[Stiggers] Vicious Whack
Boneqweesha Jones: "Live from the new Hair Did University television studio, it's time for 'Qweesha Live: 2010 Edition.'
[Kamikaze] A Work in Progress
You'll have to excuse me. I'm writing this column in somewhat of a sleepy haze. You see, sleep has devilishly escaped me for the past few days. I wish it would return. But alas, I'm a new father again so there are miles to go before I sleep.
[Moore] My Life as a Tree
My life was as normal as it could be my first half-century.
St. Paddy's Party Plan
St. Patrick's Day is officially March 17, but in Jackson, the party only starts then, with goings-on around town right through Sunday.
The Secrets of War
In "The Surrendered" (Riverhead, 2010, $17.79), Chang-rae Lee tells a story of love, loss and sacrifice with a deceptive ease that will hook readers from the first sentence and hold them to the last page.
[Pass The Mic] Auto-Tune: A Rant
There once was a local television commercial with cute children singing "This Little Light of Mine." One of the cutest things about children singing is the fact that they are children, and therefore they may not hit every single note spot-on. But this commercial was so far from cute I had to mute it every time it came on.
[Herman's Picks] Vol. 8, No. 27
It's spring break in Jackson, and that means the Sweet Potato Queens are here, ready to show off their greenery for Mal's St. Paddy's Parade on Saturday. After the dreary winter we've had, everyone's ready for a little spring green—even if you're not Irish.
Lesbian Teen Fights for Prom
Constance McMillen unwraps a Super Sonic Burger from a bag full of tater tots at her kitchen table in Fulton. Her long, dark hair is curled, and her face is made up. She's wearing a new black T-shirt that reads "I (Heart) NY."
Revenue Estimates Down, Barbour to Announce Budget Cuts
With newly revised revenue estimates projecting a slow recovery for the state economy, Gov. Haley Barbour is preparing to cut an additional $41 million from the state budget for this fiscal year. The Mississippi Legislature's joint budget committee today adopted revised revenue estimates predicting a 6.3 percent drop in state revenue for the 2010 fiscal year and a 0.4 increase in 2011. Barbour told reporters that he thought the minimal growth predicted in 2011 was over-optimistic.
St. Patty's Sched
St. Patrick's Day is officially March 17, but in Jackson, the party only starts then, with goings-on around town right through Sunday. Make sure to check jfpevents.com for lots more fun.
Stan Leflore
When defining his role in the renaissance of downtown Jackson, Stan Leflore, 56, feels he is as much a pioneer as his great, great, great-grandfather, Louis LeFleur, the French-Canadian explorer who discovered the bluff that would later become Jackson.
Barbour Signs Strip Club Bill
Gov. Haley Barbour signed a bill on March 15 giving rural counties authority to regulate strip clubs. House Bill 170 demands supervisors publish and post notice of any proposed ordinance change impacting strip clubs at least 20 days prior to the holding of a public hearing on the ordinance.
Baria: Barbour's Wind Pool Veto Raises Rates
Sen. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, successfully added an amendment to a bill by voice vote yesterday that continues the state's annual $20 million payment to the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association Reinsurance Assistance Fund, also called the wind pool. The measure passed the Senate unanimously, reports The Sun Herald and is on its way to the House.
Jackson Chamber Eyeing Independence
The Jackson Chamber of Commerce, a subsidiary of the metro-area Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, is planning to become an independent body to better advocate for the city's economic interests. A move to complete autonomy is probably more than a year away but the leaders of both organizations are working to develop a plan for separation, current Jackson Chamber Chairman Jonathan Lee said, this week.
[Balko] The Other Broken Windows Fallacy
One of the central themes of the critically acclaimed HBO series "The Wire" was the pressure politicians put on police brass, who then apply it to the department's middle management, to generate PR-friendly statistics about lowering crime and increasing arrests. The show, based in part on co-creator Ed Burns' experience as a narcotics cop at the Baltimore Police Department, was a running narration of the chasm between what politicians and the public consider to be effective crime-fighting techniques and what measures actually make cities safer.
Roderick Holmes
When Jackson Police Department Officer Roderick Holmes responded to an alarm call at Calvary Baptist Church in January, his training and skills came into play in apprehending a man who had broken into the church. As the intruder tried to flee the property, Holmes called for backup and with the help of other officers, he apprehended the suspect in a wooded area behind the church.
Horne LLP Under Fire Again
Jackson accounting firm Horne LLP faces criticism for the second time in two months after a Feb. 18 audit by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General reported that the company billed Mississippi Emergency Management Agency an excessive amount of $7,751,445 for services that included paying employees up to $109 an hour to scan documents.
Silver Alert Legislation Awaits Barbour's Signature
Keeping our parents and grandparents safe is the goal of a Mississippi House bill creating a Silver Alert system. The system, based on Amber Alerts for children, will allow family members to report an elderly missing person quickly, ensuring that law enforcement gets into action before an older person runs into trouble.
Eddie Fair Requests Pay Raises; Supes Deny
With budget concerns in mind, the Hinds County Board of Supervisors denied pay raises requested by county Tax Collector Eddie Fair in a meeting this morning, while approving the hiring of another county position.
Evelyn Gandy
When Rep. Alyce Clarke, D-Jackson, considered running as the state's first female African American representative in the late 1980s, she received encouragement and advice from Evelyn Gandy.