Festive Nights
A mouth-watering drink recipe is the perfect excuse for a night in. With hot chocolate or spice tea to tempt your palate and keep you warm, it's easy to forgo a trip to the mall or to a fast-food joint. Not only are these drinks delicious, they can help you remain frugal this holiday season.
[Vegan Delights] Sweet Dumpling Squash Stuffed with Lemon-Herb Rice
A savory, main event dish that will put in the ho, ho, ho into your holiday.
Holiday Cheer(s!)
Some holiday get-togethers are light-hearted and festive, and booze flows freely among friends. Other gatherings are a bit more begrudging, and alcohol becomes the lubricant for surviving hours of enforced frivolity without stabbing Uncle Charlie with a meat fork when he makes the fatal mistake of bringing up politics at the dinner table.
Grokking New Beginnings
With Jackson State University naming Carolyn Meyers as its new president within the past week (see Ward Schaefer's interview), my thoughts naturally turned to Mississippi's educational system and the subject of how we learn.
Ghosts of Frank Melton
Leave it to Frank Melton to live among strangeness even after his death.
Utility Pushes Back on Power-Saving
Mississippi Power Company wants a proposed statewide energy-efficiency plan evaluated based on its cost to ratepayers rather than its long-term savings—a move critics say is a contrast to its desire to have ratepayers fund its own coal-plant expansion.
Respect for the City
Campaign adviser and lobbyist Quentin Whitwell is looking to get his own campaign moving this year. Whitwell, 38, announced to supporters last month that he plans to run for the Ward 1 Jackson City Council seat that Councilman Jeff Weill will vacate in January to take his seat as a judge in Hinds County Circuit Court.
JPS' Special-Education Problem
Jackson Public Schools has trouble with special education, but it's hardly unique. The district's failure to provide adequate services to students with emotional and behavioral disorders came to light earlier this month with the release of a Nov. 22 state-agency finding.
Grading Government
Released at the same time as Gov. Haley Barbour's budget recommendation for the upcoming 2012 fiscal year was a report card for state government. Since 1997, state agencies submit performance reports along with their annual budget requests, as required by the Mississippi Performance and Strategic Planning Act.
Stop the War on the Poor
During the winter holiday season, our thoughts frequently turn to those in need: the homeless, the poor, the sick and other needy souls.
[Stiggers] Spiteful Weather
Big Roscoe: "Live from the Clubb Chicken Wing Multi-Purpose Complex, it's the ‘Clubb Chicken Wing Christmas TV Special.' On behalf of Lil' Momma Roscoe and the Clubb Chicken Wing staff, we hope that the Ghetto Science community, financially challenged individuals and the unemployed have a happy and prosperous holiday season."
The Santa Situation
Stores have decked the halls, and Christmas music is playing on radio stations. As the holiday approaches, children anticipate the magic of the season and people ask my kids, "Is Santa coming to your house this year?"
[Dennis] For Goodness Sake
I had a physics teacher in high school named Mr. Jones. He was a brilliant older man who often solved problems in his head faster than the rest of us could key the numbers into our calculators. Inevitably, his lectures would venture away from the subject and toward some profound nugget of wisdom.
The JFP Interview with Carolyn Meyers
Carolyn Meyers was born a tinkerer. The worst spanking she can remember was the consequence of her taking apart a clock radio her mother had just bought.
New Challenges
Carolyn Meyers doesn't look much like her predecessor at Jackson State University, Ronald Mason, on paper or in person. The tall, arguably aloof Mason was not a researcher by training, having received his bachelor's and law degrees from Columbia University.
Pamela Nail
In between shuffling her 9-year-old son home from school and making last-minute calls to plan a charity event at the Mississippi Children's Home Services, Pamela Nail stops to reflect about her passion to inspire and motivate others.
Lumumba Defends Minority Contract Push
Instead of pushing for an investigation of Council President Frank Bluntson's use of city employees during last night's Jackson City Council meeting, Ward 2 Councilman Chowke Lumumba defended his push for minority contracts.
Scott Sisters Appear Before Parole Board
Investigations into the pardon petition for sisters Jamie and Gladys Scott have concluded, and the request for their release now awaits Gov. Haley Barbour's decision.
Japanese Percussionist Performs Tonight
Each time Japanese percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani performs, he experiments with sound. "I don't describe my music. It is a unique experience each time, not categorized or placed within any boundaries," he says.
City Issues Boil Water Notice
Verbatim statement:Due to two recent water main breaks, one located on Woody Drive and one located at 1539 Woodburn Street, the City of Jackson Water/Sewer Utilities Division has issued a precautionary boil water advisory until further notice for the following areas: