Christopher Paige
Christopher Paige's determination to make his South Jackson barber shop, Custom Cuts & Styles, a thriving business that serves the community is perhaps what earned him the title of Rising Entrepreneur and Best Barber Shop in the 2011 Jackson Free Press Best of Jackson awards.
Get Your Weekend Started
The weather isn't the only thing that is heating up this weekend. If you are in the mood for a night of Alfred Hitchcock and humor, check out "The 39 Steps," at New Stage Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $22 for students and seniors. If you'd rather practice your paintbrush stroke, head to Easely Amused in Ridgeland and learn the art of painting the Fleur-de-lis at the "Fleur" Painting Class at 7 p.m. Don't see anything that catches your fancy? Then check out the JFP Events Calendar.
MIRA Speaks Out Against Anti-Immigration Bill
<i>Verbatim statement from MIRA</i>:
Mississippi Immigrations Rights Alliance, the leading advocacy organization for the rights of undocumented workers in Mississippi, alleges SB 2179, titled The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, would require law enforcement to racially profile Latino citizens.
Convention Center Attendance Up in 2010
Two years after opening its doors to great fanfare, the Jackson Convention Complex has brought in more than $49.7 million and spurred the city's economy by providing jobs, tax revenue, and thousands of visitors who spent money in the city, according to a report the Capital City Convention Center Commission issued this week.
JRA Opposes Eminent Domain Initiative
Members of the Jackson Redevelopment Authority fear an upcoming November ballot initiative to restrict the government's use of eminent domain to public projects such as bridge and roadway construction will hamper private redevelopment in the city's blighted areas.
[Slate] The Best in Sports in 7 Days
Doctor S sez: Yes, it's almost college football signing day and no, I'm not going to talk about it.
Ice Enters Jackson's Ward 1 Race
At 4 p.m. yesterday, an hour before the city's deadline for Ward 1 city council candidates to file for the Feb. 15 special election, Attorney L. Patricia Ice submitted her paperwork to run for the seat vacated by Jeff Weill.
Kenneth Braswell
Kenneth Braswell wants fathers to step up. The keynote speaker at Jackson Public Schools' Dads of Destiny Conference this evening, Braswell advocates for responsible fatherhood through his organization, Fathers Incorporated, and the New York State Fatherhood Initiative.
Grill Away Winter's Chill
When it's cold outside, I crave comfort food: macaroni and cheese, pot roast, soups and stews that warm you from the inside out. But it's inevitable, after two months of overindulging and several weeks of chili, soups and stews, I start fantasizing about summer food.
Partial Smoking Ban Sets Stage for Confusion
A confusing Jackson ordinance could prove to be a case study on the frustration of a statewide partial smoking ban before the Mississippi Legislature.
IHL and Other Kicked Puppies
Last week marked the final week for general bill submissions in this session of the Mississippi Legislature, and much legislation is already clearing the House and Senate. Committees in both chambers are also up against a Feb. 1 deadline to pass or dump bills in their own chamber.
Cutting Out The Pigs
The University of Mississippi Medical Center is one of only seven medical schools in the United States that still uses live animals to teach medical students basic physiology, pharmacology or surgery.
State Needs Real Transparency
Mississippi, we have a problem. Governmental bodies and agencies from right here in Jackson (city, JPS and JPD) all the way up through state (secretary of state's office) have a really bad habit of trying to hide public information from you the taxpayer, or at least delaying it.
[Stiggers] Hustle and Barter
"Thank you for keeping hope and my business alive in 2011."
[Letter to the Editor] Vol. 9, No. 20
Dear Sirs (really just Todd Stauffer),
Dear Sirs (really just Todd Stauffer), I should have written this letter while the last issue was still on the newsstands, but I had to summon the courage. As a frequent reader and left-of-left liberal, I was appalled to read in your Dec. 29 Publisher's Note "Common Sense in 2011" (Volume 9, Issue 16) the line in which you say President Obama's tax compromise is "probably good economic policy in the short term." I think my jaw actually dropped.
[Rhodes] Jackson: A Beloved Community
"The end is reconciliation, the end is redemption, the end is the creation of the beloved community." —Martin Luther King Jr.
JPS Board Won't Renew Edwards' Contract
The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees voted during its Dec. 7 meeting not to renew Superintendent Lonnie Edwards' contract for the upcoming school year, Board Attorney Dorian Turner told the Jackson Free Press today. The 3-1 vote came during executive session, and the board informed Edwards of its decision at a meeting this afternoon, Turner said.
Jackson Schools Show Decline
See the MDE report.
The Secret is ... People
I thought about going back into the JFP archives to check and see how many of these publisher's notes in previous Best of Jackson issues I've started with, "You hold in your hands the largest-ever issue of the Jackson Free Press."
Compromise Ahead on Payday Lending?
The Mississippi House of Representatives and Senate likely will have to work out a compromise on a bill that allows payday lenders to exceed a statewide cap on annual percentage rates.