Jackson Free Press

Owners Watt and Tim Bunniran are closing their restaurant, Thai House (1405 Old Square Road), on Nov. 30 to go into retirement. The couple said their farewells to all their customers in a press release:

"This November, we are celebrating 24 years in business. We opened Thai House (with) our dream of owning a business to share our family recipes and to support our three young children: Su, Charles and Toon. We were overjoyed to introduce many Jacksonians to their first taste of Thailand: to new flavors, our culture, and of course, our family. Many of you have seen our family progress from elementary school to college and beyond, as we have, in turn, participated in the accomplishments of your own families. Today, our dream has been realized. Our children are now young adults with children and careers of their own, and we could not be more proud or thankful.

"It is with bittersweet feelings that this will be the last month for Thai House. We will be closing our doors on November 30, 2016. As saddened as we are to close the doors to Jackson's first Thai restaurant, we are excited to start our new journey in retirement. We look forward to spending more time with our family as it continues to grow. We would like to invite you to visit us this month to say goodbye to the restaurant and celebrate the good times we have shared."

A new restaurant called Thai Time will be moving into the space after Thai House closes.

Erik Kegler Interiors Opens

Local interior designer Erik Kegler, who has operated his own interior-design business out of his home for 17 years and Ridgeland-based event-planning business Eventful for six years, recently decided to combine the two under one roof.

Erik Kegler Interiors (4501 Interstate 55 N.), which is located inside the same building as Ye Olde Lamp Shop and next to Banner Hall, held its ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 20. The business offers home building, decorating and renovating services, along with a store featuring antiques, bedding, towels, 30 brands of furniture and other decor options.

Eventful, which is housed in the same space, specializes in party rental and design services, as well as wedding decorations and planning services. The business also handles large events, such as Mistletoe Marketplace.

The new store is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 601-366-9909 or visit erikkeglerinteriors.com.

Conference on Technology Innovation with Innovate Mississippi

Innovate Mississippi will host the 17th annual Conference on Technology Innovation on Nov. 2 at the downtown Jackson Marriott (200 E. Amite St.) as part of Innovation Month.

The conference begins with a breakfast event at 8 a.m. that will feature U.S. Congressman Gregg Harper. Representatives from the Base Camp Coding Academy vo-tech educational program will give a presentation on how the program helps to prepare underprivileged youth to support the professional technology needs of local and regional employers.

The conference will also feature panel discussions on topics such as technology trends, the culture of entrepreneurship at Mississippi universities, maximizing marketing and return on investment and success stories from Mississippi startups. Bill Rayburn, co-founder of real estate collateral information-technology business FNC, Inc., will be the keynote speaker.

Conference tickets are $75. To view the agenda and to register, visit coti2016.com. For more information, visit innovate.ms.

MUW Receives Mississippi First Grant for Sex Education

Mississippi University for Women recently received a $40,000 grant from the Packard Foundation through nonprofit Mississippi First to train teachers who educate students on sexual health. The funds will also contribute to an online resource library that will contain about sexual-health information. The library will open at the end of November and will be available to students and faculty.

The funds will also go toward submitting an application to the Mississippi Department of Education to create an add-on endorsement for sexual-health educators in the state. The Department of Health and Kinesiology will oversee the development, which will create a way for teachers to gain add-on licensure for further professional development.

MUW and MSF have been working together since the fall semester of 2014 in order to improve sexual education for teenagers in the state. Doctors Mark Bean and Caroline Purvis from the Department of Health and Kinesiology are the leads on the project.