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JACKSONIAN ZAKIYA SUMMERS

C ivil justice, public relations and com-munications are Zakiya Summers’ life. The 33-year-old Houston, Texas, native is the director of communica-

tions for the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi, which exists to promote and defend the civil liberties for all Missis-sippians in equality, criminal justice and advocacy. Hinds County Supervisor Peggy Hobson-Calhoun appointed Summers last March to serve as the Hinds County election commissioner for District 3, but she lost her re-election to finish the term in November to Jermal Clark, which disappointed her, but didn’t discourage her. Summers says she fell in love with pub-lic relations in 2008 and has worked in it in some form since then. She has always been in-volved in justice work, election protection, civil justices, voting protections and voter rights. All her public-relations work has been with nonprofit organizations including the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation and One Voice, the sister organization to the NAACP. “I’ve been ingrained in civil rights and election protection since working with the NAACP,” she says, “but I’m still getting used this whole other world of civil justice.” A graduate of the University of Missouri at Columbia, Summers earned her bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism in 2005. She was a news producer for Mizzou’s NBC af-filiate, KOMU, throughout college as well as

a producer for the 5 a.m. news at WLBT in Jackson for three years. “I’ve always loved producing, but you have to be in the right market,” she says. Summers is involved with different ven-tures in various areas of communication. She owns her own corporate event-planning company, Lady Godiva Productions, and is a board member for the Mississippi Sickle Cell Foundation. She is also a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and the secretary for the Jayne Avenue Neighborhood Association, which recently established a Little Free Library where kids can take a free book and leave one in its place. She has organized special events all over the country, most recently the Mississippi Women’s Economic Security Policy Summit featuring Anita Hill this past October at the Jackson Convention Complex. “I like that I can help somebody, use my creativity and use my skill at the same time,” she says. Now, she’s settling into her new posi-tion at the ACLU and spending time with her newborn son, 2-month-old Mathis Har-lee. She also has two older sons, Marvin, 8, and Mason, 5. This past September, she married her husband, Andra Harlee, and says that her children are one of her biggest motivators. “I work so hard because I want my children to see that hard work pays off,” she says. “I want them to see that a black woman can do it all and do it well.”

—Maya Miller

FEBRUARY 3 - 9, 2016 | VOL. 14 NO. 22

4 ............................. EDITOR’S NOTE

6 ............................................ TALKS

10 ................................ EDITORIAL

10 ................................. SORENSEN

11 .................................... OPINION

13 ............................ COVER STORY

22 ......................................... FOOD

23 ....................................... MUSIC

23 ....................... MUSIC LISTINGS

24 ....................................... 8 DAYS

25 ...................................... EVENTS

26 ..................................... SPORTS

27 .................................... PUZZLES

29 ....................................... ASTRO

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9The Mississippi “Unborn Infants Dignity Act” would require “proper burials” for “unborn infants.”

11 Shedding LightA United Nations working group recently highlighted human-rights injustices in Jackson, Mississippi and the nation.

23 “We wanted to make the album inclusive—the idea that we all struggle with different things. You may not be a minority or poor, but there are definitely some things you may struggle with. We try to inform and empower people to do something to change not just their own lives but hopefully the lives of other people.” —Jason Thompson, “PyInfamous: Sharing the Struggle”

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I f you missed the Best of Jackson party this past Sunday, you missed an event that per-fectly exemplifies why the city is so awe-some. It’s full of hidden gems, and as the

overwhelming number of nominations that came in for more than 600 people, places, and organizations proved, our citizens care deeply about this city that we call home. The flaws in our city mean nothing if we can’t take a moment to appreciate the great parts of it and look for solutions to fix the grimy problems. That is what the Best of Jackson awards and the party mean to me: this overwhelming love for our people, our local businesses, artists and urban warriors—people who work hard and give a damn about this city. As a first-year staffer and former su-per intern here at the Jackson Free Press, I was part of the team that planned the whole event. While it wasn’t stressful be-cause of the tricks we’ve learned along the way (and having such a great team to share the planning and the duties), the joy in seeing everyone having a wonderful night overshadowed any fear I had about not pulling off a great party. One thing I think a lot of people—myself included—overlook is how much Jackson has to offer. Until I started work-ing at the office downtown, I could barely maneuver a one-way street, let alone knew where any museums or restaurants were. Now, I can tell you a dozen different ways to get to Fondren and other areas with-out even hopping onto main roads such as State Street. It’s this willingness to learn something new about this city that keeps interest fresh, which lends to the healthy competition among our finalists. Year after year, y’all submit your bal-lots, vote like crazy and pick who you trust to represent Jackson in various categories. The JFP has been around for nearly 14 years, and since the very first issue (which

had the city’s first Best of Jackson ballot in it), you’ve trusted us with your opinions and have even suggested changes to the ballot. You visit restaurants and museums and other businesses and organizations, you build friendships with your favorite baristas and bartenders and other folks, and one night a year, you show up and show out at our Best of Jackson party. This year, we wanted to keep every-thing downtown, but also try something retro/funk, as Mark Ronson and Bruno

Mars’ hit, “Uptown Funk,” inspired the whole thing. As always, you guys showed up in your best threads, some vintage, some theatrical, but it all worked. The gi-ant Best of Jackson marquee showed up in the background of plenty of selfies I’ve seen, (keep sharing if you’ve got them: #BOJ2016), and the super-talented Jack-son State University Drum Line surprised us all and shut it down with its perfect performance to “Uptown Funk.” As someone who tries her hardest to show love and kindness to everyone she meets, walking around the party and be-ing hugged and pulled to the dance floor and congratulated for doing a wonderful job touched me in a way that I can’t ade-quately fit into words. And obviously, this event wouldn’t have been possible without the wonderful team that we have here. First, I would like to thank Editor-

in-chief Donna Ladd for trusting my abil-ities to fulfill her vision, and for feeding me peanut-butter bars when I got caught up in the excitement and forgot to eat. The JFP is her baby, and while I’m new at this, I didn’t feel one ounce of doubt from her that I couldn’t take care of everything. Her organizational skills as well as expe-rience in throwing the BOJ party kept everything on track, and her standard for excellence meant that we had to hit the mark, and hit it hard.

Our publisher, Todd Stauffer, did his thing organizing the amazing tech and lighting effects (with the help of Stephen Barnette of Davaine Lighting, of course), keeping the issues and the website flow-ing, and figuring out that silly Google Chromecast thing. Kimberly Griffin, the advertising director, kept everyone on task and stress free, and Sales Assistant Mary Osborne was my ace in getting everything done, from half a million labels to add-ing sparkle and glitz to everything she touched. Myron Cathey, under Kimberly’s guidance, made sure our award-winning local restaurants had the chance to sample their wares and meet our readers. Assistant Editor Amber Helsel kept me on pace with my assignments, was gracious in helping Sunday night before a 4:30 a.m. CrossFit class the next morn-ing and never once complained about not

being tall enough for the ladder (in jest). Music Editor Micah Smith and his wife, Jeana, held down the fort while our win-ners and finalists scrambled for awards, and Imani Khayyam took wonderful photos of our winners, finalists and every-thing in between, helped by his mentor Mitch Davis. The design team, comprised of Art Director Kristin Brenemen and Ad Designer Zilpha Young, created all of the ads, helped stuff awards, and designed the cover of the Best of Jackson issue, which probably inspired all the hats I saw bob-bing around the dance floor. Melanie Collins collected and wrote checks, help-ing pay for the whole thing, along with our gracious sponsors, of course. Adria, Arielle, Inga, Sierra, Ryan and all of my volunteers who showed up really made a difference. To Duane Smith and his awesome team of bartenders, thank you for keeping the drinks flowing and graciously putting out small fires. Cathead Vodka made The Plaza cocktail that I’m still getting texts about (seriously, what is the recipe?), and Capital City Beverages kept the taps flowing. And Wendy Putt of the Railroad District provided a perfect venue and helpful staff for the event. All of you are so wonderful and made this experience so enjoyable and low-stress that I’m already in the process of planning for the JFP Chick Ball for this July. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the Best of Jackson. Every year, y’all keep us going. If you have any ideas or suggestions for next year’s blow-out, be sure to send them our way. I’ve got a feeling 2017 will be bigger and better. Don’t believe me? Just watch. Editorial Assistant Maya Miller is a Jackson State University graduate. Write her at maya@jacksonfreepress.com to volunteer for JFP Chick Ball or to become a sponsor, or to suggest new Best of Jackson categories.

CONTRIBUTORS

Thank You, Jackson, for Showing Up, Showing Out

News Editor R.L. Nave roots for Jackson and for St. Louis, although not the Rams, who are dead to him. Send him news tips at rlnave@jacksonfreepress.com or call him at 601-362-6121 ext. 12. He wrote the cover story and news stories.

News Reporter Arielle Dreher is working on finding some new hobbies and adopting an otter from the Jackson Zoo. Email her story ideas at arielle@jacksonfreepress.com. She is covering the Mississippi Legislature this session..

Genevieve Legacy is an artist, writer and community devel-opment consultant. She works at Hope Enterprise Corporation and lives in Brandon with her husband and youngest son. She wrote about the menu overhaul at Fenian’s Pub.

Shameka Hayes Hamilton is a mom of four who enjoys music, books and food from other cultures. The Simpson County native dreams of writing a novel worthy of the New York Times Bestseller list. She wrote about rapper PyInfamous.

Art Director Kristin Brenemen is an otaku with a penchant for dystopianism. She’s gearing up for next convention season with inspiration from space—namely “Star Wars” and the New Hori-zon Pluto flyby. She designed the cover and much of the issue.

News intern Kendall Hardy is a communications undergraduate student at Millsaps College. She is a lover of words and freedom, forever a Texan, and a habitual coffee drinker. She is likely to be found raving about Jackson. She did social media for the issue.

Sales Assistant Mary Osborne is a Lanier Bulldog by birthright and a JSU Tiger by choice. She is the mother of Lindon “Joc” Dixon. Her hobbies include hosting and producing “The Freeda Love Show,” which airs on PEG 18.

Sales and Marketing Con-sultant Myron Cathey is from Senatobia. He is a graduate of Jackson State University and enjoys traveling, music and spending time with family and friends. He assisted businesses with their marketing.

by Maya Miller, Editorial AssistantEDITOR’S note

It’s this willingness to learn something new about this city

that keeps interest fresh.

Arielle Dreher

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T hirteen Jackson homes may have had higher-than-actionable levels of lead in their water last summer, but officials are assuring the public

that the city is no Flint, Mich. Residents don’t need to be concerned about the risks of lead exposure, including for kids, ex-perts say, even though the state health de-partment in 2011 flagged Hinds County as high-risk for lead poisoning. Last week, on Jan. 28, Mississippi state health officials notified the City of Jackson that it had found lead in 22.4 percent of the 58 Jackson homes it sampled in July 2015. Kishia Powell, the City’s public-works direc-tor, said she immediately dispatched crews to those homes, in southwest and north Jackson. Health officials are testing the water at another 100 homes for high lead levels, she said. The news in Jackson came against the backdrop of the public-health crisis and national media story in Flint, Mich. In December 2011, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder put the majority-black city of Flint, near Detroit, under receivership and appointed an emergency manager. In April 2014, the Flint City Coun-cil voted to take the city off Detroit’s water system and to start drawing water from the Flint River. In September 2015, a team of engineers and water experts from Virginia Tech published a study about Flint’s water quality. The U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency considers lead levels of 15 parts per billion to be “actionable.” The Virginia Tech team found that at least a quarter of samples from Flint exceeded the federal level. “Several samples exceeded 100 ppb, and one sample collected after 45 seconds of flushing exceeded 1,000 ppb,” authors of the Flint Water Study wrote. By contrast, officials said the Jackson samples tested between 17 and 20 parts per billion for lead contamination. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires

testing for lead and copper in water systems every three years. Even though the state took the samples in June 2015, MSDH officials did not notify Jackson, citing federal regula-tions that do not require immediate notifica-tion for high lead levels. The text of the act states that an if a public-health administrator takes any enforcement action related to water regulations, the administrator must notify a local elected official of that action, but does not spell out a timeline for doing so. “I think it’s time to look at that,”

Wednesday, January 27 The FBI and Oregon State Police ar-rest eight people who occupied a national wildlife refuge for the past three weeks, including Ammon and Ryan Bundy, during a traffic stop that prompts gun-fire, which kills rancher Robert “LaVoy” Finicum. … Attorney General Jim Hood asks lawmakers to give his office the pow-er to do wiretaps to investigate human trafficking and white-collar crime.

Thursday, January 28 Three more members of Ammon Bundy’s group surrender to authorities hours after he urges the remaining occu-piers to go home. … Mississippi Division of Family and Children’s Services Direc-tor David Chandler says the state may not meet a court-ordered deadline to im-prove conditions without more funding and more than 200 new staff members.

Friday, January 29 Jackson Public-Works Director Kishia Powell says that some 100 addi-tional homes in Jackson will be tested for high levels of lead. … Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn announces com-mittee members and chairmen, with the same leaders for most of the top commit-tees remaining for this four-year term.

Saturday, January 30 China strongly condemns the Unit-ed States after a U.S. warship deliberately sails near one of the Beijing-controlled islands in the contested South China Sea to exercise freedom of navigation and challenge China’s vast territorial claims.

Sunday, January 31 Two inmates arrested in San Fran-cisco after breaking out of jail more than a week ago are returned to custody in Southern California.

Monday, February 1 The World Health Organization holds an emergency meeting of indepen-dent experts to decide if the Zika virus outbreak should be declared an interna-tional health emergency.

Tuesday, February 2 Hillary Clinton brought lead de-tected in Jackson water into the presi-dential campaign, saying that “cities and states must treat these situations with the utmost seriousness.”

Get breaking news at jfpdaily.com.

Jackson Has Long Been at High Risk for Lead Poisoningby R.L. Nave

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Kishia Powell, the City of Jackson’s public-works director, says recent reports of lead contamination in several homes are not indicative of problems in the water system but with how water reacted to with the plumbing in individual homes.

A ‘SPOTLIGHT’ FROM MISSISSIPPI

“S potlight,” the Oscar-nominated drama about the team of investigative journalists who broke the priest abuse for the Boston Globe, has an in-teresting Jackson connection. In the movie, the Boston Globe’s new editor, Marty Baron (played by Liev Schreiber), meets with Cardinal

Bernard Law, the archbishop of Boston’s powerful Roman Catholic church. Law starts by telling Baron about his days as the editor of a Catholic newspa-per, where he was also involved in civil-rights work alongside Medgar and Charles Evers. Before that, Law was ordained in Mississippi and led the Jackson diocese. Law recalled those days in a 1989 Globe interview about conflict in North-ern Ireland, saying: “I worked in Mississippi in the 1960s at a time of total segre-gation. Mississippi was even more polarized perhaps than Northern Ireland, but I saw Mississippi turn around.” After Law resign from his Boston post in 2002, Pope John Paul II made him an archpriest in Rome, where Law retired in 2011. See jfp.ms/allegedvictims to read about a local family whose three sons suffered priest abuse in Jackson during Cardinal Bernard Law’s tenure here.

(Left to right) Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton and Brian d’Arcy

“Spotlight,” based on a story with a real-life connection to Jackson.

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said Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the state’s epidemiologist, speaking to reporters

at Jackson City Hall, about how the state notifies residents about the presence of high lead levels in their water. Powell said there is “every reason to believe” the problem is not system-wide but related to how water chem-istry reacted with the plumbing in homes. “This is not a situation where you have to stop drinking the water,” Powell said. “This is not a widespread issue, although we are treating it very seriously.” The City is required to notify all water customers about the lead levels, although those residents just found out in late Janu-

ary after the state informed the City of the months-old findings. Water issues notwith-standing, Ruth Ann Norton, president and chief executive officer of the Baltimore-based Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, which has an office in Jackson, said her organiza-tion is concerned that too few homes and children are tested for lead exposure. Nationwide, more than a half-million children have lead poisoning, which has no cure and is irreversible. In 2011, after exam-ining five years of data on childhood lead screenings, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported that 1,640 children out of approximately 197,917 tested positive for

lead poisoning in 77 counties. Hinds County was among 16 that state health officials iden-tified as high-risk for lead poisoning, that study determined. Children can be exposed to lead if they live in or spend a lot of time in older homes that contain lead pipes, dust-covered mini-blinds, or that have peeling or chipping lead-based paint. The National Center for Biotechnology Information, a di-vision of the National Institutes of Health, says symptoms of lead poisoning can include memory loss as well as vision, cognitive, and behavioral problems and brain damage. “Most early studies concentrated on the neurocognitive effects of lead, but recently

higher exposures have been associated with such morbidities as antisocial behavior, de-linquency and violence,” states a 2009 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “This is one nasty neurotoxin,” Norton told the Jackson Free Press. “It’s really costly to a community.” Consumers can purchase home lead testing kits at local hardware stores. They can also call the Mississippi Lead Poisoning Prevention and Healthy Homes Program at 601-576-7447 for more information. Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email R.L. Nave at rlnave@jacksonfreepress.com.

A businessman is pointing to his experience rede-veloping what he called a “ghetto” in his home city of Denver to assure Jackson officials that he can jumpstart Farish Street, the city’s former

thriving black business district. To help make the long-delayed upgrade happen, Leroy C. Smith says he has as-sembled a team of investors, architects, and contractors from Jackson and around the country, all in hopes of jumpstarting Farish Street redevelopment. As part of a court order in an ongoing dispute over the Farish Street Entertainment District, Leroy C. Smith made a presentation at the monthly meeting of the Jackson Redevelopment Authority on Jan. 27. Smith said he has more than three decades of residential and commercial development experience, which included working on the redevelopment of Denver’s historic Five Points neighborhood, once known as the “Harlem of the West” because it was a strong business and entertainment district for Af-rican Americans, where the likes of Duke Ellington and Billie Holliday performed, before it fell into decay from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. In November, Hinds County Chancellor Dew-ayne Thomas, who has been handling a series of law-suits between JRA and the Farish Street Group, which had the master lease for the historic district until late 2013, ordered JRA to listen to a presentation from Smith as a possible solution to ending the litigation. David Watkins, a developer and lead partner in the Far-ish Street Group, brokered the presentation. From 2010 to fall 2013, FSG had a deal with JRA to restore Farish Street to its former days an entertainment hub. After JRA took the lease from the investment group, Watkins placed liens on the property; JRA counter-sued, and it’s been tied up in litigation ever since. Smith, whose father was born in Hazelhurst but relocated to Fort Smith, Ark., before heading west to Colo-rado, titled his presentation, “Farish Street: The Gateway to the New Jackson, Mississippi.” “Denver was like Jackson 40 years ago,” he told JRA. “I can bring a lot of talent here.” Some of that talent flanked Smith in JRA’s overcrowd-

ed board room. This included Harvey Freelon, an attorney who owns a popular nightclub and restaurant on Mill Street. Freelon was law partners with late Mayor Chokwe Lumum-ba and owns property in the Farish Street Historic District. Another investor Smith named was former Circuit Court Judge Robert Gibbs, who used to be law partners with ex-Jackson Councilman Quentin Whitwell and was a member of the Farish Street Group that had the master lease. Last fall, Smith, president and chief executive officer at LCS Land Development LLC, said he had investors

ready to pump $100 million into the Farish Street Enter-tainment District. That deal fell through, and Smith has assembled a new team. In addition to Freelon and Gibbs, Smith said he signed up Jay Carter of Arizona for his team. Carter specializes in attracting foreign investors to the U.S., including through the federal EB-5 visa program that allows foreign nationals to obtain a green card for investing $500,000 to $1 million in the United States. Records from the Arizona Corporations Commission also list Carter as a principal in several real-es-tate-related limited liability companies. Another one of Smith’s investment team members is Alex Headley, who owns Denver-based Cowboy Investments

LLC and describes himself on his LinkedIn profile as “chief creative real-estate-investing and money-earning deal maker” who is “focusing on shale gas and oil development, drilling and exploration.” Rounding out Smith’s team is Molly McK-innon, president of Pensacola, Fla.-based P3 Connection Inc., which bills itself as offering “private-sector solutions to members of the public sector.” JRA’s commissioners mostly just listened as Smith talked about his vision for Farish Street. Phase I of his plan focuses on one block of Farish and a commitment of redeveloping

six buildings, including a blues cafe, a country music bar, a microbrewery and three unnamed restaurants. Smith believes his team can complete Phase I by Sep-tember 2016—in time for holiday shopping—if JRA approves a memorandum of understanding within 30 days. Phase II includes a boutique hotel as well as an innovation and training center. “The market is wide open for that kind of devel-opment,” Smith said. “You need those bodies in places that are going to spend money locally downtown, and you don’t have this big exit to the suburbs.” Other plans call for a music hall, recording and film studio, radio station and “food cooking show.” Other firms that will be essential to Smith’s con-struction plans are Marcus Wallace, owner of Jackson-based M.A.C. & Associates and mayor of Edwards. Wallace’s firm has been a subcontractor on several high-profile jobs in Jackson including the installation

of water meters for the Siemens contract, the Capitol Street two-way project and the Westin hotel, now under construc-tion in downtown. Dale Partners is on Smith’s design team. When JRA terminated the lease with Farish Street Group, Dale Partners, which developed a master plan for the enter-tainment district, sued JRA. Smith declined to speak with reporters afterward, saying that he wants to get an agreement with JRA in place before giving interviews. McKinley Alex-ander, president of the JRA board of commissioners, did not have a timeline on taking action on Smith’s proposal. Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email R.L. Nave at rlnave@jacksonfreepress.com. Read more about Farish Street development efforts and legal battles at jfp.ms/Watkins.

The People Who Want to Save Farish Streetby R.L. Nave

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TALK | state

Election-law reform has been a slow process in Mississippi, but with the help of a bi-partisan committee’s re-port, that could change soon. Secre-

tary of State Delbert Hosemann formed a committee of legislators, circuit clerks, election commissioners and other citizens to review the state’s election code. The 2016 Election Law Reform Committee met from June through September 2015 and published a report of their recom-mendations on Jan. 19. The committee suggests several changes to Mississippi’s election code, including online voter registration, cam-paign-finance reporting and election offi-cial conduct. Hosemann views the chang-es as “phase two” of election-law reform that he says started with the voter-ID laws that went into effect in 2014. Hosemann told the Stennis Press Forum on Feb. 1 that the committee looked at several other state election laws to help inform their recommendations. The secretary of state’s office will lobby for the 380-page bill to be passed in the 2016 legislative session. Hosemann said the committee’s report was an indica-tor of the progress Mississippi has made in election laws. “I think it’s well worth our efforts ...,” Hosemann said Monday. “All of these changes are big parts of an interwoven election code that should be passed.” Hosemann said the entire bill should be passed together because all the changes affect the election system as a whole. The committee recommends tighten-ing up campaign-finance laws by holding political committees to stricter reporting deadlines. Instead of the 10-day reporting period after spending or receiving more than $200, the proposal says committees must report within 48 hours. Additionally, expenses should be line-itemized. The goal of these changes is transparency, the report says.

The Push to Register Online The committee’s report recommends that Mississippi join 26 other states in the

country that allow users to register to vote online. Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, has worked on online voter-registration bills for the past two years. In 2014, his bill did not make it out of committee, and last year it didn’t pass. This year, however, Blount plans to introduce a similar bill—and this time, with a growing bi-partisan consensus, be-

lieves it has a better chance. “My belief is that the more people who vote, the better,” Blount said. “(But) if there’s one topic that everyone in the Legislature is an expert in, that’s getting elected, so elec-tion bills can be challenging.” The report asks the secretary of state to work with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety to create a secure website where a person could register as a first-time voter or change his or her voter-reg-istration record online. A person would need a valid form of DPS-issued identifi-cation to register online. Registering to vote online is so com-mon that Facebook is using a promotional banner in the upcoming federal elections to encourage users to register to vote.

On Jan. 29, voting-aged Mississippi Facebook users received reminders to regis-ter to vote. The link took users to vote.usa.gov. Mississippi’s link on that page led to the secretary of state’s website that informs users how and where to register in person because Mississippians cannot yet register online. In a statement from Facebook, the company said: “Voter registration remains

a big hurdle to people participating in elections. By reminding people to register to vote, we hope we can encourage people to become more civically engaged.” First Amendment scholar and law professor Matt Steffey says that the trend has been to make voting easier, and our laws are lagging. “The idea of a working democracy is to encourage voting, and it’s not clear to me why you wouldn’t want to reach as many people as possible,” Steffey said. Online voter registration would likely encourage more engagement in the politi-cal process across the board, Steffey said, and any fears of it creating voter-fraud is-sues on voting day are likely unfounded. “Voter fraud is like global-warming

denial—it’s a political issue only,” Steffey said. “There’s virtual unanimity among … political scientists that voter fraud is not a significant issue.” Straw Drawing In; 30-Day Limit Out The part of Mississippi’s election code that the majority of the special elec-tion committee relied upon to unseat Bo Eaton this session would be changed if the committee’s report is made into law. The Mississippi House of Representatives vot-ed to unseat Eaton because the committee determined that five of the affidavit bal-lots violated a part of Mississippi’s election code that says a person must register to vote within 30 days of moving from one voting precinct to another. The report suggests that a person can transfer voter registration up until the date that his or her county prepares poll books for the election. Hosemann confirmed this part of the proposed bill on Monday. “We changed the law,” Hosemann said. “The new bill will allow you that the fact that you don’t give notice does not cancel your ballot.” Of course, these changes are coming at a time too late for Eaton to reap their advantages—in fact, the Legislature has to approve the proposed changes. Six lawmakers were on the commit-tee that helped write the report, including Rep. Bill Denny, R-Jackson, who served on the special election committee that drafted the report to unseat Eaton. Blount said he plans to propose the online voter registration and pre-Election Day voting bills to the Senate. Most changes to election laws would likely not take effect until 2017 unless the Legislature decides to move at lightning speed. If the Mississippi House of Repre-sentatives is any indicator of the speedom-eter this session, that won’t be very fast. Email legislative reporter Arielle Dreher at arielle@jacksonfreepress.com. For more legislative coverage, visit jfp.ms/msleg. Read the 2016 Election Law Reform Committee report at jfp.ms/documents.

Election Law Reform May Actually Happen by Arielle Dreher

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Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann formed a committee in 2015 to work on election-reform measures he will present to the Legislature in the current session.

PROPOSED REVISIONS TO MISSISSIPPI ELECTION LAWS

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“Miscarried, stillborn or aborted infants” would be entitled to “proper burials” and selling the “broken bodies of abort-ed infants” for scientific experimenta-

tion would become a crime in the state of Mississippi under new legislation introduced in the state Senate this week. The bill, which Picayune Republican Sen. Angela Burks Hill filed on Monday, requires that the medical provider return the body or fetus to its mother upon her request, or take care of its final disposition by cremation, burial or legal disposition. Senate Bill 2115 would require funeral direc-tors or the person who assumes responsibility of the “unborn infant” to file a fetal death certificate with the Registrar of Vital Statistics in the state health department. Medical providers responsible for the final disposition who do not cremate or bury the remains can be prosecuted and imprisoned for a year or more or pay a fine of $10,000. The bill states that “nothing in this act shall be construed to affect existing federal or state law re-garding abortion.” However, medical providers who do not implement the practices set out in the bill for giving “proper burials” would lose their licenses. Tanya Britton, who serves on Pro-Life Missis-sippi’s board of directors, said the organization had heard of this type of legislation and believes that people who are anti-abortion see the dignity and worth of all babies. Thus, they support the bill. “If you are going to afford the dignity of a hu-man person to the child who dies following a mis-carriage or who is stillborn, what is the difference between those children and those children who are aborted?” Britton asked. “There is no difference.” Diane Derzis, owner of the Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the state’s only abortion clinic, said the bill looks like another piece of un-constitutional legislation that will likely pop up in other states across the country. Derzis said regulat-ing proper burials would be ludicrous. “First of all, who’s going to enforce that?” Derzis said. It’s especially absurd to think that the govern-ment could force women who miscarry to perform a proper burial, she added. “What about the woman in her home?” Derzis said that half of all fertilized eggs are spon-taneously aborted, which means this type of legisla-tion would affect all women and cost taxpayers money. “What about the women and children and men in Mississippi that need attention—instead of wasting money on this kind of stuff?” Derzis said. “People should be outraged.” Americans United for Life, a national anti-abortion organization based in Washington D.C., released 2016 model legislation called the Unborn Infants Dignity Act, which looks similar to Sen. Hill’s proposed bill. Britton said she does not know if Hill used Ameri-cans United for Life’s legislation as a template, but she says that the D.C.-based organization does provide mod-el anti-abortion legislation all over the country. Hill did not return messages left for her at her Capi-tol phone by press time. The 36-page bill has been referred to the Senate Pub-

lic Health and Welfare Committee for consideration. House Rules Adopted, Tweaked The House adopted its new rules last week, replac-ing sexist language in them, creating new committees and, potentially, limiting media access to legislative ac-tivities. The new committees include: Accountability, Drug Policy, Judiciary B (the 50-member committee was split into two), Revenue Expenditure, Technology and Performance Based Budgeting. Now in the House rules,

the words “she” and “her” appear in the rules that previously only denoted “he” or “him.” More significant changes to the House rules, which haven’t changed since 2012 until now, include tightening down on public-information access and the media. The new rules include a section that says employees of the House of Representatives cannot reveal “the contents or nature of any request for services made by any member of the House except with the written consent of the person making such request.” And if they do, they will be termi-nated immediately. Additionally, the media accessibility portion of the rules changed to put the Rules Committee in charge of “set(ting) aside space” for members of the press. This con-trasts to the old rule, which said the space immediately below the Clerk’s desk in the front of the House was to be

set aside for media members. On Jan. 28, Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, brought the change to the House’s attention. “I am con-cerned what we are doing to our fifth estate with these rule changes,” he told Rep. Jason White, R-West, who spoke on behalf of the Rules Committee. White said that the new rule change did not require the House to make (or keep) room for the press inside the House chamber, specifically, and that if the Rules Com-mittee so chooses, media members might lose access to

the space in front of the clerk’s desk where, current-ly, major media outlets, including the Jackson Free Press, have a designated space facing the chamber. From Re-entry to Firing Squads Attorney General Jim Hood laid out his legisla-tive agenda for 2016, which ranged from creating a statewide re-entry program for inmates to transition back into society to setting up alternative ways to ex-ecutive death-row inmates, including firing squads. “We passed House Bill 585 (in 2014) turning out a lot of convicts, but we hadn’t given them skill-sets to cope once they’ve re-entered society,” Hood told the press Jan. 27 at his office in the Walter Sill-ers Building. He is the Mississippi’s only Democrat in statewide elected office. The attorney general is asking for specific changes to protect children and women affected by human trafficking and domestic violence, including wiretapping authority. His office is calling for an amendment to the definition of “abused child” to include children who have been victims of human trafficking in the Youth Court Act. He is also asking to codify the appeals process for domestic-violence protection orders. The ACLU of Mississippi applauded the at-torney general’s efforts in advocating for a re-entry pilot program, but it strongly opposes his calls for alternate means of execution and keeping related in-formation exempt from public access. Other proposed changes have been met with criticism. Hood is calling for alternate means of ex-ecution, should lethal-injection drugs become un-available or itself declared unconstitutional. These include nitrogen hypoxia, electrocution or a firing squad. He also wants the identities of the state ex-ecution team to remain exempt under the Public

Records Act, as well as the lethal injection drug supplier. The attorney general said he and Gov. Phil Bryant agree that alternate means of execution should be available to the state. “We think the state ought to have alternate means (of execution) and if there’s some other method, we should have the ability to fall back on it,” Hood said. A press statement from the ACLU of Mississippi said that citizens have a right to that public information and that “states have been allowed to conduct executions cloaked in secrecy and free of public and judicial scrutiny, to rely on drugs from unknown and untested sources.” The ACLU also opposes the death penalty and be-lieves that the state should not give itself the right to kill human beings by any means. Email reporter Arielle Dreher at arielle@jacksonfree-press.com. Read more MS Legislature stories at jfp.ms/msleg.

by Arielle Dreher

FILE PHO

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Diane Derzis, the owner of the Jackson Women’s Health Organization—the state’s only abortion clinic—said the Unborn Infants Dignity Act would affect all women in the state and cost taxpayers unnecessary dollars.

LEGISLATURE: Week 4

Lead Contamination Debacle Gives Little Faith in State-Managed Airport

L ike many people who live in Jackson, we were taken aback when we heard that state Sen. Josh Harkins planned to submit legis-lation to change the composition of what is

now the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority. Harkins, a Republican from Flowood, wants a combination of the governor and lieu-tenant governor to pick most of the members, including the adjutant general of the Mississippi National Guard and Mississippi Development Authority, whom the governor appoints. The mayor of Jackson, who now nominates all mem-bers of the authority, would have one selection, while the Jackson City Council, which confi rms the mayor’s choices, could give the governor a list of three names from which to choose. If we were highly skeptical about this plan several weeks ago, we are now downright in-credulous. For starters, Harkins hasn’t been able to justify to our satisfaction how the group of political appointees his bill would install would actually make the airport better. Not to mention, the state’s handling of a lead contamination issue in several Jackson homes gives us serious pause. The samples, taken from 13 homes, con-tained lead levels higher than the federal govern-ment considers actionable. Yet, the state did not

act for months. Their excuse is that no federal regulation requires health offi cials to notify ho-meowners right away of lead contamination. As Jennifer Chavez, a staff attorney with Earthjustice, told the Jackson Free Press this week, there’s a “difference between what they are required to do and what’s the right thing to do.” The state, through its health department, did the wrong thing in waiting until late Janu-ary to tell Jackson about the lead-contaminated water found in June. If this kind of disregard for Jackson citizens is the state’s modus operandi, then we have zero confi dence that a board ap-pointed by Republican leadership would be a better steward of our airport than the City. As we’ve said before, Jackson and central Mississippi could benefi t from smart regionaliza-tion of assets. But, as we have also said before, it must involve honest dialogue taken in good faith. As far as we can tell, Sen. Harkins only talked to Jackson and airport offi cials to give them a heads-up that his bill was coming. We hope that Harkins learns from the public outcry over his handling of the airport legislation and starts communicating respect-fully and thoroughly with the City of Jackson and its citizens. As it is, trust is sorely missing.

The Sour Music of Discontent

B oneqweesha Jones: “Welcome to Boneqweesha Live Entertain-ment News and World Report, broadcasting live from the televi-sion studio of Hair Did University School of Cosmetology and Vocational Studies. The hot topic these days is diversity in Hol-

lywood. A lot of folk are mad about the ‘lily Caucasian’ Academy Awards show and plan to boycott the ceremony. I asked Kunta ‘Rahsheed X’ Toby, renowned Ghetto Science Community revolutionary movie maker and media mogul, to answer my burning question: ‘Who cares about chasing a dream that is always deferred” Kunta ‘Rahsheed X’ Toby: “I guess those folk are concerned that 2 percent of the academy is black and less than 2 percent are Latino. Asians and Native Americans round out the academy’s 6 percent minority membership. Keeping quiet about the academy’s diversity issue doesn’t help change things. There comes a time when those who neglect diver-sifying the fi lm and television industry will have to face the sour music of discontent.” Boneqweesha Jones: “Oh, I see. Ethnic minorities are sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Kunta ‘Rahsheed X’ Toby: “That racial-, cultural- and gender-based mountain is one tough obstacle. Nevertheless, I will express my indi-vidual dark-skinned self without fear or shame. Therefore, I have no wor-ries about what I create, because I have decided to be free within myself. Please check out my new movie, ‘J.A. Rogers’ From Superman to Man.’ It will premiere at Clubb Chicken Wing’s Hot Wing Happy Hour Black History Film Festival.”

10

‘fallback’

Why it stinks: Last week, Attorney General Jim Hood called on state lawmakers to approve an alternative way to administer the death pen-alty in case the state is prevented from administering lethal injections. Those alternate means include a fi ring squad, electrocution or nitro-gen gas. According to an Associated Press report, executions are on hold in Mississippi because the state’s lethal drug supply expired. Having lawmakers spend time debating bringing back World War II-style execution methods, deemed inhumane by human-rights groups, is a huge waste of time—not to mention patently inhumane.

One man recounted his harrowing experience that included being tear gassed and terrorized by police in St. Petersburg, Fla., for doing noth-

ing more than peacefully assembling to dis-cuss an alleged murder by a St. Petersburg police officer. A young woman from the Mississippi Delta outlined how she and her classmates were exposed to the cruel reality of the school-to-prison pipeline while still in elementary school. A former detainee in the Raymond Detention Center described the medi-cal torture and neglect he experienced from medical personnel and deputies during his detention. On Jan. 22-24, the United Nations Work-ing Group of Experts on People of African Descent visited Jackson as one leg of its five-city visit in the United States. Jackson was the only southern city the working group visited to collect facts about how people of African descent in the country are faring. The U.N. visit attracted people from throughout the southern region from places as close as New Orleans, La., and as “up south” as Washington, D.C. While in Jackson, the group heard a full day of testimony that provided in-depth insights into the types of de facto human-rights abuses that people of African descent face. Testimony covered a broad range of topics including education, gender/identity discrimination, the criminal punishment system, housing and environmental justice. The common theme of all the testimony was that human-rights abuses take away the people’s ability to live dignified and fully productive lives. The working group’s visit to Jackson was of historic significance because many people don’t get the opportunity to talk to a domestic body regarding the civil-rights abuses they experience, let alone an inter-national body. However, people of African descent in the United States have a long his-tory of using the international human-rights forum to address domestic grievances. Ida B. Wells, Malcolm X and Paul Robeson were individuals who addressed problems facing people of African descent within the hu-man-rights framework before international bodies. The group’s visit was also substantive. On Jan. 29, the working group issued a statement outlining its preliminary findings. It stated, “The colonial history, the legacy of enslavement, racial subordination and segre-gation, racial terrorism, and racial inequality in the U.S. remains a serious challenge as there has been no real commitment to repa-rations and to truth and reconciliation for

people of African descent.” Additionally, the working group out-lined the issue of mass incarceration, extra-judicial killing, economic oppression, inva-sive surveillance, and the memorializing of racist individuals (such as the Ross Barnett Reservoir) and symbols of oppression by government. The working group also men-tioned how it was unable to visit Parchman penitentiary because of the Mississippi De-partment of Correction’s unwillingness to

comply with established U.N. protocols that re-quire transparency and openness. The working group will issue a full report of its findings in September 2016. The group’s prelim-inary findings, many of which outline issues di-rectly discussed in Jack-son, exposed the level of human-rights abuses go-

ing on in the U.S. that many times fly under the radar. Just last week, Attorney General Jim Hood vowed he would ask lawmakers to approve archaic, inhumane and arguably unconstitutional methods—such as firing squads—to carry out the death penalty if the current methods are deemed unconsti-tutional. Hood, a Democrat, has committed himself to such an asinine and inhumane mission at a time when many states are plac-ing moratoriums on the death penalty or are outlawing it altogether. People like Hood and Gov. Phil Bry-ant would like for the world to believe that Mississippi is cleaning up its house, but those who experience the degradation and outright terror of living in a state that is dead last in every positive social indicator know better than that. The rest of the world needs to know as well. The working group’s visit is a first step in shedding light on the human-rights crisis that is Mississippi. Those who are concerned with the state of human rights in Jackson and the state of Mississippi must commit to building a powerful people-centered human-rights movement that ensures ev-eryone’s human rights will be respected, pro-tected and fulfilled. All who are interested in making human rights a reality in Mississippi are invited to work with the Jackson Human Rights Institute, the primary host of the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent. Read more about the U.N. Work-ing Group’s effort at ushrnetwork.org. Adofo Minka is husband, father and criminal defense attorney in Hinds County. He is a member of the National Conference of Black Lawyers and works with the Jackson Human Rights Insti-tute. He lives in the Cooperative Community of New West Jackson.

U.N. Finds Evidence of Human-Rights Abuse in Jackson

ADOLFO MINKA

Editor-in-Chief Donna LaddPublisher Todd Stauffer

EDITORIAL

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People like Jim Hood and Phil Bryant

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In late January, a strange calm sets in at the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport. Because most eastbound fl ights in and out of Jackson are cancelled due to a blizzard bearing down on the mid-Atlantic, the concourse is sparse at mid-day. Despite the biting cold and wind that’s settled over central Mississippi, the challenges of Jackson’s airport aren’t often related to the weather.

Behind the scenes, administrators seem a bit frazzled as they maintain near-constant communication with rental-car companies to assess inventories for passengers who don’t want to wait a day for a fl ight and nearby hotels to fi nd enough beds for any passengers who might be stranded in Jackson overnight. Jackson is nowhere near the top of any list of most-trav-eled U.S. terminals, but like Jackson itself, the airport fi lls an important funtion, as the kind of airport people pass through on their way to some of the nation’s busiest concourses in cities such as Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., and Washington, D.C. Despite its small size, Jackson is the largest and busiest airport in Mississippi and smack dab in the middle of the state’s population sweet spot—about a half million people live in the Jackson metro. But the airport’s untapped poten-tial is one thing; who gets to do the tapping is another. That’s why the City of Jackson, which controls the 3,381 acres of land the airport occupies, is bracing for a loom-ing battle for its control with the State of Mississippi.

‘No Racist Connotation’ In early February, State Sen. Josh Harkins, R-Flowood, said he planned to fi le a bill to change who sits on the airport board. The bill, which had not been fi led as of press time, is modifi ed from Harkins’ original proposal, which would have replaced the current fi ve-member Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, or JMAA, with a seven-person board—two each from Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties, all appointed by the governor. Harkins says he plans to fi le his bill as soon as he gets it back from his attorney—likely sometime this week. Harkins said he is letting the lieutenant governor’s offi ce look at it as well as the governor, whom he wanted to meet

with about the bill before he fi led it. Now, Harkins’ tentative plan is to propose a nine-member board, also split between the counties and the City of Jackson, some combination of which the governor and lieutenant governor would appoint. The Jackson City Council would be able to submit three sug-

gested members for the governor to pick from. Harkins’ bill also would require that at least one pilot serve on the board as well as the adjutant general of the Mis-sissippi National Guard and the Mississippi Development

Authority. He wants board members to have a wide area of expertise including members with aviation, business and en-gineering experience. Harkins offered scant specifi cs on how the takeover would improve anything, but made it clear that he believes that more business people on the board, appointed by the governor, would make the airport more business-friendly. In one of several interviews, Harkins said the airport is a huge economic-development driver that shuts out Rankin County because that county doesn’t have a voice in opera-tional decisions. A real-estate broker there who said he has no business interests the airport board could, Harkins said he said heard complaints from developers that the Jackson airport board has been diffi cult to work with over the years, leaving money on the table in terms of revenue. When explaining his motivations for fi ling the bill, Har-kins cites frequently repeated knocks on the airport: the high cost of fl ying out of Jackson compared to New Orleans or Memphis, the departure of Southwest Airlines in 2014, the lack of amenities inside the terminal and the dearth of devel-opment around the airport. “I’ve been in (offi ce) four years, and I have seen South-west leave, and I haven’t seen anybody from the airport up at the Legislature asking for us for help attracting another low-cost carrier. The fact that airline tickets are so high, it got me looking into it,” Harkins told the Jackson Free Press. “Some people want to make this a ‘we’re-taking-this-away-from-the-city-of-Jackson,’ or there’s even been sugges-tions that it’s racist,” Harkins added. “There’s no racist con-notation to what we’re doing here. This is about making the airport the best it can be to serve the citizens of this state. Jackson, fi nancially, will not suffer one bit under this plan. If the airport improves, the City of Jackson will improve. They’ll get more revenue from it.” Harkins believes that a “regionalized” board will help drive more economic development of the area around the airport. “We should be trying to attract businesses that can utilize that airport and the space out there, and that’s what

13

IMA

NI K

HAY

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The Jackson Municipal Airport Authority hired Carl

Newman, who has managed airports in Phoenix and Houston, said when he took the job he did not

by Arielle Dreher and R.L. Nave

Can Jackson Save Its Airport?

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I hope this new board will focus on and see what they can do,” Harkins said. The senator maintains that the current board is not doing anything wrong, and he said that Carl Newman is doing a great job. Harkins instead points to the need for more experience on the board as well as national trends toward regional-ization in other airports across the country. He said that when the City of Jackson built the airport, there was not a lot of development in Rankin or Madison counties like there is now. Harkins said he met briefly with Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber around the start of the legislative session to inform the mayor about the bill, which Yarber said then he would not support. Harkins also met with Newman in late 2015 as a courtesy to let the CEO know about his intentions for the board.Said Harkins: “I think it’s more of a regional asset, and it should be gov-erned like that.”

‘Wonderful Financial Position’ Wearing a white shirt and maroon tie, Carl Newman speaks slowly and with authority about the weather and the storm of con-troversy now brewing around the airport. “I think the impression people might have is the airport system is broken at this point. It is not. The airport is solvent. We are in a won-derful financial position,” he told the Jack-son Free Press. Budget documents show that in fiscal year 2015, the airport generated $3.76 mil-lion in net income on total income of $16.2 million, with the largest expenses going toward employee-related costs of $7.8 mil-lion. In August 2015, the airport refinanced $25 million in bonds, which Newman said

would save almost $4 million over the life of the loan. The airport is an economic engine with a “multiplier effect” that helps employees, suppliers and other vendors, many of whom are Jackson residents, he says. In Newman’s

year-end review, which he presented to the airport board Jan. 6, he said 48 percent—$5.2 million—of all JMAA contracts were awarded to businesses based in the City of Jackson. In addition, Newman said $1.3 million, 9 percent, of the money the airport receives from the federal government went to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, which includes minority-owned companies.

That’s why the newly formed Business Ministerial Alliance of Mississippi spoke out against what they called a “hostile takeover” of the Jackson airport. On Jan. 15, the al-liance chairman, Pastor Dwayne Pickett of New Jerusalem Church, argued that chang-

ing the governance of the airport would spur a major outcry from the city and its citizens. “The citizens of this city are tired of being controlled by those that do not have their best interests at heart,” Pickett said. The alliance is willing to work with both sides on the issue, but Pickett was firm that a takeover of the airport may prove to be “cata-strophic to the growth of the metro-politan area and its citizens.” Business and church leaders are con-cerned that a change in governance would make the City of Jackson more of an economic engine of the state rather than an economic en-gine for itself. “We will not sit back and al-low this to happen,” Pickett said.

‘Partners with Three Cities’ The JMAA hired Newman in early 2015 to replace longtime di-rector Dirk Vanderleest. Newman, a certified pilot, came to Jackson after managing two top 10 airports, Phoenix Sky Harbor International and then Bush International in Houston. In the business of airports, cooperation and sometimes tension

between local government and the airport commission are common. In Phoenix, the city’s airport borders Tempe and, therefore, Newman said discussions between those two cities were ongoing. “I’ve not been involved with a situation in which we had one entity talking about taking over another. I think it’s fair to say I did not expect to be walking into that,” he

said. The airport, originally called Allen C. Thompson Field after the Jackson mayor at the time—the same mayor whose “Thomp-son Tank” was used against civil-rights pro-testers—has been in operation since 1963. The City always controlled the airport with two commissioners serving under the mayor, who appointed the airport authority. The 1963 Jackson Municipal Airport Authority annual report says the airport au-thority was composed of five members with a chairman and vice chairman. The more than 3,000 acres the airport sits on are critical to the JMAA’s long-term plan. The Jackson airport is developing 700 acres of land along its eastern edge, which Newman said wasn’t accessible until the airport started building a road to provide ac-cess to the land. One section was complete in 2013. With that piece in place, Newman hired former Jackson State University com-munications representative Jean Frazier to lead marketing of the parcels. “What we have in mind is stuff that is compatible with aviation uses. We’ll be seek-ing firms that manufacture aircrafts, firms that maintain aircraft, parts manufacturers. There’s a term in our industry—MRO—maintenance, repair and overhaul,” New-man told the Jackson Free Press. “The key point was until that road went in, there was no access to (the land) to be developed. We’re partners with three cities — Flowood, Pearl and Brandon—in getting this done.” Brad Rogers, Pearl’s mayor, agrees that development has historically been difficult because of the lack of access points. Current-ly, Airport Road is the only public thorough-fare in or out of the airport. The new road should help with development in the region, even though none of it would take place in Pearl proper, Rogers said. As far as the entity that controls the air-port, Rogers believes that “some regionaliza-

16

TAKEOVER

CO

URT

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AA

This map shows the parcels that make up the Jackson airport, which is located in Rankin County.

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tion of the board would be a good thing.” “All the funding, all the money can stay in Jackson, but I think there needs to be input from the Rankin County Board (of Supervisors), the Madison board and the Hinds board,” Rogers said. The second phase of airport develop-ment will involve a second section of road from the south side of the airport; eventually, the plan is to have the road go all the way to Interstate 20. Newman said the airport is fi-nalizing a strategic plan, which highlights the development, which has a lease option with Freedom Realty. Ron Harvey Jr., a principal with the firm, told the Jackson Free Press that he was not ready to talk about the project. “Most airport (representatives) realize they have to develop non-airline sources of revenue. This property and developing it gets us a long way down the road. It has the potential to add millions of dollars a year in revenue,” Newman said.

The Southwest Connection Before the Jackson airport can capital-ize on that potential, it will have to overcome perceptions—both real and imagined—that flying from Jackson is more of a hassle than it is worth. For example, consider that a Delta flight from Jackson to Atlanta leaving on March 1 and returning one week later costs $389 with one month’s notice. The same ticket to Atlanta costs $167 when leaving from New Orleans, information from the Delta website shows. The loss of Southwest in 2014, regard-ed as a lower-cost carrier, only added to frus-trations even if Southwest’s decision to leave had nothing to do with the management of the Jackson airport. A Wall Street Journal analysis of industry and government data in September 2015 found that airport car-riers have cut flights and raised fares at many smaller and medium-sized airports. The Journal said this shift is due to large airline mergers as well as airlines mov-ing their business where they can make the most money—in larger markets, not smaller ones. The Journal found that several airlines made their deepest cuts at smaller hubs; for instance, Delta eliminated Memphis as a hub after it merged with Northwest Airlines. Newman said even though Southwest left the market, he has met with representa-tives of the airline since coming to Jackson. “If you look at what’s going on with Southwest, previously they shied away from big, expensive airports. If they had a choice between operating out of Oakland or San Francisco, they operated out of Oakland. If they had a choice between operating out of BWI (Baltimore) or Reagan or Dulles, they operated out of BWI—places that are a little bit off the beaten path,” he said. “Now, the focus has changed. They’re going into larger places. They’ve also made a

business decision to go into the international (market), so they’re executing on that right now,” Newman added. Then, in October 2014, a federal law called the Wright Amendment, which regu-lated traffic at Love Field in Dallas, expired. The law, passed in 1979, required flights into Love to make a stop right outside of Texas to curb what was then heavy traffic, which made cities like Jackson more attractive to the airline. “Airlines try to get into the high 80-percent range and, if they can, get into the 90-percent range,” Newman said. “To make the matter worse, Southwest is a point-to-point flyer … the seats (with people in them) on those flights were being filled in other places.”

Feds to the Rescue? In Sen. Harkins’ view, the Jackson air-port could benefit from regionalization. He points to the Golden Triangle Airport in northeast Mississippi as well as regionaliza-tion attempts in Syracuse, N.Y., and Char-lotte, N.C. In 2013, the Republican-con-trolled North Carolina General Assembly passed a bill to take oversight of the Char-lotte Douglas International Airport from the majority-Democratic Charlotte City Coun-cil and give it to an 11-member commission. Charlotte countered with a lawsuit in state court, which resulted in an injunction that left the airport in Charlotte’s hands. Between 2013 and October 2014, legal fees related to the lawsuit topped $1 million, The Charlotte Observer reported. Charlotte also asked the Federal Avia-tion Administration to intercede, but the agency—which is headed by former Char-lotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, who recused himself from the issue—said it would not weigh in until the court battles are resolved. The Charlotte Business Journal re-

ported that the state’s new law required the current city aviation director to become the chairman of the new commission, but after the injunction, the director had only a small role to play—although he still collected his state-sponsored paycheck each year. Jackson legislators have made it clear that they are not interested in the state inter-vening. Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, believes that the dispute could hinge on the outcome of the national presidential election. “Ulti-mately, the decision will be up to the Federal Aviation Administration, who has to approve governance changes,” Horhn said. Horhn, who has chaired the Senate Economic Development Committee since 2012 and will continue to this session, said the FAA does not allow airport income to go to state governments; most airports are either municipally or regionally operated. Jeffrey Price, an aeronautics profes-sor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, said the FAA primarily cares about two things: first, “aeronautical activities,” meaning that an airport is actually worried about airplane operations and; second, that an airport spends all of its FAA money on airport-only expenses. How airports spend FAA grant dollars are typically at the heart of complaints to the FAA called Part 16s, which refers to a provision in federal airport compli-ance rules, Price said. “It’s like sending your kid to college and paying for it as long as they’re staying out of trouble,” Price, who has worked in aviation for 30 years, said. “The FAA says we’ll give you money, and you agree to run the airport a certain way.” When an airport agrees to take FAA grant funding, it must comply with the grant assurances for 20 years. If a Part 16 complaint is found to be valid, an airport risks losing all its federal funding, a move that would shut down most airports. Beyond spending federal dollars correct-ly, however, Price says that the FAA prefers to stay out of most governance matters with its airports. A city, county or a port authority—and rarely—a state can run an airport. A city or county runs 60 percent to 70 percent of airports, Price estimates, and an independent airport authority—often formed as its own entity with the sole purpose of operating the airport—runs the rest. “I understand where they’re going with it. What’s unusual about it is the governor controlling all of those appointments,” Price said of Harkins’ plan. If a multi-county commission exists, it usually gets to appoint its own members to represent its constituents. Price did serve on the Colorado Aeronautics Board 10 years ago—a position he said the governor appointed—but that board did not oversee a single airport. Instead, it oversaw all aviation in the state of Colorado.

Price said the FAA prefers to stay out of governance issues with its airports, and dis-putes with tenants or airlines are usually not worthy of a successful complaint. “The FAA does not want to come in and manage your airport or come in and clean up your mess,” he said. “They will do everything they can to stay away from it.”

Combining Forces Reminiscent of Gov. Haley Barbour’s ultimately unsuccessful suggestion a few years ago to consolidate the state’s historically black colleges, the airport controversy has come to represent a microcosm of Missis-sippi race politics and power. Harkins said his bill would not “de-an-nex” the land Jackson bought from Rankin County in the early 1960s and annexed into the city. As part of that deal, Jackson agreed not to expand eastward beyond the Pearl River without getting permission from the Rankin County Board of Supervisors. Even though the legislation would put new governing authorities in place over air-port operations, Harkins said his bill does not change the airport’s name and that he would not be in favor of doing so. The namesake of the airport—the martyred Jack-son civil rights leader—has rankled some conservatives since 2011. Resisting the air-port takeover is one of the items on the City of Jackson’s legislative agenda this year. The Hinds County Board of Supervisors has also pledged to lobby against Harkins’ bill. Pieter Teeuwissen, the attorney for the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, said resisting the changing is important because what’s good for Jackson is good for Hinds County. “The people who want control of the airport had control of the airport. They moved. You can’t move out of the city be-cause wanted better schools and lower crime and then want to take all the good things with you,” Teeuwissen told an audience at Koinonia Coffee House in late January. Meanwhile, the JMAA hired Worth Thomas, the same lobbyist Jackson is using, to represent the airport’s interests at the Capi-tol this session. Jackson City Council President Melvin Priester Jr. said that when he joined the city council in 2013, people told him that the city should never give up two assets: its water rights from the Ross Barnett Reservoir and its control of the airport. Priester wants to know how changing the composition of the airport will bring back Southwest or attract another carrier or how Harkins’ plan will spur economic devel-opment or even improve public safety. “This is not making the pie bigger; this is changing who has the pie,” Priester said. “It’s frustrating because we’re being dripped information, and you look at what’s been proposed, and it makes no sense.” Comment at www.jfp.ms/airport.20

TAKEOVER

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ISSISSIPPI SENAT

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State Sen. Josh Harkins, a Flowood

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Fenian’s Overhauls Menuby Genevieve Legacy

LIFE&STYLE | food

F enian’s Pub has carried the banner of authentic Irish pub for almost two decades. Opened in 1996, it is both a neighborhood pub and a full-service

restaurant. Its food and drink offerings have changed in recent months, since new head chef and general manager Ryan Cas-sell overhauled and upgraded the menu. “I wanted to take the traditional Irish dishes and make them top notch—the best we can—and have good bar food at the same time,” Cassell says. One of the key improvements to the quality of Fenian’s fare has been increasing the use of locally sourced products, includ-ing bread, eggs, meat and produce. Cassell is a Madison native with good connections to Jackson’s restaurant community, so after returning from a 10-year stint in Charlotte, N.C., he found it easy to make the changes. “I have a lot of friends in the restau-rant business here in Jackson, so I’ve been able to find out where to get good local sup-plies,” Cassell says. “Our ground beef and the ground lamb for shepherd’s pie are both from Mississippi.” With Fenian’s approaching its 20-year anniversary this November, Cassell wants people to be both surprised and pleased by the food at this Belhaven establishment. “Most people expect an American Irish pub to use frozen fish fillets for fish and chips, potato chips instead of fries. Fenian’s has been here for 20 years; people probably expect the food to be OK but not great,” he

says. “I want to ‘wow’ people, offer them something they’ll be happy about.” Feedback on the new menu has been positive. Cassell says business has picked up ,and sales have increased, “up around 50 per-cent” some weeks. Popular additions to the menu include the Fenian’s burger, pub wings with Guinness barbecue sauce, and potato croquettes, Cassell’s version of traditional Irish potato cakes. The pub staff has generated some buzz

around a new dish, the Irish chicken curry. “Irish chicken curry has been a great-seller,” Cassell says. “It’s cool because most

people don’t connect Irish and curry. When I went to Ireland a couple (of) years ago, I stopped at a mom-n-pop pub run by an older man and (his) wife. I walked in and asked if they had any food—all they had was chicken curry.” Fenian’s version of the popular dish is roasted chicken, bell pepper, and onion in curry sauce served over rice or hand-cut potato chips. Irish poutine is an appe-tizer of chips topped with chicken curry and cheddar cheese. So what’s the difference between In-dian and Irish curry? “It’s like an Indian curry but not as hot and spicy,” Cassell explains. “It’s a little sweeter, like a cross between a gravy and a curry. I get the curry powder we use shipped in from Ireland. It’s the real thing—hard to duplicate.” Now that the kitchen staff has been trained to make the new dishes, Cassell has more time to focus on other responsibilities such as adding more local produce, research-ing local beers and coming up with great pairings of food and drink. “Everybody’s trained now—they’re rock-n-rolling with it,” he says. “It’s freed me up to concentrate on the rest—paying the bills, ordering stuff and trying to figure out the best plan of attack. We have a wide range of beers but not a lot of space, so we’re bringing in a couple here and a couple there. If someone asked what beer would go well with a dish, (we’re) confident (we) could find something. It’s a process—something we’ll be working on.” Fenian’s Pub is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Saturday 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Kitchen hours are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Saturday from 4 p.m. to midnight. For more information, visit fenianspub.com.

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Fenian’s Pub’s new menu has dishes such as the Fenian’s burger.

When Ryan Cassell took over as manager at Fenian’s Pub, he decided the menu needed a little makeover.

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

AMERICAN/SOUTHERN CUISINEBasil’s (2906 N State St #104, Jackson, 601-982-2100) Paninis pizza, pasta, soups and salads. They’ve got it all on the menu.Broad Street Bakery (4465 Interstate 55 N. 601-362-2900)

Hot breakfast, coffee drinks, fresh breads & pastries, gourmet deli sandwiches.The Feathered Cow (4760 I-55 North 769-233-8366) Simple and homemade equal quality and freshness every time. You never leave The Cow hungry!The Iron Horse Grill (320 W Pearl St, Jackson, 601-398-0151) The smell of charcoal greets you, the music carries you inside.Primos Cafe (2323 Lakeland 601-936-3398/ 515 Lake Harbour 601-898-3400)A Jackson institution for breakfast, blue-plates, catfish, burgers, prime rib, oysters, po-boys & wraps. Famous bakery!Rooster’s (2906 N State St, Jackson, 601-982-2001)You haven’t had a burger until you’ve had a Rooster’s burger. Pair it with their seasoned fries and you’re in heaven. Two Sisters Kitchen (707 N. Congress St. 601-353-1180) Lunch. Mon-Fri, Sun.

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

ITALIANBRAVO! (4500 Interstate 55 N., Jackson, 601-982-8111) Award-winning wine list, Jackson’s see-and-be-seen casual/upscale dining. Fratesi’s (910 Lake Harbour, Ridgeland, 601-956-2929) Fratesi’s has been a staple in Jackson for years, offering great Italian favorites with loving care. The tiramisu is a must-have!

STEAK, SEAFOOD & FINE DININGEslava’s Grille 2481 (Lakeland Dr, Flowood, 601-932-4070) Seafood, Steaks and Pastas The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen (1200 North State St. #100 601-398-4562) Transforms the essence of Mediterranean food and southern classics.The Penguin (1100 John R Lynch Street, 769-251-5222) Fine dining at its best.Rocky’s (1046 Warrington Road, Vicksburg 601-634-0100) Enjoy choice steaks, fresh seafood, great salads, hearty sandwiches.Sal and Phil’s Seafood (6600 Old Canton Rd, Ridgeland 601-957-1188)Great Seafood, Poboys, Lunch Specials, Boiled Seafood, Full Bar, Happy Hour Specials Saltine Oyster Bar (622 Duling Avenue 601-982-2899) Creative seafood classics. One of Jackson’s Best New Restaurants.

MEDITERRANEAN/GREEKAladdin Mediterranean Grill (730 Lakeland Drive 601-366-6033) Delicious authentic dishes including lamb dishes, hummus, falafel, kababs, shwarma.Zeek’s House of Gyros (132 Lakeland Heights Suite P, Flowood 601.992.9498) Jackson’s Newest Greek Restaurant, offering authentic gyros, hummus, and wide selection of craft beers.

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

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

BARS, PUBS & BURGERS4th & Goal Sports Cafe (North, 5100 I-55 Frontage Rd 769-208-8283) Handcrafted food made from the best ingredients. Burgers and Blues (1060 E. County Line Rd. 601-899-0038) Best Burger of 2013, plus live music and entertainment!Fenian’s Pub (901 E. Fortification St. 601-948-0055) Classic Irish pub featuring a menu of traditional food, pub sandwiches & Irish beers on tap.Hal and Mal’s (200 S. Commerce St. 601-948-0888) Pub favorites meet Gulf Coast and Cajun specialties like red beans and rice, the Oyster Platter or daily specials.ISH Grill & Bar (5105 I 55 N Frontage Rd. 769-257-5204) Jackson’s newest hot spot offering classic foods and cocktails in a refined and elegant atmosphere.Legends Grill (5352 Lakeland Dr. 601-919-1165) Your neighborhood Sports Bar and Grill.Martin’s Restaurant and Lounge (214 South State Street 601-354-9712) Lunch specials, pub appetizers or order from the full menu of po-boys and entrees. Full bar, beer selection.Ole Tavern on George Street (416 George St. 601-960-2700) Pub food with a southern flair: beer-battered onion rings, chicken & sausage gumbo, salads, sandwiches.One Block East ( 642 Tombigbee St. 601-944-0203)Burger joint and dive bar located in downtown Jackson. Great music, tasty beverages and Bad Ass Burgers is what we do.

ASIAN AND INDIANFusion Japanese and Thai Cuisine (1002 Treetops Blvd, Flowood 601-664-7588/1030-A Hwy 51, Madison 601-790-7999)Specializing in fresh Japanese and Thai cuisine, an extensive menu features everything from curries to fresh sushi.Surin of Thailand (3000 Old Canton Road, Suite 105, Jackson 601-981-3205) Jackson’s Newest Authentic Thai & Sushi Bar with 26 signature martini’s and extensive wine list.

23

A t a time when racial, social and economic ten-sions seem to be at an all-time high, Jackson-based hip-hop artist Jason Thompson, who per-forms as PyInfamous, wants to offer a slightly

different perspective: one of “us” and not “them.” His seventh album, “We Struggle Too: The Struggle Has Just Begun II,” is the second installment of a project with producer Vic Wilson. The two had worked together on 2010’s “The Struggle Has Just Begun,” Thompson’s previous release as PyInfamous. As they saw more of the injustices occurring across the country, they were remind-ed that the themes and ideas presented on the album were, sadly, universal. They went back into the studio in 2011 and began recording “We Struggle Too,” which Thompson released Dec. 17, 2015. “We wanted to make the album inclusive—the idea that we all struggle with different things,” he says of the latest project. “You may not be a minority or poor, but there are definitely some things you may struggle with. We try to inform and empower people to do something to change not just their own lives but hopefully the lives of other people.” The 14-track album is full of soulful music that Thompson intends to help listeners appreciate the dif-ficulties everyone faces and to think on how they can maybe work together to make things better. Thomp-son says he is particularly proud of the tracks “War Not

Love” and “What You Heard,” which feature his young-er brothers, Ahmad Rashad and Saddi Sundiata, with whom he hasn’t released music in quite some time. He also praised singer Chellese Hall, featured for the first

time on his track “To Be Free.” His personal favorite, however, is “Cuisine for Consideration.” “It speaks to the issues of race, class and economics, but it does so in a way that is lyrically driven,” Thompson says. “It was cool to be able to do something that was a

concept record, but the substance was still there.” While Thompson was born in Clarksdale, Miss., and grew up in Crystal Springs, he says he chose to launch his music career and live in Jackson for a reason. “Jackson is a very interesting place because it is like a lot of other black cities throughout the nation,” he says. “There are some very unique problems that exist that are tied to historical and very intentional policies and practices that have created an underclass. So the things people are always bemoaning in Jackson—the poor infrastructure, the lack of jobs, the poor schools—all of these things are directly related to everything that happened pre-1954.” Thankfully, Jackson also forged a generation of people that is “committed to poor people and people of color … standing in the gap and not running away from challenges,” Thompson says. That, too, is part of his message as PyInfamous. “It created a place for people to work side by side and create a solution,” he says. “We have so many folks who leave because of a lack of resources or for better op-portunities, but I feel, and those I work with feel, that there are lots of valuable resources here that can be built upon. That’s why I have come, have stayed and am deter-mined to move forward bit by bit.” PyInfamous’ “We Struggle Too: The Struggle Has Just Begun II” is available now on iTunes, Spotify and other mu-sic services. For more information, visit pyinfamous.com.

PyInfamous: Sharing the Struggleby Shameka Hayes Hamilton

Jackson hip-hop artist PyInfamous’ latest album, “We Struggle Too: The Struggle Has Just Begun II,” which he released Dec. 17, 2015, deals with rising race and class issues.

CO

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DIVERSIONS | music

MUSIC | live

PAU

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Larry Brewer

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WEDNESDAY 2/3 History Is Lunch is at noon at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.). State Sen. David L. Jordan discusses his book, “From the Mississippi Cotton Fields to the State Senate: A Memoir.” Sales and signing to follow. Free; call 601-576-6998.

THURSDAY 2/4 The James and Natasha Roach Book Signing is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jackson State University (1400 John R. Lynch St.) at the JSU Bookstore in the Student Center. The authors sign copies of “Your Daily Verse” and “Our Story.” Free admission, books for sale; call 979-2121; mrandmrsroach.com. … “’night, Mother” is at 7:30 p.m. at Belhaven University (1500 Peachtree St.) in Barber Audi-torium. The play is about a woman’s final moments before committing suicide. Additional dates: Feb. 5-6, 7:30 p.m. $10, $5 seniors and students, free for Belhaven students and employees; call 601-965-7026; belhaven.edu.

FRIDAY 2/5 Krewe de Cardinal is at 7 p.m. at Old Capitol Inn (226 N. State St.). The Mardi Gras ball with live and silent auctions, food, a cash drawing and music from the Southern Komfort Brass Band is a fundraiser for St. Richard Catholic School. $100 for two; call 366-1157; strichardschool.org.

SATURDAY 2/6 Bacchus Ball 2016 is from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. at the Country Club of Jackson (345 St. Andrews Drive). The Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi’s 31st annual Mardi Gras fundraising gala includes Creole cuisine, live and silent auctions, and music from The Tip Tops. Black tie optional. RSVP. For ages 21 and up. $125 unseated individuals, $250 seated individuals or unseated couples, $500 seated couples; call 601-957-7878; msdiabetes.org.

SUNDAY 2/7 McB’s Super Bowl Party and Shrimp Boil is at noon at McB’s Bar & Grill (815 Lake Harbor Drive, Ridgeland). In-cludes a shrimp boil at noon, music from Acoustic Crossroads from 1-5 p.m. and watching the big game on large television screens. No cover, food for sale; call 956-8362; eatmcbs.com.

MONDAY 2/8 The Friends of the Ridgeland Library Book Sale is from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Ridgeland Public Library (397 Highway 51, Ridgeland). Take advantage of deals on dis-counted books during library hours. The Friends Member-ship Preview Party is Feb. 4 from 4-6:30 p.m., and the sale is open to the public Feb. 5-6 from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Feb. 9-10 from 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Free; call 601-856-4536.

TUESDAY 2/9 The 2016 Black History Month Series is from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Fannie Lou Hamer Institute @ COFO (1017 John R. Lynch St.). The Fannie Lou Hamer Institute @ COFO and the Institute for Social Justice and Race Rela-tions are the hosts. The speaker is Meredith Coleman Mc-Gee, author of “James Meredith: Warrior and the America That Created Him.” Free lecture, books for sale ($14-$48); call 601-979-1562; jsums.edu/hamerinstitute. … The Mis-sissippi Academy of Ancient Music Concert is at 7:30 p.m. at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church (5400 Old Canton Road). Vox Luminis, a choral ensemble from Belgium, presents a covert entitled “150 Years of Choral Masterpieces” from the Bach family. $30, $5 students; call 601-594-5584; email info@ancientmusic.org; ancientmusic.org.

WEDNESDAY 2/10 The Hunger Free Jackson Conference is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.). At the Campbell College Center. The theme is “New Thinking and Emerging Ideas.” Includes speakers and breakout sessions. $10, students free; call 601-974-1000; email thoang@hun-gercenter.org; hfjxnconference.eventbrite.com or hungerfree-jxn.org. … The Jackson 2000 February Luncheon is from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.). Karen Quay from Jackson 2000, Susan Womack from Millsaps College and Noel Didla from Jack-son State University talk about their involvement with the program Dialogue Circles at Millsaps College. Attire is casual or business casual. RSVP. $12, $10 members; call 960-1500; email todd@jacksonfreepress.com; jackson2000.org.

SATURDAY 2/6Let the Music Dance Featuring Claire Holley is at Duling Hall.

THURSDAY 2/4Art Lovers’ Soiree is at the Dickies Building.

TUESDAY 2/9The Mardi Gras Celebration is at Drago’s Seafood Restaurant.

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Belgian soloist ensemble Vox Luminis performs for the Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music Concert on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church.

BY MICAH SMITH

EVENTS@JACKSONFREEPRESS.COM

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Author Natasha and James Roach sign copies of their latest books on Thursday, Feb. 4, at the Jackson State University Bookstore.

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Hunger Free Jackson Conference Feb. 10, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.). At Campbell College Center. This year’s theme is “New Thinking and Emerging Ideas.” Includes guest speakers and breakout sessions. $10, students free; call 974-1000; email thoang@hungercenter.org; hfjxnconfer-ence.eventbrite.com or hungerfreejxn.org.

Jackson 2000 February Luncheon Feb. 10, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., at Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.). Karen Quay from Jackson 2000, Susan Womack from Millsaps College and Noel Didla from Jackson State University talk about their involvement with the program Dialogue Circles at Millsaps College. RSVP. $12, $10 members; call 960-1500; email todd@jacksonfree-press.com; jackson2000.org.

Krewe de Cardinal Feb. 5, 7 p.m., at Old Capitol Inn (226 N. State St.). The Mardi Gras ball with live and silent auctions, food, a cash drawing and music from the Southern Komfort Brass Band is a fundraiser for St. Richard Catholic School. $100 for two; call 601-366-1157; strichardschool.org.

Mardi Gras Celebration Feb. 9, 4-9 p.m., at Drago’s Seafood Restaurant (1005 E. County Line Road). Includes happy hour specials from 4-7 p.m., live entertainment from 5-9 p.m., a costume contest and a king cake party. No cover; call 601-957-1515; email info@dragosrestaurant.com.

Events at William F. Winter Archives and His-tory Building (200 North St.)

Feb. 3, noon. State Sen. David L. Jordan discusses his book, “From the Mississippi Cotton Fields to the State Senate: A Memoir.” Free; call 601-576-6998.

Feb. 10, noon. MDAH archivist Chloe Edwards presents “The Life of Paula Ackerman.” Free; call 601-576-6998.

So You Think You Can Fish? Feb. 6, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). Includes seminars, tips on fishing techniques and related activities. Included with admission ($6, $5 seniors, $4 children, chil-dren under 3 and members free); call 601-576-6000; mdwfp.com/museum.

2016 Black History Month Series Feb. 9, 6-8 p.m., at Fannie Lou Hamer Institute @ COFO (1017 John R. Lynch St.). The speaker is Meredith Coleman McGee, author of “James Meredith: Warrior and the America That Created Him.” Free lecture, books for sale; call 601-979-1562; jsums.edu/hamerinstitute.

Events at Mississippi Children’s Museum (2145 Highland Drive)

Health Feb. 6, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Join doctors and physicians from the Children’s Heart Center of Mississippi, part of University of Mississippi Medical Center. Included with admission ($10, children under 12 months free); call 601-981-5469; mississippichildrensmuseum.com.

Feb. 7, 1:30-5:30 p.m. Make your own sculptures and prints in Inspiration Studios. Included with admission ($10, children under 12 months free); call 601-981-5469; mississippichildrensmuseum.com.

Events at Saltine Oyster Bar (622 Duling Ave., Suite 201)

Feb. 5, 6 p.m. Enjoy a featured ramen bowl from Chef Jesse Houston and $2 beers. Call 982-2899; saltinerestaurant.com.

Feb. 9, 5-8 p.m. On the second Tuesday of each month, a featured brewery takes over the taps, beer engine or Randall for the night. Includes giveaways. Call 982-2899; saltinerestaurant.com.

Feb. 3-6, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 7, 2 p.m., at New Stage Theatre (1100 Carlisle St.). The play is about the break-down of a marriage that comes to light at a social gathering. $28, $22 seniors and students; call 601-948-3533, ext. 222; newstagetheatre.com.

Feb. 4-6, 7:30 p.m., at Belhaven University (1500 Peachtree St.). In Barber Audito-rium. The play is about a woman’s final moments before committing suicide. $10, $5 seniors and students, free for Belhaven students and employ-ees; call 601-965-7026; belhaven.edu.

Feb. 6, 7 p.m., at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). The singer-songwriter presents new composi-tions written for Ballet Mississippi. Refreshments included. $50; call 960-1560; balletms.com.

Kinky Friedman Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m., at Duling Hall (622 Duling Ave.). $25 in advance, $30 at the door, $3 surcharge for under 21; call 601-292-7999; email arden@ardenland.net; ardenland.net.

Mississippi Academy of Ancient Music Concert Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m., at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church (5400 Old Canton Road). Vox Luminis, a choral ensemble from Belgium, performs. $30, $5 stu-dents; call 601-594-5584; ancientmusic.org.

Art Lovers’ Soiree Feb. 4, 5-8 p.m., at Dick-ies Building (736 S. President St.). Participants include Fischer Galleries, Art Space 86, Pearl River Glass Studio, Ellen Langford, Wolfe Studio, Lemuria Books, the Mississippi Museum of Art and more. Includes music from Leo Moreira. Free; call 601-668-5408; jerrodpartridge.com.

Mon-days-Saturdays through May 1, at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). The exhibit includes dinosaur eggs and nests, explorations stations and more. $6, $5 seniors, $4 ages 3-18, children under 3 and mem-bers free; call 576-6000; mdwfp.com/museum.

Feb. 6, 6-10 p.m., at Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (1152 Lakeland Drive). Includes live music, food, cocktails and a silent auction. Proceeds benefit the Sherard Shaw Foundation. For ages 21 and up. $40, $75 couples, $500 corporate table; call 982-8264; sherardshaw.org.

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

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UPCOMING SHOWS

2/12 - Higher Learning2/13 - The Quickening

2/19 - CBDB w/ Backup Planet2/20 - Charge The Atlantic &

Chickenpox Party2/26 - Dave Jordan & The NIA

2/27 - The Congress3/5 - The Stolen Faces

3/12 - Chrome Pony w/ Buffalo Rodeo & Heaters

3/18 - George Porter Jr. & His Runnin’ Pardners

3/25 - Samantha Fish4/8 - Ocean Disco

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W ill it be Cam Newton or Petyon Manning? Will the Broncos’ top-ranked defense trample the 11th-ranked Panthers offense? Or will Denver’s 16th-ranked offense fall flat against Carolina’s

sixth-ranked defense? This year’s Super Bowl has plenty of con-trast and plenty of questions. While Manning is the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl, he and Newton were both taken with the top pick in their respective drafts. This is the first time two quarterbacks drafted first overall will meet in the Super Bowl. Manning is the typical pocket-passing quarterback, but Newton is part of a new wave that’s as dangerous with its legs as it is with its arms. Both teams have very good defenses. The Broncos are better known for their pass rushers. Von Miller and DeMar-cus Ware were part of a unit that recorded 52 sacks in the regular season and has added seven more this postseason. On the other hand, the Carolina Panthers, who placed linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis on the front-lines, along with cornerback Josh Norman, managed an NFL-high 24 picks this season and more interceptions than touchdown passes allowed. The Panthers also had 44 sacks in the regular season, but the Broncos had 14 interceptions. At the end of the season, Manning finished with 17 interceptions, despite missing six games due to being benched. At the same time, Manning has never gone through an entire postseason with-out throwing an interception. In Super Bowl play, he has thrown just three touchdowns to four interceptions. Carolina will enter the Super Bowl with a streak of 31 games (including the playoffs) in which they the Panthers had at least 100 rushing yards per game. Being able to run the ball and produce more yards on the ground will take away some

of the effectiveness of the Broncos’ pass rush. Denver has allowed the fewest rushing yards per at-tempt at 3.28 yards, and the fewest rushing yards per game at 83.6 yards. Carolina will need Newton to perform a few designed quarterback runs to help the team reach its rushing goal. While Newton’s and Manning’s play will be a deciding factor for whether its the Broncos or the Panthers that win Super Bowl 50, running the ball more effectively will go a long way toward winning this game. Carolina averaged 31.3 points per game this season, but Denver only gave up 18.5 points per game. The Bron-cos offense scored just 22.2 points per game to the 19.3 points per game that the Panthers gave up. Carolina also led the NFL with its turnover differential at positive 20 with 39 takeaways and 148 points earned from turnovers. Throughout the season, Carolina used turnovers to either score on defense or set its offense up for quick and easy touchdowns and field goals. Meanwhile, Denver finished the season at negative 4 on turnover differential. If the Broncos didn’t have the top defense to make stops after turnovers, they might not be in Super Bowl 50. That means their offense and defense have to play at their best to win this game. The offense can’t af-ford turnovers, but if it does have them, the defense needs to prevent touchdowns. Newton has used his legs and arms to get the Panthers in the end zone. He will give the Denver defense fits, and he has proven his ability to come up big in big games with both a junior-college title and a Division I title. I think even without Super Bowl experience, Newton will have this team relaxed once they take the field. It feels like he is unstoppable this season. My pick: Carolina 24, Denver 17.

Super Bowl 50: The Preview

DIVERSIONS | jfp sports

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Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton’s play will be one of the deciding factors on whether or not the Panthers beat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, Feb. 7.

by Amber Helsel

The cost of a 30-second TV spot during the 2015 Super Bowl was $4.5 million.

THURSDAY, FEB. 4 College basketball (8-10 p.m., SECN): The No. 11 MSU Lady Bulldogs hit the road to face the LSU Lady Tigers.

FRIDAY, FEB. 5 Documentary (8-10 p.m., ESPN2): ESPN Films presents “30 for 30: Four Falls of Buffalo,” a documentary about the Buffalo Bills’ four straight Super Bowl losses.

SATURDAY, FEB. 6 College basketball (5-7 p.m., ES-PN2): Mississippi State University hits the road to face a strong Louisiana State University squad. … College basketball (7-9 p.m., ESPNU): The University of Mississippi tries to gain ground in the SEC as it hosts Vanderbilt.

SUNDAY, FEB. 7 NFL (5:30-9 p.m., CBS): Super Bowl 50 kicks off between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers.

MONDAY, FEB. 8 College basketball (6-8 p.m., ESPN): Two traditional powers, Duke and Lou-isville, meet as both are having down seasons by their standards.

TUESDAY, FEB. 9 College basketball (8-10 p.m., SECN): MSU hosts Arkansas State. … College basketball (8-10 p.m., ESPNU): UM heads southeast to face the University of Florida on the road.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10 College basketball (6-8 p.m., SECN): Texas A&M, the best in the SEC and possible Final Four team, faces Alabama on the road. This will be the eighth Super Bowl appearance for the Broncos and the second Super Bowl appearance for the Panthers. Denver is 2-5 in previous Su-per Bowls, and Carolina is 0-1 after its previous trip back in 2003.

The football season this Sunday with Super Bowl 50. Either the Broncos or the Panthers will leave as champions in a game that could be the last ride of Peyton Manning.

by Bryan FlynnSLATE

the best in sports over the next seven days

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

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