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Yazoo City: A model for expanding educational opportunity

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This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

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  • Students of all backgrounds have the aptitude and work ethic needed to excel if provided a quality education, write former Governor Barbour and former Congressman Espy.

Our hometown of Yazoo City, Mississippi is a special place.  Braids of streams weave through some of the world’s most fertile soil, converging into the Yazoo River and, ultimately, the Mississippi River and beyond.  The verdant landscape offers dramatic views.  Most of all, residents are warm and welcoming.  For all those reasons, though our careers have brought us around the globe, we maintain deep ties to our hometown.  

Yet Yazoo City faces major challenges.  Many of those issues are endemic in much of rural America—a lack of opportunity that leads to poverty and depopulation, which further diminishes opportunity—but are particularly evident in our hometown.  The 2022 poverty rate among school age children in the Yazoo City School District, 60.3 percent, was quadruple the national rate.  Yazoo City’s poverty level was not only the highest of Mississippi’s 137 school districts, it was the highest in the nation among the thousands of districts that serve more than 10,000 residents.  Enrollment in Yazoo City schools has dropped 24 percent in the past decade, mirroring a decline in the local population. 

There is, however, reason for hope.  Yazoo City possesses, in abundance, the most critical resource needed to reverse unwelcome trends—bright young people who are capable of high achievement.  Moreover, Yazoo City is helping pioneer a means to expand opportunities for its most promising students that could be a national model for mitigating educational disparities.

Yazoo City is among dozens of Mississippi public high schools that are part of the Global Teaching Project’s Advanced STEM Access Program.  Now in its eighth year, GTP provides promising high school students in rural, high-poverty communities access to Advanced Placement STEM courses they need to achieve their full potential, but which their schools otherwise could not offer, largely due to a chronic, and worsening, shortage of qualified teachers.  The program is free to students and schools, and uses no state or local tax dollars.  

Last year, the program offered over 80 classes at 39 high schools in four subjects—AP Biology, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Physics 1, and AP Statistics.  

The Advanced STEM Access Program’s blended instructional model includes both in-person and remote instruction, teacher training, lesson plans, pedagogical support from AP-certified teachers, extensive tutoring from STEM majors at leading universities (including Columbia, Jackson State, Harvard, Mississippi State, MIT, Ole Miss, Virginia, and Yale, among others), physical textbooks, online resources, technology, university-based residential instructional programs, and ancillary activities such as college guidance and guest speakers, including a Nobel Physics laureate, a U.S. Secretary of Education, community leaders, and Civil Rights historians.  

AP courses prepare students for college rigor, enhance admission prospects, and can reduce tuition costs by enabling students to earn college credit prior to enrollment.  AP courses also provide structure and substantive content to schools seeking to implement a rigorous curriculum.  But access to AP courses varies widely—a 2018 Congressional report found that 99 percent of large high schools serving affluent communities (fewer than 25 percent of students qualified for free or reduced lunch) offered APs, while just 11 percent of small, high-poverty (over 75 percent free or reduced lunch) high schools offered APs. 

That disparate access to AP courses has highly adverse consequences.  The Equity and Excellence Commission, an advisory committee chartered by Congress, concluded in its 2013  report that “inequities are perpetuated [by] coursework that is low in academic rigor” and the lack of AP courses “aggravate our achievement gaps”.  In the decade since, disparities worsened in many communities, and, as numerous studies found, were exacerbated by the pandemic.

As College Board, which runs the AP program, recently wrote to the U.S. Department of Education, the Advanced STEM Access Program “has proven uniquely successful in addressing disparate access to AP STEM courses.”  

Nationally, in the 50 highest poverty rural school districts, the only schools that offer AP Physics, and the majority of those that offer AP Biology, Statistics, or Computer Science, do so through GTP, according to recent U.S. Census and College Board data.

Some students in the program quickly excel, earning college credit, gaining admission to universities such as MIT, Vanderbilt, and Virginia, and winning scholarships from the National Science Foundation and others.  By taking APs, those students have been able to demonstrate merit relative to students from larger, more affluent areas in ways that a transcript alone can’t.  

Other students struggle initially when encountering unaccustomed rigor.  Yet studies show that they, too, benefit.  APs alter their academic trajectory by developing the substantive knowledge and study skills needed for rigorous courses, resulting in academic achievement that becomes increasingly evident over time.  Perhaps most important, AP students also tend to view themselves as part of a high-achieving cohort (which they are—fewer than 0.3% of Mississippi public high school students even attempt the AP Physics 1 exam each year), and work to achieve a future commensurate with their ambitions, rather than their circumstances.

In fact, standardized tests and other metrics of academic success do not discriminate against students based on their circumstances and backgrounds; they discriminate against students who have had inadequate instruction.  Students of all backgrounds have the aptitude and work ethic needed to excel if provided a quality education.  

Yet those educational disparities are much more likely to afflict students in impoverished, rural communities—whether Yazoo City, where 98 percent of district students are Black, or overwhelmingly White areas.  As our country faces shortages of skilled workers, mitigating those disparities is an urgent national priority.     

The Advanced STEM Access Program serves communities with very different outlooks—including counties that voted over 80% for Harris and over 80% for Trump.  Those communities work together without the rancor that marks so much of our public life because they all recognize that we cannot afford to squander talent, wherever it is found.  We are proud that our hometown of Yazoo City is helping illuminate the path forward.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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New fees for Ole Miss Grove mark changing times

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  • The university on the last day of January announced it was charging tent set-up vendors for space in one of America’s best-known tailgating areas.

For Stacey and Lynn Wall, the journey from “I” to “we” began in the Grove.

Lynn ran an errand. She left the family tent for only a few minutes. Friends and family knew what was coming.

Lynn returned, and there was a knee in the dirt, then a ring, and life was different, all amid the backdrop of familiar sights, sounds and academic buildings, of sun-blocking trees, of cherished people and places, and Ole Miss football just feet away.

It’s hard to put a price on that, but Ole Miss has, and it’s a big one.

The university on the last day of January announced it was charging tent set-up vendors for space in one of America’s best-known tailgating areas.

The fee will be $150 for single-game set-ups of 10-x-10 tents or $100 a game for the complete schedule of home games. 

Rebels fans who want to set up their own tents may still do so for free.

Lynn, as most perceptive ladies do, knew a proposal was coming at some point. She didn’t know that Saturday was the day.

The Old Family Tent

“We were at the old family tent. There were tents all around is that we’d been tailgating with in the Grove for years. Everyone not only in our tent but in the tents around, knew I was doing it,” said Stacey Wall, a Jackson native who now lives in Oxford.

Now that experience will cost – should set-up companies choose to pass on the expense — $700 more for a full season.

College football fans paying attention could see this coming.

It’s no longer an amateur sport.

According to On3.com’s NIL tracker the number of players making at least $1 million in NIL money annually increased from 10 in October of 2023 to 34 in 2024.

Through the early stages of NIL, Ole Miss held off on Grove fees.

Mississippi State began charging tent vendors to set up in The Junction in 2014.

Some fans claim college football is being ruined, but it’s not by NIL alone. The combination of NIL and the Transfer Portal, with little regulation of either, gives players the ability to chase dollars and new experiences each season.

The new ways make college football a beast for coaches to plan beyond one season at a time. There’s no telling where your quarterback will be in a year.

It’s not like the NFL where player contracts are for more than one season.

Lane Kiffin doesn’t like the system, but his experience in and around the NFL has helped him work it to the Rebels’ advantage.

More change is coming. An NIL “contract” covers one player. Starting July 1, schools will begin revenue-sharing with all players, an estimated expense of $20-22 million.

The Southeastern Conference this week announced its 14 members, not including Texas and Oklahoma, would receive checks from the conference of roughly $52.5 million per school for full-year participation.

For years it’s been hard to think of SEC schools as “needy,” but player payments have changed that.

Their bottom lines are taking a hit. Now they’re trying to find new revenue streams to meet this demand and also the demands involved with a continued quality fan experience.

Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter pleaded for understanding when breaking the news of tent-vendor charges to his fans.

“In the world that we’re living in with increases in so many different things in our own budget, we’ve got to find new revenue sources,” he told the Ole Miss 247Sports website.

(Photo from Shutterstock)

Near the SEC Bottom in CFB Financials

In making the announcement Ole Miss also shared operating expense and revenue information for 2023 for 15 SEC schools. Information for Vanderbilt, a private school, was not provided. Ole Miss ranked No. 13 in both lists, ahead of only Missouri and Mississippi State each time.

Schools aren’t paying players right now. That’s done through the private collectives, and the fundraising success of The Grove Collective played a key part in helping Kiffin build a playoff-worthy roster. The Rebels, 9-3 in the regular season, finished just outside the 12-team field.

But the collectives allow fans to choose their level of participation in the pay-the-players process. For some that’s a lot, for some little or none, with many levels in between.

But Grove set-up fees are different. Individual vendors will decide how much of that expense is passed on to their clients. It’s hard to imagine that Ole Miss fans deeply connected to the Grove experience won’t feel the hit.

The question is whether they’ll be sympathetic to their AD or if they’ll walk away?

Wall would like more information about the set-up fees from the school.

“I’d love a little more transparency. I’d like to know what their projected revenues are. If it’s such a big number I think I’d probably say, ‘it’s bad, but I get it.’”

Some fans, yet again, will have to decide how much Ole Miss football success means to them and what their participation level will be.

“I think most fans, and I’m not just talking about Ole Miss, are pausing to reflect on that,” Wall said.

Wall has been around Ole Miss football a long time.

Former AD Ross Bjork once told him the greatest challenge at Ole Miss was getting fans to attend.

Carter may face a greater challenge than Bjork did.

For now, he’s hopeful the Ole Miss tailgate experience will not change.

“At the end of the day, when we show up to the first game next fall, everything should look and feel the exact same,” he told 247Sports.

Just Win Baby

Fans may go along at the beginning but take a wait-and-see approach before making long-range plans. What the Grove looks like will depend on wins and losses to some extent, Wall predicts.

“If Lane makes a deep run in the playoffs, a lot of this is going to be swept under the rug,” he said. “If we stumble like we did this season, it’s going to get more and more difficult.”

He’s hoping that from somewhere, leadership rises and rebalance occurs.

“There’s something magical about the Grove, and I hate the whole NIL thing has come to this. I’m all for athletes getting paid, but the pendulum has swung too far. I do think at some point it will swing back, but as a fan who loves college football, basketball, baseball and Ole Miss, it’s disheartening.”

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Magnolia Mornings: February 10, 2025

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This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

  • Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.

In Mississippi

JXN water replacing undersized pipes

Third-party administrator Ted Henifin speaks at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson on January 27, 2023.

WJTV reports that JXN Water officials said the city has 100 miles of undersized pipes throughout the streets.

“During JXN Water’s quarterly meeting on Saturday, Interim Third-Party Manager Ted Henifin said they’re not replacing the whole system. However, two- and four-inch diameter pipes will be replaced with six-inch PVC pipes,” WJTV reported.

“Those small pipes have a lot of rust in them as the pressures change, and they get disturbed. They do become brown water. It has iron in it. Not hazardous, but certainly not something you love to have in your glass when you’re serving your friends,” said Henifin, as reported by WJTV.

National News & Foreign Policy

1. Trump declares Gulf of America Day

(Photo from POTUS on X)

On his way to the Super Bowl on Sunday and becoming the first sitting President to attend the big game, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation declaring February 9, 2025, as Gulf of America Day.

“Today, I am making my first visit to the Gulf of America since its renaming.  As my Administration restores American pride in the history of American greatness, it is fitting and appropriate for our great Nation to come together and commemorate this momentous occasion and the renaming of the Gulf of America,” the proclamation read.

2. Treasury to stop producing pennies?

The Hill reports that President Donald Trump on Sunday announced that he asked the Treasury Department to stop producing pennies, calling the one cent coin wasteful.

“For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents. This is so wasteful! I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies. Let’s rip the waste out of our great nations budget, even if it’s a penny at a time,” Trump said, as reported by The Hill.

The Hill also added, “The cost of making a penny was nearly 3.7 cents in Fiscal Year 2024 and the coin has cost above face value to make for 19 consecutive fiscal years, according to the U.S. Mint’s annual report.”

Sports

Three-peat denied as Eagles dominant Chiefs

The Philadelphia Eagles shocked the two-time Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in Super Bowl LIX, rolling to a 40-22 rout that was far more dominant than the final score would indicate. The Eagles were up 34-0 late in the third quarter.

The win ensured that the Chiefs would not reach the coveted third consecutive Super Bowl victory, a feat no team in NFL history has achieved in the Super Bowl era.

The Eagles defense sacked Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes six times and picked off two passes, one that was returned for a touchdown.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was named the game’s MVP. He finished with 221 passing and another 72 rushing with 3 total touchdowns.

Markets & Business

1. Chevron’s divorce from California

The Wall Street Journal reports on Chevron’s move out of California, as the company heads to Texas.

“Relations between [Chevron’s Mike] Wirth, CEO of the nation’s second-largest energy company, and [Gavin] Newsom, governor of America’s populous state, had soured over regulatory and legislative efforts intended to combat climate change—displacing internal-combustion engines with electric vehicles, for one,” WSJ reported, adding, “California has acted more aggressively than any other state to steer consumers from fossil fuels, including a state ban on the sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2035, as well as rules that oil companies blame for the state’s higher gas prices. EVs now account for more than a quarter of new car sales in California.”

WSJ went on to note, “California has more than Chevron headquarters at stake. The company, which operates two of the largest oil refineries in the state, has considered the possibility of ceasing production. That would raise gas prices further for California’s more than 27 million drivers. Chevron refineries make up a third of the state’s gasoline-production capacity. “

2. Investors bracing for week of data, tariff news

Stock trading market

CNBC reports that stock futures rose early Monday, “as investors braced for a data-packed week ahead and eyed news that President Donald Trump may announce a new round of tariffs.”

“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 191 points, or 0.4%. S&P 500 futures ticked up 0.4%, while Nasdaq-100 futures advanced nearly 0.7%,” CNBC reported.

CNBC noted, “The threat of more tariffs comes ahead of a slew of economic data this week. The January consumer price index report is due out Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. ET, followed by initial weekly jobless claims and the producer price index on Thursday. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will also speak before Congress on Monday morning.”

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Read original article by clicking here.

My kind of town: Robert’s Chicago favorites

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This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

  • Robert St. John shares the most recent places that have left the biggest impression on him in the Windy City.

This city has been a part of my life for the past thirty-five years. It’s a city that holds a special place in my heart, not only for the food but for the people and the memories that have shaped my career in hospitality. Since I started writing this weekly column 26 years ago, I’ve been asked countless times for restaurant and hotel recommendations, not just in Chicago but across the country and especially in Europe—Italy being the most requested.

New Orleans is at the top of the request list in the U.S., but Chicago follows close behind. Over the years, I’ve kept a running list of my favorite places—a fluid document that changes as new spots emerge and old favorites evolve. Several years ago, I started putting out an annual list of my favorite restaurants and dining experiences in New Orleans. This is my first-ever published list of my favorite U.S. destinations: Chicago

My first visit to Chicago was unique and special. I was brought here, almost 40 years ago, by my friend Bud Holmes, who was Walter Payton’s agent. We had dinner at Harry Caray’s with Walter, and just as we were piling into the limo to leave, Harry Caray himself—who had clearly been called and pulled out of bed by his staff—came rushing outside to speak to Walter. He stuck his head in the limo window, and the whole thing felt like a Saturday Night Live skit, with Will Ferrell playing Caray. It was the perfect Chicago welcome.

Subsequent trips with Bud led to introductions with some of my biggest restaurant idols, including Richard Melman. He also introduced me to Arnie Morton, the founder of Morton’s steakhouses and father of Peter Morton, who founded Hard Rock Cafe. Arnie graciously sat with me for an hour, patiently answering every question I had as a fledgling restaurateur at the time. Beginning in the late 1970s and continuing through the 1980s and 1990s, Melman was the most creative force in the restaurant industry. He owned Chicago. Whenever he spoke at the National Restaurant Association convention, it was standing room only. He had an unmatched eye for design and concept development, always staying ahead of the curve. His company, Lettuce Entertain You, is still thriving in Chicago and beyond. His son now runs the show, and I had the opportunity to meet him a few times during the pandemic through the Independent Restaurant Coalition’s daily calls.

In 1997, Blackbird burst onto the scene, courtesy of Donnie Madia and Paul Kahan of One Off Hospitality Group. Located on the edge of the West Loop, they were pioneers who sparked the cultural renaissance of what has become today’s thriving restaurant, bar, and hospitality scene in that neighborhood. They followed up with Avec next door, then several other standout concepts, including The Publican, Publican Quality Meats, and Big Star, which has become a regular favorite of mine. Killer tacos, queso fundido and guacamole. My wife loves The Violet Hour, one of the early innovators of the craft cocktail renaissance.

For a while, I was mesmerized by Brendan Sodikoff and his company, Hogsalt. His concept Bavette’s left a lasting impression, as did The Doughnut Vault, and Au Cheval. His restaurants have a distinct style—dark, moody, and steeped in a sense of place. They feel like they’ve always been there, which is a testament to his ability to create lasting concepts.

The pandemic brought many challenges, but it also introduced me to some of the most inspiring restaurateurs I’ve ever met. BOKA Restaurant Group, founded by Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz, has recently been voted one of the top 10 restaurant groups in the country. I’m a huge fan of everything they do, and even more so of how they operate. Their culture is spot-on, and they elevate service and food quality to another level.

Boehm and Katz came from different worlds—Katz was a real estate investment guy dabbling in nightclubs and bars, while Boehm had worked his way up through various restaurant jobs, starting with a tiny seven-seat restaurant in Florida before moving to Nashville and beyond. When they joined forces in Chicago, they used the first two letters of their first names to create BOKA, their Michelin-starred flagship fine-dining restaurant. They’ve grown substantially since then, and their impact on the industry is undeniable.

During the pandemic, I got to know Boehm personally, and his steady leadership, vision, and enthusiasm during a time of extreme crisis were inspiring. I’ve only met Katz once, but I had the opportunity to collaborate on a project last year with their director of development, Gabe Garza— a multi-city southerner from Houston, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans— Garza brings a brilliant restaurant mind covering all aspects of the business and an exceptional understanding of how to structure a deal.

Now, for the part that people ask me about the most—recommendations. This list isn’t definitive because food is subjective and ever-changing, but these are the most recent places that have left the biggest impression on me in Chicago:

Fine Dining:

Alinea
The pinnacle of avant-garde dining in America. Grant Achatz’s three-Michelin-starred experience is one for the books.
1723 North Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60614.
Phone: (312) 867-0110. alinearestaurant.com

Oriole
Tucked away in an unassuming alley, this two-Michelin-starred spot offers an intimate and exceptional tasting menu.
661 West Walnut Street, Chicago, IL 60661. Phone: (312) 877-5339. Website: oriolechicago.com

BOKA
The restaurant that started it all for BOKA Restaurant Group. It’s consistent, elegant, and always an experience.
1729 North Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60614.
Phone: (312) 337-6070 bokachicago.com

Steakhouses:

Swift & Sons
My favorite steakhouse in the Midwest. Classic elegance, top-tier service, and outstanding steaks.
1000 West Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607.
Phone: (312) 733-9420. swiftandsonschicago.com

Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf
Dark, moody, and reminiscent of a bygone era. The steaks are good, but don’t skip the crab-stuffed avocado.
218 West Kinzie Street, Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: (312) 624-8154 bavettessteakhouse.com/chicago

Gene & Georgetti
A mainstay for me forever. The waiters here were probably the same ones serving Sinatra when he dined there often.
500 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: (312) 527-3718 geneandgeorgetti.com

Casual Must-Tries:

Big Star
Killer tacos, queso fundido & guacamole.
1531 North Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622.
Phone: (773) 235-4039 bigstarchicago.com

The Publican
Pork, oysters, and beer in a communal setting. One of the most fun and satisfying meals in town.
837 West Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607.
Phone: (312) 733-9555 thepublicanrestaurant.com

Au Cheval
The best burger in the country, and it’s not even close.
800 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: (312) 929-4580 auchevalchicago.com

The Purple Pig
For devout carnivores with a penchant for Spanish cuisine.
444 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 464-1744 thepurplepigchicago.com

Pizza:

Coal Fire Pizza
Recommended by my friend Donnie Madia. A must-try for pizza lovers.
1321 West Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60642
Phone: (312) 226-2625 coalfirechicago.com

Spacca Napoli
*Note* I am not a fan of deep-dish pizza. If Neapolitan-style pizza is more your thing, this is the best in town.
1769 West Sunnyside Avenue, Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: (773) 878-2420 spaccanapolipizzeria.com

Breakfast & Brunch:

Cira at The Hoxton
My favorite breakfast in Chicago, located in the West Loop
200 North Green Street, Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: (312) 761-1777  cirachicago.com

Nobu Hotel
A unique and very good breakfast experience.
155 North Peoria Street, Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: (312) 779-8800 chicago.nobuhotels.com

Lou Mitchell’s
A classic, bustling big city breakfast that hasn’t changed since the Truman administration.
565 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60661
Phone: (312) 939-3111 loumitchells.com

Cocktails & Bars:

The Violet Hour
A pioneer of the cocktail renaissance. Order something stirred and boozy.
1520 North Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622.
Phone: (773) 252-1500  theviolethour.com

Three Dots and a Dash
A modern tiki bar with some of the best rum-based cocktails in the city.
435 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654.
Phone: (312) 610-4220. threedotschicago.com

Other Favorites:

Longman & Eagle
My favorite restaurant in Chicago’s Logan Square area. It’s a dive bar with a Michelin star.
2657 North Kedzie Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647.
Phone: (773)276-7110 longmanandeagle.com

Frontera Grill/Topolobampo
Best Mexican by far. Probably the best Mexican restaurant in the country. I have always said that Rick Bayless is the best Mexican cuisine chef in America, and anywhere you dropped him in Mexico, he would instantly be the best Mexican cuisine chef in Mexico.
445 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654.
Phone: (312) 661-1434 | rickbayless.com/restaurants/frontera-grill

Momotaro
My favorite Japanese and sushi spot in town.
820 West Lake Street, Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: (312) 733-4818 momotarochicago.com

Publican Quality Bread
My favorite bakery, and it’s not even close. Donnie Madia and Paul Kahan graciously gave me an in-depth tour before I opened Loblolly Bakery.
1759 West Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622
Phone: (312) 619-5540 publicanqualitybread.com

Hotels:

The Hoxton
An excellent hotel in a prime West Loop location. Great scene, great nightlife, three great restaurants, and three great bars.
200 North Green Street, Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: (312) 761-1700  thehoxton.com/chicago

Nobu Hotel
Perfect location, luxurious rooms, attentive staff, and world-class sushi attached. What’s not to love?
155 North Peoria Street, Chicago, IL 60607.
Phone: (312) 779-8800 chicago.nobuhotels.com

I have always believed that Chicago is a more accessible New York and, after spending substantial time in each over the past three decades, would choose Chicago over New York nine times out of ten. Chicago is an ever-evolving city for dining, and I’ll keep adding to my running list. If you find yourself heading this way, trust me—there’s no shortage of great food to be found.

Onward.


This Week’s Recipe: Caponata

In the trattorias and osterias on the western coast of Sicily the day’s fresh, raw seafood catch is often displayed on ice in the dining room. One picks their specific fish and the server takes to back to the kitchen where it is prepared. There is usually an antipasta display and several vegetable courses served buffet style. Caponata is often among the offerings. Everyone prepares caponata differently. This preparation was inspired by my friend Annagloria, who is a native of Florence, but a lover of all things Sicilian. It is good hot as a side vegetable or at room temp on top of toasted crostini for an appetizer.

Ingredients

1 each Red bell pepper, large diced
1 each Yellow bell pepper, large diced
1 each Large red onion, large diced
1 rib Celery, sliced
¼ cup Green olives, rough chopped
2 Tbsp Capers
¼ cup Pine nuts
¼ cup Raisins
½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
½ cup Red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 – 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, with juice
1 tsp Kosher salt
½ tsp Fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a large roasting pan and cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Cling to Jesus

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This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

image
  • And lay your foundations with sapphires. – Isaiah 54:11

Not only what is seen in the Church of God but also what is unseen is fair and precious. Foundations are out of sight, and as long as they are firm, it is not expected that they should be valuable. But in God’s work everything is of the same value—nothing devalued, nothing irrelevant. The deep foundations of the work of grace are as precious as sapphires; no human mind is able to measure their glory. We build upon the covenant of grace, which is stronger than steel and as enduring as diamonds and upon which age makes no impact. Sapphire foundations are eternal, and the covenant remains throughout the lifetime of the Almighty.

Another foundation is the person of the Lord Jesus, clear and spotless, as everlasting and beautiful as the sapphire, combining the deep blue of earth’s ever-rolling ocean and the azure of its all-embracing sky. At one time our Lord might have been compared to the ruby as He stood covered with His own blood, but now we see Him radiant with the soft blue of love—love abounding, deep, eternal.

Our eternal hopes are built upon the justice and the faithfulness of God, which are as clear and cloudless as the sapphire. We are not saved by a compromise, by mercy defeating justice or law suspending its operations; no, we defy the eagle’s eye to detect a flaw in the groundwork of our confidence: Our foundation is of sapphire and will endure the fire.

The Lord Himself has laid the foundation of His people’s hopes. It is a subject for serious inquiry whether our hopes are built upon such a basis. Good works and ceremonies are not a foundation of sapphires, but of wood, hay, and stubble; neither are they laid by God but by our own conceit. Foundations will all be tested before long: Woe to him whose lofty tower will come down with a crash because it was built on sand. The one who is built on sapphires may face storm or fire with confidence, for he will pass the test.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Read original article by clicking here.

God is very interested in success…and lost causes

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If you live in the Bible belt long enough, certain phrases keeps arising that help us describe our faith but with which, honestly, we have to be careful lest such simplicity skew biblical truth.

For instance, “God helps those who help themselves” or “God won’t give you more than you can handle” or “Let go and let God” or “Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship.”

Each of these contain a truth, but there is typically another side of the story that would help us to grasp a deeper God-reality.

One of my favorites is “God has not called me to success, but to faithfulness.” Well, yes. And, wait just a minute…

Years ago Christianity Today ran a column by Peter Wagner that called this bit of sanctified folk wisdom into question. He reminded his reading audience that apparently God is not pleased with:

  • Fishing without catching (Lk. 5:4-11)
  • An empty banquet table (Lk. 14:15-23)
  • Sowing without reaping (Mt. 13:3-9)
  • A fig tree that bears no figs (Lk. 13:6-9)
  • Lost sheep not being brought into the fold (Mt. 18:11-14)
  • A lost coin that is sought but not found (Lk. 15:8-10)
  • Ripe harvests that are not reaped (Mt. 9:36-38)
  • Proclamation without response (Mt. 10:14)

Wagner’s field was evangelism, and he drew the connection that “God is interested in results, since he is not willing that one man, woman, or child should perish (II Pt. 3:9).” I appreciate contrarian thinking and had long since wearied of the “faithfulness not success” motto. Wagner’s piece was refreshing.

Then my dad died. As we were sitting in the living room, talking about him and the impact of his life on ours, my brother spoke up. “You know,” he said. “Dad was always about lost causes. His entire life he poured himself into good things that just weren’t going to succeed.” And my brother started naming them, one by one. Political lost causes. Business lost causes.

Denominational lost causes. Educational lost causes. Sporting lost causes. I had never really considered this line of thought; my brother had noticed something that the rest of us missed. Dad bet his life on…losing.

And then one day a preacher bent my attention toward Jeremiah. Think about it, he said. When Jesus asked his disciples “Who do people say that I am?,” one of the answers was…Jeremiah.

Jeremiah? Nearly an insult, one would think. Never performs a miracle. Never produces change. Never wins a convert. Ends up with his disobedient people in Egypt.

Egypt!

And yet, he was known as the weeping prophet. His heart broke over the things that broke the heart of God. And he did what God asked him to do.

A losing cause.

God’s economy is a strange one, to be sure. The temptation of the faithful is to develop easily understood categories that may not do justice to the purposes of the Kingdom of God.

In a losing cause right now…a righteous losing cause? Maybe, just maybe, that’s where God wants you. But there is holy success He is after as well, and to spend one’s energy there is frequently a good wager, too.

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Education is big money for far left politics

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

The two largest “teachers” unions in America funnel hundreds of millions of dollars into far left causes and candidates, while supporting initiatives to indoctrinate students.

Keeping children, and teachers, on the reservation is lucrative business.

Their political power is contingent upon maintaining a large body of educators under their thumbs. That leverage is contingent upon maintaining as many students as possible in a system that fails broad swaths of students.

Between the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT), all fifty states contain active affiliates. Yes, including Mississippi. There are also other organizations that operate like de facto unions for school administrators.

At some point, teachers might begin to question whether the organizations that purport to represent them really do.

Teachers’ Unions Partisan Giving

The NEA boasts over 3 million members and revenue north of $370 million annually. AFT claims 1.7 million members and a budget over $205 million.

Looking at AFT’s and NEA’s political giving, a critic might conclude all teacher members sign a pledge to only support Democrats. The charts below reflect the unions’ federal contributions since 2014.

First, AFT‘s political generosity:

Election Year Amount Contributed Percent Donated
to Democrats
2024 $16.049 million 99.90%
2022 $24.514 million 99.97%
2020 $20.396 million 99.63%
2018 $13.172 million 99.80%
2016 $16.525 million 99.66%
2014 $8.840 million 99.03%
AFT’s federal contributions to candidates since 2014.

And for the more bipartisan giving of the NEA:

Election Year Amount Contributed Percent Donated
to Democrats
2024 $22.346 million 98.17%
2022 $26.324 million 99.23%
2020 $14.731 million 95.60%
2018 $5.354 million 93.19%
2016 $10.985 million 87.15%
2014 $8.050 million 91.77%
NEA’s federal contributions to candidates since 2014.

De-Emphasizing Education

Both AFT and NEA spend considerable time and resources supporting a progressive wish list of economic, social, and foreign policy completely untethered from education achievement. In recent years, AFT has taken up fights, including:

  • Calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the creation of a two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians
  • Support for males playing female sports, and opposition to state efforts to prohibit transgender surgery for minors
  • Advocating for the banning of self-checkouts in restaurants, grocery stores and retailers
  • Denouncing Vladimir Putin for the transport of Ukrainian minors into Russia
  • Support for the appointment of Justice Kentaji Brown Jackson and opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court in religious liberty cases
  • Declaring a “climate emergency” and support for Green New Deal
AFT President Randi Weingarten representing American teachers in Ukraine, October of 2022, in protest of the Russian invasion.

Similarly, the NEA featured action items include a ceasefire in the Middle East, support for abortion access, and calls to confirm Biden’s judicial nominees. Additional NEA calls to action include:

  • Restrictions on gun owners’ rights
  • Advocacy for increased taxes on the wealthy and corporations
  • Efforts to normalize illegal immigration
  • Support for new federal election laws
  • Calls to strengthen the “social safety net” and expand welfare programs

However a person thinks about any of these issues, the two largest teachers’ unions in the country collecting money from teachers to advocate for deeply contentious political causes — unrelated to the provision of education — represents dramatic mission creep, at best, and exploitation, at worst.

Reading, Writing and Social Justice

Both AFT and NEA dedicate a substantial portion of their energy and resources to promoting ‘social justice’ in public schools, a once benign term that has come to represent a grab bag of Marxist thought centered around radical identity politics.

The NEA’s mission statement says its purpose is “championing justice and excellence in public education.” That “championing justice” comes before “excellence in public education” is telling.

In a now infamous 2023 speech at NEA’s annual conference, NEA President Becky Pringle took aim at their host state, Florida. Pringle called the Sunshine State “ground zero for shameful, racist, homophobic, misogynistic, xenophobic rhetoric.” That’s a lot of -ics. She also lobbed bombs at the U.S. Supreme Court and extolled the virtues of LGBTQ rights, abortion, affirmative action, and social justice.

Not once in the 30-minute talk did she mention reading, writing, or arithmetic. If you have half an hour, and don’t mind being yelled at for half an hour, it’s worth a watch. (Towards the end she invokes the spirit of Chief Seattle).

L to R: AFT President Randi Weingarten, Former First Lady Jill Biden, and NEA President Becky Pringle, masked up and socially distancing.

AFT has also advocated for social justice curriculum in public schools. Among its resolutions are calls to create ‘anti-racism’ coursework. At a conference hosted by AFT in 2023, teachers received lessons that included:

  • “Affirming LGBTQIA+ Identities in and out of the Classroom,”
  • “Education for Liberation: The Role of the Racially Conscious Educator in Combating Oppression,” and
  • “Strategies for Integrating Climate Change into Your Teaching.”

People deserve respect and to be treated with dignity. History matters, warts and all. But teaching educators and students to wallow in an ‘oppressor-oppressed’ framework, or to fixate on identity, is a tool meant to indoctrinate the amenable and marginalize political opponents. It’s also a distraction from practical education.

A couple of years ago, former Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo identified AFT President Randi Weingarten as “the most dangerous person in the world.” When probed, Pompeo made clear he was not joking. Weingarten has been at the center of numerous controversies, including accusations that she influenced the CDC to go against the science and stop schools from reopening during COVID.

Failing Our Kids (and Teachers)

Taxpayers continue to invest in public education. Since 1980, adjusted for inflation, per student spending has increased 77 percent. In that same span, American fourth graders’ reading scores dropped by a point on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP).

Even in Mississippi, where our students and teachers have seen better gains than the rest of the nation, 68 percent of fourth graders aren’t proficient in reading and 62 percent aren’t proficient in math.

But it’s not just students struggling. Every single survey of teacher satisfaction shows declining levels of happiness with the profession, levels much lower than those found on general work satisfaction surveys. That is to say the very people who pay teachers’ unions to represent them are not feeling the fruit of their investment.

The Close

People who like NEA’s and AFT’s politics will inevitably read this and claim it is an attack on teachers. Nothing could be further from the truth. I can name half a dozen public school teachers who had real impact on my life. And I can tell you both of my kids in Mississippi public schools love their teachers.

This is not criticism of teachers. In fact, it is a recognition of how important teachers are and the real danger of turning the act of educating a child into a divisive political act. There are plenty of members of both the NEA and AFT who feed the beast unwittingly. There are plenty of non-members that over time, absent meaningful push back, will be influenced by the agendas of these unions.

The teaching profession is uniquely collaborative. Divisive ideas introduced at the top have a way of trickling down. Our children, teachers, and schools should not be treated as political pawns or social experiments.

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Become a Certified Hospitality Expert in 30 minutes

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This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

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  • The Mississippi Tourism Association rolls out free program to make everyone an ambassador. 

Imagine you’re a server delivering a pizza order to a table of four in an early night seating, but as you walk across the floor, you notice the pizza toppings are wrong. Your customers have tickets to an evening event, coming up soon. What do you do?

Mississippi Tourism Association’s (MTA) Heart of Hospitality Workforce and Leadership Development Program answers that question and addresses many others in a fun, engaging, and informative way via a free online 7-part series launched in December. The program takes about 30 minutes to complete and is available in English and Spanish. At the end of each section, users answer a few brief questions to advance. Upon completion, participants earn a Certified Hospitality Expert designation.

So far, nearly 400 professionals have completed the program with overwhelmingly positive feedback. “This series showed me how hospitality should be done,” wrote a participant on Jan. 15. 

“We’ve worked hard and are very proud of this program,” said MTA executive director Danielle Morgan, TMP. “We’ve gotten great feedback thus far.”

Morgan said the certification program came about as one solution to complex workforce problems in the hospitality sector. 

“Much like other industries, tourism is experiencing significant workforce challenges,” said Morgan. “As Mississippi’s fourth-largest industry, it’s important that we attract and retain talent to continue to grow our industry, while also developing the current workforce we have in place and creating an awareness of the amazing career opportunities available in the field of tourism.”

The pandemic exacerbated workforce challenges in the tourism industry, Morgan pointed out. 

“It’s no secret that following the pandemic, we’ve seen a decline in service and hospitality in general,” said Morgan. “Tourism was one of the hardest hit industries and it was difficult on our workforce, and the industry lost some great people as a result. Nationally, estimates showed the tourism and hospitality sector was still down as many as a million jobs as recently as last year. We knew that if we never started tackling these issues, we may never see improvement.”

The training program had been offered as a member-only benefit several years ago.

“But we felt if we were going to truly make a difference in our industry, we needed to offer it to anyone willing to spend the time to cultivate their skills,” said Morgan. 

To create the video series, MTA partnered with Phil Bruno of Treat ‘Em Right, a production company known for similar programs across the U.S.

“As ‘The Hospitality State,’ we have a really high standard of service to uphold,” said Morgan. “We worked closely with Treat ‘Em Right to craft messaging and curriculum that we felt would meet the needs of our partners in Mississippi and provide relevant and helpful training within a reasonable time frame.”

The series focuses on how to make visitors feel great, exceed expectations by connecting and showing empathy, keep your composure and show patience in awkward situations, and recommend things to do based on who’s asking. 

For example, the difference in needs of Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1980), and Generation Y/Millennials (1981-1996) were discussed when addressing two questions: Do you know a great place to eat? Anything good going on this weekend? 

Baby Boomers, often called the “Sandwich Generation” because of caring for parents and children and possibly grandchildren, want good value for their money and to take care of family. Millennials like connectivity, going where locals go, reliance on technology, and being included and involved in a live experience. 

In summary, the program was designed to elevate the profile of tourism as a career path and inspire new tourism champions to pursue a career in tourism; provide professionals development opportunities for those working in the industry, including regional training sessions, online learning platforms, and webinars covering industry best practices and trends; expand scholarship programs to enable broader access to professional development opportunities; and expand access to training, including the new 7-part video hospitality course.

Right now, the program boasts 536 active users, 2,858 classes completed, and 385 tourism champions who have now become Certified Hospitality Professionals. 

“Our members have been great partners in helping get the word out to their local partners,” said Morgan. “Sister organizations like the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association and Mississippi Gaming and Hospitality Association have helped us by sharing with their members as well. We’ve reached out to chambers around the state and are also working with some education partners. We even threw in an a couple of iPad giveaways to sweeten the deal and provide extra incentive! An employee with the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center on the Coast won our first giveaway in February. She didn’t even know she was being entered for a chance to win, so that was a happy surprise. We’ll be doing another giveaway in June, so if you complete the certification prior to that, you’ll automatically be entered to win.”

In tandem with the new training program, MTA launched a statewide tourism job bank this month, to make it easier for job seekers and employers to connect. 

MTA will host Tourism Day at the Capitol with a legislative reception on March 5. A Spring Summit is scheduled in Greenwood April 10-11. MTA is partnering with the Louisiana Travel Association on a Leadership Forum May 19-20 in New Orleans. For more information, visit www.mstourism.com

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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The paradox of Christianity

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This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.

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  • I have been crucified with Christ. – Galatians 2:20

The Lord Jesus Christ acted in what He did as a great public representative person, and His dying upon the cross was the virtual dying of all His people. In Him all His people rendered justice its due and made an expiation to divine vengeance for all their sins. The apostle of the Gentiles delighted to think that as one of Christ’s chosen people, he died upon the cross in Christ. He did more than believe this doctrinally—he accepted it confidently, resting his hope upon it. He believed that by virtue of Christ’s death, he had satisfied divine justice and found reconciliation with God.

Beloved, what a blessed thing it is when the soul can, as it were, stretch itself upon the cross of Christ and feel, “I am dead; the law has killed me, and I am therefore free from its power, because in Christ I have borne the curse, and in the person of my Substitute all that the law could do by way of condemnation has been executed upon me, for I am crucified with Christ.”

But Paul meant even more than this. He not only believed in Christ’s death and trusted in it, but he actually felt its power in himself causing the crucifixion of his old corrupt nature. When he saw the pleasures of sin, he said, “I cannot enjoy these: I am dead to them.” Such is the experience of every true Christian. Having received Christ, he is to this world as one who is utterly dead. Yet, while conscious of death to the world, he can at the same time exclaim with the apostle, “I live.” He is fully alive to God. The Christian’s life is a matchless riddle. The unconverted cannot comprehend it; even the believer himself cannot understand it. Dead, yet alive! Crucified with Christ, and yet at the same time risen with Christ in newness of life! Union with the suffering, bleeding Savior and death to the world and sin are soul-cheering things. May we learn to live evermore in the enjoyment of them!

This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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They want to send public funds to private schools, but they don’t want to let voters decide the issue

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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