Developers Announce New Jackson Projects
Developers will complete work on the first block of historic Farish Street in 14 months.
Governor Commutes One Killer's Sentence, Not Another
In a move that illustrates the erratic nature of America's justice system, Gov. Haley Barbour commuted the sentence of Michael David Graham last Thursday, July 17. Graham, convicted for shooting his ex-wife, Adrienne Graham, in 1989, received a sentence of life in prison. Reportedly, Adrienne Graham was sitting at a stoplight in Pascagoula when Michael Graham pulled up beside her and shot her to death with a 12-gauge shotgun.
Survivors of Murdered Women File Suit
The families of two women murdered last September by the men who professed their love for them say they have yet to receive justice.
Anti-Violence Programs: 'Absolutely Ineffective'
Congress enacted the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 with laudable goals. It wanted to both prevent and treat intimate partner abuse, specifically against women in America. Since its enactment, the issue of domestic violence has been heightened in the public arena, and many abused women have received assistance not available prior to 1994. But has the law reduced the incidence of domestic, intimate abuse? And have the laws enacted at the state level given women what they need? A recent report by the non-partisan organization Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting is saying "no" in response to these and many other questions about the unintended consequences of VAWA, and is lobbying for an overhaul of the laws.
'Dereliction of Duty'
Having re-opened the sluice gates of executions with Earl Berry in May, the state of Mississippi could put a second man to death later this month. Dale Leo Bishop, convicted in 2000 in the 1998 murder of Marcus Gentry, has a date with lethal injection July 23.
Seale Wants Freedom
The flawed record of Dr. Stephen Hayne was at issue when James Ford Seale took his 2007 conviction before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals this week.
Berry Candlelight Vigil
I just received word that there will be an interfaith candlelight vigil at Smith Park on Wednesday, May 21 beginning at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday is the day Earl Berry is scheduled to die at the hands of the Mississippi justice system.
Jam, Y'all
Jackson's biggest music and art street festival kicks into high gear Friday, June 13. This year marks the 21st time that Capitol Street downtown will transform into a rockin', dancin', jumpin' good time, with Jubilee!JAM 2008.
Music, Fireworks, Bugs, Oh My
Sybil Cheesman expected to stay in Jackson only four or five years. "That's the longest I'd ever lived in one place," she says. Thirty-six years later, Cheesman has played her flute in the "Pepsi Pops" concerts since the first event. Featuring light classical, show tunes, movie scores and American standards for the past 32 years, this year's concert is Friday, May 9.
No Laughs in Email Hoax
There are some sick puppies out there. This release from the Attorney General's office details an e-mail hoax that threatens the life of the recipient and demands payment:
Bringing Up the Rear
The number of binge drinkers in Misssissippi is significantly lower than the national average, state residents are pretty good about wearing seatbelts, and we are third in the nation for the number of beds in community hospitals in the state. Otherwise, the state brought up the rear in the "Health Care State Rankings 2008," published by CQ Press in March—earning the dubious honor of being named the nation's unhealthiest state.
Gas is Giving Me Heartburn
This morning, I paid more than $52 to buy 3/4 of a tank of gas. Lucky for me that I live in Mississippi instead of San Francisco, where the cost of regular topped $4 per gallon this week. But the end isn't in sight, and despite the general outcry over the astronomical profits of the corporate oil giants, gas prices continue to climb. People are paying more than $100 to fill up their SUVs.
Lift Up Your Voices and Chant
One of my most favorite things about going to church is singing. Whether it's belting out a hymn or the softer sounds of the liturgy, raising my voice in praise to the divine is pure, unadulterated joy.
Mother Stabbed to Death by Children's Father
A young mother of six, Tracy Collier, is the latest victim of domestic violence in Jackson. Police found Collier, 33, stabbed to death in her yard at 2408 Brookside Drive on Monday, April 14. As a final indignity, her accused attacker, Torrian Holmes, also 33, allegedly ran over her body with his car as she lay in the yard of her home. The autopsy on Collier's body, reportedly completed Monday night, should indicate whether she was already dead at the time.
Animal Intelligence
Tallulah the Wonder Cat plays fetch, and can figure out that she has to go to the other room when she bats the toy under a door—a sure sign of abstract reasoning. The Magnificent Valentino leaps into my arms after my shower to luxuriate in the hot, steamy towel. He never jumps up unless invited. But does my cats' behavior indicate intelligence, or are they simply automatons?
Walker, Belafonte Appearing at JSU Civil Rights Conference
Actor Harry Belafonte Jr., writer Alice Walker and filmmaker Keith Beauchamp are headlining the third annual Conference of the Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement at Jackson State University starting this Thursday.
Workers Rally Against Human Trafficking
A group of about 70 Indian workers marched onto the Mississippi State Capitol Thursday, March 20, protesting treatment by Pascagoula construction company Signal International, LLC.
‘The Nightmare Is Over'
After serving 18 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, Levon Brooks walked away from the Noxubee County courthouse a free man on March 13. Arrested for the rape and murder of his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter, Courtney Smith, in 1990, Judge J. Lee Howard released Brooks on his own recognizance on Feb. 15, pending today's hearing. Brooks received a life sentence for the crimes in 1992 after two years in jail waiting for his trial.
One in 100 Behind Bars
America reached a new record this year, but it's not one that comes with bragging rights: We've reached the point where one in every 100 adults is behind bars. In Mississippi, one in every 97.3 adults is in prison or jail.
It's About Turnout, Stupid!
Crunching the state's numbers from last week's primaries shows that something is happening in Mississippi. The question is: Will the Obama Effect linger in the state, creating a new political landscape?
The Issues 2008
What's on your mind this election year? As the national media focus on the presidential horse race, and who's sprinting ahead, chances are good that these issues will crop up.
‘The Nightmare Is Over': Levon Brooks Finally Free
After serving 18 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, Levon Brooks walked away from the Noxubee County courthouse a free man this morning. Arrested for the rape and murder of his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter, Courtney Smith, in 1990, Judge J. Lee Howard released Brooks on his own recognizance on Feb. 15, pending today's hearing. Brooks received a life sentence for the crimes in 1992 after two years in jail waiting for his trial.
Challenging the Next Generation
It was our own hometown David and Goliath story. Bernie Ebbers and WorldCom were the symbol of what Mississippi could be. WorldCom was the lone Fortune 500 company in the state, and Ebbers its ebullient, charismatic, down-to-earth hero. Everyone—from employees to stockholders to Wall Street—were charmed. Believers invested everything, buoyed by the company's phenomenal growth.
Innocent Man Goes Home for First Time Since 1993
INDIANOLA—Arthur Johnson, 48, wrongfully convicted in 1993 of rape and burglary, went home with his family Monday, Feb. 25, for the first time in a decade and a half. Sunflower County Circuit Judge Ashley Hines still levied $25,000 in bail, even though DNA testing proves Johnson did not commit the rape. Johnson has already served 15 years of his 55-year sentence in Parchman.
Free At Last? Brewer May Go Free Friday
Two men who have served a combined 34 years behind bars for crimes they apparently did not commit may walk away free men on Friday, Feb. 15.
Living in the Shadow of AIDS
Photos by Ronni Mott
The two-story wood house, white with red trim, sits squarely on a corner lot in Jackson. The grass on the lawn is January brown, the same as in the other yards in the quiet city neighborhood. A locked, cast-iron security door bars the front door, which is topped with a domed, candy-cane striped awning.
Preventing Identity Theft
[verbatim from AG's office] Attorney General Jim Hood, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann and Better Business Bureau President Bill Moak are joining together with a host of private partners to help Mississippians tak a pro-active approach in the fight against identity theft.
Exposing A Killer
"It's something you don't want to know," Ken South said, "but you need to know."
[Fly] How to Do Valentine's Day, Sans Date
If you've recently kicked your valentine to the curb, don't sit in front of your private bonfire burning every item that reminds you of him or her. Instead throw a "Love Stinks" anti-valentine bash. Have everyone purge their useful and gently used items that bring up remembrances of the ex from hell to offer to the greater good. Everyone gets to pick up stuff they want, then pile everything no one wants into the community bonfire and howl in concert to let it all go up in smoke.
Toward a Peace Culture
Takashi Teramoto was 10 when "Little Boy" dropped on Hiroshima in August 1945, killing 140,000 Japanese—half instantly, the other half from radiation poisoning. Teramoto is traveling with Steven Leeper, director of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, who often translates for him. Dedicated to eliminating nuclear weapons worldwide, the foundation is funding their tour to 101 U.S. cities, which began late in 2007.
Sean Wade
Sean Wade is a big guy. He could use his stature to threaten, but instead, he exudes tranquility to those in his presence. Wade, 32, speaks with clarity and precision, his voice steady and soft. His demeanor is welcoming and inclusive, and he tends to be almost self-effacing. His kindness and gentleness are evident in every move and word.
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.
Such Sweet Sorrow
Since July 2004, Ross Olivier has been pastor of the Galloway Methodist Church in Jackson, bringing with him experience forged in South Africa's anti-apartheid movement. As we spoke last Monday, his enthusiastic responses were well-considered, yet accessible. He leaned into me as he spoke. Rarely have I been in such a magnanimous presence. I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for myself: Why hadn't I met this man before? Olivier is returning to South Africa on Jan. 13.
The Case For Innocence
It was Ron Williamson's obituary in the Dec. 9, 2004, issue of The New York Times that caught attorney and author John Grisham's eye.
‘These Are Not Fair Trials': The JFP Talks With John Grisham
Since publication of "The Innocent Man" in 2006, author John Grisham has become a strong advocate for the Innocence Project, lending his name and voice to help establish the organization's Mississippi office in Oxford. "The Innocent Man" was Grisham's first—and very likely his only—foray into the world of non-fiction. A man who has always had strong opinions about the legal system, he is even more adamant today about why it's broken and how to fix it. I spoke with him via telephone in mid-November 2007, and below is the full text of that interview.
Rev. Olivier Returns to South Africa
Rev. Ross Olivier, "Reverend Ross" to his Galloway Methodist Church parishioners, will return to his native South Africa in January after serving the Jackson church since July 2004. In recent years, Olivier (pronounced Ollie-FEE) has become a Jackson staple at social justice and racial reconciliation events, drawing from his work and experience during the apartheid era in South Africa, where he was a vigorous opponent of the brutal oppression he found there. Archbishop Desmond Tutu asked Olivier to establish a council of churches during that time, and in 1994, the year of South Africa's first democratic elections, he facilitated the Methodist Church's re-visioning for the new, emerging democracy, chronicled in the book "Journey Begun," which he co-authored.
Eating In the Stables
The "new" Mississippi Capitol building was built in 1903 using back taxes paid by the Illinois Central Railroad, on the site of the old state penitentiary. Originally built for $1.9 million, the building was renovated from 1979 to 1982 for $19 million. There was a stable under the front steps when the building was first built. That area is now the snack bar.
[Fly] Setting The Table
Last year, you watched in horror as Great Aunt Petunia criticized everything about your cousin's table, from the linen to the placement of the dessert fork. Well, Petunia's on the way to your house this year, so it's time for a brief refresher course.
[Fly] Beginner's Guide To Wine
When it comes to wine, a little knowledge goes a long way. You can get a nice white for under $10, but stick to $15 an up for reds. Here are some other wine basics to get you started:
[Fly] It's The Food
Christmas dinner was the holiday event to be forgotten. Not that my mother wasn't a fabulous cook or that she didn't put out a fine spread. No, it was the event to be forgotten because of everything else that was happening. Forgotten in the awe of a tree that magically appeared on Christmas Eve, replete with silver ornaments for the look of a snow-covered pine; we'd eat our Christmas dinner faster than any other meal of the year so that we could dash back to our treasures by the magic tree.
Spend It to Make It
At the level of countries, economics can be a crapshoot, with future predictions playing as much of a role as hindsight. Micro-economics, the kind where you have to balance a checkbook and pay your electric bill to keep the heat on, are easier to understand. You have to spend less than you have coming in—or that's the goal, in any case. All the experts will tell you that it's far better to save money than go into debt for major purchases and life events such as college, marriage or starting a business.
[Fly] How to Stock a Bar
If you have a couple of grand in disposable income, stocking a full bar can suck up all of that in a heartbeat. For most of us though, that's pretty unrealistic, and unless you're into the whole dinner-party, entertaining-the-boss scene, the "bar" usually means what our closest friends like to drink. That can mean anything from a six-pack in the fridge and vodka in the freezer, to a bottle of Jack, and some cheap tequila complete with salt for the Margarita glasses.
Hate-Crimes Grossly Under-Reported
There were no hate crimes in Mississippi in 2005 or 2006, according to the most recent FBI statistics. Nationwide, say the stats, hate crimes rose 7.8 percent in '06, with 7,722 incidents.
[Fly] Holiday Giving: How To Tip
All year long, many of the people who make our lives livable work in relative anonymity: the mail carriers, the garbage people, the newspaper delivery guy. Others—like the folks who do our hair and care for our kids—we see frequently, but could hardly call "intimates." We want to give them a little something extra during the holidays, but what and how much?
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.
Winter Arts Preview: Event Listings
<b>Stage & Screen
The concrete, steel and glass building seems unfinished, with the rawness of unformed clay. The gravel drive and rust-colored patina on the sign lettering adds to the feeling that this is a work in progress, left to weather naturally in the elements. Tucked into an oddly shaped lot between the reservoir and the woods surrounding the Natchez Trace in Ridgeland, the Mississippi Craft Center is a monument to the architect's vision and that of the Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi.
Hood: Victim's Mother Asked Him to Prosecute Bell
Attorney General Jim Hood told the Jackson Free Press Tuesday that he will personally prosecute George Bell III for the murder of Heather Spencer at the request of Spencer's mother, Linda Francomb.
Rid Your Body of Toxins
Between eating and drinking out of plastics that leach, getting a bit of pesticides with our veggies and a few stray hormones in our burgers, we're all exposed to levels of toxins every day--they're unavoidable. And, depending on how our bodies react to them, toxins can drain our energy, make concentrating difficult and even make us feel chronically ill.
Mississippi Settles Foster Care Suit
On Nov. 8, Olivia Y., John A. and Mississippi's other 3,500 children in foster care got one step closer to receiving the care they deserve. In April, weeks before going to court, Gov. Haley Barbour and Attorney General Jim Hood conceded that the children's constitutional rights had been violated, and agreed to settle a 2004 class-action suit brought on behalf of the children under the care of the Mississippi Department of Human Services Division of Family and Children's Services. In the intervening three years, Mississippi undertook its own investigation to determine the best course of action.