Category: JXN - boom jackson

From Ecosheds to Food Halls: Much Underway in Jackson

6/5/2018

by Amber Helsel

Smith Park in downtown Jackson reopened on Friday, April 13. The park now has fresh grass, a new stage floor, refurbished park benches and more green space. Photo by Amber Helsel

Hinds Renovates Metrocenter Space

Hinds Community College and the Metrocenter Mall began renovations on March 29 to turn a 189,000-square-foot space in the southeast corner of the mall, which once housed Belk and the McRae's department, into a "Comprehensive One-Stop Center." The center will offer career-technical and workforce training programs for both high-tech training and middle-skill education. The renovations will take about six months.

Peekaboo: Raven Douglas

6/5/2018

Photo by Delreco Harris

Raven Douglas, who owns local copywriting and content-creation business The Douglas Draft, spends her days figuring out how to convey the messages her clients are trying to put out there. Recently, she let us peek inside her bag. See what we found.

From APAC to Amazon

6/5/2018

by Todd Stauffer

Nashlie Sephus and Ivan Walker, both Murrah High School graduates, are making their high-tech mark in Atlanta. Photo courtesy Nashlie Sephus and Ivan Walker

Nashlie Sephus and Ivan Walker knew each other at Siwell Middle School in sixth grade, but were surprised when they both got into Academic and Performing Arts Complex. or APAC, programs and ended up at Peeples Middle School for the seventh grade. Walker was particularly chagrinned with Sephus.

The Tougaloo Nine: Reading for Change

6/5/2018

by Ko Bragg

The Tougaloo Nine, a group of students who staged a library read-in at the Jackson Municipal Library on March 27, 1961, received a marker on the Mississippi Freedom Trail in August 2017. Photo by Stephen WIlson

Geraldine Edwards Hollis showed up at the white-only Jackson Municipal Public Library on March 27, 1961, in a suit she had designed and sewn herself. It was double-breasted with three-quarter-length sleeves. In her book, "Back to Mississippi" (Xlibris, 2011, $29.99), she recalls making sure she wore something with pockets that day to put things in for safekeeping.

Decoding the Future

6/5/2018

by Malcolm Morrow

Clarence Conner (left) is part of the 2017-2018 class of coders at the Mississippi Coding Academies in downtown Jackson. This year’s program will conclude in September. Photo by Stephen Wilson

Aquita Bryant, 22, decided she wanted to know everything about the media ministry at her church, Crossroads International House of Worship in Jackson. She set her sights on learning how to use all of the equipment and moved up the ranks. Earlier this year, she became the director of media.

Small Crafts

6/5/2018

by Amber Helsel

City Pins’ Coliseum Pin

Catherine Lee sports a collection of enamel pins on her bag and her jacket.

Among them are a purple Share Bear pin from a Care Bears x Kidrobot blindbox and one of her and husband Garrad Lee's own creations, a green basketball jersey with a shamrock and the name "Ingram" imprinted on it.

A Beacon for Creativity

6/4/2018

by ShaCamree Gowdy

Nicole Wyatt Jenkins Photo by Delreco Harris

Walking into The Beacon, floor-to-ceiling murals surround customers from as they walk in the door. The galaxy wall and lunar-surface floors are the perfect touch to the Fondren shop and gallery because, as local artist and co-owner Nicole Wyatt Jenkins says, "Not many people can say they've walked on the moon."

Read It T Ministry: Wear Your Cross, Share Your Story

3/8/2018

by Lashanda Phillips

Whitney Wells launched her apparel company, Read It T Ministry, in 2016 as a way to inspire and make art feel more accessible to others. Photo courtesy Whitney Wells

Whitney Wells aspires to make art more accessible and collaborative through her Christian-based, Afro-centric apparel shop, Read It T Ministry.

A Petrifying History

3/8/2018

by Amber Helsel

Many of the trees in the Mississippi Petrified Forest in Flora are thousands of years old. Photo courtesy Natalie Maynor

About 30 minutes north of Jackson is a natural landmark that is thousands of years old: the Mississippi Petrified Forest. The trees are tall—so tall that they make it hard to see the sky. In the fall, leaves in shades of brown cover the walkways and bridges. In the spring and summer, green dominates the scene, covering nearly every inch of the forest. Large chunks of petrified wood sit at different places on the trail, most serving as markers on the trail.

New Living Spaces, Renovations and More

3/7/2018

by Dustin Cardon

Capitol Art Lofts completed construction in January, though tenants have been moving in since November 2017. The new apartment complex features 31 units in two historic downtown buildings. Photo courtesy Capitol Art Lofts

Capitol Art Lofts Now Complete

The Capitol Art Lofts, an apartment complex in downtown Jackson, finished the last phase of its construction in January. The first phase of the construction, which centered on the complex's Lott Building, finished in November 2017, after which the Art Lofts began moving in its first tenants. The second building is called the Kerc Building.