vol. 15 no. 10
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November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms | daily news at jfp.ms
Kids Get Money-Wise Dreher, pp 7 - 8
In Sushi We Trust Smith, p 22
2016 Women’s Basketball Preview Flynn, p 26
‘We Failed Him’ Caught in the
Revolving Door of Juvenile Detention Summers Jr., pp 14 - 19
Nomination Ballot Open. See page 20 or vote online bestofjackson.com
Ongoing Election Coverage at jfp.ms
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JACKSONIAN Nick Weatherspoon courtesy Velma Jackson High School Athletics
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asketball talent runs deep in Velma Jackson High School guard Nick Weatherspoon’s family. His older brother, Quinndary, has finished his first season at Mississippi State University, and his younger brother, Brandon, is an up-and-coming star at the Madison County school. While Quinndary is making a name for himself at MSU, and Brandon hasn’t yet become the star his older brothers are, all eyes are on Nick Weatherspoon, 18, as he begins his final season of high-school basketball. He filled up the stat sheet last season with 22. 8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game. After winning two-straight state titles with Quinndary in 2013 and 2014, Weatherspoon led the Falcons to the semifinals last season before falling 43-41 to Kemper County High School. The senior guard has lofty goals for this season. “I want to win a state and try to go undefeated,” Weatherspoon says. Basketball practice began Oct. 17, and the season started Nov. 8. On Wednesday, Nov. 9, Weatherspoon is signing to MSU. The guard received offers from the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, the University of Louisville and several other schools before the Bulldogs chose him.
contents
His reasons for committing to MSU are his relationship with Howland and how well Howland coaches guards. “The guards he has had in the past shows he can make me a better guard, and I have seen how he has developed my brother,” he says. Weatherspoon isn’t focused on playing with his older brother again just yet. He is excited to make a run at a state championship this year with his younger brother. “I think it will be really interesting because we don’t do the same thing, and he will be able to knock a lot of shots down when I pass him the ball in the corner,” he says. “I think it will take some of the pressure off me knowing that teams have to guard the two of us, and I think he can be just as good as (me and Quinndary).” While he has won two state championships with his older brother, Weatherspoon says it would be great to win a title with his younger brother. “I think it would really help us keep things going and be able to pass that torch to him,” he says. Though he may make a lot of noise on the court, Weatherspoon says that people would be surprised to find out that he is very quiet off the court. If you love high-school basketball, be sure to check out Velma Jackson and Weatherspoon before he departs for MSU. —Bryan Flynn
cover photo of Johnnie McDaniels by Imani Khayyam
6 ............................ Talks 12 ................... editorial 13 ...................... opinion 14 ............ Cover Story 20 ............... BOJ Ballot 22 ........... food & Drink 24 ......................... 8 Days 25 ........................ Events 26 ....................... sports
8 MDOT Hands Land Over
Mississippi deeded 2,700 acres to a private entity to create a recreational natural area north of Flowood.
22 All You Can Eat, Really
“While the Jackson metro area has plenty of restaurants that feature sushi on the menu, Li’s restaurant is one of the few that offers all-you-caneat sushi.” —Micah Smith, “It Takes a Sushi Village”
27........................... music 27 ........ music listings 28 ...................... Puzzles 29 ......................... astro 33 ............... Classifieds
26 Celebrating Women’s Basketball The Jackson Free Press previews the 2016-2017 season.
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
4 ............ Editor’s Note
MSU Athletics Imani Khayyam; Imani Khayyam
November 9 - 15, 2016 | Vol. 15 No. 10
3
editor’s note
by Donna Ladd, Editor-in-Chief
Win or Lose, We Must Fight the ‘Trump Effect’
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he white woman’s name and phone number showed up clearly on the caller ID when she called the Jackson Free Press several times, angry about a column a young black woman had published in our paper. On one try, she decided to leave a message, her lilting, happy voice dripping with a mixture of honey and hemlock. “I want to offer her a plane ticket back to Africa if she thinks America is so bad. Um, I would love to pay for her ticket,” the local woman told our voicemail. “Also, tell her she’s got to leave her iPhone here, her computer, her closet full of clothes, her high-heel shoes and her lovely, lovely hair. She’s got to leave all that here because it is American, but I’ll be glad to buy her a plane ticket. I’ll give you a call back to see if she’ll take me up on it. Thank you.” I could picture her waving goodbye with her best homecoming queen wave. My staff here, a mixture of ages and ethnicities, all looked shell-shocked after hearing the message. Who would call up and say something like that—especially with caller ID revealing her identity? Do people really think like that? The younger ones seemed the most shocked and awed at the racist screed. The incident transported me back to Neshoba County, growing up in the generation after men who killed three civil-rights workers there, in a time when racist comments were common but by then whispered and nearly always among people assumed to agree with them. Such beliefs had started then to go underground since our state and others had lost the fight to keep Jim Crow as the segregated law of the land. Since those years, racist language has tended to go just so far, at least in mixed
company—hidden in words like “welfare mother,” “black-on-black crime,” “superpredators” and “entitlements”—just far enough that the coded message is clear, but not so far that the commenter thinks he or she will reveal the true point. And for politicians, wink-wink appeals to racist voters has been a vital part of the recent Republican strategy to get the votes of the old Dixiecrats or the people who still agree with them.
It will take all hands, and hearts, on deck to reverse this ugly wave. When we started this paper, I expected more angry phone calls such as the one above, but the truth is that caller ID and public decorum pretty much ensured that most people wouldn’t dare. Besides, they could easily post online under fake names and get away with just about anything. Now, though, we’re seeing something different and more in our faces. People are calling, yelling, posting on Facebook, and wearing T-shirts with as racist and sexist sentiments as you can imagine—even openly calling for violence against Hillary Clinton in her run-up to Election Day and journalists to be lynched. Women hear and see the p-word, the c-word and every other gender-based insult used against us, and we endure jokes about sexual assault and violence against “nasty women.” The examples of this growing ugliness
are rampant around the country—like the dude who hung a black dummy in a tree next to his Trump sign—but we have an epidemic right here in Mississippi. Recently, a Crystal Springs man lamented on Facebook that America would elect Trump if women couldn’t vote. He wrote: “Sadly, when women stay home, conservatives win; when they get pissed off and go vote, they not only vote for democrats, they take their sons, daughters, mothers, fathers and try to push them to vote for Democrats. This whole Trump tape dump was nothing more that a way to piss women off so they go vote against Trump.” Other men and women joined in, all presumably using their real names on a public post with similar sentiments, culminating in a man lamenting: “Why did we ever give the vote to women and blacks?” Last week, a female friend reposted a story about the Greenville church burning on Facebook. One of her white friends, a middle-aged professional in Grenada, responded that it was just “crackhead n*ggas” who did it (asterick added). She told him that wasn’t appropriate, and he responded that her family was ashamed of her. Just today, I was reading an update about the group of white students in Wiggins, in south Mississippi, who put a noose around the neck of a black student. And every day leading up to the election, I read another report about sneaky ways that Republicans were trying to keep people of color from the polls. A black friend told me about polling places being closed in Rankin County near Star (singer Faith Hill’s hometown), and black people then redirected to vote in an area known for serious racism, which keeps many of them from going to the polls, he said.
These incidents seemed to keep increasing through Election Day, of course bolstered by Donald Trump’s embrace of “going low,” as the first lady calls it, against black and Hispanic people, immigrants, Muslims and women of all ages and sorts. Trump didn’t create these bigotries, but he has made it acceptable to publicly express them throughout the campaign. The most confounding part is how many children are hearing this nastiness, from a presidential candidate or maybe from their own families, and thinking it’s acceptable behavior; maybe that was true with those Wiggins kids. They probably hear that it’s just the “PC police” who call out the ugliness, somehow trying to violate their constitutional right to violate someone else’s basic rights and dignity. The answer isn’t in squelching the speech; they have a right to say ugly, bigoted things—though no nooses—and at least we know who they are now. The answer is in making it clear that this kind of behavior is no more acceptable in today’s society than it should have been back in Neshoba County when I heard many whites whisper that “he/she ought to be shot” when someone dared take a position against racist actions and speech. I’m writing this Tuesday, not knowing who will win the election. But on this point, it doesn’t much matter. The Trump Effect—birthed from the southern strategy that the likes of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Lee Atwater, Haley Barbour and Sarah Palin before him have pushed hard— is now a challenge of our times. It will take all hands, and hearts, on deck to reverse this ugly wave, and we must if we want to be a different state and a different nation than we were 50 years ago.
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
contributors
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Tim Summers Jr.
Arielle Dreher
Imani Khayyam
Micah Smith
Kimberly Griffin
Bryan Flynn
Kristin Brenemen
Mary Osborne
City Reporter Tim Summers Jr. enjoys loud live music, teaching his cat to fetch, long city council meetings and FOIA requests. Send him story ideas at tim@jacksonfreepress.com. He wrote the cover story and two news stories..
News Reporter Arielle Dreher is working on finding some new hobbies and adopting an otter from the Jackson Zoo. Email her story ideas at arielle@jacksonfreepress.com. She wrote about autism in Mississippi and more.
Staff Photographer Imani Khayyam is an art lover and a native of Jackson. He loves to be behind the camera and capture the true essence of his subjects. He took photos for the issue, including cover photo of Johnnie McDaniels,
Music Editor Micah Smith is married to a great lady, has two dog-children named Kirby and Zelda, and plays in the band Empty Atlas. Send gig info to music@jacksonfreepress.com. He wrote about Sushi Village and more.
Advertising Director Kimberly Griffin is a fitness buff and foodie who loves chocolate and her mama. She’s also Michelle Obama’s super secret BFF, which explains the Secret Service detail, which sadly ends in January.
Sports writer Bryan Flynn is a husband and stay-at-home father to a baby girl. He constantly wonders, “If it didn’t happen on ESPN or Disney Jr., did it really happen?” He wrote about women’s college basketball.
Art Director Kristin Brenemen is an otaku with a penchant for dystopianism. She’s gearing up for next convention season by picking up leather working and maybe building a new 3D printer. She designed much of the issue.
Sales Assistant Mary Osborne is a Lanier Bulldog by birthright and a JSU Tiger by choice. She is the mother of Lindon “Joc” Dixon. Her hobbies include hosting and producing “The Freeda Love Show,” which airs on PEG 18.
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Treatment options for autism are behind the times in Mississippi p 10
“This is not going to be a burden on the taxpayer. Wildlife Mississippi is going to furnish the management of the area.” — Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall announcing the transfer of land south of the reservoir to Wildlife Mississippi to open for recreational purposes.
Thursday, November 3 Mississippi’s Democratic senators propose repealing the massive tax cut the Legislature passed in the last session in order to generate $6 billion worth of revenue over the next 20 years. Friday, November 4 All members of Mississippi’s congressional delegation send a letter asking President Obama to bestow the Presidential Medal of Freedom on slain civilrights leader Medgar Evers. Saturday, November 5 Trump supporters at a rally in Reno, Nevada, attack a registered Republican holding a “Republicans Against Trump” sign before one of them shouts “Gun!,” leading to Secret Service agents surrounding Trump and escorting him off the stage. The man didn’t have a gun and was let go.
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
Sunday, November 6 FBI Director James Comey tells Congress that a review of newly discovered Clinton emails has “not changed our conclusions” from earlier this year that she should not face charges— meaning she isn’t under investigation. Hours later, Trump tries to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the FBI’s decision, suggesting the review of a Clinton aide’s emails could not have been thorough.
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Monday, November 7 U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel halts jury selection for the trial of Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof and holds a hearing closed to everyone but the defendant and his own lawyers. Tuesday, November 8 Polls open for the 45th presidential election, and the nation sighs in relief. Get breaking news at jfpdaily.com.
Water Billing Problems Continue, But Contract Renewed by Tim Summers Jr.
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ven as complaints mount about large and incorrect water bills in Jackson, the City Council approved a contract of more than $300,000 to continue use of the Oracle software that supports the troublesome system. “My concern is whether or not if we enter into this contract, if it will help people get their right bills,” Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes told the body before the Nov. 3 vote on the issue. Interim Public Works Director Jerriot Smash said the contract renewal only allows the City to continue using the system. “It allows us to get software patches from Oracle and to continue using their software,” Smash said. But the mayor jumped in, adding that Stokes wanted to know if the contract would fix the billing problems. “This is not that,” Mayor Tony Yarber said. However, citizens continue receiving outrageous bills, or in the case of Mississippi College Law Student Trey Spillman, work directly with the billing department. Spillman replied to a JFP tweet that the council was ratifying the contract with a simple message: What about his incorrect $1,000 water bill? A few days later, on Nov. 3, told the Jackson Free Press that he had been down a long road with the water department since last November and a year later was just making some headway.
Imani Khayyam
Wednesday, November 2 Mississippi attorney Carlos Moore asks a federal appeals court to revive his lawsuit seeking to erase the Confederate emblem from the state flag. … The FBI opens a civil-rights investigation of a fire that heavily damaged a black church in Mississippi where someone wrote “Vote Trump” in silver spray paint.
Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes asked if the $300,000 to continue the contract for the Oracle computer system would solve water-billing problems.
“I moved to a house on the same street,” Spillman said, adding that he never received his deposit back. “That’s gone.” He received a bill in the summer for the two addresses and still has to work with the department to figure out what he owes, he said. As of November, he continues to make trips to the water department, trying to resolve his $1,000 bill. The Oracle Contract The city council unanimously approved the water-billing contract in the
amount of $346,608.79 for DLT Solutions, Inc., out of Herndon, Va. The other two companies, PCMG from Chantily, Va., and Mythics from Virginia Beach, Va., were close bids, with PCMG only a little less than $2,000 dollars from DLT’s price. The contract extends the software licensing and maintenance on the software structure, based on Oracle technology, that runs the City’s customer care and billing system, one of the foundational parts of its almost $90-million contract with Siemens.
Post-Election
Crank Up the Christmas Tunes: Yeah, we know it’s not Thanksgiving yet, but really, “Joy to the World” has never sounded better than a post-”nasty woman,” email-scandal-free nation.
D eto x I
Cook Something: Stress eating was real this election. Stop buying chips and soda, and throw away the now-stale Halloween candy. Get on the Internet and find a recipe for some comfort food (yes, that includes dessert) to soothe your belly and your soul.
De-stress f you don’t live under a rock and have at least one form of social media, or cable TV, you’d probably agree that the 2016 presidential election was contentious, ridiculous and really, above all, stressful. At times, it was easier to pretend we were, in fact, watching a bad episode of “The Apprentice” or “American Idol” instead of electing our nation’s leader for the next four years. But relax! It’s Nov. 9, and now you can start to de-stress, using one or several methods listed here.
Find a New Show: Tired of political sound bites? Same. November is the perfect month to embrace the 60-degree “cold” weather, curl up and dive into “Insecure” for honest laughs, “This is Us” for all the cheesy, good vibes, or “Designated Survivor” if you’re still actually into political drama.
Do That Yoga: You knew this was coming. OK, even if you don’t do yoga, stress sits in physical spaces: your neck, thighs, shoulders, butt, etc. At least stretch out your body and remind it that tension does not need to be its normal state of being. Read a Book: Remember what a book is? This election was one of rhetorical one-liners, iPhone videos and Tweet-storms. Escape America and Earth for a while, and dive into a whole new universe made of ink, paper and knowledge. Hug It Out: Whether it was hostile sub-tweets or un-friended Facebook buddies, this election might have damaged friendships. It’s time to acknowledge that fact, call up a mate for a drink and hug it out. America’s future quite literally depends on choosing love over hate.
“For many years, people gave their lives, their hard-earned money, and time to ensure that African Americans have a part in this state and this country, and we’re here to encourage us to turn this state from red to blue.”
“We acknowledge that, for a city our size, our violent crime numbers are too high, and this administration is committed to finding every possible solution that we can to save lives and persuade the citizens in our city to find other ways to resolve violence than gun violence.”
— Rep. John Hines, D-Greenville, encouraging voters around the state to get out and vote
— Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance at a press conference for the federal Violence Reduction Network’s partnership with the city
Teaching Teens Financial Literacy by Arielle Dreher
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Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret BarrettSimon. If the City did not approve the contract, “what would the alternative have been?” Barrett-Simon asked. Smash explained that the City could not continue to operate the billing program without the contract. “There is no alternative to it,” he said. The contract is also a sign of the change in use-of-technology agreements. Largescale tech companies like Oracle charge for continued license use and updates for their software, instead of one-time buys like retail software. Companies like DLT handle the more hands-on aspects of the software maintenance. Software, Contractor or Both? The council has a financial meeting
scheduled for Nov. 9, during which it will hear presentations from the Yarber administration on the water-billing situation, but it doesn’t alleviate the uncertainty now for people like Spillman. “They don’t really know how much I owe,” Spillman said. Oracle’s customer-care and billing software has come under fire before, although a different contractor was responsible for implementing it. In 2013, the City of Los Angeles hired a firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, to implement a new billing system structured around the Oracle software. After implementation, the Los Angeles Times reported in 2015, problems with the software cost that city a combined loss of $641 million of its normal revenue of $5.6 billion. The problems spawned class-action
lawsuits from customers for overcharged bills and a legal battle between L.A. and contractor that continues to this day. Jackson city administrators have repeatedly moved the conversation away from legal wrangling with Siemens over billing issues, and the council has also refused to approve or support any action or allegations of fraud or poor management by Siemens for the billing part of the $90million contract. “I would love to buy a house in Jackson,” Spillman said, “but I don’t want to deal with the city services, like if I am going to have to fight things like water and utilities,” adding that the problems might push him to Madison or Pearl instead. Comment at jfp.ms. Email reporter Tim Summers at tim@jacksonfreepress.com.
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
However, since the implementation of the Siemens-contract system late last year, Jackson water customers have had experiences ranging from never receiving a bill at all to receiving belated, or incorrect, bills in the four-digit range. All these difficulties ate away at the City’s largest enterprise revenue fund in the budget, the water/sewer revenue. City and Siemens officials have explained in the past that the interaction of the new and old systems are to blame, with Siemens providing extra staff and footing the bill for supplementary overtime for City of Jackson employees to work on the billing problems. “We can’t say that this is going to fix the issue that we are having with billing,” Yarber said in response to council questions about the billing problems, including from
Courtesy Hope Credit Union
tudents at Provine High School will soon be able to ago. We started some work with some internships and ex- Pearl Wicks with Hope Credit Union has worked on open up accounts with Hope Credit Union right in ternships; we hope to have a fully operable credit union the partnership with JPS since 2015. She said this is Hope’s their own hallway. within a year.” first partnership inside a high school but that working in The project started as a partnership between Murray said the district is following a model out of schools and in the community is a part of what the credit Provine High School’s Business and Finance Acadunion does as a part of its mission. The importance emy and Hope Credit Union. of saving money is one of the basic financial-literacy In the program, students participated in worklessons students learn, she said. shops, learning about financial literacy, how credit Teaching students that they can start saving unions work and the importance of saving money money in order to save for bigger purchases like cars from staff at Hope as well as their own teachers who or homes is an important lesson, along with learnreceived training from the credit union. ing the importance of building a relationship with a Every JPS high school student, except seniors, financial institution, she said. chooses an academy to take elective classes in for “Savings starts where you are; you can start a grades 10 through 12. Each JPS high school has plan to save for many reasons,” Wicks said. three academies: health science, technology and a third academy of the school’s choice. Most Unbanked, Underbanked At Provine High School, the third academy is Twelve percent of Mississippians are unbanked, the Business and Finance Academy. and 25 percent of Mississippians are underbanked, The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees Provine High School students in the Business and Finance meaning they have a bank account but still rely on approved the agreement between the two entities at Academy listen to Hope Credit Union’s chief financial officer, other financial service alternatives like payday lendRichard Campbell, talk about how credit unions work. its board meeting on Nov. 1. ers, check cashers or using money orders. Dr. Freddrick Murray, the newly named in While the numbers of people who are unterim superintendent of JPS, told the board that the first Nashville, which has multiple credit unions across a school banked or underbanked in America continue to decline, step of the project is to open the kiosk, which will be avail- district, but the kiosk at Provine is a good first step. Mississippi still tops the list of the “Most Unbanked” and able to students, staff and faculty at Provine High School JPS board members praised the partnership, echoing “Most Underbanked” state in the nation, new data from to open accounts with Hope Credit Union. The kiosk will the community and students’ needs for financial literacy. the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation show. not handle cash transactions at first, but eventually the goal Reliance on alternative financial services, such as pay“In the long term for the community, when you look is to have a fully functional Hope Credit Union branch at at Ellis Avenue with all the check cashing and payday lend- day lending, is an access issue in most cases. If a person gets the high school available to all community members. ers, the fact that there’s a credit union (potentially opening) off at 10 p.m., for example, no bank will be open for them “Our plan is to create a footprint,” Murray told the that’s huge for our community and huge for our kids,” JPS more FINANCIAL, see page8 school board Nov. 1. “We’ve already started about a year board member Jed Oppenheim said.
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TALK | city
MDOT Gifts Land to Private Group by Tim Summers Jr.
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November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
Imani Khayyam
ocals have long used the large chunk green areas in the Eastern United States,” a mitigation bank to mitigate for those lossof land north of Pearl and south of Hall said. “In fact, it will be in the top 20 es,” Hall said, adding that the land would the reservoir, a pie-chunk of un- east of the Mississippi River, three times the help protect the Pearl River, which is the touched wild, for recreation. The cur- size of Central Park (in New York City).” drinking-water source for Jackson, as well as rent mayor of Flowood is one of them. serve as a flood-control area for Flowood. “As a child growing up in the county, Mitigating Harm Wildlife Mississippi, a nonprofit orgawe used to come here and do some extra- Hall explained before the deed pre- nization with experience holding mitigation curricular activities that I can’t talk about,” sentation that MDOT purchased the land lands for other projects like the ContinenFlowood Mayor Gary Rhoads said, add- over years from International Paper as a way tal Tire plant construction, recently hired ing that he and others Libby Hartfield to manage referred to the area as the the project. She previously was “big woods.” He spoke to a the director of the Mississippi crowd gathered at the bank Museum for Natural Sciences of the Pearl River on that for over a decade until she land to mark the transfer of retired in 2015, and now she the land to a private nonwill serve as the Fannye Cook profit. Natural Area coordinator. The Mississippi De “It’s going to take a while partment of Transportabecause it is such a big place, tion handed over the deed and we of course want things to a private organization, to be safe for people,” HartWildlife Mississippi, for field said, adding that she was the 2,700 acres, some of not sure of many of the details which is the last undevelfor the park, including a timeoped, publicly held land line or whether they would in the Jackson metro area, charge admission. to create a recreational “This nonprofit has area. Wildlife Mississippi held land before. It has alnamed the park after Fanways been rural land that Dick Hall, the central district transportation commissioner, nye Cook, an advocate for they held for conservation called the deed transfer of 2,700 acres of land to nonprofit conservation group Wildlife Mississippi a “big deal.” the creation of the first state purposes,” Hartfield said. department dedicated to “This is a new thing to open conservation, now known something to the public.” as the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, to offset the cost to the environment from Building off already-existing trails and infrastructure projects like highway expan- paths, Wildlife plans to create permanent Fisheries and Parks. “This is a big deal,” MDOT Com- sion. The department then sets aside these pathways with designated viewing spots missioner Dick Hall said during the Nov. 2 mitigation lands, as they are called, to bal- and even, possibly, an outdoor amphitheceremony, in a patch of the land that ance out the negative impact of other de- ater as a part of a central complex. touched the Pearl River bank, overlooking velopment. The lands remain chained off the river. “This is one of the biggest deals from authorized public use for now. Not the First Attempt that l have had the privilege of attending.” “As most of you know, when we con- This isn’t the first plan to turn the pie “When Wildlife Mississippi finishes struct highways, we sometimes make an slice into something for the public. what they are going to do to prepare it, it’s unavoidable impact on wetlands and rivers The federal government tried to cregoing to be one of the largest urban-type and so forth, and so we create what’s called ate a wildlife reserve with over 5,000 acres,
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FINANCIAL from page 6 to cash their check, but often check cashers or payday lenders are open. Experts say this is largely due to the state’s poverty, demographics and geography. Banks and credit unions are less likely to be found in the state’s communities of color where the rates of under- or un-banked Mississippians are high, Joe Valenti, director of consumer finance at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, says. Today, technology is helping to change these numbers, especially with smartphones. Access to financial institutions
is easier than in past years, with financial institutions making mobile access to accounts and enabling services like text alerts, Valenti said. Other options, like prepaid cards, which function like debit cards but are not connected to an account, can empower people to keep track of their finances, Jacqulyn Priestly with the Master Your Card initiative said. Master Your Card is a financial-literacy program sponsored by Mastercard, which will start financial education programs in northwest Mississippi. Access to financial institutions can save users money in the long run, Valenti says. That is because services like check cashing or payday lending mean customers lose a certain percentage of their paychecks or the amount of money
twice the size of the current plan. Mike Rich, the U.S. Wildlife and Fisheries refuge director in Yazoo City, said the project derailed during the public input stage of the program, eventually failing because of the prohibitive cost of purchasing the private land bordering the park. “The process stopped on our publiccomment period when we were moving forward with the refuge,” Rich said of the decision in early 2014 to halt the project. “It just wasn’t right for the fish and wildlife service to be involved at this time.” Maintaining that size of land can cost the state significant amounts of money, Rich said, although he couldn’t make a guess of how much. Hall said it was an advantage to pass the land to the private organization rather than a state department. “This is not going to be a burden on the taxpayer,” Hall said. “Wildlife Mississippi is going to furnish the management of the area.” Rich explained that in order to create a state-owned reserve or a federal park, purchases of the land surrounding the MDOT property would have been necessary. This plan creates a much smaller natural reserve that has private land separating it from the river and the reservoir at some points. For this reason, the Fannye Cook Natural Reserve has a blocky, offset shape. Rich did say that private ownership of natural reserves is a national trend and fairly common. “That’s fairly common because they have to get somebody to manage the land,” Rich said. “It’s always expensive; law enforcement and policing is always expensive. If you add in the public, it bumps it up.” Email city reporter Tim Summers Jr. at tim@jacksonfreepress.com. See more local news at jfp.ms/localnews.
they are cashing or borrowing. “A very low estimate that I’ve put together for a typical minimum cost is $400 to $500 a year that’s going to financial services. It can be higher,” he said. While not all bank accounts are free, Valenti said banking with a financial institution in the long run can mean keeping more of one’s money. For Wicks and Hope Credit Union, part of the partnership with Provine High School is about helping students realize that having a relationship with a financial institution means they can establish a credit line or take out loans in the future. Email state reporter Arielle Dreher at arielle@jacksonfreepress.com. Comment at jfp.ms.
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TALK | state
Confronting the Realities of Autism by Arielle Dreher
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November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
socially with those around them once they get into a bigger setting, like school. Prevalent, But Few Solutions Dr. James Moore is the director of ABA training in the master’s program at the University of Southern Mississippi. He also serves as the chairman of the state’s autism board. Moore estimates that 10,000 to 11,000 children in the state are autistic. There are only 29 licensed behavior analysts
slowly to accepting ABA as a new form of treatment for those on the autism spectrum. When insurance companies were not covering ABA services for families with autistic children, advocates in other states went to their state legislatures. In Mississippi, then-Gov. Haley Barbour created a task force in 2007 to “review the best practices of other states” instead of passing a law to force insurance companies to cover ABA.
Angela Douglas (left) and her daughter Mikayla Rogers (right) pose for a selfie. Douglas works on the Gulf Coast as an advocate for Disability Rights Mississippi.
in the state, however. “This is not just a problem in Mississippi; it’s a problem everywhere,” Moore said. “The expertise is really needed in identifying the problem for a treatment plan.” Mississippians with autism can see psychologists or therapists for treatment for the disorder, too, but ABA requires a specific certification, one that was not offered at Mississippi universities until USM started its program in 2015. Douglas said most therapists she knew used to go to Florida to get their ABA certifications. The treatment strategy for most children with autism in the state should be a part of their individualized education plans, or IEP. While not all students in the state with autism qualify for an IEP, Douglas said a lot of children do. “I’ve seen it go both ways,” she said. “It kind of depends on the school district, and just because a child has autism doesn’t mean they’ll qualify for the special-education services.” Moore says that both insurance companies and the State of Mississippi reacted
courtesy Angela Douglas
or Angela Douglas, the realities of autism are all around her at work and at home. As an advocate at Disability Rights Mississippi in Gulfport, Douglas works with parents whose children need special education. She helps children who are eligible apply to receive their Individualized Education Plan and then get the right services once they have the plan, which requires the public-school district to provide treatment. Many of those children have autism, a neurobiological disorder that impedes a person’s ability to communicate and socially relate to others. A person with the disorder typically likes to keep rigid routines and repeated behaviors, and can struggle to understand implied context and often thinks in the most logical, literal sense. There is no official cure for autism, but early intervention with therapy can help those with the disorder to more easily adapt to their environment and improve their learning and reasoning skills. Douglas not only advocates for children with autism but also learned about the condition while raising her daughter, Mikayla Rogers, who has the disorder. Douglas said she consistently took her daughter to therapy when she was younger to work on certain behaviors and social skills. That was almost two decades ago, however, and applied behavior analysis, or ABA, was not as common a practice to treat autism. In 1999, the U.S. Surgeon General named ABA as a best practice, and today the Mississippi Autism Board is working to license ABA certified therapists in the state. The goal of ABA treatment is to use positive and intensive reinforcement and interventions to improve behaviors of those diagnosed with autism. This treatment is most effective when young children diagnosed between the ages of 2 and 6 receive it for 20 to 40 hours per week. Douglas said she wishes ABA treatment had been an option when she was raising her daughter because it helps kids with autism address one of the biggest hurdles of their disorder: behavior. “If they don’t have their behaviors in check, they aren’t going to be successful socially and academically, but they need those skills very early on to cope with their behaviors,” Douglas told the Jackson Free Press. The goal of ABA is to intervene at an early age to help young children with autism work on behavior in order learn 10 how to communicate, interact and engage
The task force submitted a detailed report to the governor at the end of 2007. The report called on the Legislature to pass laws pertaining to insurance compliance as well as suggesting early intervention and educational remedies to the state’s problem. The 2007 report estimated that of the state’s 809,000 children (age 3-21) at the time, almost 5,000 children would be somewhere on the autism spectrum. At the time the report came out, however, that number was only 965. “Mississippi has difficulty in clearly delineating the prevalence of cases of ASD (autism spectrum disorder) and the incidence of ASD … there is clearly an under-
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1. “’Mad and Scared’: The Religious Shift in U.S., Mississippi Politics” by Arielle Dreher 2. “The Poverty-Crime Connection” by Lacey McLaughlin 3. “William Dan Isaac” by Alexis Ware 4. “Electing Justice: Money, Partnership and Dirty Ads” by Arielle Dreher 5. “Turmoil at JSU: State Applies Heavy Hand” by Tim Summers Jr.
identification of cases of ASD in our state,” the 2007 report says. An Insurance Fail Families seeking treatment for their children before they reached the classroom could not be reimbursed through their health insurance at that time. “Our state needs to provide these children with the proper therapy,” one parent comments in the report. “If they provide them the right therapy, these children can get better. So, Mississippi can either pay now and get them therapy or they can pay a lot more later for long-term care. The latter just does not make sense.” Upon the report’s release, nothing happened legislatively, at least. In 2014, Moore says he received a call from Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann. Hosemann’s grandson was recently diagnosed with autism, Moore said, and he wanted to do something about it. With that political nudge, House Bill 885 passed in the 2015 Legislature, which requires all health-insurance policies in the state to provide coverage for the screening, diagnosis and treatment of autism. The bill also formed the state’s autism board, now tasked with licensing and tracking ABA certifications throughout the state. Despite the recent progress, Douglas said much work is ahead. “Medicaid (still) doesn’t cover it (autism treatment),” Douglas said. “I can’t find an ABA therapist right now south of Jackson that will take Medicaid—and it’s not just Medicaid, it’s the United Healthcare plans, (and) other plans, aren’t covering it, and they’re supposed to be.” The state’s Division of Medicaid is in the process of amending its approved services to include ABA as an “Autism Spectrum Disorder Service.” If the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approves the amendment, on Jan. 1, 2017, ABA and other autism spectrum disorder services will be available for those with Medicaid. The state’s amendment is open to public comment until Nov. 16.
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Overcoming P.T.E.S.D.
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r. Announcer: “In the ghetto criminal-justice system, the people are represented by members of the Ghetto Science Community Peace Keeping Unit: police officer and part-time security guard at the Funky Ghetto Mall Dudley ‘Do-Right’ McBride; attorney Cootie McBride of the law firm McBride, Myself and I; and guest peace officers Psychologist Judy McBride and Sister Encouragement, cohost of the Rev. Cletus Cars Sales Radio Broadcast. This is their story.” Dudley: “Cootie, why do we have this car bullhorn speaker on the roof of the Law-N-Order SUV?” Cootie: “We’re using this bullhorn system to help Psychologist Judy and Sister Encouragement with their P.T.E.S.D. Subliminal Mental Therapy Project.” Dudley: “OK.” Judy: “We want to provide auditory psychological and spiritual treatment to individuals affected by the recent presidential election.” Sister Encouragement: “Amen! Our objective is to help people suffering from Post Traumatic Election Stress Disorder, or P.T.E.S.D.” Dudley: “OK.” Cootie: “What do we have to lose? I think it is a great way to keep the peace and encourage proactive behavior in the community.” Judy: “We will drive throughout the Ghetto Science Community and play soothing and positive music with meaningful lyrics.” Sister Encouragement: “Judy, Cootie and I have put together wonderful playlist of songs to soothe the minds and souls of the people.” Dudley: “OK. We are the community’s metal and spiritual deejays. What is the first song on the playlist?” Sister Encouragement: We start our subliminal music mental therapy with ‘Que Sera, Sera,’ sung by Doris Day. Kick it!” “Doink, doink!”
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
‘We have not changed our conclusion.’ FBI Director James Comey said on Sunday there is no evidence in the new emails, the ones reportedly associated with Anthony Weiner, to warrant criminal charges against Hillary Clinton.
Why it stinks: There has been much hoopla and speculation as to why Comey publicly announced the FBI was looking at more emails in the first place, especially this close to the election. The FBI did not technically re-open the Clinton case to look at the emails in the first place, but instead, it was looking at the emails to see if it needed to re-open the investigation. As it turns out, they didn’t. But Donald Trump’s campaign praised the media spin and mis-reporting from the first Comey letter, and Clinton’s supporters condemned it as an oddly political move that 12 could affect possibly the most contentious election of the century.
Address Trauma to Stop Youth Crime Cycles
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he life and death of Charles McDonald (see page 14) was difficult to hear about for several obvious reasons. First, violence in the community is something that the city’s residents as well as its police force are actively working to stem. The federally funded Violence Reduction Network just chose Jackson as one of its network cities, a move that should bring resources and ideas to curb and prevent violent crime. The city could use the help. Jackson reported 44 homicides in 2015. So far in 2016, there have been 55. Violence can sow seeds of fear in a community, but scientifically speaking, it literally leaves trauma in its wake. The psychological damage of witnessing violence can lead to more severe health consequences, from suicidal behavior to complex mental-health problems. Trauma exists on a spectrum, and the more frequently a person witnesses it, the more likely he or she will shut down the parts of the brain that register and feel pain. Their bodies react by shutting down their emotions bit by bit, slowly becoming less human, less able to feel a spectrum of emotion without being re-traumatized. To understand McDonald’s death and its consequences, trauma needs to be at the center of the conversation. He was a teenager who had cycled in and out of Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center at least eight times before his death. Right before he died, he had admitted he had a problem and needed help. His mother was tak-
ing him to the juvenile detention center, where, in an ideal world, he could have received the therapy or rehabilitation he needed, safe from a community that had the potential to re-traumatize him. But even if he had made it to Henley Young, that support would not have been there. McDonald jumped out of his mother’s car and ran toward his death and a gunshot that ended his life. He never got the chance to get the help that he needed to turn his life around and avoid further crime, and that tragedy is true even kids sitting in Henley-Young today. While juveniles in Hinds County are better off now than they ever have been thanks to a federal consent decree, we have hard work still ahead. The way the juvenile-justice system works in this state can best be described as cyclical. If a child steals a car, he goes and sits in Henley Young for 21 days (unless the judge orders him to Oakley) and is then released. The child gets no real therapy, educational program or good alternative place to get help. The public and lawmakers have not had the will to provide the needed funding or to look at evidence-based solutions that held a kid like McDonald and, as a result, make the community safer. This will take the full force of everyone involved in the system from the judge to the youth counselors on board—to citizens demanding it. We need solutions that address trauma to save kids’ lives. Village, it’s time to step up.
Email letters and opinion to letters@jacksonfreepress.com, fax to 601-510-9019 or mail to 125 South Congress St., Suite 1324, Jackson, Mississippi 39201. Include daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for length and clarity, as well as factchecked.
Leslie McLemore II Editor-in-Chief Donna Ladd Publisher Todd Stauffer EDITORIAL Assistant Editor Amber Helsel Reporters Arielle Dreher,Tim Summers Jr. Education Reporting Fellow Sierra Mannie JFP Daily Editor Dustin Cardon Music Editor Micah Smith Events Listings Editor Tyler Edwards Writers Richard Coupe, Bryan Flynn, Shelby Scott Harris, Mike McDonald, Greg Pigott, Julie Skipper Consulting Editor JoAnne Prichard Morris ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY Art Director Kristin Brenemen Advertising Designer Zilpha Young Staff Photographer Imani Khayyam ADVERTISING SALES Advertising Director Kimberly Griffin Sales and Marketing Consultants Myron Cathey, Roberta Wilkerson Sales Assistant Mary Osborne BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS Distribution Manager Richard Laswell Distribution Raymond Carmeans, Clint Dear, Michael McDonald, Ruby Parks Assistant to the CEO Inga-Lill Sjostrom Operations Consultant David Joseph ONLINE Web Editor Dustin Cardon Web Designer Montroe Headd CONTACT US: Letters letters@jacksonfreepress.com Editorial editor@jacksonfreepress.com Queries submissions@jacksonfreepress.com Listings events@jacksonfreepress.com Advertising ads@jacksonfreepress.com Publisher todd@jacksonfreepress.com News tips news@jacksonfreepress.com Fashion style@jacksonfreepress.com Jackson Free Press 125 South Congress Street, Suite 1324 Jackson, Mississippi 39201 Editorial (601) 362-6121 Sales (601) 362-6121 Fax (601) 510-9019 Daily updates at jacksonfreepress.com
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B
efore the election on Nov. 8, the Hillary Clinton campaign posted a tear-jerking ad of President Barack Obama urging people to vote not just for Hillary, but also for his legacy. In the ad, the Clinton campaign used excerpts from a speech President Obama speech gave to the Congressional Black Caucus, urging people to vote for Hillary so she could continue the legacy of hope, change, optimism and “Yes, we can.” This ad admittedly brought a tear or two to my eyes. It took me back to the 2008 election night, when West Coast polls closed and President Obama was declared president-elect, making a junior senator with a “year-round tan” leader of the free world. President Obama completed, in the eyes of many black millennials, an implausible task by being elected as the United States’ first African American President. Obama brought hope into the Oval Office. He ran on this idea, believing that Americans needed to implement a simple doctrine of hope in troubling times. This message proved effective and successful, as he galvanized a nation, including myself. President Obama’s audacious political accession is similar to that of John F. Kennedy, who tapped into inner curiosity and youthfulness to not just settle for what is in front of us but to strive for something more, something greater than ourselves and to not be set in our ways but to evolve as a nation. President Obama’s emergence and the concept of hope inspired a generation of young African Americans to embrace public service on all levels, includes mentoring, volunteering, being a community organizer or even the president. Fast-forward to present day America and the current state of black millennials. American nationalistic buzzwords like “hope,” “optimism” or “Yes, we can” are no longer patriotically shouted from sea to shining sea. These words have been replaced with “Black Lives Matter,” “Hands up, don’t shoot,” and “I can’t breathe.” Hope and optimism within the black millennials will arguably come to an end on Jan. 20, 2017. They have grown “sick and tired of being sick and tired” of government-sanctioned policing, mass incarceration, and law-making and law-enforcement policy being used as a tool of systemic racism for white supremacy. Black millennials have spoken, and they want change.
The rush for change, coupled with a lack of optimism and hope, is the product of not President Obama himself or his administration (Even though the average black millennial contends Obama could’ve done more, at times), but America’s reaction to the election of President Obama. Once he was elected, white America used the 2008 election in their case for “postracialism,” pointing out that we now reside in a “post-racial” utopia, filled with equal opportunity, equity and prosperity for all. With the development of the camera phone, the failed drug war that has left millions of minorities incarcerated, nationalanthem protests and postObama election racism, the black millennials seem to be all out of hope, hugs, optimism and “Yes, we cans.” Admittedly, if one were to couple the factors listed above with the emergence of Donald J. Trump, black millennials and white America don’t seem to be getting along too well right now. Black millennials view Trump’s accession as a direct correlation to President Obama’s election and the post-Obamaelection racism mentioned above. White America—well, the deplorable ones—look at him as a symbol of them losing their country, their way of life and their privilege. Black millennials view Trump as the ultimate white-privilege candidate. He has voiced rhetoric throughout his campaign that would make any reasonable person view him as xenophobic, racist and misogynistic. The white privilege really came to light when Trump attempted to articulate the policy concerns of white and, unfortunately, black America with a firestorm of ignorant, non-factual statements. The ignorance he displayed during his rallies and debates fully highlighted his lack of policy knowledge while also showing no attempt to learn about policy. When black millennials witness such blatant ignorance parade its orange head on the national stage, we always ask ourselves, “Could Obama get away with this?” I contend the average black millennial would respond to with a resounding, “Hell nah.” Leslie McLemore II, a Jackson native, is now in Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of Jackson State University, North Carolina Central University School of Law and American University Washington College of Law. Read the full version of this column at jfp.ms/ blackmillennials.
“Could Obama get away with this?”
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November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
Obama and the Black Millennial
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Caught in the Revolving Door of Juvenile Detention by Tim Summers Jr.
Y
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
vette Mason lives a mother’s nightmare. On June 21, 2016, she drove her 17year-old son Charles McDonald to the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center, where he had been eight times since his 13th birthday, most recently after failing a drug test for PCP and pot. He was acting erratically and jumpy, fidgeting and crying as they approached Henley-Young, which sits on a steep hill south of Jackson on McDowell Road. McDonald had called the detention center that morning asking for help, Mason said. So she picked him up from a friend’s house to take him there. When they arrived, the mother called for the staff to come assist her. Her son jumped out of her car and bolted down the sharp incline of the hill to the parking lot of the business that sits at the bottom, Performance Oil. In the tiny, gravel lot, McDonald stopped by a gray Lexus parked parallel to the front of the white, squat build14 ing with narrow windows. Then the disraught teenager be-
Yvette Mason, holding a picture of her late son Charles McDonald, said she hopes that telling his story will prevent others from experiencing her pain by highlighting the lack of resources available to families of troubled youth in Hinds County and Mississippi. Juvenile detention failed him, she and others say.
gan to beat on the car’s windows with his red Nike slides. His mother sped down the hill in her car, pulling up in front as an older man stepped out from the side door, armed, less than 10 feet from the boy. The man and the boy tussled, and a shot rang out. Mason stepped from her car, and saw her child sprawled in the grave parking lot, bleeding, shot in the chest. “I never heard a warning shot,” Mason says now. Today, five months later, she can still see the eyes of the youngest of her two children. They stare straight ahead, not moving. She lives that moment again and again. She goes to therapy but refuses to take her medicine, worried about the potential for side effects. She wonders if there are groups she can go to for victims of gun violence. She prays. Mason created a shrine of sorts to her son in the living room of the small, one-room apartment into which she moved since the shooting, downsizing now that she is living alone. She hopes to move into a house soon, with a room for all of his things. McDonald’s previous trips to Henley-Young involved
auto burglary and drug-court violations, and Mason isn’t sure if he had anything in his system the day he died. She said he had tested positive in the past for PCP and marijuana, both drugs that can cause paranoia and hallucinations. Maybe that was why he ran down the hill, maybe that was the reason he was beating on the car windows, but he is still dead, regardless. His mother wonders, of course, what she could have done differently, sometimes spending her days feeling numb. She also wonders what the city and county might have done differently to help her son, who was in and out of the detention center eight times without the help he clearly needed, not end up dead less than a hundred yards from the front door of the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center. “He wanted to get help,” Mason said. “He was calling that day to get help.” A Repeated Exercise
Charles McDonald began his relationship with the legal system when he was 13, the result of hanging around
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
courtesy Yvette Mason
older boys who his mother believed were involved with il- him in Jackson,” Cotten Taylor, a close family associate, assigned him long-term help. “The rest of the time was relegal activities. said. “It’s a need.” peated detention at Henley-Young,” McDaniels said. The police soon picked McDonald up in connection If juveniles in the Hinds County youth-court system, While McDonald would go into the detention cenwith an auto break-in. She said he refused to give up any whose families tend to have limited resources, cannot get ter for 89-day stays, the county and the groups that sued names, and so he ended up at Henley-Young. help at the juvenile-justice center, they do not have many reached an agreement this year to keep youth people in “And then he tested positive for marijuana and that’s other options. But, thanks to a lawsuit on behalf of the ju- the facility for no longer than 21 days. The limit was when the first drug-court sessions started,” Mason said. Af- veniles in the facility, the county is starting to address the an evidence-based policy change that the youth-court ter that, he was caught in the detention cycle. lack of mental-health services in Henley-Young. judge, William Skinner, fought unsuccessfully in court. Records for juveniles, especially ones entangled within The changes come too late to help Charles Mc- McDaniels said he used McDonald’s story to illustrate the justice system, are notoriously difficult to obtain. Mis- Donald, however. to Judge Skinner that the detention-based approach to sissippi law prohibits the youth-court system from sharing juvenile justice is not effective. or publicly hearing any issue relating to a minor. On top of System Failure “Charles was one of the kids I used as an example of that, federal guidelines protecting personal health and edu- Several interest groups, such as the Southern Poverty a kid who was in an 89-day program since the time he was cational records also prohibit those involved with the pro- Law Center and Disability Rights Mississippi, sued the 13 to the time of his unfortunate death, and he never got cess such as the administrators and the counselors any kind of rehabilitative services from anywhere,” from sharing any personal information. McDaniels said. “We failed him. The system failed For these reasons, most information about that kid. I believe that.” the ground-level experience of facilities like Hen McDaniels said other options for children ley-Young comes from the narrative of family facing youth court include programs like drug members and former youth offenders. court, but he said he was not sure how that pro The research for Jackson shows that the numgram affects the kids, except for sending them ber of kids who will eventually end up in the adult back to Henley-Young for new reasons. correctional system is a more manageable number “Kids are kind of told, you are in drug court,” than one might expect. The Mississippi attorney McDaniels said, “and that seems like it. There’s no general’s office hired BOTEC, a national research real follow-through, no real programming.” firm, to investigate the sources of crime in Jackson, “And when he comes back with a positive using funds the Mississippi Legislature allocated. drug screen for his weekly drug test, he is put back BOTEC released its report early this year. in detention for 89 days. I don’t know what the “Of the 30,000 students currently enrolled programming piece of that is.” in Jackson Public Schools, according to these data, “Charles is one of those kids that should have we can predict that approximately 5 percent, or been in a facility like Oakley where he could have 1,500 students, will, at some point, get arrested by been somewhere long-term,” McDaniels said. the Jackson Police Department or Hinds County The Mississippi Department of Human Sheriff’s Office,” the report states, adding that Services operates the Oakley Youth Development “2.2 percent, or 660, will be arrested for a serious Center in Raymond, which serves as the sole longcrime such as a drug charge, aggravated assault, term juvenile correctional facility in Mississippi. robbery, weapons offense, kidnapping, abuse and McDaniels said one of the reasons McDonneglect, and burglary; 0.44 percent, or 132 will be ald was never transferred to a facility like Oakley arrested for a very serious crime such as murder, was because he was never charged, or adjudicated, manslaughter or rape.” of the felony-level crimes, a requirement for place The statistics break down further, highlightment there. Even the pattern of non-adjudication ing the rate at which high-school populations malimbo was not unusual in Mississippi. triculate into the correctional system. For Provine “That’s pretty common. It’s not necessarily High School, which McDonald had attended just the court,” McDaniels said. sporadically, 10.9 percent of the students are likely The pattern can repeat until these children Charles McDonald, 17, died from gunshot wounds after running to enter the adult correctional system, with 6.3 reach adulthood, bouncing in and out of youth down the hill from Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center in June. percent of that group charged with a serious ofcourt and the detention center until their 18th fense and 0.97 percent with a very serious offense. birthday when they enter the more consequential Mason said detention was a repeated exercise for her Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center in 2012 on behalf and public adult correctional system. Without intervenson, with eight trips to Henley-Young. McDonald also of unnamed juveniles, petitioning the court to help create tion, the children who enter the juvenile-justice system can visited other longer-stay facilities but never for long-term more humane conditions and practices. As a result, and slip right into a life of offense—the BOTEC report warns mental-health or substance-abuse treatment. Mason said after years of legal back-and-forth, the facility continues that contact with the criminal-justice system is one of two that before his death, his counselor at Henley-Young and to alter its practices. It has recently re-allocated monies to top indicators (the other is school absence/dropping out) of his family had tried to secure him a place at a long-term Henley-Young to create a mental-health staff, including whether a young person will commit worse crime later. professionals and case managers. treatment facility near Memphis but to no avail. “Putting him in Henley-Young every time he commitJohnnie McDaniels, executive director of the Henley- ted an offense because he is on probation and never dealing “He’d been to Sunflower Landing, to Brentwood,” Mason said of facilities that offer mental-health and trauma Young Juvenile Justice Center, readily admits that the facil- with the underlying issues was a failure. And there are other ity should have offered McDonald more help. treatment to young people. kids out there” that face the same pattern, McDaniels said. “There just should be other options available to Charles “He’s been to the place in Meridian, Region 8, and For McDonald, the underlying issues were not only they were in the process of trying to get him to Diamond as opposed to repeated detention in Henley-Young,” Mc- his relationship with substances. Daniels said. “That didn’t really help him a lot. And just be- Grove in Louisville, Mississippi.” “I would ask him, ‘Charles, why do you repeatedly The youth court sends juveniles who need mental- ing released and coming back but never transferred to some steal?’ and on one occasion, he said that he was trying to health treatment, including for substance abuse, to one sort of long-term rehabilitative situation, which I thought take care of his child,” McDaniels said. “You just think of several state institutions, including the ones McDonald was detrimental to Charles.” about that, a 17-year-old that’s struggling with the system Even though McDonald started with Henley-Young himself, trying to take care of a child.” visited. However, his relatives were not sure whether any when he was 13, the court sent him to a few other facilimental-health experts developed a treatment plan for him. “I don’t think they ever did a treatment program on ties for short periods of time, McDaniels said, but never more DETENTION, see page 16 15
DETENTION from page 15
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As a result of the lawsuit, the federal court ordered an outside expert, known as the federal monitor, to oversee improvements and submit annual reports on conditions in the Hinds detention facility. Monitor Leonard Dixon, the executive director of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Missouri, says children should not visit Henley-Young for treatment. “The juvenile-detention facility is for three things: protection for the public; to ensure that a kid comes to court; and the beginning, key word beginning, of the rehabilitation process,” Dixon said during an Oct. 5 interview. McDonald’s 89-day stays in Henley-Young, following the pattern of reentry and release, do not set up children for treatment. “They didn’t have a placement, or they were just held there. Which was more of a revocation program than a treatment program, because there was no treatment going on,” Dixon said. McDonald followed that negative pattern during those almost three years of bouncing in and out of Henley-Young, McDaniels said. McDonald was doomed to sit out his time making no progress on the underlying issues he faced because he had no help available inside the facility and few options for finding help within the state’s system. “Eighty-nine days at a time, he just did time,” McDaniels said. “But he never really got the long-term rehabilitative services that he needed. And ideally, that’s what kids like Charles need: a long-term, rehabilitative setting. And Henley-Young is a short-term facility.” Dixon compared Henley-Young’s role in the rehabilitative process to the emergency room. “You have to look at the juveniledetention center as the emergency room of the juvenile-justice system,” he said, explaining that it was a place to be diagnosed rather than treated, like with complex or chronic issues such as a serious bone injury. “But you don’t go back to the emergency room; they send you to a bone specialist or another place for your treatment.” Dixon said Henley-Young has not been up to the task of facilitating proper evaluation of the children. After a recent expert review of the facility’s mental-health capability, Hinds County decided to transfer more than $190,000 to Henley-Young to pay for a staff expansion, including mentalhealth experts. “Not yet,” Dixon said as to whether
the facility met the level for appropriate care. “That’s one of the reasons why the funding was put in place, to hire people to do that. You do have some mental health (care), but it is not fully developed.” McDaniels said the lack of available care, even basic evaluation for potential mental-health issues, pushed McDonald back onto the streets each time with little chance for intervention, unless it came in the form of further charges down the line. “And at the end of the time, when he was released, he would go right back into that environment because there was noth-
Defending Indigent Youth
Most of the children in the juvenilejustice system are indigent and cannot afford a private attorney, and so protecting their interests falls to the public defenders of the county. “The majority of kids that come into youth court are indigent,” Brenda Locke, juvenile resource attorney with Mississippi’s Office for the State Public Defender, explains. “There are more (who are) poor than those that are not.” For each county, the juvenile-justice system is different. If the county has a circourtesy Dr Charles Corprew
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
‘No Treatment Going On’
Dr. Charles Corprew is a child-behavior psychologist in New Orleans. He works with young people there to prevent the cycle of violence and recidivism. He emphasizes building community resources to help parents and kids instead of youth detention, and the need to address generational trauma.
ing else following him once he left HenleyYoung,” McDaniels said. “That’s where the whole case-management piece, I think, comes in. You get a kid like Charles in the system, he seriously needs case management; otherwise, he is going to fall through the cracks.” That case management, Dixon said, could flow between all parties involved, including the youth courts. “Once that occurs, that information would go to the court, and the court would determine the best placement for that kid based on the resources, programs that are available,” the monitor said. McDaniels said that as a part of the mental-health expansion, Henley-Young is hiring three case managers who will track the children that enter the facility during their stay and after they leave in an effort to coordinate the care.
cuit court, then one of the judges serves as the youth-court authority, and the county appoints or hires the public defenders. A few counties have chancellors from the chancery court, or appointed referees (appointed attorneys), who serve in the role of the youth court judge. “A few areas will have a full-time defender that will represent the children,” Locke said. “But it depends.” Locke said the attorneys representing the child in youth court have the same responsibilities as they would in circuit court for an adult client. One problem, Locke said, was that not all public defenders push to help the children, even as they repeatedly enter the system. “Not all public defenders do that,” she said. “They are supposed to. They are supposed to guide, counsel and advise. And to me, part of that is finding out what is going
on so you can help them not come back.” Locke said Mississippi lacks a uniform public-defender system, especially for youth court. The state maintains that the Office for the State Public Defender, which Locke works in, but focuses on defense for capital-murder cases and training for adult public defenders. This means that the pay for the public defenders, including the details of their contracts, are decided on the county levels, she said, sometimes through discussions with the youth-court judge, which Locke said might be a problem in the long run. “Because the youth-court judge has a lot of influence over who gets appointed or who gets the contract, there is an issue, in most people’s opinion, of whether you are going to be a zealous advocate and risk your job or kowtow to the judge and keep it,” Locke said. This situation could cause problems for the public defender, especially when considering alternative substance or mental-health treatment plans. “As a public defender, you have to be kind of careful saying your client has a drug problem and needs to go off somewhere,” Locke said. “Those treatments, even though they are supposed to be confidential, those can follow them. So you really have to be careful, in my opinion, when you are asking for some type of residential treatment facility to be very careful with that. Those types of admissions can cause problems for them later.” Locke added that if the child asks for help, the public defender can look for a suitable place to get it. However, it always depends on the judge to approve the plan, she said, which may or may not occur. “Does that mean the court’s going to do it? Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on the judge, it depends on the circumstances, and it depends on the offense sometimes,” she said. “There’s not a whole lot of residential inpatient treatment for drug or mental health, for that matter, in Mississippi.” Of course, costs for treatment can be prohibitive, especially in a climate where the state is cutting mental-health services, Locke said. “If you have a judge who really prefers detention,” Locke said, “you can make the best argument in the world, and if the judge wants to put them in detention, they are going to. The problem that I have these days is that nobody is appealing this stuff.” Appealing, she said, could help keep more kids from the revolving door of juvemore DETENTION, see page 18
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DETENTION from page 16 tions they grow up in shape their development. Often, young people who end up in detention grow up in generational traumatic circumstances and poverty, a prime indicator for criminal activity. “There are no developmental opportunities if there is trauma, if there are socio-
Imani Khayyam
economic factors that are challenging the development of the child,” Corprew said. “We talk a lot about how poverty affects the brain, how trauma affects the brain … but we don’t do a lot about it.” This approach lends the advantage of circumventing the whole legal system, correcting behavior at its root in the com-
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
Solutions Outside the System
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Eventually, though, the children return to the world at large, facing the same situations that landed them in Henley-Young in the first place, as McDaniels lamented. Some cities have programs in place to help work against the societal and circumstantial contributors to repeat offenders and cycles of detention. Dr. Charles Corprew, a child and behavioral psychologist in New Orleans, works with young people to try to stop the cycle mid-rotation. Corprew said the battle for each child’s future begins early on because the condi-
sentences for offenders. But, if rehabilitation can’t take place in the detention center or in the state mentalhealth system, perhaps focusing on the formative conditions of the child is the answer to preventing more tragedies like McDonald.
Charles McDonald, 17, died in the parking lot of Performance Oil, which is down the hill from the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center and less than a hundred yards from the facility’s front door.
courtesy Leonard Dixon
nile-detention facilities like Henley-Young. A lot of the proceedings, including whether the court itself is adhering to the state rules, happens outside the public eye because of the confidentiality rules surrounding youth courts. Only the ability of the child’s attorney to appeal prevents the abuse of the court’s wide-ranging authority over the juveniles. Youth court, unlike the adult system, has no appeal track to the state supreme court. Instead, the name of the minor is reduced to initials only to protect his or her identity, and the case heads directly to the Mississippi Supreme Court. “Under the appellate rules, it is supposed to be on an expedited track,” Locke said. “It goes straight to the big boys.” Youth-court defendants appealed only two cases to the Mississippi Supreme Court in the last year, Locke said. She said the child, if indigent, does not have to pay the attorney or the filing costs to appeal. The case would go to the state indigent appeal office, which would take it from there. “I think (appeals) would hold the system more accountable. It would give guidance of the meaning of the statute,” Locke said. “More appeals would help us. More appeals would give us more direction.” “There are cases that should be appealed all the time,” Locke said. “We need a statewide public-defender system. Whose job is it to protect the expressed interest, the constitutional rights of these children? It’s the public defender.” In her opinion, the state should develop an independent public-defender system, including a layer for juveniles. “I believe that if we have a system where there is oversight over the people who are supposed to be protecting these kids, where there can be a guarantee of quality of representation, and there can be accountability for that other than just the private individual,” Locke said. “Then that can help the system be better.”
Federal monitor Leonard Dixon describes the role of the juveniledetention facility as the “emergency room” of juvenile justice, not a longterm-care solution to mental-health or substance-abuse issues.
munity. Techniques like these tend to be politically unpopular, especially when pitted against hard-on-crime tactics like longer
“That’s the crux of this,” Corprew said. “I wholly believe that we are not doing enough in the beginning to help children grow up during those pivotal developmental years in childhood, because trauma has a lasting effect.” Corprew said research supports helping parents, to allow them to create a nurturing and positive environment. Many of those parents have also been caught up in generational trauma, and need to learn to break the cycle for their children. “It is counter-intuitive. The research talks about bringing resources to the parents. So that is what is working, when you focus in on the parents,” Corprew said. One of the indicators for the level of academic performance, for instance, is the level of distress of the mother. In that vein, Corprew said, nonprofits in the area work to provide health and health education, drug and alcohol counseling, and financial skills, a concept called the “Missouri model.” This model, Corprew explained, outlined the effect of providing more services and resources to the parents, who then provide the environment and the foundation on which to build the child’s personality and future. In short, you get out what you put in. The City of New Orleans implemented a full-court press approach to violence and its roots with the “NOLA for Life” campaign. The project aims at combining community resources, education
and work programs for offenders, as well as youth-impact programs like their wildly successful “midnight basketball” seasons. As a result, that city brags of a 55percent decrease in gun violence related to gangs and crews since 2011. The keys to cutting down on these sources of murder, death and crime, Corprew said, begin with the ability of the parent to provide a nurturing environment. “Then that will be, hopefully, trickled down to the child, because then the parents are more successful and able to provide better means, better housing, food, access to health care, all of those systemic things that are impacting how we excel or do not excel in life,” he said. Crime and trauma in the child’s environment affects and creates a situation that makes it more likely for him or her to become a part of the juvenile-justice system, Corprew said. “We haven’t begun to think counterintuitively. Some states are doing it well, but many are not because they are not focused on the crux of the problem: How did the child develop into the space?” Corprew said. “So the child may grow up in a challenging home; they may be living with grandmother or grandfather who are too old to parent.” This home life contributes to other sources of difficulty for the child. “They may be growing up in neighborhoods that don’t have enough resources, and they end up going to schools who lack the resources,” Corprew said. “So it is a systemic thing that provides the ultimate failure of the child.” Corprew said there is not just one way to mitigate the number of children moving in and out of the juvenile-justice system. It takes more of a wraparound approach. “There are systems that work in conjunction with each other that you have to look at those various leverage points within the system, and pull them in concordance with each other to make a more meaningful impact,” Corprew said. This means mentoring for the child, Corprew said, along with support structures for the mother and the father. Corprew said the changes must come from strong leaders, including those on the bench. “Courageous leadership,” Corprew said. “It is that judge who has to say, this is not right, and that judge has to overcome their own personal bias and their own personal privilege.” Hinds County Youth Court Judge William Skinner has not responded to numerous requests for interviews.
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Mason has moved from the home she shared with her son, downsizing to a small, one-bedroom apartment across town. She turned a set of shelves in the dining room nook into a small shrine. Pictures of their family, including Charles and his older sister on either side of their mother, sit next to cards full of condolences and comfort. She likes to light small candles throughout the house. She speaks softly of her family,
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Mason said, adding that the police have not even asked for a statement from her about that day her son died. Thursdays are her worst days, she said, as she goes through each week moving steadily closer to the weekly-anniversary of the day he was shot. Mason said the most difficult part, looking over to the shelf with his picture, is that it will continue to hurt for the rest of her life. “I have my family,” Mason said, “but not somebody to talk to who understands the pain.” Mason cannot pinpoint a moment where she could have done something differently, where she could have applied pressure or called the right department to get her boy help. It is hard to tell, even now, where it all went wrong with her son. She agreed to speak about the incident, she said, to encourage others to consider the road that led to McDonald’s death. “My hope is that it can help just one more child,” Mason said. It is not clear if the shooter will be charged. The Jackson Police Department’s official position on the case is that it has been passed to the Hinds County grand jury for consideration for indictment, and it will not provide the name of the shooter. No one at the courthouse will state whether or when such a presentation will take place, and a review of court records does not show an indictment related to the incident. But even if the courts give Mason some justice for her son’s death, which she wants, she admits she does not know what that word means now and, besides, it will not bring her son back. The BOTEC report, in its description of the juvenile-justice system in Hinds County, paints a picture of blame: The schools blame the home environment, the detention center blames the state, and the state blames the local administrators. But when the system does not correct the problems, including conventional “solutions,” that contribute to recidivism of youth, mothers like Mason are left with little hope that the pieces of the juvenile justice will work together to combat the steady stream of young people into Henley-Young and then to adult correctional facilities. If change does come now, it is far too late for kids like Charles McDonald. Email city reporter Tim Summers Jr. at tim@jacksonfreepress.com. This work is supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. Read the series at jfp.ms/preventingviolence.
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and the absence with which they must now grapple. The ripples from McDonald’s death continue, Mason said, and she talks about her “grandbaby,” the daughter of her eldest, McDonald’s sister, who will now grow up without an uncle and with the trauma of such a loss. She said the child, only 5 years old, already conceptualizes her uncle as a ghost or an angel. “They just know,” Mason said, adding that it has been hard on his sister as well, as McDonald’s only sibling. Not to mention Mason herself, who said she was going to therapy, but added that she did not have a support group to go to, outside of her family, and even asked a reporter if he knew of any groups. “No one has come to talk to me,”
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Yvette Mason created this memorial to her son Charles McDonald in the small dining area of her new, one-room apartment, including condolence letters from friends and family. She plans to dedicate an entire room for him if she is able to move into a larger house.
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A
t one shopping center off Highway 51 in Ridgeland, you’ll find a few different restaurants that cater to particularly hungry patrons. There are extra-large pizzas to go and buckets of boneless wings, but the options aren’t limited to American food fare. Kenny Li and his wife, Wei Xia, of Fujian, China, opened Sushi Village (398 Highway 51, Suite 100, Ridgeland, 601898-9688) in 2013 after selling the Chinese buffet that he ran off Highway 49 in Richland. While the Jackson metro area has plenty of restaurants that feature sushi on the menu, Li’s restaurant is one of the few that offers all-you-can-eat sushi. “With all-you-can-eat sushi, that’s a cheaper way, you know,� he says. “I hear a lot of people say, ‘Sushi is very expensive.’ Like, one roll is $6, and a special roll is $10, so we do all-you-can-eat, and it’s a better way. It’s always made fresh for the customer, and we don’t waste the food.� One of the reasons that he chose to sell his buffet in Richland was how much food he saw going to waste each day. To help reduce that problem at Sushi Village, Li decided to give customers an extra incentive not to be wasteful—they get charged an additional fee for the sushi rolls they order but don’t eat. Thankfully, people tend to be OK with that house rule since Sushi Village has signage to warn newcomers ahead of time, Li says. Imani Khayyam
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Kenny Li and Wei Xia are the owners of Sushi Village in Ridgeland.
“Some people don’t know that, but we write it out here on a sheet of paper: ‘Don’t waste the food! Every time, you can order like two rolls, and after that, you can still order again,’� he says. Although the lower prices are the main plus for some patrons, Li says the variety of the menu has also been a big
draw. Customers can order hibachi, noodle dishes and other popular Asian cuisine, in addition to classic sushi options and signature rolls, such as the Diamond roll, which is made with shrimp tempura, snow crab, avocado, asparagus and a soybean sheet, and topped with eel sauce and spicy mayo. “I think a regular sushi restaurant and my restaurant are different,� he says. “I look around here, and a lot of sushi restaurants just do hibachi and sushi for takeout Imani Khayyam
The Manship transforms the essence of Mediterranean food while maintaining a southern flair.
LIFE&STYLE | food&drink
The Diamond Roll is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes.
or dine-in, and the price is so high. But here, you can come in and do the $9.99 for all-you-can-eat, or you can get sushi, an appetizer, teriyaki and everything.� Although Sushi Village is only Li’s second business venture, he already had about 14 years of experience in the food industry before even opening a restaurant, starting when he was a teenager working at his parents’ Chinese buffet in Hattiesburg. He took on a bigger role at the business after dropping out of high school before his senior year to help his parents, who were having difficulty running the restaurant with limited English vocabularies. Since then, operating restaurants has become something of a family business, so much so that Li’s sister, Lisa, opened Gourmet Chinese Restaurant next door to Sushi Village. Li says he hopes to expand with a second restaurant in the near future. “A lot of customers say, ‘Why don’t you try to open another restaurant in Flora?’ But I don’t have time right now; I need more people working at the sushi restaurant,� he says. “I’m just waiting for the proper time and to find a good space so I can try to open another one.� Sushi Village is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. To order online, visit sushivillageridgeland.com.
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November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
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WEDNESDAY 11/9
SATURDAY 11/12
TUESDAY 11/15
The “6 Angry Women” screening is at Millsaps College.
Maker’s Jubilee is at Thimblepress.
Pint Night is at Saltine Oyster Bar.
BEST BETS Nov. 9 - 16, 2016
“The 30th of May” Screening is at 6 p.m. at the Fannie Lou Hamer Institute (1017 John R. Lynch St.). The documentary presents the story of the African Americanled patriotic tradition in the Deep South using animation, archival and aerial footage, and interviews with veterans, organizers and participants. Free; call 979-2121; jsums.edu.
Dylan Langille
WEDNESDAY 11/9
New York-based funk band TAUK performs on Sunday, Nov. 13, at Duling Hall.
THURSDAY 11/10
Chris Windfield
Dine Against Darkness is at 6:30 p.m. at Hal & Mal’s (200 Commerce St.). The limited-light dinner features a silent art auction. Proceeds benefit The Hard Place Community’s work to stop child sex trade. $75; email hardplacesdrew@gmail.com; hardplaces-community.org. … The Annual Writers Program is at 7 p.m. at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.). Authors Richard Grant and Harrison Scott Key are the speakers. $10; millsaps.edu.
from Kira Cummings. $10; email kcummings.art@gmail. com; find the event on Facebook.com. … Monster Jam is at 7 p.m. at Mississippi Coliseum (1207 Mississippi St.). Includes driver Pablo Huffaker with Grave Digger, driver Kevin Crocker with Backwards Bob, driver Devin Jones with Barbarian and more. Additional dates: Nov. 12-13, 7 p.m. $15; call 800-745-3000; ticketmaster.com.
SATURDAY 11/12
3rd Eye Music Fest 2016 begins at 2 p.m. at 2331 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The second annual festival includes games, food trucks, visual art and music from Sir Flywalker, by TYLER EDWARDS Briar Lunar, K.I.D., D. Horton, J. Skyy, II G.U.Y.S., devMaccc and jacksonfreepress.com more. Additional date: Nov. 13, 3 p.m. $12.50 single-day, $20.50 Fax: 601-510-9019 two-day; find the event on FaceDaily updates at book. … Bravo Series—Bravo! jfpevents.com Copland! is at 7:30 p.m. at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra celebrates the work of American composer Aaron Copland. $20-$62; call 601-960-1565; msorchestra.com.
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
events@
“The 30th of May” screens at the Fannie Lou Hamer Institute on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
FRIDAY 11/11
Punchlines and Brushstrokes is at 7 p.m. at CS’s (1359 N. West St.). The concert and art show features perfor24 mances from hip-hop artists and a pop-up art exhibition
SUNDAY 11/13
TAUK performs at 8 p.m. at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). The funk band hails from New York. The JAG also performs. $12 in advance, $15 at the door, $3 surcharge for patrons under 21; call 877-987-6487; ardenland.net.
MONDAY 11/14
The Post-Election Forum is at 5 p.m. at Jackson State University (1400 John R. Lynch St.). In the Dollye M.E. Robinson Building. Former state legislator Robert G. Clark, current State Senator Sollie Norwood and attorney Carroll Rhodes are the speakers. Free; call 601-979-7036. … Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical is at 8 p.m. at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The musical play features characters from the holiday classic. $30-$100; call 601-960-1537; ticketmaster.com.
TUESDAY 11/15
“Paint the Town”—TeamJXN Luncheon is at 11:30 a.m. at The South Warehouse (627 E. Silas Brown St.). Gregory Walker and Benjamin Niemeyer, of WOW Atelier, discuss their 150-foot murals in Salt Lake City, Utah. $30, $20 for Members; call 601-336-2028; teamjxn.com. … “The Mikado” is at 7:30 p.m. at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). Mississippi Opera presents the comedic opera from W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan. $30 admission, $10 for students, children and active military; msopera.org.
WEDNESDAY 11/16
The Harvest Festival is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum (1150 Lakeland Drive). Includes industrial demonstrations at the cotton gin, farmstead, cane mill, blacksmith shop and more. Additional dates: Nov. 10-12, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. $6, $4 for ages 3 to 18; call 601-432-4500; msagmuseum.org.
Jackson 2000 Luncheon Nov. 9, 11:30 a.m., at Mississippi Arts Center (201 E. Pascagoula St.). Beneta Burt, president of the Jackson Public School Board of Trustees, speaks on the topic “Where Do We Go from Here?” $12, $10 for members; call 601-960-1500; email todd@jacksonfreepress.com; jackson2000.org. Jackson 2000—Fall Dialogue Circle Nov. 10, 6 p.m., at JFP Youth Media Project (125 S. Congress St.). Includes a discussion of race, prejudice and racial reconciliation using a curriculum and study guides. Must register. Free; call 504-9315486; email dialoguecircles@jackson2000.org; jackson2000.org. “Paint the Town”—TeamJXN Luncheon Nov. 15, 11:30 a.m., at The South Warehouse (627 E. Silas Brown St.). Gregory Walker and Benjamin Niemeyer, of WOW Atelier, discuss their 150foot murals in Salt Lake City, Utah. $30, $20 for Members; call 601-336-2028; teamjxn.com.
HOLIDAY Fondren Renaissance Holiday Ornament Auction Nov. 10, 6 p.m., at The Cedars (4145 Old Canton Road). Local artists create and donate holiday ornaments. Proceeds benefit the Fondren Renaissance Foundation’s artistic endeavors. Free admission, with cash bar; call 601-981-9606; email angie@fondren.org; fondren.org. Gingerbread Gift Market Nov. 11, noon, Nov. 12, 9 a.m., at Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum (1150 Lakeland Drive). Vendors sell jewelry, clothing, frames, metalwork, specialty foods and more. $5; gingerbreadmarket.com. Ninth Annual Holiday Market Nov. 12, 9 a.m., at Olde Towne (300 Jefferson St., Clinton). Vendors sell handmade items. Includes entertainment from local musicians and food for sale. Free admission, prices vary; call 601-924-5472; email aboyd@clintonms.org; clintonms.org. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical Nov. 14, 8 p.m., at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The musical play features characters from the holiday classic, including Rudolph, Santa, Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster and more. $30-$100; call 601-960-1537; ticketmaster.com.
Holocaust Memorial Unveiling Nov. 13, 4 p.m., at Beth Israel Congregation (5315 Old Canton Road). The event includes a dedication and unveiling of the Gus Waterman Herrman Holocaust Memorial Garden, with music from the Clinton High School Choir and the Beth Israel Shirim Choir. Free; email pzapletal@comcast.net. Post-Election Forum Nov. 14, 5 p.m., at Jackson State University (1400 John R. Lynch St.). Former state legislator Robert G. Clark, current State Senator Sollie Norwood and attorney Carroll Rhodes are the speakers. Free; call 979-7036.
SLATE
Hearts of Compassion 5K Nov. 12, 8 a.m., at Colonial Heights Baptist Church (444 Northpark Drive). Includes a 5K race and a one-mile fun-run at 9 a.m. Proceeds benefit Colonial Heights’ orphan care ministry. $25 through Nov. 11, $30 day of; colonialheights.org. Metro Jackson Heart Walk Nov. 12, 8 a.m., at Mississippi State Capitol (400 High St.). The event raises funds to save lives from heart disease and stroke, and to promote physical activity and heart-healthy living. Free entry; email andrea. george@heart.org; find the event on Facebook.
the best in sports over the next seven days by Bryan Flynn
Get ready for a full weekend of sports as college football continues and college basketball returns. The men’s and women’s basketball seasons tip off around the nation this Friday. Thursday, Nov. 10
College football (6:30-10 p.m., ESPNU): Georgia Southern hosts Louisiana-Lafayette, which boasts a roster full of Mississippi natives. Friday, Nov. 11
College basketball (6-8 p.m., SECN+): The UM Rebel men’s team starts the season against Tennessee-Martin. … College basketball (7-9 p.m., SECN+): MSU men’s team gets the season started at home against Norfolk State. Saturday, Nov. 12
College football (11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., ESPN): MSU looks to follow its upset of Texas A&M with a win against Alabama. … College football (6:3010 p.m., SECN): The Rebels face the Aggies in a game that may see both without their starting quarterbacks. Sunday, Nov. 13
NFL (noon-3 p.m., FOX): The New Orleans Saints face a major test as they host the defending Super Bowl champions, the Denver Broncos.
Monday, Nov. 14
College basketball (6-8 p.m., SECN): The UM men’s team hosts Massachusetts. … College basketball (7-9 p.m., SECN+): The MVSU women’s team hits the road to face Alabama.
Habitat for Humanity’s “Not Nailed Down Sale” Nov. 12, 8 a.m., at HFHMCA Warehouse (615 Stonewall St.). The warehouse sale includes construction materials, electrical supplies, tools, HVAC condensers, refrigerators, furniture, commercial insulation tiles and other household items. Free; call 353-6060; habitatjackson.org.
College basketball (6-10:30 p.m., ESPN): Tune in for a double-header of top teams with Michigan State against Kentucky and Duke against Kansas. Wednesday, Nov. 16
Women’s volleyball (7-9 p.m., SECN+): The UM Rebels, who are 10th in the SEC, travel to the ninthplace MSU Bulldogs as both teams’ seasons near the end. Set your DVR on Friday to catch the UM women’s team start its season at 2:30 p.m. on the SECN. That night, Alcorn State travels to face LoyolaChicago at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN3. Follow Bryan Flynn at jfpsports.com, @jfpsports and at facebook.com/jfpsports.
Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle Second Annual Fall Gala Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m., at Old Capitol Museum (100 S. State St.). Includes food, cocktails, a raffle, a silent auction and entertainment. $60 single, $100 couple; call 601359-9000; eventbrite.com.
FOOD & DRINK
STAGE & SCREEN
Glenmorangie Scotch Dinner Nov. 9, 6 p.m., at Bravo! Italian Restaurant (4500 Interstate 55 N. Frontage Road). Features Scottish dishes from chef Matt Mabry along with a variety of aged Scotches. $127; call 982-8111; bravobuzz.com.
“The 30th of May” Screening Nov. 9, 6 p.m., at Fannie Lou Hamer Institute (1017 John R. Lynch St.). The documentary presents the story of the African American tradition using animation, archival footage and interviews with veterans, organizers and participants. Free; jsums.edu.
Pint Night Nov. 15, 6 p.m., at Saltine Oyster Bar (622 Duling Ave. ). Saltine selects a brewery to take over its taps, beer engine or randall. Stone Brewing from Escondido, Calif., is the featured brewery. Prices vary; saltinerestaurant.com.
SPORTS & WELLNESS Monster Jam Nov. 11-13, 7 p.m., at Mississippi Coliseum (1207 Mississippi St.). Monster trucks include Grave Digger, Backwards Bob, Barbarian and more. $15; ticketmaster.com.
• Luke Combs Nov. 10, 8 p.m. The country artist performs. Jobe Fortner and Drew Parker also perform. $15 in advance, $20 at the door, $3 surcharge for under 21; ardenland.net. • TAUK Nov. 13, 8 p.m. The funk band hails from New York. The JAG also performs. $12 in advance, $15 at the door, $3 surcharge for under 21; ardenland.net. The Molly Ringwalds Nov. 11, 5:30 p.m., at Town of Livingston (116 Livingston Church Road, Flora). The ’80s-themed cover band performs. Includes craft beer and a wine garden. $15 in advance, $20 at the door; call 601-4015040; thetownoflivingston.com. 3rd Eye Music Fest 2016 Nov. 12, 2 p.m., Nov. 13, 3 p.m., at 2331 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Includes music from Sir Flywalker, Briar Lunar, K.I.D., D. Horton, J. Skyy, devMaccc, Alfred Banks and more. $12.50 single-day, $20.50 two-day; find the event on Facebook. Bravo Series—Bravo! Copland! Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m., at Thalia Mara Hall (255 E. Pascagoula St.). The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra celebrates the work of American composer Aaron Copland. $20-$62; msorchestra.com.
Tuesday, Nov. 15
COMMUNITY Clef Notes Luncheon Nov. 11, 11:30 a.m., at Old Capitol Inn (226 N. State St.). Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Music Director and conductor Crafton Beck speaks on the “Bravo! Copland!” concert series. $23, $5 students; call 601-209-1661; msorchestra.com.
CONCERTS & FESTIVALS Events at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.)
“6 Angry Women” Screening Nov. 9, 7 p.m., at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.). The film features the jury deliberation of six women, each seeking to do the right thing after a white neighborhood watchman shoots an unarmed African American teenager. Free; millsaps.edu. “The Mikado” Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m., at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). Mississippi Opera presents the comedic opera from W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan. $30 admission, $10 for students, children and active military; msopera.org.
LITERARY & SIGNINGS Events at Lemuria Books (4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 202) • “The Statue and the Fury” Nov. 9, 5 p.m. Jim Dees signs copies. Reading at 5:30 p.m. $24.95 book; call 601-366-7619; lemuriabooks.com. • “Drawing the Line” Nov. 10, 5 p.m. Marshall Ramsey signs copies. Reading at 5:30 p.m. $39.95 book; call 366-7619; lemuriabooks.com. • “Confessions of a High School Zebra” Nov. 12, 11 a.m. Kendall Smith signs copies. $14.95 book; call 601-366-7619; lemuriabooks.com. • “Atlantis Lost” Nov. 16, 5 p.m. T.A. Barron signs copies. Reading at 5:30 p.m. $17.99 book; call 601-366-7619; lemuriabooks.com. Annual Writers Program Nov. 10, 7 p.m., at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.). Authors Richard Grant and Harrison Scott Key are the speakers. $10; call 601-974-1130; millsaps.edu.
EXHIBIT OPENINGS Maker’s Jubilee Nov. 12, 10 a.m., at Thimblepress (113 N. State St.). More than 20 different Mississippi exhibitors showcase and sell handmade goods. Free admission, prices vary; call 601-351-9492; thimblepress.com.
BE THE CHANGE Dine Against Darkness Nov. 10, 6:30 p.m., at Hal & Mal’s (200 Commerce St.). The limitedlight dinner features a silent art auction. Benefits The Hard Place Community’s work to stop the child sex trade. $75; hardplaces-community.org. Check jfpevents.com for updates and more listings, or to add your own events online. You can also email event details to events@jacksonfreepress.com to be added to the calendar. The deadline is noon the Wednesday prior to the week of publication.
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
JFP-SPONSORED
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DIVERSIONS | sports by Bryan Flynn
It could be a special season for the Mississippi State University women’s basketball team. The Bulldogs return all five starters from a team that went 28-8 and won 11 SEC games. MSU reached the conference title game and the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament in one of the best seasons in school history. Unfortunately, it ended with a blowout loss to the University of Connecticut. Along with all five starters returning, MSU brings back nine letter-winners from a season ago. For the first time in school history, the media picked the Bulldogs to finish second in the SEC. How far the Bulldogs go this season will largely depend on junior guard Victoria Vivians’ play. In the preseason, she earned All-SEC honors, and last season she averaged 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. She is also a two-time winner of the Gillom Trophy. MSU is ranked in nearly every preseason poll, including No. 10 in the Associated Press Poll, No. 11 in the Amway Coaches Poll, No. 10 in the United States Basketball Writers Association Poll and No. 12 in the ESPNW poll. The expectations are going to be sky high this season for the Bulldogs, but head coach Vic Schaefer will keep this team focused. He is entering his fifth season with the Bulldogs, and he has a 90-46 record as head coach. Schaefer and the Bulldogs have a chance to make a run at the Final Four if the pieces fall just right. If he can lead MSU to the Women’s NCAA Tournament, it will be the Bulldogs’ third straight appearance and fourth straight postseason appearance overall.
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
The University of Mississippi women’s basketball team has nowhere to go but up. Last season, UM finished 10-20 overall and 2-14 in SEC play. The Rebels finished in dead last in the SEC with that record, but with four starters returning in the 2016-2017 season, the team should improve overall and in conference play. Last season’s leading scorer, junior guard Shandricka Sessom, who averaged 15.6 points per game, returns this year. She was also a finalist for the Gillom Trophy last season. The Rebels welcome transfers Chrishae Rowe and Taylor Manuel, and the team also brings in freshmen Shelby Gibson, Bree Glover and Kate Rodgers. The three players 26 helped the Rebels to a top 25 recruiting class in the nation
and the second best in the SEC. The Rebels didn’t get any love from the preseason media, as media picked them to finish last in the conference. Head coach Matt Insell will have the talent to turn things around and move this team up the standings. As he enters his fourth season with the Rebels, Insell has a 41-54 overall record. He is still looking for his first Women’s NCAA Tournament berth with UM. He did lead this team to the Women’s NIT during the 2014-2015 season. courtesy MSU Athletics
T
he women’s college basketball season tips off on Friday, Nov. 11, with a full slate of action. Most of the women’s teams in Mississippi didn’t have much success last year. Mississippi State University was the only Division I school in the state to reach the NCAA Tournament. The other five Division I schools finished with a losing record. This season, the other women’s teams are hoping to crash the NCAA Tournament or NIT, and MSU is hoping to make a deep run. The three SWAC women’s basketball teams in this season must win the conference tournament if they want to go dancing.
Victoria Vivians
Though the team is on probation for NCAA violations, it could still impact the conference with upsets. It has the potential for a trip to the Women’s NIT if things fall correctly. The University of Southern Mississippi finished in a three-way tie with Rice University and the University of Alabama, Birmingham, for eighth place in Conference USA. USM finished with a 14-16 overall record and 7-11 in C-USA. The Golden Eagles will rely on senior guard Brittanny Dinkins, who averaged 11.1 points per game last season. USM will feature guard and forward Jayla King, who averaged 7.5 points last season. Southern Miss brings in two freshman and two transfers that will help right away. Joye Lee-McNelis is entering her 13th season as head coach of the Golden Eagles. She has compiled a 192-183 record during her tenure with USM. She has never led this program to the Women’s NCAA Tournament but has taken three teams to the Women’s NIT. This team should be better than last season but may not finish as a NCAA tournament team. These Golden Eagles will have a shot at reaching the Women’s NIT. JSU looks to improve on last year’s squad, which finished 8-10 in SWAC play and 14-16 overall. This year, the Tigers will need to lean on guard Derica Wiggins. Last season, Wiggins averaged 12.2 points per game, leading the team in scoring. Head coach Surina Dixon enters her fifth season with the Tigers. She has a 5564 record as head coach with JSU but is still looking for her first postseason berth of any kind with the program. In the preseason media poll, JSU was picked to finish
in sixth place again. JSU must win the conference tournament to reach the Women’s NCAA Tournament but could earn a bid to the Women’s NIT. Alcorn State finished last season with an 11-19 overall record and tied for sixth place in the SWAC with Jackson State. The Braves won their opening game of the SWAC Tournament to Mississippi Valley State University before falling in their next game to Southern University. ASU returns center Henrietta Wells, who averaged 5.1 points, 2.9 blocks and 5.3 rebounds last season. The media named her as first-team All-SWAC and Co-Defensive Player of the Year, along with Southern University’s Cortnei Purnell. The media picked the Braves to finish fifth in the SWAC this season. Alcorn State must win the conference tournament to reach the Women’s NCAA Tournament but could earn a bid to the Women’s NIT. Mississippi Valley State finished dead last in the SWAC last season. The Delta Devils went 3-26 overall and 1-17 in SWAC play. MVSU returns guard Christina Reed, who averaged 16.5 points last season, and forward Ashley Beals, who averaged 15.5 points. Reed was selected preseason first-team AllSWAC, and Beals earned second-team All-SWAC honors. The Delta Devils welcome Jessica Kerns as the program’s fourth women’s basketball coach. She spent last season as an assistant coach at Furman University and was head coach at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2015. She finished there with a 51-65 overall record. In the preseason, the media picked MVSU to finish the season in ninth place. The Delta Devils must win the conference tournament to reach the Women’s NCAA Tournament. Even a trip to the Women’s NIT might be unlikely for this squad. Mississippi College was picked to finish last in the Gulf South Conference. This team hopes to improve on last season’s 5-20 overall record and 3-19 in conference play. Delta State University was picked to finish second the GSC this season. Last season, DSU won the conference title and returns five players from that team. Belhaven University continues to transition to the Division III and can’t win the American South Conference. Last season the team finished 8-17 overall, but this season three players were named to the ASC preseason watch-list. Millsaps College brings in former player Justin LeBlanc to lead the women’s basketball program. Last season, this program reached the title game of the Southern Athletic Association Tournament. Tougaloo College women’s basketball team finished with a 2-20 record last season and 1-11 in conference play. One area this team can improve is on the road, where they went 0-11 last season.
DIVERSIONS | music
MUSIC | live
Giving a Voice to ‘Throatless’
NOV. 9 - Wednesday
Pearson Philpot / Courtesy Argiflex
Curtis Lehr, better known as Cleveland, Miss.-based electronicmusic artist Argiflex, releases his latest album, “Throatless,” on Thursday, Nov. 10.
Argiflex, he has put out new music almost every year, starting with his debut album, “8367 Solarii,” in 2009. The writing and recording process became easier when he enrolled in the audio-engineering program at Delta State University and gained access to the studios at the Delta Music Institute. He even recorded his fourth full-length album, 2015’s “Cybersmog,” as his senior project. In December 2015, he graduated from DSU with bachelor’s degrees in both computer-information systems and audio engineering, but graduation also meant that he could no longer use the DMI’s topof-the-line technology to record “Throatless.” He knew he wouldn’t be able to track quite as many simultaneous effects with his home recording equipment, but what at first looked like a blow to his creativity soon became the pièce de résistance for his live shows.
“At my home studio, I can record 12 tracks at once, and I use 13 inputs of the mixer (live), so I just had to decide which one track to drop,” he says. “But then, I thought, ‘That would probably give the songs a little bit of variation live, bring a new element that wasn’t in the song. I think that might be interesting.’” Likewise, whereas he could patch all his hardware in at once at the DMI studios to get a more pristine sound, he couldn’t do that at home. Instead, Lehr ran a single output through his mixer to use it as a matrix, which allowed him to build effects from the ground up. All of this ultimately contributed to the dirtier, grittier sound that he brought to “Throatless.” “It’s more weight-full and heavy, a bit darker of a sound to it,” he says. “Part of that is due to the recording systems, but it’s mainly due to, I guess, wanting to make a noisier recording. With my live shows, I usually end up throwing in lots and lots of noise elements because I’m really into harsh-noise music, and those techniques are really fun to me. They can just fit into harsh, abrasive techno perfectly and can do things that you wouldn’t expect to be happening at a techno show.” Even outside of its creation, “Throatless” is a big departure for Argiflex in many ways. For one, the album is Lehr’s first release through Bedlam Tapes, a Germanybased cassette label focused on experimental electronic projects. With the support of the label, Lehr recently embarked on a 20-date tour that will take him through some of the nation’s biggest music cities, including Detroit, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, New York City, Miami, Orlando and New Orleans, all before heading back to Mississippi on Saturday, Nov. 19, for a homecoming show at Big Sleepy’s (208 W. Capitol St.), which will raise funds to help midtown venue and record store Offbeat pay licensing fees and recoup costs. “It makes me feel like it’s going to actually sell more than a handful of copies because when I’ve put stuff out in the past, I haven’t done much promotion,” he says. “I’ve just gotten everything together and been like, ‘All right, here it is!’ … Working with a label that has good affiliations with people has really gotten it out there a lot more than I could have by myself.” Argiflex’s “Throatless” is available on Thursday, Nov. 10. For more information or to purchase a copy, visit argiflex.com or bedlamtapes.bandcamp.com.
NOV. 10 - Thursday Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Duling Hall - Luke Combs w/ Jobe Fortner & Drew Parker 8 p.m. $15 advance $20 door Fitzgerald’s - Sonny Brooks & Don Grant 7:30 p.m. Georgia Blue, Flowood - Jason Turner Georgia Blue, Madison - Aaron Coker 7 p.m. Hal & Mal’s - D’Lo Trio (rest.) free; Dine Against Darkness feat. Ty Garvey 6:30 p.m. hardplacescommunity.org Iron Horse Grill - Brian Jones 6 p.m. Kathryn’s - Bill & Temperance 6:30 p.m. free Old Capitol Inn - Lee Harrington Pelican Cove - Andy & Adib 6 p.m. Shucker’s - Roadhogs 7:30 p.m. Soulshine, Flowood - The Neighbors 7 p.m. Sylvia’s - The Blues Man & Sunshine McGhee 9 p.m. free
NOV. 11 - Friday Big Sleepy’s - El Obo, Brian Hillhouse & Standard Issues 8 p.m. $5 all ages Burgers & Blues - Larry Brewer & Doug Hurd 6-10 p.m. Char - Ronnie Brown 6 p.m. CS’s - Mr. Fluid, Jaxx City, Spook & 360 Degrees 7-9 p.m. $10 F. Jones Corner - The Blues Man 10 p.m. $1; Todd Thompson & the Lucky Hand Blues Band midnight $10 Fitzgerald’s - Luckenbach (Willie Nelson Tribute) 7:30 p.m. Georgia Blue, Flowood - Shaun Patterson Georgia Blue, Madison - Ryan Phillips Hal & Mal’s - Bill & Temperance (rest.) 7-10 p.m. free; Silas w/ Aha Gazelle, devMaccc, Clouds & Crayons, Cord Short & Flywalker 8 p.m. $10 The Hideaway - Diesel 255 9 p.m. $10
NOV. 12 - Saturday 2331 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive - 3rd Eye Music Fest feat. Sir Flywalker, Briar Lunar, devMaccc, J. Skyy, D. Horton & more 2 p.m.-midnight $12.50 one-day $20.50 two-day
Shucker’s - Acoustic Crossroads 3:30 p.m. free; Hunter & the Gators 8 p.m. $5; Todd Smith 10 p.m. free WonderLust - Drag Performance & Dance Party feat. DJ Taboo 8 p.m. free before 10 p.m.
NOV. 13 - Sunday 2331 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive 3rd Eye Music Fest feat. Alfred Banks, Alexander Fre$co, Willi B., Red Planet & more 3-11 p.m. $12.50 one-day $20.50 two-day Char - Big Easy Three 11 a.m.; Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Duling Hall - TAUK w/ The JAG 6:30 p.m. $12 advance $15 door Fenian’s - Emerald Accent 2-5 p.m. The Hideaway - Mike & Marty’s Jam Session Kathryn’s - The Sole Shakers 6 p.m. free Millsaps College - MS Youth Symphony Orchestra Fall Concert 3 p.m. $5 Pelican Cove - Andy Henderson 11 a.m.; Hunter Gibson & Ronnie McGee (Dueling Pianos) 4 p.m. Shucker’s - The Chill 3:30 p.m. free Wellington’s - Andy Hardwick 11 a.m.
NOV. 14 - Monday
Briar Lunar Big Sleepy’s - Ghost Bones, Surfwax, Table Manners & Mammoth Cannon 8 p.m. $5 F. Jones Corner - Big Money Mel & Small Change Wayne 10 p.m. $1; Sorrento Ussery midnight $10 Fenian’s - Mark Taylor 9 p.m. Georgia Blue, Flowood - Larry Brewer 6:30 p.m. Georgia Blue, Madison - Jim Tomlinson Hal & Mal’s - J&T Duo 7-10 p.m. The Hideaway - Pop Fiction 9 p.m. $10 Iron Horse Grill - Bill Abel 9 p.m. Kathryn’s - Rhythm Masters 7 p.m. free Lucky Town Brewing Co. - Shady Dirt 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Martin’s - Honey Island Swamp Band 10 p.m. Ole Tavern - Guitar Daddy & the Hurricanes 9 p.m. Pelican Cove - Barry Leach 6 p.m. Pop’s Saloon - Chase Tyler Band Reed Pierce’s, Byram - Hired Guns 9 p.m. free
11/10 - Waka Flocka - Republic NOLA 11/10 - HELLYEAH - House of Blues, Biloxi 11/11 - Josh Turner - IP Casino, Resort & Spa, Biloxi 11/12 - Dweezil Zappa - Tipitina’s, New Orleans 11/13 - Grouplove - House of Blues, New Orleans
Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Hal & Mal’s - Central MS Blues Society (rest) 7 p.m. Kathryn’s - Joseph LaSalla 7 p.m. free
Nov. 15 - Tuesday Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Duling Hall - MS Opera’s “The Mikado” 7:30 p.m. $30 Fenian’s - Open Mic Fitzgerald’s - Larry Brewer 7:30 p.m. Kathryn’s - Andrew Pates 6:30 p.m. free MS Museum of Art - Angela Willoughby 5:15 p.m. free
Nov. 16 - Wednesday Big Sleepy’s - PWR BTTM w/ Bellows & Lisa Prank 8 p.m. $10 advance $12 door all ages Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Fitzgerald’s - Sonny Brooks, Andrew Pates & Jay Wadsworth 7:30 p.m. Kathryn’s - Gator Trio 6:30 p.m. Kemistry - Open Mic Night 9 p.m. 601-665-2073 Old Capitol Inn - Brian Jones Pelican Cove - Stevie Cain 6 p.m. Shucker’s - Lovin Ledbetter 7:30 p.m. free
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
W
hen producer Curtis Lehr first began making electronic music in 2009, it was an experiment in limitations, as he was relegated to a few sample loops on free recording software. For his latest studio project, “Throatless,” scheduled for release Thursday, Nov. 10, he faced limitations of a different kind. This time, however, they helped drive his music down a new creative path, he says. Since Lehr launched his career as Cleveland, Miss.-based electronic artist
Char - Tommie Vaughn 6 p.m. Fitzgerald’s - Johnny Crocker 7:30 p.m. Hal & Mal’s - New Bourbon Street Jazz free Kathryn’s - Larry Brewer & Doug Hurd 6:30 p.m. free Kemistry - Open Mic Night 9 p.m. 601-665-2073 Old Capitol Inn - Ronnie Brown Pelican Cove - Jonathan Alexander 6 p.m. Shucker’s - Acoustic Crossroads 7:30 p.m. free
Iron Horse Grill - Kern Pratt 9 p.m. Kathryn’s - Acoustic Crossroads 7 p.m. free Martin’s - George Porter Jr. & His Runnin’ Pardners 10 p.m. Old Capitol Inn - Jessie Howell Ole Tavern - Nellie Mack 9 p.m. $5 Pelican Cove - Steele Heart 6 p.m. Reed Pierce’s, Byram - Chasin’ Dixie 9 p.m. free Shucker’s - Andrew Pates 5:30 p.m. free; Hunter & the Gators 8 p.m. $5; Chad Perry 10 p.m. free Soul Wired Cafe - Taurean la’Del & Christina Gillespie 9 p.m. $10 Soulshine, Flowood - Southern Grass 7 p.m. Soulshine, Ridgeland - Andy Tanas 7 p.m. Town of Livingston - The Molly Ringwalds 5:30 p.m. $15-$100 WonderLust - DJ Taboo 8 p.m.
Courtesy Briar Lunar
by Micah Smith
Music listings are due noon Monday to be included in print and online listings: music@jacksonfreepress.com.
27
BY MATT JONES
down in 2016) 46 Frittata necessity 48 Some scans, for short 49 Anti-smoking ad, e.g. 52 Nonproductive 54 Devices that capture audio of fight scenes? 58 What people throw their four-color 1980s electronic games down? 60 Trainee’s excuse 61 Reed or Rawls 62 Australia’s ___ Beach 63 Rival of Aetna 64 Joule fragment 65 Princess in the Comedy Central series “Drawn Together” 66 NFL Network anchor Rich
34 “We’ll tak a ___ kindness ... “: Robert Burns 35 Carnivore’s diet 36 Drug that can cause flashbacks 37 Beehive State college athlete 41 “Get the picture?” 42 Favorable response to weather, say 47 1990s GM model 48 Eyelashes, anatomically 49 Engine knocks 50 Movie snippet 51 Dam site on the Nile 52 Spot in the sea
53 New Look fashion designer 54 Mil. absentee 55 WWE wrestler John 56 “Sorry, but I’m skipping your novella of an article,” in Internet shorthand 57 2002, in film credits 59 “This Is Us” network ©2016 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@ jonesincrosswords.com)
Last Week’s Answers
For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800 655-6548. Reference puzzle #797.
Down
“I’ll Do It Myself, Thanks” —there’s no us involved here. Across
1 Light purple shade 6 ___ d’art 11 “Whatever” reaction 14 “Let It Go” singer Menzel 15 Box spring supporters 16 Schubert’s “___ Maria” 17 Francis-can, these days? 18 “The Grapes of Wrath” extra who’s extra-sweet? 20 Where many seaside tourist pictures are taken? 22 Round-ending sound 23 Distress signal that’s also palindromic in Morse code
24 Costar of Bea, Estelle, and Betty 25 Dart in one direction 26 Satirist’s specialty 27 Kaplan of “Welcome Back, Kotter” 30 Served like sashimi 33 Home delivery of frozen drugs? 36 Fly fisherman’s fly 38 2006 Winter Olympics city 39 Hard to capture 40 Highway center strip that’s always been loyal and trustworthy? 43 “Chappie” star ___ Patel 44 Big steps for young companies, for short 45 ___ Tech (for-profit school that shut
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November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
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28
1 ___, Inc. (“Funkytown” band) 2 Snake River Plain locale 3 Some cosmetic surgeries, for short 4 Art study subj. 5 Dieter’s measurement 6 “Do the Right Thing” actor Davis 7 IBM’s color 8 NHL All-Star Jaromir 9 Greek vowels 10 Co. that introduced Dungeons & Dragons 11 What 7-Down and yellow do 12 Dastardly 13 Plantar fasciitis affects it 19 Kimono accessory 21 Palindromic 2015 Chris Brown song 25 “Your Moment of ___” (“The Daily Show” feature) 26 One of the five W’s 27 Hand sanitizer targets 28 Quebecoise girlfriend 29 The Frito ___ (old ad mascot) 31 2006 movie set in Georgia 32 Another of the five W’s 33 One way to carry coffee to work
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BY MATT JONES Last Week’s Answers
“Kaidoku”
Each of the 26 letters of the alphabet is represented in this grid by a number between 1 and 26. Using letter frequency, word-pattern recognition and the numbers as your guides, fill in the grid with well-known English words (HINT: since a Q is always followed by a U, try hunting down the Q first). Only lowercase, unhyphenated words are allowed in kaidoku, so you won’t see anything like STOCKHOLM or LONG-LOST in here (but you might see AFGHAN, since it has an uncapitalized meaning, too). Now stop wasting my precious time and SOLVE! psychosudoku@gmail.com
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
“Don’t be someone that searches, finds and then runs away,” advises novelist Paulo Coelho. I’m tempted to add this caveat: “Don’t be someone that searches, finds, and then runs away—unless you really do need to run away for a while to get better prepared for the reward you have summoned ... and then return to fully embrace it.” After studying the astrological omens, Scorpio, I’m guessing you can benefit from hearing this information.
Go ahead and howl a celebratory “goodbye!” to any triviality that has distracted you from your worthy goals, to any mean little ghost that has shadowed your good intentions and to any faded fantasy that has clogged up the flow of your psychic energy. I also recommend that you whisper “welcome!” to open secrets that have somehow remained hidden from you, to simple lessons you haven’t been simple enough to learn before now and to breathtaking escapes you have only recently earned. P.S.: You are authorized to refer to the coming weeks as a watershed.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Musician and visual artist Brian Eno loves to dream up innovative products. In 2006, he published a DVD called “77 Million Paintings,” which uses technological trickery to generate 77 million different series of images. To watch the entire thing would take 9,000 years. In my opinion, it’s an interesting but gimmicky novelty—not particularly deep or meaningful. During the next nine months, Capricorn, I suggest that you attempt a far more impressive feat: a richly complex creation that will provide you with growth-inducing value for years to come.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Do you know about the Lords of Shouting? According to Christian and Jewish mythology, they’re a gang of 15.5 million angels that greet each day with vigorous songs of praise and blessing. Most people are too preoccupied with their own mind chatter to pay attention to them, let alone hear their melodious offerings. But I suspect you may be an exception to that rule in the coming weeks. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you’ll be exceptionally alert for and receptive to glad tidings. You may be able to spot opportunities that others are blind to, including the chants of the Lords of Shouting and many other potential blessings. Take advantage of your aptitude!
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Greenland sharks live a long time—up to 400 years, according to researchers at the University of Copenhagen. The females of the species don’t reach sexual maturity until they’re 150. I wouldn’t normally compare you Pisceans to these creatures, but my reading of the astrological omens suggests that the coming months will be a time when at long last you will reach your full sexual ripeness. It’s true that you’ve been capable of generating new human beings for quite some time. But your erotic wisdom has lagged behind. Now that’s going to change. Your ability to harness your libidinous power will soon start to increase. As it does, you’ll gain new access to primal creativity.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Now and then you display an excessive egotism that pushes people away. But during the next six weeks you will have an excellent chance to shed some of that tendency, even as you build more of the healthy pride that attracts help and support. So be alert for a steady flow of intuitions that will instruct you on how to elude overconfidence and instead cultivate more of the warm, radiant charisma that is your birthright. You came here to planet Earth not just to show off your bright beauty, but also to wield it as a source of inspiration and motivation for those whose lives you touch.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
“How often I found where I should be going only by setting out for somewhere else,” said inventor Buckminster Fuller. I don’t fully endorse that perspective. For example, when I said goodbye to North Carolina with the intention to make northern California my new home, northern California is exactly where I ended up and stayed. Having said that, however, I suspect that the coming months could be one of those times when Fuller’s
formula applies to you. Your ultimate destination may turn out to be different from your original plan. But here’s the tricky part: If you do want to eventually be led to the situation that’s right for you, you have to be specific about setting a goal that seems right for now.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
If you were an obscenely rich plutocrat, you might have a pool table on your super yacht. And to ensure that you and your buddies could play pool even in a storm that rocked your boat, you would have a special gyroscopic instrument installed to keep your pool table steady and stable. But I doubt you have such luxury at your disposal. You’re just not that wealthy or decadent. You could have something even better, however: metaphorical gyroscopes that will keep you steady and stable as you navigate your way through unusual weather. Do you know what I’m referring to? If not, meditate on the three people or influences that might best help you stay grounded. Then make sure you snuggle up close to those people and influences during the next two weeks.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
The coming weeks will be a good time to fill your bed with rose petals and sleep with their aroma caressing your dreams. You should also consider the following acts of intimate revolution: listening to sexy spiritual flute music while carrying on scintillating conversations with interesting allies ... sharing gourmet meals in which you and your sensual companions use your fingers to slowly devour your delectable food ... dancing naked in semi-darkness as you imagine your happiest possible future. Do you catch my drift, Cancerian? You’re due for a series of appointments with savvy bliss and wild splendor.
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Post an ad, call 601-362-6121, ext. 11 or fax to 601-510-9019. Deadline: Mondays at Noon.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
“I have always wanted ... my mouth full of strange sunlight,” writes Leo poet Michael Dickman in his poem “My Honeybee.” In another piece, while describing an outdoor scene from childhood, he innocently asks, “What kind of light is that?” Elsewhere he confesses, “What I want more than anything is to get down on paper what the shining looks like.” In accordance with the astrological omens, Leo, I suggest you follow Dickman’s lead in the coming weeks. You will receive soulful teachings if you pay special attention to both the qualities of the light you see with your eyes and the inner light that wells up in your heart.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
The Passage du Gois is a 2.8-mile causeway that runs between the western French town of Beauvoir-sur-Mer and the island of Noirmoutier in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s only usable twice a day when the tide goes out, and even then for just an hour or two. The rest of the time, it’s under water. If you hope to walk or bike or drive across, you must accommodate yourself to nature’s rhythms. I suspect there’s a metaphorically similar phenomenon in your life, Virgo. To get to where you want to go next, you can’t necessarily travel exactly when you feel like it. The path will be open and available for brief periods. But it will be open and available.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Modern toilet paper appeared in 1901, when a company in Green Bay, Wisc., began to market “sanitary tissue” to the public. The product had a small problem, however. Since the manufacturing process wasn’t perfect, wood chips sometimes remained embedded in the paper. It was not until 1934 that the product was offered as officially “splinter-free.” I mention this, Libra, because I suspect that you are not yet in the splinter-free phase of the promising possibility you’re working on. Keep at it. Hold steady. Eventually you’ll purge the glitches.
Homework: Compare the person you are now with who you were two years ago. Make a list of three important differences. Testify at Freewillastrology.com.
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
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WEDNESDAY 11/9
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Thursday, November 10
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DINE AGAINST DARKNESS Music by
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jobe fortner & drew parker his third EP, This One’s for You, peaked at no. 5 on the itunes country albums chart
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Friday, November 11 UT LD O
Dinner Benefit & Art Auction
D’LO TRIO
SO
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MAC MCANALLY
THE SECOND LEG OF THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED
COMES TO JACKSON, MS! Starring Also performing: devMaccc + Special Guests Clouds & Crayons Cord Short, FlyWalker
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Red Room - Doors 8pm - Show 9pm Admission is $10 at the door until 10pm . Inflation Afterward Limited $5 Early Bird Tix Available Also $20 VIP (includes Meet & Greet and admission to the Jack Daniels Interactive Lounge)
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November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
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will kimbrough
Sunday, November 13 TAUK the jag
all-instrumental blend of funk, hip-hop, progressive rock & jazz
Friday, November 18
BETH MCKEE’S
SWAMP SISTAS SONGWRITERS CIRCLE lynn drury, bronwynne brent & holley peel women of all ages and stages, sharing songs and stories, often joining in on one another’s tunes
Wednesday, November 23
MONDAY 11/14
BLUE MONDAY Restaurant - 7 - 10pm
Thursday, December 15
WHISKEY MYERS scooter brown
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2 Professional Parkway, Ste A Ridgeland, (601)307-5008 Your friendly source for mortgage advice and service in FHA, USDA, VA, Jumbo and conventional mortgages.
------------------- FOOD/DRINK/GIFTS ------------------Beckham Jewelry
4800 N Hwy 55 #35, Jackson, (601)665-4642 With over 20 years experience Beckham Jewelry, manufactures, repairs and services all types of jewelry. Many repairs can be done the same day! They also offer full-service watch and clock repair.
Fondren Cellars
633 Duling Ave, Jackson, (769)216-2323 Quality wines and spirits in a relaxed environment. Voted Best Wine and Liquor store by Jackson Free Press readers.
Nandy’s Candy
Maywood Mart, 1220 E Northside Dr #380, Jackson, (601)362-9553 Small batch confections do more than satisfy a sweet tooth, they foster fond traditions and strong relationships. Plus, enjoy sno-balls, gifts for any occasion and more!
McDade’s Wine
Maywood Mart, 1220 E Northside Dr #320, Jackson, (601)366-5676 McDade’s Wine and Spirits offers Northeast Jackson’s largest showroom of fine wine and spirits. Visit to learn about the latest offerings and get professional tips from the friendly staff!
Playtime Entertainment
1009 Hampstead Blvd, Clinton, (601)926-1511 Clinton’s newest high energy video gaming and sports grille destination.
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"EST "AR s Best Open Mic Best College Student Hangout bestofjackson.com
-------------------- TOURISM/ARTS ----------------------380 South Lamar St. Jackson, (601) 960-1515 MMA strives to be a fountainhead attracting people from all walks to discuss the issues and glories of the past and present, while continuing to inspire progress in the future.
Ardenland
2906 North State St. Suite 207, Jackson, (601) 292-7121 Jackson’s premiere music promoter with concerts around the Metro including at Duling Hall in Fondren. www.ardenland.net
Natural Science Museum
2148 Riverside Dr, Jackson, (601) 576-6000 Stop by the museum and enjoy their 300-acre natural landscape, an open-air amphitheater, along with 2.5 miles of nature trails. Inside, meet over 200 living species in the 100,000 gallon aquarium network.
% &ORTIl CATION 3T s www.fenianspub.com
2145 Museum Boulevard, Jackson, (601) 981-5469 The Mississippi Children’s Museum provides unparalleled experiences that ignite a thirst for discovery, knowledge and learning in all children through hands-on and engaging exhibits and programs focusing on literacy, the arts, science, health and nutrition.
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Mississippi Children's Museum
November 9 - 15, 2016 • jfp.ms
Mississippi Museum of Art
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