v9n01 - A Boom of Our Own?

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WILLIAMS-COOK: ARTIST, TEACHER, VOLUNTEER BONDS, P 28

TRUTH MUSIC

Vol. 9 | No. 1 // September 15 - 21, 2010

LEE, P 33

DAILYBREAKINGNEWS@JFPDAILY.COM

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COLLIER & JACOME, P 42

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OF OUR OWN? EXAMINING JACKSON’S

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September 15 - 21, 2010


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To our customers: Thank you for your business and for the pleasure we have every day to serve Jackson as your local grocer. Please remember to BUY LOCAL for your tailgating supplies and for all your other grocery needs! — Greg and Kathy McDade

THE FONDREN RENAISSANCE FOUNDATION IS GRATEFUL TO ITS CORPORATE SPONSORS: Cooke Douglas Farr Lemons, LTD Delta Royalty Company, Inc. Fondren Place Mid-State Construction Nix-Tann & Association, Inc. Scanlon-Taylor Millwork Co.

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September 15 - 21, 2010

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September 15 - 21, 2010

jacksonian

VOL.

9 NO. 1

contents

Hinds Tightens Up Who wins, who loses in Hinds County’s $119.9 million fiscal year 2011 budget.

JARO VACEK; JARO VACEK; JERRICK SMITH; COURTESY MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE

LACEY MCLAUGHLIN

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Cover photograph by Lizzie Wright

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THIS ISSUE:

Bond Standoff Ends .............. Editor’s Note

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................... Slow Poke

8

............................. Talk

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...................... Editorial

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........................ Stiggers

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............................ Zuga

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...................... Opinion

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......................... 8 Days

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.............................. Arts

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.......................... Books

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.................. JFP Events

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.......................... Music

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........... Music Listings

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............................ Food

39

............................. Slate

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............................ Astro

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.................... Shopping

The State Bond Commission finally OKs $6 million in water bonds for Jackson.

neil polen Neil Polen vowed that once he graduated from Mississippi State University, he would move away from the state and never return. But during his last year at MSU’s School of Architecture, located in Jackson, Polen experienced a change of heart. “You reach a certain level of maturity, and you realize there are going to be things you don’t like no matter where you live,” the 25-year-old Laurel native says. “Once I realized that … I was able to start seeing value in all the things I thought I didn’t like about Mississippi.” Because Polen sees Jackson on the cusp of greatness, he couldn’t help but stay and get involved. Being a research associate at the Jackson Community Design Center, a nonprofit urban-design research lab MSU sponsors, he has the perfect opportunity to do that. At the JCDC, Polen is helping with redevelopment designs for the Old Cola Plant on Highway 80. “We have a lot of freedom to dream big and come up with some crazy ideas,” Polen says. He wants the community to realize what a jewel the Old Cola Plant is and to get excited about the project. “What we’re really trying to do,” Polen explains, “is build momentum and create a sense of positive energy around that project.” Polen says it is important for the

community to be involved in the redevelopment of the plant to battle the cycle of impermanence that many buildings in Jackson go through. “When it’s completely profit driven, or when it’s completely driven on the developer end, a lot of times there’s a big disconnect between the community and the building,” he says, adding that if people don’t value a building, when something newer comes along, they start going there. “Part of what we’re trying to do at the JCDC is … bring a sense of permanence to things and get people to realize that newer is not always better,” Polen says. Polen draws satisfaction from knowing that the work he is doing now is real and will affect people’s lives, unlike many of the projects he did in school, which no one will ever see. He also loves being able to sign his name to projects like an artist, knowing that it was his creation. The thing Polen enjoys most about architecture is the process “of re-inventing the wheel,” as he puts it, every time he starts a new project. “A good building will come to you through a process of rigor,” Polen says. “And it’s really cool to see how you can tackle a problem, and over time the answer or the solution slowly reveals itself.” —Katie Bonds

16 Boom or Bust? Jackson is growing by leaps and bounds. Is the growth sustainable?

39 Big Talents The big schools don’t have a corner on talent. Here’s a sample from the smalls.

jacksonfreepress.com

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September 15 - 21, 2010

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by Todd Stauffer, Publisher

‘Working Together Works’

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t happens that in the same week that the JFP is celebrating its eighth anniversary, the Fondren Association of Businesses (FAB) celebrated its own milestone—the second-annual members’ meeting, this time in the newly re-monikered Duling Hall. The catered event was well-attended, with lots of news to impart to Fondrenites, from the plans for the Zippidy-Doo-Dah (Sweet Potato Queens) parade and festival—details courtesy of HRH Jill Conner Browne her-own-self—to development plans by Mike Peters and David Watkins to tidbits about the filming of scenes from DreamWorks Studio’s “The Help” that will take place in Fondren next week. The meeting was perhaps most noteworthy because it was happening at all—for years different folks have tried to get a business association working in the Fondren area. A few decades back, the most promising effort, the Woodland Hills Business Association, finally faded away after a great deal of sweat and tears offered by a few hardy souls (the Brown family of Brown’s Fine Art taking the lead), as longtime Fondren business owner Buddy Graham explained Monday. He and others praised the FAB board for pulling off this meeting, sticking together and charting a course for the Fondren business district. Mayor Johnson gave opening remarks at the meeting and told the group that he had just added the word “funky” to his lexicon of adjectives for Fondren. He was referring to the phrase “Keep Fondren Funky,” a play on the “Keep Austin Weird” promotional campaign of the past few decades. (Luke Lundemo, owner of the Computer Co-op and Rainbow Fair Trade, told me later in the evening that his son returned from Austin and printed the first “Keep Fondren Funky” bumper stickers.)

The bohemian “Keep Austin Weird” campaign also had humble bumper-sticker origins, but it later became a catchphrase promoted far and wide by the Austin Independent Business Alliance: a model Buy Local group that’s spawned similar efforts around the country. Sitting in the FAB meeting, I was reminded of the AIBA and the efforts nationwide to get folks to shop local and stay “funky”—keeping true to their city’s authenticity. Of course, Jeff Good was the one who said it succinctly. After deciding to cut short his keynote address (we were about three hours in already), Jeff summed it up for everyone with the simple phrase “Working Together Works.” He then went on to point out everything that “together” could mean, including the embrace of diversity—lifestyles, ethnicities and sexual orientations among them—that makes a place like Fondren “funky” and, hence, prosperous. (He was later awarded the Fondren Businessman of the Year.) Redone buildings, swanky stores—even cobblestones—don’t make for a vibrant local neighborhood. You’ve got to be inviting as well. That’s the mission that the Jackson Free Press launched with eight years ago: To serve as an invitation for various communities in Jackson—and, in particular, the young creative professionals among them—to get together and work together and learn together to make Jackson better. Working together works. Eight years ago, the JFP was an idea that caused a few of us to put some numbers on paper, buy InDesign, call a commercial printer and see what would happen. Today, the JFP has a total adult readership larger than any Jackson metro radio station’s adult listenership. Along with the weekly newspaper, we publish an e-mail daily (five days a week) with more

than 6,500 subscribers and a website that extends our reach to nearly 70,000 Jackson area adults. We launched our first-ever iPhone app earlier in the summer and are working on additional apps and Web tools. Meanwhile, 2010 saw us launch BOOM Jackson magazine as a vibrant, glossy quarterly magazine. (The Fall 2010 issue is out now; call us if you need copies.) BOOM Jackson extends the JFP mission by documenting the progress Jackson’s growing cadre of creative professionals is making. From downtown living to business mentoring, BOOM Jackson is a new type of “business+lifestyle” magazine, covering good work being done in the entire metro area to both build up the capital city and improve our lives in the process. Another anniversary stat: The JFP editorial team has won 19 national reporting awards from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies in seven years and, just this past week, four more awards from the southeastern division of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) at the 60th Green Eyeshade Awards. Congratulations to Ronni Mott for winning first place in Non-Deadline Reporting for her work on the Heather Spencer story and preventing domestic violence; the team of Ward Schaefer, Adam Lynch and Donna Ladd for Courts and Law Reporting (competing against all daily and non-daily publications in the 11-state region) for their coverage of the Melton trial; and Donna Ladd for winning first place in Serious Commentary for her essays on Melton’s last months in office and his death. Team coverage won second place in Public Service for our reporting on the Two Lakes project and Greater Jackson PAC’s shenanigans during the 2009 mayor’s race. In 2002, the Jackson Free Press was four people—Donna Ladd, Stephen Barnette, Jimmy Mumford and myself—although we quickly added both volunteers and staffers as the publication grew. Today we’ve got nearly 20 people on the payroll and dozens of wonderful contributors who make the JFP and BOOM the best publications in town. Our most recent addition is Shannon Barbour, who joins the team in a brand new position—marketing coordinator—after returning to Mississippi from a busy stint in the New York magazine world. In her new role, Shannon will expand the JFP and BOOM Jackson’s effort to help Jackson “work together” by creating more events (and recession-friendly promotions) for our readers while using her marketing experience to help local businesses more effectively market their wares. Her early efforts will include the first big BOOM-JFP fashion show Nov. 12 in Duling Hall. Details soon; e-mail shannon @boomjackson.com to get involved. What’s next? More of what you’ve come to expect—award-winning reporting, the city’s best listings, parties, discounts and invitations to participate in Jackson’s renaissance. Thank you, Jackson, for making us a part of your lives. Stay funky!

Ward Schaefer Award-winning JFP reporter Ward Schaefer came to Mississippi to teach middle school, and is now a journalist. His hometown of Chevy Chase, Md., was not named for the actor. He is slowly learning to play banjo. He wrote the cover story.

Lizzie Wright Lizzie Wright returned to Jackson after being away for 15 years. When she’s not traveling or hanging out with her grandparents, she’s making music under the name Lizzie Wright Super Space Ship. She photographed the cover image.

Donna Ladd JFP editor-in-chief and cofounder Donna Ladd graduated from Mississippi State and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. After being in exile from Mississippi for 18 years, she came on back where she damn-well belongs.

Ronni Mott Ronni Mott came to Jackson by way of D.C. in 1997. She’s an award-winning writer, and the JFP’s managing editor, where she practices her hobbies of herding cats and curmudgeonliness. She teaches yoga in her spare time.

Adam Lynch Award-winning senior reporter Adam Lynch is a Winona native and graduate of Jackson State. He and his family live in North Jackson. E-mail tips to adam@ jacksonfreepress.com, or call him at 601-362-6121, ext. 13. He wrote talks.

Lacey McLaughlin News editor Lacey McLaughlin is a Florida native who enjoys riding her bike around Jackson. She is always on the hunt for news tips. E-mail Lacey@ jacksonfreepress.com or call 601.362.6121 x. 22. She wrote a cover sidebar.

Kimberly Griffin Advertising director Kimberly Griffin is a Jackson native who likes yoga, supporting locally owned businesses and traveling. In her spare time she plots how she can become Michelle Obama’s water holder.

Kristin Brenemen Editorial designer Kristin Brenemen is the local anime otaku with a burgeoning Zombie Survival Kit at home. She can’t wait for Doctor Who’s new season to start. She designed the cover and many pages in this issue.

jacksonfreepress.com

publisher’snote

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news, culture & irreverence

Thursday, Sept. 9 Terry Jones, a Gainesville, Fla., pastor, suspends his plans to burn copies of the Koran on Sept. 11. … Humanitarian organization Operation Blessing International announces plans to move mosquito-eating minnows, Gambusia, from Tchula, Miss. to Haiti. They will be placed in mosquitoinfested waters throughout the country. Friday, Sept. 10 The White House announces the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. Iowa native Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, 25, will receive the Medal of Honor for his acts of heroism in Afghanistan. … The city of Jackson receives a $6 million loan from the Mississippi Bond Commission to update the city’s water system. Saturday, Sept. 11 Names of the nearly 3,000 9-11 victims are read at Ground Zero, a memorial service takes place at the Pentagon, and Michelle Obama and Laura Bush speak at a service in Shanksville, Pa. … Ole Miss bounces back from their season opener loss to Jacksonville State with a 27-13 win over Tulane University. Sunday, Sept. 12 Iranian news agencies report that Sarah Shourd can leave the country after paying $500,000 bail. Iran accused Shourd of espionage, and has held her prisoner for more than a year. … Veteran Mississippi political reporter Norma Fields, 86, dies in Tupelo. She spent nearly 30 years reporting for the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

September 15 - 21, 2010

Monday, Sept. 13 BP resumes drilling a relief well to permanently seal the blown out well from the Deepwater Horizon explosion April 20. … One new case of West Nile Virus is reported in Calhoun County, Miss. To date this year, the state has seen five cases of West Nile.

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Tuesday, Sept. 14 The U.S. Senate moves forward a bill providing loans and tax breaks to small businesses, assuring its passage this week. … The U.S. Supreme Court schedules a Sept. 27 conference to decide if it will hear James Ford Seale’s appeal. Former Klansman Seale was convicted in 2007 for kidnapping two young black men in Mississippi in 1964.

The JFP shares its September birth month with Lily Tomlin (Sept. 1), Charlie Sheen (Sept. 3), Richard Wright (Sept. 4), Jesse James (Sept. 5), Patsy Cline (Sept. 8), Otis Redding (Sept. 9), Tavis Smiley (Sept. 13), B.B. King (Sept. 16), Leonard Cohen (Sept. 21) and William Faulkner (Sept. 25).

Hinds Sheriff Forced to Cut Jobs

H

inds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin said he was not happy with the fact that almost all of the furloughs required by county supervisors to balance the Fiscal Year 2011 budget were coming out of his department. “These cuts will have an impact on my work,” McMillin said. “I may have to shift people around. We might have to work with one less person in crime prevention, or one less person in civil process. There is one area where we’re operating under mandate to have a certain number of officers per inmate in the jail, so that’s an area we can’t cut, so before we cut that we would have to cut patrol, or investigations or administration or anything else. It’ll have an impact.” The Hinds County Board of Supervisors passed a $119.9 million fiscal year 2011 county budget Friday containing $725,000 in funds resulting from a controversial interest rate swap, and the closing of more than 20 positions in the sheriff’s department. McMillin said that many of the closed positions had only been vacated for a short time and were not positions the county could easily do without for long: “Some of these positions were occupied by people who left last week or some were terminated as a result of not showing up for work, so you can’t really put a finger on the average amount of time they’ve been empty,” McMillin said. The budget, which represents an in-

by Adam Lynch JARO VACEK

Wednesday, Sept. 8 BP releases the findings of its internal investigation of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, placing most of the blame on contractors Halliburton and Transocean.

Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. gives good news to the library system. p 13

Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin complained that supervisors put most of the personnel cuts to the sheriff ’s office, which could affect county safety.

crease from the $113 million fiscal year 2010 budget, also includes an increase in medical costs for Hinds County correctional facility inmates from $1.7 million in fiscal year 2010 to $2.3 million this year. The budget also includes cost increases such as a 4.9 increase in employee-hospitalization expenses, and an overall increase of 7 percent in general-fund expenses due to repayment of debt. Despite the budget increase, the country eliminated 23 vacant positions for

history

“This is a president that we know less about than any other president in history.” —Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, responding to a reporter’s question regarding why people think President Barack Obama is a Muslim. Barbour later admitted that he has not read Obama’s books.

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$727,165.82 in savings, and introduced a total of eight furlough days for the first eight months of the new fiscal year, which saved the county $860,339. The budget includes an overall 5 percent decrease in the level of funding for externally funded agencies such as the Jackson-Hinds Library System, which will see a $26,744 drop from the county allocation of $1.5 million in fiscal year 2010. Funding for mental-health services dropped to $1,179,715 from $1,228,294 last year. Hinds County is also cutting payments to family and children services from $20,000.84 last year to $12,500 this year. The board also approved a millage increase of 0.02 for Hinds County Public Schools, raising last year’s millage rate of 60.98 to 61. Millage tax is another name for property tax. To calculate 61 mills, multiply the value of a home by 61 and then divide by 1000. An $80,000 home at a mil rate of 61 would owe $4,880 a year in property tax before homestead exemption and other factors. Supervisor Robert Graham praised Hinds County’s use of an interest-rate swap, orchestrated through the financial advisor Porter Bingham. The county balanced its budget partially through $725,000 in swap earnings from 2005 and 2007. “We balanced the budget,” Graham told the Jackson Free Press. “That’s what matters to me.”

Things I’ve Learned Publishing the JFP

by Todd Stauffer

1. Don’t start a newspaper. 2. If you do start a newspaper, don’t fund a newspaper startup with your credit cards. 3. If you go into business for yourself, seriously consider also having a law degree. (Or, skip the business, and be a lawyer.) 4. Have business mentors, and don’t try to impress them. Be honest about what you suck at. 5. Managing people is hard—it takes practice and effort. Hire passionate people and praise their successes. (Even if you’re a solid Gen X’er.) 6. Find the thing that you can be the BEST at in your market. Do it, and build a brand around that. 7. Watch other people’s business experiments, and enjoy the fact that you’re learning things without spending money. 8. Avoid capital investments. And never, ever buy a printing press. 9. Do the right thing ... and wait.


talk

LAUGHTER IS A GIFT FROM GOD

news, culture & irreverence

Fondren Green Space Gets Renovation

Come be a part of a Community of Joy!

Jesse Crow

by Jesse Crow

Fondren community leaders and neighborhood children break ground at Cherokee Heights Park.

F

ondren will soon have a pavilion, playground, walking trails and a community garden in Cherokee Heights Park. City officials, Fondren community leaders and neighborhood children broke ground on the park’s renovation at the corner of Dunbar Street and Northview Drive Sept. 8. The Fondren Renaissance Foundation applied for a grant in 2007 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 2008, the FRF received a grant for $588,900. Jackson architect Lawson Newman, who served on the park’s design commit-

tee, believes the park will become a place for Fondren events—as an alternative location to The Cedars or downtown venues—and a gathering place for the community. “It’s seeing the diversity of this community come together,” Fondren resident Leslee Foukal said. “It’s a place where we can get to know our neighbors, which I think is huge for the development of this neighborhood.” Foukal says the Cherokee Heights Park renovation is grassroots growth. “I think a lot of it was community involvement and people willing to hold each other accountable,” Foukal said. “People who were really passionate about seeing this come through stayed very vocal about it.” Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. thinks this model of development can be replicated throughout the city. “Fondren is a hot spot,” Johnson said at the event. “It’s growing, and that’s because of the people living here.” The first stage of the renovated Cherokee Heights Park, including sidewalks, lighting, and a pavilion, is set to be complete at the end of February 2011.

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Above and Beyond

W

by Natalie A. Collier

Thomas Perkins

ashington Koen Media along to Washington Productions, when black with local and outreach partners and poor students are 70 percent more invite citizens of cities across the likely than their peers to be taught by innation to a pubstructors who aren’t certified lic conversation they’re callin the areas that they teach. ing “Beyond the Bricks,” Panelists on the Touwhich promotes advocacy galoo leg of the tour include on behalf of black males Rep. Kelvin Buck, D-Holly enrolled in public schools. Springs; Martha Alexander, The tour kicks off in Jackdeputy director of Opson Sept. 18 at Tougaloo eration Shoestring; JPS adCollege and will stop at ministrator Thelma Davis; nine other cities. WLBT reporter Howard “Our national camBallou; and Kendrick Cotpaign is one we hope will Tougaloo hosts “Beyond ton of the Young People’s bring all the community the Bricks,” a national Project. stakeholders together to conversation about black Registration for Beyond the inspire them to make nec- males and public schools, Bricks is Saturday, Sept. 18, Saturday, Sept. 18. essary change happen, not beginning at 10 a.m. at only where they are but also beyond,” Oui- Woodworth Chapel on the Tougaloo College da Washington said in a statement about campus (500 W. County Line Rd.). The event the event. Change is imperative, according runs until 2 p.m. Free.

Se Habla Espanol

Congratulations on 25 Years! to the Education Foundation Trust of the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson

T

he Society of Professional Journalists awarded the Jackson Free Press four reporting awards this week. SPJ’s Green Eyeshade Awards honor top print, broadcast, radio and online journalism in the southeastern region of the United States, covering 11 states. The Jackson Free Press was the only Mississippi media outlet honored in this year’s awards. The awards are: •First place, non-deadline reporting: Ronni Mott’s coverage of domestic

abuse and murder of Heather Spencer. •First place, serious commentary: Donna Ladd’s essays on Frank Melton’s federal trial and death. •First place, courts & law reporting: Ward Schaefer, Adam Lynch and Donna Ladd for coverage of the 2009 federal trial of Frank Melton. •Second place, public service: Adam Lynch, Ward Schaefer, Donna Ladd and Todd Stauffer for Two Lakes coverage.

Founding Chapter, Parents for Public Schools, 1989 200 N. Congress, Suite 500, Jackson, MS 39201

www.ppsjackson.org

jacksonfreepress.com

JFP Honored for Melton, Spencer, Two Lakes Coverage

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mediatalk

by Valerie Wells

courtesy MPB

Peace in the MPB Valley?

6A0=3E84F A M A LC O T H E AT R E

South of Walmart in Madison

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Going The Distance

Inception

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September 15 - 21, 2010

Movieline: 355-9311

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Mississippi Public Broadcasting Executive Director Judy Lewis resigned Sept. 8 in the wake of a programming controversy.

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fter being absent from Mississippi Public Broadcasting offices for at least two weeks, Executive Director Judy Lewis resigned Sept. 8. A news release that afternoon announced her decision to leave her post after one hot summer controversy. The hoopla started when Lewis decided July 8 to pull the national radio program “Fresh Air” off MPB. In an e-mail dated July 9, Lewis said any public statement about the removal of the program should include a reference to “continuing” inappropriate content on the program so no one would think it was a “knee-jerk” decision. But MPB apparently has no documentation of a recurring problem or of any complaints about the show. Through an Aug. 9 Freedom of Information request, the Jackson Free Press obtained all documents, memos and e-mails in 2009 and 2010 regarding inappropriate content on “Fresh Air.” It revealed no complaints and no specific examples. Before July 7, 2010, no one complained about “Fresh Air,” hosted by award-winning interviewer Terry Gross. No e-mails, no phone logs, no memos back up the assertion that Mississippians were complaining about recurring inappropriate content of the show. After the show was pulled, two e-mails surfaced from listeners who said they backed the decision to get rid of “left-wing” propaganda. By contrast, hundreds of listeners wrote

in demanding to know what had happened to the show and specifically asked for examples of what was considered inappropriate. Many said they would stop sending checks to support MPB. In e-mail, Lewis asked the MPB staff to forward all these complaints and questions to higher-ups. “This will pass!!!!” Lewis wrote to encourage her staff dealing with the phone calls, e-mails and accusations. “Fresh Air” returned to MPB Aug. 2 at 9 p.m. with multiple warnings about adult content included throughout each program. Lewis refused an interview for this story. Board Chairman Bob Sawyer of Gulfport did agree to talk, but said he had only been chairman for one month. The week before MPB announced Lewis’ resignation, Sawyer stressed that he could not discuss Lewis’ employment status or any other personnel issue. At the board meeting Sept. 14, no one discussed Lewis during the public meeting. The board went into executive session to discuss personnel matters. But the board and staff did discuss “Fresh Air.” “We want peace in the valley,” Sawyer said. “At 3 p.m., kids are getting out of school, and it’s their riding time. (But) a lot of folks out there enjoy the show.” He asked if the music programs at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. might be moved. “We want to accommodate as many listeners as we can,” said Jay Woods, deputy executive director. He said the response he had gotten from the public since bringing back “Fresh Air” had been encouraging. “By and large, we’ve had a very positive response, a lot of thank-yous.” “I’m blown away by this Facebook thing,” Sawyer said. He mentioned the Facebook group Bring Back Fresh Air and its 800 fans. “Can we ask them to take it down?” “The entire episode has been oddly affirming,” Woods said. “We do have people listening and caring.” Sawyer wanted to know if the show might fit back into the afternoon schedule at some point. Woods said the replacement show, “Tell Me More” hosted by Michel Mar-

tin, is one of the few national radio shows produced by African Americans. “That’s important to us,” he said. Sawyer said he’s usually in bed at 9 p.m., and although he isn’t a regular “Fresh Air” listener, he is getting questions from people who are. Also, the information request turned up e-mails from MPB donors who say they go to bed early and are missing “Fresh Air.” The board meeting included a lengthy presentation for Jim Barksdale about the “Between the Lions” early reading program. The Barksdale Reading Institute has contributed millions of dollars to MPB’s literacy efforts. “Now that’s fresh air,” Peggy Holmes, a board member from Amory, said. Some e-mails questioned if Lewis was political in her programming choice. Lewis admits to being good friends with Gov. Haley Barbour but points out that he did not appoint her. In one e-mail to an upset listener, Lewis pointed out that she got the job on her own merits, not as a political favor: She had worked as a professor and worked with the United Nations World Food Program show. Her last job was teaching theater at Mississippi College. MPB hired Lewis July 8, 2009—a year to the day before she yanked “Fresh Air” off Think Radio—by a board that includes three Barbour appointees. In 2008, while she was a communications professor at Mississippi College, Lewis donated $1,000 to Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker’s campaign. One month after Lewis became head of MPB, Margaret Wicker McPhillips, the senator’s daughter, went to work for MPB as a public-relations handler in August 2009. “Yes, I’m Roger Wicker’s daughter,” McPhillips confirmed in a Sept. 1 e-mail. “I’m curious to know how my father is relevant to a story about your FOIA request or MPB, though.” McPhillips was previously Sen. Thad Cochran’s press secretary and the North Carolina coalitions director of the Bush-Cheney 2004-2005 presidential campaign. Lewis’ Facebook page features three photos of her with Republican strategist Karl Rove at Mississippi College.


publiceye

by Ward Schaefer

Courts Going Digital

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of up to 50 cents per page. MEC picked three counties—Madison, Warren and Scott—to adopt the federal system on a pilot basis, assess the costs of running it and work out any kinks in applying it to the different practices of state court. Madison County Chancery Clerk Arthur Johnston said that differences in the federal and state court system have required tweaks to the MEC system, especially in the way it notifies judges of various deadlines in cases. “They create different timelines and the need for different triggers,” Johnson said. “There’s all sorts of little bells and whistles that the federal system uses that are very helpful to help judges monitor their docket and control their docket.” Madison County courts tested the program internally for a year and a half before launching it publicly in 2008. In July 2009, the county made e-filing mandatory and, at the beginning of this year, the county abandoned paper records altogether. Johnson said that the program has made lawyers happy, as it gives them more time to file motions, and made his office more efficient. “Folks are real happy they don’t have to come to the courthouse to get records,” Johnston said. “From our perspective, we

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love to see folks here in the office and love to talk to folks on the phone—I have to run for re-election every four years—but it does cut down on our staff workload. We’re not having to answer the phone and pull this information up for folks. It’s certainly economically viable for us to be able to use those folks to do more substantive things in the office. It does reduce staff time and staff costs by putting this stuff out on the Web.” The Mississippi Legislature funded MEC by approving a $10 filing fee on all new cases filed in circuit and chancery courts across the state. The state system will also charge a fee for viewing or downloading documents similar to the federal system. Calvin Ransfer, program director for MEC, says that the system’s pilot programs have proven that the fees can support system maintenance. The monthly cost of operating MEC is roughly $1,000 per court. It helps, Ransfer adds, that the system will handle maintenance and data storage for any participating county, meaning that counties only need basic Internet access, computers and scanners to adopt MEC. Hinds County has already indicated its interest in adopting MEC, Ransfer said. Comment at jacksonfreepress.com.

pa i d a dv e rt i s e m e n t

hen a server delivers sizzling fajitas straight off the grill at Las Margaritas to a table, it’s like the whole world stops in the restaurant. The delicious smell not only teases the nose, but it also makes you wish you ordered the house favorite, the fajitas. Chicken, steak, shrimp or the combination fajitas coupled with a monster Patron margarita is the perfect way to enjoy dinner after Las Margaritas a long day at work, or a lazy beautiful Saturday in the quiet, outside patio area. Las Margaritas, located at 1625 County Line Road, has delivered traditional Mexican cuisine to Jackson customers for 15 years. The comfy restaurant with its colorful decor suggests to customers to simply “take a load off ” and enjoy your meal, whether dining with a small group or large table of friends. In fact, Las Margaritas has the perfect area for a party of 60 to 70 people in the back area of the restaurant, and there is no charge to use the space for any occasion. Just call ahead (601-957-7672) to reserve the party room. While the fajitas are the most popular menu item, customers claim the Papitos fiesta as a favorite as well. Grilled chicken, steak or shrimp served on a bed of rice and smothered with cheese dip and pico de gallo, this item can be ordered any time of the day. Lunch specials and lunch express menu items are a great addition for those grabbing lunch within their lunch hour. You definitely will not be stressed about returning to work on time; just know that you will return to work with a full and satisfied tummy. The bar area is a popular place, where customers order up monster margaritas in any flavor you can imagine – mango, strawberry and lime, just to name a few. The Mexican Flag margarita is a definite must-try if you’ve never had it: it’s melon liquor, strawberry frozen margarita and lime frozen margarita blended together, making it another favorite next to the Patron margarita. The employees are happy and ready to serve their customers, which is a sign that it is not only a great place to eat, but a great place to work. You’ll find servers from all over: South America, Russia, Europe and the United States. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday (bar open until 11 p.m.) and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday (bar open until 12 midnight), Las Margaritas is guaranteed to offer traditional Mexican cuisine and a festive time. To view their full menu online, visit their website at www.garciarestaurants.net or stop in to see why the fajitas alone will have you coming back for more.

jacksonfreepress.com

KRISTIN BRENEMEN

electronic filing in county courts. The state’s effort got a boost in September 2006, when the Administrative Office of United States Courts awarded the state $640,320 to implement a version of the e-filing system used in the federal court system. The federal system allows users— A pilot program that has increased online access to Madison attorneys and memCounty’s courts could be coming to Hinds County. bers of the public— to search for cases in district court by party or attorney name, dash of transparency could be comtrack activity on specifi c cases, and downing to Hinds County’s court system load motions and orders. The system is in 2011 along with some newly far more accessible than the status quo in elected judges. Mississippi ElectronHinds County and most other counties ic Courts, a pilot program offering attorneys not part of MEC. To get the same inforand members of the public online access to mation in Hinds County, a member of the court filings, is on track to become available general public must go to chancery or cirstatewide at the beginning of next year. The MEC program started in 2005 cuit court at the relevant clerk’s office, use a when the state Supreme Court began plan- dated computer database to search for case ning for a statewide system to reduce paper numbers, retrieve paper case files and then records and increase efficiency by allowing photocopy the relevant documents at a cost

11


watertalk

by Adam Lynch

Bond Commission Grants City’s $6 million Bond

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2dbc^\ ?T]SP]c

by Jim Bankston

Glass bead making classes available.

Call for more details. No previous experience necessary.

September 15 - 21, 2010

398 Highway 51, Ridgeland | 601-853-3299 www.villagebeads.com

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Department of Finance and Administration spokeswoman Kym Wiggins said the commission agreed to allow the city to draw down $6 million in short-term borrowing from the state treasury, but then said the commission will include the city’s $6 million bond request in an upcoming meeting. Barbour told Johnson in his letter that Jaro Vacek

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he standoff between the city of Jackson and members of the State Bond Commission over $6 million in interest-free loans for city water infrastructure repairs seemingly has ended. “As I mentioned to you in our conversation earlier today, the Bond Commission unanimously adopted a motion by Treasurer Tate Reeves to confirm the commission’s intent to approve a $6 million loan for the city of Jackson water project at its October meeting,� Barbour stated in a Sept. 10 letter to Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. City spokesman Chris Mims said he believed the city of Jackson may have access to the money as early as October: “The city is very pleased that we were able to access the $6 million, and we’re pleased that the governor and the mayor were able to have conversations that lead to this resolution.� The State Department of Finance and Administration said in August the city did not complete the loan application, which the Legislature approved last session. As a result, the State Bond Commission did not address the loan during its July 12 meeting. Johnson said then that the city had already budgeted for the $6 million in interestfree loans to finance much-needed water and sewer repairs around the city and would likely have to re-configure its budget to include new interest rates to counter the delay. Barbour sent an August letter to Johnson suggesting the city make use of the state’s Revolving Fund loan program to finance the water-line work. Johnson replied that the city will make use of the SRF loan but needed to consider available sources for more than $200 million in needed water and sewer work. “The Legislature’s intention in establishing this no-interest loan was to immediately fund improvements around the capitol complex in order to minimize the level of disruption of state government that was experienced in January of this year,� Johnson said. “Additionally, this no-interest loan certainly helps reduce the long term debt that future generations will have to face and expands the city’s borrowing authority.�

The Mississippi Bond Commission is allowing the city access to a $6 million interest-free loan for much-needed water repairs around the city.

since the bonds will not be issued until next year, the state will need to continue working with the city “regarding a satisfactory payment schedule between the city and the state� and had asked his staff to set up a meeting this week with Johnson’s staff, as well as representatives of the Department of Environmental Quality and the Mississippi Development Authority and the state Health Department. The absence of the city’s bond project from the July agenda caused controversy in August, as pro-city legislators squared off against State Treasurer Tate Reeves for demanding more information from the city before allowing the item onto the agenda. Reeves told the JFP last month the

commission’s July 12 decision not to consider the $6 million interest-free bond proposal is a testament to the state’s continuing effort to reduce its debt, and he described the process of bond beneficiaries sitting down with his office prior to the bond vote as “pretty standard procedure� under his administration. “In the first four years the governor and I were in office, we had less debt on the books at the end of that four-year period than we had in the beginning. ... We didn’t do that by running around, chasing people and begging them to take money,� Reeves said. Reeves also told The Clarion-Ledger the city must defend the bond request before the commission. Reeves said he needed answers to questions including “How (does the city) plan to fund other improvements that have largely been ignored for many years?� and “is federal money available to help fund some of these enhancements?� if so, “has the city been diligent in ensuring all federal sources were applied for and deadlines met?� among others.� Legislators who approved the $6 million bond inserted language in Section 44 of House Bill 1701 specifying that the bond money must go to city projects near stateowned or operated buildings or roads. It also stipulates that the city submit “an application to the (Mississippi Development Authority)� and that “the application must include a description of the purpose for which assistance is requested, the amount of assistance requested and any other information required by the MDA,� not the state treasurer. Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, took issue with what he perceived as Reeves “veto authority� by not including it in the agenda. “The bill is very specific about the steps that MDA must go through, and also very clear that MDA is the authority, not Tate Reeves, not the Bond Commission. So Tate Reeves speaking on behalf saying he wasn’t given the information—there’s nothing in this bill that gives him the authority to even ask for the information,� Brown said. The JFP reported last month that the 2010 bond legislation did not require any other city to submit a bond “application.�


budgettalk

by Lacey McLaughlin

Jackson-Hinds Library System faces a challenge in maintaining an increased demand for services with a smaller budget.

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espite seeing an increased demand for library services, Jackson-Hinds Library System Executive Director Carolyn McCallum said it will struggle to maintain services and hours for Jackson residents in the upcoming budget year. Due to shortfalls in state funding and devalued Hinds properties, McCallum told city council members during a Sept. 8 budget hearing that the library system expected a 10 percent smaller budget for fiscal year 2011, which begins in October. On Sept. 9, McCallum requested a 15 percent increase in funding for the library system, an additional $224,879 or a total of $1,720,288, from the city of Jackson for fiscal year 2011. Last month, McCallum also requested $1,720,288 from Hinds County to cover shortfalls due to cuts in state funding and a tax reduction on devalued Hinds County properties. For fiscal year 2010, the city allocated $1,495,409 to the library system, and the county contributed $1,492,874. Last Friday, Hinds County adopted its budget and allocated $1,473,830, a $26,744 decrease from fiscal year 2010, and $246,458 less than the system requested for 2011. On Sept. 9, Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. told city council members the city could allocate $150,000 of the additional funds the system had requested for 2011. The city’s finance department realized an additional $100,000 due to lower interest rates on the

city’s bonds refinancing, which is bringing a total of $5.6 million in savings to the city this year. The additional $50,000 is from the city’s technology fund, which can only be used for technology upgrades and purchases. “We wanted to do this as a good-faith gesture to support the library,” Johnson said after a meeting. When McCallum learned last Friday that the city had come up with an additional $150,000 in funds for the library system in its fiscal-year 2011 budget, enough, she expects, to keep all libraries open, she celebrated with her staff. “We were just praying that we wouldn’t have to close branches,” she said. “We are all smiling.” Hinds County District 1 Supervisor Robert Graham said the library system wasn’t the only department that did not receive any additional funds from the county. “Revenues are down much lower than we expected,” Graham said. “In order to adopt a balanced budget, we are going to have to furlough county employees eight days during the next fiscal year—one day a month for eight months. … The library is a priority, but it just fell victim to the budget.” McCallum said the library system budget is down 10 percent overall and hasn’t determined how its smaller budget will affect positions and services. She added because of the economic downtown, the library has seen an increase in computer use and library services. “People are using the computers to fill out resumes and conduct job searches. Just looking at last month, we had 6,000 using the computers here at the Eudora Welty (library branch) alone,” she said. The Numbers The 2009 U.S. Library Service Research Report provides the following statistics on public library usage in the Jackson-Hinds Library System during the previous fiscal year: • 819,093 people visited the library • 63,052 people used computers • Patrons checked out 386,759 materials • 8,799 children and teenagers participated in the Summer Reading Program

Increase Your Intuition Workshop Cfhjoofs!xpsltipq!eftjhofe!up!hfu!zpv! tubsufe!ps!bewbodf!zpvs!Jouvjujwf!bcjmjujft/! Hsfbu!dmbtt!gps!bozpof!xboujoh!up!vtf!uifjs! tljmmt!up!ifmq!uifntfmwft!boe0ps!ifmq puifst/!Kbnjf!Spui!jt!bo!Joufsobujpobm!Jo. uvjujwf!Dpvotfmps!boe!b!Sbejp!tipx!iptu/

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jacksonfreepress.com

Jerrick Smith

Demand Up, Money Down

13


jfp op/ed

opining, grousing & pontificating

EDITORIAL

Do It for Jacksonians

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ver the last several years, the Jackson Free Press has followed a tradition of celebrating our birthday every September by dedicating the issue to the city’s progress. Our birthday cover stories typically explore just how far the city has come over the last year. We launched in 2002 pushing the “local” mantra out of the gate, pushing smart, mixed-use development in the city, and countering myths spread by some folks beyond the city limits who seem to be clueless that the state’s fortunes are intertwined with the capital city’s. So much has changed over the last eight years. But the biggest change is our city’s collective attitude. Now, Jackson enjoys a can-do spirit when it comes to renaissance and development (one that we started a whole glossy magazine, BOOM Jackson, to chronicle). Jackson’s urban warriors, as we like to call the people working to lift up the city, now believe that Jackson can not only crawl up off the bottom of the barrel; it can be among the top cities in the country for progress, diversity, compassion. We can be a model. We can lead. And one advantage of being a little late in the revival game is that we can learn from other cities’ mistakes. We can look at cities that have gone whole-hog to fund luxury hotels and sports arenas, for instance, without enough safeguards, financial planning and even due diligence in place. We can learn from areas that have tried to fund huge developments with too much taxpayer money or by using eminent domain to benefit private companies and developers. A wing, a prayer and visits to gawk at other cities’ progress aren’t enough to make smart development happen. Study and serious conversations that welcome all points of view are vital to keep us from making costly errors. One of the biggest lessons we can learn from other cities is what Ward Schaefer explores in his cover story this issue: Smart urban development is never done for people beyond the city limits, whether commuters or tourists. It is done for residents of a city first. It celebrates authenticity of an area. Such as in Chattanooga, smart urban planners take a city’s special circumstances (and finances) under consideration, and then make the best of it over the long haul. As former Downtown Jackson Partners President John Lawrence told Ward: We can get ideas from other places, but we have to be our own city. Fortunately, there are many people working in Jackson who want the city’s progress to lift everyone up, folks who want the development to spread to Highway 80 and West Jackson and beyond. Our focus as a community must remain on ensuring that our redevelopment helps Jackson residents first: We might need a grocery store before we need an arena or a parking garage, for instance. Let’s do this smart, Jackson, with lots of voices welcome at the table. The beautiful thing is that cities that are (re)built in an authentic way for residents first are the ones other people most want to visit and relocate to. And we don’t need huge, expensive public-works projects to make that happen.

KEN STIGGERS

Same Process, New Taste

September 15 - 21. 2010

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ill “Munchie” Wilson: “Greetings, Crunchie Burga World customers. I’m Crunchie Burga World’s head dietician, here to introduce you to our new fall processed-foods menu. The dietary staff and I worked very hard to provide customers processed food with a new taste. “Let’s begin with our new Crunchy Caribbean Processed Jerk-Chicken Salad—a bed of fresh lettuce topped with crunchy veggies, blackened jerkchicken strips and spicy-sweet mango vinaigrette. One bite of the Crunchy Caribbean Jerk Chicken Salad will make you say, ‘Yeah, mon!’ “Next is the Processed Crunchy, Crunch Wrap—a blackened, toasted tortilla wrapped with lettuce, diced tomatoes, and your choice of processed beef or chicken. Make your wrap tasty by adding some salad dressing, like ranch, Italian, or our new ‘Asian Sookie, Sookie Soy Sauce’ vinaigrette. The Processed Crunchy, Crunch Wrap is a crunchy, quick meal for people on the go. “The dietary staff decided to introduce customers to a taste of New Orleans with our new Who Dat Crispy, Blackened Fish Po Boy combo meal. Imagine sinking your teeth into a crunchy, spicy piece of processed fish. The meal comes with a side order of crunchie coleslaw, crispy fries and a medium soft drink with crunchie ice. This meal will make you smack your lips instead of ‘yo’ momma’. “And the kids will love our tasty, chewy, crunchy processed blackenedchicken nuggets. Are the nuggets made with processed chicken? You decide. “In the meantime, make your world a Crunchie Burga World.”

Kamikaze

Do It for Bralynn

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ralynn Jamila Franklin turned 6 months old this past week. And as her mother and I prepare to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, I’ve found my thoughts have turned more toward the future. Not so much for her parents but for a baby that will soon grow into a young lady and then a woman living in the city of Jackson. As a father, you’ll find that you start thinking about your every move and how it will affect your little ones. Health-wise, financial, career, you want to make sure that your kids live an even better life than the one you led—one with more excitement, more fulfillment and more opportunity. I get excited thinking about the Jackson my daughter will experience as opposed to the one I did. She will have more amenities, more opportunity, and certainly more reasons to stay at home rather than take her skills elsewhere. If you take an even broader approach to that thought, it could hold true for development as well. In fact, it could be said that smart developments are those that look to improve the quality of life. Not for my contemporaries or me, not even for my teenaged kids, but for Bralynn and other future Jacksonians born at the start of this new decade. It’s time that we take an unselfish approach to building this metropolis that is Jackson for long-term sustainability. Sure, structures like the convention cen-

ter and the King Edward can provide us with instant gratification, instant victories and instant tax dollars. However, it’s projects like Old Capital Green, Farish Street, the proposed Riverwalk, or an 18,000 seat arena that will truly set the tone for generations to come. It’s the projects “under construction” and those that haven’t broke ground, yet, that will tell the tale.* The hundreds of young professionals who have chosen to live, work and play in downtown Jackson are indeed pioneers, but in 10 years it will be those college graduates who really reap the benefits of the decisions we make today. See, it’s not about “us.” Sure, I’ll be able to enjoy many a night on Farish Street or go see a great show at the convention center in the near future. Hopefully, I’ll see the completion of a new arena and a viable water feature in downtown Jackson. But it’s not about “us”; it’s about “them.” Little ones like my daughter. Don’t ask yourself where Jackson will be in three to five years; ask yourself where Jackson will be 10 to 15 years from now. The developments of today will be the city’s selling points for the future. If we are indeed going to be that bold new city, we have to start thinking ahead. And that’s the truth ... sho-nuff. *Disclosure: Kamikaze’s employer is developing Farish Street and is a proponent of Riverwalk.

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. Or, write a 300-600-word “Your Turn” and send it by e-mail, fax or mail above with a daytime phone number. All submissions are subject to fact checks.


Julie Skipper

Our Jackson

EDITORIAL Managing Editor Ronni Mott News Editor Lacey McLaughlin Associate Editor Natalie A. Collier Senior Reporter Adam Lynch Reporter Ward Schaefer Events Editor Latasha Willis Music Listings Editor Herman Snell Assistant to the Editor ShaWanda Jacome Writers Quita Bride, Lisa Fontaine Bynum, David Dennis Jr., Scott Dennis, Bryan Flynn, Carl Gibson, Garrad Lee, Lance Lomax, Anita Modak-Truran, Larry Morrisey, Chris Nolen, Robin O’Bryant, Casey Purvis,Tom Ramsey, Doctor S, Ken Stiggers, Jackie Warren Tatum, Valerie Wells, Byron Wilkes Editorial Interns Jesse Crow, Julia Hulitt, Holly Perkins, Briana Robinson Consulting Editor JoAnne Prichard Morris

ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY Editorial Designer Kristin Brenemen Advertising Designer Lydia Chadwick Production Designer Christi Vivar Editorial Cartoonist Chris Zuga Photographers Jert-rutha Crawford, Josh Hailey, Charles A. Smith, Jaro Vacek, Amile Wilson Design Interns Michael Brouphy, Chanelle Renee´ Photo Intern Jerrick Smith

SALES AND OPERATIONS Sales Director Kimberly Griffin Events and Marketing Coordinator Shannon Barbour Account Executive Randi Ashley Jackson Account Executive and Distribution Manager Adam Perry Accounting Montroe Headd Marketing Interns Xavia McGrigg, Nikki Williams Distribution Lynny Bradshaw, Cade Crook, Clint Dear, Linda Hamilton, Matt Heindl, Aimee Lovell, Steve Pate, Jim Poff, Jennifer Smith

ONLINE Web Producer Korey Harrion

CONTACT US: Letters letters@jacksonfreepress.com Editorial editor@jacksonfreepress.com Releases releases@jacksonfreepress.com Queries editor@jacksonfreepress.com Listings events@jacksonfreepress.com Advertising ads@jacksonfreepress.com Publisher todd@jacksonfreepress.com News tips news@jacksonfreepress.com Internships interns@jacksonfreepress.com

Jackson Free Press P.O. Box 5067, Jackson, Miss., 39296 Editorial (601) 362-6121 Sales (601) 362-6121 Fax (601) 510-9019 Daily updates at jacksonfreepress.com The Jackson Free Press is the city’s award-winning, locally owned newsweekly, with 17,000 copies distributed in and around the Jackson metropolitan area every Thursday. The Jackson Free Press is free for pick-up by readers; one copy per person, please. First-class subscriptions are available for $100 per year for postage and handling. The Jackson Free Press welcomes thoughtful opinions. The views expressed in this newspaper are not necessarily those of the publisher or management of Jackson Free Press Inc. © Copyright 2010 Jackson Free Press Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Association of Alternative Newsweeklies

“I

am Jackson.” It’s emblazoned on a T-shirt sold at F. Jones Corner on Farish Street. And it’s a motto for the growing force of Jacksonians working to make Jackson what we want it to be. The future of this city is partly reflected in my Jackson story, but what makes me so confident in its future is that my story is not unique. The growing cadre of young professionals and creatives here are becoming a critical mass that will transform this place in a relatively short period of time and that will ensure the whole city, not just one neighborhood, shares in its success. That’s what our Jackson will be. I returned rather reluctantly to Jackson. After graduating from Millsaps College, I wanted out: I didn’t think Mississippi was a place I could find the community I craved— with a thriving creative class, music, art, nightlife, restaurants, an urban lifestyle and progressive thinkers. So I left the state for graduate school. But like many of my colleagues, Mississippi pulled me back. It was May 2004, and during the three years I was gone, a movement had started. I could feel it: Fondren Corner was a mixed-use property with apartments (!); the Electric Building was under renovation to include residential space downtown; and the city had an alternative weekly newspaper, the Jackson Free Press. Having lived in Nashville where the alt-weekly was my how-to guide on taking advantage of all the city had to offer, I was encouraged. I also knew that support for an alt-weekly indicated that a creative class was present, and that (as anyone who’s heard of Richard Florida knows) is key to the economic development and success of a city. It’s also vital to making it a place where young professionals like me want to live, work and play. I met Fondren artists; I found the YP Alliance (called YUPS at the time); I went to events in Fondren … and committed to making this my city. And I started to see the potential here. All of that informs my vision for Jackson’s future. When I think five or 10 years down the road, I think about my friends with similar stories—some left and returned; some are transplants who came here for work and quickly caught the spirit; some are lifelong Mississippians. But we’ve all found ways to

actively make this our city, not just the city that we’ll inherit from the prior generation. Part of making it ours means working to shape how Jackson develops. Our Jackson will be many things: bike and pedestrian-friendly, thanks to Melody Moody and Bike Walk Mississippi; developed in a way that’s sustainable, thanks to Whitney Grant and the Jackson Community Design Center; “crazy local,” thanks to Craig Noone and the Parlor Market guys; inclusive, thanks to Funmi Franklin and Jackson 2000; creative, thanks to daniel johnson and the Jackson Arts Collective; offering expanded options, thanks to Todd Parkman and Raise Your Pints. All of these contemporaries of mine, and more, bring a passion and dedication to projects affecting Jackson. We’re a generation that not only brings these ideas, but the education (statistically, we’re the highest educated to date) and values (like collaboration) to make the ideas reality. We support each other’s efforts so they’ll each become part of a comprehensive whole. I know this city will become—is becoming—our Jackson because I see the results of these efforts every day. I see the generation ahead of us recognizing our energy and passion—and even more encouraging, they are showing faith in us. It happens when I have a conversation with a developer at Downtown at Dusk, and he looks at me, points around to the crowd filled with energy, and says, “You’re part of all this.” It’s when I hear confidence in our abilities because the Chamber of Commerce or Downtown Jackson Partners wants to meet with a new group like Bike Walk Mississippi about creating a bikeable community. It’s feeling pride for young artists when I’m in a meeting and the director of the Mississippi Museum of Art says that the Jackson Arts Collective is a wonderful, talented group that needs to be included in discussions. All of these things are part of Jackson’s future. It’s a future that will be shaped by vision, collaboration and a recognition that we rise (or fall) together, and so we all have a stake in making this our Jackson. Maybe it sounds idealistic—maybe that’s a characteristic of youth. But I think it’s the truth of what our future holds.

The growing cadre of young professionals and creatives here are becoming a critical mass …

Wednesday, September 15th

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BUY 1, GET 1 WELLS

Thursday, September 16th

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

$2 MARGARITAS! Fri. & Sat., Sept. 17th & 18th

Crossroads

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

The Rio Grande Restaurant

CORRECTIONS

In “Senator Warns of Hinds District Loss” (Vol. 8, Issue 52) Adam Lynch wrote “Legislative redistricting in 2002 cost the state one Senate district and three House districts.” To be clear, the state does not lose districts. Districts, however, are reconfigured into new territories, based on U.S. Census Bureau statistics, and, therefore, can separate a standing politician from his voting public.

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

jacksonfreepress.com

Editor in Chief Donna Ladd Publisher Todd Stauffer

15


Jerrick Smith

A Boom by Ward Schaefer

September 15 - 21, 2010

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The Jackson Convention Complex (top) can outshine centers in other cities, but is it authentically Jackson? The recently reopened King Edward Hotel (left middle) and Standard Life Building (right middle) are important markers of the city’s renaissance but also reminders of one of its challenges: How does a city make itself over and still preserve its spirit?

hen a tree grows, it marks the passing of each year in distinct rings—thick rings represent the fat years when it grew quickly; thin rings for the leaner years when it barely grew at all. If Jackson were a tree trunk, its ring for 2010 would be one of the thickest, yet. Development in the city—especially redevelopment in downtown—has become more visible, and there’s a sense of growing momentum, even a little confidence, to every announcement, every board meeting. This year has seen the long-awaited renovations of two downtown landmarks. The Standard Life Building opened its doors to tenants Sept. 1. With 76 apartments and 2,671 square feet of retail space, the refurbished Art Deco high-rise adds significant space for the still-small number of professionals living downtown. Arguably more symbolic, however, was the Feb. 1 opening of the King Edward Hotel. While the hotel is now technically a Hilton Garden Inn, the persistence of the King Edward moniker—and its iconic rooftop sign—is evidence of the building’s importance in Jackson’s self-image. Like the Standard Life, the King Edward’s tenants and its street-front bar are linchpins of Jackson’s nascent downtown community, but the project’s greatest contribution may be as a motivator. The venture was a many-headed hydra: presenting challenges to developers’ pocketbooks and political willpower. By conquering the beast, David Watkins gave Jacksonians and developers, especially, a shining example of how hard work and patience can prevail. Jackson’s challenge is to build upon its recent successes. High-profile developments such as the King Edward and the Standard Life prime the pump for further investments and other ambitious projects, but they also help reveal opportunities to fill in the gaps. Watkins is at work on a row of retail and other businesses across from the King Edward—a health clinic, a wine shop, a deli— the stuff of everyday city life. But he’s also setting his sights high. Last month, Watkins unveiled a surprise proposal to redevelop the Metrocenter Mall into an entertainment venue with Jackson Public Schools’ central administration as a kind of anchor tenant and automatic customer base, and an ambitious plan to construct an artificial canal and river walk that would drain into a 35-acre lake south of Court Street. He’s also involved in Farish Street, much of which is slated (again) to come online this fall. These future projects differ drastically, but what they share is a greater focus on the lives of people who already live in Jackson. And this

is where they point to an important consideration in where Jackson goes from here. If Jackson’s redevelopment is to last, its progress must be sustainable and focused on creating and improving the communities that support the people who are here. The Conventional Route The Jackson Convention Complex opened in 2009 to considerable fanfare and high expectations. City officials boasted of the facility’s full dance card—$1 million worth of bookings before the center even officially opened. The JCC issued a report in January saying the center drew 128,590 people to 323 total “event days” last year, for an economic impact of $21 million. The center has nearly already matched those numbers this year. As of July 31, the convention center has drawn 124,945 people this year for 284 “event days,” general manager Linda McCarthy says. It’s become clear, however, that the convention center could be doing more business. The vast majority of events in 2009 were single-day affairs, which usually drew local or regional visitors and are far less lucrative in terms of sales tax and commerce than events that require overnight stays. The convention complex estimates that attendees for a singleday event spends $70 per day, while visitors to multi-day events spend twice as much. Downtown Jackson does not have the hotel room capacity to support large events, McCarthy says. Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. told the Jackson Free Press in May that building a 475-room hotel complex across Pascagoula Street from the convention complex could increase the center’s business by 30 percent. So in June, the Jackson City Council approved a memorandum of understanding with Texas developer Mark Small to help fund the construction of a convention center hotel. Progress on fleshing out that memorandum of understanding has slowed, but Johnson is adamant that the project will happen. “From our perspective, the hotel is the big-ticket item that we need to be focusing on,” Johnson said. “It’s going to have far-reaching ramifications (for) our ability to collect taxes and to spur development in and around the convention center. We can only try to land one big fish at a time, and we’re working as hard as we can to make sure the convention center hotel becomes a reality.” With that move, Jackson may have taken steps to support an already costly public investment. (City residents voted to approve a 1 percent sales tax increase to help fund the convention center.) But the push for a convention center hotel also underscored the similarity between Jackson’s grab for convention dollars and efforts by other major American cities. Since 1993, more than 320 convention


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Finding Role Models It’s not always bad to be a follower. Economic development is rife with talk about best practices and model examples, and for good reason. Bad development decisions are costly to private investors and often to taxpayers, too, so it makes sense for a city—especially one that often lags behind, like Jackson—to learn from the mistakes of other cities. Emulating successful cities is a tricky proposition, though. Downtown Jackson Partners has organized fact-finding trips for developers and business leaders to other successful cities in the region: Little Rock, Ark., Baton Rouge, La., and Chattanooga, Tenn. When they return, they are full of ideas. Little Rock was in part the inspiration for DJP’s arena feasibility study. The 18,000-seat Verizon Arena, built in 1999, hosts the Arkansas Diamonds of the Indoor Football League and has hosted NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament games and Bruce Springsteen concerts. It may not be the best model for a downtown arena, however. Former DJP

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Arena Needs A similar pattern exists in sports arenas. Like convention centers, arenas are massive structures that can inspire communities, offering residents a sense of pride and a photogenic new addition to the skyline. Also like convention halls, arenas often demand substantial public subsidies to stay profitable, and they tend to have a brief shelf life. Some Jackson business leaders have caught the arena bug. Earlier this year, Downtown Jackson Partners tapped Populous, an

internationally recognized consulting and design firm, to do a feasibility study for a downtown arena. Populous has a long track record, not only of studying the feasibility of these buildings, but of designing them as well. The company was formerly associated with HOK Sport Venue Event, another stadium design firm, and is famous for designing convention centers and sports arenas and stadiums. While early discussions of an arena focused on giving Jackson the opportunity to attract a minor-league sports team, DJP Board Chairman Ted Duckworth says that he imagines the arena more likely serving as an entertainment venue. A sports franchise would take up too much of an arena’s calendar with its home-game schedule, Duckworth says, when the real value of a downtown arena for Jackson would be its capacity to attract and host bigname entertainers. “I don’t think, from what I’ve heard, the desire is for any kind of franchise to call it home,” he said. “From what I understand, that dominates too much of the schedule for available concerts and shows.” Duckworth is emphatic that an arena will help the city attract young professionals and build a vibrant nightlife. The Mississippi Coliseum is simply too outdated, with poor acoustics, to host things other than tractor pulls and horse shows, he says. Lee agrees that an arena could be a “linchpin” for the city’s development, but added that it is likely many years down the road. Downtown Jackson Partners and a coalition of business interests are currently seeking private funding for the feasibility study, DJP Associate Director John Gomez said.

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centers have popped up around the country, representing investments of more than $23 billion by city governments. And, since 2000, convention space in the United States has increased 25 percent, as cities chase out-of-town dollars with ever-shinier boxes to host events. With the supply of convention space outstripping demand growth for new centers, cities are continually trying to revamp their buildings. Houston expanded its George R. Brown Center by 420,000 square feet, but a 2006 audit showed that the center was generating a little over a third of the 600,000 room-nights originally projected. Washington, D.C., expanded its convention center at a cost of $850 million in 2003, but as of 2007, the center was producing 25 percent less hotel business than expected. For more than a decade, D.C. leaders have chased a convention center hotel to boost convention business, but the project has stalled thus far. Heywood Sanders, a professor of public policy at the University of Texas-San Antonio, has criticized the convention center economy as an “arms race” that sucks in public investment and hardly ever generates the returns that center planners promise. Still, with the center already built, the city has committed itself to a competition for convention money. Not only would larger conventions bring more visitors with coveted outof-town dollars to spend, those larger conventions also help pay for the convention center’s operations and the debt on its construction, McCarthy pointed out. “You have to remember, too, that the operation of the convention center and the bonds on the construction are paid for by a hotel/motel tax and a restaurant tax,” McCarthy said. “It’s in our financial best interest to book events that fill up hotel rooms.” Business leaders appear allied with the city in backing the hotel. Jackson Chamber of Commerce President Jonathan Lee called a convention center hotel “pivotal.” “If we’re going to see things happen downtown, if we’re going to keep attracting people downtown, we’ve got to make that thing work,” he said.

President and current executive director of the Memphis Airport Area Development Corporation John Lawrence says that its location across the Arkansas River from downtown Little Rock has been a liability. “The problem with that arena is that you can see it from downtown, but there’s a river in between,” he said. “They don’t get a lot of the foot traffic that they really should. With a facility like that, if you’re going to depend on your major tenant being some sort of minor-league team, that has about a seven-year lifespan.” Because the economic boost from an arena is temporary, it is essential that smallerscale development around the arena move in to make the project sustainable over the longterm, Lawrence says. On the trip to Baton Rouge in 2009, Lee was captivated by that city’s Shaw Center for the Arts, a private-public partnership involving Louisiana State University. The multi-purpose downtown facility, with retail, restaurants, performing arts and museum space, was an inspiration, and Lee, along with others, began dreaming of how to transform the Mississippi Arts Center in a similar fashion. The problem, however, is financing, which Lee says is simply unfeasible in the current economic climate. Chattanooga has also offered inspiration to some Jackson developers, as a prime example of a city revitalizing itself by reorienting development around its river. Beginning in the 1990s, Chattanooga’s city leaders started transforming the city’s moribund riverfront into a stretch of public parks and commercial and residential development. The area now boasts a movie theater, a children’s museum and the Tennessee Aquarium, the largest freshwater aquarium in the world. Most media coverage of the DJP Chattanooga trip focused on the city’s use of its waterfront. “Every city we’ve been to has riverfront (development),” The Clarion-Ledger quoted DJP President Ben Allen as saying. “We’ve got (practically) nothing on the Pearl River.” David Eichenthal, a former chief financial officer for Chattanooga, sees a slightly different lesson in his city’s resurgence. Eichenthal, currently the president and CEO of the Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies, which focuses on development policy in Chattanooga, assessed the city’s comeback in a 2008 Brookings Institution report. “The transformation of Chattanooga during the last quarter century is a testament to a process more than any single investment in physical infrastructure,” Eichenthal wrote. “An aquarium or a park is no silver bullet to reversing the economic fortune in every

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community. … The ‘Chattanooga way’— public private partnerships, strong planning, bold implementation and constant input from the public—could be replicated in other communities lacking the natural assets possessed by Chattanooga.” Lawrence says that Chattanooga’s redevelopment is exceptional for its focus on the city’s existing population. Developers geared their projects primarily toward serving the people already in Chattanooga rather than chasing out-of-town visitors, he says. “Their philosophy has been: ‘We’re going to create the best Chattanooga we can. We’re not necessarily doing this to attract people from different places,’” Lawrence said. Development for Chattanoogans can

still look a lot like development for tourists, though, Lawrence concedes. The Tennessee Aquarium brings in considerable tourist revenue, and it has an obvious model in the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Md. Chattanooga also benefitted from the local Lyndhurst Foundation, founded by CocaCola heir Cartter Lupton, which funded planning and development efforts in the city’s downtown. Lee says that Jackson has the ability to create its own authentic renaissance. Developers here don’t need to copy other cities’ attractions, but they can emulate their methods. “What you can copy is the financing structure,” Lee said. “Banks are generally comfortable with what banks are comfortable with. It’s not necessarily making their project work here. … We don’t have a shortage of

ideas here. … There’s a shortage of money.” Stones Unturned Ironically, the recession that has sounded like the death knell for some American cities has actually revealed Jackson’s resilience and possibly improved its reputation. Jackson has picked up a number of accolades in the past year for weathering the recession relatively well: The Brookings Institution’s Metro Monitor picked Jackson in June 2010 as one of its 21 strongest metropolitan areas, recognizing the city’s relatively small dip in employment and its solid economy. Yahoo! Real Estate put the City With Soul third on its list of “Best Bang For Your Buck” cities for its low cost of living and stable home prices. The reason for Jackson’s sturdy economy is, as most business leaders will tell you, its

stable, three-part foundation of health care, education and government. All three industries are essential in both good times and bad. “I hate to use this term, ‘recession-proof,’ but the fact of the matter is, the health-care industry has not suffered along with other industries during this recession,” Harvey Johnson said. “In fact, the University (of Mississippi) Medical Center over the last 18 months, has made (more than) 900 new hires. That indicates to us that we need to be paying closer attention to the health-care industries.” Lee believes that the city has yet to fully exploit two of those industries: education and health care. A recent study by the Hinds County Economic Development District esBOOM, see page 20

Progress, Progress, Progress The Jackson Redevelopment Authority is working to finance the initial construction of the Old Capitol Green project this month.

also soon sport a Red Rooster’s, Beethoven’s, a Cool Al’s burger joint and a Hamp’s Juke Joint. The district’s resort status will doubtless do plenty for this brand of development, although the complications of being able to carry an open container of beer on the street while not being able to carry an open container of hard liquor is causing some confusion, according to patrons.

Capitol Street Two-Way

Standard Life Building

The city will soon begin work to return Capitol Street to a two-way street, after the state Bond Commission’s long-awaited Sept. 10 decision to allocate $6 million for construction of water lines under the street. Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. is adamant that work on water and sewer pipes should be complete before hammering away at the asphalt above them; he doesn’t want to turn jackhammers loose onto nice new concrete months after the street work is complete. The federal government is kicking in $4.8 million for the endeavor, and the Mississippi Development Authority provided $2 million to internalize the exterior entrance ramps for the Parkway Properties parking garage.

The art deco Standard Life Building now contains 76 luxury apartments, and will soon feature 2,600 square feet of open retail space. The retail space is limited to the ground floor, while apartments reach up to the 18th floor of the building. The occupants of the 18th floor can rest easy, knowing they’re sleeping on the same floor that formerly held the office of the police chief during construction of the new Jackson Police Department down the street.

New Market in South Jackson Vowell’s Market Place will be opening in the vacated Kroger building at the corner of Raymond Road and McDowell Road by the end of the year. The city of Jackson is a fan of the venture, which will bring 50 jobs and $10 million in sales to the city, according to John Michael Holtmann of Duckworth Realty. The city is willing to invest $50,000 into transforming the building into the latest addition for the Mississippi-based Vowell’s family chain of grocers. The city funds come from the same U.S. Housing and Urban Development grant funds that the city has awarded to smaller businesses for storefront improvement and equipment purchases. Kroger left the facility in 2007.

Historic Farish Street Farish Street is one month closer to filling your gullet with quality food and spirits, and your ears with melodious sounds. Farish Street Group Media Director Brad Franklin says he still expects five businesses to open their doors in late October in the renovated Farish Street Entertainment District. The district already features the smooth music and heavy food of F. Jones Corner, but will

Rainbow Foods goes Co-op Rainbow Whole Foods Inc., an agricultural association since opening its doors in 1980, became a consumer cooperative on the first of September. The new designation makes stock available for purchase to members at $200 per certificate.

Old Capitol Green The Jackson Redevelopment Authority is hammering out a bonding plan that will finance the construction of a new $21 million robot-operated parking garage and an adjoining cooling tower that will form the skeleton of the Old Capitol Green mixed-use district along Pearl, Jefferson, Tombigbee and Commerce streets. Developer Full Spectrum South will begin construction on the garage this year in hopes of taking advantage of federal tax credits that expire at the end of the year. The garage, complete with its army of car-parking automatons, should be up and running in 2011, and will likely provide a source of entertainment to city visitors, who will not find another garage like it anywhere in this part of the country. Phase 1 of the project, according to the memorandum of understanding with JRA, consists of between 180 and 190 residential apartments and 190,000 square feet of space that could comprise business suites and green space. Another 30,000 square feet will house retail and entertainment space.

by Adam Lynch

Cups’ Runneth Over Local coffee house chain Cups claimed the vacated Starbucks building at 1070 County Line Road this month. The building, which is next to T-Mobile, offers a drive-through window and is open Monday through Saturday 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Cups Marketing Director Amy Joyner said the new store will announce its grand opening in a few weeks.

UMMC Biotech Research Park The University of Mississippi Medical Center, already an economic force to be reckoned with in the state, will begin construction on a new biotech research park at the farmers’ market on Woodrow Wilson Avenue and West Street. Some members of the old farmers’ market are slow to tear up their roots and carry business over to the new farmers’ market location on High Street, but UMMC remains confident that they can iron out their differences and begin construction on the facility next year. The facility could eventually employ up to 1,700 people, and merge university research space with private company rental space. UMMC will begin construction with a 70,000-square-foot office laboratory.

Art Garden The Mississippi Museum of Art plans a $5 million conversion of the parking lot between the art museum, the Arts Center, Thalia Mara Hall and the Convention Center into a public garden. The area, which will contain scenic foliage and water features, will also boast outdoor performance space. Mississippi Museum of Art Director Betsy Bradley said she hopes to see construction crews break ground on the project this winter.

Sleep-Inn on the Parkway Sleep Inn is slated to open on the Jackson Metro Parkway this year, even though it missed its original Sept. 1 opening deadline. Defense attorney Robert Gibbs, who is a prominent associate of the company building the hotel—the LEAD Group LLC—said his company managed to snag new financing from an out-of-state bank to complete construction. Gibbs told the Jackson Free Press that the hotel will draw revenue from patrons of the Jackson Convention Center, Jackson State University events, and other public merriment including the expanding entertainment venues on Farish Street. Get breaking progress news at jfpdaily.com.

jacksonfreepress.com

BOOM, from page 17

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BOOM, from page 19

September 15 - 21, 2010

timated the economic impact of college students on the Jackson metro area at $3.5 billion. Almost 40,000 students attend the colleges, universities and community colleges in the metro area, yet the city has not begun to market itself as a college town until recently. That means building stronger ties between government, businesses, and Jackson’s education and health-care institutions, he says. Johnson said that his administration has only recently begun talking with health-care institutions about city support, but that one possible area could be the development of Woodrow Wilson Avenue as a “health-care corridor,” incorporating the Jackson Medical Mall and UMMC.

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The city is also working to develop more innovative support for development. As evidence, Johnson points to the opening of a Vowell’s Market Place in the south Jackson location previously occupied by a Kroger grocery store. The city enticed Vowell’s with a $50,000 grant. The incentive was “a new tool in the toolbox,” Johnson says, created using U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds. Johnson expects the store to have between $8 million and $10 million in sales and generate over $100,000 in sales tax for the city in its first year. Big-Ticket Inspiration Duckworth says that the key to sustaining Jackson’s growth is keeping a pipeline of projects in various stages of conception and

completion. His own ambitious proposition, the District at Eastover, is stalled for the moment while he negotiates with the state for the northeast Jackson property. The Mississippi Legislature passed a bill this year authorizing the state to sell the old Mississippi School for the Blind and Deaf to Duckworth, but Duckworth says that the sale is still pending. David Watkins, fresh off his successful completion of the King Edward and Standard Life Building has set his sights on the Metrocenter Mall. Watkins’ plan calls for moving the Jackson Public Schools’ administrative offices to the mall, to save the district money and act as an anchor for future commercial development. The JPS Board could vote to make the move during the next school year, but the later phases of Watkins’ plan, including a movie

theater and “water feature” are three to seven years from completion. Watkins is also shopping another, even larger vision he calls Jackson Riverwalk and Town Lake. The project includes a mile-long man-made canal and a 35-acre lake in downtown Jackson, which would take at least five years to build. Much like the King Edward and Standard Life, proposals like these generate excitement and spur other developers to dream up their own projects. When complete, they are a source of civic pride and cause for optimism. “The question that I get most often from friends and strangers is, ‘When are you going to turn some dirt?’” Old Capitol Green developer Carlton Brown said. “After the King Edward opened up, people weren’t so harsh in their questioning.” Jackson’s growth is not simply a matter of giant steps taken every five years, however. The city is passing smaller development milestones regularly. On the other side of the King Edward, unused storage space underneath the Mill Street viaduct could become an open-air market. Jason Brookins, executive director of the Jackson Redevelopment Authority, introduced the idea, called Union Market, in July and believes JRA could advertise for proposals by the end of the year. The 34-acre Jackson Square shopping mall at Terry Road and Interstate 55 is currently only 20 percent occupied, but California-based developer Jessie Wright, who bought the property in February, has plans to bring a roller-skating rink, soul-food restaurant, grocery store and call center to the mall. While ambitious, expensive proposals are less likely to find funding these days, it’s still essential that developers have the ideas, Lee says: “They’ve got to be in the hopper. We’ve got to continue to look at those things even when the money looks slim. You think about how farther along we would be if we had more projects in the hopper when the (federal) stimulus act was passed.” Streets and Lights and Pipes The pace of development is all the more remarkable given the persistent gloom of a national economy that makes banks and municipal government alike wary of loaning money for potentially risky projects. Old Capitol Green prophet Carlton Brown has had to pursue zoning changes, draft a public-private partnership with the county and city, and secure financing for his planned 50-acre mixed-use development—no easy task in this climate, he says. “We had to try to structure the financing in the biggest financial collapse since the Great Depression,” Brown says. “So you stack all those things on top of each other, and I’m pretty pleased we’re moving this fast.” Delays in financing have also slowed progress near Jackson State University, where the first phase of its University Place project—a four-story, mixed-use residential and commercial building—broke ground earlier this year on Dalton Street. Financing for later phases of the development, which call for market-rate housing near BOOM, see page 22


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the Terry Road roundabout, is still uncertain. With the national economy still struggling, loans may remain scarce for some time, but Jackson also has a more immediate threat to redevelopment efforts. Jackson’s aging infrastructure is also “major impediment” to future development, Lee says. “You can’t put up a 12-story building if you can’t flush the toilet,” he said. “It’s a very, very real issue.” Old water and sewer lines have held up progress on Old Capitol Green for multiple years, according to Brown and his partner, Malcolm Shepherd. Full Spectrum is in the middle of negotiations with the city and Hinds County over their roles in providing infrastructure for the development. As Shepherd explains it, Commerce Street has never seen the density of development that Full Spectrum is proposing for that area of downtown. “The nine-inch water line that runs down Commerce Street could not service one of the buildings we’re talking about,” Shepherd said. “We need a much bigger line. The 13-inch sewer line that services Commerce Street is under capacity for even one of our buildings. In one of those residential buildings, if everybody flushed their toilet at the same time, someone’s going to be unhappy.” The city’s infrastructure needs also present opportunities, however. Rebuilding the city’s thoroughfares and utilities can fundamentally change the way the city and future development responds to Jackson’s population. Brown refers to this as “placemaking,” creating public and semi-public spaces that promote the kind of informal interaction between citizens that strengthens a community. “You need to have those sorts of places to create real community, because real community happens informally,” Brown said. “The sort of isolation that was created by the cul-de-sacs of the suburbs worked against forming communities; when you don’t know your neighbor, there’s no place to gather. … It doesn’t take a huge investment to create these places, you just need to

understand that the creation of those places is important.” Many of the South’s iconic cities have these public spaces—like Savannah, Ga., with its 22 park-like squares—but Jackson has less of this available, Brown says. Old Capitol Green’s design is based around 14 square blocks, and nearly every block has an open-air courtyard at its center. The project also calls for a fountain and square at the intersection of Court and Commerce streets, and for an extension of the grassy median and bike paths along Commerce Street. Street redesign projects in other parts of the city hold a similar promise of making the city more livable. After initial meetings between city officials and residents in 2001, the city has plans to begin preliminary infrastructure work on a redesign of Fortification Street by the end of the year. The redesign will eliminate one lane from the pothole-ridden commuter thoroughfare, creating a three-lane road with a central turn lane, wider sidewalks, decorative street lighting and underground utility lines. The city has $8.4 million for the $15.5 million project already on hand and is requesting an additional $4 million from the Mississippi Development Authority. City Planning Director Corinne Fox said that the project would make the road more appropriate for the people that live around it. “It makes (the street) compatible, so it’s not just a major road running through the middle of the neighborhood, … separating the neighborhood and creating a hazard,” Fox said. “It’s making it people-friendly.” The city is planning a similar project to extend the Metro Parkway, with its landscaping, wide sidewalks and bike paths, from its current endpoint at Wiggins Road to Ellis Avenue, Fox said. The Mississippi Department of Transportation also awarded the city $2 million for improvements to sidewalks, street lighting and landscaping along North State Street in the Fondren area, a project that is under way. BOOM, see page 24


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BOOM, from page 22

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Although they lack the glamour of restored old buildings or shiny new ones, infrastructural changes are the connective tissue that is essential to giving a redeveloped Jackson its own character. “There’s not a city in the country that you go to and leave thinking, ‘That was the greatest convention center I have ever been

IS NOW A

COOPERATIVE

Waiting for the Convention Center Hotel

by Lacey McLaughlin

Dale and Associates

CONSUMER

to,’ because they’re all pretty much the same place,” John Lawrence said. “One might be a little nicer than the other, and Jackson’s is really, really nice. But you go away thinking, ‘That was the coolest little restaurant I ate at.’ … Those are the memories you go away with, things that are authentic to the area, and that’s the hardest thing to do. … The mistake is assuming it will happen, if you build the big thing, because it will not happen by itself.”

The city and developers of the proposed convention center hotel are hopeful that construction could begin on the project by the end of the year.

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apital City Center, the long-awaited convention center hotel and multi-use development planned for four blocks of Pascagoula Street, could begin construction by the end of this year if developer MJS Realty is able to secure funding. Though the project has been slow moving since MJS acquired the property in 2006, last week Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said that the project was still a reality. Johnson said he met with MJS Realty President Mark Small Sept. 8, and the developer is in the process of submitting proper documentation to various funding sources such as the Mississippi Development Authority. “Things are moving ahead with convention center hotel,” Johnson said Sept. 8. “It’s a tight timeline that we are operating under, but things are moving. I was told we would be seeing some of those documents in short order.” Since the Jackson Convention Center celebrated its grand opening in January 2009, the city has experienced a surge of visitors and events downtown. To expand that economic boom, Convention Center Executive Director Linda McCarthy and city officials have pushed for a convention center hotel. McCarthy estimates that the project would bring $26 million in tax revenue over 30 years and provide 164 permanent jobs. The ambitious project calls for two hotels—a 19-story Crowne Plaza Hotel with 300 guest rooms and a 175-room Staybridge Suites Hotel—retail, office and residential units, a 1,500-car garage and skywalks. In June, Jackson City Council members passed a resolution for a cost-sharing agreement with MJS Realty for the $200 million project. Because of what he called a “tough economic climate,” MJS financial consultant Steven Hattier said the

project would need assistance from the city to become a reality. “We expect the project to be self financing, but as credit markets have dried up and financing for new construction— or projects that do not already have cash flow already associated—there isn’t a lot of availability in credit,” Hattier told the city council in June. Small said the development would use GO Zone bonds, a $7 million U.S. Department of Urban Housing and Development loan allocated through the city, new market tax credits and other bonds to finance the project. The city has also allocated $2.9 million in Katrina Community Development Block Grants for the development in its proposed 2011 fiscal year budget, which begins Oct. 1. The agreement entails several financial “backstops,” such as a reserve fund that will increase to $17.5 million for the developers to use if they are unable to make bond payments. The city is ultimately responsible for 50 percent of the bond debt (or $3 million) should those backstops fail. By backing the development, the city is serving as a co-signer for the project and guaranteeing 6 percent interest on the bonds, a opposed to 9 percent without the city’s support. John Lawrence, former Jackson Downtown Partners president, was on the front end of the project in 2006. He said cities with strong downtown office markets have a better success rate for a convention center hotel to generate revenue. “For the city to participate in this project is not unusual. Actually it’s pretty common,” he said. “What you run into with convention center hotels and convention centers (is that) often, what leads to the success of the convention center is the availability of hotel rooms. But the supply of hotel rooms is almost always driven by business travelers who have nothing to do with the convention center.”


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BEST BETS September 16 - 23 by Latasha Willis events@jacksonfreepress.com Fax: 601-510-9019 Daily updates at jfpevents.com

Thursday 9/16

Paul Fayard

Authors such as Melissa Marr and Jessica Verday sign their books during “The Smart Chicks Kick It Tour” at Plantation Commons (105 Plantation Cove, Madison) at 5 p.m. Book prices vary; call 601-366-7619. … The opening reception for Ben Purvis at Southern Breeze Gallery (1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland) is from 5-8 p.m. during Ridgeland Rendezvous. Free; call 601-607-4147. … Jackson Street Gallery (Trace Station, 500 Highway 51 N., Suite E, Ridgeland) hosts a pastel artist reception at 5 p.m. Free; call 601-853-1880. … The urban art exhibition “Art, Beats + Lyrics” at The South (627 E. Silas Brown St.) is at 7 p.m. Free; register at gentleman jackabl.com. … The musical “Little Women” at Mississippi College (200 Capitol St, Clinton) is at 7 p.m. and runs through Sept. 26. $15, $10 students; call 601-925-3440. The sixth an-

Perry and Chris Derrick perform at Burgers & Blues from 7-11 p.m. Call 601-899-0038. … The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra performs at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral (305 E. Capitol St.) at 7:30 p.m. $15; call 601-960-1565. … BlackOut Friday at Dreamz Jxn is at 9 p.m. $10; free for first 50 ladies; call 601-212-9264. … Jackie Bell and Listen 2 Three perform at 930 Blues Café at 9:30 p.m. $10. … Dash Rip Rock plays Fire at 10 p.m. Call 601-592-1000. … Lord T & Eloise and Hillkrunk play Martin’s at 10 p.m. Call 601-354-9712.

Saturday 9/18

Outdoor and Heritage Day at the Mississippi Craft Center (950 Rice Road, Ridgeland) is at 9 a.m. Free; call 601-8567546. … The Gospel Explosion starts the Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.) at 6:30 p.m. and benefits the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s renal dialysis program. $10; call 601-624-3246. … It’s the Magnolia Roller Vixens vs. the Cajun Rollergirls during the “September to Dismember” roller derby at the Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.) at 7 p.m. $12 in advance, $15 day of bout, $5 children 12 and under; visit magnoliarollervixens.com.… Dirtfoot plays at Martin’s at 10 p.m. Call 601-354-9712.

aka Prep at Dreamz Jxn is from 6-10 p.m. Free; please RSVP at 601-502-5581, 601-238-8115 or 601-502-3644. … Destruction Unit and Wild Emotions play at Ole Tavern at 9 p.m. Call 601-960-2700.

Tuesday 9/21

Wellsfest Art Night at the Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.) at 5 p.m. benefits Mississippi Families for Kids. Free admission, live auction; call 601-353-0658. … The Szlubowski Duo plays piano during Unburied Treasures at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.) at 5:30 p.m. Free admission; call 601-960-1515. … “Legally Blonde: The Musical” at Thalia Mara Hall is at 7:30 p.m with another show Sept. 22. $20-$62.50; call 800-745-3000. … Harpsichordist John Paul performs at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral (305 E. Capitol St.) at 7:30 p.m. $15; call 601-960-1565. … The Xtremez play at Shucker’s from 7:30-11:30 p.m. Free.

Wednesday 9/22

See the homeless photography exhibit “That’s Not All There Is” at Eudora Welty Library (300 N. State St.) during 9/19 normal hours. Free; call 601-960-2178. … Saving Abel, We The play “Red, White & Tuna” at New Stage Theatre Are the Fallen and Teddy Porter perform at Fire at 9 p.m. For (1100 Carlisle St.) is at 2 p.m. with additional shows Sept. 22- ages 18 and up; call 601-592-1000. … Cary Hudson performs 26. $25, $22 students and seniors; call 601-948-3533. … Bub- at Fenian’s at 9 p.m. Free. ble Puppy plays at Shucker’s from 3-7 p.m. Free. … The Just 4 the Kids Drill Team Showcase at Hughes Field (Ellis Ave. and Oakmont Drive) is at 5 p.m. $8 in advance, $10 at the gate, 9/23 children under 3 free; call 601-968-8131. Downtown at Dusk at the Old Capitol Inn (226 N. State St.) is from 5-8 p.m. with music by Coop D’Belle. Free admission with refreshments for sale; call 601-974-6044, ext. 221. … 9/20 The St. Andrew’s Episcopal Choir performs at St. James Epis The exhibit “Transforming the Human Spirit” at Smith copal Church (3921 Oakridge Drive) at 7:30 p.m. Donations Robertson Museum (528 Bloom St.) opens today and runs welcome; call 601-594-5584. … Purse Strings plays in Hal & through Oct. 2. Free; call 601-513-1757. … The Grown & Mal’s. Call 601-948-0888. Sexy Reserved Mixtape/Listening Party for DatBoiDrumma More events and details at jfpevents.com.

Sunday

Thursday

Monday

“Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington” by Paul Fayard is one of the paintings that will be auctioned off at WellsFest Art Night Sept. 21.

September 15 - 21, 2010

Friday 9/17

The Ballyhoo Arts Festival at Wired Espresso Café is at 4:30 p.m. with sales benefiting the Mississippi Wildlife Federation. Laurel Isbister, Skyler Bready and David Hawkins perform. Free admission; call 601-500-7800 or 256-509-0649. … The Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus is at the Mississippi Coliseum at 7 p.m. with shows through Sept. 19. 26 $14-$45; call 601-355-5252; visit ticketmaster.com. … Adam

Courtesy Melissa Tillman

nual Fur Ball at Renaissance (1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland) at 7 p.m. benefits the Mississippi Animal Rescue League. $60, $110 couples; call 601-497-4340. … Electric Co. plays at Underground 119 at 9 p.m. Call 601-352-2322. … Liver Mousse is at Hal & Mal’s at 9 p.m. Free. … Scott Albert Johnson plays Poets II at 10 p.m. Call 601-364-9411.

Turner Crumbley and Ray McFarland both play multiple roles in “Red, White & Tuna” at New Stage Theatre through Sept. 26.


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by Katie Bonds

Ginger Williams-Cook opens her untitled solo exhibit Thursday, Sept. 9 at the Mississippi Arts Center.The exhibit features her nationally recognized nesting dolls.

N

ot only does Ginger Williams-Cook, 29, do portraits, abstract paintings, figure drawings and even artwork for restaurant tables, she is also a dedicated volunteer. She helped start the community art program, LifeShards, at the Mississippi Museum of Art, and she currently volunteers with Operation Shoestring’s after-school arts program and VSA Mississippi’s ArtBuds, an arts program for adults and children with disabilities. She recently spoke with the JFP about her experiences as an artist and volunteer. When did you realize you had real talent as an artist? When I was 21, my mother died and that was probably the turning point that made me a true artist. And that’s the most important part in my artistic career and my development, too. ... It quit being academic for me. It quit being about doing so many studies in still lifes or assignments in school. Did anything change in your art, or did you just start producing more? Everything changed. Before then, I was very much a perfectionist and I wasn’t very forgiving of myself. When I would get to that point of frustration, I would rip up what I was working with. ... But after my mother died, I was so sad, and I was in this almost walking dream state where I had to produce ... and I couldn’t produce enough. My entire life became about art and became art. It completely transformed me. Why do you think you became more forgiving of yourself? I guess because losing my mother, it was completely out of my control. And I think as a means of survival, as emotional survival, I realized that I had to give up control of all things, but, of course, be smart and be aware. And it very much applied to my art, because being an artist means to be aware and to be

observant. And it is freeing when you can be aware and be observant but also give up control, and let things be as they are, and take things for what they are. After that I started teaching adults and children, and that was one of the most important messages. It wasn’t for them to do a technically good piece of art but for them to do something fairly experimental and feel good about the process, … and it’s still my applied philosophy as a teacher, because you can have foundations in art but when you sit down a child with a box of markers or paint, you don’t expect them to draw like Michelangelo. You encourage them to just play. I guess I kind of felt like a child again because I started playing and having fun. Everything I had learned at that point was still kind of ingrained in me technically with school. And so I was able to get my own voice. What do you want the kids to take away from Operation Shoestring’s afterschool arts program? Just for them to reward themselves for the job they’ve done, and that you can be anything you want to be. I always have a globe in the classroom to show that there’s a bigger world outside of Jackson and a bigger world outside of Mississippi. In the South, we often see things as black or white, and I want them to realize there’s a bigger world out there— that they can leave their circumstance, … and to learn as much as they can. Do you volunteer anywhere else? I do a program with VSA called ArtBuds. This is my third year doing this. I’ve been part of it with several of my friends, and we are paired with a child with disabilities. … Last year I had a child that had autism. He loved to write. He believed in ciphers and all these codes and loved history and really loved Abraham Lincoln. So I got him to fill up an entire canvas with his script, and it’s a collaboration project. So with all his words in pencil (I also got him to do all the states in alphabetical order), I drew Mount Rushmore in the middle of all that. It was a really fun project. He actually taught me a few things. What do you take away from the experience of volunteering? I’m working with kids, and that keeps me in check and helps my imagination, oftentimes, when it’s easy to get bogged down in adult responsibilities. That can kind of freak you out as an artist because there’s not always stability. And that’s one of the scariest things about being an artist. … Sometimes I’ll look at (the kids) and go, “Wow, on your short time on earth, you’ve experienced some hardships I can’t even wrap my head around.” So it keeps me in touch, and also I feel really good about making an impact in my community. That’s something that can’t be seen, but it can be felt. Williams-Cook’s solo exhibit is at the Mississippi Arts Center until Sept. 30.


by Tom Head

COURTESY THE NEW PRESS

Rivaling Slavery

M

ost dystopian novels are cautionary tales. Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” (The New Press, 2010, $27.95) reads like a dystopian novel, but it’s too late for caution. This dystopia is real, and it’s a damning portrait of a criminal justice system that rivals the institution of slavery in scope and depravity—and may be just as difficult to address. Our prison system is so massive that it has become, in its own obscene way, a contemporary Wonder of the World. No nation in human history has imprisoned as many people: 2.3 million, or one-fourth of the total world prison population. Add in the number of people on probation or parole, and the number spikes to approximately 7.3 million, according to the most recent (2008) figures from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. If our system of incarceration were a country, it would be larger than Denmark, Libya, or Singapore. This would be bad enough if prisons had a net positive effect on our culture—but our criminal-justice system, which is oriented more toward punishment than rehabilitation, seems designed to prevent incarcerated adults from living healthy lives after they’re released. Felons can be legally discriminated against by employers, prohibited from voting and blocked from public housing projects. The end result, for the 5.4 million disenfranchised ex-felons living in the United States, is a second-class citizenship status very reminiscent of Jim Crow—especially in a system where the majority of incarcerated individuals are black and Latino men. Because buildings tend to last longer than other relics of old civilizations, they tend to define how we see history. When we think of ancient Egypt, we think of the Pyramids. When we think of ancient Greece, we think of the temples. When we think of ancient Rome, we think of the roads and aqueducts. And when archaeologists look back on the United States, it’s likely that they’ll think of prisons—and with the United States’ long history of institutional racism, it is likely that prisons

The purple ribbon is a symbol of domestic violence awareness and prevention. Please wear a touch of purple to show your support for the cause.

will be seen as racial institutions. The United States of 2010 may be remembered primarily as a country that needlessly and fruitlessly imprisoned millions of men of color in order to appease the fears of whites. Articulating the institutional flaws of our criminal justice system is essential to correcting them, and Alexander does this well, but the book is less useful as a guide on how to address these injustices. Her frustration with the moderate policies of the NAACP and other traditional civil rights organizations is both clear and clearly justified, but she has no specific call to action, no itemized legislative agenda and very few usable talking points. What her book provides, instead, is a fair and honest account of what U.S. criminal justice policy is doing to its victims. Whether she’s writing about the mother who was sentenced to a five-year mandatory minimum sentence for cocaine possession because her son hid crack in the attic, the absurdity of releasing a struggling ex-felon into the general population with no employment prospects and no access to public housing, or the political benefits conservative politicians reap as a result of felony voter disenfranchisement, she tells this story in a painfully clear way. “The New Jim Crow” is, in effect, the latest volume in a multi-volume history of American injustice. This history began with the publication of Bartolomé de las Casas’ “Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias” (1552), which chronicled SpanishAmerican genocide, and has been expanded over the centuries with slave narratives, civil rights manifestoes, and other accounts of atrocities that many contemporary policymakers would prefer to forget, so as to better repeat them. This is what America looks like in the confession booth. But there is a tone of sadness, of resignation, in the book—the sense that Alexander knows that these horrible things are happening, and that any attempt to correct them within the near future is likely to be futile. Nowhere is this clearer than in her preface, which begins with the phrase “[T]his book is not for everyone” and proceeds to describe an intended audience made up of “people who care deeply about racial justice” but “do not yet appreciate the magnitude of the crisis faced by communities of color as a result of mass incarceration.” In other words, the goal of the book is to make America’s most socially conscious residents more aware of a specific problem that they need to solve—but as Alexander acknowledges in the final chapter of the book, this is not enough. The criminal-justice reform movement is a struggle against fear, bigotry and ignorance, and it is likely to be a very difficult struggle. Jackson native Tom Head is secretary of the Mississippi ACLU, writes About.com’s Guide to CivilLiberties,andisauthororco-authorof24nonfiction books, including “Crime and Punishment in America” (Checkmark Books, 2010, $21.95).

SUE ELSE

DONNA LADD

JANE PHILO

The Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence

for Peace

invites you to attend

Purple

October 1, 2010 | 11:30 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. | Hilton Jackson Hotel • Guest Speaker: Sue Else, President of the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) • Mistress of Ceremony: Donna Ladd, Editor in Chief, Jackson Free Press • Special “Purple Peace Prize” Presented to Mrs. Jane Philo, renowned advocate • Musical Performance by Power Academic and Performing Arts Complex String Ensemble • “Paint the Town Purple” Raffle ($10 per raffle ticket)

$15 per ticket | RSVP by Sept. 20th | 601-981-9196

jacksonfreepress.com

books

29


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., where they discuss vital issues and play local music. This week’s guests are Jonathan Winston, renal social worker at UMMC, and gospel singer Ashford Sanders, who will talk about the Gospel Explosion at the Jackson Medical Mall on Sept. 18, and Anna Crump, who will discuss Purple for Peace. Listen to podcasts of all shows at jfpradio.com. Free; call 601362-6121, ext. 17. Taste of India Sept. 18, 6 p.m., at Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum (1150 Lakeland Drive), in Sparkman Auditorium. The event includes dinner, music, regional cultural programs, a silent auction, a raffle and door prizes. Proceeds benefit the Children’s Museum of Mississippi. $25 in advance, $30 at the gate, $15 students, $10 kids 5-12; call 601-988-1522. September to Dismember Sept. 18, 7 p.m., at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). The Magnolia Roller Vixens take on the Cajun Rollergirls. $12 in advance, $15 day of bout, $5 kids 12 and under; visit magnoliarollervixens.com. WellsFest Art Night Sept. 21, 5 p.m., at Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.). The live auction of works by central Mississippi artists includes music and food. Proceeds benefit Mississippi Families for Kids. Free admission; call 601-353-0658. Mississippi Happening ongoing. The live monthly broadcast is hosted by Guaqueta Productions and features a special musical guest. Download free podcasts at mississippihappening.com.

Community Events at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). • A Conversation About Community Sept. 16, 6:30 p.m. The event will feature a panel discussion on issues affecting our community, including poverty, race, health care and faith. Panelists include Dr. James Keeton, Dr. Leslie McLemore and Constance Slaughter-Harvey. $50; visit operationshoestring.org. • Office for Civil Rights Presentation Sept. 18, 9:30 a.m., in West Trustmark Meeting Room 1. The topic is “Ensuring Equal Access and Promoting Educational Achievement and Excellence for All Students.” Parents, community groups and advocates are encouraged to attend. Free; call 214661-9625 or 877-521-2172 (TDD). Highway 80 Corridor Public Forum Sept. 16, 6 p.m., at Battlefield Park Community Center (953 Porter St.). The purpose of the forum is to give the public a chance to review concept plans, maps and proposed zoning changes. Call 601-981-1511. Precinct 3 COPS Meeting Sept. 16, 6 p.m., at Jackson Police Department, Precinct 3 (3925 W. Northside Drive). These monthly forums are designed to help resolve community issues or problems, from crime to potholes. Call 601-960-0003.

“Community Empowerment Through Social Institutions” Sept. 16, 6:30 p.m., at Jackson State University (1400 John R. Lynch St.), in room 266 of the Dollye M.E. Robinson Liberal Arts Building. Part of the Medgar Evers/Ella Baker Civil Rights Lecture Series, a discussion panel will focus on community empowerment through family, church, and school. Panelists include Bishop Ronnie Crudup, David Watkins, John M. Perkins, Lescener Brooks and Robert Mack. Free; call 601-979-1562. Amnesty Days Sept. 16-17, at Jackson Municipal Court (327 E. Pascagoula St.). Amnesty Days allow citizens an opportunity to pay their tickets, court-imposed fines and court costs with the added advantage of having the warrant fee and the administration fee waived for each violation. Hours are 9 a.m.-8 p.m. each day. Call 601-960-1932 or 601960-1948. Hinds County Human Resource Agency Awards & Recognition Gala Sept. 17, 7 p.m., at Hilton Jackson (1001 E. County Line Road). This year’s guest speaker is Dr. William Cooley, businessman and former Jackson State University Dean of the School of Business and Economics. Christa Bennett will perform. $50; call 601-923-1794. Foundation for the Mid South Do-Gooders Call for Nominations through Sept. 17 Foundation for the Mid South Do-Gooders is an online campaign inviting the public to nominate and vote for organizations and individuals contributing to or supporting great deeds within their communities in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 17 at midnight CST. Visit fndmidsouth.org. National Carousel Day Sept. 18, 9 a.m., at Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.). Come and celebrate with carousel activities and a 50-percent discount on carousel rides. $1 ride plus paid admission; call 601-352-2580. Project Homeless Connect Week Sept. 20-24. Events include the photography exhibit “That’s Not All There Is: Snapshots and Stories of the Homeless” at Eudora Welty Library (300 N. State St.), the One Stop Service Fair on Sept. 21 at Smith Park (302 E. Amite St.) from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. which provides resources for the homeless, The Mixin’ It Up concert featuring homeless and former homeless musicians at Smith Park from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., and the Conference on Homelessness on Sept. 24 at Galloway United Methodist Church (305 N. Congress St.) from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Free; call 601960-2178. Jackson Bike Advocates Meeting Sept. 20, 6:30 p.m., at Jackson Community Design Center (509 E. Capitol St.). The meeting is open to the public. Call jacksonbikeadvocates@gmail.com. A Call For Change: HIV/AIDS in Mississippi Sept. 21, 2 p.m., at Cabot Lodge Millsaps (2375 N. State St.). A Brave New Day, AIDS Action in Mississippi and Mississippi In Action are the hosts. The advocacy training/workshop (registration required) is from 2-4 p.m., and the town hall meeting with the Mississippi Department of Health is from 6-8 p.m. Topics include the search for a new state

September 15 - 21, 2010

30

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rt, Beats + Lyrics, a traveling urban art exhibition sponsored by Jack Daniel’s, makes a stop in Jackson this week. The exhibition—one of the largest urban exhibitions in the nation—showcases artwork from established and up-and-coming artists. The photography, sculpture, graffiti, film, video and performance art explore a myriad of themes, and hip-hop is the soundtrack to it all. If you’re 21 or older, don’t miss Art, Beats + Lyrics at The South Warehouse (627 E. Silas Brown St.), Thursday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m.-midnight. Register at gentlemanjackabl.com/event.

courtesy Art, Beats + Lyrics

Escape the Mainstream


INDIA ASSOCIATION OF MISSISSIPPI BRINGS YOU

“History Is Lunch” Sept. 22, noon, at William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.). Artist Glennray Tutor shows his paintings and discusses his unique approach to his art. Bring a lunch; call 601-576-6998. Family-to-Family Education Course through Nov. 30, at St. Dominic Hospital (969 Lakeland Drive). NAMI Mississippi (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is offering the 12-week course to family members of adults with serious mental illnesses. Topics covered include brain biology, medications and side effects, coping and communication strategies. Classes are from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. Registration is required. Free; call 601-899-9058.

Farmers’ Markets Olde Towne Market Sept. 18, 9 a.m., in downtown Clinton. Vendors will sell everything from fresh produce to unique handmade crafts on the brick streets of Olde Towne Clinton. Live performances by The Varners and David Hawkins are included. Free admission; call 601-924-5472. Farmers’ Market through Oct. 30, at Byram Farmers Market (20 Willow Creek Lane, Byram). The market is open Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. until Oct. 30. Products include fresh produce, wildflower honey, roasted peanuts, jams, jellies, birdhouses, and baskets and gourds for crafting. Call 601-373-4545. Farmers’ Market through Nov. 7, at Old Farmers’ Market (352 E. Woodrow Wilson Ave.). Brenda’s Produce features fruits, vegetables and flowers from Smith County, and Berry’s Produce also has a wide selection of products. Hours are 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Sunday. Call 601-354-0529 or 601-353-1633. Greater Belhaven Market through Dec. 18, at Mississippi Farmers Market (929 High St.). Buy local fresh produce or other food or gift items. The market is open every Thursday and Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Free admission; call 601-506-2848 or 601-354-6573. Farmers’ Market through Dec. 24, at Old Fannin Road Farmers’ Market (1307 Old Fannin Road, Brandon). Homegrown produce is for sale MondaySaturday from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. and noon-6 p.m. Sunday until Christmas Eve. Call 601-919-1690. Farmers’ Market ongoing, at Mississippi Farmers Market (929 High St.). Shop the Mississippi Farmers Market for fresh locally-grown fruits and vegetables from Mississippi farmers, specialty foods, and crafts from local artisans. The market is open every Thursday and Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Call 601-354-6573. Farmers’ Market ongoing, at Jackson Roadmap to Health Equity Project’s Farmers’ Market (2548 Livingston Road). Buy from a wide selection of fresh produce provided by participating local farmers. Market hours are noon-6 p.m. on Fridays, and 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Free admission; call 601-987-6783.

Stage and Screen “Red, White & Tuna” Sept. 14-19 and Sept. 2226, at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). The southern comedy about the polyester-clad citizens of Tuna, Texas is written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14-18 and Sept. 22-25, and 2 p.m. Sept. 19 and Sept 26. $25, $22 seniors and students; call 601-948-3533. “Little Women” Sept. 16-19 and Sept. 23-26, at Mississippi College (200 Capitol St., Clinton), in Jean Pittman Williams Recital Hall. The Mississippi College Music Theatre presents the musical based

on the novel by Louisa May Alcott. Show times are 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. $15, $10 students; call 601-925-3440. Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Sept. 17, 7 p.m., at Mississippi Coliseum (1207 Mississippi St.). The “Illuscination Tour” includes a wide variety of circus acts. Shows are at 7 p.m. Sept. 17, and at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sept. 18-19. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. $14-$45; call 601-355-5252. Just 4 the Kids Drill Team Showcase Sept. 19, 5 p.m., at Hughes Field (Ellis Ave. and Oakmont Drive). More than 20 local community and school drill teams will perform. Special guests include the Purple Diamonds, the Golden Highsteppers, the Prancing Tigerettes, Noo Noo and Skull Boi. Free school supplies will be given to the first 100 kids, and door prizes will be raffled off. $8 in advance, $10 at the gate, children under 3 free; call 601968-8131. “Legally Blonde: The Musical” Sept. 21-22, at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The Broadway musical is based on the popular 2001 film about a sorority star who decides to go to law school. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. nightly. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com. $20-$62.50; call 800-745-3000. “Fed Up” Sept. 21, 7 p.m., at Kismet’s Restaurant (315 Crossgates Blvd., #G, Brandon). The Detectives Mystery Dinner Theatre presents the four-act interactive comedy. The dinner includes a salad, an entree and a dessert. $39; call 601-291-7444.

Music Events at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral (305 E. Capitol St.). • Chamber I: Best of the Baroque Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m. The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s program includes Bach’s “Orchestral Suite No. 2” and selections by Handel. Award-winning violinist Gareth Johnson will also play Bach’s “Violin Concerto No. 2.” $15; call 601-960-1565. • Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music Recital Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m. John Paul presents the first of three recitals of the Bach partitas on the harpsichord. $15; call 601-594-5584. Guest Artist Recital Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m., at Millsaps College, Ford Academic Complex (1701 N. State St.). Robert Knupp, organ professor at Mississippi College and organist at Galloway United Methodist Church, performs music by Bach, Bolcom and Reubke. Free; call 601-974-1422.

Literary and Signings The Smart Chicks Kick It Tour Sept. 16, 5 p.m., at Plantation Commons (105 Plantation Cove, Madison). Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Jessica Verday will discuss and sign their books. Book prices vary; call 601-366-7619. Louis Bourgeois Sept. 16, 9 p.m., at Mississippi Public Broadcasting - MPB-TV (Channel 29). The author will appear on the show “Writers” to discuss his memoir entitled “The Gar Diaries,” which was nominated for the National Book Award in 2008. Visit mpbonline.org. Events at Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 North). Call 601-366-7619. • Lemuria Story Time Sept. 18, 10:30 a.m. This week’s book is “Pajama Pirates” by Andrew Kramer. Come wearing your pajamas in honor of National Pirate Day. Free. • “Dutch Coffee Shop” Sept. 18, 1 p.m. Ned Germany signs copies of his book. $26.95 book. Black Stallion Literacy Program Sept. 21, 10 a.m., at Kirk Fordice Equine Center (Mississippi

More EVENTS, see page 32

ALL PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT THE MISSISSIPPI CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

Saturday, September 18, 2010 Social Hour - 6:00 p.m., Dinner - 6:30 p.m. Agriculture & Forestry Museum 1150 Lakeland Dr. Jackson, MS 39216 Entertainment to follow $25 advance per person | $30 at gate Includes dinner, entertainment & a chance to win an exciting raffle prize! Children ages 5-12 $10, ages 4 & under Free Students with ID $15 • Silent auction items donated by local businesses • Entertainment blending the cultures of East and West To purchase tickets via PayPal, visit www.iaminfo.org and click on the Taste of India link.

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AIDS director and necessary improvements on how the health department handles HIV/AIDS issues. Meals are included. Free; call 601-713-3999, 601316-6373 or 601-944-1403.

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jfpevents

from page 33

Fairgrounds, 1207 Mississippi St.). In addition to receiving a copy of “The Black Stallion,� see actors in Arabian costumes perform on horseback. The program is geared toward fifth-graders, but the public is invited to attend. $10; call 601-405-6835.

CREATIVE CLASSES Shut Up and Write! Sign up for the workshop series of JFP cditor-in-chief Donna Ladd’s popular nonfiction and creativity classes. Classes are forming now, so call 601-362-6121, ext. 16 or e-mail class@ jacksonfreepress.com to be added to the list.

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We carry NFL Sunday Ticket and ESPN Gameplan to show all football games!

Turkish Cuisine Classes Sept. 18, 11 a.m., at Raindrop Turkish House (900 E. County Line Road, Suite 201A, Ridgeland). Experienced instructors will teach students how to make traditional Turkish dishes. Space is limited. Call 769-251-0074.

H APPY HOUR

Monday - Saturday, 2-7pm 2-for-1 All Mixed Drinks, $1 Off Draft & Wine and 59 Cent Wings

12 BEERS ON TAP

Kitchen Open ‘til 2 AM

Follow Mississippi Happening on Twitter and Facebook.

1428 Old Square Road in Jackson 601.713.2700 lastcallsportsgrill.com

EXHIBITS AND OPENINGS

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Events at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.). Call 601-974-1130. • Bamboo Solutions Sept. 21-Oct. 5. Classes are from 6:30-8 p.m. on Tuesdays. Learn about varieties of bamboo, growing and harvesting it, preparing it for arts and crafts projects, and products made from the plant. $60. • Basics of Portrait Drawing Sept. 21-Oct. 26. Classes are from 6-7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. This class will create a fun atmosphere that allows students to learn the basic techniques for drawing faces. With the instruction and help of the teacher, students will draw a facial portrait of their favorite friend or loved one and complete the portrait by the end of the program. A supply list will be mailed upon registration. $90 plus supplies. • Advanced Writing and Selling Short Stories Sept. 21-Nov. 2. John Floyd is the instructor. The class meets on Tuesdays from 7-9 p.m. This follow-up course to “Writing and Selling Short Storiesâ€? will cover advanced writing and marketing techniques, narrative structure and the analysis of both literary and commercial short fiction. $100.

Team Loyalty Contests and Sports Trivia! All games for the NFL Sunday Ticket, ESPN Game Plan and NFL Channel showing here! 20+ TVs and a Projector Screen!

Daily Lunch Specials - $9

Happy Hour Everyday 4-7 LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR

Sunday - Thursday 10pm - 12am

2-FOR-1, YOU CALL IT!

601.978.1839

6270 Old Canton Rd. Jackson, MS 39211

WellsFest Art Show through Sept. 21, at Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.). The exhibit includes art created by some of central Mississippi’s finest artists collected by Wells United Methodist Church. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays, Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from noon5 p.m.. Free; call 601-960-1557. Outdoor and Heritage Day Sept. 18, 9 a.m., at Mississippi Craft Center (950 Rice Road, Ridgeland). Meet the craftsmen who create the work you see in The Gallery and at the Chimneyville Craft Festival, and enjoy local music and food. Quilts will also be on display in conjunction with Quilting Bee Day. Free; call 601-856-7546. “Works on Paper� through Sept. 24, at Lewis Art Gallery (1701 N. State St.). Professors Nicole Hand and Jim Bryant of Murray State University present a large exhibition of prints and handmade books. Free; call 601-974-1762. Art Reception Sept. 16, 5 p.m., at Southern Breeze Gallery (1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland). See works by Ben Purvis and enjoy a wine tasting sponsored by Vintage Wine Market. Free; call 601-607-4147. Art, Beats + Lyrics Sept. 16, 7 p.m., at The South (627 E. Silas Brown St.). See the traveling urban art exhibition from Atlanta, which is now in its sixth year. Registration at gentlemanjackabl.com is required for admission. Call 601-527-9621. “Transforming the Human Spirit� Opening Ceremony Sept. 18, 1 p.m., at Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center (528 Bloom St.). The reception includes entertainment and refreshments. The exhibit will be on display Sept. 20-Oct. 2. Free; call 601-513-1757. Unburied Treasures Sept. 21, 5:30 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.), in Trust-

mark Grand Hall. A scholar speaks about artist Caroline Durieux, Jennifer Merri Parker reads poetry, and Marta Szlubowska-Kirk discusses musical compositions that relate to the artwork. SzlubowskaKirk also will perform with The Szlubowski Duo, a piano duo. Free; call 601-960-1515. 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 601510-9019. 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 Sixth Annual Fur Ball Sept. 16, 7 p.m., at Renaissance (1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland), between Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Mint. Enjoy food, a silent auction and music by The Chill. Proceeds benefit the Mississippi Animal Rescue League. $60, $110 per couple; call 601-497-4340. Heritage Baptist Church Blood Drive Sept. 17, 2 p.m., at Heritage Baptist Church (5911 Terry Road, Byram). Donate blood in the donor coach parked in the parking lot. Donors will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card. Donations welcome; call 800817-7449. Ballyhoo Arts Festival Sept. 17, 4:30 p.m., at Wired Espresso Cafe (115 N. State St.). Art donated by artists such as Steven Kirkpatrick, Christina Cannon and Hilda Henne-Abbott will be for sale with proceeds benefiting the Mississippi Wildlife Federation. Also enjoy live music from Laurel Isbister, Skyler Bready and David Hawkins. Free admission with items for sale; call 601-500-7800 or 256-509-0649. Race Back to School Sept. 18, 6:30 a.m., at Regions Bank (947 N. State St.). Race to a Fit Future of Mississippi’s inaugural 5K run and walk includes a free one-mile fun run for children. Proceeds benefit Davis Magnet School. $18 pre-registered, $20 on race day; e-mail fitfuturems@gmail.com. Cyclists Curing Cancer Century Ride Sept. 18, 7:30 a.m., at Baptist Healthplex (102 Clinton Parkway, Clinton). The ride will be along the Natchez Trace. Participants will receive a T-shirt and lunch after the event. Rest stops will be stocked with water, sports drinks, snacks and fruit. Proceeds benefit Baptist Cancer Services’ Serenity Garden for cancer patients and their families. $45; call 601-968-1248. Fall for Kids Car Giveaway Sept. 18, noon, at Gray-Daniels Toyota (104 Gray-Daniels Blvd., Brandon). Each ticket you buy gives you a chance to win your choice of one of 10 2010 model vehicles as well as a chance to win other prizes and trips. Only 1,000 tickets will be sold. Proceeds benefit Mississippi Children’s Home Services. $100; call 800-447-9312. Gospel Explosion Sept. 18, 6:30 p.m., at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.). The concert will take place in the UMC Conference Center Auditorium. Performers include BET’s Sunday Best contestant Brittany Dear and Mississippi Mass Choir’s Marva McKinley. Proceeds benefit the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Renal Dialysis Program. $10; call 601-624-3246. The Blackout through Sept. 25. Buy an official “Blackout� T-shirt to wear to the Jackson State v. Valley State game Sept. 25 at 6 p.m., and proceeds go toward scholarships and security upgrades at Jackson State University. Alumni in Motion is the sponsor of the fundraiser. $10 T-shirt; visit jsublackout.com.


Bob Dylan in America

COURTESY RASHAD BATTLE

Truth Music

Rashad Street’s current project,“The Most Known Unknown,” is available online.

J

ackson rapper and producer Marcus Rashad Battle, aka Rashad Street, and his business manager, Damon Amos, aka Debonair Ways, marveled at the King Edward renovation during a recent visit. “You see hope in the city, you see the potential,” Street says. Then, he wonders out loud, “What else can they do with Jackson?” Street sees the King Edward—now a Hilton Garden Inn—as a metaphor for the potential in the Jackson hip-hop scene. As we sat together enjoying the air conditioning, Street discussed Jackson’s potential, his challenge for other artists, and why Mississippi is about more than just catfish and cotton.

What projects have you done, and what do you have planned? I did a project called “Back on the Block” and “The Most Known Unknown” with DJ Venom and “Street Official Volume 1.” “The Most Known Unknown” is part of a trilogy, so I am working on “Who Am I” (part 2 of the trilogy), and it will be followed up with “I am Rashad Street” (part 3). … You can find my music on iTunes, datpiff.com and bandcamp. com. Basically, anywhere that’s got music, you can find my music. On the song “Survival Time” (from “The Most Known Unknown”), you challenge other Jackson rappers

music from the Renaissance period. Its musicians perform with period instruments like the harpsichord and lute, and the academy features old-world European-trained vocalists. Visit ancientmusic.org for complete details on the fall ancient music schedule. If you’re looking for more raucous action this weekend, check out longtime southern-rock favorites Dash Rip Rock at Fire this Friday night. It’s been too long since these New Orleans fellows have ripped things up and rocked Jacktown. The band will perform its classics, along with material from “Call of the Wild,” its 15th studio album released earlier this year. Just up the road at Martin’s is the return of the purveyors of aristocrunk Lord T & Eloise this Friday night. They’re bringing Hillkrunk along with them to kick things off at 10 p.m. Looking for a road trip Friday night? Tickets might still be available for the Southbound Showdown with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Mary Gauthier and Kevin Gordon at The Lyric in Oxford, 8 p.m. $20. At press time, tickets are also still available for R&B

to “step their game up.” What do you mean? We are all trying to find our way. So my thing is, I myself, want to challenge everybody, as well as me, to just get better. I feel like we need to compete with each other—I mean a friendly competition of those of us out there that’s rappers, writers, producers, whatever we are. That can’t do nothing but help, not only the city, but the state to become that force that can’t be denied. Do you see big things for the future of the Jackson hip-hop scene? The Jackson hip-hop scene is definitely on the rise, up and coming. I mean, you have a list of artists out there that’s doing it and ready to compete on a major label or a major stage just trying to find their way to get there. Be on the lookout for something major to happen pretty soon. It’s gonna be like a bomb. Prepare for it. What makes hip-hop from Jackson and from Mississippi, in general, stand out from other parts of the South. Do you think peoples’ perceptions of Mississippi affects their ideas about Mississippi hip-hop? If you think of New Orleans, you think of bounce; or you go to Miami, you think of bass music and all that. But Mississippi hip-

diva, Patti LaBelle at the Silverstar Casino in Choctaw this Friday night, 8 p.m. Call 866-44PEARL to reserve your seats. Also this Friday night is the Drive-By Truckers at Minglewood Hall in Memphis. If you’re not going to the 33rd Annual Mississippi Delta Blues & Heritage Festival at the Greenville Convention Center, noon-10 p.m., this Saturday, there’s a lot to see and hear around town. The very cool Dirty Bourbon River Show and New Orleans-based indie-rock band Glasgow will be at Ole Tavern Saturday night, 10 p.m. Check out the tunes at glasgowband.net. Not to be outdone in coolness, The Hot Pieces and Spacewolf are in Hal & Mal’s red room this Saturday night, 10 p.m. Hear them on MySpace to get a taste. The eclectic Gypsy-punk, country-boogie band Dirtfoot returns to Martin’s this Saturday night; sample the goods at dirtfoot.com. Last but not least, roots-rocker Cary Hudson’s new band, The Piney Woods Playboys, hit the stage at Poet’s II in the Quarter Saturday night, 9 p.m. Hudson will be back for a solo show next Wednesday, Sept. 22 at Fenian’s. Also next Wednesday, Fire will be hosting anoth-

hop, to me it’s like blues music. It’s just truth music. And that’s where the whole idea of “Street” in my name came from. I got it from being in a cipher, and someone said, “You speak that street gospel.” I’m just speaking and telling it how it is. And in so many words, that’s what it is. In Mississippi, it’s downright, hardcore, unapologetic truth of what it is—it’s pain, it’s passion, it’s emotion, it’s truth. And we just want to give our legacy of hip-hop. We’re not trying to take over; we’re just wanting to have our place, too, ‘cause we have a say-so, just like everybody else. Why do we have to be pushed aside? I just read an article in XXL, where a DJ was talking about a “stripper song.” And he said, “If you take that to Mississippi, it will blow up.” And it’s like, so you’re just saying that we’re only good for strip clubs and fish fries? I mean; it’s bad. There again, we are back into this box. It’s gonna take a minute for people to understand it and see that we are not that. So my mission is to show people that we are more than just catfish and cotton. It’s gonna take a lot of people—like I said—challenging themselves to do something greater. Get Rashad Street’s music at datpiff.com. bandcamp.com and the iTunes store. Keep an eye out for Rashad on the Forever Friday series, hosted by June Hardwick and DJ Phingaprint. Check jacksonfreepress.com music listings for dates and venues.

COURTESY ABITIAN RECORDS

W

hether you seek the symphony and high arts or aristocrunk, this fall promises something for everyone, as we amp up for the cooler State Fair temperatures. This Friday night the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra’s intimate Chamber series season kicks off at the St. Andrew’s Cathedral downtown. The “Best of Baroque” program includes music by Bach and Handel, starting at 7:30 p.m.; $15 at the door. If you’re a fan of Bach, be sure to attend Dr. John Paul’s annual Bach Harpsichord series with the Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music at St. Andrew’s Cathedral next Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m.; $15. Then, on Thursday, Sept. 23, at 7:30 p.m., the Academy will bring Dr. Paul along with the St. Andrews’ choir to St. James Episcopal Church at 7:30 p.m. for another evening of Bach. Donations are accepted at the door. The Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music concerts offer world-caliber chamber

Who is Rashad Street? I’m just music. I mean that’s what I breathe; that’s what I am. And if you really want to know who I am, know that I am a historian of the music. I’m just about this music as a whole. I’m blue collar; I go in 9-to-5, go hard. I am the reporter and the poster-child of the underground, the everyday dude that gets up every morning—get up and grind blood, sweat and tears—and go passionate about something I love and stand for, even if I have to die. That’s how strongly I feel about “that,” whatever “that” is. And “that” is music. My music is the truth of what people need to hear. It’s not stripped down. If you really want to know who I am, come to one of my live shows, and you’ll definitely get a piece of who Rashad Street is, and why I won’t be the most known unknown for long.

S

ean Wilentz’s “Bob Dylan in America” (Doubleday, 2010, $28.95) documents why Bob Dylan is a music icon. Follow Dylan from when he burst onto the music scene in 1961, when New York Times writer Robert Shelton lauded Dylan’s performance at the Gerdes’ Folk City and his relevance to popular culture. Martin Scorsese has this to say about the book: “A panoramic vision of Bob Dylan. ... [R]eading Sean Wilentz’ ‘Bob Dylan in America’ is as thrilling and surprising as listening to a great Dylan song.”

Old school southern rockers Dash Rip Rock tear it up at Fire this Friday night.

er triple bill of rock ‘n’ roll with Saving Abel, We Are The Fallen and Taddy Porter. Get your tickets now for the return of Ingram Hill to Hal & Mal’s big room next Saturday, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m., $10. The fall festival season is in full swing. Be sure to plan for the much-anticipated annual WellsFest at the Jamie Fowler Boyll Park on Lakeland Drive, Saturday, Sept. 25. Visit the JFP music calendar online for the days’ schedule of performers for this familyfriendly event. And take the trip up to The Lyric in Oxford next Wednesday, Sept. 22 for The Hold Steady and Jamey Johnson on Sept. 23. —Herman Snell

jacksonfreepress.com

by Garrad Lee

COURTESY DOUBLEDAY

music

33


COME CHECK OUT OUR NEW SMOKER’S DECK!

livemusic Sept. 15, Wednesday

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

THURSDAY - SEPTEMBER 16 Open Mic 8pm Til and Ladies Night, Ladies Drink Free 9-11

aLL sHows 10pm unLess noted

FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 17

WEDNESDAY

JACKTOWN

9/15

ladies night is back! LADIES PAY $5, DRINK FREE StARtINg At 10Pm

FRIDAY

9/17

Lord twIth & ELoisE

HiLLKrunK

SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 18

HILLBILLY DELUXE

SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 19 8 BALL TOURNAMENT FREE FOOD!

MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 20 MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Free Hot Wings, $3 Pitchers during game

TUESDAY - SEPTEMBER 21

POOL LEAGUE NIGHT 2636 S. Gallatin Jackson, MS 39204

601-961-4747

www.myspace.com/popsaroundthecorner

Intern at the JFP SATURDAY

9/18

SUNDAY

9/19

MONDAY

9/20

DIRTFOOT KaraoKe

OPEN MIC JAM TUESDAY

9/21

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

September 15 - 21, 2010

WEDNESDAY

34

9/22

ladies night is back! LADIES PAY $5, DRINK FREE StARtINg At 10Pm

214 S. State St. • 601.354.9712 downtown jackson www.martinSlounge.net

F. Jones Corner - Jesse “Guitar” Smith (blues lunch) free Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - The Church Keys 8 p.m. free Shucker’s - DoubleShotz 7:30-11:30 p.m. free Fenian’s - Jordana & DJ (modern acoustic) 9 p.m. Parker House - Common Ground Blues Band 7-10 p.m. Underground 119 - Bill & Temperance (bluegrass) 8 p.m. Irish Frog - Ralph Miller 6:30-10 p.m. Sam’s Lounge - Welcome Home Walker Burgers & Blues - Jesse “Guitar” Smith 6-10 p.m. Mardi Gras - DJ Durdy 6-9 p.m. $5 Regency Hotel - Snazz 8:30 p.m. facebook.com/snazzband2 Kathryn’s - Larry Brewer 6:30-9:30 p.m. Philip’s, Rez - DJ/Karaoke 7-10 p.m. free

Sept. 16, Thursday F. Jones Corner - Jason Bailey (blues lunch) free; Amazin’ Lazy Boi & Sunset Challenge Blues Band 11:30-4 a.m. Poet’s II - Scott Albert Johnson (blues juke) 10 p.m. Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Liver Mousse 9 p.m. free 930 Blues Cafe - Jackie Bell, Norman Clark & Smoke Stack Lightning 9 p.m. $5 Underground 119 - Electric Co. 8 p.m. Fenian’s - Legacy (Irish) 8 p.m. Electric Cowboy - DJ Cadillac (country/dance/rock) 9 p.m. Que Sera - Buie, Hamman & Porter Burgers & Blues - Ralph Miller 5:30-9:30 p.m. Shucker’s - Acoustic Crossroads 7:30-11 p.m. free Parker House - Jacktown Ramblers McB’s - Karaoke 7 p.m. free Regency Hotel - Karaoke 8:30 p.m. Philip’s, Rez - Bubba & His Guitar 6-9 p.m. free

Sept. 17, Friday

Hone your skills, gain valuable experience and college credit* by interning with the Jackson Free Press. You set your hours, and attend free training workshops. We currently have openings in the following areas: • Editorial/News • Photography • Cultural/Music Writing • Fashion/Style

• Arts/Writing Editing

• Internet • Graphic Design • Communications: Marketing/Events/PR

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

F. Jones Corner - Sherman Lee Dillon (blues/solo) noon; Sherman Lee’s Miss. Sound 11:30-4 a.m. $10 Lumpkin’s BBQ - Virgil Brawley (blues lunch) 11:30-1:30 p.m. Fire - Dash Rip Rock (rock) 10 p.m. St. Andrews Cathedral - Miss. Symphony Orchestra: Chamber I: Best of Baroque 7:30 p.m. msorchestra.com Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Swing de Paris (gypsy jazz) 9 p.m. free Hal & Mal’s Patio - Crisis Hotlines, Moscow Moscow Moscow, Overnight Lows 9 p.m. $5 Martin’s - Lord T & Eloise, Hillkrunk 10 p.m. lordtandeloise.com 930 Blues Cafe - Jackie Bell, Listen 2 Three 9:30 p.m. $10 McB’s - Hunter Gibson & Rick Moriera 8-11:30 p.m. Fenian’s - Bob Long (British Blues) 9 p.m.

Underground 119 - Fearless Four 9-1 a.m. Freelon’s - Akami & the Key of G 8:30-10:30 p.m. Shucker’s - The Rainmakers (classic rock) 8-1 a.m. $5 Los Parrilleros, Pearl - Cucho & Los Papis 7-10 p.m. Burgers & Blues - Adam Perry & Chris Derrick 7-11 p.m. Dick & Jane’s - Show Night/DJ Allen 9 p.m. $6; 18+ $10 Kristo’s - Natalie Long & Clinton Kirby 7-10 p.m. Reed Pierce’s - Faze 4 - 9-1 a.m. free Philip’s, Rez - Sic Transit 6-10 p.m. free The South - Gentleman Jack Art Beats Ameristar, V’burg - Breakaway Silverstar, Choctaw - Patti LaBelle 8 p.m. 866-44PEARL Lyric, Oxford - Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Jason Isbell, Mary Gauthier, Kevin Gordon

Sept. 18, Saturday Washington Co. Convention Center, Greenville - 33rd Annual Miss. Delta Blues & Heritage Festival 12 p.m.-12 a.m. deltablues.org Poet’s II - Cary Hudson & the Piney Woods Playboys (roots) 9 p.m. caryhudson.com Ole Tavern - Glasgow, Dirty Bourbon River Show (New Orleans indie rock) 10 p.m. glasgowband.net Hal & Mal’s Red Room - The Hot Pieces, Spacewolf 10 p.m. Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Vernon Bros. (bluegrass) 8 p.m. free Fire - Guns of Addiction (rock) 10 p.m. Martin’s - Dirtfoot (Gypsy Punk Country Boogie) 10 p.m. dirtfoot.com UMC Conference Auditorium, Jackson Medical Mall - Gospel Expo 6:30 p.m. $10 Fenian’s - Bob Marston & the Joe Carroll Trio (roots rock) 9 p.m. 930 Blues Cafe - Jackie Bell, Listen 2 Three 9:30 p.m. $10 Shucker’s - Mike & Marty 3-7 p.m. free; The Rainmakers (classic rock) 8-1 a.m. $5 Burgers & Blues - Steve Chester & Larry Fortenberry 7-11 p.m. F. Jones Corner - Miss. Sound w/ Sherman Lee Dillon & Johnny Owens11:30-4 a.m. $10 Electric Cowboy - The Spicolis (rock) 9 p.m. Underground 119 - Big Al & the Heavyweights 9-1 a.m. McB’s - Travlin’ Jane Dick & Jane’s - House Party/DJ Allen 9 p.m. $6; 18+ $10 Kathryn’s - Shaun Patterson 7-10 p.m. Regency Hotel - Crossroads 8:30 p.m. Philip’s, Rez - Shadz of Grey 6-10 p.m. Reed Pierce’s - Faze 4 - 9-1 a.m. free Petra Cafe, Clinton - Karaoke 8 p.m. Jefferson St., Clinton - Olde Towne Market: The Varners, David Hawkins (arts, crafts, music) 9-1 p.m.

Club 43, Canton - Snazz 9-1 a.m. Ameristar, V’burg - Breakaway Whistle Stop, Hazlehurst - Open Mic 8 p.m.

Sept. 19, Sunday King Edward Hotel - Howard Jones Jazz (brunch) 11-2 p.m. Fitzgerald’s - Andy Hardwick (brunch) 11-2 p.m. Sophia’s, Fairview Inn - Knight Bruce 11 a.m. (brunch) Burgers & Blues - Jason Turner 5-9 p.m. Philip’s, Rez - The Xtremez 5:309:30 p.m. free Shucker’s - Bubble Puppy 3-7 p.m. free

Sept. 20, Monday Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Central Miss. Blues Society Jam 8-11 p.m. $5 F. Jones Corner - Sherman Lee Dillon (blues lunch) free Dreamz - Grown & Sexy Reserved Mixtape/Prep Listening Party 6-10 p.m. Fitzgerald’s - Hunter Gibson & Rick Moreira 8-12 a.m. free Ole Tavern - Destruction Unit, Wild Emotions 9 p.m. Martin’s - Open Mic Free Jam 10 p.m. free Fenian’s - Karaoke 8-1 a.m. Irish Frog - Open Mic 6:30-10 p.m.

Sept. 21, Tuesday F. Jones Corner - Jesse “Guitar” Smith (blues lunch) free St. Andrew’s Chathedral - Miss. Academy of Ancient Music: John Paul (Bach Harpsichord) 7:30 p.m. $15 ancientmusic.org Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Pub Quiz 8 p.m. $2 Parker House - Chris Gill & D’Mar AJ’s Seafood - Scott Albert Johnson (blues juke) 6:30 p.m. Fenian’s - Open Mic 9 p.m. Martin’s - Karaoke 10 p.m. free Shucker’s - The Xtremez 7:30-11:30 p.m. free Time Out - Open Mic 8 p.m. McB’s - Karaoke 7 p.m. free

Sept. 22, Wednesday F. Jones Corner - Jason Bailey (blues lunch) free Fire - Saving Abel, We Are The Fallen, Taddy Porter (rock) 9 p.m. 18+ Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Singer/ Songwriter Night 8 p.m. free Fenian’s - Cary Hudson (roots) 9 p.m. Underground 119 - Virgil Brawley (blues rock) 8 p.m. Shucker’s - PFC 7:30-11:30 p.m. free Parker House - Chris Derrick & Electric Co. Burgers & Blues - Jesse “Guitar” Smith 6-10 p.m. Mardi Gras - DJ Durdy 6-9 p.m. $5 Regency Hotel - Snazz 8:30 p.m. facebook.com/snazzband2 Philip’s, Rez - DJ/Karaoke 7-10 p.m. free

9/11 Smokey Robinson - Beau Rivage, Biloxi 9/15 Ghostland Observatory - Lyric, Oxford 9/17 Drive-By Truckers - Minglewood Hall, Memphis 9/18 33rd Annual Miss. Delta Blues & Heritage Festival - Washington Co. Convention Center, Greenville deltablues.org 9/20 Kings of Leon, Black Keys, Whigs - Verizon Music Center, Birmingham 9/21 Black Keys, Whigs - House of Blues, N.O.


venuelist 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) Fusion Coffeehouse Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, 601-856-6001 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 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) The Irish Frog 5o7 Springridge Rd., Clinton, 601-448-4185 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 Kristos 971 Madison Ave., Madison, 601-605-2266 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 North Midtown Arts Center 121 Millsaps Ave., Jackson, 601-497-7454 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 Poet’s II 1855 Lakeland Dr., 601- 364-9411 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 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 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 Under the Boardwalk 2560 Terry Rd., Jackson, 601-371-7332 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

Weekly Lunch Specials

Open for dinner Sat. 4-10pm UPCOMING SHOW:

LUCERO

October 7th Tickets $15 Advance @ Ole Tavern, $20 at Door

thursday

SEPTEMBER 16

GUILT RIDDEN TROUBADOR LADIES DRINK FREE

WELLS & PONIES 9PM-2AM

friday

SEPTEMBER 17

DAVIS COEN saturday

SEPTEMBER 18

Dirty Bourbon River Show with Glasgow monday

SEPTEMBER 20

Destruction Unit w/ Wild Emotions tuesday SEPTEMBER 21

OPEN MIC with Cody Cox

*DOLLAR BEER* wednesday

SEPTEMBER 22

KARAOKE KJ STACHE & DJ NICK

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

jacksonfreepress.com

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 Burgers and Blues 1060 E. County Line Rd., Ridgeland, 601-899-0038 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 Congress Street Bar & Grill 120 N. Congress St., Jackson, 601-968-0857 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 Dreamz 426 West Capitol Street, Jackson, 601-979-3994 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

35


dining

by ShaWanda Jacome

Taco Nirvana

36

What You’ll Need • Meat fillings: steak, ground beef, chicken, pork, shrimp or fish. Select a few or all to give your guests lots to pick and choose from. Cook the meats yourself, or buy them prepared from your local Mexican restaurant. • Assorted cheeses: shredded cheddar, Colby, Colby-jack, Monterey jack and pepper jack are all great compliments to the taco. And don’t forget the queso fresco. • Beans: refried and black • Tortilla chips of various flavors. • Rice: Spanish rice seasoned with chilies and tomatoes, or white rice with cilantro and lime. Both are great to pair with tacos. • Wrappers: tortillas (corn and flour) and hard shell tacos. • Sauces: Whether homemade or store bought, have your favorites on hand, like ranchero, achiote paste, adobo, chipotle and a basic chile sauce. • Salsas: The most common salsa is made from tomatoes, onions and hot peppers, but there are other options available. Put a few different varieties out for your guests, including pico de gallo, spice bean and roasted corn. And don’t forget the salsa verde, which is made from tomatillos, the tomato’s green cousin. • Guacamole. • Chopped white and red onions. • Chopped cilantro. • Chopped or minced tomatoes. • Limes (quartered). • Shredded lettuce. • Sour cream. • Diced jalapenos. • Diced black olives.

• Drinks: Visit your local Mexican grocery store to buy traditional Mexican flavored sodas like tamarind, Jamaica, lime, pineapple or watermelon. And don’t forget Mexican Coca Cola—made with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup—and beer. Taco Bar Success • Do as much prep work as possible the night before. Many of the taco-bar fillings can be prepared and stored overnight in a sealed container in the refrigerator. • Have one fancy or special dish for your guests, like Tom Ramsey’s Baja-Asian Fish Tacos (recipe to right). • Vary the sizes and heights of your serving tables for interest. • Consider renting chafing dishes to keep your taco fillings hot while out on the serving line. A Special Occasion Party Rental (4444 N. State, 601-982-8109) rents them starting at $20, depending on the size and style. • Decorate using the colors of the Mexican flag: red, white and green. If you purchase serving dishes in the different colors, you can reuse them for other occasions. A red bowl can be used during Christmas or Valentine’s Day, and a green serving tray can be used for St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas or Easter. • Use Mexican blankets (serape or sarape) to dress up couches and chairs. They can also be used as a tablecloth. • You can find lots of colorful and interesting Mexican candies at your local Mexican grocery store. They make great decorations and are fun to eat.

Rinse catfish in cold running water and pat dry with a paper towel. Rub both sides generously with Mexican spice rub. Chop cabbage into long, thin slivers. Dice tomatoes. Finely chop cilantro and peppers.

EASY CARNE ASADA by ShaWanda Jacome

1 pound skirt or flank steak 2 to 4 teaspoons Mexican spice blend Chopped cilantro 1 lime sliced 1/2 cup pineapple juice

Rub steak liberally with Mexican spice blend, one or two teaspoons per side. Put steak in a plastic bag with two or three slices of lime, a handful of cilantro and pineapple juice. Seal the bag and mix everything

SLOW COOKER CARNITAS by ShaWanda Jacome

2-1/2 pounds pork butt roast 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon Mexican spice blend* 1/2 can of Dr. Pepper 1/3 cup pineapple juice 1/2 cup of chicken broth or stock

Rub the pork down with the salt and spice blend. Let rest in sealed container overnight in the fridge. The next morning, place the meat

Lost in Translation by ShaWanda Jacome

I

f Spanish is not your first language, you may find it intimidating to stand in line at your local taqueria or taco truck and order off the menu. Here are some typical taco fillings you might encounter: • Al Carbon: tacos in which the meat has been charbroiled or cooked on the grill. On a menu you might see “camarones al carbon,” which is a grilled shrimp taco. • Al Pastor: marinated pork that has been roasted and then shredded. Similar to carnitas, but prepared a bit differently.

Warm the tortillas in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes and reduce heat to 200 to hold while preparing the rest of the dish. Combine all but one tablespoon of the cilantro with mayonnaise, peppers, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger and the juice of one lime. Whisk well and add cabbage. Toss until cabbage is fully coated by the wet ingredients. Place the mixture in a colander inside a large mixing bowl to drain. Toss the diced tomatoes in the juice from half of a lime and the one tablespoon of cilantro you reserved. Rub the catfish with olive oil and grill over a medium flame until flaky and firm. Place the cooked fish in a mixing bowl and break up with a fork. Add the juice from half a lime. Remove the warm tortillas from the oven and fill with catfish and cabbage slaw. Top with tomatoes. (Serves 6) around. Refrigerator overnight. Grill on the barbeque for three to five minutes on each side for a medium-rare to medium steak. Remove steak from the grill and cover with aluminum foil, allowing the meat to cool. Chop into bite-sized pieces. (Serves 2) *You can find a Mexican spice blend in supermarkets; but, to make your own Tom says combine 1 teaspoon each of salt, cumin, chili and garlic powder with 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, white pepper and oregano. Mix well with a small whisk.

into your slow cooker. Combine the Dr. Pepper, pineapple juice and chicken broth in a small bowl and pour over the meat. Cover and set your slow cooker to low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Let cool and remove meat onto a large cutting board or large aluminum pan. Shred with two big forks or clean hands. For a family dinner or a small gathering, you can fry up batches of the pork in a little bit of vegetable oil—just a few minutes, until the meat is crispy on the outside. Serve immediately. (Serves 6.)

SARAH RIBSTEIN

September 15 - 21, 2010

eat them. Why not have a taco bar at your next gathering? It’s fun, easy and cheap. You will have more free time to enjoy your party when you do most of the prep work ahead of time and have your guests serve themselves. Or, make it even easier (and cheaper) by turning the gathering into a potluck. Have each guest supply an item, like a dozen limes or a container of sour cream. Here’s a checklist and a few recipes to get you started on your road to taco nirvana.

by Tom Ramsey

3 catfish fillets 12 corn tortillas 1 head of green cabbage 1 head of purple cabbage 1 bunch cilantro 2 limes 3 medium roma tomatoes 1 serrano pepper 1 jalapeño pepper 1 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon of minced fresh ginger 1 tablespoon olive oil Mexican spice rub*

UAN BARAHONA

W

ho doesn’t like a good taco? Whether it’s a 69-cent American version or an authentic Mexican taqueriastyle, tacos are good any way you

BAJA-ASIAN FISH TACOS

• Barbacoa: slow-cooked shredded beef or lamb. • Carne Asada: grilled beef, usually a thin cut of meat like skirt or flank steak. • Carnitas: pork that has been seasoned and braised or slow roasted. It’s then pan fried just before serving. • Lengua: beef tongue. • Pollo or Pollo Asado: a taco made from chicken that’s usually grilled. • Sesos: typically beef brains, but sometimes goat brains are used.

The al pastor taco at Guanajuato on Terry Road is topped with pineapple and served with cilantro, onions, limes, two salsas, roasted green onions and roasted cactus.

• Tripe (or Tacos de Tripa): beef stomach, but could also be pig or goat.


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Bars, puBs & Burgers

Congress Street Bar and Grill (120 N. Congress Street, Downtown, 601-968-0857) With a New Orleans–themed menu, night-time appetizers and a neighborhood bar atmosphere, Congress Street Bar and Grill is a spot to go to for a taste of the Big Easy. Cool Al’s (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. Fenian’s Pub (901 E. Fortification St. 601-948-0055) Classic Irish pub featuring a menu of traditional food, pub sandwiches and beers such as Guinness and Harp on tap. Free live music most nights; Irish/Celtic bands on Thursdays. Stamps Superburgers (1801 Dalton Street 601-352-4555) Huge burgers will keep you full until the next day! The homestyle fries are always fresh, cut by hand using white potatoes with traditional, lemon pepper, seasoning salt or Cajun seasoning. Hal and Mal’s (200 S. Commerce St. 601-948-0888) Pub favorites meet Gulf Coast and Cajun specialties like red beans and rice, the Oyster Platter or each day’s blackboard special. Repeat winner of Best of Jackson’s “Best Place for Live Music.â€? 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. Martin’s 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. 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 CafĂŠ (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. Poets Two (1855 Lakeland Drive, Suite H-10, 601-364-9411) Pub fare at its finest. Crabcake minis, fried dills, wings, poppers, ultimate fries, sandwiches, poboys, pasta entrees and steak. The signature burgers come in bison, kobe, beef or turkey! Sportsman’s 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! Underground 119 (119 South President St. 601-352-2322) Jumbo lump crabcakes, crab quesadillas, beef tenderloin parfaits, orange-garlic shrimp, even “lollipopâ€? lamb chops. Add a full bar and mix in great music. Opens 4 p.m.-until, Wed-Sat.

ItalIan 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. Cerami’s (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! Fratesi’s (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!

Mediterranean & Lebanese Cuisine

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Broad Street Bakery (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! Campbell’s 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 Heaven’s 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.

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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.

Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

southern cuisine Mimi’s Family and Friends (3139 North State Street, Fondren) 601-366-6111 Funky local art decorates this new offering in Fondren, where the cheese grits, red beans & rice, pork tacos and pimento cheese are signature offerings. Breakfast and lunch, new days are Tuesday-Sunday. Sugar’s Place (168 W Griffith St 601-352-2364) Hot breakfast and week-day lunch: catfish, pantrout, fried chicken wings, blue plates, red beans & rice, pork chops, chicken & dumplings, burgers, po-boys...does your grandma cook like this? Located downtown near MC Law School. The Strawberry CafĂŠ (107 Depot Drive, Madison, 601-856-3822) Full table service, lunch and dinner. Crab and crawfish appetizers, salads, fresh seafood, pastas, “surf and turfâ€? 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 lavish buffet of meat and veggies, a salad bar, iced tea & one of three homemade desserts. Lunch only. Mon-Friday 11-2, Sun. 10:30-2. Zydeco Restaurant and Bar (6340 Ridgewood Rd. 601-977-9920) Louisiana favorites such as gumbo, oysters, fried green tomatoes, po-boys and muffalettas. Steaks, seafood and jambalaya for dinner. Beignets, omelets and seafood for Sunday brunch!

steak, seafood & fine dininG Rocky’s (1046 Warrington Road, Vicksburg 601-634-0100) Enjoy choice steaks, fresh seafood, great salads, hearty sandwiches and much more in the “polished casual� dining room. Open 24/7 in the Riverwalk Casino. Parker House (104 South East Madison Drive, Ridgeland 601-856-0043) European and Creole take on traditional Southern ingredients in Olde Town Ridgeland. Crawfish, oysters, crab and steaks dominate, with creative option like Crab Mac ‘n Cheese, Oysters Rockefeller and Duck Jezebel. Or enjoy lighter fare (and a plate lunch special) during lunch hours!

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 CafÊ (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.

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) 2010’s winner of Best Pizza is perfect pizza-and-a-beer joint. Creative options abound (“Cajun Joe, anyone?�), along with sandwiches, wings, salads and BBQ. Great beer specials! Sal & Mookie’s (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.

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38

King Tortas International Deli (1290 E. County Line Rd, Ridgeland, 601-983-1253) Columbian and Mexican bakery and taqueria; try the fried plantains! Fuego Mexican Cantina (318 South State Street,601-592-1000) Next to Club Fire in downtown.Nachos, fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, chimichangas, combo plates—even veggie options—are offered right alongside the margarita pitchers you expect.

VeGetarian High Noon CafÊ (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!

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COURTESY MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE

by Bryan Flynn

Small Schools, Big Talents

M

ississippi schools have been a source of great football talent for a long time. While players at the major universities and colleges get most of the attention, smaller schools have talented players the bigger schools often overlook. One such player is former Mississippi College great Fred McAfee, who played in the NFL for 15 seasons for four teams, most notably the New Orleans Saints. McAfee’s best sea-

son was in 2002, when he earned a Pro Bowl berth as a special team’s player. McAfee is not the only player overlooked. This past April after the NFL Draft, two Belhaven players signed free agent deals: offensive tackle Jacob Phillips (Seattle Seahawks) and safety Tramaine Brock (San Francisco 49ers). Phillips was one of the final roster cuts the Seahawks made to get down to 53 players. At press time Philips had not signed with

Doctor S sez: Attention fickle Jackson State fans, the Tigers appear to be for real. THURSDAY, SEPT. 16 Junior college football, Copiah-Lincoln at Hinds (6:30 p.m., Raymond): Wolves and Eagles collide in a battle of 2-0 teams. FRIDAY, SEPT. 17 College football, Kansas at Southern Miss (7 p.m., Hattiesburg, ESPN, 105.1 FM): The unpredictable Jayhawks, fresh off a stunning upset of Georgia Tech, and the Golden Eagles violate the sanctity of high school Friday night. Oh well, it should be an entertaining game. ‌ High school football, Clinton at Madison Central (7:30 p.m., Madison, 105.9 FM): A pair of bitter suburban rivals begins district play. SATURDAY, SEPT. 18 College football, Vanderbilt at Ole Miss (11 a.m., Oxford, Ch. 12, 97.3 FM): The puzzling Rebels open SEC play against the winless Commodores. ‌ Mississippi State at LSU (6 p.m., Baton Rouge, La., ESPNU, 105.9 FM): Do the improved Bulldogs have what it takes to beat a band of talented, but poorly coached Tigers? ‌ UFL football, Florida at Sacramento (10 p.m., Versus): The Tuskers tackle the Mountain Lions as the United Football League opens its second season. (If you blinked in 2009, you missed the UFL’s first season.)

SUNDAY, SEPT. 19 NFL football, Chicago at Dallas (noon, Ch. 40): The Bears, who won on a questionable call, visit the Cowboys, who lost on an unquestionable penalty. ‌ New York Giants at Indianapolis (7 p.m., Ch. 3): It’s Manning vs. Manning as Eli and the Giants call on Peyton and the Colts. Who are you pulling for, Archie? MONDAY, SEPT. 20 NFL football, New Orleans at San Francisco (7:30 p.m., ESPN, 620 AM): Neither one of these teams lit up the scoreboard in Week 1. Can the Saints find some firepower? TUESDAY, SEPT. 21 Major League baseball, Atlanta at Philadelphia (6 p.m., SportSouth, 620 AM): The Braves and Phillies battle for supremacy in the NL East. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 22 Major League baseball, Atlanta at Philadelphia (6 p.m., SportSouth, 620 AM): The Braves try to hold off the surging Phillies. The Slate reminds you that Doctor S does not encourage sports betting. He leaves that to his bookie. Your safest bet is JFP Sports at www.jacsksonfreepress.com.

another team. Brock made the final 53-man roster with the 49ers and was but was inactive status this Sunday against Seattle. The two Blazers stars could have company in the NFL next season. Jackson-area small schools have talented players who will have pro scouts watching them all season. Steven Knight, Running Back, Mississippi College Choctaws Knight was a star during his high school career at Northwest Rankin and at Hinds Community College before coming to Mississippi College. In his first year rushing the ball for the Choctaws, he led the American Southwest Conference in rushing with 1,333 yards on 263 carries and 11 touchdowns. While averaging 5.1 yards per carry on the ground, Knight got it done in the passing game as well, with 178 yards on 22 receptions with three touchdown receptions. D3ProDay.com has named Knight Third Team All-American for his senior season. In 2009, Knight was a First Team All-American Southwest Conference performer. Last season, Knight led Mississippi College to the Division III playoffs and an ASC Conference title. He will be an integral part of MC’s bid to repeat the same feats this season. Knight rushed for 170 yards with two touchdowns for the Choctaws in two games so far this season. Mississippi College will play Louisiana College at home Sept. 25 if you want to see Knight for yourself. Cordario Calvin, Wide Receiver, Belhaven Blazers Calvin was a standout football and basketball player at Greenville High School. His journey to Belhaven included stops at Mississippi Delta Community College and the University of Louisiana, Monroe. Last season, Calvin had 1,028 yards on 85 catches with 12 touchdowns. He is only the seventh wide receiver in Blazers history to post a 1,000 plus yard season. He was a MidSouth Conference Western Division All-Conference selection in 2009. Entering his senior year, Calvin barely !QHMF SGHR @C ENQ @ %1$$ NQCDQ NE !DHFMDSR

MC Choctaw running back Steven Knight looks to have a stellar senior year.

missed a spot in the NAIA Super Six, which honors the top six NAIA players. Like Knight, Calvin will be a player to watch in the race for the Conerly Trophy, awarded to Mississippi’s best college football player. NFL scouts are keeping an eye on Calvin with his excellent size (6 foot 4 inches and 220 pounds) and nice speed (4.5 40 time). Several media outlets, including ESPN, have the receiver on their 2011 draft radar. Calvin was impressive in his first action of 2010, only playing in the first half of a 58-3 rout of Texas College. The receiver posted 75 receiving yards on five catches with two touchdowns and 16 rushing yards on one carry for another touchdown. He has 191 yards on 15 receptions with three touchdowns in three games this season. The next time to catch Calvin in action will be this Saturday against Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.). Jack Hayes, Defensive Tackle, Belhaven Blazers On the Blazer defensive line, Jack Hayes has the potential to garner attention from NFL scouts. Hayes, a Columbia, Miss., native, started at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College while helping MGCCC to a share of the 2007 National Championship. He made a short stop at Kansas State before the defensive tackle transferred to Belhaven. Last season, Hayes recorded 42 tackles, including four sacks, and he forced three fumbles. The defensive lineman made the MSC Western Division All-Conference Honorable Mention last season. Hayes has the size (6 foot 4 inches and 280 pounds) to grab the attention of professional teams.

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BY MATT JONES

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

“Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having any opinions at all,” said German aphorist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, and now I’m offering it for you to use. Are you game? Try this experiment: For seven days, divest yourself of your opinions. And I mean all of them: opinions about politicians, celebrities, immigration reform, rockabilly music, your friends’ choices in mates—everything. For this grace period, be utterly non-judgmental and open-minded and tolerant. Allow everything to be exactly what it is without any need to wish it were otherwise. By experiment’s end, you’ll probably feel more relaxed than you have in a long time.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

The Latin motto “Dulcius ex aspiris” means “Sweetness out of difficulty.” It has a different meaning from “relief after difficulty” or “character building from difficulty.” It suggests a scenario in which a challenging experience leads not just to a successful outcome, but also to a delicious, soothing harmony that would not have been possible without the difficulty. This is what I foresee coming for you, Libra.

window on the other side of the dining room, refraining from plucking any of the delicious scraps of food the revelers have discarded. Bede says that the sparrow’s actions are like ours in our own approach to living our lives. Well, guess what, Pisces: I don’t think that will be true for you in the coming months. Judging from the astrological omens, I suspect that once you fly into the feast room, you won’t depart like a restless, confused wanderer. You will linger.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

When teen pop star Miley Cyrus appeared on David Letterman’s late-night TV talk show, band leader Paul Schaeffer asked her if she lip-syncs to pre-recorded music during her performances. Miley replied that no, she never fakes it. For evidence, she said, anyone could go watch a Youtube clip from one of her concerts. Sometimes she sounds terrible, which proves that she’s risking the imperfection of actually singing live. I urge you to follow Miley’s lead in your own sphere, Aries. In the coming week, you really do need to be as raw as the law allows. Be your authentic self, please—with no Auto-Tune-like enhancements.

“Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment,” said Zen Buddhist teacher Dogen. Which leads me to say: “Do not think you will necessarily be aware of becoming a role model and potent influence.” The way I see it, either of those developments may happen in the coming weeks. Without suffering any pangs of self-consciousness, you could suddenly find yourself thrust into a higher, brighter, more powerful state of being. I doubt there’ll be any stress or strain involved. Rather, it will naturally occur while you’re being your strong-minded, expansive self, trying simply to rearrange the world to conform to your vision of paradise.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

This is an excellent time for you to revamp your relationship with your body. All the cosmic rhythms are aligned to help you. How should you go about it? The first thing to do is formulate your intentions. For example: Would you like to feel more perfectly at home in your body? Would you revel in the freedom of knowing that the body you have is exactly right for your soul’s needs? Can you picture yourself working harder to give your body the food and sleep and movement it requires to be at its best? If you have any doubts about how to proceed, ask your body to provide you with clues.

Soon it will probably be time for you to wrap up the Season of Exploration. You’ve surveyed the outlands and fringe areas enough for now, right? I’m guessing that you’ve reconnoitered the forbidden zones so thoroughly that you may not need to do any more probing. Or am I wrong about this? Am I underestimating your longing to push out to the frontiers and beyond? Maybe your brushes with exotic creatures and tempting adventures have whetted your appetite for even more escapades. I’ll tell you what, Capricorn: I’m going to trust your intuition on this one. Are you ready to rein in your risk-taking, or are you hungry for more?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

When I was living in Los Angeles in the summer of 1986, I had a memorable dream. In the dream, I was dancing with God. As best as I can describe it, the Divine Wow was a female whirlwind exuding cool blue fire and singing ecstatic melodies. Now and then, I caught a glimpse of something that resembled a face and body, but mostly she was a sparkling fluidic vortex that I moved in and out of as we floated and tumbled and leaped. The contact was so vivid and visceral that from that day forward I never again said, “I believe in God.” My experience was as real as making love with a human being; “belief” was irrelevant. I predict that you will soon have a comparable encounter with a primal force, Aquarius—whatever passes for “God” in your world.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

The eighth-century theologian known as the Venerable Bede compared our existence to a sparrow that flies in the window of a royal castle while the king is enjoying a winter feast with his entourage. Outside, a snowstorm is raging. Inside, there’s a big fire in the hearth that keeps everyone warm. But the sparrow doesn’t stay in this welcoming place; it quickly flies out another

Here’s your mantra: Big Green Luck Everywhere. I urge you to say it frequently in the coming days. Sing it softly to yourself while you’re driving your car or riding on public transportation. Whisper it as a prayer before each meal: Big Green Luck Everywhere. Chant it in rhythm to your steps as you walk. Murmur it to the tiny angel looking down at you from the ceiling just before you drop off to sleep. Yell it out as you’re dancing beneath the sky: Big Green Luck Everywhere. It’ll work its magic even if you don’t know exactly why you’re saying it or what it means.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

“That Won’t Cut It”–gotta be sharp for this one. Across

1 “Serpico” author Peter 5 San Francisco water 8 Later, on a clock 13 Tubular pasta 14 It may be more than enough 15 Swashbuckler who left his mark 16 How things are often trampled 18 Ankarans, for example 19 They’re not very useful for cutting steak 21 That thing, in Spanish 22 Some Greek consonants 23 It happened back in cold-en days 27 ___ Friday’s 28 ___ thai 30 Thousand, slangily 31 They’re not that good for cutting cloth 36 Facing the pitcher 37 Cracklin’ ___ Bran 38 Gag reflex spot 39 They won’t cut through your opponent, like in the movie 42 Restricted hosp. areas 43 ___ 4 update (recent Apple release) 44 Amtrak stop: abbr. 45 “This Is ___” (1934 hymn) 48 “Want ___ Be” (2005 song by

Ginuwine) 49 Sharon Jones & The ___-Kings 52 They’re good for their own job, but lousy for cutting thicker stuff 56 Doll line that features Yasmin, Cloe and Jade 59 Destitute ©2010 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ 60 “Vive ___!” (“Long live the king!”) jonesincrosswords.com) 61 “...can ___ long way” 62 It’s seen near the 6 63 Packs (down) For answers to this puzzle, call: 64 Pitiable fool 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. 65 Super Mario World console Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference Down puzzle #0478. 1 They may be pulled down 2 “...___ the republic for which it stands” 3 Work without ___ (take risks) 4 Ecosystem with world’s largest land migration 5 Gives a card to, in soccer 6 Bartlett’s attrib. 7 The Abominable Snowman 8 Quetzalcoatl worshiper 9 Grouchy TV doctor 10 Make a mistake 11 Boat with bears 12 Advisable tactics 13 Stray hair found at crime scenes,

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

While growing up, U.S. president Abraham Lincoln lived in Indiana for 14 years. The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial commemorates his time there. When my friend Janet was 7 years old, her second-grade class visited the place. While strolling around outside, she found a Band-Aid on the ground and excitedly assumed it had once graced a booboo on Old Abe himself. She took it home and secretly used it as a talisman. When she rubbed it on her own wounds, it seemed to have magical healing properties. Only later did she realize that Band-Aids weren’t invented until 55 years after Lincoln’s death. No matter. The artifact had done a superb job. I predict you will soon find a comparable placebo, Cancerian.

BY MATT JONES

Last Week’s Answers

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

Afghan farmers grow a lot of poppies, more than anywhere else in the world. While most of the crop is converted into opium and heroin, it could just as well be used to create poppy seed bagels, as many as 357 trillion of them by one estimate. The way I see it, Leo, you have a comparable choice ahead of you. A resource that’s neutral in its raw or natural state could be harnessed in a relatively good cause or a not-so-good cause. And I bet you will be instrumental in determining which way it goes.

What’s the one thing you would change about yourself if you could? And why can’t you? Go to Relastrology.com and click “Email Rob.”

“Greater-Than Sudoku”

For this ‘Greater-Than Sudoku’, I’m not givin’ you ANY numbers to start off with! Adjoining squares in the grid’s 3x3 boxes have a greater-than sign (>) telling you which of the two numbers in those squares is larger. Fill in every square with a number from 1-9 using the greater-than signs as a guide. When you’re done, as in a normal Sudoku, every row, column, and 3x3 box will contain the numbers 1-9 exactly one time. (Solving hint: try to look for the 1’s and 9’s in each box first, then move on to the 2’s and 8’s, and so on).

jacksonfreepress.com

Give the best gifts you can possibly give, Scorpio. Don’t hoard any of the intense blessings you have at your disposal. It’s time to unveil the fullness of your idiosyncratic generosity, to bestow upon the world the naked glory of your complex mojo. Some people will be better able than others to receive and use your zesty offerings, and it’s OK to favor them with more of your magnanimity. On the other hand, don’t spend too long worrying about the fine points of how to disseminate your wealth. The important thing is to let it flow like a river fresh from eternity.

perhaps 17 A couple of dates, say 20 Veni-vici link 24 Love, in Lille 25 When tripled, a Motley Crue hit 26 Fashion journalist Klensch 27 Non-stick cookware company 28 Tests for high school jrs. 29 Play divisions 31 Tale 32 Bottomless pit 33 Pirate’s cry 34 Bulleted points, perhaps 35 Cinematographer Nykvist 36 It’s just a little bit 40 Best Picture winner with Maurice Chevalier 41 Sean of “Lord of the Rings” 46 In the lead 47 “Surf ___ Must Die” (1987 comedy) 48 Bones near the elbow 49 Tractor man John 50 Backsides, in Birmingham 51 “Hey, over here!” 53 Juli Inkster’s org. 54 Visionaries, they hope 55 Get ready (for) 56 Simple lunch 57 Stephen of “The Crying Game” 58 Shot site

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Feliz Cumpleaños

Natalie A. Collier and ShaWanda Jacome

Did You Know? • Piñatas originated in China. • Spanish conquistadors brought piñatas to Mexico in their efforts to evangelize the natives. • Star-shaped piñatas—the original design— had seven points to represent the seven sins of the Catholic Church. • A donkey—a common piñata shape—has no significance. (At least we couldn’t find one. If it does, tell us at shawanda@jacksonfreepress. com. We want to know.)

P

arties are nice, but a themed party will have your guests talking for a long time coming, if you do it right. The Jackson Free Press is preparing for a little party of its own. We’re celebrating our eighth birthday, and we’re throwing a little shindig, a Mexican fiesta of a shindig. First things first: food. If you serve food, they will come. For our get-down, we’re planning a “taco bar.” (See wonderful recipes for Mexican fare on page 36.) Guests will be thirsty, too, right? We’re turning 8, but we’re all adults here. Margaritas! And no good

Advil Liqui-Gels (20 count), $5.41, Beemon Drugs

Trojan Ultra Ribbed Ecstasy, $9.31, Beemon Drugs

Eight Party Rules to Live By • Never forget your theme. Period. • Unless you’re willing to be at the mercy of your guests’ internal clocks, setting an end time is just as important as setting a start time. • You can do a good party on a limited budget. Keep your guest list small, shop at discount stores, or borrow things you may need from friends and invited guests. And if all else fails, have a potluck. (This works especially for something like a taco bar. “You bring the tomato; I’ll bring the onions.”) • Send out invitations; how far in advance depends on how big your party will be and how far guests will travel to get there. • Photos, photos and more photos. Ask guests to bring their cameras to the party and shoot until the donkeys come home. Start a Flickr account and share the username and password for folks to upload pictures after the party. • Have a guest book or a cool sign-in sheet if you think you may not remember everyone. After the party, send out an electronic “thank you” card and a link to photos from the party. Polaroids are making a comeback, too. Say “cheese” and see it in an instant. • Let party favors double as decorations. • Guests, don’t forget to thank your hosts. If you seem ungrateful, they may not invite you to the next get-together.

Mini tequila bottle, $.93, Corkscrew

September 15 - 21, 2010

Mi Costenita candy, $.99, Carneceria Valdez Burt’s Bees lip balm, $2.99, Beemon Drugs Button ring, $5.99, Brent’s Drugs

Jarritos Tamarind soda, $.99, Carneceria Valdez

Where2Shop:

Mi Costenita bags of candy, $.99, Carneceria Valdez

Tamarind-flavored soft candy, $.50, Panaderia Mexico Clear cocktail cards, $2.49, Brent’s Drugs

Brent’s Drugs (655 Duling Ave., 601-3663427; Beemon Drugs (1220 E. Northside Drive, 601-366-9431); Carneceria Valdez (6530 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland, 601899-6992); Corkscrew (4800 Interstate 55 N., Suite 8, 601-981-1333); Panaderia Mexico (6610 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland, 769-251-1631).

Send sale info to fly@jacksonfreepress.com.

HeyCupcake! (1491 Canton Mart Road, Suite 15, 601-9561199) Order custom decorated or custom-flavor cupcakes for your birthday guy or gal. A dozen for $30 or a dozen minis for $14.

Nandy’s Candy (1220 E. Northside Drive, Suite 380, Maywood Mart, 601-362-9553) Get all your candy needs for your birthday bash: gummis, chocolate initials or even a bubble-gum-filled hoola-hoop.

Fresh Ink (4500 Interstate 55 N., Suite 136, Highland Village, 601982-0235) Buy local, and receive that personal touch with custom party invitations. Quick turnaround time of about seven days or less.

McDade’s Markets (several Jackson locations, www.mcdadesmarkets.com) From chicken wings to cheese and veggies to shrimp. Let McDade’s create a party tray just for you. Prices range $19.99 to $49.99.

HARRY THE POTTER; HOLLY PERKINS; HOLLY PERKINS; FRESH INK; FILE PHOTO

42

Life’s a Breeze tissues, $1.95, Brent’s Drugs

Crest Pro-Health mouthwash (travel size), $1.19, Beemon Drugs

Pinata, $20, Panaderia Mexico

SHOPPING SPECIALS Harry THE Potter (381 Ridge Way, Flowood, 601-992-7779) Create a custom birthday gift and save 20 percent off studio time. Coupon can be printed at www.harrythepotterglobal.net.

Mexican-inspired party is right without a piñata. Otherwise, it wouldn’t really be a party. We have a piñata, for sure, but instead of filling it with only candy, we’ve filled ours with things partygoers might appreciate, need or want during and after a long night out partying with us. Think playing cards, mouthwash, pain reliever and, possibly, contraceptives. Also, items in the piñata can serve as party favors or individual reminders for your guests of the wonderful time they spent with you. Buenos tiempos!

Check out flyjfp.com for information about other sales around the city, trends and various things fly people should know.


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