Jackson Free Press

Steer Clear of the Clover

With St. Patrick's Day upon us, I found myself asking the same question I ask every year: At what point did St. Paddy's become a green Mardi Gras? By the …

Go Green: Help the Kids

Being more Irish than the Irish themselves isn't the only reason for thousands of people in Mississippi to make their way to Jackson for the 28th annual Mal's St. Paddy's …

Makin' a List

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the '02 Mal's St. Paddy's Parade. I went against my better judgment and wore the two-inch platform flip-flops I had ordered …

The Perfect Reuben

Swiss cheese melts atop the chunks of roasted corned beef. Under the buttery grilled marble-rye bread, Thousand Island dressing and sauerkraut mingle majestically. I take the first bite. Sweet tangy …

Guinness and Grits

For the past 13 years, I have marched with the O' Tux Society in Mal's St. Paddy's Parade, save for one when I had to attend a Boy Scout camping …

What's a Throw?

I have family all over Louisiana, so Mardi Gras usually happens for me every year. It has trained my hand to only procure the best of the throws.

Mal's St. Paddy Primer

If you're new to the Mal's St. Paddy's Parade, here are a few facts about the main players.

The Beerin' O' the Green

This March 17, as Americans once again celebrate a foreign holiday with more gusto than the originating country, Jackson will run amok with green clothing, green food, green clovers, green …

Acting Sweet Potato Queenly

Natalie Long, a 33-year-old unofficial Sweet Potato Queen wannabe, is geared up and excited about this year's Mal's St. Paddy's Parade. The Mississippi State grad and Bogue Chitto native has …

He Drank, She Drank

Follow the opinions (and amusement) of two connoisseurs of fine liquor and spirits.

Thinking ‘Locals' First

It's hard to believe Mal's St. Paddy's Parade—and the attendant celebrations both downtown and elsewhere—are already upon us. It doesn't seem like it's been long enough since the Great Snowman …

One Lake Instead of Two?

The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board is pressing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take seriously a lake plan to coincide with a Corps-preferred …

Strangulation, Security and Suffrage

Both chambers of the state Legislature spent the past week considering bills from the opposite chamber. The House amended Senate Bill 2923—a bill that expands domestic assault to include strangulation …

Free Speech or Bad Behavior?

A recent Jackson Police Department internal investigation is a prime example of the wild world of free speech in the Internet era. On March 10, the department released a statement …

[Kamikaze] A Work in Progress

You'll have to excuse me. I'm writing this column in somewhat of a sleepy haze. You see, sleep has devilishly escaped me for the past few days. I wish it …

[Moore] My Life as a Tree

My life was as normal as it could be my first half-century.

The Secrets of War

In "The Surrendered" (Riverhead, 2010, $17.79), Chang-rae Lee tells a story of love, loss and sacrifice with a deceptive ease that will hook readers from the first sentence and hold …

Aretha Franklin may not hit every note in perfect pitch every time, but no one …

• March 17, 2010

[Pass The Mic] Auto-Tune: A Rant

There once was a local television commercial with cute children singing "This Little Light of Mine." One of the cutest things about children singing is the fact that they are …

Lesbian Teen Fights for Prom

Constance McMillen unwraps a Super Sonic Burger from a bag full of tater tots at her kitchen table in Fulton. Her long, dark hair is curled, and her face is …