v9n07 - JFP Issue: Dawn of the Bought Judge by Jackson Free Press Magazine

FREE The City’s Smart Alternative

Vol. 9 | No. 7 // October 27 - November 2, 2010

DAILYBREAKINGNEWS@JFPDAILY.COM

DIVERSIONS

SPOOK COUNTRY MUSIC COLLIER, P 24 SCARY DINNER

DRAMA O’BRYANT, P 42 FRIGHT NIGHT

FASHIONS P. 46

N W DA

OF T H G U O B THE

E G D U J

E U S S I N O I T 10 C E L E 20

R O F S E K - 21 NEY MA

O M , PP 14 H C G I N Y B L , S SECRET ELECTION US

RO TREACHE

October 27 - November 2, 2010

jacksonfreepress.com

What Sets Judge Melvin Priester Apart?

Five Years of Real Judicial Experience No other candidate can match Judge Priester’s ﬁve years of real judicial experience (3 years as a Jackson Municipal Court Judge, the last 2 years as a Special Circuit Judge hearing drug and violent crime cases). As a judge, Melvin Priester has earned respect for his treatment of people, his efﬁciency, and his knowledge of the law.

Proven Commitment to Helping Our Youth Before becoming a lawyer, Judge Priester spent several years running a residential program for troubled teens. As a lawyer, he has represented teens in youth court for free, been PTA President at North Jackson Elementary, Chastain, and Murrah, coached mock trial teams at Murrah and Lanier, and run a karate school at the Jackson Medical Mall. On the bench, Judge Priester has prioritized the interests of crime victims while at the same time utilizing alternative sentencing programs for young adults who need and will use a second chance.

Featured Guest

First Sgt. Harvey E. Walden, IV VH1’s ‘Celebrity Fit Club’

Investment in Jackson, Especially its Young, Creative Entrepreneurs Unlike others, Judge Priester and his wife of 36 years, Attorney Charlene Stimley, have kept their business, Priester Law Firm, in Hinds County, in the heart of Jackson, for more than twenty years. Consistent with his support for Jackon’s youth, Judge Priester has made a point of doing business in this campaign with young Jackson entrepreneurs such as Meredith Norwood, Aaron Thompson, Josh Hailey Studios, and Hapax Creative.

October 27 - November 2, 2010

Transparency

You deserve to know who is funding judicial campaigns. That is why the Priester Campaign has publicly disclosed where 99% of its campaign contributions come from. We have disclosed, voluntarily, more than the law requires and at a much higher rate than every other candidate in this race.

So, on November 2, 2010, Vote for Judge Melvin Priester for Hinds County Court Judge, Post 1. Paid for by Committee to Elect Melvin Priester, Sr and Approved by the Candidate. www.electmelpriester.com 820 North Street, Jackson, MS 39202 • 601.353.2460

JACKSON MEDICAL MALL FOUNDATION PRESENTS THE

14th Annual Community Reinvestment Awards (CRA) 6PM Thursday, November 4, 2010

For ticket information call:

601.982.8467

O cto be r 27 - No ve m ber 2, 2010

jacksonian

VOL.

9 NO. 7

contents

Spanking the Board The state urges the Levee Board to get on the stick with Jackson’s flood control.

XXXX; LACEY MCLAUGHLIN ; WARD SCHAEFER; ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES

LACEY MCLAUGHLIN

Cover illustration by Kristin Brenemen

THIS ISSUE: Reliving ‘61

An original Freedom Rider makes the trip back to Parchman and tells his story.

7 ............. Editor’s Note

14 .................... Editorial 14 ..................... Stiggers 14 ......................... Zuga 15 .................... Opinion 23 ................. Diversions 27 ........................ Books 31 ...................... 8 Days 32 ................ JFP Events 35 ......................... Music 36 ........... Music Listings 38 ........................ Sports 40 ......................... Astro 40 ....................... Puzzles 42 .......................... Food 46 .................. Shopping

heath patterson Heath Patterson is ready for Halloween. This year, he’s making an appearance as Richie Tenenbaum of “The Royal Tenenbaums” with the perfect accessory: the quintessential brown beard. The Jacksonian of eight years is in charge of the third annual Blocktober Halloween Party the Jackson Downtown Neighborhood Association is hosting. As a JDNA member, Patterson is heavily involved with making downtown a vibrant community for residents. Patterson, 31, was born in Martin, Ky., but lived in five places before making his way to Mississippi. Patterson’s father became a Baptist music minister while the family was living in Belmont, N.C. When Patterson was in high school, his family moved to Honduras to do mission work for four years. After high school, Patterson set his sights on Mississippi State University, mostly because he had extended family in Mississippi and both of his parents spent time growing up in the Delta. “My roots are here,” Patterson says. “I’ve told people, ‘I’m not from Mississippi, but I got here as soon as I could.’” After graduating in 2002 with a degree in civil engineering, Patterson began work as project engineer with the Mississippi Department of Transportation. He had worked with MDOT through a co-op program in college. Two years ago, MDOT promoted Patterson as an area engineer of District 5, which in-

cludes the city of Jackson. In his current job, he oversees the construction of highways. “My favorite part of what I do is that I have the Jackson area,” Patterson says. “It’s immediate gratification in that I see my projects on a constant basis and get to be involved in the place that I live.” He has lived downtown for the past two years and loves riding his bike only five blocks to work each day. He’s excited that downtown is starting to blossom and looks at events like the Blocktober Halloween Party as a way of showing future residents the active community that exists downtown. Patterson plans on staying in Jackson indefinitely. He loves his job and the connections he has made in the city. Patterson loves being involved, although he is modest about the work he’s done to organize this year’s Blocktober Halloween Party. For him, it’s all about working to improve the capital city. “As a state, this is the capital, so it’s very important for (Jackson) to be strong,” Patterson says. “This is the central governing body as far as law is concerned. It’s what people should associate with Mississippi.” Although Patterson isn’t allowed to win Blocktobers’ costume contest since he is organizing the event, he’s excited to spend this Halloween putting on a free party downtown promoting his community and providing a place for people to have a good time. — Lauren Fredman

16 Elect or Appoint? They may not be zombies, but with big money financing elections, can judges be bought?

25 The Hit List It’s time to get your spook on with the best Halloween movies, books and music.

jacksonfreepress.com

8 .......................... Talk

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WEDNESDAY 10/27

Natalie Long & Clinton Kirby (Acoustic Rock)

THURSDAY 10/28

Jil Chambless & Scooter Muse (Acoustic Celtic)

Come join a celebration of the gulf region at Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Tuesday, Nov. 2nd 7pm, $3 Drafts / Ages 21+ Tommyknocker Brewing Co. has delivered a special brew designated only for the southern states to help in the relief and recovery of our hard hit gulf states. Tommyknocker Golden Saison will be on tap ($3) in the Big Room for everyone to enjoy and help generate funds to be spent to help our friends, families and fellow Mississipians.

FRIDAY 10/29

Amazinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Lazy Boi Band

Also in stores! 25 cents from each Limited Edition bottle you buy will be donated to the Gulf Relief Foundation.

(Blues)

SATURDAY 10/30

Jason Turner Band (Folk Rock)

Visit healthygulf.org for more info.

SUNDAY 10/31

Kitchen 11am-10pm Bar 11am-Midnight

Golden Saison is brewed with four Belgian Yeast strains to produce a slightly tart yet refreshing ale.

October 27 - November 2, 2010

MONDAY 11/1

Karaoke w/ Matt TUESDAY 11/2

Open Mic with A Guy Named George

Plump, fresh oysters, perfectly fried

Support small businesses, craft beer & the Gulf Coast!

TOMMYKNOCKER.COM

Catfish Grilled or Fried

Mississippi-raised catfish prepared

Seafood Platter

Fresh Gulf shrimp, oysters, and cat orde

by Ronni Mott, Managing Editor

The Jackass Factor

od has a special corner of heaven for the people who cut hair—those people who manage to make us look stunning despite all the silly blather they must hear every day. I initially thought this column would be about the need to vote locally, something about how the sleazebag dynamic rises with each rung of the political ladder. I’ve dubbed this phenomenon the jackass factor: When we fail to engage locally, blustery community pols rise to ever more prominent positions, until what we’re left with are choices between bad and worse jackasses on a national scale. But a paragraph won’t fill this space. You can probably tell when it comes to politics, I default to cynicism. Neither the guy who cuts my hair nor I are conservative Republicans, so our political banter naturally heads toward pessimistic and contemptuous disbelief: disbelief in progressives abandoning Barack Obama because he hasn’t produced the requisite number of miracles, yet; disbelief over those who vote against their best interests; disbelief in the good Christians who would rather someone who doesn’t look or think like them simply disappear instead of making an attempt to know, understand or reach out to them. Inevitably, we end up “tsk, tsk-ing” about people who don’t bother to become informed before they cast a vote, because surely, if only they knew who tea-partiers really are, voters would turn away from them in droves. It’s exactly that attitude that has conservatives calling progressives elitist and arrogant. During the course of our latest conversation, my hairdresser, who is openly gay, told me about his boyfriend’s grandmother, a woman who, he says, would rather her grandson bring

his gay boyfriend to after-church Sunday supper than—heaven forbid—a black woman. To me, grandma personifies those who have flocked to the Glenn Becks of America. They’re probably the same folks who only watched during the 1960s social upheavals and then resigned to make a life in this crazy, upside-down, inside-out world, totally convinced it was all wrong. They might have sympathized with the left once, but they regret it. They voted for Bush 43 twice. They’re the same folks who have watched in horror as every belief they grew up with has been challenged, examined, politicized and ridiculed; the same folks who want desperately to believe Obama wasn’t born in the U.S., that he’s a Muslim and wants to overthrow the world while seizing their guns, putting them in prison camps and euthanizing them. It was just a matter of time before someone as demonic as Barack Hussein Obama took over, and they eagerly embrace anyone who echoes their fervent desire to return to a sane world of easily defined values of family, home and apple pie, along with good old-fashioned flag-waving patriotism. It’s not change they’re after, but security. They want it back. I get it. People are scared. I’m not hardhearted. Change is scary, despite its always turning out OK. Still, I don’t know where that secure unscary world ever existed. I’m fairly certain that it hasn’t been around in my lifetime or the generation preceding it. I remember talking with my dad about the 1960s. He grew up with dearly held beliefs like his Christian faith, respect for his elders, authority and the rule of law. The ‘60s saw those beliefs put to the test. He was confused by my generation’s embrace of philosophies

that had scant relation to Christianity. He was shocked by our arrogant rejection of established wisdom in favor of youthful bravado and amazed by our audacity when we took to the streets in protest. He watched in impotent frustration as his well-fed middle-class daughters rejected his worldview. “I’m your father; that’s why!” resulted in our literally and metaphorically giving him the finger: Thanks, dad. Get over yourself. Politically, though, he was mostly progressive. As tough as it was, he eventually made peace with a world that often left him gasping for air. In retrospect, he was prescient: 30 years before 9-11 and our perpetual war against terrorism, he told me unequivocally that the next world-wide conflict would begin in the Middle East over oil and dominion. He also said that the world couldn’t withstand unending economic growth without monumental costs to humanity and the planet. Papa called himself a realist. I come by cynicism honestly. People gravitate toward the familiar. I get that, too. But what’s most familiar about some of the rhetoric passing as legitimate these days is its tone of hatred. I regularly get 1,000-plus-word e-mails from people I don’t know, full of bold, underlined and highlighted phrases. I rarely make it to the end of one of these hate-filled missives, but I scan them, if for no other reason that to know what’s being circulated as “truth.” I often wonder where the writers were before the Democrats’ “big-spending, job-killing agenda” ushered in by that devil Obama and his succubus Nancy Pelosi. Does it make any difference to point out that Bush 43 increased the national debt by $4 trillion, took the nation into two wars, pushed through the bailouts of Wall Street and the auto industry and left the world on the brink of the biggest economic collapse since the Great Depression? Not one iota. Does it shift their needles at all to inform them that the “grass roots” of the tea-party movement lie under the meticulously manicured lawns of multi-billionaires with ties to white-nationalist extremists or that conservative politicians come to them via funding from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with its undisclosed (foreign) donor list? Not yet. But I have hope. In the midst of my inexorable cynicism, I remembered a lesson from my 25-year career in marketing. In that world, I fully expected to need a minimum of nine impressions before a customer took action, and I understood that my target only saw one out of three of my messages. To get to nine, I needed to repeat myself 27 times at least. When it comes to the tea party and its hateful rhetoric, we progressives have a long, long way to go. And 27 repetitions of a message of change and hope may fall short. We have to haul our cynical, arrogant and elitist butts to the voting booth each opportunity we have, if we’re to counter the jackass factor. At least for this coming Election Day, my hair looks really cute.

Adam Lynch Award-winning senior reporter Adam Lynch is a Winona native and graduate of Jackson State. He and his family live in North Jackson. E-mail tips to adam@ jacksonfreepress.com, or call him at 601-362-6121, ext. 13. He wrote the cover story.

Ward Schaefer JFP reporter Ward Schaefer came to Mississippi to teach middle school, and is now a journalist. His hometown of Chevy Chase, Md., was not named for the actor. He is slowly learning to play banjo. He wrote about judge candidates.

Kimber Thomas Kimber Thomas is an English major at Alcorn State University. She plans to work as a creative director for a magazine and later work in real estate development in an effort to give back to Jackson. She wrote the Shopkeep.

Anita Modak-Truran Anita Modak-Truran is a southern convert, having moved here from Chicago over a decade ago with her husband and son. She loves the culture, cuisine and arts in these parts. She wrote a film piece.

Chris Zuga Chris Zuga is a freelance illustrator/graphic designer/fine artist (not necessarily in that order). When he is not hunched over a project, he spends time preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse and devours pop culture. He wrote a book review.

Terri Frazier Terri Frazier lives in Vicksburg with her family. A lover of dark chocolate, she can’t live without “Days of Our Lives.” She wrote a food piece.

Natalie A. Collier Natalie A. Collier is originally from Starkville and a graduate of Millsaps. She lived in Chicago for a while, but is now back in Jackson. She’s not easy to impress. Try. She wrote a music dish.

Randi Ashley Jackson Account Manager Randi Ashley Jackson is a Brandon/Reservoir area native. She loves organic gardening and her goldfish GillBert. She strives to be the next Food Network star chef, if only in her own mind. She manages JFP sales accounts.

jacksonfreepress.com

editor’snote

news, culture & irreverence

PEER to Levee Board: Move Faster!

by Adam Lynch

ADAM LYNCH

Wednesday, Oct. 20 National Public Radio fires news analyst Juan Williams over comments he made about Muslims on “The O’Reilly Factor,” saying the comments violated NPR’s ethics policy. … The NAACP holds a rally at the state capitol, speaking out against the extremism of the Tea Party. The rally was spurred by a report from the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights.

Bill Gowan wants a permanent place on the circuit court bench. p 12

Mississippi’s voter turnout in 2008 was higher than the national average, with just over 61 percent of eligible voters showing up to cast a ballot. Nationally, less than 57 percent of all voting age citizens voted in what was hailed as “record” turnout.

Thursday, Oct. 21 The Democratic National Committee announces it will spend $1 million on radio, television and online ads in Spanish. IP Casino donates $1 million to Mississippi for the state to buy and preserve wetlands. Friday, Oct. 22 The Mississippi College Board abandons plans to increase admission requirements for the state’s public universities, although classes like physics and calculus are still recommended. Saturday, Oct. 23 Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson dies of pancreatic cancer at the age of 48. Attorney General Freundel Stuart is sworn in as the new prime minister. … Ole Miss falls to Arkansas, 24-38. Mississippi State defeats the University of Alabama at Birmingham, 29-24.

October 27 - November 2, 2010

Sunday, Oct. 24 Somali pirates take over the German freighter Beluga Fortune 1,200 miles off the coast of Kenya. Archeologists discover Indian artifacts off Highway 61 North in Rolling Fork. The artifacts date back to the 1300s.

Monday, Oct. 25 Afghan President Hamid Karzai admits he receives millions of dollars in cash regularly from the Iranian government. The money is thought to be used to ensure the allegiance of government officials, tribal leaders and leaders of the insurgency. … BP sells four oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico for $650 million to Marubeni Oil and Gas. The company will use the money to cover damages caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Tuesday, Oct. 26 An Iraqi court sentences Tariq Aziz, 74, a former top aide to Saddam Hussein, to death by hanging for crimes against members of rival Shiite political parties. … The SEC threatens to fine Mississippi State regarding the inappropriate use of cowbells during football games.

Levee Board members Gary Rhoads, Brad Rogers and Harvey Johnson Jr. sit in on a 2009 U.S. Army Corps of Engineer meeting.

he Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District’s navelgazing on flood control along the Pearl River this month drew fire from he Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review. PEER announced in July that it would conduct a study of the Levee Board’s nearly 50year effort—the board has been in existence since 1962—to enact flood control along the unpredictable edge of the Pearl River. Now, four months after state PEER Director Max K. Arinder announced the investigation—and decades of debate between board members over what kind of flood-control

plan to adopt—the agency is telling the Levee Board to get a move on. “Thirty-one years after the 1979 flood, governmental entities have not yet implemented a comprehensive flood-control plan for the Jackson metropolitan area,” PEER stated in an Oct. 12 report. “... [O]nce the (U.S. Army) Corps of Engineers reconsiders the pending flood control proposals, the district must take the actions necessary to implement an acceptable plan and provide the citizens of the metropolitan area with a long-awaited flood-control program.” The Levee Board must work with the Corps of Engineers in a shared effort to se-

lect a plan and fund it, whether that plan is a simple expansion of the current inadequate levee system or a more robust combination of levees and a recreational lake. A third option the board discussed over the last few years includes an even bigger lake that would act as a flood retainer, potentially without the need of levees, but which could face considerable opposition from federal environmental laws. The Corps prefers a levee expansion and deemed last year that any variation of a lake proposal would be unlikely to survive numerous environmental issues. In an effort to sway the Corps, the Levee Board recently approved PEER, see page 9

by Jesse Crow and Julia Hulitt

What scares you most about politics? “Greed.” —Greg Green 37, Canton

blindsided “I was totally blindsided by the fact that Public Health didn’t pass it. It’s clearly an important public-health issue.” —State Rep. Cecil Brown, DJackson, chairman of the House Education Committee, regarding the Senate’s Public Health Committee allowing a bill to die that would have required school districts to implement a sex-education policy.

“The distance politicians have from everyday life and everyday people.” —Karissa Bowley, 17, Fondren “The haircuts.” —Steve Harvey, 28, Flowood “It’s all kind of scary.” —Katy Pacelli, 32, Brandon “They (politicians) promise you one thing and do another. You can hardly trust them anymore.” —David Hopson, 44, Jackson

talk

news, culture & irreverence

PEER, from page 8

a plan combining a levee expansion and a smaller lake that would not threaten the wetland area north of Lakeland Drive. The Levee Board also pressured the state’s congressional delegation to push the Corps into including a lake plan in an upcoming flood-control feasibility study. But the PEER report makes clear that while the Levee Board’s more modest lake plan offers the advantage of new development and property taxes, “the time for study means further delay in the implementation of a flood control plan for the area.” PEER added that even if the smaller lake plan makes it into the feasibility study, there is no guarantee from the Corps that it will “favorably report” on the lake’s environmental impact. PEER investigators took note of the most recent smaller lake plan—but also referenced three decades of delay and a total of five failed flood-control project attempts similar in scope to the smaller lake plan, and warned that time is running short on flood control. “While PEER sees potential benefit in the development opportunities that a Lower Lake plan offers, the committee would note that the actions that would be necessary to implement the plan would take time and additional resources above what might be required to build a levee system such as that contemplated in the (Corps’ endorsed) Comprehensive Levee Plan,” the report states. PEER also made note of the problematic cost of the most recent lake incarnation. PEER stated that it believed the bill for the entire project could run about $500 million, which would require increases in property taxes to fund the local share. “Because the current language of WRDA of 2007 caps the federal financial participation (for the lake plan) at $135 million, the district would have to establish a plan for financing the local share of the project. PEER would assume that this would include the possible expansion of the district boundaries to include more territory in Rankin and Hinds counties that would be subject to ad valorem taxation to retire

bonds, projections of private fees that could conceivably be utilized for land leases, and possible in-lieu payments from state sources for the added protection that a flood control plan could provide to the state fairgrounds,” the report stated. It then referenced the cost issues inherent in an even cheaper levee expansion attempted by the state Legislature in 1996, and pointed out that legislators were willing to let Jackson go underwater rather than fund the $38 million local share of a simple levee expansion. “PEER suggests that these concerns might continue to have an impact on any proposal for levees or impoundments should any such plan require the adoption of amendments or revenue measures by the Mississippi Legislature,” PEER stated. “Should the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District require any amendments to its enabling legislation making amendments to its authority, the same interests that successfully defeated the Comprehensive Levee Plan might again mobilize to influence flood control plans for the Jackson metropolitan area.” In addition, PEER recommended that the Levee Board submit an annual report to legislators, due Dec. 31. Levee Board attorney Trudy Allen appears dubious of the PEER scrutiny and an April aborted an opinion request of the attorney general’s office by the Mississippi Department of Archives as to whether the Levee Board should be designated as a state agency. At Arinder’s July announcement of the investigation, Allen warned board members to remain consistent with its earlier opinion that it should not be considered a state agency: “We want to maintain that we are not subject to the legislative budget, and we are not a state agency,” Allen said. Levee Board Chairman Billy Orr said the board had not met since PEER released its report, but said the report would undoubtedly be a topic of conversation when the board continued its meeting Oct. 27. “I haven’t gotten any opinion out of the members of the board yet, but we’ll be talking about it,” Orr said. Get updates a www.jfp.ms.

Biz Round Up: Obesity, Restaurant News by Ward Schaefer

Esclava Grille, a Latin-inspired seafood restaurant, opened Oct. 5 in Flowood.

with Phuong Pham, owner of Vietnamese restaurant Saigon, to create Eslava’s Grille. The new restaurant opened Oct 5 and offers Latin-influenced dishes. Eslava’s Grille is located at 2481 Lakeland Drive in Flowood. Open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Call 601-932-4070 for more information.

jacksonfreepress.com

Seafood on Lakeland Danny Eslava, the original chef at AJ’s Seafood Grille in Ridgeland, has teamed up

Clipart

awmakers and medical researchers will convene in Jackson Nov. 9 through Nov. 11 for the Global Obesity Summit 2010. The event is part of an effort by UMMC to develop the Center for Obesity, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases Research. The summit, held at the Jackson Convention Center, features addresses from Congressman Bennie Thompson, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. Registration is $50 and open until Oct. 31. To register, visit gos.umc.edu.

Lacey McLaughLin

civilrightstalk

by Lacey McLaughlin

‘I Am Emmett Till’

October 27 - November 2, 2010

1935 Lakeland Dr. 601.906.2253

ank Thomas knew he was going to die. He only questioned how. As the Ku Klux Klan attacked and bombed the bus he was riding through Anniston, Ala., with 12 other Freedom Riders challenging Jim Crow laws, Thomas decided he would rather suffocate than get off the bus and allow the Klan to beat him to death. As smoke filled the interior of the bus, Thomas crouched on the floor to inhale the remaining oxygen. “I’m thinking, if you inhale smoke, you will go to sleep, and it will be a painless death,” he recalled. When he could no longer breathe, his reflexes took over and he began to fight for air. Suddenly, the gas tank exploded, and flames engulfed the bus exterior. The Klan members, who had been holding the bus door shut, ran away from the scene, and Thomas was able to get off and find safety. This was the second time the Klan had tried to kill Thomas during the summer of 1961, so he expected the worst when police arrested him and others when the ride ended in Jackson and transported him to Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Far from the public eye and media, police stopped the vehicles during the two-andhalf hour ride to Parchman and walked away leaving the Freedom Riders anticipating brutality or even death. Thomas, now 70, took a trip to Parchman during the Mississippi Center for Justice’s Delta Roadtrip earlier this month. The nonprofit legal organization hosted the annual Delta civil-rights tour for staff members, donors and guests to reflect on the significance of the movement. Thomas, who lives in Stone Mountain, Ga., will return to Jackson in May 2011 during the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Riders’ trip. Thomas is one of the 13 original riders. Hundreds more followed. A few miles outside Greenwood, the tour bus stopped at a dilapidated brick building on Money Road. The building was once Bryant’s Grocery, where a 14-year-old black boy named Emmett Till allegedly whistled at a white woman. Six days after the incident, officials found Till’s mutilated body floating

in the Tallahatchie River. A Mississippi grand jury indicted J. W. Milam and Roy Bryant for Till’s kidnapping and murder, but an allwhite jury acquitted them. In 1956 the two confessed to killing Till in Look Magazine. Till’s murder was the spark that lit the fuse of the Civil Rights Movement, said Luther Brown, director of Delta State University’s Delta Center for Culture and Learning, who led the tour. When reporters asked Rosa Parks why she refused give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus 100 days after the trial of Bryant and Milam, she said all she could think about was the young boy. As the tour group snapped photos at the site, Thomas turned away from the building and stared at the railroad tracks across the street. Once back on the bus, he grabbed a microphone. “I am Emmett Till,” he said somberly. The bus immediately grew silent. Thomas marked his 14th birthday the same year Till was murdered: 1955. At age 9, Thomas and a friend sat in the back of his hometown grocery store in Wadley, Ga., waiting for the white customers to leave so they could purchase goods. A white woman tried to move past him in the store’s narrow aisle, and he accidentally touched her arm. His friend abruptly ran out of the store. Thomas followed and asked what was wrong. “You touched a white woman,” his friend breathlessly replied. “As soon as it got dark, all the lamp lights were blown out. I can remember to this day, my mother praying: ‘Lord Jesus, please don’t let anyone hurt my boy.’ I didn’t understand what it was about then. When Emmett Till was killed, it began to dawn on me. I don’t know how many boys or men were killed during that time. … To you, it’s an academic narrative. To me, I just relived it.” Thomas, who received a Purple Heart for injuries he received during the Vietnam War, says he didn’t expect to get emotional during his trip back to the Delta, but it opened the wounds from a time when blacks were under attack. “I remember getting so mad, I just wanted to holler,” he said about the injustices he witnessed.

Hank Thomas, one of the original 13 Freedom Riders, returned to the Mississippi State Penitentiary for the first time in 50 years this month.

At Parchman, he revisited the barren jail cells where he lived for 45 days in the prison’s maximum-security unit. At one point, guards put Thomas in solitary confinement for two days after he led the prisoners in songs about freedom. It’s where the state now carries out executions. “While I don’t forget what happened to me, I can’t carry grudges,” he said. “I believe that you dissipate your creative energies when you seek revenge.” When Thomas returns next spring, a historical marker will be next to Bryant’s Grocery. Two Delta trip participants from last year, who wish to remain anonymous, donated funds for the marker. Brown said the marker is a step in what he hopes will someday be part of a state-wide civil-rights trail, similar to the recently erected blues trail, cataloguing the events that paved the way for blacks to achieve equality. “The demand for civil-rights sites among tourists is every bit as great as blues sites,” Brown said. As the bus headed south on Highway 49, Thomas sang songs he led at the penitentiary. “I’m taking a trip on the greyhound bus line,” he sang. “I’m riding the front seat to Jackson this time, Hallelujah I’m traveling, Hallelujah ain’t it fine. Hallelujah I’m traveling down freedom’s mainline.” JFP News Editor Lacey McLaughlin attended the tour at the expense of the Mississippi Center for Justice.

Central Mississippi residential Center

by Adam Lynch

Mental Funding Under Knife

dvocates for a state-funded mental hospital in Newton are pleading with state legislators to keep its doors open next year. “We want to appeal to them to support us with adequate funding so we can keep providing the valuable service we offer,” said Central Mississippi Residential Center Executive Director Debbie Ferguson. Ferguson said that the Mississippi Department of Mental Health has already suffered more than $20 million in cuts and that Gov. Haley Barbour has demanded that the department pay 50 percent of the federal match for community health centers, leaving it needing an additional $37 million to be able to continue to provide current services. In his Nov. 16, 2009, budget recommendations, Barbour proposed closing several mental health facilities and crisis centers, including the Central Mississippi Residential Center. Other facilities include the Mississippi Adolescent Center in Brookhaven, the North Mississippi State Hospital in Tupelo, South Mississippi State Hospital in Purvis, the Brookhaven Crisis Center and the Cleveland Crisis Center. Barbour said the state needed to move away from the institutional treatment.

But Ferguson said the Central Mississippi Residential Center is not exclusively an institutional-care hospital. The facility offers an adult day-care program for Alzheimer’s patients, where family members can retrieve them at the end of the workday. The program delays placing Alzheimer’s patients into expensive full-time nursing homes. The center also offers a series of group “half way” homes based on a community setting for mentally ill patients who have been stabilized at a full-time institution, but who are still unprepared for independent living. Finally, the center provides a crisis-intervention center—the only one still operated by the state—which offers a temporary home for people who are suicidal and those with other serious mental disorders. Ferguson said the governor wants to close four facilities, including CMRC, not because they represent expensive institutional health care but because they are all predominately dependent upon state general funds: “(Barbour) gets the biggest bang for the buck by closing these facilities,” she said. Larry Waller, the father of former CMRC patient Michael Waller, said he did not know where his son would have gone had CMRC not been available in Newton.

Advocates for Central Mississippi Residential Center say budget shortfalls will close their facility and release mentally ill patients to the streets unless legislators intervene.

“Our goal was to make him as independent as possible,” Waller said of his bipolar son. “We want him to be where he can take care of himself, and CMRC fit a critical stage in between Michael’s worse stage and supervised apartment living.” Critics say Barbour is putting an unhealthy rush on community-based health care, which is not a mature industry in the state. The Mississippi Department of Health oversees the minimum standards for businesses providing residents with one or more daily assisted-living services,” according to MDH. However personal-care homes don’t have to be licensed if they have three or fewer occupants, said Nancy Whitehead of the Mississippi Department of Health’s Regulation and Licensure Division. Attorney General Jim told the JFP in July that incomplete state regulations leave too much room for abuse from assisted-living businesses with three or fewer residents.

“If you’re taking care of people in a home anywhere, whether it is a nursing home or anything, it should be a requirement that it be licensed,” Hood said in July. “ … [T]hat’s a loophole that needs to be closed.” Hood’s office is prosecuting personal-care home workers for the freezing death of one personal-care home resident in Jackson. House Public Health Committee Chairman Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, said he would work with legislators to try to find $37 million to fill the budget hole and keep centers like CMRC open in the upcoming session. “I’m going to be like a barracuda trying to get that money,” Holland told the Jackson Free Press. “The public just does not realize what we’re facing in the budget. It is gargantuan. These are Grand Canyon-style cutbacks, but without the beauty of the Grand Canyon. Still, these institutions are not closing under my watch.”

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EDITORIAL

Bring Early Voting to Mississippi

lections are already underway for more than 3 million Americans who have access to early voting. What we’re wondering at this point is why not us? Mid-term elections in Iowa, Indiana and Ohio are getting a robust response with voters stepping in early to cast their ballots. Democrats and Republicans both claim in The New York Times this month that they’re getting a better response than they expected this year. We’d like to have that kind of convenience here in Mississippi. Early voting has its pluses. Many voters don’t get around as well as others. Invalids or the handicapped can’t always make special travel plans to get their wheelchairs in front of the polling place on the designated day. Non-voting relatives aren’t always ready with a car on Tuesday, and some smaller municipalities offer no “Handi-Lift” services for the disabled. Other voters, such as employees in the transportation and travel industries, may be hundreds of miles away from their polling place when that fateful Tuesday comes rolling around. For other people, it may be a matter of convenience. Some people, try as they might, simply are not capable of wrenching themselves away from their frantic daytime jobs long enough to pay a short visit to the polls. There are plenty of reasons to allow early voting. Legislators acknowledged as much during the 2009 legislative session when they attempted to tack an earlyvoting initiative to a photo-identification requirement bill. Democrats attached the early-voting law to HB 1533 as a means to attract support for the Republicanchampioned photo ID legislation. The same legislation would have doubtless increased voter turnout in Mississippi by also extending registration time (including same-day registration), and returning suffrage to people convicted of non-violent crimes, including writing bad checks—a crime that afflicts a high number of African Americans. The same legislation also would have made it easier for motorists to register to vote at the same place they get their drivers license. However, Senate Republicans chose to kill the voter ID legislation rather than allow residents access to early voting and other voting incentives. The GOP seems to fear more voters, and that’s a sad state. Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant said last year that he was “not willing to back down from my Republican conservative principles and accept early voting and other provisions that compromise fair elections.” What exactly is that compromise? What, precisely, are we losing by not encouraging as many people as possible to vote? Is it really the fear that facilitating voting will bring more black people to the polls? Let’s hope not. There’s too much history in Mississippi with keeping blacks away from the polls. Republicans: Rather than blocking people you think might vote against you, the American way would be doing everything possible to get the most people to support your policies because they benefit a wide swath of Mississippians. Any elected official who does not support early voting does not deserve our support. Pressure your legislator to support this voter-friendly, bipartisan policy.

KEN STIGGERS

Head Up; Wig On

October 27 - November 2, 2010

oneQweesha Jones: “Greetings, Hair Did University students and faculty. I scheduled this special assembly to remind you to go to the polls and vote. I know some of you are very discouraged and frustrated and confused about the government and society. “My purpose today is to encourage you all to fulfill your dreams to become successful entrepreneurs and well-trained professionals. Don’t allow the misfortunes of Juan Williams and Rick Sanchez break your spirit. And don’t let the drama between Clarence Thomas’ wife and Anita Hill distract you from accomplishing your goals. Now is the time to be a critical thinker. Remember the positive things that brought you to this point: unity, perseverance, diligence, intelligence and patience. “No matter what happens, remember to remain poised and continue to move forward in life, just like my former student who almost lost her favorite wig after church service. An usher opened the front door of the church, and a strong wind blew her wig off; she spent 10 minutes chasing her wig down the church hallway. Although she endured a challenging moment, she faced it with class and dignity. “The moral of the story is: Even though the winds of change may blow your wig off course, you can chase it down and put it back on your head. In other words: Keep your head up and your wig on. And don’t let gusts of apathy, fear, bigotry, intimidation and hatred stop you from voting. “Now, back to your regularly scheduled classes.”

KAMIKAzE

Re-Shaking Things Up

ven I get discouraged. As much as I champion Jackson, there are times that its outdated vestiges rear their ugly heads. There are times when the corporate status quo takes a few slow promising steps forward, then a disappointing few steps backward. It’s at our greatest moments that sometimes we shoot ourselves in the foot—or at least aim the gun that way. My head is bloodied, yet unbowed. We’ve all known this fight for our city would be a long one. There may be casualties, but those casualties don’t need to be the new generation of professionals that want to stay. It can’t be the thousands of renaissance men like myself who multi-task, doing several things while keeping our ears to the streets. You cannot penalize us for being innovative, right? Is that the best way to attract and retain talent? Will we continue to stay motivated when our ideas are never used? Currently, no. The politicians play politics. The businessmen play politics. The politics have politics. And our generation of straight shooters has become angry. This past weekend, I had a great conversation with several of my contemporaries in town, many of whom, like me, have that entrepreneurial spirit. One works in corporate information technology and also runs a studio. Another manages a retail store and DJs throughout the South. Another works for a nonprofit and writes a blog. All of them expressed disgust at this city’s current state of affairs. All of them opined at how they

felt stagnant and how their employers weren’t using their talents. Their employers didn’t “understand” what works today, and scoffed at Facebook and Twitter. They said this city still seems to be geared to the “good ole boys.” It’s hard for even a ProJack to argue when I see the same things. Our conversation turned to the suburbs and how no one here seems to be noticing that in Clinton, Pearl, Madison, Brandon and Flowood, new restaurants, entertainment venues and retail outlets are popping up. But we don’t have the out-of-the-box thinkers in place to combat that suburban growth. What we have are pencil pushers, yes, folks who have no connection to the communities they live in. The egos in this city are so thick you can cut them with a knife. But I am undeterred. This city will win! I’m going to do my part. A change is a comin’. In the weeks upcoming you’re going to see the more familiar Kaze return—the rabble-rouser, the innovator of vision. I’ve got to be me—the ProJack! The earring; the wallet-chain; the Chuck Taylors; the brash realness; all the things that made corporate dinosaurs scoff at me in meetings. And all the things that made them uncomfortable when I stood up to speak. It’s time to “re-shake” things up in the capital city. The radio show is returning. The Jackson Progressives are returning. And coming with me are those colleagues who had that great conversation with. We’re going to turn this city on its underbelly. And that’s the truth ... sho-nuff.

E-mail letters to letters@jacksonfreepress.com, fax to 601-510-9019, or mail to P.O. Box 5067, Jackson, Miss., 39296. Include daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Or, write a 300-600-word “Your Turn” and send it by e-mail, fax or mail above with a daytime phone number. All submissions are subject to fact checks.

LACEY MCLAUGHLIN

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henever I meet a smart, progressive Mississippi woman who gets her opinion across, remains firm but compassionate and has the ability to inspire others, I find myself ecstatically blurting out: “You should run for governor someday!” I’m often met with perplexed looks and one of three responses: “I have no experience”; “I’m not conservative enough for Mississippi”; or “I really don’t want my less-thanperfect-past dug up.” At that point, the conversation usually comes to a halt. Politics conjures up images of power-hungry candidates slinging mud and low-balling each other while telling halftruths. The majority of those candidates are male, and I often wonder why any respectable woman would want to sign up for such a task. But without females running in the state’s general congressional elections this year, and only one female judicial candidate in Hinds County, women will continue to lack a voice on important issues in our state. The Mississippi Commission on the Status of Women reported last August that in 2003 women accounted for 13 percent of the Mississippi House and 12 percent of the Mississippi Senate. The state ranks 49th nationally for the number of women in office. Only two women have ever served in major statewide offices: Evelyn Gandy, who served as Commissioner of Public Welfare, Insurance Commissioner and lieutenant governor from 1964 to 1980; and Amy Tuck, who served as lieutenant governor from 2000 to 2008. No woman from Mississippi has ever served as governor or as U.S. senator or representative. The commission is currently working with the Mississippi secretary of state’s office to compile more recent data on the percentage of women in the Legislature and the number of women currently running for office. There are several theories why women aren’t running for office. John C. Stennis Institute of Government Director Marty Wiseman says our state’s traditional roles in which women have predominately been caretakers keep many from running. It is clear that women also lack resources and encouragement from others to run for office, which can stifle their confidence. Jackson resident Jo Hollman, who ran for state Senate in 1985, said female candidates need to gain support from not just females but also males for donations and endorsements, which can be difficult in a state known for its good ol’ boy mentality. Sadly, our state is far behind others. In California, 32 women are running for congressional and state offices on the Nov. 2 ballot. Even our neighboring state Alabama has

nine women running for state and congressional offices. And in the last few weeks we’ve see Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell (whom I do not endorse), California candidate for governor Meg Whitman and South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley dominate news coverage. Tuck and her opponent Barbara Blackmon made history in the 2003 lieutenant governor’s race as the first time two female candidates to run against each other for state-wide office. In the race, former Democrat Tuck was the Republican nominee. She challenged Democrat Blackmon on her prochoice views. Blackmon, in response, signed an affidavit saying she’d never had an abortion, and challenged Tuck to do the same. Tuck agreed. Many women now say the focus on personal abortion choices created a chilling effect for women who may have considered a future political career. Luckily, I’m not the only woman concerned about the lack of female candidates. Commission on Women Executive Director Pam Johnson said her organization is working with the John C. Stennis Institute of Government to host a women’s political seminar in early 2010 to give women the resources and advice to run for office. The website, sheshouldrun.org, is a great resource for women considering a career in politics. The site offers campaign tips and has a nomination form, in which you can ask a woman to run for office by offering an encouraging e-mail. My friend Brittany Hickman, who is the state chairwoman for the international humanitarian organization CARE, brought up the fact that not enough women in Jackson engage in political issues and debates. I agreed with her, and recently over a few glasses of wine, we put our heads together formed and a group that tackles that very issue. The group, appropriately dubbed W.I.N.E. (Women Inquiring, Networking and Engaging), is a bipartisan monthly gettogether with a guest speakers and discussions on public policies and issues in Mississippi. We hope that this will start a conversation and encourage women to break our state’s glass ceiling. With statewide elections in the near future, this is the right time to address the lack of women in office. With more women candidates, I expect issues such as child care, reproductive health, domestic abuse, maternal care and pay equality will get the attention they deserve. For details about W.I.N.E. meetings, e-mail Lacey McLaughlin at lacey@jacksonfreepress.com.

CORRECTION: In “Tom’s Food Diversity Quiz” (Vol. 9, Issue 5), writer Tom Ramsey called the restaurant Brasserie Les Halles in New York City Les Halles Bistro. The Jackson Free Press apologizes for the error.

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Editor in Chief Donna Ladd Publisher Todd Stauffer

More Female Candidates, Please

Buying Justice Secret Big Money Makes for Treacherous Elections by Adam Lynch

October 27 - November 2, 2010

Buying Verdicts Convicted Attorney Dickie Scruggs has a face that appears downright jaunty. The former fighter pilot entered the legal business and took on opponents with the same fever he used in the cockpit. He had 14 a habit of picking wealthy opponents with

difficult-to-defend arguments and made a name for himself. The south Mississippi attorney made millions taking on an industry that spent decades trying to insert lung-damaging asbestos into almost every facet of the construction industry. Seeing his legal prowess, then-Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore brought people like Scruggs on as contracted attorneys on behalf of Mississippi to take on the behemoth tobacco industry. Scruggs and other attorneys, including Minor, generated millions of dollars from settlements they won over the tobacco and asbestos industries, not to mention the considerable success they earned in many independent trial cases. Both Scruggs and Minor, flush with new financial resources form their solid conquests, donated lavishly to people in judicial races, most often to candidates with a Democratic bent, or those perceived by them to be either more friendly to plaintiff cases—or at least not as biased in favor of corporations on the bad side of a lawsuit. U.S. Chamber advocates complained for years that plaintiff-friendly lawyers like COURTESY OF JERE NASH

n October, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to address an appeal by convicted Mississippi attorney Paul Minor and former judges Walter “Wes” Teel and John Whitfield, who a U.S. District Court jury convicted of corruption in 2007. This decision likely brings to an end the defendants’ push to get out of prison early, on the argument that prosecutors were never able to pinpoint an exchange of services between Minor’s campaign donations and the judges’ alleged favorable decisions on his cases. Teel’s wife, Myrna Teel, says prosecutors were never able to point to a particular trade for services, while Whitfield’s attorney said the prosecution’s indictment of the judges amounted to an attack upon freedom of speech protecting the right to contribute to campaigns. Oddly, this is the same argument of one of Minor’s mortal enemies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a business-funded lobbying group that gives millions of (often foreign) dollars anonymously to businessfriendly judicial candidates in a very specific attempt to generate favorable rulings for corporate defendants. Minor, a trial lawyer, frequently represented plaintiffs seeking damages against corporations for alleged wrong-doing. To wit, trial attorneys and judges are going to prison for the same, or lesser, privileges afforded to the nation’s bigbusiness lobby. This legal double standard, tilting toward powerful corporations, led one former Mississippi judge to point out the increasingly obvious: The Chamber can give big money where generous lawyers must now fear to tread, leaving the scales of justice seriously tilted toward the corporate right. What does this hypocrisy mean for Mississippi?

Attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs, who pleaded guilty to corruption in 2008, is a poster child for doing away with the election process for installing judges.

Scruggs and Minor were donating too heavily to the judicial system, even as trial lawyer associations argued that attorney campaign donations didn’t appear to be generating a pro-plaintiff bent at the Mississippi Supreme Court level. The argument has become moot since the celebrity takedown of both Scruggs and Minor during the last seven years, however, and Chamber advocates have to search hard to find proof of trial lawyer influence on the Supreme Court. The Chamber’s influence, on the other hand, has been growing ever since it embarked on its own vocal push to influence judicial races. A 2001 Wall Street Journal article revealed that U.S. Chamber President and CEO Thomas Donohue created several special accounts to absorb money for political fights on behalf of companies or groups of companies seeking an edge in court cases. The accounts allow the Chamber to keep its donor list nice and anonymous. In fact, the Chamber battled courts in Mississippi during the 2000 election to keep its donor list far out of public view. In October 2000, the Chamber flooded corporate-friendly candidates with campaign cash, according to former Supreme Court Judge Oliver Diaz, who said the organization was funding attack ads claiming him to be the friend of drug dealers and other unseemly types. Diaz, who had not expected $1 million worth of ads in the final weeks of the elections from his competition, had to scramble to keep up. “That was the first time the Chamber came into Mississippi, and then two or three years later they did the same thing to (Justice) Chuck McRae, forwarding lots of money against him, and they’ve done it in every (Mississippi) Supreme Court election since then, and then in my most recent election in 2008,” said Diaz, who lost the 2008 race. “The problem with that is it looks like

these outside interests are buying judges in the state of Mississippi, and all over the country actually. It isn’t limited to the state of Mississippi.” Chamber of Influence So far, the higher court system appears to favor the Chamber’s right to fund judicial races—and keep it quiet. Four Mississippi judicial candidates the Chamber had determined to be proplaintiff—Oliver Diaz, Billy Joe Landrum, Chuck Easley and Frank Vollor—filed an injunction in 2002 to keep Chamber ads off television stations, citing state regulation of out-of-state money. A local judge granted the injunction, but then the Chamber immediately appealed the decision up to the U.S. Supreme Court, where ultra-conservative Justice Antonin Scalia reversed the decision and allowed the ads back on the air, making Mississippi a major destination for anonymous procorporate campaign cash. The Wall Street Journal marveled in 2001 at the amount of money that rolled in from anonymous Chamber donors: “… Mr. Donohue raised more than $5 million for judicial campaign ads in Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Indiana and Alabama. Many of the targeted judges had rendered verdicts against one or more of the companies contributing to the effort.”. Mississippi Supreme Court decisions suggest those Chamber donations are making a serious difference in promoting their side of the argument in courts. Attorney Alex Alston told the Jackson Free Press that the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed 88 percent of jury verdicts favoring plaintiffs in the four years leading up to 2008, after years of Chamber influence

Critics say Gov. Haley Barbour has only appointed two African Americans to judicial seats since he came into office six years ago.The first was in 2009.

in Mississippi election cycles. Alston added that the Court reversed absolutely no jury verdicts favoring corporate defendants. Former Chief Justice Jim Smith denied that Alston’s numbers were accurate in 2008, and told the Jackson Free Press at the Neshoba County Fair that he had numbers on his person saying otherwise. He pointed to a file supposedly containing the numbers, but refused to show them to this reporter. The Mississippi College Law Review found similar results to Alston’s in 2009, reporting that the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed twice as many civil plaintiff verdicts as defense verdicts from 2004 to

2008. Mississippi College Law Review used trial courts as a kind of control group, and found that judges and juries in trial courts were more balanced, with 310 verdicts for the plaintiff and 281 for the defense. Diaz said corporate-affiliated judges can make incredible changes to state laws without adding or removing a single line from the actual law. “You can change the law without even changing the actual wording of the actual laws in the books. You change the law by changing the folks who interpret those laws. And that’s dangerous when we get to that point,” Diaz said. “When you’re dealing with judges and judicial elections, the law is

Foreign Influence? This election cycle is showing few signs that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is backing off on attempts to buy corporationfriendly public officials. In fact, it seems to be raising the funds it later donates in countries where many American jobs have gone in recent years. Think Progress, a publication connected to progressive public policy research and advocacy organization Center for American Progress, published an exposé in October revealing the Chamber’s foreign fundraising operation. “The Chamber raises money from foreign-owned businesses for its 501(c)(6) entity, the same account that finances its unprecedented $75 million-dollar partisan attack ad campaign,” Think Progress stated, while citing a list of 83 foreign companies that donate to the Chamber’s 501(c)(6). Many of the companies come from India, a

country now infamous as a destination for outsourced U.S. jobs. Think Progress notes that the information it cites comes from annual dues, and that the Chamber “likely has more (unknown) foreign corporations as duespaying members—but refuses to divulge any of the funders for their ad campaign.” Mississippi author and Democratic operative Jere Nash says the Chamber has a shocking influence upon the Mississippi Supreme Court through its election system. “There are people who are very angry that an organization like the Chamber can come into Mississippi and dump a million dollars into state Supreme Court races and elect two of their judges,” Nash said. “[The Chamber] elected two out of four, and the trial lawyers elected their two out of four (in 2001), but the Chamber clearly changed the balance and created two victories. If the Chamber had not spent that money that year, they would not have won those races. That was the same way Jess Dickenson raced against Chuck McRae, and when outside organizations came in to help Bubba Pierce (unseat) Oliver Diaz. Pierce would not have been elected had it not been for that outside money.” Pierce was not available for comment. No More Elected Judges? Journalist Curtis Wilkie recently published a book, “The Fall of the House of Zeus” (Crown Publishers, 2010, $25.99), ELECTIONS, see page 19 ™

pa i d a dv e rt i s e m e n t

hen it comes to home cooking, no one can do it better than Mama. That’s the truth at Mama’s Eats & Sweets at 2017 Boling Street in Jackson. Owners Rachel Duncan and Arletha Shaw are the momdaughter duo responsible for providing home cooking and soul food deliciousness to customers for over ten years. “We both love cooking and wanted to do Rachel Duncan, Arletha Shaw & Ebony Taylor what we love,” says Shaw. “So one day mom (Rachel Duncan) said, ‘Why not give it a try?’ And here we are ten years later.” The atmosphere is laid back, and customers come from all walks of life: from healthcare professionals down the street at Mississippi Hinds Comprehensive Care to military service men and women, to factory workers and supervisors from the Hawkins Industrial Park. Thursday and Fridays are the busiest days of the week for Mama’s Eats & Sweets, according to Shaw, simply because that’s when the menu has every popular menu item that customers enjoy: baked chicken, fried chicken, lasagna, chicken tetrazzini, turkey and dressing, chop steak with rice, beef tips with rice, fried pork chops and smothered pork chops with rice. All dishes are homemade with fresh produce and ingredients, and Mama’s Eats & Sweets wouldn’t have it any other way. From squash casserole to sweet potatoes, the staff cooks every meal like they would for their very own family. For example, when it comes to the sweet potatoes, they hand-peel them and cook them just the way your mama or grandma would. Customers do proclaim the wholesome goodness of the food, but say that the personality of Mama’s Eats & Sweets keeps them coming back for more. “We treat customers with the best attitude, because a lot of times that is what makes the difference in choosing a place to dine: if they experience good attitudes from a restaurant, they are going to come back.” Honestly, though, the desserts alone will create an addictive attitude for any customer. How so? First of all, they are homemade; secondly, you can get just a sweet taste from a slice, or order a whole cake to enjoy at home. From hummingbird cake – filled with bananas, pecans, carrots, raisins and more with a cream cheese icing – to red velvet cake, six-flavor pound cake, sock-it-to-me cake and more. Is your mouth watering yet? Making plans for sweets for visiting family members or a family friend during the holiday season? Mama’s Eats & Sweets can make any specialty cake OR pie at your request. Just call a day or two ahead of time at 601-713-0550, and Arletha and Rachel will help you. Craving your mama’s cooking that you haven’t had in a while? Try Mama’s Eats & Sweets Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. They’ll take care of you just like your mama would.

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Jerrick Smith

supposed to be the law. It’s supposed to be black and white. It is what it is. But when you get to the point when changing the judges can change the law, you’re getting rule by judges instead of rule by law. You’re getting judges that are setting themselves up as rulers.” Their power, Diaz says, is more ubiquitous than many people realize because judges arbitrate disputes among everyday citizens, from a multi-million-dollar asbestos suit to a $50,000 personal malpractice claim against a hospital. “[I]t really threatens our entire system of justice,” Diaz said.

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by Ward Schaefer

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Where the Glitch Isâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

ill Gowan wants to make his temporary post on the Hinds County Circuit Court more permanent. Currently serving as a special circuit judge, Gowan hears serious drug and violent-crime cases investigated and prosecuted by the Jackson Enforcement Team, a federally funded program. He is running for the Circuit Court seat for Sub-District 4, competing with Malcolm Harrison, Gov. Haley Barbourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s temporary appointee to the seat. Gowan attended the University of Mississippi, receiving a bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in 1964 and his law degree in 1966. He served two stints as a specially appointed Hinds County Court judge, first in 2002 and again in 2006. He has also worked as a prosecutor for the city of Jackson and as in-house counsel for the Hinds County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department. People complain about a backlog on the criminal docket in circuit court. Where is that coming from? Right now thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approximately 2,000 outstanding cases on the trial docket, between 1,200 and 1,500 new indictments this year. You do the math on that. There are four judges, plus two JET judges. And the JET court has very limited dockets: only violent crimes and drugs. The JET cases have helped in reducing the backlog, because of the fact that many of these people that come up before the court through the JET program are recidivists. They might have a charge already pending with a trial on the docket now. What usually happens is that those cases are all consolidated, and if thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a plea bargain, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all taken care of. In effect, it reduces the backlog. Some people talk about expanding the use of county court judges to hear criminal cases. Is that a potential solution to the backlog? The criminal justice system is made up of several components, as you know: enforcement, prosecution, the public de-

fenderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office or private lawyers, and the judiciary. So when you start talking about the county court taking over some of these responsibilities, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to prosecute? Where are the defenders going to come from? The problem is not just (solved by) an additional judge on the bench. Often times, when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got somebody before me, either at a bond hearing or an initial appearance, I look at his criminal history. A criminal history will tell you how many times someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been arrested, but it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily deal with convictions. â&#x20AC;Ś If someone has been arrested, you look to see whether he was bonded. If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been in the past 18 months or so, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not on anybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s docket, (and) he hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been indicted, yet, chances are the district attorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know a crimeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been committed. This personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been arrested; heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been booked; heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been released on bond. And law enforcementâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;because of time constraints, lack of manpower, or whatever the case may beâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;has not sent it to the district attorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office for indictment. â&#x20AC;Ś Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big glitch in the system. There needs to be some accountability. If thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an arrest made, there needs to be some cross-reference to what happened to this arrest. Has it been prepared? Has it been sent to the district attorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office? When I was a county judge, we actually would have status (conferences) every 30 days, where the law enforcement agencies would come in, the district attorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office would come in, the public defenderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office would come in, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d talk about some of these cases that were on the docket or arrests that had been made. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not rocket science to find out â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bill Gowan has been arrested on a charge,â&#x20AC;? because I was booked in. Now, taking the booking information and taking it forward: Has he been indicted? Does the district attorneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office even know he was arrested? â&#x20AC;Ś Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where the glitch is. So these folks are falling through the system? The DAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office can only proceed on

Bill Gowan, who has served in various Hinds County judicial seats on an appointed basis, is running for Circuit Court judge.

prosecution for those cases that they know exist. On your website, you describe yourself as conservative. What does that mean? I try to live by those ideals and standards that were instilled in me by my parents. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think that you can overlook consequences for crime. There are a lot of socioeconomic reasons as to why crimes are committed, but that has nothing to do with guilt or innocence. Now, if there are some socioeconomic reasons that one should take into consideration in sentencing time, then thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the appropriate time to take that into consideration. But if someone has never held down a job, and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re 40 years old, and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been managing to survive somehow, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not going to make that leap of faith and say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing something illegal for his livelihood.â&#x20AC;? I think that everyone needs to be employed. I think that everyone needs to contribute to our society in some way. What would be your first actions if elected? The first thing I would do is do a general docket call and find out the status of all the cases that are on my docket. I would require pre-trial orders to be entered on all of them, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d set some trigger dates and some timeframes in which to get these cases disposed. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d try to reinstitute this monthly status conference among all the components of the justice system to find out what happened to all these people that have been arrested.

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courteSy BiLL SKinner

by Ward Schaefer

Providing Structure

What’s your level of involvement now with the youth detention center? I will say this: It’s been pretty contentious in the past. However, they’ve got a new guy over there running the detention center, Dale Knight, who I have a good working relationship with. He comes into my office. He tells me what he needs; I tell him what I need; and we have a cooperation that we have not had since the Board of Supervisors took over running the facility. He’s not scared to walk over here and tell me what he needs. … Most of this hoopla about this place is just overblown. This is a fine facility that offers a ton of programs for youth that are brought in here. And youth court is about rehabilitation, not punishment. Every child that comes in here is not treated the same. Every child is treated according to that child’s individual needs. There were concerns last year about overcrowding.

Meet the Judicial Candidates

Would you want to stay in youth court if you got re-elected? It’s a very stressful job, and you don’t get very many breaks. But from listening to the community—the principals, … these churches—they say I’m where I need to be. And my wife and kids may argue different, but I feel we’ve made a difference, particularly in the sexually abused, physically abused and neglected kids. My promise, when I came down here, was that the perpetrator might victimize these kids, but I’m not going to let the court do it. When I first came down here you had about seven perpetrators going to circuit court and being prosecuted. Now there’s about 200 going. So these perpetrators are finally being prosecuted for sexually abusing, physically abusing these kids. I’m very proud of that. Now are we all perfect? No. I think there

• Professional Experience: Southwest Mississippi Legal Services; Walls Law Firm (Greenwood); Burton Law Firm Burton has previously run for Hinds County Justice Court. His campaign is almost entirely self-financed, with $20,236 of the $26,561 he has raised coming from his own funds. adam Lynch

by Ward Schaefer

We have 84 beds here. What the overcrowding was a result of was—it runs in cycles down here. We may go a couple months and have 20 kids down here. Then we may go a couple of months and have 60. The overcrowding issue was not because we were overcrowded. We have 84 beds. … I can’t think of a time that we’ve had 84 kids. It was not overcrowding; it was understaffed. They didn’t have enough officers to meet the state and federal guidelines.

Mississippi Seventh District Circuit Court (Hinds County)

Ward Schaefer

Sub-District 1 Bruce Burton • Education: Alcorn State University, B.A. (1978); Southern University, J.D. (1999).

Ali ShamsidDeen • Education: University of Washington, B.A. (1975); Samford University, J.D. (2002) • Professional Experience: editor, The Jackson Advocate; Lumumba and Freelon; Law Firm of Ali ShamsidDeen; Jackson Municipal Court Judge ShamsidDeen has raised $21,981, with at least $7,000 coming from the Jackson area’s Indian business community. His former employer, attorney Harvey Freelon, chipped in another $1,400. Other notable donors include businessman Socrates Garrett ($500), attorney Dennis Sweet ($1,000) and former Congressman Mike Espy ($500). Jeff Weill • Education: Michigan State University, B.A. (1979); University of Mississippi, J.D. (1982) • Professional Experience: assistant district attorney, Copiah, Lincoln, Pike and Walthall counties; special prose-

Former Jackson policeman Bill Skinner (left) is running for reelection as Hinds County Court Judge for District 3.

are a lot of things we can do better. What would you like to tackle in another term? One thing we want to increase is the community’s partnership with youth court: more mentoring programs; more churches involved in mentoring; more after-school programs. And we’ve got to address the gang problem we have in Hinds County. We have a serious gang problem. We’ve got to get more men involved in these children’s lives. Too often, there’s not a man involved in these children’s lives, male or female, and they crave that. Why should voters re-elect you? All you have to do is look at what we’ve accomplished. Look at the recidivism rate; look at the programs we’ve started and the involvement with the local churches. I think, on my record alone, I’m not one of these that just sits there. … I think if people will just look at my record, there won’t be any question. Comment at www.jfp.ms/politics.

cutor, Hinds County; independent mediation and arbitration practice; Ward 1 City Councilman (2007present) The Jackson councilman has raised $99,458, most of which he amassed in the first half of 2010. Top contributors include the Mississippi Medical Association’s political action committee ($2,500), Jackson oilman William Mounger ($2,500), businessman Leland Speed ($1,000) and Gov. Haley Barbour’s PAC ($500). Sub-District 4

Malcolm Harrison (current appointee) • Education: Jackson State University, B.A. (1991); Samford University, J.D. (1994) • Professional Experience: Hinds County Prosecuting Attorney; interim Hinds County Circuit Court Judge (2009-present) Harrison was Barbour’s pick to fill the circuit court seat vacated by disgraced former judge Bobby DeLaughter and was Barbour’s first African American judicial appointee. Barbour’s PAC has chipped in $1,000 to Harrison’s campaign. Harrison has raised $53,585 from sources including Good Samaritan Counseling of Raleigh, N.C. ($2,000), IMS Engineers ($500), the Mississippi Medical PAC ($1,000) and Mississippi Physicians PAC ($1,000). adam Lynch

How do you feel about presiding over youth court? When I first came down here, I had my apprehensions, because my goal was to put people in jail and run the adult drug court. But this has ended up being

a blessing. I think we’ve had more impact on youth in Hinds County than anybody would’ve anticipated. And that’s not just me; I’m surrounded by a staff that is far more intelligent than I am. The first year we were down here, with the programs we instituted, we reduced the recidivism rate 78 percent the first year. We’re kind of stuck right there.

Kenya hudSon

ill Skinner didn’t expect to be a youth court judge. A former Jackson police officer and Hinds County Justice Court judge, Skinner wanted to hear adult criminal cases when he won a seat on the Hinds County Court in 2006, but senior county court Judge Houston Patton assigned him to the youth court. Skinner has tackled the assignment with relish, instituting a number of counseling and treatment programs aimed at rehabilitating the juvenile offenders who appear in his courtroom. Skinner’s presence at the Youth Court has been a lightning rod at times for debate over the county’s troubled youth detention center, Henley-Young. In 2009, the county Board of Supervisors stripped him of authority over the detention center with a 3-2 vote. At the time, Skinner’s critics raised concerns about the facility’s management. The center has since gone through two directors. Skinner grew up in Jackson and attended Hinds Community College and Mississippi College, where he received his bachelor’s, master’s and law degrees.

JUDGES, see page 18 ™

jacksonfreepress.com

judgedish

by Ward Schaefer

‘The Ability to Discern’ WARD SCHAEFER

How could county court be improved? I like to use the analogy of the school system: You have a school system where you have a teacher in the classroom. The teacher has 15 students. The teacher can do pretty good. But if the teacher has 60 students or 100 students, … it’s going to be a bad situation. You can’t get the optimal outcome. Here in Hinds County … the incidence of crime is way more than years back. But the number of judges is still the same. To be honest about it, there needs to be something done at the legislative level to address it: make provisions to have more circuit court judges. Then that “instructor” won’t have 60 students; it can go back down to 16 or 20. So if you had more judges, they’d be able to handle more cases.

Jackson attorney Bruce Burton is vying for the Hinds County Circuit Court seat being vacated by Judge Swan Yerger.

Burton believes his varied experience would make him a better judge. A candidate for retiring Judge Swan Yerger’s Hinds County Circuit Court seat, Burton previously ran for a position on the county Justice Court. He is currently in private practice with his wife, Cheryl, but Burton has spent time working for Jackson firm Lumumba, Freelon & Associates and Southwest Mississippi Legal Services in McComb.

October 27 - November 2, 2010

WARD SCHAEFER

Bill Gowan • Education: University of Mississippi, B.A. – business administration (1964), J.D. (1966) • Professional Experience: FDIC staff attorney; city of Jackson prosecutor; in-house counsel, Hinds County Sheriff’s Department; two-time appointed interim Hinds County Court Judge; appointed special Circuit Court Judge (2008-present) Gowan, a current special circuit court judge and longtime counsel for the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department, has raised $59,979. Major campaign contributions include $12,500 from his relatives, the Dupre family of Lafayette, La., $1,500 from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and $250 from the American National Bail Bonding Agency of Terry.

Hinds County Court District 1 Frank Farmer • Education: Rhodes College, B.A. (1997); Mississippi College, J.D. (2001)

• Professional Experience: Currie Johnson Griffin Gaines & Myers; Young Williams Farmer has supplied roughly a third ($6,857) of the $18,267 he has raised. Other donors to Farmer’s campaign include Brandon physicians Keith and Mary Beth Thorne ($1,000) and Whit and George Johnson ($1,000). Melvin Priester, Sr. • Education: Boston University, B.A. (1972), M.A. (1973); University of Texas (1985) • Professional Experience: Jackson Municipal Court Judge; Priester Law Firm; special Hinds County Circuit Judge – Jackson Enforcement Team (2008-present) Priester’s Oct. 8 campaign finance report shows a total of $72,227 raised, of which Priester himself supplied $37,857. Other major donors include MINACT President Booker T. Jones ($750), Jackson doctor Vonda Reeves Darby ($1,700) and former state Supreme Court Justice Fred Banks ($1,000). WARD SCHAEFER

JUDGES, from page 17

Read more interviews with local judicial candidates at www. jfp.ms/politics. Please add your comments as well.

WARD SCHAEFER

ruce Burton takes pride in his background. The Shaw native grew up on a farm, worked a variety of jobs and studied several subjects before obtaining his law degree in 1996. Burton, 50, received a bachelor’s degree from Alcorn State University and studied counseling and sociology at Delta State University before attending law school at Southern University. Even now, he is pursuing a doctorate in public health at Jackson State University.

If you were elected, what would be your priorities? Well, I’d like to be honest on the bench. I want to make sure I give each side the same amount of time to present their case. I want to be fair in my rulings. I want to be sure I listen to all the facts and apply the relevant statutory and case law to it, so each party would be able to have a fair determination of how the outcome should be. I’d like to bring honesty, and fairness and integrity. That’s my cornerstone: I want it to be honest and open and fair.

What makes you the best candidate for circuit court? I’ve practiced in all the courts in the state of Mississippi: county court, justice court, municipal court, chancery court, circuit court, Mississippi Supreme Court, federal district court, multi-district litigation. I probably have a deeper scholastic background than (my opponents). Even though I practice law, I’ll be able to bring more to the table, from a sociology, guidance and counseling, public-health perspective, along with my law degree. And my personal background may be more encompassing than them. I grew up on a farm, in Shaw, Miss.: I chopped cotton; I drove cotton pickers, combiners; I’ve worked in rice fields, bean fields. I’ve worked in fast food: Popeye’s, Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, cafeterias at the universities that I attended. I drove 18-wheelers. I did plumbing work, was a substitute school teacher. Then I became a lawyer. So I can really identify with the vast majority of the people that come into a courtroom. I’ll have the ability to discern, maybe, a little better than my opponents.

Hinds County Court Districts Brent Southern • Education: University of Mississippi, B.A. (1983), J.D. (1988) • Professional Experience: high school football/baseball coach; Upshaw, Williams, Biggers, Page & Kruger; Lingle Griffis & Southern; Brent Southern Law Offices Southern has raised $44,219 from a variety of

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still appoint judges who I think are good judges.” Nash, though, said he is not ready to concede defeat on electing judges, despite the obvious Chamber influence, particularly because of the Chamber’s proximity to the Republican Party and Mississippi’s Republican governors. “For those who want to appoint judges, they’ve got to look themselves in the face and ask themselves: ‘Do I really want (Gov.) Haley Barbour or (gubernatorial candidate) Phil Bryant appointing every judge in Mississippi?’ Wilkie said an appointment system would only work effectively with input from a legislative body. “The best way is to have some sort of check and balance on an appointment or a nomination, much as we have in Washington. When the president nominates someone to be a judge, the Senate

has the power of advice and consent. There have been several nominations that have been locked in fierce battles, where the president’s nomination could not go though and they had to withdraw it,” Wilkie conceded. “You have politics involved there, but at least it’s not an election, and you have a chance of blocking someone improper.” Wilkie points out that the federal system also calls upon bar associations for input, with the American Bar Association frequently hit up by the president’s office for recommendations. “They can give a staged approval or flatly say that this person is not acceptable,” Wilkie said. “But there’s bound to be a better way to come up with a judge than electing one.” Thomas said he had “seen enough”

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raised $17,336. Major contributors include Walker’s employer, Richard Schwartz ($2,500), and Schwartz’s law firm ($1,000), Greg Williams, a telecommunications engineer for the U.S. House of Representatives ($2,500), political blogger Alan Lange ($200) and businessman Bill Dilday ($200).

Hinds County Court District 2 Henry Clay III • Education: Millsaps College, B.A. (1980); University of Mississippi, J.D. (1983) • Professional Experience: assistant attorney general, Mississippi Attorney General’s Office; assistant district attorney, Hinds County District Attorney’s Office; Law Office of Henry C. Clay III; Jackson Municipal Court (1994present) Clay submitted a single campaign finance report Oct. 15, showing no funds raised or spent on his campaign.

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sources. Southern’s Oct. 8 campaign-finance report provides details on roughly half of the $20,820 he raised between July 1 and Sept. 30. State law only requires candidates to itemize contributions above $200. Among the large contributions listed in Southern’s Oct. 8 report are $2,500 from Oxford attorney Diann W. Coleman and $750 from Carroll McLeod of the Jackson Anesthesia Association. Trent Walker • Education: Jackson State University, B.A. (1991); Tulane University, J.D. (1996) • Professional Experience: assistant Hinds County prosecutor; Currie Johnson Griffin Gaines and Myers; Blackmon & Blackmon; special Hinds County Circuit Court Judge; Schwartz & Associates (2009-present) Walker, who served a year as a specially-appointed circuit judge, has

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cataloging the rise and fall of Scruggs. Wilkie reports many of the details surrounding Scruggs pleading guilty to buying favorable rulings from Circuit Court Judge Henry Lackey in 2008. But Wilkie also briefly touches on the amount of legal trouble for attorney Paul Minor who guaranteed campaign loans for judges Teel and Whitfield. Wilkie wrote that campaign donations can easily get individual donors in trouble, and recommended appointing judges: “I have concerns about the whole process of elected judges. When you use that system you automatically enter the corrupting influence of money and the politics that elects these people,” Wilkie said. Attorney Philip Thomas, who blogs his arguments on the Mississippi Litigation Review and Commentary website, also advocates for ditching the elective system and instead appointing judges. “The evidence is that when judges are appointed you have a better judiciary, and number two, the position is less political than when it is elected. I’m not going to say it’s not political, but it is less political,” Thomas told the Jackson Free Press. Thomas referenced the federal system for appointing judges; one that he feels is inherently more successful. “The reason I’m sold on that system is that I almost always vote Democratic, but if I look at the appointments that President Bush made—who I thought was a horrible president—his appointments to the bench in Mississippi were really good. And the appointments that Gov. Haley Barbour makes when he has appointments to make are usually pretty solid.” “It’s not a situation where I feel like I should worry about it as a Democrat in Mississippi, even though Republicans are going to get to make most of these appointments,” Thomas added. “They

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ELECTIONS, from page 19

NAACP President Derrick Johnson supports the state’s elective system of choosing judges, arguing that white political leaders may not give fair consideration to black judicial nominees.

October 27 - November 2, 2010

of the appointment process in other situations to alleviate his fears of a Chamber representative making appointments from the governor’s office. “If it is an appointment, it is subject to abuse, but I don’t know of any instance when somebody made a strong case that the system has been abused,” Thomas said. “When the president makes an appointment, it has to be approved by the Senate. And if you want to appoint judges in Mississippi, you should probably have something where the Legislature or whatever has to approve it. There should be some sort of system of checks and balances to keep a person honest.” Nash pointed out, however, that “right now, the Senate does anything the governor wants them to do,” which neutralizes the Senate’s checks-and-balances ability. Politicos and many Democratic House members say the Senate has essentially proven itself to be a second arm of the governor’s office for most of Barbour’s two-year term, and that most of any opposition to the governor comes from the Democratically-controlled House. In fact, although the Senate has sided against the governor occasionally on property-rights issues or on a tax increase, the Senate has never managed to overrule the governor’s veto of the most popular bills.

The Mississippi Way A potential appointment process could uncover another issue unique to Mississippi— the problem of fairly accounting for race when appointing judges. Barbour named his first black judge to a judicial post in October 2009, after serving six years as governor. Earlier that same year, the Magnolia Bar claimed Barbour had pointedly refused to name black lawyers to judicial positions since his 2003 election. “He has not appointed any African Americans for judge in any of his 20 appointments,” said then-Magnolia Bar Association President Malcolm Harrison in 2009. “It’s sad that he cannot believe an

African American could do the job.” The Magnolia Bar was particularly incensed that year at Barbour’s appointment of Oxford attorney James Maxwell to a judgeship on the Mississippi Court of Appeals to replace Judge David Chandler, who was elected in 2008 to the Mississippi Supreme Court. Harrison argued at the time that the governor was putting political affiliations above racial equality. Barbour is the former chairman of the Republican National Committee and remains a huge presence in the GOP, including serving as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, which exists to help oust Democratic governors across the United States. Maxwell’s wife, Mindy Maxwell, directs the Oxford office of another GOP giant, Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran, who chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee before Democrats won the Senate in 2006. The Mississippi Bar Association revealed in 2009 that James Maxwell had only held a bar license since 2001, and Harrison said then that he believed a state containing the highest national percentage of African Americans likely contained capable black lawyers with experience extending beyond seven years. “African Americans are more than qualified to serve on the Mississippi Court of Appeals, as well as any other judicial appointment. In fact, Mississippi Court of Appeals Chief Judge Leslie D. King is an African American—at least he was last time I checked. There are qualified people who are available, but the governor has seen fit not to even consider an African American in these positions,” Harrison said. Barbour earlier burned black attorneys in 2008 by replacing black Leflore County Court Judge Solomon Osborne with Seventh Chancery Court District of Mississippi court administrator and senior staff attorney Kevin A. Adams, who is white. The Magnolia Bar remained furious that the governor took no account of the fact that Leflore County is roughly 70 percent black. “The bottom line is that there are qualified blacks to serve as judge at any level in this state, but Barbour has not chosen any because he does not believe that diversity is an issue,” Harrison said in 2009. The governor’s Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee scrutinizes the qualifications of potential judicial appointees. JAAC head Ed Brunini, also Barbour’s attorney, told the JFP in 2009 that the problem lay with the lack of black applicants to judicial positions. “There are no significant numbers of lawyers practicing in that area,” Brunini said of Judge Chandler’s vacated district, “and the good ones don’t want to give up their practice to be a judge because they’re making considerable money in the private sector.” Jackson attorney and U.S. District Court judicial nominee Carlton Reeves argued in 2009 that African Americans were often applying to Barbour’s Committee for Judicial Appointments; indeed, Reeves himself had submitted to Brunini’s

Fixing the Flaws Diaz said that even though he advocates for the election system, the system needs serious transparency. “Citizens should ultimately decide that issue, but we should have complete and total clarity as to who is contributing to these campaigns. We should know exactly who is giving money to the groups who advertise in all judicial elections. It would be very simple to make that law. If anybody is running

any ad that mentions a judicial candidate, we should be able to disclose all sources of money funding that campaign. And not only the large groups, but who contributes to that group.” In 2004, four years after the Chamber first skirted state campaign law and dumped $1 million of “soft money” into Supreme Court elections, then-Secretary of State Eric Clark and Attorney General Jim Hood submitted a new campaign-finance bill requiring the disclosure of unreported cash into campaigns. The resulting bill also required complete reporting of campaign loans and electronic filing of campaign contributions for easier public access to the information. The bill survived both the House and the Senate that year, but Barbour—who is largely described by his critics as an arm of the Chamber—vetoed the bill after the Legislature adjourned that session. Barbour said in his veto message that he did not approve of the way the bill would restrict corporate donations to political action committees like the ones created by the Chamber and its affiliates. “[T]he conference report changed the effect of the bill from one of disclosure to limitation of political activity. Current practice limits corporate donations to political candidates and political parties. The new Section 9 (of the bill) adds political action committees to this list. Without any public notice, this would change the original intent of the corporate limit law and would contradict the purpose set forth by the bill’s authors,” Barbour wrote. “For years, Mississippi businesses have made contributions to legal political action committees across the political spectrum. Under this last-minute change, businesses would be limited in what they could give to political action committees as diverse as the Sierra Club or a right-tolife organization. We should encourage

courteSy of curtiS Wilkie

committee letters of recommendation on behalf of hopeful attorneys. Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson disagreed with Brunini’s argument: “We’re in a state where African Americans make up 37 percent of the population,” Johnson said last year. “We have an abundance of qualified individuals who can serve this state as court judges, as has been proven by the more than 28 judges that effectively serve on the bench, and for this governor to use a mindset that is remnant of the 1950s and 1960s is not only insensitive to the African American population, it is a continued embarrassment.” Harrison has since silenced his criticism. He was, after all, Barbour’s first black judicial appointee in October 2009, replacing Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter, who pled guilty to misleading federal authorities in a corruption investigation stemming from Scruggs’ own guilty plea. But Johnson said Barbour’s painful track record when placing black judges leaves much to say about a system of appointing judges in the state. “The governor has still only made two appointments of black judges last time I checked. If there was ever a good case for keeping the election system for seating judges, this would probably be a good one,” Johnson said. “Perhaps the people need to be the ones to make the choice directly.”

Author Curtis Wilkie argues for an appointment system for installing state judges after writing his book on convicted Mississippi attorney Richard “Dickie” Scruggs.

open political activity, not discourage it.” Barbour did not use the U.S. Chamber as an example in his veto message. Nash said that the bill would have conflicted with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision giving corporations the same campaign rights as voters, in any case. “Haley vetoed it, but the law wouldn’t have made a difference because it was an attempt to circumvent the U.S. Supreme Court,” Nash said. “In Mississippi, there is full disclosure for everything that’s done in Mississippi. It’s just that if a national organization wants to advertise in Mississippi under one of the legal vehicles that are available to them and they choose to avoid using the words “vote” or “elect,” and you operate under a 527 organization the court has said you don’t have to disclose your donors. There’s nothing Mississippi

can do to override a decision of the U.S. Supreme Court.” Diaz said the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision does not affect disclosure laws, and that legislators could still pass laws that require disclosure. “The laws that were struck down were saying that these groups couldn’t contribute to elections, but as long as there are elections, there should be full disclosure and the Legislature could require full disclosure of all these elections, and that would still not violate the interpretation of (freedom of speech) laws,” he said. The former justice remains convinced that a cleaner election system is the best method to get a good judge. “The elective system isn’t inherently bad in and of itself. It just has to be conducted in the right way,” Diaz said. “The way we conduct it now, it is flawed, where these groups from outside the state, outside the country even are allowed to come in and basically buy a seat on the Mississippi Supreme Court if they want to.” Nash, however, argues that full disclosure may not make the biggest difference in a judicial race. “I have yet to see, in virtually every election I’ve done, where the contributors matter to voters. It’s the same as asking if it makes a difference if a candidate’s spouse or best friend or campaign manager has a criminal record, or if your contributors are a bunch of New York investment houses, or whatever,” Nash said. “None of that, in my experience, has ever mattered to the average voter. The average voter tends to focus their opinion almost exclusively on the candidate. Is the candidate up to the job, can they be trusted, are they telling me the truth? Outside of that I don’t really think they care who the candidate’s friends are.” “This is a terrible system, but it’s probably the best we’ve got,” Nash added. Comment at www.jfp.ms/politics.

JUDGES, from page 19

Bill Skinner (incumbent) • Education: Hinds Community College (1990), Mississippi College, B.A. (1994), M.A. (1995), J.D. (1998) • Professional Experience: Jackson Police Department; associate, Gardner and Grant; Skin-

courteSy Bill Skinner

Ward Schaefer

Michael Williams • Education: Millsaps College, B.A. (1979); Tulane University, J.D. (1986) • Professional Experience: Stamps & Stamps; Davis Goss & Williams (1989-present) Williams reported raising a total of $18,415 in his Oct. report. Major contributors include Health Assurances, LLC, of Jackson ($1,000), the law office of Jackson City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen ($300) and law firm Owens Moss PLLC ($900). Williams has also tapped $9,808 of his own.

jacksonfreepress.com

Houston Patton (incumbent) • Education: Fresno State University, B.A. (1965); Southern University, J.D. (1972) • Professional Experience: Jackson Community Legal Services; Patton, Page, Moyo

Hinds County Court District 3

ner & Associates; Hinds County Justice Court Judge; Youth Court and Drug Court, Hinds County Court Judge (2007-present) A longtime Jackson police officer, Skinner has raised $7,755 according to his Oct. campaign finance report. His largest donors include attorney Kelly G. Williams of Madison ($1,000), physician Chris D. Hughes ($500), attorney Brandon Dorsey ($300) and the American National Bail Bond Agency of Terry ($250).

jertrutha craWford

Law Firm; Patton Law Office; County Court Judge (1989-present) Patton is facing an ethics proceeding in the state Supreme Court, as well as a federal civil-rights lawsuit stemming from a bribery accusation he made in 1997. His campaign finance report shows $6,731.90 in expenses and no contributions for the month of June. Patton’s October filing reports $7,238 in contributions between July 1 and Sept. 30, none of them itemized. The report also shows $8,672 in expenses to date (including $1,940 from Jul. 1 to Sept. 30) leaving Patton’s campaign $1,433 in debt.

Ward Schaefer

Bridgett Clayton • Education: University of Mississippi, B.A. (1982); Mississippi College, J.D. (1994) • Professional Experience: Owens Law Firm; assistant county prosecutor, Hinds County; Jackson Municipal Court (2008-present) Clayton has raised $14,131, according to her Oct. 8 campaign finance report. Major donors include Westhaven Memorial Funeral Home owner Freddie Davis ($400) and New Hope Baptist Church Pastor Jerry Young ($250). Clayton and her husband, Johnny Clayton, have contributed $6,000 to her campaign.

gaiety, provocation & tomfoolery halloween events

courtesy ed saint Pé

Coming Together After incorporating the Mississippi International Film Festival 12 years ago, Edward Saint Pé, pictured in “Orbus Romanis,” brings the festival downtown.

an-about-town Edward Saint Pé is a vibrant personality who eschews labels. His accomplishments range from TV weatherman to business entrepreneur to moviemaker to film actor. Most recently, he’s added to the list founder of the Mississippi Film Institute, which hosts the first-ever Mississippi International Film Festival and Halloween Fest. Just because it’s the first, though, doesn’t mean the community is taking the festival lightly. The sponsorship list for the festival shows complete buy-in from the metro Jackson business community—remarkable given the current economic climate. Saint Pé, originally from the Bayou near New Orleans, is the driving force behind it; he incorporated MIFF in 1998 but waited until 2010 for the launch. “I got into television by going to New York to act and ended up accidentally getting a job at NBC,” Saint Pé says, reminiscing about how all this began for him. When he decided to come to Jackson, Saint Pé worked his way from delivery boy at WLBT to on-air talent. “I’ve been on the air every since,” he says. But Saint Pé always wanted to work in film, and a film festival was part of his larger vision. After his three daughters grew up (one is a teacher in Brandon, and the other two are in college), the film lover decided this was the right time to move forward, and he’s doing so at warp speed. Within two years, Saint Pé wrote, produced and starred in two short films: “Orbus Romanus,” a fantasy picture with Romans, a witch and a new twist on history and “Zeitbombe!,” an ambitious and redemptive Uboat story that won best film in the Pelican D’Or Short Film Festival in New Orleans.

“I love history,” Saint Pé says. He admits, with a Cheshire-cat grin, that he has several more historically based pictures in his pre-production queue. Saint Pé’s performance in “Orbus Romanus” led to him being cast as the villain in Tom Stout’s “The One Warrior,” a low-budget SAG feature film written by David R. Prior and shot last spring. “I wore my ‘Orbus Romanus’ costume for the audition and read the lines in German,” Saint Pé says. His talent and flare for the dramatic won him the part. After working for at least 11 shoot days and building a good rapport with “The One Warrior” production team, Saint Pé teamed with Prior to write the feature-length script for “Orbus Romanus.” This summer and fall, while juggling his work as CEO and president of WeatherVision and WLEZ-FM, Saint Pé ramped up his efforts on the film festival. “It’s been a wonderful but exhausting experience,” he says. “I’ve learned a lot from being pushed outside of my limits.” He hopes to push filmgoers beyond their limits, too. That’s one of his biggest hopes for the festival, in fact. Film, Saint Pé says, allows people of varying cultures and background, who don’t speak the same language, share experiences. “Everyone’s going to be sitting in the room crying at the same time or laughing,” he says. “Film cuts to the core of truth, and this is a good reason to bring everyone together.” The film festival founder further says the greatest learning experience for him has been realizing how much different peoples want to be part of a unified, cohesive thing. “I hope that’s what it is when we look back on it at the end of it all. And hopefully, it will only get big-

by Anita Modak-Truran ger and better,” he says. All the festival’s film screenings are at the Davis Planetarium in Jackson, which comfortably seats more than 190 people. Throughout the weekend, blocks of films are dedicated to Mississippi filmmakers. Those films include: “Through My Brothers Eyes,” “The Goodbye,” “Dealing,” “The Collectors,” “Zeitbombe!,” “Crimes Against Pizza” and “Murderabilia.” The schedule also includes a talent showcase organized by agent Sharon Ward, an acting workshop led by Veleka Gray, a filmmaking workshop with Don Tingle, incredible music—including Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures, Storage 24 and the Rockabilly Vampires—street vendors, a Halloween ball and an awards ceremony with performer Rhonda Richmond. The festival kicks off Thursday, Oct. 28, at 1 p.m. with kid-friendly films, and children from the Mississippi School of the Arts will attend. Thursday evening opens with a Choctaw celebration and the premiere of “The Choctaw Journey,” which tells the story of four college friends on an overnight camping trip to research the Native American Trail of Tears. “Their story, as much as any story, needs to be told,” Saint Pé says about the film about the Choctaws. “(Native Americans’) land was taken, and they were sent into exile. All of the tribes were sent to Oklahoma, but there was a portion of the Choctaws that refused to go. That’s how we have the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians today. … People need to hear that story.” Friday night features a tribute to India and the blues; Saturday offers tributes to Spanish and Jewish films. Halloween-themed movies are part of the mix and include the world premiere of Mitesh Kumar Patel’s film “A Man in the Maze.” Saint Pé says he worked at putting the festival together like it was a film production. He brought together a powerful group to serve on the advisory board, including: Jason McCleave (CFO of the Mississippi Film Institute); state Sen. John Hohrn, D-Jackson; Candice Brewster; Karma Cloud Montagne; Cary L. Spence; Bill Wilson; Sharon Ward, Linda Gay Wilson; Amile Wilson; David Hopper; Chris Mims; deborah Rae Wright; J. Neal Bloomer; and Malcolm Sheppard. The focus on cultural perspectives is what will make Saint Pé’s first film festival different than others. “It’s about one world through film and how we can come together,” he says. Writer Anita Modak-Truran directed “Crimes Against Pizza,” featured at the Mississippi International Film Festival.

Monster Mash Oct. 28, 7 p.m., at Duling Hall (formerly The Auditorium Restaurant) (622 Duling Ave.). The event features food by chef Ken Crotwell, music by Wooly Mammal, drinks, art and a silent auction. Costumes are welcome. Proceeds benefit the Children’s Defense Fund. $40; call 601-321-1966. All Hallow’s Bash Oct. 28, 6 p.m., at Underground 119 (119 S. President St.). The fundraiser includes food, a cash bar, a silent auction, a costume contest and music by Scott Albert Johnson and Jason Turner. Proceeds benefit Hope Haven Adolescent Crisis Center. $15 in advance, $20 at the door; call 601-355-8634 or 601-331-1152. Free Scary Face Pancakes Oct. 29, 7 a.m., at IHOP (2700 Greenway Drive, 474 Briarwood Drive). Trick-or-treaters 12 and under will receive a create-your-own Scary Face Pancake. Free; visit ihop.com. Halloween Salsa Party Oct. 29, 9 p.m., at Marina Club at Lost Rabbit (147 Republic St., Suite 101, Madison). Enjoy dancing under a 600-squarefoot party tent. Awards for the best and scariest costume will be given. Hot wings, beer, water and sodas will be available; otherwise BYOB. Free salsa lessons will be given before the party at 8 p.m. $10; call 601-213-6355. Fit 2 Lead 5K Costume Race Oct. 30, 8 a.m., at YMCA Flowood (690 Liberty Road, Flowood). The event includes a 5K run, 5K walk and one-mile fun run. Activities also include a costume contest, music by Saves N9ne, goody bags, door prizes and mini-massages. Proceeds benefit YMCA’s Partnership for Youth Campaign. $20, $25; e-mail mbrewer@ metroymcams.org. Pumpkin Trail Oct. 30, 6 p.m., at Clinton Community Nature Center (617 Dunton Road, Clinton). Take a walk on a nighttime trail decorated with shining jack-o-lanterns. Free, donations welcome; call 601-926-1104. Blocktober Halloween Party Oct. 30, 8 p.m., at Congress St. The event in front of the Plaza Building includes a costume contest and music by Horse Trailer and Iron Feathers. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes. Purchase food and beverages from Congress Street Bar & Grill, otherwise BYOB. Free; call 601-353-9800. Rocky Horror Costume Contest Oct. 30, 8 p.m., at F. Jones Corner (303 N. Farish St.). A $500 grand prize plus $500 in additional prizes will be given for the best costumes. Enjoy music from “Rocky Horrow Picture Show.” Performers include Jackie Bell and Amazin’ Lazy Boi. Call 601-983-1148. Halloween Celebration Oct. 30, 9 p.m., at Sportsman’s Lodge (1120 E. Northside Drive). Cash and prizes will be awarded for the best costumes, and Matt Collette will host karaoke. Call 601-366-5441. Halloween Party Oct. 30, 9 p.m., at Pop’s Saloon (2636 S. Gallatin St.). $1,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded for the best costumes. Sample free food, purchase Budweiser swag and enjoy music by The Colonels. Call 601-961-4747. See and add more events at jfpevents.com.

jacksonfreepress.com

BOOKS, p 27| FLY, p 28 | MUSIC p 35 | SPORTS p 38

DIVERSIONS|music

Spook Country: The Two Sides of Jesse Dayton

JoHn Bradley

by Natalie A. Collier

Captain Clegg and The Night Creatures’ performance will permeate the darkness Halloween eve as part of the Mississippi International Film Festival.

How did Captain Clegg and The Night Creatures come about? Rob Zombie, who’s this horror-movie director, was remaking “Halloween.” … He called me about playing Captain Clegg in the movie. So I got the part in the movie, and he said, “Hey why don’t you do a 10-song original soundtrack?” I wrote all the songs on the soundtrack and produced it. The soundtrack took off and became a hit, and people wanted more of it.

Have you been here before? We played there a long time ago, probably about five years. We usually play in Oxford. What do you expect of your trip here? We’re just going to have fun. Just want to meet everybody. Want people come out to the festival. It’s Halloween. It will be fun. And what should people expect from the show? Just a big horror-rock-band show. They should go to our website, captainclegg.com, too. Or they can go to jessedayton.com. I want to ask you five random questions that have nothing to do with your upcoming show. Go for it. What’s the scariest movie you’ve ever seen? “The Exorcist.” The whole biblical devil thing creeped me out about it. Growing up in a southern Baptist family, yeah, that’s the scariest. They say you learn something new every day. What did you learn today? I learned that you can’t put a string section on just any song. I was in the studio today trying to put strings on a song we’re working on for a guy from London. It didn’t work. It was really expensive, and I learned my lesson. If you could only do covers from now on, what would be the first three

songs you and your band would start working on immediately? Whoa. That’s a good question. Let’s see … I’d do something totally opposite of what I do now. “Fly Me to the Moon,” Frank Sinatra; “I’ll Take You There,” The Staple Singers— have you even heard of any of these songs?! And “London Calling” by The Clash. What’s the one song you’re embarrassed to say you know most of the lyrics to?

October 27 - November 2, 2010

A food you would never be willing to give up? Cajun food. Part of my family is Cajun. Gumbo and etouffee. I’d never give those up. Catch the gumbo-loving Captain Clegg and The Night Creatures Saturday, Oct. 30, 8-10 p.m. at the Music Stage on Lamar St. Tickets are $5.

The Beauty of Horror

ou’ve heard of it, but maybe you’ve never been curious enough to find out more. “The Rocky Horror Show” is a fall must-see with its loveydovey couple, monsters and a transvestite from Transylvania, all of whom can sing and dance you to shame. Whether you’ve never seen it, or it’s a part of your year every year, the time has come again, and Kyle Henderson, 31, the director for this year’s stage production, is helping make it happen. Henderson says one of the best things about the show is the fact that it is a live production. “It’s the original staged script,” he says. “That’s not something that gets done often. Blake Dailey (left) plays Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Chad King (right) plays Brad in “The Rocky Usually it’s a film or they’ll have a Horror Show” this year at Hal & Mal’s. cast re-enacting the film.” Having recently finished the spring production of “Cabaret,” Henderson says since he’s been in Jackson (he moved here from Austin, Texas), he’s been impressed with the theater community in Jackson. “It’s grown since I was last here,” he says. And the scene, he admonishes, is “going to go away,” if it’s not supported. That won’t happen anytime soon, though, thanks to the Fondren Theater Workshop, which is responsible for staging the show and bringing Henderson in to direct it. “You’ll see some familiar faces and some new ones,” Henderson says about this year’s production. “It’s a fun show; you never have problems getting people to act in it.” “The Rocky Horror Show” will be staged in Hal & Mal’s Big Room Saturday, Oct. 30, at 7 and 10 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available by calling 601-982-2217. Tickets will be available at the door but Henderson warns, “The show usually sells out pretty quickly.” A portion of the proceeds benefits HeARTS Against AIDS.

Why Wait?

We have the largest hibachi in Jackson & surrounding areas. Seating up to 200 people with New Summer Sushi and Hibachi items /StixFlowood

I know a lot of cheesy songs. A lot. But probably “Love Will Keep Us Together,” Captain and Tennille.

@StixRestaurants

courtesy Kyle Henderson Kyle Henderson

is born name is Jesse Dayton. He grew up around music and has performed with some of the best-known country singers in the industry: Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, to name a few. He’s recorded and produced records for years. In fact, he took time away from some studio work to talk to the Jackson Free Press. Dayton is the kind of guy most people would enjoy chatting with. But he has another, darker persona. If you know the Austin, Texas-based musician, you probably know him by his stage name: Captain Clegg. Clegg is the front man for the band The Night Creatures, a serendipitous gathering of musicians who perform what their website calls “spook country.” The group went from being a band who recorded for a specific purpose with no expectation of anything happening further to a group with a cult following. And it happened as quickly as a vampire said, “I’ve come to suck your blood,” and pierced his victim’s neck.

But you were already a part of the music industry, right? Oh yeah. I grew up in the music industry. I started off as a kid, and I got a record deal and started doing my own work and became a record producer. But when we did this movie, we started getting lots of Halloween calls. Last year—about December—we went on a stadium show tour all over Canada and the U.S. We finished that up in January of this year. But we’re really looking forward to coming to Jackson.

DIVERSIONS|halloween

I, Braineater “Modern Man” Anthrax “Among the Living” The Birthday Party “Release the Bats “ The Cramps “Surfin’ Dead” The Damned “Nasty” Danzig “Long Way Back From Hell” The Mumlers “Coffin Factory “ White Zombie “I’m Your Boogie Man (Sex On the Rocks Mix)” Rob Zombie, Trina and Lionel Richie “Brick House” Roky Erickson “If You Have Ghosts” Ryan Adams & The Cardinals “Magick” Richard Thompson “Psycho Street” John Murphy “In the House, In a Heartbeat” Teenage Head “Flamin’ Groovies” The Dickies “Booby Trap” Psychedelic Furs “The Ghost in You” Fishbone “Bonin’ In The Boneyard”

It Came From the Bookshelf “The Walking Dead” (Image Comics, reprinted 2010, $34.99) has spent the last six years building a following based on solid storytelling, moody black and white artwork and respect for the guy who laid

the vampire concept into the modern era along with realizing the viral infection implications of vampirism in a scientific context.

“The Invisible Man” (The British Library, reprinted 2010, $23.99) by H. G. Wells. A classic piece of literature from 1897. Witness an intelligent and clever, but otherwise harmless individual rapidly lose not only his visibility but his identity and sanity as well.

“Pontypool Changes Everything” (ECW Press, 2009, $19.95) by Tony Burgess. Burgess imagines a virus caught via language and the small town of Pontypool, Ontario, experiences a horrific meltdown. Play “Communication Breakdown” by Led Zeppelin over and over while reading. “Hellblazer: Original Sins” (Vertigo, 1997, $19.99) by Jamie Delano. John Constantine is a magician, a con man, and likely to get you killed. Demons, voodoo priests and chicanery result in a hells-a-popping look at what happens when your appetites get the best of you.

“At the Mountains of Madness” (Del Ray, 1991, $5.99) by H.P. Lovecraft. Another classic (1936), this book is a good place to get your feet wet in the macabre world of Lovecraft’s Cthullhu mythos. “The Rising” (Leisure Books, 2004, $7.99) by Brian Keene. Brian Keene gives his zombies speech, intent and an unholy goal. The start of Keene’s zombie trilogy begins with a bang, never whimpers and will leave you rushing for the next two books, “City of the Dead” and “Dead Sea.” “Bachman Books” (Plume, 1996, $15.98) Before Stephen King became Stephen King, and before his novels became formulaic and predictable, King wrote these four excellent and varied short stories under the name Richard Bachman. “Criminal Macabre: The Complete Cal MacDonald Stories” (Dark Horse, 2007, $12.95) by Steve Niles. Niles’ Cal MacDonald stories don’t disappoint. This hard-nosed, hard-living detective takes cases involving vampires, werewolves, zombies and more. “I Am Legend” (Tor Books, 2007, $14.95) by Richard Matheson. This influential story brought

Eye Candy

courtesy leisure books

“Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon” (2007) A logical updating of the Freddy/Jason/ Michael school of horror, this film mixes humor, an alternate look at the slasher film antagonist and a splattering of social commentary. “The Descent” (2006) Friends, caves, claustrophobia and monsters. This film would have been just as scary without the creatures, but they do add to the sense of dread. “The Last Man On Earth” (2007) This film is perhaps the closest take on “I Am Legend” made and a direct inspiration for “Night of the Living Dead.” “Mr. Frost” (1990) Jeff Goldblum as the devil? Trust

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me, it works in this lowkey British flick. “The Orphanage” (2008) Guillermo Del Toro doesn’t just make a horror film, he creates lyrical, visually arresting fairy tales of macabre beauty. “Near Dark” (2002) “Near Dark” is as down and dirty as vampire movies get. This is the antithesis of “Twilight,” although “True Blood” fans might find it of some interest. “Dog Soldiers” (2007) Every once in a while someone makes a good werewolf movie. No shirtless male models, no transformations at will, “Dog Soldiers” is all feral snarling savagery. “In The Mouth Of Madness” (2000) John Carpenter channels H.P. Lovecraft for a reality warping roller coaster ride involving a missing horror novelist, a town that doesn’t exist and a new reality. “Videodrome” (1998) Director David Cronenberg makes idiosyncratic horror films that deal with whatever he is obsessing over, and in Videodrome it was the advent of cable TV and the role it plays in our society.

TV Rots the Brain “The Walking Dead” debuts on AMC Sunday Oct. 31 at 10 pm. Feast your eyes on television’s first serious attempt to transfer zombies to the small screen. AMC’s reputation for quality series (Mad Men, Breaking Bad) bodes well for this adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s comic, directed by Frank Darabont and starring Andrew Lincoln.

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alternative tentacles

Thump in the Night

the groundwork: George Romero. courtesy british library

f you choose to stay in on All Hallow’s Eve, here are some suggestions for frightful listening, creepy reading and horrific viewing.

courtesy new line cinema

Horror Hit List

by Chris Zuga

Michael M. Williams

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DIVERSIONS|books

by Chris Zuga

Playing it Straight

courtesy kensington publishing

nyone who enjoys zombie movies and fiction with more than a passing interest should recognize John Russoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name and wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be disappointed to read â&#x20AC;&#x153;Undeadâ&#x20AC;? (Kensington Publishing, 2010, $14.95). He is the cocreator of the classic horror film that gave birth to the specific genre of zombie horror: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Night of the Living Dead.â&#x20AC;? George Romero may be the name everyone associates with the living dead, but without Russo, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plausible to suggest there would be no shambling corpses stumbling around pop culture. One of Russo and Romeroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original intents was to root their story in reality: not so much with the undead, but in the people realistically reacting to the situation. The very idea of the film-ready hero dissolves in this universe, and virtue and honor guarantee nothing. Another aspect of this realism is the societal erosion that occurs during a crisis of this magnitude and the additional problems it brings with it. In zombie land, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be sure of

anyone. Looters, rapists, criminals and even average people seem to take the whole scenario as an invitation to anarchy. Reading this book, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll wonder where the real threat is coming from at timesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the dead or the living. The first half of this book is a novelization of Russo and Romeroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s screenplay for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Night of the Living Dead,â&#x20AC;? written six years after the movieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s release. It offers little more than an exact retelling of the film with some minor dialogue differences and descriptive additions that are necessary to set a scene or tone. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never seen the movie, it might make for exciting reading, but my brain couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help refer back to specific moments depicted on the screen. As adaptations of popular films go, it is serviceable. Still, it feels like a missed opportunity. Russo could have used this book to expand on the characters and the living dead. Alternately, it would have been a treat to see the original screenplay and the various incarnations it went through. At least it would have been more interesting.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Return of the Living Dead,â&#x20AC;? the second half of the book, bears little resemblance to the film it eventually spawned. Russo intended this to be the follow up to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Night of the Living Deadâ&#x20AC;? before he and Romero had a falling out. The movie adaptation was a stroke of horror-comedy genius, a splatsick classic. But the movie scarcely uses the original novel as source material. Russoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version plays it straight. The story is set 10 years after the original zombie outbreak and sticks to a rural Pittsburgh, Pa., setting, much as its predecessor did. But the simple farmhouse that offered security in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Night of the Living Deadâ&#x20AC;? becomes a trap a decade later. Characters are continually forced out into the open, and those that stay indoors tend to end up the worse for it. Russo follows the formula set out in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Night of the Living Dead,â&#x20AC;? using the horror to throw together unlikely people from various walks of life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that plague cominâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; back, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all got to be ready for it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Devilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work, and maybe we all deserve it!â&#x20AC;? exclaims the simple farmer, Bert. His daughters, scheming criminals, tell him: â&#x20AC;&#x153;You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be afraid of us. We rescued you, for Chris-sake.â&#x20AC;? The farmer, his daughters, law enforcement and others get tossed into a nightmare situation that shows no sign of

abating quickly. Parallel to the main story are the efforts of Sheriff Conan McClellan, featured at the end of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Night of the Living Deadâ&#x20AC;? with the infamous line, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yeah, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re dead, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all messed up.â&#x20AC;? As McClellan deals with a plague of corpses one more time, the story line jumps back and forth between the sheriff and the main characters. The device serves to underscore how the unprepared are thrust into clawing for survival, while the authorities treat disaster as just another rough day at the office. In the end, no character is safe, despite pure motivation or heroic action. People die unexpectedly; people you slowly find yourself rooting for do not get a free pass in this world. In fact, the only refuge you will find in this story are the Civil Defense radio broadcasts peppered throughout the chapters: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rescue, for those in the isolated areas, is extremely difficult. If evacuation is impossible, however, stay in your home and wait for a rescue team.â&#x20AC;? It might just be the wrong advice this time around. Grab your weapons, board up those windows and watch out for strangers. You never know just who might â&#x20AC;&#x153;returnâ&#x20AC;? around and bite you.

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by Kimber Thomas

KIMBER THOMAS

Nandy’s Candy: Land of the Sweet

Nandy’s Candy offers some of Jackson’s finest chocolates.

rom the moment you walk in the door, bags of candy greet you. Behind wooden candy cases are assortments of green, yellow and pink candy jars, and as many chocolates as one person can imagine. American truffles, caramel and pecan treats, caramel popcorn, mint ice and English toffee are just some of the sweets you’ll find in Nandy’s Candy. Nancy King, originally from Hutchinson, Kan., worked in a candy store when she was 16. Years later, she owns Nandy’s Candy, located at 1220 E. Northside Drive, and has been in business for 30 years on Oct. 25. “I originally called it Nancy’s Candy,” King says, but decided against it. “Nandy’s Candy rhymed.” After getting married in 1969, she

helped her husband, Bill King, start his business, Graduate Pest Control. She and her family moved to Jackson when her husband’s job transferred him from Houston in 1972. “I had two small children, and then I went to Iowa. I spent six months there and said, ‘I’ve got to get back to Jackson!’” King says. “Jackson needed a quality candy store,” she says, and wanting to have her own business, she started Nandy’s Candy 1980. “Jackson took us in, and the community was so welcoming,” King says. “It has a large-town feel, with a small-town love. I love Mississippi.” King wants people to have “the best memories” about her store. “You can’t find a Nandy’s in Dallas … or even in New York,” she says. Traditional, happy and creative could all be used to describe Nandy’s Candy—the company, the customers, the employees, but most importantly, the owner. King loves what she does, and she loves the people she serves. “I’m very loyal,” she says. “I have a wonderful client base, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” Nandy’s Candy is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

October 27 - November 2, 2010

KIMBER THOMAS

he smell of freshly baked cookies hits you as you walk in. To your left are biscotti; to your right are muffins, cupcakes and lemon squares. Directly in front stands a lady whose fancy gold earrings pale next to her big smile and hot-pink polkadotted apron. No, this is not heaven; it’s Melanie’s, a special sweets shop in Byram that not only indulges people with cupcakes and cookies but a variety of home-cooked meals as well. Melanie Smith, 47, is originally from Mellow Valley, Ala., but moved to Mississippi after her husband’s job relocated them here. Smith said the reason she opened the store was that her son was headed to college, and she “refused to take out a student loan.” “Cooking was my only talent,” she says. Smith and her “cupcake cuties,” a group of young girls who help market Melanie’s cupcakes, started out going door-to-door selling sweets. A few months later, Smith fell ill and had to be hospitalized. When she returned home, she had 20 missed calls from her customers who not only wanted her cupcakes, but, she says, “wanted real food.” Subsequently, Smith bought a building, a commercial refrigerator and freezer, all of which later became “Melanie’s.” “All people need a home-cooked meal,” she says, like chicken and dumplings or beef brisket. “Families need nutritious meals that haven’t been processed.” Her mission is “to serve older people who can’t cook for themselves, the single father who has to take care of his kids and the working mom who doesn’t

KIMBER THOMAS

Melanie’s: The Sweet Story

Melanie Smith’s mission is to serve her community not only with sweets, but with home-cooked meals as well.

have much time to cook.” “I’ve also hired six people,” she adds. Smith recalled a man who came in with his wife, a lady who she remembers as being “immaculately dressed, with hair that was in place and a face like a China doll.” The man told Smith that he and his wife had been married 67 years, and that his wife was in the latter stages of Alzheimer’s and could no longer cook for them. Smith supplied them with frozen meals, such as lasagna and seafood gumbo, and the two have been regular customers since. Smith says she chose Byram for her location because the people are kind and supportive. She says her customers are always willing to try new things, and they believe in supporting local businesses. “They came the first time, and they keep coming back,” she says. Melanie’s (7126 Siwell Road, Byram, 601371-1933) is open Monday 3 to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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October 27 - November 2, 2010

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BEST BETS October 27 - November 2 by Latasha Willis events@jacksonfreepress.com Fax: 601-510-9019 Daily updates at jfpevents.com

Beth Batton talks about photographer Oraien Catledge’s work during “History is Lunch” at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.) at noon. A book of Catledge’s photos will be for sale for $35; call 601-576-6998. … Gordon A. Martin signs copies of “Count Them One by One” at Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 North) at 5 p.m. $40 book; call 601-366-7619. … Jason Turner performs at Char. Call 601-956-9562. … Bill & Temperance performs at Underground 119. Call 601-352-2322. … Chris Wilhoite performs at The Commons at 7 p.m. $5. … Bazile plays at Hal & Mal’s. Call 601-948-0888. … Natalie Long and Steve Deaton perform at Fenian’s at 9 p.m. Free.

at 7 p.m. includes music by Wooly Mammal. Costumes are welcome. $40; call 601-321-1966.

Friday 10/29

Wired Espresso Café has music by David Hawkins at noon (free) and Lee Barber, Bruce Golden and Scrappy Jud Newcomb at 8 p.m. $10. … The UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball at the Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.) is at 7 p.m. $50, $75 VIP; call 601-977-7871. … The Halloween salsa party at Marina Club at Lost Rabbit (147 Republic St., Suite 101, Madison) is at 9 p.m. $10; call 601-213-6355. … Pink Friday at Suite 106 at 9 p.m. is a fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. $10 suggested donation; call 601-954-2788.

Courtesy storage 24

saTurday 10/30

The open house at Joyflow Yoga (Trace Harbour Village, 7048 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland) is at 2 p.m. Free; call 601-613-4317. … The Mississippi International Film Festival ends at the Davis Planetarium (201 E. Pascagoula St.) with a Halloween street festival. Performers include DJ C. Lecta at 10 a.m., Storage 24 at 6 p.m., and Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures at 8 p.m. Call 601-665-7737. … Fondren Theatre Workshop presents “The Rocky Horror Show” at Hal & Mal’s at 7 p.m. at 10 p.m. See another show Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. $20; call 601-982-2217. … Natalie Long and Clinton Kirby perform at Burgers & Blues. Call 601-899-0038. … Dead P.A. performs at the Halloween costume contest at Sam’s Lounge at 9 p.m. $10. … Rico & the Border Patrol performs during the Halloween bash at Philip’s on the Rez (135 Madison Landing Circle, Ridgeland) at 7 p.m. Call 601-856-1680.

sunday 10/31

The play “The Miracle Worker” at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.) is at 2 p.m. with additional shows through Nov. 7. $25, $22 seniors/students; call 601-9483533. … Party with the New Bourbon Street Jazz Society at Colonial Country Club (5635 Old Canton Road) at 3 Storage 24 (Baby Phred pictured) performs at the Mississippi International Film Festival Saturday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m.

The Mississippi International Film Festival at the Davis Planetarium (201 E. Pascagoula St.) kicks off at 1 p.m. and continues through Oct. 30. $5-$20; call 601-665-7737. … Enjoy dishes by Chef Luis Bruno during the wine dinner at Huntington’s Grille at 6 p.m. $45; RSVP at 601-957-1515. … The All Hallow’s Bash at Underground 119 at 6 p.m. includes a costume contest and music by Scott Albert Johnson and Jason Turner. $15, $20; call 601-331-1152. … The Power of Pink Finale at Highland Village (4500 Interstate 55 North) at 6:30 p.m. includes music by The Chill. $50; call 601-321-5500. … Mission Mississippi’s Reconciliation Celebration Banquet at the Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.) is at 7 p.m. $65; call 601-353-6477. … The Monster Mash at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.)

Monday 11/1

The Sierra Club exhibit “Continental Divide, a Photo Exhibit of the Border” opens at 5:30 p.m. at Cabot Lodge Millsaps (2375 N. State St.) and continues through Nov. 5. Free; call 520-250-9040. … Enjoy “Karaoke with Matt” at Fenian’s. Free. … Hunter Gibson and Rick Moreira perform at Fitzgerald’s from 8 p.m.-midnight. Free.

Tuesday 11/2

Vote today! For voting questions, call the League of Women Voters’ Election Day Hotline at 601-355-7495 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. … Harpsichordist John Paul performs at Music in the City at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.) at 5:45 p.m. Free, donations welcome; call 601960-1515. … The Pub Quiz with Laura and Donovan is at 8 p.m. at Hal & Mal’s. Call 601-948-0888.

Wednesday 11/3

Former Mississippi First Lady Elise Winter speaks during “History is Lunch” at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.) at noon. Bring a lunch; call 601-576-6998. … Sherman Lee Dillon performs during the blues lunch at F. Jones Corner at noon. Free. … Eddie Cotton performs at Underground 119. Call 601-352-2322. … Fenian’s has music by Ben Lewis. Free. More events and details at jfpevents.com.

Fondren Theater Workshop presents “The Rocky Horror Show” at Hal & Mal’s Oct. 30-31. Courtesy Diana Howell

Thursday 10/28

p.m. $10, members free; call 601-956-8521. … The fall festival at Colonial Heights Baptist Church (444 Northpark Drive, Ridgeland) is at 4:30 p.m. Free; call 601-9565000. … Hallelujah Night at The Church Triumphant (Odyssey North, 731 S. Pear Orchard Road; Suite 43) at 5 p.m. includes games and free treats. Free; call 601-9770007. … Open-mic poetry at Cultural Expressions at 9 p.m. E-mail poetryismusic@hotmail.com.

jacksonfreepress.com

Wednesday 10/27

jfpevents JFP-SPonSored eventS

Jesse Gallagher Sarah J Griff Howard Lori Carpenter Scroggins Ginger Rankin Brock Freeman

Radio JFP on WLEZ ongoing, at WLEZ 100.1 FM and wlezfm.com. Join Donna Ladd and Todd Stauffer every Thursday from noon-1 p.m., where they discuss vital issues and play local music. this week’s guess are Liz Patterson and Charlotte Reeves from the Mississippi Inernational Film Festival and Lori Garrott, the program director at Catholic Charities. Listen to podcasts of all shows at jfpradio. com. Free; call 601-362-6121, ext. 17.

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775 Lake Harbour Drive #H in Ridgeland 601.856.4330 | fax: 601.856.4505

Mississippi International Film Festival Oct. 28-30, at Russell C. Davis Planetarium (201 E. Pascagoula St.). The festival includes international film screenings, live music, a Halloween street fest and costume contest. Visit mississippifilmfest.com for a schedule or to buy tickets. Tickets are also available at BeBop and the planetarium. $5-$20; call 601-665-7737. All Hallow’s Bash Oct. 28, 6 p.m., at Underground 119 (119 South President Street). The fundraiser includes food, a cash bar, a silent auction, a costume contest and music by Scott Albert Johnson and Jason Turner. Proceeds benefit Hope Haven Adolescent Crisis Center. $15 in advance, $20 at the door; call 601-355-8634 or 601-331-1152. “The Rocky Horror Show” Oct. 30-31, at Hal & Mal’s (200 Commerce St.). Fondren Theatre Workshop presents the original Broadway musical version of Richard O’Brien’s play. 20 percent of the proceeds benefit Mississippi HeARTS Against AIDS. Show times are 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Oct. 30 and 7 p.m. Oct. 31. Reservations are recommended. $20; call 601-982-2217. Mississippi Happening ongoing. The live monthly broadcast is hosted by Guaqueta Productions and features a special musical guest. Download free podcasts at mississippihappening.com.

Community

5th Annual SCLC-MIRA Unity Conference November 4-5, 2010 Cabot Lodge Millsaps • 2375 North State Street • Jackson, Mississippi

Celebrating 10 Years of Organizing & Standing Strong Against “Arizona” Style Legislation in 2011

Featuring

October 27 - November 2, 2010

DJ Phingaprint “The Movement” Dance Company The Sierra Club’s “Continental Divide” Photo Exhibit A $50 registration fee includes meals Thursday night and Friday. Student/Youth Fee: $25 Scholarships are available. Call MIRA @ (601)968-5182 or visit www. yourmira.org for more information.

“History Is Lunch” Oct. 27, noon, at William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.). Beth Batton from the Mississippi Museum of Art talks about an exhibit of photographs by Oraien Catledge. His book of photographs published by University Press of

Blood Pressure Checks for Seniors Oct. 28, 10:30 a.m., at Golden Key Multi-purpose Senior Center (3450 Albermarle Road). The City of Jackson’s Department of Human and Cultural Services and the staff of St. Dominic Health Service’s Care-A-Van outreach program will be providing blood pressure checks and cancer awareness information to qualifying individuals ages 55 or older living within the Jackson city limits. Free; call 601-960-0335. Naturalization Workshop Oct. 28, 3 p.m., at Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance (MIRA) (612 N. State St.). MIRA licensed attorneys will assist applicants in preparing their N-400 applications for submission to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The workshop is only for individuals who have been lawful permanent residents for the last five years or three years if married to and living with a United States citizen. $150 (includes MIRA membership), $675 N-400 filing fee; call 601-354-9355. Precinct 4 COPS Meeting Oct. 28, 6 p.m., at Redeemer Church (640 E. Northside Drive). These monthly meetings are designed to help resolve community issues or problems, from crime to potholes. Call 601-960-0004. Wine Dinner Oct. 28, 6 p.m., at Huntington’s Grille (1001 E. County Line Road). Wines will be paired with German-inspired dishes prepared by Chef Luis Bruno. $45; call 601-957-1515. International Food & Wine Festival Oct. 28, 6 p.m., at Viking Cooking School (Township at Colony Park, 1107 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland). The event features live music, international décor, and appetizers from across the globe prepared by award-winning chefs. The cuisine will be paired with samples of premium wines. Tickets are limited. $75, $50 members; call 601353-0909. Power of Pink Finale Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m., at Highland Village (4500 I-55 North). The evening includes live music by The Chill, food, drinks, a silent auction and a cupcake challenge. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society $50; call 601321-5500. Reconciliation Celebration Banquet Oct. 28, 7 p.m., at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). The theme is “Facing Our Challenges and Casting the Vision.” Mission Mississippi will honor Gov. William Winter and Dr. John M. Perkins. $65; call 601-353-6477. UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball Oct. 29, 7 p.m., at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.), in the Trustmark Ballroom. The event features elegant dining, a parade of masks, dancing and live entertainment by Coop D’Belle and Jessie Primer III & Friends. Proceeds benefit Melissa TillMan

Bill Fletcher, Jr. Former Director of TransAfrica, Co-author of Solidarity Divided & The Premiere of MIRA’s BREATHE Documentary by award-winning film makers Yvetta Kai Williams, Sekou McGlothin & Cynthia Newhall

Events at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.). • Senior Aerobics Class Oct. 27, 10 a.m., at center stage. Seniors have an opportunity to get in shape and have fun while doing it. Sponsored by Tougaloo College. Free; call 601-977-6137. • Credit Training Oct. 29, 5 p.m., in the Community Meeting Room. A BankPlus representative will give tips on improving your credit. Call 601-982-8467. • Parents for Public Schools Lunch Bunch Nov. 3, 11:45 a.m., in the Community Meeting Room. An RSVP is required. $5 lunch; call 601969-6015.

Mississippi will be available for purchase. Free, $35 book; call 601-576-6998.

Making Darkness Light

he’s violent and spoiled, and no one wants anything to do with her. She’s also deaf, blind and brilliant. It all plays out onstage in “The Miracle Worker,” written by William Gibson. New Stage Theatre brings the story of Helen Keller, based on her autobiography, “The Story of My Life,” and the relationship with her teacher Anne Sullivan to life. From a world of silence and darkness to one filled with possibilities and hope, Keller, an eventual Medal of Freedom winner, and her relationship with her teacher offer life lessons to the audience they won’t soon forget. “The Miracle Worker” opens Tuesday, Oct. 26, and ends Sunday, Nov. 7. For tickets and times, call 601-9483533 or visit newstagetheatre.com. Ticket prices range from $10 to $25.

New Stage Theatre’s production of “The Miracle Worker” opens Tuesday, Oct. 26. (L to R): Courtney Susman as Kate Keller, Sara Thomas Easey as Helen Keller and Jessica Wilkinson as Annie Sullivan.

Holiday Card Contest through Oct. 29, at Mississippi Public Broadcasting (3825 Ridgewood Road). MPB invites children ages four through 12 to design and illustrate an original greeting card incorporating a holiday theme not specific to any religious celebration. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 29. Entry forms can be downloaded from MPBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website. Call 601-432-6370. Open House Oct. 30, 2 p.m., at Joyflow Yoga (Trace Harbour Village, 7048 Old Canton Road). Come for demonstrations, samples classes and door prizes. Class discounts will be offered. Also enjoy a showing of the documentary â&#x20AC;&#x153;Titans of Yogaâ&#x20AC;? at 5:30 p.m. Free; call 601-613-4317. Jackson State Homecoming Celebration through Oct. 30, at Jackson State University (1400 John R. Lynch St.). The theme for this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s celebration is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Celebration of Tiger Nation.â&#x20AC;? The week will be filled with activities geared toward students, alumni and supporters. For this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homecoming parade on Oct. 30 at 9 a.m. on Capitol St., the grand marshal will be actress Vanessa Bell Calloway. The celebration culminates with the Oct. 30 JSU football game against Prairie View A&M at Veterans Memorial Stadium at 4 p.m. Visit jfpevents.com for a complete schedule of events and campus locations. Call 601-979-2241. Fall Festival Oct. 31, 4:30 p.m., at Colonial Heights Baptist Church (444 Northpark Drive, Ridgeland). The annual event includes entertainment, games and food. Free; call 601-956-5000. Hallelujah Night Oct. 31, 5 p.m., at The Church Triumphant (731 S. Pear Orchard Rd., Ste 43). The family-friendly event includes music, games and lots of free candy. A nursery will be available for children ages 5 and under. Free; call 601-977-0007. Jackson Touchdown Club Meeting Nov. 1, 6 p.m. at River Hills Country Club (3600 Ridgewood Road). Members of the athletic organization meet weekly during the football season and have access to meals, fellowship and the chance to listen to speakers from around the country. This weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s speaker is Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen. $280 individual membership, $1200 corporate membership; call 601-955-5293 or 601-506-3186. Mississippi Arts Commission Minigrant Call for Applications through Nov. 1, at Mississippi Arts Commission (Woolfolk Building, 501 N. West St., Suite 1101A). Professional-level artists may apply to support promotion efforts, attend a professional workshop or to purchase art supplies. Non-profit organizations or local government entities may apply for up to $1,000 to support presentations by members of the MACâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artist roster or to support professional development efforts for an arts organization. The application deadline is Nov. 1. Call 601-359-6030. Monday Night Football Mixer Nov. 1, 7 p.m., at Dreamz Jxn (426 W. Capitol St.). Each week, come to watch football on the big screen television and enjoy burgers, wings and drinks. Wrestling fans can watch WWE matches in the VIP Lounge. Free admission; call 601-979-3994. Election Day Hotline Nov. 2, 7 a.m., at Rankin County Government Offices (211 E. Government St.). The League of Women Voters of the Jackson Area is sponsoring the phone service until 7 p.m. to provide answers to questions related to voting, such as what precinct to vote in or voting procedures for the disabled. Call 601-355-7495. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ecology of Kaxil Kiuic Biocultural Reserve: The Yucatan Peninsulaâ&#x20AC;? Nov. 2, noon, at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). Dr. Markus Tellkamp will talk about his research at Kaxil Kiuic, where he studies the ecology of the 4,000-acre dry tropical deciduous forest. $5, $3 ages 3-18, $4 seniors, free for members and kids under

3; call 601-354-7303. Financial Education Seminar Nov. 2, 6 p.m., at 3000 Fondren Building (3000 Old Canton Road), in suite 550. Hosted by CredAbility, the seminar will be led by certified budget and credit counselors. Pre-registration is preferred but not required. Free; call 601-362-7284.

Team Loyalty Contests and Sports Trivia!

Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; markets Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Market through Oct. 30, at Byram Farmers Market (20 Willow Creek Lane, Byram). The market is open Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. until Oct. 30. Products include fresh produce, wildflower honey, roasted peanuts, jams, jellies, birdhouses, and baskets and gourds for crafting. Call 601-373-4545. Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Market through Nov. 7, at Old Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Market (352 E. Woodrow Wilson Ave.). Brendaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Produce features fruits, vegetables and flowers from Smith County, and Berryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Produce also has a wide selection of products to choose from. Hours are 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Call 601-354-0529 or 601-353-1633. Greater Belhaven Market through Dec. 18, at Mississippi Farmers Market (929 High St.). Buy local fresh produce or other food or gift items. The market is open every Thursday and Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Free admission; call 601-506-2848 or 601-354-6573. Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Market through Dec. 24, at Old Fannin Road Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Market (1307 Old Fannin Road, Brandon). Homegrown produce is for sale MondaySaturday from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. and noon-6 p.m. Sunday until Christmas Eve. Call 601-919-1690. Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Market ongoing, at Mississippi Farmers Market (929 High St.). Shop the Mississippi Farmers Market for fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables from Mississippi farmers, specialty foods, and crafts from local artisans. The market is open every Thursday and Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Call 601-354-6573.

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Daily Lunch Specials - $9

Happy Hour Everyday 4-7 LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR

by Jim Bankston

Sunday - Thursday 10pm - 12am

2-FOR-1, YOU CALL IT!

Glass bead making classes available.

Call for more details. No previous experience necessary.

398 Highway 51, Ridgeland | 601-853-3299 www.villagebeads.com

601.978.1839

6270 Old Canton Rd. Jackson, MS 39211

Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Market ongoing, at Jackson Roadmap to Health Equity Projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Market (2548 Livingston Road). Buy from a wide selection of fresh produce provided by participating local farmers. Market hours are noon-6 p.m. on Fridays, and 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Free admission; call 601-987-6783.

stage and screen â&#x20AC;&#x153;Slightly Atypicalâ&#x20AC;? Oct. 29-30, at Jackson Academy (4908 Ridgewood Road). Intersect Dance Collective with special guest Front Porch Dance presents an evening of quirky, humorous, and exciting dance. Shows are at 7 p.m. each night. All food collected will be donated to help feed the hungry this holiday season. $1-$2 worth of canned goods or $5; call 903-279-8719. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Miracle Workerâ&#x20AC;? through Nov. 7, at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). The American classic about Medal of Freedom winner Helen Keller is written by William Gibson. Show times are 7:30 p.m. through Oct. 30 and Nov. 3-6, and 2 p.m. Oct. 31 and Nov. 7. $25, $22 seniors and students; call 601-948-3533.

music Chamber Music Concert Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m., at Mississippi College (200 Capitol St., Clinton), in the Jean Pittman Williams Recital Hall. The second concert of the James S. Sclater Chamber Music Series features Bartokâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion,â&#x20AC;? Faureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Romance,â&#x20AC;? and Haydnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Trio in C Major.â&#x20AC;? $25, $10 students; call 601-925-3440. New Bourbon Street Jazz Society Oct. 31, 3 p.m., at Colonial Country Club (5635 Old Canton Road). Enjoy Dixieland jazz, swing and dance

jacksonfreepress.com

Tougaloo and Rust colleges. $50, $75 VIP; call 601-977-7871.

More EVENTS, see page 34

6A0=3E84F

jfpevents

A M A LC O T H E AT R E

music. $10, free for members; call 601-956-8521.

South of Walmart in Madison

Music Student Performance: Departmental Recital Nov. 1, 3 p.m., at Millsaps College, Ford Academic Complex (1701 N. State St.). Enjoy a variety of vocal, piano and instrumental music from Baroque, Classical, Romantic and contemporary periods. Free; call 601-974-1422.

ALL STADIUM SEATING Movie listings - Friday, October 29th - Thursday, November 4th R

Waiting For Superman

The Social Network PG13

Paranormal Activity 2

Legend of the Guardians: Owls of Ga Hoole 3-D PG

Saw 3-D

Hereafter

PG13

Red

PG13 R

You Again

N-Secure

The Town

Secretariat

Life As We Know It PG13 My Soul To Take 3-D R

Music in the City Nov. 2, 5:15 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). Hors d’oeuvres will be served at 5:15 p.m. The music performance with harpsichordist John Paul begins at 5:45 p.m. Free, donations welcome; call 601-354-1533.

LITERARY AND SIGNINGS Events at Lemuria Books (202 Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 North). Call 601-366-7619. • “Count Them One by One: Black Mississippians Fighting for the Right to Vote” Oct. 27, 5 p.m. Gordon A. Martin signs copies of his book; reading of the book at 5:30 p.m. $40 book. • “Mississippians” Oct. 28, 5 p.m. Editor Neil White signs copies of the book. $45 book. • “Lost Mansions of Mississippi, Volume II” Nov. 1, 5 p.m. Mary Carol Miller signs copies of her book. $35 book. • “Mississippi: State of Blues” Nov. 3, 5 p.m. Photographer Ken Murphy signs copies of his book. $59.95 book.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps PG13

Jackass 3-D

Devil

PG13

Earn points towards FREE concessions and movie tickets! Join the SILVER SCREEN REWARDS

GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE DAILY BARGAINS UNTIL 6PM Online Tickets, Birthday Parties, Group & Corporate Events @ www.malco.com

Movieline: 355-9311

from page 33

Follow Mississippi Happening on Twitter and Facebook.

Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival One-Act Play Contest. Plays must not be previously published, produced, or performed. Plays must be under 1 hour. The grand prize is $1500, a staged reading at the 2011 Festival, full production at the 2012 Festival and publication in Bayou. Visit tennesseewilliams.net/contests for guidelines. $25 entry fee; call 504-581-1144.

Dance Classes ongoing, at Central United Methodist Church Family Life Center (517 N. Farish St.). Classes for children and adults are held on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Visit jfpevents.com for a list of classes, fees and start times. Call 601-238-3303. Adult Modern Dance Class ongoing, at YMCA Northeast Jackson (5062 I-55 North). Front Porch Dance offers the one-hour class on Fridays. $10 per class; e-mail krista.bower@gmail.com.

EXHIBITS AND OPENINGS Art Exhibit through Oct. 29, at Mississippi Library Commission (3881 Eastwood Drive). See pet portraits by Dyann Gunter and woodcarvings by George Berry. Hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. An opening reception will be held on Sept. 16 from 5-7 p.m. Free; call 601-432-4056. ArtBuds - VSA Arts Mississippi through Oct. 31, at Municipal Art Gallery (839 N. State St.). This program pairs students with disabilities with professional artists for instruction, mentoring and collaboration on art projects. Exhibit hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Free; call 601960-1582.

October 27 - November 2, 2010

2010 Faculty Art Exhibition through Oct. 29, at Lewis Art Gallery (1701 N. State St.). The Millsaps College faculty presents their show, which includes encaustic painting, collagraphs, mixed media, installation and video work. Free; call 601-974-1762. Events at Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.). Free; call 601-960-1557. • Jackson State University Faculty Show through Oct. 31. See works by Jimmy Mumford, Johnnie M. Maberry, Hyun Chong Kim and others. • “Abstract Formation” through Oct. 31. See works by Kyle Goddard, Tom Reaves and Dianne Hopton. “Slither, Crawl and Fly” Oct. 30. 10 a.m., at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). Join the museum staff to learn about and touch creatures such as snakes, spiders and bats. $5, $3 ages 3-18, $4 seniors, free for members and kids under 3; call 601-354-7303. “Continental Divide, a Photo Exhibit of the Border” Nov. 2-5, at Cabot Lodge Millsaps (2375 N. State St.). Presented by the Sierra Club, see photographs showing the effects of the United StatesMexico border on the wildlife and ecology of the surrounding landscape. Hours are 5:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 2-4 and 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. Nov. 5. The exhibit includes a screening of the film “Wild Versus Wall” Nov. 5 at 5:15 p.m. Free; call 520-250-9040. Check jfpevents.com for updates and more listings. To add an event, e-mail all details (phone number, start/end date and time, street address, cost, URL, etc.) to events@jacksonfreepress.com or fax to 601510-9019. The deadline is noon the Thursday prior to the week of publication. Or add the event online yourself; check out jfpevents.com for instructions.

CREATIVE CLASSES Jewelry Making Class ongoing, at Dream Beads (605 Duling Ave.). This class is offered every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Free; call 601664-0411.

Free; e-mail painterjerrod@gmail.com.

Renaissance Fine Arts Festival Call for Entries, at The Renaissance at Colony Park (1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland). The entries will be displayed during the Renaissance Fine Arts Festival April 2-3. $7,500 in cash prizes will be awarded. An online application at zapplication.org is required and applicants must be at least 18 years old. The deadline for entries is Oct. 31. $30 entry fee, $250 booth fee if juried; call 800-468-6078. “Expressing a Tradition: Landscapes and Portraits” through Oct. 31, at Mississippi Arts Commission (Woolfolk Building, 501 N. West St., Suite 1101A). See paintings by Jerrod Partridge.

BE THE CHANGE “Light a Candle * Feed a Child” Campaign Oct. 28, 10 a.m., at Baptist Medical Center (1225 N. State St.), in the gift shop. For every Bridgewater Candle jar sold, a donation will be made to feed one child for one day through the charity Rice Bowls. For each Special Edition Candle sold, Bridgewater Candle Company will donate the net proceeds of the candle to feed one orphaned child for one week. Each customer that brings a nonperishable item will receive a free Bridgewater Candle Company votive. Visit bridgewatercandles.com. Pink Friday Oct. 29, 9 p.m., at Suite 106 (106 Wilmington St.). The purpose of the event is to increase awareness of the importance of early breast cancer detection and raise funds to assist with the search for a cure. The event will feature free food, live entertainment and music from some of Jackson’s best deejays. All proceeds from the door and a percentage of the profit from every bottle of wine sold will be will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. $10 suggested donation; call 601-954-2788. Musical Instruments Drive through Oct. 30, at Russell C. Davis Planetarium (201 E. Pascagoula St.). Mississippi Music-n-Motion, the Central Mississippi Blues Society and Mississippi Film Institute are collecting used musical instruments, providing access to music education for area students. All kinds of band and orchestra instruments in both student and full size are needed. Accessories such as cases, stands, reeds, strings and drumsticks and pads are welcome. Items may be dropped off at the planetarium, and they will also be collected at the Mississippi International Film Festival Oct. 30. Donations welcome; call 769-2347607.

DIVERSIONS|music DIVERSIONS|music

Natalie’s Notes by Natalie Long

Fly the Musical Freak Flag Starting Wednesday at Underground 119, Mississippi bluesman Eddie Cotton performs weekly. If you haven’t heard Eddie play before, he’s the real deal. He’s super nice and humble, too. For any of you planning to be in Oxford the Saturday night before Halloween, the Kudzu Kings take the stage at Proud Larry’s. Doors open at 8 p.m.; the show starts at 9 p.m; tickets are $10. And one of my favorite bands, MGMT, plays at The Lyric, 7-10 p.m. There’s plenty to do, see and hear. Also, be sure to check out the music listings online at jfpmusic.com for more help planning. If you’re bored this coming weekend, I have to be honest: It’s your fault. If you happen to know of any upcoming concerts or music events you would like the JFP nation to know about, send the info to music@ jacksonfreepress. com, and I’ll do my best to get you listed. Let your musical freak flag fly this weekend in the City of Soul. While you’re out and about looking for new music, here are a few new and re-releases I suggest you check out. Crowded House “The Very Best of,” Bryan Ferry “Olympia,” Good Charlotte “Cardinology,” Keller Williams “Kids,” Fred Schneider “Destination. Christmas,” Buddy Guy “Living Proof,” Dixie Chicks “Essential,” Stryper “The Covering” (the band covers some of their ′70s and ′80s hard-rock musical inspirations), Elvis Costello “National Ransom,” Brian Eno “Small Craft on a Milk Sea,” Matt and Kim “Sidewalks,” Autumn Defense “Once Around”, Jamiroquai “Rock Dust Light Star,” Weezer “Death to False Metal/ Pinkerton: Deluxe Edition,” Brad Paisley “Hits Alive,” Keith Richards “Vintage Vinos,” Huey Lewis and the News “Soulsville,” Paul McCartney “Band on the Run Deluxe Edition,” King’s X “Live Love in London 2009,” Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth “The Big Four, Live in Sofia, Bulgaria.”

ExpungE Your r Ecord Don’t let your past mistakes handcuff your future! Misdemeanor -- $595.00 Felony -- $995.00

Call today for a Free Consultation!

William Kirksey and Nathan Elmore, Attorneys at Law

(601)354-4662 or (601)353-0054 Se Habla Espanol

%VERYBODY´S COMING OUT TO THE

Electric Cowboy Costume Contest Saturday, October 30th Doors open @ 8:00 pm

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Best Costume winner

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$2,500 PRIZE!!! Sexiest costume: $500

Musical guests DJ Caddy & DJ RPM! Thursday, October 28th: Ladies night Friday, October 29th: Dance Night (DJ’s all night long)

,OCATED AT 2IDGEWOOD 2D *ACKSON -ISSISSIPPI

jacksonfreepress.com

he past two weekends, I let my musical freak flag fly by catching four great concerts. My first stop was Hal & Mal’s to see J.J. Grey and Mofro. I’d never seen its southern swamp-stomp live, and I’m glad I did. At Fire, I saw Mushroomhead. The band has taken heat in the past for being terrible, but its live show was anything but. Then at Martin’s, I saw George McConnell and the Nonchalants, which does a great job at making Mississippi homemade music and blending in rock, country and good ‘ole soul. Last, but not least, I saw Hank Williams Jr. and Jamey Johnson as part of the Rowdy Friends tour. Williams is probably the least talented of the Williams bunch, but he really gets a crowd going. The next time any of these bands plays in town, you’ve got to go check them out. I’ll give you the heads up. On to this weekend—Halloween—and my second favorite holiday (the Mal’s St. Paddy’s Parade is my first). Many of the bars and restaurants in the Jackson metro area are having awesome costume contests with great bands providing the music. The Houston-based band Dead P.A. brings its unusual dynamic interaction of live percussion, guitar, keyboards, vocals and programmable audio to Sam’s Lounge Saturday night, 9 p.m., $10 cover. Read all about them at deadpa.com. If you want to get your motor running, head out to Raymond bright and early at 8 a.m. Saturday for the Hambone’s 2010 Run Through The Woods Motorama Jamboree. The music lineup is stellar. Ryan Baucom of Goodman County fame has a new band called The Swamp Babies that will perform at the Motorama Jamboree, as well as his fellow bandmate Cody Cox’s bands Furrows and the always-intriguing Liver Mousse. Prepare to be entertained. Don’t miss it. The more motorcycles the merrier, and admission is free. There is a $10 show fee, if you’re interested, however. Sign up at hambonesmotorkulture.com.

livemusic Oct. 27 - Wednesday

LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR

Weekly Lunch Specials

aLL sHows 10pm unLess noted

WEDNESDAY

10/27

ladies night

w/ live entertainment laDieS PaY $5, DrinK Free FRIDAY

10/29

Cleverform

Open for dinner Sat. 4-10pm

HALLOWEEN

PARTY

OCTOBER 30 STARTS AT 10

Live music by Spacewolf w/ Ghost Hand & Frank and The Meltones

Costume Contest SATURDAY

10/30

halloWeenBash

LIVE MUSIC BY THE BAILEY BROS SUNDAY

10/31

Halloween

PARTY 7pm-close OPEN MIC JAM MONDAY

TUESDAY

11/1

11/2

MATT’S LATE NIGHT KARAOKE

$2 MARGARITAS $1 HIGHLIFE & PBR October 27 - November 2, 2010

WEDNESDAY

11/3

ladies night

w/ live entertainment laDieS PaY $5, DrinK Free 214 S. State St. • 601.354.9712 downtown jackson www.martinSlounge.net

1st Place Prize: $1,000 Cash 2nd - $100 Bar Tab

3rd - $50 Bar Tab thursday

OCTOBER 28

LADIES NIGHT

friday

OCTOBER 29

Rubber Soul: A Beatles Tribute tuesday

NOVEMBER 2

OPEN MIC wednesday

NOVEMBER 3

KARAOKE FREE WiFi

F. Jones Corner - Sherman Lee Dillon (blues lunch) free Shucker’s - DoubleShotz 7:3011:30 p.m. free Regency Hotel - Snazz 8:30 p.m. facebook.com/snazzband2 Underground 119 - Bill & Temperance Lumpkins Barbeque - Ralph Miller 11:30 a.m. Jackson Yacht Club - Larry Brewer 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Welty Commons - Chris Wilhoite 7 p.m. $5 Char - Jason Turner Hal and Mal’s - Bazile (rest.), The Amplified Heart (Red Room) Burgers and Blues - Jesse “Guitar” Smith 6:30-9:30 p.m. Parker House - Chris Gill and the Sole Shakers JSU Java - Open Mic Poetry 7 p.m. Fenian’s - Natalie Long and Steve Deaton 9 p.m. Philip’s on the Rez - DJ Mike/ Karaoke Whistlestop Corner Cafe, Hazlehurst - Ralph Miller 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 28 - thursday F. Jones Corner - Jesse “Guitar” Smith (blues lunch) free; Amazin’ Lazy Boi & Sunset Challenge Blues Band 11:304 a.m. Poet’s II - Scott Albert Johnson (blues juke) Dreamz - Akami & the Key of G 9 p.m. $5 Que Sera - Will and Linda 6-9 p.m. Underground 119 - Jason Turner Fenian’s - Jil Chambless and Friends 8 p.m.free Highland Village Plaza - Power of Pink Finale: The Chill 6:30 p.m. $50 930 Blues Cafe - Jackie Bell, Norman Clark & Smoke Stack Lightning 8 p.m. $5 Regency Hotel - Karaoke 7 p.m. free McB’s - Karaoke 7 p.m. free Philip’s on the Rez - Bubba Wingfield Burgers and Blues - Delta Mountain Boys 6-10 p.m. Parker House - Chris Derrick & the Electric Company Kathryn’s - Larry Brewer 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 29 - Friday F. Jones Corner - Stevie J (blues/ solo) noon; 11:30-4 a.m. $5 Jackson Convention Center - Annual UNCF Mayors’ Masked Ball: Coop D’Belle and Jessie Primer III & Friends 7 p.m. $50, VIP $75 Wired Espresso Cafe - David Hawkins noon; Lee Barber, Bruce Golden, Scrappy Jud Newcomb 8 p.m. $10 leebarbermusic.com 930 Blues Cafe - Jackie Bell 9:30 p.m. $10 Reed Pierce’s - Faze 4 9 p.m free Martin’s - Cleverform 10 p.m. myspace.com/cleverform Fire - Five Finger Discount - 9 p.m. myspace.com/5fingerdiscount06

This page is dedicated to the memory of music listings editor Herman Snell who passed away Sept. 19, 2010. Dick & Jane’s - Show Night/DJ Allen 9 p.m. $6; 18+ $10 Ole Tavern - Rubber Soul (Beatles tribute) Queen of Hearts - Kenny Hollywood $5 Underground 119 - Electric Company The Irish Frog - Jason Bruce 6:3010 p.m. Pop’s Saloon - The Colonels Poets II - Halloween Party: Part 1 - Hunter Gibson and the Gators 9 p.m. Burgers and Blues - Scott Albert Johnson and Bob Gates 7-11 p.m. Time Out - Diesel 255, Shaun Patterson 10 p.m. Philip’s on the Rez - Scott McCrory 7 p.m. free Crawdad Hole - Fulkerson/Pace 7-10 p.m. $5 cover BYOB Suite 106 - Pink Friday | Breast Cancer Awareness & Fundraising Event 9 p.m. JSU-Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center - Homecoming Greek Show and Concert 7 p.m. Rhythm and Brews, Meridian - Snazz 9-1 a.m. facebook.com/ snazzband2

Oct. 30 - saturday Planetarium/Expo Center - Miss. International Film Fest: Talent Show 10-2 p.m., DJ C. Lecta, Dr. Daniel and the Rockabilly Vampires 12 p.m.-1:30 p.m., MS Blues Allstars 2 p.m., Latinismo 4 p.m., Storage 24 6 p.m., Party: Captain Clegg & the Night 8-10 p.m. F. Jones Corner - Rocky Horror Picture Show Costume Contest 8-11 p.m.; Jackie Bell and Amazin’ Lazy Boi 11:30 p.m. Fenian’s - Jason Turner Martin’s - Halloween Bash with The Bailey Brothers 10 p.m. myspace.com/thebaileybros 930 Blues Cafe - Jackie Bell 9:30 p.m. $10 Hal and Mal’s - Rocky Horror Picture Show Ole Tavern - Spacewolf, Ghost Hand, Frank and the Meltones, Halloween Costume Contest 10 p.m. Fire - Halloween w/ Scare-A-Dee Night Dead w/ $1000 Costume Contest & Guns of Addiction 9 p.m. Queen of Hearts - Louis “Gearshifter” Youngblood, Smokestack Lightning Band Cultural Expressions - Gospoetry 8:30 p.m. Fitzgerald’s - Chris Gill 8-12 a.m. Little Big Store, Raymond Hambone’s 2010 Run Through The Woods Motorama Jamboree: Cody Cox, Liver Mousse, The Furrows, Swamp Babies hambonesmotorkulture.com Huntington’s - Ralph Miller 6-9 p.m. Dick & Jane’s - House Party/DJ Allen 9 p.m. $6; 18+ $10 Regency Hotel - Halloween Party with Faze 4 Sam’s Lounge - Dead P.A., Halloween Costume Contest $10

The Beacon, Hwy. 51, Terry - Danger Room (rock) 9-1 a.m. Underground 119 - Vasti Jackson Burgers and Blues - Natalie Long and Clinton Kirby 7-11 p.m. Philip’s on the Rez - Halloween Bash - Rico & The Border Patrol 7 p.m. Pop’s Saloon - Halloween Costume Contest, The Colonels Flowood YMCA - Fit 2 Lead 5k Costume Race: SAVES N9NE 8 a.m. metroymcams.org Rhythm and Brews, Meridian - Snazz 9-1 a.m. facebook.com/ snazzband2

Oct. 31 - sunday King Edward Hotel - Howard Jones Jazz (brunch) 11-2 p.m. Fitzgerald’s - Andy Hardwick (brunch) 11-2 p.m. Sophia’s, Fairview Inn - Knight Bruce 11 a.m. (brunch) Philip’s on the Rez - Mark Whittington and Fingers Taylor 5-9 p.m. Burgers and Blues - Chris Gill and Friends 5;30-9:30 p.m. Hal and Mal’s - Rocky Horror Show Reed Pierce’s - Snazz 9-1 a.m. facebook.com/snazzband2 Cultural Expressions - Open Mic Poetry 9 p.m.

nOv. 1 - MOnday Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Central Miss. Blues Society Jam 8-11 p.m. $5 F. Jones Corner - Stevie J (blues lunch) free Fitzgerald’s - Hunter Gibson & Rick Moreira 8-12 a.m. free Martin’s - Open Mic Free Jam 10 p.m. free Fenian’s - Karaoke 8-1 a.m. University Medical Center Steve Hofstetter (comedian) stevehofstetter.com

nOv. 2 - tuesday F. Jones Corner - Amazin’ Lazy Boi (blues lunch) free Hal & Mal’s Restaurant - Pub Quiz 8 p.m. Fenian’s - Open Mic 9 p.m. Martin’s - Karaoke 10 p.m. free Shucker’s - The Xtremez 7:3011:30 p.m. free Time Out - Open Mic 8 p.m. McB’s - Karaoke 7 p.m. free Miss. Museum of Art - Music in the City 5:45 p.m. free Proud Larry’s - Big Gigantic, Ana Sia

nOv. 3 - Wednesday F. Jones Corner - Sherman Lee Dillon (blues lunch) free Shucker’s - DoubleShotz 7:3011:30 p.m. free Underground 119 - Eddie Cotton Regency Hotel - Snazz 8:30 p.m. facebook.com/snazzband2 Philip’s on the Rez - DJ Mike/ Karaoke

Open Mon-Sat, Kitchen open Mon-Fri 11 am-10 pm & Sat 4-10 pm 10/29-31 10/29

Voodoo Fest: Muse, MGMT, Metric, Hot Chip, Ozzy, Interpol, Paul Oakenfold, InnerPartySystem+ New Orleans City Park 2010.thevoodooexperience.com Widespread Panic - UNO Lakefront Arena, N.O.

88 Keys 3645 Hwy. 80 W in Metrocenter, Jackson, 601-352-7342 930 Blues Cafe 930 N. Congress St., Jackson, 601-948-3344 Alamo Theatre 333 N. Farish St, Jackson, 601-352-3365 Alley Cats 165 W. Peace St., Canton, 601855-2225 Alumni House Sports Grill 574 Hwy. 50, Ridgeland, 601-855-2225 America Legion Post 1 3900 W. Northside Dr., Jackson, 601-605-9903 Ameristar Casino, Bottleneck Blues Bar 4146 Washington St., Vicksburg, 800700-7770 Beau Rivage Casino 875 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, 800-566-7469 Belhaven College Center for the Arts 835 Riverside Dr, Jackson, 601-968-5930 Bennie’s Boom Boom Room 142 Front St., Hattiesburg, 601-408-6040 Borrello’s 1306 Washington St., Vicksburg, 601-638-0169 Buffalo Wild Wings 808 Lake Harbour Dr., Ridgeland, 601-856-0789 Burgers and Blues 1060 E. County Line Rd., Ridgeland, 601-899-0038 Capri-Pix Theatre 3021 N. State St., Jackson, 601-981-9606 Central City Complex 609 Woodrow Wilson Dr., Jackson, 601-352-9075 Cerami’s 5417 Highway 25, Flowood, 601919-2829 Char Restaurant 4500 I-55, Highland Village, Jackson, 601-956-9562 Cherokee Inn 1410 Old Square Rd., Jackson, 601-362-6388 Club 43 Hwy 43, Canton, 601-654-3419, 601-859-0512 Club City Lights 200 N. Mill St., Jackson, 601-353-0059 Club O’Hara 364 Monticello St., Hazlehurst, 601-894-5674 Club Total 342 N. Gallatin St., Jackson, 601-714-5992 Congress Street Bar & Grill 120 N. Congress St., Jackson, 601-968-0857 The Commons Gallery 719 N. Congress St., 601-352-3399 Couples Entertainment Center 4511 Byrd Drive, Jackson, 601-923-9977 Crawdad Hole 1150 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-982-9299 Crickett’s Lounge 4370 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-0500 Crossroads Bar & Lounge 3040 Livingston Rd., Jackson, 601-984-3755 (blues) Cultural Expressions 147 Millsaps Ave., Jackson, 601-665-0815 (neo-soul/hiphop) Cups in Fondren 2757 Old Canton Road, Jackson, 601-362-7422 (acoustic/pop) Cups in the Quarter 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-981-9088 Davidson’s Corner Market 108 W. Center St., Canton, 601-855-2268 (pop/rock) Debo’s 180 Raymond Road, Jackson, 601346-8283 Diamond Jack’s Casino 3990 Washington Street, Vicksburg, 1-877-711-0677 Dick & Jane’s 206 Capitol St., Jackson, 601-944-0123 (dance/alternative) Dixie Diamond 1306 Washington Street, Vicksburg, 601-638-6297 Dollar Bills Dance Saloon 103 A Street, Meridian, 601-693-5300 Dreamz Jxn 426 West Capitol Street, Jackson, 601-979-3994 Edison Walthall Hotel 225 E. Capitol St., Jackson, 601-948-6161 Electric Cowboy 6107 Ridgewood Rd., Jackson, 601-899-5333 (country/rock/dance) Executive Place 2440 Bailey Ave., Jackson, 601-987-4014 F. Jones Corner 303 N. Farish St. 601983-1148 Fenian’s 901 E. Fortification Street, Jackson, 601-948-0055 (rock/Irish/folk) Fire 209 Commerce St., Jackson, 601-5921000 (rock/dance/dj) Final Destination 5428 Robinson Rd. Ext., Jackson, (pop/rock/blues) Fitzgerald’s Martini Bar 1001 E. County Line Road, Jackson, 601-957-2800 Flood’s Bar and Grill 2460 Bailey Ave., Jackson, 601-713-4094 Footloose Bar and Grill 4661 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-9944

Have an upcoming performance? Send your music listings to Natalie Long at music@jacksonfreepress.com. Freelon’s Bar And Groove 440 N. Mill St., Jackson, 601-353-5357 (hip-hop) Fusion Coffeehouse Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, 601-856-6001 Gold Strike Casino 1010 Casino Center Drive, Robinsonville, 888-245-7529 Grand Casino Biloxi 280 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, 228-436-2946 Grand Casino Tunica 13615 Old Highway 61 North, Robinsonville, 800-39-GRAND The Green Room 444 Bounds St., Jackson, 601-713-3444 Ground Zero Blues Club 0 Blues Alley, Clarksdale, 662-621-9009 Grownfolks’s Lounge 4030 Medgar Evers Blvd, Jackson, 601-362-6008 Hal & Mal’s 200 S. Commerce St., Jackson, 601-948-0888 (pop/rock/blues) Hamp’s Place 3028 W. Northside Dr., Jackson, 601-981-4110 (dance/dj) Hard Rock Biloxi 777 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, 228-374-ROCK Hat & Cane 1115 E. McDowell Rd., Jackson, 601-352-0411 Hauté Pig 1856 Main St., Madison, 601853-8538 Here We Go Again 3002 Terry Road, Jackson, 601-373-1520 Horizon Casino Mulberry Lounge 1310 Mulberry St., Vicksburg, 800-843-2343 Horseshoe Bar 5049 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-6191 Horseshoe Casino Tunica, 800-303-7463 The Hunt Club 1525 Ellis Ave., Jackson, 601-944-1150 Huntington Grille 1001 E. County Line Rd., Jackson, 601-957-1515 The Ice House 515 S. Railroad Blvd., McComb, 601-684-0285 (pop/rock) The Irish Frog 5o7 Springridge Rd., Clinton, 601-448-4185 JC’s 425 North Mart Plaza, Jackson, 601362-3108 Jackson Convention Complex 105 E. Pascagoula St.. Jackson, 601-960-2321 James Meredith Lounge 217 Griffith St. 601-969-3222 Julep Restaurant and Bar 105 Highland Village, Jackson, 601-362-1411 Kathryn’s Steaks and Seafood 6800 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland. 601-956-2803 King Edward Hotel 235 W. Capitol St., Jackson, 601-353-5464 Koinonia Coffee House 136 S. Adams St., Suite C, Jackson, 601-960-3008 Kristos 971 Madison Ave., Madison, 601605-2266 LaRae’s 210 Parcel Dr., Jackson, 601-944-0660 Last Call Sports Grill 1428 Old Square Road, Jackson, 601-713-2700 The Library Bar & Grill 120 S. 11th St., Oxford, 662-234-1411 The Loft 1306 A. Washington St., Vicksburg, 601-629-6188 The Lyric Oxford 1006 Van Buren Ave., Oxford. 662-234-5333 Main Event Sports Bar & Grill 4659 Hwy 80 West, Jackson, 601-922-9987 Manda’s Pub 614 Clay Street, Vicksburg, 601-638-6607 Martin’s Lounge 214 S. State St., Jackson, 601-354-9712 (rock/jam/blues) McB’s Restaurant 815 Lake Harbor Dr., Ridgeland, 601-956-8362 (pop/rock) Mellow Mushroom 275 Dogwood Blvd., Flowood, 601-992-7499 Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music 103 Magnolia, Edwards, 601-977-7736 Mississippi Coliseum 1207 Mississippi St., Jackson, 601-353-0603 Mississippi Opera P.O. Box 1551, Jackson, 877-MSOPERA, 601-960-2300 Mississippi Opry 2420 Old Brandon Rd., Brandon, 601-331-6672 Mississippi Symphony Orchestra 201 East Pascagoula St., Jackson, 800898-5050 Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium 2531 N. State St., Jackson, 601-354-6021 Monte’s Steak and Seafood 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-362-8182 Mugshots 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-713-0383 North Midtown Arts Center 121 Millsaps Ave., Jackson, 601-497-7454 Okasions 1766 Ellis Avenue, Jackson, 601373-4037

Old Venice Pizza Co. 1428 Old Square Rd., Jackson, 601-366-6872 Ole Tavern on George Street 416 George St., Jackson, 601-960-2700 Olga’s 4760 I-55 North, Jackson, 601-366-1366 (piano) One Blu Wall 2906 N State St., Jackson, 601-713-1224 The Parker House 104 S.E. Madison Drive, (Olde Towne) Ridgeland, 601-856-0043 Peaches Restaurant 327 N. Farish St., Jackson, 601-354-9267 Pelican Cove 3999A Harborwalk Dr., Ridgeland, 601-605-1865 Pig Ear Saloon 160 Weisenberger Rd., Gluckstadt, 601-898-8090 Pig Willies 1416 Washington St., Vicksburg, 601-634-6872 Poet’s II 1855 Lakeland Dr., 601- 364-9411 Pool Hall 3716 I-55 North Frontage Rd., Jackson, 601-713-2708 Pop’s Saloon 2636 Gallatin St., Jackson, 601-961-4747 (country) Proud Larry’s 211 S. Lamar Blvd., Oxford, 662-236-0050 The Pub Hwy. 51, Ridgeland, 601-898-2225 The Quarter Bistro & Piano Bar 1855 Lakeland Dr., Jackson, 601-362-4900 Que Sera Sera 2801 N. State St., Jackson, 601-981-2520 Queen of Hearts 2243 Martin Luther King Dr., Jackson, 601-454-9401 Red Room 200 S. Commerce St., Jackson (Hal & Mal’s), 601-948-0888 (rock/alt.) Reed Pierce’s 6791 Siwell Rd., Byram, 601376-0777, 601-376-4677 Regency Hotel Restaurant & Bar 420 Greymont Ave., Jackson, 601-969-2141 Rick’s Cafe 318 Hwy 82 East, #B, Starkville, 662-324-7425 RJ Barrel 111 N. Union 601-667-3518 Roberts Walthall Hotel 225 E. Capitol St., Jackson, 601-948-6161 Sal and Mookie’s 565 Taylor St. 601368-1919 Sam’s Lounge 5035 I-55 N. Frontage Rd., Jackson, 601-983-2526 Sam’s Town Casino 1477 Casino Strip Blvd., Robinsonville, 800-456-0711 Scrooge’s 5829 Ridgewood Rd., Jackson, 601-206-1211 Shuckers on the Reservoir 116 Conestoga Rd., Ridgeland, 601-853-0105 Silver Star Casino Hwy. 16 West, Choctaw, 800-557-0711 Soop’s The Ultimate 1205 Country Club Dr., Jackson, 601-922-1402 (blues) Soulshine Pizza 1139 Old Fannin Rd., Brandon, 601-919-2000 Soulshine Pizza 1111 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, 601-856-8646 Sportsman’s Lodge 1220 E. Northside Dr. at I-55, Jackson, 601-366-5441 Stone Pony Oyster Bar 116 Commercial Parkway, Canton, 601-859-0801 Super Chikan’s Place 235 Yazoo Ave., Clarksdale, 662-627-7008 Thalia Mara Hall 255 E. Pascagoula St., Jackson, 601-960-1535 Thirsty Hippo 211 Main St., Hattiesburg, 601-583-9188 Time Out Sports Bar 6270 Old Canton Rd., 601-978-1839 Top Notch Sports Bar 109 Culley Dr., Jackson, 601- 362-0706 Touch Night Club 105 E. Capitol St., Jackson, 601-969-1110 Two Rivers Restaurant 1537 W. Peace St., Canton, 601-859-9979 (blues) Two Sisters Kitchen 707 N. Congress St. 601-353-1180 Two Stick 1107 Jackson Ave., Oxford, 662236-6639 Under the Boardwalk 2560 Terry Rd., Jackson, 601-371-7332 Underground 119 119 S. President St. 601-352-2322 VFW Post 9832 4610 Sunray Drive, Jackson, 601-982-9925 Vicksburg Convention Center 1600 Mulberry Street, Vicksburg, 866-822-6338 Walker’s Drive-In 3016 N. State St., Jackson, 601-982-2633 (jazz/pop/folk) The Warehouse 9347 Hwy 18 West, Jackson, 601-502-8580 (pop/rock) Wired Expresso Cafe 115 N. State St. 601500-7800

Wednesday, October 27th

Ladies’ Night w/ Snazz 8:30 p.m. - Guys’ Cover $5

BUY 1, GET 1 WELLS

Thursday, October 28th

Bike Night w/ Krazy Karaoke 7:00 p.m. - No Cover

$2 MARGARITAS!

Friday, October 29th

LIVE MUSIC

8:30 p.m. - $5 cover Saturday, October 30th

HALLOWEEN PARTY live music by

FAZE 4

8:30 p.m. - $5 Exquisite Dining at

The Rio Grande Restaurant

400 Greymont Ave., Jackson 601-969-2141 www.regencyjackson.com

Good Tunes, Beautiful Scenery, Great Food!

LIVE MUSIC

ON THE PATIO TUESDAY THRU THURSDAY!

BANDS PLAY 6 – 9 PM Wed. 10/27

Chris Gill and the Sole Shakers Thurs. 10/28

Chris Derrick & the Electric Company HAPPY HOUR 5 – 7 NIGHTLY

off well drinks and wine by the glass

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104 South East Madison Drive (Olde Towne) Ridgeland, MS 39157 Reservations 601.856.0043

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DIVERSIONS|sports

Doctor S sez: Brett Favre has a busted ankle, and the NFL is on his trail. Watch out, Patriots. THURSDAY, OCT. 28 College football, North Alabama at Delta State (7 p.m., Cleveland, CSS, 1180 AM/103.3 FM): This game will decide whether the Lions or the Statesmen go to the Division II playoffs. FRIDAY, OCT. 29 High school football, Pearl at Callaway (7 p.m., Newell Field, Jackson): The Pirates and Chargers battle for playoff position.

To suggest features, e-mail: ronni@jacksonfreepress.com + To advertise, e-mail: kimberly@jacksonfreepress.com

SATURDAY, OCT. 30 College football, Sewanee at Millsaps (1 p.m., Jackson) and Cumberlands at Belhaven (1:30 p.m., Newell Field, Jackson): Fondren’s home teams play their final home games of the season. … Ole Miss at Auburn (5 p.m., Auburn, Ala., ESPN2, 97.3 FM): Will the dreaded BCS No. 1 jinx strike for the third week in a row? No. … Kentucky at Mississippi State (6 p.m., Starkville, ESPNU, 105.9 FM): What the hell is it with all of these ESPNU games? The Bulldogs are finally worth watching and most of their fans in the Jackson can’t. I guess you will have to drive to a sports bar … or Starkville. SUNDAY, OCT. 31 Major League baseball, World Series Game 4, Texas at San Francisco (7 p.m., Ch. 40, 105.9 FM): The Rangers or Giants

Curses, Foiled Again Sheriff’s Deputy Venita Edge reported she was fueling her marked patrol car in Fultondale, Ala., when Matthew Kinard, 27, pulled alongside her and asked her to check to see if there were any outstanding warrants on him. When a search turned up one outstanding warrant for unlawful possession of a controlled substance, Edge took him into custody. Her report said that on the way to the county jail, he announced, “I am the stupidest criminal in the world.” (The North Jefferson News)

October 27 - November 2, 2010

Sound of Green

Frito-Lay announced it was dumping biodegradable bags for five of its six varieties of Sun Chips snacks and returning to the original plastic packaging because consumers complained the compostable bags were too noisy. (Associated Press) At least a dozen of the 250 new wind farms opened in the United States in the past two years have generated significant noise complaints. In almost all cases, the complaints are directed against the noise of the turbines’ steel blades, which are well over 100 feet long. Similar complaints are being made in Canada and Britain, and in Rennes, France, an appeals court recently ordered an eightturbine wind farm to shut down between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. so residents could get some sleep. (The New York Times)

Role Model of the Week Isaac H. Stoltzfus, 58, a district judge from Intercourse, Pa., was charged with disorderly conduct for hiding condoms inside acorns and hand-

could complete a sweep tonight. That’s not going to happen. (Rangers in seven.) … NFL football, Pittsburgh at New Orleans (7:20 p.m., Ch. 3, 620 AM): The Superdome has been a house of horrors for the Saints lately. Things could get worse when Big Ben and the Steelers arrive. MONDAY, NOV. 1 NFL football, Houston at Indianapolis (7:30 p.m., ESPN): The Colts look for revenge when the Texans come to town. … Major League baseball, World Series Game 4, Texas at San Francisco (7:30 p.m., Ch. 40, 105.9 FM): The Rangers or Giants could complete a sweep tonight. That’s not going to happen. (Rangers in seven.) TUESDAY, NOV. 2 NBA basketball, Atlanta at Cleveland (6 p.m., SportSouth): Last season, HawksCavaliers would have been a heckuva matchup. This year … not so much. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 3 College football, Rutgers at South Florida (6 p.m., ESPN): If the World Series doesn’t get this far, I’m afraid this is one of your best options. Enjoy The Slate is compiled by Doctor S between shots of Nyquil. He doesn’t have a cold, he just likes the taste. Wake up and get over to JFP Sports at jacksonfreepress.com.

ing them out to unsuspecting women at the state Capitol. (Associated Press)

When Guns Are Outlawed When a masked man walked into a gas station in Cave Junction, Ore., and demanded cash, clerk Dan McLeod, 75, said the robber threatened to kill him, then pulled out 6-inch wrench — “a dinky little thing,” McLeod said. He responded by grabbing a broomstick handle and hitting the man several times, sending him away empty handed. (The Oregonian)

Neutered and Spayed All at Once Sharon Blechinger donated $1,165 to perform gender reassignment surgery on a Pomeranian puppy born with male and female sex organs. Veterinary specialist James Felt performed the 90-minute surgical procedure in San Bernadino, Calif. (The Press-Enterprise)

Why They Call It Dope Sheriff’s deputies arrested four people at a home in Carson City, Nev., after they found fliers in the neighborhood advertising marijuana for sale at that address and announcing, “Looking for new clients, always a good supply.” When deputies went to the address, they saw a camera in a window pointed at the street and a note advising visitors, “If you don’t call first, we won’t answer the door.” The deputies knocked anyway, and a man and woman opened the door. (Nevada Appeal) Compiled from mainstream media sources by Roland Sweet. Authentication on demand.

LUNCH BUNCH November 3rd at 11:45 a.m. Jackson Medical Mall Community Room R.S.V.P. to 601.969.6015, $5 for Lunch Are you concerned about preparing for college? Whether it’s a two-year community college, a four year program, or vocational-technical school, the Education Services Foundation (ESF) might have the information you’re seeking. Join us for a presentation by Heather Roberts, ESF Coordinator of Outreach, as she relates the successful work at Murrah High School which has created this college-going culture. Heather will be joined by Freddrick Murray, Murrah’s principal, and they will detail the partnership they built with ESF, parents, teachers, and especially, students.

Founding Chapter, Parents for Public Schools, 1989 200 N. Congress, Suite 500, Jackson, MS 39201

www.ppsjackson.org

Prema Hara in Concert October 28, 7:00pm - 8:30pm

A kirtan celebration with Prema Hara: A fusion of innovation and tradition. We’re so blessed to have Kamaniya & Keshvacharya Das return to Jackson for a super sweet kirtan. Kirtan, the music of the heart, is the calling of the soul, an ecstatic musical journey to invoke divine presence. Come sing & dance or just come and be!

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xxx/cvuufsà!zzphb/ofu

jacksonfreepress.com

“In Prema Hara’s music one can hear the voices...of Lover singing to Beloved.” ~ Girish

BY MATT JONES 13 Clearasil competitor 19 “Drinks are ___!” 21 Martini garnish 24 Ruler pre-1917 25 Leave off 26 Sells back 27 “Son of ___!” 28 Prying 29 RB stat 33 For the birds? 34 Section of a race 36 “New Jack Hustler” rapper 37 Annoying people 38 “The Sopranos” actress de Matteo 39 Ditch instead of hitch 40 Enlighten 41 “All Things Considered” reporter Shapiro 44 In need of GPS 45 Actors Hawke and Suplee 47 Request at the concert’s end 48 Advil competitor 49 Cicely and Mike 51 “Fiddler on the Roof” star 52 Play ___ (skip class) 53 Did some diamond appraisal? 56 Mensa nos. 57 Org. protested in the 1999 “Battle of Seattle” 58 Sound from a kennel 59 Codebreaking govt. org. 60 Zip 61 “Let’s get milkshakes!” response ©2010 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com)

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

You could really use a personal doorman or doorwoman—someone who would accompany you everywhere you go and help you gain entrance through the portals you encounter. In my vision of what you require, this assistant would go further. He or she would find secret camouflaged doors for you and do the equivalent of uttering Ali Baba’s magic words “Open Sesame!” He or she would even “create” doors for you, allowing you to penetrate obstacles—going into carpenter mode and fashioning a passageway for you right on the spot. If you can’t find anyone to fulfill this role for you, do it yourself. Halloween costume suggestion: a doorman or doorwoman; a gatekeeper from a fairy tale.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Is the highest form of courage embodied in a soldier ﬁghting during a war? Irish poet William Butler Yeats didn’t think so. He said that entering into the abyss of one’s deep self is equally daring. By my astrological reckoning, that will be the location of your greatest heroism in the days ahead. Your most illuminating and productive adventures will be the wrestling matches you have with the convulsive, beautiful darkness you ﬁnd inside yourself. Halloween costume suggestion: a peaceful warrior.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

The average spammer sends out 12,414,000 e-mails before snagging the money of just one gullible dupe. You’re not going to have to be quite that proliﬁc in order to get the word out about what you have to offer, but you’ll have to be pretty persistent. Fortunately, to improve your odds and raise your chances of success, all you have to do is purify your intentions. So please check in with your deep self, and make sure that your gift or idea or product or service has impeccable integrity. Halloween costume suggestion: a holy salesperson; an angel hawking real estate in paradise; a TV infomercial spokesperson for free cake.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Sunlight may smell spicy or musky to you these days. The wind might have a ﬂavor like chocolate liqueur or a ripe peach. The hum of the earth as it turns may sound like a symphony you heard once in a dream. Your body? Electric. Your soul? Sinewy. In other words, Aquarius magic is afoot. The hills are alive with future memories that taste delicious. Your feet will touch sacred ground far more than usual. Halloween costume suggestion: a character from a ﬁlm that changed your life for the better.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

In the middle of the last century, avant-garde ﬁlmmaker Kenneth Anger threw a masquerade party called “Come as Your Madness.” One of the invited guests was the Piscean writer Anais Nin. She appeared as the ancient fertility goddess Astarte, but with an unexpected wrinkle: She wore a birdcage over her head. This Halloween I urge you to be inspired by Nin’s decision to portray her madness as a goddess, but reject Nin’s decision to cage the head of her mad goddess. Find a disguise that allows you to embody the best and most beautiful part of your craziness, and let it roam free.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

October 27 - November 2, 2010

In the Chinese province of Fujian, there used to be people who believed they could communicate directly with the dead. If they slept on the grave of the person they wished to reach, their dreams during the night might lead to a meeting with the spirit of the departed. I propose that you consider something similar, Aries. Why? Because according to my reading of the astrological omens, you would benefit from communing with your ancestors. If you can’t actually spend the night near their final resting place, find another way to contact them in dreams. Put their photos under your pillow, maybe, or hold one of their beloved objects as you sleep. Halloween costume suggestion: the ancestor whose influence you need most right now.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

In an exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, performance artist Marina Abramovic stared into the eyes of a succession of different strangers for 700 hours. Actresses Marisa Tomei and Isabella Rossellini were among those who received her visual probes, as well as 1,400 less famous folks. I think it would be fun for you to do a variation on her ritual, Taurus. In your case, you wouldn’t do it to show off or to prove an

artistic point, but rather to get closer to the allies with whom you’d like to develop a deeper bond. Are you up for some deep eye gazing? Halloween costume suggestion: a mystic seer; a god or goddess with a third eye; a superhero whose power is X-ray vision.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

Have you ever seen the edible fungi known as trufﬂes? They are bulbous, warty clumps. Because they grow underground near trees, specially trained pigs and dogs are needed to sniff out their location. In parts of Europe their taste is so highly prized that they can sell for up to $6,000 per pound. In my opinion, the trufﬂe should be your metaphor of the month this November. I expect that you will be in the hunt for an ugly but delectable treasure, a homely but valuable resource or some kind of lovable monster. Halloween costume suggestion: a Frankensteinian beauty queen or underwear model, a rhino in a prom dress, a birthday cake made of lunch meat.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

Don’t try harder, Cancerian; try easier. Don’t turn your focus into a white-hot beam of piercing intensity; relax your focus into a soft-eyed enjoyment of playing around with the possibilities. Don’t tense your sphincter, marshal your warrior ferocity and stir up your righteous anger at how life refuses to conform to your specifications; rather, send waves of tenderness through your body, open your heart to the experiment of blending your energy with life’s unpredictable flow, and marvel at the surprising revelations and invitations that are constantly flowing your way. Halloween costume suggestions: Mr. Smooth, Ms. Velvet, Dr. Groovalicious, DJ Silky.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

“I wanted to change the world,” writer Aldous Huxley said. “But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.” I suggest you adopt that as your operative hypothesis, Leo. Maybe in a few weeks it’ll make sense for you to shower your loved ones with advice, and maybe you’ll eventually get re-inspired to save humanity from its foolish ways. But for now, your assignment is to ﬁx, reﬁne and recalibrate your own beautifully imperfect self. Halloween costume suggestions: hermit, anarchist, keeper of a gorgeous diary, do-it-yourself brain surgeon.

“I ? NY”--where’s the love? Across

1 “Saved by the Bell” stud 5 Lead male or female 10 Glowing ring 14 “Four Leaf Clover” folk-rocker Moore 15 Holiday changed to Thanksgiving in “For Your Consideration” 16 Alternative to Visa or MC 17 Drescher with a distinctive laugh 18 Humiliating way to live 20 T as in transmission? 22 “Leading with My ___” (Jay Leno book) 23 Original makers of Rubik’s Cube 30 Diploma alternative 31 End of a belief? 32 Neptune, for one 33 To no ___ 35 Squeamish person 36 Rare postage stamp with an upside-down airplane 41 Exotic berry in some diets 42 Crossword parts 43 Throw a party for 46 Director Roth 47 Chow down 50 Comment after a lame joke others

are laughing at 54 “Beat it!” 55 Athletic centers that got renamed in 2010 56 Hackneyed birthday girl’s request 62 A little, in sheet music 63 Football game divs. 64 Finnish mobile phone maker 65 Brockovich played by Julia Roberts 66 Living room furniture For answers to this puzzle, call: 67 In a sneaky way 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. 68 TV rooms Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle #0484. 1 “Pleasingly plump,” according to Merriam-Webster Last Week’s Answers 2 Get grating 3 Turned one’s neck 4 Roo’s mom 5 Bee: pref. 6 “Un ___ Dun” (2007 fantasy novel set in a mirror version of the UK) 7 Not so cheap 8 Tough-to-hit note 9 Some pregnancy tests, for short 10 Bad actor 11 “___ making myself clear?” 12 Spy novelist Deighton

Down

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

BY MATT JONES

In last May’s national election, none of Britain’s three political parties got a majority. For a while, the country had no leader. Eventually, the right-wing Conservatives and the left-wing Liberal Democrats formed a weird coalition, making Conservative David Cameron the Prime Minister. Some people had mixed feelings about the deal. “I said it was like a cross between a bulldog and Chihuahua,” London’s mayor announced, “but what I meant is it will have a fantastic hybrid vigor.” I suspect that a certain merger you have in the works, Virgo, could yield similar feelings. Halloween costume suggestion: half-bulldog, half-Chihuahua; part hummingbird, part-crocodile; equal mix of Gandhi and Napoleon.

Last Week’s Answers

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Five white tigers at a Chinese wild animal park became way too tame for their own good. Maybe they’d hung around humans too long, or their lifestyle was too cushy. Whatever the reason, one of their essential instincts atrophied. A zookeeper put live chickens into their habitats, hoping they would pounce and devour, but instead they retreated as if unnerved. Tigers scared of chickens?! Since then, zoo ofﬁcials have been taking measures to boost the big cats’ bravado. I bring this to your attention, Libra, because I’m worried you might be headed in the tigers’ direction. Undomesticate thyself! Halloween costume suggestion: a big ﬁerce creature.

Meditate on death not as the end of physical life, but as a metaphor for shedding what’s outworn. In that light, what’s the best death you’ve ever experienced? Freewillastrology.com

“Greater-Than Sudoku” For this “Greater-Than Sudoku,” I’m not givin’ you ANY numbers to start off with! Adjoining squares in the grid’s 3x3 boxes have a greater-than sign (>) telling you which of the two numbers in those squares is larger. Fill in every square with a number from 1-9 using the greater-than signs as a guide. When you’re done, as in a normal Sudoku, every row, column, and 3x3 box will contain the numbers 1-9 exactly one time. (Solving hint: try to look for the 1’s and 9’s in each box ﬁrst, then move on to the 2’s and 8’s, and so on). psychosudoku@hotmail.com

K ED F O R

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9OU "E THE *5$'%

FULL LUNCH $9.00 with tax

Entree, 2 Sides, Bread & Beverage

U ’ VE G O

168 W. Griffith St. • Sterling Towers 601-352-2364 • Fax: 601-352-2365 Hours: Monday - Friday 7am - 4pm

Short Order Drive-thru

Tues. - Fri. 11am - 3pm, Closed Sat. 182 Raymond Rd. in Jackson, MS Telephone: 601-373-7707 E-mail: lumpkinsbbq@comcast.net

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Gluten free pizza available by request

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Jackson

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1801 Dalton Street (601) 352-4555 Fax: (601) 352-4510

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Down Home Cooking Downtown

dining

SUNDAY STANDOFFbyVEGETABLE Robin O’BryantBEEF SOUP

Dinnertime Drama

“M

by Robin O’Bryant

omma, what’s for dinner?” It’s a question heard around the world. The houses may be different, the languages vary, the children represent every shade of the rainbow, but the effect is the same. Parents shudder and hear the theme song to “Jaws” playing in their heads. Panic ensues and thoughts run wild. “What are we having for dinner? Did I remember to thaw out the chicken? Do we even have any chicken? Do I have the time, energy and wherewithal to cook the chicken?” I have a picky eater at my house, and unless everybody is eating French fries, Easy-Mac, chicken nuggets and Oreos for dinner at least one of us won’t be happy. My goal is for my children to be well fed and eating well-balanced meals of their own volition. I have no desire to have a “Supernanny” Jo Frost showdown at the kitchen table every time we sit down to eat. I would rather let my children try something new and say, “No thank you, I don’t care for that,” than have to listen to them sit at the table and cry until they finish their carrots. For some reason, my children feel the same way about broccoli that Forrest Gump’s friend Bubba felt about shrimp. They’ll eat it steamed, baked, fried or raw. (I’m not sure Bubba could even say that.) Any way I can think to serve it, they will eat it. So broccoli has become as much of a staple around my house as ketchup—which, in case you didn’t know, counts as a vegetable in some school lunches. I would also like to make it crystal clear that I am in no

Ghost a Halloween Party

“D

October 27 - November 2, 2010

ouble, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble. … Eye of newt, and toe of frog, wool of bat, and tongue of dog.” Yuck! I realize William Shakespeare’s witches from “Macbeth” weren’t conjuring up a tasty little dish for a Halloween get together, but really? Tongue of dog? Halloween is creeping up on us. For those of you who, like me, decorate with witches, ghosts, black cats, goblins and pumpkins, it’s a frightfully fun time. It is also an opportunity to conjure up some spook-

(My oldest still won’t eat it, but the other two love it.)

2 boxes of beef broth 3 stalks of celery, chopped 1/2 onion chopped 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 can of Veg-All, drained 1 cup of frozen corn 1 cup of frozen butter beans 1 can of green beans, drained 2 red potatoes, peeled and diced Salt and pepper to taste 1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 tablespoon chopped, dried parsley 1 teaspoon oregano 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 cans of diced tomatoes, undrained 1/2 pound of lean ground beef, cooked and drained (optional)

You can dump all of the ingredients into a crock pot, turn it on high and walk away. If you don’t want to wait all

way taking responsibility for my children’s love of broccoli. I have no explanation for this phenomenon, and sadly, no tricks up my sleeve to share with you on how to get your little ones to eat their veggies. As a matter of fact, I almost shoved my foot in my mouth when my oldest daughter was 2 years old and in preschool for the first time. We were having a Christmas party for their class, and one of the moms brought a vegetable tray. Nothing screams “party time” to a room full of toddlers like raw broccoli and cherry tomatoes. I say if we’re going to call it a party, give ’em pizza and cupcakes, but nobody asked me. One little boy chowed down on raw broccoli, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes. I was in awe of this unprecedented toddler behavior. I leaned over and asked his mother, “How do you get him to eat vegetables?” I knew I had asked the wrong woman before the words were out of my mouth. Her face lit up. She all but had a sign on her forehead declaring, “I knew I was a better mother than you!” But it was too late. I asked, and now I had to listen to what she had to say. by Terri Cowart

tacular food for a bewitching party. When my oldest daughters were still young, some of us mummies would host Halloween parties for our trick-or-treaters. It was always a fun (and competitive) time to see witch of us possessed the best creative skills. We also served food and favors, hoping to ex-spell a large consumption of candy the kids would collect. Once, I filled clear cellophane gloves with popcorn; they looked like skeleton hands. I don’t make costumes or walk door-todoor anymore, but when I saw the witch fac-

day for it to cook, follow these directions: In a large pot, sauté celery, onion and carrots until tender. Add everything except the frozen vegetables and bring to a simmer. Allow soup to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes to allow potatoes to cook. Add frozen veggies and continue to simmer until potatoes and frozen vegetables are tender. Soup freezes well in storage bags.

“I tell him the cucumber slices are wagon wheels and the broccoli is little trees. He even eats green beans! I tell him they are green French fries and he dips them in ketchup!” She said, smiling proudly. There are a lot of things you can make your children do, but putting food in their mouths and forcing them to chew and swallow are not on that list, as evidenced by The Sunday Soup Standoff of 2008. Aubrey, my oldest child, and my husband went head to head in a battle of wills over a bowl of homemade vegetable soup. Aubrey chose to sit in time-out for two hours as opposed to taking one bite of soup. And what could my husband do? Kids: 1 Adults: 0. The Green Bean Incident of 1989, when Linda Murphy, our next-door neighbor and surrogate mother, tried to make my sister Blair eat one green bean, further proves my point. Blair tried without success to convince Linda she did not like green beans. Linda would not be dissuaded and kept on until Blair finally relented, chewing and swallowing a single green bean. But my baby sister firmly proved her point by promptly throwing up all over the kitchen table. Kids: 2 Adults: 0. I’ve seen the scorecard, and I realize odds, are this is a battle I’m not going to win. I’ll take a “No thank you,” over puking at the dinner table any day. But that’s just me.

es on the cover of Taste of Home magazine in 2006, their black hats made out of cookies and candy, it was irresistible. I “haunted” through the magazine for decorating ideas and recipes. One of my favorite recipes was for pepper popper fingers. Made with jalapeno peppers halved and filled with cheeses, breadcrumbs, bacon and spices, when you add the sliced almonds to the ends of the peppers with a dab of ketchup, they really do look like fingers. So don’t be scared. Go a little batty with some Halloween-inspired recipes. It will be worth the toil and trouble.

PUMPKIN DIP

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 2 cups confectioner’s sugar 1 can (15 ounces) solid pack pumpkin 3 teaspoons pumpkin spice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Beat cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat until smooth. Serve with apple slices or ginger snaps. Tip: Serve the dip from a small hollowed-out pumpkin.

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Bars, puBs & Burgers

Cool Al’s (4654 McWillie, 601-713-3020) A standard in Best of Jackson, Al’s stacked, messy, decadent, creative burgers defy adjectives. Or try pineapple chicken, smoked sausage...or the nationally recognized veggie burger. Fenian’s Pub (901 E. Fortification St. 601-948-0055) Classic Irish pub featuring a menu of traditional food, pub sandwiches and beers such as Guinness and Harp on tap. Free live music most nights; Irish/Celtic bands on Thursdays. Stamps Superburgers (1801 Dalton Street 601-352-4555) Huge burgers will keep you full until the next day! The homestyle fries are always fresh, cut by hand using white potatoes with traditional, lemon pepper, seasoning salt or Cajun seasoning. 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 each day’s blackboard special. Repeat winner of Best of Jackson’s “Best Place for Live Music.” Last Call (3716 I-55 N. Frontage Road 601-713-2700) Burgers, sandwiches and po-boys, plus sports-bar appetizers and specialities. Try chili cheese fries, chicken nachos or the shrimp & pork eggrolls. Pay-per-view sporting events, live bands. Martin’s Restaurant and Lounge (214 South State Street 601-354-9712) Lunch specials, pub appetizers (jalapeno poppers, cheezsticks, fried pickles) or order from the full menu of po-boys and entrees. Full bar, massive beer selection and live music most nights. The Regency (400 Greymont Ave. 601-969-2141) Reasonably priced buffet Monday through Friday featuring all your favorites. Daily happy hour, live bands and regular specials. Time Out Sports Café (6720 Old Canton Road 601-978-1839) 14 TVs, 1 projector and two big-screens. Daily $9 lunch specials, pub-style appetizers, burgers, seafood and catfish po-boys, salads, and hot entrees including fish, steak and pasta. 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 and weekly lunch specials. Plus, happy hour 4-7pm Monday through Friday. Poets Two (1855 Lakeland Drive, Suite H-10, 601-364-9411) Pub fare at its finest. Crabcake minis, fried dills, wings, poppers, ultimate fries, sandwiches, poboys, pasta entrees and steak. The signature burgers come in bison, kobe, beef or turkey! Sportsman’s Lodge (1120 E Northside Dr. in Maywood Mart) 601-366-5441 Voted Best Sports Bar in 2010, Sportman’s doesn’t disappoint with plenty of gut-pleasing sandwiches, and fried seafood baskets. Try the award-winning wings in Buffalo, Thai or Jerk sauces! Underground 119 (119 South President St. 601-352-2322) Jumbo lump crabcakes, crab quesadillas, beef tenderloin parfaits, orange-garlic shrimp, even “lollipop” lamb chops. Add a full bar and mix in great music. Opens 4 p.m.-until, Wed-Sat.

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Bakery Beagle Bagel (4500 I-55 North, Suite 145, Highland Village 769-251-1892) Fresh bagels in tons of different styles available with a variety of toppings. Plus paninis, wraps, soup & salad, gourmet coffee, muffins, cakes, pies and much more! Broad Street Bakery (4465 Interstate 55 N. 601-362-2900) NEW MENU! Hot breakfast,coffee espresso drinks, fresh breads and pastries, gourmet deli sandwiches, quiches, soups, pizzas, pastas and dessert. A “see and be seen” Jackson institution! Campbell’s Bakery (3013 N State Street 601-362-4628) Now serving lunch! Cookies, cakes and cupcakes are accompanied by good coffee and a fullcooked Southern breakfast on weekdays in this charming bakery in Fondren. For Heaven’s Cakes (4950 Old Canton Road 601-991-2253) Cakes and cupcakes for all occasions including weddings, parties, catered events. Owner Dani Mitchell Turk was features on the Food Network’s ultimate recipe showdown.

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BRAVO! (4500 Interstate 55 N., Jackson, 601-982-8111) Wood-fired pizzas, vegetarian fare, plus creative pastas, beef, and seafood specials. Wonderful atmosphere and service. Bravo! walks away with tons of Best of Jackson awards every year. Cerami’s (5417 Lakeland Drive, Flowood, 601-919-28298) Southern-style Italian cuisine features their signature Shrimp Cerami (white wine sauce, capers artichokes) along with veal, tilapia, crawfish, chicken and pasta dishes. Now with liquor license! Fratesi’s (910 Lake Harbour, Ridgeland, 601-956-2929) “Authentic, homey, unpretentious” that’s how the regulars describe Fratesi’s, a staple in Jackson for years, offering great Italian favorites with loving care. The tiramisu is a must-have!

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Crazy Cat Bakers (Highland Village Suite #173 601-362-7448) Amazing sandwiches: Meatloaf Panini, Mediterranean Vegetarian, Rotisserie Chicken to gourmet pimento cheese. Outlandish desserts. Now open for dinner Wednesday through Friday. Primos Cafe (2323 Lakeland 601-936-3398/ 515 Lake Harbour 601-898-3400) A Jackson institution featuring a full breakfast (with grits and biscuits), blue-plate specials, catfish, burgers, prime rib, oysters, po-boys and wraps.

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ASIAN & INDIAN STIX (109 Marketplace Lane off Lakeland Dr Flowood 601-420-4058) Enjoy the quick-handed, knife-wielding chefs at the flaming teppanyaki grill; artful presentations of sushi; the pungent seasonings and spicy flavors of regional Chinese cuisines. Nagoya (6351 I-55 North #131 @ Target Shopping Ctr. 601-977-8881) Nagoya gets high marks for its delicious-and-affordable sushi offerings, tasty lunch specials and high-flying hibachi room with satisfying flavors for the whole family. Ichiban (153 Ridge Drive, Ste 105F 601-919-0097 & 359 Ridgeway 601-919-8879) Voted â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Chineseâ&#x20AC;? in 2010, cuisine styles at Ichiban actually range from Chinese to Japanese, including hibachi, sushi made fresh with seafood, and a crowd-pleasing buffet. Ruchi India (862 Avery Blvd, Ridgeland, 601-991-3110) Now in itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new, beautiful location, serving a full menu of Indian dishes with authentic offerings from around the country. Popular lunchtime buffet and anniversary pricing this fall!

SoutherN cuISINe Mimiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Family and Friends (3139 North State Street, Fondren) 601-366-6111 Funky local art decorates this new offering in Fondren, where the cheese grits, red beans & rice, pork tacos and pimento cheese are signature offerings. Breakfast and lunch, new days are Tuesday-Sunday. Sugarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Place (168 W Griffith St 601-352-2364) Hot breakfast and week-day lunch: catfish, pantrout, fried chicken wings, blue plates, red beans & rice, pork chops, chicken & dumplings, burgers, po-boys...does your grandma cook like this? Located downtown near MC Law School. Zydeco Restaurant and Bar (6340 Ridgewood Rd. 601-977-9920) Louisiana favorites such as gumbo, oysters, fried green tomatoes, po-boys and muffalettas. Steaks, seafood and jambalaya for dinner. Beignets, omelets and seafood for Sunday brunch!

Full-Service Catering â&#x20AC;˘ Private Rooms Available â&#x20AC;˘ Reservations Suggested 107 Depot Drive, Madison | 601.856.3822 www.strawberrycafemadison.com Mon.-Thurs. 11am-9pm and Fri. & Sat. 11am-10pm

SUNDAY BRUNCH

11 a.m. - 2 p.m. A Metro-Area Tradition Since 1977

Lunch: Fri. & Sun. | 11am-2pm Dinner: Tues. -Sat. & Sun. | 5pm-9pm

601-919-2829 5417 Lakeland Drive ~ Flowood, MS 39232

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SteAk, SeAfooD & fINe DINING Rockyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (1046 Warrington Road, Vicksburg 601-634-0100) Enjoy choice steaks, fresh seafood, great salads, hearty sandwiches and much more in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;polished casualâ&#x20AC;? dining room. Open 24/7 in the Riverwalk Casino. Parker House (104 South East Madison Drive, Ridgeland 601-856-0043) European and Creole take on traditional Southern ingredients in Olde Town Ridgeland. Crawfish, oysters, crab and steaks dominate, with creative option like Crab Mac â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n Cheese, Oysters Rockefeller and Duck Jezebel. Or enjoy lighter fare (and a plate lunch special) during lunch hours!

PIzzA Mellow Mushroom (275 Dogwood Blvd, Flowood, 601-992-7499) Pizzas of all kinds, munchies, calzones, grilled hoagies, salads and more make up the extensive and â&#x20AC;&#x153;eclecticâ&#x20AC;? menu at Mellow Mushroom. Award-winning beer selection. Dine in or carry out. The Pizza Shack (1220 N State St. 601-352-2001) 2010â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winner of Best Pizza is perfect pizza-and-a-beer joint. Creative options abound (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cajun Joe, anyone?â&#x20AC;?), along with sandwiches, wings, salads and BBQ. Great beer specials! Sal & Mookieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (565 Taylor St. 601-368-1919) Pizzas of all kinds plus pasta, eggplant parmesan and the local favorite: fried ravioli. Voted Best Chef, Best Dessert, Best Kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Menu and Best Ice Cream in the 2010 Best of Jackson.

Celebrating our

10th Anniversary

Thank you Mississippi for your continued support over the past 10 years!

25% off Lunch

40% off Dinner ($25 minimum purchase)

One discount per ticket. Good through October 31st. Catering available. Banquet room holds up to 200 people.

601-991-3110 862 Avery Blvd. in Ridgeland (next to Beagle Bagel) Lunch: 11-2 M-F, 11:30-2:30 Sat., Sun. | Dinner: 5-10 Daily

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King Tortas International Deli (1290 E. County Line Rd, Ridgeland, 601-983-1253) Columbian and Mexican bakery and taqueria; try the fried plantains! Fuego Mexican Cantina (318 South State Street,601-592-1000) Next to Club Fire in downtown.Nachos, fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, chimichangas, combo platesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;even veggie optionsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;are offered right alongside the margarita pitchers you expect.

VeGetArIAN High Noon CafĂŠ (2807 Old Canton Road in Rainbow Plaza 601-366-1513) Fresh, gourmet, tasty and healthy defines the lunch options at Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own strict vegetarian (and very-vegan-friendly) restaurant. Daily lunch specials -- like Mexican day and the seaside cakes on Fridays -- push the envelope on creative and healthy; wonderful desserts!

jacksonfreepress.com

mexIcAN/LAtIN AmerIcAN

by Natalie A. Collier

T Skull and crossbones cufflinks, Red August, $29

here’s nothing wrong with dressing up in a costume to have a little Halloween fun if that’s what you’re into. But if you’re like a lot of folks, you’d rather avoid the tricks, and go for the treats, and pay homage to the ghosts and ghouls holiday by just drinking a little witches brew. Then do that, but do it in style. No, not with a sexy witch costume, if that’s not your thing. Do it with Halloween-inspired pieces for your night out with the vampires and kiddies, or for your night in with the sophisticated, mummified spirits.

Blue suede booties, Lipstick Lounge, $40

Lace overlay cocktail dress, The Orange Peel, $38

Where2Shop:

Lipstick Lounge, 304 Mitchell Ave., 601-366-4000 The Orange Peel, 3026 N. State St., 601-364-9977 Red August, shopredaugust.com Shoe Bar at Pieces, 425 Mitchell Ave., 601-939-5203

Yellow cutout, peeptoe booties, Shoe Bar at Pieces, $30

SHOPPING SPECIALS Azul Denim (733 Lake Harbour

B. Liles Studio (215 W. Jackson St., Ridgeland, 601-607-7741) Accessorize your outfit and stay warm with an assortment of fashionable scarves for $29.99.

Material Girls (Ridgeland and Flowood, shopmaterialgirls.com, 601992-4533, 601-605-1605) Sport handmade arm candy by Lexx Perry from Brooklyn, N.Y. New for fall and priced at $24.95 and $76.95.

Orange Peel (3026 N. State St., 601-364-9977) New designer labels have arrived in the store. Get 20 percent off all jewelry.

Wilai (2906 N. State St., Suite 103, 601-366-9955) Check out the sidewalk sale with items 30 to 70 percent off. Plus, everything in the store is under $100 (except for Frye boots).

October 27 - November 2, 2010

Drive, Suite E, Ridgeland, 601-6051066) 10 percent off when you shop through “Shop Now” tab at facebook. com/azuldenim or present this page in the store. Expires Nov. 1, 2010.

Send sale info to fly@jacksonfreepress.com.

Check out flyjfp.com for information about other sales around the city, trends and various things fly people should know.

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