Person of the Day
John David Lewis
John David Lewis harbors a love for Jackson that he has carried with him throughout his life and especially now in his current position as deputy director of the Department …
Food
Jerk City Grille Represents Caribbean Cuisine in the Metro
After years of working in the food industry, Ridgeland resident Wendell Brewster decided “it was time to invest in myself” and opened a food truck in April of this year. …
Person of the Day
Robert Martez Hopkins
Through Knowledge Camp University, Robert Martez Hopkins ministers to his community, serving more than 200 children across south Jackson in various ways, alongside head coach David King and assistant head …
Person of the Day
Jeffrey Altman
As of April 1, Jeffrey Altman has taken on the role of interim executive director for the Mississippi Department of Transportation, or MDOT, following the retirement of Melinda McGrath after …
Person of the Day
Michael Beattie
Michael Beattie, president and executive director of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, will retire after serving the organization for almost 17 years Sept. 1, 2021.
Person of the Day
Col. John B. Carter
Col. John B. Carter will be inducted as the next Commander of the Mississippi State Guard on April 24 at a ceremony at Camp Shelby.
Jacksonian
Jason Dean
For Dr. Jason Dean, a passion for Mississippi and a drive to help his home state grow have guided his life and career.
Music
Viola Dacus: Vocalist, Instructor, Mother
Dr. Viola Dacus vividly recalls one of the teaching moments that affirm her career choice of helping others develop their vocal performance.
Music
Garner Music Academy: ‘Make the Music Happen’
In her hometown of Pocahontas, Miss., Latongya Garner developed her affinity for music at Baker's Grove Missionary Baptist Church, where she currently serves as music minister.
Jacksonian
Jamie Shines
Jamie Shines' friends call her the "queen of the off-guard," for her love of taking spontaneous pictures of them when they least expect it. "I take the best off-guards ever," …
City & County
Shower Power, ‘Loving the Homeless Back to Life’
Shower Power founder Teresa Renkenberger came up with the idea of converting a food truck into showers for the homeless while she was having a conversation with a homeless friend.
Music
Family, Life’s Most Powerful Siren Song
A passion for music may have led Dawn Dixon across the Atlantic Ocean for a time, but her love for her family brought her back to her southern roots.
Food
The Cat’s Out of the Bag
While Jon Lansdale never had formal culinary training, his appreciation for cooking provided the drive he needed to make his restaurant, Crazy Cat Eat Up, a staple in the Jackson …
Jacksonian
Ira Murray and the 'Spirit of Jackson'
Ira Murray made Jackson his home for a second time after accepting the position of president and CEO with the United Way of the Capital Area.
Person of the Day
Christopher Kochtitzky: A Good Agent, A Good Man
Jackson lost a favored son on Sunday May 3 in the death of Christopher “Chris” Kochtitzky in Atlanta. “Chris was always interested in—and promoting—Jackson. He was our ‘ambassador’ so-to-speak at …
Music
Texissippi Sid, Musical Tones from Two Homes
A veteran to the Jackson music scene, Sid Thompson has been strumming a guitar since the early 1960s.
Food
Local Brews for Me and You
Larry Voss and Dylan Broome opened LD's BeerRun in December 2014 in northeast Jackson initially as a craft-beer retail store to serve the needs of local beer lovers.
Jacksonian
Sandra Shelson
Sandra Shelson has served the Jackson area, and Mississippi at large, in her position as executive director of The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi for the last 16 years. However, …
Person of the Day
Patrick Harkins: A Businessman with a Band
"I like to work with the mantra of positivity and doing the best we can every day to give our community the gift of music," says Patrick Harkins, owner of …
Jacksonian
Casey Spell
Pearl native and resident Casey Spell has never felt too busy to take on another activity or responsibility, as he is presently working his way through medical school while also …
Person of the Day
James Kenyon
Jackson resident James Kenyon says he has a heart for "telling stories that might not otherwise be heard," which he has had the chance to do since co-founding the Hearth …
City & County
Chandler Griffin, Storyteller
"I've done everything from teaching Dalits how to tell stories to running a workshop in Malaysia with kids who are deaf but want to tell their stories," filmmaker Chandler Griffin …
Jacksonian
Mike Cashion
Michael "Mike" P. Cashion Sr., who has lived in Clinton for 23 years with his wife, Debbie, recently retired as the executive director of the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association …
Music
Elephant Wrecking Ball Swings by Jackson
Elephant Wrecking Ball brings its woven concoction of experimental jazz, hip hop and electronic music genres to Jackson on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at Martin's Downtown as part of the group's …
Person of the Day
William H. Kelly III
William H. Kelly III, known as Willy to some, has been drawn toward photography since an early age, as evidenced by baby photos he has seen of himself that show …
Music
Will Hoge
Grammy-nominated country music singer-songwriter and producer Will Hoge is making his way to Jackson to share the stage with Stephen Kellogg at Duling Hall as part of the "Gentlemen on …
City & County
Amber Johnson: Becoming the First
The Jackson City Council honored Amber Johnson during an Aug. 6, 2019, meeting at city hall after she became the first African American woman to receive a Ph.D. from Purdue …
Food
Endless Adventures in JXN
In 2019, Visit Jackson invited Eric and Allison Bieller to visit the city. They spent several days in June seeing the attractions and going to various restaurants and trying the …
Person of the Day
Kenneth Vance
Kenneth Vance acknowledges the value of serving others. As an outreach worker for Grace House, a nonprofit organization that focuses on housing those in need, he is able to do …
Business
A New Class of Leadership
For M. Cade Smith, the assistant vice chancellor for community engagement at the University of Mississippi, his time in the WKKF Community Leadership Network program were three of the most …
Jacksonian
Lydia West
Mississippi Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics President Lydia West's strong memories of her family spending time in the kitchen and eating together with friends started a life-long interest in food, …
Culture
Bringing the River Back to Life
The Mississippi River Basin Model, a National Civil Engineering Landmark, is in bad shape; however, compared to the last time I wrote about it for the Jackson Free Press, it …
Art
Kit Fields
As a child, local artist Kit Fields says she recalls loving to paint and draw, but it wasn’t until age 45 that she started taking painting lessons. Her first class …
Art
Junie B. Jones, Batman and Puppets
For the fourth time, the Mississippi Puppetry Guild will do a production of "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells."
Film
A Story of Survival at Parchman
Though "The Parchman Ordeal: The Untold Story" is not a feel-good film, it is a must-see film. It will leave you horrified and slightly sick to your stomach.
Film
Tinkering Life Away
"Tinker" is a somewhat sappy film told on two levels, as the protagonist Lenny Hale (Todd Barnett) looks for happiness and purpose in his life.
Film
The First Modern President
The U.S. has had many important presidents, but one that doesn't always come up in the conversation is Ulysses S. Grant. The student film "The Legacy of Ulysses S. Grant" …
Art
A NuRenaissance Before the New Year
Myron McGowan is many things. He is a native Mississippian from rural Foxworth, Miss., who takes style influence from the '70s (no gold chains, though, he says).
Jacksonian
Anik Kurkjian
Anik Kurkjian, who is the director of outreach and special projects for the Mississippi Museum of Art, clearly remembers the first time she met her husband, Drew Young.
Art
Stevie Ray Vaughan’s ‘Pride and Joy’
Beginning June 30, the Grammy Museum Mississippi began hosting an exhibit that pays tribute to late blues and rock guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, which runs through Oct. 16.
Hitched
To See the Face of God
"She's going down," whispered my wife, and I glanced in alarm at the bride. Chaos reigns when a member of the wedding party faints; we have seen it.
Food
Camaraderie and Tradition
My oldest daughter spent her last year of high school living with a family in a rural town in Ecuador, and it became a family joke to serve her dinner …
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