Ted Duckworth
Ted Duckworth, owner of Duckworth Realty in Jackson, has been the driving force behind millions of dollars worth of development in the city. Graduating from Mississippi State University in 1988 with a degree in real estate and mortgage finance, Duckworth, 42, started his company the following year.
Ann Herlihy
Many Jacksonians are still in mourning since Ann Herlihy closed Fondren Traders late last year, the shop where many of us bought so many gifts (most of my staff gifts used to come from there). But many people didn't know that Ann has another passion beyond art and design: She loves animals and helps rescue them. After continually seeing Ann walking her three pups around Fondren, I asked her if she would do a DogBlog for the Jackson Free Press. Ann had taken my writing classes, and I know she is good writer; she is also very funny. And closest to my heart: She loves animals as much as I do, and hates to see them abandoned and mistreated.
Heping Liu
Jackson State University associate professor Heping Liu won a nearly $500,000 award from the National Science Foundation to fund his research over the next five years.
Jerusha DeGroote Stephens
On July 1, Mississippi became the 44th state in the nation to license non-physician acupuncturists. This week, Jackson resident Jerusha DeGroote Stephens received the state's first acupuncture license. It's a fitting distinction for Stephens, as she helped lead the campaign to gain state approval for her ancient profession.
Carlton Martin
Football talent came naturally for Carlton Martin. The 6-foot-2-inch, 270-pound Brandon native is a senior defensive lineman for the Madison Central Jaguars.
Rep. Bennie Thompson
Opening up a forum for civil discussion and debate, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi's Second Congressional District addressed questions to more than 300 people last night on proposals for health-care reform. Standing shoulder- to-shoulder in Jackson's M.W. Stringer Grand Lodge, some attendees held signs supporting universal health care while others used handouts to fan themselves from the heat.
Brad Hooey
Brad Hooey is the manager of High Noon Cafe, Jackson's only strictly vegetarian and vegan restaurant operated by Rainbow Cooperative Grocery in Fondren. Tonight, Hooey will lead a meeting on the restaurant's uncertain future.
Ben Payton
Ben Wiley Payton, 62, grew up with the Mississippi blues. The Coila, Miss. native listened to his grandmother, Mabel Johnson, playing gospel music on piano, and his uncle, Joe Birch, picking the blues on guitar.
Jonathan Sims
Industrial technology may not be a subject you immediately connect with an artist, but for 29-year-old Jonathan Sims, metalworking is an essential part of his craft. Sims, artist in residence and director of art events at the Commons Gallery, will be featured on "Mississippi Happenings," tonight at 7 p.m. on WLEZ, 100.1 FM, Jackson's community radio station.
God's Secret Club
The shocking details of Leisha Pickering's suit against the alleged mistress of former U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering is only the latest scandal connected with C Street House, a Washington, D.C.-based political fraternity and Christian fellowship home.
Yosef Ali
Yosef Ali believed Jackson needed more options for restaurants, and in 2004 he opened Aladdin in the heart of Fondren.
Omar Morris
When Omar Morris walked into the Boys and Girls Club on West Capitol Street yesterday, he came to give the kids a treat. Morris and his business partner, Vinson Jackson, are donating a computer system to the club.
Kelly Pates
If you've lived in Jackson for a few years or more, chances are you've heard the Pates—a family roots-rock band—perform at local clubs, bars, festivals and other venues in the city. Covering good-vibe songs like Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" and Rod Stewart's "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You," Kelly and Jean Pates and their son, Andrew, have been connecting with crowds and collaborating with other Jackson musicians for the past several decades.
Johnny Bertram
With the Tuesday release of "Sing your Song," musician Johnny Bertram dished out a seven-song prelude to a full-length album scheduled to debut later this year.
Daniel Johnston
Daniel "Danny" Johnston, a senior music composition student at Belhaven College, mixes some of the most brilliant concoctions the city's coffee-drinkers can handle.