Jackson Free Press

Too Little, Too Late?

Behind the Silver Slipper Casino in Bay St. Louis, a fleet of commercial fishing boats sits quietly before sunrise on April 30. Even though it's the last day of oyster …

Barbour Criticized for Slavery Insensitivity

Gov. Haley Barbour earned the ire of many when he downplayed a controversy over state proclamations of Confederate History Month--which omitted any mention of slavery--in comments last weekend.

The JFP Interview With Rep. Bennie Thompson

Bennie G. Thompson has worked for the government his whole life. Born and raised in the small town of Bolton, located 20 miles west of Jackson, he worked as a …

The JFP Interview with Rebecca Coleman

Police Chief Rebecca Coleman is in a good mood this morning. It's Friday in Jackson, and the city is seeing more snow today than it has in years. The icy …

Community Events and Public Meetings

• L.E.A.D. Conference Oct 17-20. Four one-day conferences teach youth the importance of preventing tobacco use in their communities. Shaun Derik is the keynote speaker. Sessions are from 9 a.m.-2 …

ISSUE: Crime—Fear of a Dangerous City

April 14, 2005 As the municipal elections roll through the city, one of the most repeated questions bombarding candidates concerns the issue of crime. Jackson, say some residents, has a …

Council Blocks Pay Raises for Bodyguards

On Monday, the Jackson City Council halted Mayor Frank Melton's scheme to use drug-seizure money to fund recent police salary raises. The administration proposed taking $192,101 from the $400,000 drug-forfeiture …

[Gig] ‘Let's Do This'

Andy Scissorhands stepped back from his opponent. Standing between him and the Mississippi state championship of Rock Paper Scissors was a no-nonsense girl who had won the first of three …

Barbour's Medicaid Letter a Half-Truth?

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour pinched a nerve in September that's still causing pain for some health-insurance reform advocates. Barbour sent a Sept. 8 letter to Mississippi Republican Sens. Thad Cochran …

Influencing Sex-Ed Policies

School advocacy groups and parents are beginning to talk about how they can influence Jackson Public Schools' sex-education policy next year.

Hurricane Recovery, Barbour - Style

Photos by David Rae Morris,

As residents of Mississippi's Gulf Coast gathered to commemorate the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, they recalled a cataclysmic storm that spared no one, rich or poor, from its destruction. …

[Balko] Conservatives Rethink 'Tough on Crime'

Last week I received an e-mail press release directing me to a new public-policy website. On that website, a quote from Reagan administration Attorney General Ed Meese says it's time …

Fat Man Walking

If nothing else should prove that we live in "America: Center of Obesity" this report should.

In this AP piece, the cult leader Jeffrey Lunden asks for a stay of execution because he's too fat.

Yes, I Said It

Fred Phelps should die.

He Fired a 9mm and They Didn't Check His Background?!?

What!?! Just because a man is a "homeowner" firing at apparent "thugs" with his semiautomatic, the JPD doesn't check his background? Good Lord. There goes another Clarion-Ledger front-page hero.

Recuse Them All

UPDATED

Below is a PDF of Melton attorneys' motion to the Mississippi Supreme Court to remove Judge Tomie Green from presiding over the settled weapons trial:

Letters Show Hood Warned State About Mental Health Crisis for Years

Hours after a federal judge ruled that the State of Mississippi's mental-health system violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood told reporters that he "knew this …

OPINION: Pelicia Hall and the Political Emptiness of 'Black Girl Magic'

Many believe "Black Girl Magic" improves on the silences in "black power" and is validly wielded against patriarchy. Columnist Adofo Minka argues that a closer look reveals it is an …

Joe Biden and the Dixiecrats Who Helped His Career

Vice President Joe Biden talked about his mentor James O. Eastland at a rally for Democrat Doug Jones in Birmingham, Ala., in 2017.

Man Arraigned in Jackson for Online Obama Threats

Steven Joseph Christopher of Wisconsin was arraigned today in federal court in Jackson for making threats against President-elect Barack Obama on the Internet chat forum on Jan. 11 and 15. …