‘Working Together Works'
It happens that in the same week that the JFP is celebrating its eighth anniversary, the Fondren Association of Businesses (FAB) celebrated its own milestone--the second-annual members' meeting, this time in the newly re-monikered Duling Hall.
Fondren Green Space Gets Renovation
Fondren will soon have a pavilion, playground, walking trails and a community garden in Cherokee Heights Park. City officials, Fondren community leaders and neighborhood children broke ground on the park's renovation at the corner of Dunbar Street and Northview Drive Sept. 8.
Above and Beyond
Washington Koen Media along with local and outreach partners invite citizens of cities across the nation to a public conversation they're calling "Beyond the Bricks," which promotes advocacy on behalf of black males enrolled in public schools.
Courts Going Digital
A dash of transparency could be coming to Hinds County's court system in 2011 along with some newly elected judges. Mississippi Electronic Courts, a pilot program offering attorneys and members of the public online access to court filings, is on track to become available statewide at the beginning of next year.
Bond Commission Grants City's $6 million Bond
The standoff between the city of Jackson and members of the State Bond Commission over $6 million in interest-free loans for city water infrastructure repairs seemingly has ended.
Demand Up, Money Down
Despite seeing an increased demand for library services, Jackson-Hinds Library System Executive Director Carolyn McCallum said it will struggle to maintain services and hours for Jackson residents in the upcoming budget year.
Do It for Jacksonians
Over the last several years, the Jackson Free Press has followed a tradition of celebrating our birthday every September by dedicating the issue to the city's progress. Our birthday cover stories typically explore just how far the city has come over the last year.
[Stiggers] Same Process, New Taste
Bill "Munchie" Wilson: "Greetings, Crunchie Burga World customers. I'm Crunchie Burga World's head dietician, here to introduce you to our new fall processed-foods menu. The dietary staff and I worked very hard to provide customers processed food with a new taste.
[Kamikaze] Do It for Bralynn
Bralynn Jamila Franklin turned 6 months old this past week. And as her mother and I prepare to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, I've found my thoughts have turned more toward the future. Not so much for her parents but for a baby that will soon grow into a young lady and then a woman living in the city of Jackson.
[Skipper] Our Jackson
"I am Jackson." It's emblazoned on a T-shirt sold at F. Jones Corner on Farish Street. And it's a motto for the growing force of Jacksonians working to make Jackson what we want it to be. The future of this city is partly reflected in my Jackson story, but what makes me so confident in its future is that my story is not unique."
A Boom of Our Own
When a tree grows, it marks the passing of each year in distinct rings—thick rings represent the fat years when it grew quickly; thin rings for the leaner years when it barely grew at all. If Jackson were a tree trunk, its ring for 2010 would be one of the thickest, yet.
Progress, Progress, Progress
The Jackson Redevelopment Authority is working to finance the initial construction of the Old Capitol Green project this month.
Scott Sisters Rally Draws Hundreds to Capitol
Hundreds gathered on the south steps of the state Capitol today to rally in support of Jamie and Gladys Scott, two Scott County women serving life sentences for a 1993 armed robbery that allegedly netted them $11 each.
Waiting for the Convention Center Hotel
Capital City Center, the long-awaited convention center hotel and multi-use development planned for four blocks of Pascagoula Street, could begin construction by the end of this year if developer MJS Realty is able to secure funding.
Each One, Paint One
Not only does Ginger Williams-Cook, 29, do portraits, abstract paintings, figure drawings and even artwork for restaurant tables, she is also a dedicated volunteer.
Rivaling Slavery
Most dystopian novels are cautionary tales. Michelle Alexander's "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" (The New Press, 2010, $27.95) reads like a dystopian novel, but it's too late for caution.
Truth Music
Jackson rapper and producer Marcus Rashad Battle, aka Rashad Street, and his business manager, Damon Amos, aka Debonair Ways, marveled at the King Edward renovation during a recent visit. "You see hope in the city, you see the potential," Street says. Then, he wonders out loud, "What else can they do with Jackson?"
[Herman's Pick's] Vol. 9, No. 1
Whether you seek the symphony and high arts or aristocrunk, this fall promises something for everyone, as we amp up for the cooler State Fair temperatures.
Peace in the MPB Valley?
After being absent from Mississippi Public Broadcasting offices for at least two weeks, Executive Director Judy Lewis resigned Sept. 8. A news release that afternoon announced her decision to leave her post after one hot summer controversy.
Hinds Sheriff Forced to Cut Jobs
Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin said he was not happy with the fact that almost all of the furloughs required by county supervisors to balance the fiscal year 2011 budget were coming out of his department.