News

Mississippi Legislators Cut Expenses

Lawmakers are eliminating in-state and out-of-state travel expenses in an effort to cut $700,000 from the state House of Representatives budget without laying off employees, reports WLBT.

Open For Business: Starting Small

Jacqueline Wells dreams of making films. That's why she's sitting in an office in an old shopping mall on Ellis Avenue, flanked by two portable fans compensating for the office's weak air conditioning.

Joyflow Yoga

Debi Lewis has been at her new Joyflow Yoga location since 2009, but has been teaching and developing her style of yoga for 18 years. She connected earlier health problems to posture, and constant shoulder tension from her job as a seamstress. A friend suggested she try yoga, and her life changed.

Healthy Body Health Food Center

Bessie Washington's painful joints, fatigue and migraines sent her on a search for herbal remedies. What she discovered worked so well for her that she and her husband, John, opened Healthy Body Health Food Center, Sept. 29, 2006, with the motto, "Helping you to a healthy body, nutritionally."

Campbell's Bakery

Sedrick and Malinda Lilley, owners of Campbell's Bakery, have always wanted to be the owners of a business. In November 2008, this became a reality when they re-opened Campbell's Bakery.

Olde Tyme Commissary

Tucked away in Highland Village's myriad shops is Olde Tyme Commissary, a fixture there since 1972. The store features children's toys and costumes, fine-tailored baby clothes, and educational toys and games, but shoppers can find its true character in the shop's hand-painted items and in its owner, Sandra Weber.

Afrika Book Café

Last month, Tawanna and Rico Chapman, who previously owned African bookstores on Bailey and Ellis avenues, opened Afrika Book Café, creating a new cultural venue in Fondren. The shop sells books, clothing, fragrances and refreshments.

Coast Ink Embroidery and Screen Print

Where some people see obstacles, Keith Richardson sees opportunities. Originally from Moss Point, Richardson, 28, opened Coast Ink Embroidery and Screen Print with four childhood friends in 2005, after graduating from college the year before.

Peaches Restaurant

Peaches Restaurant has been a soul-food Mecca on Farish Street since Wilora "Peaches" Ephram first opened the doors in 1961. Her son, Roderick Ephram, is proud of the rich history and symbolism his mother's restaurant has in the city of Jackson.

Highway 80 Gets Scrutinized, Organized

After declining slowly for decades, the Highway 80 corridor in south Jackson is poised for a rebirth. The Jackson Redevelopment Authority is looking to have the corridor designated an urban renewal area within the next 60 days, JRA executive director Jason Brookins told the Jackson Free Press Friday. The designation would allow the organization to push economic-development efforts in the area by purchasing blighted property, offering tax exemptions on improvements and issuing bonds.

Duane O'Neill: Marketing Jackson

Duane O'Neill has one of the nicest offices in Jackson, a high-ceilinged corner office in the old fire station next to City Hall. The place is appropriate for a man with his stature in Jackson's business community. O'Neill is president of the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, sometimes called the Metro Chamber, which acts as a chamber of commerce and economic development entity for the entire Jackson metropolitan area, supporting Jackson-based projects like the Convention Center and metro-area efforts like the Canton Nissan plant.

Ron Blaylock

It's not uncommon to find Ron Blaylock at a Jackson event with cameras around his neck and one of his three small children in tow while he works. In April, Blaylock decided to move his studio from Ridgeland to 3017 N. State St. to be a part of the Fondren arts scene and share space with photographer James Patterson.

Exercise: Work or Luxury?

The catalyst for New York artist Claudia DeMonte's art is a perfect balance between the internal world of ideas and the external world of possessions. Through her collection, "The Luxury of Exercise: Small Sculpture and Works on Paper," she not only expresses the struggles of women but also their blessings.

Bill Would Allow States to Veto Drilling

The American Power Act, a bill being introduced in the United States Senate this morning, will allow coastal states to opt out of offshore oil drilling up to 75 miles from their shores, reports The Sun Herald. States would also be able to veto drilling of nearby states if they can prove accidents would have a negative impact.

Karen Irby Sentenced to 18 Years

Hinds County Judge Tomie Green sentenced Karen Irby, who pleaded guilty March 26 to two counts of manslaughter in the deaths of two doctors, to two 18-year prison terms, which Irby will serve concurrently. State law prevented Green from ordering consecutive sentences.

Business Roundup

The Jackson Police Department is restarting an initiative aimed at preventing crime around the city's hotels and motels and protecting visitors. Called Tourism Oriented Policing Strategies, or TOPS, the program emphasizes building relationships between police and city businesses.

[Balko] How Many More Are Innocent?

America's 250th DNA exoneration raises questions about how often we send the wrong person to prison.

Irby Receives 18 Years Behind Bars

Karen Irby, who pleaded guilty March 26 to two counts of manslaughter in the deaths of two doctors, was sentenced this morning to 18 years in prison for each count, her sentences to run concurrently.

Levee Board Approves Compromise Lake25X

Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board approved a resolution to re-engage the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with a $205 million levee expansion for the Pearl River, but with the addition of a small lake ending just south of the LeFleur's Bluff Park and its adjoining Mayes Lake campground.

Commission Readies School Consolidation Report

A governor-appointed panel is set to issue its final recommendations on school district consolidation in the next month. The Commission on Education Structure met at the state Capitol today to discuss a preliminary report on consolidating some of Mississippi's 152 public-school districts. Barring major changes, the commission will approve a final version of the report by next month without meeting in person, Commission Chairman and Bancorp South CEO Aubrey Patterson said.

Community Events and Public Meetings

7 p.m., Death Penalty Forum, at Masonic Temple (1072 John R. Lynch Street), on the first floor. The topic is "From Tulia to Jena to Winona: the Past is Still Not Past." Dr. Alan Bean of Friends of Justice will discuss the effects of racism on the Mississippi death penalty and the case of Curtis Flowers. The event is sponsored by Mississippians for Smart Justice. Free; e-mail {encode="[email protected]" title="[email protected]"}.

Second Dome Planned; Spill Drifts West

British Petroleum engineers attempting to contain the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will try to lower a second containment dome at the site, reports The Times-Picayune. Crews lowered the first, larger dome at the site this past weekend; however, the inside of the dome developed natural gas ice crystals and had to be moved several hundred yards away from the oil gushing into the Gulf at the rate of 210,000 gallons a day.

Courts Sets Second Execution Date

Yesterday, the Mississippi Supreme Court set a May 20 execution date for Gerald James Holland, 72, on death row for the 1987 murder of 15-year-old Krystal King. Holland's execution will come one day after the state executes Paul Woodward, 62, for the 1986 rape and murder of Rhonda Crane, 24.

Dr. Alan Bean

By using narrative and story telling, Dr. Alan Bean hopes that others will start to evaluate the criminal-justice system and seek the truth.

BP to Waive Federal Cap on Spill Damage, Says AG

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood and attorneys general from Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Alabama said at a press conference yesterday that BP is willing to waive a $75 million cap on some of the damages caused by the April 20 explosion of the Transocean Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the coast of Louisiana.

Advocates Urge Proactive Approach to Homeless

Addressing homelessness in Jackson will require the active participation of communities, especially in the areas near downtown, the city's Homeless Program Coordinator Heather Ivery said today.

Raymond Vaughn

Raymond Vaughn, owner of Raymond's hair salon in Jackson, has more hair than he knows what do to with.

Thank God It's Friday

Start your weekend off on a musical note. The numerous options tonight include ArtRemix at the Mississippi Museum of Art kicking off at 5 p.m.; $20. Tonight is also the annual Pepsi Pops Concert with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra on the reservoir at Old Trace Park. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., with entertainment before the main event at 7:30 p.m. and a fireworks finale; $15, $5 students. Or stick with downtown for "Can't Feel My Face Friday" at Dreamz Jxn starting at 9 p.m., with free drinks (!) until 11 p.m. Where should you begin your search for the perfect entertainment options? The JFP Best Bets page is great place to start.

Chief Keeping Close Eye on Fuel Cost

http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/v3/images/documents/MajorCrimes050210pdf.pdf

Anita Modak-Truran

Anita Modak-Truran is the first to admit her insatiable curiosity lures her to seek new experiences and hobbies.

Ellington