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JACKSONIAN CECIL BROWN

Germany borders Switzerland to the north, France is to its west and Italy to its south. Switzerland, therefore, recog-nizes four official languages—German,

French, Italian and Romansh. In fact, Swit-zerland is not a nation but officially a con-federation that famously remains neutral in international wars. In that way, Switzerland is an interesting and perhaps even apt choice for state Rep. Ce-cil Brown to vacation with his family before the notoriously divided Mississippi Legislature commences its 2014 legislative session. Just as Switzerland hasn’t always practiced neutrality, Brown, a north Jackson Democrat since 2000, says the Legislature hasn’t always been as polarized as it is now. “Debates changed,” Brown, 69, told the Jackson Free Press recently. Before 2011, Brown’s Democratic Party held power in the House of Representatives, and Republicans controlled every other branch of state government. Nevertheless, the parties had spirited exchanges over the big questions they faced about public education, health care and the budget before striking a compromise. Under the leadership of Speaker Philip Gunn, Brown not only lost his chairmanship but Gunn kicked him off the House Educa-tion Committee all together. Beyond ask-ing questions and pushing for floor debate, Democrats know they can’t provide education funding increases.

“We’re just trying to keep them from kill-ing public education,” Brown said. A Meridian native, Brown received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mis-sissippi, and a master’s in public accountancy from the University of Texas and moved to Jackson in 1967. Before he retired in 2013, Brown spent 47 years working as a Certified Public Accountant and investment adviser, and he served as chief of staff to Gov. Ray Ma-bus, a Democrat. Brown long had an interest in educa-tion issues, but his marriage to Nancy Haas, a teacher who worked in four Jackson public high schools before working at Northwest Rankin High School, helped him take up the mantel when he won election to the Legisla-ture in 1999. In that time, Brown has come to know more about the economics of public education than just about any other lawmaker. The battle of wills over education and other key issues is now underway at the state capi-tol. Brown said this session Democrats will at-tempt to drum up more public involvement in debates over education as well as Medicaid expansion, which is expected to be a hot-but-ton issue once again in 2014. Brown points to two key reports published in recent years showing numerous health benefits and mil-lions of dollars in potential economic activity from expanding Medicaid. “I’m hoping they come to their senses,” Brown said. —R.L. Nave

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JANUARY 8 - 14, 2014 | VOL. 12 NO. 18

4 ............................. EDITOR’S NOTE6 ................................................ YOU8 ............................................ TALKS12 ................................ EDITORIAL13 .................................... OPINION14 ............................ COVER STORY19 ................................. WELLNESS21 ......................................... FOOD23 .............................. DIVERSIONS24 .......................................... FILM25 ....................................... 8 DAYS26 ...................................... EVENTS28 ....................................... MUSIC29 ....................... MUSIC LISTINGS30 ..................................... SPORTS31 .................................... PUZZLES33 ....................................... ASTRO

Cover photo of the Mississippi State Capitol by Trip Burn, design by Kristin BrenemenC O N T E N T S

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9 The Long Haul“For those who haven’t had a chance to find out, not only is (Rick Hill) a good artisan, a technician of his trade, but he’s also a wonderful human being, he’s very compassionate and understanding. He has patience, especially when you don’t understand something. He’ll sit down with you and explain it over and over again.”

—Chokwe Lumumba, “Rick Hill Brings It Home”

19 Fresh AirKelly Bryan Smith wants you to hit the road and spend a day reconnecting with nature. Just leave the electronics at home.

28 Blues MoodBill Morganfield, Muddy Waters’ son, continues his family’s legacy of blues music, incorporating his own distinctive touch.

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

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B y the time you read this, the 2014 regular session of the Mis-sissippi Legislature will be under-way. And there’s a good chance,

by then, we’ll all already be kind of over it. Granted, this is only my third legisla-tive session, which is nothing compared to some of my colleagues in the Capitol press corps and certainly compared to leg-islators who have served since the 1980s. Still, assembling this year’s Legislative Preview issue (see pages 14-17)—which includes contributions from Jackson city reporter Tyler Cleveland and freelance re-porter Casey Purvis—and following pre-session news coverage has felt like listening to a coach’s post-game interview peppered with rote clichés and folksy wisdom. Oh, you’re going to take it one play at a time, eh? Profound. Now, to be fair to legislators—and coaches—myriad vari-ables affect the legislative process, includ-ing the whims and wants of the legislative leadership, statewide and national politi-cal climates that can affect and be affected by what’s going on at the Capitol (i.e. the upcoming Republican primary for U.S. Senate), intraparty jockeying and the in-fluence of interest groups. What you’re left with, if you spend any time in that environment, is the ability to anticipate the (non-)answer to just about any question posed to politi-cians and wonks alike. In all fairness, it’s not you, Mississippi Legislature; it’s me. I have a tendency get antsy when it feels like the news is getting tedious. In fact, that’s part of why I moved on from my last job covering state government, in Springfield, Ill. There, in a relatively short amount of time, I covered some big stories, including Rod Blagojevich’s gubernatorial impeach-ment and Barack Obama’s historic presi-

dential campaign. As a young reporter, I was grateful for the opportunity to do what I thought was important work, com-peting against veteran political journalists

from bigger daily newspapers. Those were fun times, but the stories that I liked most took me to neighbor-hoods and regular people. For example, when Blagojevich of-fered up an idea to provide health insur-ance to every adult in Illinois under the state’s Medicaid program, naturally the political and policy debates around the plan were a huge part of our coverage. Important stuff for sure, but my fa-vorite story from that episode was about a 70-year-old guy, nicknamed Rock, whose wife had a debilitating medical condition. Rock’s wife was unable to get health in-surance because of the pre-existing condi-tion—this was way before Obamacare—so to pay for her medications, Rock took odd jobs like demolishing vacant homes,

using little more than his bare hands. Blagojevich’s insurance proposal, along with his entire governorship, ul-timately failed. I ran into Rock a few months later, and he told me that our story had caught the attention of a state agency official, who offered Rock a part-time job with health benefits that would cover his wife’s prescriptions. Rock’s sto-ry is the kind I love: one that combines complex policy issues and political pos-turing, but told through the experience of a citizen. I did lots of stories of stories like that and was proud of them, but eventually it was time to move on, so I wound up spending time in Seattle, Wash.; Boulder, Colo.; and Albuquerque, N.M. When the opportunity arose to come to the Jackson Free Press, I jumped at it. My family roots are in east Mississippi, and Jackson seemed like a fascinating place to work, an underdog news town. I wanted to come to the JFP and cover state government again not because I wanted to go back to rubbing elbows with muck-ety-mucks, but because I missed commu-nity journalism and writing about people like Rock. That brings me back to the current session. The thinking behind this year’s legislative preview was to get beyond rely-ing on talking heads yammering on and on about what they think is going to happen this year and focus on some of the groups and lobbyists (no, they aren’t necessarily dirty words even if some have sometimes done some arguably dirty things), who are supposed to represent the interests of citi-zens to our lawmakers. I rarely make resolutions, but going into my first new year as JFP news editor, I’m challenging myself to think differently about the way I approach not just writing

about the Legislature this year, but all of our news coverage. Because at this point, I honestly can’t picture myself doing any-thing other than what I’m doing, or in any other place but Jackson, here are my goals for 2014: • Rely less heavily on meeting cover-age and news conferences. Of course, we’ll still cover “pressers,” and will often write news stories based on them, but I’m mak-ing a commitment to push myself and other reporters here to always try to find people whom the news will affect. • Get out into neighborhoods. I tell myself to do this all the time, but now I’m putting it on paper. After living in Jackson for two years, there are still huge swaths of the city where I haven’t stepped a toe. That won’t necessarily mean showing up on the scene of a breaking news event, but it might mean getting far away from downtown for lunch or dinner or, from time to time, doing my grocery shopping at a different supermarket than the ones I frequent now. • Find diversity. Each week, when editing the features known internally as “littles” (i.e. Overheard, etc.), it bothers me if we’ve only written about middle-aged men, or white people or African Americans. Jackson is a diverse city, and we do a better job than every other news organization in showing off that diversity. But we’re not perfect, and we can and will do better this year. • Finally, be more people-focused in general; in other words, we’ll look for the “Rocks” to tell more Jackson stories. I resolve to do these things and will work with any reporter who writes news for the Jackson Free Press to do the same. Feel free to help me out. Send ideas to rlnave@jacksonfreepress.com or call 601-362-6121 ext. 12.

Kimberly Griffin is a fitness buff and foodie who loves choco-late and her mama. She’s also Michelle Obama’s super secret BFF, which explains the Secret Service detail.

Kelly Bryan Smith is a Fondren mom, nurse and writer. In her spare time, she practices yoga, builds garage apart-ments and fights crime with her son Batman. She wrote a wellness story.

Delta State University grad Zilpha Young is the new ad designer at the Jackson Free Press. When she’s not design-ing things, she’s usually watching too much Netflix or drawing cephalopods. She created many of the ads for the issue.

Former Editorial Intern Justin Hosemann is a native of Vicks-burg. He recently graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi. He wrote food and arts features.

Zilpha Young Kimberly GriffinJustin HosemannKelly Bryan Smith

CONTRIBUTORS

In all fairness, it’s not you, Mississippi Legislature;

it’s me.

My ‘News’ Year Resolutions

Jordan Sudduth is a political consultant, golfer, fledgling actor and wannabe chef. He has a passion for film and has been working on a novel since May 2010. He wrote a film review.

Tommy Burton

Music Listings Editor Tommy Burton is keeping the dream alive one record at a time. He can usually be seen with a pair of headphones on. He wrote a music story.

Jordan Sudduth

Music Editor Briana Robinson wants to become an expert on all things music. Her other passions include dance and photography. Send her the music scoop at briana@ jacksonfreepress.com. She did Eight Days a Week.

Briana Robinson

City Reporter Tyler Cleveland majored in news/edito-rial journalism at the Univer-sity of Southern Mississippi. He enjoys sports, southern cuisine and music. Send him tips at tyler@jacksonfreepress.com call him at 601-362-6121 x. 22.

Tyler Cleveland

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Without Blood Donors

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Please Donate in 2014

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A Trip toItalyMississippi Museum of Art

DON’T MISS AN ITALIAN PALATE: PAINTINGS BY WYATT WATERSON VIEW THROUGH JANUARY 12.

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[YOU & JFP]

Write us: letters@jacksonfreepress.comTweet us: @JxnFreePressFacebook: Jackson Free Press

Name: Kristin Ley (and Willow)Age: 29Job: Artist, owner and operator of ThimblepressLocation: State StreetHow long have you lived in Jackson? I’ve been back for three yearsHow long have you been a JFP reader? 10 yearsFavorite book: Shel Silverstein’s “A Light in the Attic”Favorite quote: “Let your faith be bigger than your fear.”Secret to Life: “Not to plan everything. Let life surprise you.”

I have just read R.L. Nave’s article, “Killing Quardious Thomas: A Castle Doctrine Case Study” (jfp.ms/quardious) in the Dec. 11-17, 2013, issue. I do sym-pathize for Tonya Greenwood in the loss of her son. I do not agree with her remark, “They made the law so easy—and just like that it’s justifi ed. (Quardious) never had a chance.” Yes, Ms. Greenwood’s son had a chance. He had the chance to stay at home that morning and not go out break-ing into vehicles that did not belong to him. He had the chance to wake up and decide to do something constructive with his life. Instead, he saw the chance to van-dalize automobiles for the reason, I am assuming, of stealing valuables to sell or exchange for drugs. As a recent victim of a home burglary, I cannot explain to you what was taken from me that evening, in addition to the possessions that I worked so hard for. No locks on the door can take away the feeling of insecurity or the violation I feel know-

ing someone was in the house and went through my personal belongings. After being out and returning home, I still expe-rience apprehension and fear before open-ing the door to enter, afraid that someone has illegally entered my home again. Had I been at home when the low-life broke in, I would have used deadly force to protect myself and my belongings. Before anyone asks, “Is it worth taking a human life over possessions?” let me respond by saying, I am not going to sit or stand there waiting to see if the intruder just leaves or if they are going to physically harm me. Crimi-nals should be asking the question, “Is it worth my life to break in and steal what is not mine?” To Ms. Greenwood I say, I don’t see the Castle Doctrine as a law that makes it easy for anyone. Had I been at home and used deadly force to protect myself and my possessions, I cannot conceive of how I would be feeling now at the taking of someone’s life. To me the “easy” part would have been for Ms. Greenwood’s

son to live according to God’s command-ment, “Thou Shalt Not Steal.” Honest, hard-working people are get-ting fed up with people taking from them. Ms. Greenwood’s son broke into vehicles, but it is my understanding that a vehicle is considered an extension of your home. How long would it be before her son graduated to breaking into homes? What if he broke into a vehicle and/or home and stole a legally owned and registered fi rearm and then used it himself to kill someone. Don’t say it couldn’t happen. I bet Ms. Greenwood would have never thought her son would be vandalizing and entering other people’s vehicles. I, myself, am thankful for the Castle Doctrine law. I feel confi dent in saying that all law-abiding citizens do. Criminals, however, do take issue with it, I’m sure.

Patty SalibaBrandon, Miss.Read the story and comment on this letter at jfp.ms/quardious.

Thomas Barnes Amtrak expansion—Meridian to Dallas and restoration of the Sunset Limited to Florida!

Georgia Casey Purvis The Medicaid expansion.

Eric Steven Achee Stop special inter-est deals and create jobs.

Jeffery Taylor Although I know it won’t happen, I’ll say term limits!

Susan Payne Womack Full funding of public education would be nice.

Andriana Crudup Can they get rid of our state fl ag?

Eric Steven Achee We have term lim-its. It’s called voting.

Ingrid Cruz STATE: Repeal E-Verify, expand Medicaid and keep their rosa-ries off our ovaries. FEDERAL: Halt deportations, green jobs, assistance for people with student loans and job cre-ation/unemployment benefi ts exten-sion bills. Oh, and convicting a few people from Wall Street would be nice.

Alice Hollis Watkins Get rid of Common Core in the state.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO SEE OUR LEGISLATORS ACCOMPLISH IN 2014?

LETTER TO THE EDITORDefending the Castle Doctrine

CUPSESPRESSOCAFE.COM

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D arrel McQuirter, who represents District 2 on the Hinds County Board of supervisors, takes over duties as board president while

county officials grapple with an aging emer-gency communications system. The fund that pays for the E911 sys-tem, long a source of acrimony on the board, is headed for bankruptcy and will be more than $153,000 in debt by August, said Dis-trict 3 Supervisor Peggy Hobson-Calhoun. This week, Hobson-Calhoun pro-posed developing a request-for-proposals to solicit bids for a new emergency system to replace one that she said was aging and had outlived its usefulness. McQuirter, a former fire chief for the city of Clinton, urged fellow supervisors to support replac-ing the existing system. Joey Perkins, interim emergency opera-tions center director, said the county could save some money by ending a site mainte-nance contract and letting county employees do the work. Perkins also recommended hiring a ra-dio system manager, which would replace a consultant the county now uses. District 5 Supervisor Kenneth Stokes objected, saying the county should not take on new debt to buy a new system until the existing system is paid off in August 2017. During an at-times testy meeting, su-pervisors also elected a new president and changed the board’s policy for choosing presidents and vice-presidents in the future. District 2 Supervisor Darrel Mc-Quirter, who won a special election in the fall to fill the term of another su-pervisor who died in early 2013, was

elected as the new president. McQuirter will replace District 1 Su-pervisor Robert Graham, who has held the president post since January 2012. Hobson-Calhoun will become the vice president. It was not a welcome move to Kenneth Stokes, who represents District 5 and is cur-rently the board’s vice president. Stokes said representatives of the Mis-sissippi Association of Supervisors, which conducts training sessions for new board members around the state, told him that the president and vice president are required to serve four-year terms. “If we don’t follow state law, we might as well let everybody in jail out be-cause they didn’t follow state law,” Stokes said at the meeting. Board Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen said

state statutes preclude the board from hold-ing new elections, but noted that some state attorney general opinions he read imply four-year terms for board president and vice president. AG opinions are not legally bind-ing, however. Under the new policy adopted this morning, supervisors would rotate serving as president with terms lasting about nine months. Graham, the current president, called the move fair and pointed out that some counties—including Rankin County—use a similar rotating system. Stokes was the lone dissenting vote against making the leadership change. Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email News Editor R.L. Nave at rlnave@jacksonfreepress.com or call him at 601-362-6121 ext. 12.

Hinds’ E911 System Emergencyby R.L. Nave

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Hinds County District 2 Supervisor Darrel McQuirter was recently named board president, but not everyone is happy about it.

Wednesday, Jan. 1 Rwanda’s former spy chief is found dead, possibly strangled, in a hotel in South Africa. Opposition leaders accuse President Paul Kagame of ordering his assassination. … The nation’s first legalized recreational marijuana shops open in Colorado.

Thursday, Jan. 2 A helicopter rescues all 52 passen-gers from a research ship that has been trapped in Antarctic ice since Christ-mas Eve after weather conditions clear enough for the operation. … A senior Israeli Cabinet minister and more than a dozen legislators pour cement at a con-struction site in a settlement in the West Bank’s Jordan Valley in what they say is a message to visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that Israel will never relin-quish the strategic area.

Friday, Jan. 3 A winter storm that drops nearly two feet of snow just north of Boston, temporarily shuts down major highways in New York and Pennsylvania, forces airlines to cancel thousands of flights na-tionwide and causes at least nine deaths.

Saturday, Jan. 4 President Obama says in his weekly radio and Internet address that Republi-cans should make it their New Year’s res-olution to do the right thing and restore economic security for their constituents instead of punishing families who can least afford it.

Sunday, Jan. 5 U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says that America will support Iraq as it combats al-Qaida-linked militants who have seized cities in the country’s west, but that the U.S. won’t send troops, call-ing the battle “their fight.”

Monday, Jan. 6 A whirlpool of frigid, dense air known as a “polar vortex” descends into much of the U.S., bringing sub-zero temperatures to areas from Montana to Alabama. … Congress returns to work with the security of personal data and the federal minimum wage as some of the top issues it will address.

Tuesday, Jan. 7 The Republican National Committee begins running ads in 40 media markets tar-geting incumbent senators who supported President Obama’s health care program.

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Rick Hill Brings It Homeby Tyler Cleveland

A n April 2012 article in Time Magazine suggests that the aver-age American will change jobs nine times between the ages of 18

and 32. The No. 1 reason for people leav-ing jobs? They aren’t advancing fast enough, and sometimes the best way to move up is to move out. That writer never met Rick Hill. Hill retired last week after working 41 years with the city and an emotional good-bye following an honor from the Jackson City Council. “It went by mighty fast,” he said. “I can’t believe it’s been that long since June 20, 1972. During this last 42 years, it’s been an honor and pleasure to serve the city of Jackson.” Hill worked in seven different posi-tions—all for the city—and he worked his way up through the ranks to deputy director of the administration department for eight different mayors. The most recent one had some kind words for Hill as he was honored on his last day at work on Dec. 30. “For those who haven’t had a chance find out, not only is he a good artisan, a technician of his trad, but he’s also a won-derful human being, he’s very compassionate understanding. He has patience, especially when you don’t understand something. He’ll sit down with you and explain it over and over again.” Lumumba said. After the cer-emony, Hill answered a few questions.

When you look back over the past 41 years, what sticks out?

I think the biggest thing that sticks out is how much things have changed. When I came here, Jackson was a certain city, and

now it’s different. The biggest thing I see is how it’s changed and evolved over the years.

What are some of those changes you’ve noticed?

Back when I first came on, Jackson had 215,000 people living here. We had develop-ment going on, a solid tax base, and the place to live was Jackson. The surrounding com-munities weren’t developed. Over the years we’ve lost some of our population. We’re at 175,000 now. The challenge now is to try to bring the city back to what it used to be population-wise. It’s a big challenge. Because you don’t have the amount of people you

had, you have to make the budget work with less money. You have to adjust it to accom-modate that loss of tax base.

What about the city government? It’s changed, too. When I came on, it was a three-member board and a mayor, where the members were elected at large. We went to a council-mayor system, and the mayor acted like an executive branch and the council the legislative branch. That was a dramatic change to go from the original system to how it functions now.

How many of these city council meetings have you attended?

Well, at least one a week over 41 years, so you’ll have to do the math (laughs). I’ve spent a lot of time in that room.

How many budgets have you had an impact on?

I didn’t do any work on the first three budgets, but I’ve had a part in crafting every one since. I guess that’s 38 consecutive bud-gets counting this last one.

So what’s next for Rick Hill? I’m fixing to relax and attend some sporting events and not do anything for a while. I’ll eventually go into some kind of private work.

Nobody gets to decide their own legacy, but if you could, what would yours be?

I want people to remember that when it comes to Rick Hill, the citizens were at the top of the priority list, and when he made a decision, it was always in their best interest.

Rick Hill took a job with the city in 1972 at age 25, and retired Dec. 31, 2013, at age 66. In 41 years, he never wanted or needed another job.

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A couple of key motions in the law-suit the Jackson Redevelopment Authority brought against its for-mer Farish Street leaseholder are

set to be ruled upon this week. Hinds County Judge Denise Owens, who stepped in when Judge Patricia Wise recused herself on Nov. 4, 2013, will rule on two motions in the lawsuits against the Far-ish Street Group and David Watkins. The first is a motion Watkins filed that, if granted, would disqualify attorneys from the Jones Walker law firm—the firm that routinely represents JRA and is currently representing Farish Street Group officer Socrates Garrett in a separate suit—from representing the JRA in the suit. The second would add the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District as an interested party, as it seeks to protect its $4.7 million investment in the Farish Street Entertain-ment District development project. In a three-page letter to JRA interim Executive Director Willie Mott dated Oct. 3, 2013, CMPDD Chief Executive F. Clarke Holmes said JRA’s purported termi-nation notice was sent in clear violation of the terms of the FSG/JRA lease, because the CMPDD, who is acting on behalf of MDA (and protecting its $4.7 million investment in Farish Street) wasn’t given prior notice. JRA Board President Ronnie Crudup admitted in a Dec. 10 deposition he had not read the letter, in which Holmes demanded that JRA reinstate the Farish Street Group as the developer of record until the board gives proper notice, as the lease requires. The letter concluded with this message: “In the meantime, we believe the best course of action for all of the parties is to move for-ward with transparent discussions aimed at getting the Farish Street project completed in a manner that achieves everyone’s goals.” Crudup said some of those problems had been discussed since Mott received the letter, but that the responsibility for commu-nicating with the MDA and CMPDD fell to JRA attorneys, and not Mott, Crudup or other board members. Crudup’s deposition came roughly two months before the suit is set to go to court on Feb. 24, 2014. Court records show that during the de-position, where Crudup was represented by Jones Walker attorney Mark D. Herbert and examined by Watkins’ lawyer Lance Stevens, he admitted to owing Farish Street Group and Retro Metro partner Socrates Garrett a half a million dollars, and pled ignorance on a number of other issues. Crudup, who also serves as pastor at New Horizon Church International on El-lis Avenue, said the phrase “I don’t recall” three times, “I don’t know” three times and “I don’t remember” seven times during the

hour-and-16-minute interview. The minutes from the deposition help establish the timeline for the events that have stalled development of an entertainment district on historic Farish Street—a dream of city leaders and the local community for at least the last 20 years.

Crudup started at the point of conten-tion: JRA’s decision to can the Farish Street Group as the developer of the entertainment district on Sept. 25, 2013. The 60-year-old Crudup said no Farish Street Group busi-ness partners—Watkins, Robert Gibbs, Socrates Garrett, Deuce McAllister and Le-roy Walker—was notified of the JRA board’s intention to vote on the cancellation of that company’s lease on Farish Street. He also said he didn’t know whether or not the board no-tified the MDA or the CMPDD. But perhaps the most interesting de-velopment from Crudup’s deposition is the revelation that Crudup personally owes Socrates Garrett $500,000 for construction of New Horizon Church International’s fa-cility at 1750 Ellis Ave. Crudup also revealed that he has a busi-ness relationship with Gibbs, the law part-ner of Ward 1 City Councilman Quentin Whitwell and another member of the Far-ish Street Group. He said he and Gibbs had “been involved in some small business devel-opment together.” A search on the secretary of state’s web site shows Crudup and Gibbs are both listed as directors in Hope Interna-tional, a credit union that provides loans in under-privileged communities. Crudup did not recuse himself from the vote, but said he routinely does so in many situations. He did not return a call for for this story by press time. Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email City Reporter Tyler Cleveland at tyler@jacksonfree-press.com or call 601-362-6121 ext. 22.

JRA Lawsuit Heating Upby Tyler Cleveland

Jackson Redevelopment Authority board President Ronnie Crudup recently testified about a lawsuit JRA brought against Farish Street Group.

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O n Jan. 1, Arden Barnett, founder of entertainment company ardenland, fi-nalized a long-term lease

with building owner Mike Peters of Peters Development for Duling Hall in Fondren. Barnett had previ-ously been running ardenland out of his home and is looking forward to his business finally having a place of its own. “I’ve been doing shows at Duling Hall for two and a half years now, so when I decided to get a place for my business, I knew it was the place,” Barnett said. “The neighborhood is phenomenal, the building has such a nostalgic feel, and the sound quality makes it one of the best rooms in the state. Every band that plays there wants to come back, and the customer experience is fantastic whether it’s a seated or standing show. Duling is, in general, a very warm and inviting building.” Barnett plans to make a number of im-provements to the building for the sake of both customers and staff.

“A lot of what we’re going to be doing is cosmetic changes to enhance the custom-ers’ experience,” Barnett said. “We do a lot of private events, weddings and fundraisers, so with that in mind we’re also going to im-prove the kitchen and bar.” Barnett is prepared to make full use of his new acquisition, with 35 shows already booked for early 2014. “Having a lease on the building allows us to be creative in our booking,” Barnett

said. “The economics of hosting concerts changes when you have your own building. There are some great shows coming up that we can’t announce yet, but I can say they’ll be coming in the next month. We have some shows coming that are noth-ing like anything people in Jackson have seen. It should be very exciting for the city.” In addition to having Duling Hall as a home base, ardenland will continue to host large events fea-turing national acts at venues such as Hal and Mal’s and the Jackson Academy Performing Arts Center.

To help ensure that as many people as possible can get in to see these great shows, Barnett plans to have ardenland expand its Pay it Forward program. The program, which has been in operation for a year and a half, rewards people with free concert tickets in exchange for acts of kindness. Every con-cert has a block of tickets set aside for the Pay it Forward program. People can call or email the ardenland office and request a ticket. In exchange, ardenland asks that the person go

out and do something nice for someone, whether it be a favor for a family member or a random act of kindness for a stranger. With a base of operations in Fondren secured, Barnett hopes to be able to issue 300 tickets for shows and distribute them to busi-nesses that support the Pay it Forward program, leaving it to their discretion to see who gets these tickets for helping spread kindness around. Barnett expressed his gratitude to the businesses that have helped make ardenland successful, and to the owners of Duling Hall that provided him a base for his business. “The Fondren community as a whole is a place where everybody scratches everyone’s back,” Barnett said. “Places like Walker’s, Ba-balu, and other businesses promote us both before and after our shows. That’s the word-of-mouth aspect of the concert business, and there is nothing like it.” “Mike Peters and Andrew Mattiace of Mattiace Properties have also been a tremen-dous help in entrusting us with Duling Hall. I’ve been blessed that they believe in what I’ve been doing, and that I’ve been able to prove that our dream is a worthy dream that is good for Jackson,” Barnett added.

Ardenland Gains a New Homeby Dustin Cardon

Arden Barnett is ready to move ardenland into a new home in Duling Hall in Fondren.

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The ACLU of Mississippiwelcomes the 129th Legislative Session and encourages all lawmakers to

create policies which are fair and equitable to all Mississippians

regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or disability.

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

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Make Prison Reform Real

O ur story last week about the Missis-sippi Department of Corrections’ deci-sion to end its longstanding practice of allowing conjugal visits has been get-

ting a lot of attention in and outside the state. Certainly, the history of conjugal visitation is fascinating and represents Mississippi’s own ex-traordinary and complicated racial history. Although some evidence shows that conju-gal visits have positive benefi ts, conjugal visits are low on the list of things that prisons need to do to become more than warehouses for people who run afoul of the law. In explaining his decision for axing the visits, MDOC Commissioner Chris Epps cited costs and birth control. Coordinating them in-volved too much staff time and resulted in too many babies, Epps said, even though he did not provide documentation to support either claim. Considering that Mississippi has the na-tion’s second-highest incarceration rate, next to only Louisiana, it’s not hard to believe that it would be expensive to run our prisons. We suspect Epps had other motivations in cutting out conjugal visits. In recent years, despite Epps’ best efforts to keep costs down, MDOC has run defi cits of more than $30 mil-lion. In the summer of 2013, Epps criticized Malcolm McMillin, then-chairman of the state parole board and a former Hinds County sher-iff, for granting too few paroles. Gov. Phil Bryant and a joint legislative commission have each offered up a long list

of reforms for Mississippi prisons for the 2014 legislative session. So it’s entirely possible that conjugal visits were a sacrifi ce to the gods of the Legislature. Some of the proposals range from giv-ing judges more fl exibility to impose less harsh sentences for certain kinds of crimes to relying more on drug courts and alternative sentencing programs to using electronic monitoring to help curb the prison population. As the recent Mississippi Corrections and Criminal Justice Task Force report notes, Mis-sissippi’s prison population of more than 22,000 people has grown by 17 percent in the past 10 years and is expected to grow by nearly 2,000 more by 2024, representing a total cost to taxpay-ers of about $266 million in the next decade. Last week’s incident at the privately run Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility is a prime example of why real reforms are need-ed. Prison offi cials and local media have cast the event as a “riot” likely sparked by warring “gangs.” Of course, there are gangs in prisons. And people in prison, just like people who are not incarcerated, sometimes behave badly. The incident remains under investigation, but in our past experience with prison condi-tions, so-called riots are often ignited by lack of access to programs, health concerns and staff abuse. We hope that the reforms proposed for Mississippi prisons this year focus on addressing these often-ignored problems and not just dol-lars and cents.

Why it stinks: What’s the guv been smoking? The fi rst problem is that Bryant’s idea is possibly illegal. At least one federal judge, in Florida, has already said so. Second, it’s unclear that there’s the political appetite for it as the drug-testing legislation hasn’t survived the committee process in recent years. Thirdly, as the Associated Press reporter who asked Bryant the question pointed out, TANF already has a work requirement. Since Bryant over-sees the agency that administers TANF, if there are people receiv-ing benefi ts who are not working, it’s his administration that’s not following the law.

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

‘drugs’

Surviving Joblessness

B rother Hustle: “Welcome to the Compen-satory Investment Request Support Group’s fi rst meeting of 2014. I started this support group two years ago when the unemployment rate was extremely high, especially

for ethnic minorities and seniors. Although the unemployment rate has lowered a bit, individuals who remain jobless continue to be plagued with uncertainty, fear, stress and doubt. “With support from the Ghetto Science Team’s Save the Jobless, Broke and Frustrated Financial Safety Net Program, the Compensatory Investment Request Support Group will execute a series of self-help sessions for recently laid off workers and the long-term unemployed. “One of the self-help sessions will address the mental-health care needs of the unemployed. Psychologist Judy McBride will moderate this session and help maintain the sanity of jobless indi-viduals who are close to the edge trying not to lose their heads. “Pookie Peterz, economist and fi nancial adviser, will have a session titled ‘When the Bill Collector Rings My Phone Every and All Day.’ Pookie will provide helpful debt management and negotiation techniques for long-term jobless individuals. “A spiritual outlook is very helpful in these scarce and scary times. So I asked Sister Encouragement from the Rev. Cletus Car Sales Broadcast to encourage the people with a self-help session titled ‘Lord, Help Me to Hold Out Until My Change Has Come Prayer Vigil.’ “It’s time to start this new year off right with a positive out-look and the will to survive, courtesy of the Compensatory In-vestment Request Support Group.”

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Editor-in-Chief Donna LaddPublisher Todd Stauffer

EDITORIALNews Editor R.L. Nave

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© Copyright 2014 Jackson Free Press Inc. All Rights Reserved

“I can’t stop thinking about your ‘How do you want to be loved?’ question,” my student Wilson said to me. “And I was just won-

dering, when you asked yourself that ques-tion, what did you come up with?” I teach at Vassar College, an educa-tional institution where resources, need-blind admissions, multisyllabic disengage-ment, cocaine and curious students are in relative abundance. This semester, I chal-lenged myself to do more than move my 60 students beyond traditional “either/or” binaries of feeling or thinking, critical anal-ysis or creative writing, intellectualizing or confessing, radical or capitalist praxis. I was less invested in culti-vating students who could critically interrogate text, faithfully imitate text, or courageously innovate text, and more concerned with making sure my students and I left the classroom, senti-mental as it sounds, better at dreaming and loving unreasonably. Initially, I sourced my pedagogical shift to the freedom that accompanies pub-lishing two bluesy black books in one year. But on Nov. 3, a day after Renisha Mc-Bride was murdered with a shotgun blast through a screen door outside Detroit, I realized that my pedagogical shift could be sourced to the reasonable murder of Tray-von Martin. There’s always reason to doubt the vitality and perspective of black boys. In a nation dedicated to death, deception and the mastery of disengagement, it is reason-able for a young black boy armed with iced tea and Skittles to be murdered on his way to watch an All-Star game. It’s reasonable for a jury of folks who have no idea how to love black children to find that child guilty of being a nigger. It’s reasonable for a nation of cowards to treat the courage, fear and rhetorical dynamism of his friend Rachel Jeantel like niggerish gibberish. But this is just part of our story. Trayvon Martin was a real, fleshy black American boy. Had he not been murdered, like most of us, he likely would have bobbed his head to spectacular disses of black women and black femininity. He probably would have found it hard, and damn near impossible, to invest in unrea-sonable love of black girls. This is just part of our story. I don’t know the rest. But I do know that Trayvon Martin could have taken his disrespectful profiling and beating

like a reasonable black boy. He could have lowered his head, said I’m sorry for frightening you, crazy-ass cracker, and muted the crazy-making treble in his chest. Instead, he (allegedly) unreasonably swung back. He (allegedly) connected. And he tried to live. Unreasonably. When my student Wilson asked me how I want to be loved, I was afraid to tell

that I want to be loved by an unreasonable love that loves me enough to say and mean that Trayvon Martin, Rachel Jeantel, you and I are beautiful and worthy of second chances and healthy choices. This is just part of our story. I want to be loved by an unreason-able love that refuses to accept poverty and sexual abuse as reasonable. I want to be loved by an unreasonable love that loves black art and black com-munities enough to insist that black artists stop dismantling black women’s bodies, hearts and minds for profit. I want to be loved by an unreasonable love that loves black art and black commu-nities enough to insist that every letter, col-or, word, shade, scene, rhyme, paragraph, photograph and step be rooted in a textured

exploration of unreasonable black love. I want to love and be loved by an unreasonable imaginative love that swings back and insists on superb universal health care, progressive tax rates that eliminate all rich folks exemptions, and mandatory courses on Intersectional Love and Dis-course in every middle school, high school, college, church and community center in

this country. I want to be loved by an unreasonable love that refuses to conflate honesty with transfor-mation and hard work with revelatory work, a love that expects unrea-sonable love from po-lice, teachers, doctors, politicians, presidents and CEOs. I want to be loved by an unreasonable love unafraid to reckon and fight and listen and share

before going to bed, an unreasonable love that gets turned on by periodically turning off crippling pathologies and the Internet. This is just part of our story. I want to be loved unreasonably by an unreasonable love because we’ve nearly drowned in the poison of reasonable lov-ing, reasonable liking, reasonable living, reasonable essays, reasonable art and rea-sonable political discourse. I want to be loved by an unreasonable love that knows the only reason we’re still here, breathing, imagining, fighting, wan-dering and wondering is because of the un-reasonable work of a small but committed group of black southern unreasonable lovers. I want to be loved by an unreasonable love that loves itself enough to leave me if I insist on loving it reasonably, an unreason-able love that tells its mama, its father, its friends, its co-workers, its auntie, its men-tors, its mentees, its lover, its grandmother, that the reasonable era of black American death and destruction ended in 2013. This is just part of our story, but I want the rest of the story to be written by reliable black characters, black activists, black parents, black children, black aunties, black uncles and black authors ready to de-molish American reasonable doubt with waves and waves of unreasonable black American love. Kiese Laymon was born and raised in Jackson. He is the author of “Long Division” and “How To Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America” (Agate Bolden). He is a contrib-uting editor at Gawker and frequently blogs at kieselaymon.com. Laymon is an associate professor of English at Vassar College. This piece originally appeared on colorlines.com.

Trayvon, Black Manhood and Love

KIESE LAYMON

Trayvon Martin could

have taken his disrespectful profiling and beating like

a reasonable black boy.

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In the mid-1850s, Samuel Colt needed a seven-year extension of the patent on his legendary revolver, so he decided to petition members of Congress—and their wives and children. Colt’s competitors blasted the campaign as tan-tamount to bribery, which eventually prompted an inquest, revealing that Colt had staged “lavish entertainments for wavering senators” and that his

representatives had presented gifts of Colt pistols to certain congressmen and at least one to a lawmaker’s son, who was no more than 12 years old. The investigative committee’s report into Colt’s ac-tivities stated: “The money has been used, as the evidence shows, in paying the costs and charges incurred in getting up costly and extravagant entertainments, to which ladies and members of Congress and others were invited, with a view of furthering the success of this measure. The ladies, having been first duly impressed with the importance of Colt’s pistol extension by presents of Parisian gloves, are invited to these entertainments.” It was during these “entertainments” when Colt’s agents would make their pitches to ask the Congress mem-bers to support the patent extension. Not a lot has changed in the past century and a half. Lobbyists remain one of the most formidable forces in Congress and under capitol domes around the nation. Lobbying, which the U.S. Constitution protects as a form of free speech, has at times precipitated scandals and, at other times, ushered landmark legislation. Mississippi is no exception. Legislators and policymakers rely on lobbyists, who represent corporations, nonprofits and government agencies—or, sometimes all of them—to explain the com-plicated legislation before them. Cecil Brown, a Democrat from Jackson, said lob-byists and other public-interest groups are a valuable source of information, helping sort out the hun-dreds of bills that come before legislators during the session. When a lobbyist requests a meeting, Brown asks two questions: “Who do you work for?” and “Who’s on the other side?” And they’re usually honest, Brown said. Lobbyists, and the lawmakers they want to influence, descended on the Mississippi Capitol for the 2014 legisla-tive session, which began Jan. 7 at noon. This year, lobbyists could be more influential than they have in years past. At the beginning of the term, when Republicans took control of both chambers of the Legislature for the first time more than a century, the party laid out a broad agenda. Thanks to the mechan-ics of the legislative process, power jockeying among key Republican players and some shrewd maneuvering by Democrats, it took a while for the GOP leadership to get items on their wish lists. Much of that was achieved in 2012 and 2013, with

the passage of strict abortion regulations and education reform that included expanding the presence of charter schools. Lawmakers also passed the first bond bill for construction projects it had in many years. Republicans having gotten so much of what they wanted has created some oxygen for lawmakers to start listening to constitu-ent groups, including business, civic and social-justice organizations. We’ll see how that plays out.

The Rules Despite the popular image—and some notoriously unscrupu-lous practitioners—state law binds the state’s lobbyists to strict rules. Mississippi Secre-tary of State Delbert Hosemann’s office enforces regulations of campaign-

finance laws, which extends to lobbyists. Lobbyists are defined broadly, but anyone who meets the definition must register with the secretary of state. The state’s 2014 lobbying handbook defines lobbying as the: “influencing or attempting to influence legislative or executive action through oral or written communication. … solicitation of others to influence legislative or executive action. … (or) paying or promising to pay anything of value directly or indirectly related to legislative or executive action.” However, exceptions exist. Elected officials acting in their official capacity do not have to register as lobbyists nor do private citizens representing themselves, people who do not get paid or receive “anything of value for lob-

bying,” or people who do provide anything less than $200 in value per year. Lobbyists must file an end-of-session report, which provides a snapshot of activities during the session, with-in 10 days of sine die, or adjournment. Then, annual re-ports are due Jan. 30 of each year, meaning the public cannot get a clear picture of a lobbyist’s activities until almost a year later. State law also prohibits lobbying contracts from guar-anteeing specific outcomes, nor are lobbyists supposed to receive bonuses from their employers, said Willie Boze-man, a former state representative, who has been a lobbyist since 2000.

The Influencersby Casey Purvis and R.L. Nave

Lawmakers returned to the Mississippi Capitol this week for the 2014 legislative session.

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Unlike some lobbyists who repre-sent a single client or focus on one issue, Bozeman has several clients—including Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp. and the Southern Poverty Law Center—which would seemingly would pull a person’s at-tention in a number of directions. Not so, Bozeman said. “We represent the clients’ interests. It’s not a juggling pro-cess. You’re hired to do a certain thing and in order to uphold your end of the process, you make it work. It’s the same as being hired by any employer. Your passion is to your employer,” he said. Fighting Over Money Mississippi’s economy is not grow-ing as quickly as the national economy, but state revenues are trending upward, creating opportunities for groups to clamor for funding. State revenue has grown about 5 percent annually for each of the past two years, while spending has increased about 2 percent a year. In his executive budget recommendation, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant proposed a state spending plan that would put more money into education and public safety, including prisons, but does not increase taxes or fees. Bryant’s budget proposes spending $6.1 billion during fis-cal year 2015, which begins July 1. That sum includes all but two percent of a $5.4 billion revenue projection. “This budget addresses state priori-

ties with three guiding principles in mind: spending prudently, saving for the future and prioritizing the core functions of gov-ernment,” Bryant said when he unveiled the budget this fall. Bryant’s budget, which is only a rec-ommendation that will have to be recon-ciled with the Joint Legislative Budget Committee plan, is $5.3 billion and con-tains less money that Bryant wants to spend for his ambitious prison reform agenda. Neither budget proposal fully funds the Mississippi Adequate Education Pro-gram, which the Legislature instituted in 1996 to ensure that all school districts would receive equitable funding levels. Legislative leaders who control the

purse strings to the treasurer have only said that the state’s economic footing is still too unsure to fully fund MAEP this year, which has not received its full allotment for more than three years, putting the state’s public schools more than $1 billion in the red. In 2014, Brown said Democrats will push for more involvement from its con-stituents to ratchet up the political pres-sure on Speaker Philip Gunn, Lt. Gov. Reeves and Bryant. To offset the Legis-lature’s failure to give schools the money they need to perform adequately, local school districts have had to raise property taxes, Brown said. “There’s money there; there’s not the will,” Brown, a former House Educa-

tion Committee chairman, said of full MAEP funding. The other huge battle of wills expect-ed to again play out this year is over Med-icaid expansion. The federal Affordable Care Act, which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in 2012, permits states to loosen eligibility requirements for the state-fed-eral health-care program for low-income people, but some states with Republican governors, including Mississippi, have dis-avowed Medicaid expansion. Lawmakers debated Medicaid expan-sion during a special session last year, but ended up reauthorizing the Medicaid pro-gram without the expansion. However, the door remains open for another debate, and possible expansion, of Medicaid in 2014. “We have an opportunity to do something smart,” Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, told the Jackson Free Press in December. This time around, Medicaid propo-nents will have some new ammunition. Researchers David Becker and Michael Morrisey, both researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, affirms previ-ous studies showing millions of dollars in additional economic activity would come from adding more people to the state-run insurance program for the poor. Even with the intense debate of the last year or so, the conversation over Med-

Christmas has come and gone, but Jackson lead-ership is hoping the Mississippi Legislature will find a little room to stuff a few more much-needed gifts in the city’s stocking. To that end, the city has put forth an aggressive agenda that includes long-shot ini-

tiatives like a re-streaming gas tax revenue from state coffers to municipal coffers, and proposals the Legislature is likely to find harmless, such as reimbursement for the Jackson Po-lice Department’s security at state events inside the city. The city is going into the new session with a new may-or, Chokwe Lumumba, and a new lobbyist, the director of policy for former Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr., Walter Zinn. Zinn presented the mayor’s suggestions to the Legis-lative Committee of the City Council on Dec. 16, 2013, with each of the eight proposed items receiving nearly unanimous support from committee members De’Keither Stamps (Ward 4), Tony Yarber (Ward 6), Margaret Barrett-Simon (Ward 7) and Charles Tillman (Ward 5).

Elect JPS Members, Please Committee members made it clear that Jackson would like to see a change in the process of choosing Jackson Pub-

lic Schools board members. Lumumba would like to hand off the responsibility of choosing school board members to the voters in order to hold members more accountable for their decisions and attendance. Most districts in rural Mississippi have elected boards, but it is not uncommon for districts in some of the state’s more highly populated areas to have an appointed board. It’s unclear exactly how voting would work and what standards for nominees would be, but Zinn said many of the details would be ironed out during the crafting of the legislation. “If you want to have term limits or minimal qualifications, we can always go one of two routes and work that out,” he said. “We can make it local and private, or we can put a population classification on it; either way, it will only be germane to Jackson.” The Legislature made a similar caveat for Jackson on the proposed 1-percent sales tax, a 2009 option that includ-ed language regarding “cities over 150,000 in population.” Jackson is the only city in the state with a population higher than 70,000. City Council President Charles Tillman, who once served as JPS board president, said he had reservations over who would go through the “rigamarole” of a campaign and

election for a job that is long on hours and short on pay. Tony Yarber had his answer: the same kind of people who would run for city council. “When you were describing that job, you could have been describing us,” Yarber said to Tillman at the Dec. 16 Legislative Committee meeting. “When we have a situation like we had last week, when the bus drivers all went on strike, I know you got more calls than the school-board representative for your ward,” Yarber added. “I know that because I know how many calls I got. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to be held account-able for things I can’t pull the trigger on.”

Paying for State Security The city also wants support for a bill that would reim-burse the Jackson Police Department, or the city, for extra security at big events that take place in the capital city. Zinn said in December that the Mississippi State Fair, which comes to town every October, often means overtime for traffic cops who provide security and help direct traffic to avoid long lines and congestion. It complicates things, he

Lawmakers returned to the Mississippi Capitol this week for the 2014 legislative session.

The City-Focused Push by Tyler Cleveland

Once again, Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, will be a central figure in the Medicaid expansion debate.

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icaid expansion in Mississippi has focused on the costs and benefits to the state and to the health-care industry in broad terms. Becker’s report, commissioned by one group promoting Medicaid expansion, goes a step further and looks at Medicaid expansion’s effects on regions and local communities. It shows that billions of dol-lars are at stake in Medicaid. “It’s a deal that seems too good to pass up,” said Becker, speaking at the Jackson Medical Mall Dec. 12. That deal is outlined in Becker and Morrissey’s analysis showing that Missis-sippi taxpayers would spend $579 million between 2014 and 2020, but draw more than $1.4 billion in tax revenues as a re-sult, and generate upward of $14 billion in total new economic activity. The deal would also create 20,000 new jobs and provide an $848 million in-crease in net state and local tax revenues. Those benefits would eventually trickle down to cities and counties. Jackson would get the biggest boost, representing more than $1 billion in total economic ac-tivity over the seven-year period between 2014 and 2020. In the Jackson metropolitan area, including parts of Madison and Rankin counties, that benefit would be closer to $2 billion. Medicaid expansion would also mean 2,712 new jobs for the capital-city area, Becker and Morrissey wrote. The Mississippi Economic Policy Center, a non-partisan, nonprofit organi-zation that conducts research on public-policy issues that affect low- and moderate-income families will also continue making a case Medicaid expansion. Also high on MEPC’s agenda this year is addressing Mississippi’s college fi-nancial aid parameters, said MEPC work-force Analyst Dee Polk, who is helming the effort endeavor. “Need-based financial aid is in need of

updating,” Polk told the JFP. Currently, only 15 percent of Mis-sissippi’s grant funds are need-based com-pared the national average of 71 percent, states the MEPC report, “Investing in Our Future: How to Strengthen and Update Mississippi’s Financial Aid Programs for Today’s College Students.” Despite the low rate of need-based grants, Mississippi also has a high stu-dent-loan default rate. Tuition has risen faster than house-hold income, and students with fewer resources may wind up being pushed out of higher education simply because they don’t have the funds to stay in college.

“In Mississippi, we have a lot of students unable to finish college,” Polk said. MEPC will also focus on pushing for more transparency regarding revenue bills by having fiscal notes attached to the legislation. “Both lawmakers and the public should know how much something costs before it gets passed into law,” says Ed Si-vak, executive director of MEPC. Brown, the lawmaker, calls opposition to Medicaid in the face of such abundant hard data “irrational.” “I don’t know how anybody explains that,” he said. “I’m hoping they come to their senses,” he added.

Fighting for JusticeAmid the high-rolling corporate lobbyists, some Mississippi-based organizations will try to help craft legislation to promote so-cial and economic equality. One group that actively monitors legislative proceedings is the Mississippi Center for Justice, a nonprofit public in-terest law firm founded in 2003 with two employees. Today, the center now has 30 employees and offices in Jackson, Biloxi and Indianola. Beth Orlansky, MCJ’s advocacy direc-tor, sums up the group’s mission, which is at the center of its lobbying, as striving for racial and economic justice. The center focuses particularly on housing, education, consumer protections, disaster relief and health care. The staff has been busy. As a law firm, the center provides an array of services. Providing foreclosure relief, following up with HUD in cases of housing discrimina-tion, and handling BP oil spill claims are only a few of the services the center pro-vides to Mississippi’s most underserved and vulnerable. The center uses pro bono attorneys and law students who assist in the information gathering process, all of whom attend legisla-tive hearings and floor debates at the Capitol. Those efforts have included partner-ing with University of Mississippi Medical Center and the Mississippi State Depart-ment of Health to advocate for people with HIV and educate homeless shelters turning people away due to their HIV status. Their first step is to educate a fearful public and alleviate fear; but the center’s attorneys will step in if needed to protect people with HIV from discrimination. MCJ also supports Medicaid expan-sion and worked to pass legislation to re-strict high-interest payday lenders. The center is currently working with employers, banks, and credit unions to try to establish small dollar loans with lower interest rates

Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, calls Medicaid expansion a smart move and looks forward to a legislative debate on the subject this year.

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The Influencers from page 15

and to provide financial-management edu-cation to low-income workers. Sandy Middleton, executive director of the Center for Violence Prevention in Pearl and chairwoman of the Governor’s Domestic Violence Task Force, hopes to build on last year’s successful campaign to beef up the state’s human-trafficking law. This session, Middleton plans to sup-port a bill to change how domestic-abuse

shelters receive funding from the state. A report from the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review confirmed that the state agency in charge of distributing the grants had not given out $1.6 million that should have gone to shelters. Middleton argues that distribution authority should go to an independent commission, and said Gov. Bryant, a for-

mer Hinds County sheriff ’s deputy, sup-ports the change because he has seen the effects of domestic abuse on families. “Anyone who understands crime, es-pecially interpersonal crime, understands the importance of doing this,” Middleton said of Bryant. Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email News Editor R.L. Nave at rlnave@jacksonfreepress.com or call him at 601-362-6121 ext. 12.

added, when an organization like Jackson State University, which has a contract with the city to provide security, has a home football game during the time the State Fair is in town. “We’ve brought this up before, and essentially we are looking to make an ap-propriation to law enforcement to cover what has turned into overtime, as the state fair has seen record attendance for a couple of years running,” Zinn said. “It becomes hard to provide security and traffic controls at all the events.” Other than the fair, Jackson is also home to the Mississippi High School Ath-letics and Activities Association’s basketball tournament and six state championship football games at the Mississippi Coliseum and Memorial Stadium, respectively.

Think Cooperatively Yet another initiative, and the one that best fits with what Lumumba’s vision that helped him to an overwhelming victory in the mayoral race in July, is the expansion of the role of cooperatives in the city. Long reserved, in Mississippi, for ru-ral farming, cooperatives are autonomous associations of workers voluntarily coop-erating for their mutual, social, economic and cultural benefit. Cooperatives—or co-ops—include non-profit community organizations and businesses that are not owned and man-aged by one certain person or company. The three types of co-ops Lumumba would like to see are consumer co-ops (for things like food, child care, housing and credit unions) like Rainbow Grocery in Fondren, producer co-ops that pool pro-cess and market the member products and worker co-ops, which are owned by the people who work at the business. “These community-oriented worker co-ops create more businesses than their

own,” Zinn said. “This bill got pretty far last year, but I think the interest from this administration is to create a way for people to bring themselves up. It’s consistent with what the Republi-cans are always saying about ‘pulling your-self up by your own bootstraps.’”

Streets and Crime The city is also looking for two con-cessions from the Legislature when it comes to crime and the court system. Current law prevents Mississippi cities and towns from

appointing more than six municipal judges at a time, which Zinn told the city council has potential to cause a backup in cases. The city is requesting the power to appoint up to 10 judges, even if some are on a temporary basis, to expedite the court process. The city would also like a financial endorsement for its prisoner re-entry pro-gram, which Zinn said has been successful but is underfunded. He estimated the city has about 600 releases in the city annually, and partici-pating in the re-entry program greatly de-creases the chances of the released prisoner returning to jail. Jackson’s experience with the sales-tax

legislation could be a model for other cities, said Quincy Mukoro, public affairs direc-tor for the Mississippi Municipal League. The MML will once again attempt to pass what it calls the Community Eco-nomic Development Act, or local option sales tax. CEDA would be similar to the law that authorizes Jackson’s to levy a 1-percent tax on certain sales. Under the MML bill, 60 percent of citizens would have to approve the tax, which will only be levied for specific projects, nor does the plan involve imple-menting oversight commissions, which long served as an obstacle to Jackson’s holding a sales-tax vote. Mukoro and MML see CEDA as a way to give local communities more control over their economic destinies. “Just as the state doesn’t want federal-government control, cities and towns don’t want the state telling them how to run their communities,” Mukoro said. “Citi-zens should be able to make their commu-nities better.” As evidence, he points to Okla-homa City and the state of Texas, both of which have passed versions of a local-option sales tax. Economic observers, including cur-rent Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cor-nett, have heralded OKC’s local option experience as a success and credit it for keeping the city afloat during troubling economic times. Texas’ local-option tax goes even fur-ther than the one being floated in Missis-sippi, and allows municipalities to hold referendums for public safety. In year’s past, the local-option sales tax has met bipartisan opposition, with fiscal conservatives panning the effort as a tax increase. In Jackson and smaller cities around the state, Mukoro sees the local-option sales tax as potential economic game-changer. “Fix the infrastructure, and the sky’s the limit,” he said. Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email Tyler Cleveland at tyler@jacksonfreepress.com or call him at 601-362-6121 ext. 22. ja

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Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba has said that his previous experience working with former Gov. Haley Barbour to get clemency for his clients, the Scott Sisters, demonstrates that he will be able to effectively lobby state officials.

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Hit the Road, Jacksonby Kelly Bryan Smith

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Tis the season for resolutions and new gym member-ships and budgets and paleo diets and pinning the latest bun and thigh and ab challenges on Pinterest. But if you really wish to boost your health, wellness

and state of mind this new year, I offer a simple prescription: Spend more time outside. Whether this means sipping more hot tea on the patio before everyone else wakes up, going for a sunrise and sunset walk around the neighborhood each day, planning a spring break camping trip sans cell phones, playing in the yard lon-ger, taking more naps in the hammock on the porch, stroll-ing the kids down to the park more often, or planning a weekend retreat to a cabin in the woods is really up to you. Getting outside gives me time and space to slow down and reconnect with what really matters in my life. It makes me feel more grounded. It helps my son seem more relaxed. The busier and more stressed I feel, the more I need to take the time to hit the road and get some fresh air.

Where to Go The Jackson metro and the state have many great places to breathe in the great outdoors. I get this in early-morning Fondren, I get this at Laurel Street Park in Belhaven, I get this picnicking at the reservoir overlook, and I really get it just about anywhere along the Natchez Trace. For a real well-ness boost in the new year, hop on the Trace and drive about four hours northeast, letting the world melt away over the miles, until you begin to see signs for Tishomingo State Park.

Rustic wooded cabins the Civilian Conservative Corps constructed in the 1930s offer the perfect location for an unplugged family weekend of board games and splashing in creeks, a romantic getaway with stone fireplaces in each room, a base camp for all-day hiking among the Appalachian foothills, or a retreat for swinging on the screened porch with great friends.

What to Do Tishomingo has fields for kicking a ba l l around, an outdoor pool for swimming (in the summer) and miles of amazing trails. The Bear Creek Loop spans over 4.1 miles. Jump in and wade creeks, balance on fallen trees,

climb mossy boulders, examine a wide variety of mush-rooms, pause for a snack in an old pioneer cabin,

crawl through caves. The two-mile Outcroppings Trail offers some similar sites, with more cliffs to scramble up and waterfalls to climb. Both of these longer park hikes would be perfect for older kids, teens, and adults who are fit and healthy. Some shorter and easier hikes are also available in the

park for pretty much any fitness level. For those of a less athletic bent, the area offers

ample windows for gazing out into the woods, porches for rocking, fireplaces for reading beside, giant rocks for painting or photographing, and tables for eating and talking across and playing Monopoly.

What to Pack• Food and water• Hiking shoes and socks• Layers of weather-appropriate clothing• Soap and shampoo• Books and board games• Balls or other outdoor toys• Camera• Newspaper and matches to start a fire

What to Leave at Home• Sheets and towels (linens provided by the cabins)• Firewood (firewood bundles can be purchased at the park and delivered to your screen porch for $7 per bundle)

Find Out More Mississippistateparks.reserveamerica.com“Hiking Mississippi: A Guide to 50 of the State’s Great-est Hiking Adventures” by Johnny Molloy, (State Hiking Guides Series, Falcon Guides, 2009, $16.95).

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Make a resolution to spend more time outdoors and less time plugged in.

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Leave your electronics on dry land and spend the day kayaking.

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CUSTOM

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O ne meat, three vegetables. That’s all a blue plate is in theory. But when you consider main courses such as chicken and dumplings, fried cat-

fish, pot roast, and country-fried steak paired with turnip greens, okra and that uniquely southern vegetable—macaroni and cheese—it’s easy to see why people tend to use their cornbread to sop up what’s left on the plate. That’s what Georgia Blue hangs its hat on—the daily lunch special served on the iconic blue plate. Restaurateurs Jason and Jennifer Ishee are the architects and major-ity owners of this distinctly southern restau-rant franchise that first opened its doors in Madison in 2010. Since then, they and their business partner and partial owner, Drew Beatty, have opened two more locations in Hattiesburg (September 2012) and Flowood (March 2013). The rapid success hasn’t surprised those who have had a role in the restaurant’s development. “Our success stems from the fact that we have a really good team,” says Matthew Bailey, the regional manager of Georgia Blue and a Jackson native. “It’s not more complicated than a team we trust who are trying to make Georgia Blue the premier place to be.”

Bailey, 33, knows the defining spirit and atmosphere of Georgia Blue and gives you an assortment of reasons to visit. The restaurant’s food is a blend of southern and Creole that takes you from the Tennessee hills to the Louisiana Gulf Coast, depending on what menu item you’re looking at. Their style is somewhere between casual and up-scale, but always comfortable like home. “We try to hone in on what it means to be southern and what it means to be family,” Bailey says. In large part, the original restau-rant in Madison was created as a place for both family and community to gather, a mod-ern throwback to the southern home of old. “We try to cater to what our surround-ing community is doing and how we can help them by being a place that they can come and relax,” Bailey says. If shrimp and grits, fried green toma-toes, and red beans and rice aren’t enough to lure you into Georgia Blue, they’ve got other methods for attracting and keeping customers in the restaurant, one of which is their distinct “draft tables”—basically, a table with its own draft tabs, connected to the bar through a rather intricate piping system that runs through the table. These little oases might not be completely unique to Georgia Blue, but the restaurant is the first in Jackson

to embrace such a self-serve beer contrap-tion. The idea behind it goes right back to the restaurant’s concept of the shared meal and the community atmosphere that the owners try to create. “The idea is to get friends and family around a common table,” Bailey says. That table is often outfitted with lo-cal products, Bailey says, including regional beers from Lucky Town, Lazy Magnolia and Abita, as well as a continuous stock of other produce and beverages that hail from Missis-sippi and the south. Bailey particularly likes a house specialty drink from the bar called “Memaw’s Special Tea,” a twist on sweet tea that includes a squeeze of lemon and a shot of Honeysuckle Cathead Vodka, distilled nearby in Madison County. “We wanted to bring in the idea that Memaw had something going on the side,” Bailey says with a grin. In addition to local products, Georgia Blue has also been host to a thriving local music scene, offering area musicians a con-sistent venue to play at. Bailey mentions that they often don’t have to go far to fill their music lineup, using mostly Jackson- and Hattiesburg-based groups and artists. There’s been some talk about another new location for Georgia Blue, but Bailey says that development is still in the works. It’s a feat that they’ve been able to open three successful locations in three years, much less begin unfolding a fourth. As for the mo-ment, Bailey hopes that the restaurant can keep evolving and improving. “We want to do as many things well that we can actually manage,” Bailey says. “We don’t do fine dining, but we do really well at creating a place where you can bring your family and still get wonderful food.” Check out Georgia Blue’s website at georgiablue.net to get a virtual tour of the restaurants, find music listings, and preview menu items and daily blue-plate specials.

Just Like Memaw’s Kitchenby Justin Hosemann

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LIFE&STYLE | food

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Local restaurant Georgia Blue, which focuses on southern cuisine, has expanded into three locations in only a few short years.

LUNCH: Tomato Cucumber Pasta Salad

Ingredients1/2 cup cucum-

bers, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup toma-toes, diced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup olive oil1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegarSalt and pepper to taste1 cup rainbow or whole-wheat

rotini pasta

Put a few cubes of ice into a mix-ing bowl and add a little cold water. Place a smaller mixing bowl on top. Add four cups water to a medi-um-sized pot, add a couple of pinch-es of salt and boil the water. When the water is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and turn the heat down just a little bit. Let the pasta cook, stirring it oc-casionally. Al dente pasta usually takes around seven or eight minutes—if it’s chewy but still firm, you have perfect rotini. Strain the pasta in the sink and pour it into the ice bath you prepped earlier. This prevents the pasta from cooking any further. Let it cool for a minute and then put the pasta into the refrigerator. For the dressing, put the rest of the ingredients in your blender pitcher and blend until smooth. Pulse it a little at the end to make sure the dressing is completely done. Take the pasta out of the refrigerator and toss it with the sauce. Feel free to add some shredded Parmesan to it. You can easily make this dish the night before and pack it for a work-day lunch.

This recipe continues our Wellness month feature on healthy vegetarian meals, which began in issue 17.

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

AMERICAN/SOUTHERN CUISINEPrimos Cafe (2323 Lakeland 601-936-3398/ 515 Lake Harbour 601-898-3400)

A Jackson institution for breakfast, blue-plates, catfish, burgers, prime rib, oysters, po-boys & wraps. Famous bakery!Two Sisters Kitchen (707 N. Congress St. 601-353-1180) Lunch. Mon-Fri, Sun.Koinonia (136 Adams St. 601-960-3008) Coffeehouse plus lunch & more!Broad Street Bakery (4465 Interstate 55 N. 601-362-2900)Hot breakfast, coffee drinks, fresh breads & pastries, gourmet deli sandwiches.

PIZZA904 Basil’s (904 E. Fortification, 601-352-2002) Creative pizzas, Italian food, burgers & much more. Casual dining in the heart of Belhaven.Sal & Mookie’s (565 Taylor St. 601-368-1919) Pizzas of all kinds plus pasta, eggplant Parmesan, fried ravioli & ice cream for the kids!Mellow Mushroom (275 Dogwood Blvd, Flowood, 601-992-7499) More than just great pizza and beer. Open Monday - Friday 11-10 and Saturday 11-11.

ITALIANBRAVO! (4500 Interstate 55 N., Jackson, 601-982-8111) Award-winning wine list, Jackson’s see-and-be-seen casual/upscale dining. Cerami’s (5417 Lakeland Drive, Flowood, 601-919-28298) Southern-style Italian cuisine features their signature Shrimp Cerami.

STEAK, SEAFOOD & FINE DININGEslava’s Grille (2481 Lakeland Drive, 601-932-4070) Latin-influenced dishes like ceviche in addition to pastas, steaks, salads and other signature seafood dishes.Huntington Grille (1001 East County Line Road, Jackson Hilton, 601-957-2800) Mississippi fine dining features seafood, crayfish, steaks, fried green tomatoes, shrimp & grits, pizzas and more.The Islander Seafood and Oyster House (1220 E Northside Drive, Suite 100, 601-366-5441)Oyster bar, seafood, gumbo, po’boys, crawfish and plenty of Gulf Coast delights in a laid-back Buffet-style atmosphere.Que Sera Sera (2801 N State Street 601-981-2520)

Authentic cajun cuisine, excellent seafood and award winning gumbo; come enjoy it all this summer on the patio.The Penguin (1100 John R Lynch Street, 769.251.5222) Fine dining at its best.Rocky’s (1046 Warrington Road, Vicksburg 601-634-0100) Enjoy choice steaks, fresh seafood, great salads, hearty sandwiches.Sal and Phil’s Seafood (6600 Old Canton Rd, Ridgeland (601) 957-1188)Great Seafood, Poboys, Lunch Specials, Boiled Seafood, Full Bar, Happy Hour Specials

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

BARBEQUEHickory Pit Barbeque (1491 Canton Mart Rd. 601-956-7079)

The “Best Butts in Town” features BBQ chicken, beef and pork along with burgers and po’boys. Haute Pig (1856 Main Street, 601-853-8538) A “very high class pig stand,” Haute Pig offers Madison diners BBQ plates, sandwiches, po-boys, salads.

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

BARS, PUBS & BURGERSBurgers and Blues (1060 E. County Line Road, Ridgeland 601-899-0038) Best Burger of 2013, plus live music and entertainment!Capitol Grill (5050 I-55 North, Deville Plaza 601-899-8845) Best happy hour & sports bar, kitchen open late, pub food with soul and live entertainment.Cherokee Inn (960 Briarfield Rd. 601-362-6388) Jackson’s “Best Hole in the Wall,” has a great jukebox, great bar and a great burger. City Grille( 1029 Hwy 51, Madison (601) 607-7885) Southern with Blue Plate Specials; Seafood and Steaks, Happy Hour, Kid FriendlyCool Al’s (4654 McWillie, 601-713-3020) Cool Al’s signature stacked, messy, decadent, creative burgers defy adjectives. Don’t forget the fries!Fenian’s Pub (901 E. Fortification St. 601-948-0055) Classic Irish pub featuring a menu of traditional food, pub sandwiches & Irish beers on tap.Hal and Mal’s (200 S. Commerce St. 601-948-0888) Pub favorites meet Gulf Coast and Cajun specialties like red beans and rice, the Oyster Platter or daily specials.Martin’s Restaurant and Lounge (214 South State Street 601-354-9712) Lunch specials, pub appetizers or order from the full menu of po-boys and entrees. Full bar, beer selection.Mc B’s (815 Lake Harbour Dr. Ridgeland (601) 956-8362)Blue plates, amazing burgers, live music, cold beer, reservoir area Mississippi Legends (5352 Lakeland Dr. Flowood (601) 919-1165)American, Burgers, Pub Food, Happy Hour, Kid Friendly, Late Night, Sports Bar, Outdoor DiningOle 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.Underground 119 (119 South President St. 601-352-2322)

Pan-seared crabcakes, shrimp and grits, filet mignon, vegetarian sliders. Live music. Opens 4 p.m., Wed-SatWing Stop (952 North State Street, 601-969-6400) Saucing and tossing in a choice of nine flavors, Wing Stop wings are made with care and served up piping hot.

ASIAN AND INDIANCrazy Ninja (2560 Lakeland Dr., Flowood 601-420-4058) Rock-n-roll sushi and cook-in-front-of-you hibachi. Lunch specials, bento boxes, fabulous cocktails.Fusion Japanese and Thai Cuisine (1002 Treetop Blvd, Flowood 601-664-7588)Specializing in fresh Japanese and Thai cuisine, an extensive menu features everything from curries to fresh sushiNagoya Japanese Sushi Bar & Hibachi Grill (6351 I-55 North, Ste. 131, Jackson 601-977-8881)Fresh sushi, delicious noodles, sizzling hibach & refreshing cocktails from one of jackson’s most well-known japanese restaurants.Ruchi India (862 Avery Blvd @ County Line Rd. 601-991-3110)

Classic Indian cuisine from multiple regions. Lamb, vegetarian, chicken, shrimp and more.VEGETARIAN

High Noon Café (2807 Old Canton Road in Rainbow Plaza 601-366-1513)Fresh, gourmet, tasty and healthy defines the lunch options at Jackson’s own strict vegetarian (and very-vegan-friendly) restaurant adjacent to Rainbow Whole Foods.

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A n artist working with watercolors isn’t the type to haphazardly try out different shades and tex-tures on paper, searching for the right balance of expression through trial and error. The medium

doesn’t allow for that sort of experimentation. The water-colorist is methodical, pragmatic and attuned to a vision. “You really have to think through your process and build on it in layers,” says Susan Wellington, president of the Mississippi Watercolor Society for the past two years. A Jackson native and Flowood resident, Wellington, 56, has only painted seriously for six years, but she’s knowl-edgeable about watercolors and enjoys the challenges of working from “light to dark,” a specific feature of watercol-ors, as opposed from “dark to light,” the technique used in most other painting mediums. “What I love about watercolors is the luminosity you get from paper coming through that color and pigment,” Wellington says. “For me, certain subjects just lend them-selves more to watercolors than oils. Watercolor is a very pure medium.” The margin of error for watercolors tends to be much smaller than that of oils or acrylics, which is why Welling-ton and her fellow members of MSWS are adamant about changing some of the misconceptions about this medium, particularly those that label it as “amateur.” “Once you stain the paper, it’s done,” Wellington says. “You can’t go back over it.” Most of the society’s goals and objectives are geared toward helping its current members and surrounding com-munity hone in on their craft.

“It (the society) is a way to network with other art-ists,” Wellington says. “We do workshops, have demos at our quarterly meetings, and share information about other regional shows that our members can enter.” The society’s marquee event is the annual Grand National Watercolor Exhibition, housed at the Missis-sippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.) near the end of

each year. A national juror judged the works, which artists from around the nation submit, and chooses 50 to hang in MMA. The top artists, usually 10 to 12 plus honorable mentions, chosen from the 50 finalists receive cash prizes going from $500 to $1,500 for the first-place winner. In 2013, MSWS awarded around $10,000 total to the top artists. Holly Bluff native Cathy Hegman won. In addition to the Grand National Show, MSWS also offers annual members a show at the Jackson Municipal Arts Gallery, titled the Sandra Williams Members Show in honor of the MSWS founder. Artists are not juried to get into this show, so members get a good opportu-nity to showcase their work. After the work is hung, the

art is juried for awards. Wellington won “Best in Show” at this year’s members show with a painting called “Just Hitched,” a depiction of three mules harnessed and idling away the time, looking a bit overdressed in their inter- connected halters. “Last year at the rodeo parade (Dixie National), I took a ton of photographs of old cars and different things,” Wel-lington says, “but the mules that pulled the covered wagons fascinated me. I think they’re really humorous to look at.” Wellington has taken advantage of the opportu-nity that the society has offered, especially the chance to be around more experienced members and painters. She encourages others interested in painting or who just want to join the society. The fee is small ($35) and reduced for college-age students ($25), something Wellington wants to push hard in the upcoming years. “One of the things we’re really working towards is to bring in some younger people into the MSWS,” Wellington says. In addition to having access to society meetings, members can attend workshops offered throughout the course of the year under the instruction of both local and nationally recognized watercolorists. Wellington looks for-ward to continuing and increasing the frequency of these educational gatherings in the future. “We’re looking at doing some one-day workshops on Saturdays this winter with some of our local artists,” Wel-lington says. “We’re also thinking about putting together an introduction-to-watercolor workshop for anybody who would like to try it but have never painted before.” Visit mississippiwatercolor.org for more information.

FILM p 24 | 8 DAYS p 25 | MUSIC p 28

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Though watercolor isn’t an easy medium, members of the Mississippi Watercolor

Society are working to change the misconceptions about the art form.

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F r o m L i g h t t o D a r kby Justin Hosemann

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“T he Wolf of Wall Street” shows us the world through Jordan Belfort’s point of view, spot-lighting the nowhere-to-

hide, true evil in Belfort, a man without a conscious. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Belfort, based on a real stockbroker who served time for a massive securities scheme. He tells us how he plans to cleverly lure hard-earned in-come from his middle-class clients, knowing full well they will likely end up losing their money. “The real question is this: Was all this legal?” Belfort says, addressing the audience directly. “Absolutely not.” The first dose of bizarre hits immedi-ately, with an opening scene including little people and a human dartboard—mind you, this is taking place during the height of a workday. We then jump back to 1987 to see a fresh-faced and almost innocent-looking Belfort step off the bus and grin upward at the NYSE before entering his office build-ing. It’s his first day on Wall Street. Belfort gets canned following the in-famous stock bust of Black Monday. His

likeable starter wife notices a jobs ad for stockbrokers in Long Island and convinces the skeptical Belfort to inquire. He finds unconventional traders working in a strip mall, pushing penny stocks with a mas-sively marked-up 50 percent commission. Smooth-talker Belfort is hired on the spot. Enter Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill), a cheesy guy wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a multicolored pastel button down. “How much money do you make?” he rude-ly asks Belfort. Next thing you know, Don-nie quits his job to join Belfort. The two start the legitimate-sounding Stratton Oakmont, Inc. in an abandoned auto shop and begin recruiting childhood friends as their penny stock-pushing salesmen. Now a substance enters the picture. Cinematically, it could almost be consid-ered a character due to its extensive time on screen. Drugs. More specifically, marijuana, cocaine, crack and the little-known Quaalu-de. It’s all downhill from here, morally and ethically speaking. What follows is an indescribable hour

and a half of out-of-control scenes show-casing belligerent behavior, limitless drug use and narcissism to the nth degree. Fast cars, women, Hamptons house party, Vegas bachelor party, women, luxury yachts, Swiss banks and, you guessed it, women—it’s the excessive Wall Street mentality at its finest. It’s truly unlike anything I have ever seen, so without further spoiling, I leave it to you to find out the details. If watching such things unsettles you, I advise you not to see this movie. On the other hand, it is just a movie, and a mighty fine one at that. Legendary director Martin Scorsese (“Goodfellas,” “Casino,” and “The Departed”) leaves nothing on the table.

Controversy abounds about whether the film promotes the debaucherous behav-ior on screen. I think that’s ludicrous. Is the movie over the top? Absolutely—but, in the end, this is a scathing satire of greed. So far, “The Wolf of Wall Street” is gob-bling up award nominations across the spec-trum and should garner several Oscar nomi-nations. At three hours in running time, it is about 20 minutes too long. However, in this duration, “Wolf” sets the all-time F-bomb record with 506 of the four-letter words. “Wolf” is one of my top three favorite films of 2013. It is a modern-day maniacal masterpiece, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Brace yourself, and enjoy.

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DIVERSIONS | film

The Sex, Drugs and Wolves of Wall Streetby Jordan Sudduth

“The Wolf of Wall Street,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio (center) and Jonah Hill (seated), is a maniacal roller coaster of excess.

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Dealing with disease is likely one of the most stressful things we undergo. The ups and downs of having our bodies not working effi ciently can wreak havoc on us in many ways: physically, energetically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Because yoga looks at the body in this multi-dimensional, holistic way, yoga can be effective at restoring these many layers of our being. In this workshop, JJ will discuss the multi-dimensional model that yoga often uses when treating someone therapeutically, the Pancha Maya Model.

In each session, JJ will lead a short practice that may be applicable to various diseases: diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and metabolic syndrome X. JJ teaches online classes and hands-on modules that facilitate free yoga for clients dealing with various illnesses and ailments. Yoga teachers in her 1000-hour Yoga Therapy Training program learn how to use yoga therapeutically to help with many of the ailments our modern society currently faces.

Introduction to Yoga Therapy

Pancha Maya Model and Chakra Model

Understanding Disease from the Yoga Perspective

Application and Practice of the Multiple Models of Yoga

601.664.75881002 Treetop Blvd • Flowood

Behind the Applebee’s on Lakelandwww.fusionjapanesethaicuisine.com

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

Listings for Fri. 1/10 – Thur. 1/16

GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE

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

Movieline: 355-9311

DAILY BARGAINS UNTIL 6PM

Lone Survivor R

3-D The Legend of Hercules PG13

The Legend of Hercules (non 3-D)

PG13

Her R

August: Osage County R

Nebraska R

ParanormalActivity: The Marked Ones R

The Wolf Of Wall Street R

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty PG

Grudge Match PG13

47 Ronin(non 3-D) PG13

American Hustle R

Saving Mr. Banks PG13Walking With Dinosaurs(non 3-D) PGAnchorman 2: The Legend Continues PG13The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug (non 3-D)

PG13Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas PG13Frozen (non 3-D)

PGHunger Games: Catching Fire

PG13

WEDNESDAY 1/8 Growing Up Girl in Today’s Crazy World with Julia V. Taylor is from 7-8:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School (370 Old Agency Road, Ridgeland). Taylor au-thored “Salvaging Sisterhood” and “Perfectly You.” Free; call 601-853-6053; email hollisr@gosaints.org. … Kara-oke is at Ole Tavern (416 George St., 601-960-2700) and at Last Call (3716 Interstate 55 N., 601-713-2700).

THURSDAY 1/9 Say No to GMOs Campaign Meeting is at 6 p.m. at Rainbow Natural Grocery Cooperative (2807 Old Canton Road). Free; call 601-366-1602; email co-opgm@ rainbowcoop.org; rainbowcoop.org. … The Blast Down-town: Winter Series is at 9 p.m. at Martin’s Restaurant and Bar (214 S. State St.). The house music event features DJ Scrap Dirty, The Nastysho, DJ Sketch and DJ Spirituals. $5; call 354-9712; theblastmidtown.com.

FRIDAY 1/10 Crosshatch Fundraiser and Mixer is at 8 a.m. at Brent’s Drugs (655 Duling Ave.) with music from DJ Scrap Dirty, DJ Young Venom, DJ Sandpaper, and a Made in Midtown art raffle. Free, $5 raffle; call 366-3427; indiegogo.com/proj-ects/fund-the-hatch. … Gungor performs at 9 p.m. at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). $18, $22 door, $30-$35 VIP; call 601-292-7999; ardenland.net. … Chad Wesley Band performs at 9 p.m. at Reed Pierce’s (6791 Siwell Road). Free; call 601-376-0777; reedpierces.com.

SATURDAY 1/11 Mississippi Blues Marathon and Half Marathon is at 7 a.m. in downtown Jackson. Registration required. Fees vary; msbluesmarathon.com. … JFP Editor Donna Ladd teaches a free intro to creative non-fiction writing seminar from 10 a.m. until noon at the JFP in Capital Towers downtown. Must register: class@writingtochange.com or call 601-362-6121 x. 15. No walk-ins. ... MJ’s Rockin’ Old-ies Grand Ole Opry Stars Concert is at 7 p.m. at Regency Hotel and Conference Center (420 Greymont Ave.) with Jo-EL Sonnier, T. Graham Brown, Hannah Belle South-erland and Bill Seacrest. $20 at the door; call 601-940-4247. … Brass Bed and Passing Parade perform at 9 p.m. at Morning-bell Records & Café (4760 In-terstate 55 N., Suite A). $9; call 769-233-7468; morningbellre-cords.com. … Synergy Night is at 9 p.m. at Mediterranean Fish and Grill (6550 Old Canton Road). $10, $5 open-mic participants; call 956-0082; like Synergy Nights on Facebook.

SUNDAY 1/12 Knight Bruce performs during brunch at 11 a.m. at Sophia’s at Fairview Inn (734 Fairview St.). Free; call 601-948-3429. … Premier Bridal Show: Weddings and Celebrations is from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. at Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.). $27 in advance, $30 at the door; call 601-957-1050; thepremierbridalshow.com.

MONDAY 1/13 Coffee Club Run is at 6 a.m. at Fusion Coffeehouse (1111A Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland). Fleet Feet Sports is the host. Participate in the weekly run for up to six miles, and enjoy a free cup of coffee and a chance to win a Fusion gift card. Free; call 601-899-9696; fleetfeetjackson.com. … Central Mississippi Blues Society Jam is at 7 p.m. at Hal & Mal’s (200 S. Commerce St.). $5, $3 for members; call 601-948-0888; halandmals.com.

TUESDAY 1/14 <Pixel-Swig> Second Happy Hour is from 5 p.m.- 7 p.m. at Sal & Mookie’s New York Pizza and Ice Cream Joint (565 Taylor St.) in the Pi(e) Lounge. The social is a pro-fessional gathering for illustrators, designers and developers. For ages 21 and up. Free, drink prices vary; call 601-368-1919; pixel-swig.com. … “When Cletus Met Elizabeth” Dinner Theater is from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at Sombra Mexican Kitchen (140 Township Ave, Suite 100, Ridgeland). Cock-tails at 6 p.m. (separate price); show at 7 p.m. Includes a three-course meal. Reservations required. For ages 18 and up. $39; call 601-937-1752; thedetectives.biz.

WEDNESDAY 1/15 Yoga Class is from 5:30 p.m.-6:45 p.m. at Butterfly Yoga (3025 N. State St.). $10-$15; call 601-594-2313; email scotta@butterflyyoga.net; butterflyyoga.net. Ladies Night is from 5 p.m.-2 a.m. at Martin’s Restaurant and Bar (214 S. State St.). Ladies drink free all night. $5; call 354-9712; martinslounge.net.

TUESDAY 1/14<Pixel-Swig> Second Happy Hour is at Sal & Mookie’s.

THURSDAY 1/9The Blast Downtown: Winter Series is at Martin’s Restaurant and Bar.

WEDNESDAY 1/15Resolve to stretch at Butterfly Yoga.

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Michael and Lisa Gungor perform songs in several genres with an experimental style Jan. 10 at Duling Hall. Doors open at 8 p.m.

BY BRIANA ROBINSON

EVENTS@JACKSONFREEPRESS.COM

FAX: 601-510-9019DAILY UPDATES AT

JFPEVENTS.COMChad Wesley Band performs free Jan. 10 at Reed

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Best of Jackson Party Jan. 26, 6-11 p.m., location TBA. Save the date for the JFP’s annual celebra-tion of all things Jackson. By invitation only; email subscribers should check their inboxes for details. Suscribe at jfpdaily.com. Finalists can email party@jacksonfreepress.com to get on the list.

St. Andrew’s “Building Boys, Making Men” Parents Lunch Jan. 9, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., at Broadmoor Baptist Church (1531 Highland Colony Parkway, Madison). The keynote speaker is Lee Burns, headmaster of Presbyterian Day School in Memphis. RSVP before Jan. 6. Space limited. Free; call 601-898-2345; email boyssum-mit@gosaints.org.

Precinct 2 COPS Meeting Jan. 9, 6 p.m., at Jack-son Police Department, Precinct 2 (711 W. Capi-tol Street). These monthly forums are designed to help resolve community issues or problems, from crime to potholes. Free; call 601-960-0002.

Mississippi Ballroom Dancers’ Association’s Black and White Ball Jan. 11, 7-11 p.m., at Madison Square Center for the Arts (2103 Main St., Madison). The dance workshop is from 7-8 p.m., and the ball is from 8-11 p.m. For ages 18 and up. Workshop: $5, free for members; ball: $15, $10 for members; call 601-942-7335.

Mississippi Association of Community Mental Health Centers Conference Jan. 14, at Hilton Jackson (1001 E. County Line Road). The purpose is to address new ways to improve Missis-sippi’s mental health system. The keynote speaker is Charles “Chuck” Ingoglia of the National Council for Behavioral Health. $35-$75; call 601-939-0020; email ftcprevention@bellsouth.net; msacmhc.org.

Advanced Grant Proposal Strategies Jan. 14-15, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., at Mississippi Center for Nonprof-its (201 W. Capitol St., Suite 700). Topics include grants research, developing a needs statement, cre-ating a budget and assembling the proposal pack-age. Registration required. $369, $199 members; call 601-968-0061; msnonprofits.org.

Ross Moore History Lecture Jan. 14, 7 p.m., at Millsaps College, Ford Academic Complex (1701 N. State St.). Terrence Winschel of the Vicksburg National Military Park speaks on the topic “Civil-ians Under Siege in Vicksburg” in conjunction with the Millsaps Arts and Lecture Series. $10, $5 students; call 601-974-1130; millsaps.edu/conted.

History Is Lunch Jan. 15, noon, at Old Capitol Museum (100 S. State St.). Author and historian Mary Carol Miller talks about the Cotesworth res-toration project. Free; call 601-576-6998; mdah.state.ms.us.

Winter Community Enrichment Series, at Mill-saps College (1701 N. State St.). Classes fall into the categories of art, music, fitness, design, busi-ness and technology. Call to request a brochure of options and fees. Fees vary; call 601-974-1130; millsaps.edu/conted.

Mississippi Association of Community Men-tal Health Centers Conference Jan. 14, at Hilton Jackson (1001 E. County Line Road). The purpose is to address new ways to improve Mississippi’s mental health system. The keynote speaker is Charles “Chuck” Ingoglia of the National Council for Behavioral Health. Register by Dec. 20 to avoid the $25 late fee. $35-$75; call 601-939-0020; email ftcprevention@bellsouth.net; msacmhc.org.

Question It? Discover It! Saturday Jan. 11, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at Mississippi Children’s Museum (2145 Highland Drive). Learn about the skeletal system, how bones interact with each other and how to keep the bones healthy. $8, children under 12 months and museum members free; call 601-981-5469; mschildrensmuseum.com.

New Year, New You Beginners Yoga Four-week Series Jan. 11-Feb 1, 11 a.m.-noon, at Tara Yoga Studio (Energy in Motion, 200 Park Circle, Suite 4, Flowood). The course is an introduction to basic yoga postures. Held on Saturdays. Registra-tion required. $60; call 601-720-2337; email melanie@tara-yoga.net; tara-yoga.net.

Living Food Potluck Jan. 11, 1 p.m., at A Aachen Back and Neck Pain Clinic (6500 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland). RSVP. Bring a dish or donate $10; call 601-956-0010.

StinkyFeet Fondren Run Thursdays, 6 p.m., in Fondren. StinkyFeet Athletics leads the weekly fun run through the neighborhoods off Old Canton Road. Meet in the parking lot at Babalu. Free; find Fondren Group Run on Facebook.

Zumba Fitness Classes through June 1, at Lindsey Claire Dance Company (4149 S. Siwell Road, Byram). Licensed instructor Paula Eure leads the Latin dance-inspired aerobics class. Adult classes are Mondays at 7 p.m. and Tuesdays at 6 p.m. Zumba Kids (ages 4-12) is on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. Limited space; reservation recommended. $5; call 601-209-7566; email lcdanceco@yahoo.com; peure.zumba.com.

Jackson Insight Meditation Group Meetings, at Wolfe Studio (4308 Old Canton Road). At the Dojo. The group meets Mondays from 6-7 p.m. for metta (lovingkindness) meditation practice, and Wednesdays from 6:30-8 p.m. for silent meditation and Dharma study. Free, donations welcome; call 601-201-4228; email bebewolfe@juno.com.

ALS (Lou Gehrig’s) Support Group Fourth Mondays, 6:30-7:45 p.m. through May 26, at Methodist Rehabilitation Center (1350 E. Woodrow Wilson Ave.). The group meets in the BankPlus Community Room on the second floor. Free; call 601-364-3326.

Mississippi Opry Winter Show Jan. 11, 6-9 p.m., at Pearl Community Room (2420 Old Brandon Road, Pearl). Harmony & Grits headlines the annual concert featuring bluegrass, country and gospel music. Refreshments sold. $10, children under 18 free; call 601-331-6672; email sa5ash@aol.com.

MJ’s Rockin’ Oldies Grand Ole Opry Stars Concert Jan. 11, 7 p.m., at Regency Hotel and Conference Center (420 Greymont Ave.). Performers include Jo-EL Sonnier, T. Graham Brown, Hannah Belle Southerland and Bill Seacrest. $20 at the door; call 601-940-4247.

Lemuria Story Time Saturdays, 11 a.m., at Lemuria Books (Banner Hall, 4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 202). Children enjoy a story and make a related craft. Call for the book title. Free; call 601-366-7619; email info@lemuriabooks.com; lemuriabooks.com.

Ready to Roar Reading Time, at Mississippi Children’s Museum (2145 Highland Drive). Tuesdays-Fridays at 1 p.m., children enjoy listen-ing to a story at the Between the Lions exhibit in the Literacy Gallery. $8, children under 12 months and members free; call 601-981-5469; mississippichildrensmuseum.com.

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Home of QualityUsed Books1491 Canton Mart RoadSuite 6 . Jackson, MS 39211601-956-5086

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Nominate local offices for BOOM’s Coolest Office Contest by sending photos and an e-mail explaining why it’s a cool place to work to kathleen@jacksonfreepress.com by Jan. 14, 2014.BOOM will choose finalists and send a team of judges in January to pick a winner.

Winner will be featured in March/April 2014 BOOM and win a catered staff lunch.

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Weekly Storytime Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m., at Pearl Public Library (2416 Old Brandon Road, Pearl). Each Tuesday, Baby Bookworms Storytime for children ages birth-36 months is at 9:30 a.m., and Preschool Storytime for children ages 3-6 is at 10:30 a.m. The event includes stories, rhymes and music. Puppet shows on the last Tuesday of the month. Free; call 601-932-2562.

Events at JFP Classroom (Capitol Towers, 125 S. Congress St., Suite 1324). Registration required. Call 601-362-6121, ext. 15; email class@writing tochange.com.• Free Intro to Creative Non-Fiction. Hurry

to register for a free introduction writing sem-inar to see what Donna Ladd’s writing and creativity classes are all about. Class meets Sat-urday, Jan. 11 from 10 a.m.-noon. Includes breakfast snacks. Free but must register.

• How to Sell Your Writing Feb. 3, 6-8:30 p.m. Donna Ladd’s workshop covers the basics of pitching your writing to magazines, newspapers, websites and book agents. Heavy snacks and materials included. $40.

• Shut Up and Create! March 29, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Donna Ladd’s workshop is designed to help you tease out your creative side, whether you want to write, create art or even be more creative on the job or with your family. Light lunch included. $60.

Events at Mississippi Children’s Museum (2145 Highland Drive). $8, children under 12 months and museum members free; call 601-981-5469; mschildrensmuseum.com.• Visiting Artist: Amelia Key Sundays,

1:30-5:30 p.m. through Jan. 26. The local art-ist gives workshops on creating sculptures.

• Get Crafty Tuesdays The museum offers craft workshops every half hour in the Outside the Lines Studio.

Bellydancing Class, 5:30-6:45 p.m., at Butterfly Yoga (3025 N. State St.). Randi Young-Jerome to learn the basics of the popular dance. $10-$15; call 601-594-2313; butterflyyoga.net.

Adult Acrylic Painting Class Thursdays, 7-9 p.m., at Daniel MacGregor Studios (4347 Lakeland Drive, Flowood). Daniel MacGregor teaches the class.Bring your own 11-by-14-inch canvas for a $5 discount. $15; call 601-992-6405; email theartist@danielmacgregorstudios.com; danielmacgregorstudios.com.

Events at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). Call 601-960-1515; msmuseumart.org.• A Trip to Italy Jan. 9, 7 p.m. The fundraiser

for the museum includes guided tours of the exhibition An Italian Palate: Paintings by Wyatt Waters (hangs through Jan. 12), Italian wine samples and hors d’oeuvres. Space limited. $60.

• Italian Art from the Permanent Collection through Jan. 12. See works on paper from artists such as Canaletto, Simone Cantarini, Orazio Farinati and Girolamo Imperiale in the McCarty Foundation Gallery. Free.

• Bethlehem Tree: Younger Foundation Crèche Collection through Jan. 12, in Trustmark Grand Hall. The installation includes more than 150 rare 18th-century figures. Free.

• C3 (Conversation. Creativity. Community.) Participatory Art Project Thursdays and Sat-urdays through March 20. Significant Develop-ments is the facilitator. Participants record their own symbols of identity onto clay bells that will be part of an art installation in the Art Garden.

Public ceremony March 20 at 6 p.m. Free; call 866-VIEW ART; email daniel@significantde-velopments.us.

“The Murder of Medgar Evers and ‘Where is the Voice Coming From?’” through Feb. 14, at Eudora Welty House and Museum (1119 Pine-hurst Place), at the Education and Visitor Center. The exhibit is an examination of how the civil rights leader’s murder impelled author Eudora Welty to write the New Yorker story about the event, and the repercussions she faced. Tours by reservation only. $5, discounts available; call 601-353-7762 to schedule a tour or 601-576-6850; mdah.state.ms.us/welty.

Student Graphic Design Show through Feb. 28, at Jackson State University (1400 John R. Lynch St.). Students display their work in the Liberal Arts Gallery. Free; call 601-979-7036; jsums.edu.

Karl and Mildred Wolfe Art Exhibit through May 9, at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.), in the Archives Gallery of the Millsaps-Wilson Library. See 20 of the late Mississippi artists’ paint-ings. Daughter Elizabeth “Bebe” Wolfe of Wolfe Studio gives a gallery talk Dec. 5 at 11:30 a.m. in the Ford Academic Complex, room 335. Free; call 601-974-1075 or 601-974-1077; email hendetw@millsaps.edu or mcintdw@millsaps.edu.

Demo Days Fridays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at Mississippi Craft Center (950 Rice Road, Ridgeland). Craftsmen demonstrate their skills in wood, glass and fiber. Free; call 601-856-7546; mscrafts.org.

“Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly” through Jan. 12, at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). The traveling exhibition features snakes, turtles, lizards and other reptiles. $4-$6; call 601-576-6000; msnaturalscience.org.

Permanent Exhibits, at Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center (528 Bloom St.). Options include “Field to Factory: The Afro-American Migration, 1915-1940,” “The History of Smith Robertson School,” “Treasures of Africa,” “His-toric Farish Street District (1910-1970)” and other exhibits related to African-American history. $4.50, $3 seniors (ages 62 and up), $1.50 chil-dren under 18; call 601-960-1457; jacksonms.gov.

Africa and Oceania Treasures: The Genevieve McMillan Collection, at Tougaloo College (500 W. County Line Road, Tougaloo), in the Bennie G. Thompson Center. The exhibit contains ancient tribal artifacts. Scheduled tours available. Free; call 601-977-7743; email jgilbert@tougaloo.edu.

Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance Advoca-cy Meeting Jan. 13, 6 p.m., at Mississippi Immi-grants Rights Alliance (612 N. State St., Suite B). MIRA discusses current issues and upcoming campaigns at the meeting held on second Mon-days. Open to the public. Light dinner included. Free; call 601-968-5182; yourmira.org.

Family and Friends of LGBTQI Persons Sup-port Group Second Mondays. The group offers a safe place for people to share their feelings and experiences. Professional counselors lead the sessions. For location information, call 601-842-7599 or email supportforfamandfriends@outlook.com.

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Check jfpevents.com for updates and more listings. To add an event, email all details (phone number, start and end date, time, street address, cost, URL, etc.) to events@jacksonfreepress.com or fax to 601-510-9019. The deadline is noon the Thursday prior to the week of publication. Or add the event online yourself; check out jfpevents.com for instructions.

119 S. President Street601.352.2322

www.Underground119.com

Wednesday, January 8th

SWING DE PARIS6:30, No Cover

Thursday, January 9th

BOOKER WALKER9, No Cover

Friday, January 10th

SOUTHERN KOMFORT

9:00, $10 Cover

Saturday, January 11th

VASTI JACKSON9:00, $10 Cover

Tuesday, January 14th

JASON TURNER6:30, No Cover

Wednesday, January 15th

BIG EASY THREE

6:30, No Cover

Happy Hour!

2-for-1EVERYTHING*Tuesday-Fridayfrom 4:00-7:00(*excludes food and specialty drinks)

WEDNESDAY 1/08

LADIES NIGHTLadies 1/2 off 5-close

THURSDAY 1/09

THE BLASTDOWNTOWN

(WINTER SERIES)10 P.M.

5 -9PM 2 FOR 1 DRAFTFRIDAY 1/010

SHAKE IT LIKE A CAVEMAN

W/ SPECIAL GUEST10 P.M

SATURDAY 1/11

BILL ABEL BAND10 P.M.

MONDAY 1/13

OPEN MIC/TALENT SEARCH

NIGHTLocal bands tryout for gigs On stage w/ pro sound &

lights Both bars open

1.50 Pick & Grab Beers & 2 for 1 draft

TUESDAY 1/14

SHRIMP BOIL5 - 10 PM

MATT’S KARAOKE5 - 9 & 10 - close

$1 PBR & HIGHLIFE$2 MARGARITAS 10 - 12pm

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UPCOMING SHOWS

SEE OUR NEW MENUW W W. M A R T I N S LO U N G E . N E T

1/17: Moss1/18: Jerry Joseph

2/1: Flow Tribe2/15: Water Liars

B ig Bill Morganfield does not take his role in the history of blues music lightly. He knows his father, Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield in Rolling Fork, Miss.), casts a tall shadow. For Mor-

ganfield to dare to whisper after his father’s death in 1983 takes not only great courage, but also knowledge of the rich history of blues music. It was Muddy Waters’ dying wish that his children pur-sue music in order to keep the name Morganfield synony-mous with the blues. “He expressed an interest in someone carrying on the name,” Morganfield says. “In pursuing music, I’ve been able to fulfill a dream of his, but also to fulfill a dream of mine.” With the release of his fifth album, “Blues With a Mood,” Morganfield, 57, is keeping the dream alive. His music is steeped with traditional blues sounds, but he is also intent on pushing the genre forward. He has worked with musicians who played with his father, such as Pinetop Per-kins, and also with modernists like Taj Mahal. “Initially, it was a challenge,” Morganfield says. “It’s very natural to compare a father to his son. I was probably held to a higher expectation. It’s a shadow on my shoulder that I’ve grown comfortable with.” Morganfield began his career as an English teacher. Af-ter his father’s death, he began to study guitar. He grew up listening to Muddy Waters records as well as popular music such as The Jackson 5. This combination helped Morgan-

field inform his own approach to music. “Evolution is very important. Everything evolves,” he says. “As a guy who studied Socrates and Plato in addition to great art, I also realized that music is not left out of this evolution process. I tried to study it in order to be able to take it further but stay true to the art form.” “Blues With a Mood” features a perfect example with a song called “No Butter For My Grits.” “I love the old standards, but I also find blues to sing about in these times,” he says. “No Butter For My Grits” is a detailed story about the frustration of finding some butter to add to his grits for breakfast. Morganfield perfectly evokes the spirit of his father during the song’s opening. Listeners get a complete understanding of Morgan-field’s upbringing with the autobiographical song “Son of the Blues.” This is the track to dispel any doubts about his credibility or authenticity. “Blues With a Mood” takes listeners on a journey through Chicago blues mixed with a strong dash of rock and R&B. Singular guitar solos complement Morganfield’s deep vocal delivery, and follow a rhythmic groove locked deep in the pocket punched with harmonica and horn passages. Morganfield is looking forward to playing in Missis-sippi. Although he was raised in Florida and currently lives in Atlanta, he is aware of the role Mississippi played in the devel-opment of blues music as well as his father’s musical roots. “Blues music appeals to different people, but it’s music

for all people. Mississippi is like hallowed ground,” he says. Big Bill Morganfield performs with King Edward at 8:30 p.m. Jan. 11 at Iron Horse Grill (320 W. Pearl St., 601-398-0151). The show is free. Visit bigbillmorganfield.net for more info.

music in theoryby Micah Smith

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DIVERSIONS | music

I n a year that opened with the Harlem Shake and closed the book with twerk-ing, people seemed keener on pop cul-ture than actual culture when it came to

music. Clearly, pop music reigned in 2013, possibly due to its insane spectacle; we saw ev-erything from albums made of remixes of the same song to the reunion of ’90s boy bands. But despite the maelstrom of strange goings-on, plenty of bands provided a steady anchor for musical artistry, and they deserve admi-ration. I present my favorite 2013 albums.

• “Up, On & Over” by Bronze Radio Re-turn – Until this album emerged from this indie-roots outfit from Hartford, Conn., I had forgotten that revival rock could be upbeat. Though the band has actually been around for some time, this album is cer-tainly a career high. It’s sweeping and soul-ful throughout, like the great tunes from the band’s namesake, but it doesn’t ignore the virtue of a good time. Bronze Radio Return also manages to make use of folksy instru-mentation such as harmonicas, banjos and organs without the immediate pitfall of a Mumford & Sons comparison.

• “Bad Blood” by Bastille – Strangely enough, the freshman success “Bad Blood,” one of my favorite 2013 finds, began at an

f.y.e. in Mobile, Ala. I might have missed out if not for the gushing adulation of a clerk who made it his goal to sell each copy. Though Bastille started as an electronica-centered

solo act, which is a fairly overstocked com-modity these days, the songs on the album are classically enjoyable and dexterously ar-ranged. Tracks such as “Icarus” and “Daniel in the Den” showcase a musical aptitude of-ten missing from electronic music.

• “Devil” by Lydia – “Devil” is a tougher addition because it directly opposes my stance on lyrics. In spite of its tendency to

needlessly re-use words and reiterate phras-es, the entirety of Lydia’s “Devil” shoves its way into my head regularly. As a lyricist, I frown at those moments, but as a musician and music lover, “Devil” is everything I want from a record. The album’s innumerable devilishly clever melodies more than make up for any textual iniquity. The acoustic gui-tar at the base of most tracks is simple, but the dynamic layering of elements is consis-tently brilliant and makes the individual parts feel well-placed and satisfying. Songs such as “From a Tire Swing” and “Holidays” perfectly exhibit the unmistakable, wistful beauty that inhabits Lydia’s latest in a long stream of great releases.

• “You’re Always on My Mind” by A Great Big Pile of Leaves – Music doesn’t have to be all heartbreak and thoughtful reminiscing to be praiseworthy. A touch of humor is defi-nitely welcome, providing the composition can stand on its own feet. “You’re Always on My Mind” by A Great Big Pile of Leaves is an example of the best of both worlds, com-bining high-spirited and intricate indie rock with playful wit. While many songs such as “Learning Curves,” “Pet Mouse,” and “Slumber Party” enter light-hearted terri-tory, impressive musicianship and profound themes reinforce A Great Big Pile of Leaves

as a gifted group songwriters that isn’t reliant on a gimmick.

• “Pythons” by Surfer Blood – This album has been a bit controversial amongst long-time listeners of Florida surf-rock quartet Surfer Blood. Some fans felt that “Pythons” defanged the band’s signature sound, peeling back the layers of low-fi and keeping the gui-tarists’ feet off the fuzz pedals. However, I say it is one of 2013’s best releases due to the tre-mendous leap in songwriting quality result-ing from its glossier finish. “Say Yes to Me” and “Needles & Pins” dig deeper into its ’60s influences and deliver genuinely great, clas-sic-sounding pop songs. Surfer Blood suc-ceeds in crafting original music that would impress The Beach Boys, Dick Dale and the rest of surf-rock’s reigning champions.

Ultimately, while the bizarre may have outweighed the artistic in terms of music last year, my list scarcely scratches the surface of the many great releases that slipped under the radar in 2013. For those who genuinely tried to create to the best of their abilities—the bands that don’t vie for the world’s attention with extravagant displays of nothing special or confuse eccentricity with originality—you have my thanks. If you keep it up in 2014, you’ll also have my money.

A Great Big Pile of Leaves and several other exceptional acts provided some much appreciated quality to 2013’s musical offerings.

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Closing Out 2013

A Father to a Sonby Tommy Burton

Big Bill Morganfield, who performs Jan. 11 at Iron Horse Grill, is keeping the legacy of his father, Muddy Waters, alive with the blues.

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MUSIC | live

CO

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LEE

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Sherman Lee Dillon

810 Lake Harbour Drive, Ridgeland

Across from McB’s601-427-5853

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Visit HalandMals.com for a full menu and concert schedule

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UPCOMING SHOWS1/17: Southern Grass

4th Annual Delta Music Institute Night1/22: New Bourbon Street

Jazz Band1/25: Leo Moreira1/31: Private Event

2/01: Jarekus Singleton

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DIVERSIONS | jfp sports

The New Orleans Saints won their first road playoff game in franchise history this past Saturday. Their reward is a trip to Seattle to play the Seahawks in one of the NFL’s most hostile environments. by Bryan Flynn

SLATEthe best in sports over the next seven days

The last time the New Orleans Saints faced the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL Playoffs was his-

toric. Seattle was the first team with a losing record to win a playoff game. When the Saints meet the Seahawks this time, New Orleans won’t be playing a team with a losing record, but the No. 1 seed in the NFC. When these teams met in the regular season, Seattle raced out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, earning a 34-7 victory over the Saints. Only three teams defeated Seattle this season. The Indianapolis Colts won in a shootout and the San Francisco 49ers won at home (Seattle rolled the 49ers in Seattle). Just one team beat the Seahawks in Seattle—surprisingly, the Arizona Car-dinals. Even with four turnovers, the Car-dinals won 17-10. You can find two common threads in the Seattle losses. One, none of those opponents won the turnover battle and, two, the Seahawks had more penalty yards than their opponents. So, the Saints don’t necessarily have to win the turnover battle, but the team must limit the dam-age Seattle can do, and New Orleans must

play disciplined football. Both the 49ers and the Cardinals out-rushed Seattle when they beat the Se-ahawks. This allowed San Francisco and Arizona to control the clock as both teams won the time of possession. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wil-son had to sit on the sideline and be a spectator, which meant the Seattle offense couldn’t get into a rhythm, and it affected the Seahawks on third down. In all three losses, the Seahawks were well below 50 percent on third-down conversions. Against the Saints earlier this season, Seattle was 7 for 14 on third-down conversions, just at 50 percent. While the Saints’ defense is stuffing Marshawn Lynch on rushing plays, the Saints also need to allow Wilson to run, and to hit him each chance they get. In the three Seattle losses, teams got at least two sacks and added several quarterback hits. Frustrating Wilson and Lynch will be vital for the Saints. Lastly, Brees must play like a future Hall of Famer, which is something he didn’t do the first time in Seattle, giving up two interceptions and a fumble returned for a touchdown.

bryan’s rant

Run, Saints, Run

THURSDAY, JAN. 9 College basketball (6-8 p.m., ESPN2): Ole Miss opens conference play—with-out Marshall Henderson—against Au-burn after an overtime loss to Dayton.

FRIDAY, JAN. 10 NBA (9:30-11:30 p.m., ESPN): It’s a battle for Los Angeles between the Lakers and the Clippers.

SATURDAY, JAN. 11 NFL (3:30-7 p.m., Fox): As the 2010-11 NFL playoffs continue, the New Orleans Saints look to get revenge against the Seattle Seahawks for a loss earlier this season. … NFL (7-11 p.m., CBS): An-drew Luck takes his Indianapolis Colts to face Tom Brady’s New England Patriots.

SUNDAY, JAN. 12 NFL (12-3 p.m., Fox): The San Fran-cisco 49ers hope to return to the NFC Championship Game with a win over Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

MONDAY, JAN. 13 College basketball (8-10 p.m., ESPN): A top-25 matchup between Big-12 teams Kansas and Iowa State highlights a slow sports night.

TUESDAY, JAN. 14 College Basketball (8-10 p.m., ESPN): A young Kentucky team hits the road to take on a surprising Arkansas squad in SEC play.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 15 NHL (7-9 p.m., NBCSN): Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals faces Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in a game featuring two of the NHL’s biggest stars. Ole Miss and Mississippi State basket-ball fans that also love the Saints will have to get two TVs or flip back and forth as the Rebels play the Bulldogs on Saturday (3-5 p.m., ESPNU). Southern Miss faces Tulsa on Fox Sports 1 at noon on Sunday.

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

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Best of Jackson 2014 is coming January 22nd!Businesses and non-profi ts:reserve your space by January 15th to be a part of the JFP’s most popular issue of the year!Call 601-362-6121 x11or write ads@jacksonfreepress.comfor more information.

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