Love Thy Neighbor? Buy Local
The programs are called all sorts of things these days--Think Local First, Small Business Saturday, Shift Your Shopping, Keep Austin Weird, Keep Fondren Funky--but they all point to one thing: …
Vote ‘Yes' on the Tollison-Bell Amendment
The worst dirty trick we saw this last election wasn't a campaign ad, a robo-call or an "astroturf" campaign from a shadowy coalition of instigators and carpetbaggers. (Of course, all …
Building Business
Gov. Haley Barbour has long been bullish on Mississippi's business environment, announcing every new business his administration brings into the state—large and small—and every new development with great fanfare.
If Not Now, When?
Next Tuesday is Election Day in Mississippi. If voting trends hold true, fewer than 40 percent of those eligible to vote will actually cast ballots. It also means that progressives …
The Dems' Missed Chances
We've said it before: It's tough to be even marginally progressive in Mississippi. It's as if the DNA of old habits has gotten into our water, and it won't work …
Guns for Safety?
Also see: JFP Crime Blog
It so happens that in the past few weeks, a number of people with ties to the Jackson Free Press—staff and former staff—have encountered the same piece of advice from …
No Tea Party of the Left, Please
The pent-up frustration caused by not speaking out in a clear voice finds a venue this Saturday when some Jacksonians will gather in Smith Park for Occupy Mississippi, a localized …
Melton's Last Laugh
The sudden and extremely belated concern about TCI doing a convention-center hotel deal with the city would be amusing if it weren't so frustrating to realize how little some people …
Eat to Help Mississippi
Yes, you heard that right. We urge all of our readers to start eating and feeding your family well—not only for selfish reasons, but because Mississippi needs you. It needs …
Voters, Choose Wisely
Politicians are good at distracting voters. They seem to be getting better at it all the time. With the majority of them lawyers, it may just be a matter of …
Sex Education is Not a Partisan issue
For so long, Mississippi's public officials, and its community and school district leaders have shied away from talking about sex to avoid the potential political consequences. Last week however, the …
Journalism and Ethics
If you take one point away from Valerie Wells' cover story this week, let it be this: Mainstream media have agendas that don't always serve the needs of the citizens …
Pick Better Battles
Jackson city government could be a prime example of democracy in action. The Jackson City Council and the administration of Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. could see their roles as they …
Small is Beautiful
When Peter Vandorn laid out downtown Jackson's streets in 1822, he designed a checkerboard of alternating green squares. His plan created a public park on every other block. Stores or …
An Open Letter to the Greater Jackson Community
We, the members of the board of Jackson 2000, extend our hearts and thoughts to the family and friends of James Craig Anderson, and we join the rest of the …
Think First, Bark Later
Fights about election results in tight races aren't unusual, but the committee's public-relations errors cast a negative image on Hinds County.
Time for Justice
"The wheels of justice grind very slowly, but sometimes they grind in the right direction." Hinds County Circuit Court Tomie Green spoke those words to Cedric Willis March 6, 2006, …
Hellos and Goodbyes
In an organization the size of the Jackson Free Press, an employee leaving can feel like losing a family member. That is no more true than with Adam Lynch, the …
It's Up to Us to ‘Rebrand' City
This week, in preparation for our big Jackpedia student/newcomer guide in August, we asked Facebook friends to share the city's "best-kept secrets" to include them in Jackpedia (and at http://www.jackpedia.com). …
Time to Decide
The one complaint we hear most often these days is this: Washington lawmakers are out of touch with the people they purport to represent. So how did we get here? …
