Aiming Against Government
District 73 Rep. Jim Ellington was busy getting ready for a fundraiser for the Central Mississippi National Rifle Association on Sept. 22 when he gave this interview. The Raymond resident has kept his seat in the Mississippi House for the past 24 years, and like most Mississippi Republicans, Ellington is in favor of the least government intervention possible.
Angela Grayson
Angela Grayson has been baking since she was a teenager. "How long does that take?" and "what are you going to put in that?" were among the many questions she would ask her grandparents when they were in the kitchen together. She is now putting that knowledge to work.
Larry McNeil
Jackson State University Athletics Department has named Larry McNeil as its interim women's basketball coach for the upcoming basketball season. In 2012, Jackson State will begin a national search for a full-time basketball coach. In the meantime, McNeil will lead the team for the 2011-2012 season.
Justin White
Sept. 23, 2011
Mary Thompson
When Mary Thompson can help a woman get back into permanent housing and find stability, she knows she has done her job.
Strong Opinions
Addie Green has strong opinions about life's basic necessities. She is running for a seat on the Public Service Commission, she said, because water, phone and sewage bills are too high. The PSC approves utility-rate increases, answers complaints from the public, and decides whether utility companies should construct new facilities and who should pay for them.
Being Proactive
Public Service Commissioner Lynn Posey was traveling when he called for this interview. As he was talking about his family—Kathy, his wife of 27 years, his son, Hunter, and his daughter, Kaitlyn—the call dropped. When he called back, Posey feigned indignation at the bad cell phone service and blamed it on Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley, before laughing and admitting he was still in his Central District.
Tamu Green
Tamu ("sweet" in Swahili) Green speaks with enthusiasm and conviction about his vision for Mississippi. Like a proud parent of a star athlete showing off his trophies, he walks between unopened boxes in his new office in Ridgeland. He describes how the computer equipment and robotics gear will be used for young people.
Greg Grimes
Greg Grimes has already dealt with a stray-cat problem this morning. He's also looking at someone's water leak. As the city of Jackson's constituent services manager, he takes complaints from residents and solves their problems.
Rickey Cole
Rickey Cole's political activism started at the age of nine when he would help his parents put up signs supporting Mississippi's first female treasurer, Evelyn Gandy.
Andrew Stankevich
Andrew Stankevich tried to start a group for gay students at Mississippi College School of Law, but administrators told him they were morally opposed to the idea. Stankevich said he has the letter that they sent him.
Spike Lee
It wasn't enough for filmmaker Spike Lee to make one documentary about the anger and outrage of Gulf Coast residents in the months after Hurricane Katrina. His new documentary, "If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise," revisits the Gulf Coast as residents continue to rebuild their lives from the storm and BP oil crisis.
Leron Jackson
When people told Leron Jackson he couldn't make it, he never believed them. "Knowing about the things I went through inspires people to go out and do great things," he says, "The work grew on me and made me the person I am today. I'm happy my mother got me out there."
Ivan Rider
Ivan Rider returns to Jackson to direct "Driving Miss Daisy," opening tonight at New Stage Theatre.
"It's the theater of my heart," Rider told the Jackson Free Press this morning. "I'm delighted to be back."
Jennifer S. Love
Jennifer S. Love, a Mississippi native and Jackson State University graduate, is the new assistant director of the FBI's Security Division. Love most recently served as acting assistant director of the FBI's Inspection Division.