Jackson to Recycle Christmas Trees
The city will be recycling discarded Christmas trees into mulch this year, and will offer the mulch to Jackson residents for free. City Spokesman Chris Mims urged city residents to please remove all Christmas ornaments and trappings from their trees before taking them to any of the tree recycling drop-off points.
Public Meetings - Community and Holiday Events
U.S. Youth Soccer ODP Girls Winter Interregional at Freedom Ridge Park, Ridgeland (235 W. School St.). U.S. Youth Soccer ODP regional teams in the 1990 and 1992 age groups will train and compete in front of national and leading collegiate coaches to maximize their exposure. U.S. Youth Soccer is divided into four regions, Region I (East), Region II (Midwest), Region III (South) and Region IV (West) to assist in national competitions. Free admission; e-mail [e-mail missing].
‘Tough Times' in Mississippi
The non-profit Center for Social Inclusion released a new report "Tough Times in Mississippi: Housing and Poverty," last week showing that the Magnolia state is one of the hardest hit in the current recession. Not surprisingly, the African American community has been disproportionately affected, and is at the greatest risk of being left out of an economic recovery.
Adventures in Gingerbread
My mother spoiled me with books, and my prized possession was a gilded copy of "Grimm's Fairy Tales," which I pored over with all the twisted earnestness of Wednesday Addams. The details never lost their punch between readings: the revelation of the wolf's fearsome maw beneath granny's spectacles, the quiver of schadenfreude at Cinderella's feathered friends blinding her bullying step sisters, and the unfettered glee when wicked tricksters fall to their ruin.
Season's Readings
As Christmas approaches, the television airwaves are deluged with a new crop of delightfully mind-numbing holiday movies. I enjoy a sappy Lifetime movie as much as the next girland I'm a dude. Laugh it up; I've got no shame. But if you're like me, you occasionally want to experience stories in a way that's a bit more traditional. I'm talking, of course, about those antiquated devices known as books.
High-Impact Organizations
Every nonprofit meets a different need in the community, but some do more than respond to crisisthey put effort into creating systemic social change and a better future for Mississippians.
How to Start a Nonprofit
"Anybody can start a nonprofit. When we're talking to people, we say you have to have a passion, you have to have a drive. There needs to be a need for someone to start an organization. There's got to be a problem that's got to be solved, and that can only be solved by either your nonprofit or your nonprofit working with other nonprofits." –Kitty Cook Ramsey, Director of Development for Mississippi Center for Nonprofits
How To Be Less Obese
The Centers for Disease Control reports that Mississippi has had the nation's highest obesity rate since 2004. Mississippi is among 14 states in which 25 percent of adults are obese, while the national average for adult obesity is 15 percent.
Midtown Makeover
Sandwiched between Millsaps College and Mill Street, North Midtown has tremendous resources, but the neighborhood has struggled with blight, losing nearly 26 percent of its population since 2000.
How to Free an Innocent Man
Cedric Willis is a Jackson resident who was wrongfully convicted in the shooting death of Carl White in 1994. In 2006 the Jackson Free Press reported that Hinds County Circuit jury convicted Willis, even though DNA evidence excluded him as the perpetrator in that crime. Prosecutors kept the DNA evidence from Willis' trial, and a jury convicted him or murder with a life sentence plus 90 years. After spending 12 years behind bards in Parchman, Willis was exonerated with the help of the Innocence Project in New Orleans. Below is a timeline of Willis' journey through the legal system and the steps the Innocence Project took to free him. (Note: Every case is different, so these guidelines may not be suitable for everyone.)
How to Pass a Restitution Bill
Passing a law is rarely an easy process when it comes to a contentious issue that requires a state commitment to more money, especially when that money is essentially an apology and the legal admission that the state was wrong.
How To Change a Law
Mississippian Jerusha Stephens wanted to practice acupuncture, but the state medical board would only let licensed medical doctors practice. In March, Stephens worked with the state Legislature to change the law. Here is her advice on how:
Laws That Need to Change
Mississippi's voting laws make the citizenship harder work than it needs. State law currently allows early, in-person voting only for those voters who will be out of their voting district on Election Day. People who cannot take off work to vote on Election Day must risk a $5,000 fine and lie to vote early. Thirty-two states already allow no-excuse early voting; Mississippi has no excuse not to become the 33rd.
Changemakers
Malcolm White, who oversees statewide arts-based initiatives at the Mississippi Arts Commission, says creativity is crucial on a local level. "The arts bring joy to the citizenry," he says. "The arts give people a positive reinforcement and civic pride. The arts, we like to say, bring fabric to life. They help a community tell their story and express themselves.
How a Movement Fails
Thomas Linzey, author of "Be the Change: How to Get What you Want in Your Community", understands the disappointment that can come with fighting the good fight. Linzey is an environmental lawyer and co-founder of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund.
How to Start a Movement
Movements come in all forms and causes. In the past decade, gay-rights activists in Mississippi have joined forces to end discrimination for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) population and advocate for equal rights.
Even a Little 'Involvement' Will Do
Before I was a newspaper publisher, I spent most of my time as a freelance writer and book author, which meant, largely, that I was alone in my office (wherever it happened to be).
The Left v. Health-Care Reform
Critics are lining up against the U.S. Senate health-care reform bill.
The Best In Sports In 7 Days
College football, Hawaii Bowl, Nevada vs. SMU (7 p.m., ESPN): The Mustangs were a C-USA also-ran, so they get a free trip to Hawaii. Something is wrong with this picture.
What the Saints Can Learn
I have been a dedicated Saints fan my entire life. So I don't claim any objectivity when I watch or write about the team.