v19n08 - Denial and Death in Mississippi Hospitals

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Denial and Death in Mississippi Hospitals Judin, pp 12 - 15

Alleged Racial Discrimination at Pearl’s Oak Manor Apartments Crown, pp 6-8

Frosty Finds for Winter Times Smith, p 26

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December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

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contents

JACKSONIAN

December 9 - 22, 2020 Vol. 19 No. 8

ON THE COVER Jasmine Watson Photo courtesy UMMC Communications

4 Editor’s Note 6 Talks 12 Cover story

18 Scrooge’s Pub

E

very person has a story, including the ones who find themselves hit by a stroke of bad luck that leads them to no longer have a permanent residence. Lucious Walton, a Greenwood, Miss., native who found himself homeless for some time, counts his blessings and considers himself extremely fortunate to now have a place in Jackson to call home.

Walton moved from the Delta to Memphis as a child, where he spent the majority of his life thereafter.

Recently, Walton’s only daughter passed away, which coincided with a head injury he sustained from a coworker after an argument. Following the altercation, Walton began experiencing memory issues that prevented him from maintaining his job with the moving company for whom he had been working.

“(My daughter) was living in Durant. I came down to put her to rest. I was in a bad headspace while at the same time coping with what happened,” Walton says.

Deciding he needed a change, Walton trekked his way southward to Jackson, a city he had frequented a few times when working as a mover. “I didn’t know anyone or have any place to go when I got here,” he remembers. At the time, he considered home to be a spot near Fortification Street.

“People don’t understand the homeless at first. They wonder

20 Events

Lucious Walton how you got in that situation. Once you tell them, they start to understand,” Walton says.

While living on the street, the 64-year-old at times worried over his health and safety. “I’m a diabetic. I was always worried about my medication putting me in a deep sleep somewhere,” he says. “When you’re homeless, one of the big things is safety, making sure you have your stuff with you at all times, which is why you buddy up with someone.”

One day, someone told him about Shower Power, a nonprofit organization on Commerce Street that offers free showers and other services to the local homeless community. At first he used the organization for food, clothing and hygiene products.

In time, though, Shower Power selected Walton for its Project Hope program, which works to cover the cost of rent, groceries and other basic needs for the otherwise homeless. Walton moved into his new apartment about two months ago, and he credits Shower Power founder Teresa Renkenberger and board member Mary Ann Kirby for changing his lifestyle.

“They are the best thing that ever happened to me,” Walton says. “I like the peace and quiet, although I’m still walking around the house all the time. It’s difficult to sit still.”

– Mike McDonald

22 Jonathan Yargates The long-time Brandon resident returns to the metro after 10 years and aspires to uplift fellow local musicians.

23 Paint 2 Go Prissy Paintbrush Studios promotes its Paint 2 Go kits as a way for Jacksonians to entertain themselves and be artsy from the safety of home.

24 Puzzle 24 Sorensen 25 astro 25 Classifieds 26 Gift Guide

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

courtesy Lucious Walton

The Jackson-local restaurant and pub offers a wide menu and will be open this year on Christmas Day.

3

editor’s note

by Donna Ladd, Editor-in-Chief

courtesy State of Mississippi

Truth and Journalism on the Front Lines of COVID-19

On the same day that saw 2,457 new COVID cases, Gov. Tate Reeves told reporter Nick Judin he was wrong that it was a new peak. In fact, Reeves was wrong.

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

G

4

ov. Tate Reeves doesn’t always appreciate Jackson Free Press reporter Nick Judin’s tough, research-based questions about COVID-19 and Mississippi’s patchwork safety regulations.

At Reeves’ Nov. 24 virtual press briefing, Nick pressed him on his piecemeal approach to mask mandates, only including a county suffering COVID spikes rather than trying to prevent them. “If you aren’t listening to the public-health experts urging a mask mandate, who are the experts that you are listening to?” Judin asked him.

“Nick, I appreciate your questions, and I appreciate your advocacy for your positions, but here’s what I believe. I’m going to make decisions that I believe will provide the best outcome for Mississippians,” Gov. Reeves responded on the live stream.

Coupled with Reeves’ attempts to fund so-called “patriotic education” in Mississippi—as in don’t dare question white men’s decision through U.S. history no matter who they hurt—Reeves’ answer inherently tried to frame Nick, and by extension the Jackson Free Press, as partisans pushing “advocacy” for the “other” side of the broken red-blue spectrum from Reeves.

Tate Reeves is nothing if not a partisan first and foremost, as his choices to please Donald Trump by withholding sufficient COVID-19 safety regs have shown us all in the most horrendous way possible.

Of course, Nick’s “position” is the same of Mississippi’s medical establishment: all leaders should heed what scientists have told us since March would stop the spread.

Remember back then when Reeves finally ordered shelter-at-home and later finally enacted a statewide mandate? Things are

worse now because we did far too little as a state, without a strong leader at the helm, to prevent this predicted winter explosion.

Stopping the spread, whether among Reeves’ partisan friends or his partisan enemies, is this publication’s only “position” on COVID-19. We are not playing partisan games even if the governor and his president are—with Mississippians’ lives.

On Dec. 1, Reeves laid it on thicker with Nick as medical professionals—whom Reeves is treating worse than he is reporters, as Nick pointed out to me—were warning Mississippians that our health-care system is collapsing because so many will not wear masks, distance or avoid gatherings.

After Nick asked the governor about the obvious fact that COVID-19 had already surpassed its summer peak, the governor decided to declare Nick wrong. “When you say that we are currently exceeding our peak, that’s fundamentally inaccurate.

That’s just not true. That’s false, in fact,” Reeves told Nick and other virtual viewers.

Except it wasn’t. The next day, the facts hit the proverbial fan when the Mississippi State Department of Health reported 2,457 new cases for the same day Reeves had basically called Nick a liar. It was almost 500 cases higher than the previous one-day record of 1,972, which the state set on Nov. 20. Statewide, ICU units in at least a dozen hospitals were full.

Nick was right because he does his homework and listens to science professionals—the same thing Reeves could do if he didn’t care more about partisan games, and the adoration of a badly defeated lameduck president than he does about actually stopping the spread of COVID-19 with responsible statewide regulations.

I’m old enough to remember the cardinal rule of being a conservative was that public safety was the primary role of government. How did that become not-a-thing, leaving hospitals to ration medical care, and in a state without Medicaid expansion due to the same cruel partisanship?

To be fair, it’s not like Democrats in our state have done enough, either. They may not much power in Mississippi, but everyone should use their bully pulpits daily to remind people that the excuse of “saving the economy” is a sham; small businesses are closing daily due to this prolonged pandemic that smarter, stronger safety regulations could have prevented months ago.

Make no mistake: Without federal stimulus—blocked by the Senate if it doesn’t again give away enough to the 1 percent—our economy is only going to get worse as Trump golfs and schemes to steal the White House back by hook or crook.

As Nick well knows, our job as journal-

contributors

Nick Judin

Kayode Crown

Shaye Smith

State reporter Nick Judin grew up in Jackson and graduated from the University of Mississippi. He is covering this year’s legislative session. Try not to run him over when you see him crossing State Street. He wrote the cover story about medical professionals and COVID-19.

City Reporter Kayode Crown recently came to Mississippi from Nigeria where he was a journalist for 10 years.

He likes rock music and has fallen in love with the beautiful landscapes in Jackson. He wrote about alleged housnig discrimination and Hinds County’s increased COVID infections.

Editorial Assistant Shaye Smith holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi in psychology and English lit and master’s from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in marriage counseling and religious education. She edited the events cal and the shopping guide for the issue.

ists is not to both-sides Reeves’ unscientific approach and his genteel attacks on journalists and medical pros he calls “so-called experts.” Reeves has repeatedly been proved wrong. He has refused to lead this state out of the pandemic, just as Trump refused to lead the country out of it. It’s hard to imagine what our governor’s endgame is; it’s not like Trump is loyal to anyone but himself.

History books will be brutal to them.

But Reeves and his staff tried this from the start. Back when Nick reported that Reeves’ executive order was a mess of contradictions and legally superseded local orders, the governor’s staff went after Nick’s reporting and me personally, because you know that’s what you do with sassy lady editors. They planted distortions with doting journalists who hadn’t read the order carefully, and all of them made asses of themselves while trying to discredit Nick and the Jackson Free Press. It was silly and scary.

Our job as journalists is not to bothsides Reeves’ unscientific approach.

None of it has worked out for them.

Why? Because good reporters do their homework and stay the course, especially to help save lives. The Jackson Free Press has never committed the journalistic malpractice of access journalism—lapping up anything a powerful person says just to cozy up to power. We are here to report the truth to you about this pandemic, and whatever else we can, and we’re not about to soft-pedal the governor because he might once again try to discredit our continued truth-telling.

I’ve quoted my partner Todd Stauffer’s mantra “Do the right thing and wait” many times, and it applies here. But little is more tragic then being proved right repeatedly because public servants on the taxpayer dime continually deny both science and the safety efforts Mississippians need to stay alive and healthy. Cheers to Nick and other reporters on the front lines of this pandemic, ducking and dodging all the official attempts at disinformation as they work to save lives by telling the damn truth.

Follow editor-in-chief Donna Ladd at @donnerkay on Twitter.

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“This wave is growing much more quickly than the summer surge (as predicted),” Dobbs tweeted on Dec. 8. “But our future is in our own hands.”

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@jxnfreepress

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ce eren rev

DOJ Sues Pearl Property Company for Racial Discrimination

by Kayode Crown

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

A federal lawsuit filed in November alleges that property manager James Roe steered white prospective renters away from this apartment complex located in Pearl, which it alleges that he encouraged Black people to rent between 2016 and 2017.

Virtual Dirty Santa (or White Elephant)

Many offices, clubs or social groups tend to gather during December for a fun game of Dirty Santa, also known as White Elephant. For this game, participants purchase gifts (usually set at a specific price range for all involved) and bring them to the gathering. Each player draws a number from a bowl or otherwise receives a random number that dictates their turn order.

Players take turns and may either open a wrapped gift or “steal” a gift that someone else has already opened. When a player steals a gift, the player who just had their gift stolen gets a chance to either open a new gift or steal someone else’s gift before the next person in the turn order gets to do the same. Often, all gifts have a limit to the amount of times they can be stolen, typically three. The game ends when the last person has opened or stolen a gift.

Now, with the current pandemic, get-togethers have become more hazardous, but the fun of the holiday party can still live on, by moving the game to a virtual platform. One method would be to have everyone purchase and wrap a gift, per usual. Then, on the specified date, everyone joins the Zoom (or other video-call service), receives a random number and proceeds through the game, with players saying aloud whose gift they want to open or steal instead of physically selecting one.

The giver opens their gift on camera when chosen. Someone should open a spreadsheet and keep track of everyone’s names, placement, gift they wrapped, the recipient of that person’s gift, how often a gift has been stolen and by whom, and the final results so that each person knows what gift they have at the end. Afterward, everyone can mail or drop off their gift to the final recipient. Happy Holidays!

Photo by Jan Romero on Unsplash

6

Kayode Crown

B

etween 2016 and 2017, Pearl resident James Roe appeared to treat Black and white prospective renters of apartments in Pearl differently, steering potential white renters to certain facilities and Black prospects to others, a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice is claiming. The federal government named three apartment complexes in Pearl that it alleges were involved in the racial discrimination: Pearl Manor, Oak Manor, and 468 Place Townhomes. SSM Properties, LLC owned and operated them.

This reporter made unsuccessful attempts to reach James Roe, with no response to calls to the same number listed online for Pearl Manor and 486 Place Townhomes.

The Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center, based in New Orleans, LA.,conducted the tests that formed the basis for the case. In their findings, LaFHAC alleged that Roe, a manager of SSM Properties, LLC, a company based in Pearl in the Jackson metro, engaged in housing racial discrimination.

In November, DOJ sued Steve Maulding, the company owner, his wife, company agent Sheila Maulding and employee Roe. The court, on Nov. 12, demanded a response from the defendants latest Dec. 14. The court clerk told this reporter Monday that the defendants had not filed a response.

LaFHAC said housing centers across the Gulf South get calls from African American residents who encountered suspected discriminatory actions that barred them from neighborhoods of opportunity, which prompted the testing project they carried out.

“Housing providers discriminate by quoting African Americans higher rents or security deposits than their white counterparts, requiring African Americans to undergo more formal application processes, and generally providing them with subpar customer service,” LaFHAC’s report, “Denials, Discount, and Discrimination:

discrimination

How LaFHAC Did The Test

Each test involved one white and one African American matched in income, career paths, family types, and rental history going to the same apartment, with the primary difference being race. They tested random advertised rental units in predominantly white neighborhoods, with a minimum of 70% of white people and 30% poverty or less.

“All testers were qualified for the units in which they expressed interest, with the protected class tester possessing slightly more favorable characteristics,” the LaFHAC report said. “This means that, in all instances, the African American testers were objectively more quali-

fied than the white testers. All variables were held constant except for race—the variable being tested.”

“More than half the time when an African American sought to reside in a high opportunity area, they faced at least one form of discrimination,” the document stated about the research overall.

The organization’s finding revealed that Black testers in the Jackson metro

ferences in available units or complexes offered, shown or advised.

“Agents steered testers to different units than those about which they initially inquired on five occasions,” the document said. “Steering occurred primarily to the benefit of white testers, who were often advised of units, complexes, and areas in the Jackson area that the leasing agents deemed to be of a better quality.” courtesy Cashauna Hill

An Investigation into Racial Discrimination in Rental Practices in the Gulf South,” stated. “Meanwhile, prospective white renters are often given incentives for renting units, told of more availability and, at times, steered to what property managers describe as ‘better’ complexes, which are usually those in better condition, with higher concentrations of white tenants, located in predominantly-white neighborhoods.”

Cashauna Hill, LaFHAC’s executive director, told the Jackson Free Press that the organization challenges discriminatory practices and policies.

It sent out testers in four metropolitan statistical areas across three states: New Orleans, Houston, Dallas and Jackson.

They concluded that Black people received differential treatment more than half the time.

“A lack of value that is placed on Black lives regularly shows up in our housing market,” Hill said of the center’s findings, which detected “a very clear pattern of discrimination” in the rental markets.

“One of the things it’s really important to keep in mind is that discrimination when it comes to racial discrimination is often so much more disguised and hidden,” Hill said. “And so it’s very difficult for, for instance, for an African American to know that they’ve experienced discrimination if they don’t have that (opportunity) of comparing their treatment to the treatment of a white prospective renter. And that’s why testing is so important.”

Hill said the observed discrimination indicates a lack of welcome for African Americans. “And we know that because of how a white prospective home seeker is treated in comparison,” Hill added.

Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center Executive Director Cashauna Hill says racial discrimination in housing is pervasive.

experienced differential treatment by apartment operatives at a rate of 46%.

Out of the 240 properties covered in the project, 65 were in the Jackson metro. Of the 65 paired tests, African American testers experienced unfavorable treatment in 31 of those tests. They experienced six refusals to rent, received less favorable terms and conditions in nine properties, and saw four differences in eligibility requirements and 24 dif-

On two occasions, property managers verbally encouraged white testers to live in Rankin County, with 77.3% white population, instead of Hinds County, with 69.1% Black population, according to the 2010 Census.

“On another occasion, only the white tester was told about availability at a second complex that had a more stringent application process,” the report states. The document quoted the Jack-

son metro estate agent as saying: “I’m real picky on who I’ll consider to live at (the second complex)” and “We don’t tolerate crap over there.”

“At another property, an agent highly encouraged a white tester to consider a second unit the agent managed and offered to leave a key in the mailbox so the white tester could view the inside of the unit at their convenience,” the document added. “The agent told the white tester that they would get along with the neighbors, but could not elaborate further “by law.”

“The African American tester, who spoke to the agent prior to their white counterpart, was not told of this additional available unit,” the report added.

LaFHAC said steering contributes to segregated housing patterns.

It added that the report is not a statistical study but an investigation designed to give a snapshot of the rental market and educate the community about housing discrimination and segregation.

Discrimination: ‘Certainly Happening’

Hill expects more lawsuits filed in the future based on their research.

“Racial discrimination in housing in the Jackson area is certainly happening, and if there are any folks in Jackson city who believe that the area is immune from this type of treatment, we know that that is not true,” she said.

The November federal court filing, which represents one side of a legal dispute, indicated that Roe seemed to guide Black people to Oak Manor and white people to 468 Place Townhomes and Pearl Manor. SSM Properties, LLC, the case states, sold Oak Manor in 2018.

“Defendant Roe repeatedly steered White testers to Pearl Manor and away from Oak Manor by encouraging White testers to rent at Pearl Manor, highlighting the positive aspects of the property, and telling White testers that they would be ‘happy’ and ‘fit in’ there,” the federal government stated in the brief. “Roe also discouraged White testers from renting at Oak Manor, telling one White tester that he would ‘not be happy’ there because Roe himself would not be happy there.”

“Roe told another White tester that he would be ‘happier’ at Pearl Manor than at Oak Manor, and told another White tester that the Oak Manor residents would ‘take advantage’ of him,” more DISCRIMINATION, p 8

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

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DISCRIMINATION, FROM PAGE 7 KAYODE CROWN

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the federal brief stated.

Roe reportedly did not inform Black testers whether there were available units in Pearl Manor, and sometimes did not mention the property.

“He told one Black tester, Tanshenetta Veals, words to the effect, ‘I can’t put you at Pearl Manor,’” the suit claimed. “Them old men’ll have a heart attack. They’ll be thinking I done let the zoo out again.”

“Defendant Roe told Black testers that units were not available when, in fact, they were. For example, Roe told Veals on the phone that a unit at the Townhomes was available,” the complaint alleged.

“However, when Veals arrived at the office, Roe said words to the effect, ‘You ain’t nothing what I expected,” and told her the unit had been rented.’”

“Approximately three hours later, Roe told a White tester that there was an available unit at the Townhomes,” it continues. “During another test, Roe told the Black tester that no units would be available until the end of that month, but told the White tester that a unit would be available at Pearl Manor the following week.”

Another aspect of the case indicated that Roe insisted that prospective Black renters fulfill more stringent conditions and face more rigorous questioning before approval.

“Defendant Roe refused to show

units to Black testers until their rental applications were approved, but showed units to White testers who did not have approved applications,” the lawsuit claimed. “Defendant Roe subjected Black testers to more detailed questions about their financial status and ability to pay than White testers.”

“Roe told a Black Tester, Herschel Williams, that he could not rent to him if he was starting a job in the future but was not currently employed, but did not refuse to rent to White testers in similar circumstances,” it added. “Roe also asked Williams detailed questions about his monthly expenses that he did not ask of White testers, even when they revealed that they were experiencing financial hardship.”

MAA Against Discrimination Mississippi Apartment Association Vice President James Burwell disclosed to Jackson Free Press that SSM Properties, LLC, is not a member of the organization, which is affiliated with the National Apartment Association. SSM did not participate in its regular seminars on the Fair Housing Act, he said.

Burwell described the Act, first enacted in 1968 and amended in 1988, as a landmark piece of legislation. “(MAA) stands firmly on and with the tenets of the Fair Housing Act,” he said. “It is a cornerstone of providing

rental housing, not just in Mississippi, but across the country.”

Burwell said that MAA, which is comprised of due-paying management companies, apartment or rental housing providers, and materials and services suppliers to rental properties, does not condone or support racial, sexual, age, gender COURTESY JAMES BURWELL

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

Defendant James Roe allegedly told Black testers that units were not available at 468 Place Townhomes when, in fact, they were, a lawsuit claims. For example, Roe told Tanshenetta Veals on the phone that a unit at the Townhomes was available, but when she showed up said, “you ain’t nothing what I expected.” Roe could not be reached for comment.

Mississippi Apartment Association Vice President James Burwell told the Jackson Free Press that SSM Properties, LLC, is not part of the organization.

discrimination at any level.

“The Fair Housing Act,” the DOJ said on its website, “prohibits discrimination by direct providers of housing, such as landlords and real estate companies as well as other entities, such as municipali-

MOST VIRAL STORIES AT JFP.MS: 1. “Mississippi Shatters AllTime COVID-19 Record, But Reeves Says New Peak ‘False’”

by Nick Judin 2. “PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Gov. Reeves, Denial Ain’t a River in Mississippi”

by Todd Stauffer 3. “Best of Jackson: Business Services” by JFP Staff 4. “Jackson Sees Up to 142% Increase In COVID-19 Cases in Some Neighborhoods”

by Kayode Crown 5. “OPINION: Southern Evangelical: Trump ‘Fits the Scriptural Definition of a Fool’”

by Fred Rand

ties, banks or other lending institutions and homeowners insurance companies whose discriminatory practices make housing unavailable to persons because of: race or color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability.”

LaFHAC’s document explained the effects of race-based discriminatory practices on the wellbeing of affected Black people.

“After examining the methods of housing discrimination uncovered by this investigation, it’s clear that discriminatory practices perpetuate segregation and keep African Americans out of neighborhoods of higher opportunity,” the document explained. “Discriminatory acts by housing providers limit home seekers’ choices, and they also influence housing patterns based on provider assumptions and prejudices.”

“Discouraging comments about a unit or one’s suitability as a tenant not only impact housing choice but also are hurtful,” it added. “Steering directly contributes to segregated housing patterns.

“Denying someone the opportunity to view or rent a unit often means that home seekers are left with more expensive, less convenient, and less safe housing.

When these practices are prevalent—and this investigation shows they occurred more than half the time—the impact on the lives of African Americans is far-reaching, harmful, and pervasive.”

SSM owner Steven Maulding declined an interview for this piece. “I don’t have any statement,” he told this reporter at his home in Pearl.

Please email story tips to city/county reporter Kayode Crown at kayode@ jacksonfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @kayodecrown.

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pandemic

Code Red: Hinds County Doubles COVID-19 Infection Rates In Two Months

by Kayode Crown courtesy City of Jackson

Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba closed city hall last week with a new executive order requiring many city workers to work from home in reaction to increasing cases of COVID-19 infection.

H

inds County is now categorized as red, the color code for areas with over 10% COVID-19 test positivity rates. It has recorded 11,046 cases of COVID-19, with 208 deaths as of Dec. 7. That is a death rate of 1.9%, slightly lower than Mississippi’s at 2.39%.

The COVID-19 test positivity rate in Hinds County doubled between September and November.

It was 6.1% in the last week of September but jumped from 7.5% in the last week of to 12.2 in the last week of November, records on Mississippi Department of Health website showed.

Recent concerns of an increase in the rate of infection in Jackson prompted Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba

to enact an executive order last week directing non-essential workers to work remotely. This followed reports of a 142% increase in cases in some parts of the city.

Lumumba, while stating the rationale for the new executive order, said that the city does not have the luxury of a wait-and-see attitude to the coronavirus pandemic, which yesterday crossed the 4,000-death mark at 4,017 deaths from 167,926 infections in Mississippi.

“Continued extraordinary measures related to preventing the spread of the coronavirus are necessary and expedient for the health, safety, welfare and good order to protect the public peace and preserve lives,” Lumumba said in the order.

JPS Starts In-person Schooling January After engaging in fully virtual classes since Aug. 10, the Jackson Public School District has added traditional and hybrid schooling as options for various students categories starting January.

JPS Superintendent Errick L. Greene said in a video posted in November that the decision is partly because of differences in family circumstances.

“And now as we prepare for the spring semester, we’re reminded that not all of our JPS families are similarly situated, and we must therefore offer more options to ensure that our scholars succeed,” he said. “We believe this is the right decision for several reasons.”

“The social and emotional needs of our scholars are great, and it’s very difficult to offer those virtually,” the superintendent added. “Our youngest scholars require in-person instruction to ensure that they have the foundational skills for greater success.”

The superintendent said that the prospect of getting a vaccine and lessons learned from districts already running the traditional learning format also guided the decision to opt for the change.

“We’ve been learning lessons from others who have run in-person traditional programs,” Greene said. “And so some of the strategies and some of the smartest moves that they’re implementing, we’re learning from those, and we’ll be able to use those in our own practices here.”

From January, elementary students can choose between virtual and in-person options, while middle- and high-school students will choose between virtual or hybrid.

Greene said the in-person learning will be with appropriate measures against the spread of coronavirus.

“For our middle and high school scholars, they will also have the option of a hybrid instructional program on alternating A and B days to allow for greater distancing and enhanced cleaning,” he said. “I’m excited about this transition to what we’ve coined a smart restart, and we will continue to monitor the data and adjust the plan as necessary.”

Email story tips to city/county reporter Kayode Crown at kayode@jacksonfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @kayodecrown.

International Museum of Muslim Cultures Receives Kellogg Foundation Grant ership of Muhammad, the Prophet and Head of State, who prepared the first Constitution in history for his multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-religious Commonwealth,” a release from IMMC says.

The museum is also displaying the “Legacy of Timbuktu: Wonders of the Written Word” exhibition at its 201 E. Pascagoula St. location, which emphasizes Islamic West Africa’s culture of literature, scholarship, wealth and empire-building, the release says.

IMMC has used earlier grants from the

Kellogg Foundation as part of its efforts to educate communities nationwide in understanding that “human dignity is fundamental to combating injustice and achieving racial equity and healing.”

The Muslim Public Affairs Council will host IMMC in a virtual webinar on Thursday, Dec. 17, at 6 p.m. central time, which will feature “Exploring African Islamic Contributions to Civilization.” The webinar will coincide with the museum’s national tour of its two signature exhibits. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2INExe1.

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

T

by Dustin Cardon

he W.K. Kellogg Foundation recently gave a three-year, $475,000 grant to the International Museum of Muslim Cultures in Jackson. IMMC has received grant awards totaling $1,140,000 from Kellogg Foundation since 2017, including $65,000 in June for COVID-19 relief.

IMMC is currently exhibiting “Muslims with Christians and Jews: An Exhibition of Covenants and Coexistence,” which opened in June 2020 at IMMC’s satellite location at 101 E. Capitol St. in downtown Jackson. The Exhibit introduces the “peace-building lead-

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RichaRd L. conviLLe

W

ell, Gov. Tate Reeves presented his budget proposals for the State of Mississippi’s 20212022 fiscal year on Nov. 16. In Mississippi, governors’ budget proposals are typically DOA, drawing only yawns from the legislative leadership.

But those proposals do indicate a governor’s aspirations, and for that reason, Reeves’ announcement is important for three remarkable proposals.

First, it proposes phasing out the state’s income tax, which accounts for 32% of General Fund revenue; second, it does not propose a teacher pay increase; and third, it proposes $3 million to create a “patriotic education fund.”

I’ll comment on the first two at a later date and focus now on the governor’s proposed $3 million to fund a “patriotic education fund,” which is designed to “financially reward schools that combat “revisionist history” that is “poisoning a generation,” in Reeves’ words. In his press release, Reeves asserts that Mississippi school students have been assaulted by “indoctrination in the far-left socialist teachings that emphasize America’s shortcomings over the exceptional achievements of this country.”

“American values,” the governor further alleged, “have been the victims of a targeted campaign from foreign and

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

That’s how firmly wedded our governor is to Trumpism.

10

domestic influence—aiming to destroy the pillars of our society.”

His proposal for a “patriotic education fund” is to combat this “dramatic shift in education.”

Lest you think the governor thought up all this by himself, I refer you to President Trump’s July 3, 2020, speech at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, which is available on the White House website. About one-fourth the way through it, Mr. Trump asserted that “our children are taught in school to hate their own country, and to believe that

courtesy tate reeves

Governor’s ‘Patriotic Education Fund’ to ‘Fight Revisionist History’ is a Trojan Horse

Editor-in-Chief and CEO Donna Ladd Publisher & President Todd Stauffer Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin Creative Director Kristin Brenemen REPORTERS AND WRITERS City Reporter Kayode Crown State Reporter Nick Judin Contributing Reporter Julian Mills Contributing Writers Dustin Cardon, Bryan Flynn, Alex Forbes, Jenna Gibson,Tunga Otis, Torsheta Jackson, Anne B. Mckee, Mike McDonald EDITORS AND OPERATIONS Deputy Editor Nate Schumann JFPDaily.com Editor Dustin Cardon Executive Assistant Azia Wiggins Editorial Assistant Shaye Smith Consulting Editor JoAnne Prichard Morris ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY Senior Designer Zilpha Young Contributing Photographers Seyma Bayram, Acacia Clark, Nick Judin, Imani Khayyam, Ashton Pittman, Brandon Smith

In calling for a “patriotic education fund,” Gov. Tate Reeves (right) is parroting President Donald Trump’s false assertion that “our children are taught in school to hate their own country,” Richard Conville argues.

the men and women who built it were not heroes, but that were (sic) villains.”

Trump continued, “The radical view of American history is a web of lies—all perspective is removed, every virtue is obscured, every motive is twisted, every fact is distorted, and every flaw is magnified until the history is purged and the record is disfigured beyond all recognition.”

Whew! And it went on like that about a half hour more.

Two comments. First, Gov. Reeves is merely parroting the president’s belief that there is a vast, “far-left fascism” working behind the scenes in our schools to bring down America by corrupting its youth. That is how firmly wedded our governor is to Trumpism.

It’s embarrassing.

Second, drill down a little deeper. Public-school superintendents in Mississippi are either elected by the citizens within that district or are appointed by the mayors of Mississippi cities.

Somebody corralled all those superintendents and sold them on the idea to teach their students “to hate their own country”? Really?

How did the teachers get the word?

From their superintendents? And how many of them could keep a secret once the superintendents put out the word?

But wait, maybe “they” go around the superintendents and use the internet to penetrate the teacher corps. Maybe hundreds of teachers across the state go onto

dark websites every night to get their instructions, late after their spouses and children are sound asleep. Really?

Just as our national elections are decentralized—down to the county and precinct level—so, too, is our K-12 school system decentralized. There are so many independent schools and school systems that it is impossible for an “invisible hand” to reach in and dictate what is taught. Let us rather celebrate the genius of our decentralized system and how it is one of the pillars of our society, government “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Your and my neighbors are the people who run our schools and teach our children. They are not secret agents of a “targeted campaign … to destroy the pillars of our society.” They are members of our communities, people we see at the grocery store, at church and at ball games. People we know.

The governor’s shameful attempts to sow distrust and suspicion within our communities is not a patriotic act. Reeves’ very announcement of his “patriotic education fund” contradicts itself, with its unfounded accusations of disloyalty among our state’s teachers and superintendents.

It should be rejected out of hand.

Dick Conville is a retired college professor and long-time Hattiesburg resident.

This column does not necessarily reflect the views of the JFP.

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11

Courtesy UMMC Communications

Jasmine Watson is a registered nurse at the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s 2 North unit, which is consumed entirely with COVID-19 patients. The immense stress of the pandemic is a constant pressure on Watson and her colleagues.

’We Have Forgotten Who We Are’:

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

Denial and Death in Mississippi Hospitals

12

J

asmine Watson recalls bringing her patients perfume. It is an odd memory, out of place juxtaposed against other scenes in her medical-surgical unit. “They want that sense of normalcy,” she says, laughing warmly as she remembers. Perfumes and colognes, to fill in what is left of her patients’ sense of smell with a taste of home, rather than the cloying scent of the hospital.

Perfume is common; so is fruit.

Apples and bananas, anything bright and fresh to keep their spirits up. Some of the objects she carries up to her floor are utilitarian—phones and chargers,

by Nick Judin devices to distract, to keep in touch. She shepherds them from families outside the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where she works as a registered nurse, to her patients in a unit that coronavirus has swallowed completely. All of her charges are afflicted with it.

In the beginning, she told the Jackson Free Press in an interview, each nurse dealt with one COVID-19 patient. At this point, each of them is managing three. Their systemic symptoms make treatment significantly more taxing than typical cases. “They’re still med-surg patients. But on top of that, they have COVID,” Watson says.

Her charges are cocooned in technology, telemetry and pulse monitors to watch for a dangerous turn. Watson knows how quickly the disease can claim a life. She has seen it firsthand.

She has a patient in mind. The law bars her from sharing fine detail, so the portrait is a silhouette.

The patient was young, healthy, the kind for whom a hospitalization should have been a brief detour on the road to recovery. She left for the weekend, expecting her patient to be ready to discharge when she returned. When she did, her patient was gone.

That person’s memory is still with

Watson. But it carries less currency outside the boundaries of the hospital, where she finds herself surrounded by deniers not even willing to wear a mask. “People feel like you’re telling them what to do,” she said. “But we just don’t want you laying in the hospital bed unable to breathe.”

Time and the worsening crisis have worn the nurse’s patience away. The last squabble she had was in the grocery store in line with someone looming behind her without a mask on. “I’m not really nice about it. I yelled ‘COVID is real!

Can we get a few feet behind me?’”

Paradoxically, the pushback against public health has only seemed to worsen

‘Into The Fire’

Dr. Aaron Browne is a physician at UMMC, and for most of 2020 he has lived in hell. He is a resident, a doctor in the final stage of training. The designation has placed his cohort on the front lines of the pandemic as it has ravaged Mississippi.

“Our ER is run by residents. Our hospital is run by residents. You often get four days a month off, max. You work weekends. You come in at 6 in the morning and see COVID until you leave at 7 at night,” Browne says.

When he spoke to the Jackson Free Press in the first days of December, using a pseudonym, Browne mixed metaphors, fruitlessly searching for a way to describe

the relentless struggle of the residents in a pandemic year.

“There’s this undertone,” he said.

“Like worker bees thrown into the fire.”

There is no suitable poetic language for it. “We don’t get hazard pay, or anything like that.” He found a way to laugh, in spite of it all. “Actually, we’re lucky we don’t make enough to get a pay cut.”

Others at UMMC did, with the hospital facing a sharp drop in revenue due to limitations on lucrative elective surgeries.

Every part of his work day exhausts the body and soul. In the mornings he sees his patients. “When it started we’d

have one or two COVID patients that we were taking care of. Over the last couple of weeks, that’s jumped up to half of our lists—six, seven of the patients we’re taking care of,” he said.

“You go in, you gown up in all the protective gear. You talk to them, try to provide the best care that you can. And their family can’t come. So you’re the line of communication.”

Browne will never be able to share the private moments and intimate messages the virus forces him to relay, even as they linger in his mind. “There’s a kind of emotion that passes between a patient and courtesy Justin Turner

with the crisis. Watson only experienced the final apotheosis of denialism last month. A patient in her unit refused to believe their diagnosis was real. “They told me I tested positive, but I don’t believe it,” the patient said. “I’m ready to go home.”

Watson stays above the vitriol and does what she can for her patients, regardless of what they believe. “If people are convinced that they don’t have something, you can’t convince them they do,” she lamented. But while the virus is invisible, the symptoms are undeniable. She treats them, and hopes to see them get better, knowing that the most important messages are often those left unsent.

“The people who can talk about their experience with the disease are the lucky ones,” Watson says. Some stories, like the young patient who passed, have no one left to tell them.

For Dr. Justin Turner, CEO of TurnerCare, a Jackson internal medicine clinic, the loss of a patient to COVID-19 forced him to grapple with the strain the pandemic has caused to his mental health.

‘So-Called Experts’

These stories have been a constant in the medical profession during the long months of coronavirus. Health-care workers are caught between two realities.

One is the floating world of the hospital and the clinic: logical and antiseptic.

Misgivings about the virus’ immense danger wither here, buried between rows of the sick and the dying.

The second reality contains everything beyond the emergency-room doors.

There, truth becomes a struggle of willpower, not reason. Across Mississippi, a crop of belligerent denialists assert falsehoods and conspiracies to the detriment of their own kinfolk. A north Mississippi mayor divides the deaths against the state’s entire population and thus declares the crisis too minimal for the Stafford Act, a federal law that expands executive authority in emergencies. A clinic director downplays the December surge as a phantom of triple-counted tests.

“What a bunch of bullcrap,” State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs raged at a Dec. 2 press event, pushed beyond his usual calm by another repetition of the debunked lie about inflated test numbers. more DENIAL p 14

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

courtesy MSDH

Mississippi’s hospitals are critically full, and increasing at a velocity that the state has never seen before. Worse still, hospitals in the state overall are struggling with increased patient load in the colder months.

their family when they’re sick,” he says.

“And now we’re—us and nurses—tasked with being that emotional bridge. On the worst days of these people’s lives.”

“If you could pinpoint what’s emotionally draining about all of this,” Browne says, “that would be it.”

Browne’s long days inside the hospital are filled with grief manifested. But the moment he steps outside UMMC the repetitive indignity of disbelief confronts him. “You leave, and you can’t even get home before you hear it on the radio,” Browne says. “Downplaying what you just saw for the last 12-hour shift.”

The new doctor is aware of the intense weight of the virus, pressing down upon him and his colleagues at every turn. “Suicide rates among physicians are incredibly high. Especially training physicians,” he said. “Adding the increased stress of coronavirus onto that, plus the constant barrage of people acting like it doesn’t exist.” His voice trailed off.

“You have to be the mouthpiece for your friends, your family, people you don’t even know. You have to convince them that it’s real.” He has tried that route, and even the glaringly obvious proximity he has to the catastrophe itself is not enough to sway many. “Eventually it just becomes too tiring. You have to learn to tune it out.”

But he immediately acknowledges it is a poor remedy. “It keeps eating away at you,” Browne said.

13

Courtesy UMMC Communications

Denial and Death in Mississippi Hospitals, from p 13

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

Other health-care professionals, including hospitalists and clinicians, have spoken to the Jackson Free Press about the persistent denialism coming from the public as well as political leadership.

14

“How many times do we have to tell people this? Quit buying into crazy nonsense!”

The misery apparent in the daily lives of frontline health-care workers shows in the fatigue of public-health leadership. There is only so much soothing they are capable of—the country’s collective inability to join together and crush the virus seems more incomprehensible with every passing day.

Dobbs had a desperate plea for the state at a Dec. 4 press event. “What would you do to save a life? What would you do to save 1,000 lives?” He estimated that this might be the cost of the present surge in the span of only a month.

The timeline of an outbreak is set in stone. The health-care system is capable only of mitigating what failed policy and a general disregard for human life has caused. After infection, after hospitalization, comes death. The winter surge has already claimed enough lives to push Mississippi’s official COVID-19 death toll above 4,000. And testimony from the state health officer indicates that the true number, based on excess deaths, is already above 5,000.

As of Dec. 8, skyrocketing transmis-

sion has driven the seven-day average of new cases to 1,931, higher than virtually any single day prior to December. The week after Thanksgiving was a dizzying rush of unprecedented growth, with over 2,000 cases reported three days in a row.

New hospitalizations—and especially the velocity with which they are arriving—are unlike anything seen in the pandemic in Mississippi so far.

Over 1,100 Mississippians afflicted with COVID-19 crowd the state’s hospitals, in a lurching upwards climb that has shown no signs of stopping.

“This wave is growing much more quickly than the summer surge (as predicted),” Dobbs tweeted on Dec. 8. “But our future is in our own hands.”

And yet, after months of relative cooperation with the state’s public-health establishment, Gov. Tate Reeves himself has joined the ranks of the skeptical as the crisis has reached its highest peaks.

It began in late November, as a unified chorus of public-health leaders begged him for a statewide mask mandate ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Reeves brushed their concerns off, refusing to expand the restrictions beyond the

piecemeal county-level mandates that have proven insufficient to curtail the spread of the virus so far.

The governor declined even to plead with Mississippians to forego the upcoming family gatherings known to be conducive to mass transmission.

“I’m not gonna stand up here and tell you that you can’t be with family,” Reeves said. “Because each Mississippian has to make their own decisions.”

The governor acknowledged that those decisions came with risks. But with so many choosing to take those risks, the oncoming surge has pressed Mississippi’s hospital system against its limits and beyond them.

Reeves’ hard break with medical expertise has grown beyond a difference of opinion—the governor has begun to use his position to belittle and deny the brutal realities of treating COVID patients in the middle of the surge.

When leadership from UMMC, the Mississippi State Medical Association, the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Mississippi Chapter issued a joint statement calling for a statewide mask man-

date on Nov. 24, the governor mischaracterized their plea for one measure among many others as a “silver bullet,” doomed to failure. “I get frustrated when so-called experts decide that if we just did one more thing, that we could change this,” Reeves complained when confronted with the letter on the same day.

Only a week later, with the Thanksgiving surge looming above the already overextended hospital system, Reeves again challenged the seriousness of the pandemic by undercutting UMMC’s concerns about capacity in an interview on WAPT News.

“That particular institution has over 10,000 employees. Do you know how many patients they had in ICUs with COVID last week? Fourteen. ... I don’t think that there are very many people in our state that believe that 14 patients with COVID in a hospital of that size and magnitude should have the kind of significant impact that it’s having.”

Every part of Reeves’ conception of the problem is incorrect. As of the beginning of this week, over a fourth of all ICU patients at UMMC were suffering from COVID. Still, the majority of

courtesy MsDH

Mississippi’s trajectory of new cases is significantly higher than in any previous surge—with no signs of receding.

the severely ill coronavirus patients are in the medical-surgical floors, where a conscious decision to intubate patients at a later stage is leaving a massive burden for the med-surg floor to handle. And the inevitable seasonal crowding of the hospital has removed the limited runway the institution had in the summer.

Furthermore, “10,000 employees” refers to the entire UMMC presence across the state of Mississippi, including support staff, administrators, researchers, accountants, food service, among others. To suggest that this entire body of workers is ca-

pable of taking on the extremely technical project of treating COVID-19 is absurd.

A UMMC official confirmed to the Jackson Free Press on Dec. 8 that the hospital is presently at -27 beds, meaning almost 30 patients without proper placement.

Nineteen patients crowd the halls of the hospital, awaiting ICUs capable of handling their critical condition. Some of those are COVID patients. More await beds in the med-surg floors. The hospital is packed full, with transfer requests and surgeries backed up as more patients flood in.

These transfer requests represent the unspoken danger that has arrived with the new peak. It is not enough for UMMC to be operating at max capacity, instead of beyond it. UMMC, as Mississippi’s only Level 1 trauma center, is a keystone in the state’s entire health-care system.

Without UMMC’s flexibility for transfers, and with other states equally maxed out on capacity, it is no longer hypothetical: the immense stress of COVID-19 will greatly harm patients needing care for completely unrelated conditions.

One More Day Dr. Justin Turner, the CEO of TurnerCare, a Jackson internal medicine clinic, has emerged as an outspoken voice for the medical profession and his patients in the difficult days of the winter surge.

In an interview, he acknowledged the pain and the emptiness of serving in a pandemic that has become a conduit for a metastasized political war.

“In April, when things were getting bad, I thought we’d lose some battles, but come together. Because that’s what America does,” Turner said. In December, that hope is fading. “At this point in history,” he added, before a long pause, “we have forgotten who we are.”

Turner knows the pain of loss. “My clinic experienced its first death from

COVID in late July. And at that point my mental health took a very sharp decline.” He follows the admission up quickly. “It’s not that I’ve never experienced death in my clinic before. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back, after all the time, the energy … it felt as if those efforts were pointless, because we are fighting against a systemic mindset.”

There, finally, arrives a metaphor suitable for this stage of the pandemic— the proverbial straw. One more patient gulping for oxygen in an overpacked emergency department. One more resident pushed over the brink by a surge without an end in sight. One more lie, one more conspiracy, one more crack in the communal reality that binds a society together.

For Watson and the nurses of 2 North, the only answer has been to look to each other. “What are you feeling? How are you treating your patients? How crazy is all this? Sometimes we’re just there to make each other laugh in the middle of a very stressful shift,” she said.

A moment of laughter. The support of a friend. A familiar bottle of perfume. Anything, with the weight of the world bearing down, to get through one more day.

Contributing reporter Julian Mills assisted with this report. Email state reporter Nick Judin at nick@jacksonfreepress.com.

Episode 8x08

Now available on

Dr. Joy Hogge December 9, 2020 Dr. Joy Hogge is the executive director of Families as Allies, a nonprofit organization based here in Jackson. Joy Hogge has a master’s degree and a Ph.D in counseling psychology from Texas A&M University. She’s been the executive director of Families as Allies since 2011, where she oversees the development, implementation and assessment of family-driven, communitybased services that support children with mental health challenges and their families.

Let’s Talk Jackson is sponsored by Mississippi Federal Credit Union (http://msfcu.us/).

Join hosts Donna Ladd, Todd Stauffer and others in Season 8

Let's Talk Jackson is powered by the Jackson Free Press.

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December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

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13 Years

Nick Judin State Reporter

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

1 Year

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Zilpha Young Senior Designer

7 Years

For the last six years, Chris Jefferson (left) and Chris Carter (right) have owned and operated Scrooge’s, which will be open on Christmas Day.

W

hen the previous owner sought to sell Scrooge’s Fine Foods and Drink, she didn’t have to look far. Chris Jefferson and Chris Carter, who both worked at Scrooge’s, were more than willing to take over the restaurant. The pair understood that the pub had its own unique atmosphere paired with food and service embedded in southern hospitality.

“It was a good situation for both of us because we had worked together for a long time and we both had the same vision for the restaurant,” Carter says. “We knew what Scrooge’s was, and we wanted it to continue to be that.”

Jefferson had been with the restaurant nearly 20 years and Carter nearly nine years when they became co-owners, and the two have now owned and managed the local favorite for six years.

The menu contains what Jefferson refers to as “a little bit of everything.”

Patrons can sample pub favorites such as loaded nachos, loaded fries, cheese sticks and an assortment of wing flavors while enjoying the full bar. There are also southern classics like steak, chicken and seafood, as well as a variety of po-boys, sandwiches and soups.

Daily blue plates—consisting of a main entree, choice of two sides and a bread—are available for those stopping by for lunch. At dinner, nightly specials feature signature appetizers, entrees and soups. All can be enjoyed inside or on the patio, which is available year-round.

The most well-known item on the menu is the signature Scrooge burger, a hearty sandwich loaded with cheese, bacon, sauteed onions, mushroom gravy, chili, lettuce and tomato. “It’s pretty popular,” Carter says. “The Scrooge burger is definitely something to behold.”

COVID-19 has slowed business in the past few months, but the pair are gearing up for what they believe will be a busy holiday season. The restaurant will also be open on Christmas Day. “(We will offer) a limited menu, but it’s always good to give people a place to go on Christmas night,” Carter says.

“They can get some food and don’t have to cook, and they can get away from their family after a long day, or if they don’t have family, they don’t have to stay alone on the holiday.”

That sentiment of community has remained the heartbeat of the business Carter and Jefferson have continued.

“Whether they are traveling through and just stopping in or whether they live in the neighborhood, (Scrooge’s) is a social network with people of different walks of life and different communities,” Carter says. “That is the experience that we want.

We want to be that neighborhood restaurant or bar.”

Scrooge’s (5829 Ridgewood Road) is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, find the business on Facebook.

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EVENTS

Looking for something great to do in Jackson? Visit JFPEVENTS.COM for more.

Where’s Noel? Dec. 9-11, Dec. 14-18, Dec. 21-23, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Dec. 12, Dec. 19, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Dec. 13, Dec. 20, 1-5 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive).

The museum hosts a daily scavenger hunt during the month of December for Noel, the museum’s Christmas squirrel. Clues are posted to the “Where’s Noel?” Facebook event page, which museum guests can then use to find and snap a selfie with Noel.

Guests who post their photos with Noel in the comments section of the clue posts are entered into a weekly drawing for a special winter ornament, as well as a grand prize drawing for a 2021 Mississippi Museum of Natural Science Foundation family membership. Grand prize drawing takes place on Jan. 1, 2021. Winners are notified via Facebook Messenger. Social-distancing measures, timed arrival reservations, and face-mask requirements are in place. Timed arrival reservation required. $6 adults, $4 youth, $5 seniors, kids under 3 free; call 601-576-6000; email nicole.smith@ mmns.ms.gov; mdwfp.com.

Possum Ridge Model Train Exhibit Dec. 9-12, Dec. 15-18, Dec. 22-23, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Dec. 13, Dec. 20, noon-4 p.m., at Two Mississippi Museums (222 North St.). The MDAH presents the courtesy MDAH

small-town Mississippi themed model train exhibit throughout the month of December. Exhibit included with museum admission.

All guests must wear masks and practice social distancing. $15 adult, $8 youth (4-22), $13 senior (60+), free on Sundays; call 601-576-6850; find it on Facebook.

Holiday Tours at the Governor’s Mansion Dec. 9, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at Mississippi Governor’s Mansion (300 E. Capitol St.).

The MDAH offers tours of the historic section of the state governor’s mansion, which will be decorated for the holidays. Tours take place every half hour. Reservations required. Tours limited to 10 people per time slot. Facemasks required. Free event; call 601-576-6850; mdah.ms.gov.

Cut Your Own Christmas Tree Dec. 9-20, 2-6 p.m., at The Resting Place Retreat (269 Waldrop Road, Flora). Guests choose and cut their own Christmas tree, visit farm animals, snack on hot chocolate and cookies and take photos. Free admission, product

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

COMMUNITY

20

Trisha’s Open Mic Night Dec. 10, Dec. 17, 7-11:30 p.m., at Trisha’s Sports Bar (2460 Terry Road). The Jackson sports bar hosts an open mic night. Walk-ins welcome, no prior sign-up required. Free admission, food and drink prices vary; call 662-607-5375; email Alishanewell@ yahoo.com; find it on Facebook.

Quarterly Holistic Fair Dec. 12, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., at Soul Synergy Center (5490 Castlewoods Court, Suite D, Flowood). The quarterly event includes various booths presenting reiki healing practitioners, sound healing, chakra balancing, astrologers, life coaches, local artists and more. Retail specials are available. Admission TBA, vendor prices vary; call 601-992-7721; find it on Facebook.

Canton Christmas Festival prices vary; call 601-879-0026; email admin@therestingplaceretreat.com; find it on Facebook.

Canton Christmas Festival Dec. 9-23, 5-9 p.m., at Canton Square (147 N. Union St., Canton). The city of Canton holds its annual holiday celebration featuring Christmas lights, horse and buggy rides, photos with Santa, story time with Mrs. Claus and more.

Free admission, vendors prices vary; call 601-859-1307; email jana@cantontourism.com; cantontourism.com.

‘Sippin with Santa Dec. 9, Dec. 11, Dec. 14, Dec. 16, Dec. 18, 5:30-7 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). $15 non-members, $10 members; call 601576-6000; email nicole.smith@mmns.ms.gov; nicole.smith@ mmns.ms.gov.

Photos with Santa Dec. 10, Dec. 20, noon-6 p.m.; Dec. 11, Dec. 15-16, Dec. 18, noon-7 p.m.; Dec. 12, Dec. 19, Dec. 21-23, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Dec. 13, 1-5 p.m., at Northpark Mall (1200 E. County Line Road, Ridgeland). Northpark invites children of all ages to have their photos taken with Santa Claus in their Center Court. Special care is being taken to keep everyone safe by practicing social distancing and requiring that all guests (and Santa, himself) wear facemasks. To prevent overcrowding, reservations are being taken online. Photo packages are purchased when making reservation. Photo package prices vary; call 601-863-2300; email info@visitnorthpark.com; find it on Facebook.

Christmas at Reunion Farms Dec. 11-12, Dec. 18-19, 6-10 p.m., at Reunion Farms Equestrian Center (515 Gluckstadt Road, Madison). The Madison County equestrian facility hosts the holiday-themed festival for families on weekends leading up to Christmas. Features pony rides, hayrides, bounce house, mechanical bull, Christmas village and Santa’s workshop. Food trucks onsite. $15 admission, free for ages 2 and under, vendor prices vary; call 601-853-0409; find it on Facebook.

The Totally Locally Christmas Market Dec. 12, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., at Richland Community Center (410 E. Harper St., Richland).

The city of Richland offers a Christmas shopping market featuring local vendors selling their handmade items. Free admission, vendor prices vary; call 601-420-3400; find it on Facebook.

Journey to the North Pole Dec. 12, Dec. 19, Dec. 21-23, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Dec. 13, Dec. 20, 1-6 p.m., at Mississippi Children’s Museum (2145 Museum Blvd.). The children’s museum presents the holiday exhibit featuring a winter village with train cars, a post office for writing letters to Santa, a sock skating rink, a clock tower with a new 45-foot slide and more. $10 general admission, free for members; call 601-981-5469; email marketing@mcm.ms; mschildrensmuseum.org.

The Storehouse at Repeat Street’s Holiday Market Dec. 12, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., at The Storehouse at Repeat Street (242 Highway 51, Ridgeland). The local thrift and consignment shop hosts the holiday market featuring door prizes, food samples from local vendors, and an art demonstration. Free admission, product prices vary; call 601-605-9123; email repeatstreet@bellsouth.net; find it on Facebook. courtesy Rpeat Street

Possum Ridge Model Train Exhibit

courtesy Canton Christmas Festival

HOLIDAY

A Christmas Movie Marathon Dec. 12, 2-4 p.m., at Brandon Middle School (408 S. College St., Brandon). The performing arts school presents the Christmas-themed production parodying Hallmark Christmas movies. Price TBA; email rankinperformingarts@gmail. com; find it on Facebook.

Santa & Friends at McClain Safari Dec. 13, Dec. 20, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at McClain (874 Holly Bush Road, Brandon). The local resort and safari park offers guests the opportunity to visit with Santa. Guests taking the safari tour can have photos made with Santa and his reindeer friends in the Winter Wonderland Petting Zoo. $12.15 safari tour, free for children ages 2 and under; call 601-829-1101; find it on Facebook.

Homestead for the Holidays Dec. 10-11, The Storehouse at Repeat Holiday Sit and Sip Dec. 18, 11 a.m.-12:30 5-8 p.m., at Mississippi Agriculture & Street’s Holiday Market p.m., at Hinds Behavioral Health Services Forestry Museum (1150 Lakeland Drive).

(3450 Highway 80 W.). The community The museum hosts the event demonstratmental health organization offers the holiday event focused on ing a late-1800s-inspired Christmas. Highlights include a sampler offering coping skills and advice for getting through the holiday “breakfast for supper” story time with Mrs. Claus, carousel and blues. Features food, door prizes, guest speakers, holiday vendors train rides, hands-on historic crafts, live music and a photo with and more. Free event, vendor prices vary; call 601-321-2400; Santa and Rudolph. $6 adults, $4 children ages 3-17; call 601-432email outreach@hbhs9.com; hbhs9.com.

4500; email msagmuseum@mdac.ms.gov; find it on Facebook.

Shop to Table Dec. 12, noon-4 p.m., at Highland Village (4500 Interstate 55 N. Frontage Road, Suite 281). On the second Saturday of each month, Highland Village holds an outdoor shopping event that includes live music, food tastings, giveaways and more. Attendees browse retailers and explore other available activities. Free admission, vendor prices vary; call 601-982-5861; email highlandvillage@ wsdevelopment.com; find it on Facebook.

Ideas on Tap | Polarized: Politics and News in a Divided America Dec. 15, 5:30-7 p.m., Facebook Live. The non-profit organization hosts the online conversation on the polarization of American news and politics. Panelists include Dr. Talia Stroud of the University of Texas at Austin and Dr. Marvin King of the University of Mississippi. MHC Executive

Director Dr. Stuart Rockoff moderates the program. Free event; call 601-432-6752; email cgillespie@mhc.state.ms.us; mshumanities.org.

Tacky Sweater Trivia Tuesday Dec. 15, 7-9 p.m., at Library Lounge at Fairview Inn (734 Fairview St.). The local lounge celebrates the holidays with a tacky sweater version of their trivia night. Up to 6 players per team. Cash prizes. Social distancing practiced. Free admission, food and drink prices vary; call 601-9483429 ext. 314; email marketing@fairviewinn. com; find it on Facebook.

Free Community Meditation Dec. 17, 10-11:30 a.m., at Flowood Nature Park (4077 Flowood Drive, Flowood). The local business hosts a meditation circle introducing personal meditation practice. The event takes place near the pavilion and instructs participants on

breathing techniques. The event also explores chakras and covers other topics. Participants bring their own yoga mat, towel or small blanket. Children of all ages are welcome. Free event; email lauradearman333@gmail.com; find it on Facebook.

The Village Social: Trivia Night Dec. 18, 7-9 p.m., at Highland Village (4500 Interstate 55 N. Frontage Road, Suite 281). The Jackson shopping destination hosts a trivia night. Winning teams receive prizes for first and second place, best team name, best dressed and most spirited. The first craft beer is free for participants. Apples JXN offers a cash bar. Ages 21 and up. See Highland Village’s Facebook page for the week’s theme. Free admission, food and drink prices vary; call 601-982-5861; email highlandvillage@wsdevelopment.com.

Looking for something great to do in Jackson? Visit JFPEVENTS.COM for more.

KIDS S.T.E.M. with Snowflakes Dec. 9-11, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). The museum hosts the winter-themed event featuring educational and entertaining STEM science demonstrations.

Guests observe “ice fishing” demonstrations, experiment with instant snow, and learn about the naturalist and photographer who first captured snowflakes on film. Social distancing measures, timed arrival reservations, and face mask requirements are in place. Program included with museum admission. $6 adults, $4 youth, $5 seniors, free to kids under 3; call 601-576-6000; email nicole.smith@mmns.ms.gov; mdwfp.com.

Art in Nature Dec. 10, 10 a.m.-noon, at Flowood Nature Park (4077 Flowood Drive, Flowood). Local artist/maker Kiri O’Gwynn leads the art class for kids. The class takes place outside in small groups and uses Natural Earth Paints. Children should wear clothes suitable for getting dirty. Social distancing guidelines will be observed. No refunds. $10 fee; email info@ kiriogwynn.com; kiriogwynn.com.

Born to Be Wild Dec. 13, 1:30-4 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). The museum the Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities offer the series of outdoor skills classes for ages 8-18. December’s class focuses on hunter education/Laser Shot.

All classes are at MMNS unless otherwise indicated. All classes outdoors, weather permitting.

Schedule subject to change based on weather conditions. The program is free to members of CCD. Non-members may join CCD at tinyurl. com/joinccd. Free to members of CCD, registration required; call 601-576-6000; email andrea. falcetto@mmns.ms.gov; mdwfp.com.

Hoot & Holler Family Creation Lab Dec. 13, 2-3:30 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). A museum educator leads families with children ages 6-10 in an art project taking inspiration from a different artist each month. $10 per child; call 601-960-1515; email mdrake@msmuseumart.org; msmuseumart.org.

Look & Learn with Hoot Dec. 18, 10:30-11:30 a.m., at Virtual. The educational event for children up to 5 years of age and their parents features creative play, a hands-on art activity and story time with Hoot, the museum’s education mascot. Participants should dress for mess. Free event; call 601-960-1515; email mdrake@msmuseumart.org; msmuseumart.org.

SPORTS & WELLNESS MAQHA Holiday Classic Dec. 12, 8 a.m., at Kirk Fordice Equine Center (1022 Mississippi St.). The organization for amateur quarter horse exhibitors hosts its holiday show featuring a full lineup of all-around classes. Admission price TBA; call 228-223-5990; find it on Facebook.

Fondren Fitness Fun Run Dec. 17, 6-8 p.m., at Fondren Fitness (2807 Old Canton Road).

Runners meet up every third Thursday outside of Fondren Fitness to run three miles around the neighborhood. The run ends at a different local business each month. Free admission; call 601-540-0338; find it on Facebook.

STAGE & SCREEN “A Christmas Carol” Dec. 9-23, 8 p.m., Virtual (Streaming). The local theater company

ARTS & EXHIBITS Richard Kelso at Fischer Galleries Dec. 9-11, Dec. 14-18, Dec. 21-23, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., at Fischer Galleries (736 S. President St.). The Jackson gallery presents an exhibit of new paintings by Mississippi artist Richard Kelso. Virtual viewings or private in-person viewings for up to 15 people available by appointment. Free event; call 601-291-9115; email marcyfn@gmail.com.

Creative Healing Studio Dec. 9, Dec. 16, Dec. 23, 12:30-2 p.m., Zoom. Licensed art therapist Susan Anand leads a weekly art therapy gathering via Zoom for adults being treated for cancer or with a cancer diagnosis in their past. Participants should register by noon on the Tuesday before the event. Free online; call 601-960-1515; email smainlay@aol.com; find it on Facebook.

Curator Tour | Leonardo Drew: City in the Grass Dec. 12, 1 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). Chief curator Ryan Dennis leads guests on a tour of the interactive installation.

Free event; call 601-960-1515; email ywilliams@msmuseumart.org; msmuseumart.org.

NuRenaissance Annual Art Showing & Gala Dec. 12, 6-8 p.m., at The Seafood Hot Spot & More (2895 W. McDowell Road). The Mississippi artist presents his 18th annual art show and gala. Free event; call 601-372-8088; email nurenaissance@yahoo.com; nurenaissance.com.

Art in Mind Dec. 16, 10:30 a.m., Zoom. Licensed art therapist Susan Anand leads the program offered to individuals experiencing memory loss or mild cognitive impairment. Participants can stimulate observation, recall and recognition at home with basic supplies. Free online event; call 601-4962; email mindclinic@umc.edu; msmuseumart.org.

partners with Arnold’s TBD Pictures, La Jolla Playhouse, and On The Stage, to present Tony award winning actor Jefferson Mays in the stage adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas story. Patrons receive an email with the viewing link after purchasing their ticket. Once the link is activated, patrons have 24 hours to watch the performance. Performance can be viewed from any device or cast to a TV. A portion of the proceeds benefit New Stage Theatre. $50 per household; call 601-948-3533; newstagetheatre.com.

Events at Chuckles Comedy House (6479 Ridgewood Court Drive) • RodMan Dec. 11-13, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m. The comedian and winner of Last Comic Standing season 8 performs at the local comedy club. $27.50 general admission, $45 VIP; call 769257-5467; jackson.chucklescomedyhouse.com.

• Red Grant Dec. 18-20, 7:30 & 10:30p.m. The comedian, actor, writer and producer performs live at the Jackson comedy club. $20.50 general admission, $40 VIP; call 769-257-5467; jackson. chucklescomedyhouse.com.

CONCERTS & FESTIVALS Events at Martin’s Downtown (214 S. State St.) • Flow Tribe Dec. 11, 8 p.m. The New Orleansbased funk rock band performs at the local bar/music venue. $15 admission, food and drink prices vary; call 601-354-9712; find it on Facebook.

• The Stolen Faces Dec. 12, 10 p.m. The Grateful Dead tribute band performs live at the local bar/venue. Pricing TBA; call 601-354-9712; find it on Facebook.

• Magnolia Bayou Dec. 18, 8 p.m. The Mississippi rock band performs live at the local nightspot. $10 admission; call 601-354-9712; Eventbrite.

Luckenbach at BB’s Live Dec. 12, 8 p.m., at BB’s Live—Bonny Blair’s (1149 Old Fannin Road, Brandon). The Willie Nelson tribute band performs at the local bar and music venue. Price TBA; call 769-447-5788; find it on Facebook.

The Sal-Tines Dec. 18, 7 p.m., at The Iron Horse Grill (320 W. Pearl St.). The local band performs live at the Jackson restaurant. Free admission, food and drink prices vary; call 601398-0151; theironhorsegrill.com.

The Vamps Dec. 19, 7:30 & 10 p.m., at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). Local band The Vamps perform two live, socially distanced shows at the Jackson music venue. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the early show and 9:30 p.m. for the late show. Guests have the option of purchasing a two- or four-top table, for the use of their party only, for the entirety of the show. Face coverings are required anytime guests are not seated at their own table. Guests are required to pass a temperature check before entry into venue.

Duling Hall reserves the right to ask any guest not observing the stated COVID-19 guidelines to leave without refund. $20 general admission; call 601-292-7121; email arden@ardenland.net; dulinghall.ticketfly.com.

CREATIVE CLASSES Cactus Canvas Class Dec. 11, 6:30-8 p.m., at Fat Cat Art Cafe (5352 Highway 25, Suite 1700, Flowood). The Flowood art cafe offers the class teaching participants to create a cactus painting. Class limited to 12 participants. Ages 16 and up. Facemasks required. Social distancing observed. $22 early registration, $26 after Dec. 9, $10 to reserve spot; call 601-992-6553; find it on Facebook.

PROFESSIONAL & BIZ Virtual Job Fair Dec. 10, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Virtual.

The career event offers opportunities for job seekers to virtually meet recruiters, hiring managers and others who are presently hiring. Participants should have an electronic copy of their resume and should be prepared to interview with recruiters during the event. Professional attire required. Free event; call 678-787-1632; email info@fcacareerfairs.com; Eventbrite.

Winter Water Teacher Workshop Dec. 12, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). The museum holds a professional teachers’ workshop providing training in the science behind water in human bodies and in the environment. Includes ways to adapt water science lessons to the new virtual environment. CEUs available for purchase. Space Limited. $25 fee; call 601-576-6000; email denise.mason@mmns.ms.gov; mdwfp.com.

Tulip Tuesday Dec. 15, 10 a.m.-noon, Zoom.

The Flower Growers of Mississippi invite fellow

gardeners to a Zoom webinar every other Tuesday with the goal of educating Mississippi growers in growing cut flowers for business-to-business or business-to-consumer sales. Experience in commercial flower growing not necessary. Free registration; call 601-672-0755; email dyowell@ aol.com; find it on Facebook.

BE THE CHANGE NAMI Central MS Family Support Group Meeting Dec. 10, 7-8:30 p.m., at St. Dominic Hospital (969 Lakeland Drive). The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Central Mississippi hosts a peer-led family support group for family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals living with mental illness. The group meets on the second Thursday of each month in the St. Catherine Room at St. Dominic Hospital. Free admission; call 601-899-9058; email centralms@ namims.org; find it on Facebook.

Holiday Food Drive at the Two Mississippi Museums Dec. 9-12, Dec. 15-19, Dec. 22-23, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., at Two Mississippi Museums (222 North St.). The MDAH holds the food drive benefitting the Mississippi Food Network.

Visitors bringing a donation of non-perishable food items receive free admission to the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum through Dec. 23. Those making donations also receive a 20% discount at the Mississippi Museum Store. Free admission with donation, 20% discount in museum store; call 601-576-6946; email therron@mdah. ms.gov; mdah.ms.gov.

Ho-Ho Hoth Charity Event Dec. 12, noon, at Van’s CCG (731 S. Pear Orchard Road, Suite 1, Ridgeland). The local game shop hosts a charity event to donate toys to families in the Jackson area. The toy drive is combined with their year-long Star Wars Legion event, as players compete to be the final winner. Free with toy donation; call 601-898-9950; email vansccg@gmail.com; find it on Facebook.

Golf Ball Drop Fundraiser for Good Samaritan Center Dec. 12, 5-9 p.m., at Good Samaritan Center (114 Millsaps Ave.). The fundraiser benefits the local charity organization helping low-income working families in the metro area. Participants purchase one or more of 1,000 numbered golf balls. The balls are then dropped onto the designated area, and the one landing closest to the target wins the grand prize of $5,000. $20 one ball/chance to win; call 601-355-6276; email info@goodsamaritancenter.org; find it on Facebook.

Drive-thru Food Pantry Dec. 19, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center (1500 E. Woodrow Wilson Ave. 39216).

The G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center hosts a drive-through food pantry for eligible veterans at the west entrance. The food pantry serves veterans enrolled in health care at the VA Medical Center in Jackson who meet the Mississippi SNAP guidelines. Veterans are asked to remain in their vehicles. Staff and volunteers verify eligibility and load food into vehicles. Free to eligible veterans; call 601-209-1043.

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

EVENTS

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. 21

Music

Jonathan Yargates’ Return and Cooperative Vision for Local Music

by Tom Scarborough

S

ome sages say that a person sometimes has to leave a place to fully appreciate it. For Jonathan Yargates, a music artist who recently returned to the Jackson area after spending the last 10 years toiling over and perfecting his craft within the competitive music scene of Austin, Texas, this sentiment rings true.

Indeed, since making the metro home again, Yargates has been prodigiously writing and recording new material.

He also holds down the Saturday afternoon gig at Shaggy’s, alongside his best friend and fellow Jackson music icon, Chad Wesley.

had to listen to the Beatles—we all learned to love the Beatles in our own way,” he says. “Z-106, the Jackson station that has been around forever, that’s the one that everyone listened to for rock ‘n’ roll, period.”

Later, Yargates discovered artists on his own who served as role models for the aspiring musician.

“The first musician that became my own interest was Prince. I remember thinking ‘One day, I’m going to have the balls to be somebody like him’—meaning I’m going to get on stage and play guitar like him and have the confidence to express myself without any fear,” Yargates says.

Chris Valentine

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

After a 10-year stint in Austin, Texas, local musician John Yargates returns to the metro to create music.

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Days before his Oct. 25 Jackson Free Press interview, Yargates lost a close friend and supporter, Brandon Taylor.

The musician learned of Taylor’s passing on his way to a performance in Natchez, and he honors his friend’s memory through increased efforts in the music front.

“We met in Fondren and became good friends. We made a video together about Fondren nine or 10 years ago that was pretty humorous. He was a big supporter of mine through all of the art stuff I’ve ever done,” Yargates says.

“This whole year because of COVID I haven’t been able to get sh*t done, and I needed to change that mentality—he would have pushed me to do that.”

Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., Yargates and his family moved to Brandon when he was 2 years old. From a young age, his music influences were broad and ecumenical, as well as initially inherited.

“I pretty much listened to anything my dad listened to, which most kids have to do, but at least it was a generation of great music. I don’t think any kid was mad that they

At 17, Yargates cut his live-performance teeth at a Clinton bar called Gravity. A few years later he caught on with the Jacktown Ramblers, an americana-style outfit that quickly became popular in Jackson.

“The Jacktown Ramblers were americana, but we had a lot of blues influences in there as well,” he says. “(During live shows), we were extremely energetic, like a punk band.

That was the idea. We wanted to make pretty albums but blow you away when you saw us.”

As a solo artist, Yargates re-recorded “Good Shot Boy,” a song he originally wrote with the Jacktown Ramblers as an uptempo bluegrass and folk romp—this time without the bluegrass overtones.

The new, 2018 version maintains the crackling melody while delivering the lyrics in an ambiguous tonality pleasingly evocative of School of Fish vocalist Josh ClaytonFelt. The product, paradoxically, results in a strangely disconnected, yet utterly engaging stylistic delivery. The song has since become a staple of Yargates’ solo performances.

Yargates says the chorus details a young man deciphering adult relationships: “I’ve got no issues with the Lord / I admire that he’s so adored / I just believe in what I see / And a handshake means more to me / I’ll try to figure the answer how / To turn this crazy life around / I’ll make no guarantees / And I’ll choose what right will be.”

While in Austin, Yargates immersed himself in the city’s dynamic music community, later heeding the entreaties he regularly received from Jackson music luminaries Chad Wesley and Jason Turner to return to Mississippi.

COVID-19 had already shut down the live-music scene in Austin—including the SXSW music festival for which Yargates was scheduled to perform—and he found himself professionally stuck in neutral. The timing seemed propitious, and in March he packed up his guitars and bid farewell to Austin.

Once back in Jackson, Yargates renewed his commitment to writing and performing new material. Feeling that the Jackson music community had become too cutthroat— to the detriment of any performer trying to get bookings in an attenuated market for live music—Yargates has made it a personal mission to foster a more cooperative and supportive vision within the Jackson music ecosystem.

“This city does have a ton of musical talent. I’ve scoped out a lot of people, I’ve checked out a lot of younger bands, up-and-coming performers. There’s so much potential for a (stronger) scene to develop—I feel people really need to put more into it,” he says. “I’ve been trying to set an example by going out and supporting other performers. Chad (Wesley) and I will go to people’s shows. We’ll go to the open-mic shows and try to boost them up.”

The 35-year-old musician criticizes how “hyper-competitive” local music has become in the metro, suggesting that artists should be more united and supportive.

“You can’t wait for someone to come rescue the scene.

We have to build this ourselves, by not stepping on each other’s backs, and by being supportive of one another. This is an artists’ community,” he says.

Excited over the emerging talent in Jackson, Yargates praised a handful of musicians during the interview, including Chad Perry, Brian Belew and Brian Shaw. Shaw, who presently drums with the band Watermelon Slim, got his start in Yargates’ band when Shaw was 17. “Watching him play with Watermelon Slim, I felt like a proud big brother.

Man, he is something,” Yargates says.

For Yargates, the immediate future is tantalizing. On Dec. 17 and 18, he will appear at Ghost Train in Birmingham, Ala., and he plans on having an intensive guitar workshop with Chad Wesley in January.

“The big picture really is me being back on the electric guitar. I want to focus on the Hendrix-meets-Dylan sound I stumbled across with the guys in my band (Brad Carter, drums; Steve Ramsey, bass),” Yargates says. “I’m back in Mississippi, and I want to pick up where I left off now that I’m more mature and have my act together.”

Listen to Jonathan Yargates on Spotify, iTunes and other streaming platforms.

ARTS

Prissy Paintbrush Studios Presents Paint 2 Go

by Jenna Gibson COURTESY HOPE MALLARD

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Prissy Paintbrush Studios owner Hope Mallard sells Paint 2 Go kits that people complete at home.

ties for kids, face painting and murals, along with custom canvases and door hangers. Shortly before the coronavirus landed in Mississippi, Mallard began selling party boxes, which evolved into the current Paint 2 Go program.

Like many businesses did during the mandatory quarantine period, Prissy Paintbrush closed its physical store-

LEONARDO DREW: CITY IN THE GRASS OPENING SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

front, instead promoting the Paint 2 Go kits. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just recently opened back up a month ago, letting people come in and do socially distanced paint parties, and I can count on one hand how many parties Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve actually had come into the studio, whereas the Paint 2 Go (service) is so popular,â&#x20AC;? Mallard says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what everybody wants to do. They want to paint from the comfort of their own home and get together with family.â&#x20AC;?

With the current COVID-19 statistics, though, Mallard has once again temporarily closed the businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in-house studio, planning to reopen once cases decline.

Until then, Prissy Paintbrush continues to sell a steady supply of Paint 2 Go kits. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have the same customers coming back to purchase kits,â&#x20AC;? Mallard says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They like to do it themselvesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;they have more time, and they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel rushed. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the luxury of their own home. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been pretty awesome.â&#x20AC;?

One of her most recent canvas drawings featured a nurse wearing a crown, which she created in honor of the health-care professionals serving on the frontline during this pandemic.

Other favorites include any of the pre-drawn canvas designed for kids, as well as her couples â&#x20AC;&#x153;Loveâ&#x20AC;? canvas, which features a simple and abstract outline.

To learn more or to purchase a Paint 2 Go kit, visit prissypaintbrushstudios.com.

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ith the number of positive COVID-19 cases rising in Mississippi, finding ways to safely entertain yourself and others at home has become even more crucial. Prissy Paintbrush Studios, a Ridgeland-based business that Hope â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prissyâ&#x20AC;? Mallard opened in 2013, offers the increasingly popular Paint 2 Go kits that allow customers to unleash their inner artist within the safety of their homes.

Kits contain pre-drawn canvases featuring Mallardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own designs along with the paint and paintbrushes needed to complete the artworks. Mallard finds inspiration for her canvas drawings in all sorts of experiences, be it something she hears on the radio or sees day-to-day, and she notes that she enjoys drawing things she finds â&#x20AC;&#x153;bubbly and fun.â&#x20AC;?

Customers can browse Prissy Paintbrushâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website for art outlines they would like to fill in. After placing an order, patrons retrieve the Paint 2 Go kits via curbside pickup the following Saturday.

Before opening her business, Mallard worked as a dental assistant. All the while, however, art beckoned. When people started asking her to host paint parties, she realized an opportunity had presented itself, and she decided to start her own Paint and Sip studio, where people could enter, drink wine and paint.

During non-pandemic times, the studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s typical services and goods include Paint and Sip events, paint par-

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Last Week’s Answers 46 “The Lorax” voice actor 49 “Go ___” (Pet Shop Boys song) 51 BB___ (English pop group behind “Back Here”) 54 MLB Triple Crown stat 55 It may go for a long swim 56 Mirror reflection 58 Subject of some educational museums 62 Queen ___ (pop music nickname) 63 “Just a Friend” rapper Biz ___ 64 Skin breakout 65 Show with a cold open, for short 66 Organizer’s area of focus, maybe 67 Alternative to fries, in some restaurants

BY MATT JONES

31 Ball club VIPs 32 Egypt’s org., once 33 Lo-cal, in ads 34 Simple sandwich 35 May preceder (abbr.)

36 “___ the season to be jolly” 37 “Castlevania” gaming platform 42 Cookie bit 43 First Top 40 hit for “Weird” Al 46 In ___ and drabs (sporadically) 47 “The Beverly Hillbillies” star Buddy 48 LPs 49 Best-seller list heading

50 “Westworld” character Hughes 51 First name heard at pools?

52 Hollywood power player 53 Alan who lost to Obama in 2004 55 100 cents, for some 57 Aspiring MD’s hurdle 59 Hip-hop’s Run-___ 60 Suffix for senator or president 61 Volleyball divider For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+.

Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800 655-6548. Reference puzzle #947

Down

“Inseparable” --almost always one with the other.

Across

1 Take quickly 5 Jackson who was a guest judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” 11 IRA type 14 Senator’s assistant 15 Words after bump or ants 16 Dr. Zaius, e.g.

17 Classic role-playing game designed

by Gary Gygax 20 Fourth letter of two alphabets 21 Drag around 22 “All right, I get it”

23 Humanities major 24 Ladder rung 26 Lost in thought 28 Barnyard noise 29 San Francisco Bay structure 30 Team behind “The Mikado” 38 Muscat’s location 39 Highland Games gear 40 “The Andy Griffith Show” boy 41 2000s series with Sally Field and Calista Flockhart 44 1/2/34, for instance 45 Part of UNLV

1 “In-A-___-Da-Vida” 2 Motorcyclist 3 Ticket price category 4 Muppet who turned 50 in 2019 5 Mauna ___ (macadamia nut brand) 6 Geometry calculation 7 Prepare to score on a fly ball 8 Couturier Cassini 9 ___-hoo (drink brand) 10 “... long, long ___” 11 Decaf brand that once sponsored “I Love Lucy” 12 Type of bath salts 13 Annoying, like tiny insects 18 Like Ray Romano’s voice quality 19 Flawless solving result?

25 Converses with 26 Some trains in the Thomas the Tank Engine universe 27 Hit the gas pedal 28 Small ‘90s-era storage medium 29 Type of helmet 30 Emote on stage, say

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

I’m envisioning a scene in which you’re sitting on a chair at a kitchen table. At the center of the table is a white vase holding 18 long-stemmed red roses. The rest of the table’s surface is filled with piles of money, which you have just unloaded from five mysterious suitcases you found at your front door. All of that cash is yours, having been given to you no-stringsattached by an anonymous donor. You’re in joyful shock as you contemplate the implications of this miraculous gift. Your imagination floods with fantasies about how different your life can become. Now, Sagittarius, I invite you to dream up at least three further wonderfully positive fantasies involving good financial luck. That’s the medicine you need right now.

Boisterous Capricorn novelist Patricia Highsmith (1921–1995) once made the following New Year’s Eve Toast: “To all the devils, lusts, passions, greeds, envies, loves, hates, strange desires, enemies ghostly and real, the army of memories, with which I do battle—may they never give me peace.”

Right now I suspect you may be tempted to make a similar toast. As crazy-making as your current challenges are, they are entertaining and growth-inducing. You may even have become a bit addicted to them. But in the interests of your long-term sanity, I will ask you to cut back on your “enjoyment” of all this uproar. Please consider a retreat into an intense self-nurturing phase.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

In the French city of Strasbourg, there’s a wine cellar built in the year 1395. Among its treasures is a barrel filled with 450 liters of wine that was originally produced in 1472. According to legend, this ancient beverage has been tasted on just three occasions. The last time was to celebrate the French army’s liberation of Strasbourg from German occupation in 1944. If I had the power, I would propose serving it to you Aquarians in honor of your tribe’s heroic efforts to survive— and even thrive—during the ordeals of 2020. I’m predicting that life in 2021 will have more grace and progress because of how you have dealt with this year’s challenges.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

There are too many authorities, experts, know-it-alls, and arrogant ideologues trying to tell us all what to do and how to do it. Fortunately, the cosmic rhythms are now aligned in such a way as to help you free yourself from those despots and bullies. Here’s more good news: Cosmic rhythms are also aligned to free you from the nagging voice in your own head that harass you with fearful fantasies and threaten you with punishment if you aren’t perfect.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

According to Taoist scholar Chad Hansen, “Western philosophers have endlessly analyzed and dissected a cluster of terms thought to be central to our thinking,” such as truth, beauty, reason, knowledge, belief, mind, and goodness.

But he reports that they’ve never turned their attention to a central concept of Chinese philosophy: the Tao, which might be defined as the natural, unpredictable flow of life’s everchanging rhythms. I think that you Aries people, more than any other sign of the zodiac, have the greatest potential to cultivate an intuitive sense of how to align yourselves vigorously with the Tao. And you’re in prime time to do just that.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

What’s the cause of the rumbling at the core of your soul? How do we explain the smoke and steam that are rising from the lower depths? From what I can discern, the fire down below and the water down below are interacting to produce an almost supernatural state of volatile yet numinous grace. This is a good thing! You may soon begin having visions of eerie loveliness and earth-shaking peace. The clarity that will eventually emerge may at first seem dark, but if you maintain your poise it will bloom like a thousand moons.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

Author and student Raquel Isabelle de Alderete writes wittily about her paradoxical desires and contradictory qualities. In accordance with current astrological omens, I encourage you to ruminate about your own. For inspiration, read her testimony: “I want to be untouchably beautiful but I also don’t want to care about how I look. I want

to be at the top of my class but I also just want to do as best as I can without driving myself to the edge. I want to be a mystery that’s open to everybody. A romantic that never falls in love. Both the bird and the cat.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

What would it take for you to muster just a bit more courage so as to change what needs to be changed? How could you summon the extra excitement and willpower necessary to finally make progress on a dilemma that has stumped you? I’m happy to inform you that cosmic rhythms will soon be shifting in such a way as to make these breakthroughs more possible. For best results, shed any tendencies you might have to feel sorry for yourself or to believe you’re powerless.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

Novelist Tom Robbins says you have the power to change how you perceive the world. You can change reality—and how reality responds to you—by the way you look at it and interpret it. This counsel is especially useful for you right now, Leo. You have an unparalleled opportunity to reconfigure the way you apprehend things, and thereby transform the world you live in. So I suggest you set your intention. Vow that for the next two weeks, every experience will bring you a fresh invitation to find out something you didn’t know before.

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HIRING

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Write todd@jacksonfreepress. com with cover letter and resume.

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD: Post an ad, call 601-362-6121, ext. 11 or fax to 601-510-9019.

Deadline: Mondays at Noon.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was re-elected in 2019. During his campaign, the Virgo-born politician arranged to be photographed while wearing the saffron robes of a Hindu priest and meditating in an austere Himalayan cave. Why did he do it? To appeal to religious voters. But later it was revealed that the “cave” was in a cozy retreat center that provides regular meals, electricity, phone service, and attentive attendants. It will be crucial for you to shun this type of fakery in 2021, Virgo. Your success will depend on you being as authentic, genuine, and honest as you can possibly be. Now is an excellent time to set your intention and start getting yourself in that pure frame of mind.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

When author Ernest Hemingway was working on the manuscript for his novel A Farewell to Arms, he asked his colleague F. Scott Fitzgerald to offer critique. Fitzgerald obliged with a ten-page analysis that advised a different ending, among other suggestions. Hemingway wasn’t pleased. “Kiss my ass,” he wrote back to Fitzgerald. I suggest a different approach for you, Libra. In my view, now is a good time to solicit feedback and mirroring from trusted allies. What do they think and how do they feel about the current state of your life and work? If they do respond, take at least some of it to heart.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

Mistletoe is a parasite that grows on trees, weakening them.

On the other hand, it has been a sacred plant in European tradition. People once thought it conferred magical protection. It was called “all-heal” and regarded as a medicine that could cure numerous illnesses. Even today, it’s used in Europe as a remedy for colon cancer. And of course mistletoe is also an icon meant to encourage kissing. After studying your astrological potentials, I’m proposing that mistletoe serve as one of your symbolic power objects in the coming months. Why? Because I suspect that you will regularly deal with potencies and energies that could potentially be either problematic or regenerative. You’ll have to be alert to ensure that they express primarily as healing agents.

Homework: What’s the one thing you don’t have that would help you make the biggest improvement in your life? FreeWillAstrology.com

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE RURAL AREA PROGRAM South Central Community Action Agency, Magee, Mississippi, is considering applying to the Mississippi Department of Transportation, Public Transportation Division, for assistance through its Rural Area Program to provide public transportation services within Simpson County. Funding is available to state agencies, local public bodies and agencies thereof, non-profit organizations, operators of public transportation services in locations other than urbanized Area, and, under special circumstances, private operators of public transportation on a competitive basis to undertake eligible transportation activities.

The goals of the Rural Area program are: to enhance the access of people in non-urbanized Area to health care, shopping ,education, employment, public services and recreation; to assist in the maintenance, development, improvement, and use of public transportation systems in rural and small urban Area; to encourage and facilitate the most efficient use of all Federal funds used to provide passenger transportation in non-urbanized Area through the coordination of programs and services; and to provide for the participation of private transportation providers in non-urbanized transportation to the maximum extent feasible.

The purposes for which these funds can be used are capital purchases that include such items as support vehicles, communication equipment, wheelchair lifts, etc.; administrative costs that include such items as salaries, office supplies, insurance, etc.; and operating expenses that include such items as driver’s wages, fuel, oil, etc. A public hearing may be held if requested.

The application may be viewed at South Central Community Action Agency, 398 Simpson Highway, 149 Suite C, Magee, Mississippi 39111 from Monday, December 7, 2020 until December 17, 2020.

All comments are welcome. For more information, please call (769)-235-8224.

December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

Classifieds as low as $35

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SHOPPING

Festive Finds for Frosty Times

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by Shaye Smith Winter approaches at a breakneck pace, as do the holidays that come with the season. Whether you want to liven up the decor of your home or buy a gift for a loved one, the Jackson metro has a number of businesses with the merch you need.

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Carmelite Gift Shop (2155 Terry Road, 601-373-3412) 1 10-inch Joy, Love, Peace Tree with Cardinals, $27 2 4-inch LED Nativity Ornament, $13 3 10.75-inch LED Decorative Lantern with Cardinal, $40 4 15.5-inch Fontanini Holy Family, $83.50 5 10-inch LED Musical Nativity $175 Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 I-55 N., 601-366-7619, lemuriabooks.com) 6 ”The Night Before Christmas,” $18.99 7 ”How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” $16.99 8 “The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s 8 Nights of Chanukah,” $9.99 9 ”Olive, the Other Reindeer,” $15.99 10 ”The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” $16.99 11 Hardcover Christmas Books, $18.99-$40 Afrikan Art Gallery (800 N. Farish St., 769-572-7441, afrikan-art-gift-shop.business.site) 12 Kwanzaa Candle Set, $24 13 Kinara, $49 OffBeat (151 Wesley Ave., 601-3769404, offbeatjxn.com) 14 ”The Last Christmas” Book, $24.99 15 ”Gudetama Surviving the Holidays” Book, $9.99 16 Ralphie from “A Christmas Story” Plush Toy, $10 17 Kirk Franklin & The Family “Christmas” Vinyl Record, $22 Brock’s Mississippi Gift Center (1220 E. Northside Drive, Suite 300, facebook.com/brocksbeautygiftapothecary) 18 Snowman Serving Dish, $24 19 12-inch Red Santa Figurine, $36.95 20 Santa Christmas Rocket Ornament, $19.95 21 Mr. Bird Juniper Cottage, $46.95 22 White Christmas Swan, $99.95 23 Tall “Jingle All the Way” Mug, $9.95 24 Abdallah Chocolates Double Dark Chocolate Fudge Snowman Buttons, $9.95 (inside tall mug) 25 ”Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” Mug, $11.95 26 Hot Chocolate Bomb, $9.95 December 9 - 22, 2020 • jfp.ms

Fresh Ink (4465 Interstate 55, Suite 205, 601-982-0245, fresh-ink.com) 27 Rifle Paper Company Nutcracker Design Paper Plates, Large, $12 28 Rifle Paper Company Nutcracker Design Paper Plates, Small, $10 29 Rifle Paper Company Nutcracker Design Paper Napkins, $10 30 Natalie Chang “Believe” Paper Napkins, $11 31 Rifle Paper Company Advent Calendars, “The Night Before Christmas” and “The Nutcracker” Designs, $20 each 26 32 Good Cheer Tea Towel, $14

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Massage Gift Certificates Pendants and an array of unique items in our gift shop

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Annual â&#x20AC;&#x153;Toys for Totsâ&#x20AC;? gift card sale!

Chronic Peace Co. Is a new, locally owned business in Fondren (located in Fondren Corner Building). With the slogan, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Take Me To Your Weeder,â&#x20AC;? we strive to offer our community top shelf, high quality, (completely legal) CBD products. We only carry tried & trusted brands of CBD, along with all-natural, holistic bath/beauty/ home products & freshly baked Prickly Hippie baked goods & CBD-infused edibles.

SPECIALTY PRODUCTS WE SELL:

Receive 50% off all gift cards Saturday, December 12th

CBD Flower - CBD Topicals - CBD Drops - CBD Pre-Rolls - CBD Edibles All-Natural Incense & Candles - All-Natural Beauty & Bath Unique Gifts & Novelty Items

only when you bring unwrapped toys for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.

*In store only. One toy, valued at at least $5, is required per gift card. There is also a $100 limit per gift card.

Wednesday & Thursday: 11:00AM-3:00PM Fri. & Sat.: 11:00AM-3:00PM & 6:00PM-8:00PM. Ă&#x201C;Â&#x2122;äĂ&#x2C6;Ă&#x160; Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;Ă&#x160;-Ă&#x152;>Ă&#x152;iĂ&#x160;-Ă&#x152;Ă&#x20AC;iiĂ&#x152;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;-Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;iĂ&#x160;£ääĂ&#x160;UĂ&#x160; >VÂ&#x17D;Ă&#x192;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;]Ă&#x160; -Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;­Ă&#x2C6;䣎Ă&#x160;Ă&#x2021;äĂ&#x2021;Â&#x2021;{Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x17D; mothership@chronicpeaceco.com

Patty Peck

Used Car Super Center Call 601-957-3400 to reach one of our used car specialists and mention these deals featured in the Jackson Free Press.

Thank you for nominating us.

Please vote for us at bestofjackson.com for Best Car Dealership.

We strive to offer a large selection of quality used cars, SUVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Sedans, Coupes, Minivans and Trucks for our Jackson area shoppers. We work very hard to ensure our customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s satisfaction, as well as making the car buying process as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

t 146 point inspection on all Premium & Premium CertifyPlus Used Cars t Lifetime Powertrain Warranty on every Premium Used car, truck, SUV or minivan t Love it or Leave it Money Back Guarantee

Used 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander SEL FWD

Used 2019 Hyundai Elantra GT Base FWD

Used 2018 Honda Fit Sport FWD Hatchback

SALE PRICE: $19,649

SALE PRICE: $15,000

SALE PRICE: $14,250

STOCK: P15847 | MILEAGE:12,921 FUEL EFFICIENCY: 25 CITY / 30 HWY

STOCK: F15914 | MILEAGEL 41,021 FUEL EFFICIENCY: 25 CITY / 32 HWY

Used 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn/ Lone Star 4WD Crew Cab Pickup

Used 2017 Honda Accord Sedan Sport SE FWD

MARKET PRICE: $35,777

SALE PRICE:$17,500

STOCK: P15796 | MILEAGE:36,872 FUEL EFFICIENCY: 19 CITY / 24 HWY

STOCK: P15843A | MILEAGE: 71,445 FUEL EFFICIENCY: 26 CITY / 34 HWY

STOCK: A128902A | MILEAGE: 27,260 FUEL EFFICIENCY: 31 CITY / 36 HWY

Used 2018 Toyota Corolla LE FWD

STOCK: A153665A | MILEAGE:66,509 FUEL EFFICIENCY: 28 CITY / 36 HWY

SALE PRICE:$13,000

Advertised price excludes tax, tag, registration, title, and $179.85 documentation fee.

The Patty Peck Promise Lifetime Powertrain Warranty Money Back Guarantee

Honda Certified Express Service Free Car Wash and Vacuum

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