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.
2011 Budget Slashes State Jobs
Following Gov. Haley Barbour's cost-cutting lead, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee released their proposed budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 2010. Among its recommendations is eliminating 3,600 state jobs, and cutting another 10 percent from agency funds, resulting in a budget that is $300 million smaller than that of the current year.
Cheryl Keeton Shelton
One wouldn't necessarily connect a sixth grade teacher with the FBI, but Daniel McMullen, special agent in charge of the FBI's Jackson division, selected just such a teacher for the 2009 Director's Community Leadership Award: Cheryl Keeton Shelton.
Mayor Proclaims Homeless Persons' Memorial Day
[verbatim] Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr., will proclaim Friday, Dec. 18, as James Ivory Homeless Persons' Memorial Day at an observance scheduled for 9:30 a.m. that day at the Stewpot Community Services sanctuary, 1100 W. Capitol St. in Jackson.
Childers to Tour Crop Disaster Areas
Today, Rep. Travis Childers, representing Mississippi's first Congressional district, will lead a crop disaster tour throughout his district in the company of U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Michael Scuse. The tour will provide the agency first-hand information about the severe crop loss suffered to Mississippi farmers in the wake of heavy rains earlier in the fall, according to a release.
Happening's this Weekend
Bundle up this afternoon and head to the historic Farish Street district for an evening of holiday celebration. At 4 p.m., join the Farish Street/Main Street Project for the annual tree-lighting ceremony in the park at the corner of Farish and Hamilton streets. Then, at 7 p.m., head the Alamo Theater (333 N. Farish St.) for "A Night of Music Artistry," when the Mississippi Jazz Foundation presents their sixth annual event. The show features Grammy nominee Kirk Whalum and Mississippi recording artist Michael Burton. Tickets are $35. For more entertainment options, visit the JFP Events Calendar for dozens of options every day.
MDH Offering Free Flu Vaccines
The Mississippi State Department of Health is now offering free vaccines for the H1N1 flu, commonly known as swine flu, to Mississippians. Residents 6 months of age or older can get either the injectable vaccine or the nasal-spray vaccine free at any MSDH at any county health department. Physicians and schools are also making the vaccines available.
Girl, 8, Shot at Boys & Girls Club
An 8-year-old girl was shot in the head while sitting inside the Boys & Girls Club on Sykes Road at around 2:30 p.m. today, according to Jackson police. The unidentified girl was reportedly doing her homework when a bullet came from outside.
Howard Exec Pleads Guilty
Jose Humberto Gonzalez, 45, former personnel director at Howard Industries in Laurel, Miss., pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy related to the company's hiring of undocumented immigrants. On August 25, 2008, Howard Industries was the site of the biggest immigration raid in U.S. history, during which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers placed 595 immigrants under administrative arrest, nine of whom have since pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft.
Prosecute the Prosecutors
A true correction would include prosecution for those suspected of knowingly packing a man away to prison for a crime they knew he didn't commit.
AG's Office Getting Tough on Rip-Offs
Attorney General Jim Hood has announced formation of Mississippi's first intellectual property theft task force, supported by the national business community, according to a release. "Operation Knock Out Knock-Offs" is funded by a federal grant, Hood said, and the task force held its initial meeting and training in October, with more than 40 state, federal and local agencies participating.
Tonight: Ward 2 Community Meeting
Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. will host a community meeting in Ward 2 tonight at 6 p.m. The meeting's purpose is to discuss city services and plans, and will include a question and answer session.
It's the Weekend
The place to be tonight is Hal & Mal's for the Winter 2009 Chick Jam. The fun kicks off at 8 p.m., with performances by Fedora Welty, Party Dots and Law School, and you'll find lots of cool photography and art on display and for sale. Admission is a single Lincoln (a mere $5), but you need to be over 18 to play. Proceeds go to the Center for Violence Prevention in Pearl. Call ShaWanda at 601-362-6121 ext. 16 for more info, or visit the Chick Ball Web site.
Unity Conference Gets Underway
"Building Bridges Through Diversity: One Goal, One Vision" is this year's theme for the fourth annual Unity Conference, sponsored by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance. The conference, which starts tonight at 7 p.m. with a book signing reception and photo gallery, continues through Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Cabot Lodge, Millsaps (2375 North State St.).
Jackson No. 3 'Best Bang-for-the-Buck' City
Americans are thinking differently when evaluating cities where they might settle down and raise a family. In the wake of the real-estate bubble and in the midst of major unemployment, places like Jackson are looking darn good. So good, in fact, that Forbes.com has rated Jackson the third best "bang-for-the-buck" city out of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the country.
Time to Build Levees
This week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District, closed their four-year study of Pearl River flood solutions in the Jackson metro, issuing a press release that was unambiguously titled: "Study Finds Levee Plan Best Option For Jackson Metro."
State Revenues Under Estimate Again
State tax revenues were down again in November by 6.88 percent, making last month the 15th consecutive month in a row where the state's income fell below expectations. The Mississippi Tax Commission reported yesterday that revenue was down 7.38 percent for the first five months of fiscal year 2010, which began July 1, 2009, according to a release from Gov. Haley Barbour's office.
Elders to Speak at World AIDS Day Event
Jackson AIDS activist Robin Webb told the Jackson Free Press last month that AIDS disproportionately affects the South, African Americans and men. In Mississippi, Webb said, approximately 9,000 people are currently living with the disease, yet fewer than half receive any treatment. Some don't even know they're infected. Some never get tested because of fearthey're afraid of the diagnosis or afraid of anyone finding out they're infected. Others simply can't afford the therapy or can't travel to get to a doctor.
Belhaven ‘College' No More
After 126 years, Belhaven College, a private Christian liberal arts school in the heart of Jackson, is changing its name to Belhaven University. The school's president, Dr. Roger Parrott, will announce the change at an all-campus gathering today at 11:45 a.m.
Council to Vote on Melton's Legal Fees
On tomorrow's agenda for the Jackson City Council is the question of whether to pay former Mayor Frank Melton's legal fees and those of his two bodyguards. City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen and Councilman Kenneth Stokes are bringing the question to the council Tuesday, according to WAPT.
This Black Friday, Shop Local First
Black Friday this, and Black Friday that. Do you really, truly want to get up with the chickens and wait outside some big-box retailer to save a few dollars on the same gift everyone else is buying? Truly?
Lies, Damn Lies and ‘Dangerous' Rankings
Heard that Jackson is one of the "most dangerous" cities? Read the fine print.
Hinds to Receive Federal Transportation Funds
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced yesterday that Hinds County will receive $1.425 million to replace pavement on Siwell Road. The road is a key link in the 18-mile corridor connecting the Interstate 20 Norrell Road interchange to the Interstate 55 Byram-Clinton corridor, according to a release.
New Breast Cancer Guidelines Spark Controversy
Last week, two separate groups released new recommendations regarding cancer screening for women. On Nov. 16 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reversed decades of previous recommendations regarding mammograms to detect breast cancer. Then, on Nov. 20, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released their new guidelines for Pap smears, a procedure for detecting cervical cancer. Both sets of recommendations raise the age when women should begin getting tests, and increase the time between regular testing.
MDE Releases New School Ratings
This morning, the Mississippi Department of Education released the details of its new public school ratings system, after more than two years. The MDE needed the new accountability model "to align with the State Board of Education's goals and a new, more rigorous curriculum implemented two years ago by the State Board," according to a release.
Happenings in Jackson This Weekend
If finding the perfect, one-of-a-kind holiday gift is what you're after, this is one weekend to get it done. Head to the Mississippi Trademart today until 6 p.m. today or tomorrow from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. for the annual Handworks Holiday Market. Admission is $5. If your tastes run more to a fabulous dinner and contributing to worthy causes, make sure to check out "A Taste of New York," tonight at the Fairview Inn. Along with food from seven top local chefs, you get wine, music, performance artists, carriage rides and more. $125 for dinner or $60 for the reception only; call 601-948-3429 (extension 316) for more info. Where's the best place to look when you're planning your weekend? Start with the JFP Best Bets page to find these events and more.
FBI Seeks Cold-Case Next of Kin
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is reassessing more than 100 unsolved civil rights era cold cases, and is searching for victims' next of kin to notify the families of their results, according to a release from the agency. In 33 of the cases, the FBI has not found next of kin, including 11 from the Jackson division, listed below.
Corps Responsible for Katrina Flooding, Court Rules
More than four years after Hurricane Katrina roared out of the Gulf of Mexico, yesterday a federal court ruled against the Army Corps of Engineers for their failure to properly maintain a shipping channel, reports CNN.
Nature vs. Nurture
In the western world, the earliest works depicting homosexuality come from the ancient Greeks, where the practice of adult men having sexual relations with male youths was considered quite normal. The term lesbian dates back to the Greek poetess Sappho, born on the island of Lesbos between 630 and 612 BC. Plato (427 to 327 BC) praised same-sex relationships in his early writings.
Barbour: First, Do No Harm
Call us suspicious, but we don't believe for one minute that Gov. Haley Barbour thinks the Mississippi Legislature will vote to merge the state's three historically black universities, while not touching Ole Miss or Southern. (We do believe they might merge Mississippi University for Women with Mississippi State, though.)
Capital Murder Conviction Reversed
The Mississippi Appeals Court has reversed Cory Maye's murder conviction for the Dec. 26, 2001, killing of Ron Jones, a police officer in Prentiss, Miss., a tiny community of 1,000 residents in Jefferson Davis County. The court has remanded the case for a new trial.
JPS Extends Strings Program
The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees has approved a revised contract with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra to extend the strings program through the end of the current school year, reports WAPT. Board President Sollie Norwood was absent from the meeting and did not cast a vote, however, the rest of the board voted 4-to-0 to retain the program.
JFP Hosts Domestic Abuse Forum at Welty Library
Why do men abuse? Why do women stay? How can the community stop the cycle of domestic abuse in a state that is among the most dangerous for women?
Robin Webb
Concert pianist, composer and activist Robin Webb, 52, has been living with HIV and AIDS for more than two decades. Diagnosed in 1988 as HIV positive, his doctor told him in 1990 that the virus had progressed. "You have AIDS," he told Webb. "... You need to put your house in order."
State Earns "F" from March of Dimes but Shows Improvement
Mississippi received a failing grade from the second annual March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card, but the organization states that it showed improvement on some criteria. The report, released yesterday on the seventh annual Prematurity Awareness Day, says as a whole, the United States gets a "D," with more than a half million newborns not getting the healthy start they deserve. No state received an "A" on the report card and only Vermont received a "B."
Barbour to Announce Budget Recommendations
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour will provide the state with his recommendations for the budget today. With revenues lagging behind estimates for the last year, politicians and pundits expect the announced cuts to be deep and wide.
It's the Weekend!
Disregarding any gloom and doom on this Friday the 13th, go start the weekend right at the Eudora Welta Commons with gumbo and tunes at 7 p.m. For a mere five bucks, The Dixie Nationals and the Scramblers will play for your auditory pleasure, while chef Phil Harris is sure to tickle your taste buds. For something a bit more cerebral, head to Millsaps College at 7:30 p.m. for "Music and Martial Arts" featuring music from Japan and a martial arts demo from the Japan-America Society. Need more options? Start your search on the JFP Best Bets page.
Barbour Visits Iraq; Talks State Budget Cuts
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour spent Veteran's Day in Iraq visiting some of the 124,000 American troops there, including more than 3,500 from the Magnolia state, mostly from the Tupelo-based 155th Brigade Combat Team. Barbour joined fellow Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue of Georgia, and two Democrats, Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal and Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
Judges Order Two Off Mississippi Death Row
In separate cases, federal judges have ruled that two Mississippi inmates on death row in Parchman are mentally ill. Both cases stem from 1981 crimes, and the two inmates have each served 27 years.
National HIV/AIDS Town Hall Comes to Jackson
The White House Office of National AIDS Policy selected 14 cities for community discussions to develop and implement a national HIV/AIDS strategy. Among the stops is Jackson on Monday, Nov. 16.
Smoking Ban Results in Fewer Heart Attacks
While many Jackson citizens have yet to see the health benefits of a smoking ban enacted by the city last February, the city of Starkville, which banned smoking in 2006, is seeing a payback for the decision in better health. In a study released Monday, Starkville showed a marked reduction in heart attacks, down 27 percent, in the past three years, reports NEMS360.
[Balko] Death of a Watchdog
In an age when journalism has been inflicted not only by ballyhooed budget woes and challenges from new media, but also a glut of dubious trend stories, horserace political coverage and endless navel-gazing about the state of the profession, Pete Shellem merely freed four wrongly convicted people from prison in a period of 10 years with his reporting.
Free Flu Meds Available
The Mississippi State Department of Health is making antiviral medications available to uninsured and underinsured patients. In an agreement with selected pharmacies, the department is offering Tamiflu and Relenza from state stockpiles to Mississippians who can't afford them.
Ida Weakens to Tropical Storm
This morning, the National Hurricane Center downgraded Ida from a hurricane to a tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. The late season gulf storm was off the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle as of 9 a.m., and is moving north and east at roughly 17 mph.
Attorney General Info Initiative Launched
In an effort to have Mississippi residents understand the resources available to them through his office, Attorney General Jim Hood announced a statewide educational initiative yesterday.
Toys for Tots Registration This Weekend
The City of Jackson and the U.S. Marine Corps has announced its annual child signup for the coming holiday season. Registration will be held at the Jackson Medical Mall near the Subway Sandwich Shop (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Drive) on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 8 from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
Burnham Selected as Superintendent of Schools
The Mississippi Board of Education announced its unanimous selection for Superintendent of Schools yesterday: Dr. Tom Burnham, 56, who held the position from 1992 to 1997. Burnham replaces Interim Superintendent Dr. John Jordan, who took on the job when former-Superintendent Dr. Hank Bounds took the position of Commissioner for Higher Education in July.
State Tax Revenues Down Again
Mississippi tax collections for October were behind estimates for the month by 6.74 percent, or $28.5 million, Gov. Haley Barbour stated yesterday. For the year to date, the first four months of the fiscal year, which began in July, are down 7.5 percent, or $111.7 million.
Laurence C. Jones
A hundred years ago, Laurence Clifton Jones established The Piney Woods School in rural Rankin County with $2 and three students. Jones, born Nov. 21, 1884, in St. Joseph Mo., graduated from the University of Iowa in 1908. He turned down a job at Tuskeegee Institute in Alabama, opting instead for the Utica Institute in Mississippi.
U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Plea in Seale Case
In a statement today, the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a plea from the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals to decide whether the statute of limitations had run out in the case of reputed Klansman James Ford Seale, convicted in 2007 of federal kidnapping charges for his involvement in the murders of Charles Moore and Henry Dee in 1964.