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Dustin Cardon

Stories by Dustin

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USM COVID-19 Oral Histories, Belhaven Online Scholarships and Millsaps Testing Waivers

Students at the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at the University of Southern Mississippi recently put together a collection of oral histories concerning the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on people in the state.

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Malcolm White Retires from MAC, State Opioid Overdose Data to Action Initiative and NAMI Conference

Malcolm White, owner of Hal & Mal’s restaurant in downtown Jackson and founder of the annual Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade, will retire as executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission on September 30.

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JSU Health Accelerator, USM Doctoral Program Study and MSU Mobile Ticketing

Jackson State University is partnering with the University of Kentucky and national startup accelerator XLerateHealth to launch a program that will help commercialize human health-focused ideas from historically black colleges and universities.

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UPDATED: Schools Reopen, Tri-County Battleplan Breakdown

Local school districts are all making their own preparations and putting health, social distancing and other protocols into place to prepare for the attempt to return to in-person learning for students after months of school closures.

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JXN Icons Mural Unveiling, JHLS Curbside Service and Mississippi PPE Donations

Visit Jackson will hold an official unveiling ceremony for the “JXN Icons” mural at the Old Capitol Inn on Thursday, July 23, at 6 p.m.

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MSU Emmett Till Memorial Project; USM and Tougaloo Fall Opening Plans

Thirty-six freshman Mississippi State University architecture students will showcase their final first-year studio projects as part of an “Emmett Till River Site Memorial” poster exhibition at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Tallahatchie County.

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Scott Sorensen

Scott Sorensen, a well-known Fondren artist, died of pancreatic cancer on July 7 at age 53.

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Mustard Seed Christmas in July, Museum to Market Trail Groundbreaking and MDAH Virtual Reality App

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The Mustard Seed, a community for adults with developmental disabilities, has made changes to its annual Christmas in July event for 2020.

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JSU COVID-19 Research Grant, USM Stadium Plaza Renovation and MSU Dual Degree Program

The National Science Foundation recently awarded Jackson State University's Department of Chemistry, Physics and Atmospheric Sciences a $200,000 Rapid Response Research grant to develop a new optical technique to detect COVID-19 infection.

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Rudolph 'Cotton' Baronich

Rudolph "Cotton" Baronich, a longtime Jackson resident who once worked as a bartender at city landmarks like the Sun-N-Sand, George Street Grocery, Hal & Mal's and the Edison Walthall Hotel, died on Tuesday, June 30, at age 90.

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Mangia Bene COVID-19 Measures, Grants from LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi and National Endowment for the Arts

In light of the City of Jackson's recent mandate requiring people to wear masks in public, Mangia Bene restaurant group, which operates BRAVO! Italian Restaurant and Bar, Sal and Mookie's and Broad Street Baking Company, recently announced its own set of regulations and changes for its restaurants.

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JSU Virtual Margaret Walker Celebration, New MSU Fall Calendar and USM Historical Site

The Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University will partner with Foot Print Farms and Fauna Foodworks to host a 30-minute virtual cooking demonstration to celebrate Margaret Walker’s 105th birthday on Tuesday, July 7, at 6 p.m.

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Emma D. Sanders

Emma D. Sanders, a Mississippi Civil Rights Movement veteran and a founding member of the modern Mississippi Democratic Party, recently passed away in her Jackson home at age 91.

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Russell C. Davis Planetarium Remodel, 2021 Governor’s Arts Awards and Dumbo's on Duling

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Deputy Director of Cultural Services David Lewis and Russell C. Davis Planetarium manager Mike Williams announced updates on the progress of the planned restoration of the planetarium on Thursday, June 25.

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USM Student Organizing COVID-19 Food Relief, MSU Travel Awards and Racial Reconciliation Event

Gulfport, Miss., native James Skinner is identifying food resources and distribution points across the southern half of the state to help get immediate relief to residents in need, as part of a Mississippi Gulf Coast Mutual Aid Network initiative.

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Frances Patterson Croft

Frances Patterson Croft has been director of strategic initiatives for the Women's Foundation of Mississippi, a statewide, Jackson-based nonprofit that works to ensure economic security for women and girls in the state, since January 2017.

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Connection City ePLEX at the Outlets, Mississippi Museum of Art and Children’s Museum Reopening

A new tenant at the Outlets of Mississippi, Connection City ePLEX, will open in July. The facility is an esports arena that will include gaming and virtual reality machines as well as tournaments and leagues for games such as Fortnite, Call of Duty and more.

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New Music Building and COVID-19 Business Assistance at MSU and JSU Grants

Mississippi State University held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, June 15, for construction on a new music building north of the university’s current band and choral rehearsal hall on Hardy Road in Starkville.

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Jordan Gray

Jordan Gray, a senior journalism major at Mississippi College, launched his own Youtube channel, Baller Brains, in November 2019.

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Habitat Broadmoor Build, Malco Reopenings and Women’s Foundation COVID-19 Grants

Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Capital Area recently finished its latest home as part of the five-year Broadmoor neighborhood revitalization initiative it launched in 2019, despite setbacks and obstacles to construction from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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MSU Digital COVID-19 Library, JSU Virtual Army Commissioning and Community Colleges Reopening

Mississippi State University Libraries recently began collecting submissions for a new COVID-19 digital archive to document the pandemic’s impact on MSU students, faculty, staff and community members.

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Rabbi Matt Dreffin

Rabbi Matt Dreffin has served as director of education for the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson since 2018.

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MDAH Reopening Museums, WAMA Art Moves Us Campaign and MAC Cares Emergency Grant

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History announced that it will reopen the Eudora Welty House & Garden, the Museum of Mississippi History, the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the William F. Winter Archives and History Building on July 7.

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Luther Munford

Luther Munford, an attorney with Butler Snow in Jackson, received a 2020 Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award from the Burton Awards on May 28.

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Sesame Workshop in Jackson, Babalu Reopens and Fresh Market Father's Day Meals

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, has provided 1,500 distance learning kits to the City to provide JPS students with continuous learning opportunities amid COVID-19-related school closures.

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Lauren Rhoades

Lauren Rhoades, director of the Eudora Welty House & Garden in Jackson, has held her current position since April 2019.

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Thrive in Five at MSU, MSU and USM Waiving Application Requirements

Mississippi State University recently launched its new Thrive in Five accelerated degree program, which will allow students to earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years.

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Dining on Duling, Museum of Art Extensions and Elvie’s Reopening

The Fondren Renaissance Foundation recently announced that Duling Avenue in downtown Jackson will close from June 12-13 and and serve as an open-air dining hall as part of FRF's "Dining on Duling" event.

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MSU PPE Sterilizer and COVID-19 Resource Page, JSU Online New Student Orientation Page

The Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems at MSU recently designed and donated a device that can sterilize up to seven personal protective masks in 30 minutes to the Mississippi State Veterans Home in Kosciusko as part of an effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Feed the Front Lines, SB 2772 and Mississippi Casinos Reopening

The Mangia Bene restaurant group has partnered with the Junior League of Jackson to send food to the healthcare workers at the VA Medical Center in Jackson through a program called "Feed the Front Line."

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Jhai Keeton, 'Creating New Value' in Jackson

Jackson resident Jhai Keeton took on a position as the City's deputy director of planning and development in January earlier this year, in which he oversees economic, business and real estate development for the city.

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Press Sues MSDH for Nursing Home Names As COVID-19 Cases Top 11,000

Mississippi saw 136 official new coronavirus cases and seven deaths as of 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, bringing the total number of statewide cases to 11,432 and deaths to 528, as many Mississippi businesses began reopening over the weekend.

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USM Virtual EagleTHON, Millsaps Campus Reopening and The Haven Promise

Student organizations at the University of Southern Mississippi recently held their annual dance marathon event, EagleTHON, virtually for the first time due to COVID-19 campus closures.

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Mississippi Unites to Combat COVID-19 Crisis

In the wake of COVID-19, many Mississippians and Mississippi-based schools, businesses and organizations have banded together to help residents across the state cope through the crisis, be it through donations of time, money and resources.

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Continuing on, Despite Pandemic

Despite setbacks from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Jackson is still moving forward. Here are just some of the latest developments taking place in and around the capital city.

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Visit Jackson 2020 Tour Guide, Mississippi Restaurant Promise and Fresh Market Fundraiser

Visit Jackson recently released its 2020 Tour Guide, which includes 82 pages of information and creative content on Jackson's neighborhoods, public art, restaurants and more.

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Virtual Graduation Events at JSU and UM, MSU JROTC-CS Computer Program

In light of official commencement ceremonies being delayed to COVID-19 related campus shutdowns, Jackson State University will hold a virtual “2020 Celebration of Graduates” on Saturday, May 9, beginning at noon.

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Valerie Linn

Valerie Linn, executive director of Magnolia Speech School in Jackson, has held her current position since August 2014.

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Belhaven First Responder Scholarship, JSU Mt. Olive Grant and USM COVID-19 Testing

Belhaven University recently announced a new First Responder Scholarship to help reduce tuition for first responders during the COVID-19 crisis, along with a no-cost opportunity for people to contribute to the new program.

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Northpark’s Got Heart, Fleet Feet Essential Workers Discount and Newk's Pantry

Northpark is hosting a photography-based social media project on behalf of communities practicing social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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More Than 6,000 COVID-19 Cases in Mississippi as ‘Safer at Home’ Order Kicks In

Mississippi saw 183 official new coronavirus cases and two deaths as of 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, bringing the total number of statewide cases to 6,094 and the death count to 229.

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UM Online Summer Programs, JSU Waiving ACT/SAT Requirements and MCCF COVID-19 Grant

The University of Mississippi is providing scholarships and programs for 11th and 12th graders to allow them to try out college classes online in response to postponement and cancellations of its usual summer programs due to the COVID-19 crisis.

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April 22: COVID-19 Deaths in Mississippi Now at 193, With 4,894 Total Cases

The Mississippi State Department of Health announced 10 additional COVID-19 deaths across Mississippi, bringing the total casualties to 193, as well as 178 cases, for a total of 4,894.

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Benny Ivey

Benny Ivey, a Jackson native who spent 11 years in prison on drug charges, devoted himself to keeping youth and adults off the path he was once on after his release and rehab in 2009.

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April 13: COVID-19 Deaths in Mississippi Climb to 98 with 2,942 Official Cases

Cases of the novel coronavirus in Mississippi stand at 2,942 just after the Easter holiday. The Mississippi State Department of Health announced 161 new cases and two deaths as of 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 12, along with six deaths, bringing the statewide death count to 98.

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209 New Cases of COVID-19, 6 New Deaths

Cases of the novel coronavirus in Mississippi are now at 2,469, as Gov. Tate Reeves’ statewide shelter-at-home order nears its midpoint.

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Penney Ainsworth

Penney Ainsworth, president and chief executive officer of Boys & Girls Club of Central Mississippi, has been with the organization for more than 24 years and has held her current position for seven years.

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Tackling Food Insecurity in the Capital City

While we are collectively concerned over what COVID-19 means for the immediate future, locally and globally, Jacksonians with surrounding businesses and organizations are standing together, working hard and endeavoring to make sure no child or family in need goes hungry.

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Vera Hall

The Small Business Association named Vera Hall, owner of Innovative Performance Construction Company LLC in Jackson, as the 2020 SBA Mississippi Small-Business Person of the Year during an SBA meeting in March.

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How Local Businesses are Handling COVID-19

The COVID-19 outbreak is causing mass temporary closures of local businesses across the spectrum. Fortunately, plenty of those businesses have stepped up to help their employees and their communities in their own ways.