Andrew Young
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Jackson State University today hosted Andrew Young, one of King's closest advisers during the civil-rights movement of the 1960s. Young 77, has a long career of public service, including terms as a U.S. Congressman from Georgia and as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter. Young was with King on the night of his assassination, April 4, 1968, in Memphis.
$2.8 Million Trade-in Program Announced
Starting this spring, federal stimulus funds will become available for you to upgrade your appliances. Under the American Recover and Reinvestment Act, the federal government has allocated $2.8 million to Mississippi for a residential appliance trade-in program with a tentative start date of April 2010.
Luxe Leftovers
Shopping in my favorite specialty market recently, I stumbled upon an Asian foodie's grail: crispy whole Chinese-style duck. I enjoy relying on serendipity to deliver such delicacies into my path, and my prized possession rode in my lap on the way home, the way one cradles fresh eggs or delicate produce.
The Best In Sports In 7 Days
Winter Olympics, women's figure skating (7 p.m., Ch. 3): This is what you've been waiting for. And expect to wait a while tonight before you get to see it.
The Power of Now
When I moved back to Mississippi in 2001, I was naïve. I thought I was coming home to write about the past that shamed me as a white Mississippian. I wanted to be a white Mississippian who wasn't afraid to face the past.
Irby Trial On Schedule
The criminal trial of Karen Irby, wife of Jackson businessman Stuart Irby, is set for March and looks ready to proceed. At a Feb. 17 pre-trial hearing, Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Tomie Green indicated that she foresaw no delays in the case and that she plans to sequester the jury.
Schoolhouse to Statehouse
Yvonne Horton made an unconventional job transition in 2007, joining a lobbying firm after 30 years as a public-school teacher. Horton, 60, is a Bolton native and a 1971 graduate of Jackson State University.
Abortion Amendment Unlikely
Personhood Mississippi leader Les Riley stood in front of a small but fervent crowd last week at the secretary of state's office proclaiming victory for the pro-life movement.
Bashing Sodas and Saving Schools
The 90-day legislative session will creep past the halfway mark this week, and the clock ticks on plenty of legislative efforts, including the deadline to except or trash fiscal-year 2011 appropriation and revenue bills.
Mason: No Plans for Public Input on Merger
As Jackson State University President Ronald Mason Jr. shook hands at a forum last Friday at Koinonia Coffee House in Jackson, he sought to quell concerns about a possible HBCU merger idea he floated to legislators last month. He maintained that his proposal was merely "an idea that was leaked."
Will U.S. Chamber Win Again?
In 2004, Attorney General Jim Hood hired attorneys Joey Langston and Timothy Balducci—who later pled guilty to corruption in 2008 and 2007, respectively—to recoup unpaid taxes and interest resulting from a multi-state tax fraud scheme Clinton-based WorldCom cooked up before the company's 2002 collapse.
[Stiggers] That Sounds Nasty
Boneqweesha Jones: "Welcome to Hair Did University's S.O.H.K. (School of Hard Knocks) Critical Thinking Lecture Series. Psychologist Judy McBride wants to share with us an effect that is affecting people today."
Pseudopolitics Equals Pseudofailure
Recently the Mississippi Legislature passed legislation outlawing the sale of medical products containing pseudoephedrine without a prescription. The intent of this legislation is to reduce the rampant methamphetamine epidemic.
Barbour Vetoes Budget Restoration
Gov. Haley Barbour vetoed budget reconciliation act Senate Bill 2688 today, a bill that restored $79 million in cuts he enacted for Fiscal Year 2011. The governor rejected the bill saying that it delayed "inevitable government reorganization and relied on one-time money to cure recurring budget woes."
[Oppenheim] ‘Listen to Me!'
Last spring, as I sat in a Murrah High School classroom, surrounded by the brilliant young minds of the Civil Rights, Civil Liberties Club, I was struck by the contrast between these young people—who were deeply committed to contributing positively to their communities—and the myth some media outlets perpetuate about Jackson's youngsters.
The JFP Interview with Rebecca Coleman
Police Chief Rebecca Coleman is in a good mood this morning. It's Friday in Jackson, and the city is seeing more snow today than it has in years. The icy weather, while a deviation from typical central Mississippi weather, did not contain the kind of deadly black ice that terrifies cops.
Art Meets Science
When Erin Hayne first brought her Portuguese husband home to Mississippi, the humidity immediately consumed him.
Grafting ‘New' Branches
As Cody Cox counts his cash drawer at the end of his shift at the Fondren Cups, one can't help but wonder about the stories behind each of the colorful tattoos that adorn his forearms. When Cox was 3, he was stung by a fire ant and almost died from anaphylactic shock.
Linda Mann
Linda Mann always thought she would leave Mississippi after she graduated from college and never return. She moved to Jackson from Birmingham when she was 3 and by the time she graduated from Provine High School in 1964, she was ready to leave the city.
Corps Re-certifies Pearl Levees
Also see: Complete Pearl River Archive