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JACKSONIAN OTIS RIDDLEY

A former classmate of coach Otis Riddley recently posted to Instagram a comment Riddley left in her Provine High School yearbook at the end of their senior year:

“Hard work never got anyone fired.” “That shook me a little bit because it showed me that I had a little perspective, even back then,” Riddley, 30, says now. Riddley’s hard work has not gone unno-ticed. The former football star became head coach of the Provine football program in Feb-ruary. Former head coach Willie Collins’ 30-year tenure with the Rams is now history. “There are some things that are already in place in the community that people expect to happen when it comes to Provine football,” Riddley says of the former coaching staff, which also helped guide his career and life. “I have big shoes to fill from a coaching standpoint, but also a character standpoint, be-cause those are great men.” Riddley says the new era of Ram football’s coaching techniques will extend off the grid-iron. His plan is to ensure that all the students not only excel as players, but also as individuals in society. “We believe in developing the holis-tic male,” he says. Before any player put on a piece of equip-ment, Riddley led his team around the school’s campus to pick up trash. He also takes active roles in ensuring players get educated and gives grooming tips. Players should look the part and make the grades.

Riddley grew up in the Presidential Hills area of north Jackson. The self-proclaimed mama’s boy learned all about football from his mom. “My mother could sit there and watch a football game and break it down,” he says. “You know, she’s a coach.” After graduating from Provine in 2002, Riddley attended Mississippi State. He was undersized for an offensive lineman, and he struggled with injuries that caused his football career to come to an abrupt end during his sophomore year. “We don’t pick our destiny. We just choose the roads to get there,” Riddley says. “I didn’t sit down on my butt. I started trying to refocus my energy. How could I stay a part of the game even though I couldn’t play?” Returning to Jackson after graduating from Mississippi State with an educational psy-chology degree in 2007, Riddley started work as a process server, but wasn’t happy. While coaching a peewee football team known as the Jackson Rams, he got an offer to sign on as the offensive-line coach at Callaway High School in 2009. With football season just beginning at Jackson Public Schools, Riddley and the Rams are gearing up for their schedule. Coming off a 2-9 record last season, the Rams hope to improve their number of wins for this year. Riddley plans to continue the hard work of leading the Provine High organization, one that was pivotal to his own personal growth. —Jared Boyd

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AUGUST 20 - 26, 2014 | VOL. 12 NO. 50

4 ............................. EDITOR’S NOTE6 ............................................ TALKS12 ................................ EDITORIAL12 ................................ SORENSON13 .................................... OPINION14 ............................ COVER STORY32 ............................. LIFE & STYLE33 ................... GIRL ABOUT TOWN35 .............................. DIVERSIONS36 ....................................... 8 DAYS37 ...................................... EVENTS38 ....................................... MUSIC39 ....................... MUSIC LISTINGS41 .................................... PUZZLES41 ....................................... ASTRO

Cover photo of football players from UM, MSU, JSU and USM courtesy athletic departments of the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University,

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11 Primary ColorsMississippi State Sen. Chris McDaniel dishes on what he says are long-overdue election reforms, including closed primaries.

32 Through Yonder Window GrowsYou don’t need a green thumb or a big house to create a successful herb garden.

38 Summer Sounds“Where The Starting Line began early in (Kenny Vasoli’s) high-school years and featured oft-sappy love songs and tales of teen angst, Vacationer sees a now-adult Vasoli indulge in dreamy electronic layering and beach-party drum beats.” —Micah Smith, “Vacationer Sighs with ‘Relief’”

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G rowing up in the 1960s and ‘70s, I was taught that black men were dangerous and to be avoided. Don’t ever go on that side of the

tracks into the n*gger quarters. Cross the street if you see a scary black man walking toward you. Those people are violent, feral, lazy and will rape white women if they get a chance. I don’t remember my parents saying those things, but about everybody else did. That included teachers, coaches, relatives, business leaders, politicians, you name it. I’ve encountered this blatant racism ev-ery place I’ve lived, including New York City, Colorado, and Washington, D.C. It was in D.C. in the early 1980s when I had to face that my state didn’t hold the patent for race hatred. I worked as a club DJ and in almost every gig, the owner would walk up and tell me not to “play that n*gger music” because it would attract too many of “them.” I always figured they thought it was OK to say this stuff to me because I was female, blonde and from the South. Thus, I was a member of a club I’ve never wanted to join. I’d so love to say all this is behind us and that we can just hit reset, stop talking about race, declare everything equal and move for-ward without ever noticing skin tone again. But let’s put on our logic hats here: We can-not do that until things really are equal and public-policy, and trigger fingers, aren’t driv-en by the fear of someone darker, based on our fearful upbringing and socialization. If we hit reset without tackling un-resolved trauma, it can’t work. Such a reset would freeze false beliefs and inherited fears into our culture that, in turn, drive our deci-sions and policy with folks telling us we can’t discuss race any more—like many do now. Before you white folk start accusing me of “white guilt,” whatever that is, please stop and think about it. Many of you like to blame “the family” for any problem involv-ing a black person. Meantime, policies in-

stilled by our (white) leaders—from rape-in-fested slavery to the violent drug war—have done everything possible since our founding as a nation and state to break up black fami-lies, not to mention take away reproductive choices from poor women, starting with slav-ery and moving to access to safe birth control and even “adequate” public education. It’s OK with many white people that black children grow up in neighborhoods their families were ghettoized to in our dark-

er days when they weren’t allowed to live else-where; where they couldn’t escape because banks and lenders “redlined” them out of better homes and loans to help build wealth; where they are surrounded by rat-infested abandoned houses often owned by whites in “good” neighborhoods or other states; where they don’t have access to fresh food or grocery stores or sidewalks or transportation; where drugs shipped in by white suppliers can feel like the only way to make money especially if you’re a young, black man who is already picked on by police and told by your society that you’re likely to go to jail some day. Most whites don’t seem to care that guns are made readily available to vulnerable children by an industry that also gets rich off the white people who want to protect them-selves from those children who are more of-ten killing each other than whites—and over

acquiring and selling illegal drugs. Too many fellow whites (and increas-ingly middle-class blacks) will take the easy way out, throw their hands in the air and blame “the family” in a flash—the same fam-ilies they don’t want to have decent school-ing, birth control, equitable access to voting or to live in their neighborhoods. Most sadly, due to this mess of societal psychosis, too many children grow up with-out hope, with parent(s) in prison longer for more minor drug charges than whites who did the same thing, or strung out on the drugs that enrich people far away. Or they never see themselves depicted in most media for positive efforts (other than sports and sometimes music, if they’re not rappers). They’re called “thugs” for the clothing they choose, or because they sass somebody, or because they shoplift or smoke a joint. Their schools are dotted with police officers and metal detectors, telling them they’re expected to be criminals. Too many heed that call. At least they can belong somewhere. They then are crowded into private prisons that enrich guess-who or into a brutal, public one where they are used as slave labor, as their own kids grow up without a father in the same cycle. The culture still tries to tell the adult-me that black people are more dangerous and live in poverty … because they’re black people. Don’t believe me? Question yourself: If you believe that “those” families aren’t do-ing enough for their kids, why do you think “those” particular families aren’t? It’s hard to arrive at any conclusion other than their common skin tone if you refuse to acknowl-edge lingering effects of racism. If their skin tone is your common denominator, then it’s racist, whether you intend it to be or not. Of course the common thread is an American culture that intentionally pushed African Americans out of strong family life, quality education, voting rights and public

equality for so long—and that now refuses to reverse that legacy to the point that we ac-tually can hit reset and it work. What’s happening in Ferguson isn’t pretty, but it had to happen: Police and ev-eryday people cannot keep killing black peo-ple for minor, or no, crimes and expect our citizens of color to just keep taking it. That practice came to a violent head 50 years ago this summer, and it is again now. Polls this week show that only 37 per-cent of white Americans believe the Ferguson situation has anything to do with race. That means another 63 percent is either willfully racist or naïve about how people of color live in the U.S. It may be that half of those are hardened racists we will never change. But I pray the other half just haven’t bothered to look at race issues in a holistic way, whether from socialization or just not knowing you could or should. I’ve met plenty of those folks since starting the JFP, of all ages. And to a person, they are happier, more engaged people once they face racism in our society and decide to be part of the solution. Yes, America, we need to reset on the race question. But resetting without serious examination, deep listening and actions to repair the devastating effect of historic racism isn’t an option, and will only prolong race tension and inequities. We tried that, and Michael Brown is dead—for committing a much lesser sin than many whites who’ve done much worse and still get to breathe, eat, vote, and love their mamas and daddies. Now, it’s time to listen to the voice that the protesters are trying to collectively raise. It’s a voice full of pain, urgency, truth—and, if we allow it to be, a roadmap out of this mess our ancestors created for us. It will take us all, though, and it won’t be comfortable. Make no mistake: White people created this problem long ago, and we must help fix it. It doesn’t take guilt; it requires empathy, love and a whole lot of action.

CONTRIBUTORS

Time to Reset, White Folks

Bryan Flynn is a husband and stay-at-home father to a baby girl. He constantly wonders, “If it didn’t happen on ESPN or Disney Jr., did it really hap-pen?” He wrote the cover package.

Bryan FlynnInvestigative Reporter Anna Wolfe, a Tacoma, Wash., native, studied at Missis-sippi State. Email her at anna@ jacksonfreepress.com. She wrote about the lingering U.S. Senate race controversy.

Anna WolfeNews Editor R.L. Nave’s grand-mother lives in Ferguson, Mo. A St. Louis native, he enjoys Red Hot Riplets, Imo’s pizza and long walks through the U. City Loop. These days, his hometown is heavy in his thoughts. Email rlnave@jacksonfreepress.com.

R.L. NaveStaff Photographer Trip Burns is a graduate of the Univer-sity of Mississippi, where he studied English and sociology. He enjoys the films of Stanley Kubrick. He took many photos for the issue.

Trip Burns Feature Writer and Tishomingo County native Carmen Cristo studied journalism at Mis-sissippi State University and wrote for the Starkville Free Press. She likes Food Network, ’90s music and her husband. She wrote a food story.

Carmen Cristo Music Listings Editor Tommy Burton is keeping the dream alive, one record at a time. He can usually be seen with a pair of headphones on. He compiled the music listings. Send gig info to music@ jacksonfreepress.com.

Tommy BurtonGirl About Town columnist and lawyer Julie Skipper lives, works and plays downtown. Ask her about it if you want an earful. She hopes to learn to cook one day, but mostly thinks of the kitchen as additional closet space.

Julie SkipperSales Director Kimberly Grif-fin is a fitness buff and foodie who loves chocolate and her mama. She’s also Michelle Obama’s super secret BFF, which explains the Secret Ser-vice detail.

Kimberly Griffin

by Donna Ladd, Editor-in-ChiefEDITOR’S note

We can’t expect our citizens of color to just

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J ackson will have a new police chief by the end of the week. In preparation for the an-nouncement, which Mayor Tony

Yarber said he expects to make in a matter of days, the city is holding a series of fo-rums to allow citizens to weigh in on the two candidates for the job.

Lee Vance, a longtime assistant chief who currently serves as acting chief, ap-peared with Juan Cloy, the assistant police chief in Canton. Cloy is the former head of the police union at JPD. On Monday, at Westside Commu-nity Center on Wiggins Road, the men talked about their approaches to crime prevention and policing. Cloy emphasized building relation-ships with other government agencies, including the Hinds County Sheriff ’s Office as well as Jackson Public Schools, which has its own police force, and the city’s parks and recreation department.

Vance, who served as second-in-com-mand to Chiefs Rebecca Coleman and, recently, Lindsey Horton, said he wanted to tackle quality-of-life issues. “I’m tired of seeing people on Coun-ty Line Road holding signs (asking for money),” Vance said. Vance said he is wary of the pan-

handlers because his sister travels County Line frequently and might be called a bad word if she is asked for money and declines. Vance said he has spoken with Mayor Yarber about developing a housing program for homeless people to get them off the streets. Otherwise, Vance said he would support sending panhandlers to the Hinds County jail for up to 60 days. “I’m as big into community polic-ing as anyone, but some folks need to be locked up,” he said. Cloy, the former police union presi-dent, said the chief should have a good working relationship with the depart-

ment’s rank and file. Vance agreed and pointed out that he and other members of the command staff recently went on ride-alongs with patrol officers, where he learned valuable information. Vance also said that as chief, he would keep a close eye on spending and end the practice of securing grants for un-necessary equipment. Once, when he was a precinct commander, Vance said that he received 30 laptop computers that were never used. Neither Cloy nor Vance was avail-able for media interviews. Jackson com-pletes its search for a new chief amid the early stages of a crime prevention initia-tive called BRAVE that calls for a long-term police presence. So far, the program has been implemented in west Jackson. Meanwhile, police in Ferguson, Mo., have come under heavy criticism for their offi-cer’s role in the death of 18-year-old Mike Brown and the department’s response to protests, which has included deploying tear gas and flash grenades and shooting protesters with rubber bullets. Asked whether the situation in Fer-guson colored his thinking on Jackson’s next top cop, Yarber said Ferguson came down to lack of police training. “In the city of Jackson, we want a police chief who can be resourceful. And not only that, but someone who can con-nect with the community. We don’t want a situation in Jackson where our police of-ficers are untrained, not following proto-col, and they aren’t able to make the best kinds decisions in a situation like that,” Yarber told the Jackson Free Press.

Jackson’s Next Top Cop Is…by R.L. Nave

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Either Juan Cloy and Lee Vance will lead the Jackson Police Department and its crime-fighting and –prevention efforts.

Wednesday, August 13 A federal appeals court’s refusal to delay its ruling that struck down Vir-ginia’s gay marriage ban means same-sex couples could begin marrying as early as the following week. ... In a symbolic move, same-sex couples in seven Mis-sissippi counties are allowed to file out-of-state marriage licenses into chancery court land records.

Thursday, August 14 Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon orders the Missouri Highway Patrol to seize control of Ferguson, stripping local police of their law-enforcement authority after four days of clashes between officers and protest-ers over the shooting of Michael Brown by a yet-unnamed officer. … President Obama says the U.S. has broken Islamic militants’ siege on Iraq’s Sinjar Mountain, allowing thousands of civilians to flee but adds that airstrikes will continue.

Friday, August 15 Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson alleges that Michael Brown had stolen a $48.99 box of cigars from a con-venience store and “strong-armed a man on his way out.” He also identified the officer who shot Brown as 28-year-old Darren Wilson, saying the officer did not know about the shoplifting accusation.

Saturday, August 16 NASCAR bars its drivers from ap-proaching the track or moving cars in the event of incidents during a race.

Sunday, August 17 The Ukrainian government an-nounces that army troops have penetrat-ed deep inside the rebel-controlled city of Kiev in eastern Ukraine.

Monday, August 18 Missouri’s governor orders the Na-tional Guard to Ferguson after a night in which police used tear gas to clear pro-testers off the streets well ahead of a cur-few. … U.S. airstrikes help Kurdish and Iraqi forces recapture Iraq’s largest dam in Mosul from Islamic State militants.

Tuesday, August 19 Small Arms Survey, a Switzerland-based research organization that analyzes the global flow of weapons, reports that armed groups in Syria have an estimated several hundred portable anti-aircraft missiles that could easily be diverted to extremists and used to destroy low-flying

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Mascot Madnessby JFP Staff

The Mississippi State Fair Fightin’ FunnelcakesThe Thalia Mara Hall Plus-Sized SingersThe Farish Street Unfinished FacadesThe Clarion-Ledger Empty Desks

The Capitol Street RoundaboutsThe JRA Executive SessionersThe Jackson Convention Center Hoteliers (forfeited every game last season)The Thad Cochran Pastors

The Secretary of State Voter IDers (although fans just call them “Hosemen”)The JSU Dome Patrol The Tea Party DisruptorsThe JFP Black Bears

The world of football has some pretty cool mascots, from USM’s Golden Eagle to Georgia Tech’s Rambling Wreck. Football also has some pretty strange mascots: Stanford University’s unofficial mascot, the Stanford Tree; University of Toledo’s Rocky the cool-but-not-really robot; and, of

course, Delta State University’s Fighting Okra. Here are some mascots we’d like to see.

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F ERGUSON, Mo.—The half-mile stretch of West Florissant Avenue, between Dellwood and Ferguson, Mo., is jammed with cars that are

jammed with teenagers. It’s the end of the summer, just be-fore midnight on Saturday, Aug. 16, and for the kids who have not already started back to school, this is their final weekend to have a good time before classes start on Monday. And they are having a good time under the circumstances. Many of the vehicles cruising the popular strip a few miles north of the St. Louis City-St. Louis County dividing line are brimming with young, black bodies. They’re positioned on car doors, atop roofs and trunks, and in the beds of pickup trunks. Every horn is honking, and every other car is blaring the music of Lil Boosie, the Baton Rouge-based rapper released from prison earlier this year after serving a five-year sentence in a Louisiana state prison on drug charges. For this generation of black teenag-ers, Boosie is their Tupac Shakur. One week has passed since a boy named Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer here. New infor-mation about the shooting has come out every day, none of which has done much to help us understand why Mike Brown is dead or what is being done so that it doesn’t happen to someone else. Thus, ev-ery night since the shooting, people have sojourned to Ferguson—many in cars, some on foot—in a ritual that is equal parts revelry and rebellion.

A Shrine and Anchor Ferguson has drawn people from all over the country. A handful of people also reportedly flew in from overseas. I trav-eled to Ferguson with three activists from Jackson. Brittany Gray is a 28-year-old Greenwood native and doctoral student concentrating on the role of women in politics. Gray has a reputation for jump-ing in her car at a moment’s notice to join a protest just about anywhere east of the Mississippi River as evidenced by the more than 87,000 miles displayed the odometer of her late-model car. Tyson Jackson, 33, grew up in Cham-paign, Ill. Jackson served as a military po-liceman and lived in St. Louis, where he has family, before coming to Jackson in 2009. C.J. Lawrence, 33, is an attorney and social-media wiz who formerly worked for

the city and handled social media for the mayoral campaigns of both Chokwe Lu-mumba and his son, Chokwe Antar Lu-mumba. He made the trip after attracting international media attention for starting #iftheygunnedmedown, a Twitter hashtag that rebukes the media’s frequent mishan-dling of stories involving the deaths of un-armed black teenagers. Gray, Jackson and Lawrence all con-sider themselves acolytes of the late Mayor Lumumba, but each has a different way of thinking about their activism and var-ied reasons for going to Ferguson. Jack-son, the former MP, thought of the trip as partly reconnaissance, an opportunity to assess and report back to social-justice activists in Jackson and come up with or-ganizing strategies. “Ninety per percent of me was go-ing to help support the people of Fergu-son. Ten percent of me believed it was a moment in history,” Jackson told me. Perhaps it was Jackson’s military discipline or his training as an orga-nizer—he has also been involved with

workers’ rights issues with the NAACP and United Auto Workers, but he was taken aback at the lack of organization of people protesting in Ferguson. We made our way up West Floris-sant Avenue, parked and got out to look around and see for ourselves what was going on the ground, what we had been seeing on the news for several days. The QuikTrip gas station, one that I’ve visited a hundred times, was a burned-out shell. In its former life, the station was a kind of hub for the neighborhood. The gas was relatively cheap, and relatively safe. Because of its location on West Flo-rissant, one of the city’s busiest thorough-fares, it was a frequent stop for police offi-cers from municipalities around north St. Louis County. Now it stands as a shrine and anchor for Mike Brown-related demonstrations. Some have started calling it Ferguson’s Ground Zero. On the first night of pro-tests, the day after Mike Brown was shot and killed and the night the QuikTrip burned, early news reports suggested that

a peaceful vigil inexplicably devolved into violence, mayhem and looting. But peaceful people don’t become violent for no reason. We started to un-derstand what happened a little better not long after we arrived. Our group pushed past the crowds of demonstrators—some wearing bandanas over their faces and hooded sweatshirts, some walking with children on their shoulders—as they chanted “Hands up! Don’t shoot” and made our way to a front. There, a group of maybe 300 faced off with police dressed in riot gear and holding guns with bright orange butts to denote that these guns are not designed to be lethal. Men from the Nation of Islam stood at the front for crowd control. They kept the protesters away from the police. There was the occasional chant of “F*ck 12,” dispatcher code for police, but the demonstration was peaceful. The crowd cheered as police backed away and loaded into their vehicles, which protestors inter-preted as retreat. Just then, for unknown reasons, whizzing canisters shooting

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Brittany Gray and Tyson Jackson, Jackson-area community activists, joined attorney C.J. Lawrence (not pictured) on a trip to Ferguson, Mo., over the weekend. They participated in a number of demonstrations in the case of unarmed black teenager Mike Brown, whom Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed on Aug. 9.

One Night in Fergusonby R.L. Nave

white smoke clinked up the pave-ment toward the protesters. Several explosions sent people run-ning in every direction and taking cover. For those who have never been in a war zone or on the front line of a protest, it wasn’t clear if the smoke was tear gas or if the police had opened fire on us. As it turned out, it wasn’t tear gas nor were we being shot at. Still, people were pissed off. The consensus was that it was a shady thing to do to citizens peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights of free assembly and speech. Later that morning, after 2 a.m., people looted some of the stores on West Florissant, some of which had been board-ed up since the first night of protest. The report on local TV news stations was that the protests had erupted into mayhem, but I and everyone else who was there knew there was more to the story.

‘A Complicated Story’ The truth is, Ferguson is a compli-cated story to tell, and it’s a complicated story to understand. Part of what is fueling protests is the understanding of local people, especially young people, that the police, the most visible representation of local govern-ment, often treat people there badly. Mike Brown was an extreme, but not an altogether unexpected, example of that mistreatment. Brown, 18, and a friend were coming back from shopping at a local store—like Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis before each of their deaths—when the police ap-proached them. Now, the FBI is in charge

of sorting out everything that happened after Brown was stopped while walking in the street and before Ferguson police of-ficer Darren Wilson shot Brown six times, includ-ing twice in the head. Young Ferguson residents report that ten-sions with police are al-ways high, especially in the three apartment com-plexes situated just off West Florissant and just out of public view. News outlets have pointed out that the apartment complex where Mike Brown was killed represents St. Louis’ decades-long history of racial segregation that divides the city into a majority-white south St. Louis city and county and a majority-black north city and north county. After the city’s all-black downtown housing projects were torn down, many of their African American inhabitants settled in north St. Louis County, in-cluding Ferguson. As Ferguson grew, it became one of the most racially diverse little cities in the St Louis metro. Many people consider Ferguson a nice place to live. It’s the kind of place that many black families aspire to move to when they build up. In the early 1990s, my own grandmother moved to

Ferguson from west St. Louis City. But even though Ferguson became more diverse, the power structure in the city has remained all white. And no one really noticed until the Mike Brown shooting. I talked to my grandmother about that the next morning. In the 20 years she has lived in her house, where my father’s side of the family gathers for holidays and other important celebra-tions, my grandmother has been troubled enough to call the police only once, to re-port a neighbor playing music too loudly on a Sunday morning. “I didn’t have no need to go to city hall,” she told me over breakfast.

On Looting and Destroying Even that is only part of the story. More evidence of nuance came later Sat-urday morning. I met up with Brittany at a McDonald’s that a few days earlier had been the scene of the high-profile arrests of two journalists, one white and one African American. We headed across the street to Family Dollar to pick up rain gear. Outside, we talked to an African American woman who manages a beauty-supply store that was looted overnight for a Korean family. The manager, a Mississippi native, spoke affectionately of the store’s owner who she said is a good person with a kind heart who loves the neighborhoods and didn’t deserve to be targeted by thieves. Ferguson is full of those kinds contradic-tions. Some people say that the protest-ers are destroying their own community. Other people see many of the business owners as outsiders who do not have the

interests of the community at heart. There is the argument that looting and destroying business is not an appro-priate way to express outrage or political discontent. Another school of thought is that what is happening in Ferguson is an understandable and perhaps even neces-sary reaction to human oppression. Many believe Ferguson is completely lacking in leadership, discipline and or-ganization, while others say there are too many leaders with dubious agendas (it is an election year in Missouri). On Saturday, the Rev. Jessie Jack-son led a march from the Canfield Green Apartments, where Mike Brown was killed, to a local church. Jackson drew criticism at the end of the march for send-ing around the collection plate to gather donations for the church. The Rev. Al Sharpton has been in and out of St. Louis as well; so has Malik Shabazz of the New Black Panther Party and a frequent guest on cable news talk show. Adofo Minka, founding attorney of the Law Center for Human Rights and Jus-tice in Jackson, grew up close to Ferguson in nearby Jennings. Minka acknowledges that protesters may lack clear political di-rection or even political education, but he believes that, even in the absence of defined purpose, people have made a point. “Who could really say how these things are supposed to be organized? This is a very chaotic situation. It seems like people are doing the best they can on the fly,” Minka said. See Part II in next week’s issue. Com-ment at www.jfp.ms. Email R.L. Nave at rlnave@jacksonfreepress.com.

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A man holds his hands up in the street after a standoff with police Monday, Aug. 18, during a protest for Michael Brown, who was killed by a police officer Aug. 9 in Ferguson, Mo. Brown’s shooting has sparked more than a week of protests, riots and looting in the St. Louis suburb.

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Members of the St. Louis Police Department stand by on the first night of a a curfew that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon ordered. Approximately 15 law-enforcement agencies were called to assist during protests.

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L ast week the Internet poked fun at state Sen. Chris McDaniel’s chal-lenge to the election results of the U.S. Senate race due to one piece of

evidence included in the amended filings: His campaign lawyer’s name was listed as an irregular vote. Political enthusiasts on both sides speculated about why his name was list-ed, but McDaniel lawyer Mitch Tyner has confirmed that he voted, or at least tried to vote, for the Tea Party candidate. “His banner’s on my building; of course, I voted for Chris Mc-Daniel,” Tyner said. Comedic blogs used the seemingly hypocritical element of the challenge to mock the McDaniel campaign, but right-wing blogger Charles C. Johnson claims the addition was unfiltered data. On Wednesday he tweeted: “The en-tire Madison precinct is in question, and Mc-Daniel volunteers reported the data without filtering it so it can be properly examined in the appropriate venue.” But Tyner told the Jackson Free Press that he was listed as an irregular vote be-cause he was listed as voting twice. He said he knew his name was on the list all along. “It would be dishonest of me to remove something that the field folks found as an ir-regularity,” Tyner said. Tyner acknowledges that many people have been confused about how the numbers

of irregular votes—for both McDaniel and his opponent Thad Cochran—factor into McDaniel’s challenge. He said the law does not require all the irregular votes that are counted to be for Cochran. “That’s not what the law is geared to determine,” Tyner said. That he is listed as an irregular vote does not discredit his claims of a compromised election, he says, but is actually “just another example of no

uniformity starting from the top down on trying to have an election with integrity.” The challenge only must prove that the number of problematic votes, no matter for which candidate, exceed the margin of vic-tory. When this happens, Tyner said, “the will of the people cannot be discerned from the vote.” Field workers who examined the poll books in Ridgeland, where Tyner voted, determined that his vote was irregular be-cause he was marked as voting twice. There

were also problems with how the party’s poll books, which the parties are supposed to swap to determine who voted in the Demo-cratic primary, were used, he said. “In that Democrat poll book it shows me and my wife as voting on the runoff on the 24th,” Tyner said. “Now, obviously that would be for the Republican runoff al-though it’s noted in the Democrat poll book because of the poll-book swap. It addition to

being marked as voted on the 24th; out in the margin there is another notation of ‘voted’ both by my name and by my wife’s name,” Tyner said. In fact, Tyner said nearly every voter in the Ridgeland precinct where he voted was marked twice as voting. This potentially tainted the entire election results of that area. “You look at that poll book, you cannot discern what occurred on the 24th,” Tyner said. The solution to the problem of a large num-ber of irregular votes is not simply to “ask every single

person how they voted,” Tyner said, but to hold a new election. But that’s not what the McDaniel camp wants. Instead, Tyner be-lieves McDaniel should be named victor. Tyner said he bases his claim that Mc-Daniel won the election by 25,000 votes off the regression analysis and Chism poll results cited in the challenge, not by the number of irregular votes found by poll inspections. In other words, the campaign is attempting to prove two separate things—that the whole election was compromised by irregular votes

and that McDaniel would have won the nomination if Democrats had not improp-erly voted in the Republican runoff. Chism Strategies, a Democratic poll-ing firm, conducted a survey on behalf of the McDaniel campaign of “self-identified Democrats who voted in the June 24th US Senate GOP Runoff in Mississippi.” The results showed that 71 percent of those voters, of which 463 were polled, intend to vote for someone other than Co-chran in November. That intent, Tyner and the McDaniel camp claim, is why their votes can be challenged. In the 2008 election, a federal court found that a challenge could only be made, in this case, against Democratic votes cast in a Republican primary if the voter “open-ly declares that he or she does not intend to support the nominees of the party.” The McDaniel camp believes the Chism poll constitutes an open declara-tion, making those “Democratic” votes challengeable under their interpretation of the 2008 ruling. They filed their petition for emergency hearing for their election challenge Thursday. It will be up to the courts to decide whether their interpreta-tion of Mississippi election law holds. Tyner’s name has come up in past years as a possible crossover candidate. He ran against Haley Barbour in the 2003 Republican gubernatorial primary—a move many believed was a political trick by the Democrats so that Tyner could wage a tougher campaign against Barbour than incumbent Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove could. During the campaign, the Barbour camp sent out a missive call-ing his opponent the “Liberal Trial Law-yer and Democrat-Lover Mitch Tyner.” Still, records show that he donated $300 to the Republican Party in 2012.

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Mitch Tyner was listed as an irregular voter in his own election challenge filed on behalf of Sen. Chris McDaniel. He said this was because field workers determined the entire precinct in which he voted was problematic.

Tyner explains irregular vote: McDaniel lawyer listed in challengeby Anna Wolfe

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A man walks into his polling pre-cinct to vote in a Republican primary. As he arrives as the tables, he brags that he will not

be supporting the Republican candidate in the general election. A poll worker notices this, documents the incident and marks his vote “challenged” or “rejected.” In Mississippi, this is the only situ-ation in which a person’s vote could be thrown out for crossing party lines to vote in a primary—with the exception of those who voted in a primary and then crossed over to vote in the opposite party’s runoff. Party primaries in Mississippi are con-sidered “open” in this way, even though the state’s election code states that “no person shall be eligible to participate in any pri-mary election unless he intends to support the nominations made in the primary in which he participates.” That “intent” statute is virtually un-enforceable, unless, for some reason, a voter outs themselves at the polls and a poll worker documents the incident. “Unless you came into the polling place and said, ‘I’m not going to support the nominee,’ then you were allowed to vote. That’s what essentially gave the open primary to Mississippi,” University of Cali-fornia Irvine law professor and election-law expert Rick Hasen said. The attorney general’s and secretary of state’s offi ces confi rmed this interpretation of the statute just weeks before Mississippi’s most recent U.S. Senate primary election. That hasn’t stopped State Sen. Chris McDaniel’s campaign and his supporters from being outraged at the infl uence that Democratic voters have had on the pri-mary. McDaniel claims the integrity of the election was compromised by voters who voted for U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran but who intend to vote for Democratic candidate Travis Childers in November.

McDaniel’s challenge to election results includes Chism Strategies polls that suggest 71 percent of Democrats

who voted in the Republican runoff in-tend to vote for someone other than the Republican nominee in the general elec-tion. Polling robocalls gathered this data from anonymous voters. As constitutional law expert and Mississippi College professor Matt Stef-fey points out, the law cannot require a

voter to submit a statement of intent in order to vote, nor can after-the-fact polls determine the intent of a person at the

time they cast a vote. Essentially, a chal-lenger can never gather the evidence to prove a person’s intent that is necessary to get the courts to throw out votes un-der the statute. People, after all, change their minds. McDaniel he said last week that believes Mississippi should have closed

primaries—ones in which only Republi-cans can vote in the Republican primary and the same for Democrats. There is no question: McDaniel be-lieves he would have won had the prima-ry been closed. As chairman of the Mis-sissippi Senate Elections Committee, he didn’t complain about the open primary system prior to the election. Hasen said this makes for a weak claim on McDaniel’s end. “The problem is you have this long-standing practice, and you had the rules announced before the election, and McDaniel didn’t do anything to challenge that. Everybody went in with the rules that we had. To claim that they were wrong, it comes a little late,” Hasen said. Now, McDaniel is calling for a more restrictive election process. “I think we have to move toward some sort of closed primary system at some point,” McDaniel said at a press confer-ence in Jackson Friday. Hasen said that McDaniel’s desire for a closed election is not sound evidence that his challenge is sensible. “What the ideal form of the primary is, is a different question from what happens in an elec-tion that’s already been run under rules that have already been set,” Hasen said. Still, McDaniel contends the elec-tion was not run with integrity due to the current open-primary system. “We have parties based on ideals and principles and ideologies. When those ideals, principles and ideologies are watered down or diluted based on some-one else coming in to choose the nomi-nee, it violates the freedom of association protected in the First Amendment of the Constitution,” McDaniel said Friday.

Comment at www.jfp.ms. Email Anna Wolfe at anna@jacksonfreepress.com.

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State Sen. Chris McDaniel claims the integrity of the election was compromised by voters who voted for U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran but who intend to vote for Democratic candidate Travis Childers in November. He says closed primaries would prevent such crossover.

Mississippi Primaries: Open or Not?by Anna Wolfe

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I Hold My Son Close

O n the day in 2002 that I welcomed my only son into the world, I felt joy worthy of a Stevie Won-der song. When Ajani Andrew Michael made his debut at a little over 5 pounds, my heart skipped a beat, and the heavens seemed to open

for just a moment before the dark clouds of worry rolled in. My worry started immediately since my son was born just a little early. So like a disproportionate number of black children, he would have to fi ght a bit harder due to prematurity. As my handsome boy lay on my chest, skin-to-skin, struggling for every labored breath, my mind was already thinking about how hard life for him would be. I worried if I had made a mistake by giving him an African name that means “he who is victorious in struggle.” I thought about the odds of him being tracked into special education before the fourth grade. I felt guilty for looking at him and hoping that while I loved the deep richness of his father’s dark skin, his likely lighter complexion would insulate him from some of the profi ling that comes from being a black male in America. As a community health worker, I knew that he had to beat the fi rst-year infant-mortality odds for black babies. I sat thinking all of this as I told him how perfect and beautiful he was, before he was whisked away to the neonatal intensive-care unit. Since Michael Brown’s killing in Ferguson, Mo., some have highlighted that the killing of young black men is a reproductive-justice issue. Reproductive jus-tice is the right to have children, to not have children, and to parent children in safe and healthy environments. It is based in human rights, just like the right not to live in fear for your child’s life due to the effects of racism and oppression. Black mothers do not have reproductive justice. If we choose to parent, we have a long list of things to protect our children from. We fi ght to keep them safe from health disparities, educational inequality and the school-to-prison pipeline—the list goes on. Racism and oppression don’t take holiday breaks, and neither do “normal” parenting worries like fi rst steps, colds and grades. Add to the list the impossible task of protecting our children from racial profi ling—a danger that could lead to police gunning them down one day. Ask my kids who mommy’s favorite is, and they will all say “Ajani.” Truth is, there are no favorites, but I do hold my son close. I know he faces a world that doesn’t actually see him when they look at him. They see a threat, a thug, a problem or a stereotype. Imagine what would have happened if the offi cer had, instead, seen Michael Brown that day. He might still be alive.

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Next JPD Chief Can Learn From Ferguson

W atching the response of the rough-ly 50-member-strong Ferguson Police Department to protests sparked after a Ferguson offi -

cer killed 18-year-old Mike Brown, Missouri’s Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon said: “All of us were thunderstruck by the pictures we saw, I mean, the over-militarization, the MRAPs rolling in, the guns pointed at kids in the street. All of that I think instead of ratcheting down, brought emotion up.” He’s absolutely right. In the past week, which has seen protests every night, the Fergu-son Police Department has clashed with demon-strators. In some cases, the Ferguson police said they were responding to violent threats that re-quired tear gas and rubber bullets. In other cases, the cops’ actions have been more confounding. Certainly, cooler heads—among the police and protesters alike—could prevail. As Nixon points out, police provoke the protesters who become more determined to provoke the police until something bad happens. Jackson is no Ferguson. Like Ferguson, we are a majority-black city, but unlike Ferguson, the capital city’s leadership and police force more closely refl ects the rest of Jackson (though we would point out that opportunities exist for JPD to further diversify its ranks). Despite this, there’s a feeling that it’s not

inconceivable that something similar to Fer-guson could happen here. Crime—real and perceived—has long been a complaint of local residents. In recent months, after several high-profi le murders in the city, Jackson has launched a new crime-prevention program, and city lead-ers have vowed to be tougher on crime. All too often, “tough on crime” translates into to being tough on people who run afoul of laws out of desperation or myriad other reasons. And too often, political offi cials think that the harder you come down on criminals, the more you care about stopping crime. The seeds of a Ferguson-type situation are fi rmly in place in Jackson. The search for a new police chief, however, presents an excellent op-portunity for conversations about how to best train police. Mayor Tony Yarber, who has said he wants to have a new chief in place by the end of this week, has said that the next man to lead JPD—either interim Chief Lee Vance or former JPD offi cer and union head Juan Cloy—will have strong ties to Jackson and emphasize train-ing and professionalism. Right now, Ferguson is a case study in how not to run a police department, much less a city. We hope that Mayor Yarber and the candi-dates for police chief are watching the situation closely, taking notes from Ferguson and learning what not to do.

Email letters to letters@jacksonfreepress.com, fax to 601-510-9019 or mail to 125 South Congress Street, Suite 1324, Jackson, Mississippi 39201. Include daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for wlength and clarity. Or write a 300-600-word “Your Turn” and send it by email, fax or mail above with a daytime phone number. All submissions are subject to fact checks.

Why it stinks: Vance’s rationale for being angry about people holding signs is just bizarre. He described a hypothetical situation in which a jilted panhandler might call his sister the b-word. Besides, Jackson has an aggressive panhandling ordinance on the books. Several attempts at toughening the law have failed over the years, partly because it’s hard to get around the constitutional issues of limiting people’s free speech to ask for money. A top police offi cial, who is bound to respect and honor the laws of the city, state and nation should know better.

‘signs’strators. In some cases, the Ferguson police said they were responding to violent threats that re-

I t was powerful: Hundreds of young black Americans across the country jux-taposed two images of themselves after Jackson lawyer C.J. Lawrence started the

hashtag #IfTheyGunnedMeDown (what picture would they use?) to protest the way white-owned media often negatively portray black victims. A young man was blowing smoke in one of his photos while dressed in a military uniform in the other. Black Twitter didn’t think it was ap-propriate for some media outlets to use a picture of Michael Brown looking as if he were displaying a gang sign to accompany a story about Ferguson cop Darren Wilson gunning down the unarmed 18-year-old who was visiting his grandmother in a St. Louis suburb a few weeks before he was to start college. Some media outlets used a pic-ture of Brown as a happy graduate in a cap and gown. Black Twitter did what it does. Poignantly. And Brilliantly. The gang-sign photograph of Brown was taken down. Don’t know Black Twitter? Get to. The virtual cultural community is a force to be reckoned with, wielding its substantial power to effect social, political and cultural change. Speaking in cul-tural tongues, 140 often ingenious, humorous or sarcastic characters at a time, these mostly young black folk have become a social media phenome-non—engaging academia, interrogating the status quo, shaming intolerance, dictating musical trends, finding folks jobs, looking for missing children and shrewdly and fiercely disputing the unrelenting nega-tive images of black folks. Black Twitter is driving the conversa-tion about issues important to black folks, broadcasting its own images and reflecting its needs, desires and concerns on its own terms. “The understanding is that we are go-ing to speak unabashedly about our experi-ences and we are going to assert ourselves, our humanity, our culture,” Kimberly Ellis, a social media specialist who is working on a book about Black Twitter, told NPR. A primary strength is Black Twitter’s sheer numbers. The PEW Research Cen-ter reports that 22 percent of black folk use Twitter compared to 16 percent of whites, and they “access it at a higher level.” Overall, 73 percent of black folk on the Internet use Twitter compared to 72 percent of whites. Part watchdog, part avenger, part hu-man-rights fighter, part culture critic, part guerilla journalist, Black Twitter can organize in a heartbeat. Traditional protests can take days to coordinate. Black Twitter’s response is immediate and international. It brought the Trayvon Martin story to the public when the mainstream media had not picked it up.

Martin’s killer George Zimmerman was acquitted of murder, but when uniden-tified juror B37 announced that she was go-ing to write a book, Black Twitter targeted her agent, Sharlene Martin, with tweets like Cocky McSwagsalot’s: “Hey, @sharlenemar-tin, please drop juror B37. Do not help the person who let a murderer get away profit from this tragedy.” Martin dropped her. Black Twitter has let lose its wrath on publishers, networks and major media outlets. Its reach is stunning and growing. It smacked AP after the news organization used a ridiculous headline for the story an-nouncing that Theodore Wafer had been convicted of second-degree murder for shooting Renisha McBride in the face as she looked for help at his Detroit home late one night last November. The headline called McBride, who is black, a “drunk” woman. Black Twitter hit hard with sarcas-tic tweets like: “#APHeadlines millions of Africans complain after free cruise to the Americas; slave traders find them ‘ungrate-ful,’” below a picture of slaves sardined into the slave hold of a ship. And “BREAKING: Police Officer Shoves Black Woman To The

Ground; Ground Survives. #APHeadlines.” As a result, AP dropped “drunk” from their headline. In 2009, when the CW cancelled “The Game,” a sit-com about football play-ers and the women in their lives, Black Twitter kicked off a campaign to bring it

back, complaining that there were too few good shows on television that accurately portray black life. BET relaunched the pro-gram to 7.7 million viewers compared to NBC’s “30 Rock”’s 5.28 million viewers the same week. Black Twitter helped raise the profile of ABC’s hit, “Scandal,” the only program on a major network with a blactress as its an-chor, and tweeted the BET dramedy, “Be-ing Mary Jane,” into a top spot among cable network shows with 2 million plus viewers. Black Twitter helped tank the career of southern cuisine queen Paula Deen after she admitted in a deposition to saying n*gger. The Food Network dropped her show, sponsors kicked her to the curb and many businesses pulled her products. Black Twitter is insular, indolent, ir-reverent and does not tolerate ignorance gra-ciously; but it does engage with those from all backgrounds—as long as they are down with its mission of making the world see black folks for who we really are. Carole Cannon is a graduate of Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who writes to fight. She also cooks up communication strategies and coaches writing.

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Editor-in-Chief Donna LaddPublisher Todd Stauffer

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Brilliant and Bodacious

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2013 was a season of streaks for the University of Mississippi. The Rebels began with a thrilling victory over Vanderbilt, go-ing on to trounce Southeast Missouri State and send Mack Brown into retirement from Texas to start the season 3-0. The tide turned for UM against Alabama with a 25-0 loss, followed by loses to Auburn and Texas A&M to extend its losing streak to three straight games. Mississippi bounced back in a big way with a 27-24 win over LSU. The Rebels reached bowl eligibility in early No-vember and had seven wins by the middle of the month. The regular season ended with two losses. First, Missouri beat Mississippi. But the toughest loss had to be in the Egg Bowl when quarterback Bo Wallace fumbled as he was headed into the end zone. The Rebels were about to tie the game and force a sec-ond overtime. That loss allowed the Rebels’ hated rival to earn a bowl berth. Mississippi, to its credit, rallied after the loss to take care of business in the Music City Bowl with a 25-17 victory over Georgia Tech.

When you talk about quick turn-arounds in college football, the job Freeze did

in Oxford has to come to mind. He brought the Rebels back into the conversation in the SEC West with his ability to recruit. The Rebels are one of the dark-horse favorites to win the SEC West. One reason to like Mississippi is Bo Wallace at quarter-back. Wallace is the most experienced quar-terback in the SEC this season, but he must cut down on his turnovers if he is going to take this team on an amazing ride in 2014. Wallace will have Laquon Treadwell as his primary re-ceiver after Donte Moncrief left early for the NFL. While the offense re-turns just six starters, the defense will return nine start-ers and plenty of depth. Just about everywhere on the de-fense, the Rebels have a star or a potential star in the mak-ing. Some names to know on the Mississippi defense are defensive end C.J. Johnson, safety Cody Prewitt, defen-sive tackle Robert Nkem-diche and his brother, line-backer Denzel Nkemdiche.

Freeze will now try to do what recent Mississippi coaches have been unable to do: make the Rebels a consistent player in the SEC. Several coaches looked like they were on the doorstep, but things fell apart. The University of Mississippi has the chance to take the first big step to becoming an SEC power. If there was a year to make that step, this is that year, and with the Reb-

els schedule, they have a chance. The Rebels’ season begins with a chance to win four straight games. The team opens the season against a dangerous but beatable Boise State before heading to Vanderbilt, and then two home games, first against a Louisi-ana-Lafayette team that will be no cake walk (but winnable) and, finally, a rebuilding

Memphis squad. Things get tricky with a home game against Alabama followed by a road trip to Texas A&M. The Rebels stay at home for a winnable game against Tennessee and then a tough road test against LSU. November starts with a home game against Auburn and finishes with Presby-terian, Arkansas and Mississippi State with only the Razorbacks on the road. The time is now for the Rebels to make their jump.

The toughest road games of the season for Mississippi comes against LSU and Texas A&M. UM gets Alabama, Auburn and Mississippi State at home. If the Rebels find a way to win at home (a big if), a berth in the new playoff might be possible with a split

against the Tigers or Aggies. Beating Alabama at home or away is a tough job, and Au-burn was in the title game last season. This season would be a success with 10 wins but would be special if the Rebels find a way to get to 11 wins or run the table. On paper, every game looks winnable for Mississippi. The season won’t be a disappointment if this team reaches nine wins, but anything less than nine would be underachieving with an SEC schedule this good. I badly want to give the Rebels 10 or more wins, but I feel like they will lose at least one game that they have the potential to win, so I’m going

with nine.

Aug. 28 Boise State (neutral site); Sept. 6 @ Vanderbilt; Sept. 13 Louisiana-Lafay-ette; Sept. 27 Memphis; Oct. 4 Alabama; Oct. 11 @ Texas A&M; Oct. 18 Tennessee; Oct. 25 @ LSU; Nov. 1 Auburn; Nov. 8 Presbyterian; Nov. 22 @ Arkansas; Nov. 29 Mississippi State

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J ackson State University, Mississippi State University, the University of Mississippi and the University of Southern Mississippi—the state’s “Big Four”—have one common goal

this season—reaching new heights. Returning starters on both offense and defense for Mississippi State and UM will attempt to break

through the SEC West, arguably the toughest division in all of college football. Southern Miss hopes to bounce back from last year’s one-win season. Jackson State will focus on re-cruiting the top local talent and finally winning the elusive SWAC championship game that the Tigers have lost the last two years.

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Mississippi State struggled last season. The Bulldogs once again beat the teams they expected to beat, even if the victories weren’t always trouble-free. For example, the team scraped by with a 21-20 win over the Bowling Green Falcons. MSU started the sea-son with a loss to Okla-homa State University but came back with a win over Alcorn State University, followed by a close loss to Auburn. The Bulldogs also won big over Troy Universi-ty before being spanked by Louisiana State University. Mississippi State won two straight games against Bowling Green and Kentucky State to get to four wins, needing only two to reach bowl eligibility. The Bulldogs lost their next three games against ranked teams—the University of South Carolina, Texas A&M University and the University of Alabama. MSU escaped 24-17 over the Razor-backs in Arkansas in overtime, setting up a huge showdown at the Egg Bowl. MSU needed the opposite of its 2012 season when Ole Miss needed to win the Egg Bowl

to reach bowl eligibility. The Bulldogs got it with a win in overtime once again, thanks to a fumble by UM quarterback Bo Wal-lace, which sealed the Bulldogs’ 17-10 win and a bowl berth. Mississippi State would completely control Rice in the Liberty Bowl. The Bulldogs reached a program-record fourth-straight bowl and a fourth-straight winning season.

Since hiring Dan Mullen in 2008, MSU hasn’t had a losing season. The Bull-dogs haven’t had the flashy recruiting classes as other SEC teams, but they have coached

and developed players during their careers. This season, Mississippi State is one of the favorite picks for dark horse in the SEC (one of the other favorites is Ole Miss). And why not? MSU returns eight starters on of-fense and eight starters on defense with a ton of depth on both sides of the ball. MSU’s hopes will live and die with quarterback Dak Prescott and his ability to

make plays on the ground and through the air. He will have one of the deepest receiv-ing groups to work with, including Jameon Lewis who had 64 receptions for 923 yards and five scores but needs to be more consis-tent. The biggest question on offense is how to rebuild the line after the loss of guard Gabe Jackson. If the Bulldogs can get the offensive line right, this team should be able to score against anyone on their schedule. Mississippi State also returns with a strong core and plenty of depth on defense. The star of the defense is, without question, linebacker Benardrick McKinney, who can do just about everything in the front seven.

McKinney will be the glue that holds this defense together, and he will be the quarterback of the defense.

Mississippi State has a ton of potential to make noise in the always-tough SEC West. Nearly every team in the rest of the divi-sion is doing some rebuild-ing, and the Bulldogs might have just this season as a window of opportunity to break through and build the program even higher.

The schedule sets up nicely for MSU with three games that should be wins right off against Southern Miss, UAB and South Alabama. We will see the real Mississippi State in the next three games against LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn. Three more games that should be wins are up next with Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee-Martin, which leads to finishing the season against

Alabama, Vanderbilt and the Rebels. MSU plays Auburn and Texas A&M in Starkville but must play LSU, Alabama and Mississippi on the road. If the Bulldogs want to make the next level, they should take advantage of Auburn and A&M at home this season and find a way to pull off an on-the-road upset or two.

Last season, the Bulldogs over-achieved, if you consider most people thought guard Gabe Jackson was the best player on the team. Not many teams reach a bowl game in the SEC when a guard is the team’s best player on the field. This season will be a success if MSU wins the eight winnable games on their schedule. But for it to be a major suc-cess, the Bulldogs would need to win 10 to 11 games and that looks like they will need some Auburn 2013 luck for that to happen. Expectations are high for Mississippi State fans, and anything less than seven wins will cause a riot in the fan base. Unless MSU gets hit with the 2013 Georgia injury bug, the worst this team does is six wins. A fifth straight winning season and a bowl berth should be a lock. I figure at the low end the Bulldogs get seven wins, and high end, they get nine. I will take the middle and go with eight wins.

Aug. 30 Southern Miss; Sept. 6 UAB; Sept. 13 @ South Alabama; Sept. 20 @ LSU; Oct. 4 Texas A&M; Oct. 11 Auburn; Oct. 25 @ Kentucky; Nov. 1 Arkansas; Nov. 8 UT-Martin; Nov. 15 @ Alabama; Nov. 22 Vanderbilt; Nov. 29 @ Mississippi

Head Coach Dan Mullen

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It was a wild, successful and disap-pointing season last year for Jackson State. The season started with a loss to Tulane in which quarterback LaMontiez Ivy broke his leg in the third quarter and was lost for a sec-ond season in a row. Clayton Moore replaced Ivy the next week in a win against Alabama State. The Tigers lost their next game against Tennessee State to fall to 1-2 on the season. Jackson State had four straight wins af-

ter the loss to Tennessee State. JSU rolled over Texas Southern, escaped Southern and took care of business against Ar-kansas-Pine Bluff and Mississippi Valley State. Things got wild when Grambling State, the Tigers’ next opponent, didn’t show up in Jackson to face JSU due to a player revolt. The SWAC awarded Jack-son State the win due to forfeit but JSU lost their homecoming game because the Tigers didn’t have an opponent. The Tigers stayed focused even af-ter the strange homecoming game that wasn’t played. JSU won their next two games against Prairie View A&M and Alabama A&M to clinch their spot in a second-straight SWAC Championship Game. Jackson State was shocked at home by Alcorn State in a 48-33 loss that broke the team’s eight-game winning streak (including

the Grambling forfeit). The Tigers lost the SWAC Championship Game for the second year as Southern won the rematch, 34-27.

It got even stranger in the offseason when JSU parted ways with long-time coach Rick Comegy for reasons that never were truly clear. Jackson State reached into its past and hired former great Harold Jackson to take over the program.

Under Comegy, Jackson State was the model of stability. The Tigers only posted one losing season in the eight seasons Comegy was at the helm. The program is under a little un-certainty with Jackson at the helm. That doesn’t mean Jackson won’t do a great job, but he has never been given the chance as the head man. JSU must replace leading rusher

Tommy Gooden and the job will fall to

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whomever wins the battle between Rakeem Sims, Jarius Moore, Alexander Montgomery or freshman Derrick Wilkerson. At wide re-ceiver, Tobias Singleton needs to be a star and leader. Singleton will get help from a wide-receiver and tight-end group with plenty of depth. Overall, the defense should be solid once again this season. SWAC Freshman of the Year last season linebacker Javancy Jones will lead the defense. The strength of the defense will be at linebacker with Ariane McCree, Ryan Griffin and Tedderick Terrell all returning. Senior defensive back Antonio Sutton will be the leader of the secondary.

Two of Jackson’s first hires were former Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang as of-fensive coordinator and former Buffalo Bills cornerback Derrick Burroughs as defensive

coordinator. This is Chang’s first time as an offensive coordinator after being a graduate assistant as SMU last season, but Burroughs is a seasoned coach. My guess is that under Chang, the Tigers will run some type of run-and-shoot/spread-offense hybrid. Chang played for June Jones, who is the master of the run-and-shoot, and you have to figure he will incorporate some of that offensive philosophy. Jackson State faces Florida A&M and Tennessee State as their toughest out-of-con-ference tests but a split is more than possible. JSU’s last non-conference game is against Virginia University of Lynchburg and should be an easy win. JSU plays Grambling State in an expected win, and we will find out about the Tigers’ chances in SWAC play the next two weeks against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Prairie View A&M, both of whom should be challengers in the west division. The Tigers get an improving Mississippi

Valley State team next and will face Southern after that in a rematch of the SWAC Cham-pionship Game. JSU gets the bottom of the East the next week in Alabama A&M. Jackson State then faces the team picked first in the East, in Alabama State, and is followed by the team picked next to last in the West, Texas Southern. The SWAC schedule goes easy to hard the whole season, going off the predictions from SWAC media day and my best gut guess. The Tigers finish the season on the road against arch-rival Alcorn State. ASU is picked to finish second in the East, and many think they could win the division. JSU should be in the mix and could play spoiler in the final game of the season. It is never easy picking the SWAC because it is a wild conference. There is nothing that says JSU can’t repeat as East champion, but you may expect a step back with all the changes. Seven wins looks easy just glancing at

the Tigers schedule, and of course, there is room for more. This season will be success-ful if JSU wins those seven games and will be great if the Tigers can three-peat. Six wins won’t have the fan base longing for the days of Comegy, but a losing season could have them wondering if a change was even needed. A 2012 USM-type year would really get the fans to question the change. I think Jackson and JSU will do just fine, unless he his hit with massive injuries. I think the Tigers get seven to eight wins with ease.

Aug. 30 Florida A&M; Sept. 6 Virginia University of Lynchburg; Sept. 13 Tennes-see State (neutral site); Sept. 20 Grambling State; Sept. 27 @ Arkansas-Pine Bluff; Oct. 4 Prairie View A&M; Oct. 11 Mississippi Valley State; Oct. 25 Southern; Nov. 1 Ala-bama A&M; Nov. 8 Alabama State; Nov. 15 Texas Southern; Nov. 22 Alcorn State

You knew it was going to be a tough season for Southern Mississippi when the team dropped the open-ing game to Texas. Things didn’t get much better for the Golden Eagles. In fact, they got worse. USM then dropped games to Nebraska, Ar-kansas and Boise State that weren’t even close. Another low point came in a loss to Florida Inter-national by one point. Southern Miss kept right on losing against East Carolina, North Texas, Marshall, Louisiana Tech, Florida Atlantic and Mid-dle Tennessee. USM had one game left, against UAB, for a chance to avoid a second straight winless sea-son. Things didn’t look great at the half with UAB leading 21-13 at half-time, but then something magical happened. Everything came together for the Golden Eagles in the second half. USM dished out nearly two years of frustration on the Blazers in the form of a seven-touchdown outburst to make a close

game into a Golden Eagles rout. The 62-27 victory broke a 23 game losing streak for Southern Miss. It didn’t erase all the pain of 2012 and 2013, but it did give USM hope that bright-er days were ahead.

Southern Miss was once the model of consistency with 18 straight winning sea-sons. The last two seasons were filled with

bad luck, injuries, a bad coaching hire, a coach leaving, and just about every other bad break that a team can have. Against UAB, it finally looked like USM found its man in freshman Nick Mullens, who had a career high with five touchdown passes. Mullens started midway through last season, and he showed the growing pains of a young quarterback.

Mullens didn’t get any help from his rushing attack, one of the worst in FBS last season. USM will need more from returning running backs Jalen Richardson and George Payne if they are going to take some pressure off Mullens. The wide receivers are an interest-ing group with a leader of slot receiver Tyre’oune Holmes, who led the team with 53 grabs for 410 yards and two scores. Hol-mes will be a playmaker, but the rest of the

unit must grow with him to make an impact. USM’s hopes hinge on finding an offensive line. Part of Southern Miss’ prob-lems on offense are due to the offensive line not being able to keep defenders out of the backfield on passing and running plays. Defense is where the Golden Eagles could shine. “The Nasty Bunch” returns with three leaders with line-backer Alan Howze, defen-sive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches and safety Jacorius Cotton all back on the field this season. USM has depth all over

the field on defense, and those blowouts of the last few years should start to come to an end. USM returns eight starters on offense and seven on defense this season.

Southern Miss fans have had all winter and summer to enjoy the UAB win. Don’t look for the Golden Eagles to win its open-

ing game against Mississippi State. Alcorn State comes to Hattiesburg in what should be a win against one of the best teams in the SWAC. Next up is a trip to Ala-bama that should be another loss, but then it’s a home game against Appalachian State. If USM can get to 2-2 with a win over Ap-palachian State then there will be proof the program is starting to take the next step. C-USA play starts against defending champion Rice that will be tough to win, followed by another top conference foe in Middle Tennessee. Next up will be another tough game that could be a loss against North Texas. That would leave the Golden Eagles at 2-5 with winnable games against Louisiana Tech and UTEP up next. South-ern Miss finishes the season with Marshall, another top C-USA team, before finishing with UTSA and UAB—both winnable. There is no margin for error, but as many as six wins are possible. If the football gods finally give the Golden Eagles some breaks after two tough years, maybe an Au-burn turnaround is possible. On the other hand, USM could not move forward at all and win just one game again. While it would be a feel good story for the Golden Eagles to get six wins, it doesn’t seem likely. A more realist goal would be three to five wins. I will split the difference and go with four.

Aug. 30 @ Mississippi State; Sept. 6 Alcorn State; Sept. 13 @ Alabama; Sept. 20 Appala-chian State; Sept. 27 Rice; Oct. 4 @ Middle Tennessee; Oct. 18 @ North Texas; Oct. 25 Louisiana Tech; Nov. 1 @ UTEP; Nov. 8 Marshall; Nov. 13 @ UTSA; Nov 29 UAB

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T his year could be one of the wild-est in the history of the Conerly Trophy, which goes to the best college football player in the state.

There are plenty of hopefuls, and a number could come from the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State. But plenty of players around the state will be in the mix this season and could take home the trophy. There will not be a repeat winner. Last year’s winner, Mississippi State guard Gabe Jackson, has moved on to the NFL. Jackson was the first offensive lineman to win the award. These are my preseason favorites, all in contention for the Conerly Trophy.

Dak Prescott, quarterback, Mississippi State University This offseason, the legend of Dak has grown as Bulldog fans have recounted his heroic Egg Bowl performance, and he is on several watch lists for awards. There was even a Dak for Heisman campaign. The Heisman is a stretch unless Prescott has a historic season, but the Conerly is very possible. Prescott might be the best quarterback that head coach Dan Mullen has led since Tim Tebow. Prescott completed 156 of 267 pass attempts for 1,940 yards and 10 touch-downs with just seven interceptions. He also rushed for 829 yards on 134 carries with 13 touchdowns. Other MSU hopefuls: wide receiver Jameon Lewis, linebacker Benardrick McKinney, defensive tackle Chris Jones.

Bo Wallace, quarterback, University of Mississippi Wallace was injured for several parts of last season, but he battled through those injuries and kept playing. The fi-nal regular-season game also ended with him fumbling to give Mississippi State the Egg Bowl win. The Rebels will benefit from a healthy Wallace to start this season, but Mississippi will go only as far as a healthy Wallace can take them in 2014. Last season, Wallace threw for 3,346 yards while completing 283 out of 437 attempts but also had 10 interceptions. He ran for 355 yards on 131 carries and six touchdowns. Other Mississippi hopefuls: wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche.

LaMontiez Ivy, quarterback, Jackson State University Ivy had trouble staying healthy over the past two seasons, but he was highly recruited coming out of high school. If he can keep his good health and put up numbers and wins, he will be in the mix. Jackson State hasn’t won the Conerly Trophy, but it is only a matter of time before the Tigers break through and win. There is

no reason Ivy can’t be that guy. Past stats don’t really make the case for Ivy because he has been unable to stay on the field. He should have plenty of chances to put up stats in the new Tigers offense under Timmy Chang.

John Gibbs, Jr., quarterback, Alcorn State University Alcorn State hasn’t had a Conerly win-ner, but Gibbs could change that this season. The Braves will be a contender in the SWAC this season, and wins get players noticed. As long as Gibbs is leading the Braves to victories and gets help from the falter-ing players at the FBS schools, he will be

an option. Anything can happen when an offensive lineman takes home the award. Last season, Gibbs threw for 2,567 yards while completing 201 of 354 pass-es and throwing for 21 touchdowns. He also added 455 yards on 100 carries and adding four touchdowns.

Nick Mullens, quarterback, University of Southern Mississippi It might sound crazy to add Mullens to this list, but think about this: If USM turns things around this season, it will be in large part due to the quarterback. South-ern Miss won’t have a true contender for the trophy if they keep losing. Mullens has no chance if Southern Miss can’t start winning games. That is, unless he puts up historically great num-bers that are impossible to gloss over even if he isn’t on a winner. While only playing in nine games last season, Mullens threw for 1,776 yards but only completed 136 of 276 passes with 13 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. In his first season, Mullens was a pocket passer not adding much threat of running.

Mike Barthelemy, running back, Millsaps College Five schools have had players win the Conerly Trophy. While it wouldn’t surprise anyone to know that USM, MSU or UM had won the award, did you know Delta State has two winners? Did you also know that while no SWAC schools has received the Conerly Trophy, a Millsaps Major has won it? In 2008, Millsaps quarterback Juan Joseph took home the award. The Majors could have their second Conerly winner if running back Mike Barthelemy is able to repeat or better his performance during last season. Barthe-lemy ran for 1,400 yards on 268 carries with 21 touchdowns. The Southern Ath-letic Association named him the Offen-sive Player of the Year. Other Millsaps hopeful: defensive end Zach Bell.

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E very year that I’ve done the Jackson Free Press Football Preview, I’ve shared the games I was excited to see. As always, this list features plenty of face-offs from Mississippi’s best teams. Here are a few of the most pulse-pounding matches to watch this season.

AUG. 30 Florida A&M JACKSON, MS | 6pm | W.C. Gordon Classic

Sept. 6 Virginia University of Lynchburg JACKSON, MS | 6pm

SEPT. 13 @Tennessee State MEMPHIS, TN | 6pm | Southern Heritage Classic

SEPT. 20 Grambling State JACKSON, MS | 6pm | High School/Transfer Day

SEPT. 27 @Arkansas-Pine Bluff PINE BLUFF, AR | 6pm

OCT. 4 Prairie View A&M JACKSON, MS | 6pm

OCT. 11 Mississippi Valley State JACKSON, MS | 2pm | HOMECOMING

OCT. 25 Southern JACKSON, MS | 6pm

NOV. 1 Alabama A&M JACKSON, MS | 6pm | Senior Day

NOV. 8 @Alabama State MONTGOMERY, AL | 1pm

NOV. 15 @Texas SouthernHOUSTON, TX | 5:30 pm

NOV. 22 @Alcorn State LORMAN, MS | 2pm

Schedule and times are subject to change. All home games in blue are held at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

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E very season, I make predictions that never seem to pan out, but that doesn’t stop me from pulling pre-dictions from my cloudy crystal ball. Maybe I need to fix the reception in this thing.

This could be the year I nail it. I have a great feeling about this season. It’s either that or I’m just trying to convince myself at this point. Anyway, here are three things I think could happen in the 2014 football season.

The Rebels become an FBS playoff team in the first year of the playoff.

It might sound crazy, but the University of Mississippi could get into the playoff if things break its way. The Rebels certainly have the talent to make a run, and several of the big boys are in rebuilding mode because they are busy breaking in new quarterbacks. The good news is that UM gets Alabama and Auburn at home. Bad news: The Rebels must travel to LSU and Texas A&M. There is little room for error, and two losses could mean an abrupt end of UM’s post-season hopes. That means the Rebels can afford to lose only one game against Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M. If UM can stay perfect at home and then break even on its two biggest road games, which is possible, it would make the playoffs. Things get better for UM if it wins the SEC title game (if it makes it that far) because the winner of the SEC title game, most years, is going to get in the playoff. If the Rebels

tie but don’t make the playoff, then they should get in the SEC title game no matter what happens. You could also make the case for Mississippi State in this spot. I think the Bulldogs are a year or two away, but, like the University of Mississippi, if the ball always bounces the right way, anything can happen. I believe the Rebels are poised for a breakthrough season. They will continue to be the dark horse as long as they don’t lose to a team they should beat like they did to Mississippi State last season.

Alcorn State will win the SWAC championship.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to Alcorn State fans after last season, especially with their schedule and the players they have returning this season. Alcorn State gets the top SWAC teams—Southern, Alabama State, Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Jackson State—at home. A road trip to Prairie View A&M and potential trap game at Mississippi Valley State look like the biggest danger on the conference slate. The team can’t overlook some weaker teams on the schedule if it wants to win the title. Alcorn must stay focused against Alabama A&M and Grambling State, two teams picked to struggle this year in the SWAC, if it is going to win a championship. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Alcorn needs to beat main rival Jackson State in back-to-back seasons to punch its title-

game ticket. Keep a close eye on Alcorn State this season be-cause I think we’re in for something special.

Delta State and Millsaps make the playoff.

This is a gut-feeling more than anything. I really think Delta State makes the Division II playoffs and Millsaps will make the Division III. Millsaps has been knocking on the door to the playoffs for the last two seasons. The Southern Athletic Association fi-nally gets an automatic bid into the D-III playoffs this season so the Majors won’t need an at-large bid. The Majors have the ability to make the playoffs and go undefeated this season. A loss wouldn’t surprise me, but more than two would be shocking. Delta State hit a rough patch but looks to be trending back upward. The Statesmen have been one of the toughest Division II teams historically. This season could be another year to “Fear the Okra” in Cleveland. The Statesmen play in the very competitive Gulf South Conference, but they have enough returning talent to get through the minefield. Delta State looks ready to build on last year’s rebound record. If I am badly wrong, I will have to remember next year that some gut-feelings are just indigestion. Comment with your wild predictions at jfp.ms/sports or tweet @jfpsports.

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L ast season ended with Florida State at the top of the poll. While there are no free trips to Disney World for the team, it does land the top spot in the first poll of this season.

While FSU might have brought a title to the ACC, the conference had just one other team in the poll. Both the Big 10 and Big 12 bring three teams in to the opening poll. The Pac-12 has the second most teams in the poll with six. Notre Dame is the only inde-pendent in the poll. Finally, the biggest winner is the SEC. The top conference in America places 10 teams in this

first poll. Two of those 10 include the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State. Eight teams that were not ranked at the end of last season enter the poll. Teams dropping out of the poll are UFC Knights, Louisville Cardi-nals, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Duke Blue Dev-ils, Northern Illinois Huskies, Fresno State Bull-dogs and Vanderbilt Commodores. It is always hard to round out the Top 25 and instead of adding Texas, North Carolina and under-achieving Nebraska, I added Missouri, Florida and MSU. There are no wrong answers when filling out a Top 25 when you get past the Top 15 teams.

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Alcorn State University’s last season began with a 63-12 win over Edwards Waters. Mississippi State University demolished Alcorn 51-7 in the next game, but ASU knocked off both MSVU and Arkansas Pine Bluff. Alabama State then beat ASU by 19 points. Alcorn State returned with a four-win streak against Warner University, Grambling State, Texas Southern and University of Southern Mississippi. A one-point defeat at the hands of Alabama A&M ended the Braves’ hopes of an East title, though ASU finished the season with wins over Prairie View A&M and Jackson State.

Alcorn State has high expectations for 2014, with nine starters returning on of-fense, including all five linemen and quarterback John Gibbs. Alcorn State also re-turns a strong receiving crop that includes last season’s leading wide receiver Tollette George and tight end Jordan Payne. The team might rely more heavily on pass offense this season since Alcorn’s career rushing-leader, Arnold Walker, graduated.

It’s easy to see why Alcorn State fans think this season will bring the team’s first SWAC Championship since sharing the title with Grambling in 1994. Alcorn was the second pre-season pick in the East behind only Alabama State, and with all the returning starters and a nice schedule, playing for the title isn’t beyond the realm of possibilities. I could see Alcorn State beating every opponent but Southern Miss, but depending on how rebuilding is going

for USM, ASU could give them a scare. The two key games will be Southern and Alabama State. Jackson State will also be lurking at the season’s end. Anything less than eight wins will feel like a letdown, though 11-1 would be a dream season.

Aug. 30 Virginia University at Lynchburg; Sept. 6 @ Southern Miss; Sept. 13 Louisiana College; Sept. 20 @ Mississippi Valley State; Sept. 27 Southern; Oct. 2 Alabama A&M; Oct. 11 @ Grambling State; Oct. 18 Texas Southern; Oct. 25 @ Prairie View A&M; Nov. 8 @ Alabama A&M; Nov. 15 Arkansas Pine-Bluff; Nov. 22 Jackson State

The Delta Devils managed two wins last season, far below their 5-6 prediction. They had two four-game losing streaks. MVSU broke one streak with a 28-9 win over Alabama A&M, but they lost four more games before a narrow win against Texas South-ern. They ended the season with a loss to Alabama State.

Hopes are high at Mississippi Valley State. Head coach Rick Comegy has been a winner wherever he has gone. Comegy was the smart hire for MVSU, and the results should start to show this season. Quarterback Patrick Ivy returns after starting nine games last season, joining wide receiver Julian Stafford and tight end Natron Brooks. The Delta Devils will need more offensive production from Ivy, Stafford and Brooks, but running back Cortez Frizell needs to produce more than the 268 yards on the ground that he garnered last season. Frizell only finished eight yards ahead of Ivy as the team’s leading rusher. Defense has been MVSU’s calling card for the last few seasons, and the unit should be solid this year. Defensive back Avery Boykin was first-team All-SWAC and will need to be a leader for the unit.

Comegy has a major rebuilding project on his hands, and this season will lay the foundation for good things in the future. It would be unfair to expect a major turn-around this season for Mississippi Valley State, but there should be improvements. MVSU will open the season with a win against University of Faith. MSVU will have a hard time beating Illinois State out of the Missouri Valley Conference, so a 1-1 record heading into SWAC-play should be expected. I think this season will be a success if the Delta Devils can double their win-total over last season. Anything less than matching those two wins would be a disappointment.

Aug. 30 University of Faith; Sept. 6 @ Illinois State; Sept. 13 @ Alabama State; Sept. 20 Alcorn State; Sept. 27; Alabama A&M, Oct 4 @ Texas Southern; Oct. 11 @ Jackson State; Oct. 18 Prairie View A&M; Nov. 1 @ Arkansas Pine-Bluff; Nov. 6 Grambling State; Nov. 15 @ Southern University

Head coach Todd Cooley had a successful first season at Delta State, starting with a 10-point win over Mississippi Valley State, though the team immediately suffered a loss to Texas A&M University-Commerce. The Statesmen beat North Alabama, the eventual Gulf South Conference champions last season, and Florida Institute of Technology, but fell in their first conference game against West Alabama, who tied with North Alabama in the final standings. DSU won against Tarleton State, Shorter University, Valdosta State and Concordia College, and ended with a loss to the University of West Georgia.

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Football that counts is so close that I can taste it. How close is it? It is closer than you think if you read the Slate.by Bryan Flynn

SLATEthe best in sports over the next seven days

THURSDAY, AUG 21 NFL (6:30-10 p.m., NFL Network): It’s the battle for Pennsylvania as the Pitts-burgh Steelers clash with the Philadel-phia Eagles for state bragging rights.

FRIDAY, AUG 22 NFL (7-10 p.m., CBS): The rebuilding Oakland Raiders travel east to face Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers … NFL (9 p.m.-12 a.m., NFL Network): Defending Super Bowl champions the Se-attle Seahawks host the Chicago Bears.

SATURDAY, AUG 23 NFL (3:30-7 p.m., NFL Network): Two teams hopeful to make the playoffs this season collide when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the Buffalo Bills … NFL (7-10 p.m. CBS): Drew Brees re-turns for the New Orleans Saints as they take on Andrew Luck and the Indianapo-lis Colts.

SUNDAY, AUG 24 NFL (3-6 p.m., Fox): See the San Diego Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers in a battle of playoff teams from last

season … NFL (7-10p.m. NBC) Larry Fitzgerald and the Arizona Cardinals host Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals.

MONDAY, AUG 25 Tennis (6-10 p.m., ESPN2): Watch night coverage of the opening day of the 2014 US Open as the top stars of the tennis world descend on New York for the right to win this major.

TUESDAY, AUG 26 Football (9-10 p.m., ESPNU): Get ready for the college football season with this special as ESPNU presents this 2014 SEC Football Preview.

WEDNESDAY, AUG 27 College football (6-9 p.m., ESPNU): The first college football game of the season kicks off with FCS team Abilene Christian against FBS team Georgia State. In next week’s Slate, expect plenty of college football for your viewing pleasure.

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

SEE MORE ON PAGE 28

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Delta State has 17 returning starters this season, including 2013 GSC Offensive Fresh-man of the Year quarterback Tyler Sullivan and wide receivers Ricky Hunt and Casey Os-borne. In 2013 Sullivan threw 15 touchdowns with only four interceptions.

Delta State begins the season on the road with tough games against Fort Valley State University and Valdosta State. The Statesmen won’t return home until late September, host-ing Central State University before an away game with Florida Institute of Technology, both of which should be winnable. DSU returns home to play Shorter University before two potential wins on the road against University of West Georgia and University of West Alabama. Delta State ends the season with three home games against North Alabama, Concordia College and Mississippi College. A GSC win would be a major success.

Sept. 6 @ Fort Valley State University; Sept. 20 @ Valdosta State University; Sept. 27 Central State University; Oct. 2 @ Florida Institute of Technology; Oct. 9 Shorter University (Ga.); Oct. 18 @ University of West Georgia; Oct. 25 University of West Alabama; Nov. 1 University of North Alabama; Nov. 8 Concordia College (Ala.); Nov. 15 Mississippi College

Mississippi College lost its first three 2013 games to Millsaps, Huntingdon and Webber International before righting the ship with victories against Hardin-Simmons, Sul Ross State and Howard Payne. Mississippi College lost 32-35 to Texas Lutheran, then won its next game against East Texas Baptist. MC’s final Division III season ended with losses to Louisiana Col-lege and Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Mississippi College moves from the Division III American Southwest Conference to the Division II Gulf South Conference this season. MC won three GSC conference titles (1979, 1988, and 1990) before moving to Division III after the 1994 season. Luckily, two of MC’s returning starters are quarterback Jonathon Redd and wide receiver Jaime Harris. Things would be easier for MC with some solid offensive-line play and better handling by Redd.

The schedule kicks off with a challenging games at Belhaven University and at home against North Alabama. Things don’t get easier with trips to Lamar and Shorter, but the latter seems a more achievable victory. MC’s home game against University of Faith could result in a win, but the next home game is against Valdosta State. Mississippi College face Florida Technology in a potentially victorious road game and then comes home to a tough West Georgia team. Two wins is an achievable goal, though four or five would be optimistic.

Sept. 6 @ Belhaven; Sept. 13 North Alabama; Sept. 20 @ Lamar; Oct. 2 @ Short-er; Oct. 11 University of Faith; Oct. 18 Valdosta State; Oct. 25 @ Florida Technology; Nov. 1 @ West Georgia; Nov. 8 West Alabama; Nov. 15 @ Delta State

Last season, Millsaps started on a nine-game winning streak. The Majors began the season with a 52-19 win against Mississippi College and three home games against LaGrange, Point University and Hendrix. Next came three road wins by the Majors over Trinity, Bir-mingham Southern and Sewanee. The Majors returned home for two wins over Berry and Centre, but lost their final game of the season on the road against Rhodes.

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RSVP by calling 601­354­3408 or online at www.aclu­ms.orgFor more information, visit www.aclu­ms.org

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

V A N I T A G U P T ADeputy Legal Director of the ACLU and

the Director of the ACLU’s Center for Justice

S E P T E M B E R 6 , 2 0 1 45:00 p.m. ­ Annual Board Meeting

6:00 p.m. ­ Registration and Cocktails

7:00 p.m. ­ Dinner is served.

Festivities end at 10:00 p.m.

Tickets: $50

H I L T O N G A R D E N I N ND O W N T O W N J A C K S O N

Fall’s not far away.

www.gomajors.com

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2014 Outlook: MillsapsistheteamtobeatintheSouthernAthleticAssociation,butwillhaveextraincentivetowinthisseason.Forthefirsttime,theSAAwinnergetsanimmediateinvitetotheDivisionIIIplayoffs.Bigplay-makerslikerunningbackMikeBarthelemyanddefensiveendZachBellreturn,sotheMajorshaveplentyofheavyhitters.

2014 Prediction: Millsaps opens the season against their toughest opponent, Mary Hardin-Baylor, athome,androundsoutthenonconferenceslatewithtripstoMt.St.JosephandEastTexasBaptist.TheyfaceBirminghamSouthern,SewaneeandRhodesathomeandHendrix,BerryandCentreduringawaygames.IfMillsapsbeatsUMHB,aperfectseasonisintheirreach.

Schedule: Sept.6MaryHardin-Baylor;Sept.13@Mt.St.Joseph;Sept.27@EastTexasBaptist;Oct.4@Hendrix;Oct18BirminghamSouthern;Oct.25Sewanee;Oct.31@Berry;Nov.8@Centre;Nov.15Rhodes

Head Coach: Hal Mumme (0-0 1st season at Belhaven, 135-119-1 overall record)2013-14 record: 3-8, 1-4 MSC, season ended with a 55-45 win over Bethel University (TN)Stadium: H. T. Newell FieldRadio: Online at Belhaven site

Last Season Recap: Lastseason,theBlazersbeatTexasCollegebutlosttheirnextfourgamestoLouisianaCollege,UniversityoftheCumberlands,CumberlandUniversityandCampbellsvilleUniver-sity.TheBlazersbeatBluefieldCollege,tookfourlossesfromReinhardtUniversity,LindseyWilsonCollege,FaulknerUniversityandUniversityofPikeville,andbeatBethelUniversity.

2014 Outlook: BelhavenhiredheadcoachHalMumme,knownforhishigh-scoringpassoffense,whichwillrequireanadjustmentasMummebringsplayersintotheprogramtofithisscheme.

2014 Prediction: Belhavenfacesaparticularlytoughseason,onethatwilltakeadjustment.Forone,theBlazersstrugglewithaback-and-forthslatethatjumpsinandoutofconferencegames,whichcanbetoughtohandle.Anotherthree-wincampaigncouldbeonthehorizon.

Schedule: Aug.30@TexasCollege;Sept.6MississippiCollege;Sept13@UniversityoftheCumberlands(Ky.);Sept.20@CumberlandsUniversity(Tenn.);Sept.27Campbells-villeUniversity(Ky.);Oct.11BluefieldCollege(Va.);Oct.18ReinhardtUniversity;Oct.25@LindseyWilsonCollege(Ky.);Nov.1@FaulknerUniversity(Ala.);Nov.8UniversityofPikeville;Nov.15BethelUniversity(Tenn.)

Head Coach: Gene Murphy (133-41-5, entering 28th season at Hinds, 159-61-5 overall record)2013-14 Record: 7-3, season ended with 34-27 loss to Navarro College in the Brazos Valley BowlStadium: Joe Renfroe StadiumRadio: 87.7 WJMF FM

Last Season Recap: HindsopenedtheseasonwithtwovictoriesoverDeltaandCoahoma,losingsufferedtheirnexttwogameswithGulfCoastandCopiah-Lincoln.TheEaglesonefiveconsecutivegamesagainstEastCentral,Southwest,Jones,HolmesandPearlRiver.HindslosttheBrazosValleyBowltoNavarroCollege.

2014 Outlook: Hindsshouldbeingreatshapeinthealways-competitiveMississippiAssociationofCol-legesandJuniorColleges.TheEaglesreturnwithsixstartersonoffense,includingquarterbackJamesSummersandrunningbackTommyMcCalpin.Ondefense,theEagleshavesevenreturningstarters,includinglinemenDarrelDavis,SkyLogan,EricBrownandPeterBailey.

2014 Prediction: TheEaglesfacethreeteamsrankedinthe“Top20”pollthisseason.Hindswillencoun-terthird-rankedCo-Lin,ninth-rankedGulfCoastand10th-rankedJones,allontheroad.Hindsreceivedvotes,buttheteamdidn’tputadentinthepoll.TherestoftheEaglesgameswillbetoughbutaremanageable.ThisseasonwillbeamajorsuccessiftheEaglescanfinishwithsevenormorewins.

Schedule: Aug.28@Holmes;Sept.4@Northeast;Sept.11PearlRiver;Sept.18@GulfCoast;Sept.25Northwest;Oct.2EastCentral;Oct.11@Co-Lin;Oct.18@Jones;Oct.23Southwest

Head Coach: Jeff Koonz (10-17 overall record entering 4th season)2013-14 Record: 3-6, season ended with a 48-21 win over CoahomaStadium: Ras Branch StadiumRadio: 103.9 WYAB FM

Last Season Recap: HolmesbeganlastseasonwithfourlossesagainstJones,MississippiGulfCoast,North-eastandItawamba.ThefirstwinoftheseasoncameagainstMississippiDeltaina58-6bout,followedbya55-0losstoEastMississippi.TheBulldogs’finalgamesendedinawinagainstNorthwest,alosstoHindsandafinalwinagainstCoahoma.

2014 Outlook: Onlyoneoffensivestarterandonedefensivestarterreturn,alongwithback-upquar-terbackJamarioBenson,whosplittimewithseveralplayerslastseason.PlayerstowatchareTyreeHolmesandLyndonJohnsononthedefensiveline,AntreonBennettatlinebackerandRyheanMcMorrisinthesecondary.

2014 Prediction: TheBulldogsfacetwo“Top20”teams—ItawambaanddefendingnationalchampionEastMississippi.Itlookslikethreewinsareverypossible,thoughanothertwoareattainable.Asuccessfulseasonwouldbefivewins,andthreeorlesswouldbedisappointing.

Schedule: Aug.28Hinds;Sept.4@PearlRiver;Sept.11@Itawamba;Sept.18@EastCentral;Sept.25MississippiDelta;Oct.2Northwest;Oct.9@EastMississippi;Oct.18Coahoma;Oct.23@Northeast

F riday night’s game between theNewOrleansSaintsandTennesseeTitansbecameaflagfest.Itseemed

like neither team could run a playwithoutayellowflaglitteringthefield.Becauseofalltheflags,thegametookforever to finish. Both teams finishedwithover100penaltyyards.Ibegantowonderifthisweekhadmoreflagsthanweekoneofthepreseason. Therewere283totalacceptedpen-altiesover16games.DenverandSeattleledthewaywith25totalpenalties,andGreenBayandTennesseewerethelow-estwith10totalpenalties.NotcountingMonday night’s game, there were 311total accepted penalties this week. Ofcourse,theSaintsandtheTitanshadthemostpenaltieswith32totalpenalties. TheSeahawks(eight)andtheChar-gers (seven) joined the Cowboys (nine)andRavens(seven)astheonlytwogamesinwhichbothteamshadsingle-digitpen-alties.Inweekone,bothteamshadsingle-digitpenaltiesoversixgames. Seattle was the most penalizedteamlastseasonwitheightpenaltiesper

game.Indianapoliswastheleastpenal-izedteamwithfourpenaltiespergame.Theaveragewas6.08penaltiespergamelastseason,whichwouldbejust12pergameforbothteams. As the numbers show, penaltiesareupover last season forbothweeksofthepreseason.Soisthisatrendorapreseasonanomaly? Preseasongamestendtogetsloppyandareoftenfilledwithpenalties.Playersmustadjusttonewrulesandtheteamshavealotofnewmembersincamp,whichdoesn’talwaystranslatetocleanplay.Of-ficialsalsotendtocallgamesmuchtighterinthepreseasonthantheregularseason.I tend to think penalties will go downwhentheregularseasonstarts. Paceofplayisthebiggestproblemwithallthepenalties.Themorepenaltiescalled,thelongergamestendtostretch.Footballgamesarealreadynearingthreeandhalfhours.Playerscouldhelpthingsoutbynotcommittingasmanypenaltiesaswell.Penaltiesaresomethingtowatchas the preseason goes to the final twoweeksandtheregularseasonstarts.

bryan’s rant

Too Many Flags

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601-879-8189 124 Forest Park Rd., Flora, MS www.MSPetrifiedForest.com

National Natural Landmark

Featuring:Natural Crystals

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Only 20 minutes from Jackson

Williamson Family Farms owner/operator Mike Williamson, located at 536 CR 95, Yalobusha

County, Water Valley, Mississippi is seeking twenty temporary farm workers and laborers for potato

crops; two days of training will be provided.

Hours are Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at $9.87 an hour, beginning September 5, 2014 and ending

November 15, 2014. Employer will provided housing, cooking facilities and transportation to stores to purchase groceries for

workers located in areas where it will not be feasible to return to at the end of the working day. After workers have completed 50% of the work contract period, employer will reimburse worker for the cost of transportation and subsistence from which the worker came to work for the employer to the place of employment.

The type of work contemplated will be performed in all weather conditions including extreme heat, will include labor performed by hand, extensive walking, bending, stooping, and lifting crates of potato slips, use of hand tools such as shovels and hoes will be required. Required tools will be provided by employer at no cost to worker. Interested workers may contact Mike Williamson

at 662-473-6088 or by mail at: Williamson Family Farms, 536 CR 95, Water Valley, MS 38965, in order to schedule an interview, or your nearest State Workforce Agency. The Oxford

WIN Job Center, 204 Colonnade Cove, Suite 1 Oxford, MS 38655. The job order number for this job is MS102416. If selected, you will be guaranteed three fourths of the work hours between the

start date and the end date of the job as listed above.

Nathan S. McHardyOwner & Sommelier

Lesley McHardyOwner & Sommelier

4949 Old Canton Road 601.956.5108

ARE YOU READY?ARE YOU READY?ARE YOU READY?ARE YOU READY?ARE YOU READY?ARE YOU READY?

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A nyone who cooks regularly knows that herbs bought at a local store can be expensive. The good news is that, for the most part, they’re in-credibly easy to grow, and some even multiply

for years of harvesting. All it takes is a little water, sunshine and patience. Even an apartment dweller with a less-than-green thumb can be successful at producing an herb spot on his or her balcony. Most herbs require little atten-tion and can withstand periods of drought and rain. It is no coinci-dence that the herbs that are the easi-est to grow are the most popular, too. Any novice can grow oregano, thyme, cilantro (coriander), rosemary and basil. Chives, which grow back each time they’re cut, are another good starter plant. The fi rst step is visiting a local garden center and pick-ing herbs to grow. Once you’ve decided what plants you will get the most use out of, peruse the already-potted plants, smelling each variety to pick which one suits your need. The specifi c type of herb you buy is of the utmost importance. For instance, if you buy apple mint instead of spear-mint, anticipate very weak mojitos. And if you buy Mexi-can oregano instead of Mediterranean oregano, don’t expect your tomato sauce to taste like marinara. Some plants can be grown easily from seed, but I recommend starting with potted plants if you’re a beginner. There are a lot of different options for containers. You can leave the plants in the containers they are purchased in, carefully transport them to a bed on a sill or even get more creative with a refurbished palette with soil trays in the openings. It is imperative that most of the herbs stay separated from the others. Some herbs, like mint, will take over a con-tainer, choking out all other forms of vegetation, if given the opportunity. Alternative containers come in a variety of sizes, materials and prices. You can use just about anything

that will hold soil and has some sort of drainage system (i.e. holes in the bottom). Some of my favorite alternative containers are paint buckets, wagons, tires and even hang-over-the-door shoe

holders for the smaller balcony. If you go the cre-ative route, take special care with plants like

coriander that form a taproot and are much more diffi cult to transplant. You also must pay attention to the growing season of the herb. Blake Hutto of Hutto’s Home and Garden Center says that it isn’t too late to have a balcony herb spot this year. “Parsley, cilantro and

sage are more cold weather and thrive in the chilly season. Those are three that can

be planted at this point in the year,” he says. For the more experienced container gardener, it’s

the ideal time to start planning for radishes, carrots, let-tuce and other leafy greens that are diffi cult to protect from bugs in the hot Mississippi summer. While it’s possible to grow plants during the winter months, not all will fare well. The best herbs to grow indoors are chives, mint, rosemary, oregano, basil and thyme. You can easily put these in sunny windowsills, but if you have dimmer windows, it’s best to install a growing light. The Christian Science Monitor rec-

ommends leaving the light on for 14 to 16 hours and using a timer to turn them off and on. Not every herb garden is successful—don’t expect to become the Barefoot Contessa overnight. The most common mis-takes stem from inexperience and can be corrected. Planting too early is a sure way to lose all signs of life in your herb spot, especially here in Mississippi where the weather is as unpredictable as the Republican runoff. If you plant too early, frost could undo all your hard work. It’s also important to remember that herbs are not houseplants. Daily watering is es-sential, but only a moderate amount. They also need to be tended to diligently. If they begin getting a little overgrown or start producing fl owers, the plants need to be pruned. This is the only way to produce full, healthy leaves without the plant staying on the natural course, which ends with the plant blossoming out and turning to seed in the hot southern sun. If you are a regular houseplant murderer and this all seems overwhelming, start with basil. Its life stages are so exaggerated that when you over—or under—water, it will be obvious. It will also spring back to life quickly if given the proper amount of nutrients. Speaking of nutrients, soil is about as important as any other piece of the puzzle. If your soil is dry and tired, it will have no energy to lend to a budding life. The darker the soil is, the better the conditions are most likely. Soil that is rich and moist is ideal, but too moist is a problem, too. Gardening, like most things in life, is about maintaining a delicate balance. When you get that balance just right and are ready to take off the train-ing wheels, by next summer you can try cucumbers and maybe even a tomato plant.

FLICK

R/W

HEAT

FIELDS

Growing herbs isn’t rocket science.

GIRL ABOUT TOWN p 33

Apar tment Herbsby Carmen Cristo

Whiskey Drinkin’

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LIFE&STYLE | girl about townby Julie Skipper

A lthough this column is referred to as “Girl About Town,” I feel compelled to address something typically considered “manly” that

seems to be all the rage these days: whis-key. I know there are ladies who enjoy the brown liquor. And I’m aware that Knob Creek’s “When I see a man drinking bourbon” ads (which premiered during “Mad Men,” a show that itself harkens back to times with strictly defined gender roles and expectations) bore the brunt of criticism for being supposedly sexist and defin-ing “manhood” in a certain, stereotypical way. Nonetheless, I am a gal who does not drink bourbon. Or whiskey. Or Scotch. Or anything brown. I’m evidently not woman enough to handle it, and I’m OK with that. So, in my mind, whiskey remains a manly drink. It makes me think about my grandfather, a fascinatingly interesting man and big fan of Manhattans and Old Fash-ioneds as well as gourmet food who built things with his hands, cussed like a sailor and was tough as nails. As it so happens, my manfriend also enjoys whiskey and recently had a birthday. While thinking about what to do for the occasion, I thought about our local restau-rants and bars that have joined the ranks of “whiskey libraries.” I decided this might be an occasion to test out the offerings. The Manship (1200 N. State St., 601-398-4562, themanshipjackson.com) boasts quite the selection—more than 300 whiskeys. Such a collection needs a curator, so I turned to co-owner and manager Ste-ven O’Neill and asked him to select a few. He graciously obliged and over the course of dinner presented two flights (“flights” are a sampling. In this case, each flight consisted of four different spirits). It was a great way to get to try a number of fine spirits—some of which were from bottles hard to come by—and much appreciated. And manly, I suppose. For those wanting a road trip—and who have a place to stay or a designated driver—another Mississippi bar with quite the selection of whiskeys is Robert St. John’s Branch (3810 Hardy St., Hattiesburg, 601-264-0657, branchcocktailbar.com). I’ve only been once, after dinner at the adjacent Purple Parrot, but this newest addition to St. John’s restaurant family is a cool spot. With more than 150 whiskeys, there’s a lot to work your way through if that’s your spirit of choice. (If, like me, it’s not yours,

don’t worry: The cellar’s 1,000-label wine selection, more than 120 beers, and a host of other spirits and craft cocktails provide plenty of options.) For those wanting to stock your home bar with some brown stuff, look to the guid-

ance of the guys at Fondren Cellars (633 Duling Ave., 769-216-2323, fondrencel-lars.com). I occasionally procure a bottle of something brown for the fellow, and the staff here always do a great job of helping me find something he enjoys. Fondren Cel-lars carries a great selection of bottles you’ll recognize as well—as small-batch producers you may not—and the guys can guide you according to your tastes and price point. On a recent visit, I asked Casey Har-digree for some recommendations, as well as a refresher on what exactly makes a brown liquor bourbon as opposed to rye or whiskey. The answer is the per-centage of corn from which the alcohol is made—bourbon has to be at least 51 percent corn (the source of its sweetness). While some hardliners maintain that to truly be “bourbon,” a spirit of that per-centage must also come from Kentucky, it’s technically just the corn content that is the determining factor. Hardigree suggested bottles of Elmer T. Lee (produced by Buffalo Trace) and Willett, a special-order bottle that can be hard to find. He also pointed out a few pro-ducers that only recently began selling in Mississippi, including Koval, from Chicago, who produces not only bourbon, but also millet, rye and four-grain. To go along with these offerings, the shop stocks all the accompaniments to en-sure you can mix up some good cocktails if you don’t want to just drink it straight—its selection of bitters is always tempting. So, here’s to all the men (and women) who want to raise a glass of whiskey. It seems we’re in the midst of a renaissance of your drink. So get out there and drink local (and responsibly)!

FLICK

R/YA

SHIM

A

With the recent advent of “whiskey libraries,” the manly elixir is experiencing a revival.

707 N Congress St., Jackson | 601-353-1180Mon thru Fri: 11am-2pm • Sun: 11am - 3pm

We Won’t Tell Who Really Made the Chicken

Now Taking Tailgating Orders

Lucky you.Steve’s serves breakfast!

It’s an early morning in the offi ce and you are

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Junction or In Your Living Room

The Tailgating

Best Barbecue in Jackson 2003 • 2006 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012

1491 Canton Mart Rd. • Jackson • 601.956.7079

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601.664.75881002 Treetop Blvd • Flowood

Behind the Applebee’s on Lakeland

1030-A Hwy 51 • Madison

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Football Freebie giveaway during every Saints game.

$2 Domestic Draft Beer on Game Day

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.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.

ITALIANLa Finestra (120 N Congress St #3, Jackson, 601-345-8735) The brainchild of award-winning Chef Tom Ramsey, this downtown Jackson hot-spot offers authentic Italian cuisine in cozy, inviting environment.BRAVO! (4500 Interstate 55 N., Jackson, 601-982-8111) Award-winning wine list, Jackson’s see-and-be-seen casual/upscale dining. Cerami’s (5417 Lakeland Drive, Flowood, 601-919-28298) Southern-style Italian cuisine features their signature Shrimp Cerami.

STEAK, SEAFOOD & FINE DININGThe Islander Seafood and Oyster House (1220 E Northside Drive, Suite 100, 601-366-5441)Oyster bar, seafood, gumbo, po’boys, crawfish and plenty of Gulf Coast delights in a laid-back Buffet-style atmosphere.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 SpecialsShea’s on Lake Harbour (810 Lake Harbour Drive, Ridgeland, MS 39157 (601) 427-5837)Seafood, Steaks and Southern Cuisine! Great Brunch, Full Bar Outdoor and Seating

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

BARBEQUEPig 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.Hickory Pit Barbeque (1491 Canton Mart Rd. 601-956-7079) The “Best Butts in Town” features BBQ chicken, beef and pork along with burgers and po’boys.

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 & BURGERSCapitol Grill (5050 I-55 North, Deville Plaza 601-899-8845) Best Happy Hour and Sports Bar in Town. Kitchen Open Late pub food and live entertainment.Cherokee Inn (960 Briarfield Rd. 601-362-6388) Jackson’s “Best Hole in the Wall,” has a great jukebox, great bar and a great burger. Fenian’s Pub (901 E. Fortification St. 601-948-0055) Classic Irish pub featuring a menu of traditional food, pub sandwiches & Irish beers on tap.Hal and Mal’s (200 S. Commerce St. 601-948-0888) Pub favorites meet Gulf Coast and Cajun specialties like red beans and rice, the Oyster Platter or daily specials.Martin’s Restaurant and Lounge (214 South State Street 601-354-9712) Lunch specials, pub appetizers or order from the full menu of po-boys and entrees. Full bar, beer selection.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.Time Out (6270 Old Canton Road, 601-978-1839) Your neighborhood fun spot! Terrific lunch special and amazing Happy Hour!Underground 119 (119 South President St. 601-352-2322) Pan-seared crabcakes, shrimp and grits, filet mignon, vegetarian sliders. Live music. Opens 4 p.m., Wed-SatWing Stop (952 North State Street, 601-969-6400) Saucing and tossing in a choice of nine flavors, Wing Stop wings are made with care and served up piping hot.

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

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

A M A L C O T H E AT R E

South of Walmart in MadisonALL STADIUM SEATINGListings for Fri. 8/22– Thur. 8/28

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

Movieline: 355-9311

DAILY BARGAINS UNTIL 6PM

When the Game Stands Tall PG

If I Stay PG13

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (non 3-D) R

3-D Sin City: A Dame to Kill For R

What If ? PG13

Expendables 3PG13

The Giver PG13

Let’s Be Cops R

Magic in the Moonlight PG13

Into the StormPG13

The Hundred Foot Journey PG

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (non 3-D) PG13

3-D Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles PG13

Step Up: All In (non 3-D) PG13

Boyhood R

Guardians of the Galaxy (non 3-D) PG13

Get On Up PG13

Lucy R

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (non 3-D)PG13

OPENSWEDNESDAY,

8/27:The November

Man R

GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE

DaVita Dialysis is hosting a Career Open House in Jackson MS for healthcare

professionals (RNs & Patient Care Technicians).

We will be conducting on-the-spot interviews for current positions in facilities in Jackson,

Canton and Brandon. Light refreshments served.

Jackson North Dialysis facility571 Beasley Rd. Jackson MS

Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, 3-7 pm

RSVP online at www.davita.com/careers,

keywordJackson Open HouseFor more info, contact

Liz Peterson at liz.peterson@davita.com

8 DAYS p 36 | MUSIC p 38

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FROM THE GROUNDUP by Carmen Cristo

J ason “Twiggy” Lott’s grandfather, Anton Edgar Lott, built the house Jason’s father, Winston Lott, grew up in with his own hands. His father was an accountant by trade, but a handy man by nature. Twiggy Lott, 34, is an artist, working with his hands like his father and grandfather

before him, but in a more creative context. Each person in his family taught him skills that infl uence his work today. “I always knew I was an artist,” he says. “Most people don’t know what the hell they want to be when they grow up, even when they’re in college. I feel very lucky and blessed that I’ve always known what I wanted to do, and I’m actually doing it.” 555 Custom Designs is the obscure moniker attached to the functional art of Lott and fellow Jacksonian Josh Bishop. They recently dropped the “salvage” that was in their original name in response to the ever-increasing breadth of their work. While not all their materials are recycled or one-of-a-kind, they maintain their signature style that Lott describes as “worn, lived-in and well-loved.” Lott’s artistic touch and Bishop’s construction skills meet to create fur-niture pieces like lamps and tables that are carefully crafted to be as interesting to look at as any painting or photograph. Inspired by “an internal drive to make,” Lott and Bishop focus on the quality and craftsmanship of their projects. Lott, in particular, enjoys the troubleshooting aspect of building things as practical as they are aesthetically pleasing. “I’ve always, for whatever reason, compared it to writing a sonnet,” Lott says. “It’s one thing to sort of free-fl ow and do your own thing, but when you have really specifi c guidelines and you can make something beautiful out of it, that’s pretty cool.” The pair’s work will be on display for a pop-up show at the Mississippi

Museum of Art on Aug. 21. Julian Rankin, director of media and public rela-tions at the museum, says that the event is part of the revamping of Museum After Hours that started back up last month. “The idea is that each month, the event will have its own spirit and character and refl ect what the artists are like,” Rankin says. “It’s a rough template so that when we meet each artist, they have control of how they represent themselves.” Lott roped in Ginger Williams-Cook for the event, whose art he considers complementary to his own. Williams-Cook and Lott’s pieces will be displayed along with pieces from 555’s workshop, creating more of an environment for people to dwell in rather than an exhibit for them to view. Creating a welcoming atmosphere will promote 555’s products by giving them a context to be observed in and encourage attendees to hang out and en-joy the cash bar and company of fellow museum goers. Lott says that the goal of the pop-up event series is to promote community and give exposure to local artists like himself, Williams-Cook and Bishop. 555 hopes to make another appearance at MMA that will display solely their furniture pieces when they have more notice to prepare. Also in the works is a studio space in Belhaven Heights that will house 555, serving as living quarters and studio space. Other artists are already on board to share the build-ing, with ideas for creating more openings for potential tenants.

555 Custom Designs’ pop-up show is at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St., 601-960-1515) Aug. 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.. The event is free and open to the public. For more information on the event or the Mississippi Museum of Art, visit msmuseumart.org. For more information about 555 Custom Designs, visit 555customdesigns.com.

WEDNESDAY 8/20 All Sons & Daughters performs from 6-9:30 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church (6000 Old Canton Road). The acoustic folk duo plays songs from its new self-titled album. Doors open at 6 p.m. $12 in advance, $15 at the door; call 956-6974; christunitedjxn.org.

THURSDAY 8/21 The Storytellers Ball is at 6:30 p.m. at the Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.). The Greater Jackson Arts Council hosts this event, which includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, an open bar, a silent auction and live music. The theme is “Red Hot from the Cotton Club.” Hon-orary chairs include Attorneys Robert and Debra Gibbs and U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran. $60 per person; call 601-960-1557, ext. 224 or 800-595-4TIX; jacksonartscouncil.org.

FRIDAY 8/22 Dance with the Stars is at 7 p.m. at the Country Club of Jackson (345 St. Andrews Drive). The competition pairs local celebrities with dance instructors. Includes dinner, a si-lent auction, and music from the Jackson Allstars Band, Re-becca Sorenson and Tyler Kemp. Attire is formal. Benefits the Mississippi Opera Foundation. $150, $1,200 table of eight, $1,500 table of 10; call 601-960-2300; msopera.org.

SATURDAY 8/23 CARA’s Dog Days of Summer is from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Pelahatchie Shore Park (Lakeshore Drive, Brandon). The event includes $5 plate lunches, a children’s carnival, dogs for adoption, arts and crafts vendors, a silent auction, $35 microchipping, a pet parade and music from Steve Deaton and Jason McIlwaine. Benefits Community Animal Rescue and Adoption. Dog food donations serve as admission, $5 children’s carnival; call 601-842-4404; email denise.cantrell@thinkvss.com; carams.org. … The “Power of the Mic” Com-edy Show starts at 8 p.m. at Mediterranean Fish and Grill (6550 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland). Local comedian Rita B. is the hosts a night of comedy including Reggie Jr. and LaVar Walker (Comic View, Shaq’s All Star Comedy Jam). DJ Sean Mac provides music. $15; call 646-801-1275; find Power of the Mic on Facebook.

SUNDAY 8/24 The Mississippi Craft Show is from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Mississippi Trade Mart (1200 Mississippi St.). Shop for handmade crafts from Mississippi artisans such as pottery, jewelry, home accessories and more. A portion of the pro-ceeds benefits organizations such as Shaw Pit Bull Rescue, Cedarhill Animal Sanctuary and TEAAM. Pet adoption drive Aug. 23. $6 in advance, $7 at the door, children under 12 free; call 354-7051; mscraftshow.com.

MONDAY 8/25 The “We Are Jackson” Listening Tour is from 6-7 p.m. at the Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.). Jackson Mayor

Tony Yarber hosts this forum to share ideas and solutions regarding west Jackson and the Jackson Zoo. Free; call 601-960-1084; jacksonms.gov. … The Messiah’s Mansion Ex-hibit is open from 1-7 p.m. at College Drive Church (110 College Drive, Pearl). The exhibit features a full-scale model of the ancient Hebrew tabernacle that was created during the times of Moses. Includes tours, and group tours are available in the mornings by appointment. Free; call 601-506-9750; email jthomas4591@comcast.net; jacksonsanctuary.com.

TUESDAY 8/26 The Pedroncelli Wine Tasting is from 6-8 p.m. at Amerigo Italian Restaurant (6592 Old Canton Road). Taste four selections from the Pedroncelli Winery paired with bruschetta and tiramisu. RSVP. $20 per person; call 601-977-0563; amerigo.net.

WEDNESDAY 8/27 History Is Lunch is at noon at the William F. Win-ter Archives and History Building (200 North St.).

Glass artist Elizabeth Robinson, owner of Spirit House Glass, displays some of her award-winning art. Free; call 601-576-6998; mdah.state.ms.us.

SATURDAY 8/23The 5K Race Against Hunger is at Stewpot.

THURSDAY 8/21Syfy’s “Sharknado 2” plays at the Malco Theater.

SUNDAY 8/24The Bak 2 Skool Concert is at Jackson State University.

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Folk band All Sons & Daughters performs at Christ United Methodist Church on Aug. 20.

BY MICAH SMITH

EVENTS@JACKSONFREEPRESS.COM

FAX: 601-510-9019DAILY UPDATES AT

JFPEVENTS.COM

CARA’s “Dog Days of Summer” offers music, art and pet adoptions at Pelahatchie Shore Park on Aug. 23.

Dance with the Stars Aug. 22, 7 p.m., at Country Club of Jackson (345 St. Andrews Drive). The competition pairs local celebs with dance instruc-tors. Includes dinner, a silent auction, music from Jackson Allstars Band, Rebecca Sorenson and Tyler Kemp. Attire formal. Benefits Mississippi Opera Foundation. JFP Publisher Todd Stauffer is a judge. $150, $1,200 table of 8, $1,500 table of 10; call 601-960-2300; msopera.org.

CARA’s Dog Days of Summer Aug. 23, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., at Pelahatchie Shore Park (Lake-shore Drive, Brandon). Includes $5 plate lunches, a children’s carnival, dogs for adop-tion, arts and crafts vendors, a silent auction, $35 microchipping, music from Steve Deaton and Jason McIlwaine, a pet parade and more. Benefits Community Animal Rescue and Adop-tion. Dog food donations serve as admission, $5 children’s carnival; call 601-842-4404; email denise.cantrell@thinkvss.com; carams.org.

Storytellers Ball Aug. 21, 6:30 p.m., at Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.). The theme of the Greater Jackson Arts Coun-cil’s event is “Red Hot from the Cotton Club.” $60 per person; call 601-960-1557, ext. 224 or 800-595-4TIX; jacksonartscouncil.org.

Events at Mississippi Center for Nonprofits (201 W. Capitol St., Suite 700)• Basic Grant Proposal Strategies Aug. 22, 9

a.m.-4 p.m. Prepare strong proposals to get sup-port for your agency. Learn how to do research, develop need statements, create a budget and more. Registration required. $199, $139 mem-bers; call 601-968-0061; msnonprofits.org.

• Lunch and Learn Series: Risk Management Tips Aug. 27, noon-1 p.m. Show leaders how to identify and appreciate risks and to take actions to minimize these risks. Lunch provid-ed. Registration required. $15, $5 members; call 601-968-0061; msnonprofits.org.

Events at Union Station (300 W. Capitol St.)• The Artisan Mixer Aug. 22, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.

Shop for paintings, jewelry, clothing, accesso-ries, home decor and more from local artisans. Vendors welcome. RSVP online. For ages 18 and up. Free tickets; email theartisanmixer@gmail.com; theartisanmixer.eventbrite.com.

• Old School Benefit Dance Aug. 23, 7 p.m.-11 p.m. The event is a fundraiser for Agape Community Development Corporation’s youth programs. $10; call 601-850-9838; 2genesis.org.

Mississippi Craft Show Aug. 23, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Aug. 24, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., at Mississippi Trade Mart (1200 Mississippi St.). A portion of the proceeds benefits organizations such as Shaw Pit Bull Rescue, Cedarhill Animal Sanctuary and TEAAM. Pet adoption drive Aug. 23. $6 in advance, $7 at the door, children under 12 free; call 354-7051; mscraftshow.com.

Business & Family Matters Legal & Finan-cial Education Series Aug. 23, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Dr.). In Community Meet-ing Room. $40; call 601-201-1957; email clu369@gmail.com.

History Is Lunch Aug. 27, noon, at William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.). Glass artist Elizabeth Robinson, owner of Spirit House Glass, shows her award-winning art. Free; call 601-576-6998; mdah.state.ms.us.

Tiki Bar and Cocktail Party Aug. 23, 3 p.m., at BRAVO! Italian Restaurant & Bar (Highland Village, 4500 Interstate 55 N.). Learn to make tiki cocktails and and the history behind them. Seating limited. RSVP. $35 per person; call 601-982-8111; email chrisr@bravobuzz.com; bravobuzz.com.

TNT: Tacos & Tecate Aug. 26, 4 p.m.-9 p.m., at Sombra Mexican Kitchen (Township at Colony Park, 140 Township Ave, Suite 100, Ridgeland). Enjoy a flight of three tequilas, three tacos and a Tecate beer. $16 per person; call 601-707-7950; sombramexicankitchen.com.

Pedroncelli Wine Tasting Aug. 26, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., at Amerigo Italian Restaurant (6592 Old Canton Road). Taste four selections from the Pedroncelli

winery paired with bruschetta and tiramisu. RSVP. $20 per person; call 601-977-0563; amerigo.net.

When Your Heart Skips a Beat Aug. 21, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., at Baptist Medical Center (1225 N. State St.). In the Baptist for Women Conference Room. Dr. J. Michael Bensler explains what atrial fibrillation is, what causes it, how it is diagnosed and the latest treatments. Registration required. Free, $7 optional lunch; call 601-948-6262; mbhs.org/events.

Gator Bait Triathlon Aug. 23, 7 a.m., at Eagle Lake (Highway 465, Vicksburg). Advance reg-istration required. $60 triathlon ($980 relay team), $30 swim, additional one-day member-ships required for USA Triathlon Association, USA Swimming or U.S. Masters Swimming; call 601-279-6571; email mixonmathew@yahoo.com; vsaswim.org.

Stewpot’s 5K Race Against Hunger Aug. 23, 7:30 a.m., at Stewpot Community Services (1100 W. Capitol St.). Proceeds go toward Stew-pot’s efforts to fight hunger in the community. Registration required. $20, $5 kids’ fun run; call 601-353-2759; email mbingham@stewpot.org; racesonline.com.

“Rumors” Auditions Aug. 20, 6:30 p.m., at Actor’s Playhouse (121 Paul Truitt Lane, Pearl). Men ages 17-60 and women ages 02-70 may audition. Includes a cold read from the script. Production dates are Sept. 25-28. Free; call 601-664-0930; actorsplayhouse.net.

Power of the Mic Comedy Show: Pro Series Aug. 23, 8 p.m., at Mediterranean Fish and Grill (The Med) (6550 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland). Local comedian Rita B. is the host. Performers include Reggie Jr. and LaVar Walker (Comic View, Shaq’s All Star Comedy Jam). Includes music from DJ Sean Mac. $15; call 646-801-1275; find Power of the Mic on Facebook.

Events at Christ United Methodist Church (6000 Old Canton Road)• All Sons & Daughters in Concert Aug. 20,

6 p.m.-9:30 p.m. The contemporary Chris-tian acoustic duo performs songs from its self-titled album. Doors open at 6 p.m. $12 in advance, $15 at the door; call 956-6974; christunitedjxn.org.

• Mississippi Community Symphonic Band's 11th Season Opener Aug. 23, 7 p.m.-8 p.m. The band plays music from several genres. The Mississippi Swing also performs. Free; call 769-218-0828; mcsb.us.

Casting Crowns Aug. 21, 7 p.m., at First Baptist Church of Jackson (431 N. State St.). The con-temporary Christian band performs to promote their latest album, “Thrive.” Doors open at 6 p.m. $5 discount for groups of 10 or more. $25-$40; call 601-949-1921; premierproductions.com.

Bak 2 Skool Concert Aug. 24, 6 p.m., at Jack-son State University (1400 John R. Lynch St.). At McCoy Auditorium. Performers include Jason Gibson and Destiny Project, and P. Lo Jetson. Includes a school supply giveaway. Free, school supply donations welcome; call 979-2121; email destiny_project@hotmail.com or management@plojetson.com.

“Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor” Aug. 21, 4 p.m., at Square Books Jr. (111 Courthouse Square, Oxford). Jon Scieszka signs books. $13.95 book; call 662-236-2207; squarebooks.com.

“Etta Mae’s Worst Bad-Luck Day” Aug. 27, 5 p.m., at Off Square Books (129 Courthouse Square, Oxford). Ann B. Ross signs books. $26.95 book; call 662-236-2262; email books@square-books.com; squarebooks.com.

Museum After Hours Pop-Up Exhibition Aug. 21, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). Enjoy a cash bar and a pop-up exhibition featuring local artists, musicians and other organizations. This month’s artists are Jason “Twiggy” Lott, Ginger Williams-Cook and 555 Custom Salvage Designs. Free; call 601-960-1515; msmuseumart.org.

Messiah’s Mansion Exhibit Aug. 23, 1 p.m.-7 p.m., Aug. 24, 1 p.m.-7 p.m., Aug. 25, 1 p.m.-7 p.m., Aug. 26, 1 p.m.-7 p.m., Aug. 27, 1 p.m.-7 p.m., at College Drive Church (110 College Drive, Pearl). See a full-scale model of the ancient Hebrew tabernacle that was created during the times of Moses. Free; call 601-506-9750; email jthomas4591@comcast.net; jacksonsanctuary.com.

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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.

Saving Grace: A Concert Evening for Grace House Aug. 21, 6 p.m., at St. James Episcopal Church (3921 Oakridge Drive). At Fowler Hall. Enjoy tapas-style refresh-ments and music from Fred Knobloch, the Jarekus Singleton Band, James Martin and the Barry Leach Group. Proceeds benefit Grace House, a home for people living with HIV and AIDS. $45 in advance (sold at Grace House, Beemon Drugs and Fondren Cellars), $50 at the door; call 601-353-1038; gracehousems.org.

St. AlexisEpiscopal Church650 E.South Street • Jackson • 601.944.0415

Sunday Services: 10:30am & 6:00pm

On our BenchesEvery Fan Is Welcome

Sunday Services10:30 am & 6:00pm

I f Chasing Edom’s debut full-length “High Cotton,” tells us one thing, it’s that the Brandon, Miss., natives know their strong suits and how to use them. Despite brief bouts of rougher terrain, “High Cotton” proves that

waiting can be a great thing. The recording process for “High Cotton” was a per-fect storm of hardship and hard work, though you wouldn’t know that from the album’s general optimism. In previous years, Chasing Edom recorded two EPs without success, shelving both outings. As the original band members finished their senior years at Northwest Rankin High School, they planned to embark on a reluctant third attempt at recording, until guitarist-vocalist Brennan White, 19, received a surprise graduation gift. White’s grandmother, Robby Poirier, gave him $5,000 worth of recording equipment, and suddenly “High Cot-ton” became a possibility. She knew that her grandson had been toying with recording techniques and that the band couldn’t afford the typical studio route. Sadly, she passed away before White completed production of the album, but her support delivered the most faithful representation of Chasing Edom to date. One positive observation of the album is that it doesn’t betray its budget. While the band handed mastering duties to Nashville’s Sage Audio, White, bassist-vocalist Aaron Thom-as, 19, drummer Will Jacob, 19, guitarist Heath Walt, 18, and synth-percussionist Hunter Walt, 18, handled all mixing and engineering in-house. Naturally, this leaves room for a few teething troubles, with some flawed vocal choices on “I’ll Be Your Sea” and “Open Space,” but these are rare.

When the songwriting is at its best, “High Cotton” ex-hibits the group’s most commendable qualities: strong cho-ruses and strong southern influence. The two factors often go hand-in-hand, such as in “Shoot Fire in the Morning” and the bouncy, twang-tinged single “Build a House.” The group excels at writing singable songs that, while not overly familiar, invite comparisons to forebears John Mayer and the Dave Matthews Band. Like Chasing Edom, these artists have dabbled in the southern sound and ben-efit from a healthy dose of pop sensibility. Unfortunately, they also bring their own brand of musical baggage to the table, habits which Chasing Edom has adopted. Eccentricities can be vital in building a band’s persona, but these elements can be easily overused or used poorly. Chasing Edom incorporates Dave Mat-thews’ rapid-fire lyrics, but that can be a turn-off for some listeners. Likewise, the rap segment of “To Be So Much” and the introductory shout in “Build a House” and “Woman Named Summer” will likely turn more listeners away than keep them.

This is where Chasing Edom most profits from its dual lead vocalists White and Thomas. The shifts keep “High Cotton” fresh and prevent one component from returning too frequently. Thomas’ breathier delivery is best suited for singer-songwriter-style tracks such as “Matches” and “To Be So Much,” and White’s punchier pop vocals shine when applied to memorably melodic fare like “Figure It Out” and “Starkville.” With all of the pieces at play, “High Cotton” is a Jenga tower taken to its last potential move, one that could easily have toppled. The reason that major labels shell out major amounts of cash to experienced producers is that recording, in many ways, is more difficult than writing music. Sure, it makes sense that no one could envision Chasing Edom’s music as well as it could, but actually making that vision a reality is another story. Like the album’s cash-crop namesake, I expect Chasing Edom will get better with age. Chasing Edom performs at the Ole Tavern on George Street (416 George St., 601-960-2700) at 10 p.m., Aug. 22. “High Cotton” is available now through all major digital retailers.

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DIVERSIONS | music

M any music listeners like my-self came into their own during what I refer to as “The Drive-Thru Era”—

the period in which California record label Drive-Thru Records pumped out a steady stream of pop-punk, emo and in-die artists such as Something Corporate, Hellogoodbye and The Starting Line. It’s the latter of those bands that came to mind as I worked my way through “Re-lief,” the newest full-length album from Brooklyn, N.Y., and Philadelphia, Pa.-based island-wave band Vacationer. Both The Starting Line and Vacation-er share a vocalist and bassist in frontman Kenny Vasoli, but where The Starting Line began early in the singer’s high-school years and featured oft-sappy love songs and tales of teen angst, Vacationer sees a now-adult Vasoli indulge in dreamy electronic layering and beach-party drum beats. Even after achieving a level of success with Vacationer’s 2012 album “Gone,”

it’s still a surprise to hear Vasoli’s signature sound applied to a more tranquil type of

music. But allowing his sound and image to mature with age is possibly the smartest thing he could do. I first became aware of Vacationer through the web program Audiotree Live, which introduces viewers to new artists through in-studio performances and inter-mittent interviews with one of Audiotree’s hosts. The band’s live set was impressive,

as members employed three-part harmo-nies and an impeccable sense of dynamic. Thankfully, these elements from the live show cross over into “Relief.” While hardcore fans of Vasoli’s earlier offerings will likely feel cold toward the set-tling rhythms found in “Relief,” the album is nonetheless a nice turn for Vacationer, one that manages to differentiate every song in its 12-track runtime, a difficult feat when the music falls into such a spe-cific category. At the same time, it’s worth noting that there’s a time and a place for the permanently peaceful songwriting that Vacationer has to offer and, thus, “Relief” lacks some of the longevity one might want in a music purchase. Several tracks stand high above the matte dreamscape that is characteristic of the genre, all for varying yet equally good reasons. The opener, “Stay,” feels like waking up late on a Saturday morning, complete with lay-ers of chipper xylophone and rise-and-shine flute for texture. In contrast, “Fresh” bears

an atmosphere that begs for insertion into a sunset in a surf movie, with a bass line that flows freely underneath a peppy, rhythmic guitar riff. And in an accidental completion of the band’s dawn-to-dusk composition, the song “Parallel” is the shuffling anthem of evening that “Relief” demanded, slathered in the sweet wistfulness that appears lightly throughout the album. Vacationer occupies a niche, one that won’t please every listener. While, in my eyes, the band crafts a great set of party music that combines both fun and relaxing energy, I can easily see it falling on the other side of the fence for some. Its regular use of synths cer-tainly does not equate to “dance music.” It is also far less frenetic than Vasoli’s fans might anticipate, even more than Vacationer’s last record. For those in need of a calming musi-cal alternative after a hectic workday, how-ever, Vacationer is certain to offer just that. Vacationer’s “Relief is now available through all online music retailers. For more in-formation, check out vacationermusic.com.

In the band’s newest release, Vacationer perfects its signature sound with music that some will find tranquil and others dull.

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Vacationer Sighs with ‘Relief’by Micah Smith

Chasing Edom Grows ‘High Cotton’by Micah Smith

Chasing Edom shows its true colors in the band’s first full-length release “High Cotton.”

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Akami Graham

119 S. President Street601.352.2322

www.Underground119.com

Wednesday, August 20th

BARRY LEACH JA Z Z T R I O

6.30 No Cover

Thursday, August 21st

ABIGAIL OSTEEN

6.30 No Cover

Friday, August 23rd

JAREKUS SINGLETON

9:00, $10 Cover

Saturday, August 24th

JAREKUS SINGLETON

9:00, $10 Cover

Tuesday, August 26th

JOEY PLUNKETT

6:30, No Cover

S O U T H E R N K O M F O R TBRASS BAND

August 29

FEARLESS FOURAugust 30

214 S. STATE ST.601.354.9712

DOWNTOWN JACKSON

UPCOMING SHOWS

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8/29: Archnemesis8/30: Southern Komfort

Brass Band9/6: Khris Royal & Dark Matter

9/12: Flow Tribe9/13: Bass Drum of

Death w/ Special Guest9/20: Lee Bains III &

The Glory Fires (Sub Pop Records) w/ White Violet

9/26: Paul Collins Beat w/ Tuff Luvs & Special Guest

9/27: Water Liars10/3: Gringo Star

10/4: Abandon Jalopy (Brad Smith of Blind Melon)

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Talking Heads Tribute10 P.M.

MONDAY 8/25

OPEN MIC NIGHT

2 FOR 1 DRAFTTUESDAY 8/26

SHRIMP BOIL5 - 10 PM

MATT’S KARAOKE10 - close

$1 PBR & Highlife$2 Margaritas 10pm - 12am

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Must be 21 or older to enter casino. Management reserves all rights to alter or cancel promotion at any time without notice. Gambling problem?

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Interested in interviewing musicians, reviewing albums and

networking within Jackson’s music community?

The Jackson Free Press is looking for freelance writers

interested in covering the city’s music scene.

Music Writing

Please e-mail inquiries to micah@jacksonfreepress.com

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HELP WANTED

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