#JXNMS is in the news and we’ve got the good stuff! In case you missed it, here are a handful of positive, uplifting features from the past couple of weeks.

DJP President John Gomez. Image: Drew Dempsey for Downtown Jackson Partners

Downtown Jackson Partners has launched a homelessness outreach program at Smith Park. DJP President John Gomez told the Jackson Free Press that Stewpot Community Services, Galloway United Methodist Church and Visit Jackson joined in the initiative. “We know this is a small piece of the whole puzzle to try to help the homeless, but we realized that we need to be more active, take a more active role in helping,” he said at the event, which included the official unveiling of lights at Smith Park. Read more…

The Mississippi Governor’s Mansion will reopen to limited public tours in April. Free guided tours will be offered Tuesday through Thursday at 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m., and 10:30 a.m. Reservations are mandatory and must be made at least seventy-two hours in advance. Read more…

Jackson State University is one of five HBCUs participating in The National Museum of African American History and Culture’s ground-breaking, five-year, $12 million pilot program to strengthen member archives and museums and to bring most of their over 3.5 million rare and unique collections into the public eye, many for the first time. Led by NMAAHC’s Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP), additional HBCU partners in this pilot phase are Clark Atlanta University, Florida A & M University, Texas Southern University, and Tuskegee University. Read more…

Interior Designer Mary Sanders Ferriss and Ferris and Company was recognized for her design work for Dumbo’s on Duling by Restaurant Development + Design in their 2021 RD+D Awards. The category was “Best Full-Service Restaurant Design – Check Average Under $50.” The judges felt the team did a “great job transforming (the space, formerly CAET)” and “loved the character of the space.” They also felt the branding was “spot on” and “perfectly peppered throughout the space.” Read more…

Cathead Distillery has been recognized by Southern Living as a “Boutique Southern Distilleries You Need to Know About. In 2020, they were honored to be named a semifinalist for outstanding wine, spirits, or beer producer, by the James Beard Foundation. Earlier this month, they released a new flavored vodka, Cathead Bitter Orange. Read more…

The National Park Service has named a leader named for Medgar, Myrlie Evers Home National Monument. On Monday, the National Park Service (NPS) South Atlantic-Gulf Regional Director Stan Austin announced the selection of Keena Graham as the new superintendent of Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument in Jackson. Graham will start the job on March 28, 2021. Read more here…

Image: Midtown Depot

Midtown Depot – in Jackson’s Midtown neighborhood, west of Millsaps College – is fundraising to finish the project, an outdoor venue and cultural hub featuring art, craft beer and food. The project, founded by Millsaps College’s ELSEworks entrepreneurship program, began as a simple sketch in 2012 by ELSE student analyst, Russell Morrison. Read more…

Visit Jackson joined the efforts of World Central Kitchen, the City of Jackson, Jackson councilman Aaron Banks, Jackson Public Schools and others – including out-of-state volunteers – to distribute water and hot meals to the community, the efforts were a relief to residents affected by issues with Jackson’s water system following a record-breaking February ice storm. Read more…