Ronni Mott | Stories | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS

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Ronni Mott

Stories by Ronni

Tease photo Education

Analysis: Democrats Disappointed for the Children

Whether this past session of the Mississippi Legislature was successful depends largely on which party a lawmaker belonged to.

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Obamacare: Five Years and Counting

With Bryant's vow to undermine the ACA, the feds concluded that a state-run exchange was untenable. In January 2013, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius turned down Mississippi's …

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Engage to Change

Given what most black youth face—from lack of opportunity to lack of self-esteem—they have an uphill climb with little mainstream support.

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‘Little Birds’: Families Sex Trafficking Own Kids

Most reported child sex trafficking in central Mississippi happens within families. In a report filled with difficult realities, this was the most shocking finding for researcher Wendy Bradford.

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‘One Man, Two Guvnors’: Controlled Mayhem

Before the actors hit the boards for an early "stumble-through" rehearsal of "One Man, Two Guvnors" at New Stage Theatre, Joe Frost straps on knee and elbow pads and uses …

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The Art of Happiness

Whenever the Mississippi Museum of Art is open during January and February, you might find as many as 25 people of all ages playing with photo prints, scissors, glue, stamps …

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The Magic of ‘Peter Pan’

Even with its G-rated '50s songs and eternally optimistic story line, people of all ages get caught up in "Peter Pan"—even the cynics.

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‘Tartuffe’: Wit’s Timeless Sting

Moliere, the stage name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, made a career out of writing plays that poked fun at the ills of the French high bourgeoisie—greed, hypochondria, philandering, pretension. "Tartuffe" takes …

Cover

Maher: In His Own Words

"To me, a real patriot is like a real friend. Who's your real friend? It's the person who tells you the truth. That's who my real friends are. So, you …

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Mr. Opinionated: Bill Maher Skewers the Right and the Left

Love him or hate him, Bill Maher is informed. Between having a network news editor for a father and a double-major bachelor's degree in English and history from Cornell University, …

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Batterer’s Intervention: Changing Minds, Saving Lives

Early on in Ben Ellard's career as the program manager of the Batterer's Intervention Program at Pearl's Center for Violence Prevention, he had a profound experience while processing a new …

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Stephen Cole's Ephemeral Permanence

Sculptor Stephen Coles will exhibit his work in “B+ (new work and investigations)” at Millsaps College Nov. 5-Dec. 17.

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Stop Dieting, Be Healthy

Diet is a four-letter word. For people who struggle with weight, the word conjures images of hardship and long lists of what we shouldn't be eating and doing.

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Universal Earth

Kristen Tordella-Williams has an affinity for dirt. Not the stuff that gathers under the couch, but the blacky-brown soil that gets under your nails, and the mound scraped away to …

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People of the Mounds

If your description of Native Americans includes "primitive" or "savages," listening to retired archeologist and Jackson resident Sam Brookes will blow your mind.

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Childhood Obesity: Defying Easy Answers

Dr. Whitney Herring has been a pediatrician at the University of Mississippi Medical Center for about a year. With a master's degree in public health, in addition to being a …

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'Driving While Black'

Brandon resident Pam Johnson's historical nonfiction novel, "Justice for Ella" (iUniverse, 2014, $19.95), reveals Mississippi on a collision course with the Civil Rights Movement.

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Photamerica Blowout

After 80 weeks of traveling, and a year compiling hundreds of thousands of photos and miles of (virtual) film, Josh Hailey's Photamerica is culminating with a seven-hour, family-friendly blowout Oct. …

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David Skato

By now, David Skato has completed two feature films and two short-subject films, in addition to varied commercial work that, for now, pays the bills.

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Six Things About Yoga

In yoga, you'll do plenty of stretching, but that's not the whole story. The physical practice can improve flexibility, strength, breath and focus.

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Felandus Thames: Creating Questions

Felandus Thames' work, which ranges from small to wall-sized paintings to dimensional installations, invites viewers to take a deeper, often jarring look at the easy, automatic views of African Americans.

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DA Plans to Retry Michelle Byrom

Months after the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed Michelle Byrom's death sentence, Byrom is finally off death row and back in the custody of Tishomingo County.

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Laurin Stennis: Art of Consciousness

For Laurin Stennis, art is about refuge and full self-expression.

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Lessons in Abstraction

For every abstraction that leaves you cold, another may set your imagination afire. The viewer's experience is essential to abstract art, says Jackson artist Jonathan Berry, even though it was …

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Peter Heller

As a writer, Peter Heller seems as complex as his character. He's a frequent contributor to National Geographic, Outside and Men's Journal magazines, as well as Bloomberg Businessweek.

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Tom Thomsen's Heart for the Arts

Tom Thomsen's artistic career is long and varied. The Nebraska native—and former farm boy—began playing piano at age 4.

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Hope for Harper Grace

Harper Grace Durval, now 2, has a rare form of epilepsy, Dravet Syndrome. Her daily grand mal seizures include unconsciousness, severe muscle contractions, and loss of bladder and bowel control. …

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Fishes of Many Colors

Samuel Jalapeno-Pepperoni Finn is a fish—a beta, to be exact—and he's about to start his first day at the Crystal Coral Fins Academy. Sam is the star in Shaydrienne N. …

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Building Jackson Strong, One Person at a Time

Shoppers looking for organic and locally sourced food are familiar with the unassuming little grocery on Old Canton Road in Fondren. Mostly, they just call it Rainbow.

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Chris Penczak

While the Mississippi Legislature was polishing its Religious Freedom Restoration Act (which opponents say opens doors to legal discrimination for religious reasons), Christopher Penczak and other believers of a mostly …

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A Beautiful, Brutal Reality

Gwendolyn Magee, who died in 2011, drew international acclaim for her striking quilts, which elevated an African and African American folk tradition to fine art.

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Lullaby and Good Night

A 2013 National Sleep Foundation study reported that 67 percent of respondents said they don't get enough sleep, especially on workdays, and a lack of sleep can affect us dramatically.

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A Creepy Christie Mystery

"And Then There Were None," a play based on the best-selling 1939 Agatha Christie novel "Ten Little Indians," is the newest offering from Brandon's Black Rose Theatre.

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How The Clarion-Ledger Got It Wrong: The Importance of Context

As part of its coverage of Mississippi's proposed execution of Michelle Byrom, The Clarion-Ledger's Therese Apel wrote a puff piece that ostensibly explored whether the United States reserves its harshest …

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Michelle Byrom Gets Stunning Sentencing Reversal

In a highly unusual decision, the nine justices of the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled Monday to reverse the conviction of Michelle Byrom, 57, who has been on death row awaiting …

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Will Byrom Be Tortured to Death?

Mississippi's pending executions of Michelle Byrom and Charles Crawford—which are not yet scheduled—have mired the state in a controversy over what constitutes "cruel and unusual" in executions.

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An Innocent Woman? Michelle Byrom vs. Mississippi

If Mississippi executes Michelle Byrom, now 57, she will be the first woman the state has put to death in 70 years. It may also be a horrible injustice.

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Steve Hendrix: Lost in the Art

Steve Hendrix's long, slender hands might indicate that he has psychic abilities, if you believe in that sort of thing.

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Cotton Baronich

"Cotton" Baronich helps women with their chairs. He adds "dahlin'" to just about every sentence when he speaks with them. That's the kind of old-school southern gentleman he is—his daddy …

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The Lumumba Legacy: What Happens Now?

Chokwe Lumumba was the first to admit that he was a radical. He was never satisfied with the status quo. He became a lawyer for the express purpose of defending …

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JPS to Keep Accreditation

Jackson Public Schools is on track with its programs for disabled children, Superintendent Cedrick Gray announced Monday, lifting the threat of losing its accreditation over violations of the Individuals with …

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Crime? There’s an App for That

Instead of fighting the fact that the overwhelming majority of Jackson's high-school students have mobile phones, Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber is hoping to convince young people—and all Jacksonians—to use …

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Residents, Businesses Could Get Relief from Busted Pipes

Between the city's aging water and sewer systems and sub-freezing weather, broken pipes have become a contentious issue in Jackson.

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