by Adam Lynch
May 7, 2008
Back in the 1990s, “Miami Vice” didn’t have a lot on the Charitable Enforcement Division of the Mississippi Gaming Commission—even if the “vice” the agency was busting was less sexy than Colombian drug lords.
by on 05/09/08 at 08:23 PM Comments (2) -- Read More...
:: cover stories
[arts] - Holding On: One Artist’s Leap Of Faith
by Terri Cowart
April 30, 2008
Her eyes were burning from the sandy water, and her body was covered with bruises, but she wasn’t exactly sure how or when she had gotten them. An hour and a half after Hurricane Katrina passed, the water had receded…
by on 04/30/08 at 04:08 PM Comments (0) -- Read More...
April 30, 2008
Her eyes were burning from the sandy water, and her body was covered with bruises, but she wasn’t exactly sure how or when she had gotten them. An hour and a half after Hurricane Katrina passed, the water had receded…
by on 04/30/08 at 04:08 PM Comments (0) -- Read More...
[interview] - Outspent, But Ridin’ the Wave
by Adam Lynch
April 23, 2008
Ronnie Musgrove, the former Democratic governor of Mississippi, lost his re-election bid in 2003 after Washington lobbyist Haley Barbour poured millions of dollars into a fierce campaign to take the governor's mansion. That fight, largely between pro-consumer trial lawyers and the anti-regulation business lobby, will likely be one of the most expensive runs for the Mississippi governor’s office for many years to come.
Musgrove is now running for the seat vacated by Republican Sen. Trent Lott last year at the onset of the infamous Dickie Scruggs indictment. Lott ducked out to pursue a happy career as a lobbyist before a new federal law delaying senators from lobbying immediately after holding office kicked in.
The Batesville Democrat, 51, is running this year on a general “throw the bums out” platform, which argues that Congress is hurting the nation by increasing the federal debt, and that the lobbying industry has become too cozy with politicians. Musgrove believes the team that has held Congress for about eight years has had its chance to make a difference—and squelched it.
“Time for a change,” is his mantra. It sounds mighty familiar.
by on 04/23/08 at 04:12 PM Comments (4) -- Read More...
April 23, 2008
Ronnie Musgrove, the former Democratic governor of Mississippi, lost his re-election bid in 2003 after Washington lobbyist Haley Barbour poured millions of dollars into a fierce campaign to take the governor's mansion. That fight, largely between pro-consumer trial lawyers and the anti-regulation business lobby, will likely be one of the most expensive runs for the Mississippi governor’s office for many years to come.
Musgrove is now running for the seat vacated by Republican Sen. Trent Lott last year at the onset of the infamous Dickie Scruggs indictment. Lott ducked out to pursue a happy career as a lobbyist before a new federal law delaying senators from lobbying immediately after holding office kicked in.
The Batesville Democrat, 51, is running this year on a general “throw the bums out” platform, which argues that Congress is hurting the nation by increasing the federal debt, and that the lobbying industry has become too cozy with politicians. Musgrove believes the team that has held Congress for about eight years has had its chance to make a difference—and squelched it.
“Time for a change,” is his mantra. It sounds mighty familiar.
by on 04/23/08 at 04:12 PM Comments (4) -- Read More...
A Yankee Girl Digs Through Our Trash
by Brandi Herrera Pfrehm
April 16, 2008
When Charlotte Lundemo went out for a jog recently in Fondren, she returned home with more than a sweaty T-shirt and shorts. She arrived carrying a plastic cigarette lighter for her husband, Luke—hardly a thoughtful gift, considering neither of…
by on 04/16/08 at 05:59 PM Comments (2) -- Read More...
April 16, 2008
When Charlotte Lundemo went out for a jog recently in Fondren, she returned home with more than a sweaty T-shirt and shorts. She arrived carrying a plastic cigarette lighter for her husband, Luke—hardly a thoughtful gift, considering neither of…
by on 04/16/08 at 05:59 PM Comments (2) -- Read More...
[civilrights] - The Untold Thousands
by Adam Lynch
April 9, 2008
She was probably a real looker once. Last November, a happy, smiling Labrador decided to follow my son and me as we walked our bikes down Concord Place in North Jackson. She was apparently no longer a puppy. My kid…
by on 04/09/08 at 04:21 PM Comments (2) -- Read More...
April 9, 2008
She was probably a real looker once. Last November, a happy, smiling Labrador decided to follow my son and me as we walked our bikes down Concord Place in North Jackson. She was apparently no longer a puppy. My kid…
by on 04/09/08 at 04:21 PM Comments (2) -- Read More...
[film] - Barefoot In The Delta
Story & Photography by Cheree FrancoApril 2, 2008
Like an omen, Floyd Graham stands in a Coahoma field, backlit against a fiery Delta horizon. Fifty-something, chain-smoker, charismatic and self-admittedly privileged, he recounts the story of this field—one of many his family owns, one…
by on 04/02/08 at 03:51 PM Comments (29) -- Read More...
[film] - Cinematastic!: Crossroads Film Festival 2008
April 2, 2008
It’s April again, and that means the Crossroads Film Festival is here. The perilous task of choosing films is over, and now all you have to do is sit back and enjoy a wide variety of film shorts and features. Some films have been reviewed here, but there are many more showing at the festival. Take some time this weekend and have a whole new movie experience with Crossroads. For a screening schedule and more information, visit http://www.crossroadsfilmfest.com
by on 04/02/08 at 03:50 PM Comments (0) -- Read More...
It’s April again, and that means the Crossroads Film Festival is here. The perilous task of choosing films is over, and now all you have to do is sit back and enjoy a wide variety of film shorts and features. Some films have been reviewed here, but there are many more showing at the festival. Take some time this weekend and have a whole new movie experience with Crossroads. For a screening schedule and more information, visit http://www.crossroadsfilmfest.com
by on 04/02/08 at 03:50 PM Comments (0) -- Read More...
Spring ‘08 Sports Issue
March 26, 2008
Welcome to the first installment of the JFP sports supplement. This issue offers previews of state college baseball, the Mississippi Braves and their new radio voice, bloggers-choice sports heroes, NCAA basketball tournament predictions and Doctor S’ favorite band of tough women, the Capital City…
by Dr. S on 03/26/08 at 04:50 PM Comments (0) -- Read More...
Welcome to the first installment of the JFP sports supplement. This issue offers previews of state college baseball, the Mississippi Braves and their new radio voice, bloggers-choice sports heroes, NCAA basketball tournament predictions and Doctor S’ favorite band of tough women, the Capital City…
by Dr. S on 03/26/08 at 04:50 PM Comments (0) -- Read More...
Behind The Seams: College Baseball 2008
by Doctor S
March 26, 2008
Ping! That sound means one thing: It’s college baseball season. And now is the time when the games really count, when teams are playing conference games.
by Dr. S on 03/26/08 at 04:49 PM Comments (0) -- Read More...
March 26, 2008
Ping! That sound means one thing: It’s college baseball season. And now is the time when the games really count, when teams are playing conference games.
by Dr. S on 03/26/08 at 04:49 PM Comments (0) -- Read More...
The Emerging Mississippi: Are New Voters Changing State Politics?
by Adam LynchPhotos by Kenya Hudson
March 19, 2008
When presidential hopeful Barack Obama entered the Rose Embley McCoy building at Jackson State University on March 10, he flowed easily into the hungry arms of the crowd. At least 100 young people—mostly…
by on 03/19/08 at 03:54 PM Comments (5) -- Read More...
:: cover story recent comments
May 10, 2008Blind Eye: Easier Times for Bingo Crimes?
L.W.: I didn't know bingo was such a dirty business. Very informative.
May 08, 2008
Blind Eye: Easier Times for Bingo Crimes?
mustangsentry: Does anybody know what happens to the assets these charities owned after they go out of business? I am…
Apr 28, 2008
A Yankee Girl Digs Through Our Trash
rita: I have written a story called "where were you when Cyclone
Friday hit NE JX 4 April. I…
Apr 25, 2008
Outspent, But Ridin' the Wave
L.W.: Folks, I just realized that the first sentence of this piece was left off when it was posted. I've added it…
Apr 25, 2008
Outspent, But Ridin' the Wave
ladd: Folks, I just realized that the first sentence of this piece was left off when it was posted. I've added it…
Apr 24, 2008
Outspent, But Ridin' the Wave
L.W.: I'm an independent, but I don't quite see where Musgrove sounds like Eaves except for maybe the pro-life statement. Where else…
Apr 24, 2008
Outspent, But Ridin' the Wave
mslib: Just once, I'd like to hear a democrat in MS talk like a democrat. This guy sounds more like that nut…
Apr 22, 2008
A Yankee Girl Digs Through Our Trash
Puck: I know that Rainbow takes quite a bit of stuff – glass, paper, aluminum, but I’ve been looking for…
Apr 19, 2008
Barefoot In The Delta
cheree: a link to another story about Barefoot:
http://tri-statedefenderonline.com/articlelive/articles/2796/1/Healing-in-a-Mississippi-cotton-field/Page1.html
Apr 19, 2008
Barefoot In The Delta
cheree: I have been away from the internet for a few weeks and am just now reading the comments on this story. I am impressed by the passion and intimacy in many of these reactions—what I perceive as further testament to the extraordinariness of the Delta, how the people, landscape and stories burrow beneath our skin. The debate over the Silver Dollar Story is terrific. To me, in this instance, the power is in the provocation, rather than in nailing down the exact time(s) and place(s) of the incident. A culture’s truth is contained in its stories, whether those stories be myths or factual accounts. That being said, a journalist’s truth is in facts, and you guys are dissecting this anecdote like strident journalists—so kudos!
Floyd presented the story as a story. He never claimed to know it’s tactile origins, so it could very well have happened one farm over or a hundred years ago. Regardless, the story resonates, as does Floyd’s candidness and willingness to self-monitor and openly wrestle with his conscience. I agree with Deltagirl’s assessment of her father as a generous man—he acquired a personal risk (of disclosure) in order to contribute to a “greater good”—that of the attempted comprehension of Barefoot students, in a sense, the
“masses.”
I love the Mississippi Delta, but even as a Mississippian, I am an outside observer. I can’t claim to know or understand everything about the Delta, or Floyd and his family, or the residents of Clarksdale and the Barefoot students. I can only tell you my perceptions on what I experienced. Thanks for commenting on these perceptions and sharing your own, thanks for engaging in this story!