v8n32 - JFP Body & Soul Issue: Criminal Injustice

THE COST OF ‘TOUGH ON CRIME’ Lynch, pp 14 - 24

Cosby at the Casino Hearn, p 10

Beating the Blues Eady, p 34 Vol. 8 | No. 32 // April 22 - 28, 2010

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JFPDAILY.COM

Previewing the NFL Draft Yargo, p 40

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April 22 - 28, 2010

jacksonian

On any given day during a week, you can find Alfred Jacobs, 46, walking the halls of Bradley Elementary School. Jacobs is not the principal or even a paid administrator at the school; he is an involved parent.

“It is important to me that the children see me at all times of the day around the school,” Jacobs says. “Because there are so many single mothers with children in Jackson Public Schools, this shows them that a male cares about their future.”

Jacobs is president of Bradley’s Parent Teacher Association. In addition to being one of the few male PTA presidents in the district, Jacobs doesn’t have children that attend the school.

“I just want to be there for my kids as a role model and someone they can look up to,” he says. When Jacobs speaks of his “kids,” he is speaking about the three children he has with his wife of 22 years, Velma, and of every child in the JPS system.

His children, Corey, 22, Alfred Jr., 13, and Kourtlyn, 12, all attended or currently attend other Jackson schools.

“A kid’s elementary educational foundations do not need to have cracks.

They need to be prepared when they go on to middle school, and a solid foundation is important,” the life-long Jacksonian explains.

WRIJOYA ROY

alfred jacobs Jacobs, who works as a service technician at Chapel Ridge Apartments in Jackson, has successfully implemented the Public Broadcasting Systems Rising Readers Program at Bradley. Popular PBS shows such as “Sesame Street” and “The Electric Company” provide the children’s lesson plans for the computer-based program.

He also obtained a Mississippi Public Broadcasting grant, which provided funding for the computer that runs the program.

The grant also funds a corner in the library dedicated solely to the Rising Readers Program—the first space of its kind in the district that gives kids a separate area where they can relax and learn how to read.

“It is a literacy program which helps improve the kids’ comprehension. We have the corner ready with the computer and chairs. The only element left is for the software to be downloaded by the IT department, which should be in a couple of weeks,” Jacobs says.

With anticipated budget cuts districtwide, this program will assist in filling any gaps that may arise in education. Jacobs sees his work going beyond Bradley. “My goal is to have the Rising Readers program with library corners in every elementary school in JPS,” he says.

—Langston Moore

Cover illustration by Melissa Webster

contents

Apr il 22 - 28, 2 0 1 0

VOL.

8 NO. 32

10

14

36

F. Melton Drive?

Cosby Speaks

Tough on Crime

Cheap Eats

Jackson City Council will debate renaming city streets.

Should it be easier? Should you have a say?

Comedian Bill Cosby is bringing his standup to Mississippi.

Read what he has to say about bullying and more.

It may get politicians votes, but Mississippi’s tough-on-crime policies are wrecking lives while enriching private prisons.

Just because your money belt is tighter than usual doesn’t mean you can’t eat terrific, hearty meals.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 4 Editor’s Note 30 Arts

4 Slow Poke 31 Music

6 Talk

32 Music Listings

12 Stiggers

12 Editorial

34 Body & Soul

36 Food

26 8 Days 40 Sports

28 JFP Events 41 Astro

jacksonfreepress.com

KENYA HUDSON; COURTESY BILL COSBY; JARO VACEK; TOM RAMSEY

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editor’snote

Adam Lynch Award-winning senior reporter Adam Lynch is a graduate of Jackson State. He and his family live in North Jackson. E-mail news tips to adam@jacksonfree press.com, or call him at 601-3626121, ext. 13. He wrote the cover story and Talks for this issue.

Melissa Webster Former JFP editorial designer Melissa Webster is a Delta State graduate. Her life revolves around making art, taking care of a neurotic “wildcat” and dreaming of a 124-count pack of Crayolas.

She visited to design the cover and many pages for this issue.

Jaro Vacek Jaro Vacek is a Jackson State student who is originally from the Czech Republic. He has shot photos for the JFP since the first issue in 2002. He photographed Almona Fleming for the cover story.

Brent Hearn Brent Hearn is a freelance writer, actor and production assistant.

He shares a house in Fondren with two super-cool chicas. If you enjoy his writing, he politely suggests sending chocolate in lieu of compliments. He interviewed Bill Cosby for this issue.

Latasha Willis Events editor Latasha Willis is a native Jacksonian, a graduate of Tougaloo College and the proud mother of one cat. Send your 2010 calendars to her at events@jacksonfreepress.com.

Hurry to make the summer arts preview and the June BOOM!

Andy Muchin Andy Muchin is director of programming at the Goldring/ Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. New to Jackson, his discoveries include Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale and Mal’s St. Paddy’s Parade. He reviewed “The Promise Land.”

Eileen Eady Former editorial intern Eileen Eady is looking to find her place in the Deep South. Formerly of Wesson, she now lives in Arkansas with her two boys and husband.

She wrote the Body & Soul feature.

April 22 - 28, 2010

ShaWanda Jacome

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Assistant to the editor ShaWanda Jacome was born in Jackson and raised in California. Family is everything to her ,and she hopes one day to travel to London, Canada and Jamaica. She also writes and coordinates the Food section of the paper.

by Donna Ladd, Editor-in-Chief

Family Values

“I

t’s up to the family.” I always cringe a bit when I hear a variation of that statement. Or: “Where was the family?” Or worse: “If these thugs had a father around, they’d know how to act.”

Usually those phrases are used about African Americans, uttered in a fit of blame and abdication of responsibility, and often to justify why the speaker opposes efforts to help “at risk” families (close your eyes; see any white kids?), whether through funding “adequate” education or funding public transit so people can get to work and feed their families.

“Well, if their families would only do their part …” (voice trails off, eyes roll).

I agree. The “family unit” is vital. We all need role models, mentors, supporters. All kids could all use a meal around a table with their mom and dad every night. And, yes, “good” kids tend to come from stable families.

But I abhor the barely disguised racism— the undertone of “if they would just raise their kids like I’m raising mine, then they wouldn’t do drugs, rob, get in trouble, go to jail.” You can almost hear them proclaim: “Black people don’t know how to raise good families.”

That’s a vicious lie. But it’s a lie that many (white) people believe because, well, they don’t know what they don’t know. And it’s a lie perpetuated throughout our brutal race history—the one that folks like Haley Barbour and that governor of Virginia would rather us not revisit. They sure don’t want (white) folks to know, and to retell, the truth.

And here it is: White America did everything in its power to destroy the strong family values of African slaves. Our ancestors bought and sold human beings (which they called “product,” clearly to dehumanize their own sins), and they split families. They beat, killed, mocked and hobbled the heels of slaves so they couldn’t run away back to their families. They took babies from mothers and fathers; they hung daddies from trees if they tried to protect their families; they stuffed victims’ privates in their mouths to send a message to others.

Our history as a state and a nation is filled with atrocious efforts to destroy the selfesteem of black men. During the entire arc of slavery and then Jim Crow laws—which did not end until the U.S. Supreme Court finally acted in December 1970, sending thousands of Jackson families fleeing to the suburbs and white academies—white supremacists worked diligently to de-moralize and criminalize black men. Their excuse was fear that those men would rape women with my skin color, even as many of the white bigots raped and impregnated black women that they “owned.”

So much for family values.

Once the Supreme Court got up the nerve to end the codification of white supremacy in our state (when I was in third grade), the white power structure didn’t suddenly get religion and decide to help reverse nearly two centuries of institutionalized bigotry, or help break the cycles of violence and broken families that racism codified by law had created.

No. Instead, the drug war became a tool to pack our prisons with people of color, and then take away their right to vote. The irony, of course, was that the rich and powerful supplied those extremely addictive drugs to the “ghettoes” created by white supremacy.

The anti-thug rhetoric changed slightly but continued. As a child, I heard constantly how violent black men were; that “we” never went into “those” neighborhoods; that African Americans were lazy and shiftless—more language and lies of slavery times. Meantime, I was not taught that white people had devastated the black family in the first place.

And I sure never read Mississippi’s Articles of Secession. In fact, I didn’t until a year or two after we started the Jackson Free Press. By then, I had left the state for 18 years, studied race history in graduate school, returned home and started a newspaper here named after a Movement paper. I must have heard or read thousands of times the revisionist trash that the Civil War “wasn’t about slavery.” (Always uttered with extreme condescension toward those of us who can’t “get over” the past.)

Then I got an unexpected e-mail from a family member in Neshoba County. He had read another nonsensical exchange on the JFP website where some dumbass scolded the rest of us for daring to mention slavery in the same sentence as the Civil War. My relative told me to go read Mississippi’s Articles of Secession.

So I did. The document, born just down State Street in the Old Capitol, begins: “A Declaration of the Immediate Causes which Induce and Justify the Secession of the State of Mississippi from the Federal Union. In the momentous step which our State has taken of dissolving its connection with the government of which we so long formed a part, it is

but just that we should declare the prominent reasons which have induced our course.

“Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery—the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization. That blow has been long aimed at the institution, and was at the point of reaching its consummation.

There was no choice left us but submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the Union, whose principles had been subverted to work out our ruin.”

Make no mistake: Mississippi seceded from the union and our soldiers died over slavery, leaving many of their own children fatherless. Our state then subjugated former slaves through the Black Codes and Jim Crow laws, and later practices such as red-lining.

Our power structure worked to keep black citizens from voting and “mixing” with whites through laws, unfair sentencing, and continued rhetoric that vilifies our black citizens, especially young men and their families.

Yes, every family needs to do its part to (a) know and (b) reverse the effects this disgusting history has on each of us: white, black and other. We are a different Mississippi now, but denying our history and its effect on our families will doom us to keep repeating it.

It takes us all to break the cycle.

The Jackson Free Press will not celebrate Confederate Memorial Day April 26.

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jacksonfreepress.com

news, culture & irreverence

Thursday, April 15 A volcano erupts in Iceland, spreading ash five miles into the air across northern Europe. Hundreds of flights are cancelled due to the smog cloud. … The Jackson Medical Mall announces improvements to the area surrounding the mall, including the new Homewood Heights subdivision, and a Save-A-Lot grocery.

Friday, April 16 The Securities and Exchange Commission accuses Goldman Sachs & Co. of defrauding investors in sales of mortgages. … The state Supreme Court rejects deathrow inmate Thomas Loden Jr.’s petition to overturn his guilty plea for kidnap, rape and murder of 16-year-old Leesa Gray in 2000.

Saturday, April 17 Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney endorses Marco Rubio in the Florida Republican Senate primary over current Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. Crist backed John McCain for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. … The Mississippi Tea Party rallies at the state fairgrounds and marches to the capitol.

Sunday, April 18 The Iranian nuclear conference demands Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. … Mississippi State baseball team defeats Tennessee 14-6, clenching an invite to the SEC tournament.

April 22 - 28, 2010

Monday, April 19 Rain and low cloud cover stops the space shuttle Discovery from returning to Earth. … Consultants recommend merging 18 Mississippi public school districts for long-term cost savings.

6

Tuesday, April 20 Civil rights leader Dorothy Height, who worked for the equality of women and blacks, dies at age 98. … Attorney General Jim Hood asks the state Supreme Court for execution dates on Paul E. Woodward and Gerald James Holland, on death row since 1987 and 1993, respectively.

Cosby invades Mississippi, p 10

Council Argues Renaming Process KENYA HUDSON

Wednesday, April 14 U.S. District Judge Tom Lee puts an immediate ban on the Walthall School District’s practice of allowing white students to transfer out of majority-black schools. …

The Department of Archives and History withdraws its request for an opinion from Attorney Gen. Jim Hood on whether the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board should be deemed a state agency.

By the end of 2007, more than one in every 100 adults in America was in jail or prison, for the first time in history.

That fact significantly affects state budgets without delivering a clear return on public safety, according to a February 2008 report by the Pew Public Safety Performance Project.

Council President Frank Bluntson wants city ordinances changed to allow the renaming of a street or building without petitioning for neigbhorhood approval.

M

embers of the Jackson City Council criticized the effort of Council President Frank Bluntson to remove a petition requirement for the renaming of city streets or facilities.

During the Monday work session, Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber said he was nervous about Bluntson’s push to change city ordinance and remove a requirement that at least 75 percent of property owners within 150 feet of a public facility or street approve efforts by council members to change the street or facility’s name.

“This is really going to cause a lot of issues when you tell people that the council will

soon have a right to do what we want to do with their street or property … and they don’t have an opportunity to say anything until a public hearing,” Yarber told Bluntson, while describing a public hearing as “a dog and pony show” that the council enacted “to say some kind of due process has been followed.”

Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes, who chairs the council’s Planning Committee, leads the council’s effort on numerous name changes to streets and facilities around the city.

One of Stokes’ proposals suggests renaming a section of Pascagoula Street that connects the Jackson State University Parkway to Interstate 55 after controversial former Jackson Mayor Frank Melton.

Last year, Stokes entered a bitter battle with neighbors of a library on Northside Drive, who wanted the library named after author Ellen Douglas. Stokes advocated instead for naming the library after deceased Jackson Advocate publisher Charles Tisdale.

A majority of the council sided with Stokes in naming the library after Tisdale, but not before members of the literary advocate group Jackson Friends of the Library blasted Stokes for deviating from a policy of naming libraries after authors, and for pushing for the renaming of a facility outside his ward.

Yarber said the people in his ward are infamous for opposing zone changes and other alterations in their community, and would not welcome the council removing their right to a petition.

by Adam Lynch

“These are the same folks who don’t want tax-credit housing, so they definitely don’t want you to come along and remove their opportunity to participate in the renaming of a street that they’ve been paying taxes on for the past 40 years,” Yarber said. “I guarantee you (when this hits the media), we’re going to have a problem. That’s my concern, because I know my constituents.”

Bluntson disagreed, arguing that the council reflected the will of the people in renaming streets and that a majority of the council still had to approve any name change.

“You need four members of the council, as you know. I can’t understand why this is such a problem. I had to fight the 4-to-3 vote for a long time,” said Bluntson, who was part of a three-person voting bloc on the council along with Stokes and Ward 5 Councilman Charles Tillman who voted with Melton.

“You’ll find yourself (back in the minority) when you vote on this,” Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Weill said, “because you’re going to lose on this issue.”

Weill and Ward 7 Councilwoman Barrett-Simon sided with the Ward 6 councilman, who complained that the proposed ordinance change hurts democracy.

“I think whenever you take away the right of people to have a vote on a decision regarding their property then you really cripple the democratic process. We the council are not the process alone,” Yarber said.

“We are just a voice.”

by Natalie Collier BUTT

E D I R THE

BUS

“I would encourage you to hear from people who don’t use the bus, who pay $3.1 million a year in tax money to support it while we spend another 4 or 5 million from the federal government to help pay for it.” Jackson Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Weill arguing against JATRAN, the city’s only public transportation.

It’s in because I say it is, OK?

In

OUT

Confederate History Month

Confederate History Month

Using your real name online

Anonymous online rants

Reality

Reality TV

Shawn Southwick’s sister

Shawn Southwick

Transparency

Kitty Kelley telling all for you

Forgiveness

Grudges

Taking action

Talking about what should be done

Acceptance

Tolerance

Road trips

Spirit Airlines carry-on luggage fees

Corporate social responsibility

Profit motive only

Urban living

Suburban sprawl

Ruffles and prints

Bling and plaids

citytalk

by Adam Lynch

Bus Routes and Stress Tests

J

KENYA HUDSON

ATRAN General Manager Sam Tensley Jackson City Council had a difficult time said during the Monday city coun- connecting cost savings with Johnson’s procil work session that the city should posal to contract Reddix Medical Group for consider cost savings decisions to medical and physical screenings of police and make the city’s bus system more affordable. fire department recruits.

“We want to hire more drivers and “How does paying $525 per recruit test cut overtime. We’re looking at fuel costs, at amount to cost savings,” asked Weill, who alternative fuel purchasing at lower costs, and noted that St. Dominic Community Health looking at route limitation, if possible, sched- Services, Inc, and Baptist Medical Clinics curuling adjustments,” Tensley rently offer medical screening told council. for some of the health tests for Jackson Mayor Harvey free as a favor to the city.

Johnson pointed out that a Johnson explained that similar proposal to cut routes the hospitals do not offer last year drew widespread a free stress test involving a criticism for the council, but treadmill, but instead charge added that the straining city recruits $325. The mayor also budget demanded some tough complained that the results of Jackson Mayor Harvey decisions. the stress test from the current Jr. suggested the Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Johnson contractors can take up to a city may look into cutting Weill said the route reduc- some bus routes to make year to deliver, and that failed tion would only upset a small JATRAN more efficient stress tests could neutralize an community, compared to the this week. otherwise passing score on the taxpayers who finance the physical, raising the specter bus system. “There could be 5,000 or 10,000 of employee suits against the city should the who ride the bus, but there’s another 175,000 recruits already be employed. people in the city that we don’t hear from, Instead of voting the contract up or and the folks who do ride the bus crowd the down, Council President Frank Bluntson and council meeting and give many of you the no- the council opted to hold the item until the tion that the buses are well-received and used,” city could reach contacts at Baptist Medical Weill said.

Clinic and St. Dominic in an effort to speed “I would encourage you to hear from up the return time on stress tests. people who don’t use the bus, who pay $3.1 Council members argued that a $325 million a year in tax money to support it while stress test coupled with other free tests reprewe spend another 4 or 5 million from the fed- sented a $200 cost savings over a $525 packeral government to help pay for it.” age deal offered by Reddix.

At the same meeting, members of the Breaking news at www.jfpdaily.com.

COURTESY NATHAN GLENN

Precise Research Centers Telephone: 601-420-5810

jacksonfreepress.com

L

ocal celebrity chef Nathan Glenn lunch, $7 lunch for members; e-mail nmc told the JFP Daily last week that he namee@greaterjacksonpartnership.com to will no longer be The Auditorium’s RSVP. … The Greater Jackson Chamber general manager. Glenn said he Partnership is hosting an event for memwill focus on operations at bers on April 28 to educate Basil’s in Fondren, which he business owners about recent also owns. Next month, he federal health-care legislation. will unveil his new website, The luncheon is at 11:30 a.m.

Glennfoods.com. … Jackson at the Old Capitol Inn and native Kila Milner, 29, opened is $25 for chamber members a nail salon, Polish, at 3111 and $30 for non-members.

RSVP to Debi Green at 601N. State St. Polish is open 948-7575 or e-mail dgreen@g Monday through Friday from reaterjacksonpartnership.com.

8 a.m. to 6 p.m. by appoint- Nathan Glenn, chef ment only. Call 601-953- and general manager … Jackson burger maven Al of The Auditorium, 2184. ... Young entrepreneurs said he is leaving his Stamps has opened a second can learn from Jackson busi- position to focus on venture, Burgers & Blues, in ness leaders Thursday at the his other restaurant, Ridgeland. Burgers & Blues serves beer and features flatYP Alliance’s monthly panel Basil’s in Fondren. screen TVs and will host live discussion. Speakers at Thursday’s discussion will include Mangia Bene music every week. Burgers & Blues, 1060 restaurateur Jeff Good, Jackson Chamber E. County Line Road, Ridgeland, 601-899Chairman Jonathan Lee and Envision Eye 0038. Open Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to Care owner Dr. Tonyatta Hairston. The 9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m. to midnight.

Updates to news@jacksonfreepress.com. luncheon is noon at the Electric Building (308 E. Pearl St.) on the seventh floor. $10 Get free daily business news at jfpdaily.com.

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capitoltalk

Grading the Lawmakers

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by Adam Lynch

olitical and community activist Rims Barber released a 2010 political report card grading legislators based on their votes for 10 progressive bills that filed through the 2010 legislative session before it temporarily recessed in March.

Barber, a minister who came to the state in 1964 at the request of the National Council of Churches to help with civil rights work during the historic Freedom Summer campaign, remains deeply involved in politics and regularly lobbies legislators on a variety of progressive issues.

The report card classifies legislators based on their up or down votes on bills from their respective chambers. The findings of the Senate report card stems from votes on bills like SB 2688, which increased funding for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program formula while Gov. Haley Barbour sought to cut the entire state budget by $79 million, including MAEP. A second determiner for the grade comes from the failed veto override attempt of SB 2688, after Barbour rejected the budget increase. Two other Senate bills that set the standard included SB 2495, which minimized budget cuts affecting education and social services and SB 2775, which would have removed many state employees from job protection provided by the State Personnel Board procedures.

Bills on the House side that Barber drew upon to set a grade include more bills that restored budget cuts mandated by the governor, as well as bills such as HB 1627, which did away with the requirement of Medicaid beneficiaries to re-instate their benefits through a personal meeting with a state Medicaid officer. It also included HB 539, which protects people videotaping on-duty law enforcement officers, firemen or conservation officers, so long as the person doing the recording does not interfere with the work of the officers.

“The bills have to be social-issues bills,” said Barber, who has been compiling the grade for two decades. “I look primar-

ily for basic human-rights kinds of topics: health care, education, workers rights, that kind of thing. People need to know how their legislator votes on these important human issues.”

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House Speaker Billy McCoy’s (above) voting record has grown more progressive over the years, according to an analysis by long-time political and social activist Rims Barber.

Barber said he had to be selective in choosing example bills that help classify a senator or representative. The Senate, for example, tends to vote 52-to-nothing on most bills. When most newspapers compile a wrap-up of the Mississippi Legislature, they end up including a majority of the bills voted on with an easy 52-to-0 vote—offering no real grading scale by which a voter may rate their senator.

For this reason, Barber aims for bills or amendments that get a livelier vote such as a 31-to-19 vote—following, perhaps, a great deal of chamber bickering—with enough of a differential to make it worth recording.

Barber said he noticed an evolution during the two-decade course of his grade scale: white and black legislators are more united on issues and less united by race.

“I started out in the days when nobody (white) voted with anyone black, and now we’ve got blacks and a significant number of whites voting together on issues

of importance: on how to handle health care issues, how to handle workers’ rights issues and education issues. We’ve got blacks and whites voting together on the same subject. It didn’t used to be that way.

It’s a nice change,” Barber said. “Remember that 100,000 white people in Mississippi voted for Barack Obama. When I started out, (he) might have gotten 10 (white votes).”

Barber also noted that House Speaker Billy McCoy votes more often with the Legislative Black Caucus than he did five years ago. McCoy used to get a C on the grading scale half a decade ago, but this year he got a straight A. Barber admitted that the Black Caucus voted to help McCoy keep his seat as House Speaker, but pointed out that individual politicians have been evolving quickly over the years.

“I remember when Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, ran for re-election and was against the tobacco tax in his election campaign. Now, during the last couple of years, he’s been a staunch advocate for the tobacco tax. He changed. That’s cool. I like to see people grow and change,” Barber said.

The minister also noticed that the votes in the Senate have become far more polarized over the last five years. The grading scale ranges from “A” to “F,” with an “A” representing a “yes” vote for all seven socially progressive Senate issues and an “F” for a “no” vote on all seven issues. While the House report card contains a wide scale of letters ranging between “A” and “F,” the Senate roster is mostly a collection of only one extreme grade or the other.

“In the Senate we find only votes with or against Gov. Haley Barbour. We find mostly “A” grades or “F” grades, and barely anything in between,” Barber said. “We’re finding very few “C”s in the Senate these days. It’s so polarized. Everybody is either an “A” or an “F,” Barber said. “I’m not sure how politically healthy that is.”

To see and comment on how your state senator and representatives voted, see this story on www.jacksonfreepress.com.

statetalk

by Adam Lynch

Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, said Senate and House negotiators already worked out a $5.5 billion fiscal year 2011 budget before the rest of the lawmakers got back this week.

T

he Mississippi Legislature was back in action April 20 to approve a $5.5 billion fiscal-year 2011 budget and the reauthorization of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

The Legislature abandoned the Capitol in March to sit out what looked to be an impasse over the budget and MDES, spurred by disagreements over how much to tap budget reserves to cover shortfalls, and how much to change state unemployment law to increase the state’s eligibility for stimulus money.

Legislators also took the break hoping that the U.S. Congress would approve up to $188 million in federal stimulus money for the state, allowing legislators to steer the new money quickly into ailing state coffers. House and Senate leaders have not budgeted to include the $188 million in the fiscal year 2011 budget, since Congress has yet to approve the stimulus funds. However, lawmakers say they would like to plan for a $110 million contingency should the federal funds come through after state legislators approve the budget.

House Banking and Financial Services Chairman Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, said the $5.5 billion fiscal-year 2011 budget is already in the bag.

“I was in the room when the House and Senate (negotiators) made an agreement,” said Flaggs, who preferred the state to draw upon more reserves to fill budget holes in the 2011 budget. “Having to cut $112 million out of this year’s budget really hurt, but given that revenues are still progressing up very slowly, it’s probably the best budget we can get under the circumstances.”

House Medicaid Chairman Rep. Dirk Dedeaux, D-Perkinston, said he was unhappy about the shape the budget took through House and Senate negotiations, but admitted he could not see how the budget could have fared any better considering the state’s economic troubles. He added, however, that he was still stinging from a $14 million deficit in Medicaid for fiscal year 2010 resulting from a $14 million transfer from Medicaid to other state programs.

“We’re dealing with 2011, but I’m still concerned with the 2010 Medicaid deficit.

We’ve got money in the tobacco trust fund that could be used to offset those cuts, but the governor and the Senate don’t seem open to using that money,” Dedeaux said.

Medicaid Executive Director Robert Robinson blamed the Legislature in early April for a cut in the Medicaid reimbursement rate to health-care providers, because of a $14 million diversion courtesy of SB 2495.

Flaggs said the House and Senate could just as easily be ready to settle the unfinished MDES matter when they get back. More Mississippians could also qualify for unemployment insurance if the House and Senate agree on a bill the House passed last month.

Legislators say the Senate and Gov. Haley Barbour—who Democrats claim holds sway over Senate leaders—may be willing to approve the bill re-authorizing the Mississippi Department of Employment Security while drawing down more federal stimulus money.

In March, Barbour and House Democrats disagreed on Mississippi’s requirements for citizens to qualify for unemployment insurance. Mississippians must work more than six months to meet unemployment insurance requirements and can only seek full-time work while unemployed. Under the current law, only about 24 people out of 100 unemployed state residents qualify for unemployment money. Democrats want state law changed to allow more citizens to qualify and give the state access to $56 million in federal stimulus money. But Barbour argues that any change in state unemployment law commits the state to more costs in what could prove to be a long era of budget shortfalls.

Reps. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, and Flaggs say Barbour is willing to allow, through the Senate, a House bill removing the sixmonth holding period before an employee may qualify for unemployment insurance, allowing the state to draw down $21 million of the $56 million in federal stimulus funds.

To qualify for the entire $56 million, legislators must change state law to allow job hunters to seek part-time employment, instead of restricting their search to full-time employment. Currently, unemployed parttimers qualify for unemployment benefits if they worked more than six months at their last job and claim they are seeking full-time work. This eligibility requirement rules out many single parents who cannot seek full-time employment because of family demands. Barbour was unwilling to make that concession in February, and House members say the Senate is still unwilling to bend on that item.

Before their departure, Legislators in both chambers managed to pass HB 160, a law allowing some first-time offenders to expunge their non-violent convictions. They also passed HB 1309, which strengthens state laws against stalking and adopted SB 2015, which requires schools to impose anti-bullying policies.

presents Our Community - A Sense of Place an exhibit of student work 24 Elementary Schools Jackson Public Schools

April 17-30 Mississippi Arts Center Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm, Sunday, 1pm-5pm 201 E. Pascagoula For more information: 601.969.6015

Web Programmer Needed Part-time Web programmer (HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript) sought for new and ongoing JFP web projects. iPhone/Android experience welcome.

Also, paid or credit internships.

Flexible hours possible.

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AMILE WILSON

Legislators Eye State Budget

9

VOTED BEST HAIR STYLIST

dish

BEST OF JACKSON 2009 & 2010

by Brent Hearn

COURTESY BILL COSBY

Bill Cosby Invades Mississippi

1935 Lakeland Dr. 601.906.2253

It’s time for a new Spring Wardrobe!

2475 Lakeland Drive, Flowood

April 22 - 28, 2010

601.933.0074

10

Comedian Bill Cosby will perform live at Pearl River Resort in Choctaw this coming Saturday, April 24.

I

f you’re a die-hard fan of stand-up comedy, you may have heard of an obscure actor/comedian by the name of Bill Cosby. This promising upstart from Philadelphia, Pa., will perform at Pearl River Resort Saturday, April 24.

Here’s hoping this guy can make a name for himself someday. Show business is brutal, Mr. Cosby. Just make sure you have something to fall back on.

Actually, Cosby, 72, is known for his role as Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable on the Emmywinning “Cosby Show,” which he created in 1984. He currently does stand-up comedy and makes public appearances. Cosby also plays the drums and bass guitar.

How is stand-up different today than it was earlier in your career?

When I started, there were no comedy clubs. The comedian—if not a name draw—would be the automatic opener for a star-draw singer. So you could have a big name person like Harry Belafonte, and the opening act would be Godfrey Cambridge.

There were levels of clubs. In my day there were folk clubs, and it would be the comic and the folk group. (There would be) huge lines around the block for folk singers who were also doing shows in

Necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings crafted from petrified wood from around the world. Want to do it yourself?

We carry an assortment of beading supplies, rock tumblers, and much more for creating a unique and special gift for Mom from you!

Or stop by and pick up a gift certificate.

halls—2,100-seaters.

You do profanity, and the police come. In that time, Lenny Bruce was the Don Quixote of all of this.

Do you get to play very much?

Once a year (at the) Playboy Jazz Festival, I play one set: 55 minutes. And I think about the up-and-coming gig all year long.

You’ve been doing this for a long time. Does performing live still excite you?

Suppose I was really tired of it, it would probably show up in my performance, I think.

I don’t think a tired performer can really hide it, because part of performing what they call “live” has to do with a connection with you and the person sitting offstage. No matter what you do … if you’re tired of what you’re doing, it’s going to show up eventually. After 48 years, I have things that come to mind that I am excited about sharing.

A hot topic in Mississippi education and policy has been bullying.

What responsibility do parents and educators to the kids being bullied?

Let’s put the parents up there first.

Parenting is a lifelong career. The things you make mistakes on … the things you ignore, you pay for. You cannot allow yourself to hand your child over to a box or a computer, and expect your child to understand love, friendship, correct behavior, honesty and character. You, along with perhaps your parents and your other relatives, happen to be the people who have the most strength in guiding this child upstream against the rapids, so that he or she does not stop in the middle of the road of life.

Schools are not supposed to raise your children, but schools also ought not lay down tremendous hurdles, i.e. overpopulated classrooms, i.e. teachers who have been pounded and beaten by the system.

It’s up to you to make sure that child is in school. It’s up to you to meet that human being called a teacher, so you know … for that six hours who your child is with.

What is your advice for a stand-up comedian just starting out?

Make a commitment to writing. Make a commitment to making sure that what you feel is funny is described to the listener and viewer in a way that they can see, feel and smell exactly what you are talking about. Just take in as many comedians as you can.

You’re a jazz aficionado. What kind of music do you find yourself listening to these days?

There’s a young lady that I think the world has to see. Her name is Lizz Wright.

I advise the reader to go to her first-ever CD and look at the songs she wrote. She has been trying to evolve and I think now, nine years later, she is as powerful and should be seen.

She performed in Philadelphia about two weeks ago with the Philadelphia Symphony. This is not an opera; I’m talking about Nina Simone and Odetta. … Looking at this woman—she’s not even 30—she’s powerful. Her words, especially the songs she’s written, I just think they’re youthful, that they can bring together all of us. There’s no disconnect. It’s that strength and power combination from a singer who can translate the voice—the words—to the audience.

What about the kids doing the bullying? What responsibility do schools have to those children?

Very simple: You bring them in, and you bring in the parents, if the parents will come.

And you sit, and you have an educated talk about the trouble, the problem, and see if said child really intends to hurt.

And then, if the kid does, then the kid and the parents have to meet with some kind of awareness counseling. If that fails, then the kid has to meet with some kind of psychologist, along with the parents.

Bill Cosby will perform a stand-up comedy routine April 24 at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Pearl River Resort in Choctaw, Miss. For tickets, call 1-866-44PEARL.

citytalk

by Ward Schaefer

Capitol Street’s live oaks have outgrown their usefulness, according to Downtown Jackson Partners.

T

he live oak trees lining Capitol Street have withstood decades of storms, but a new proposal calls for uprooting them in the name of progress.

Downtown Jackson Partners is calling for the city to replace the large species with something smaller and less disruptive to street infrastructure.

“Live Oak trees should never be planted in areas that choke them via sidewalks, streets, buildings and the like,” DJP President Ben Allen wrote in an April 12 blog

post. “Their growth is continually stunted, and (they) must be ‘butchered’ yearly for power lines, buildings and the like, and continually break up sidewalks and cause problems with building foundations.”

A “consistent tree type” would be the best solution, Allen added.

The proposal has support from some business owners, like attorney Mike Malouf Sr. Malouf planted eight live oaks around his office on the corner of East Capitol and South President streets after purchasing it in 1977.

By the late 1990s, he was noticing new cracks in the 100-year-old building. Eventually, Malouf decided to cut down the live oaks and replace them with crape myrtles. He hasn’t had a problem since, he said.

DJP Associate Director John Gomez told the Jackson Free Press that the live oaks’ broad canopies also interfere with street lighting at night. City workers had to trim back branches prior to Mal’s St. Paddy’s Parade last month to make room for the Kermit the Frog float. Gomez said that replacements for live oaks would be a part of plans for converting Capitol Street from one way to two way.

City spokesman Chris Mims said that the city is looking at Capitol Street’s trees and studying ways to improve pedestrian access and lighting. “We just want

to make sure that visitors and people who come downtown have proper lighting,” Mims said.

Not all downtown business owners have had problems with live oaks. The Mayflower Café, which has been open since 1935, has yet to suffer any foundation problems from trees, said owner Jerry Kountouris.

“If they would keep (the live oaks) trimmed, they wouldn’t affect the lighting, but they don’t keep them trimmed back,” Kountouris said. “Aesthetically, they do add to downtown. They give shade.”

Still, Kountouris said he trusted the judgment of city officials and Downtown Jackson Partners. If the trees’ roots are causing problems, he said, he could understand the need for replacements.

Craig Noone, whose restaurant, Parlor Market, will open in June one block east of the Mayflower, worried that cutting down all of Capitol Street’s live oaks would drastically change the area’s appearance. The tree in front of his restaurant has not posed a problem for many years, he said.

“I like the streets lined with live oaks,” Noone said. “I just think it will take too long to get the beauty back.”

Opinions are divided among professional architects. Steve Davis, a principal

at downtown firm Canizaro Cawthon Davis, believes that crape myrtles or drake elms, both smaller, hardy species, would be a good replacement.

“It’s a great tree if you’ve got a hundred-foot space for it to inhabit,” Davis said of the live oaks. “What we’ve basically taken is that tree and jammed it into a 20-foot wide sidewalk.”

Rick Griffin, the city’s first landscape architect, sees the trees differently. Griffin, who worked under Mayor Russell Davis, remembers when Capitol Street property owners began planting live oaks in the late 1970s. With their distinctive shape—reminiscent, to some, of the Gulf Coast—and evergreen leaves, live oaks made a bold statement to downtown visitors year round, Griffin said.

The city could address many of the concerns about live oaks while still preserving the trees, Griffin said. If properly trimmed, live oaks can let light in, and adding steel reinforcements to concrete sidewalks can also prevent some of the cracking caused by tree roots. Mobile, Ala., has live oak trees lining many of its downtown streets, he noted. Most importantly, Griffin argued, the live oaks are now part of the downtown landscape.

“It’s there,” Griffin said. “Why take 30 years and just blow it out?”

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Y

ou will defi nitely need extra napkins if you plan on feasting on some ribs, or better yet, barbecue, at Rib Shack BBQ and Seafood at 932 J.R. Lynch Street, across from the Jackson State University baseball field. The Jackson restaurant is located in the historic brick building that was once home to Chambliss Shoes. In fact, an old shoeshine bench still runs along one of the walls in The Rib Shack.

James Kimble and Earnestine Bowden Earnestine Bowden describe The Rib Shack as a place where you can catch the blues and a taste of succulent specialties like ribs and giant barbecue sandwiches made with their special barbecue sauce, which of course is a secret.

“We make our own sauce that is sweet with a little spicy kick,” says Kimble.

Kimble has been in the restaurant business over 25 years. He owned the Rib Shack Blues Café in Atlanta, Georgia, for 25 years, where he won several barbecue cook-off contests, before opening The Rib Shack with Earnestine Bowden in Jackson, Mississippi.

Kimble is a professional chef as well, and attended culinary school in New York.

Bowden says this is her fi rst restaurant venture, but not her fi rst experience in the industry. Her mom ran the old Jackland Restaurant on historic Farish Street. In fact, the dry-rubbed ribs and potato-salad recipes at The Rib Shack are her mother’s recipes.

The dining room at The Rib Shack offers a bluesy atmosphere where guests can dine on fried catfish fi lets, fried pan trout, fried clam strip, grilled and fried shrimp or the infamous ribs.

The Rib Shack marinates all their meats so that they are tender and smoked. They make sure not to boil flavor out of their meats, like the beef brisket and Boston butt.

You can order a rack of ribs or try the two to three meat combo, where you can mix up your personal selection of ribs, brisket, chicken and ribs. Add seafood to the combo, if you choose. Compliment your meal with fresh potato salad or baked beans cooked to perfection.

On weekends, The Rib Shack will also offer up live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights with blues and jazz music in the area next door to the restaurant. The Rib Shack will be open to serve food on weekends as well, along with the live music venue.

The Rib Shack is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Fridays and Saturdays from 12 noon to 10 p.m. Call 601-665-4952 to find out more, or they can fax a menu to your business. They do cater for events both large and small, just call a day ahead of the event. Find them on Facebook and become a fan of Rib Shack BBQ and Seafood, or simply stop by for the sizzling taste of real hickory-smoked BBQ.

jacksonfreepress.com

WARD SCHAEFER

A Different Tree for Downtown?

11

jfp op/ed

opining, grousing & pontificating

EDITORIAL

Things Can Change, Mississippi

M

ississippi’s prison system is in desperate need of reform. Under “tough on crime” legislation like increased zero-tolerance penalties for minor drug offenses and the 85-percent rule, which mandate that prisoners serve 85 percent of their sentences prior to parole eligibility, the state’s prison population and incarceration rates exploded. The 85-percent rule was updated in 2008 to only include violent crimes, but between 1994 and 2007, the number of prisoners jumped by 105 percent, from 11,250 inmates in 1994 to 22,800 in 2007. Most of the men and women behind bars in Mississippi are serving sentences for non-violent crimes, and the rate of incarcerations, 738 per 100,000 people, is the second highest in the nation, just behind Louisiana.

Bad legislation is only part of the problem, however. Private prisons are a burgeoning industry in the U.S., and like all most businesses, they aim to increase shareholder profits, often to the detriment of those they supposedly serve.

Pitiful salaries, understaffing and cherry-picking the least troublesome convicts all make the industry money, but do little to rehabilitate prisoners. Industry lobbyists work for even tougher legislation while leaving the most dangerous, least healthy and hardest-core offenders for the state to deal with.

No politician wants to be labeled “soft on crime,” a tag sure to lose votes in conservative circles. Even judges, those supposedly neutral arbiters of justice, run on tough-on-crime platforms. But exactly that mentality is locking the door on citizens while private prisons profit.

During a discussion panel at the ACLU’s Criminal Justice Conference this month, Mississippi Rep. John Hines, D-Greenville, and Sen. Johnnie Walls Jr., D-Greenville, forecast a bleak outlook for modifying sentencing laws and shortening sentences. Walls and Hines claimed that type of legislation would never make it out of committee and had little chance of passing. Their surrender to the current status quo is a prime example of the disappointing attitudes our elected officials have toward reforming Mississippi’s criminal justice system.

Other states, including South Carolina, are adopting legislation that lowers sentencing terms due to cash-strapped state budgets. Last month, the South Carolina Legislature passed a bill that provides oversight and educational opportunities to non-violent offenders instead of prolonged prison terms. The bipartisan support for the bill came down to the math: It costs the state $14,500 a year to incarcerate someone compared to just $2,000 for supervised probation.

It’s a different day, Mississippi, and every taxpayer dime needs to be spent with intelligence and clarity toward progress. Now is the time to reform our prison system and shift funds to education instead of incarceration. Our sane voices need to be heard—loud and clear—in the Legislature: Things can change in Mississippi; make it happen.

KEN STIGGERS

Garment of Destiny

April 22 - 28, 2010

D

12

ear Disgruntled American Citizens: I want to make an appeal to you through this letter. In the Ghetto Science Community, I’m one of the token Caucasians. Actually, I’m a second-generation ghetto resident. My father (a Polish immigrant) and I lived in a Pittsburgh, Pa., ghetto called “Polish Hill.” When I graduated from business college, I established a small grocery store called “Robinski Got Groceries” in a predominately African American ghetto.

After 30 years of service to ghetto residents, I started up a new business called Bubba Robinski’s Breakfast Foods. I turned my grocery store into a factory, employed ghetto residents and started making soy-protein breakfast products like sausage and breakfast biscuits, and turkey bacon. Immediately, the business grew through the loyal patronage and support of the Ghetto Science Community and local ghetto vendors like Edward “Monday Night Football Head” Walker, Jojo and Mr. Habib, Brotha Hustle, Chef Fat Meat and Big Roscoe. If only the rest of the country could work together like the Ghetto Science Community.

As I reflect on the ongoing effort of coexistence within the Ghetto Science Community, I recall words from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from the Birmingham Jail.” “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

My simple appeal to you is to curb your hate and intolerance, embrace progress, and enjoy my new frozen soy protein sausage, egg-and-cheese biscuits.

Sincerely, Bubba Robinski

CHATTER

Comments from www.jacksonfreepress.com

Barbour Criticized for Slavery Insensitivity Mississippians on the so-called political “right” need to wake up and see that Miss. has the image it has because of the political decisions that are made by people who hold as a value that there are people who deserve and should live in abject poverty and that the people who are wealthy are to be valorized simply because they are wealthy. Stop supporting as a political certainty that vast, disproportionate inequality is a natural occurrence of character and see it for the systemic evil it really is.

This state is at the bottom of so many socioeconomic indicators because of how it chooses to characterize people according to prescribed social castes. There is no way to justify the vast inequities in this state simply by character alone, when for generations purposeful state government policy was aimed to maintain black people as a permanent underclass, locked out of political and economic advancement.

Then to end it legally, but support it structurally by not redressing the very communal inequities that your historic legal discrimination created is duplicitous and so un-American it’s shameful.—Blackwatch Barbour did another horrifying disservice to our state’s reputation with this statement on Sunday. He sends the exact-wrong message out about Mississippi, thus hurting our recruitment and economic-development efforts. It’s us to the rest of us to show the world a very different Mississippi than Barbour projects.

Step up, folks.

—Ladd Every local news cycle has skirted the issue. Our local news stations dropped this like a hot potato. I tried to call Channel 16, but the line stayed busy for hours. Maybe this means that people will give some feedback on this issue.

—justjess

After reading the Articles of Secession excerpt, two words stand out to me: “These products...”

Products? Do I look like a bottle of 409 to you? I’m not just some product; I’m a human being. The slaves were human beings. Human beings should be treated with dignity, regardless of color or origin. —L.W. I’m glad Ward quoted from the articles of secession. When I used to teach U.S. history at UT-Austin, I would schedule an entire class to discuss the causes of secession. I would hand out the Mississippi articles (and the Texas ones as well), and the discussion didn’t take too long.

Here’s the point: Mississippi’s political leaders in 1861 didn’t shy away from slavery—they were proud of it. The document they produced was intended to communicate to future generations (us) the reasons why they chose to leave the Union. That reason is simple: the preservation of slavery.

Isn’t it funny that folks who want to honor these secessionists and Confederate leaders ignore the very document that they wanted future generations to read and understand?

—Stuart Rockoff Hey, why y’all gotta hate on Haley. He’s just a good ole fat redneck. He don’t know no diddly ’bout no slavery and larnin’ and such. It’s heritage, not hate. What do you expect from the leader of a state with the Confederate flag as part of its state flag? ’Scuse me I gotta go practice my banjo and say my prayers to Robert E. Lee, white Jesus bless his soul.

The South will rise again!

—DrumminD21311 Careful, Drummin. Yankees gone thank you mean it.

—Ladd

E-mail letters to letters@jacksonfreepress.com, fax to 601-510-9019, or mail to P.O. Box 5067, Jackson, Miss., 39296. Include daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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J

ust about all my formal education was whitewashed. The things I knew about the parts of American history that weren’t white, I learned from my family, and because Mrs. Bonnie Feig (one of the best American history teachers ever) encouraged me to look for knowledge beyond the classroom textbooks when I blithely asked if there were other blacks who’d done anything to forward America besides Sojourner Truth and Martin Luther King—the poster man and woman for black history month in my high school alma mater’s curriculum.

When Mrs. Feig taught me about the Civil War, I remembered the facts being laid out pretty simply. It wasn’t quite as I’m about to grossly overstate below because there were other names attached here and there, but the story went something like this: Most northern states were becoming anti-slavery; southern states wanted to maintain slavery because they benefitted financially from it; both North and South acknowledged that if institutionalized slavery didn’t spread, it would die, which is what most of the folks up North wanted to happen. The southern states said: “To hell with this, we’re keeping our property (i.e., slaves). We’ll secede from the Union and make our own country or die trying.”

War ensued; people died; slaves were freed (on paper).

That being said, it always confuses me when people talk about the Civil War like it was a fight about anything other than economic prosperity made off the bent backs of slaves. So I was baffled when I heard the Confederate History Month Virginia that Gov. Robert McDonnell proposed for April had nothing to do with race or slavery, as if those things were insignificant.

Gov. McDonnell said to the Washington Post: “Obviously, (the Civil War) involved slavery. It involved other issues. But I focused on the ones I thought were most significant for Virginia.”

He’s evidently never met or talked to Mrs. Feig.

In the governor’s proclamation he writes: “[I]t is important for all Virginians to reflect upon our Commonwealth’s shared history, to understand the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War and to recognize how our history has led to our present … .”

Democrats, members of Virginia’s Black Caucus and the NAACP were outraged at the governor’s oversight, so he later apologized, saying the proclamation was really a tourism tactic and more about the sacrifices of the soldiers, not the slaves.

Our very own Gov. Haley Barbour then said on CNN’s “State of the Union”

that people were “making a big deal out of something that doesn’t amount to diddly.” He went on to point out that Mississippi’s legislature had also approved measures for its own confederate celebration, also without the mention of slaves.

It isn’t lost on me that there were black soldiers—some of them free, others not—who fought alongside Confederate soldiers. These men, or “body servants” as they were called, were initially only able to enlist as musicians until so many men lost their lives during the war that the Confederacy required their persons for more than entertainment. If you overlook the black soldiers—not just the institution of slavery—you have, in effect, overlooked the South’s history.

Gov. McDonnell’s proclamation further notes: “Virginians can appreciate the fact that when ultimately overwhelmed by the insurmountable numbers and resources of the Union Army, the surviving, imprisoned and injured Confederate soldiers gave their word and allegiance to the United States of America, and returned to their homes and families to rebuild their communities in peace …”

Peace by any means necessary, perhaps?

Since Confederate History Month is about lauding sacrifice and principles and not the South’s resistance to change, I can easily think of another observance worth having in an effort to be fair and balanced.

A month should next be set aside to herald the sacrifice of the likes of John Brown, Nat Turner—also a Virginian—and others who led slave rebellions even before the American Civil War began. Because of Turner’s commitment to fighting for what he believed in, he led a few trusted rebellious slaves in killing some 55 oppressors because of a divine call from God, he said.

After being “overwhelmed by the insurmountable number and resources” of the slave master/white militia he was fighting, the trailblazer died a martyr’s death after his capture. He was hung, excoriated, beheaded and then quartered.

Celebrating Confederate History Month, ignoring all of history’s facts, is just about as convenient as claiming we now live in a post-racial America because we’re too—whatever it is we are—to go back and address old but still-festering wounds.

Though actions may occasionally deceive us, the heart never lies: its not in its nature.

And words that flow from the mouth come from the heart.

Happy Confederate History Month, and may Nat Turner rest in peace.

Words that flow from the mouth come from the heart.

ALL STADIUM SEATING Movie listings for Friday, April 23rd thru Thursday, April 29th The Back-Up Plan PG13

How To Train Your Dragon 3-D PG

The Losers

Hot Tub Time Machine

PG13

Disney’s Oceans G

R

R

The Bounty Hunter PG13

Death at a Funeral R

Diary of a Wimpy Kid PG

Date Night

Alice In Wonderland 3-D PG

Kick Ass

PG13

Clash of the Titans 3-D PG13 Clash of the Titans (non 3-D) PG13 Why Did I Get Married Too? PG13 The Last Song PG

Kenny Chesney Summer In 3-D Live NR Earn points towards FREE concessions and movie tickets!

Join the SILVER SCREEN REWARDS

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Movieline: 355-9311

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Visit the web for weekly updates about new and upcoming MS artists Videos, Interviews, Photos, Concert Announcements, Reviews & Monthly Podcast Mississippi Happening proudly supports new music and arts in Mississippi.

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jacksonfreepress.com

Editor in Chief Donna Ladd Publisher Todd Stauffer

13

J

April 22 - 28, 2010

A Weakness for Crack

14

Like many, Almona Fleming has struggled to overcome her problem—a weakness for crack—but that problem got significantly more public, and painful, when it coupled itself with draconian Mississippi laws regarding incarceration for drug crimes.

Fleming—who just got out of the Rankin County Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in January—pled guilty to the sale of cocaine before Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter in July

2003. She maintains that she was not selling cocaine, that she was only an addict trying to personally feed her habit.

Hinds County Circuit Court records indicate that she sold crack cocaine to the undercover narcotics bureau officer in 2001. She claims it was .01 grams. Court records do not specify. If she’s being honest, that amounts to about $5 worth of product—not exactly a big sale if she was looking to cash in that day.

Authorities snagged her on charges of “enhanced” sale of cocaine, meaning she was busted within 1,500 feet of a school or church.

State laws impose stricter sentences upon convicted dealers found plying their trade in the proximity of these culturally elevated spots, and Fleming’s location, at the time, was close to a church on Medgar Evers Boulevard.

DeLaughter handed her 10 years. The average sentence in Mississippi for the sale of illegal drugs is 10.4 years. That’s 4.3 years longer than the national average of 5.7 years, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Today, Fleming lives in an aging apartment complex that does not generate enough revenue to maintain repairs. It is likely the kind of crumbling example the Jackson City Council points to when it comes time to debate the city’s ongoing moratorium on rental housing.

Fleming aspires to be a cosmetologist, but currently makes about $7 an hour at a local restaurant. She knows she will probably never bring home a $20,000 annual salary in her life, unless the magical bag-of-money goblin drops a gift in her lap and finances her hair-care training.

Still, she has her husband Hezekiah Dallas, who stood with her during her seven years in prison, and her five remaining kids. The sixth son, 17-year-old Andrew Fleming, died of gunshot wounds near

JARO VACEK

ackson resident Almona Fleming is a placid woman, prone to introspective stares and thoughtful contemplation during interviews. Her calm demeanor says nothing about the writhing coil of hunger that for years twisted inside her, eating at both her stomach and her family life.

“If you’ve never had this problem, then you’ll never know what it feels like—what it feels like to be needing something that upsets your family, your whole life, everything,” Fleming said, staring motionless at her television.

Fleming, now 40, had her first taste of crack cocaine when she was 18, back in the 1980s. Her boyfriend at the time introduced her to it. She had no idea what kind of potent mixture she was sampling. Crack cocaine is the poor man’s curse. High-end powdered cocaine can sell for hundreds of dollars a gram. Most of that contains various versions of hydrophilic salt, wood cellulose and other plant excretions, mixed in perhaps with traces of muck from the feet of the Colombian worker who first stomped it into a paste. But crack cocaine is a cheaper version mixed with sodium bicarbonate, and readily available to the masses, spreading the possibility of addiction across a wider swath of the population.

It’s not food. It’s not water. It is something with no clear evolutionary explanation for the connection it shares with the human mind. But its effect on the human mesolimbic reward pathway means you might beat it into submission, but you’ll always know, for the rest of your life, that it’ll be in there right behind your eyes, hungry and waiting for you to be weak. You’ll always have to cope with it, no matter where you are in life.

Lindsey Drive in west Jackson in December 2003—five months after DeLaughter handed his mother 10 years.

“I went to the wake, but I couldn’t go to the funeral. They don’t let you go to the funeral. They still haven’t caught the person who killed him,” Fleming said, describing her son as a boy extremely bitter with his mother, her addiction and her incarceration at the time of his death. “All my kids were so mad at me when I went to prison. I’m so sorry I did it, but I can’t go back and change that. All I can do is promise them that it ain’t gonna happen again.”

(above) Jackson resident Almona Fleming endured seven years of prison for less than a gram of cocaine. (right) Fleming is currently under house arrest and must wear an ankle bracelet and check in regularly with her probation officer.

“All my kids were mad at me when I went to prison.

I’m so sorry I did it, but I can’t go back and change that.”

-ALMONA FLEMING

“I saw a lot of people get out and come back while I was in prison, and they would talk about how they enjoyed being with their children. But I’m like, ‘Why did you go back and do drugs and get arrested if you liked being with them so much?’” she said, shaking her head in bewilderment.

The 85-Percent Rule Fleming’s case in Mississippi is not surprising. Mississippi has the second highest incarceration rate in the United States, with 749 prisoners per 100,000 state residents, according to Anjuli Verma, a researcher with the ACLU in Washington, D.C. Mississippi held 11,250 inmates in 1994, compared to 22,800 by 2007. The rate increase amounts to an explosion, with a 105 percent increase in the prison population, compared to the state population between 1994 and 2007. Only Louisiana cultivated a higher incarceration rate, but Mississippi still beats out the rest of the nation and even its southeastern neighbors with its rate increase. The incarceration rate for the whole country rose 46 percent, but Mississippi’s 105 percent tops the southern region’s rising average of 51.

The problem was serious enough to make the top of the issues list at the MisJARO VACEK

sissippi Justice Coalition’s third annual Criminal Justice Conference at the Roberts-Walthall Hotel in Jackson earlier this month. The coalition, a collaboration of organizations including the Mississippi NAACP, the ACLU and the Mississippi Youth Justice Project, spent all day April 10 hammering the state’s miserable incarceration rate.

Until 1995, discretionary parole was always a possibility for any inmate who had served one-quarter to one-third of his or her prison sentence. But then came truth-in-sentencing laws.

Like many states, Mississippi declared war on crime in the 1990s, partially in response to an increase in drug-related misdeeds following the introduction of crack cocaine to the U.S. Mississippi adopted truth-in-sentencing laws in 1995, requiring inmates to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before being considered eligible for release.

Legislators all across the nation argued that the 85-percent rule would act as a deterrent to violent crime. However, Mississippi, while last in many things, jumped to the forefront in terms of extremes in 1995 and applied the now familiar 85-percent rule to all crimes, including drug crimes.

“You wouldn’t believe how the incarceration rate exploded when they decided to do that,” said prisoner-rights attorney Ron Welch, who lobbied for the last few years to expand the use of prisoner work programs to reduce prison sentences and save the state money.

“The numbers were cataclysmic.

Mississippi was not a lawless state by any stretch of the imagination, then.

We had our share of crime, but we’re not a large state. When the incarceration numbers doubled, it was clear that the old military-industrial complex had become a criminal-industrial complex,” Welch said.

Former Hinds County District Attorney Faye Peterson said the 85-percent rule, which now only applies to violent crimes since legislators updated the law in 2008, had its benefits.

“The 85-percent rule gave crime victims some confidence that the convicted person would not be out

on a revolving-door basis. They would serve some time, and it would mean something, but also it changed the way defendants negotiated their sentence,” said Peterson, who is now a private attorney. “When we would discuss a case with a victim’s family, especially on those violent crimes, the discussion was often about the number of years because of the 85-percent rule.”

Plea bargains, as Peterson described them, appeared to become an issue discussed under duress. “In trying to resolve cases though a plea negotiation, it became difficult for the defense attorney because it was all about trying to get the best thing for their client, knowing he’d have to serve 85 percent of that time before being released. So every year really mattered as far as what kind of deal was being offered by the state. Eighty-five percent of 10 years over 85 percent of five years made a big difference during negotiations,” she said.

While not discounting the boon to prosecutors, Verma said other methods helped the 85-percent rule fill prisons.

“What’s really contributed to growth in the prison population went beyond just the lack of parole, but the sentencing scheme in general. The state had mandatory minimums for really low-level offenses, which have contributed to the lack of discretion in terms of sentencing first-time, non-violent drug offenders to prison for mandatory minimum terms,” Verma said, adding that the state also wields exceptionally long terms of confinement behind those mandatory minimum sentences.

“The maximums that people can be sentenced to in Mississippi can be really long—50 years in some examples for non-violent drug offenses.”

Fleming counts herself among the many residents of Jackson who suffered exceptionally long prison time for what they consider relatively minor drug offenses. While apologetic of hurting her children and conscious that she broke the law, she still feels the system targeted her in lieu of much bigger fish.

“I thought you sentenced people with hard time for serious crimes. I’d never had a history of selling drugs or getting arrested for owning drug paraphernalia.

TOUGH, see page 17

jacksonfreepress.com

by Adam Lynch

15

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April 22 - 28, 2010

‘TOUGH on CRIME’

Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson agrees that Mississippi’s system, like the national system, scoops up more minorities than whites in its judicial net.

“It’s a system that targets minorities through a number of ways,” Johnson said.

“Over the last few years, the whole country has enacted harsher penalties for drug crimes, which blacks are more likely to admit to, and it’s also a matter of the kind of drug that gets targeted with stiffer penalties. Possession of crack cocaine carries a prison penalty almost 100 times

Fleming’s 17-year-old son was murdered the year she was incarcerated for drug crimes.

greater than the penalty for possession of powdered cocaine.”

Johnson is referring to the federal Anti-Drug Abuse Acts of 1986 and 1988, which actually created a 100-to-1 ratio between crack cocaine and powdered cocaine penalties. “I don’t think it is a coincidence that blacks used crack cocaine more than whites, and whites tend to use powered cocaine. It all comes down to money and who can afford it,” Johnson added.

The NAACP reports more than 70 percent of incarcerations for drug-related crimes are in the black community, a situation that Johnson believes has plenty to do with the comparatively limited resources left to blacks, and a juror’s bias against black males in the courtroom.

“All around us, even in Mississippi with its large black population, we find black males being demonized in the media,” Johnson said.

“Right after the election (of Jackson Mayor Frank Melton), we saw a ramping up of news coverage of crime in the Jackson area. For two weeks straight, during a week of constant police sweeps, the news reported the same crime from seven different angles over two weeks, as if it were a new crime happening every day. Of course, the people on film were black. That was the demonizing of African American males in action.”

Mississippi’s underfunded public-defender system also helps create a rapid-delivery system of prison time, Johnson said.

The NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund first addressed the state’s indigent-defense problem in 2003 with the release of “Assembly Line Justice: Mississippi’s Indigent Defense Crisis.” The report revealed that in 2003 only three of 82 Mississippi counties had an office staffed by one or more fulltime public defenders. The overburdened TOUGH see page 19

jacksonfreepress.com

A Funnel for Minorities

JARO VACEK

But to give somebody 10 years for having 0.1 grams of crack? When they weighed it, it really didn’t make any sense, not for 10 years,” she said, describing the sale as more of a taxi service. She says she took the money from the undercover agent, used his money to get the dope from a dealer, then returned to the cop with the goodies. It still counts as a transaction by state law, despite her description, but Fleming remains bitter at the length of sentence.

“DeLaughter, he didn’t like drug dealers,” Fleming said of the judge who himself pleaded guilty in 2009 to lying to federal authorities in a corruption investigation involving convicted Mississippi attorney Dickie Scruggs and former Hinds County District Attorney Ed Peters. Her bitterness was obvious during her sentencing proceedings, according to her sister-in-law Mary Dallas, who said Fleming viciously berated the judge before the court for what she considered an overly harsh sentence.

Fleming, smiling timidly, admitted to shouting at DeLaughter.

Unlike her judge, Fleming is out of prison, but remains under house arrest. She has to wear an ankle bracelet and check in regularly with her probation officer for the remainder of her 10-year term.

Fleming’s suspicions of an exceptionally hard sentence may have some foundation, according to the ACLU report “Incarceration Trends in Mississippi 1988-2008.” The report reveals that African Americans comprise 37 percent of the state’s population, but almost 70 percent of incarcerated convicts.

Whites, on the other hand, who make up 60 percent of the state’s population, only occupy 31 percent of the state prison population. In fact, a 2007 analysis by Washington, D.C.-based The Sentencing Project found that African Americans in Mississippi were incarcerated 3.5 times the rate of whites—and often for lesser crimes.

“This comes mostly from hard sentencing for non-violent or drug crimes, which adversely affect minorities,” Verma said. “It also comes of law enforcement practices in communities that tend to be low income.”

from page 15

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Shady Information Authorities’ use of confidential informants also garnered criticism at the Saturday event. Verma said confidential informants work to derail the justice system by incriminating what could be relatively small players in the criminal scheme.

In some cases, she said, their information could even lead to a conviction of not just a criminally trivial person, but also an entirely innocent one.

“Confidential informants are motivated by self-advancement. They work for the government, often undercover, to gather and provide information or to testify in exchange for cash or leniency in punishment for their own crimes. They should never take the place of a real witness. Their motives have to be suspect,” Verma said.

Peterson said her office had to occasionally turn to confidential informants, but she admits to being leery of using them.

“Confidential informants are a tool that you have to deal with, but I didn’t re-

ally like using them because an informant word of a confidential informant to convict don’t have our own lawyers. What we get is sometimes about as dirty as the person someone. Confidential informant testi- is an underfunded state lawyer who is not they’re telling on,” Peterson said. “They mony now has to be corroborated in Texas always working in your best interest.” do have their ulterior motives. They tend to convict someone,” Kelly said. to negotiate for reduced charges, and they “You know what?” she then asked, can be problematic for us because you have contemplatively. “Saying it out loud and Embarrassing Connections The codependency of the government to balance your informant’s information hearing it, it’s actually hard to believe that it versus how dirty your informant is. And was never that way to begin with. It sounds and crime can get absurd, according to Ricky the amount of dirt on them makes a dif- ridiculous that they ever did it the old way. Ross, another speaker at the Criminal Justice ference on whether or not we can use them Convicting someone on the account of a Conference. Ross was a major Los Angeles before a jury.” single paid informant, or somebody who’s drug trafficker who virtually opened the Peterson said her office had to labori- getting a reduced sentence for convicting western seaboard to the phenomenon of crack cocaine in the 1980s. ously check behind confidential informant somebody else, sounds crazy.”

Ross, who earned the name “Freeway” information, and that too little research Kelly added that authorities do their could easily jettison the case. part to make sure the system has a steady in part due to the open-spigot manner “Sometimes confidential informants stream of defenseless minorities to keep in which he bathed L.A. and cities as far have to be used in a court because there federal grants coming. She filed a civil- away as Cincinnati in crack cocaine, made is no other way to verify something. I always dealt with them very cautiously. I had to be very careful. We got burned sometimes on informants,” Peterson said. “Maurice Warner got off on one case because of a bad informant.”

In 2006, back when she was district attorney, Peterson failed to convict murder suspects Vidal Sullivan and codefendants Anthony Staffney and Zedrick Maurice Warner for the February 2003 murder of Carey Bias after an informant recanted his story.

The same year, Peterson had to drop murder charges against Albert “Batman” Donelson because she said former Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Director Frank Former drug traffiker Ricky Ross and Texas resident Regina Kelly spoke at the Melton “tainted” the chief April 10 Third Annual Mississippi Justice Conference. witness. Donelson was a suspect in the 1998 slaying of Harrison Hilliard. Sworn statements revealed that Melton had pro- rights lawsuit with the ACLU—Regina international news when a series of “Dark vided an apartment, a car and a credit Kelly v. John Paschall—on behalf of 15 Alliance” articles by reporter Gary Webb in card to informant Christopher Walker, black Hearne, Texas, residents indicted in the San Jose Mercury News connected one however. During the course of the November 2000 raids. The suit, settled of Ross’s cocaine suppliers, Oscar Danilo trial, Melton claimed he had provided for between the ACLU and Robertson County Blandon Reyes, with the CIA and the adWalker in order to protect him. Walker in 2005, accused the South Central Texas ministration of President Ronald Reagan later told the JFP that Melton asked him to Narcotics Task Force for deliberately con- as part of the Iran-Contra scandal. Reyes lie in the case. ducting racially motivated drug sweeps for revealed the connection when he testified during Ross’ 1996 federal trial. Ross was Melton later supported current Dis- 15 years in Hearne. trict Attorney Robert Shuler Smith to sucKelly, who was also caught up in the on trial for purchasing more than 100 kicessfully run against Peterson in the Hinds 2000 bust, complains that authorities went lograms of cocaine from a federal agent in County Democratic primary. out of their way to target blacks because a sting operation orchestrated with the help Regina Kelly, a public speaker at the blacks gave them relatively effortless con- of his partner, Reyes.

Initially facing life in prison, an appeals Saturday conference who beat back an in- victions and plea bargains. dictment based on the testimony of a lone “They conducted these annual raids court reduced his sentence to 20 years. Good confidential informant, told the JFP that in order to push for plea bargains and behavior reduced his sentence further, and the dodgy nature of confidential informant felony convictions to get more money authorities released him last September.

“I don’t hide from nothing,” Ross said testimony, coupled with the ACLU’s work from federal grants, which went directly in Texas, restricted the use of confiden- to police cars and police uniforms and as he paraded back and forth before the tial informants to convict defendants in things like that,” Kelly said. “This kind of crowd of about 200—even as he apparently that state. thing doesn’t just happen in our town in hid from a sense of remorse.

The JFP asked Ross if he felt guilty at “The national ACLU stepped in and Texas; it’s everywhere. Authorities know did a civil suit, and changed law in Texas that resources are limited for minorities. the 1980s height of his career about the vast so that you can no longer use the single We don’t have the money to fight back; we army of crack babies and drug prostitutes he TOUGH, see page 20

ADAM LYNCH

work environment of the remaining handful of public defenders, according to the report, makes it easy for them to fail to explain the terms of plea agreements, misinform clients about the length of sentences, and convey other erroneous information.

The fund also discovered that courtappointed defense attorneys did not often have the time to interview crucial witnesses or investigate defenses. Defendants’ protests about witnesses and alibis often go ignored, or prompt a warning that rejecting a plea offer will provoke the judge to expand their prison time. Often, according to the LDF report, “court-appointed attorneys stand mutely at the podium without offering a single word on their clients’ behalf.”

Johnson pointed out recently that many defense attorneys in rural states (most of the state is rural, he quickly adds) have full-time jobs as private-practice attorneys and do not possibly have time to speak to witnesses or do any investigative work on behalf of many of their publiclyassigned clients. Some of the attorneys can get assigned the case more than a year after the crime occurred, raising the possibility of crime scenes changing, memories going foggy and witnesses moving away or even dying.

“Shortfalls in public defense are a problem for minorities because you have many minority-dominated areas with high unemployment rates, and where blacks are unable to afford counsel, or adequate defense,” Johnson said. “The state of Mississippi doesn’t have a public-defender system, so you have a number of individuals who are incarcerated for crimes they didn’t commit, or have more years than necessary for the crime they did commit.”

from page 17

jacksonfreepress.com

‘TOUGH on CRIME’

19

‘TOUGH on CRIME’

from page 19

ADAM LYNCH

helped create by selling up to $2 million in U.S. money flowing smoothly to the Contra cocaine a day—his own boast. movement, despite Congress passing the Astoundingly, he denied any knowl- Boland Amendment prohibiting Contra edge of these sad side effects of the crack funding by the U.S. industry, even though his speech cranked In 2004, the Sacramento County up minutes after the conclusion of the coroner proclaimed Webb dead of two selfconference’s presentation of BET’s “Ameri- inflicted gunshot wounds to the head. Ross can Gangster: Ricky Ross & the Crack doesn’t think it was suicide.

Connection.” The show depicted scenes “He told me about how everybody was of hopeless crack prostitutes and suffering, against him and his story, how he couldn’t malnourished drug-dependent newborns get a job, how people were following him choking away their lost lives beneath a around, that his phones were tapped. I’m complicated tangle of plastic tubes. still not sure if he really committed suicide, “When I first started selling drugs, we because he told me that he planned to condidn’t see the destruction,” Ross claimed. tinue to fight to come up with a smoking “There wasn’t these crack mothers. My gun linking Reagan with crack,” Ross said first customers were of Webb. pimps, doctors, enterRoss admits distainers. Nobody in my gust at his own role in neighborhood bought what Webb described as drugs. They didn’t Reagan’s goal to fund the know what crack cooverthrow of the Sandcaine was. I had to go inista revolution. from person to person, “When I sold trying to find out if my drugs, I felt I was rebelfirst piece of crack coling against a system caine was actually cothat wanted me on the caine. So I didn’t know back of the bus or out it was as devastating as of certain schools,” said it turned out to be.”

Ross, a former tennis Look behind Ross’ champ who resents losdefense, and you’ll see ing his chance to play that he saw enough of professionally because of something in the crack Former Hinds County his lack of reading and cocaine business to District Attorney Faye writing skills. His high back out of it just be- Peterson said she did not school coach cost him his fore his arrest in Reyes’ like building cases on the tennis scholarship when sting. Even Ross admits testimony of informants. he learned Ross could he had grown discourhardly write, he says. aged enough with the “When I found business to move on just prior to his bust. out that the federal government was actu“My last time I went to prison, I felt I ally the ones perpetrating the drugs into the was innocent,” Ross said, defiantly. “I wasn’t community, it was really shocking and hard. selling drugs then. I was out trying to make a I was supposed to be the bad guy. I didn’t positive difference in the community. For six know that all that time I had been working months, I told my partner (Reyes) that I was with them.” out of the drug business, but he kept pushRoss says prison exists only to make ing and pushing and pushing, making the money for the prison industry. offer sweeter and sweeter and sweeter, until I “Prison is not reform. You can believe agreed to involve myself in the last deal with what you want to believe, but there’s no him.” education in our prison system. Even the Reyes, after the trial and his hard work guys who educate themselves get a tough nabbing Ross, received a 24-month sentence time from officials,” Ross said. “If I wanted to for his own drug trafficking charges, and fol- form a reading group in prison, they won’t allowing his release, he worked for the Drug low it. They’ll break up the study group, so an Enforcement Agency. Reyes’ is the only inmate can’t teach an inmate, at least not with known case of a convicted immigrant getting books. So how do we improve ourselves? We a job with the DEA instead of deportation. can only improve ourselves one at a time.”

Ross, for his part, remains bitter at Other critics say reform was never really Reyes’ alleged connection to the CIA’s ef- the goal of prison in the first place. fort to fund the Contra counterinsurgency against the Sandinistas—who overthrew a The Business of Prison “You can say something positive about U.S. ally government in Nicaragua. Webb wrote that the CIA was well aware of large the high incarceration rate,” the NAACP’s shipments of cocaine into the U.S. by Johnson said. “The explosion in the prison Contra counter-rebels. The reporter said population is an economic boost for many the Reagan administration shielded inner- private industries. One Mississippi prison city drug dealers from prosecution to keep started off as a penal farm after Reconstruc-

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tion, where blacks were sent to work the land for private-industry profit. Since then, the situation has changed only slightly, with some industries still making a killing off the business of locking people up.”

Welch said he believed the advent of the 85-percent rule followed the effort of private companies to exploit the corrections industry.

“Private prisons were the result of heavy lobbying by international private corrections companies like Corrections Corporation of America and Wackenhut, which is now GEO Group. They lobbied all over the place in places like California and us (Mississippi) to be tough on crime because they wanted to build prisons,” Welch said. “Hell, it all started with their successful lobbying in Washington to get a federal 85-percent rule act that sling-shot the states into the 85-percent rule.”

Paul Wright, editor and founder of prisoner-rights publication Prison Legal News, has little good to say about the private prison industry.

“What private prisons do is take taxpayer dollars and provide less services and generally do a poorer job than the government prisons,” said Wright, himself an excon. “They cherry-pick the prisoners: They don’t take the maximum-security guys or the guys with AIDS or the really mentally ill. Those kinds of prisoners cost money.”

“You and I could set up a company if we only got the well-behaved guys. But in so doing, the industry makes it more costly for the state facilities because Mississippi Department of Corrections still has to take the hard cases. They get the escape risks, the death-row guys and the ones with expensive personal problems.”

Wright compared the industry to insurance companies, which routinely select the healthy customers and refuse the sickly ones, who inevitably end up on the taxpayers’ bill.

Gov. Haley Barbour announced a slew of budget cuts this year, telling reporters at a February press conference that he intended to heavily use private prisons as a means to cut costs from the state corrections department.

“Private prisons must cost less than the public prisons, or they don’t get a contract,” Barbour told the Jackson Free Press as his reason for defending the privateprison industry. “It’s clear that they save the state money. It’s in their contract.”

Wright agreed with Barbour on savings, but added that the governor left out the “good bit.”

“What he’s not telling you in that statement is that basically some of the reasons private prisons cost less is because they use non-union labor: They pay their staff a pittance, and they under-staff their facilities. Eighty percent of the costs at a prison are their staffing. Last I heard, a starting prison guard at CCA or GEO prison in

from page 20

Mississippi is still about $7.50. There are no pensions, and the medical benefits are non-existent,” Wright said.

Wright added that the under-staffing issue cuts particularly deep when it results in injuries to inmates or employees: “What comes up, time after time, is whenever someone gets killed or raped in a prison, the issue invariably is that the place was understaffed. A private prison that is supposed to have 300 people on staff, but instead they might have 240. That’s their profit margin. The people over this get bonuses based on the more costs they cut. I mean, GEO President George Zoley usually makes between $3 million and $4 million, plus stock options every year. How much does the MDOC Commissioner make?”

JARO VACEK

April 22 - 28, 2010

‘TOUGH on CRIME’

Gov. Haley Barbour said he will steer the state toward more reliance on the private-prison industry as a means to cut costs in the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

Paychecks like that put a hit on Mississippi recently, Welch said.

“There’s no question that we had to pay the piper later after bringing in private prisons and enacting legislation to fill them,” Welch said. “Frankly, it was a misplaced use of revenue. I’ve always said it costs more to imprison someone than educate them. Now education and the prison system are facing each other and competing for funds.”

Prisons vs. Schools Mississippi legislators return from a month-long hiatus this week to grapple with the question of funding state agencies, including public schools. The state’s school system is in danger of getting whacked by Barbour’s revised budget recommendation for fiscal year 2011, which asks the Legislature to reduce the funding levels for K-12 education by more than $160 million. If legTOUGH, see page 24

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islators agree with the governor, the money will come out of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, a funding formula that distributes state money to low tax-revenue school districts facing steep education shortages. Many of these same school districts also contain some of the most challenged schools on the state’s list of failing, at-risk-of-failing schools, or schools on academic watch.

Barbour’s budget proposal reduces most agency budgets by 12 percent to 17 percent below fiscal year 2010 appropriated levels. Total K12 spending, which includes federal and local funding, will be $4.574 billion, which the governor claims is less than “1.3 percent below peak spending” on education. But Barbour’s $160 million figure isn’t exactly the extent of the cuts to MAEP. His recommendation is actually $319 million under what would be required for fully funding the program up to legislative recommendations. It is, in fact, $160 million below the MAEP funding that the House and Senate tentatively agreed to when the state legislature took a break in March.

Advocates say the $319 million price of the full cut is actually the worst the program has witnessed since its inception in 1997.

The governor said the $5.5 billion fiscal year 2011 budget recommendation “urges responsible spending” for the next fiscal year beginning July 1, as the state continues to deal with the national recession. “This budget forces everyone in government to take a good look at programs and make sure taxpayers are getting the best service for their money,” Barbour said in a statement.

While education advocates see the possibility of at-risk schools getting even less money for books and teachers, they point to the state’s $312 million Department of Corrections budget as the most likely future for many at-risk school students.

“We know that when we under-educate people, as we have for decades in Mississippi, there is a consequence of higher criminaljustice costs,” said Nancy Loome, executive director of K-12 lobbying group The Mississippi Parents’ Campaign. “The more you cut schools, the higher your incarceration costs and the higher the costs of public assistance programs. Invest more in education, and your corrections costs will come down, ultimately saving the state more money than it invested in education.”

In response to the continued problem of dropping state revenue, earlier this month Mississippi Department of Cor-

rections Commissioner Christopher Epps said that he is doing his own part to rid the system of its glut of inmates by ramping up parole efforts for inmates. It is not an easy endeavor considering that prison expenditures grew 155 percent between 1994 and 2007, according to MDOC figures.

In 2008, state lawmakers made Epps’ life a little easier by passing Senate Bill 2136, which rolled back the blanket 85percent rule on all convictions to permit non-violent offenders to once again become eligible for parole after serving 25 percent of their sentence.

“It took a long time to chip away on the 85-percent rule with the help of legislators and the Department of Corrections,” Welch said. “It took years with all the soft on crime arguments out there, but you couldn’t argue with something like the monstrous MDOC bill forever.”

MDOC managed to eliminate its projected growth, and the state’s prison population actually declined only a few months after the legislation went into effect. The law, which could be applied retroactively to the existing prison population convicted of non-violent offenses since 1995, allowed for the release of 3,076 non-violent offenders between 2008 and August 2009.

Of those 3,076, only 121 had returned to custody by August.

Epps told reporters in March that the inmate recidivism rate has actually dropped over the last three years from 35 percent to 30 percent, which amounts to roughly a reduction of 9,000 inmates a year, saving the state $8.2 million.

Like Loome, Verma said the state could expect success stories like the ones in New Jersey and Kansas if it steers funds toward social services and education programs instead of prisons.

“Kansas and New Jersey have decreased their prison population and experience no increase in violent crime rates.

Crime, in general, has been going down,” Verma said. “These states are investing in communities to make sure (people) don’t have to resort to crime. We’re talking about ex-convict re-entry programs, and other educational programs, adult re-education and more investment in youth education.

It’s a success, wherever you try it.

“Follow the logic.”

Flemming’s voice flared momentarily when she recalled her years behind bars.

“Where were you seven years ago,” she demanded of me. “I done thrown seven years of my life away and you want to do a story now?”

“Prison is not reform. You can believe what you want to believe, but there’s no education in our prison system.”

—Ricky Ross

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BEST BETS April 22 - 29

by Latasha Willis events@jacksonfreepress.com Fax: 601-510-9019 Daily updates at jfpevents.com

THURSDAY 4/22

COURTESY JIMMIE LEE

In honor of Earth Day, bring your mug to any Cups location and get a free cup of brewed coffee. Call 601-853-2371. … The Earth Day event “Farish Flourish” at Farish Street Park (Farish St.) is from 5-7 p.m. Musicians with acoustic instruments are welcome. Free; call 601-291-7381. … The opening reception for the Mississippi Watercolor Society exhibit at The Cedars (4145 Old Canton Road) begins at 6 p.m.

The art will be on display until June 30. Free; call 601-9819606. … “Jazz, Art & Friends” at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.) is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and includes music by Raphael Semmes. $5, $7 non-members, $3 children ages 1-5; call 601-960-1515. … Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii performs at Millsaps College, Ford Academic Complex (1701 N. State St.) at 7:30 p.m. $100; call 601-960-1565.

Underground 119 from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Call 601-352-2322. … D’Mar and the Nu Funk Society perform at The Auditorium at 9:18 p.m. $20. … Daniel Francis Doyle plays at Ole Tavern at 10 p.m. Call 601-960-2700. … Reggae, hip-hop and old school night at Cultural Expressions starts at 10 p.m. $5. … Lord T & Eloise perform at Martin’s at 10 p.m. $5. … Sons of Subway with Virgil Brawley perform at F. Jones Corner from 11:30 p.m.-4 a.m. $5. … R.J. Barrel has Mark Whittington and Fingers Taylor. Call 601-667-3518.

Bill Cosby performs at Pearl River Resort (Highway 16, Choctaw) at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. $35, $45 VIP; call 1-866-44 PEARL, ext. 30356. … The bridal show “The Wedding Presents Sylvia Weinstock” at The South (627 E. Silas Brown St.) is from 7-11 p.m. and continues on April 25 at the King Edward Hotel (235 W. Capitol St.) from 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. $75-$150; call 601-953-1340; visit theweddingeventms.com. … The Sante South Premier Wine Event at One Jackson Place (188 E. Capitol St.) at The Gardens starts at 7 p.m. $85; visit santesouth.com. … Emma Wynters is at Huntington’s Grille from 7-10 p.m. Call 601-957-1515. … Cedric the Entertainer performs at the Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.) at 8 p.m. $43.75-$51.95; call 800745-3000. … Catch Crossin’ Dixon at Fire at 9 p.m. Call 601-592-1000. … Johnny Bertram and the Golden Bicycles play at Martin’s at 10 p.m. $5. … Ole Tavern has Black Bone Child and The Bad Reeds at 10 p.m. $5. … The Houserockers rock F. Jones Corner from 11:30 p.m.-4 a.m. $5.

SUNDAY 4/25 Today’s the last day to see “Dividing the Estate” at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.) at 2 p.m. $22, $18 students and seniors 60 and up; call 601-948-3533. … Tim Avalon and High Water perform at Shucker’s from 3-7 p.m. Free. … The Liquid Light Cafe food tasting at La Salsa Dance Club and Studio (303 Mitchell Ave.) begins at 6 p.m. $15; call 601-988-5329 or 866-936-4442.

April 22 - 28, 2010

The class “Anusara Yoga Immersion, Part 1” at Butterfly Yoga (3025 N. State St.) begins at 6 p.m. (through May 2), $500; call 601-594-2313; visit butterflyyoga.net. … J-Lee Productions presents the play “Revenge” at Jackson State University’s McCoy Auditorium (1400 John R. Lynch St.) at 8 p.m. An encore performance on April 24 starts at 7 p.m. $20, $30; call 601-372-3192; visit jleeplays.com. …

The MSU Jazz Ensemble concert at Jackson Academy’s Performing Arts Center (4908 Ridgewood Road) starts at 7 p.m. $5, $2 students; call 601-364-5710. … “Dinner and a Movie” at Rainbow Whole Foods (2807 Old Canton Road) at 7:30 p.m. features the film “Crude: The Real Price of Oil.” $15, $13 members in advance; $16, $14 members 26 at the door; call 601-366-1602. … Catch Jedi Clampett at

Rock 93.9 hosts an outdoor concert at Fire with music

by Papa Roach, Puddle of Mudd, Adelitas Way and 12 Stones from 6 p.m.-midnight. The bands will give an encore performance April 28. $25. … The Tony Award-winning musical “Cats” at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.) starts at 7:30 p.m. with an encore performance on April 28. $22.20$64.75; call 601-981-1847; visit ticketmaster.com. … The Jackson Choral Society’s concert, “The Singing Heart,” at Trinity Presbyterian Church (5301 Old Canton Road) begins at 7:30 p.m. $10, $8 seniors/students; call 601-898-9609. … B*tch performs during the Unity Mississippi show at Hal’s & Mal’s Red Room. Call 601-948-0888.

WEDNESDAY 4/28 “History Is Lunch” with historian W.J. Megginson at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.) starts at noon. Bring a lunch; call 601-576-6850. … JFP account executive Adam Perry plays bass for Emma Wynters at Underground 119 from 8-11 p.m. Free.

THURSDAY 4/29 Jesse Robinson performs during the blues lunch at Lumpkin’s from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., and Sherman Lee Dillon performs during F. Jones Corner’s blues lunch at noon.

Free. … Jim Flanagan is at Fenian’s from 8:30-11:30 p.m.

More events and details at jfpevents.com.

The Gardens at One Jackson Place hosts the Sante South Premier Wine Event April 24 starting at 7 p.m.

COURTESY KELLY SHANNON

FRIDAY 4/23

Robby Peoples performs at The Auditorium from 5-7 p.m.

Call 601-982-0002. … Marley Monday at Dreamz starts at 6 p.m. Call 601-979-3994. … The Central Mississippi Blues Society Jam at Hal & Mal’s is from 8-11 p.m. $5.

TUESDAY 4/27

SATURDAY 4/24

J. Lee, founder of J-Lee Productions, presents the play “Revenge” at Jackson State University April 23 and 24.

MONDAY 4/26

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jfpevents JFP SPONSORED EVENTS Radio JFP on WLEZ ongoing, at WLEZ 100.1 FM and wlezfm.com. Join Donna Ladd and Todd Stauffer every Thursday from noon-1 p.m. This week’s spotlight is on Habitat for Humanity and Parents for Public Schools’ JumpstART Program.

Free; call 601-362-6121, ext. 17.

The Wedding: An Upscale Event for the Southern Bride Presents Sylvia Weinstock April 24-25.

Enjoy cake, cocktails, music and displays from event professionals at The South (627 E. Silas Brown St.) April 24 from 7-11 p.m. Attend the brunch and book signing with Sylvia Weinstock at the King Edward Hotel (235 W. Capitol St.) April 25 from 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m., which also includes bridal breakout sessions and a fashion show. $75-$150, $45 book; call 601-953-1340.

Southern Fried Karaoke “May Day” Edition, May 1, 9 p.m., at Hal & Mal’s (200 Commerce St.). Todd Stauffer and Donna Ladd are the hosts.

All singers welcome; great singers are hugged, kissed and sometimes make it into documentary films!

Come sing along with all the bar room favorites.

Every Southern Fried Karaoke is an experience.

Free; call 601-362-6121, ext. 16.

Downtown Cinco de Mayo May 5, 5:30 p.m., at Dreamz Jxn (426 W. Capital St.). Celebrate Jackson’s diversity with partygoers from all backgrounds. Enjoy authentic Mexican food, salsa dancing and music by Jesse Robinson, the Jason Turner Band, DJ Reign and many others. Free admission until 9 p.m.; call 601-720-0663.

JFP Lounge at Pi(e) Lounge May 13, 6 p.m., at Sal and Mookie’s (565 Taylor St.). Enjoy a special JFP “Creative Class” martini, free munchies, and lots of fellowship with Jackson creatives and progressives.

Free admission; call 601-362-6121, ext. 11.

ZooBrew May 14, 6 p.m., at Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.). Enjoy beer and wine samplings, food from the Tyson Hot Wing Cook-Off and live music by Time to Move. Buy a raffle ticket and get a chance to win a vacation package. You must be 21 or older to participate. $40, $35 members, $5 raffle; call 601-352-2580, ext. 228.

COMMUNITY Mississippi Mayors Prayer Luncheon April 22, 11:30 a.m., at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). Hosted by Mission Mississippi, the guest speaker is University of Mississippi chancellor Dr. Daniel Jones. $35; call 601-353-6477.

Credit Training April 22, 4:30 p.m., at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.), in the Community Meeting Room. A BankPlus representative will give tips on improving your credit.

Call 601-982-8467.

Farish Flourish April 22, 5 p.m., at Farish Street Park (Farish St.). In celebration of Earth Day, the Farish Main Street Project’s Design Committee will provide information about an anti-litter art competition and free brochures on protecting the planet.

Musicians are welcome to bring acoustic instruments and perform. Fresh food will be served. Free admission; call 601-291-7381.

April 22 - 28, 2010

Precinct 4 COPS Meeting April 22, 6 p.m., at Redeemer Church (640 E. Northside Drive). These monthly meetings are forums designed to help resolve community issues or problems, from crime to potholes. Call 601-960-0004.

28

“If Walls Could Talk” April 23, 9 a.m., at Manship House (420 E. Fortification St.). The symposium is about the arts and architecture of Victorian homes. Different speakers will give lectures at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Refreshments will be served. A reservation is required. Free; call 601-961-4724.

4ever Friday April 23, 9 p.m., at Koinonia Coffee House (136 S. Adams St., Suite C). View artwork and enjoy entertainment by DJ Phingaprint,

Tiffany Haywood and Roc-Steady, ZeeDubb and Rashad Street. $10 before 10 p.m.; call 601454-8313.

So Long Insecurity Conference April 24, 9 a.m., at Pinelake Church, Reservoir Campus (6071 Highway 25, Flowood). Author Beth Moore will give advice to women on how to face their fears, rediscover their dignity, and develop a new and stronger sense of self. Lunch included. Tickets available at the church bookstore, online at thesourceatpinelake.org and Lifeway Christian Bookstore. $15; call 601-829-4500.

SpringFest April 24, 10 a.m., at Parkway Hills United Methodist Church (1468 Highland Colony Parkway). Come for live music by Cynthia Palmer and other local acts, arts and crafts, tasty treats and fun for the kids. Free admission; call 601-856-2733.

Legal Fair on Women and Children Issues April 24, 10 a.m., at Tougaloo College (500 W. County Line Road, Tougaloo). Get free information about your legal rights on issues such as domestic violence, child support, divorce, guardianships and health care issues. Kids’ activities and a light lunch are included. Call 601960-9577.

“Earth Day: Party for the Planet” April 24, 10 a.m., at Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.).

Learn about the earth and how to protect it through educational games and activities. $4-$6, kids 2 and under free; call 601-352-2580.

Metro Jackson Community Baby Shower April 25, 3 p.m., at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.). The event includes food, door prizes, child-care tips, games and a dinner discussion on SIDS, postpartum depression and getting your body back after pregnancy. Registration for the dinner discussion is required, and the first 75 expectant mothers to register will be entered in a drawing for a crib.

Free; call 601-201-3703.

Liquid Light Cafe Food Tasting April 25, 6 p.m., at La Salsa Dance Club and Studio (303 Mitchell Ave.). Chef Larry Love will be on hand to share samples from his newly expanded raw food menu. $15; call 601-988-5329 or 866-936-4442.

Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony April 27, 6:30 p.m., at Hilton Jackson (1001 E. County Line Road). Hinds Community College Sports Hall of Fame charter member Dr. E.E. Tad Thrash will be inducted into the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) Sports Hall of Fame. $35; call 601-857-3363.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Call for Scholarship Applications through May 8. The Rho Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. is currently taking scholarship applications from high school seniors with a 3.0 GPA who plan to attend a historically black college or university.

Applications must be received by May 8. E-mail kimberlydgriffin@gmail.com.

Greater Belhaven Market through Dec. 18, at Mississippi Farmers Market (929 High St.). Be sure to stop by for fresh produce or other food and gift items. The market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Free admission; call 601-506-2848 or 601-354-6573.

STAGE AND SCREEN Dinner and a Movie April 23, 7:30 p.m., at Rainbow Whole Foods Co-operative Grocery (2807 Old Canton Road), in Rainbow Plaza. The movie of the night is the documentary “Crude: The Real Price of Oil.” Advance tickets are available at the customer service desk. $15, $13 members in advance; $16, $14 members at the door; call 601366-1602.

DOXA Spring Dance Concert April 23-24, at Belhaven University, Bitsy Irby Visual Arts and Dance Center (1500 Peachtree St.). This event

“Revenge” April 23-24, at Jackson State University, Rose E. McCoy Auditorium (1400 Lynch St.).

The play by J-Lee Productions shows what happens when people take matters into their own hands and deals with social issues such as STDs. Show times are 8 p.m. on April 23 and 7 p.m. on April 24. Buy tickets at BeBop or jleeplays.com. $20, $30 VIP; call 601-372-3192.

“Murder in the Cathedral” through April 24, at Belhaven University Center for the Arts (835 Riverside Dr.), in the Blackbox Theatre. The drama tells the story of the martyrdom of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, and is directed by Joseph Frost. Show times are 7:30 p.m. April 21-23 and 2 p.m. April 24. $10, $5 seniors and students; call 601-965-7026.

“Steel Magnolias” April 23-May 2, at Black Rose Community Theatre (103 Black St., Brandon). The play about the strength of women is directed by Ron Pirtle. $12, $10 students/seniors ThursdaySaturday; $10, $8 students/seniors, $5 children 12 and under on Sunday. Call 601-825-1293.

Bill Cosby April 24, 6 p.m., at Pearl River Resort (Highway 16, Choctaw) in the Silver Star Convention Center. The legendary comedian/actor will perform live at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. $35, $45 VIP; call 866-44-PEARL, ext. 30356.

Cedric the Entertainer April 24, 8 p.m., at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). The comedian considered one of the original “Kings of Comedy” will perform live.

Jackson native J.J. Williamson will open for him. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com, the Coliseum Box Office and BeBop. $43.75$51.95; call 800-745-3000.

“Dividing the Estate” through April 25, at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). Old resentments and sibling rivalries surface, as the members of this hilariously dysfunctional family go head to head to see who might claim the biggest piece of the pie.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. April 21-24 and 2 p.m.

April 25. $22, $18 students and seniors 60 and up; call 601-948-3533.

“Cats” April 27-28, 7:30 p.m., at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The Tony Award-winning musical includes music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com $22.20$64.75; call 601-981-1847.

“All Shook Up” through May 2, at Actor’s Playhouse (121 Paul Truitt Lane, Pearl). The play with 24 Elvis songs is the story of a small-town girl who dreams of hitting the open road and the guitar-playing roustabout who brings excitement into her life.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. weeknights and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. $15 adults, $10 students and seniors; call 601-664-0930.

Emerging Mississippi Filmmakers Grant Program through May 21. Qualified applicants may receive up to $2,500 in funding from the Mississippi Film and Video Alliance to assist with the completion of their project. Applications must be received by May 21. E-mail bblack@mississippi.org.

MUSIC An Evening with Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii April 22, 7:30 p.m., at Millsaps College, Ford Academic Complex (1701 N. State St.). Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii will perform Chopin’s “Piano Concerto No. 1” with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Crafton Beck. $100; call 601-960-1565.

Mississippi State University Jazz Ensemble Concert April 23, 7 p.m., at Jackson Academy (4908

Ridgewood Road), in the Performing Arts Center.

The performance is part of Jackson Academy’s University Jazz Series. $5, $2 students, children under 5 free; call 601-364-5710.

Belhaven University and Jackson Community Symphony Orchestra’s Choral Arts Concert April 24, 7:30 p.m., at Belhaven University Center for the Arts (835 Riverside Dr.), in the concert hall. Belhaven vocalists and instrumentalists present “Te Deum” by Mark Hayes, “ Te Deum No. 2 in C Major” by F. J. Haydn and “Psalm 29” by Belhaven’s Dr. Andrew Sauerwein. Individual choir and orchestra ensembles offer additional music in “Glory to God.” Free; call 601-965-7044.

New Bourbon Street Jazz Society April 25, 3 p.m., at Colonial Country Club (5635 Old Canton Rd.).

Enjoy traditional Dixieland jazz, swing and dance music until 6 p.m. $10, free for members; call 601956-8521.

Instrumental Spring Concert April 27, 6:30 p.m., at Power Academic and Performing Arts Complex (1120 Riverside Drive). Performed by Power APAC students in grades 4-12, the program will consist of large and small ensembles. Free; call 601-960-5387.

“The American Songbook: An Evening of Cabaret” April 27, 7 p.m., at Millsaps College, Ford Academic Complex (1701 N. State St.), in the recital hall. Millsaps instructor and internationally acclaimed baritone James Martin presents music from Fats Waller, the Gershwins and others. $10, $5 or free with Millsaps ID; call 601-974-1130.

“The Singing Heart” April 27, 7:30 p.m., at Broadmeadow United Methodist Church (4419 Broadmeadow Dr.). The Jackson Choral Society’s concert will feature “Requiem,” a work in English by K. Lee Scott, and selections by composers such as William Byrd and Moses Hogan. $10 adults, $8 seniors and students; call 601-898-9609.

LITERARY AND SIGNINGS Applause! April 22, noon, at Eudora Welty Library (300 N. State St.). Writer Louis H. Campbell and his wife Laura Lynn will sign copies of “Wind of Destiny” and will give a lecture. Light refreshments will be served. The event is sponsored by Jackson Friends of the Library. $14.95 book; e-mail emclean@jhlibrary.com.

“Blood-Stained Justice” April 24, 1 p.m., at Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N.). Rick Ward signs copies of his book. $14.95 book; call 601-366-7619.

“Sweet By and By” April 24, 1 p.m., at Borders (100 Dogwood Blvd., Flowood). Ramona Bridges signs copies of her book. $24.99 book; call 601919-0462.

CREATIVE CLASSES Anusara Yoga Immersion, Part 1 April 23-May 2, at Butterfly Yoga (3025 N. State St.). The theme is “A Journey Into the Heart.” The 34-hour course is a prerequisite to Immersion Parts 2 and 3, and is the first part of a 200-hour Anusara teacher-training program. Classes will be on Fridays from 6-9 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:30-6 p.m. April 23-25 and April 30-May 2. $500; call 601-594-2313.

Classes at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.).

Call 601-974-1130.

• Yoga for Everyone April 27-June 1, 6:15-7:30 p.m. The six-week class is held on Tuesdays and is open to beginners and advanced students. Sally Holly is the instructor. Bring your own yoga sticky mat and firm blanket. $70.

• The Latest Trends April 27, 6 p.m. Come learn what the forecast is for 2010 and beyond for the kitchen and bath. Find out how to choose products for your home that are environmentally friendly, yet functional and beautiful. $25.

• Blogging 101 April 27-28, 6-7:30 p.m. at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.). Instructor Kara Paulk will teach you how to create a blog for personal or professional use. $60; call 601-974-1130.

Jewelry Making Class ongoing, at Dream Beads (605 Duling Ave.). This class is offered every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Free; call 601664-0411.

Belly Dance Class ongoing, at Lumpkin’s Restaurant (182 Raymond Road). The class is held every Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Monique Davis is the instructor. $5; call 601-373-7707.

GALLERIES Earth Day Art Show Opening Reception April 22, 5 p.m., at Brown’s Fine Art (630 Fondren Place).

Artwork by Lori K. Gordon and David “Cairo” Wheeler will be featured. Free admission; call 601982-4844.

A Holgatastic Photographic Expose April 22, 6:30 p.m., at The Commons Gallery (719 N. Congress St.). See photographs taken by Ridgeland High School students. Free; call 601-540-1267.

“Songs of Innocence/ Songs of Experience” through May 6, at Gallery 119 (119 S. President St.). Jerrod Partridge’s artwork on paper and canvas will be on display. Free admission; call 601-9694091.

Jason “Twiggy” Lott Exhibit ongoing, at Nunnery’s Gallery (426 Meadowbrook Road). See paintings, collages and assemblages constructed from discarded objects called “reconstructions.” Free admission; call 601-981-4426.

EXHIBITS AND OPENINGS Jazz, Art & Friends April 22, 5:30 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). Enjoy cocktails, listen to music by Raphael Semmes and mingle with friends all while surrounded by worldclass art. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will be available. $5 members, $7 non-members, $3 1-5 year olds; call 601-960-1515.

Events at Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.).

• JumpstART Exhibit through April 30. The works created by 24 Jackson public elementary schools during a collaborative teaching residency with an artist is on display. JumpstART is a program of the Ask for More Arts initiative. Free; call 601-969-6015, ext. 301.

• “Just Dance” Call for Entries through April 30.

To commemorate the International Ballet Competition’s return to Jackson, the Greater Jackson Arts Council is calling for entries to its juried invitational in media such as painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, film/video, mixed media and installation. Contact the GJAC for official entry forms. $25 entry fee; call 601-960-1557.

• All-Level Visual Arts Exhibit through May 5.

Art by Power APAC students will be on display in the Atrium Gallery. This exhibit coincides with the Ask for More Arts display. The Visual Arts Department will host a gallery opening reception on April 11 from 2-4 p.m. Free; call 601-960-5387.

“Mound Bayou: The Promise Land, 1887-2010” through April 30, at Smith Robertson Museum (528 Bloom St.). See photographs of the beginning of Davis Bend, the move and name change to Mound Bayou, Isaiah Montgomery, T.R.M. Howard and others who were involved in the founding of the city. Museum hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. $4.50 adults, $3.00 seniors, $1.50 children under 18; call 601-960-1457.

“Growing Up In Mississippi: 1857-1888” through April 30, at Manship House (420 E. Fortification St.). Hands-on activities teach chil-

dren what life was like for 19th-century children in Mississippi. Reservations are required. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. Free; call 601-961-4724.

Events at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). Museum hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. $3-$5, free for members and children under 3; call 601-354-7303.

• Mississippi Junior Duck Stamp Art Competition Exhibit through May 1. Students representing schools from Madison, Meridian, Natchez and North Carrollton will have their winning artwork on display.

• “Home Sweet Home” Exhibit through May 13. Two beloved American icons, Smokey the Bear and Woodsy Owl, come to life in the interactive exhibit. Explore the pretend forest, ranger station, campsite and more.

Congressional Art Competition Call for Entries through May 7. The annual competition provides high school students with an opportunity for their artistic talents to be recognized and showcased in the U.S. Capital in Washington, D.C. All entries must be submitted by May 7.

The competition will be held at the Gum Tree Museum of Art in Tupelo on May 15. The winner receives a $1,500 art scholarship. Call 202225-4306.

Check jfpevents.com for updates and more listings. To add an event, e-mail all details (phone number, start/ end date and time, street address, cost, URL, etc.) to events@jacksonfreepress.com or fax to 601-510-9019.

The deadline is noon the Thursday prior to the week of publication. Or, add the event online yourself; check out jfpevents.com for instructions.

BE THE CHANGE McAllister’s Deli Tea for Tots Golf Classic April 23, 8 a.m., at Annandale Golf Club (419A Annandale Parkway, Madison). The event includes an 18-hole tournament, a ladies brunch at 10 a.m. that will include a silent auction, a performance by the Bells of Faith and more. Proceeds benefit The Mustard Seed. $10 brunch, $35 auction ($50 for two); call 601-613-8648 or 601992-3556.

March for Babies April 24, 8:30 a.m., at Renaissance (1000 Highland Colony Parkway). Registration begins at 8 a.m., and the 3-mile walk starts at 9 a.m. Proceeds benefit the March of Dimes. Online registration at marchforbabies.org is available. Donations welcome; call 601-933-1774.

“Wheels and Wine” April 24, 6 p.m., at Hope House of Hospitality (786 E. Northside Drive). The wine tasting, sponsored

by Harry T’s, includes hors d’oeuvres and music by Jambeaux. Proceeds benefit the Hope House of Hospitality. $25; call 601933-3178.

Sante South Premier Wine Event April 24, 7 p.m., at One Jackson Place (188 E. Capitol St.). At The Gardens. More than 30 vintners of fine wines will offer samples.

Food, live music and a silent auction are also included. Proceeds benefit the Alzheimer’s Association of Mississippi. $85; visit santesouth.com.

Gala Fundraiser April 24, 7:30-11:45 p.m., at River Room Conference Center (100 Ridge Drive, Flowood). The event includes refreshments, a silent auction and music

by Under Discussion. Auction items and sponsors are needed. Proceeds benefit the Rankin County Children’s Mentoring Program. $50; call 601-624-3603.

jacksonfreepress.com

highlights emerging young creative artists’ choreography and performance, which is produced by members of DOXA, the Belhaven Dance Department’s student-led organization. The show is from 6:30-8:30 p.m. nightly. $10, $2 seniors/students/ children; call 601-965-1400.

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arts

2010 SEASON Steel Magnolias April 23, 24, 30 & May 1 at 7:30 and April 25 & May 2 at 2 pm Seating is limited.

Call to make reservations.

Tickets - $12 for adults, $10 for students & seniors.

We accept cash or check only.

Benefit Performance for the Diabetes Foundation April 29 at 7:30 pm Tickets - $10.

All proceeds will go to the Diabetes Foundation.

Season tickets cannot be used for this performance.

Black Rose Theatre Summer Camp June 28 - July 2 SIGN UP NOW!

601-825-1293

April 22 - 28, 2010

blackrosetheatre.org

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FReelance Mound Bayou, Revisited Writers Wanted! the Jackson Free Press is looking for freelance writers to cover events, food, sports, personalities, local businesses and weddings.

Email writing samples to: ronni@jacksonfreepress.com

COURTESY SMITH ROBERTSON MUSEUM

Theatre Company 203 Black St. Brandon

by Andy Muchin

“Mound Bayou: The Promise Land, 18872010” is at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center through June 30.

T

he story of Mound Bayou, Miss., is as improbable as it is inspiring. In 1887, former slaves founded the town in the Mississippi Delta wilderness as a haven for former slaves. Mound Bayou thrived culturally and economically for five decades, reaching a population of approximately 8,000 as it overcame the Jim Crow laws and poverty that plagued many southern blacks after the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877).

One of the more improbable facts is this: The founders’ ideal of a separate, self-reliant, educated and ethical African-American community had developed on a plantation owned

by Jefferson Davis’ older brother, Joseph.

The rise and decline of Mound Bayou is told in an eye-opening, though somewhat disjointed new photo exhibit developed by the Smith Robertson Museum. “Mound Bayou: The Promise Land, 1887-2010” begins with multiple panels of essential written history.

The exhibit offers descriptions of the more than 50 enlarged black-and-white, colorized and color photos that follow with only brief captions that lack context. What do the studio portraits of well-dressed citizens tell us, for example, if we don’t know the subjects’ identities or if they were typical of the population?

A street map placing the photos geographically would have added to our understanding. Recreation and the arts—important aspects of community life—go unmentioned.

On the other hand, the exhibit structure allows viewers to draw their own conclusions.

Here are some of mine: Mound Bayou had many distinguished citizens. Dignified portraits of banker Charles Bank and religious leader Rev. A.A. Casey hang near a snapshot of a smiling Dr. Moise George seated in his Model T. No one was more important than city founder Isaiah T. Montgomery, a refined man in the photos. Born on Hurricane Plantation near Vicksburg, he was raised with owner Joseph Davis’ utopian ideal of an educated slave population with limited self-government.

Montgomery’s father, Benjamin T. Montgomery, was an educated, high-achieving slave and a friend of Davis.

The father, with Davis’ permission, owned a store. Its profits enabled Montgomery to hire a tutor for the Montgomery and Davis children, who learned together in a

classroom.

After the Civil War, the elder Montgomery bought the plantation land and established the cooperative black community of Davis Bend. The venture prospered until hit by low crop prices, floods, insects and a labor shortage. Community leader Isaiah Montgomery’s search for a more lucrative site led him to found Mound Bayou.

Mound Bayou’s leaders were politically savvy. Montgomery worked closely with educator and national black leader Booker T. Washington to develop Mound Bayou’s laws and government. A circa 1900 photo shows Washington on an outdoor platform leaning into the crowd as he makes a point. In a 1912 photo, Washington is speaking at the dedication of the Mound Bayou Oil Mill and Manufacturing Co., reportedly attended by 16,000.

The citizens exude a sense of dignity. In posed and candid photos, people were neatly dressed and generally appeared proud. “They looked different than most people who were just coming out of slavery—the intelligence, the ingenuity, the pride, the dignity,” said Museum Manager Pamela Junior.

The community revered education.

Photos show large, attractive brick schools.

“Education was a given in Mound Bayou,” Junior explained. “It wasn’t a given in other places. When you went out into the Delta, there was not always an education system.”

Residents appreciated beautiful architecture. Montgomery lived in a large brick house with an enclosed wraparound porch, the yard filled with flowers. Banks owned a one-and-a-half-story wooden house with a wraparound porch covered in part by a gazebo, all of which cost almost $10,000 to build in 1908. Even a farmhouse featured a gabled entrance and a thick crop of sunflowers out front.

Fine housing implies a strong economy.

Mound Bayou had banks, stores, a railroad station and a newspaper—all black-owned— plus several public and private schools. The community made most of its money from cotton, timber and corn. For a time, Mound Bayou was the third-largest cotton-producing town in the South.

Folks were ethical, but sometimes tempted. A 1939 downtown sign that was either a joke or an invitation said: “The Royal Club: Wines, Beer & ____?”

In 1914, declining cotton prices began years of economic problems exacerbated by the Great Depression in the 1930s. Then, in 1941, a fire destroyed several downtown businesses.

In recent years, Mound Bayou has suffered economically like most Delta towns.

The population hovers at about 2,000. But in its heyday, Mound Bayou was a model community, as this exhibit shows.

“Mound Bayou: The Promise Land, 18872010” will be displayed at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center, 528 Bloom St., through June 30. For more information, call 601-960-1457.

music

by Rob Hamilton

Inching Toward the Present COURTESY ANTI

I

rolled my eyes upon first hearing Dr. Dog’s flagrant aping of The Beatles and The Band. Critics’ main disparagement continues to be over its derivative sound, and I was in no position to disagree; however, the more I listened to the music, the more I recognized that there was something going on here deeper than mere imitation. The band’s songs were well structured and the lyrics weighty, yet edgy. Furthermore, the evolution Dr. Dog displayed over its relatively brief career suggested it was only a matter of time until the band broke its own ground and shook the “Beatles clone” label. “Shame, Shame,” their newest album, is the band’s furthest push yet to doing just that.

Dr. Dog is a five-piece band co-founded and co-fronted by vocalist/guitarist Scott McMicken and vocalist/bassist Toby Leaman. McMicken delivers cerebral and nuanced lyrics with a restrained delivery, while Leaman leaves more to the imagination, both lyrically and vocally. Their voices and styles create an interesting complement.

While their excellent first two albums, “Easy Beat” and “We All Belong,” were considerably lo-fi—often exhibiting a synthetic hiss—“Shame, Shame” has followed the track of its predecessor, 2008’s “Fate,” in stepping up the production values. The multi-layered first notes of the record’s opening track, “Stranger,” are some of the fullest sounding the band has ever recorded and the song is all the stronger for it. It is a knockout opener, and from there, Dr. Dog never lets up.

On “Shame, Shame,” the band displays a new reassurance and experiments with a broader musical range than on any of its previous albums. “Later,” Leaman’s strongest song, veers as close to punk rock as the

COURTESY DR. DOG

band has ever gotten. Featuring the fastest tempo of any Dr. Dog has ever worked with and doing away with its trademark ethereal harmonies, Leaman rails against a love interest who constantly puts him off. It’s an accessible song, and everyone can relate to Leaman’s palpable frustration.

This album covers various themes, but it’s at its strongest when delving into the topics of desolation, dissatisfaction and uncertainty. It’s a perfect triumvirate for the times we are living in, and the songs capture the emotions dead on.

“Shadow People” begins as an acoustic ballad about listlessness in the city and gradually grows in frustration and urgency until it reaches its foot-stomping climax.

The haunting “Someday” is set inside the self-wallowing mind immediately postbreakup, and Leaman’s expressive voice is once again able to efficiently convey the gloom of our protagonist.

The tunes culminate in the album’s high point: “Jackie Wants a Black Eye.” An often-devastating song about loneliness and self-loathing, it strives to find unity within both. It’s poignant, but not maudlin, and its musical arrangement featuring gorgeous background harmonies and hand claps makes it work. By the time “Jackie” wraps up, it has become, oddly, the most life-affirming song on the album.

Getting the confidence to wean yourself from your influences is always encouraging. By stepping out onto its own and beginning to take musical and lyrical Dr. Dog’s newest album, “Shame, Shame,” shakes off the chances, Dr. Dog has regroup’s former dependence on The Beatles and The Band, leased its best album to date. adding more musical range.

BANDS/DJS FOR HIRE Disc Jockey (DJ) Service Professional DJ - 20 Years Experience - Holiday Parties/Weddings/Birthdays/Private Parties, Lights/Fog/Etc available, Photography Services Available, Live Band Availble (601) 850-4380

GEAR Warwick bass 4 sale Warwick Corvette Standard bubinga 4 string passive with gig bag, warranty, manual, hercules stand, and acoustic B20 practice amp. $850. obo (601) 278-7854 Bach stradivarius trombone Bach Stradivarius professional trombone w/ F -rotary valve, Excellent condition. Dynamic tonal quality. $1,600.00 - Call:- 769 232 2415 Bass gear Quality professional gear. Swr Silverado combo.

350 watts RMS. $400. New aoustic 200 watt bass head $200. Two Swr 1 15’ and horn cabinets $250 ea. Loud and Clean Sold seperately or together.

(601) 214-4412 Professional Sound Engineers Need sound equipment or just a couple of engineers at your next event call Daniel 601.488.0436 any venue large or small anywhere in the south.

Complete PA Huge carvin pa for sale, all accessories, cables, processors, mics, stands, lights, amps, etc. Over $20,000 in gear to sell for best offers. Equipment is in as new condition. (225) 341-9391 Guitar Gear - Must Sell!!

Vox AD120VTH Valvetronix Stereo Head $400, 1x12 and 2x12 cabinets- $80-$125. (601) 540-1739

MISCELLANEOUS Need A Few Good Musicians Interested in helping to set up music non-profit organization (centered around the BLUES) for disadvantaged youths in the Jackson metropolitan area? If so, I am looking to talk to you. Need musicians who can teach everything from banjo, guitar, dobro, mandolin, fiddle, accordion, harmonica, piano, etc., etc. COME BE A PART OF THIS GREAT PROJECT! (601) 924-0210.

MUSICIANS AVAILABLE Rock Singer Available Male Rock/Metal Singer looking for experienced cover band. Many years experience. Contact myspace or facebook: Crystal Quazar. Phone: 601-572-6253 Drummer Available Mature/seasoned drummer available. Have played everything from country to Christian Contemporary.

Would like to join existing band or form new one with seasoned musicians ONLY...no beginners please! Would like to play classic rock, blues and/ or contemporary. Call if interested. (601) 613-5835 Old Drummer Available!

DRUMMER AVAILABLE: Most recently, I have played with The Veterans of Foreign Bars band.

Interested in playing Blues, Funk, Soul, maybe Country. I am an older guy and settled in for the duration. I would be interested in a steady band, fill-in, and, possibly, a new start-up. Let me hear: mcdrum89@yahoo.com or call 601-832-0831

Looking to Start Band I am a bass player new in town and am looking to start a band in the Jackson area. I need a guitarist, drummer and lead vocals. No specific genre is preferred, but the band will be based on rock and metal (no death or black metal). I’ve played in several bands and played out hundreds of times and am able to get gigs. If interested or for more info please call Chris @ 386-365-2944 Drummer available 42 year old drummer looking to play with existing group or start one. Great love for the instrument and really want to put something together for fun and profit (gigs 1-3 month). Rock, classic rock, pop, jazz, and swing. Good chops and attitude, no ego, just want to play. Been done wrong a few times, looking for mature guys/girls who have their act together and are serious. Call bill @ 601-955-7924 or e-mail at wricha2796@aol. Com. (601) 955-7924 Female Vocalist Seeking Band I am a 16-year-old female vocalist seeking a synthpop or rock band. Ages of band members preferrably 25 years or younger due to parental objections. Contact by email at freezepopforever10 29@hotmail.com.

Musician Available 25 Years experience playing Drums, Guitar & Bass.

Recently relocated to Jackson from Memphis, TN. All genres of music. Contact Tim at 601-665-5976.

Or email: reeves@cgdsl.net Serious inquires only.

Drummer Looking For Band I’m an experienced drummer looking to form/join a band. I have mostly played metal, but I am open to rock/hard rock/metal, etc. Call Dave at (769) 226-0845.

Female Vocalist/Songwriter Seeking fellow musicians. Serious inquiries only. Call Nikki 601-259-1288.

MUSICIANS WANTED A New Sound Need original band. Old Deftones/old Clutch/ She Wants Revenge. www.myspace.com/anzalduasongs Radio-play. Album on iTunes. anzaldua@mail.com (512) 787-7840 Deathcore guitarists Metal band looking for 2 exp’d guitarists. Influences include WhiteChapel, Carnifex, Opeth, etc.

Call David for more info (601) 201-3815 Metal Singer & Bassist Wanted AnnX is looking for a Experienced Energetic METAL Vocalist and a Bass Player to play shows and write new material. (601) 383-4851 Become our Next Instructor Major Scales Studio is accepting applications for a classical or rock or jazz guitar teacher. Must have professional appearance. Please email your resume to Majorscales@aol.com.

Cellist Needed For Album/tour Cellist needed for my album and possibly to tour shortly after. I am signed with South City Records. I need to start recording ASAP! Must be reliable and dedicated. Please contact me at scorpiano31@gmail.com Drummer/Bassist needed - Metal We are in need of a drummer and a bassist. Experience in metal (death, black, etc.) is preffered, but not completely necessary. Call Buddy at (601)5025647. Thanks for reading.-Buddy Bass Player Needed for eclectic cover band that features pedal steel guitar. -Vocals a plus- want to gig once or 2x a month and have lots of fun -Buck Owens to REMcall 601 488 6907 +leave msg

Looking for band mates? Wanting to sell your gear?

Advertise here for free! Visit JFP Classifieds.com.

If you are interested in sponsoring the Musicians Exchange call JFP Sales at 601-362-6121 ext. 11.

jacksonfreepress.com

BANDS WANTED vocalist looking for band im a rock vocalist looking for a band in need of a lead singer please call at any time my name is shane (601) 940-0510

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NOW SELLING LIVE & BOILED CRAWFISH!

livemusic APRIL 22, THURSDAY

8

around S A Lthe O Ocorner N

Country and Rock Music

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR ALL SHOWS 10PM UNLESS NOTED WEDNESDAY

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK - 4P.M. TIL HAPPY HOUR 5-7, MON-THURS

WEDNESDAY - APRIL 21

Karaoke w/ Mike Mott THURS. & FRI. - APRIL 22 & 23

4/21

LADIES NIGHT LADIES DRINK ALL YOU CAN

JACKTOWN LADIES NIGHT (FREE DRAFT CUP 9-11)

SATURDAY - APRIL 25

GHOST TOWN

8PM-12AM FOR $5 - NO COVER THURSDAY

4/22

80’S NIGHT

DIFFERENT THEME EACH WEEK FRIDAY

4/23

LORD T AND ELOISE

SUNDAY - APRIL 26

8 Ball Tournament TUESDAY - APRIL 28

Pool League Night 2636 S. Gallatin Jackson, MS 39204

601-961-4747

www.myspace.com/popsaroundthecorner

SATURDAY

4/24

JOHNNYBERTRM ANDTHE GOLDENBICYCLES SUNDAY

4/25

KARAOKE MONDAY

4/26

OPEN MIC JAM TUESDAY

4/27

MATT’S LATE NIGHT KARAOKE $2 MARGARITAS $1 HIGHLIFE & PBR WEDNESDAY

4/28

April 22 - 28, 2010

LADIES NIGHT

32

LADIES DRINK ALL YOU CAN 8PM-12AM FOR $5 - NO COVER 214 S. STATE ST. • 601.354.9712 DOWNTOWN JACKSON WWW.MARTINSLOUNGE.NET

SICK PUPPIES LIVE THIS THURSDAY, NIGHT AT FIRE!

THE MILLER LITE ROCK 93.9 RAMPAGE AT FIRE KICKS OFF THIS TUESDAY, APRIL 27 WITH PAPA ROACH, PUDDLE OF MUDD, ADELITAS WAY, 12 STONES, AND LYNAM!

TOPTEN SONGS THIS WEEK 1 BREAKING BENJAMIN – Give Me A Sign (Forever and Ever) 2 DROWNING POOL – Feel Like I Do 3 SICK PUPPIES - Odd One 4 GODSMACK - Cryin Like A Bitch 5 FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH – Walk Away 6 THREE DAYS GRACE - The Good Life 7 SHAMANS HARVEST - Dragonfly 8 SEVENDUST - Unraveling 9 BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE – Your Betrayal 10 SEASONS AFTER – Cry Little Sister

Millsaps Ford Academic Complex - Miss. Symphony Orchestra w/ Nobuyuki Tsujii (Piano Competition Winner/Chopin) 7:30 p.m. $100 Lumpkins BBQ - Jesse Robinson (blues lunch) 11:30-1:30 p.m. free Miss. Museum of Art - Jazz, Art & Friends 5:30-8:30 p.m. $7 Underground 119 - Howard Jones New Orleans Jazz Trio 5:30-7:15 p.m. free; Sons of the Subway (blues) 8-11 p.m. free Fire - Sick Puppies 9 p.m. $20+ myspace.com/sickpuppies Fenian’s - Legacy 8-11 p.m.

F. Jones Corner - Jason Bailey (blues lunch) free; Blues at Sunset Challenge Band 8-12 a.m. free 930 Blues Cafe - Jackie Bell, Norman Clark & Smoke Stack Lightning 8 p.m. $5 Shucker’s - Two Can Do 7:30-11:30 p.m. free Footloose - Karaoke 8-12 a.m.

The Auditorium - Tiger Rogers (lunch); Virgil Brawley 7:30-9 p.m.

AJ’s Seafood - Hunter Gibson 6:30-10 p.m.

Soulshine, Township - Fingers Taylor & friends 7-9:30 p.m. free Kathryn’s - Larry Brewer (classic rock) 6:30-9:30 p.m. free Cherokee Inn - D’lo Trio 6:30 p.m.

Pelican Cove - Team Trivia 7:30 p.m.

Welty Commons - Holgatastic Photograph Opening 6:30 p.m. free Regency Hotel - Karaoke 7 p.m. free Poets II - Karaoke 10 p.m.

Electric Cowboy - DJ Cadillac 9 p.m.

McB’s - Karaoke 7 p.m. free Hot Shots, Byram - Karaoke 8 p.m. free Eli’s Treehouse, V’burg - Karaoke 8 p.m.

APRIL 23, FRIDAY Martin’s - Lord T & Eloise (aristocrunk) 10 p.m. $5 lordtandeloise.com F. Jones Corner - Virgil Brawley (blues lunch/solo) noon; Sons of Subway w/Virgil Brawley 11:30-4 a.m. $5 JSU Gibbs/Green Plaza - 3rd Annual Jazz Fest: Wallace Roney & JSU Jazz Ensembles 6 p.m. free 601-979-2574 Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Pinter, Chester & Fortenberry 9 p.m. free 930 Blues Cafe - Blues/Jazz 5:30-8 p.m.; Jackie Bell, 9 p.m. $10 Ole Tavern - Daniel Francis Doyle+ (alt one man band) 10 p.m.

Underground 119 - Jedi Clampett 9-1 a.m.

The Auditorium - Tiger Rogers (lunch); Larry Brewer 7:30-9 p.m.; D’Mar & the Nu Funk Society 9:30 p.m.

Soulshine, Township - Bofus 8 p.m. free Soulshine, Old Fannin - The Rounders 6:45 p.m. free Shucker’s - Snazz 8-1 a.m. $5 McB’s - Greenfish Kathryn’s - Hunter Gibson 6:30-9: 30 p.m.

Electric Cowboy - DJ Terry 9 p.m.

Footloose - Karaoke 9-1 a.m. free

Pelican Cove - Karaoke 7-10 p.m.

Cultural Expressions - Reggae/HipHop/Old School Night 10 p.m. $5 Jackson Academy Performing Arts Center (JA) - MSU Jazz Ensemble 7 p.m. $5, $2 students Reed Pierce’s - The Back 40 9 p.m. free RJ Barrel - Mark Whittington & Fingers Taylor Hot Shots, Byram - Karaoke 8 p.m. free DiamondJack’s, V’burg - Rainmakers (classic rock) 9-1 a.m.

Lyric, Oxford - Rebirth Brass Band

APRIL 24, SATURDAY Jxn Convention Center - Cedric the Entertainer (comedy) Martin’s - Johnny Bertram & the Golden Bicycles 10 p.m. $5 myspace.com/johnnybertram Ole Tavern - Black Bone Child, The Bad Reeds (Austin/Rock/KY) 10 p.m. $5 blackbonechild.com Underground 119 - King Edward (blues) 9-1 a.m. $10 Fenian’s - Brian McNeill (Irish) 7-10 p.m.; Cooper Miles 11-12:30 a.m.

F. Jones Corner - JSU SEEC Fundraiser 4-9 p.m. $5; The Houserockers 11:30-4 a.m. $5 Hal & Mal’s Red Room - Brad Baird Band 9 p.m.

Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Common Ground Blues Band 9 p.m. free Fire - Crossin’ Dixon 9 p.m.

Shucker’s - Will & Linda 3-7 p.m. free; Snazz 8-1 a.m. $5 The Auditorium - Welch/McCann 7: 30-9 p.m.; D’Mar & the Nu Funk Society 9:30 p.m.

930 Blues Cafe - Blues/Jazz 5:30-8 p.m.; Jackie Bell, 9 p.m. $10 Cultural Expressions - Kamikaze & Yardboy 9 p.m. $5 McB’s - The Xremz Crawdad Hole - Fulkerson/Pace 7-10 p.m. $5 Pelican Cove - Larry Brewer (classic rock) 6-10 p.m. free Fitzgerald’s - Chris Gill 8-12 a.m.

Zydeco - Emma Wynters 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Huntington’s - Emma Wynters 7-10 p.m. emmawynters.com Footloose - Doug Frank SurRealLife 9-1 a.m. myspace.com/ dougfrankmusic Reed Pierce’s - The Back 40 9 p.m. free Hot Shots, Byram - Karaoke 8 p.m. free RJ Barrel - Karaoke 7 p.m.

Silverstar, Choctaw - Bill Cosby 6 & 9 p.m. 866-44PEARL Courthouse Square, Oxford - Double Decker Arts Festival: A.A. Bondy, Cornmeal, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Felice Bros., Those Darlins+

APRIL 25, SUNDAY King Edward Hotel - Howard Jones Trio (jazz brunch) 11-2 p.m.

Warehouse - Mike & Marty Open Jam Session 6-10 p.m. free Fitzgerald’s - Andy Hardwick (brunch) 11-2 p.m.

Sophia’s, Fairview Inn - Knight Bruce 11 a.m. (brunch)

Shucker’s - Tim Avalon & High Water 3-7 p.m. free Pelican Cove - Hunter Gibson & Rick Moreira 3-7 p.m. free Fenian’s - Comedy Show 7 p.m. free The Hill - Open Blues Jam 6-11 p.m.

Footloose - Karaoke 7-11 p.m. free Cultural Expressions - Open Mic Poetry 8 p.m. $5 Hot Shots, Byram - Karaoke 6-10 p.m. free

APRIL 26, MONDAY Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Central Miss. Blues Society Jam 8-11 p.m. $5 F. Jones Corner - Jason Bailey (blues lunch) free Fitzgerald’s - Hunter Gibson & Rick Moreira 8-12 a.m. free Martin’s - Open Mic Free Jam 10 p.m. free Fenian’s - Karaoke 8-1 a.m.

Dreamz - Marley Mondays/DJ 6 p.m.

The Auditorium - Robby Peoples 5-7 p.m.

APRIL 27, TUESDAY F. Jones Corner - Amazing Lazy Boi (blues lunch) Broadmeadow Methodist Church, 4419 Broadmeadow - Jackson Choral Society Concert 7:30 p.m. 601-898-9609, www.jackson choralsociety.org Fire (outside) - Rock 93.9: Papa Roach, Puddle Of Mudd, Adelitas Way, 12 Stones 6-12 a.m.

18+ $25 Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Pub Quiz 8 p.m.

Hal & Mal’s Red Room - B*tch (Unity Miss. Show) Fenian’s - Open Mic 9 p.m.

Welty Commons - Open Mic Poetry/ Short Stories 6:30 p.m. free Martin’s - Karaoke 10 p.m. free Shucker’s - The Xtremes 7-11 p.m. free Fitzgerald’s - Hunter Gibson & Rick Moreira 8-12 a.m.

Time Out - Open Mic 8 p.m.

McB’s - Karaoke 7 p.m. free Kathryn’s - Shane & Fraizer 6:30-9:30 p.m. free

APRIL 28, WEDNESDAY Fire - Papa Roach, Puddle of Mudd, 12 Stones, Adlieta’s Way 8 p.m.

F. Jones Corner - Jesse “Guitar” Smith (blues lunch) free Fenian’s - Virgil Brawley & Steve Chester (blues) 9 p.m.

Underground 119 - Emma Wynters, Mark Whittington & Adam Perry 8-11 p.m. free emmawynters.com Kathryn’s - Hunter Gibson 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Shucker’s - DoubleShotz 7:30-11: 30 p.m. free The Auditorium - Karaoke 9-12 a.m.

Regency Hotel - Snazz 8:30 p.m. myspace.com/snazzband2 Pelican Cove - Jam Session 7:30-10 p.m.

Footloose - Karaoke 8-12 a.m. free Electric Cowboy - Karaoke

4/23-5/02 New Orleans Jazz Fest - Fairgrounds Racecourse, New Orleans, nojazzfest.com 4/24 Double Decker Arts Festival - Courthouse Square, Oxford doubledeckerfestival.com 4/30 Beale St. Music Festival - Tom Lee Park, Memphis thebealestreetmusicfestival.com 5/01 Ani DiFranco - Tipitinia’s, New Orleans 5/05 Saliva - Sam’s Town Casino, Tunica 5/08 Norah Jones - Orpheum, Memphis; 5/09 Birmingham, AL. Theatre

venuelist Wednesday, April 21st Fusion Coffeehouse Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, 601-856-6001 Garfield’s Restaurant & Pub 6340 Ridgewood Court, Jackson, 601-977-9920 Gold Strike Casino 1010 Casino Center Drive, Robinsonville, 888-245-7529 Grand Casino Biloxi 280 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, 228-436-2946 Grand Casino Tunica 13615 Old Highway 61 North, Robinsonville, 800-39-GRAND The Green Room 444 Bounds St., Jackson, 601-713-3444 Ground Zero Blues Club 0 Blues Alley, Clarksdale, 662-621-9009 Grownfolks’s Lounge 4030 Medgar Evers Blvd, Jackson, 601-362-6008 Hal & Mal’s 200 S. Commerce St., Jackson, 601-948-0888 (pop/rock/blues) Hamp’s Place 3028 W. Northside Dr., Jackson, 601-981-4110 (dance/dj) Hard Rock Biloxi 777 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, 228-374-ROCK Hat & Cane 1115 E. McDowell Rd., Jackson, 601-352-0411 Hauté Pig 1856 Main St., Madison, 601853-8538 Here We Go Again 3002 Terry Road, Jackson, 601-373-1520 The Hill Restaurant 2555 Valley St., Jackson, 601-373-7768 Horizon Casino Mulberry Lounge 1310 Mulberry St., Vicksburg, 800-843-2343 Horseshoe Bar 5049 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-6191 Horseshoe Casino Tunica, 800-303-7463 The Hunt Club 1525 Ellis Ave., Jackson, 601-944-1150 Huntington Grille 1001 E. County Line Rd., Jackson, 601-957-1515 The Ice House 515 S. Railroad Blvd., McComb, 601-684-0285 (pop/rock) JC’s 425 North Mart Plaza, Jackson, 601-362-3108 James Meredith Lounge 217 Griffith St. 601-969-3222 Julep Restaurant and Bar 105 Highland Village, Jackson, 601-362-1411 Kathryn’s Steaks and Seafood 6800 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland. 601-956-2803 Koinonia Coffee House 136 S. Adam St., Suite C, Jackson, 601-960-3008 LaRae’s 210 Parcel Dr., Jackson, 601-944-0660 Last Call Sports Grill 1428 Old Square Road, Jackson, 601-713-2700 The Library Bar & Grill 120 S. 11th St., Oxford, 662-234-1411 The Loft 1306 A. Washington St., Vicksburg, 601-629-6188 The Lyric Oxford 1006 Van Buren Ave., Oxford. 662-234-5333 Main Event Sports Bar & Grill 4659 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-9987 Manda’s Pub 614 Clay Street, Vicksburg, 601-638-6607 Martin’s Lounge 214 S. State St., Jackson, 601-354-9712 (rock/jam/blues) McB’s Restaurant 815 Lake Harbor Dr., Ridgeland, 601-956-8362 (pop/rock) Mellow Mushroom 275 Dogwood Blvd., Flowood, 601-992-7499 Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music 103 Magnolia, Edwards, 601-977-7736 Mississippi Coliseum 1207 Mississippi St., Jackson, 601-353-0603 Mississippi Opera P.O. Box 1551, Jackson, 877-MSOPERA, 601-960-2300 Mississippi Opry 2420 Old Brandon Rd., Brandon, 601-331-6672 Mississippi Symphony Orchestra 201 East Pascagoula St., Jackson, 800-898-5050 Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium 2531 N. State St., Jackson, 601-354-6021 Monte’s Steak and Seafood 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-362-8182 Mugshots 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-713-0383 Okasions 1766 Ellis Avenue, Jackson, 601-373-4037 Old Venice Pizza Co. 1428 Old Square Rd., Jackson, 601-366-6872 Ole Tavern on George Street 416 George St., Jackson, 601-960-2700 Olga’s 4760 I-55 North, Jackson, 601-366-1366 (piano) One to One Studio 121 Millsaps Ave., in the Millsaps Arts District, Jackson

One Blue Wall 2906 N State St., Jackson, 601-713-1224 Peaches Restaurant 327 N. Farish St., Jackson, 601-354-9267 Pelican Cove 3999A Harborwalk Dr., Ridgeland, 601-605-1865 Pig Ear Saloon 160 Weisenberger Rd., Gluckstadt, 601-898-8090 Pig Willies 1416 Washington St., Vicksburg, 601-634-6872 Pool Hall 3716 I-55 North Frontage Rd., Jackson, 601-713-2708 Pop’s Saloon 2636 Gallatin St., Jackson, 601-961-4747 (country) Proud Larry’s 211 S. Lamar Blvd., Oxford, 662-236-0050 The Pub Hwy. 51, Ridgeland, 601-898-2225 The Quarter Bistro & Piano Bar 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-362-4900 Que Sera Sera 2801 N. State St., Jackson, 601-981-2520 Red Room 200 S. Commerce St., Jackson (Hal & Mal’s), 601-948-0888 (rock/alt.)

Reed Pierce’s 6791 Siwell Rd., Byram, 601-376-0777, 601-376-4677 Regency Hotel Restaurant & Bar 420 Greymont Ave., Jackson, 601-969-2141 Rick’s Cafe 318 Hwy 82 East, #B, Starkville, 662-324-7425 RJ Barrel 111 N. Union 601-667-3518 Sal and Mookie’s 565 Taylor St. 601368-1919 Sam’s Lounge 5035 I-55 N. Frontage Rd., Jackson, 601-983-2526 Sam’s Town Casino 1477 Casino Strip Blvd., Robinsonville, 800-456-0711 Schimmel’s Fine Dining 2615 N. State St., Jackson, 601-981-7077 Scrooge’s 5829 Ridgewood Rd., Jackson, 601-206-1211 Shuckers on the Reservoir 116 Conestoga Rd., Ridgeland, 601-853-0105 Silver Star Casino Hwy. 16 West, Choctaw, 800-557-0711 Soop’s The Ultimate 1205 Country Club Dr., Jackson, 601-922-1402 (blues) Soulshine Pizza 1139 Old Fannin Rd., Brandon, 601-919-2000 Soulshine Pizza 1111 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, 601-856-8646 Sportsman’s Lodge 1220 E. Northside Dr. at I-55, Jackson, 601-366-5441 Steam Room Grille 5402 Interstate-55 Frontage Road. 601-899-8588 Stone Pony Oyster Bar 116 Commercial Parkway, Canton, 601-859-0801 Super Chikan’s Place 235 Yazoo Ave., Clarksdale, 662-627-7008 Thalia Mara Hall 255 E. Pascagoula St., Jackson, 601-960-1535 Thirsty Hippo 211 Main St., Hattiesburg, 601-583-9188 (indie/ alt.rock/jam/world) Time Out Sports Bar 6270 Old Canton Rd., 601-978-1839 Top Notch Sports Bar 109 Culley Dr., Jackson, 601- 362-0706 Touch Night Club 105 E. Capitol St., Jackson, 601-969-1110 Two Rivers Restaurant 1537 W. Peace St., Canton, 601-859-9979 (blues) Two Sisters Kitchen 707 N. Congress St. 601-353-1180 Two Stick 1107 Jackson Ave., Oxford, 662-236-6639 Tye’s 120 N. Congress St., Jackson, 601949-3434 Under the Boardwalk 2560 Terry Rd., Jackson, 601-371-7332 (country/ classic rock) Underground 119 119 S. President St. 601352-2322 VB’s Premier Sports Bar 1060 County Line Rd., Ridgland, 601-572-3989 VFW Post 9832 4610 Sunray Drive, Jackson, 601-982-9925 Vicksburg Convention Center 1600 Mulberry Street, Vicksburg, 866-822-6338 Walker’s Drive-In 3016 N. State St., Jackson, 601-982-2633 (jazz/pop/folk) The Warehouse 9347 Hwy 18 West, Jackson, 601-502-8580 (pop/rock) Wired Expresso Cafe 115 N. State St. 601-500-7800

Ladies’ Night w/ Snazz 8:30 p.m. - Guys’ Cover $5

BUY 1, GET 1 WELLS Thursday, April 22nd

Weekly Lunch Specials Parking now on side of building

Bike Night w/ Krazy Karaoke 7:00 p.m. - No Cover

$2 MARGARITAS! Fri. & Sat., April 23rd & 24th

JamHaus 8:30 p.m. - $5 cover Exquisite Dining at

The Rio Grande Restaurant

Open for dinner Sat. 4-10pm thursday

APRIL 22

LADIES NIGHT with MR. NICK! LADIES DRINK FREE WELLS & PONIES 9PM-2AM

friday

400 Greymont Ave., Jackson 601-969-2141 www.regencyjackson.com

APRIL 23

Daniel Francis Doyle w/ Dead Gaze & Lamar 3 saturday

BASEBA LL SEASON IS FINALLY HERE! WATCH YOUR TEAM @ THE LODGE lunch specials $7.95 - includes tea & dessert

Smoke-free lunch

weekdays 11am-3pm

WED. LADIES NIGHT & KARAOKE

THURS. $1.50 BEER (BUD, BUD LIGHT, BUD SELECT & ULTRA)

$10 Buckets of Beer during Tournaments APRIL 30TH

APRIL 24

Black Bone Child w/

The Bad Reeds tuesday

APRIL 27

BRIAN JONES OF FULLMOON CIRCUS

FRI.

THE IRON FEATHERS

OPEN MIC with Cody Cox

9:30PM - 1:30AM

*DOLLAR BEER*

COLLEGE NIGHT

wednesday

NO COVER CHARGE

BRING STUDENT ID

SAT. MAJOR LEAGE

BASEBALL MON. S.I.N. NIGHT TUES.

APRIL 28

KICK ASS KARAOKE w/ KJ JOOSY

JACKPOT TRIVIA $2 DOMESTICS

ON SUNDAY, BLOODY MARYS $4 & MIMOSAS $3 THURSDAY 2-FOR-1 MONDAYS, $1.50 PINTS ON

FREE WiFi Open Mon-Sat, Kitchen open Mon-Fri 11 am-10 pm & Sat 4-10 pm

jacksonfreepress.com

61 South - Rainbow Casino 1380 Warrenton Rd., Vicksburg, 800-503-3777 88 Keys 3645 Hwy. 80 W in Metrocenter, Jackson, 601-352-7342 930 Blues Cafe 930 N. Congress St., Jackson, 601-948-3344 Alamo Theatre 333 N. Farish St, Jackson, 601-352-3365 Alley Cats 165 W. Peace St., Canton, 601-855-2225 Alumni House Sports Grill 574 Hwy. 50, Ridgeland, 601-855-2225 America Legion Post 1 3900 W. Northside Dr., Jackson, 601-605-9903 Ameristar Casino, Bottleneck Blues Bar 4146 Washington St., Vicksburg, 800-700-7770 Beau Rivage Casino 875 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, 800-566-7469 Belhaven College Center for the Arts 835 Riverside Dr, Jackson, 601-968-5930 Bennie’s Boom Boom Room 142 Front St., Hattiesburg, 601-408-6040 Borrello’s 1306 Washington St., Vicksburg, 601-638-0169 Buffalo Wild Wings 808 Lake Harbour Dr., Ridgeland, 601-856-0789 Capri-Pix Theatre 3021 N. State St., Jackson, 601-981-9606 Central City Complex 609 Woodrow Wilson Dr., Jackson, 601-352-9075 Cerami’s 5417 Highway 25, Flowood, 601-919-2829 Char Restaurant 4500 I-55, Highland Village, Jackson, 601-956-9562 Cherokee Inn 1410 Old Square Rd., Jackson, 601-362-6388 Club 43 Hwy 43, Canton, 601-654-3419, 601-859-0512 Club City Lights 200 N. Mill St., Jackson, 601-353-0059 Club O’Hara 364 Monticello St., Hazlehurst, 601-894-5674 Club Total 342 N. Gallatin St., Jackson, 601-714-5992 The Commons Gallery 719 N. Congress St., 601-352-3399 Couples Entertainment Center 4511 Byrd Drive, Jackson, 601-923-9977 Crawdad Hole 1150 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-982-9299 Crickett’s Lounge 4370 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-0500 Crossroads Bar & Lounge 3040 Livingston Rd., Jackson, 601-984-3755 (blues) Cultural Expressions 147 Millsaps Ave., Jackson, 601-665-0815 (neosoul/hip-hop) Cups in Fondren 2757 Old Canton Road, Jackson, 601-362-7422 (acoustic/pop) Cups in the Quarter 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-981-9088 Davidson’s Corner Market 108 W. Center St., Canton, 601-855-2268 (pop/rock) Debo’s 180 Raymond Road, Jackson, 601-346-8283 Diamond Jack’s Casino 3990 Washington Street, Vicksburg, 1-877-711-0677 Dick & Jane’s 206 Capitol St., Jackson, 601-944-0123 (dance/alternative) Dixie Diamond 1306 Washington Street, Vicksburg, 601-638-6297 Dollar Bills Dance Saloon 103 A Street, Meridian, 601-693-5300 Edison Walthall Hotel 225 E. Capitol St., Jackson, 601-948-6161 Electric Cowboy 6107 Ridgewood Rd., Jackson, 601-899-5333 (country/ rock/dance) Executive Place 2440 Bailey Ave., Jackson, 601-987-4014 F. Jones Corner 303 N. Farish St. 601983-1148 Fenian’s 901 E. Fortification Street, Jackson, 601-948-0055 (rock/Irish/folk) Fire 209 Commerce St., Jackson, 601592-1000 (rock/dance/dj) Final Destination 5428 Robinson Rd. Ext., Jackson, (pop/rock/blues) Fitzgerald’s Martini Bar 1001 E. County Line Road, Jackson, 601-957-2800 Flood’s Bar and Grill 2460 Bailey Ave., Jackson, 601-713-4094 Footloose Bar and Grill 4661 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-9944 Freelon’s Bar And Groove 440 N. Mill St., Jackson, 601-353-5357 (hip-hop)

33

by Eileen Eady

read more Body&Soul stories and the blog at jacksonfreepress.com

SEE-MING LEE

Finding Balance

April 22 - 28, 2010

V

34

ictoria McFarland stood at her kitchen counter as her husband, Billy, frantically put food into the cooler for their summer camping trip. She was feeling foggy and couldn’t remember simple everyday tasks. She felt helpless.

“I want to help you and make the sandwiches, but I need you to tell me how,” she said to him.

McFarland was in the throes of a depressive episode that lasted for nine months. Diagnosed six years earlier with bipolar II disorder, she had managed her illness well. Then, in April 2008, she had a severe allergic reaction to poison ivy, and her doctor gave her steroids to treat it. McFarland explained that typically bipolar patients aren’t treated with steroids because it can trigger a manic episode. After five days of not sleeping, she plummeted into a deep depression.

“No medicine could bring me out of it. There was no drug strong enough. I begged my husband and family to institutionalize me. I did not want to be a burden anymore,” she says.

Her doctor and husband convinced her to give a four-medicine cocktail a chance to work. Finally, the medication started working, and she emerged from the foggy depths of despair.

“Everything seemed so much brighter and prettier. The sun felt warmer, the colors were more vibrant,” she says.

Today she is in a good place. I would never have known that she struggles with a mental diagnosis. Friendly, outgoing and animated, she talks about her involvement with her children’s school and the National Alliance for Mental Illness.

Women are twice as likely to experience depression as men, according to the National Institute for Mental Health.

Twelve million women in the United States experience clinical depression each year. Women also attempt suicide twice as often as men.

Dr. Shambhavi Chandriah at the University of Mississippi Medical Center says that the chances for depression in women double at the start of their first period and subside when they reach menopause.

“We also recognize that when hormones are in flux … there is increased risk for depression. So we think that hormones are one of the biggest reasons we see a difference in women and in men,” Chandriah says.

Women are socialized differently than men. Often,

women are brought up to take responsibility and blame themselves when things go wrong, Chandriah says.

“Whereas boys are taught to externalize their feelings, women tend to internalize and become more depressed,” she says.

When someone feels depressed, Chandriah recommends looking at the possible causes. Certain events like a death in the family or divorce are outside causes of depression. However, if the symptoms persist for more than six months and are interfering with daily function, the person should seek medical help.

Unfortunately, seeking help can sometimes bring negative opinions from others. Chandriah says that some still believe that depressed people can bring themselves out of it: If they just change their thinking, they can overcome depression.

“It makes me angry, when people tell me to pray harder or to think more positively,” McFarland says. “Like it’s my fault that I have depression, or that I have done something wrong and brought this on myself.”

Organizations like NAMI work to change the mindset of society. Through programs like “In Our Own Voice” where individuals share their experiences with the public in free, moderated video presentations, NAMI is working to eradicate the stigma associated with mental illness, and also offer support group programs.

“It was so much help to find other people who understood what I was going through,” McFarland says. Finding a support group and people who understand what is going on is instrumental in her recovery. Together they can share experiences and even laugh about living with a mental diagnosis.

Someone who has a mental illness can still function and be productive in life, McFarland says. Being diagnosed with a mental illness is not a roadblock to life; it is a bridge to recovery.

“I want people to know that this is the face of depression,” McFarland says, indicating herself. “This mother, wife, Christian and community volunteer is what having a mental illness looks like. I want to help other people by sharing my experience. It’s about balance.”

On May 18, McFarland will present the NAMI program “In Our Own Voice,” at the G. Chastaine Flynt Library (103 Winners Circle, Flowood) at noon. For more information on this program and other programs NAMI offers, go to www.namims.org.

Natural Help for Depression

D

r. Andrew Weil, director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, recommends lifestyle changes as a treatment for mild to moderate depression. Dr. Weil cautions that a doctor needs to treat severe depression, but to take a natural approach for mild to moderate depression, he recommends the following supplements and vitamins: • B vitamins, especially folic acid and B6 • St. John’s Wort (do not take with other depression medications) • SAMe • Fish Oil: Omega3 • Anti-oxidant multi-vitamin and a wellbalanced diet.

For more information on natural healing and integrated medicine, go to www.drweil.com.

Symptoms of Depression • Persistent sad, anxious or “empty” feelings • Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism • Feelings of guilt, worthlessness and/or helplessness • Irritability and restlessness • Loss of interest in pleasurable activities and hobbies (including sex) • Fatigue and decreased energy • Difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions • Insomnia, early morning wakefulness or excessive sleeping • Overeating or appetite loss • Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts • Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps or digestive problems that do not ease with treatment.

Resources for Mental Health Help National Institute on Mental Health - 866-615-6464, www.nimh.nih.gov Mental Health America - 800- 969-6642, www.mentalhealthamerica.net National Alliance on Mental Illness - 800-950-NAMI, www.nami.org NAMI Mississippi - 601-899-9058, www.namims.org Mississippi Department of Mental Health - 877-210-8513, www.dmh.state.ms.us National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 800-273-TALK

SOURCE: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

New Orleans’ mantra musicians Sean Johnson and The Wild Lotus Band are a critically acclaimed kirtan trio appreciated equally for the spiritual depth and dynamic musicality of their sound. The soul of New Orleans meets the spirit of India.

“Their music will ignite the world ... a hybrid of east and West that will bring joy to your heart and get you body boogieing.” - Yoga Chicago

April 30, 7:30 pm at LemuriaBooks.com Building $15 Advance/$20 At Door Purchase tickets at www.butterflyyoga.net

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601-991-9904

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LAUGHTER IS A GIFT FROM GOD

Come be a part of a Community of Joy!

Services: 10:30 am and

6:00 pm 650 E South St. Jackson, MS 39201

(601)944-0415

jacksonfreepress.com

BEFORE:

35

dining

by Tom Ramsey Tom Ramsey is a lobbyist who teaches private cooking lessons. He is the host of the radio program “At the Cook’s Table,” which airs on WLEZ 100.1 FM, Mondays at noon (www.tomramsey.com).

‘Poor People’ Food

E

ating at a brasserie in New Orleans a few weeks ago got me thinking about what food writers like to call “rustic” cuisine. Food writers tend to shy away from calling this style of cooking what it truly is: poor people food.

They seem to think that you have to gloss over the origins of these great dishes and not call attention to the fact that most of these dishes grew out of poverty and necessity.

This reminds me of the way people whisper really terrible things like “cancer,” “homeless” or “affair.” It’s as if folks don’t want people suffering from disease, poverty or infidelity to be reminded of their tragic circumstances. Trust me, having been flat-busted broke before, I can tell you that broke people know they are broke and aren’t afraid to talk about it.

There was a time in film school when I was so broke that I picked, boiled and ate a decorative cabbage that was growing in front of Southern Hall. Truthfully, I ate more than one (Sorry about that Dr. Lucas and professor McDowell). They weren’t the tastiest morsels I ever put in my mouth, but they sustained me until my next paycheck or student-loan disbursement.

What brought me to such culinary adventure? Hunger.

I would imagine that the same thing could be said for the first guy who ate an oyster or the first lady who gathered up

WHITE BEANSWITH BACON (Serves 10) 1 pound bag navy beans 2 medium yellow onions 1 pound bag great northern 1 whole garlic pod beans 1 tablespoon oregano 1/2 pound bacon 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 stalks celery Salt 1 bunch green onions Pepper 4 carrots

a basket full of dandelion greens. As my grandfather used to say: “When all you know is how to be a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” So it follows that when faced with a rumbling belly, everything looks like food.

Some of the best-tasting foods are combinations of: (a) a small amount of cheap protein; (b) a starch to stretch the protein; (c) a liquid, such as stock or water; and (d) a few inexpensive aromatic vegetables and herbs. Put these few ingredients in a pot and cook ’em all day long (which you can do when you are unemployed), and what you have by dinner time is a hearty meal that will stick with you until you can scrounge up the next one.

To celebrate these food traditions, I present you with two dishes that can feed six to 10 people for under $1 per person. This cost equation takes into consideration that you should have a few things in your pantry and a few herbs growing in pots or in your garden. For taste and quality, I would put them up against most dishes costing many times more.

When it comes time to buy benefit tickets or volunteer your time to a local food pantry, give until it hurts, tighten up your belt and make up for it by eating like you are a starving film student with an eye on a decorative cabbage. You’ll feel great in your belly and in your soul.

Soak beans overnight in cold water. Chop bacon, celery, carrots and onions. Finely chop green onions. Slice 1/4 inch through the top of the garlic pod, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and wrap tightly in foil.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Place foil-wrapped garlic in the hot oven and roast for at least 20 minutes. Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. Put olive oil and bacon in hot pot and cook until bacon is cooked but not crisp. Add chopped yellow onions and cook until translucent. Add celery, carrots and oregano. Cook until celery begins to soften. Drain and add beans and enough water to cover all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Remove roasted garlic from oven and squeeze pods into simmering liquid. Stir frequently and add liquid as it reduces. Cook for at least two hours. Stir aggressively and taste broth. Add salt and pepper as required. About 10 minutes before serving, add chopped green onions and stir.

Serve with hot bread in a shallow bowl.

WEEK BEFORE PAYCHECK PASTA (Serves 8) 1 pound angel hair pasta (or whatever pasta is on sale for $1) 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon flour 1 bag frozen peas 1 pound boneless chicken meat (thighs are always on sale) 1 cup milk

Finely chop garlic. Slice the chicken into small cubes and season with salt and pepper. Thaw peas in cold water.

In a large stock pot, bring water, a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of olive oil to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. Do not rinse the pasta!

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add butter. When the butter sizzles, add garlic and seasoned chicken and cook until well browned on all sides. Add flour and stir until fully incorporated and all chicken is coated with the flour. Slowly add milk and stir until it forms a thick paste. Add nutmeg, cheese, peas and some of the pasta water until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Combine the pasta and the sauce in a stock pot or a large bowl and toss until all of the pasta is coated with the sauce. Taste the pasta and add salt and pepper as desired.

Serve immediately in a large shallow bowl.

April 22 - 28, 2010

COURTESY MISS. ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION

Wining and Dining

36

The Sante South Wine Festival, which benefits the Alzheimer’s Association, will be held downtown April 24.

Y

ou don’t have to travel cross-country to Napa Valley to enjoy a great wine tasting. In fact, local wine aficionados can enjoy a Napa-quality wine tasting right in their backyard at Jackson’s Sante

South Wine Festival.

In 2002, wine broker and enthusiast Lorne Rush wanted to create a unique tasting experience unlike any other. Rather than sampling a glass of wine poured by a representative of a brokerage firm, Rush brought in the vineyard owners themselves.

Sante South attendees are able to enjoy a variety of wines from around the world poured by the very person who lovingly made the wine and has poured their passion into every bottle.

“These are not necessarily $10-$14 bottles of wine,” says Ian McDonald, development director for the Alzheimer’s Association, Mississippi Chapter and 2010 Sante South Committee Member. “Many

1/2 cup shredded white cheese (parmesan, Romano, whatever is on sale) 1 clove garlic 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg Olive oil Water Salt Pepper

by Lisa LaFontaine Bynum of the vintners sample some of their premier labels valued at $140-$150 a bottle.”

The festival boasts 30 vintners from around the globe including Australia, South Africa, Italy and Germany, as well as American wines from Oregon, Napa Valley and Washington State.

Proceeds from the festival benefit the Mississippi chapter of the American Alzheimer’s Association. Last year, the event netted almost $52,000 for the non-profit organization.

“Not only is this a fantastic event that takes place right here in Jackson, but it also benefits a charitable cause,” McDonald says.

“It’s great that the community—even the local restaurants—are eager to get involved.”

Local restaurants offering their finest fair to festival attendees include Julep, Char, Shapley’s, Olga’s, Sophia’s, Mint, Tico’s and many others.

The event also includes an auction, including several packages for two-night getaways to some of California’s finest wineries, two round-trip Southwest airline tickets, a Viking Classic golf package for two, and a one night stay at The Alluvian Hotel in Greenwood and dinner for two at Giardina’s Restaurant.

The Sante South Wine Festival is Saturday, April 24, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Gardens at Jackson Place in downtown Jackson. Tickets are $85 and can be purchased online at www.santesouth.com.

DINEJackson

Bring this ad for a FREE order of Beignets!

Paid listyour yourrestaurant.r restaurant.r Paid advertising advertising section. section. Call Call 601-362-6121 601-362-6121 x11 x1 totolist

Sportsmanʼs Lodge

1120 E Northside Dr. (in Maywood Mart) 601-366-5441 Voted Best Sports Bar in 2010, Sportman’s doesn’t disappoint with plenty of gut-pleasing sandwiches, and fried seafood baskets. Try the award-winning wings in Buffalo, Thai or Jerk sauces!

KaRAOKE TUESDAY Family Karaoke at 8pm

Wasted Wednesday

Serving: H OT P ASTA D ISHE G RILLED F ISH P ANINI S ANDWICH

.50 Wells starting at 9pm

COFFEE HOUSES

Karaoke Thursday

Cups Espresso Café (Multiple Locations, www.cupsespressocafe.com) Jackson’s local group of coffeehouses offer high-end Arabica beans, a wide variety of espresso drinks, fresh brewed coffee and a selection of pastries and baked goods. Free wi-fi!

Wired Espresso Café (115 N State St 601-500-7800) This downtown coffeehouse across from the Old Capitol focuses on being a true gathering place, featuring great coffee and a selection of breakfast, lunch and pastry items. Free wi-fi.

Sunday Brunch

En

2 for 1 Margaritas at 9pm from the Belhaven bakery

10:30am-2pm

Mon. - Thurs., 11am - 8:30pm | Fri. & Sat. 11am - 9pm 904B E. Fortification St. - English Village

6340 Ridgewood Court, 601-977-9920

Call Us: 601-352-2002

BAKERY Broad Street (4465 Interstate 55 N. 601-362-2900) NEW MENU! Hot breakfast, coffee espresso drinks, fresh breads and pastries, gourmet deli sandwiches, quiches, soups, pizzas, pastas and dessert. A “see and be seen” Jackson institution!

Crazy Cat Bakers (Highland Village Suite #173 601-362-7448 & Fondren Corner Bldg) Amazing sandwiches: Meatloaf Panini, Mediterranean Vegetarian, Rotisserie Chicken to gourmet pimento cheese. Outlandish desserts. Now open in Fondren Corner on North State Street.

Campbellʼs Bakery (3013 N State Street 601-362-4628) Now serving lunch! Cookies, cakes and cupcakes are accompanied by good coffee and a fullcooked Southern breakfast on weekdays in this charming bakery in Fondren.

For Heavenʼs Cakes (4950 Old Canton Road 601-991-2253) Cakes and cupcakes for all occasions including weddings, parties, catered events. Owner Dani Mitchell Turk was features on the Food Network’s ultimate recipe showdown.

Daily Lunch BUFaFl vEegTgies,

Fresh loc breads meats, and more!

Hours: Monday-Friday, 11am-3pm 182 Raymond Rd. in Jackson, MS Telephone: 601-373-7707 E-mail: lumpkinsbbq@comcast.net

ITALIAN Basilʼs Belhaven (904 E. Fortification, Jackson, 601-352-2002) The signature Paninis are complimented by great Italian offerings such as spaghetti and meatball, tomato basil soup, cookies and cupcakes. Dinner menu includes fresh tilapia, shrimp and risotto, seafood pasta, generous salads—and don’t forget the crab cakes. Party menu includes a “panini pie.” BYOB.

BRAVO! (4500 Interstate 55 N., Jackson, 601-982-8111) Wood-fired pizzas, vegetarian fare, plus creative pastas, beef, and seafood specials. Wonderful atmosphere and service. Bravo! walks away with tons of Best of Jackson awards every year.

Ceramiʼs (5417 Lakeland Drive, Flowood, 601-919-28298) Southern-style Italian cuisine features their signature Shrimp Cerami (white wine sauce, capers artichokes) along with veal, tilapia, crawfish, chicken and pasta dishes. Now with liquor license!

Fratesiʼs (910 Lake Harbour, Ridgeland, 601-956-2929) “Authentic, homey, unpretentious” that’s how the regulars describe Fratesi’s, a staple in Jackson for years, offering great Italian favorites with loving care. The tiramisu is a must-have!

BARBEQUE Hickory Pit Barbeque (1491 Canton Mart Rd. 601-956-7079)

BAKERS Now with TWO locations to better serve you

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NEW! FONDREN CORNER | 11AM - 2PM HIGHLAND VILLAGE | 10AM - 6PM 601.362.7448 • CRAZYCATBAKERS.COM

The “Best Butts in Town” features BBQ chicken, beef and pork sandwiches along with burgers and po’boys. Wet or dry pork ribs, chopped pork or beef, and all the sides.

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“Now Dats Italian”

A metro-area tradition since 1977 Dinner Hours: Lunch Hours: Tues-Fri 11am-2pm

Tues-Thurs 5pm-9pm Fri & Sat 5pm-10pm

601-919-2829 5417 Lakeland Drive ~ Flowood, MS 39232

Lumpkins BBQ (182 Raymond Rd. Jackson 866-906-0942)

Alumni House (574 Hwy 51 Ridgeland 601-605-9903, 110 Bass Pro, Pearl, 601-896-0253) Good bar food, big portions and burgers (with “blackened” as an option) known for their sweet buns. Televisions throughout, even small tubes at your table. Po-boys, quesadillas; good stuff!

Fenianʼs Pub (901 E. Fortification St. 601-948-0055) Classic Irish pub featuring a menu of traditional food, pub sandwiches and beers including Guinness and Harp on tap. Free live music most nights; Irish/Celtic bands on Thursdays.

DINE LOCAL, see pg. 38

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Becca Varner with Katie Heckel Friday, April 23rd at 7pm

jacksonfreepress.com

BARS, PUBS & BURGERS

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Rib Shack B.B.Q. & Seafood (932 J.R. Lynch Street, Jackson, 601-665-4952) Hickory-smoked BBQ beef or pork ribs, BBQ chicken, giant chopped BBQ beef or pork sandwiches. Fried catfish, pan trout, fried shrimp, po boys. Tues-Thurs (11-8pm) Fri-Sat (11-10pm).

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Specializing in smoked barbeque, Lumpkin’s offers all your favorites for on-site family dining or for catered events, including reunions, office events, annivesaries, weddings and more.

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DINEJackson Telephone:

601-665-4952 For the sizzling taste of real hickory smoke barbeque -

LUNCH: MON.-FRI., 10AM-2PM See Us Come kfast! a e r B r o F

THIS IS THE PLACE! B.B.Q., Blues, Beer, Beef & Pork Ribs Saturday & Friday Night Blues Band Coming Soon!

7AM -10AM

Lunch & Dinner Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 11a.m. to 8p.m.

Friday & Saturday 11a.m. to 10p.m.

168 W. Griffith St. • Sterling Towers Across from MC School of Law

601-352-2364 • Fax: 601-352-2365 Hours: Monday - Friday 7am - 4pm

932 Lynch Street in Jackson (Across from the JSU Baseball Field)

Italian Done Right.

Remember you can buy our lasagna by the pan!

910 Lake Harbour Dr. Ridgeland | 601-956-2929 Monday - Saturday | 5 - until

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Cool Alʼs (4654 McWillie, 601-713-3020) A standard in Best of Jackson, Al’s stacked, messy, decadent, creative burgers defy adjectives.

Or try pineapple chicken, smoked sausage...or the nationally recognized veggie burger.

Fitzgeralds at the Hilton (1001 East County Line Road, 601-957-2800) Bar favorites with a Gulf Coast twist like Gumbo Ya Ya, Shrimp Cocktail and Pelahatchie artisan sausage and cheese antipasto. Plus grilled oysters, tournedos of beef, chicken pontabla and of course the fried stuff—oysters, catfish, shrimp, seafood or chicken. Did we mention the bar?

Hal and Malʼs (200 S. Commerce St. 601-948-0888) Pub favorites meet Gulf Coast and Cajun specialties like red beans and rice, the Oyster Platter or each day’s blackboard special. Repeat winner of Best of Jackson’s “Best Place for Live Music.”

Last Call (3716 I-55 N. Frontage Road 601-713-2700) Burgers, sandwiches and po-boys, plus sports-bar appetizers and specialities. Try chili cheese fries, chicken nachos or the shrimp & pork eggrolls. Pay-per-view sporting events, live bands.

Martinʼs Restaurant and Lounge (214 South State Street 601-354-9712) Lunch specials, pub appetizers (jalapeno poppers, cheezsticks, fried pickles) or order from the full menu of po-boys and entrees. Full bar, massive beer selection and live music most nights.

Shuckerʼs Oyster Bar (116 Conestoga Road, Ridgeland 601-853-0105) Serious about oysters? Try ‘em on the half shell, deep-fried, charred from the oven or baked in champagne. Plus po-boys, pub favorites, burgers, mufalettas, pizza, seafood and steaks!

The Regency (400 Greymont Ave. 601-969-2141) Reasonably priced buffet Monday through Friday featuring all your favorites. Daily happy hour, live bands and regular specials.

Time Out Sports Café (6720 Old Canton Road 601-978-1839) 14 TVs, 1 projector and two big-screens. Daily $9 lunch specials, pub-style appetizers, burgers, seafood and catfish po-boys, salads, and hot entrees including fish, steak and pasta.

Ole Tavern on George Street (416 George St. 601-960-2700) Pub food with a southern flair: beer-battered onion rings, chicken & sausage gumbo, salads, sandwiches and weekly lunch specials. Plus, happy hour 4-7pm Monday through Friday.

Pelican Cove Grill (3999A Harbor Walk Drive 601-605-1865) Great rez view! Shrimp and seafood appetizers, soups, salads, burgers and sandwiches, plus po-boys, catfish baskets, and dinners from the grill including mahi-mahi and reggae ribs.

Underground 119 (119 South President St. 601-352-2322) Jumbo lump crabcakes, crab quesadillas, beef tenderloin parfaits, orange-garlic shrimp, even “lollipop” lamb chops. Add a full bar and mix in great music. Opens 4 p.m.-until, Wed-Sat.

ASIAN

2003-2010, Best of Jackson Cozy Bar Inside, Covered Patio Outside

TAKE- OU T AVAIL ABLE

707 N. Congress Street Downtown Jackson • (601) 353-1180 Open 11am-2pm, Sunday thru Friday

971 Madison Ave. in Madison 601.605.2266 | Open 7 Days a Week www.kristosofmadison.com

Come see Why We Were Voted One Of Jackson’s Best Mediterranean Restaurants

April 22 - 28, 2010

Mediterranean & Lebanese Cuisine

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Lunch starting at just $6 .99 Hours of Operation: Everyday 11am-until

Tokyo Express (5050 I-55N 601-957-1558 and 900 E County Line 601-899-8838) Lunch or dinner hibachi orders (chicken, shrimp, steak, scallops) and cooked sushi rolls (snow crab, philly, crawfish, dynamite, titanic) along with fried rice and appetizer.

Ding How Asian Bistro (601-956-1717, 6955 Old Canton Rd, Suite C, Ridgeland) Dishes from Thai; Chinese; Japanese and Korean. All the dishes are prepared with healthy ingredients, offering low oil, low salt, no MSG cooking. Hong Kong-style dim sum on weekends.

STIX (109 Marketplace Lane off Lakeland Dr Flowood 601-420-4058) Enjoy the quick-handed, knife-wielding chefs at the flaming teppanyaki grill; artful presentations of sushi; the pungent seasonings and spicy flavors of regional Chinese cuisines.

Nagoya (6351 I-55 North #131 @ Target Shopping Ctr. 601-977-8881) Nagoya gets high marks for its delicious-and-affordable sushi offerings, tasty lunch specials and high-flying hibachi room with satisfying flavors for the whole family.

Ichiban (153 Ridge Drive, Ste 105F 601-919-0097 & 359 Ridgeway 601-919-8879) Voted “Best Chinese” in 2010, cuisine styles at Ichiban actually range from Chinese to Japanese, including hibachi, sushi made fresh with seafood, and a crowd-pleasing buffet.

SOUTHERN CUISINE Julep (1305 East Northside Drive, Highland Village, 601-362-1411) Tons of Best of Jackson awards, delicious Southern fusion dishes like award-winning fried chicken, shrimp and grits, blackened tuna and butter bean hummus. Brunch, lunch, dinner and late night.

Primos Cafe (515 Lake Harbour 601-898-3400 and 2323 Lakeland 601-936-3398) A Jackson institution featuring a full breakfast (with grits and biscuits), blue plate specials, catfish, burgers, prime rib, oysters, po-boys and wraps. Save room for something from the bakery.

Sunioraʼs Sidewalk Cafe (200 South Lamar Street 601-355-1955) Homecooking, soul food, buffet and pizza for lunch in downtown Jackson. Soup and salad bar every day, plus daily lunch specials. “Mama’s in the kitchen!” Mon-Fri, 11am-2pm.

Sugarʼs Place (168 W Griffith St 601-352-2364) Hot breakfast and weekday lunch: catfish, pantrout, fried chicken wings, blue plates, red beans & rice, pork chops, chicken & dumplings, burgers, po-boys...does your grandma cook like this?

DINEJackson

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The Strawberry Café (107 Depot Drive, Madison, 601-856-3822) Full table service, lunch and dinner. Crab and crawfish appetizers, salads, fresh seafood, pastas, “surf and turf” and more. Veggie options. Desserts: cheesecake, Madison Mud and strawberry shortcake.

Two Sisters Kitchen (707 N. Congress St. 601-353-1180) 2010 Best of Jackson winner for fried chicken offers a sumptious buffet of your choice of veggies, a salad bar, iced tea & one of three homemade desserts. Lunch only. M-F 11-2, Sun. 10:30-2.

STEAK, SEAFOOD & FINE DINING Huntington Grille at the Hilton (1001 East County Line Road 601--957-1515) Chef Luis Bruno offers fresh Gulf seafood, unique game dishes and succulent steaks alongside an expansive wine selection; multiple honors from Best of Jackson, Wine Specator and others.

Schimmelʼs (2615 N. State St. 601-981-7077) Creative southern fusion dishes at attractive prices make the appointed dining room that much more enticing. Daily lunch specials, red beans and rice, angus burgers. Dinner menu includes pork tenderloin, basil-pesto pasta with chicken, cajun shrimp, steaks, seafood and more.

Steam Room Grille (5402 I-55 North 601--899-8588) Known for seafood featuring steamed lobster, crab, shrimp and combo patters. Grilled specialities include shrimp, steaks, and kabobs. Fresh fish fried seafood, lunch menu, catering, live music.

MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EASTERN Aladdin Mediterranean Grill (730 Lakeland Drive 601-366-6033) Delicious authentic dishes including lamb dishes, hummus, falafel, kababs, shwarma and much more. Consistent award winner, great for takeout or for long evenings with friends.

Jerusalem Café (2741 Old Canton Road 601-321-8797) Yes, it’s a hookah bar in Jackson, which also happens to have a great Meditterean menu, including falafel, lamb shank, feta salad, kabob, spinach pie, grape leaves and baba ghanouj.

Kristos (971 Madison Ave @ Hwy 51, Madison, 601-605-2266) Home of the famous Greek meatball! Hummus, falafel, dolmas, pita sandwiches, salads, plus seasoned curly fries (or sweet potato fries) and amazing desserts.

Petra Cafe (104 West Leake Street, Clinton 601-925-0016) Mediterranean and Lebanese cuisine in the charm of Olde Towne Clinton. Stuffed grape leaves, spinach pie, shrimp kabobs, greek salads, hummus and more. Lunch and dinner served seven days a week.

PIZZA Mellow Mushroom (275 Dogwood Blvd, Flowood, 601-992-7499) Pizzas of all kinds, munchies, calzones, grilled hoagies, salads and more make up the extensive and “eclectic” menu at Mellow Mushroom. Award-winning beer selection. Dine in or carry out.

The Pizza Shack (1220 N State St. 601-352-2001) 2009 and 2010’s winner of Best Pizza offers the perfect pizza-and-a-beer joint. Creative pizza options abound (“Cajun Joe, anyone?”), along with sandwiches, wings, salads and even BBQ. Sal & Mookieʼs (565 Taylor St. 601-368-1919) Pizzas of all kinds plus pasta, eggplant parmesan and the local favorite: fried ravioli. Voted Best Chef, Best Dessert, Best Kid’s Menu and Best Ice Cream in the 2010 Best of Jackson reader poll.

MOVING BACK TO THE PATIO COME OUT & LISTEN TO THE SOOTHING SOUNDS OF

DJ MISSISSIPPI SINATRA APRIL 14

$3 MARGARITAS 5402 I-55 Frontage Road Jackson MS st eamro o mgrille.co m

Join us for lunch starting at $7.99 Great selection of meats and vegetables.

Includes beverage.

Time and 1/2 Thursdays Ladies drink 3 for 1, 9pm-12am

HAPPY HOUR Mon. - Sat. | 2-7pm

1428 Old Square Road in Jackson 601.713.2700 lastcallsportsgrill.com

CARRIBBEAN Taste of the Island (436 E. Capitol, Downtown, 601-360-5900) Jerk chicken or ribs, curry chicken or shrimp, oxtails, snapper or goat, plus bok choy, steamed cabbage and Jamaican Greens, Carry out, counter seating or delivery available. 11a-7p.

VEGETARIAN

TWO FREE DRAFT BEER MUGS When you buy any menu item over $8 after 8pm every Fri. and Sat.

Daily Lunch Specials - $9

High Noon Café (2807 Old Canton Road in Rainbow Plaza 601-366-1513) Fresh, gourmet, tasty and healthy defines the lunch options at Jackson’s own strict vegetarian (and very-vegan-friendly) restaurant. Daily lunch specials -- like mexican day and the seaside cakes on Fridays -- push the envelope on creative and healthy; wonderful desserts!

Happy Hour Hour Everyday Everyday 4-7 4-7 Happy LIVE MUSIC Every Tues. thru Sat. LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR Sun. thru Thurs. 10pm - 12am Two-for-One, YOU CALL IT!

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!

Best Butts In Town! since 1980

601-956-7079

1491 Canton Mart Rd. • Jackson

601.978.1839 6270 Old Canton Rd. Jackson, MS 39211

jacksonfreepress.com

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“BADGE SPECIAL” Military, Fire, Police, & Emergency Personnel 2-for-1 drinks all day, everyday!

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sports

by John Yargo

2011 NFL Draft Preview

Dinner Entrees Served All Day! Guinness Stout Cheese- $3.99

Spread with crostinis

The Reuben- $8.99 Classic, Awesome!

Marianara Chicken Sandwich- $8.99 Messy but good!

WEDNESDAY 4/21

Brian Jones (Acoustic Rock)

THURSDAY 4/22

Legacy (Irish Dance) FRIDAY 4/23

Mike and Marty (Classic Rock Party) SATURDAY 4/24

Brian McNeill Concert (Irish)

Brunch 11am-3pm SUNDAY 4/25

Comedy Show 7pm-until

Open 11am - Midnight MONDAY 4/26

Karaoke w/ Matt

April 22 - 28 , 2010

TUESDAY 4/27

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Open Mic with a Guy named George

COURTESY OLE MISS

NOW OPEN ON SUNDAYS!

Y

ou only need to look back to the 2005 NFL Draft to see how disastrous it can be.

“Bad-apple” players like Adam “Pacman” Jones, Matt Jones and Chris Henry disrupted franchises and marred the league’s image. Tragically, two players, Darrent Williams and Henry, died violent premature deaths. Two others, Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead’s poor work ethic Maurice Clarett and Jones, means he won’t be a top draft pick despite his talent. have served prison sentences.

Due in part to the behavior of Henry and Cluster or Dixon, is the most promising player Jones, Commissioner Roger Goodell instated from Mississippi this year. new player personal conduct policies, shiftAlso from Ole Miss, safety Kendrick ing the dynamic between the player’s union Lewis led the team in tackles and notched six and the league’s owners. Increasing acrimony interceptions, over his last two years. While the between owners and players is one of the rea- offense performed abysmally, Lewis played at sons they couldn’t complete a new collective an All-SEC level. Some scouts have him listed bargaining agreement by the end of March, as the fourth best safety, behind USC’s Taylor and the 2011 season will likely see a lockout. Mays, Texas’s Earl Thomas, and Tennessee’s Blame it on the 2005 NFL draft class.

Eric Berry. Lewis, who adds value as a kick When the draft goes well, as it did for blocker, could go as high as the fourth round. the New Orleans Saints in 2006 or the New Another Rebel senior from the secondYork Giants in 2007, it can change a team’s ary, cornerback Marshay Green projects as a fortunes and secure a Lombardi Trophy. And fifth-round pick. A team captain, Green rethe 2010 Draft has special importance with turned punts and kickoffs, ranking in the top the uncertain future of the NFL hanging in 10 all-time in Ole Miss’s history. He has the the balance. skill set and intangibles that organizations like Several high-profile Mississippi athletes the New England Patriots and Indianapolis boost this year’s draft. These players likely will Colts have valued for a long time. be selected this weekend. Ole Miss has proGreg Hardy, a defensive end, looked like duced Dexter McCluster, Jevan Snead, John a first-round choice and future NFL star early Jerry, Shay Hodge, Kendrick Lewis and Mar- in his college career, but injuries have hobbled shay Green, while Mississippi State can soon him. He still has the kind of speed and size claim Anthony Dixon and Brandon McRae as that NFL scouts drool over, so you can expect alums on NFL rosters. him to be a second or third round choice for a Running back Dexter McCluster could team willing to roll the dice. become the next Darren Sproles or Garrett Offensive guard John Jerry—brother of Wolfe. At 5 foot 7 inches, Sproles has man- Atlanta Falcons’ first round pick, former Ole aged to be a versatile and productive running Miss defensive tackle Peria Jerry—has started back with the San Diego Charges. Wolfe, who 48 games in the SEC and blocked for three has the same measurables as Sproles and was 1,000-yard rushers. But he has ballooned to drafted in the fourth round, has been a non- over 350 pounds in the past, and his ability to factor. McCluster played and performed well move laterally in pass protection is limited. He in the SEC, a very athletic conference, but could start as a rookie fourth-round pick, but his 40 time was pedestrian. His production he probably won’t become a Pro Bowler. at the next level is going to depend on the Quarterback Jevan Snead has all the NFL system. If he’s coached by someone like markings of a bust, despite his strong arm, Charlie Weis in Kansas City or Gary Kubiak good technique and athleticism. At the start in Houston, he could become a Pro Bowler. of the 2009 college season, a few commentaWhen analysts say you can get produc- tors projected that he would be the first overall tive rookie running backs in later rounds, pick in this year’s draft. But Snead, who transMississippi State’s Anthony Dixon is who ferred from Texas after losing the quarterback they have in mind. Dixon, who has the feature battle to Colt McCoy, has a poor work ethic back’s combination of speed, ball security and and doesn’t understand defensive schemes. He strength, carried the ball nearly 1,000 times projects as a seventh-round pick, but perhaps while in Starkville, so mileage is a concern. He Al Davis will take him in the first. should have two or three solid years as an NFL Wide receiver Brandon McRae, who starter before he starts to slow down. has prototypical size at 6 foot 4 inches, 205 Ole Miss wide receiver Shay Hodge is pounds, led the Bulldogs in receiving. McRae built in the same mold as Mike Wallace, who will be drafted in the seventh round or will be had a sensational first year with the Pittsburgh signed as a rookie free agent. Though he only Steelers last year. Hodge is bigger and probably started 10 games, he does show an explosive a little slower, but he could be just as produc- burst running away from defenders, and he tive in the NFL. Hodge, more so than Mc- could blossom in a pro-style offense.

Doctor S sez: They say that people who are intoxicated shouldn’t watch 3-D TV. So much for watching sports.

THURSDAY, APRIL 22 Southern League baseball, Mobile at Mississippi (7:05 p.m., Pearl, 103.9 FM): The BayBears and MBraves continue their series at the T-P. … NFL football, NFL Draft (6:30 p.m., ESPN): The NFL draft shifts into prime time. People really will watch anything the NFL does.

Where are Anthony Dixon, Dexter McCluster and Jevan Snead going?

FRIDAY, APRIL 23 College baseball, William Carey at Belhaven (6 p.m., Smith-Wills Stadium, Jackson): The Blazers continue their march toward the GCAC title.

SATURDAY, APRIL 24 College baseball, LSU at Ole Miss (3 p.m., Oxford, FSN South, 103.9 FM, 97.3 FM): The Rebels battle the defending national champions in a key SEC West series. This could be nasty.

SUNDAY, APRIL 25 College baseball, LSU at Ole Miss (1:30 p.m., Oxford, CSS, 103.9 FM, 97.3 FM): The Rebels and Tigers wrap up their weekend hatefest. Is everybody OK? …

Southern at Jackson State (3 p.m., Jackson): The Tigers and Jaguars conclude their SWAC catfight.

MONDAY, APRIL 26 Major League baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets (6 p.m., ESPN): ESPN’s hype meter might explode when East Coast meets West Coast.

TUESDAY, APRIL 27 Southern League baseball, Mississippi at Montgomery (10:35 a.m., Montgomery, Ala., 103.9 FM): The time of this game bodes well for the M-Braves because morning is the best time of day to chew up a Biscuit.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28 Major League baseball, Atlanta at St. Louis (7:15 p.m., CSS, 620 AM): The Braves face the Cardinals in the shadow of the arch.

The Slate is compiled by Doctor S, a former first-round pick in the pro squamish league draft. For more serious sports, go to JFP Sports at www. jacksonfreepress.com.

BY MATT JONES

AURUS (April 20-May 20) Yes, I know that the bull is your totem animal. But I’m hoping you’re willing to expand your repertoire, because it’s a ripe time for you to take on some of the attitudes of the king of beasts. Consider this. The naturalist and shaman Virginia Carper notes that lions have strong personalities but cooperate well. They’re powerful as individuals but engage in constructive group dynamics. In many cultures, they have been symbols of nobility, dignity and spiritual prowess. To adopt the lion as a protective guardian spirit builds one’s ability to know and hunt down exactly what one wants. Would you like more courage? Visualize your lion self.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

In 2011, I may do a tour of North America, performing my show “Sacred Uproar.” But for the foreseeable future I need to shut up and listen. I’ve got to make myself available to learn fresh truths I don’t even realize I need to know. So, yeah, next year I might be ready to express the extroverted side of my personality in a celebration of self-expression. But for now I have a sacred duty to forget everything I supposedly believe in and gratefully shuck my self-importance. By the way, Gemini, everything I just described would be a good approach for you to consider taking in the next three weeks.

I have a group of colleagues who half-jokingly, halfsincerely refer to themselves as the Shamanic Hackers of Karmic Justice. The joking part of it is that the title is so over-the-top ostentatious that it keeps them from taking themselves too seriously. The sincere part is that they really do engage in shamanic work designed to help free their clients from complications generated by old mistakes. Since you’re entering the season of adjustment and atonement, I asked them to do some corrective intervention in your behalf. They agreed, with one provision: that you aid and abet their work by doing what you can to liberate yourself from the consequences of wrong turns you made in the past.

Is it true what they say—that you can never have too many friends? If you don’t think so, it’s a good time to re-evaluate your position. And if you do agree, then you should go out and get busy. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you’re likely to be extra lucky in attracting new connections and deepening existing alliances in the coming weeks. The friendships you strike up are likely to be unusually stimulating and especially productive. To take maximum advantage of the favorable cosmic rhythms, do whatever you can to spruce up your inner beauty.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) I have compiled a set of four affirmations that I think will keep you on the right track in the coming weeks.

Try saying them at least twice a day. (1) “I am cultivating relaxed alertness, because that will make me receptive to high-quality clues about how to proceed.” (2) “I am expressing casual perfectionism, because that way I will thoroughly enjoy being excellent and not stress about it.” (3) “I am full of diligent indifference, working hard out of love for the work and not being attached to the outcome.” (4) “I am practicing serene debauchery, because if I’m not maniacally obsessed with looking for opportunities to cut loose, those opportunities will present themselves to me with grace and frequency.”

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) The Great Wall of China is the largest human construction in the world, stretching for almost 3,900 miles.

But contrary to legend, it is not visible from the moon.

According to most astronauts, the Wall isn’t even visible from low Earth orbit. Keep this in mind as you carry out your assignment in the coming week, Virgo. First, imagine that your biggest obstacle is the size of the Great Wall of China. Second, imagine yourself soaring so high above it, so thoroughly beyond it that it disappears. If performed regularly, I think this exercise will give you a new power to deal with your own personal Great Wall of China.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) In the early 1990s, actors Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder were engaged to be married. In honor of their love, Depp got a tattoo that read “Winona Forever.” After the relationship fell apart, though, he had it altered to “Wino Forever.” If you’re faced with a comparable need to change a tattoo or shift your emphasis or transform a message anytime soon, Libra, I suggest putting a more positive and upbeat spin on it—something akin to “Winner Forever.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) In the Bering Strait, Russia and America are 2.5 miles apart. The International Date Line runs through the gap, meaning that it’s always a day later on the Russian side than it is on the American. I suggest you identify a metaphorically similar place in your own life, Scorpio: a zone where two wildly different influences almost touch.

According to my reading of the omens, it’s an excellent time for you to foster more interaction and harmony between them.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) The Weekly World News reported that a blues singer sued his psychiatrist for turning him into a more cheerful person. Gloomy Gus Johnson claimed he was so thoroughly cured of his depression that he could no longer perform his dismal tales with mournful sincerity.

His popularity declined as he lost fans who had become attached to his despondent persona. I suspect you may soon be arriving at a similar crossroads, Capricorn.

Through the intervention of uplifting influences and outbreaks of benevolence, you will find it harder to cultivate a cynical attitude. Are you prepared to accept the consequences that may come from being deprived of some of your reasons to moan and groan?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Educational specialist Dr. Howard Gardner believes I.Q. tests evaluate only a fraction of human intelligence.

He describes eight different kinds of astuteness. They include the traditional measures—being good at math and language—as well as six others: being smart about music, the body, other people, one’s own inner state, nature and spatiality. (More here: bit.ly/Shrewd.)

I bring this to your attention, Aquarius, because you’re entering a phase when you could dramatically enhance your intelligence about your own inner state. Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to know yourself much, much better.

“The Future Is Now”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) South Carolina now requires subversive people to register with the state if they have the stated intention of overthrowing the government of the United States.

I have no such goal, so I remain free to operate unlicensed in South Carolina. I am, however, participating in a movement to overthrow reality—or rather, the sour and crippled mass hallucination that is mistakenly called “reality.” This crusade requires no guns or political agitation, but is instead waged by the forces of the liberated imagination using words, music, and images to counteract those who paralyze and deaden the imagination. I invite you to join us. You’re entering a phase when you may feel an almost ecstatic longing to free yourself from the delusions that constitute the fake “reality.”

BY MATT JONES

Last Week’s Answers

ARIES (March 21-April 19) “Although obstacles and difficulties frighten ordinary people,” French painter Théodore Géricault wrote, “they are the necessary food of genius. They cause it to mature, and raise it up … All that obstructs the path of genius inspires a state of feverish agitation, upsetting and overturning those obstacles and producing masterpieces.” I’d like to make this idea one of your guiding principles, Aries.

In order for it to serve you well, however, you’ll have to believe that there is a sense in which you do have some genius within you. It’s not necessarily something that will make you rich, famous, popular or powerful. For example, you may have a genius at washing dogs or giving thoughtful gifts or doing yoga when you’re sad. Whatever your unique brilliance consists of, the challenges just ahead will be highly useful in helping it grow.

Listen to a welcoming message from the Beauty and Truth Lab: http://bit.ly/TruthLab. Then tell us what you want more than anything else: Truthrooster@gmail.com.

“Kaidoku” Each of the 26 letters of the alphabet is represented in this grid by a number between 1 and 26. Using letter frequency, word-pattern recognition, and the numbers as your guides, fill in the grid with well-known English words. Only lowercase, unhyphenated words are allowed in kaidoku, so you wonít see anything like STOCKHOLM or LONG-LOST in here (but you might see AFGHAN, since it has an uncapitalized meaning, too). Now stop wasting my precious time and SOLVE!!

jacksonfreepress.com

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

6 Aptly-titled 2009 Michael Jackson documentary 7 Run-down abode 8 Pertaining to pee 9 Place for a manicure and seaweed wrap 10 Lamb’s mom 11 Written agreement 12 Brunch dish 16 Sore from walking 21 Ex-UN Secretary-General U ___ 22 They’re shorter than LPs 25 Eeyore’s pal 26 Biblical prophet 28 Clumsy oaf 31 Fish and chips fish 33 Limp 34 Winston Churchill’s niece (and no, she never went door-to-door) 35 On fire 36 Curtis of “A Fish Called Wanda” 37 Spy planes of the ‘60s 38 Euro follower?

42 Three in Torino 43 Naval officer —and they got it wrong.

44 In a wholly absorbed way 46 Blue litmus indicator 41 Electronic device Across 47 “Spider Kiss” author Ellison 45 Villain’s evil laugh 1 What writer Malcolm Peltu pre48 Energizing, with “up” 49 Online world where people live dicted could “cross a busy highway 50 Mah-jongg pieces and pay taxes in 2010, according to without being hit” by 2010 54 Old party Tom Clancy’s “Net Force” series 6 Heavy falling sound 56 Crossword editor Will Shortz’s 51 On the ___ (fleeing) 10 Green living prefix 13 Verdugo of “Marcus Welby, M.D.” 52 Silent ___ (presidential nickname) paper, for short 58 Chris Cuomo’s former show, for 53 Visually finds 14 Bar mitzvah dance short 54 Sitcom with a famous Turkey 15 Fetal position?

Drop episode 17 Guilty pleasures ©2010 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ 55 Director Reitman 18 Phil of poker jonesincrosswords.com) For answers 57 “___ be easy” 19 Daredevil Knievel 58 Ex-UN Secretary-General Boutros to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 20 Acronym used a lot by Rachael 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+.

Boutros-___ Ray Or to bill to your credit card, call: 59 Drowsy 21 Malaria-carrying fly 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle 60 Fox comedy with Jane Lynch 23 Peyton Manning’s brother #0457.

61 Sedan named for an Italian city 24 2016 Olympics site 25 With “The,” country that’s already 62 Badminton divider Last Week’s Answers 63 The “Big Board,” on Wall Street a U.S. state by 2010, in the 1968 64 Its cause is what rocket scientist novel “Stand on Zanzibar” Robert Truax predicted would be 27 Panama currency named for an found and corrected by 2010 explorer 29 Impressionist painter Mary Down 30 Classical architecture style 1 Studio feedback 32 Chips to play 2 Singer Newton-John 33 Manned space mission that gets carried out in the 1984 movie “2010” 3 “Just chill, OK?” 4 “___’Clock Jump” (Count Basie 39 Actress Turner 40 “I won’t ___ guy who doesn’t own song) 5 Prof’s helpers a toolbox” (Kristy Swanson quote)

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- SCHIMMEL’S MENU This is just a sample of our specials and specialties; stop in to enjoy our full menu.

LUNCH MENU DAILY

DINNER MENU

Daily Specials $8.95 Tuesday Beef Stroganoff and Egg Noodles/One Side Wednesday Pork Chops w/ Red Skin Mashed Potatoes/One Side Thursday Baked Chicken w/Mushroom Rice/One Side Friday Grilled and Fried Catfish w/Two Sides

Seafood, Steak & House Specialties Stuffed Pork Tenderloin w/Garlic Cheese Grits 21.95 Chicken Pasta w/Basil Pesto 18.95 Cajun Shrimp and Pepperjack Grits 22.95

HAPPY HOUR

Made In-house Daily $7.95

EVERYDAY SPECIALS Red Beans & Rice w/ Smoked Sausage 8.95 Angus Burger w/Sweet Potato Fries $8.95 Fried Oyster Po Boy $8.95

DESSERTS

April 22 - 28, 2010

Tuesday-Friday 4:30pm-6:30pm All Drinks Half Price

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top rated restaurants

2615 N. State StREET 601-981-7077 www.schimmelsonline.com

Follow Schimmel’s on Twitter, Myspace and Facebook for music updates!

for the love of

CHEESE Timeless Cheese Straws and NEW Cheese Bursts!

Fresh from our Bake Shop ovens. Pick up some today.

Organizing Your Closets?

Bring any gently worn, high quality items to Bargain Boutique and let us find them a new home.

COLONIAL MART SHOPPING CENTER

5070 Parkway Dr. • 601.991.0500 Mon - Fri 9:30am - 6pm • Sat 9:30am - 5pm Donations accepted Mon - Fri 10am - 4:30pm and Sat 10am - 4pm *All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

jacksonfreepress.com

Bargain Boutique accepts donations of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, household goods, furnishings, small appliances and décor from individuals and local retailers.

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- 24 Hour Access - Cardio, Strength & Personal Training

BURGERS & BLUES NOW OPEN!

DUI & CRIMINAL DEFENSE Protect Your Rights!

FEATURING AL STAMPS’ FAMOUS BURGERS

601-944-1980

Flat Screen TVs Satellite Sports Channels

Live Music On The Weekend

Join Now For Only $20 A Month!

Limited Time Only!

5300 N State St., Ste B Jackson MS 39206

Located in Centre Park - 1060 E County Line Rd. in Ridgeland | 601-899-0038 Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-Midnight

CALL 888-427-5245 TODAY! WWW.NTENSEFITNESS247.COM

Need Local Media Student Have an idea for a Pilot TV Show, Travel Channel Music Oriented. Need a video and edit person to follow, video, and edit. tabman789@yahoo.com

xtra $$ for the Summer Get paid to party & educate too! Start now for only $100. Earn 25% commission. Call/request more info online @ www.infiniteexpectations.com 866-245-1834

File Chapter 7 Bankruptcy for $999! ($299 Federal Filing Fee Included!)

Interest Free Payment Plans Available

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A  C A L Jackson • (601) 316-7147 FREE BACKGROUND INFORMATION AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Wanted: information collectors Can you write down at least ten license plate tag numbers while you shop or dine at a retail store or restaurant? Would you collect more if you could get paid for it? Fast and growing company looking for information collectors to gather and enter license plates into their online web portal. This information is used for market research, the code amber alert, missing persons, law enforcement, government agencies and much more. Residual income and unlimited earning potential. Call stephanie for more information. (601) 566-5673.

Affordable Yard Cutting No yard too big or small. Quality service. 601-371-8881

LAW OFFICE OF

THOMAS V. ALONZO

w w w. t h o m a s va l o n z o . c o m Admitted Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Georgia

Fondren/Med Center Area Newly renovated 2 Br,1 BA apts in quiet 4plex. Credit ck/ lease required. $500, $650/month. Call Karen 601-201-4795.

Affordable Handy Man Heating & Air Conditioning Services. Tile & Hardwood Floor installation. Sheet metal Fabrication & Design. Soffit & Fascia Repair. Pressure Washing. Welding & Repair. Gauranteed lowest prices Free Estimates 24/7 (601) 506-1843

309 Catalina Circle 3 BR / 2 BA Fixer upper, Owner Financing or Cash Discount, $1000 Down, $430 a Month, 1-803-403-9555

Contractors Special 234 Keener Ave, 3 BR / 1 BA Fixer Upper, Owner Financing or Cash Dis, $500 Dn, $171 a mo, 1-803-254-0474

Local 463 Now Hiring New upscale bistro in Madison opening on June 1 hiring for all positions. Experience required. References check. Apply in person at Walker’s Drive-In, 3016 North State Street or send resume to jenemerson1@gmail.com.

Security Cameras • Attendant On Duty Drop Off Service • Free Wi-Fi

1046 Greymont Ave. (behind La Cazuela) CALL US AT 601-397-6223!

Tony’s Tire & Automotive, Inc. Oil Change and Tire Rotation

AC Charge and Leak Detect

$4999

$4999

• Foreign/Domestic repairs • AC & coolant repair • Timing Belt • Brakes

• Major engine repair • Batteries • Towing/Recovery • New & used tires

Want a better deal than that? Go to www.halfoffdepot.com/Jackson to save half off on your next visit to our shop (will apply to specials).

Owners - Tony Murphy, Sr. and Tony Murphy, Jr. 5138 N State St. Jackson, MS 39206 • Phone: 601-981-2414 • Fax: 601-981-2435 Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Spring in a Cup! PEANUT BUTTER WHITE MOCHA Cups fresh roasted espresso blended with ghirardelli white chocolate, steamed milk and all natural peanut butter monin.

ICED MINT COFFEE BREVE Traditional cold drip french roast iced coffee, blended with half-and-half and sweetened with all natural frosted mint monin.

LONDON FOG Earl Grey tea steeped in steamed milk and sweetened with all natural vanilla monin.

SUGAR FREE PENGUIN MOCHA Cups fresh roasted espresso, blended with steamed skim milk and sweetened with sugar-free white chocolate and sugar-free chocolate monin.

RED HEAD Au lait made with Cups fresh roasted coffee blended with steamed milk, creamy caramel and all natural cinnamon monin. A Cups Original!

DAISY MAE Cups classic creamy vanilla frozen treat blended with all natural strawberry monin. free wireless internet