Jackson Free Press

Mississippi Loses Political Pioneer

Former Lt. Gov. Evelyn Gandy, 87, died Dec. 23 of complications of progressive supranuclear palsy, costing Mississippi one of its greatest political trailblazers. Gandy was the first woman in Mississippi—and …

Chief: Re-Assign the Bodyguards

The events of Dec. 21 make plain what happens when you give power to the undeserving. Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon said Mayor Frank Melton and two of his bodyguards …

[Kamikaze] Can You Feel a Brand New Day?

Baby New Year has ushered Old Man 2007 out to pasture. As we begin to focus on a new beginning and resolutions that we will surely abandon before Valentine's Day, …

[Dortch] Legislature: Raise Cigarette Tax by $1

"Of all the concerns, there is one—taxation—that alarms us the most. While marketing and public and passive smoking restrictions do depress volume, in our experience taxation depresses it much more …

2008 Legislative Preview: New Session, Old Problems

Photos by Adam Lynch, Donna Ladd, and Jaro Vacek

The Mississippi legislative session is coming around again Jan. 8, bringing with it some tough decisions. The Legislature took a stroll through roses last year, oddly, thanks to Hurricane Katrina. …

Happy New Year! Resolution, Lesson Learned?

Happy new year, all. The JFP office is closed today, which may be the first time ever we've been closed on a business day. (We've often been open on holidays!) …

Bulldogs Ring Up Liberty Bowl Victory

Mississippi State used a ball-hawking defense and a last-minute burst of offense to defeat Central Florida, 10-3, Saturday in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. A Liberty Bowl-record crowd of …

What a Moe-Ron

Mike "Yuck Yuck" Huckabee is, sadly, starting to sound more like George W. Bush every time he opens his mouth:

Resolve to Write! 2008 Classes Forming Now.

Happy new year, all. And be sure to express yourself in 2008.

Sign up now for my 2008 creative non-fiction writing classes. The next round starts Jan. 3, and I have still have a couple slots in that class (until I hear …

Kamikaze, Guests to Examine Women's Views of 2007

Dec. 28, 2007—Today at noon, Kamikaze will guest host Radio JFP on WLEZ (103.7 FM). His guests will be singer/songwriter Laurel Isbister and JFP operations manager Ronni Mott. They will …

Chandler Video Stirring JFD Pot

The Jackson Fire Department is shaking over a tape that firefighters claim Assistant Chief Todd Chandler helped make back in the 1990s. The video features what Local 87 Union President …

Benazir Bhutto Assassinated in Pakistan

Bhutto was leading an opposition rally to George Bush's buddy, Pervez Musharraf. Read the New York Times story here. Read her obituary here:

Virgin Adventures

I am sunburned, exhausted and very full because I just got back from the U.S. Virgin Islands. I think the number of meals I ate was greater than the hours …

New Year's Eve Events

930 Blues Café's New Year's Eve Bash featuring Rick Lawson, "The Baby of the Blues." Call 601-948-3344 for more info.

Eco-Resolutions to Live By

This year, my New Year's resolutions are a bit different than before. Rather than an endless, open-ended laundry list of all of my perceived personal flaws that I need to …

The Best In Sports In 7 Days

College football, Arizona State vs. Texas in Holiday Bowl (7 p.m., ESPN): Two of college's top "also-rans" meet in one of the best non-BCS bowls.

Let's Talk About Sex, for Real

The times of neglecting to talk to kids about sex has ended. It used to be OK for adults to be silent about the issue. Good kids were just supposed …

Fire Department Recruits Flunk

The 2007 Jackson Fire Department recruit class has hit another obstacle. Almost half the graduating class, 10 out of 23, failed a field delivery test administered by the state fire …

City Faces More Budget Woes?

The Jackson City Council agreed to transfer $250,000 in forfeited drug money to the police department's budget in a Dec. 18 meeting. The money will finance uniforms, generators for precincts, …

[Hutchinson] America Loves to Hate Sharpton

The FBI warned Al Sharpton that an unspecified, dangerous substance may have been mailed to his National Action Network office in New York. The only thing really remarkable about the …