Break-Neck Speed
In 1972 I went on a Girl Scout camping trip to Washington, D.C. One of the chaperoning mothers brought along her son, Terry. We kidded with each other that I was girl "Terri" and he was boy "Terry."
Kids Having Kids
Ollie Jackson's baby, Lauryn, sleepily rubs her eyes as she sits on her 19-year-old father's lap during a football game at Newell Field in Jackson.
Losing Time in Pen and Ink
Doodling a detailed picture on a napkin, the architect with white hair and blue eyes concentrates while a waitress clears the plates around him.
Soul, Front and Center
I am not a soul-music guy, generally speaking; I grew up on punk rock for the most part. Outside the luminaries of soul my knowledge of the genre drops off precipitously on the musical graph.
Add Cheer, Not Expense
Holidays happen, but we have the power and responsibility to choose how we celebrate them and what they mean to each of us.
Arena Supporters Raise Funds for Study
Supporters of a proposed arena for downtown Jackson made their case yesterday at the Jackson Convention Complex. A steering committee featuring many area business leaders is trying to raise $80,000 to fund the first phase of a feasibility study for the project.
Flaggs: Keep Check Cashers Act
Mississippi House of Representatives Banking Committee Chairman George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, says he wants to extend the life of the 1998 Mississippi Check Cashers Act, which allows short-term lenders a special exemption from the 36-percent annual-percentage-rate cap on loans of under $1,000. Under the Act, check-cashing operations can charge customers 18 percent simple interest in fees for loans under $400 due within two to four weeks.
J.J. Luther and Karson Williams
Karson Williams laughed at a joke on top of the Ironworks Building in downtown Jackson. She and J.J. Luther had come up to the roof to look at the stars and talk. The tall blonde girl and the red-headed boy looked down at the sidewalk at their tattooed friends from The Ink Spot.
David Hoskins
David Hoskins is used to getting strange questions. As the reference librarian at the Eudora Welty Public Library, he is the go-to guy for research materials and assistance.
Going nuts in Oxford, Part 2
Doctor S could take the easy way out and say that Ole Miss football coach Houston Nutt was being refreshingly honest when he made his Oxford address on Monday. His boss, Pete Boone like it, for whatever it's worth.
City to Shore Up $1.5M for JATRAN
Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said Monday the city will have to come up with an unexpected $1 million by January to pay for JATRAN bus drivers.
Arena Study; Blues Joint Opens
Supporters of a proposed downtown sports and entertainment arena will host a fundraiser and information session this evening at the Jackson Convention Complex. In 2009, a steering committee of business leaders contracted consulting firm Populous Sports to conduct an arena feasibility study for downtown Jackson.
Kathy Nester
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/v3/images/uploads/Kathy-Nester_web.jpg
"Depression Doesn't Wait Until Monday"
As I was preparing for work the other morning, I saw a clip on Good Morning America about an upcoming Marie Osmond interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She was speaking out about the loss of her 18-year-old adopted son Michael Blosil, who committed suicide eight months ago. He had issues in the past with depression and substance abuse, and he was very depressed the last time Osmond spoke to him on the phone. She tried to encourage her son by reminding him that she would be visiting him the following Monday. Unfortunately, Michael took his life that Friday by jumping from the roof of his apartment building. She said, "I told him, 'Mike, I'm gonna be there Monday, and it's gonna be okay,' but depression doesn't wait until Monday." Hearing her say that reminded me why I was walking down the rugged trail through the woods of Mayes Lake at LeFleur's Bluff during NAMIWalks earlier this month. Depression should always be taken seriously because you never know the mindset of the sufferer. You never know if you may be the one that could make him or her change her mind about giving up and ending it all. I equate it to giving life-saving CPR to someone whose heart has stopped beating. You can't save a life unless you learn how, and I think that if more people recognized the signs of someone contemplating suicide, more lives could be saved because they would know how to intervene. I appreciate the work of NAMI Mississippi, whose goal is to educate people about and remove the stigma associated with mental illness. Although NAMIWalks was on Nov. 6, the fundraising website will be available until Jan. 5. If you like to donate to NAMI Mississippi, please visit nami.org/namiwalks10/MIS/jfp2010 and give whatever you can. Thanks!
Is Nutt going nuts?
Ole Miss football coach Houston made an impassioned plea at his Monday news conference.
Barbour Proposes 8 Percent Budget Cut in 2012
Gov. Haley Barbour outlined his 2012 budget proposal at a press conference this afternoon, calling for an average of 8 percent cuts to state agencies next year. Barbour's $5.47 billion budget recommendation for fiscal year 2012 is $43 million below this year's final budget and roughly $250 million below the state's 2008 budget, its largest cut to date.
Counterbalance
Salad, salad, and more salad. This is what my body has been craving the last couple of weeks. Who can be surprised after the funnel cake splurge at the state fair and the Halloween candy that tempted everyone recently?
Katrina Victims to Receive $132 million
The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development settled a $132 million lawsuit last week allowing individual Gulf Coast renters to claim up to $75,000 for Katrina-related destruction.
Supes OK Jackson Road Projects
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors gave advance approval today for county public-works crews to do routine maintenance work in the city of Jackson. The board passed Supervisor Peggy Calhoun's motion to let the county Public Works Department do any work taking less than two days without getting explicit board approval.
Capt. Ken Chapman
When you do your shopping this holiday season, you might hear Capt. Ken Chapman's determined bell ringing for the Salvation Army's Red Kettle.