Jackson Free Press

Chairman Bryant

Will Mississippi Elect a Radical-Right Governor?

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant 56, took his place on the far right of his Republican opponents on stage and thanked his wife, mother-in-law and voters for making his campaign possible. …

New Isn't Always Better

The post-punk Renaissance may have run its course a few years ago, but don't tell that to The Gossip. Of course, the group's emotionally expressive style never really fit in …

Crossing the Line?

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

The JFP Interview: Mayor Brown Goes To Washington

Rep. Bennie Thompson has some serious competition in the general election for his 2nd Congressional District seat this November. His Republican opponent Yvonne Brown may not have the big bucks …

Lay Off Hillary

Let up on the woman and give her some time.

Clinton is getting flack for not being more gracious at her speech. Has anyone ever wanting something really bad and worked non-stop only to not get what they had hoped …

The Mayor and His Star Witness

Video still courtesy of WAPT

Christopher "Smiley" Walker was re-arrested Monday by U.S. Marshals for failing a routine urinalysis drug test required by his probation officer. Six days earlier, he had sat beside Mayor Frank …

L.A. Times: ‘A Mayor By Day, A Lawman by Night'

Richard Fausett of the Los Angeles Times has published his story about Mayor Frank Melton. It starts:

Does This Make Sense?

The Clarion-Ledger has a story about D.A.-elect Robert Smith not showing up for a docket call and needing to resolve his pending cases before he takes office in January. The …

The Convention Center Quandary

Although the JFP did its own feature story on the convention center a few weeks ago (Sept. 23-29, 2004), and I've talked to many of the players personally, I was …

Melton's Boys Come to His Defense

Additional reporting by Ward Schaefer

Three of Mayor Frank Melton's previous mentees, and the mother of another who died more than a decade ago, have filed affidavits in support of their mentor's efforts in what …

A Tangled Web: The Mysteries of Frank Melton

After Frank Melton urged Donna Ladd in March 2005 to look into "rumors? about his past, the JFP conducted a three-year investigation into the specifics of those allegations.

Clarion-Ledger Endorses Front-Page Advertiser

On Sunday, The Clarion-Ledger endorsed Gov. Haley Barbour for governor (and his sure-to-be lapdog Phil Bryant, thus ensuring Barbour control of the Senate)—in the same issue that had one of …

Chasing Amy

<b>Can Barbara Blackmon Make History?</b>

Read the full transcript of this interview on the JFP Politics Blog.

Driving While Young: Why The City's Curfew Isn't All That

When she got up the morning of July 10, 2003, Leslie Berryhill did not know she was going to face the "scariest thing" of her short life. Leslie, who was …

Mississippi Scores Low on ACT

ACT scores for the class of 2011 show Mississippi high school students lagging behind the rest of the country in preparing for college.

[Kamikaze] Racists Win Again

Excuse me if I'm a little cynical when it comes to the American judicial system. Any system run by human beings is going to be flawed. Being that we are …

Schools That Are Mostly Black, Latino Favor Starting Online

Districts where the vast majority of students are white are more than three times as likely as school districts that enroll mostly students of color to be open for some …

Day 3: Prosecution Rests; Final Arguments Thursday

Reporting by Brian Johnson

The prosecution decided not to bring a rebuttal witness, instead electing to submit another police report instead. (Details of police report to come.) The prosecution rested. The judge announced that …

Many Metro Students Won't See Obama's Speech

President Obama delivered a back-to-school speech to students this morning emphasizing personal responsibility, but not all Mississippi students got the message. The speech, which was televised and available as a …

Mayoral Staffers to Respond to Ladd, Stringfellow

Three members of the Melton adminstration will visit the Charles Evers show Wednesday, April 26, at 8 p.m. to response to a discussion last week with Donna Ladd of the …