When we arrive for lunch, Virginia Conger has already set three places at the table with a brilliant white linen tablecloth, and she quickly scrambles to create a fourth place set for the extra guest I’ve brought along with me. She mentions that during Bob’s career she never knew if he would be bringing one person or ten people to dinner each night, and how glad she is for the company these days.
Read MoreWe’ve all been there: that moment when we realize we’ve taken our local government for granted and quite frankly have no clue who to call. No matter how vigorously our local leaders keep watch over our city, there will always be the occasional pothole, confusing terms, and roadkill in your driveway to put a damper on your day. But dealing with those issues and a dozen other shouldn’t be a hassle. That’s why we’ve created this “Who’s Who?” guide to twelve of our city’s most important departments.
Read MoreThere are plenty of conversations about what art is and isn’t, who it is and isn’t for. I’m interested in this conversation, but I can’t answer that question, unless I answer it for myself. This September, I painted a mural that is now one of the first things to greet you when you arrive in downtown Jackson. Nestled just past Grubb’s Grocery and the Jackson Walk on North Highland, it’s a bright and idyllic scene, and I’m not oblivious to the fact that it’s an even more idealistic message: Love your neighborhood.
Read MoreTwo or three times a week, I put my body through the ringer. For thirty minutes, I do exercises that a man approaching forty probably shouldn’t attempt. I throw my body to the ground and spring up as quickly as I can. I push a weighted plate across the floor. I crawl like a bear up and down mats made of rubber. After all that is finished, I put on boxing gloves and hit a heavy bag that sometimes feels as if it’s made of concrete. When I kick it, my foot and shin turn red and bruise. My shoulders and arms feel as if they’re weighted by stones.
Read MoreMy childhood was probably different from most. Some of my earliest memories are from campaign events and press conferences, crawling around on the floor of the old city hall. Six generations ago, my family settled in Jackson, Tennessee. Since then, the Conger family has been a part of moving Jackson forward. My great-great-great-grandfather, PDW Conger, was mayor in 1861 to 1871. He was also part of the citizens’ committee that searched for the suspects in the Union Bank robbery and murder in 1859.
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