Gateway City Classic
Sometimes I read fiction that I can't accurately describe without sounding like I'm shilling for it. Jabari Asim's "A Taste of Honey" (Broadway Books, 2010, $13) falls into that category.
Freshman 15?
When I was in college the first time, I was lucky enough to not gain the Freshman 15. In fact I believe I lost weigh, I walked more and ate much less junk. Now that I'm back in school, working on an entirely different degree, working full time and volunteering, I understand how easy it can be to gain weight. I'm learning to find a balance. I'm eating breakfast most days and not eating late in the night, unless it's Friday night at 1 a.m. and Taco Bell is calling my name but that's another story for another day.
Personhood Initiative Heads to Court
The outcome of a lawsuit over a 2011 ballot initiative asking voters to define when life begins will come down to whether the initiative requires modifications to the state Constitution.
Due Diligence on Biofuels
Despite a strong show of support from state lawmakers last month, Houston-based startup KiOR is still a long way from breaking ground on the three biofuel facilities it has pledged to build in Mississippi. KiOR must secure a purchase agreement with an oil refinery before it can receive the $75 million loan the Mississippi Legislature authorized Aug. 27, and state and company officials say an agreement is still to come.
Alan Henderson
After spending the last few years attending school in Washington, D.C., Alan Henderson decided to return to his hometown with the goal of using his experiences to rebuild the city of Jackson.
Camping At JA
The first time I saw Jeremy Camp in concert was in 2008. Although he's released countless songs featuring hard-hitting guitar riffs and upbeat tempos, the slower worship songs have really stuck with me over the years. Many have brought comfort during rough patches in my life and helped me keep hope in the midst of unrelenting darkness. It's a combination of the lyrics and the passion with which he sings them that allows a listener to center herself and focus her thoughts on God.
Voting for Ole Miss Mascot Begins Today
Polls opened at 8 a.m. this morning for University of Mississippi alumni, students, faculty and season ticket holders to vote on a new school mascot.
Council Approves Judge, Tables Store Ban
This morning, the Jackson City Council confirmed the appointment of former Municipal Judge Gail Wright Lowery as municipal judge pro tempore to preside over the city's new code enforcement.
Loving the Fall!
These 50 degree mornings have given me a new-found energy. I've been waking up at 6 a.m. and going for a walk each day the past couple of weeks. I no longer dread opening the door to what is sure to be thick humidity behind ready to smack me in the face.
[Balko] Guilty Before Proven Innocent
Last week, USA Today published the results of a six-month investigation into misconduct by America's federal prosecutors. The investigation turned up what Pace University law professor Bennett Gershman called a pattern of "serious, glaring misconduct."
Openings In Fondren, West and South Jackson
Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. celebrates the opening tomorrow of Fondren Hall, a new events space and conference center on the site of an old Primo's restaurant. The opening marks the completion of Fondren Plaza, a shopping center redeveloped by Ali Jamila and his brothers, Khalid and Mohammed. Fondren Plaza also houses the Jamila's own business, Room By Room Furniture, along with the Jackson Police Department's Precinct 4 headquarters and other offices.
Dr. Grayson Norquist
University of Mississippi Medical Center professor Dr. Grayson Norquist's years of experience and leadership in the medical field has earned him a seat advising federal health-care reform.
Lesbian Teen's Lawsuit Challenged
Copiah County School district officials are asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that lesbian teen Ceara Sturgis filed after school officials excluded a photograph of her wearing a tuxedo on the senior page of Wesson Attendance Center's yearbook, The Sun Herald reported yesterday.
Fall is here!
The weather is amazing right now. Throw on a simple hoodie over your tshirt and you're ready to rock the walking paths. But watch out for the annual coming of the State Fair! With it comes funnel cakes and deep fried something-or-others. I hear the Texas State Fair replaced their deep fried coke with deep fried beer this year! Then there's the buttery-delicious roasted corn and the free biscuits with syrup and fresh pulled taffy and yakisoba and lemonaids and sodas and beers and a million other things that are soooo good yet sooo bad. I plan on eating while I walk... a few laps around the fairgrounds ought to burn off that roasted corn I'm salivating over.
Hinds Takes Over GPS Monitoring of Juveniles
Hinds County has received $80,000 to use GPS technology to track juvenile offenders under house arrest. The county Board of Supervisors voted today to accept a one-year grant from the state Department of Public Safety that will allow it to take over the monitoring program from Court Programs, Inc., which has handled monitoring for the past three years for the county's youth court.
Supreme Court Rejects Minor and Seale Appeals
This morning The U.S. Supreme Court announced it would not hear the case of Mississippi Attorney Paul Minor and former judges Walter "Wes" Teel and John Whitfield convicted of fraud in 2007. The court also will not hear with the case of reputed klansman James Ford Seale convicted in 2007 of kidnapping and conspiracy in the 1964 deaths of two young black men.
Study Finds Unequal Punishment of Black Students
Black students are twice as likely to get out-of-school suspensions and in some school districts, middle schools are three times more likely to suspend black boys, a new Southern Poverty Law Center study found.
Community Events and Public Meetings
Phi Theta Kappa Blood Drive Oct. 4-6, at Hinds Community College, Raymond Campus (501 E. Main St., Raymond). Donate blood in the donor coach parked in front of the Student Union. Hours are from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. All donors receive a free T-shirt (while supplies last) and are entered to win a pair of tickets to an SEC football game. Donations welcome; call 800-817-7449.
Big K.R.I.T.
Mississippians will have the opportunity to see some home-grown talent this Friday when Meridian native and hip-hop artist Big K.R.I.T. performs in Jackson.
Mississippi 3rd "Most Socialist" State?
I love me some Business Insider, even when they start making up stuff to drum up page views, like this recent "slideshow" piece. The premise of this piece on "socialist" states is simple (and ridiculously oversimplified); take the revenues of the state government, divide by the GDP of the state and rank them according to relative size of government.