'We're A Miracle'
Ballet Magnificat! Marks 25 Years
As a professional ballerina, Kathy Thibodeaux began to pray about her career and her future when she became a Christian in 1979. "Should I keep dancing? Do I give up dancing?" She wondered. At that point, she says, no one in the country was really dancing for Jesus. Her Christian friends were skeptical that dancing was something a nice Christian girl should do.
Doomsday for Black Folks?
By all measures, the state of black Mississippi should be strong. Mississippi's concentration of African American residents, 37 percent, is the highest of any state. Mississippi also has the highest number of majority-black counties, 25, and black elected officials (900+). So why did the Mississippi Black Leadership Summit, which took place in downtown Jackson last week, strike such a somber tone?
Jackson Aces Elementary Math
Jackson is focusing more of its financial resources on schools with the neediest students, bucking a national trend, U.S. Department of Education data suggest.
Carol Clark Hammond
Michelangelo once said, "He who does not master the nude cannot understand the principles of architecture." It's just one of many quotes by which Carol Clark Hammond lives. As a freelance artist, she specializes in portrait drawing and courtroom sketching. Her work these days comes sporadically, however, because her specialties seem to be going out of style.
Finding Seagulls in the Grain
I crossed the street quickly and hurried under Interstate 55 to catch the bus. The gray, concrete columns stood silent, holding up tons of speeding commuters. The underpass space is pretty expansive. It is mostly clean and blank space with enough room for a parking lot. Right now, its only function is engineered bridge support.
Making Joyful Noises
Jackson comes alive when Christmas comes to town. With the Belhaven Singing Christmas Tree, Chimneyville Crafts Festival and several other local traditions, most people seem to get into the holiday spirit. This year's joyful noises not only help get everyone into Christmas mode, but also help those in need.
Not Giving Up on Jackson Kids
Jackson struggles with a graduation rate below the national average, but the community is not giving up on its students, an organization started by Colin Powell says.
Big Changes at Koinonia
If his ability to juggle a phone interview while whipping a breakfast bagel is any indication, Nate Coleman is going to make one heck of a restaurateur. Coleman, a Jackson native and trained culinary chef is bringing a new eatery to the capital city that will occupy Koinonia's space, according to a new release from the coffee shop.
Carol West
Carol C. West, a law professor at Mississippi College, died yesterday at age 67. An expert in domestic relations, women's issues and criminal law, West donated some of her academic papers from 1972-1993 to the American Association of Law Libraries.
Guns: A Public Health Issue?
It's difficult to have a serious conversation about the prevalence of guns in American society because it's one of those issues where so many people are strident one way or the other, and usually without the benefit of having done any actual research. We're working on a big project about guns for next year and are reading a variety of scholarship on the subject—much of which isn't particularly interested in the politics of guns, but in the public-health components. In recent weeks, I've read about the problems with gun control as well as about the realities of gun prevalence. One of the saddest parts is the number of accidental guns deaths, many to children. It is also a rather open secret how much more lethal suicide attempts can end up if someone tries with a gun.
Hinds Balks at Madison Landfill
A decade-long controversy over the placement of a landfill on North County Line Road could soon draw to a conclusion. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, which must grant NCL-Waste LLC a permit to move forward with plans for a 100-acre municipal solid-waste disposal site, will hold a public hearing Thursday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. at Tougaloo College's Holmes Hall.
Eastover Subdivisions Limited
Developers eyeing properties in the Eastover neighborhood will not be able to purchase land and divide it up into smaller parcels. City Council members voted this morning to extend a moratorium on new subdivision plats in the neighborhood. The council approved an overlay district, an additional zoning requirement over a specific area, in Eastover last month to preserve property sizes in the subdivision.
Rick Comegy
Coaching football is the one profession where the common question is "what have you done lately?" Jackson State University knows the answer to that question. Coach Rick Comegy led Jackson State to a 9-2 regular season record with a 7-2 SWAC record to earn a two-year extension.
Community Events and Public Meetings
<b>Monday, Dec. 5</b>
6 p.m., It's the Perfect Time: To Purchase a Home, at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.) in the Community Meeting Room. The workshop is part of the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation's "Getting On Easy Street" Personal Finance and Credit Program. Registration is at 5:30 p.m. and the first 20 people get their credit score for free. Light dinner included. Free; call 601-982-8467; visit jacksonmedicalmall.org.
Archie Manning Talks Ole Miss: Nutt to Freeze
The University of Mississippi has released this video of Archie Manning, Ole Miss alum and former football great, who co-chaired their search committee for a head coach to replace Houston Nutt.
Old Capitol Green Progressing
An earlier version of this story had the wrong photograph. We apologize for the error.
Making Science and Math Exciting
William Johnson III, a third-grader at Casey Elementary School, looked skeptically at the rubbery, gray sheep's brain displayed on a Styrofoam plate. Tentatively, he poked at it, then turned around and shouted excitedly for his friend.
Michael Rubenstein
Mississippi has a long and rich sports history. The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame was created to protect and showcase the history of sports in our state. Michael Rubenstein was one of the driving forces behind the hall. The only executive director the Hall of Fame has ever had, Rubenstein passed away in his home yesterday.
People Under 30 Face Greatest AIDS Risk
People who weren't yet born when AIDS first emerged are at the highest risk for becoming HIV positive today. It's an alarming development that underscores how essential awareness is, especially as we observe World AIDS Day Dec. 1.
No More Excuses for JPD
View the entire Major Crimes Report here.