Kristen Ley
Wearing white, paint-splattered pants and a French beret and holding a painting palette, 5-year-old Kristen Ley decided she wanted to be an artist. Her mom had dressed her up as one for career day. "I don't ever remember a time when I wasn't doing art," Ley says.
Doris Jones
Oral storytelling is the oldest form of media and entertainment in human society. Since the introduction of spoken language, man has entertained, educated and informed with stories told from generation to generation.
Laurel Isbister Irby
Laurel Isbister Irby released her sophomore album, "Nautilus," Jan. 21 at the Commons at Eudora Welty's Birthplace. "It's something for the creative community of Jackson," Isbister Irby said. "Jackson has been a really nurturing place for me as an artist so I wanted to share that with other artists and spread that around." The event featured visual art from Tony Davenport, Jessica Russell and Ellen Langford.
Jarvis Summers
Ole Miss was on a three-game losing streak to Mississippi State at home in C. M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum. The Rebels were on a six-game losing streak overall to their in-state rival Bulldogs.
Jenirro Bush
Jenirro Bush entered this season as the lone returning senior for the Jackson State Tigers. The young JSU team needed to lean on Bush to help them win basketball games.
deborah Rae Wright
deborah Rae Wright, who doesn't capitalize her first name, has lived in an early 20th-century home on west Jackson's Grand Avenue for 11 years. The 59-year-old lives with her current companion, a well-behaved cairn terrier (think Toto) named Zach, whom she rescued a few years ago.
Shirley Williams
Shirley Williams, executive director of the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project, is preparing her organization to face a 31 percent funding reduction in 2012 after Congress recently voted to reduce funding to legal-aid programs.
John W. Franklin
For 24 years, John W. Franklin has worked to preserve African American history at the Smithsonian Institution. Last week, Jackson State University's Margaret Walker Center honored John W. Franklin with one of its annual For My People Awards.
Anthony Dixon
A large portion of Mississippi will root for the New Orleans Saints this Saturday. Certainly, the residents of the capital city will hope that Drew Brees and company win the franchise first road playoff game.
Brenda Wilder
This month, Brenda Wilder, assistant professor of music at Tougaloo College, will present her research project, "The Effects of Music for Mental, Emotional and Physical Healing of Residents on the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coasts Following Hurricane Katrina," at the Hawaii University International Conference on Arts and Humanities.
Devon Desper
On Jan. 5, some of the best high-school football talent descended on Orlando, Fla., for the 2012 Under Armour All-American game. This game started in 2008 under the sponsorship of athletic clothing and shoe company Under Armour. Athletes were showcased to a national television audience, and several even declared their college choice during the game.
John Taylor Jr.
Family is a running theme for the Rev. John Taylor Jr. The 29-year-old candidate for the Ward 3 City Council seat believes a lot of Jackson's problems start with fathers who don't take responsibility.
Sheila Bedi
On Nov. 29, Sheila Bedi testified before the Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence in Baltimore, Md.
John Hugh Tate
"I'm a very pro-Jackson guy," John Hugh Tate says. "I love the history, the diversity and the artistic community. It is such a green city, just aesthetically beautiful."
Susan Ainlay Anand
Flora native Susan Ainlay Anand, a licensed art therapist, and treasurer of the Art Therapy Credentials Board, is leading a series of creative workshops in the Hederman Cancer Center at Baptist Health Systems (1225 N. State St., 601-948-6262) starting Monday, Jan. 9 from noon to 1:30 p.m.