Today's News

After having stalled for 2 years, the Dean Mitchell Documentary Film Project has a breath of new life. To help defray the cost of the production that will tell the story of his life, the Gadsden Arts Center is hosting a special exhibition of Mitchell's original watercolor paintings. The net proceeds from the paintings sold will be used to procure the services of Nolan Walker, a renowned writer and producer of documentaries.

Every year around this time I preach the same sermon.

We are one month into hurricane season and thankfully there has been nothing sighted in the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. But the last thing we need to do is become complacent. Now is the time to get ready for hurricane season by doing all of those things that the National Weather Service deems important. Now is the time to get those trees cut down or trimmed.

The sudden death of legendary pop star Michael Jackson is a reminder that no matter how iconic you are you are mortal too.

His shocking death is no question, in my opinion, much larger than Elvis Presley's in 1977. People of all walks of life broke down in tears.

Michael never really had the formal education he needed because his father pushed him hard growing up in show business. He was a child prodigy with a sweet singing voice, and by the time he was older, his talent was the best, bar none. He became the King of Pop and filled arenas around the world.

• Thomas Memorial Baptist Church announces the Personal Fitness Challenge, a six-week program for children who have completed grades three through six. The challenge will be Monday afternoons from 2:30-4:30 p.m. through Aug. 10. Sessions will be held in the TMBC Recreation Center, 1111 West Washington St., Quincy.