Jackson Free Press

[Jacktown] What's New in the Streets, by Alphonso Mayfield

The biggest deal over the last month was Louie from "Louie's Wild Weekend" coming to town to interview cats for a book that he is penning on Southern hip-hop. Interviews …

Picture Imperfect: A Review of "Wicker Park," PG-13

The trailer for Paul McGuigan's "Wicker Park" wrongly portrays the film as a thriller, a sort of Generation X "Fatal Attraction." While it certainly has its darker elements (many of …

Crossing the Line?

Madison and Rankin cops are angering both drivers of color and white business owners. Are they going too far?

[Aust] The Wrong Side of the Right

With the shadow of the Republican National Convention fading, there are many stories that were overlooked by press outlets or purposefully ignored. One scandalous story that barely hit the waves …

You See the Blue Lights: What Next?

To some, the question of police harassment is simple: If you're doing something wrong, the police should be able to stop you, no matter what. And if you're not drunk, …

The Mayor and the Cowboy

Hundreds of Jackson citizens poured through the doors of the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center to hear Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. give the annual State of the City address …

The Altar of Football

Across the country, college football fans just got started planning their lives around their team's schedule. New York Times reporter Warren St. John, born in Birmingham in 1970 into a …

Former Gov. Kirk Fordice Dead at 70

Here is a statement from his family, following by a statement from Gov. Haley Barbour: "It is with a sad heart that our family announces the death of Daniel Kirkwood …

A Winning Debut

The moment Sylvester Croom and Mississippi State fans have been waiting for since Croom was hired last Saturday finally came on Saturday. Croom, the first African-American football coach of an …

‘Dixiecrat' Zell Miller Wows Republicans

Conservative columnist/blogger Andrew Sullivan had this to say about Georgia "Democrat" Zell Miller's performance at the convention last night: "Zell Miller's address will, I think, go down as a critical …

The Death of Conservatism (As We Know It)?

Conservative columnist David Brooks rethinks today's Republican Party in the cover story of this week's New York Times Magazine: "Democrats may imagine that the G.O.P. is an amalgam of fat …

Fall Arts Preview

<b>ArtMIX Returns to Fondren</b>

Sept. 2 marks the return of ARTMix in the Historic Fondren District of Jackson. Come mix it up with artists in their studios and merchants in their stores, throughout the …

Fall Arts Preview, cont.

<b>Literary Treats</b>

If you're the type who thrives on seeing authors in the flesh, and hearing them read, the fall signing and reading season holds promise for you. September's highlights at Lemuria …

[Lynette's Note] Because They'll Thank You Later

What do you do when your sweet and sexy husband dies at the age of 36, leaving you to raise two cutie-pie sons, ages 7 and 4, all by yourself? …

[Williams] Republican Ophelias

Thank you, Swift Boat Veterans, for chucking the blocks out of memory. It all comes back to me now: Vietnam, anti-war protests, Civil Rights struggles. But not at all in …

McKey Maxed Out

The next time I get a shipment with funky styrofoam packaging too cool to throw away, I'm taking it straight to Studio 3242 North State, workplace of artist Richard McKey. …

[Eastburn] Love Your Soldier

It is Monday night, and I am driving my oldest son, 19, to a hotel where he will wait to be picked up by a bus. We've stopped at K-Mart …

[Stiggers] Ain't No Use in Going Home

Sgt. Lil' Pookie Peterz III, of the Mr. Cholly battalion, spent 15 grueling months in Iraq fighting the terrorists to preserve and maintain the free world. After completing a de-briefing …

Black Bar: Just Do It

Political awareness has been a theme of many groups across the country in recent months; even the MTV Video Music Awards turned this year's show into a rally to get …

London Branch

Photo and story by Lynette Hanson

The day I sat down to talk with London Branch, 67, he was dressed in a kelly green and old gold retro-style knit shirt with a collar, tucked neatly into …