Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

2

TR

IP B

UR

NS

JACKSONIAN SEN. HILLMAN FRAZIER

May 15, 1970, Hillman Frazier, then a junior at Jackson State University, re-turned to campus after dinner and en-countered a roadblock.

Students had spent the day protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War, and local and state police were bracing for a clash with protesters. When the night was over, two young men, Phillip Gibbs and James Earl Green, with whom Frazier had a political-science class, had been killed. “One of the things that shooting did was it made us more focused. A lot of the student leaders at the time went on to graduate and law school,” says Frazier, who majored in political science at JSU, was active in student govern-ment and later attended George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. Frazier, 64, was born in Jackson. His mother was a homemaker, and his father was a carpenter and, later, a Baptist minister. Despite the family’s Protestant faith, Frazier attended Holy Ghost Catholic School, St. Joseph Cath-olic School’s sister school for people of color. Today, Frazier’s office on the first floor of the Capitol is a shrine to his more than three decades in public service. After working for a legal services office and four years on state House Speaker C.B. “Bud-die” Newman’s staff, Frazier ran successfully in 1979 for the Mississippi House of Representa-tives. Thirteen years later, Frazier won election to the state Senate.

Much like his Capitol office, Frazier’s ten-ure in the state Legislature is a testament of pre-serving Mississippi’s civil-rights history through the legislative process, which is no easy feat. For example, he sponsored a resolution to recog-nize Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a state holiday, which met resistance from con-servative lawmakers who argued that having another holiday would hurt the productivity of state employees. Frazier argued that recogniz-ing Dr. King’s birthday wouldn’t cost a dime because the state already celebrated Confeder-ate General Robert E. Lee’s birthday. Frazier, who traveled to South Africa to monitor the nation’s first post-apartheid elec-tion in 1994, also authored a bill to formally adopt the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Con-stitution, which formally—albeit symbolical-ly—abolished slavery in Mississippi in 1995. “I knew that if I’m going to go around the world telling folks about our great democracy, I knew that we had to correct certain things in my state,” Frazier says. Frazier’s love of history continues outside of the statehouse walls, where he spends his free time with his wife of 34 years, Jean, their adult children and two grandchildren, and tinkers on his classic cars. The senator says restoring cars helps him relax and that he is not interested in growing his hobby into a business. “I don’t want to mess up anybody else’s cars,” he says with a laugh. — R.L. Nave

JANUARY 7 - 13, 2015 | VOL. 13 NO. 18

4 ............................. EDITOR’S NOTE6 ............................................ TALKS12 ................................ EDITORIAL13 .................................... OPINION15 ............................ COVER STORY24 .................................... HITCHED25 ................... GIRL ABOUT TOWN26 .............................. DIVERSIONS27 ....................................... MUSIC27 ....................... MUSIC LISTINGS28 ....................................... 8 DAYS29 ...................................... EVENTS30 ..................................... SPORTS31 .................................... PUZZLES33 ....................................... ASTRO

Cover design by Kristin BrenemenC O N T E N T S

JULI

E SK

IPPE

R; C

OU

RTES

Y S

OPH

IA H

ALK

IAS;

FLI

CK

R/E

MIL

IAN

RO

BERT

VIC

OL

10 Inconvenient TruthsMississippi officials fight federal carbon limits that could make the state cleaner and healthier.

24 Meant to Be“I used to think of love just as an emotion; it is still an emotion, an incredible one, but also a commitment, a commitment we made to each other on our wedding day.” —Sophia Halkias, “Meant to Be”

25 New IdeasWhen you travel to different places, you can often find ideas to bring back to your community to make it better. Ja

nuar

y 7

- 13,

201

5 •

jfp

.ms

3

by R.L. Nave, News EditorEDITOR’S note

A few years ago, when the Illinois General Assembly was think-ing about reforming the state’s child-support enforcement laws,

I spent two or three days observing proceed-ings in family court. One after one, non-custodial parents, mostly men, whom a judge had ordered to start paying child support or face jail time, stood before stone-faced judges and either brandished proof of payment or had to ex-plain their reasons for failing to meet their court-required obligation. Some of the men who stood in judg-ment spoke quietly about hard times and, in turn, falling behind on their support pay-ments. They just needed a little more time to find a job or a better-paying one, and they would get back on schedule, the clearly embarrassed men promised. I described this category of father as “dead broke.” There was another category of child-support scofflaws. These were guys who worked and were often professionals with well-paying jobs. Unlike the dead-broke dads, the deadbeats spoke loudly and brash-ly about their reasons for refusing to pay monthly support. A lot of those explanations had to do with how the court calculated their support (state law allowed payments of as much as 20 percent of gross income). Many of the dads wove tales of distrusting custo-dial parents with lump-sum payments and offered anecdotes of moms blowing cash on fancy new clothes; there was almost always a story about the presence of a new boyfriend. Illinois lawmakers wanted to amend child-support enforcement laws to distin-guish between parents who are dead broke, who fell into hard times and couldn’t afford to make scheduled court-required payments, and deadbeats who can afford to pay but come up with excuses to withhold support from their children. This reminds me a lot of how Missis-

sippi historically fails to meet the basic needs of its citizens, who are at the bottom of every quality-of-life metric imaginable, including public education and health care. Of course, the reasons for this are complicated, rooted in an economy and social structure detri-mentally dependent on slavery and, later, Jim Crow. So naturally, when the national economy falls on hard times, poor cities and states feel it most acutely. Nor does the blame lie at the foot of any one public official, po-

litical party or division of government. The situation in Mississippi may be dire, but it’s not hopeless. There are op-portunities to drastically—not incremen-tally—improve things in Mississippi, but our leadership seems fixated on solutions looking for problems. For example, take our approach to pay-ing for public education. Seventeen years ago, lawmakers—Democrats and Republicans—created and adopted the Mississippi Adequate Education Formula, known as MAEP. In that time span, lawmakers followed through on its obligations to schoolchildren by funding the plan—twice. As a result, ad-vocates of full MAEP funding argue, public schools have been shorted $1.5 billion. That’s more money than Mississippi has in the bank, and cutting a check could wreak all kinds of fiscal havoc. But rather than reckoning with this reality, lawmakers in recent years have, like those deadbeat dads

I observed in court, sought to move the goal posts. A common tactic of Republican bud-get writers has been to divert attention off the failure to fund schools and question the validity or nitpick the inputs of the MAEP formula, which includes factors like average daily attendance and rates of free and re-duced lunch. Another common refrain in the de-bate over the education formula is that lo-cal school officials would misspend adequate education funding on administrative over-head rather than put the money to use in classrooms, even though the proponents of this argument haven’t produced any evidence that such malfeasance occurs. It reminds me of one man I interviewed about child support whose excuse for not paying was that his ex-wife would probably buy drugs with the money, even though he admitted that he had no proof that the moth-er of his children was in fact a drug user. Mississippi’s health woes are so per-sistent that stories about diseases in which Mississippi leads the nation can just about write themselves every year. Again, Missis-sippi faces an opportunity to make strides by expanding access to state-sponsored health programs. The federal government is prac-tically begging poor states with the worst health to allow Medicaid expansion by tak-ing federal matching Medicaid funds. One reason: Our poor health inflates health-care premiums for everyone else. Of course, because of Medicaid ex-pansion’s association with President Barack Obama, many Republicans feel like it’s a no-win scenario for them, politically anyway. However, political leaders have not bothered to devise their own health-care expansion alternative, which Republicans could brand and market as their own anti-Obamacare solution. Even more puzzling is the Republican leadership’s rationale for re-sisting Medicaid expansion.

First, Gov. Haley Barbour commis-sioned a study that his administration in-terpreted as Medicaid expansion being too costly for the state. That study was ultimately panned because analysts did not consider the costs associated with lack of health insur-ance. Then, Gov. Phil Bryant and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves changed their tune, saying they didn’t trust the federal government to follow though on promises to pay for large chunks of the expansion should Mississippi choose to participate—a classic deadbeat-dad move. Last week, the Associated Press asked Gov. Bryant how he planned to solve persis-tent chronic poverty in the state. His answer: Intercept casino winnings of parents who owe back child support. “So you won’t be going around gam-bling and winning at the dice table and not taking care of your children,” he told the AP. One absurdity of the statement is that I doubt the governor has a shred of evidence that this is a serious problem in Mississippi beyond one or two anecdotal exceptions, shades of the voter-ID debate of a few years ago. Another is that it completely lets the state off the hook for its failure to take care of poor children, due in large part because of failures of policymakers over the years. The sad part is Mississippi is not broke. We have a robust rainy day fund, and we pay our bills on time and don’t have the same pension problems that some states, like Illinois, face. Yet, officials continue to shirk their obligations, and the rest of the nation has to support us. By the governor’s own definition, that makes Mississippi’s po-litical leaders deadbeats. It’s unlikely that enormous strides will be made in this legislative session that co-incides with a state election year. At some point, though, the state is going to have to start acting responsibly and meeting its obli-gations. Hopefully, lawmakers will start that process this year.

CONTRIBUTORS

Are Mississippi Officials Deadbeats?

Investigative Reporter Anna Wolfe, a Tacoma, Wash., native, studied at Mississippi State. In her spare time, she complains about not having enough spare time. Email her at anna@ jacksonfreepress.com. She wrote the legislative preview.

Sophia Halkias lives in north Jackson in a ranch-style house with her husband, Neil, and dog, Buffy. She is work-ing on completing the science course requirements for medi-cal school. She wrote about her wedding for Hitched.

Music Editor Micah Smith is a big fan of small fans. His likes saying the word “milquetoast,” but it’s not as fun as it sounds. He also plays with the band Empty Atlas. He wrote an entertainment story.

LaTonya Miller is a freelance writer who is passionate about music, photography and all things positive. You can visit her anytime at her second home, online at etudelife.com. She wrote a music story.

Music Listings Editor Tommy Burton is keeping the dream alive, one record at a time. He can usually be seen with a pair of headphones on. He wrote an arts story and compiles the music listings. Send gig info to music@jacksonfreepress.com.

Ad Designer Zilpha Young has dabbled in every medium she could get her hands on, from blacksmithing to crocheting. To see some of her extracurricular work (and lots of cephalopods) check out zilphatastic.tumblr.com. She designed many ads.

Staff Photographer Trip Burns is a graduate of the Univer-sity of Mississippi, where he studied English and sociology. He enjoys the films of Stanley Kubrick. He took many photos for the issue.

Events Editor Latasha Willis is a native Jacksonian, a free-lance graphic designer and the mother of one cat. She helped compile event listings.

The sad part is the state is not

broke.

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

4

Anna Wolfe Sophia Halkias Micah Smith LaTonya Miller Tommy Burton Zilpha Young Trip Burns Latasha Willis

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

5

Mon. - Sat., 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Maywood Mart Shopping Center

1220 E. Northside Dr. 601-366-5676

www.mcdadeswineandspirits.comPlease Drink ResponsiblyDownload

our new app!

TWOLOCATIONS

960NorthStateStreet,Jackson

601‐709‐5171

1060ECountyLineRd.,Ridgeland

601‐899‐0038

OpenSun‐Thurs11am‐10pm

Fri‐Sat11am‐Midnight

WWW.BURGERSBLUES.COM

Free Tea Tuesdays Free Tea

with Entrée

50 CENT WINGSSat, Sun and Mon

M-F Lunch starts at 11am and Happy Hour from 11am-7pm! $ 2 . 5 0 d o m e s t i c s, $ 3 . 5 0 we l l d r i n k s a n d $ 1 . 5 0 o f f a l l c a l l a n d to p s h e l f l i q u o r s

Open for lunch! Call

(601)944-0203for to-go orders or order

online for large groups at

www.oneblockeast.com

Wednesday 1/7

KARAOKEThursday 1/8

$10 BEER BUCKETSFriday 1/9

LADIE’S NIGHTWith DJ KoolLaidSaturday 1/10

DOUBLE TEAMDJ PhingaprintDJ Patty CakeSunday 1/11

CHAD KNIGHT8:00 PMMonday 1/12

$1 DOMESTICS!Tuesday 1/13

$2 TUESDAY $2 domestics and fi reball all day and night!TRIPPIN’ OUT COMEDY NIGHT

LIVE MUSIC•BAD ASS BURGERS

F or the first time in a quarter century, Jackson’s Ward 3 city council is not occupied by an individual whose surname is Stokes.

In fact, the near-west-side ward seat, a longtime stronghold of the black community, is not cur-rently occupied at all. Kenneth Stokes, the controversial official who has served on the city council and county board of supervi-sors, hopes to return to the seat, which his wife vacated to become a judge. Stokes, whose mother recently passed away, told the Jackson Advocate, the state’s oldest black newspaper that has been a big supporter of the Stokeses, that he wanted to keep the seat in the family because of traditions he and his wife are involved with such as the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. cel-ebration. His mother blessed the decision before her recent death, he said. “We’ve got to continue taking to the streets to encourage people to stop the vio-lence. And it’s not a little thing that they can’t afford to pay their water bills. Our people are struggling just to get by,” Stokes told the Advocate. Stokes is likely the front-runner, given his name recognition and control of a politi-cal machine that can turn out supporters for rallies and to speak favorably of legislative

proposals as easily as he can turn them out to the polls on Election Day. The ubiqui-tous “Stokes” campaign signs that remain posted throughout the ward even in non-election years don’t hurt, either.

In fact, all the announced candidates in the race, which will take place Jan. 27, have competed in past elections. After weeks of social-media buzz, Pam Greer con-firmed last week that she would again seek the seat. Greer, who runs a foundation that promotes anti-violence awareness and support to families of violent crime vic-tims, ran in 2013 as well. LaRita Cooper-Stokes went on to capture the post after a court fight with Joyce Jackson resulted in a new election. Another familiar face is Albert Wilson

also formally announced last week with a press conference at the Genesis and Light Center, a senior-services center he founded and runs. The announcement was basically a formality; Wilson’s campaign signs went

up soon after Cooper-Stokes officially re-signed her seat, and he has started to make more frequent appearances at city council meetings. Wilson also competed in the special election for Jackson mayor after the death of Chokwe Lumumba in February. Candidates have until Wednesday, Jan. 7, to qualify for the race. If Stokes is success-ful in his bid, a special election would have to take place to fill his District 5 seat on the Hinds County Board of Supervisors. Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email R.L. Nave at rlnave@jacksonfreepress.com.

Familiar Faces Join Ward 3 Frayby R.L. Nave

TR

IP BUR

NS

Wednesday, December 31 Palestinian leaders meet to plan their next steps after the U.N. Security Council rejected a resolution to end Israel’s occupation and join the Inter-national Criminal Court to pursue war crime charges against Israel. … A man who had posted an online video threat-ening to kill police and FBI agents tries to use his car to run down officers seek-ing to arrest him; fearing for their lives, they shoot and kill him.

Thursday, January 1 Mario Cuomo, three-time New York governor, one-time presidential candidate and long-time major figure in liberal politics, dies of heart failure at age 82. … Thirty-five people are killed and another 48 injured in a stampede during New Year’s celebrations in the waterfront area of Shanghai, China.

Friday, January 2 California starts taking driver’s license applications from the nation’s largest population of undocumented immigrants, estimated at 1.4 million people. … The U.S. imposes fresh sanc-tions on North Korea over the cyberat-tack against Sony, targeting the North’s defense industry and spy service.

Saturday, January 3 Iran and the U.S. agree on a for-mula to reduce Tehran’s ability to make nuclear arms by shipping much of the material needed for such weapons to Russia. … Boko Haram extremists kid-nap about 40 boys and young men and kill scores of soldiers in an attack on a multinational military base in northeast Nigeria.

Sunday, January 4 Thousands of police turn their backs as New York Mayor Bill de Bla-sio eulogizes Officer Wenjian Liu, an officer shot dead with his partner, in a display of scorn for the mayor despite entreaties to put anger aside.

Monday, January 5 Jury selection begins for the federal death penalty trial of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Tuesday, January 6 Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage ends statewide at the stroke of mid-night. Get breaking news at jfpdaily.com.

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

6

The Best of the Jackson Free Press, 2014

The capital city metro is hungry for serious news and looking for a good time, at least based

on last year’s Jackson Free Press web and mobile stats. Here are the year’s most viral stories and posts.

The Ward 3 Jackson City Council race will feature at least three candidates who have run of the seat in the past. From left: Kenneth Stokes, Pam Greer and Albert Wilson.

Top 10 Keywords1 Dancing Dolls2 Dianna Williams3 Precious Martin4 Chokwe

Lumumba 5 Tony Yarber 6 Michelle Byrom7 Walker Wilbanks8 Blake Wallace

Hinds County9 Donn Lewis,

Florence, MS10 Whole Foods,

Jackson, MS

Top 10 News Stories

1 An Innocent Woman? Michelle Byrom vs. Mississippi

2 Opinionated: Bill Maher Skewers the Right and the Left

3 Dianna Williams3 Dianna Williams

4 What Mississippi’s Lawmakers Are Proposing for Education

5 The Poverty-Crime Connection

6 Council Gives Yarber Salary Ultimatum

7 Person of the Day: Kayla Jones

8 Best of Jackson Food and Drink

9 As SB2681 Passes, A Gay Mississippi Businessman Talks Back to the Far Right

10 Person of the Day: Walker WilbanksC

OU

RTES

Y D

IAN

NA

WIL

LIA

MS

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

7

A M A L C O T H E AT R ESouth of Walmart in MadisonALL STADIUM SEATING

Listings for Fri 1/9– Thurs. 1/15

Online Tickets, Birthday Parties, Group& Corporate Events @ www.malco.com

Movieline: 355-9311

DAILY BARGAINS UNTIL 6PM

Taken 3 PG13

Selma PG13

The Imitation Game PG13

Inherent Vice R

Woman In Black 2: Angel of Death PG13

Into the Woods PG

Unbroken PG13

The Gambler R

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb PG

Annie PG

Wild R

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (non 3-D) PG13

Exodus: Gods and Kings (non 3-D) PG13

Top Five R

Penguins of Madagascar (non 3-D) PG

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 PG13

Big Hero 6 (non 3-D) PG

GIFT CARDSAVAILABLE

1030-A Hwy 51 • Madison

Behind the McDonalds

in Madison Station

769.300.2149

1002 Treetop Blvd • Flowood

Behind the Applebee’s on Lakeland

601.664.7588

Locally Owned Since 1984

OCD Cleaning & Organizing

I N S U R E D • B O N D E D • W O R K E R S CO M P.601.927.5286

A clean house sells the BEST!Let OCD get your house ready

for the market.Call Teresa TODAY!

Commercial • New Construction • ResidentialReal Estate Ready for Market • Move Out for Deposit Refund

Pack or Unpack • Strip or Wax FloorsWindows, Tracks & Screens • Carpet Cleaning

Polishing • Organizing • Hostess Events

Optional Cleaning ServicesORGANIZING

Deep • Partial Deep • GeneralCustomers Priority List

Teresa Miller, Owner • 601.927.5286 • ocdcs11@gmail.com

Cleaning & Organizingwww.but ter f lyyoga.ne t

3025 North State Street - Fondren District - 601.594.2313

Monday

10 – 11:15 am: Power Flow

12 - 1:15 pm: Working Yoga

5:30 – 6:45 pm : Level 2

Tuesday

12 – 1 pm: Level 1

6 – 7:15 pm: Level 1

Wednesday

12 – 1 pm: Restorative Yoga

5:30 – 6:45 pm: Yoga Basics

Thursday12 – 1 pm: Level 1

6 – 7:15 pm: Vinyasa

(Mixed Level)

Friday

12 – 1 pm: Level 1

Saturday

9 – 10:15 am: Level 1

10:30 – 11:45 am: Yoga Over 50

Sunday

3 – 4 pm: Yoga at Crossfi t 6015:30 – 7 pm: Bellydancing

Weekly Schedule

VOTED BEST YOGA STUDIOBEST OF JACKSON

I n downtown Jackson, utility crews whacked off the tops of Bradford pear trees to prevent them from growing into power lines. Iron grates on Congress

Street choke the growth of some trees, as the foliage has been left to grow where it pleases. Such poor planning is part of the reason that Jackson’s central district lacks curb ap-

peal, said Ben Allen, president of Downtown Jackson Partners. He calls Bradford pears a “fad tree.” And the holly trees on Pearl Street planted over 20 years ago “are still ugly bush-es,” he added. Allen said it is important for the city to have a sustainable tree-planting program. The goal of Downtown Jackson Partners, he said, is to redo all the trees downtown over the next 10 years, in addition to its current effort to rehab Smith Park. “We discovered that we really needed a plan so we don’t have, 20 years from now, Pearl Street populated by 20-year-old holly bush-es—we want the trees,” Allen said. As long as he’s been working in Jackson, since 1997, only hollies have lined Pearl Street. In 2010, the city decided to cut down 10 to 12 decades-old oak trees on State Street because their roots grew at such a large radius around the trunk that they created problems for the city’s foundation. The city replaced them with 23 crape myrtles—a tree better suited for streetscapes, Allen said. It is this kind of replanting, after de-vising a better thought-out plan, that Allen hopes the new green organization will do. Allen is taking tips from Baton Rouge GREEN, a program founded in 1987 that has planted more than 35,000 trees across the city. A group of Jacksonians interested in forming a similar nonprofit will travel to Baton Rouge Jan. 28 to learn about how the group was organized and funded. The nationally acclaimed arborist

working with Baton Rouge GREEN, Scott Courtright, will analyze downtown and work with Jackson to develop a long-range tree replacement and maintenance strategy. When Courtright asked Allen for the name of a sustainable green company in Jackson that looks at long-range plans for tree planting, “I said, ‘We don’t have one,’” Allen said. Allen said two organizations focus on greening efforts, Mississippi Urban Forestry Council and Keep Jackson Beautiful. But, Allen said, the forestry council doesn’t specifically work in Jackson, and Keep Jackson Beautiful doesn’t have the kind of funding needed to plant and main-tain green spaces downtown. In 2011, a nationwide project and fed-eral partnership called “Greening America’s Capitals” nominated Jackson and paid for a study of downtown. The 2012 study re-sulted in a plan to increase the green infra-structure on Congress Street. The plan also addressed possible improvements to Smith Park, which Allen said are similar to the changes they are in the process of making. “Green infrastructure” does not just entail the planting of trees, but also the use of vegetation and soil to manage and clean rainwater. This can help protect water qual-ity and has many environmental benefits. Not to mention, the value of city spaces rises when they are surrounded by a green, lush environment, Allen said. But the federal greening initiative did not advise Jackson on how to complete its pro-posal, nor did it create a mechanism for fund-ing the project. “All it did was tell us what we ought to do,” Allen said. Still, he said, Courtright likes the plans in the federal report and may incorporate them into his long-term vision. It will be up to the nonprofit that Allen hopes to help form to find a way to get it done, along with greening the rest of downtown. While the new organization would look at the infra-structure of downtown as a whole, Allen said his priority is to plant trees on Pearl Street. Baton Rouge GREEN relies heavily on its volunteer partnership with the commu-nity and surrounding universities. Sponsor-ships from individuals and businesses also support the group. The Jackson GREEN project is in ear-ly stages and will be a separate organization from Downtown Jackson Partners, Allen points out, but “somebody’s got to push it, and that’s our role, to get it going,” he said. Comment at jfp.ms.

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

8

Boosting Downtown’s Curb Appealby Anna Wolfe

TR

IP BUR

NS

Jackson GREEN wants a long-term tree-planning plan downtown.

Opening for Lunch Soon!

JOB FAIRMonday, January 12, 2015

9:00AM - 1:00PM

Apply in person at:Drago’s Seafood Restaurant

1005 East County Line Road Jackson, MS | 39211

All positions open to include:-Front of House Manager-Back of House Manager

-Bartender - Hostess-Food Runner - Wait Staff

-Dishwasher - Chef - Line Cook

*Bring résumé and be prepared to interview*

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

9

TALK | community

It was only six years ago, in 2008, when John Sewell began working with others to put together a mara-

thon that would celebrate the unique blues culture in Mississippi. This week-end, on Jan. 10, the event returns as one of the city’s signature annual events.

Sewell, now Millsaps College’s communications director, said the or-ganizers originally for about 500 peo-ple, so when race day came they were surprised to see 1,500 men and women at the event. They realized early on that it was not simply a marathon they were promoting; it was a culture. To add to the blues component, they added a Jackson bar crawl to the event with a live blues artist at each venue. And they came up with the slogan: “Run the blues in the morning; crawl the blues in the night.” The event has continued to grow since 2008, becoming both a cultural draw to the city for the runners, as well as an economic-development tool. Sewell stressed the role that the community plays in the marathon and what the marathon can do for the city and metro at large. The race brings people from as far away as

Kenya to the state and, as Sewell put it, “(the race) changes perceptions people have (about) Jackson, but also changes the way the people of Jackson feel about the city.” The race is valuable to Jackson, because it challenges pre-conceived notions that are so often thrust onto the city. Sewell says that the best way to see the race is to be a course marshal,

or a person who provides support to runners on race day and helps ensure their safety.

The Mississippi Blues Marathon begins and ends at the Mississippi Mu-seum of Art’s Art Garden (380 S. Lamar St., 601-960-1510), at the intersection of Pascagoula and Lamar streets. The marathon, half marathon, quarter mara-thon and marathon relay begin at 7 a.m. The Kids’ Fun Run begins at 9 a.m. The Blues Crawl begins after the marathon. Every runner will receive a wristband to go to each music venue. For non-runners, wristbands are $10. The Blues Trolley can transport particpants to each place. The locations for the Blues Crawl include The Iron Horse Grill (320 W. Pearl St., 601-398-0151), where Jaimoe Johanson will play (see page 27) and Hal & Mal’s

(200 Commerce St., 601-948-0888), where the Lucky Hand Blues Band will play. To see a course map or for more informa-tion, visit msbluesmarathon.com.

A version of this story originally appeared in Millsaps College’s student newspaper The Purple & White and has been edited for content and style.

Runnin’ the Blues through the Veins of Jacksonby Zachary Oren Smith

TR

IP B

UR

NS

Runners participate in the 2014 Mississippi Blues Marathon.

CINNAMON

601-879-8189 124 Forest Park Rd., Flora, MS www.MSPetrifiedForest.com

National Natural Landmark

Featuring:Natural Crystals

Specimens • PendulumsBooks • Wands • Moldavite

Jewelry & More

ES -O -TER - I -CA:A collection of items of a special, rare, novel or unusual quality. We are Mississippi’s premiere source for metaphysical esoterica from nature.

Only 20 minutes from Jackson

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

10

T he Mississippi agency responsible for protecting the state’s natural resources is pushing back against a proposed federal clean-power

plan designed to reduce climate chang-ing carbon pollution and improve citi-zens’ health. In June 2014, under the direction of President Barack Obama, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed to cut car-bon emissions from the nation’s power plants by 2030. Known as the Clean Power Plan, or CPP, the standards are based on the same objective but leaves it up to states to develop their own ways implement to roll back car-bon-dioxide emissions. The plan immediately met political blowback from Repub-licans for whom the EPA is a fa-vorite punching bag. In stating his opposition to the plan, Mis-sissippi’s senior U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran said the CPP offers few climate-change benefits. “The Environmental Pro-tection Agency is on a relent-less quest to impose strict car-bon-emissions rules no matter what the costs to families or the nation’s economic wellbe-ing,” said Cochran, who will ascend to the chairmanship of the powerful Senate Appro-priations Committee when the new Congress convenes later this month. Mitch McConnell, the incoming Senate majority leader, of Kentucky, also hinted at a campaign to derail the rule, saying that he would do every-thing in how power to “get the EPA reined in.” Mississippi isn’t waiting for Congress to act, however. Gary Rikard, the executive director of the Mississippi De-partment of Environmental Quality, also blasted the CPP in comments his agency sub-mitted to the EPA. In a letter to the EPA, Ri-kard—whom Gov. Phil Bryant appointed in July to replace former director Trudy Fisher (Bryant later rehired Fisher as an environmental policy consultant for $195 per hour)—called the EPA’s emission-reduction goals for Mississippi are “overly aggressive and unachievable” and questioned whether the EPA even has the legal authority to regulate power plants. “EPA is attempting to federalize this nation’s energy policy, resulting in forc-ing the states to abandon their constitu-

tionally derived sovereign rights,” Rikard wrote in his letter. “EPA hides behind a fig leaf of federalism and flexibility while in effect forcing major changes to the states’ administration of electricity gen-eration and consumption.” Mississippi environmental officials point to the state’s already-low rate of

CO2 emissions compared to other states because Mississippi relies more heav-ily on nuclear- and natural-gas-gener-ated electricity. Overall, Mississippi’s electric-power generating capacity has remained fairly stable, around 16 giga-watts, since 2003. Most of the state’s modest increase in capacity has resulted from using more natural gas. Because Mississippi’s CO2 levels are lower than national averages, Mi-

chael Callahan, chief executive officer of Electric Power Associations of Mis-sissippi, which represents electric co-operatives in the state, told the Associ-ated Press that Mississippi would have exceed projected nationwide cut of 30 percent, which he said is “unreasonable, unachievable and unfair.”

Rikard, of MDEQ, also argues that meeting the EPA’s renewable energy goal of 5.4 gigawatts would be burdensome for Mississippi, which, according to the Energy Information Agency, currently received only 2.8 percent of its electric-ity from renewable energy resources in 2013, all of which came from wood waste (biomass). “Mississippi has no wind potential and does not have the solar capacity that

western states have,” he wrote. “Mandat-ing this new renewable energy generation is simply an excessive and unnecessary cost for the rate payers of Mississippi.” The Obama administration, how-ever, believes the moves would pay off in the long run. Information from the EPA said the emissions cuts would shrink elec-

tricity bills by approximately 8 percent with boosted efficiency measures and reduce overall de-mand for power. In addition, the new emissions standard would avoid up to 6,600 prema-ture deaths and 150,000 child asthma attacks in children for an overall benefit of $93 billion. Historically, Mississippi has a higher-than-average prev-alence of childhood asthma, an inflammatory lung disease. Information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that child lifetime asthma prevalence was 14.1 percent compared to 10.2 in the rest of the nation in 2008. State information shows a decline in childhood asthma, dropping to 9.8 percent for children up to age 17 in 2012. Asthma-related emergency-de-partment and hospital cost Mis-sissippi about $770 million. The Mississippi Sierra Club, which earlier this year back-burnered its ongoing fight with Mississippi Power Co. over the Kemper County lig-nite coal power plant, believes what the EPA is asking of states is conservative. Robert Wiygul, the Sierra Club’s attorney, filed a letter supporting the CPP to the Mississippi Public Service Commission, which governs utilities in the state. In August, the Sierra Club agreed to drop lawsuits pending against Mississippi Power Co. if the company, a subsidiary of At-lanta-based Southern Co., met certain efficiency requirements. The agreement also includes phasing out Mississippi Power’s Jackson Watson power station

in Gulfport. Wiygul believes taking Wat-son generating plant, which burns coal and has a capacity of 877 megawatts, “will take the state a significant distance toward achieving its target.” Wiygul added that CPP would pro-vide Mississippi with an opportunity to diversify its electric-power system, re-duce power bills and create jobs. Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email R.L. Nave at rlnave@jacksonfreepress.com.

FLIC

KR

/EM

ILIA

N R

OBE

RT V

ICO

L

Mississippi officials say the state would have to shut down all of its existing coal-fired power plants to comply with federal carbon-emissions goals. Environmentalists don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.

TALK | environment

Mississippi Knocks Federal Clean Air Regsby R.L. Nave

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

11

L ike a comet that is only visible to Earth denizens only once in a while, the quadrennial event of the

election-year legislative session has commenced. Capitol observers predict a fairly humdrum 90-day-session (see “Legislators on a Tight-rope,” page 15), but that’s not to say that legislative deliberations won’t color election-year postur-ing, which has already started. As expected, Republican Gov. Phil Bryant has said he would seek a second term as the state’s top executive. Bry-ant, who is known as a tea-party governor for his stances on so-cially conservative issues such as abortion and same-sex mar-riage, appears to be attempting to broaden his appeal with a tax-cut proposal for workers in times of economic abundance. Bryant is throwing red meat to the slash-and-burn fiscal conservatives by pro-posing tax breaks that, while small, would give a $921-a-year tax credit to a family of four with a household income of $52,000 and a $75 credit to a single person with an income of $14,590. While the Republican gubernatorial contest will likely not see many surprises, a big question mark hangs over who will represent the Democratic Party on next November’s ballot, which will also feature a ballot initiative about public-education funding, an important issue to Demo-crats’ base. Because the Legislature is not likely to fund education “adequately” as outlined in MAEP, the public-school advocacy group Better Schools Better Jobs has proposed an amendment for the November ballot

that will change the state constitution to require the Legislature to provide an “ad-equate” and free education for Mississippi schoolchildren. The Legislature has the option to add an additional amendment on the ballot for funding education, but public-school advocates believe the reason they would do this is to confuse voters. Brandon Presley, a Democrat who serves as Northern District commissioner on the Mississippi Service Commission, recently announced that he would run for another term on the PSC. Presley, whose name had been floating around as a pos-sible Democratic challenger to Bryant, could have given the governor a run for his money given Presley’s populist appeal and name recognition (he is a cousin of rock legend Elvis Presley). With Attorney General Jim Hood,

a Democrat, also deciding to stay put for at least another term, the Democratic gu-bernatorial nomination could turn into a free-for-all. In other political announcement news, Mitch Tyner, who proved to be an interesting character in the Republican U.S. Senate primary saga as State Sen. Chris McDaniel’s lawyer, and Democratic lawmaker Cecil Brown will both run for the open seat on the Mississippi Public Service Commission, which regulates utility companies in the state. The current commissioner, Lynn Posey has declined to seek reelection. Because of changes made during the last round of redistricting, Brown would have to face off against Republican Rep. Bill Denny, who chairs the House com-mittee that oversees reapportionment, which creates a opportunity for a young, ambitious Democrat from north Jackson. Also, on Dec. 26, Sanford John-son—who is deputy advocacy director for Jackson-based Mississippi First—an-nounced that he would run as a Democrat in District 26 to succeed state Rep. Chuck

Espy, D-Clarksdale, who is not seeking re-election. Johnson lives in Clarksdale, but is often in Jackson working at the Capitol on education-policy issues. A Starkville native, Johnson launched a website to raise $20,000 for his war chest. Joel Bomgar, a technology entre-preneur who founded the multi-mil-lion dollar Bomgar Corp., declared his candidacy for the Republican primary in Mississippi House of Representatives District 58, the seat of retiring Republi-can Rita Martinson. Senate Republicans nominated retiring Sen. Giles Ward as Senate president pro tempore, which is likely a political calculation on the part of Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, who has to hold various competing factions together in his Senate this year. The top issues facing prospective candidates include the never-ceasing de-bate over funding of the Mississippi Ad-equate Education Program, Bryant’s tax cut proposal and reforms at the Missis-sippi Department of Corrections. Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email Anna Wolfe at anna@jacksonfreepress.com.

Analysis: Election-Year Politicking Startsby Anna Wolfe

TR

IP B

UR

NS

Gov. Phil Bryant helps lead the Legislature on issues like education, taxes and corruption in state agencies as it moves into the new session.

TALK | politics

J ackson residents Dylan Broone and Larry Zoss recently held a soft opening for their locally owned and operated craft beer store, LD’s Beer Run, at 5006 Park Way Drive at Colonial Mart Shopping Center, inside the former location of Harvest Bread Co.

LD’s carries the largest possible collection of craft brews from Mississippi breweries, and the selection will continue to grow, they said. The store features a large walk-in cooler, a wide selection of dry beers and a dozen craft growler stills. LD’s also has a variety of wine coolers, white wine and cider. In addition, LD’s carries Route 11 kettle-cooked chips, made organically from pota-toes grown on-site at Route 11’s headquarters in Virginia. Broone and Zoss also give away 8-pound bags of ice with purchases while supplies are available. LD’s is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For information call 769-208-8686. — Dustin Cardon

Beer is Near(er)

VASILIOSAUTHENTIC GREEK DINING

MON-FRI 11A-2P,5-10P SAT 5-10P

828 HWY 51, MADISON • 601.853.0028

Where Do You Start, When Everything Tastes Delicious?

Open Mon-Fri 11am-2am Sat 4pm-2am601-960-2700

facebook.com/Ole Tavern416 George St, Jackson, MS

Come in for our

Daily Lunch Specials!Mon-Fri 11am-2pm

HAPPY HOUR Daily 4-7pm

LIVE MUSICSATURDAY 1/10 PURPETRATOR

TUESDAYS: COLLEGE NIGHT

2 FOR 1 DRINKS WITH COLLEGE IDFRIDAY:

EDM PARTY WITH DJ REIGN

TUESDAYS:

SPONSORED BY

Don’t Waste Your Mind

B oneqweesha Jones: “I recall a time when I brought in the new year uninspired, hopeless and alone watch-ing a New Year program. New Year’s Day was just another day for me. At 12:05 a.m., a one-minute public-service announce-

ment from the United Ghetto Science Community Post-Secondary Training College Fund changed my perspective. “The public-service announcement shared inspiring stories about two women. One was Madam C. J. Walker, regarded as the fi rst female self-made millionaire in America who made her fortune by develop-ing and marketing a successful line of beauty and hair products for black women. The other was Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, an African Ameri-can journalist and newspaper editor who documented lynching in the United States, showing how it was often a way to control or punish blacks who competed with whites. The public-service announcement closed with this compelling statement: ‘A wasted mind is a terrible thing to have.’ “That New Year’s message inspired me to earn my associate’s de-gree in cosmetology with a minor in journalism from Cootie Creek County Community College. After a rewarding career as a hair stylist, cosmetologist and journalist, I decided to follow in the footsteps of folk like Booker T. Washington of Tuskegee University and start up Hair Did University School of Cosmetology and Vocational Studies. “As provost of H.D.U. School of Cosmetology and Vocational Studies, I invite you to register for our winter classes and step into a new and exciting destiny in 2015.”

Lawmakers: Don’t Waste Time on Gay-Marriage Ban

T he State of Mississippi immediately ap-pealed a ruling last year that found its same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional. During the Nov. 12, 2014, hearing,

the state argued that U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves should issue a stay to give the state time to appeal and the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to rule. In response, Reeves told state attorneys nonchalantly: Or you could just not appeal. Laughter erupted in the courtroom. This is the perfect illustration of the state’s notoriously relentless efforts to deny the right to marry to its LGBT citizens. Though it’s not clear what the Legislature can do to ensure that same-sex marriage will remain banned in the state, lawmakers will probably try to this ses-sion—if for no other reason than to get political points from anti-LGBT voters. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Gov. Phil Bryant said: “I’m probably not an expert in the constitutional arguments before the court. But what I will say is I understand the people of the state of Mississippi spoke clearly through a constitutional amendment. ... Any governor’s oath of offi ce is to protect the consti-tution, and that’s what I intend to do.” But even one of the most conservative legis-lators, Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, has begun to urge Mississippians to prepare for the over-turning of the state’s ban. And while he main-

tains that he does not support gay marriage, he has accepted that the shifting culture and legal landscape will allow LGBT citizens to marry. The efforts of Mississippi leaders to keep same-sex marriage banned does not only hinder the ability of couples across the state from being recognized under the law, they also hinder the Legislature’s ability to get real work done. Like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that took much of the Capitol’s oxygen last year, fi ghting gay marriage in the Legislature diverts time and money away from discussion about issues facing the state like a struggling education system and a high rate of medically uninsured citizens. Because this year is an election year, leg-islators may try to use their opposition to gay marriage to pander to Mississippi voters. Lead-ers who tout protecting the sanctity of tradi-tional marriage, though, are battling against an inevitable end and wasting the citizens’ time and money. Instead, leaders should take Gipson’s lead and recognize that the ridding of discriminatory language in their state constitution is unavoid-able. It is time to focus on real discussions about effective policy—what Mississippians need from their representatives. By fi nally laying to rest the gay marriage fi ght, Mississippi might actually fi nd the time and energy to fi x real problems in the state.

Email letters and opinion to letters@jacksonfreepress.com, fax to 601-510-9019 or mail to 125 South Congress St., Suite 1324, Jackson, Mississippi 39201. Include daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for length and clarity, as well as factchecked.

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

12

Why It Stinks: The logical assumption is that Gov. Bryant hasn’t spent a lot of time around people in poverty considering that he and his fel-low Republicans can only seem to come up with solutions to caricatures of poverty rather than the real roots of the problems. Hence, we wind up with laws to drug-test welfare recipients and to garnish casino win-nings even though scant evidence exist that either is any more prevalent among the poor than the general population. But Bryant hails from the Delta and should know that folks are not poor because they’re spending welfare checks on dope and dice games. Poverty exists because of lack of education, poor health care (including reproductive) and systemic inequality. Gov. Bryant, come up with solutions to those problems and stop trying to shame the poor—an unconscionable way to get votes.

‘winning’

OXFORD—In her new book “Jesus Was A Migrant,” writer Deirdre Cornell says migration is central to “biblical spirituality”

and the chosen people themselves were “dis-placed, uprooted, homeless” migrants. Jo-seph, Mary and Jesus were refugees as well as migrants when they fled to Egypt to escape Herod’s tyranny. “Jesus belonged to a people indelibly marked by stories of Exodus and exile,” Cornell writes. “His life and ministry are framed by these narratives.” Moses tells us in the Old Testament’s Deuteronomy our duty to migrants: “You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” I’ve got a feeling that migrants are not going to be feeling the love in Mississippi in 2015. Gov. Phil Bryant is up for re-election, and that’s not good news for migrants. After the bruising 2014 midterm elec-tions that saw veteran U.S. Sen. Thad Co-chran defeat Tea Party candidate Chris Mc-Daniel in the Republican primary, Bryant is going to have to mend some major fences for his support of Cochran. He boasted his Tea Party credentials when he got elected governor, but then when push came to shove, he supported the well-oiled Country Club wing of the party. As bitter as Tea Party-ers are about Big Money Republicans like Cochran and former Gov. Haley Barbour, they may like un-documented migrant workers even less. In his role as state senator, Chris McDaniel “au-thored scores of anti-immigrant bills,” ac-cording to the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance, which anticipates a “backlash of racist, anti-immigrant proposals (to) come through in the 2015 Legislative Session.” Bryant built his political career in part on demonizing undocumented migrant workers. As state auditor in 2006, he issued a report claiming they cost the state millions of dollars in education, health care and other undeserved benefits. Yet a 2013 Immigra-tion Policy Center study shows they also generate nearly $600 million in economic activity even though they remain excluded from most government benefits. Last July Bryant wrote a letter to Presi-dent Obama declaring his intention to “pro-hibit the federal government or its agents from housing large numbers of new illegal immigrants” in Mississippi. Apparently he has no problem with housing thousands of them in prison. Mississippi even has a special prison for immigrants, the for-profit, 2,500-inmate Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez, one of 13 facilities in the U.S. In his response to the huge crisis of migrant children seeking shelter in the U.S.

from violence and abuse in their native Hon-duras and El Salvador, Bryant declared he would no longer accept children in Missis-sippi as part of the federal Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program. Obama told the nation in November that he would offer up to 5 million undocu-mented workers protection against depor-tation and a pathway to getting legal work permits, and the Republican outcry was im-mediate. Cochran, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and other GOP leaders in the state blasted Obama for what they saw as a power play and abuse of office. “While the president grants amnesty to countless illegal immigrants, millions of American citizens are still struggling to find work,” U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., said in a statement. “It’s time for the presi-dent to stop playing politics and instead put the American people first.” Coming after years of congressional inaction, Obama’s executive order—and the president quoted scripture in his message to the nation—is expected to affect about 45 percent of the nation’s 11 million undocu-

mented workers. An esti-mated 9,000 migrant work-ers in Mississippi will be eli-gible for protection or work permits under Obama’s order. Changing demo-graphics that include a fast-growing Latino population have national Republicans worried that the anti-im-

migrant politics of conservative Tea Partyers will hurt the party’s chances in future elec-tions. Corporate-minded Republicans like Haley Barbour value the cheap labor pool migrant workers provide. However, those demographics aren’t changing fast enough in Mississippi to worry Bryant and Tea Partyers like Chris McDaniel unduly. Too often missing in the debate are the migrants themselves. Their voices are rarely heard. Writers Russell King, John Connell and Paul White eloquently described those voices in their 1995 book “Writing Across Worlds”: “The migrant voice tells us what it is like to feel a stranger and yet at home, to live simultaneously inside and outside one’s immediate situation, to be permanently on the run, to think of returning but to realize at the same time the impossibility of doing so … It tells us what it is like to live on a frontier that cuts through your language, your religion, your culture. It tells of long-distance journeys and relocations, of losses, conflicts, powerlessness, and of infinite sad-nesses that severely test the migrant’s emo-tional resolve.” Joe Atkins is a veteran journalist and pro-fessor at the University of Mississippi. He can be reached at jbatkins@olemiss.edu.

Editor-in-Chief Donna LaddPublisher Todd Stauffer

EDITORIAL

News Editor R.L. NaveAssistant Editor Amber Helsel

Investigative Reporter Anna WolfeJFP Daily Editor Dustin Cardon

Music Editor Micah SmithEvents Listings Editor Latasha WillisMusic Listings Editor Tommy BurtonWriters Bryan Flynn, Shameka Hamilton,

Genevieve Legacy, Michael McDonald, LaTonya Miller, Ronni Mott, Zack Orsborn,

Greg Pigott, Julie Skipper Consulting Editor JoAnne Prichard MorrisInterns Ashley Sanders, Zachary Oren Smith

ART AND PHOTOGRAPHYArt Director Kristin Brenemen

Advertising Designer Zilpha YoungDesign Intern Joshua Sheriff

Staff Photographer/Videographer Trip Burns

Photographer Tate K. Nations

ADVERTISING SALES

Advertising Director Kimberly GriffinAccount Managers Gina Haug, Brandi Stodard

BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS

Distribution Manager Richard Laswell Distribution Raymond Carmeans, Avery Cahee,

Clint Dear, Michael McDonald, Ruby ParksBookkeeper Melanie Collins

Marketing Assistant Natalie WestOperations Consultant David Joseph

ONLINE

Web Editor Dustin CardonWeb Designer Montroe HeaddMultimedia Editor Trip Burns

CONTACT US:

Letters letters@jacksonfreepress.comEditorial editor@jacksonfreepress.comQueries submissions@jacksonfreepress.comListings events@jacksonfreepress.comAdvertising ads@jacksonfreepress.comPublisher todd@jacksonfreepress.comNews tips news@jacksonfreepress.comFashion style@jacksonfreepress.com

Jackson Free Press125 South Congress Street, Suite 1324

Jackson, Mississippi 39201Editorial (601) 362-6121Sales (601) 362-6121Fax (601) 510-9019

Daily updates at jacksonfreepress.com

The Jackson Free Press is the city’s award-winning, locally owned newsweekly, with 17,000 copies dis-tributed in and around the Jackson metropolitan area every Wednesday. The Jackson Free Press is free for pick-up by readers; one copy per person, please. First-class subscriptions are available for $100 per year for postage and handling. The Jackson Free Press welcomes thoughtful opinions. The views expressed in this newspaper are not necessarily those of the publisher or management of Jackson Free Press Inc.

© Copyright 2014-2015 Jackson Free Press Inc. All Rights Reserved

Jesus, the Migrant

JOE ATKINS

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

13

Their voices are rarely

heard.

1410 Old Square Road • Jackson

cherokeedrivein.com • 601.362.6388

Watch The Game With Us

EVERY MONDAY.55¢ WINGS

6:00 pm to Close

Bud, Bud Light and

Mich Ultra $1.50

Domestics $2.25

4:00 - 6:00 pm

Two Large HDTV’s

at the bar and a

70” HDTV in the

dining room with

every sports channel,

including the SEC

Channel to watch

every game!

707 N Congress St., Jackson | 601-353-1180Mon thru Fri: 11am-2pm • Sun: 11am - 3pm

!anks For aWonderful Year!

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

14

BRING IN THIS AD TO TRY 5 CLASSES ON US IN

JANUARYALL CLASSESFREEWITH MEMBERSHIP

metroYMCAms.orgFINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE

Ho n d a

555 Sunnybrook Road, Ridgeland, MS 39157(601) 957-3400 • www.pattypeckhonda.com

Mississippi’s #1

Honda Dealership

ANDThe People’s

Choice

Officials and advocates don’t expect this legis-lative session to be much different than any other. It’s a state-wide election year, which is the perfect time for emphasizing wedge issues and lollygagging on real state concerns like education and Medicaid. Really, the session could go either way. It could be as mundane as some of the weary

progressive-cause advocates think it will be, or the anticipa-tion of the November elections could create tension on hot-button issues. Ultimately, the constituencies of each party have stayed the same. On education and Medicaid, opposing anything associated with President Obama resonates with the Repub-lican base, which could result in the attempted destruction of Common Core education standards and the refusal of Medicaid expansion. The Democratic base, on the other hand, wants expan-sion of Medicaid and the full funding of the Mississippi Ad-equate Education Program—two perennial fights that the minority party tends to lose in the Capitol. Yet, one issue may draw support from both parties. The accusations of voter fraud and irregularities in the June run-off for the U.S. Senate Republican primary appears to have created consensus that it is time to rethink how campaigns are regulated in the state.

A Bipartisan Response? Everything from early voting to Saturday voting and online registration are sure to be brought up this session with the help of a legislator who has been working on election reform for years, Rep. David Blount, D-Jackson. Blount, who previously worked directly with elections as the communication director in former Secretary of State Eric Clark’s office, wants reforms that increase voter turnout and make it easier for Mississippians to vote. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, a Republican

who prides himself on bringing voter ID to the state, set up a task force to study the problems revealed by the primary between establishment Republican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran and Tea Party State Sen. Chris McDaniel of Laurel. The task force discussed its support of the kind of reform that Blount has been working on for years, including early voting and online registration, in a study group in September. These ideas aren’t necessarily linked to the problems in the Cochran-McDaniel race. “They’re just two good ideas,” Blount said. “That was a Republican primary so that elector-ate is not representative of the state as a whole.” Blount and many Democrats also are concerned with how people regain their right to vote after having it revoked.

After a person convicted of a felony “pays his debt to so-ciety,” as progressive lobbyist Rims Barber put it, Missis-sippi “makes it very difficult for anybody to get their voting rights reinstated once they’ve lost it.” The Legislature must pass a bill with the person’s name on it for him or her to get back the right to vote. Blount wants to introduce legislation to make the process easier. One question that came out of the mess of a Senate

race last year was whether or not Mississippi’s primaries should be closed, due to the McDaniel campaign’s com-plaints about voting across party lines. Blount said, how-ever, that the current primary system is fine and that he doesn’t support anything—like closed primaries—that would restrict voting for some people.

Sen. McDaniel is an obvious supporter of reform to party primaries. In a Dec. 31 email to the JFP, McDan-iel wrote, “(W)e must reform the primary process, end-ing forever the unconstitutional and improper practice of party-raiding. Republicans should be able to select their nominees without outside interference from Democrats. Likewise, Democrats must be afforded that same right.” McDaniel cites the 40,000 Democrats that he claims voted in the GOP primary in June 2014 for his reason-ing. Along with a proposal to close party primaries, Mc-Daniel also plans to propose reducing the size of the state Legislature to lower costs and imposing term limits on state legislators.

“People should not make a career out of politics,” McDaniel said in the Dec. 31 email.

Reading, Writing and Reelection The only two times that the Mississippi Adequate Ed-ucation Program—which is always a major point of con-tention—has been fully funded since its creation in 1997 was in federal and state election years, 2007 and 2008, respectively. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said he plans to help increase education funding beyond previous years. “My goal for next year’s budget is to have appropriated more money for Mississippi’s public education than ever before in the his-tory of our state,” Reeves told reporters at a John C. Stennis Capitol press luncheon in late November. But the state has adamantly refused to fund the pro-gram they had determined was needed for each public school to reach at least a “C” rating. So Democratic leaders and public-school advocates have torn down statements like Reeve’s and stated what they believe is the reality: The leaders are unwilling to invest in public schools. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2016 has already created a tizzy, prompting Democratic leaders to urge Republicans to “put your money where your mouth is.” Hank Bounds, Mississippi’s commissioner of high-er education, says that greater education attainment is a primary driver of economic development and something Mississippi needs if it wants to catch up with the rest of the nation. He also recognizes the resources required to get there. “I understand all the arguments. I recognize we are not a resource-rich state. I recognize that there are limited dollars available,” Bounds said at a John C. Stennis Capitol press luncheon early November. “The problem is, if we don’t get really focused on deal-ing with the education issue, (kindergarten) through uni-versities, then someone else will be standing here in front

of a group just like this 10 years from now, with the types of questions being asked, and folks asking ‘Why aren’t we making more headway in education?’” Interestingly, especially after Reeves’ statements, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee’s budget proposal cuts $3 million from Community Colleges and $19 million from Universities and continues to underfund MAEP by almost $300 million. Gov. Bryant touted the increases in education by $52 million in his budget proposal. However, his proposal shorted MAEP by $260 million. Rep. Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, says state lead- Ja

nuar

y 7

- 13,

201

5 •

jfp

.ms

15

by Anna Wolfe

Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, would like to see the 2016 budget move toward full funding of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program as well as increase state employee pay and funding for state highways.

TR

IP B

UR

NS

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

16

ers are able to give the impression that they are increasing education funding while not actually providing any additional resources to the classroom. “Even the governor likes to say, ‘Well I’m putting an additional $52 (million) or $58 (million)’—his number sort of chang-es, ‘into MAEP.’ But what (Bryant) doesn’t tell you is that $41 million of that is just to cover the teacher pay raise, so he’s actu-ally not putting anything additionally into MAEP other than a few million bucks,” Moak said. Rep. John Moore, R-Brandon, chair-

man of the House Education Committee, echoed Reeves’ statements, saying that the Legislature will fund education greater than ever before by looking at increasing the amount of money teachers receive for supplies and focused programs like the third-grade reading gate and the pre-kin-dergarten program. Still, he said, full fund-ing of MAEP is likely unreasonable. “Anybody with any reasonable sense knows that we don’t have the money to fully funded it and do it consistently, and there’s no use in fully funding it one year and then having to back up next year,” Moore said in an interview. Sen. Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, chair-man of the Senate Finance Committee, also disagrees with Moak, saying that education gets its deserved piece of the pie at 60-62 percent of the budget. Moak, however, suggests that the state prioritizes giving tax breaks to businesses over funding education. “Here’s what you don’t tell people: When you give tax credits, when you give money away in the form of grants, that’s not in the budget, those are items that have either been taking out of the budget or they’re off budget. So when you add all of those things in there, you’re underfunding education by a long way,” Moak said.

Fillingane said that giving tax credits to lure businesses to the state is not like giving away money in the state budget be-cause, if it were not for the tax incentive, that money wouldn’t be coming to the state anyway. “So I don’t buy their argument at all,” Fillingane said. To get back to the full funding of MAEP, Democratic leaders have proposed allocating $97 million more for MAEP this year and the following two years, closing the current gap in funding over the next three years. This is a reasonable goal, they believe, because of increasing revenue.

Mississippi Commission on the Status of Women Chairwoman Gloria William-son, a former state senator, said pushing for education funding will be one of her priori-ties this legislative session, because educa-tion quality in the state affects everyone. “We have the money, and I don’t un-derstand why we wouldn’t want to do that,” Williamson said. “If we want better jobs in Mississippi, and we want better pay, and we want equal pay for everyone, we need to push for education,” Williamson said.

Bypassing the Legislature Better Schools Better Jobs, a public-school advocacy nonprofit, is combatting the state’s chronic underfunding of public schools with a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would mandate the state to provide “an adequate and efficient system of free public schools.” “I would be surprised if (the leader-ship) just bought it hook, line and sinker,” allowing the initiative without a fight, po-litical analyst Marty Wiseman said. Right now, the constitution only re-quires the state to fund free public schools “upon such conditions and limitations as the Legislature may prescribe.” Patsy Brumfield, a former journalist

and now a Better Schools Better Jobs or-ganizer, calls that last part the “if-you-feel-like-it clause.” Now that the initiative has received enough signatures—over 120,000—to get on the ballot in November 2015, Brum-field’s main task is making sure legislators don’t add an alternative amendment to the ballot to confuse voters. Mississippi’s initiative process, dictated in a law more than 20 years old, allows leg-islators to add a revised amendment next to any initiative that has made it onto the ballot. While the Legislature has never used this ability under the law, Moore said the leadership is discussing its intent to do so with this amendment. Moore said the wording of the amendment by Better Schools Better Jobs is deceptive and. Simply asking “should the State be required to provide for the support of an adequate and efficient system of free public schools?” does not tell voters what the amendment actually is, he said. “That question that’s on the ballot in no way reflects what people will be voting on,” Moore said. For this reason Moore said the state could provide an additional amendment that would make it clear what the consti-tutional amendment would do—which, in Moore’s opinion, is give a judge the power to determine how the state should fund education. Brumfield said the Legislature might try to make the ballot less clear with the al-ternative amendment with hopes of deter-ring votes from the Better School initiative so it won’t pass. Her group, as well as the League of Women Voters in Jackson, will communicate with legislators to urge them not to pass the alternative amendment. Fran Leber, vice president of admin-istration for the League of Women Voters in Jackson, said the alternative amend-ment “will make it confusing to people and which one they should vote for.”

Setting Up Failure? The concerns about underfunding are not restricted to the MAEP formula, but also over other programs the state has adopted. The state has not given enough money to the so-called “third-grade read-ing gate”—which keeps children back in third grade if they are not reading at grade-level—for it to work. Public-school advocates suggest that the gross underfunding makes it impos-sible for schools to hire literacy coaches. Rims Barber, who is also a civil-rights veteran, said he believes the lack of funding creates a system where kids don’t receive the help they need to succeed and then are held back when they don’t. “Pretty soon we’re going to have the toughest third-grade basketball team in the nation,” Barber said, referring to the

increased number of children who will be held back due to the reading gate because they aren’t given the resources to meet read-ing standards. Instead of providing resources to schools, some Republicans have prioritized getting rid of Common Core—the newest set of standardized education standards—during this legislative session. McDaniel told the JFP he plans to in-troduce a bill to repeal Common Core. Reeves said at the Stennis forum in November that he will do what he can to avoid what he calls a “government hijack-ing” of education standards. Barber said the Republican objection to Common Core, which is a set of high standards with an emphasis on critical thinking, makes little sense. “I have yet to figure out, on the Com-mon Core issue, what are they objecting to? Are there words that people would learn to read that they don’t want kids to learn how to read?” Barber said. “If we use the same set that other states are using, gee, that makes some sense.” Reeves has proposed a task force—made up of parents, educators and special-ists that he and the governor appoint—that would create new standards for the state’s schoolkids. But some lawmakers don’t be-lieve these decisions should be in the hands of politicians or the state leadership. “The decision on all this Common Core, and the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) and all that, that needs to be made by the state Board of Education. It does not need to be made by the governor, lieuten-ant governor or the Legislature. We need to get the politics out of it,” Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, said. Rep. Moore thinks similarly. “I’m of the opinion that we need to let the state Department of Education deal with that. They are the experts,” Moore said. “As far as taking the entire standards package and throwing it out, that’s something we can-not do—put our school districts in a pan-demonium out there.” Brown is concerned about legislators, whom he points out are not educators, wanting to do away with a system about which they “don’t have any clue what they’re talking about.” “I haven’t heard one of them say they read Common Core,” Brown said. Barber agrees, saying the Common Core issue is a manufactured crisis: “It’s all politics.” The Common Core outcry originates from a situation in Oklahoma, in which Reeves said the federal government force-fully imposed its school standards on the state by revoking its standards waiver. Reeves points out that the Mississippi Legislature was the group that granted the Mississippi State Board of Education the

Jarvis Dortch, program manager at the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program, says getting Mississippians insured should be prioritized over politics.

CO

URT

ESY

JARV

IS D

ORT

CH

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

17

970 High St, Jackson(601) 354-4665

www.chimneyville.com

Thanks for your votes!Best of Jackson

Finalist 2015

BestRibsBestBBQ 4760 I-55 North

(769) 233-8366 www.featheredcow.com

Fondren Corner 2906 N. State St. (601) 982-2001

www.roostersfondren.com

120 North Congress St L1(601) 944-9888Fondren Corner2906 N. State St.(601) 982-2100

www.glennfoods.com

Serving Jackson since 1984

So Many Great Restaurants...DO I HAVE TO CHOOSE JUST ONE!?

Try all Three of these Local Hotspots!

1149 Old Fannin Rd Brandon

(769) 251- 0693

11:00am - 12:00am

Every Wednesday

Open Mic Night

7:30

Every Tuesday

Pub Quiz

Saturday 1/10

Ron Etheridge

with Stace & Cassie

7pm $5 cover

Sponsored by

Volunt

eer

Today!

Now featuring the Quarter Note 1/4 marathon

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

18

authority to dictate school standards years ago, so either the board or the Legislature could implement standards the proposed task force develops. “I think it is important that we have input on these standards from not just a group of people that are appointed. We also need input from parents, we need input from teachers, we need input from administrators, we need input from sub-ject matter experts,” Reeves said at the lun-cheon in November. After Reeves’ talk, MDE released a statement expressing the importance of sticking with the high set of standards that schools are currently held to under Com-mon Core. The board’s statement also cor-rected the misconception that the federal government took away Oklahoma’s fl exi-bility waiver. Instead, when the state struck down Common Core, it had no standards in place, which prompted the federal gov-ernment to step in because it is mandatory for states to have a set of school standards.

‘School Choice’ on Deck The Legislature will likely address the potentially politically driven topic of “school choice” this session as well. Legis-lators plan to revisit the special-education savings account bill, which gives scholar-ships to special-needs students for them to leave public school if they wish, that was unsuccessful in the House last year. Rep. Carolyn Crawford, R-Pass Chris-tian, a former social worker, authored the Equal Opportunity for All Students with Special Needs Act in the House last year and plans to work on similar legislation this session. As a mother of a special-needs child, she says the Legislature’s refusal to enact “school choice” policies for students with disabilities shows a disregard for those students and a fear of “school choice.” “I do take it as a slap in the face to our children with disabilities that the state of

Mississippi doesn’t care whether they get a free and appropriate education that meets their needs … that we’re not supporting educational success in whatever avenue that best meets these children’s needs for political reasons,” Crawford said. Crawford said she believed there was some misconceptions about the bill, em-phasizing that the program would not take any money out of MAEP but would be funded through the general budget. “This is putting more money into ed-ucation as a whole,” Crawford said. “This was a separate line item.” Public-school advocates respond that because the money is being spent on edu-cation, it could be funneled into MAEP where it would serve all children in public schools in the state, not just special-needs students. Supporters of the bill argue that spe-cial-needs students in the state are espe-cially suffering. “The Equal Opportunity Special Needs bill is the top of our priority list,” said Grant Callen, founder of Em-power Mississippi, which pushed for the bill last year. Special-needs students who qualify under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) have a graduation rate of only 23 percent in Mississippi. “The problem they identify is very real,” Barber said. “The question is whether this is the right solution or not. … I am leery of the people who seem to be pushing it because they are the people who have been anti-public schools on a lot of other issues.”

Equal-Pay Fight Ahead Gloria Williamson, the women’s ad-vocate and former state senator, said leg-islation for closing the wage gap will be critical this session. Rep. Brown said he “and every other Democrat in the Legislature” is in favor of

Sen. Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, doesn’t anticipate that many hot-button issues will be discussed in depth, with the exception of those that have outside infl uences, because it is an election year.

VIR

GIN

A S

CH

REI

BER

MUSEUM HOURS: TUESDAY - SATURDAY, 10 AM - 5 PM; SUNDAY, NOON - 5 PM; MONDAY, CLOSED380 SOUTH LAMAR STREET JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI 601.960.1515 @ MSMUSEUMART

Looking Forward to Happiness2015 C3 Participatory Art Project

January 6 – March 13, 2015

Led by artists Morgan Welch and Sarah Qarqish of The Hannaberry Workshop, this year’s project brings together crowd-sourced imag-

ery representing “happy memories” of individual Mississippians. These thousands of images will be collaged together, culminating in a large-scale outdoor public pavilion undulating across the open lawn of the BankPlus Green in The Art Garden. There will be ongoing participatory activities

for the public during regular Museum hours through March 13. All C3 activity is free to the public.

LEARN MORE AT WWW.MSMUSEUMART.ORG!

Submit your images to the project by emailing them to c3project2015@gmail.com, by using the #c3project2015 hashtag on social media, or by uploading them through www.msmuseumart.org.

Public unveiling with the artists Tuesday, January 13 at 6 PM.

MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM of ART

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

19

making sure women receive equal pay for equal work. He thinks of his daughters and granddaughters and doesn’t understand why anyone would be against ensuring pay equality for women. “I don’t know what the argument is against it,” Brown said. Brown thinks equal pay will be the “kicker.” Pay-equality legislation has not been successful in past years with all wage-gap bills dying in committee last year. Both the Evelyn Gandy Fair Pay Act authored by Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, and the Fair Pay Act of 2014 authored by James Ev-ans, D-Jackson, died in committees chaired by Republicans. Williamson said three fair-pay bills have already been pre-filed for the 2015 session and have small differences. “One of them has lots of guts to it; the other ones are milder,” Williamson said. The House and Senate leadership de-cides which committee gets each bill, so the fact that last year’s wage-gap bill went to a Republican-chaired committee, and not to the committee chaired by Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, tells Williamson they didn’t want the issue discussed. “If the lieutenant governor and the governor and the speaker of the House wanted it out, it’d come out. So where does the buck stop? At the top,” William, a for-

mer senator, said. Illustrating the lack of discussion on the issue, Sen. Fillingane says he has never seen equal-pay legislation addressed in the Legislature, so he doesn’t know what the opposing argument would be. “I didn’t know they existed,” Fillingane said. Williamson also wants legislation to help fight human trafficking, especially to address the way predators use social media to lure girls. Because Mississippi Republicans are so notorious for their attempts at legislation restricting women’s reproductive rights, most people believe something regarding women’s uteri will come up. “Every year there’s something,” Barber said. But after the 20-week abortion ban of last year and the passage of laws aimed at closing the last abortion clinic in the state—which were unsuccessful, it’s hard to anticipate what more the state could do. “We’ve about done everything we can to restrict that at this point,” Brown said. “I don’t know what they can do anymore.”

Medicaid Fight Returns The same circumvention of discus-sion on equal pay is happening with Med-icaid expansion, which can be blamed for the state’s high medically uninsured rate.

Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, said he believes the conversation about Medicaid expansion will be the same as in recent years. “Which is absolutely zip, none,” said Holland, who chaired the Pub-lic Health and Human Services Commit-tee in the House for 28 years. Since Repub-licans took the House in 2011, it has been chaired by Rep. Sam Mims, R-McComb.

“Current leadership does not even al-low one official legal hearing on that sub-ject in three years,” Holland said, referring to the many bills that died in committee. Democrats in the Legislature have forced several debates through floor amendments, but the leadership has not been engaged. Six bills proposing expansion of Med-icaid under the Affordable Care Act went

to the House Medicaid committee, chaired by Rep. Bobby Howell, R-Kilmichael, in the 2014 session. All of them died there. The Medicaid bills in the Senate went to other committees, like the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee or Senate Finance Committees, both chaired by Re-publicans. They died without discussion. In June 2013 NPR reported that Speaker of the House Philip Gunn, a Re-publican from Clinton, didn’t allow a de-bate on Medicaid expansion because he “saw it as a waste of time.” “I am dealing with reality,” he told NPR. “The reality is that an expansion bill is not going to pass the House of Represen-tatives. I think (the Democrats) are playing politics, and we are dealing with reality.” This is unconscionable to Holland, who is often in contact with Mississippians who are “trying, begging for some kind of health care and they can’t get it. Medicaid expansion would have given it to them.”

Giving Money Away? Mississippi hospitals say they’re in danger. Many of the rural ones are going bankrupt because of state and federal cuts to reimbursement. The idea was that the

“I think (the Democrats) are playing

politics.”

Facebook FlickrTwitter

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

20

Affordable Care Act would insure more citizens, thus creating more patients pay-ing into the system for hospitals to make up for the cuts. But since Mississippi hasn’t expanded Medicaid under the ACA for economically disadvantaged people in the state, hospitals are getting the brunt of the politically di-visive issue, along with the 20 percent of Mississippians still uninsured. ACA, which was passed in 2010, pays for 100 percent of the Medicaid expan-sion for the first three years and 90 percent thereafter until 2022. Since the expansion would cost the state next to nothing, the leadership’s refus-al to provide insurance to its citizens likely comes down to an ideological conflict with President Barack Obama’s administration. But Mississippi has already missed out on $2 billion in federal matching dollars. And as people like Williamson point out, “Somebody’s going to get the money, you can count on that.” Even southern states with Republican governors are getting on board with Med-icaid expansion through the ACA—such as Tennessee and Alabama recently. “I think the fact that we have three more Republi-can governors, that will make a total of 14 Republican governors … says something to Republican voters, Republican members of the Legislature,” Brown said. “Maybe we ought to do the same thing. We can’t even get a debate on it.” On Dec. 15, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam proposed a plan to expand health-care access, but not in the traditional sense. “We made the decision in Tennessee nearly two years ago not to expand tradi-tional Medicaid,” Haslam said, reported by The Tennessean newspaper. “This is an alternative approach that forges a different path and is a unique Tennessee solution.” “The governor in Tennessee went out of his way to say this wasn’t a Medicaid ex-pansion or expanding the Affordable Care Act; this is the Tennessee plan,” said Jarvis Dortch, communications coordinator for the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program. “From our point of view, we just want to make sure people have health insurance.” The Obama administration is being lenient with these states, giving exceptions to those who want to come up with an al-ternative to traditional Medicaid expansion, but still use federal dollars. With the federal waiver, which Tennessee still needs to re-ceive, the government is allowing states to take the funds through ACA and use them for private insurance providers. Instead of those insured citizens en-rolling in state-based plans, the state would assist them with premium assistance or tax credits to help fund private insurance plans. “That’s something that I think would probably work in the state of Mississippi,” Dortch said. “We’re hoping … that we ba-

sically take our head out of the sand and actually start thinking about solving some of these problems.” Dortch said it would be simpler for the state to expand the existing Medicaid system, but if the alternative route can de-crease the uninsured rate in Mississippi, that’s what matters. “It’s something ugly,” Holland said, that keeps the Mississippi leadership from helping get hundreds of thousands of state citizens insured. “Politics gets in the way of things,” Dortch said.

Correcting Corrections With its perennial budget woes, re-forms at the Mississippi Department of Corrections are always on the table.

This time around, MDOC is no lon-ger fighting a budget deficit, but the state’s prison system will again be in the spotlight in the wake of the recent indictment of Christopher Epps, MDOC’s longtime commissioner, and Cecil McCrory, a busi-nessman and prison-industry consultant, on 49 federal corruption charges related to no-bid contracts to various firms with which McCrory had business. Epps and McCrory had faced Janu-ary trials before U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate, but those are likely to be put off until after the legislative session ends. In the meantime, Gov. Phil Bry-ant named a replacement for Epps in Marshall L. Fisher, who formerly headed Mississippi’s Drug Enforcement Adminis-tration office. Bryant also convened a task force to overhaul the awarding of MDOC contracts. Just before the end of the year, the task force released a preliminary set of recommendations. The five-person task force said the state should bid out all contracts regard-less of its size and eliminate existing no-bid contracts more than six months old and implement a competitive bidding process for those contracts. The report also calls for increased transparency requirements, such as naming any consultants as well as identi-fying the names of owners and individuals with more than a 5 percent interest in the vendor’s business. House Corrections Committee Chairman Rep. Tommy Taylor, R-Boyle,

I t’s tough to assess the City of Jackson’s position going into the 2015 legislative session. In past years, despite rhetoric from lawmakers and city officials about opportunities to build consensus around issues, that Mississippi’s largest city would get short shrift was about as certain as

sweet potato pie at Christmas time. That sense seemed heightened going into the last session. If the Re-publican leadership wouldn’t budge for a relative moderate like Harvey Johnson Jr. or a one-time Republican darling such as Frank Melton, there was no way that the newly elected Mayor Chokwe Lumumba would get so much as a foot in the door. But, as he had a knack for doing, Lumumba started to melt the ice and earn the trust of legislators before his untimely death in February. Leg-islators retreated in the face of uncertainty, and just about every bill that contained the phrase “city of Jackson” in its title met its doom.

Mayor Tony Yarber brings a youthful energy that hasn’t been present in a long time. Plus, he has already proved that he can rally Republican support on some issues. (He even tried, unsuccessfully, to hire ultimate Republican insider, Hayes Dent, to lobby on the city’s behalf ). For once, Jackson seems to have leadership in place that doesn’t make Republicans who hold the purse strings nervous. And Yarber seems to know it based on the robust legislative agenda he has proposed and to which the city council has given its assent.

To Protect and Serve “A lot of the asks hinge around funding and appropriations,” Yarber said recently. “To prioritize, those asks that involve infrastructure invest-ment are the things that we really need require not only the Hinds County delegation, but the state.” Most of the 17 items are related to getting financial assistance from the state for infrastructure work, police and fire protection of state properties. Jackson is again asking for the state to provide a way to recoup some of the money city taxpayers put out for police and fire protection. In fact, last session, several bills asking for public-safety assistance died without a full airing in committee, but the city did receive $500,000 for a crime study that was buried in the attorney general’s budget.

by R.L. Nave

Mayor Tony Yarber has talked to top Republican leaders, who he says seem most amenable to helping with Jackson’s public-safety needs.

TR

IP B

UR

NS

“Politics gets in the way of

things.”

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

21

Maywood Mart • Jackson, MS • www.IslanderOysterHouse.com • 601.366.5441

Come try our Daily Lunch Plates

$8.95New Orleans Style Weekend Brunch

Sat & Sun 10:30am-2:30pm

Kids eat free on Sunday! (one child meal per

adult meal purchased)

ST Y L I S T S :Nikki Henry, Brock Freeman,

Lori Scroggins, Liz Torres, & Claire Kinsey Mayronne

574 Hwy 51 N. Suite H, Ridgeland, MS 39157

601-856-4330 Like Us on Facebook Like Us on Facebook Like Us on Facebook

said he expects some of the legislation that emerges from the task force to come through his committee. Additionally, Taylor, a former warden, wants to revive a bill that died on the calendar last year to require auditing of county jails adjoining regional correctional centers. Taylor also plans to introduce a bill that would permit deer hunters to donate venison to state prisons, which he believes would provide a source of low-fat high-protein meat as well as help keep the state’s deer population in check.

Small, But Notable As always, Mississippi lawmakers are working on their own, smaller projects for this legislative session. Brown wants to get rid of the inspec-tion-sticker requirement for vehicle own-ers. To him, the requirement is just an extra cost and a nuisance. Rep. Chuck Espy, D-Clarksdale, an-nounced his intent to propose legislation requiring police officers to wear body cameras while on duty. The proposal came after the non-indictment in two national cases of police killing. “The public has increasingly lost con-fidence in our policing and judicial sys-tems,” Espy stated in a press release. Espy is also working with the founder of Jackson-based Fast Forward, Tim Mask, to propose legislation that gives incentives to recent graduates to stay and find work in the state. The initiative would, in theory, give a 100 percent income tax credit for up to five years to individuals who take a “qualifying job”—one that requires the degree the indi-vidual has.

Sen. Fillingane hasn’t heard of legisla-tion geared at tackling the “brain drain” yet, but he anticipates that the Finance Com-mittee will be involved in studying the lan-guage if it is introduced this year. Because 2015 is an election year, there’s bound to be a number of wacky bills proposed. “Those hot-button issues will have lots of bills introduced,” Barber said. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves struck down the state’s gay-marriage ban, Barber anticipates that a legislator will try to introduce discussion about protection

traditional marriage. Not much can be done now, he recognizes, until the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules. “I assume someone will want to vent about it anyway,” Barber said. Fillingane agrees that many bills on hot-button issues will be filed, but because it’s an election year, “you probably won’t see a full debate on a lot of those,” he said. “Everyone is focusing reelection and not focusing on big major policy changes, and that may be somewhat different this year just because some these issues like … the Affordable Healthcare Act and the MAEP funding battle … they’re sort of re-quired to be looked at this year because of outside forces,” Fillingane said. Ultimately, the red-meat bills, includ-ing ones to restrict a woman’s right to re-ceive abortions, won’t be substantive. “This legislative session I don’t know that you’ll see, because it’s an election year. … They’ll pass something, I’m sorry, but not very meaningful,” Williamson said. R.L. Nave contributed to this story. Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email Anna Wolfe at anna@jacksonfreepress.com.

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

22

Typically, the city asks for either a lump sum through a payment-in-lieu-of-tax arrangement whereby the state pays a nominal fee to make up for lost real estate taxes. This year, he wants to establish a special fund for municipal fire and emergency management, crime prevention as well as workforce development. Yarber and other city officials believe state budget officials might be more receptive this year in the wake of fires at several prominent land-marks, including the state-owned Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum and the Eudora Welty Commons, which is a privately owned but well-known events venue. “Services from the city of Jackson are used all the time for state agen-cies and state-sponsored events,” Yarber said. There could be some traction on this front. Yarber says he has met with Speaker Philip Gunn, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and Gov. Phil Bryant, and all three top Republican leaders indicated an openness to what the mayor described as “how we can make something happen with our public-safety situation.”

There Goes the Neighborhood In talking to reporters, Yarber said while the Republican leaders are on board with making public-safety improvement, the city’s requests for help making infrastructure upgrades could face an uphill climb in the state Legislature. The city’s goal is to seek a special improvement district near the Capi-tol that could involve asking the state to share the responsibility of main-taining or transferring ownership of infrastructure in the area. A separate agenda item would transfer to the state portions of surface and ground infrastructure near state-owned buildings for maintenance and upkeep. In January 2014, the citizens agreed to a 1-percent tax on certain sales. The commission that will oversee the spending of the 1-percent sales tax, which Jackson citizens passed through a referendum in January, is close to completing the master plan that will guide how the money will be spent. The mayor serves on the commission and said he hopes that some projects can commence as early as the end of the first quarter in 2015. The city is also under a consent decree with the U.S. Environment Protection Agency to make roughly $400 million in improvements to its sewer system. In addition, the city wants to establish a commission to study and provide strategies for tackling chronic poverty, and hopes to get state per-mission to create one or more special taxing districts that would benefit neighborhood associations. A frequent complaint of Jacksonians is the presence of abandoned and dilapidated housing and unkempt properties. Under Yarber, code enforce-ment authority moved to the Jackson Police Department from the Plan-ning Department, and the city streamlined how contracts are doled out to clean up problem properties. Yarber said the city also wants more teeth to deal with derelict property owners because state law does not distinguish between chronic nuisance and nuisance properties. “So what happens is that the chronic nuisance property gets the same advantage of process as the elderly lady whose husband passed away and hasn’t had a chance to get the grass cut,” Yarber told reporters. The Jackson Zoo—which is largely supported by the city—and Liv-ingston Park would receive a $1 million allocation under another legislative request. State Sen. Hillman Frazier, a Jackson Democrat, could carry some of the city’s bills this year. Frazier, who chairs the Senate Housing Commit-tee, says he intends to sponsor a bill to create a public-housing trust fund for first-time home buyers and others. The funding mechanism Frazier proposes involves a so-called “pole tax,” a per-patron assessment at gentlemen’s clubs in the state. The city is considering hiring Worth Thomas as its lobbyist for the upcoming session. During the last session, Thomas lobbied for the Jackson State University Development Foundation, Altria, AT&T and Mississippi Power Co. Synarus Green is the city’s director of policy and intergovern-mental affairs. The legislative session begins Jan. 6, 2015.

Gloria Williamson thinks legislation that tackles pay inequality will be the major policy shift influencing women, but she’s not hopeful it will get much discussion.

CO

URT

ESY

GLO

RIA

WIL

LIA

MSO

N

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

23

Technology Free TuesdayGive your server your phone for a 15% discount.

1200 N STATE ST #100, JACKSON, MS 39202(601) 398-4562

I t happened simply: I saw Neil Maneck for the first time in a Barnes & Noble coffee shop. “Oh he’s cute,” I said to my friend Catherine Gray, who had befriended him in high school. “Is he single?”

Lucky for me, he was. Catherine invited Neil over that evening, and we got to talking. Over the course of the next week, she invited him over a few times more so that we had an opportunity to get to know each other in a low-pressure environment. After a night out listening to AJC at Under-ground 119, Neil asked for my number. Our first date was at Cups Fondren before one of his ACT tutoring appointments. We squeezed in lunch at Babalu Tacos and Tapas and a walk through Woodland Hills. When we parted, I had a pretty good feeling about him. It wasn’t long before we were spending most of our time together, but some uncertainty lingered. Shortly before I met Neil, I had volunteered teaching English at a rural university in Haiti. The combination of hard work and compassionate service was exhilarat-ing so I applied for the Peace Corps and got accepted. It would be almost a year before I could depart for ser-vice. In the meantime, I was falling in love with Neil. We spent evenings taking walks through his neighbor-hood, playing board games and getting together with our shared friends. After six months, I knew there was no way I could leave, so I stayed. It wasn’t a hard decision. My life was better with Neil. He found beauty in aspects of myself that I doubted, and he brought out my most playful side. One year from our first date at Babalu, Neil proposed to me at the reservoir overlook off the Nat-chez Trace, on April 29, 2014. We had been talking about an engagement for several months. I wanted to wait a year before considering marriage, so we waited one year and not a day longer. The day of the proposal, it was cloudy, and the chances of rain were high. I thought certainly Neil wouldn’t propose to me at the reservoir, where I had once hinted would be a perfect place to get engaged. He looked at me slyly. “Did you think I would forget that?” he asked. We went early to beat the rain and found a little cove by the water. In wet sand, Neil dropped down on one knee, and asked me to marry him with a diamond ring worn by his great-grandmother. Of course, I said yes. We still weren’t sure if we wanted to have a ceremony. Neither of us is affiliated with a particular church or religion, but we wanted to share our union with close friends and fam-ily, so we decided to have a small, intimate ceremony. There were definitely budget considerations. With retired fathers and mothers looking to retire, we didn’t want to upend their

financial lives with a lavish wedding. Besides, it wasn’t our style. We decided on a rustic theme, and what better place than the chapel and lodge at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum? Growing up, the chapel had been a place

of beauty and wonder to me. During the seven months between our engage-ment and wedding, working with a budget of $5,000, we came in under budget. We worked tirelessly on beautiful details and a wonderful experience for our guests. For example, we made the fan program using a template we found online, designing the wording and fonts ourselves, including a back page commemorating our deceased relatives. We tied a ribbon on the front and stamped a heart made from our thumbprints. The Rev. Chuck Culpepper, pastor of St. Alexis Episcopal Church, officiated. Our parents are from different religious backgrounds and were eager to see us married in their respective churches: the Greek Orthodox Church of mine, and the Bahai Church of Neil’s. The Episcopal Church allowed our interfaith union, and Neil’s mother read from Bahai scripture during the ceremony. We also included 1 Corinthians, chapter 13 and a beautiful poem by Pablo Neruda, “Sonnet XVII.” Throughout the ceremony, I wore the bracelet Neil made me during his brief stay in the hospital, when we knew we were better spending our lives together than spending them apart. After the ceremony, we celebrated with dancing, cake cutting, a beautiful toast made by our friend An-drew Harris, and photographs. Violinist Tom Lowe and cellist Nancy Bateman of the Mississippi Sym-phony Orchestra provided all the music, including a special arrangement for our first dance of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” by Elton John. My life with Neil is just beginning. We have a year and a half of dating behind us, and now we are newly

married. My attitude towards marriage has evolved over the years, and Neil has played a large part in that. I used to think of love just as an emotion; it is still an emotion, an incred-ible one, but also a commitment, a commitment we made to each other on our wedding day.

Meant to Beby Sophia Halkias

CO

URT

ESY SO

PHIA

HA

LKIA

S

GIRL ABOUT TOWN p 25

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

24

Wedding planner: bride and mother of the bride, Virginia Halkias

Day-of planner/coordinator: Virginia Halkias, mother of the bride

Officiant: Rev. Chuck Culpepper, St. Alexis Episcopal Church (650 E. South St., 601-944-0415, stalexisjackson.org)

Reception location: Masonic Lodge, Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum (1150 Lakeland Drive, 601-432-4500)

Caterer: Virginia Halkias, mother of the bride

Photographer: Rob Motley, uncle of the bride

Music: Tom Low and Nancy Bateman, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra

Hair and makeup: Christina Nievas, Trim Salon (419 Mitchell Ave., 601-982-5575)

Bride’s attire: David’s Bridal (1039 E. County Line Road, 601-957-0505) heirloom veil

Sophia Halkias married Neil Maneck at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum Nov. 29, 2014.

New Ideas

LIFE&STYLE | girl about townby Julie Skipper

T here is no doubt that I love Jack-son. But I also love to travel, both because there’s so much out there to see in the world, and because hav-

ing new experiences and getting new ideas is fun. It’s also a way to find things that might be fun to bring back here. People in the restaurant and hospital-ity industry know this well, which often results in my being jealous of posts on so-cial media by chefs or innkeepers conduct-ing “research” at various hot spots around the country. And it’s exciting when they bring their inspiration home and incorpo-rate it into their own endeavors. Those who work on efforts related to economic development know the importance of traveling to gather ideas and learn from oth-er places as well. Groups such as the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership and Downtown Jackson Partners organize city visits for interested citizens and leaders within their boards for those folks to see the successes and learn from the challenges faced by communities like Jack-son. I’ve had the pleasure of par-ticipating in two of those city visits (to Baton Rouge, La., and Chattanooga, Tenn.) and found them worthwhile in terms of making me think about what could happen here. Sometimes, though, travel brings an idea that’s not so lofty a goal as a culinary innovation, interior design concept or economic development initiative. Over the New Year’s holiday, I got to travel to Atlanta (we won’t talk about the football game that was the reason for the trip, be-cause, well … it was not pretty) and had a most excellent time. I also came back with a musical mission. During the course of our three-night stay, we enjoyed meals at The Optimist, The Luminary and Cooks & Soldiers. I got a great blowout at Heat Lounge, a blow-dry and makeup bar. I shopped at Buckhead At-lanta, a new shopping destination featuring designer boutiques. And … I totally enjoyed a rocking (literally) New Year’s Eve. A friend traveling to Atlanta for the game and holiday told me about a party at Park Tavern at Piedmont Park featur-ing a band called the Yacht Rock Revue. A little Internet research later, it seemed like a fun New Year’s event, so my fellow and I procured tickets. Little did I know how excited I should be. After dinner, we headed to the party. From pre-trip investigation, I knew the band played songs from the ’70s and ’80s, so I donned a vintage suede dress and gold disco-inspired Gucci heels for the occasion,

while my date wore leather pants and a vel-vet blazer. We felt very era appropriate. Y’all. This band was the. Most. Fun. Jackson area folks are (or should be) familiar with the Molly Ringwalds, who play here fairly regularly. I’d equate this band to them in terms of being a perfect mix of true musi-cal talent, humor and fun. The band plays ’70s light rock, so the playlist is heavy on the greatest hits of bands such as Hall & Oates, Steely Dan and Michael McDonald. Its ren-dition of “PYT” also got a great crowd reac-tion. Decked out in brightly patterned shiny synthetic shirts, polyester suits and some serious ’staches, they fully commit to mak-ing every song their own. The crowd loved

it, and we were happily front and center. The next day, as we lazed around a bit before a New Year’s Day brunch at Atlanta restaurant Paces & Vine, we couldn’t stop talking about how much fun the Yacht Rock Revue was. We viewed YouTube videos. We scoured their website, and we discovered that they play weddings and receptions, in addition to bars and clubs. We also found out that for 10 years, the band tried to make it as an indie band be-fore a joke (turning the list of songs played in a dentist’s waiting room into a playlist) led them to realize that people love ’70s light rock. And I decided that this band simply must come to Jackson. So, here’s the point at which I turn this column into a plea. Venue owners and band bookers of the metro, do us all a favor and see if you can get this excellent experience to come here. I really think Jackson has an audience for it. If nothing else, someone out there, please book them for your wedding reception, and I’ll come crash it. That’s all to say, I’ll continue to travel in the year ahead and look forward to all the adventures and inspiration that will bring. I hope you will, too. Get out there … and come back with ideas for Jackson.

JULIE SK

IPPER

Yacht Rock Revue performed on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta. Let’s bring them to Jackson.

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

25

JFPmenus.comPaid advertising section. Call 601-362-6121 x11 to list your restaurant

AMERICAN/SOUTHERN CUISINEBasil’s (2906 N State St #104, Jackson, 601-982-2100)Paninis pizza, pasta, soups and salads. They’ve got it all on the menu.Broad Street Bakery (4465 Interstate 55 N. 601-362-2900)Hot breakfast, coffee drinks, fresh breads & pastries, gourmet deli sandwiches.The Feathered Cow (4760 I-55 North 769-233-8366)Simple and homemade equal quality and freshness every time. You never leave The Cow hungry!Primos Cafe (2323 Lakeland 601-936-3398/ 515 Lake Harbour 601-898-3400)A Jackson institution for breakfast, blue-plates, catfish, burgers, prime rib, oysters, po-boys & wraps. Famous bakery!Rooster’s (2906 N State St, Jackson, 601-982-2001)You haven’t had a burger until you’ve had a Rooster’s burger. Pair it with their seasoned fries and you’re in heaven.Two Sisters Kitchen (707 N. Congress St. 601-353-1180) Lunch. Mon-Fri, Sun.

PIZZASal & Mookie’s (565 Taylor St. 601-368-1919) Pizzas of all kinds plus pasta, eggplant Parmesan, fried ravioli & ice cream for the kids!Mellow Mushroom (275 Dogwood Blvd, Flowood, 601-992-7499) More than just great pizza and beer. Open Monday - Friday 11-10 and Saturday 11-11.

ITALIANLa Finestra (120 N Congress St #3, Jackson, 601-345-8735) Chef Tom Ramsey’s downtown Jackson hot-spot offers authentic Italian cuisine in cozy, inviting environment.BRAVO! (4500 Interstate 55 N., Jackson, 601-982-8111) Award-winning wine list, Jackson’s see-and-be-seen casual/upscale dining.

STEAK, SEAFOOD & FINE DININGThe Islander Seafood and Oyster House (1220 E Northside Drive, Suite 100, 601-366-5441)Oyster bar, seafood, gumbo, po’boys, crawfish and plenty of Gulf Coast delights in a laid-back Buffet-style atmosphere.The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen (1200 North State St. #100 601-398-4562)Transforms the essence of Mediterranean food and southern classics.The Penguin (1100 John R Lynch Street, 769-251-5222) Fine dining at its best.Rocky’s (1046 Warrington Road, Vicksburg 601-634-0100) Enjoy choice steaks, fresh seafood, great salads, hearty sandwiches.Sal and Phil’s Seafood (6600 Old Canton Rd, Ridgeland 601-957-1188)Great Seafood, Poboys, Lunch Specials, Boiled Seafood, Full Bar, Happy Hour SpecialsSaltine Oyster Bar (622 Duling Avenue 601-982-2899)Creative seafood classics. Named one of Jackson’s Best New Restaurants.

MEDITERRANEAN/GREEKAladdin Mediterranean Grill (730 Lakeland Drive 601-366-6033) Delicious authentic dishes including lamb dishes, hummus, falafel, kababs, shwarma.Vasilios Greek Cusine (828 Hwy 51, Madison 601-853-0028)Authentic greek cuisine since 1994, specializing in gyros, greek salads, baklava cheesecake & fresh daily seafood.

BARBEQUEChimneyville (970 High St, Jackson 601-354-4665 www.chimneyville.com) Family style barbeque restaurant and catering service in the heart of downtown Jackson.Hickory Pit Barbecue (1491 Canton Mart Rd. 601-956-7079) The “Best Butts in Town” features BBQ chicken, beef and pork along with burgers and po’boys. Pig and Pint (3139 N State St, Jackson, 601-326-6070) Serving up competition style barbecue along with one of the of best beer selections in metro.

COFFEE HOUSESCups Espresso Café (Multiple Locations, www.cupsespressocafe.com)Jackson’s local group of coffeehouses offer a wide variety of espresso drinks. Wi-fi.

BARS, PUBS & BURGERSBonny Blair’s (1149 Old Fannin Rd 769-251-0692) Traditional Irish pub food and live entertainment. Open 11am daily.Burgers and Blues (1060 E. County Line Rd. 601-899-0038) Best Burger of 2013, plus live music and entertainment!Cherokee Inn (960 Briarfield Rd. 601-362-6388) Jackson’s “Best Hole in the Wall,” has a great jukebox, great bar and a great burger. Fenian’s Pub (901 E. Fortification St. 601-948-0055) Classic Irish pub featuring a menu of traditional food, pub sandwiches & Irish beers on tap.Hal and Mal’s (200 S. Commerce St. 601-948-0888) Pub favorites meet Gulf Coast and Cajun specialties like red beans and rice, the Oyster Platter or daily specials.Legends Grill (5352 Lakeland Dr. 601-919-1165) Your neighborhood Sports Bar and Grill.Martin’s Restaurant and Lounge (214 South State Street 601-354-9712) Lunch specials, pub appetizers or order from the full menu of po-boys and entrees. Full bar, beer selection.Ole Tavern on George Street (416 George St. 601-960-2700) Pub food with a southern flair: beer-battered onion rings, chicken & sausage gumbo, salads, sandwiches.One Block East ( 642 Tombigbee St. 601-944-0203)Burger joint and dive bar located in downtown Jackson. Great music, tasty beverages and Bad Ass Burgers is what we do.Time Out (6270 Old Canton Road, 601-978-1839) Your neighborhood fun spot! Terrific lunch special and amazing Happy Hour!Underground 119 (119 South President St. 601-352-2322) Pan-seared crabcakes, shrimp and grits, filet mignon, vegetarian sliders. Live music. Opens 4 p.m., Wed-SatWing Stop (952 North State Street, 601-969-6400) Saucing and tossing in a choice of nine flavors, Wing Stop wings are made with care and served up piping hot.

ASIAN AND INDIANFusion Japanese and Thai Cuisine (1002 Treetop Blvd, Flowood 601-664-7588)Specializing in fresh Japanese and Thai cuisine, an extensive menu features everything from curries to fresh sushi

VEGETARIANHigh Noon Café (2807 Old Canton Road in Rainbow Plaza 601-366-1513)Jackson’s own strict vegetarian (and very-vegan-friendly) restaurant adjacent to Rainbow Whole Foods.

P oking fun at racial prejudice isn’t the most obvious career choice, but comic W. Kamau Bell continues to do just that in his new tour, “Oh, Everything!”, which makes a stop in Jackson on Thursday, Jan. 8,

at Duling Hall. Biting racism down to the funny bone is nothing new for the comedian, but it’s the first time that Bell has hit the road since the cancellation of his FX TV series, “Totally Biased.” While he was, of course, disappointed with the show’s sudden end, it gave him a chance to return to his first love—stand-up comedy. “After ‘Totally Biased’ was canceled, I realized I want-ed to get back on the road, and also reintroduce myself to people who knew me from the show, but didn’t know me from stand-up,” he says. “It’s an opportunity for me to do a lot of things I did on ‘Totally Biased’ without the screen, but also in a more personal, three-dimensional way.” Hosting a major television program was certainly a significant leap in status, but Bell prefers the up-close-and-personal aspect of stand-up. “It’s a lot more fun,” he says. “I like the immediacy of hearing laughs right away and the immediacy of be-ing with a crowd of people you can touch.” Each episode was filmed with a studio audience, but there was always a

disconnect between the comedy and the individual. Bell had to consider cameras, scripts and executives, which felt more obstructive than performing stand-up. Despite his increased recognition, Bell worked with show promoters to ensure that each performance costs about $15, so that those who want to come can afford it. “I think it’s really easy to go, ‘I’ve been on TV. Tickets are now $35.’ I certainly see other acts selling tickets at a higher price, but at this point, I want to make it as acces-sible as possible,” he says. “If you’re a fan of mine, I want you to feel like you’re invited to come in. I don’t want you to feel like it’s an obstacle.” While Bell is known for his intellectual, civic-minded comedy, his style has more in common with his former producer, Chris Rock, than with his political peers. He believes Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart are immensely talented, but when he sits down to write, neither comedian comes to mind. Instead, Bell views some of the same global problems through his own lens. “A lot of what I do isn’t explicitly political in the way that people think about political comedy,” he says. “I don’t spend a lot of time talking about Congress or ‘those idiots in the Senate.’ I spend a lot of time talking about iden-tity politics and sociopolitical issues that aren’t necessarily

about Washington. They just end up in Washington.” Discussing race through humor isn’t an easy sell for every audience, and it can be especially difficult in the wrong context. Bell usually steers clear of the comedy-club circuit because there’s a tendency to lump comedians to-gether without regard for clashing styles. Ultimately, Bell says being deliberate in choosing where he performs and whom he performs for makes him a better comedian. “I think (my) crowds are sort of eaters of culture. They read the news and pay attention to that, but they also watch movies or listen to music,” Bell says. “I think the more diverse a crowd is, generally the smarter a crowd is. When a crowd is all one thing, they develop this group-think, and it becomes like performing at a wedding recep-tion, like, ‘OK, let’s talk about Uncle Jim.’” Bell works to enact change off stage, as well. He is an ACLU Ambassador of Racial Justice, an advisory-board member for the racial-justice think tank Race Forward and a volunteer with Hollaback, a nonprofit organization that counters street harassment. W. Kamau Bell performs at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave., 601-292-7121). Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. For more information, visit ardenland.net.

MUSIC p 27 | 8 DAYS p 28 | SPORTS p 30Ja

nuar

y 7

- 13,

201

5 •

jfp

.ms

26

CO

URT

ESY M

ATT

HIA

S CLA

MERComedy,

Race and ‘Oh, Everything!’ Elseby Micah Smith

Stand-up comedian W. Kamau Bell brings his social and pop-culture-infused humor to Duling Hall, Thursday, Jan. 8.

J ai Johanny Johanson, better known by his stage name, Jai-moe, has been playing drums and percussion since he was 16.

From the beginning, he was so certain of his career path that he didn’t even want to finish school. “I just finished because my mother asked me to,” he says. Before touring with the likes of Otis Redding, Percy Sledge and The Five

Stairsteps, a young Jaimoe washed dishes in restaurants between drumming jobs. “That would usually last about four or five months, and I’d be off on the road again,” he says. In 1969, Jaimoe helped to found leg-endary southern rock group Thee Allman Brothers Band, which earned him a Gram-my Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. After 45 years, the surviving band mem-bers—hailed as pioneers of the jam-band genre—still rock the stage together. To say that Jaimoe is a master of his craft after 54 years of performing is somewhat of an understatement. At 70, the 1995 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in-ductee is still keeping time in the rhythm section; only, now, it’s literally to the beat of his own drum. Today, instead of washing dishes between gigs, Jaimoe jams on. In 2006, he assembled a seven-piece ensemble to indulge in the jazz side of his musicality. Naturally, Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band features Jaimoe on drums. The group’s seasoned musicians also include guitarist and vo-calist Junior Mack, bassist Dave Stoltz, keyboardist Bruce Katz, and a show-steal-ing horn section comprised of saxophon-ist Kris Jensen, trumpeter Reggie Pittman

and Paul Lieberman, who splits his time between saxophone, flute and piccolo. Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band delivers a mas-terful blend of jazz, R&B, blues and rock-n-roll, all of which is definitively captured on its third album and first studio-record-ing project, “Renaissance Man,” released in 2011. Jaimoe pays homage to his All-man Brothers roots with a bossa nova version of the classic tune “Melissa” from

The Allman Brothers Band’s 1972 studio album, “Eat a Peach.” Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band will play in Jack-son for the first time at the Mississippi Blues Marathon’s after-party, but Jaimoe isn’t unfamiliar with the local music scene. His list of jam-session partners features a few notable Jackson natives, such as singer Tommy Tate. Jaimoe has also heard about Jesse Robinson’s guitar-playing, and says he wouldn’t mind meeting him while in town. After Jackson, Jaimoe’s tour makes a stop in his hometown, Gulfport. “That’s where I went to school, and I lived there until I was 22,” he says. He’ll be in town there for the unveiling of a Mississippi Blues Trail marker in his honor on Jan. 13, at 3 p.m. at the intersection of Arkansas Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard. While Jaimoe won’t pin down a re-lease date for the band’s fourth album, only saying to expect it “in the next year and a half, maybe sooner,” fans can expect another worthy addition to the drummer’s ever-growing legacy. Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band performs at the Mississippi Blues Marathon After Party at 8:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Iron Horse Grill (320 W. Pearl St.) For more information, visit jaimoe.com.

DIVERSIONS | music

Mo’ Better Jazz and Bluesby LaTonya Miller

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

27

MUSIC | live

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

28

WEDNESDAY 1/7 Java Jog starts at 6:30 a.m. at Sneaky Beans Coffee Shop (2914 N. State St.). Lululemon Athletica’s run ambas-sador, Terry Sullivan, leads. Runners meet on the front porch of Sneaky Beans for a leisurely 30-minute run and stay for coffee after to socialize. Free; call 601-366-0367; email high-land-Jackson@lululemon.com; lululemon.com.

THURSDAY 1/8 Tom Ramsey’s “The Taste” Viewing Party is at 7 p.m. at Hal & Mal’s (200 Commerce St.). 10 percent of the pro-ceeds from food and drink sales benefits UMMC’s pediatric programs, including Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children. Purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win a prize Jan. 22. Food for sale, $10 raffle ticket; call 601-984-1492; email kramsey@umc.edu; tomramsey.com. … W. Kamau Bell’s “Oh, Everything” Stand-up Comedy Tour is at 7 p.m. at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). Bell is a sociopolitical co-

median who was recently named an Ambassador of Racial Justice by the ACLU. Doors open at 6 p.m. Seated, all-ages show. Adults must accompany children. $12 in advance, $15 at the door, $3 surcharge for patrons under 21; call 601-292-7999; email arden@ardenland.net; ardenland.net.

FRIDAY 1/9 Higher Grounds Coffeehouse is from 7 p.m.-9:20 p.m. at St. Alexis Episcopal Church (650 E. South St.). Singer-songwriter Jason Turner performs. Coffee and snacks provid-ed. BYOB. Free; call 601-944-0415; stalexisjackson.org. … “Peter Pan” is at 7:30 p.m. at New Stage Theatre (1100 Car-lisle St.). The play is based on J.M. Barrie’s classic tale about a boy who never grew up and his adventures in Neverland. Performances continue through Jan. 18. $28, $22 seniors and students; call 601-948-3533; newstagetheatre.com.

SATURDAY 1/10 “It’s This Girl” is from 6 p.m.-10 p.m. at Doc 36 Skate-park (931 Highway 80 W.). Enjoy music from female art-ists from Jackson, Memphis and the region. Includes free nachos. $8 show only, $10 show and skating; call 272-2758; find “Its This Girl!” on Facebook. … “Chamber II: Mozart and More by Candlelight” is at 7:30 p.m. at the Belhaven University Cen-ter for the Arts (835 Riverside Drive). The Mississippi Sym-phony Orchestra presents selec-tions from J.C. Bach, Mozart, Gossec and Vanhal. $16, $5 students; call 601-960-1565; msorchestra.com.

SUNDAY 1/11 “The Premier Bridal Show: Weddings and Celebra-tions” is from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). The event includes door

prizes, samples and consultations with wedding profession-als. No strollers allowed. $22 in advance, $25 at the door; call 601-957-1050; thepremierbridalshow.com. … Graphic Design Department Student Show is from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. at the Belhaven University Bitsy Irby Visual Arts and Dance Center (1500 Peachtree St.). See works from current Bel-haven students in the art gallery. Show hangs Jan. 17-Feb. 7. Free; call 601-974-6478; belhaven.edu.

MONDAY 1/12 Mosaic Class with Teresa Haygood is from 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at Mississippi Craft Center (950 Rice Road, Ridgeland). Learn to create on outdoor mosaic garden brick. Includes a second session for grouting on Jan. 14. Registra-tion required. $70 plus $25 materials fee; call 601-856-7546; email education@mscrafts.org; craftsmensguildofms.org.

TUESDAY 1/13 The C3 Participatory Art Project is from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). The HannaBerry Workshop leads this year’s pub-lic art installation, “Looking Forward to Happiness.” Visitors can contribute images for the collage. Free; call 601-960-1515; msmuseumart.org.

WEDNESDAY 1/14 History Is Lunch is from noon-1 p.m. at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.). Historian Walter Howell talks about his book on the history of Clinton, Miss., “Town and Gown.” Book sales and sign-ing to follow. Free; call 601-576-6998; mdah.state.ms.us.

FRIDAY 1/9Back to School Family Game Night is at Brighton Park in Clinton.

THURSDAY 1/8Make! is at the Madison Public Library.

SATURDAY 1/10The Mississippi Opry Winter Show is at the Pearl Community Room.

CO

URT

ESY

TH

E ST

AR

KIL

LER

S

BESTBETS

JAN. 7 - 14, 2015

CO

URT

ESY N

EW STA

GE

Actress Katie Emerson and actor David Spencer revive the famous fantasy rivalry of Peter Pan and Captain Hook at New Stage Theatre through Sunday, Jan. 18.

BY MICAH SMITH

EVENTS@JACKSONFREEPRESS.COM

FAX: 601-510-9019DAILY UPDATES AT

JFPEVENTS.COMMemphis indie-rock quartet The Star Killers perform for “It’s This Girl,” a female-centric night of music at Doc 36 Skatepark on Saturday, Jan. 10.

Back to School Family Game Night Jan. 9, 6 p.m.-9 p.m., at Brighton Park (530 S. Frontage Road, Clinton). Enjoy family fun for individu-als and groups before school begins. Includes pizza while supplies last. $2 per person, or $10 per family of four or less; call 601-924-6387; email cfontenot@clintonparksandrec.com.

The Premier Bridal Show: Weddings and Celebrations Jan. 11, 1 p.m.-5 p.m., at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). The event includes door prizes, samples and consultations with wedding professionals. No strollers allowed. $22 advance, $25 door; call 601-957-1050; thepremierbridalshow.com.

Fundamentals of Grant Writing Workshop Jan. 13, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.). In the Com-munity Room. T.N. Williams and Associates is the host. Topics include writing and research techniques, structuring grant applications and how to approach a grantor. Registration required. $99; call 982-8467; eventbrite.com.

Events at Madison Public Library (994 Madi-son Ave., Madison)

• Make! Jan. 8, 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Youth ages 10 and up simulate a space mission with LEGOs. Registration required. Free; call 601-856-2749.

• Rising Readers Storytime Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m. through Jan. 27 The program for ages 3-5 includes songs, rhymes, move-ment and storytelling to strengthen early liter-acy skills as well as an enthusiasm for reading. Free; call 601-856-2749.

Question It? Discover It! Saturday Jan. 10, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at Mississippi Children’s Museum (2145 Highland Drive). Discover how many bones are in the human body and how to keep them healthy. Included with admission ($10, free for children under 12 months and members); call 601-981-5469; mississippichildrensmuseum.com.

Tom Ramsey’s “The Taste” Viewing Par-ty Jan. 8, 7 p.m., at Hal & Mal’s (200 Com-merce St.). 10 percent of proceeds from food and drink sales benefits UMMC’s pediatric programs. Purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win a prize Jan. 22. Food for sale, $10 raf-fle ticket; call 601-984-1492; email kramsey@umc.edu; tomramsey.com.

WAMA Craft Beer Tasting Jan. 14, 6 p.m.-9 p.m., at Walter Anderson Museum of Art (510 Washington Ave., Ocean Springs). Sample craft beers from Chandeleur Brewing Company, Crooked Letter Brewing Company and Lazy Magnolia. Includes music from Joanna Barbera, and pub-style snacks and games. For ages 21 and up. Limited tickets. $15, $10 members; call 228-872-3164; email development@walterand-ersonmuseum.org; walterandersonmuseum.org.

Mississippi Blues Marathon and Half Mara-thon Jan. 10, 7 a.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). At the Art Garden. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi sponsors full, half and quarter marathons, a one-mile kids race and relay teams. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Mississippi Blues Commission. Registration required. Fees vary; call 601-624-7882 for volunteer signups; email info@msbluesmarathon.com; msbluesmarathon.com.

W. Kamau Bell’s “Oh, Everything” Stand-up Comedy Tour Jan. 8, 7 p.m., at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). Seated, all-ages show. Adults must accompany children. $12 advance, $15 door, $3 surcharge for patrons under 21; call 601-292-7999; email arden@ardenland.net; ardenland.net.

“Peter Pan” Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m., Jan. 10, 7:30 p.m., Jan. 11, 2 p.m., at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). The play is based on J.M. Barrie’s classic tale. Performances run through Jan. 18. $28, $22 seniors and students; call 601-948-3533; newstagetheatre.com.

“Martha” Jan. 12, noon, at First Baptist Church of Clinton (100 E. College St., Clin-ton). Fish Tale Group Theatre presents John Maxwell’s play based on the biblical story of sisters Mary and Martha. Free; call 601-924-0444; fishtalegroup.org.

Higher Grounds Coffeehouse Jan. 9, 7 p.m.-9:20 p.m., at St. Alexis Episcopal Church (650 E. South St.). Singer-songwriter Jason Turner performs. Coffee and snacks provided. BYOB. Free; call 601-944-0415; stalexisjackson.org.

Bricks in the Wall: The Sight and Sound of Pink Floyd Jan. 9, 9 p.m., at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). All-ages. Adults must accompany children. $15 advance, $20 door; call 601-292-7999; email arden@ardenland.net.

Mississippi Opry Winter Show Jan. 10, 6 p.m.-9 p.m., at Pearl Community Room (2420 Old Brandon Road, Pearl). Performers include Alan Sibley and the Magnolia Ramblers, and Har-mony & Grits. $10, children under 18 free; call 601-331-6672; email sa5ash@aol.com.

Mosaic Class with Teresa Haygood Jan. 12, 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m., at Mississippi Craft Center (950 Rice Road, Ridgeland). Registration required. $70 plus $25 materials fee; call 601-856-7546; email education@mscrafts.org; craftsmensguildofms.org.

Shut Up and Write! Saturdays, 12:30 p.m.-3 p.m., at the Jackson Free Press (Capital Towers, 125 S. Congress St., Suite 1324). Register now for “Writing to Change Your World,” a six-week creative non-fiction series led by Donna Ladd and Ronni Mott. The series will demystify the writing process for students of any level and teach you to write sparkling true stories, essays and book chapters with weekly feedback. Class series is $350 including workbook and snacks. Gift certificates are available and credit cards accepted. Seating limited. Classes meet Jan. 31, Feb. 7, 21, 28, March 21, 28 (recordings avail-able if you miss a class). Call 601-362-6121, ext. 15; email class@writingtochange.com and get on list for class deals and alerts.

Graphic Design Department Student Show Jan. 11, 2 p.m.-4 p.m., at Belhaven Uni-versity, Bitsy Irby Visual Arts and Dance Center (1500 Peachtree St.). See works from Belhaven students in the art gallery. Show hangs Jan. 17-Feb. 7. Free; call 601-974-6478; belhaven.edu.

Check jfpevents.com for updates and more listings, or to add your own events online. You can also email event details to events@jacksonfreepress.com to be added to the calendar. The deadline is noon the Wednesday prior to the week of publication.

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

29

119 S. President Street

601.352.2322

www.Underground119.com

Wednesday, Januray 7th

ADIBS BLUESThursday, Januray 8th

JODI JAMESFriday, January 9th

CHRIS GILLAND THE

SOLE SHAKERS

Saturday, January 10th

TAZ CRUand his band of

TORTURED SOULS

Tuesday, January 13th

JESSE ROBINSONAND FRIENDS

Happy Hour!2-for-1EVERYTHING*

Tuesday-Friday

from 4:00-6:00(*excludes food and specialty drinks)

214 S. STATE ST.601.354.9712

DOWNTOWN JACKSON

SEE OUR NEW MENUWWW.MARTINSLOUNGE.NET

THURSDAY 1/08

BEER BUCKET SPECIAL(5 BEERS FOR $8.75)

$5 APPETIZERS(DINE IN ONLY)

FRIDAY 1/09

SHAKE ITLIKE A

CAVEMAN10 P.M.

SATURDAY 1/10

LIGHTNIN MALCOM

10 P.M.SUNDAY 1/11

7PM - UNTIL

ALL MUSICIANS WELCOMEMONDAY 1/12

7PM - UNTILALL MUSICIANS WELCOME

$5 APPETIZERS(DINE IN ONLY)

BEER BUCKET SPECIAL(5 BEERS FOR $8.75)TUESDAY 1/13

SHRIMP BOIL5 - 10 PM

$1 PBR & HIGHLIFE$2 MARGARITAS

10pm - 12am

UPCOMING SHOWS1/17: Captain Green 1/24: New Madrid w/

European Theater1/30: Andrew Bryant of Wa-ter Liars Featuring Matt Patton

of Drive By Truckers 2/20: JGBCB (Jerry Garcia

Band Cover Band)

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

30

DIVERSIONS | jfp sports

It is always sad to see the football season coming to an end. There is one more meaningful college game left, but there is still a handful of meaningful NFL games to watch. by Bryan Flynn

SLATEthe best in sports over the next seven days

E veryone has likely heard about the dust-up between Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork and cartoonist Marshall Ramsey.

Bjork got upset over Ramsey’s New Year’s Eve tweet: “Wonder if Bo will be asked to drop the ball tonight.” That tweet might have been the nicest thing said about Wallace, who had three interceptions in the fi rst half. Bjork said he was just defending his player and thought Ramsey was picking on the student-athlete. Here’s the thing Bjork and every oth-er athletic director needs to understand: If the power-fi ve conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and Pac-12) want to push for autonomy and paying players, what Ramsey said will look like a compli-ment in comparison to what’s coming. The difference is that pro athletes are paid and college athletes are thought of as kids just using sports to earn a degree. If they are paid, then the gloves will come off even more so than they have now. The power-fi ve athletic directors need to grow a thicker skin because Bjork

would have snapped if he saw my Wallace tweets. Also, it doesn’t look good to pick Twitter fi ghts when you’re getting your butt handed to you 42-3. It was not the best bowl season for the SEC; it fi nished 7-5 in bowl games. The mighty SEC West went 2-5 in bowl games with blowouts of Mississippi State and Ole Miss. The SEC East, though, went a perfect 5-0 in the bowl season. It was a down year for SEC bowl games, but it wasn’t like the rest of the power fi ve were tearing it up. The Big 12 went 2-5, the ACC went 4-7, and the Big Ten is currently 5-5 as Ohio State pre-pares to play for the championship. This season, the Pac-12 performed as the best conference, currently at 6-2 and awaiting Oregon’s performance against OSU. Can the whole country send the Or-egon Ducks a big thank-you note? Jameis Winston and the Florida State Seminoles can’t troll America anymore, courtesy of the Ducks. If Oregon can play like they did against Florida State on New Year’s Day, I don’t think there is a team in the country that can beat them.

bryan’s rant

College Football Bowl Thoughts

THURSDAY, JAN 8 Women’s college basketball (8-10 p.m., Fox Sports): Undefeated and nationally ranked Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs host the Lady Razorbacks of Arkansas.

FRIDAY, JAN 9 NBA (7-9:30 p.m., ESPN): Two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference face off as the Washington Wizards host the Chicago Bulls.

SATURDAY, JAN 10 NFL (3:35-7 p.m., NBC): The AFC’s top seed, the New England Patriots, face their playoff nemesis the Baltimore Ravens at home. … NFL (7:15-11 p.m., Fox): Defending Super Bowl champions the Seattle Seahawks look to fl ex their home fi eld dominance against the Carolina Panthers.

SUNDAY, JAN 11 NFL (12:05-3:30 p.m., Fox): The Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cow-boys meet in a potentially iconic playoff match. … NFL (3:40-7 p.m., CBS): Peyton Manning and his Denver Broncos

face his old team, the Indianapolis Colts, and his replacement, Andrew Luck.

MONDAY, JAN 12 College football (7:30-11:30 p.m., ESPN): Either the Oregon Ducks will win their fi rst-ever playoff for the national championship, or the Ohio State Buck-eyes will win for the fi rst time since 2002.

TUESDAY, JAN 13 College basketball (8-10 p.m., SECN): Mississippi State tries to turn things around in the conference slate as it takes on the Texas A&M Aggies.

WEDNESDAY, JAN 14 College basketball (6-8 p.m., SECN): Keep your tweets nice about the Ole Miss Rebels hosting the LSU Tigers. You never know who could be watching them. Tony Romo renewed his clutch status after the Dallas Cowboys beat the Detroit Lions. That might be the strangest thing in this strange football season.

Follow Bryan Flynn at jfpsports.com, @jfpsports and at facebook.com/jfpsports.

Visit HalandMals.comfor a full menu and concert schedule

601.948.0888200 S. Commerce St. Downtown Jackson,

Mississippi

COMING UP

WEDNESDAY 1/7NEW BOURBON ST.JAZZ BAND

(Restaurant)THURSDAY 1/8

RESTAURANT OPEN AS USUAL

FRIDAY 1/9Pre - Blues

Marathon PARTYfeaturing live music and

dinner specials! SATURDAY 1/10

LUCKY HANDBLUES BAND

(Restaurant)

Post-BluesMarathon PARTY

with dinner specials. Happy Hour prices on drinks all night long with your runner number or Blues Marathon wristband.

MONDAY 1/12

BLUE MONDAY7PM, $5 (Restaurant)

TUESDAY 1/13

P U B Q U I Z W/ ERIN & FRIENDS

7PM, $2 TO PLAY!(Restaurant)

UPCOMING:ARDENLAND PRESENTS:2/21 The Revivalists

2/27 LUCERO + RYAN BINGHAM

5/1 Neutral Milk Hoteltickets at Ardenland.net

OFFICIALHOUSE VODKA

Your Neighborhood Funspot!

THE

GREEN ROO

M

- Pool Is Cool-BestofJackson

WinnerBest Place to Play Pool

Industry Happy Hour Daily 11pm-2am

Daily Beer Specials12pm-7pm

PoolLeagueMon - Fri NightDrink Specials

Burgers-Wings-Full BarGated Parking

Big Screen TV’sLeague and Team Play -Beginners to AdvancedInstructors Available

444BoundsSt.JacksonMS60 1 - 7 1 8 - 7665

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• jf

p.m

s

31

St. AlexisEpiscopal Church

650 E.South Street • Jackson • 601.944.0415

Sunday Services: 10:30am & 6:00pm

St. Alexis Episcopal Church Presents:

Higher Grounds

Coffee HouseFeaturing Jason TurnerFriday Jan. 9 7:00pm

FREE (Donations Appreciated)

Coffee + Snacks

BYOB

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

32

Need a new site? Join local businesses

and organizations like Walkers, Mangia

Bene Catering, the MS Hospitality

and Restaurant Association, Capital

City Beverages, Good Eats Group and others in the Jackson Metro.

The JFPSites tool o!ers a desktop and

mobile site in one package, and we’ll

update your site every week! Choose from great-looking

templates or sign up for a custom design.

Serious about your Google ranking? JFP

can help with SEO -- better site design, blogging, Get Found database injection,

Search Engine Marketing and social media management. We’re ready to move

you up in search!

To learn more, visit www.jfpsites.com, call 601-362-6121 x17or write todd@jacksonfreepress.com to learn how you can get started NOW on a customer-focused, a!ordable, revenue-generating,

easy-to-update Web and Mobile website!

www.jfpsites.comWeb and Mobile Marketing for Central Mississippi

© 2015 Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Lady Luck and FanPlay are registered trademarks of Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Subject to change/cancellation without notice.

Must be 21. Gambling problem? Call 1.888.777.9696.

SATURDAYS IN JANUARY

6:00PM – 11:00PM

Spin the wheel and take home bonus points, FanPlay®, cash or prizes.

You could walk away with up to $10,000.

WIN UP TO $10,000

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• jf

p.m

s

33

RETAIL

REAL ESTATE

HELP WANTED

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD:

Post an ad at jfpclassifieds.com, call 601-362-6121, ext. 11 or fax 601-510-9019

Deadline: Mondays at noon.

BULLETIN BOARD: ClassifiedsAs low as $20! jfpclassifieds.com

Call Titans Transfer 866-329-4521www.drive4titan.com

NOW HIRINGDRIVERSONLY FOUR DEDICATED

ROUTES LEFT!OUT OF

JACKSON, MS

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

34

1100 John R. Lynch Street | Suite A | Jackson, MS 769.251.5222 | thepenguinms.com

Best of Jackson Winner 2012-2014

LIVE MUSICThursday Jan. 8

Clinton Babers II An Acoustic Set

8 PMFriday & Saturday Jan. 9-10

DANi MusicBirmingham, AL

8:30 PMTuesday Jan. 13

Jazz Tuesdays7 PM

Voted one of the Best

Restaurants and Bars

In Metro Jackson

Best of Jackson 2014

Plate Lunch Starting At $10

Includes Tea! Minutes from Downtown!

1046 Warrenton Road • Vicksburg, MS 39180 riverwalkvicksburg.com • 601-634-0100

Must be 21 or older to enter casino. Management reserves all rights to alter or cancel promotion at any time without notice. Gambling problem?

Call 1-888-777-9696. ©2015 Riverwalk Casino • Hotel. All rights reserved.

Fridays in January 6pm-11pmOne winner selected each hour will get 30 seconds to grab as much Cash as they can from the Cash Cube! Win up to $5,000 Cash! Earn 10X entries Fridays-Sundays, 30X entries Tuesdays & Thursdays and 50X entries Mondays & Wednesdays.

January 9-31 Fridays • 7pm-2am Saturdays • 1pm-MidnightThere will be 4 drawings on Friday nights and 6 drawings on Saturday. Winners drawn randomly throughout the time period will win $300 in chips or promo chips! Start earning entries Friday, January 2.

New Members Scratch & Win!

Janu

ary

7 - 1

3, 2

015

• j

fp.m

s

35

JD Byrider use cars as an avenue to a higher pro! t item -- an expensive loan.

Our customers need cars to get to work. Most of them can’t pay cash for a dependable car, and most conventional lenders turn them away. Our core business is selling good cars to people who need credit. By providing a" ordable ! nancing and we make sure it’s a" ordable -- we can enable those customers to advance in life.

dulinghall.com

Friday, January 16

Thursday, January 8

Friday, January 9

Thursday, January 29

Friday, January 23

Thursday, May 7

Thursday, February 5

Tuesday, May 5

Saturday, February 14

Saturday, January 24

Friday, January 30

Saturday, January 31

WEDNESDAY1/7Lunch: Red

Beans & Ricenight: Pub Quiz

WITHANDREWMCLARTYTHURSDAY1/8

Lunch:Chicken Dianenight IRISH NIGHTEMERALD ACCENT

FRIDAY1/9Lunch:

Fried Catfishnight:BREWER & HURD

SATURDAY1/10 Jonathan

Alexander& New Belgium Release PartyMONDAY1/12

Lunch: Meat Loaf

night: Karaoke WITHMATTCOLLETTETUESDAY1/13

Lunch: Grilled Pork Chop

evening: Open MicWITH JOECARROL

HAPPY HOUR$1 off all Cocktails, Wine, and BeerMONDAY-SATURDAY

4PM-7PM

NEVER A COVER!

901EFORTIFICATIONSTREET601-948-0055

WWW.FENIANSPUB.COM

Daily Blue Plate Lunch Specialw / D r i n k $9.00MONDAY-FRIDAY

Don’t Miss the Funat Jackson Futbol Club!

Soccer teams forming NOW for boys and girls ages 4 -19!

Register TODAY onlinewww.JacksonFC.com

Mail in registration form also available on the JFC website. Save $25 by registering by 1/7/15. Registrations accepted until 1/14/15.

For more info contact jacksonfc1@aol.com.

Sponsors

Mail in registration form also available on the

JFC website. Save $25 by registering by 1/7/15.

2512 Raymond Rd. • 2570 suite 12 Bailey Avewww.safetypp.com • 601-238-8108

safetyproductsplus@yahoo.com

STUN GUNSPEPPER SPRAYSSURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS

DON’T BE A VICTIM

RATES AS LOW AS

$12 A MONTH!

DO YOU HAVE RENTERS INSURANCE?

Landlords don’t cover your personal property!

Valarie Germanwww.insurewithval.com

(601)613-8100FREE ONLINE QUOTES!

Thank You For A Great 2014

- The Aladdin Family

730 Lakeland Dr. • Jackson, MSTel: 601-366-3613 or 601-366-6033Fax: 601-366-7122

DINE-IN OR TAKE-OUT!Sun-Thurs: 11am - 10pmFri-Sat: 11am - 11pm

WE DELIVER!Fondren / Belhaven / UMC area

WE ALSO CATER!VISIT OUR GROCERY STORE NEXT DOOR.

2481 Lakeland Drive Flowood | 601.932.4070

%20 off Gift Cards!Try our Tres Leches

Nope! Not just for bears.Teddy…(Get one for Valentine’s Day and you’ll climb more than trees!)

175 Hwy 80 East in Pearl * 601.932.2811 M­Th: 10­10p F­Sa 10­Mid Su: 1­10p * www.shopromanticadventures.com