All results / Stories / Ronni Mott
2010
<b>The Royal Treatment<b/>
What better way to honor our local businesses, nonprofits and personalities than with a huge Best of Jackson awards issue every January?
Starting Again: Mississippi Laws Trap Women In Abuse
Claire sat with her back to the wall on the washed-out blue bedspread covered with big cabbage roses, once pink, now faded nearly to white. The neat little room barely had space for the old-fashioned wood-framed double bed, a black desk and office chair, and a high bookcase stuffed with official-looking 2-inch binders and children's movie DVDs.
Wearing The Veil
"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and adornments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers..." (The Qur'an, Chapter 24, verses 30-31).
The Love Issue
With Valentine's Day on Sunday, the Jackson Free Press gives you everything you need to make your day, from great food to cool gifts and a good measure of sage advice.
In Dat Number
It was a celebration 43 years in the making. Here is the JFP's loving last hurrah for the Super Bowl XLIV Champions the New Orleans Saints and their city. Can you say, "Who Dat"?
Domestic Terrorism: Stalked to the Death
Adrienne Klasky knew for years that Michael Graham would kill her. She just didn't know when it would happen.
Did She Have To Die?
By 10 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2007, the temperatures were well on their way to 93 degrees when JPD Sgt. Eric Wall pulled his cruiser into the turn lane on Northside Drive east of I-55, ready to make a left onto Ridgewood Road and head north.
Taking Religion Back
Politics and religion: two subjects that should never be introduced in polite conversation. When I moved to Mississippi, the admonition became a hard and fast rule for me. Mississippi politics contains a lot of bizarrely coded language that, as an outsider, I can't penetrate. And religion? Well, let's just say that I got invitations to about a half-dozen Baptist and Methodist churches within a couple of weeks, none of which I accepted. There are some who will likely never forgive me for that Yankee faux pas. Being in the buckle of the Bible belt came to mean only one thing to me—evangelical, fundamentalist Christianity.
Sit, Pray, Love
Walking up the leaf-littered driveway off Old Canton Road, I almost miss the unassuming little brown building tucked away in the trees, but Bebe Wolfe is on the front porch to welcome me.
2010: Beyond Jackson
<b>Best Casino for Gaming and Best Casino for Restaurants</b>
The chiming of slot machines welcomed me with their happy mantra: "Win money. Win money." No, I wasn't in Las Vegas, but at the Ameri star Casino Hotel in Vicksburg. Winner of Best Casino for Gaming and Best Casino for Restaurants, Ameristar houses a variety of fun. I was impressed with the number of tables for gaming and the vast array of affordable slots. (I opted for the penny slots myself.) Without leaving the casino, you can have a "N'Awlins" pizza at Bella's Cafe and Bakery, then head to Bourbons for sweet-potato cheesecake. To round out the evening, mosey on over to the Bottleneck Blues Bar for a beer and some live music. The restaurants offer everything from barbecue to Chinese food at extremely reasonable prices. Opting for pizza was a great choice, but next time, I'll have to try the chocolate fountain at the Heritage Buffet. Located only 40 minutes from Jackson, you won't even have to deal with airport security to get there.
The Cherry Orchard
Stepping off the tour-bus, four leathery-faced, rough-hewn men with ear-to-ear grins met us with handfuls of shiny, garnet cherries. "Eat, eat!" they said with proud enthusiasm, pressing as much fruit into our hands as we could hold. After four days of being fed copious amounts of prepared food at every meal, fresh fruit was a delight, and we eagerly bit into the ripe little orbs.
How to Serve God's Children
Leave a spoiled spot on a peach, and soon the entire fruit will go bad. A deteriorating inner city is a little like that rotten spot. Stop paying attention and shortly, the entire area is dealing with issues of poverty, drugs and crime.
DNA Says 'Not Guilty' 16 Years Later
Arthur Johnson may be returning home in a matter of days, 16 years after his arrest for a rape he did not commit. On Friday, Jan. 4, the Mississippi Supreme Court ordered Sunflower County to review Johnson's case based on post-conviction DNA testing that conclusively eliminates him as the perpetrator.
Don's No More
After decades of bringing original alternative and independent music to Jackson and lending support to dozens of bands, Terry Butler closed the doors at W.C. Don's after the Tuff Luvs show last Saturday. If you listen closely, you might still hear the final notes fading away.
'None of this is Good News'
The day after the Jackson Free Press broke the news that she had been indicted, Robbie Bell turned herself in to sheriff's deputies on Oct. 31, for her alleged role in the death of Mary Heather Spencer on Sept. 11. Jackson police arrested Bell's son, George Bell III, for Spencer's murder after a four-hour standoff at a local gas station, with him and his mother cowering in his car. A grand jury indicted the mother for accessory after the fact three weeks ago, but the papers were not served until last week.
The JFP Interview with ‘Mark Twain'
Typical Twain, and a response Hal Holbrook wouldn't hesitate to use if someone questioned his costume. Holbrook performs in an iconic white suit, his cigar used to great effect to punctuate the stories he tells, and the pauses he makes.
Obama Endorsements
The New York Times is reporting that The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times (which last endorsed in 1972) and The Chicago Tribune (in its first-ever Democratic endorsement) have or will be endorsing Barack Obama for President.
[Mott] Some People Talkin'
Brian Johnson, Matt Saldaña and I passed the pages of "We Are Family"—last week's cover story about Shirley Beach's journey from racism—between us last week, proofing and correcting them. Brian read them first, then passed the pages to Matt as he finished, and then Matt passed them on to me. Donna watched us all, inserting telling facts as we went, calling Shirley Beach to get just one more question answered, hovering like a new mother while we "doctors" corrected and polished and made it fit. What a story.
Abstinence-Only Doesn't Work
Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs—the kind the federal government backs with millions in tax dollars—don't reduce teen pregnancies or STDs, according to "Emerging Answers 2007: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases," a report from the non-partisan National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
Three Lead in Third Mayoral Survey
Zata|3 completed a third Democratic mayoral survey last Friday, April 10. In an e-mail, Brad Chism, president of the company, said "not much changed in a week" since the second survey on April 3 that put Jackson City Councilman Marshand Crisler in the lead.