Learning Early
Becoming a girl-about-town takes years of practice. Case in point: I vividly remember the pair of high heels that get credit for training me so that today, I can navigate anything in stilletos. They were purple snakeskin and lived in my neighbor's dress-up box filled with treasures from the Junior Auxillary's thrift shop. And they were fabulous. I teetered around in them at least three times a week from the ages of about 6 to 9.
Reverence and the River
I love thunderstorms. From the safety of a covered porch, a nighttime thunderstorm can be a truly awe-inspiring natural light-and-sound show on par with the best July 4 fireworks. Just watching those jagged stabs of light streaking across a dark sky can produce visceral reactions.
To Gate Or Not to Gate?
Jackson residents could vote to gate their neighborhoods around city-maintained streets under an ordinance Ward 1 Councilman Quentin Whitwell proposed this week.
Property Owners to Vote on Biz District
Now that property owners approved an expansion plan for Jackson's Businesses Improvement District May 26, Downtown Jackson Partners must obtain 70 percent majority vote from property owners to prevent the district from dissolving.
Court Stops Simon Execution
Robert Simon Jr., 47, gets to live a little bit longer on death row. The state of Mississippi planned to kill him May 24, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stopped the execution just hours before the scheduled time.
‘Gated Pods' a Bad Idea
Sadly, Councilman Quentin Whitwell's ideas are going downhill since he pushed for a food-truck ordinance.
[Stiggers] Looking for a Brighter Day
"I'm sad and reflective today after hearing about the passing of Gil Scott-Heron, one of my favorite artists ever. His brotherly like spoken words planted a 'critical thinking' seed in my young and fertile my mind around 1975, when I heard these lyrics from his signature piece titled 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.'
[Hill] Sunday School Lessons
He somehow got the impression that spirituality and issues of human justice are somehow mutually exclusive.
Women of Substance
In 1961, Charlayne Hunter-Gault succeeded in integrating the University of Georgia alongside Hamilton Holmes. Hunter-Gault became the university's first black graduate in 1963. From there, she went on to excel in broadcast journalism, winning two Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards.
Scrubbing Tattoos
If you press your ear up against the western literary canon, you can hear a million women whispering—but for the most part, you won't be able to make out the words.
More chances to see ‘Joseph'
New Stage Theatre has added more shows for "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat " through June 12. Shows through June 5 have sold out.
After The Flood
Waiting To Recover
News that a flood was headed toward Vicksburg didn't come as a surprise to most residents. In late April, the Mississippi River and its tributaries began to overflow and reach record crests in Missouri. Kentucky, Illinois and Tennessee. What did surprise residents, however, was the historic crest that surged into neighborhoods.
Crisler Would Expand Highway 61
Former Jackson City Councilman Marshand Crisler thinks he will have an advantage as a Mississippi Department of Transportation Commissioner for the Central District. Crisler, who is a district director for Hinds Community College's adult education program, said the priorities of the commission become obvious when viewed from the vantage point of a city leader.
Cathy Funches
Cathy Funches is driven to aid the less fortunate to find their way to a better quality of life. Funches has participated in many mission trips to developing countries. Just last year, she traveled to Bolivia to provide assistance to an orphanage. She realized, however, that her passion for helping the oppressed could be fulfilled at home.
State Revenues Down for May
Read the state's revenue report
Yes on Budget Shift, Electric Cars
The Jackson City Council approved a $3.5 million budget revision this week, funneling budget savings into new shortfalls found halfway into the budget year.
Cellphones "Possibly Carcinogenic"
AP is reporting that the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classifieds cellphones as "possibly carcinogenic," a label that it also applies to DDT and coffee. The Agency is an off-shoot of the World Health Organization. According to the story:
Council Considers Gate Ordinance
Under a new city ordinance Ward 1 Councilman Quentin Whitwell proposed today, 75 percent of a Jackson neighborhood's residents could vote to gate their community even though the city would continue funding its infrastructure. "This is a traffic-calming measure," Whitwell said at the Jackson City Council meeting this morning.
Midtown Market Opens; Biz Support Group
A national nonprofit designed to educate entrepreneurs and support small businesses needs volunteers to help establish a chapter in Jackson.
Anna Kline
Within the past two weeks, Anna Kline saw the devastation of the Mississippi River flooding, wrote a song about it and played it during practice with her band. In the next few days, Anna Kline and the Grits & Soul Band sang the song on WLBT-TV, then recorded and produced the song, "Flood Waters."