwhelming evidence to suggest that while spanking—a reactive, punitive form of discipline—can correct behavior in the short term, it does not have lasting, beneficial effects to a child’s development. It can have the opposite effect, in fact.

The same is true with school suspension.

Smart discipline empowers children to fix their mistakes, whereas physical punishment or removing them from school teaches them they are bad.

Students who are misbehaving need to be disciplined, not punished—and teachers and administrators should be trained on how to tell the difference.

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.

E RE N

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"TTPDJBUJPO PG "MUFSOBUJWF /FXTXFFLMJFT

R

ight off the top, forget grandiose ideas such as building a waterfront strip mall along the Pearl River and using Town Creek to flood behind Farish Street to install a marina. And forget about making Farish an entertainment district like Beale in Memphis or Bourbon in New Orleans. Stop trying to make Jackson into what it is not.

The boom downtown, such as it is, is paradoxically not a commercial boom. It is residential. The Lamar Life and the King Edward have largely become apartments and condominiums. So has the Electric Building. Developers are also converting the old Federal Building and the Edison Walthall Hotel into residential spaces.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paradoxical because a casual stroll down Capitol Street shows that commercial property vacancies are at an all-time high.

Buildings stand empty.

Instead of business signs, for-lease signs grace the entrances. Where people moving downtown work is a mystery since Jackson lost its businesses to Madison, but they must be somewhere.

This is a good thing.

There is life downtown after all. But if it is to be a residential center, downtown will need a couple of things.

A school, for one. To encourage couples with children to move downtown, a nearby school is essential. This is best accomplished with a campus that accommodates all grades from kindergarten through senior year of high school. Sure, that means that kids from well-heeled downtown condo owners and less-fortunate kids living in shotgun shacks will be going to the same school. But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good thing, both for the rich and the poor, and for society overall.

A grocery store is essential. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s McDadeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at Fortification and Jefferson, but the new downtown needs a much bigger grocer with greater variety. There are enough restaurants downtown to keep a grocery in business when combined with residential commerce. The fine-dining places will be grateful to have one. In fact, move the old farmers market on Woodrow Wilson into newly built stalls and entice a first-class grocery with the argument that their business will increase with traffic coming in.

You know that big, empty property on Pascagoula Street down by the train tracks?

Put it there. Better yet, use that area for the school campus and move the farmers market into the atrium of the Landmark Center.

Now, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s move people around, get

them from one place to another. The casual Capitol Street stroller will notice the construction of the two-way lanes with roundabouts. Presently, the west end of Capitol has the roundabouts installed, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one roundabout further east by the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mansion. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s limit the roundabouts to those and just resurface the rest of Capitol. The slower traffic moving through the roundabouts gets to see the building fronts right through their windshields.

Luckily, that stretch of Capitol is full of charming three- and four-story buildings perfect for window shopping from your car.

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have plenty of time to look without an accident while waiting to yield.

On the subject of the Capitol Street project, one of the streets running perpendicular on Capitol needs to be made twoway to allow better access to the new twoway Capitol.

Otherwise, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to circle around Amite and Pearl in tinier circles until we get where weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going.

Parking has always been a problem downtown.

The Capitol Street project will not make it any better.

We need more spacious and convenient areas to park without having to walk 20 blocks to get there.

Jackson once had electric street cars. You can still see some of the old rails here and there, like ancient roots that appear above the ground. Alas, digging them up now is out of the question. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to use gas-powered trolley cars. Make them air conditioned for the summer heat.

Grandiose plans have stymied Farish Street progress, even though it is a designated resort area. Take a big truck up to the Delta and buy out a couple of blues joints. Move the entire contents to a few places on Farish to get it going. Then, establish another resort area on Commerce Street from Hal and Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all the way south. Those old buildings would make lovely restaurants and bars and music venues, even without a grand Capitol Green. No need to worry about drunk drivers crossing from Commerce to Farish. Put them on the trolleys.

There. Now we have a first-class residential area downtown. Will commercial revitalization be far behind? No. And neither will the tax base to pay for it all.

William Spell Jr. is a native Jacksonian and retired lawyer who lives in Belhaven. His current avocation is photography, especially taking pictures of downtown Jackson. You can see his work at WilliamSpellJr.com.

Forget grandiose ideas like waterfront strip malls and marinas.

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What to Do About Downtown

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WILLIAM SPELL JR.

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Sufficient Ammunition?

On Feb. 5, a dangerously icy day that

The Jackson Free Press sent a copy of the Rafetelis report to Siemens, but the company did not respond to comment on the reportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s findings as of press time.

and Johnson Controls (no relation to the former mayor), that worked pretty well for us,â&#x20AC;?

Johnson said in an interview.

The current contract calls for swap-

Former Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. signed the Siemens performance contract in 2012. Johnson says he wanted to hire a project manager to represent the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interests and oversee implementation, but he lost the 2013 Democratic primary, and the city never hired a project manager.

A Look Back Armed with hard data, Stamps said he wants a thorough review of the entirety of the Siemens contract, starting with the initial contract negotiations between Siemens and the city through today.

The Siemens contract is also the largest and perhaps most complicated construction contract the city has ever signed. Former Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr., who executed the contract, said negotiations began some time in 2012 and possibly even earlier. The city solicited bids and received two or three bids, including one from Siemens. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The city had a number of performance contracts before this, including with Siemens

ping out water meters and installing new, ostensibly more accurate meters. The water-meter upgrade, including a computer systems overhaul, made up the bulk of the contract, approximately $65 million in total, roughly $1,000 for meters and computer upgrades given the 64,998 meters being installed. (As of today, about 50 percent of this upgrade is complete.)

The rest, $26 million, was designated toward updating water and sewer treatment facilities, water mains and sewer lines. The advantage was that it would help subsidize another sword of Damocles hanging over PRUH :$7(5 VHH SDJH

March 11 - 17, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

kept many local businesses closed, Raftelis Financial Consultants presented the findings of its report to the city council in a six-hour closed-door executive session.

Those findings concluded that the majority of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;guaranteed savingsâ&#x20AC;? that Siemens maintains would be realized during the contract term are not truly guaranteed.

Of the $123 million in promised â&#x20AC;&#x153;savingsâ&#x20AC;? over the 15-year lifespan of the contract, Raftelis says Siemens only really guarantees $40 millionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;on average about $2.67 million per year. To make up the rest of the money, the city would have to make deep staffing cuts, including firing its meter readers, which might not be possible or in the in the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best interests, the consultants said.

(Raftelis also points out that, under the contract, the city wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t literally save money compared to pre-Siemens contract days, but rather was promised to benefit from a combination of cost cuts and increased revenues.) â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even with automated readers, there might be some meter reading (needed),â&#x20AC;? said Peiffer Brandt, Raftelisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; chief-operating officer, during his presentation, which included an audit of the city water department, to the city council last week.

Whether the Raftelis report is sufficient ammunition to recoup some of the ground Jackson has lost remains to be seen. Ward 6 Councilman Tyrone Hendrix said the report confirmed some of the suspicions he and fellow council members have long held. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m just happy we have actual information and data that speak to the water infrastructure challenges in the city,â&#x20AC;? Hendrix told the Jackson Free Press.

Siemens, through an emailed statement, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;[A]s we have not seen the Raftelis report, we are unable to comment.

Siemens values its relationship with Jackson and is working with the city to ensure that project goals are met.â&#x20AC;?

KENYA HUDSON/FILE PHOTO

I

tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s almost impossible to turn on the nightly local television news without coming across a story of a Jackson resident who was shocked to open an astronomically high City of Jackson water bill after receiving a new meter.

Complaints abound about Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Water and Sewer Business Administration, which often involves busy signals, long hold times and multiple callbacks before actually getting a less-than-satisfying answer from a customer-service representative.

The water meter upgrade project, under way now for two years, was the single largest expense in a $91 million contract inked with Siemens Industry Inc., a division of European multinational conglomerate Siemens AG, in fall 2012.

On Friday, Feb. 13, city officials halted all new meter installations when a Department of Public Works employee found a water meter calibrated to read gallons instead of cubic feet, which could make a water bill more than six times larger than it should be. Some want to terminate the contract outright, most noisily Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes, who recently rejoined the council after serving on the board of supervisors for three years.

But for the time being, cooler heads are prevailing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe the Siemens contract wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the best contract ever. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve expressed my concerns over it in the past, but right now weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re inside that contract, and we need to respond,â&#x20AC;? Jackson City Council President Deâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Keither Stamps told reporters at a March 6 press conference.

Stamps called the press conference in part to respond to a consultantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s review of the Siemens contract. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pretty.

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In one of her first actions as Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public-works director, Kishia Powell requested a review of the water department and the performance guarantee of the Siemens contract. That review concluded that only a portion of the savings, about $40 million, are truly guaranteed, while the city would have to make dramatic cuts to realize another $80 million in savings.

around all day reading meters and cutting peoplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; water off and on, saving on wages, fuel and vehicle maintenance.

Plus, it removes the temptation for an underpaid water-department worker to forget to disconnect a delinquent customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water in exchange for a $20 bill. Under the agreement, the city would even save $240,000 per year on the cost of replacement water-meter lids and new meters.

Improving Efficiency?

Technically speaking, the agreement is designed to be a â&#x20AC;&#x153;performance contract,â&#x20AC;? a tool that came into vogue in the 1990s and 2000s as a way for government agencies to improve energy efficiency with no upfront capital costs. The energy-service companyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Siemens, in this caseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;builds the system and, once itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s complete, takes a cut of the savings off the back end.

If performance contracts sound too good to be true, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because they sometimes are. In 2005, the U.S. Government Accountability Office looked at performance contracting by federal agencies and uncovered two problems.

First, agency officials rarely have the technical expertise to negotiate the agreements and monitor over the long term.

Secondly, so few firms specialize in performance contracting that the lack of

ment contracts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The whole way these deals are structured, the industry just knows so much more than we do, and the public (sector) is so desperate, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do the due diligence,â&#x20AC;? Dannin said.

Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contract with Siemens also works differently than a typical performance contract. Instead of the contractor footing the bill for the upfront costs, the Siemens-Jackson deal required the City of Jackson to raise the bonds, then immediately start a 30-month payment schedule; to date, Jackson has paid out just over $70 million, nearly 80 percent of the contractâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total value.

Indeed, Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water-meter upgrade appears to be considerably more expensive than many recent urban upgrades.

By comparison, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission commenced replacing 175,000 water meters in June 2010.

Like Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contract, San Franciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meters use radio signals to transmit information back to the billing systems. The overhaul cost $50 million, funded through a 91-cent monthly fee on ratepayers bills.

On average, San Franciscans paid $285.71 per new meter.

In 2011, Baltimore started upgrading water meters in Baltimore city and county. Two years later, officials there

awarded an $83.5 million contract to a company from Washington state to replace 400,000 meters in the Baltimore metro. The Baltimore Sun reported that the winning bid was $101 million lower than the next lowest bid from a local firm. Later, Baltimore spent $9.7 million more for project management and another $8.4 million to a Belgian information-technology company to upgrade the water billing system. The ballooning cost drew criticism, but still the $208 per meter pales compared to the price tag for Jackson.

Johnson describes the Siemens project as a different kind of performance contract that required a different kind of financing structure because of the sheer scale and scope of the undertaking. Siemens presented the city with a package deal and Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s negotiating team, which consisted of city attorneys, didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have much say when it came to details like the price of the meters. And, Johnson notes, the Mississippi Development Authority gave the deal a green light before he signed the contract.

When asked if implementation of the meters would have gone differently had he been successful in his 2013 re-election (he came in third place behind businessman Jonathan Lee and then-Councilman Chokwe Lumumba), Johnson demurs.

Rather, he offers that because of his failed bid, the city never got around to hiring a project manager to make sure the Siemens contract went smoothly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The inference is that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Johnson got us in this mess,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; but the fact of the matter (is) if I had been re-elected, I would have hired a program manager. I was being pushed, but (people) were saying I was moving slow. I was getting flack for making sure the interests of the city were represented,â&#x20AC;? Johnson said this week.

The Road Ahead Mayor Yarber said the city is now reviewing Siemensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 11-point corrective action plan that followed the gallon-vs.-cubic-foot meter debacle.

The stop-work order remains in effect while the city sorts out what went wrong, how to fix it and, possibly, how to get reimbursed for the mistakes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some people will assume that we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any leverage in this case because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve spent $70 million,â&#x20AC;? Mayor PRUH :$7(5 VHH SDJH

Garrett ECI.IV This program-management consulting firm oversees quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) for the water meter installation project. It is the successor to Garrett Enterprises Consolidated Inc., founded by prominent Jackson businessman and power broker Socrates Garrett. Garrett and firms linked to his companies hold a number of local and state government construction contracts. Garrett says he has retired and turned the companies over to his daughters, Talecia and Tameka, who are the president and community-outreach coordinator, respectively for Garrett ECI.IV. Mitch King is the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Siemens project manager. iVision IT Consultants The firm, which James Covington owns, is a subcontractor responsible for the customer care and billing system of the water contract. Covingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s firm is working with Atlanta-based Origin Consulting, also a sub-contractor under Siemens, which is working on the integration and implementation of the Oracle system. Covington is the Democratic candidate for the Mississippi House District 65.

Brilliant Minds Public Relations Geilia Taylorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s company produces marketing and promotional materials related to the water-meter installation project.

M.A.C. Consulting LLC Jackson-based MAC is one of the subcontractors installing the water meters. The other is Pedal Valves Inc., headquartered in Luling, La. M.A.C. is owned by Marcus Wallace, who recently won election to become mayor of Edwards, Miss. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; R.L. Nave

March 11 - 17, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

competition can actually drive costs up, the GAO found. In Mississippi, Siemens is one of four qualified performancecontracting firms.

Ellen Dannin, a former law professor who has written extensively on privatization issues, echoes the GAOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finding that government entities often are no match for huge corporations looking to win govern-

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the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s treasury: the federal court order (known as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;EPA consent decreeâ&#x20AC;? in local political circles) requiring Jackson to literally get its crap together by upgrading the sewers to where the facilities would stop dumping raw sewage into the Pearl River.

Overhauling the water-billing system would mean, theoretically, cutting out the need for public-works crews to drive

Siemens Industry Inc. A U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, Siemens Industry Inc. calls itself â&#x20AC;&#x153;a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry, energy, health care, and infrastructure and cities.â&#x20AC;?

Founded in 1847, Siemens has headquarters in Berlin and Munich, but the company operates in 190 countries.

In fiscal-year 2013, Siemens had profits of $4.6 billion on revenues of $82.1 billion.

In its literature, Siemens says its energy performance contracts â&#x20AC;&#x153;finance themselves.â&#x20AC;?

According to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website: â&#x20AC;&#x153;With this approach, modernization work can be carried out without the need for customer capital expenditure or an immediate cash-out, because the investment costs are covered by the energy savings. Customers later benefit 100 percent from the reduction in their buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operating costs, and the modernization work on their property can boost its value too.â&#x20AC;?

17

August 2011 Moodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Investorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Services downgrades the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water and sewer debt, citing in part Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s failure to raise water rates to meet its debt coverage. Under the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bond covenants, Jackson has to maintain a 120-percent debt-ratio coverage, meaning it must collect 20 percent over and above expenses specifically to pay interest on its bonds.

Failure to meet with debt-coverage ratio requirements could result in default, making it more difficult (and more expensive) to borrow for future infrastructure needs.

Nov. 21, 2012 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) cite Jackson for violating the Clean Water Act. Between 2010 and 2012 alone, Jackson dumped 2.8 billion gallons of barely treated sewage into the Pearl, the EPA found. The EPA consent decree also charges Jackson for unauthorized bypasses of treatment at the Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment Plant, the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest wastewater treatment facility. Under the terms of the Siemens contract, $26 million is earmarked for consent-decree compliance, including upgrades to the wastewater plants.

May 1, 2012 The Jackson City Council votes 5 to 2 to let Siemens audit the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water system and evaluate the need for a new electronic water-meter system. Voting in favor of the performance audit were council members Quentin WhitJackson City Council President Deâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Keither Stamps wants a full review of the Siemens well, Chokwe Lumumba, contract. The council is deliberating on whether to retain Raftelis Financial Consultants, Frank Bluntson, Tony Yarber which completed a water-department audit. and Margaret Barrett-Simon.

The dissenting votes came brand, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re sure that Siemens wants to offices and many businesses. Jackson public- from LaRita Cooper-Stokes and Charles protect theirs.â&#x20AC;? works crews, along with teams on loan from Tillman.

Even with the Raftelis report in hand, neighboring municipalities, repaired breaks city officials say they soon plan to sort out a around the clock, tearing up portions of road. October 2012 lot of remaining questions. The Jackson Free Eventually, Gov. Haley Barbour declares a The city council approves a contract Press is also working on finding that out. Us- state of emergency as nearly all Jacksonians with Siemens, and the Johnson administraing the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public-records laws, the Jack- are without water; the emergency (and, per- tion immediately touts what was for a moson Free Press expects to obtain documents haps, lack of water at the Capitol building) is ment called the Jackson Utility Management that will shed light on the process. We will credited with helping state legislators recog- Program, or JUMP. The acronym was quickpublish that information when it becomes nized Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infrastructure woes. ly abandoned. available in the coming days and weeks and in Part II of this report.

In the meantime, hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a look back at how the deal has gone down.

Spring and Summer 2013 After the Jackson municipal elections, Johnson finishes in third place, behind businessman Jonathan Lee and then-Councilman Chokwe Lumumba.

On July 1, after a run-off victory, Lumumba is sworn in as mayor.

Jan. 10, 2010 After a hard freeze, water mains across Jackson begin to burst. Four days later, the city has more than 150 breaks in its water system. Jackson Public Schools and area colleges are closed most of the week, along with state

IMANI KHAYYAM

Yarber told reporters March 4 in his office. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are Siemensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; largest contract. There is no other $90 million contract except for the one thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Jackson, Mississippi. There are two brands at stake here, Siemensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; brand and the City of Jackson. We will protect our

March 11 - 17, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

3IEMENS #ONTRACT AT A 'LANCE

18

Feb. 17, 2009 President Barack Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides $3.2 billion in block grants to manage energy-efficiency and conservation projects, including energy-performance contracting.

Materials from the Mississippi Development Authority promote energy performance contracts as â&#x20AC;&#x153;a method of making the energy upgrades you need nowâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with no up-front capitalâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;and paying for them later through the energy savings that result from the retrofit of the facility. Those savings can be guaranteed by the Energy Service Company.â&#x20AC;?

MDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s list of approved energy-service companies includes Siemens, along with Cleveland, Ohio-based Amersco Inc., Indianapolis-based ESG Laboratories, Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls and Schneider Electric, a European conglomerate headquartered in France.

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July 22, 2013 Chris McNeil, a Siemens account representative, appears before the Jackson City Council for a presentation to precede the issuing of a notice to proceed. Mayor Chokwe Lumumba indicates that the bonds for the $90 million project have been sold, that the money is in the bank and that city would have to start paying interest on the loan by the end of the year.

During a line of questioning about hiring goals, McNeil, a former Mississippi State football player, says Siemens is on target to meet its goal for participation in the subcontracting by Jackson residents and African American business enterprises.

McNeil stresses that all subcontractors would be required to meet the same hiring benchmarks once the firm received a letter to proceed from the city. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I give you my word. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had my word for three years now. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve delivered on everything I said I was going to do,â&#x20AC;? said McNeil, who did not respond to interview requests for this story.

Later, he added that if Siemens failed to comply with the minority-contracting plan, it would cost the company a $9 million penalty, 10 percent of the overall contract.

McNeil says that â&#x20AC;&#x153;without a doubtâ&#x20AC;? the city would start to see savings immediately upon starting work. Then-Public Works Director Dan Gaillet said the city had planned to start work in December 2012 and therefore anticipated $3 million in savings in the publicworks budget.

Ward 1 Councilman Quentin Whitwell and Ward 3 Councilwoman LaRita Cooper-Stokes are not in attendance. Mayor PRUH :$7(5 VHH SDJH

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August 2013 On his public LinkedIn profile, Chris McNeil lists himself no longer as an employee of Siemens, but now is president of the firm McNeil Rhoads. The firm’s chief executive officer is Dusty Rhoads, a member of the Flowood City Council and the son of Flowood Mayor and Levee Board Chairman Gary Rhoads.

Fall 2013 In the first and only budget Mayor Chokwe Lumumba drafts, he asks for increases in the city’s water and sewer rates.

Estimates are that the average monthly water bill would increase from $15.54 to around $21, and the average sewer bill would increase from $14.50 to more than $31, resulting in $30 million more in revenue. Yarber would later say he thought the move would have hurt Lumumba politically.

Dec. 10, 2013 Siemens, along with representatives of the City of Jackson and Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, including then-Mayor Chokwe Lumumba and Chamber President Duane O’Neill and then-Chamber Chairman Socrates Garrett, host a ribbon cutting of the new Siemens office at 1919 Lakeland Drive.

June 22, 2014 Following the death of Mayor Lumumba on Feb. 25, then-Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber wins a special election and is sworn in as mayor.

March 11 - 17, 2015 • jfp.ms

July 2014 The city council confirms Kishia Powell, formerly the head of the Bureau of Water and Wastewater in Baltimore, Md. Powell becomes the first woman to serve Jackson as public works director and the highest-paid employee in the city earning $150,000 per year—$30,000 more than the mayor.

20

September 2014 Mayor Tony Yarber and Public Works Director Kishia Powell present the city council with a proposal to contract with Charlotte, N.C.-based Raftelis Financial Consultants Inc. for $200,000.

Under the contract, Raftelis would perform a water and sewer rate-sufficiency study, assist with the development of the one-percent sales tax master plan and review the performance guarantee contract the city signed with Siemens because, Powell says, no one at the city really understood that part of the contract.

The Yarber administration explains

that the city fell $12 million short of the roughly $80 million in water revenue projected for the fiscal year 2014, again jeopardizing the city’s bond covenants.

That shortfall could result in another negative bond rating that could raise the city’s interest rate for future borrowing.

Nov. 24, 2014 Mayor Yarber holds a press conference to confront rumors that he is a target in federal-level investigation related to his involvement with the passing of the Siemens con-

Press on March 9, 2015, that while he could not recall all the details of the negotiations, the city’s evaluation determined it to be a good deal).

At the December meeting, Mark Inbody, a Siemens representative, cannot answer questions of how the reduced scope didn’t also result in reduced overall costs because he was not involved in those negotiations. Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon, who voted in favor of the contract, calls that revelation “alarming.”

TRIP BURNS/FILE PHOTO

Lumumba says water rates would undoubtedly increase and that the City should develop a plan to mitigate the effects of that rate hike for vulnerable people.

Chris McNeil (left), a former Siemens account executive, was the company’s public face to the city of Jackson. McNeil left Siemens in August 2013, when he became president of Flowood-based energy-services firm McNeil Rhoads.

tract when he sat on the city council.

Several news outlets, including the Jackson Free Press, had received a tip the previous Friday that law-enforcement officials were gathered at City Hall to arrest Yarber, who at the time was at an out-of-town conference with several members of the Jackson City Council.

During the press conference, Yarber denies that federal officials had questioned him and attributed the false rumors of his arrest to a “small group of insignificants” looking to delegitimize his administration.

Nov. 25, 2014 As expected, Moody’s Investors Service again downgrades Jackson’s water and sewer revenue bonds from A1 to A2 with a negative outlook. Moody’s cites inadequate debtservice coverage, declining unrestricted cash, limited rate-raising history, undeveloped financial plans and a hefty consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that could require more borrowing.

December 2014 Council members learn for the first time that the scope of work under the Siemens contract shrank between the time the city council authorized Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. to execute it and the time it was actually signed. (Johnson told the Jackson Free

December 2014 During a local radio program, Yarber says he regrets voting in favor of the Siemens contract. Later, he tells the Jackson Free Press that his administration has misgivings about the Siemens contract. “I won’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 we’ve done $90 million, which has primarily gone towards equipment and not into infrastructure.

It’s a water-line improvement project, but we haven’t replaced a water line,” Yarber tells the JFP, adding that instead of looking to wiggle out of the contract, he wants to figure out a way to get as much bang for the city’s buck as possible.

Jan. 20, 2015 After an hour-long discussion, the city council tables a contract with Brookfield, Wis.-based Fiserv Solution Inc. to facilitate online customer billing and payments for water, sewer and garbage.

Jerriot Smash, a public-works deputy director who serves as the city’s in-house Siemens project director, explains that the online payment service is separate from the customer care and billing (CC&B) software included in the Siemens contract. The cost of the Fiserv contract would be $3.15

per transaction, a reduction from $3.50 per transaction charged by Paymentus, the existing vendor that enables city residents to pay their water bill online.

“Since the water project is a key driver, we really don’t have the option of being able to wait,” Smash tells the council members. Ward 2 Councilman Melvin Priester Jr. presses public-works officials on why the agency initiated a professional services contract instead of going through a competitive bid process.

“I feel like everything we’ve done related to the water contract has been ‘If you don’t vote for this now we will be completely destroyed in terms of meeting our action deadlines,” Priester says.

Seven days later, the council unanimously approves the Fiserv contract.

Feb. 13, 2015 Powell, in her first press conference as public works director, tells reporters that she has issued a stop-work order upon the discovery that several residents received water meters calibrated to read in gallons instead of cubic feet.

Because there are approximately 7.5 gallons to one cubic foot, a reading of a gallon meter can result in a water bill that Powell says is 648 percent higher than it should be. Powell says Siemens will be required to inspect each of the 31,000 meters that have been installed thus far and submit a corrective action plan.

Feb. 26, 2015 The Jackson Free Press submits a public-records request for “any and all materials related to the Performance Contracting Agreement with Siemens Industry Inc. Building Technologies Division,” including information on requests for qualifications and proposals, financial analyses, water-department budgets and invoices from Siemens. A clerk stamps the request form with a March 9 due date, but city legal is still reviewing the documents as this issue goes to press on March 10.

March 2015 Raftelis briefs the city council on its report, including a review of the Siemens performance guarantee. After a closed-door executive session that lasts more than six hours, members of the city council make few comments about the substance of the report, but hint strongly at revelations of corruption in a city department.

The council votes unanimously to launch an investigation, and Councilman Stamps says he wants to review the entirety of the Siemens contract.

See a full archive of JFP coverage of Jackson’s water challenges and the Siemens contract at jfp.ms/water. Email R.L. Nave at rlnave@ jacksonfreepress.com.

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Beginner’s Guide to

U

Surviving a New House

ntil last December, I managed to escape the brunt of adulthood’s challenges. That all changed when my sister, Emily, and I moved into a small house in Pearl.

I’ll be the first person to admit that it’s not the greatest house in the world. It has some obvious water damage. When we moved in, we had to replace the back door because the bottom was warped. One burner of the stove doesn’t work, and the oven looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in months, if not years.

But, with a little elbow grease and some cash, Emily and I have managed to turn the house into a nice place to live, at least temporarily. I don’t know all there is to know about house maintenance, but I can share a few tips and tricks that helped me when I moved in.

you pay for. With our incomes, we couldn’t afford an expensive house, so we got what we could. Over the last few months, I’ve cleaned the oven (see below on how to do that), we put rugs over the concrete floors, replaced cabinet linings and began using the other stove burners, which

4

work just fine. I don’t have the money or the time to fix water damage or the knowledge to repair the stove, but as long as I keep up with what I can, the house is a nice little place to live.

2

3

If you have any tips for living in a new house, share them with JFP readers at jfp.ms.

Fix what you can, and let go of what you can’t.

When you rent—or buy—a new house, you get what

FLICKR/PRETTYINPRINT

Get lots of organizational tools. Even if it’s obvious, it needs to be said. It helped me out a great deal to have a small hanging shelf organizer to put my shoes in, and a shelf on top of my closet to store my books and movies. I have little metal hooks on the wall behind the stove so I can hang my cooking utensils, and I maximized kitchen space by keeping many of my baking tools and equipment in a baker’s rack my mom gave us. I also keep many of my baking goods, such as flour and sugar, in Mason jars.

Organizational tools can help you maximize the space in a small house, especially in the kitchen.

Always measure. From buying a couch to hanging shelves and artwork, it’s a common mistake for new

TOMMY BURTON

Cleaning Records With Wood Glue 1

S

March 11 - 17, 2015 • jfp.ms

homeowners to rely on guesswork. That often leads to ill-fitting furniture and less than sturdy storage for books and photos. Using a tape measure and a level can save time and money.

Don’t use a dirty oven. I know from experience that an oven caked in grease, soot and grime is dangerous. In general, I’m not a huge fan of using chemical-laden, heavy-duty cleaning products because they make me sneeze and are bad for the environment, but I make a few exceptions, oven cleaners among them (of course, I am open to trying a more natural method). I recommend buying self-cleaning oven cleaners because they work on both selfcleaning and regular ovens.

Don kitchen gloves and cover every single heating coil with newspaper or aluminum foil (for regular ovens only) before spraying the cleaner. Once that’s done, hold the can upright and spray each surface individually, keeping the can a few inches away from the oven. Close the oven door, put a towel on the floor to catch any residue, and let the cleaner work overnight. The next day, take the newspaper off and wipe down the oven with a damp rag.

When you’re done, sweep up any residue. One tip I’ve found helpful is to make sure, through this entire process, to wear clothes you don’t mind getting greasy.

1

22

by Amber Helsel

o, you dig your parents’ old vinyl LPs out of the attic, and you’re ready to give them a spin on the new turntable you got for Christmas. You put the record on and notice a lot of pops and skips. Some argue that those imperfections are part of the charm of old records, and that’s fine. The rest of us want to give them a good, deep cleaning.

I was skeptical of this method, but I gave it a try—and a few of my prized records went from unlistenable to playable. It involves using wood glue. Now, before you go pouring wood glue all over that valuable The Doors record, try it out on some lesser LPs that don’t have any special meaning. It’s best to take a couple of trial runs to work out the kinks.

2

What You Need • Titebond II Premium Wood Glue.

This is really important. This particular brand bonds with the vinyl in a way other brands don’t.

People have tried other brands with less effective results. Titebond II is available at most hardware and home improvement stores. I use the 16-ounce size.

• An old plastic card. Now, you have a use for that 1997 punch card from Camelot Music. You’ll need a card to spread the glue on the vinyl evenly. Some people use a cake icing spatula.

• An old turntable or lazy Susan. You don’t have to have this, but it helps in evenly distributing the wood glue.

by Tommy Burton

3

Directions Place the dirty LP on the old turntable or lazy Susan.

1. Spin the LP and pour the glue on the vinyl from the inside out. Use enough to eventually cover the entire surface 2. Use the plastic card to spread the glue evenly.

3. Place the LP flat on a hard surface (glueside up), and wait until the glue is completely dry. (Usually takes three to six hours, but it varies.)

4. Once the glue is dry, peel it off the LP like a thick skin coating. Wipe away any excess glue remnants and dust with a soft cloth (I use microfiber cloths).

Play the LP and notice the difference.

4

A Few Notes This method does not fix scratches or groove damage. If your LP has lots of scratches, nothing will replace the missing vinyl. If it’s dust and dirt, though, the glue seeps deep into the grooves and attaches to whatever is hiding there. Theoretically, when you pull up the glue, the dirt comes with it. Some LPs are so filthy that multiple cleanings are necessary.

You’ll find lots of cleaning products on the market for vinyl maintenance (I use Groovy Cleaner) to simply spray and gently wipe the record. But for those thrift store LPs that have been collecting dirt for years, the wood-glue method is excellent.

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March 11 - 17, 2015 • jfp.ms

Get Your Weekends Back!

Teresa Miller, Owner • 601.927.5286 • ocdcs11@gmail.com 23

THURSDAY 3/12

SATURDAY 3/14

TUESDAY 3/17

Forestry Day is at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum.

Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music is at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church.x

Author Kim Cross signs “What Stands in a Storm” at Lemuria Books.

BEST BETS MARCH. 11 - 18, 2015

History Is Lunch is noon-1 p.m. at the Old Capitol Museum (100 S. State St.). Author and political analyst Jere Nash presents “End of Construction: 1875 and the Most Infamous Campaign in Mississippi History.” Free; call 601-576-6998; mdah.state.ms.us.

Jackson natives The Jag return for the Fondren’s First Thursday concert at Duling Hall Thursday, March 12.

COURTESY ARDENLAND

WEDNESDAY 3/11

THURSDAY 3/12

COURTESY SHEARER PR

The Lucky Leprechaun Run is 6 p.m. at Fleet Feet Sports (Trace Station, 500 Highway 51 N., Suite Z, Ridgeland). Participants of all fitness levels run or walk three to six miles. Southern Beverage provides drinks after the race.

Free; call 601-899-9696; fleetfeetjackson.com. … Fondren’s First Thursday Concert is 7 p.m. at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). Performers include Chrome Pony, Light Beam Rider, The Jag and Gunther Doug. $5; call 601-292-7999; email arden@ardenland.net; ardenland.net.

Theatre (1000 Monroe St.). The play is a satire of the Peanuts comic strip and is part of the Unframed Series.

Additional performances March 14 and March 15. For mature audiences. $7 cash or check at door; call 601-9483533, ext. 222; newstagetheatre.com.

SATURDAY 3/14

Mike Epps: The Real Deal Tour is 7:30 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.).

Epps is a stand-up comedian and actor. Bruce Bruce and Gary Owen also perform. $42.5-$74; call 800-745-3000. … The Blender 6 concert is 8 p.m. at Offbeat (151 Wesley

BY MICAH SMITH Ave.). Performers at the multigenre concert series include JACKSONFREEPRESS.COM Passing Parade, Tim Lee 3, the Jackals, DJ Brik-a-Brak and FAX: 601-510-9019 Tyler Keith. Beer and non-alDAILY UPDATES AT coholic beverages sold. $5; call JFPEVENTS.COM 601-376-9404.

March 11 - 18, 2015 • jfp.ms

EVENTS@

24

Comedian Mike Epps brings “The Real Deal Tour” to the Jackson Convention Complex Saturday, March 14.

FRIDAY 3/13

The Friday the 13th Show is 7 p.m. at Doc 36 Skatepark (931 Highway 80 W., Suite 600). This night of hardcore acts includes Classhole, Point Blank, Inrage, Criminal Slang and Mailbomber. $7; call 601-672-0771; find the event on Facebook. … “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” is 7:30 p.m. at Warehouse

SUNDAY 3/15

Mississippi Old Time Music Society is 2 p.m.4 p.m. at the Mississippi Craft Center (950 Rice Road, Ridgeland). Enjoy traditional Mississippi fiddle tunes on third Sundays. Free; call 601-942-7335. …

The PopUp Art Show is 5 p.m. at TurnUp Studios (155 Wesley Ave.). Artists Clay Hardwick (Echomech Creative) and Tre Pepper (Loki Antiphony) display brand-new paintings in conjunction with the Blender 6. Additional times March 14, 7 p.m. Free; call 769257-0141; turnupstudios.com.

MONDAY 3/16

The “Exploding Universe” Sky Show is 3 p.m. at Russell C. Davis Planetarium (201 E. Pascagoula St.). .

The film is about supernovae, colliding black holes, highenergy particles and other explosions that have shaped the universe. $6.50, $5.50 seniors, $4 children (cash or check); call 601-960-1550; thedavisplanetarium.com.

TUESDAY 3/17

Music in the City is 5:15 p.m. at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). In Trustmark Grand Hall.

Enjoy a cash bar at 5:15 p.m., and music from pianist Stephen Sachs at 5:45 p.m. Free, donations welcome; call 601-9601515; msmuseumart.org. … The Rebirth of Dope is 8 p.m. at Soul Wired Cafe (111 Millsaps Ave.). Enjoy soul-infused poetry featuring Mahogany Blue. $5; call 601-863-6378; email teamsoulwiredcafe@gmail.com; soulwiredcafe.com.

WEDNESDAY 3/18

Sharp Knife Showdown is 10:30 a.m. at Capitol Grill (5050 Interstate 55 N., Suite F). “The Taste” contestants Tom Ramsey of Jackson and Eric LeBlanc of Boston compete in a culinary showdown. Free; call 601-899-8845; find “TASTE OFF with TOM RAMSEY & ERIC LEBLANC” on Facebook. …

Women of Vision 2015 is 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). The Women’s Foundation of Mississippi hosts the luncheon to highlight recent accomplishments and honor people in the community. Includes a silent auction. RSVP. $100; call 601-326-3001; email kathy@ womensfoundationms.org.

DIVERSIONS | arts

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a Good Man, CB

by Amber Helsel

AMBER HELSEL

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n the first frame of the final â&#x20AC;&#x153;Peanutsâ&#x20AC;? comic strip, Charlie Brown holds a phone to his ear. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No, I think heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s writing,â&#x20AC;? he says, presumably in response to someone asking for Snoopy. Classic â&#x20AC;&#x153;Peanutsâ&#x20AC;? characters, such as Brown, Linus and Lucy, are spread about on the bottom of the strip, which has a message from creator Charles Schulz, announcing his retirement from the comic after almost 50 years of publication and numerous films, books and cartoons. Newspapers published the comic strip on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2000, one day after Schulzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; death.

Though the comic strip ended publication 15 years ago, Schulzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; legacy lives on.

Playwright Bert V. Royal, who wrote the screenplay for the 2010 romantic comedy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Easy A,â&#x20AC;? wanted to pay tribute to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Peanutsâ&#x20AC;? so he took the world of Charlie Brown and turned it on its head in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead.â&#x20AC;?

The play, which premiered in 2004 as a reading, is an unauthorized parody of the comic strip that re-imagines Charlie Brown and friends in high school dealing with issues such as drug use and suicide. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It deals with a lot of big issues, especially for teens,â&#x20AC;? says Katie Beth Jewell, an acting and directing intern at New Stage Theatre. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bullying is really a big issue in the play, and eating disorders and finding your sexual identity, and in general, finding your identity. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the main point of it allâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; them trying to figure out who they are.â&#x20AC;?

Jewell directs the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unframed at New Stage Theatreâ&#x20AC;? seriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; adaptation of the play, which runs March 13 through March 15.

A Dalton, Ga., native, Jewell grew up loving â&#x20AC;&#x153;Peanuts.â&#x20AC;? Her first role in a musical was Sally in a production of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a Good Man, Charlie Brownâ&#x20AC;? when she was in 8th grade. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I read the script (for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dog Sees Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;), it just made me laugh so much because of all the little details he put in, the

little hints at the characters,â&#x20AC;? Jewell says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really clever how (he does) it.â&#x20AC;?

Due to copyright law, Royal couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use the exact characters from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Peanuts,â&#x20AC;? so he reinvented them. In his version, Charlie Brown, CB, is a high schooler who questions his sexuality when he meets Beethoven (Schroeder), who loves to play the piano.

CBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sister (Sally) has a changing philosophy on the world, switching between her thug and hippie personas.

Van (Linus) is a pothead. Pig-Pen has transformed from the messy kid with a constant dirt cloud following him to Matt, a homophobic germaphobe obsessed with sex who bullies Beethoven. Tricia (Peppermint Patty) and Marcy (Marcie) are best friends and party girls. Vanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sister (Lucy) set the Little Red-Haired Girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hair on fire, and because of that, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s institutionalized.

In Unframedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version, Neill Kelly plays CB; Mandy Kate Myers playâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sister; H. Charles Johnson plays Van; Michael Kinslow plays Matt; Matt Faries plays Beethoven; Allie Judge plays Tricia; Kelly Bonner plays Marcy; and Lauren Gunn is Vanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sister.

Theatergoers may see other familiar elements from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Peanutsâ&#x20AC;? in the play. The color schemes pay homage to the comic strip, including CBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s yellow and black clothes and Vanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trademark red. Jewell says the set includes the brick wall that Charlie Brown and Linus stood in front of and Snoopyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doghouse. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a cool play that deals with dark issues in a darkly humorous way,â&#x20AC;? Jewell says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockheadâ&#x20AC;? is at 7:30 p.m., March 13-15, at The Warehouse Theatre (1000 Monroe St., 601-948-3533). Admission is $7 cash or check at the door. As with all Unframed plays, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dog Sees Godâ&#x20AC;? is recommended for mature audiences. For more information, visit newstagetheatre.com or find Unframed at New Stage Theatre on Facebook.

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March 11 - 17, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

For the Unframed at New Stage Theatre series, Matt Faries (left) and Neill Kelly (right), star in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead,â&#x20AC;? which is an unauthorized parody of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Peanutsâ&#x20AC;? comic strip.

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LIFE&STYLE | food

Mediterranean Vibes

by Amber Helsel

E

ven without the numerous chain franchise restaurants, you can find many different types of cuisine in Flowood, from Chinese to Japanese to Mexican to Italian. After the Flowood location of Aladdin closed in 2014, the area was short a Mediterranean option.

On Monday, Feb. 16, Sean Alexander filled that gap when he opened Zeekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;z House of Gyros (132 Lakeland Heights, Suite P, 601-992-9498).

Alexander says the first couple of weeks were crazy for

TRIP BURNS

Zeekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;z House of Gyros opened in Flowood Feb. 16.

the new restaurant. The Thursday after opening, Feb. 19, when Doug Frank and Jeff Reynolds performed, about 700 people filled Zeekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;z. The restaurant bought out its suppliersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; stocks of pita bread in neighboring states Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. Luckily, Zeekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;z found a specialty supplier in

Chicago to fill its quickly mounting pita needs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know we were going to do this well,â&#x20AC;?

Alexander says.

A Flowood native, Alexander has worked in the restaurant business since he graduated from Northwest Rankin High School in 2000. In eateries all over the metro area, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a bartender, server, busser and cook. He also studied nursing at Hinds Community College.

Alexander learned to cook Greek food after his aunt, Theresa Southerland and Alexanderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mom, Paula Weggeman (then Paula Alexander), learned how to make the cuisine from Southerlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lebanese-Greek husband. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For Thanksgiving and all that, all we would ever have is dolmas and hummus and all different types of Greek food,â&#x20AC;?

Alexander says. The idea for Zeekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;z blossomed about three years ago. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just always had a passion for (Greek food), so â&#x20AC;Ś I decided to open up a restaurant.â&#x20AC;?

He wanted to do something different, and the specialty Alexander hit on was traditional Greek gyros, sandwiches made with flat bread.

The restaurantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s busyness over the last few weeks makes it evident that Alexander is doing something right. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Apparently the people around here really wanted a good gyro,â&#x20AC;? he says.

Zeekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;z dĂŠcor gives the place a laid-back feel. It has small palm trees, awnings in sunny blues, yellows and greens over the windows and booths, different color woods on the walls

Zeekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;z Traditional Hummus 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas 2/3 cup hot water 1/4 cup tahini paste 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon salt Directions

Blend it all together and refrigerate overnight. and even a water fountain. The kitchen is open so you can see the meats roasting away in the gyro pit. Alexander designed everything, from the logo to the floor plan. The only thing he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pick was the color palette, because he is colorblind. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We worked really hard at this,â&#x20AC;? he says. To add to the beachy dĂŠcor, the restaurant plays different types of music, including songs from the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80s.

As to the food, Alexander gives many of Zeekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;z dishes a southern twist. The menu features traditional dishes such as souvlaki and Greek-style gyros, but Zeekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;z also offers pepperjack gyros, melding seared beef and lamb, Pepperjack cheese, comeback sauce, bacon, lettuce and tomato. Diners can choose from three types of hummus: traditional, chipotle and garlic. Zeekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;z can even use gluten-free pita bread for the gluten-sensitive or for those limiting their wheat intake. Alexander says that bread is surprisingly good, though it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fold as well because gluten provides elasticity to bread.

Zeekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;z House of Gyros is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The restaurant has live music every Thursday night. For more information, visit zeekzhouseofgyros.com or find Zeekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;z on Facebook.

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March 11 - 17, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

Julie Skipper

27

MUSIC | live

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March 11 - 17, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

28

Diving into The Lower Caves &2857(6< 7+( /2:(5 &$9(6

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DIVERSIONS | music

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or Nashville, Tenn., indie rockers The Lower Caves, growing up in the music capital of the South played a key role in developing their alternative-rock sound. While the band formed under the moniker Eastern Block in 2007, changing their name in 2013, The Lower Caves are just getting started. The band hit the road in February for a brewery concert tour across the South to promote its debut album under the new name, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Turquoise Blues,â&#x20AC;? and will perform at Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lucky Town Brewing Company, Saturday, March 14.

The Lower Caves produced the record without the help of a label. Instead, vocalist and guitarist Aaron Ahlstrom, 32, drummer Jonathan Williams, 30, guitarist and keyboardist Jon Shearer, 35, and bassist Sean Savacool, 29, turned to their fans to finance a successful Kickstarter campaign. The band raised $15,000 over 45 days, and released â&#x20AC;&#x153;Turquoise Bluesâ&#x20AC;? last July. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We committed ourselves to making this album. We all had full-time jobs and a lot of unexpected variables, but we discovered a lot about ourselves.

It was awesome trying to figure it out,â&#x20AC;?

Williams says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All of itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just growing together. Over the years, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve just gotten more OK with new sounds, new writers, or at least open to it.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;It either works, or it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t,â&#x20AC;?

Shearer adds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not focusing on the idea, but the process as a whole.â&#x20AC;?

That openness toward new musical experiences is due in part to the membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; musical backgrounds. Savacoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

father taught him to play bass as soon as he was old enough to pick one up.

Shearer recalls almost failing school because of his commitment to playing guitar when he was a young boy. Ahlstrom grew up with a songwriter father and even had a home studio, but says he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t interested in creating music then. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would try something out, and then go play video games,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It took a while for me to catch onto what music could be.â&#x20AC;?

Shearer played drums in his highschool marching band, but says he, like Ahlstrom, didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be a musician in those days. His dream was to become a professional baseball player. Eventually, the skill of professional drummers, such as Questlove of The Roots fame, influenced him to fine tune his craft.

Ahlstrom says that being in a band is a growing process. Each musicianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tastes are constantly evolving, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Turquoise Bluesâ&#x20AC;? is proof that pursuing whatever musical interests may come can lead to strong results. Ahlstrom says itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a â&#x20AC;&#x153;conscious decision to be consciousâ&#x20AC;? that helps The Lower Caves progress together. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We listen to how the audiences respond, and we always try to put on the same great show wherever we go,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our music is really organic.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a testament to what everyone brings to the table.â&#x20AC;?

The Lower Caves perform 8 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at Lucky Town Brewing Company (1710 N. Mill St.). For more information, visit thelowercaves.com.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockheadâ&#x20AC;? March 13-15, 7:30 p.m., at Warehouse Theatre (1000 Monroe St.). The play is a satire of the Peanuts comic strip. For mature audiences. $7 cash or check at door; call 601948-3533, ext. 222; newstagetheatre.com.

#/--5.)49 Women for Progress Lunch and Learn March 11, noon, at The Penguin Restaurant & Bar (1100 John R. Lynch St.). Political advocacy consultant Cassandra Welchlin and Angela Stewart of the Margaret Walker Center speak.

RSVP. $15; call 601-405-4478; email mail@ womenforprogress.net; womenforprogress.net.

Women of Vision 2015 March 18, 11:30 a.m.1:30 p.m., at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). The luncheon highlights recent accomplishments and honor people in the community. Includes a silent auction.

RSVP. $100; call 601-326-3001; email kathy@ womensfoundationms.org.

Forestry Days Thursdays, 9 a.m.-noon through March 31, at Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum (1150 Lakeland Drive). Includes storytelling, sawmill demonstrations and more. Reservations recommended. $2-$5; call 601-432-4500; email alya@mdac.ms.gov.

+)$3 Events at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.) â&#x20AC;˘ Collage: a Significant Arrangementâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Session I March 11, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Artist daniel johnson is the facilitator. The art making and museum awareness program is for ages 11-13. Pre-order or bring lunch. Registration required. $55 per child; call 960-1515; msmuseumart.org. â&#x20AC;˘ Hoot and Holler Day Camp March 12, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Ages 5-7 make art, explore the museum and more. Please dress for mess.

Snack included. Registration required. $45 per child; call 960-1515; msmuseumart.org. â&#x20AC;˘ Collage: a Significant Arrangementâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Session II March 13, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Artist daniel johnson is the facilitator. The art-making and museum awareness program is for ages 14-17. Order or bring lunch. Registration required. $55 per child; call 960-1515; msmuseumart.org.

&//$ $2).+ Plant-Based Potluck March 14, 1 p.m.-3 p.m., at High Noon Cafe (Rainbow Plaza, 2807 Old Canton Road). Hosts include Mississippi Vegetarians, Rainbow Natural Grocery Cooperative and Dr. Leo Huddleston. Bring a plant-based dish to share. Free; call 366-1513; follow Rainbow Natural Grocery Cooperative on Facebook.

Sharp Knife Showdown March 18, 10:30 a.m., at Capitol Grill (5050 Interstate 55 N., Suite F). â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Tasteâ&#x20AC;? contestants Tom Ramsey of Jackson and Eric LeBlanc of Boston compete. Free; call 601-899-8845; find the event on Facebook.

30/243 7%,,.%33 Lucky Leprechaun Run March 12, 6 p.m., at Fleet Feet Sports (Trace Station, 500 Highway 51 N., Suite Z, Ridgeland). Participants of all fitness levels run or walk three to six miles. Southern Beverage provides drinks after the race. Free; call 601-899-9696; fleetfeetjackson.com.

Legal Beagle 5K Run/Walk March 14, 8:15 a.m., at Regions Bank, Northeast Jackson (1455 Jacksonian Plaza). The Jackson Young Lawyers Association hosts. Check-in at 7 a.m. Includes a kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fun run. Benefits the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Mississippi Bar Association. $20 advance ($21 online), $25 race day, $65 advance for teams or families, fun run: $12 advance ($13 online), $15 race day; email sdgregory@bakerdonelson.com; jacksonyounglawyers.com.

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Mike Epps: The Real Deal Tour March 14, 7:30 p.m., at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). Epps is a stand-up comedian and actor. Bruce Bruce and Gary Owen also perform. $42.5-$74; call 800-745-3000.

The Rebirth of Dope March 17, 8 p.m., at Soul Wired Cafe (111 Millsaps Ave.). Enjoy soulinfused poetry featuring Mahogany Blue. $5; call 601-863-6378; email teamsoulwiredcafe@ gmail.com; soulwiredcafe.com.

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Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music Concert March 14, 7:30 p.m., at St. Philipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Episcopal Church (5400 Old Canton Road). Corina Marti plays the flute and the clavicimbalom in a program of late medieval music. $20, $5 students; call 601-594-5584; ancientmusic.org.

Sunday, March 29

The Blender 6 March 14, 8 p.m., at OffBeat (151 Wesley Ave.). Acts at the multigenre concert series include Passing Parade, Tim Lee 3, the Jackals, DJ Brik-a-Brak and Tyler Keith. Beer and non-alcoholic beverages sold. $5; call 601-376-9404.

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Music in the City March 17, 5:15 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). In Trustmark Grand Hall. Enjoy a cash bar at 5:15 p.m., and music from pianist Stephen Sachs at 5:45 p.m. Free, donations welcome; call 601-9601515; msmuseumart.org.

,)4%2!29 3)'.).'3 Events at Lemuria Books (Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 202) â&#x20AC;˘ "What Stands in a Storm: Three Days in the Worst Superstorm to Hit the South's Tornado Alley" March 17, 5 p.m. Kim Cross signs books. $25 book; call 601-366-7619; email info@lemuriabooks.com; lemuriabooks.com. â&#x20AC;˘ "The Poser" March 18, 5 p.m. Jacob Rubin signs books. $26.95 book; call 601366-7619; email info@lemuriabooks.com; lemuriabooks.com.

#2%!4)6% #,!33%3 Community Ceramics Painting Class March 12, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., at Wood Activity Center (111 Clinton Blvd., Clinton). Select from a variety of different ceramic options. Paint and materials provided. All ages welcome. $5-$20; call 601-9246082; email cfontenot@clintonparksandrec.com.

Soup for the Soul Cooking Class March 17, 9:30 a.m., at Farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Table Cooking School (Town of Livingston, 129 Mannsdale Road, Madison). Recipes include clam chowder, chicken noodle soup, and tomato basil soup. Registration required. $59; call 601-506-6821; farmerstableinlivingston.com.

Check jfpevents.com for updates and more listings, or to add your own events online. You can also email event details to events@jacksonfreepress.com to be added to the calendar. The deadline is noon the Wednesday prior to the week of publication.

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March 11 - 17, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

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29

DIVERSIONS | jfp sports COURTESY MSU ATHLETICS

News and notes from all levels of the metro and Mississippi sports

HOME COOKINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

CAPSULE

by Jon Wiener

The championship rounds of the state high school basketball tournament tip off Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14, at the Mississippi Coliseum.

Visit misshsaa.com for more information.

Ole Miss junior guard Stefan Moody and Mississippi State University freshman forward Victoria Vivians won the Howell and Gillom trophies on Monday, March 9, which are honors that go to the top menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s college basketball players in Mississippi.

March 11 - 17, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ jfp.ms

Holmes Community College (23-6) won the first Region 23 championship in its school history with a 92-87 victory over Pearl River Community College on Saturday, March 7, which earns the team a birth in the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan. The team faces Eastern Florida State College in the first round 2 p.m. Monday, March 16. â&#x20AC;Ś Ole Miss great Jason Flanigan coaches the Holmes Bulldogs. This year, the team starts with three metro area products: Marcus Washington (Clinton High School), Jarvis Williams (Callaway High School) and Dietrich Taylor (Callaway High School).

30

Stuck at home on Friday, March 13, and canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get to the Big House?

Get your fill of Jackson hoops with Murrah High School great Mo Williams and the Charlotte Hornets v. Chicago Bulls at 6 p.m. on SportsSouth and Lanier High School legend Monta Ellis and the Dallas Mavericks v. the Los Angeles Clippers at 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV. Jackson Preparatory School and Ole Miss product Jonathan Randolph qualified for the PGA Tourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Valspar Championship this Thursday-Sunday, March 1215, at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla. See coverage on The Golf Channel and NBC.

Mississippi State University womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball player Victoria Vivians received the Gillom Trophy, an award that goes to Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top female basketball player, on Monday, March 9.

Crowning Queen Victoria

by Jon Wiener

Y

ou wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the biggest impact of Victoria Viviansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first college season in her statistics, although she led the SEC in scoring at 15.1 points per game. You wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see it on the shine of the Gillom Trophy, though she became the first freshman in history to win the award for the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top female player on Monday, March 9.

But a single glance at the Humphrey Coliseum stands in Mississippi State Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s final home game of the season against rival Ole Miss showed at once the full force of Viviansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; impact: A sea of 7,302 people set a state record for attendance at a womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s college basketball game. Naturally, Vivians scored 17 points to lead all

scorers in the Bulldogsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 55-47 win.

The scene was the culmination of a season that saw interest in womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball skyrocket across Mississippi in a perfect storm of factors, with Vivians at the driving center.

She arrived in Starkville with an already unprecedented profile in Mississippi womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball. Vivians made national headlines at Scott Central High School last year when she became the fifth highest scorer in national history. She averaged 46.2 points per game her senior season and scored 68 in the South State semifinals alone.

With stars in sports, timing is everything. Vivians soared to previously impos-

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sible heights at the high-school level in the digital and social-media age. News and footage of a 50-point game or buzzer-beating three-pointer, even in a place as remote as Forest, Miss., was broadcast instantly and consumed virallyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;something that greats, such as LaToya Thomas and Tan White before her, never experienced.

Through it all, Vivians earned the nickname â&#x20AC;&#x153;Queen Victoria,â&#x20AC;? a tall, put-together, soft-spoken girl as regal as she was dominant, as graceful as she was freakishly athletic. It all made Vivians the most-heralded recruit in program history when she signed with MSU in November 2013.

Many who had never feigned interest in womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s college basketball were curious how she would fare in Starkville. She delivered the answer right away with 26 points in an upset of No. 16 West Virginia in her third college game.

Fans want to see stars and wins, and Vivians brought both to Starkville. She had entered a program already on the upswing under third-year coach Vic Schaefer after reaching the quarterfinals of the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Invitation Tournament a year before. Her talent put the Bulldogs over the top. The team reeled out 18 straight Jon Wiener is the host and producer of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Home Cookinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? on ESPN 105.9 FM The Zone. He has a bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in English and masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in broadcast journalism.

DIVERSIONS | jfp sports wins to start the season, exploding onto the national scene to join its freshman star.

Other factors outside of Starkville certainly contributed. Ole Miss made a huge leap under second-year coach Matt Insell, setting a home record for a womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crowd in the Tad Smith Coliseum when the Bulldogs visited on January 22, and Southern Miss won 20 games for two consecutive seasons for the first time since 2004 to 2005.

Like Viviansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; own legend, a simultaneous media revolution fueled the explosion in popularity of womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball in Mississippi. The advent of the SEC Network brought womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball games to millions of people who had never had consistent cable and mobile access to them before.

The reality is that just as many viewers never really cared anyway. I was one of those people. But as a follower and fan of Mississippi sports, I, like so many others, tuned in for those early Bulldog games to see the intriguing Vivians, the native â&#x20AC;&#x153;Queen.â&#x20AC;? In doing so, I experienced the final factor in the perfect storm: The women are fun to watch.

With Vivians as the hook, bolstered by her teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success and a new national television network, the product sold itself to Mississippians. The rest is state historyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the kind that led to a record crowd for a womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game Sunday, March 8, in Starkville. But the storm is just beginning.

After all, Vivians is around for another three seasons.

%< 0$77 -21(6

Another Opportunity

by Bryan Flynn

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ree agency started Tuesday, March 10, in the NFL, and the NFL Draft, which runs from April 30 to May 2, is right around the corner. Teams are already looking for players to add when training camps open with a maximum of 90 players on the roster.

But the NFL isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the only one looking for talent. The Canadian Football League and Arena Football League are also looking for untapped talent. On Saturday, Jan. 24, Grant Worsley of the Worsley Group hosted a tryout for CFLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Smith-Wills Stadium (1200 Lakeland Drive), which gave more than 80 players a chance to showcase their skills.

The Blue Bombers signed a player from the January event. The player wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t available for an interview at press time. The Columbus Lions of the Professional Indoor

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Football league signed one player, Keland Johnson from Forest, Miss., who played at Northwestern State University. The PIFL is a league just below arena football and according to the Lionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; website, 25 percent of their players move up to another level after each season.

The Worsely Group hosts another football tryout this Saturday, March 14, at Smith-Wills Stadium.

This time, scouts from the NFL, CFL and arena leagues will be there to scout talent, not only from Mississippi, but from across the nation.

One player already scheduled to be in Jackson is former Ole Miss wide receiver Ja-Mes Logan. The Natchez, Miss., native signed with the New England Patriots after the 2014 NFL Draft as an undrafted free agent but was unable to make the roster.

This event is for recent college graduates and collegiate seniors. It

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gives players who might otherwise have gone unnoticed a chance to showcase their skills in front of scouts.

Given recent Pro Day events, this would give players who feel like they were slighted another opportunity to have a shot at continuing their football careers.

Registration starts at 11 a.m. at Smith-Wills Stadium. The registration fee is $50 with the workout to follow. Players are encouraged to bring film or video to this workout for scouts and agents.

For more information, call Grant Worsley at 769-203-2108 or email theworsleygroup@rocketmail. com. You can also follow @thejxncombine on Twitter for information and updates about the event.

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

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â&#x20AC;¢ Arts Writing/Editing â&#x20AC;¢ Graphic Design â&#x20AC;¢ Communications: Marketing/Events/PR

Interested?

E-mail interns@jacksonfreepress.com, telling us why you want to intern with us and what makes you the ideal candidate. *College credit available to currently enrolled college students in select disciplines.

To Apply:

www.titantransferinc.com or call

1-877-342-8310

March 11 - 17, 2015 â&#x20AC;¢ jfp.ms

!2)%3 -ARCH !PRIL

BULLETIN BOARD: Classifieds

33

“W h me ere et offi sf un ce fl cti exi on bil ali ity ty ”

You Can Be A Foster Parent!

You are More Prepared Than You Think!

We are looking for single or married adults who want to help a metro area child. Call to today for more information.

We specialize in office solutions that are designed to meet your individual business needs…

Professional Office Solutions fully furnished professional offices Virtual Business Solutions professional appearance for virtual offices Meeting Solutions convenient, cost effective, full service meeting space CALL TRIAD BUSINESS CENTERS TODAY!

www.triadbusinesscenters.com info@triadbusinesscenters.com (601)-709-4610 460 Briarwood Drive | Suite 400

601-326-3744

200 North Congress St.. Suite 100 Jackson MS 39201

Potties Fit For A Queen Come Join Us for

Sensational Saturday on 3/14!

March 11 - 17, 2015 • jfp.ms

Lots of Great Booth Specials Door Prizes Given Away Every Hour on the Hour

34

McGraw Gotta Go Toilets Reserve One Today!

We deliver and pick up. All you do is call!

1325 Flowood Dr. • www.fleamarketms.com Sat: 9am-5pm • Sun: 12pm-5pm • $1 Admission

601-879-3969 | www.gottagotoilets.com O-fficial potty sponsor of the Zippity-Do-Dah® Parade

rec eive Show you r vali d Col leg e ID and every night! se clo till 2 FOR 1 DRINKS from 9pm

THURSDAY

Daily 4-7pm

$2 Domestic & 2 For 1 On All Drinks Including Wine Half Off Any Appetizer Until 9pm

Wednesday 3/11 Karaoke

w/DJ Stache @ 9pm

Thursday 3/12

Ladies Night

W/ DJ Glenn Rogers LADIES DRINK FREE! 9pm - Close

Friday 3/13

RUTABAGA JONES

Saturday 3/14

CHAD PERRY TRIO Monday 3/16 Pub Quiz

w/Daniel Keys @ 8pm

Tuesday 3/17

SINGER/SONG WRITER NIGHT

w/ Chad Perry @ 9pm $10 Domestic Bucket Beer Special

2am 6 0 1 - 9 6 0 - 2 7 0 0 Open Mon-Fri 11am-2am Sat 4pmorge St, Jackson, MS facebook.com/Ole Tavern 416 Ge

$5 APPETIZERS (D INE

IN

O NLY )

FRIDAY

Wednesday, March 11th

3/13

FUTUREBIRDS with

WATER LIARS 10 P.M.

SATURDAY

3/14

WHAT MOON

THINGS 10 P.M.

SUNDAY

3/15

BEER BUCKET SPECIAL (5 Beers for $8.75)

ALL DAY LONG! MONDAY

3/16

OPEN MIC NIGHT

TUESDAY

3/17

SHRIMP BOIL 5 - 10 PM

$1 PBR & HIGHLIFE $2 MARGARITAS 10pm - 12am

UPCOMING SHOWS 3/20 - Southern Komfort Brass Band 3/21 - St. Paddy’s Blowout After-Party w/Flow Tribe & Much More TBA 3/28 - Swampbird 4/10 - DANK ( Formerly Dank Sinatra) 4/17 - Roosevelt Noise Reunion Show (Featuring Drew & Don Of Spacewolf)

See Our New Menu WWW.MARTINSLOUNGE.NET

214 S. STATE ST. DOWNTOWN JACKSON

601.354.9712

30%#425-

JAZZ 6:30 PM Friday, March 13th

,)'(4.).'

M A LC O M 9 PM

Saturday, March 14th

STEVIE J

(/-%#/-).'

9 PM

Tuesday, March 17th

JESSE

2/").3/. and his

LEGENDARY FRIENDS 6:30 PM

Wednesday, March 18th

")' %!39 4(2%% 6:30 PM

Thursday, March 19th

,)3! -),,3 BIRTHDAY PARTY

7)4( &2%% #!+% !.$ $2).+ 30%#)!,3 119 S. President Street 601.352.2322 www.Underground119.com

March 11 - 17, 2015 • jfp.ms

HAPPY HOUR

3/12

35

0% - &!

BLOOD DONORS NEEDED!

Photo I.D. and SSN required Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Interstate Blood Bank 3505 Terry Road Suite 204 Behind Walgreens Call: 601-718-0986 Bring this ad for a $2 bonus!

NOW HIRING!

We are looking for a NUTS Associate at our Midtown Location For application please visit www.goodsamaritancenter.org/jobs or visit our Midtown location.

MidTownâ&#x20AC;ŠLocation

114â&#x20AC;ŠMillsapsâ&#x20AC;ŠAve.â&#x20AC;Šâ&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;ŠJackson,â&#x20AC;ŠMSâ&#x20AC;Š39202â&#x20AC;Š (601)â&#x20AC;Š355-7458â&#x20AC;Š Wednesdayâ&#x20AC;Š-â&#x20AC;ŠFridayâ&#x20AC;Š9:30â&#x20AC;Š-â&#x20AC;Š5:30 Saturdayâ&#x20AC;Š10:00â&#x20AC;Š-â&#x20AC;Š4:00

HELP WITH THE HARD PART.

Autoâ&#x20AC;˘Homeâ&#x20AC;˘Renters

(601) 853-7132 1029 Highway 51 N, Suite G2 Madison, MS 39110 Get a FREE quote â&#x20AC;&#x201C; see what you can save!

WWW.WWOFMS.COM Check out our website today!

Receive a coupon for free registration or $2 off any Weight Watchers product.

AREA 113 ONLY. EXPIRES 04/30/15

Call (800)289­8446 for more information or visit our website at www.wwofms.com. Š 2015 Weight Watchers International, Inc., owner of the WEIGHT WATCHERS trademark. All rights reserved.

Now you can access local restaurantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; menus any time, day or night, on your computer, tablet or smartphone!

730 Lakeland Dr. â&#x20AC;˘ Jackson, MS Tel: 601-366-3613 or 601-366-6033 Fax: 601-366-7122

DINE-IN OR TAKE-OUT!

Sun-Thurs: 11am - 10pm Fri-Sat: 11am - 11pm

Fondrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Thursday Special

1 FREE APPETIZER with The Purchase of Two Entrees

WE DELIVER!

Fondren / Belhaven / UMC area

WE ALSO CATER! VISIT OUR GROCERY STORE NEXT DOOR.

Valid March 12, 2015, Dine In Only.

Standard Exclusions Apply.

Caregivers, Aides, Nurses Infants to Seniors 2-24 Hours a Day Statewide Coverage

800-844-4298 pcnursing.com

Plus, get maps, phone numbers, social media feeds and MUCH MORE!

JFPmenus.com

Why not enjoy some bonding time?

(From cuffs to crops, try a shade of Grey tonight and watch your romance get colorful!)

175 Hwy 80 East in Pearl * 601.932.2811 M­Th: 10­10p F­Sa 10­Mid Su: 1­10p * www.shopromanticadventures.com