v18n26 - The JFP Interview with Mike Espy

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contents

JACKSONIAN

August 19 - September 1, 2020 • Vol. 18 No. 26

ON THE COVER Mike Espy Photo courtesy Mike Espy

4 Editor’s Note 6 Talks

6 When Schools Close

A

s wind prepared to whip torrential rains across the pavement outside, Frederick “Rick” Melcancon sat in a Baton Rouge bookstore signing copies of his work, “Book of Lost Innocence.” The year was 2005. And Katrina had come calling. Upon word of a possible interstate closure, the New Orleans native rushed from the signing to retrieve his belongings.

“There I was stuck with a box of books and no (extra) clothes,” Melancon recalls.

He eventually connected with family in Slidell after traveling Louisiana backroads as the storm neared. Seeking refuge, Melancon made his way to the Jackson area, where he presently lives and serves as an instructor in Hinds Community College’s English Department, teaching English reading and composition as well as creative writing.

Melcanon’s own personal education journey began with an undergraduate stint at the University of New Orleans, where he received a bachelor’s degree in English in 2004. During this time, he lived with his grandfather following his grandmother’s passing.

“I took care of him, and I suppose he took care of me. It was a wistful experience,” Melcancon says.

The recent graduate next enrolled in Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, La., where he earned his Master of Arts

10 opinion 12 Espy Interview

Frederick Melancon in Teaching in 2007. Later returning to Mississippi, Melancon received a master’s degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2015.

He served as a visiting instructor with Mississippi College before beginning his tenure with Hands in the fall of 2016. Since then, Melancon, 40, has honed his skills as an educator, adopting a hands-on approach to helping students, many of whom come from different ends of the economic spectrum, he says.

“I give the best (instruction) I can no matter the difference,” he says. “I’m meeting many kids who don’t feel confident in their English skills. I like to walk them through step-by-step what they can improve upon by holding the rubric alongside their paper rough draft. ‘Why did you start your paper that way?’ I’ll ask them.”

The instructor also takes the time to read his students’ drafts aloud so that they can hear how their words sound and work to make improvements.

“They must understand the power of their words and how that sounds,” he adds. “Most writers are in reality in a better place than they think they are. I connect with students that way.”

Melancon has been married to Dr. Kristi Richard-Melancon, since 2008, and the two have an 8-year-old daughter, Nora.

– Mike McDonald

16 Green Bean Kenya MomPremier opens a new shop in downtown Jackson offering pour-over coffee, cold-pressed juices and more.

17 events 18 sports 19 Music 20 Puzzle 20 Sorensen 21 astro 21 Classifieds

23 JFP ‘Class Clown’ Read and learn about JFP freelancer and hobbyist filmmaker Sarah Kate Pollard.

August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

courtesy Frederick Melancon

JPS closed eight schools.

What happens to the properties going forward?

3

publisher’s note

by Todd Stauffer, Publisher

S

o it turns out that Albert Einstein didn’t say: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Rita Mae Brown wrote it in 1983, but somebody decided old Al should get the credit.

However, its disputed origin doesn’t make the phrase any less appropriate in light of how Gov. Tate Reeves is managing the coronavirus crisis.

In the first two weeks of August in Mississippi, an average of 848 people per day tested positive for COVID-19, and about 28 people died each day from it.

It’s the highest two-week average we’ve seen. Throughout it, medical professionals have alerted us to the foreseeable strain these numbers have put on our already inadequate health-care system.

During these two weeks, Tate Reeves has dawdled over whether the entire state

August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

You wanted the job, and I assume you’re cashing the paycheck.

4

should have a mask mandate. He’s struggled with when schools should reopen.

He watched the Mississippi Legislature override his July 9 vetoes of education funding for 2020-21, which mean that, here in the month they’re supposed to be opening for the fall, the schools actually have budgets.

Now, as Ashton Pittman reported in the Mississippi Free Press, hundreds of students and teachers have tested positive for COVID-19, and thousands have been quarantined with the school year barely underway.

This pandemic is a crisis—a health crisis and an economic crisis. During a crisis, elected officials need to be agile and decisive. Leaders take in new information quickly and then make bold decisions based on it.

Unfortunately, Reeves has stayed behind the curve and done the minimum possible at every opportunity. The only principle he seems to be following during this crisis is, “Will it make Donald Trump happy?”

And he does it over and over again, expecting a different outcome.

Gov. Reeves knew the threat to Mis-

sissippi hospitals when he implemented one of the most liberal reopening plans of any U.S. state in late May. As with Florida and Texas, Mississippi has paid for its governor’s lack of clarity and decisiveness—on bars, masks, mass gatherings— and sending public-school kids back to crowded school buildings.

Last week, two of our top medical officials said it makes sense to put off school until after Labor Day.

Dr. Thomas Dobbs has said that returning to “traditional” classroom environments is “wholly unacceptable,” as the Sun Herald reported, and that he expects cases to “take off again” with schools and colleges opening up.

Reeves likes to say that nobody saw the big numbers coming in July and August when he opened the state up in late May. But, you know, some of us did.

We’ve been harping on this at the JFP for quite some time, listening to scientists and medical experts. I’m sure that some of y’all out there feel the same way.

Here’s the deal—COVID-19 isn’t just going away. There is no vaccine or cure, yet. The virus is considerably more infectious and deadly than influenza— and, in a disturbing number of cases, it has lasting negative effects on people who survive it.

We social distance primarily to slow the spread of the virus so that fewer people end up in the hospital with it. As we’ve seen this summer, it’s not an exaggeration to say that COVID-19 can take over our hospitals’ regular and ICU capacity, threatening the health of both the virus’ victims and other patients who need care.

If the governor wanted to lead, he

AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

Gov. Reeves, Stop the Insanity

Gov. Tate Reeves has opted to open public schools without the testing and contract tracing that might make it work.

would have talked to legislative leaders in June about how to fund and plan to open schools and colleges virtually this fall until we could test and contact-trace all students and teachers as we moved to in-person classes. We should only open with the best science and strategy.

Instead, he did the same thing he’s been doing—kicked the can down the road—hoping for a different result.

Unfortunately that result seems to be the same one Donald Trump keeps hoping for: magic.

Reeves didn’t make that high-level education decision in June. In the first two weeks of August, Reeves couldn’t even pull the trigger on the decision to postpone public-school openings until after Labor Day, as called for by Mississippi’s top health professionals.

So, Mississippi will likely find itself back in the same place it often finds itself:

contributors

Kayode Crown

Bryan Flynn

Torsheta Jackson

City Reporter Kayode Crown recently came to Mississippi from Nigeria where he earned a post-graduate diploma in journalism and was a journalist for 10 years. He likes rock music and has fallen in love with the beautiful landscapes in Jackson. He wrote about school closures.

Bryan Flynn is nearly a lifelong Mississippian, who has freelanced for the JFP since 2010. When not watching or writing about sports, he can be found working on some type of home brew.

He lives in Jackson.

Freelance writer Torsheta Jackson is originally from Shuqualak, Miss. A wife and mother of four, she freelances and is a certified lactation counselor. She wrote the food story on Kenya MomPremier and her new coffee shop, Green Bean.

underfunded, overwhelmed and unprepared for what happens next.

If we’re incredibly lucky, we’ll have effective vaccines in 2021. In the meantime, the virus is still there. We don’t have contract tracing. We don’t have universal testing. We have distancing guidelines, masks and the awareness that prolonged indoor gatherings of people from different households almost guarantees infections, as we’re regularly seeing now.

Right now, Tate Reeves should be leading the discussion on education alternatives, not spending his time on “MAGA” politicking and football.

We need leadership on education and special education. We need leadership on health care (actually expanding Medicaid a few years back is looking awfully good right now), on prison reform (too many people in jails and prisons who don’t need to be there are getting COVID-19), on unemployment and reemployment. We need to get people PPE, tests, food, shelter and so much more.

Governor, I know it’s a slower-moving crisis than a hurricane, which means that taking helicopter rides and overseeing development boondoggles won’t work this time. And I know that the leader of your political party is an unprincipled man-child who admits that “it is what it is” when thousands and thousands of Americans die on his watch. So maybe he’s not the best example to follow.

You wanted the job, and I assume you’re cashing the paycheck. It’s time to step up and make some decisions, especially the tough ones, and start saving more lives in the state you govern.

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August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

Summer Sips

5

news,

cu l

storytelling & re, ir tu

“Oklahoma did it, Missouri did it, other states are now doing it. I think we’re the third domino to fall.

I really do,” see page 12.

TALK JXN

— Mike Espy on Medicaid expansion, Aug. 12

@jxnfreepress

@jacksonfreepress

@jxnfreepress

ce eren rev

When Schools Close Down in Jackson

by Kayode Crown

August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

6

Decision To Close Schools

In 2018, the Jackson Public School District’s leadership decided to close George Elementary and three other elementary schools in the city: Brown, French and Woodville Heights.

The reasons included aging buildings, school architecture design and a decline in student enrollment.

The district chose to shutter schools with 200 students or fewer that needed costly infrastructure repairs.

“Although enrollment at Woodville Heights Elementary was over 300 students, (a) study revealed the school needs some expensive improvements,” Jackson Public School District Executive Director of Public Engagement Sherwin Johnson said in a statement. “The school was built in 1969, and repair and renovation costs were projected at close to $4 million.”

“With the corridors located outside of the main building, the school’s design presents some unique challenges. Students must go outside each time they transfer from class-to-class and to the cafeteria.

Kayode Crown

Q

uinyetta Kinner was sad when George Elementary School on Hunter Street in Jackson closed in 2018. She attended the school from pre-kindergarten until the 5th grade and has a lot of fond memories of friendships she formed that have lasted to this day. “I wish they reopen it,” she told the Jackson Free Press.

Kinner shared what the school meant to her while admitting that it was not in the best structural shape.

“I learned a lot about myself. People picked on me, and I found out that I am stronger than I thought. I learned a lot. It was a great environment there,” she said.

But the building was in bad shape, she added, “like the painting slipping off the walls. It really was that bad.”

Kinner will resume this fall at Hinds Community College, studying for an associate degree in psychology to become a social worker. Earlier this year, she graduated from Jim Hill High School in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quinyetta Kinner lives near George Elementary School,1020 Hunter St., where she was a kindergarten and elementary school student.

The school closed in 2018.

The school’s students now attend Bates, Oak Forest and Timberlawn Elementary Schools.”

JXN Fantasy Football Team Names

In 2020, the school district decided to close another set of schools. In January the JPS board voted unanimously to close

Siwell Road Middle School in south Jackson, moving the students to Cardozo Middle School. Hardy Middle School

The coming of fall usually brings the start of football season along with it. However, with so many conferences cancelling or postponing their 2020 seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities to watch Mississippi teams play are fewer than ever. Nevertheless, football fans can still have some fun pondering fantasy football names to give their teams for when sports safely return to normalcy. Here are some Jackson-themed team name ideas that we came up with that you are free to consider.

Eudora Welty Wombats

LeFleur’s Bluff Bears

Lakeland Leopards

Governor’s Mansion Gators

Medgar Evers Manta Rays

Alamo Alpacas

Sun ‘N’ Sand Serpents

Smith Robertson Rhinos

Convention Capybaras

Ag Museum Stags

Old Capitol Caterpillars

Farish Falcons

students moved to Blackburn Middle School. Barr Elementary School will also close down.

Ward 4 Councilman De’Keither Stamps told Jackson Free Press that many of the closed schools lie in his ward: Siwell Road Middle School, Woodville Heights Elementary School, Hardy Middle School, Van Winkle Elementary School and French Elementary School.

Discrimination in Ward 4?

Councilman Stamps, who brought a resolution against classism in June to the Jackson City Council, regarded the preponderance of school closures in his ward as discrimination.

“Where is the bulk of the population in this city? The bulk of the people live in south Jackson, so where are all the schools being closed in south Jackson?” Stamps asked the council. “It’s just that the bulk of the people living in south Jackson are of a different socioeconomic condition than most of Jackson.”

Pointing at Siwell Middle School, he said the district’s little-reported action some years ago to move the International Baccalaureate program from the school caused some parents to withdraw their children. That, in turn, contributed to population decline, which became the reason for closing the school.

IB offers specialized courses to students

there is a problem,” Stamps added.

Ward 2 Councilman Melvin V. Priester Jr. empathized with Stamps but added that the school closure was unavoidable.

“This has been a very touchy subject.

It is always painful to close a school, but I think the (financial) numbers of the situation did not leave JPS much choice but to shut some of these facilities,” Priester said.

“I have got to have faith in the superintendent and the school board. I know they did not make this decision lightly.

“These decisions came out of trying to address the financial reality that our student population has decreased and trying to deal with the financial reality of needing to focus on putting money where we get the most return on our dollar. We have shed a sizable number of students over the last couple of years, so we need to focus on where the kids are right now.”

Priester commented at the council meeting on the impact of closing schools on the surrounding communities.

“There are varieties of impacts; the schools are believed to hold the neighborhoods and the communities together,” Priester said.

“So the decision about which facilities to close, part of it was made by looking at, there are fewer kids going to this school, we can shift these facilities over to these schools that are not that far away, but there is a real hole left,” the Ward 2 Councilman added.

hard decisions around schools, Siwell was about half full, and Cardozo had a newer building, less maintenance need, and we were able to bring the two together and still have room for growth.”

Sivak agreed that the district needs to have a plan for the eight closed school buildings, which could become blight, much as the former Southwest Jackson YMCA facility and grounds in a residential neighborhood on Flowers Drive became in south Jackson after it closed in 2006.

“I have shared with the superintendent that we need to have a plan over the next year for not just Siwell but all. We closed eight schools, and we need a plan for all,” he said. “They are community assets; just because there are no students there does not mean that it can’t be something else.”

At that time, Stamps emphasized that those abandoned buildings can allow crimes to fester if not put to use, while declaring that he will want to work with the school district on a new use plan for them.

“If we don’t have a plan for such assets, crimes definitely have a plan, I will like to work with you through, specifically, the schools in my ward,” he said. “We definitely have a lot of community support behind doing something productive with those facilities. If it takes partnering with people (that is what we should do) to prevent the empty building falling into wrong use.”

Stamps proposed putting security Kayode Crown

Siwell Road Middle School at 1983 N. Siwell Road in Jackson closed earlier this year. It is now the site of an ongoing action film production .

and can boost college admission prospects.

“The population was increasing before (they took) the IB program out. All of these happened because of the action of the school district,” the councilman said.

Stamps, however, sees something good possibly coming out of the situation.

“I believe with the leadership of Jackson Public Schools District and the community leaders we have, we can work together to save the schools (and move them) towards something beneficial to the district and the community,” the councilman said.

“Schools are the centerpiece of neighborhoods; neighborhoods are built around schools. When you take the school out,

Community Assets or Blight?

“Whenever we close a school it is a hard decision. (But) there are physical realities we have to face,” Jackson Public School District Vice President Edward Sivak told the city council in July.

Sivak said that the decline in school population led to the inevitable closure of some schools.

“When we were (provided money for) the school district budget (in 2017), it was about $207 million. The budget we just passed is $185 million, and that is a function of families moving out of the city—10% decrease in three years,” he said.

“The reality was (that) we have to make

measures in place around the abandoned schools until they are put to better use.

“An empty facility is not good. Crimes, vagrancy have a plan for it especially when it is not secured, not having constant security all day or night,” he said.

School Impact on Real Estate

The city council also talked in that July meeting about the impact of the closing buildings on the real-estate values in that part of the city. Stamps and Ward 5 Councilman and Council President Aaron Banks, said proposed real-estate expansion around some of the schools took a hit when they closed down.

“I do think it is a failure when we don’t engage the real-estate community and the business community,” Banks said. “I hope that there is a way that you reconsider the closing on some of these schools.”

Experts agree that public schools in an area have an impact on the price of properties, which in turn affects the property tax, and, therefore, the overall resources coming to the city.

“Conventional wisdom tells us there are many factors people use when determining where to buy a home,” National Director of Real Estate Education Toby Schifsky wrote at kapre.com.

“The school district or even a specific school within a district can drive demand for a particular area. Ask any real-estate agent you know, and they will confirm that having strong schools and an overall strong district can affect home prices by as much as 10 percent over a neighboring district.”

He said that with desirable schools, surrounding houses hold their values better even when there is a market downturn, appreciate more in good times and the impact of a good school district on a property can be thousands of dollars.

“I educate people all the time, ‘You need to look at supporting and maintaining a good school district much like you would the maintenance of the roof or siding on your house,” he said. “If not, both will significantly affect the value of your home.”

Sam DeBord is a realtor and managing broker of The Seattle Homes Group with Coldwell Banker Danforth. “We’ve always known that good schools attract families with school-age children, but recent statistics add concrete numbers and surprising trends to the storyline,” he said at realtor. com. “The domestic home-buying population also clearly values the right school. A 2013 realtor.com survey of nearly 1,000 prospective home buyers showed that 91 percent said school boundaries were important in their search.”

Property value holds better with good school districts, he reiterated.

“Buyers are also willing to put their money where their mouths are. One out of five home buyers said they would pay six to 10 percent above their budget for the right school,” he said. “One out of 10 would double that to 20 percent.”

It therefore goes without saying that if schools close down, that might affect the value of the houses.

Repurposing Old Schools

Ward 2 Councilman Priester said that the abandoned schools could serve other purposes.

“I do support the goal of trying to see if we can repurpose some of these build-

August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

State

7

TALK JXN

city

JPD Officers Indicted for Murder Present for Earlier Shootings

by Kayode Crown and Donna Ladd requesting the identities and details of those cases, resulting in a months-long debate in a series of task-force meetings.

The cache of documents the JFP received in January 2019 showed that two of the three officers now indicted for Robinson’s murder were present for previous officer-involved shootings in the previous 14 months.

The City released records to the Jackson Free Press showing that JPD internal-affairs investigators exonerated Precinct 4 Officer Anthony Veasey in two of three separate shootings.

Both Lampley and Barney, now indicted in the George Robinson beating and death, were involved in both the incidents involved Veasey.

On the night of Nov. 15, 2017, Veasey along with other officers, were conducting an “administrative checkpoint” in two spots near James Garfield Circle and Abraham Lincoln

Mikelle Bracey, 24, drove his car through a checkpoint, police say, hitting an officer’s flashlight with his rear-view mirror. With police in pursuit, he ran into a grassy embankment. He then got out and ran, with Veasey close behind.

police officers from the previous yearand-a-half since Lumumba took office, after many months of this newspaper

Several officers said Bracey was holding either a black or a silver item, or a gun, in his hand, depending on the officer

courtesy Kimberly Sweet

O

n Jan. 13, 2019, three Jackson police officers were sweeping the Washington Addition looking for a murder suspect when they saw George Robinson, 62, in his car, then pulled him out and started beating him in the head, including with a flashlight, witnesses said then. Within two days, he was dead from head trauma. Then on Jan. 23, 2019, Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart ruled the death a homicide with the autopsy showing bluntforce-trauma to the head.

At the time, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba refused to name the three under investigation for Robinson’s beating and death, making it clear that his new policy on identifying officers involved in shootings did not apply to those involved in violence such as beatings.

Now, 19 months later, a grand jury has indicted Desmond Barney, Anthony Fox and Lincoln Lampley for second-degree murder of Robinson.

George Robinson

August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

Ashton Pittman

Veasey later said Bracey pulled out the gun in a yard behind a house, and that he fired at Bracey, striking him in the leg. Dets. Lincoln Lampley and Desmond Barney corroborated his story, but did not give chase alongside Veasey, the Same Cops, Different Shootings internal investigation found.

January 2019 was the same month

Police did not, however, recover that the City of Jackson released details the weapon officers reported seeing that on deaths and shootings at the hands of night, or the next day, although they found a loaded handgun on the passenger seat of the car Bracey had fled. Bracey was taken to the hospital and was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, but declined to talk to JPD investigators further about the shooting.

Records show that then-Lt. Anthony Moore was the supervising officer that night, and was later the interim police chief to whom Internal Affairs reported findings about the Bracey pursuit and shooting that evening.

JPD’s internal-affairs division also exonerated all three men—Veasey, Lampley and Barney—in Bettersten Wade, George Robinson’s sister, demanded on Jan. 24, 2019, that the police a separate June 1, 2018, officers who beat her brother, who later died, be held accountable. Beside her is George’s shooting on Calhoun mother, Vernice Robinson. National attention turned to police brutality cases after George Street, close to FortificaFloyd’s murder in May. A grand jury just indicted three officers for his murder. tion Street.

8

‘Delta Units’ on Calhoun Street

Less than six months after the car chase, Lampley, Barney and Veasey—the

“Delta Units” per JPD documents— were working another checkpoint at Maple Street near Congo when they heard a call about a nearby shooting on Denver Street. They were driving there in an unmarked vehicle when a woman in a Dodge Charger flagged the officers down to say that a family member of hers had been shot on Calhoun Street.

A JPD Internal Affairs report shows that the officers, in plain clothes, stopped at the house. Lampley was carrying a rifle when they got out of the vehicle, and told investigators later that he was wearing a marked police vest.

A witness on the scene told internal-affairs investigators that the three men were not obviously officers. “(They) thought they were there to shoot them,” the witness told IAD, “and the group began to run.” The witness heard one of the officers say, “hey, people,” but he did not hear the three men identify themselves as police officers.

Officer Veasey said later that they identified themselves as police, however, and that Lampley said, “How y’all doing” as they approached. Veasey say those approaching started firing at them.

Veasey said he did return fire, with approximately five rounds.

Det. Barney, now indicted for second-degree murder for the beating of George Robinson alongside Lampley, said that when one of the residents opened fire, he fired an estimated 10 rounds back at them.

Spencer Jackson, whom the officers later said fired at them, then ran toward a wooded area. Documents show that police set up a perimeter around the wooded area and apprehended him. Police did shoot him in his lower left leg, as IAD documents show without indicating when exactly he was shot, and then he was taken to the University of Mississippi Medical Center for treatment.

Documents the City of Jackson released to the Jackson Free Press in January 2019 showed that Internal Affairs investigator Adrian Turner found that the officers did nothing wrong. “They were attempting to make contact and possibly identify suspects to prevent any further violence between the feuding families,” his report stated.

Then-Interim Police Chief James Davis ruled the use of force justified on Aug. 8, 2019, exonerating all three officers.

CITY

‘Cleared By Every Avenue’ After George Robinson’s death in January 2019, the Jackson Free Press reported that Det. Desmond Barney was working with the K-9 unit, which JPD Chief James Davis confirmed then was the same unit that stopped George Robinson while looking for suspects in the murder of Rev. Anthony Longino in the Washington Addition.

In October 2018, WLBT reported that Barney, Lampley and Veasey had asked the Civil Service Commission to investigate why they had not been able to return to active duty since they were involved in use-of-force situations. That was three months before the beating of George Robinson in the Washington Addition. Their attorney demanded then that they be returned to duty.

“They’ve been cleared by every TALK JXN

avenue that we know of that Jackson Police Department policy requires, but they’re still not returned to duty,” attorney Francis Springer, who was representing the officers through the Southern States Police Benevolence Association, said then. “The City of Jackson is short enough police officers. They need everybody they can on the street. These officers are trained. They’re veteran officers, and they need to be back on the street.”

In a statement released last week in response to the indictments, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba said he is committed to improving the police force in the capital city.

“Our administration is committed to ensuring that Jacksonians have an accountable police department,” Lumumba said. “As part of our accountability process, the City of Jackson has

implemented a policy to turn all cases involving officer-involved deaths over to the DA for review by a grand jury.”

“The Hinds County grand jury indictments, issued today, begin another phase of the process. In the full spirit of transparency, the administration will continue to monitor the situation and provide information to the public throughout each phase.”

Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens ran for the position on a reform platform, vowing in part to prosecute illegal officer-involved shootings and violence.

Email story tips to city/county reporter Kayode Crown at kayode@jacksonfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @kayodecrown. Read more related coverage at jfp.ms/policeshootings.

MOST VIRAL STORIES AT JFP.MS: 1. “Readers’ Designs for New Mississippi Flag #MSFlagDIY” 2. “OPINION: Southern Evangelical: Trump ‘Fits the Scriptural Definition of a Fool’” by Fred Rand 3. “Deadliest in U.S.: COVID-19 Deaths, Severe Hospitalizations Worsening in Mississippi” by Julian Mills, Nick Judin 4. “JPD Officers Indicted for Murder Present for Earlier Civilian Shootings” by Donna Ladd, Kayode Crown 5. “Scandals Dog Tate Reeves, Donald Trump as They Endorse Each Other” by Ashton Pittman

SCHOOL CLOSINGS, FROM PAGE 7 such budget challenges that I don’t think there is going to be a quick turnaround in terms of trying to make use of these former (school) buildings.

“School districts are allowed to rent facilities if they can show it is a fair-market transaction. The problem is who wants to take over a school building that has a leaky roof and a poorly functioning air continuing system?” Priester said.

He said the school district is open to suggestions of how to use the buildings.

“People come to the district, and the district is wide open to suggestions about using these properties, and different options are being explored,” he said. “One of Jackson’s challenges is we are not like New York City, where a vacant piece of land in Manhattan immediately finds some other interested parties willing to visit and buy it.

We are in a place where we’ve got an abundance of buildings and land to be used. It’s a tall order to find people willing to use these buildings, but we are looking.”

“We’ve so many blighted properties in Jackson,” he added. “And the reality is once you close something down, it’s often very hard to reopen it. The place doesn’t get the same level of maintenance. So there is a very real risk that these facilities, once they close, will never come back into operation in a positive way.”

From Schoolhouse to Film House?

When David Russell, who lives in Flora in Madison County, drove his white truck into the Siwell Middle School premises on Aug. 8, he was there to construct a

KAYODE CROWN

ings,” he said in a phone interview. “There are a variety of things that can be done with these buildings. I know that the district is exploring the idea of maybe turning some of them into community centers.”

But the uses of the buildings are limited, Priester added.

“You can’t just necessarily give it away,” he said “Before you can sell it or lease it, you have to show that it is fair market use. We are not allowed to give it away to a random nonprofit, and say, ‘here is it.’”

The education board determines the fair market value of such facilities for lease, and the Mississippi secretary of state is officially designated to manage school lands.

“One (1) year prior to the date, when any such lands, not subject to competitive bid procedures, shall become available for lease, the board of education shall appoint a competent appraiser to appraise the land and report to the board his recommendation for the fair market rental amount. The board shall then determine whether the same be a reasonable amount, and shall grant the lease pursuant to Section 29-363,” Miss. Code Ann. Section 29-3-65 states.

Both Stamps and Priester recently told this newspaper that the council is working with the school district to determine the best use of the buildings. While Stamps painted an upbeat picture of a resolution, Priester was more pessimistic.

“We are working closely with the district to try to come up with a plan,” Priester said. “But at the moment there is no clear answer to this. Right now, we are having

David Russell is part of the construction crew building a film set at the gym of the now-closed Siwell Middle School.

movie set in the closed building. It will be an action film involving a bank robbery, he told this reporter.

“We are shooting a movie here,” Russell said. “We have rented out this building from the school district because they shut the school down, I guess, this year. So we are building a set up in the gym, I am building the set. We are building a set next month, and we are going to shoot in September.”

Russell said filmmaking took a hit from the pandemic like everything else.

“Mississippi film has been booming for the past couple of years. But it has been

shut down because of COVID-19 since March,” he said, adding that it opened back up this month with a lot of new protocols for safety.

So what was a minus to the people of south Jackson is a plus for the Mississippi film industry. Although the film industry has found a way to come back, the people of south Jackson can merely wish the same for Siwell Middle School.

Email story tips to city/county reporter Kayode Crown at kayode@jacksonfreepress. com. You can follow him on Twitter at @kayodecrown.

August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

TALK JXN

9

CHRISTOPHER FREEZE

E

very day the media report the number of new infections and deaths attributed to COVID-19, and many debate the closing or opening of schools, businesses and places of worship.

Is there a right answer? I don’t know.

The variables keep changing, and fighting COVID-19 is proving to be more challenging than anticipated. However, at the heart of the argument over the economy is an explosive question that is often ignored: “How much is a human life really worth?”

Put another way, “Do we save thousands of lives, or do we save the economy?”

The question of calculating a value on human life is not new. In the 1940s, the U.S. Air Force wanted to know how to cause the Soviet Union the most damage with a first-strike nuclear attack. Generals asked economists this question and received a solution that maximized the number of pilots killed and minimized the number of costly planes destroyed in battle.

Thankfully, rational minds prevailed, and the plan was scrapped.

Western civilizations generally interpret the question of how much a human life is worth to be one of morality. As such, we are appalled at the bluntness of such a question and the suggestion that a human life can be reduced to dollars and cents.

Yet, with COVID-19 and other difficult challenges, we’ve allowed our morals to be subjugated to a cost-benefit analysis:

August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

It is the practice of equity that needs work.

10

“Who is essential and non-essential?” “Who must wear a mask, and who doesn’t?”

Placing a value on human life permeates many debates. We argue over funding education and formulas that seem to favor certain demographics over others. We argue over health care and whether hospitals should be maintained in rural parts of the state. We argue over which roads are improved to address safety concerns or expanded to promote economic growth.

We will always have limited financial resources. We must choose what to fund and promote. We can listen to economists, or we can listen to morality that tells us we cannot and must not favor one demographic over another simply because of economics or expediency. Every person has the right to be equally protected and valued.

Photo by Josh APPel on UnsPlAsh

How Much is a Human Life Worth?

Editor-in-Chief and CEO Donna Ladd Publisher & President Todd Stauffer Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin Creative Director Kristin Brenemen REPORTERS AND WRITERS City Reporter Kayode Crown State Reporter Nick Judin State Intern Julian Mills Contributing Writers Dustin Cardon, Bryan Flynn, Alex Forbes, Jenna Gibson, Tunga Otis Torsheta Jackson, Mike McDonald, Anne B. Mckee, EDITORS AND OPERATIONS Deputy Editor Nate Schumann JFPDaily.com Editor Dustin Cardon Executive Assistant Azia Wiggins Editorial Assistant Shaye Smith Consulting Editor JoAnne Prichard Morris

Christopher Freeze takes on the tough pandemic-era question: “Do we save thousands of lives, or do we save the economy?”

During my tenure as the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, we had limited federal dollars to provide temporary assistance to needy families. Our choice: Do we give money to people and programs we like, or do we support programs that further our mission and help people in need the state?

The answer was simple: We moved from how things had always been done to how they should be done—not driven by economics, but by principles.

We used a trauma-informed approach in our decision making. An economic focus, instead of a trauma-informed focus, is like condescendingly asking someone, “What’s wrong with you, and why are you questioning how I live my life?” It presupposes the individual or situation is a financial burden or an imposition on us.

Western society tends to believe a person simply needs to work hard, pull themselves up by their bootstraps and be thankful they live in the greatest country in the world. If success does not follow, it’s their own fault. If they don’t have food or shelter, they should have worked harder.

We need a new perspective on how the world should work and not how it usually works. We need to understand that as we have become more focused on achieving greater economic success, more people across all demographics have suffered due to broken promises, damaged relationships and fractured lives. We need a paradigm shift from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What has happened to you, and how can I help?” Otherwise, whether we intend it or not, we will place economics over equality; materiality over morality.

The questions should not be, “How

much does it cost to reduce the physical, emotional or sexual abuse?” or “How much does it cost to address mental-health concerns, re-entry after incarceration or substance-abuse disorder?”

The questions should be, “Do we have a moral obligation to help people regardless of demographics or their economic contribution to society?” and “Can we empower the next generation of children to succeed?”

The answer to both is a resounding “Yes!” Our country was founded on the idea that all people are created equal. However, we know that in practice that principle has been measured and found wanting. In the December 2018 issue of Child Abuse and Neglect, we learned the cost of childhood maltreatment alone was estimated to cost $401 billion a year in employer losses and increased costs in health care, education, child welfare and corrections.

When the costs associated with such issues as poverty, racism, addiction, violence and abuse are calculated, it is easy to see the focus has been on profits, not people. Profits and people are not mutually exclusive.

That’s a false dichotomy. The founding principle of equality for all is sound. It is the practice of equity that needs work.

Leadership, particularly during a pandemic, begins with relying on strong morals, ethics and virtues, even when those decisions are unpopular or bring rebuke from friends. How much is a human life really worth? The answer begins with taking a trauma-informed approach that values all people and their experiences over power, politics and economics.

Visit mrchrisfreeze.com.

This column does not necessarily reflect the views of the JFP.

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August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

Join the

11 jhs20_JFP_4.375x5.5.indd 1

8/14/20 3:44 PM

Courtesy Mike Espy

“In Mississippi ... so many people lack preventative care because they are reticent to go to the doctor. … They don’t want to get a bill that they can’t pay,” Espy states.

Talking Health Care With Mike Espy The JFP Interview

August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

I 12

n all the chaos of 2020, the 2018 special election that saw former U.S. Rep. and Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy returning to vie for national office seems a distant memory. That contest is a prologue to this fall’s rematch, one that touched on vastly different themes than those now troubling the nation.

Of all the issues separating Espy from his opponent, Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, their approach to health care may represent the starkest divide. Certainly, it is the most resonant question in a year of anxiety and agony over the pandemic and the state of America’s public health. Medicaid expansion, a critical issue in last year’s statewide elections, looms large above all else but coronavirus.

Espy sat down for a video chat with the Jackson Free Press to discuss the topic of health care: both his plans for achieving Medicaid expansion in Mississippi and his thoughts on the state and national response to the coronavirus pandemic.

by Nick Judin

You’ve stated that health care is your top priority and central to that is Medicaid expansion.

Why is Medicaid expansion the achievement you say you want to be remembered for?

Well, health care is the number-one issue in the campaign for the simple reason that it’s the number-one problem in Mississippi right now. We have incredibly awful health-care outcomes—obesity, hypertension, heart disease. All these things can be reduced with preventative care.

And the reason in Mississippi that so many people lack preventative care is because they are reticent to go to the doctor.

And that’s because they don’t want to get a bill that they can’t pay. So even when they have an emergency and go to the doctor and there’s a bill, they still can’t pay it.

So now you have a bill that the rural hospital is sitting with that they didn’t cover.

So they have reason to close.

This one problem—if we were able

Former U.S. Rep. Mike Espy Party: Democrat Hometown: Yazoo City Age: 66 Profession: Attorney Education: B.A., Howard University in Washington, D.C., 1975; juris doctorate from University of Santa Clara Law School, California, 1978 Opponent: Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith to do something material and significant about this one problem, we would already do these things: We would undergird the rural hospitals, and we would close the chasm for uncompensated care.

(The hospitals would) have more reason to stay open. Number two, we would have more people with the confidence and the assurance that they could be seen medically, if they were able to have an emergency, they would be able to avail themselves of preventative care. And the third reason is that it’s going to drop the cost of medical care in Mississippi and the cost of prescription drugs.

All those three things we could do right away if we had Medicaid expansion.

I think Medicaid expansion is a fundamental tenet of Obamacare. In the majority of states in the country, they already have it. As Mississippi taxpayers we paid federal taxes; part of our tax bill goes to pay the cost of Medicaid expansion for California, Arizona, Massachusetts.

So why don’t we have it? And now our sister states that are also similarly conservative, Oklahoma and Missouri, have now seen the light—they voted on a referendum for Medicaid expansion. If we were able to

I’ve had countless conversations with public-health leadership from across Mississippi during the pandemic, and whenever I bring up Medicaid expansion, what I hear is “I can’t speak on that because that’s a political question.” But can we speak about health care without speaking about politics?

Yeah, because it’s for everybody. If you’re black (or) you’re white, I mean, it involves everybody. I can speak to it explicitly without involving myself in politics, because I almost died of an asthma attack when I was 5 or 6 years old.

I didn’t ever know that I was going to be in politics. I had no idea that I was going to ever be in Washington at all. All I knew is that I ended up comatose with an asthma attack, ended up in a hospital without a canister of oxygen.

My father had to run to the whitesonly hospital called King’s Daughters in Yazoo City, and beg them for an available

In terms of process, what does securing Medicaid expansion for Mississippi look like?

Alright. Let’s say I’m Senator Espy in January of 2021. … Knowing that this thing would more easily pass through votes of the Mississippi Legislature—and those are hard to come by—I would go to the Mississippi Legislature, and I would ask, as a new senator from Mississippi, to sit down with them. Then when I would come in the room, I would bring with me a healthcare expert and an economist. And within our conversation, I would do my best to influence these leaders, to tell them that it’s helpful to reducing costs.

It’s helpful in reducing health-care outlays, and it’s better for the entire state.

Then I would bring in people from Missouri and Oklahoma to tell them that similarly conservative states that also might’ve been reticent to do it, because it was a function of Obamacare, they got beyond that.

It was just something they could do to help everybody.

I would do my best to inform them, cajole them, entice them to take this on as an expansion effort. However, if that wouldn’t work I would do two things. I would go back to Washington, and I’d say OK, there’s some reluctance in Mississippi to ask for expansion from the local level.

Maybe a reason is that the State cannot afford the 10% copay.

So what I would do as a federal legislator is try to waive that 10% copay. Where a hundred percent of the cost of Medicaid expansion would now come from the federal government. I think I could do that.

Let’s say I couldn’t do that. So then I would do my best if I was on the Appropriations Committee, (or) some relevant health-care financing committee, I would

use the stick. Then I would use the leverage as a senator to maybe force the state Legislature to consider the fact that it’s going to have less Medicaid funding unless they accepted Mike Espy’s wish that they would expand it by 100%. So you have a carrot, and you have a stick.

The carrot is me trying to influence them through logic, and the stick is returning to Washington and trying to use leverage to prevent funding for Medicaid without the expansion.

And that’s what I would do.

The stick aside, I get the sense from you that you have faith in the collaborative approach. It seems the current Mississippi Legislature and some of their disagreements with the state’s administration might mean they could embrace a collaborative approach.

I was in the State Senate gallery a month ago, and I watched the debate over the Confederate flag. I was sitting there pinching myself. I would’ve never thought that this would have happened so soon. I mean it happened literally (right) after the

You could talk about both, because they intersect.

All right. Well, I want to separate that.

First of all, on the federal level, that’s an F. We have a president who denied this from the inception. He said that it was a Democratic hoax. He said that it would magically disappear. He said that it involved a couple of people coming from China. He said that he’s going to close the border, and by Easter everything’s going to be fine. He said a lot more that I don’t want to repeat.

But the fact is that (Donald Trump) did all of that without sitting down with his medical professionals, sitting down with the CDC and (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony) Fauci, and coming up with a coordinated national plan.

In order for this thing to really be arrested, in order to suppress the spread, we had to make sure that we would do something that was coordinated through at least the 48 contiguous states. Because we all traveled frequently state to state to state, there was no way for this to be confined without some sort of a cohesive, coherent, coordinated national approach. And he did Courtesy Mike Espy

Gov. Tate Reeves and your opponent, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, oppose Medicaid expansion on both fiscal and ideological grounds.

Reeves has said explicitly that one of his chief fears about Medicaid expansion is that it leads to more Americans depending on “government health care.” Is this a meaningful fear to you?

That to me is an irrational fear, because I don’t want government health care— meaning Medicare for All. I don’t want a single-payer system. I believe in competition. In the health-care industry, I want to be able to go to Canada and compete for drugs. I believe that if you have your own doctor and your own medical insurance, and you like both of those, you ought to be able to keep those.

What I want to do is focus on the lowincome folks that are unable to pay for their health care because they don’t have insurance. So I think in your example with Gov. Tate Reeves, I think that’s irrational because we’re always going to have, in my estimation, a private system. We should have a private system; it’s always going to be there.

So we don’t have government health insurance for everybody. We shouldn’t have it.

canister of oxygen. So we could take it and hook me up to that ventilator, and that’s why I’m living today. So this is something that just should be done irrespective of whether you are Republican or Democrat, Black or white. It’s a matter of improving health care for everybody.

I can speak about it in a non-political context, because if you’re white or you’re Black, if you’re Republican or Democrat or Independent, you want your children and your grandchildren to just have a better life.

So this is something that everybody wants irrespective of your party.

Plus, if you have a preexisting condition, you don’t want to be involved in a system that denies your comfort. That is just fundamentally unfair. The insurance company that you pay your premiums to should be forced to cover your preexisting condition. I just think it’s a moral issue. It’s an issue of fairness and it’s an issue of right and wrong, and that’s not political.

The severe racial inequality of COVID-19 is not a surprise to Mike Espy.

“We have had a drastic lack of investment in medical care in Mississippi for generations. This is a legacy problem.”

Black Lives Matter movement; you could count the days until this happened.

To me the past is prologue. I never thought that would’ve happened in a conservative, red Senate and House.

So why can’t this happen as well?

Oklahoma did it, Missouri did it, other states are now doing it. I think we’re the third domino to fall. I really do.

COVID-19 has defined 2020 like no catastrophe in living memory. How would you grade our preparedness for this pandemic, and how would you grade our ongoing response?

Preparedness from the federal level, or preparedness from a state level?

not do that, so I’m going to give him an F. And then his sycophant Cindy HydeSmith did almost as badly because when he (President Trump) said it was a hoax, she said, and I quote her, “Oh, this is going to be over in the matter of a couple of weeks.”

Well, that was just wrong. It was denial, and it was wrong. So that was a time they could’ve spent actually sitting down with Dr. Fauci and coming up with an approach that would make some sense, not just washing the hands and social distancing and wearing masks, but making sure that on a comprehensive basis we could shut down parts of the United more ESPY, see page 16

August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

do this, we would cover almost a quarter million Mississippians in one fell swoop.

We would give people the confidence that they would have medical insurance, those that are under-insured ... and we could help the rural hospitals stay open. So that’s why this is the number-one issue in the campaign. And that’s why, if I’m fortunate enough to be a U.S. senator, it’s going to be the number-one thing that I’m going to try to tackle.

13

The JFP Interview with Mike Espy States, and we wouldn’t have to sequester ourselves until this thing passed over, and then we could have automatically come in with a CARES Act. We could have followed the advice of the chairman of the Federal Reserve board when he said this is not something to play with.

He said we have to put the accelerator down and spend what is necessary to provide for the support of the American people while we went through this pandemic, and they did not do that. So I’m going to give this a concrete F.

now we have the relief in the U.S. Senate.

I just wish they would just go ahead and get about the Lord’s work and just go ahead and finish. Cindy Hyde-Smith is in there stalling. She’s voting to take dollars out of the workers’ pockets.

They’re fighting over $200. You know, it was $600, now it’s $400. It ought to be $700. I think Mississippi already has the worst rate of unemployment compensation in the nation. We’re so low it’s embarrassing. So now they’re fighting about $200. I wouldn’t fight about it. I would listen to medical science, I would listen to doctors. I would do what was necessary to move us back.

from page 15 same analogy … the horse is not out of the barn. I don’t want to open it. So we now know that children can spread this virus.

If an infected child goes to school and infects the teacher, the teacher goes home, the child goes home to grandma and mom and dad, and here we go again.

I would much rather listen to Dr. Woodward and Dr. Dobbs. I heard them say we shouldn’t open up the schools this early, so I wouldn’t do it. I would listen to their sage advice. I would make sure that we monitor the situation and not open up until at least after Labor Day. And wait until this spike passes over us. Then I would begin to ease up opening.

August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

Courtesy Mike Espy

So what about Mississippi?

Now on the state side, I will say, I’m going to give that a C minus. That’s because Tate Reeves did listen to Dr. Dobbs. Until Dr. Woodward told me at the end There’s a very stark racial he stopped. of last week that she feels very inequality to the coronavirus

And he did listen to LeeAnn Wood- strongly that we need to keep crisis. You spoke about your direct ward from (the University of Mississippi schools delayed until after Labor experience with medical racism. To Medical Center). I remember she had a Day. What are your thoughts on what degree does it manifest today, press conference, and she said, “I’m really Mississippi returning to school, to and what can we do about it? afraid that we’re going to be overcome in sporting, to all of these events?

In many ways. We know that there’s Mississippi with our beds being filled to Well, number one, if we had followed a disparity in the effects of the coronavicapacity.” … And I noticed that after she CDC guidelines earlier, we would not be rus, because we see an inordinate amount said that, things began to move. I think in this situation. Look at New York. Every- of African Americans who are dead and Tate Reeves began to listen to her—until body was talking about (how) New York who are dying. he stopped. was the worst. Now it’s the best.

That’s because we have had a dras I was reasonably confident that we It’s only because they did what had tic lack of investment in medical care in would come out of this without spiking. to be done. It was strict and stringent, but Mississippi for generations. This is a legaBut then we stopped. We shut down too they shut that state down, and now they cy problem, and it manifests itself today. late and we opened too early.

That’s why we have so much Now we have a mask manheart disease. That’s why we date—and I’m happy that have so much obesity. we do, I wish we’d had this a

That’s why we have month ago, so we could have so many maladies that people prevented the communal impute to African Americans spread a lot more easily, and for many reasons. Lack of diet, I don’t think our numbers lack of exercise, lack of income. would have been like they So you’re not able to afford the were. Then when it comes to healthiest fruits and vegetables, the CARES Act, I applaud can’t afford medical insurance. that. I think it should have That’s why exactly I’m trying happened more quickly. I to go and give them Medicaid think they should have spent expansion. In many ways, the more money like the Chairhealth impact on Black Missisman of the Federal Reserve sippians is even more acute than board exhorted us to do, Mississippians of any other ethEspy grades the state response to the coronavirus as poor, and I don’t think they should nicity. I’ve seen it. saying he would’ve pushed for more proactivity: “Shut it down. Put on masks. Socially distance. I just would’ve stop now.

I had my asthma atdone it. I would’ve done whatever (health leaders)

They watched and tack when I was 6 years old. would’ve advised, and I would have done it earlier.” fought about what should be That was 60 years ago. Shy in this third package. Look, Shoemaker from Chickasaw anything that makes sense, put it in the can open that state up.

County died last year. An African Amerithird package. More PPE and all of that. I I wish we had done the same in Mis- can woman—she had an asthma attack, think Cindy Hyde-Smith is stalling. I think sissippi. But now that we haven’t, I’m not in and the ER that she was used to going to that as Trump fails, she’s failed. I think that favor of shutting the state down again. I’m was closed because of lack of funding. she’s waiting on her signals from (Senate not in favor of sequestering people and hav- It’s amazing to think that the probMajority Leader) Mitch McConnell, and ing them go back into their homes. I think lem I had 60 years ago when I almost sucMitch McConnell is part of that F, so I’m now that horse is out of the barn. That cumbed to an asthma attack, despite the going to give him that F as well. horse is gone. technical advances over the last 60 years, if

So I give her an F, I give Trump an And I wouldn’t want to bring it back you look at Shy Shoemaker, she still died. A F, and I give the state effort a good try. So to the corral. But the schools, using that young African American woman.

14

What is needed to protect Mississippi’s rural hospitals, and how can the system be reformed to support them?

Beyond Medicaid expansion … what I would do is provide financial incentives for medical students after graduating medical school to fund their student debt if they have any.

If they don’t have any, I would provide them a stipend, on the condition that they will go to Itta Bena, that they would go to Clarksdale, to Greenwood, Greenville, that they go to Cleveland County in the Mississippi Delta, the other areas of Mississippi that are medically underserved and serve them for at least two or three years, almost like the Peace Corps and the Job Corps. I would make sure that they were funded to an extent that was very, very attractive.

A lot of these places tend to have surprisingly attractive salaries and benefits for some of these individuals. Is there an incentive or program beyond the financial that tries to provide these services—tries to build this healthcare infrastructure where there currently is none?

You’re talking to someone who’s actually done this—for the last 25 years I’ve worked on this issue, … I’ve been a member of a nonprofit in Mississippi. It’s very, very large. We’re capitalized now at about $400 million. And we support health care in Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas in the low-income areas.

We go into medically underserved areas and build clinics and hospitals, do it based on the New Market tax credits, given to us from wealthy people who want a tax credit—and we do it through grants and loans from the U.S. Treasury Department and the USDA Rural Development Administration.

So we take that money, and we look at these five states and say where are the areas that are medically underserved?

Where with doctors, even though you’re coming into an area with a lot of distractions, let’s say, it’s first-class medical facilities. Paid for by this nonprofit. That’s what I’m doing already.

So it’s not something that I want to do.

It’s something that I’m doing already. … So that’s the best we can do to build medical infrastructure in these rural areas.

You can the full interview online at jacksonfreepress.com/espy. State intern Julian Mills contributed to this report. Email tips to nick@jacksonfreepress.com.

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August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

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any of Kenya MomPremier’s fondest memories are of childhood visits to Hazelhurst, Miss.

There her grandfather, Jessie Ray Cleveland, tended the family farm in the mornings, returning mid-afternoon with his arms full of fresh vegetables and fruit.

The women of the family would then turn the day’s harvest into meals the family would share.

When MomPremier began a family, she knew she wanted to provide them with the same fresh produce she had enjoyed as a child. The mother had previously learned to transform fresh produce into baby food, homemade smoothies and fresh juices while she had been living in McAllen, Texas, and used a nearby urban garden to continue making these items when her family relocated to Dallas. The garden soon became the foundation for the family’s nourishment.

“When I got older and had my children … I just remembered seeing it as a little girl, and it’s something that naturally just kind of clicked,” she said.

MomPremier’s inclination for natural drink options is now available to metroarea residents. She opened Green Bean, downtown Jackson’s newest coffee shop, on July 20. The business is the realization of a vision that began after a ride through Jackson. MomPremier, a Jackson State University graduate, noticed the city’s growth and immediately knew she wanted to be part of the expansion. She initially settled on something familiar—juicing. However,

after examining the area, she added coffee, teas and pastries to the menu.

“When I did more research about what was around me, I noticed that it was very corporate. I (thought), ‘These people probably need coffee when they wake up in the morning.’ That’s how I incorporated the coffee piece, but I was like, ‘If I am going to do coffee, I am going to do coffee in a way that speaks to me,’” the businesswoman said.

MomPremier’s “way” is to serve only pour-over coffee. Each cup is handbrewed by pouring hot water over ground coffee beans and allowing it to brew three to four minutes. In place of sugar, the coffee shop offers honey or agave as sweeteners. Non-coffee drinkers can opt for all-natural tea options supplied by Herbal Blessings, a local company.

Green Bean also offers a variety of cold-pressed juices made in-house throughout the day. Each is created by pressing the farm-grown fruits and vegetables, releasing the liquids into glass bottles. Neither water nor sweetener is added. A favorite, “The Refresh,” features a combination of watermelon, lime and mint leaves.

MomPremier splits her time between the family’s Dallas home and Jackson and manages the daily operation of Green Bean while homeschooling her two children.

Green Bean (100 E. Capitol St., Suite 106) is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. To learn more, visit greenbeanusa.com.

Looking for something great to do in Jackson? Visit JFPEVENTS.COM for more.

COMMUNITY Sip & Shop Renaissance Aug. 20, 4-7 p.m., at Renaissance at Colony Park (1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland). The Ridgeland shopping destination hosts an end of season event featuring drinks, sales and prizes, in its open-air environment. Free admission; vendor prices vary; call 601-519-0900; email frontdesk@renaissance.ms; find it on Facebook.

OG’s in The Park Aug. 22, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., at Trustmark Park Stadium (1 Braves Way, Pearl).

Tony Mac hosts the show for 1948-1988 Chevy and GMC trucks. Live entertainment provided

by Pearl’s own Zach Bridges. Awards given for best of, longest distance traveled, people’s choice, best patina and best stock restored. $20 pre-registration, $25 day-of; email ogsinthepark2020@ gmail.com; find it on Facebook.

MSO Happy Hour with William Garfield Walker Aug. 25, 5-6 p.m., Zoom. The Jacksonborn conductor and cellist joins MSO conductor Crafton Beck from his current home in Vienna for a conversation about his life and work. Attendance limited to 95. Free online, registration required; call 601-960-1565; email rroberts@msorchestra.com; msotempo.com.

OffBeat Record Store Day Drops Aug. 29, 8 a.m.-7 p.m., at Offbeat (151 Wesley Ave.). The local comic, record and art store holds a lottery event with in-store deals. Lottery entry is open until Aug. 26. The drawing for winners happens live via Facebook Live and Instagram at 6 p.m. on Aug. 27. Four winners are chosen per time slot. Each winner can bring one person with them and has 20 minutes to shop. After all lottery winners have made their purchases, the store opens for four customers to browse at a time. Customers sign a list and wait in their cars until their turn to shop. Walk-ups or lining up outside is prohibited. Masks required for entry. Free lottery entry, item prices vary; call 601-376-9404; find it on Facebook.

“THE BLAKK MARKET” Shop Blakk Owned Businesses Aug. 30, 1-8 p.m., at UIG Complex, The Breake Room & Sankofa Kitchen (911 Palmyra St.). The Blakk Market provides a way for Black-owned businesses to meet and thrive. The community expo and flea market invites attendees to meet and browse Blackowned businesses. Includes music and entertainment. Participants encouraged to bring lawn chairs and socialize. Vendor reservations available.

Free admission, donations encouraged, vendor prices vary; call 601-366-6100; email tooblakktoostrong@gmail.com; find it on Facebook.

Boys Will Be Boys: Mud Mini Session Aug. 30, 3-7 p.m. Brandon photographer Myrelle Penquite offers mud-themed mini sessions for children or families. One 15-minute session includes five digital photos and print release. Prints available for purchase at additional cost. $75 fee, $25 deposit to reserve slot, cost of prints varies; call 601-291-6599; email penquitephotography@ gmail.com; find it on Facebook.

Jackson Zoo Soft Re-opening Aug. 22, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Aug. 23, 1-4 p.m., Aug. 29, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Aug. 30, 1-4 p.m., at The Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.). The Jackson Zoo launches a “soft” re-opening with restricted hours and health-conscious precautions. Visitors, including Jackson Zoo members, are required to reserve admission tickets online in advance.

Only open on weekends for now, the zoo presents rotational family-friendly events from Terry Vandeventer’s Living Reptile Museum and

BE THE CHANGE R(un) for One Aug. 22, 8-11 a.m., at Choctaw Trails (5992 McRaven Road). The annual event raises money and awareness for vulnerable children around the world. This year, the run highlights the needs of children in the African country of Liberia. Chip timing allows runners and walkers the option of a socially-distanced start. Runners must carry their own water. Bottles of water provided at the starting line, or runners may bring own hydration packs or bottles. 5k run/walk starts at 8am. Fun run starts at 8:45 a.m. $15, one-mile fun run; $30, 5k run/walk; call 601-953-1817; email info@msracetiming.com; find it on Facebook.

Neon Night(s) Aug. 28-29, 6-10 p.m., at The District at Eastover (1250 Eastover Drive). The Mississippi Children’s Museum partners with The District, Fine & Dandy, Sophomore Spanish Club and Gold Coast to host a two-night summer social supporting MCM’s educational initiatives.

On Friday night, participants are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and relax on The Green while listening to local musicians. On Saturday night, the event features a film screening for kids. Food and drink available for purchase both days. Proceeds from the event provide critical funding for the museum’s operations, including meeting its ongoing exhibit and program needs.

Death by 5k 2020 Aug. 29, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., at RunStrong (1909 Spillway Road, Brandon).

RunStrong training center hosts the event consisting of ten 5ks in 24 hours. The first race starts at 8 a.m. with subsequent races starting every 2.5 hours. Final 5k must be completed by 8 a.m. on Aug. 30. The course starts and ends at the RunStrong training center and is consistent for each run. Between runs, runners have opportunity to rest. Meals and snacks provided for runners. Registrants receive a T-shirt. Finishers receive custom award, product discounts and swag. $75 fee; call 601-906-4622; email jeremy@runstrong.fit; find it on Facebook.

The Best of Mississippi Awards Benefit Gala Aug. 29, 6-9 p.m., at Hilton Jackson (1001 E. County Line Road). The gala recognizes and honors leaders and business organizations across Mississippi. Proceeds benefit the International Black Urban Development Foundation in their efforts to support black-owned businesses in urban communities across the state. For those who would like to attend but prefer not to be physically present due to the current COVID conditions, a private livestream of the event will be available at a reduced price. $100 general, $65 ages 17 & below, $50 private livestream; email info@bemississippi.com; find it on Facebook.

2020 Bishop’s Cup Golf Scramble Sept. 1, noon, at Lake Caroline Golf Club (118 Caroline Club Circle, Madison). The Catholic Foundation hosts the 38th-annual golf tournament at Lake Caroline Golf Club. Proceeds benefit the Catholic Foundation Grant Trust. Register for sponsorships or to sign up for a team at link provided. Tee times to be determined. $200 one golfer, $1,000$5,000 team sponsorships available; call 601-960-8477 or 601-960-8481; email rebecca.harris@ jacksondiocese.org or julia.williams@jacksondiocese.org; one.bidpal.net.

Freedom Ranch Outreach Birds of Prey each day at 2 p.m. Face masks required. Only 500 visitors admitted at one time. Social distancing enforced. $8 adult, $5 child, free for children ages 2 and below; call 601-352-2580; email admissions@ jacksonzoo.org; jacksonzoo.org.

KIDS Look & Learn with Hoot Aug. 21, 10:3011:30 a.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). The educational event for children ages 5 and under and their parents features creative play, a hands-on art activity and story time with Hoot, the museum’s education mascot. Dress for mess. $10 per child; call 601-960-1515; msmuseumart.org.

Golf Play Day with Bay Pointe Little Gators Aug. 30, 3-5:30 p.m., at First Tee of Central Mississippi (4209 Lakeland Drive, Suite 304, Flowood). The organization promoting youth development and values through golf hosts a play-day for children ages 5-8 years. The event begins with a golf clinic at 3 p.m., followed by a few holes of play at 5 p.m. Registration required.

Space limited. Snacks and drinks provided. Free admission; call 601-282-3506; email ali@thefirstteecentralms.org; find it on Facebook.

FOOD & DRINK Safari Club International Mississippi Annual Banquet Aug. 22, 6-11 p.m., at Hilton Jackson (1001 E. County Line Road). The organization dedicated to the preservation of hunting rights and wildlife conservation hosts its 2020 banquet.

Exhibits promote products and experiences related to these interests. For tickets or vendor information call the number below. $80 per

person; call 601-421-3947; email scimississippi@ gmail.com; find it on Facebook.

SPORTS & WELLNESS See, Test and Treat Aug. 22, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.). The UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute clinics at the Jackson Medical Mall provide free screenings for cervical, breast and oral cancer for women ages 21 to 64 who are uninsured or underinsured. Same-day screening results available. Other tests offered, for women who meet the guidelines to receive them, include cervical exams, mammograms and dental exams. UMMC caregivers and community providers offer health information including education about available community resources, diet, physical fitness and additional education on women’s cancer screenings. Space limited. A light meal will be served. Limited child care available.

Call the number below to determine eligibility and make an appointment. Free admission; call 601-815-3572; find it on Facebook.

Surviving Pregancy & Birth with Mindfulness Aug. 26, 5-8 p.m., Virtual. Yoga practitioner Doula and psychotherapist Niketa Pechan lead expectant parents in the eight-week childbirth education series that uses a mindfulness approach to prepare participants for each stage of pregnancy and childbirth. The series covers mindfulness strategies, relaxation practices, prenatal yoga practices, comfort measures for labor, study of the pregnant body in each trimester, prenatal nutrition, labor support, baby bonding and breastfeeding. $75 fee; call 786-603-1748; email niketapechan@gmail.com; find it on Facebook.

CONCERTS & FESTIVALS Music in the City | John Uzodinma Sept. 1, 5:45-7 p.m., Facebook Live. Violinist John Uzodinma performs as this month’s featured artist in the series organized by the Mississippi Museum of Art. Free admission; call 601-9601515; email ywilliams@msmuseumart.org; find it on Facebook.

LITERARY “Betty” Book Discussion Aug. 20, noon, Facebook Live. Tiffany McDaniel discusses her new book with Ellen Daniels, of the MS Book Festival. $26.95 signed, first-edition book; free discussion; call 601-366-7619; lemuriabooks.com.

Welty at Home--A Virtual Book Club Aug. 25, noon-1 p.m., Zoom. The book club discusses the historical novel “Jubilee” by Margaret Walker Alexander. Dr. Robert Luckett, director of the Margaret Walker Alexander National Research Center at Jackson State University, leads the three-part Zoom discussion. Free admission; call 601-353-7762; find it on Facebook.

“The Deepest South Of All”: A Virtual Conversation with Richard Grant and Greg Iles Aug. 31, 6 p.m., Zoom. Grant discusses his new book with Iles, a native of Natchez, on the city about which he has written. RSVP. $26.00 signed, first-edition book; free discussion; call 601-366-7619; email hillary@ lemuriabooks.com; lemuriabooks.com.

ARTS & EXHIBITS Creative Healing Studio Aug. 19, Sept. 2, 12:303:30 p.m., Zoom. The Mississippi Museum of Art hosts this virtual art therapy session, led by licensed art therapist Susan Anand, for adults who are being treated for cancer or who have had a cancer diagnosis in their past. Registration is required. Free admission; call 601-960-1515; email smainlay@aol.com; find it on Facebook.

Art in Mind Aug. 26, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Zoom.

Licensed Art Therapist Susan Anand and Victoria Meek, associate curator of studio and family programs at the Mississippi Museum of Art, lead a free, experiential art program for older adults experiencing memory loss or mild cognitive impairment. Participants explore and discuss a work of art and engage in an art inspired activity to stimulate observation, recall, and recognition at home with basic art supplies. Free online; email mindclinic@umc.edu; find it on Facebook.

CREATIVE CLASSES Beginner Sewing Class Aug. 22, 9:30 a.m.12:30 p.m., at Cotton Blossom Fabrics (670 Highway 51, Ridgeland). The class familiarizes participants with the sewing machine and introduces the basics of sewing. Participants learn to thread the machine, sew a straight stitch and make seams. They also learn sewing vocabulary and master cutting and pressing skills. Participants make a pillowcase and a mask to take home. Supplies must be purchased at Cotton Blossom Fabrics and are not included in the price of the class. $55 fee, supplies extra; call 601-427-5214; email cottonblossomfarm@ gmail.com; cottonblossomfarm.com.

August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

EVENTS

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. 17

sports

The Uncertainty of the 2020 College Football Season

by Bryan Flynn

T

he only thing certain about the 2020 college football season is uncertainty. As last week—Aug. 10 to Aug. 14—showed us, plans can change with little notice, and the season could be on the brink before you even have a chance to read this article.

Just one week after releasing its schedule for the 2020 season, the Big Ten

and ACC to maintain plans to play.

Along the way, players have opted out of playing, with Vanderbilt University losing four to six athletes for the 2020 season, if there is one. Those players will have their scholarships honored and can still go to school.

In the Big Ten, parents have sent letters demanding to know what changed

Division III and Division II. The Gulf South Conference postponed fall sports on Aug. 12, meaning no football for Delta State University and Mississippi College.

The SWAC already postponed football until spring 2021. By the end of one of the wildest weeks in college football, all FCS football was postponed—leaving just FBS football to be played this season. courtesy ole Miss Athletics

Many sporting conferences have postponed plans to have a fall 2020 football season while others tentatively trudge on.

August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

became the first Power Five conference to postpone the fall season. The Pac-12 followed suit just hours later to become the second Power Five conference to give up on playing in 2020.

The SEC and ACC held firm on playing, but that was only if the Big-12 decided to trudge on and play.

While it appeared that the 2020 season might be done before it began, the Big-12 indeed decided it wanted to play fall football, paving the way for the SEC

18

about playing in the 2020 season. The face of the Big Ten conference, Ohio State University’s Justin Fields, started a petition to have a season this fall.

Even more amazing is that this season could force long-time independent University of Notre Dame to play conference football, which would be unprecedented in college-football history. The Fighting Irish will be a part of the ACC and have a chance to win the conference.

Fall college sports are done for

Before last week, The Mid-Athletic Conference postponed football, with the Western Athletic Conference and the Mountain West Conference joining them. Several independents within the FBS have postponed their seasons. The University of Connecticut was the first to opt out of the fall 2020 season, followed by the University of Massachusetts and New Mexico State University.

Joining the ACC, Bit-12 and SEC in playing this season are conferences from

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the group of five that have not postponed the 2020 season. Currently the Sun Belt, American Athletic Conference and Conference USA are planning to play.

Even within Conference USA, though, not every university is on board as the Old Dominion University opted out of the 2020 season. Meanwhile, the University of Southern Mississippi and the rest of C-USA will march on this fall.

In the SEC, crossover games were announced, and coaches were upset with the results. As of press time, Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi are scheduled to play.

Even if a conference is scheduled to play, those decisions do not mean everything is running smoothly. Players at the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University sat out practice due to concerns about the coronavirus.

The College Playoff Committee will have to figure out a fall playoff if those FBS schools still on track for fall make it through the season. The Big Ten could reverse course again as pressure mounts from parents and players.

This could be the strangest season with a national championship this fall and a national championship this spring.

The question will be whether the remaining schools who want to play in the fall can make it to September and beyond without cancelling games.

Of course, as aforementioned, several changes from what has been reported here may arise in the coming weeks following this article’s original publication date, Aug. 21. Welcome to the uncertainty of the 2020 college football season.

Read more sports coverage at jfp.ms/ sports.

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MUSIC

JSU’s New Director of Bands Talks Virtual Musicianship

by Dustin Cardon

R

JSU. Before taking his current position earlier this year, Little had previously served as the university’s associate band director since 2012 and as the marching band director for the Sonic Boom of the South since 2016.

He later pursued and earned a doctorate in urban higher education administration from JSU in 2019.

“When I obtained my employment at JSU in 2012, it was my first time working on the collegiate level. Upon arrival, I began to realize that higher education is very elaborate with many layers, which sparked my interest for further study in that area,” Little says. “My research interest is music education in urban areas. Since we train teachers on this level to go out in the field of music education, marrying both my background in music education and my new knowledge of higher education together has been a benefit to frame my research.”

As director of bands, Little is primarily responsible for the administration aspects of JSU’s band program, such as the budget and daily operations of the university’s various ensembles.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic closing campuses and causing the Southwestern Athletic Conference to postpone all games until the 2021 spring semester, Little is currently directing JSU’s band program to focus on online remote activities. Band students can log onto an

interface called Campus, which JSU established in 2016, to practice pedagogical music exercises, which improve skills such as tone development, dexterity, technique, articulation and sight-reading.

COURTESY JSU

obert Little, Jackson State University’s new director of bands since July 1, says music is something that dwells throughout his entire family. His father and brother both played the saxophone, and his sisters sang in choir and played violin. Little had his start in music playing the snare drum in sixth grade at Rowan Middle School, something he also says he has his musical family to thank for.

“My brother, Joe Little, had been a member of the school band the year before then, and he did so well that the band director at the time, Dexter Green, figured I would be a natural as well and let me be in the band even though sixth graders weren’t usually put in the band at the time,” Little says.

“I ended up gaining a deep affinity for playing, and by high school when I started playing with other drum major students, I already knew I wanted to become a band director someday.”

Little was born and grew up in Jackson and has been living in Florence since 2011. He graduated from Lanier High School and went on to JSU, where he received a bachelor’s degree in music education in 2007 and a master’s degree in the same subject in 2010.

After graduating with his master’s, he stayed on at Lanier High School as both a band instructor and the school’s band director until 2012, when he went to work for

Director of Bands Dr. Robert Little shifts JSU’s band to online learning.

“We’ve had Campus for some time now, but it’s become especially handy since the pandemic started,” Little says.

“Aerosols that come out of instruments (that players blow into) while playing make it too dangerous for the band to gather to perform as an ensemble, but Campus is a light in the tunnel letting them stay active in the meantime. … It’s important to us to work with the students remotely to help them keep up with their exercises specific to

their instruments and keep them growing as musicians.”

Little is also working to build JSU’s online presence to keep fans engaged in the meantime, including posting more news about the program and working on an online chronicle of the history of the university’s band program, which has existed since the 1940s. Another future plan is to construct a new band facility for the Sonic Boom, as the band has outgrown its current one, Little says.

“From a program standpoint, we’ve had to think outside the box during the pandemic. Instead of letting things be at a standstill, we want to improve the program as much as we can and focus on fundraising for things such as student scholarships, new uniforms, instruments and concert ensemble support,” Little says. “It’s important to us that the band program remains studentcentered to keep them academically sound and graduating while still improving on showmanship, musicianship and national exposure for the band.”

Little and his wife, Lynise, have been married since 2009 and have two sons, Aiden and Alec.

To learn more about JSU’s Department of Music, visit jsums.edu/music. For more on the Sonic Boom of the South, you can visit sonicboomofthesouth.com.

August 19 - September 1, 2020 • jfp.ms

Due to COVID-19, Jackson State University’s famous band, the Sonic Boom of the South, will not march this fall.

19

Last Week’s Answers 50 Second-smallest Teletubby 52 Apprehensive 53 Geneva girlfriend 54 Polecat 57 Sch. week start 58 Super Bowl X MVP 61 Ranking higher than 63 Raw metal source 64 Pestered 65 Lyft transactions, e.g.

66 Magazine with “Spy vs. Spy” 67 Bisected 68 Alleges as fact

BY MATT JONES

37 “March Madness” hoops org.

38 Billiard ball with a yellow stripe 39 Designer in “The Incredibles” 40 Is on top of 43 Chardonnay feature 44 Skiing event with gates 45 Singer/actress Gray who was on Season 1 of “American Idol” 46 Like a wincer’s expression 48 Large wine cask 49 World capital that lent its name to a type of goat or rabbit

51 “Dancing With the Stars” judge Goodman 54 It’s often iodized 55 Had more than a feeling 56 Edit menu option 59 ___ Lanka 60 Score an upset, say 62 1990s R&B group Bell ___ DeVoe 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 #939.

Down

1 Scold loudly 2 Consonant, musically 3 ___ Man (anime series about an extremely powerful hero) 4 “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” cowriter 5 ___-Freez (soft-serve chain mentioned in “Jack and Diane”) 6 Activity on a placemat 7 Slayer of Ymir, in myth 8 Baking pans 9 One with a nest egg?

10 Take legal action 11 Put down 12 Be in charge of 13 Long-distance letter writer 19 Theresa who announced she’ll resign in June 2019 22 Wriggly animal 25 Galileo Galilei Airport locale 26 Ancient Irish king Brian ___ (anagram of O, RUB) 27 Yoked team 29 “___ Springfield” (Kent Brockman show) 30 Baseball Hall-of-Famer Ryan 31 Wacky 36 Zip

“Pairin’ Up” --they both come together.

Across

1 Photo session 6 Flame followers 11 Current measure 14 Barbera’s animation partner 15 “So long” 16 “Come Get It ___” (2014 Pharrell Williams single) 17 Snacks in sleeves 18 Fred who directed “High Noon” and “From Here to Eternity” 20 Baseball arbiter 21 Really cold temperature range

23 Quickly 24 False cover?

26 John of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” 28 “Walking on Broken Glass” singer 32 Singer Lana ___ Rey 33 Involuntary movements 34 “___ kidding, right?”

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

Libran poet Wallace Stevens wrote that if you want to be original, you must “have the courage to be an amateur.”

I agree! And that’s an important theme for you right now, since you’re entering a phase when your original ideas will be crucial to your growth. So listen up, Libra: If you want to stimulate your creatively to the max, adopt the fresh-eyed attitude of a rookie or a novice. Forget what you think you know about everything. Make yourself as innocently curious and eager as possible. Your imaginative insights and innovations will flow in abundance to the degree that you free yourself from the obligation to be serious and sober and professional. And keep in mind that Stevens said you need courage to act this way.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

“As idiotic as optimism can sometimes seem, it has a weird habit of paying off,” writes author Michael Lewis.

According to my analysis, the coming weeks will provide you with ample evidence that proves his hypothesis—on one condition, that is: You will have to cultivate and express a thoughtful kind of optimism. Is that possible? Do you have the audacity to maintain intelligent buoyancy and discerning positivity, even in the face of those who might try to gaslight you into feeling stupid for being buoyant and positive? I think you do.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

Author Rebecca Solnit writes, “The things we want are transformative, and we don’t know or only think we know what is on the other side of that transformation.” Her statement is especially apropos for you right now. The experiences you’re yearning for will indeed change you significantly if you get them—even though those changes will be different from what your conscious mind thinks they’ll be. But don’t worry. Your higher self—the eternal part of you that knows just what you need—is fully aware of the beneficial transformations that will come your way when you get what you yearn for.

At age 22, future pioneer of science Isaac Newton got his college degree just as the Great Plague peaked in 1665. As a safety precaution, he proceeded to quarantine himself for many months. During that time of being sealed away, he made spectacular discoveries about optics, gravity, and calculus—in dramatic contrast to his years as a student, when his work had been relatively undistinguished. I’m not predicting that your experience of the 2020 pandemic will prove to be as fruitful as those of your fellow Capricorn, Isaac Newton. But of all the signs in the zodiac, I do think your output could be most Newton-like. And the coming weeks will be a good time for you to redouble your efforts to generate redemption amidst the chaos.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

The rapper named Viper has released over 1,000 albums. In 2014 alone, he created 347. His most popular work is You’ll Cowards Don’t Even Smoke Crack, which has received over three million views on Youtube. According to The Chicago Reader, one of Viper’s most appealing features is his “blatant disregard for grammar.” I should also mention that he regards himself as the second Christ, and uses the nickname “Black Jesus.” So what does any of this have to do with you?

Well, I’m recommending that you be as prolific, in your own field, as he is in his. I’m also inviting you to experiment with having a fun-loving disregard for grammar and other noncritical rules. And I would love to see you temporarily adopt some of his over-the-top braggadocio.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

Aries author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar writes, “Some stuff can be fixed, some stuff can’t be. Deciding which is which is part of maturing.” I offer this meditation as your assignment in the coming weeks, Aries. You are in a phase when you’ll be wise to make various corrections and adjustments. But you should keep in mind that you don’t have unlimited time and energy to do so. And that’s OK, because some glitches can’t be repaired and others aren’t fully worthy of your passionate intensity. You really should choose to focus on the few specific acts of mending and healing that will serve you best in the long run.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

“There are all kinds of love in the world, but never the same love twice,” wrote author F. Scott Fitzgerald. This is true even between the same two people in an intimate alliance with each other. The love that you and your spouse or friend or close relative or collaborator exchanged a month ago isn’t the same as it is now. It can’t be identical, because then it wouldn’t be vibrant, robust love, which needs to ceaselessly transform in order to be vibrant and robust. This is always true, of course, but will be an especially potent meditation for you during the next four weeks.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

As a professional writer, novelist Thomas Wolfe trained himself to have keen perceptions that enabled him to penetrate below surface appearances. And yet he wrote, “I have to see a thing a thousand times before I see it once.” In other words, it was hard even for him, a highly trained observer, to get a deep and accurate read of what was going on. It required a long time and many attempts—and rarely occurred for him on the first look. Even if you’re not a writer, Gemini, I recommend his approach for you in the coming weeks. You will attune yourself to current cosmic rhythms—and thus be more likely to receive their full help and blessings—if you deepen and refine the way you use your senses.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

It’s sometimes tempting for you to seek stability and safety by remaining just the way you are. When life pushes you to jump in and enjoy its wild ride, you may imagine it’s wise to refrain—to retreat to your sanctuary and cultivate the strength that comes from being staunch and steadfast and solid. Sometimes that approach does indeed work for you.

I’m not implying it’s wrong or bad. But in the coming weeks, I think your strategy should be different. The advice I’ll offer you comes from Cancerian author and aviator Anne Morrow Lindbergh: “Only in growth, reform, and change, paradoxically enough, is true security to be found.”

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

“If you don’t ask the right question, every answer seems wrong,” says singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco. I suspect you may have experienced a version of that predicament in recent weeks, Pisces. That’s the bad news. The good news is that I expect you will finally formulate the right questions very soon. They will most likely be quite different from the wrong and irrelevant questions you’ve been posing. In fact, the best way to find the revelatory questions will be to renounce and dismiss all the questions you have been asking up until now.

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

“To be successful, the first thing to do is fall in love with your work,” says author Sister Mary Lauretta. Have you been making progress in accomplishing that goal, Leo? According to my astrological analysis, fate has been offering and will continue to offer you the chance to either find work that you’ll love better than the work you’re doing, or else discover how to feel more love and excitement for your existing work.

Why not intensify your efforts to cooperate with fate?

Homework: What could you actually change about your life that would give you a great sense of accomplishment? FreeWillAstrology.com

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“Self-love is also remembering to let others love you. Come out of hiding.” Poet Irisa Yardenah wrote that advice, and now I’m passing it on to you, just in time for a phase when you will benefit from it most. I mean, it’s always good counsel for you to Virgos to heed. But it will be especially crucial in the coming weeks, when you’ll have extra potential to bloom in response to love. And one of the best ways to ensure this extra potential is fulfilled is to make yourself thoroughly available to be appreciated, understood, and cared for.

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JFP VIPs are keeping the Free Press reporting.

Over 500 JFP VIPs have helped us to get through the COVID-19 slowdown.

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Thanks To These Annual Supporters

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As a result of their generosity, we’ve been able to keep operations going while also successfully applying for the Payroll Protection Program and grants from Facebook and Google to help our team continue critical reporting on COVID-19 and other community challenges. We were one of three publications in Mississippi to receive the Facebook grant.

We still need your help—the “new normal” of local journalism means we’re going to rely on reader support more than ever through the Summer of 2020 -- and beyond.

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jfp SpOTLIGHT

5 Things To Know

4

2

I became involved with the Jackson Free Press after a friend put me in contact with Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin, who introduced me to then-Managing Editor Amber Helsel. Over Christmas break in December 2018, I was able to work in the JFP office—writing and creating short video content.

3

Right now, for the JFP, I get to write pieces on specific people, which I love because I’m passionate about connecting with people. So having a reason to talk with someone, hear about their life and then communicate that with more people through the paper is really awesome. All stories I write are special for me in one way or another.

Sarah Kate Pollard

Freelance Writer Courtesy Carlton MCGrone

1

Growing up, I split my time between Jackson and Collinsville, which is a rural, small town outside of Meridian. Juxtaposing a comparatively big city like Jackson with Collinsville was interesting. I enjoyed both, and found pros and cons to each. I recently finished undergrad at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, where I have been living for three years. I came home around March for quarantine but will be going back to NYC in mid-September.

about

A big passion of mine is making short films, which encompasses writing, directing and editing—and I love every step.

The best part about making a movie, for me, is bringing a group of creative people together to work toward bringing a vision to life. At the end, the finished product is something I’m very proud of because it’s a culmination of everyone’s hard work.

I also love to read. I’ve been trying to read novels in the modern roster of American classics, and I thought it would be perfect to read Donna Tartt while I’m home and quarantining because she’s from Mississippi. So I’ve recently read all of her novels, and I’d definitely recommend “The Goldfinch.� Her narrative prose is awe-inspiring.

5

I was voted “class clown� in high school.

Looking back, I was both proud and a little embarrassed. Now, moving into adulthood, I realize that one of my greatest strengths is my ability to break the ice, so to speak, with humor. Making people open up and feel comfortable is something very important to writing, making movies or really any creative endeavor.

That’s been one of my favorite things about growing up—that something I used to not appreciate about myself is now one of my favorite qualities.

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