Paper Trails

Star turn as chef is next for ex-Hog

THE SPORT OF SAUTEING: Former Miami Dolphins defensive back and Razorback cornerback Eddie Jackson is now a food-truck owner, private chef and personal trainer. And most recently, Jackson, now living in Houston, landed his own cooking show on the Food Network after winning the 11th season of the Food Network Star reality show. Two years earlier, he competed on Fox's MasterChef.

Jackson tore his anterior cruciate ligament while with the Dolphins and broke his wrist while with the New England Patriots. He failed in a try for a comeback in 2008 with the Washington Redskins.

THROUGH THE LENS: Danny Johnston, longtime photographer for The Associated Press in Little Rock, retires at the end of this month after 31 years with the news service.

He covered every president since Ronald Reagan, every major tornado and ice storm to hit the state, and Arkansas' major sports figures. He also photographed the 1988 Yellowstone National Park fires and this year's Triple Crown winner, American Pharoah. His memorable images include then-Gov. Bill Clinton announcing his run for the White House and President Clinton raising his saxophone during an inauguration party in Washington, D.C.

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH: Remember that 8.52-carat diamond Bobbie Oskarson of Longmont, Colo., found at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro earlier this summer? It was dubbed Esperanza and declared the fifth-largest discovered by a visitor at the park since it was established in 1972.

The diamond, still in its rough form, will be displayed Sept. 9-12 at Stanley Jewelers Gemologist in North Little Rock during a special in-store cutting by American Gem Society member and master cutter Mike Botha.

"We're not sure how large the stone will be once it is cut, but we are hopeful it will be 5 carats, which would make it the fourth-largest cut diamond to ever come from the park," says Laura Stanley, vice president of Stanley Jewelers.

On Sept. 10, other notable diamonds discovered at the park, including the Strawn-Wagner, a colorless and internally flawless round brilliant diamond, also will be on display at the store.

After Esperanza is cut, perfected, and polished, it will be sent to AGS Laboratories for a final diamond grading report.

STAGING A HIT: North Little Rock native and Hollywood film director, producer and writer Jay Russell (Ladder 49 and Tuck Everlasting) is taking to the stage with his adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. The production, set to run at Hartford Stage theater in Hartford, Conn., from Oct. 22 to Nov. 15, will star Golden Globe Award winner Kevin Bacon (A Few Good Men, Apollo 13 and Footloose). Theater officials recently reported that the announcement of Bacon's performance led to the theater experiencing the highest ticket sales day in its 52-year history, and they expect the production to soon sell out, reports the AP.

Contact Linda S. Haymes at (501) 399-3636 or lhyames@arkansasonline.com

SundayMonday on 08/30/2015

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