Jackson Free Press

Monica Minter

Seated comfortably with perfect posture, Monica Jeany Minter calmly focuses on the photographer, her eyes never leaving his face until she thoroughly understands his instructions. Nothing about the busy Friday …

Get Your Grid On

<i>Dr. S' Amazing College Football Preview</i>

That chill in the night air (it got down to 75 the other night, brrr) signals that it's almost time for football. And here in Mississippi, the favorite brand of …

Amy Tuck Revives State Flag Issue

Whoa. How should we read this interesting turn of events? Does Ms. Tuck believe it will be politically expedient to have a rebel flag debate as part of her race …

Gary Anderson confident about run-off

Gary Anderson, who could become the first African-American elected to state office since Reconstruction, told the Mississippi Link that he is confident about the Aug. 26 run-off with Rob Smith, …

[Talk] Rebels for NAFTA

Every year at the Neshoba County Fair, candidates bring in college students to do their dirty work. They did it back when I was head of "Students for Stennis" at …

School Daze: Testing Madness

As I proctored a classroom full of seventh-graders taking the Grade Level Testing Program (GLTP) test last April in a suburban Jackson public school, I couldn't help but think that …

Barbour Denies NAFTA Charge

(Aug. 14, 2003, press release from Musgrove campaign) (Jackson, MS) Haley Barbour is trying to deny his involvement with NAFTA and to minimize the scope of his work for the …

Open Primaries in Mississippi?

Is the closed-primary system outdated? The Sun-Herald explores.

Sun-Herald: A Question of Priorities

The Sun-Herald today editorialized about Tuesday's election: "Last year, 43,466 Harrison Countians decided it was worth a trip to the polls to vote on a flag. This week, 22,280 Harrison …

Chasing the Youth Vote

Here's a story from Wiretap magazine about the strategies (and lack of) behind luring the youth vote. This talks about the Harvard report that our teen columnist Jessica Kinnison wrote …

[Stauffer] Where the Sidewalk Begins

I stepped out of Peaches Restaurant on Farish Street the other day after stopping in to hear Dorothy Moore sing and to celebrate her recent album release. When I got …

So Little Time, So Much Blather

The Seven Minutes That Shook The World went down Wednesday as Kobe Bryant made his first appearance in court on a sexual assault charge in Eagle, Colo. As expected, the …

Kamikaze: Left Behind, by Alphonso Mayfield

The term "kamikaze" is a well-known phrase used to identify Japanese pilots who flew suicide missions during World War II. However, the term has a much deeper significance with the …

Tell Me the Truth, JoAnne

Q. I was reading your column in the July 10-23, 2003, edition and saw the question about the best fried chicken in Jackson. I was entertained, but a little disappointed …

Tough Questions: Gov. Ronnie Musgrove

They said they'd give me 15 minutes. I took 23. In that minuscule amount of time—enough time for sound bites, but not as much substance as I'd like—I tried to …

Blogging the Body Politic

Read about presidential hopeful Howard Dean's remarkable grass-roots blogging campaign. And add your voice at the end: Will this campaign change politics as we know it?

Will You Bother to Vote?

There's no argument that the right to vote has been hard won in Mississippi, but this election year only a fragment of the state's citizens, black or white, is likely …

[Kinnison] Engage This

"One of the most patriotic things you can do in this country is protest." — Keith, 21

[Talk] Alabama on our Minds

In an effort that riveted the attention of the nation and even got Alabama favorable copy on The New York Times editorial page, Alabama's Legislature passed the largest tax increase …

[Talk] Opening Doors

Too many physically challenged voters can't get to their polling place and inside to vote, says Mary Troupe, director of Mississippi's Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities. She described a situation …