Jackson Free Press

The Difference a Father Makes

To my fellow fathers, understand that our children need us, want us and expect for us to be there. They know the difference that a father makes.

Show Up and Be Counted

This weekend, the Jackson Free Press is proud to be sponsoring the Gulf States Music Conference, a day of panel discussions and performances arranged by JFP columnist and Best of …

What Mississippi's Lawmakers Are Proposing for Education

Lawmakers in Mississippi have proposed more than 200 education laws for the 2014 session, in what is poised to be the second consecutive legislative session with a heavy focus on …

Vouchers May be Ticket Out of Public Schools for Kids with Disabilities—But is that a Good Thing?

Some students with disabilities may get a chance to leave the public school system here—but advocates and parents aren't sure it will improve their education.

Community Meetings and Events

The Canton Flea Market is Thursday, May 8 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Historic Canton Square.

Fantasy Island Swamped

The LeFleur Lakes Plan might be on the ropes, project head John McGowan said in a recent Northside Sun article. Plans for a new overpass might make the project unviable, …

Come On And Rescue Me ...

Driving to work this morning, I saw a handful of pro-birth protesters with huge magnified fetus signed, probably Photoshopped (their favorite tech invention), in front of UMC. It seems that …

Rudy Giuliani, Family (Values) Man

The "family values" mantra of the national Republican Party must really be in trouble when this is one of their front-runners:

Council Approves Metrocenter Purchase Despite Budget Woes

The Jackson City Council voted to purchase property inside the Metrocenter mall today. The city will buy more than 170,000 square feet of space within the mall—formerly occupied by Dillard's …

Two Lakes Letter About JFP ... in the Northside Sun

John McGowan's company is definitely obsessed with the JFP's comprehensive coverage of their concept—so much so that they sent a letter to the Northside Sun about it that appeared today. …

Drama and hysteria don't change the world

After getting sucked into a couple different JFP conversations about the (over)reaction to recent Census numbers (the most recent one here), I've been thinking a lot about drama and the …

Community Meetings and Events

The Monster X Tour is Friday, Jan. 17 and Saturday, Jan. 18 at Mississippi Coliseum.

Hello, Neighbor

On a recent visit to Oktoc, Miss., my aunt showed me a relic from my family's past. If this archaic machine could talk, it would tell stories about a community …

'It's Hard On Us'

At first reluctant to talk, a dark-skinned 60-something man stands outside his white FEMA trailer. Waving around his cigarette, he begins to open up to the young people on camera. …

Stretching a Delicious Dollar

In the current economic crisis, many of our friends, family—or maybe you or I—have lost jobs or are facing layoffs. Despite this unfortunate downturn, people still have to eat.

Taco Time!

I've been yammering on and on for the past few weeks about how much I really love tacos. After living on the West Coast for two years, I became accustomed …

BeerTalk: The Belgians Are Coming!

Belgian beers are renowned around the world for their excellent quality, complexity and taste, as well as their rich history and the sheer variety of brands and styles available. While …

John Waters' Rich, Warped Pageant

Having spent nearly a half-century fighting against "the tyranny of good taste," cult filmmaker, actor, writer and artist John Waters has managed to earn fame and respect of the fully …

Tune Up, Mississippi

For a long time, I've lived uneasily with the disturbing assumption that most of the people I know who love music (and I know a lot of them) either don't …

Let Us Pray

Here I am, a spit and polish away from 30, and I still can't figure out what the hell that means.

I remember that time when I was 5 or 6 years old, sitting in my Southern Baptist Sunday school class, as the teacher told us about the parting of the …