Thank God for change.

Or else life would be insanely boring, right?

As soon as I get comfortable in my beats, more responsibility comes my way. I still cover the ‘burbs to a small extent, but I will now fill in for Features reporter Cassandra Mickens who is leaving the CL for a great job opportunity in her home state. Here’s how you will see more of me in Features:

*Weekend centerpiece story every Thursday

*Fitness centerpiece story (Pray for me, please, and send story ideas and tips! I don’t workout and have limited knowledge on fitness stuff.)

*Exercise demos with Noah Hirsh (Now, I could use some pointers for lazy exercise at home that doesn’t require me getting up at the crack of dawn. Ha.)

*Best Bets for Couples (COOL! I love being social and going out with my husband James whenever we can. This can give me new Date Night ideas.)

*Be on the Go Team for Fridays (Extra assistance for breaking news, of course.)

*My work blog has been added to clarionledger.com at blogs.clarionledger.com/theburbs. So, go ahead and bookmark my page! I’m trying to figure out what I want to do with this site.

Confession: I’m pretty overwhelmed. But, Cassandra will leave me well prepared to take on something that’s right up my alley. I love feature writing and being creative in my work and opportunities to meet even more interesting people and learn about fitness and local events somewhat keeps me at ease.

Let’s see how this works out. 🙂

Kidnapped Georgia Girl Found Alive

I said a prayer for this young lady and I’m so happy she’s been found!!

Mississippi photographers’ work featured at Mississippi College

See various images of some of Mississippi’s renowned photographers at a newly curated exhibit at Mississippi College’s Gore Art Galleries, which debuted on Sept. 12 and lasts through Sept. 27.  The “J” exhibit features the news photographs of  Michael and Dianne Barrett, Chris Todd, Barbara Gauntt and Melanie Thortis. All are former award-winning photographers with The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson.

For decades The Rev. H.D. Dennis of Vicksburg had made the home he shared with his wife into an ever-changing work of folk art. Throughout the tour of his home, yard and the transformed bus from which he preached, tidbits of his life were intertwined with lessons from scripture. Rev. Dennis passed in 2012. By Barbara Gauntt

MC held a reception for the photographers followed by a brown bag luncheon where they talked about their adventures taking pictures and their careers. The exhibit features 40 photographs and admission is free to the exhibit at the Gore Galleries at 199 Monroe Street.

“The show is terrific,” said Randy Jolly, the Gore Galleries director. “There is a varied selection of photos, sports, human interest and current events. There is a mix of dynamic black and white and strong powerful color images,” he said. “I can’t imagine anyone leaving the show without being touched by these images.”

The five Mississippi photographers selected, Jolly said, “have captured the human feelings of happiness, wonder, excitement and despair.”

One of the photos in the exhibit captures the mood of a man, his fiancée and friend who can do nothing but helplessly watch as the couple’s home is burned to the ground in 2005. Another photo depicts the unusual residence of the Rev. H.D. Dennis that he shares with his wife. The structure is really an ever-changing piece of folk art in Vicksburg. Both were shot by former Clarion-Ledger photographer Barbara Gauntt.

Gauntt, a New Jersey native, said the gallery exhibit “is a wonderful example of the vast diversity of subject and environments in which they work, often under extreme deadline pressures and less than optimal circumstances. The adrenaline rush is worth every moment!”

Photographers at the brown bag lunch (l to r)- Michael & Dianne Barrett, Gore Galleries Director Randy Jolly, sculptor Sam Gore, & photographers Barbara Gauntt, CL photographer Joe Ellis and Chris Todd.

Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and Tuesday evenings from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Parking is provided behind the First Baptist Church Clinton Activities Building. For more information, contact Randy Jolly at 601.925.3880 or rjolly@mc.edu.

Photos and information submitted by MC.

MDOT begins reconstruction of Gluckstadt Interchange

Posted today by Central MS Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall:

The Mississippi Department of Transportation began reconstructing the Gluckstadt Road Interchange in Madison County by installing construction signage today. 

The median barrier work will begin tonight. Crews will then mill and overlay one southbound lane of I-55 on Tuesday, September 10 from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. and the other southbound lane on Wednesday, September 11 from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. The same work will be done to one northbound lane on Thursday night and to the other northbound lane on Friday night from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. There will be lane shifts in the construction zone as each individual lane of I-55 is decreased to 11 ft. in width.

“We look forward to utilizing this roadway to further improve the safety of motorists throughout the area,” Hall said. “We would like to urge motorists to take extra precaution, slow down and watch out for workers on the roadway while driving through this work zone.” 

Crews will also begin placing temporary concrete median barriers and clearing the sides of the interstate this week. There are six different phases of construction and the project is anticipated to be complete by July 2015.

Dear @ShoemakerHomes, can I have one please?

Last Thursday I attended a ribbon cutting by Shoemaker Homes at The Enclave at Towne Center, one of the newest subdivisions in the city of Ridgeland. It’s down the street from where I live (of course I’m not disclosing my address, lol) so I had to check out some of the new homes. I covered the ground breaking over a year ago and I always looked at the building progress whenever I drove by.

Honey, these homes are FABULOUS! High-end, unique floor plans and the materials are top notch. You know how some builders install those super cheap appliances and closet rods and such? Shoemaker Homes wasn’t lying when they said “an affordable convenient community with efficient upscale living.” Here’s a photo gallery of a few of the lots currently on sale. Maybe in four or five years me and hubby could have one of these homes. To learn more and see better photos, check out the Facebook page.

Here’s another wide-open living room and kitchen area.

A bathtub/shower combo.

This one master bedroom…you can see outside in the courtyard.

The showers have two shower heads.

Another bathtub/shower combo.

I love the natural light in this floor plan.

Mayor Gene McGee

Builder Scott Shoemaker

Lovely courtyard.

The living room and kitchen areas are open!

The bedrooms are split by a shared bathroom.

Killer closet space!

I WANT.

Nice tub.

Raffle to help with medical expenses for Brandon families

While preparing for next week’s Suburban Digest briefs, I came across this link from the Flowood Chamber of Commerce about 31 Days of Thirty One raffle and it caught my eye. Take a look at this screen grab of the link to learn more about the Weir and Blackwell families that have unexpected, costly medical bills.

The organizers need help spreading the word, so I hope this post and brief in next Thursday’s edition will inspire someone to buy a ticket for a chance at some cool prizes!

Feel free to share this post, too. 🙂

Recycling in Ridgeland goes to the next level

 

To enhance recycling efforts, the city of Ridgeland purchased five solar-powered recycling compactors. You can find them at the concession stands at Freedom Ridge Park and at the trailhead pavilion of the multiuse trail (off Rice Road). You may recycle cans, plastic and paper. If the light is green, the compactor has room for recyclables. If it’s yellow, the compactor is full and red means it’s overflowing.

Each compactor can hold up to five times more than regular garbage cans. Since the compactors do not have open tops, the recyclables will stay inside and not blow out. The compactors come with a solar grid in the top, providing the energy source for compacting and the alert system. An interior wireless chip and antenna sends a signal to a main server, providing data that can then be accessed from a web app. The app allows designated city employees to see a map of which of the compactors are full and which are empty.

The city is committed to staying clean in an energy efficient way, proving a model for other Mississippi cities to follow. The city has earned awards for efforts in recycling and green living, such as – 2013 First Place Local Government Award from Keep Mississippi Beautiful, Steward in the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s enHance Program since 2011, 2011 Local Government Recycler of the Year from the Mississippi Recycling Coalition, Tree City USA certification since 2009, Merit Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects for the Ridgeland Area Master Plan and the Mississippi Municipal League’s Planning and Development Award for the Ridgeland Area Master Plan.

Submitted by the city of Ridgeland