boom jackson - Stories

I See You, Now See Yourself

5/13/2020

by Jenna Gibson

Jackson resident D’Artagnan Winford is a fine-art portrait photographer. Photo courtesy D’Artagnan Winford

D'Artagnan Winford has been an artist since he was a kid, growing up taking art classes in school and being admitted in a gifted arts program throughout middle and high school. While he now runs his own portrait photography business on top of serving as the senior art director at the Ramey Agency in Fondren, Winford says that he never saw himself as a photographer until he started working at Mississippi Valley State University, from which he earned his bachelor's degree in fine arts in 2002.

A Farm-to-Table Heirloom

5/13/2020

by Michele Baker

Doris Berry’s son John and his wife Brenda rest in rocking chairs at the family-owned farmers market. Photo by Michele D. Baker

At least two dozen people are shopping for fresh vegetables on a beautiful sunny Saturday, May 2, as I walk about. The small parking lot is packed with cars, and more are lined up on Highway 80 waiting to pull in. Most shoppers are wearing protective COVID-19 masks and carefully selecting from generous mountains of fresh produce on freestanding displays.

Best of Jackson: Medical

5/13/2020

by JFP Staff

Photo courtesy LaMonica Davis Taylor

As we as Jacksonians endure this pandemic the best we can, wellness and health care is at the forefront of many of our minds. Here at the Jackson Free Press, we want to ease the process of finding medical professionals who can take care of your needs, however broad or specific. You voted foryour favorites in our Best of Jackson Medical ballot. Here are this year's results.

Zac Harmon, Raised Under Jackson’s Limitless Sky

5/13/2020

by Nate Schumann

Zac Harmon held onto his traditional southern values during his careers in music and finance. Photo courtesy Darren Carroll

Zac Harmon may have left Jackson in his adult years to bolster his career as an award-winning guitarist, singer and songwriter who specializes in American blues, but he has always kept the lessons learned in his southern upbringing close to his heart.

‘We Have Not Met Our Peak’: Dr. LouAnn Woodward on UMMC’s Battle Against COVID-19

5/13/2020

by Nick Judin

Dr. LouAnn Woodward, University of Mississippi Medical Center’s vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, is eager to see the unique abilities of UMMC at work in fighting COVID-19 in Mississippi and across the nation. Photo courtesy UMMC

Twice now, LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has made headlines for her strong public stance on Mississippi's response to COVID-19. Gov. Tate Reeves' delayed statewide shelter-at-home order came on the heels of her impassioned letter to state leadership: "In my opinion, (a shelter-in-place order) is the only additional thing we can do right now to decrease the force of the impact," she wrote on April 1.

Mississippi Unites to Combat COVID-19 Crisis

5/13/2020

by Dustin Cardon

Anna Wan, mathematics professor at USM, used a 3-D printer to make 250 respirator masks for medical professionals in the Pine Belt who are treating COVID-19 patients. Photo courtesy USM

In the wake of COVID-19, many Mississippians and Mississippi-based schools, businesses and organizations have banded together to help residents across the state cope through the crisis, be it through donations of time, money and resources.

Continuing on, Despite Pandemic

5/13/2020

by Dustin Cardon

Walthall Lofts is hosting virtual tours of its grounds. The new apartments are in the renovated and historic Edison Wathall Hotel in downtown Jackson. Photo courtesy Walthall Lofts

Despite setbacks from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Jackson is still moving forward. Here are just some of the latest developments taking place in and around the capital city.

Learning Through Nature, Tinkergarten

5/13/2020

by Torsheta Jackson

The Tinkergarten program teaches children life skills through interacting with nature. Photo courtesy Kristina Gibb Photography

Erikka Dawson has always loved being outside. She grew up playing in the backyard of her Brandon home with family and exploring the neighborhood with friends. As a child she enjoyed the beauty, peace and freedom of the natural world. As a parent, she wanted her children to have a similar appreciation of nature. Her work allows her to not only provide that opportunity for her children, but for other local youth as well.

Road to a Gentleman’s Surrender: Gov. Tate Reeves Strikes Hard, Then Bows to Legislature

5/13/2020

by Nick Judin

From the gallery above the Mississippi House of Representatives, Speaker Philip Gunn cut a lonely figure as he gaveled in the Legislature on May 1, an empty hall ahead of him. The Capitol soaked in a frenetic quiet, with crowds of legislators dispersed through the building, traveling one by one to the House floor to speak over a live stream, a 21st-century concession to a 20th-century catastrophe.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: We’re All Living in Tate Reeves’ Pottery Barn Now

5/13/2020

by Todd Stauffer

Tate Reeves should have known that lieutenant governor is a powerful position—he'd been Mississippi's "LG" for the eight years prior to this one. Photo courtesy State of Mississippi

As Gov. Tate Reeves learned this past week, the most powerful public office in Mississippi isn't actually that of governor. While Reeves has been on Facebook Live opening businesses ahead of the official guidance even from this White House, he ran into a brick wall when he decided the Legislature would have no say in spending $1.25 billion of CARES Act funds.