Jackson Free Press

Cops Vow to Air Dirty Laundry

The day after City Council refused to fund the promotions of Mayor Frank Melton's bodyguards, a local police union said today that talks with the mayor about the appointments were …

[Parks] Unity, Mississippi Style

In the mall, Columbia, Mo.: My girlfriend and I giggled over Dippin' Dots ice cream. We held hands. We looked at the table next to us, where a young girl …

Melton Wants All JPS Students Drug-Tested

WLBT is reporting:

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton wants students to be able to pass one test in particular... a drug test. Announcing his commitment to improve Jackson's public schools, Melton wants officials to …

[Publisher's Note] The War on Math: Obama's Debt

As the Republican presidential hopefuls auger toward the finish line in what will probably result in the nomination of Mitt Romney, it seems the candidates, in straining to hurl things …

Crime Plan Short on Specifics

Police Chief Shirlene Anderson gave the first few hints of a crime plan to the public this Monday following a City Council budget meeting. Anderson had stalled for months in …

JFP Election After-Party, Blogging at Soulshine

After you vote Tuesday, head to Soulshine in the Hal & Mal's complex to watch the returns on the big-screen TV, and either celebrate or drown your sorrows–Happy Hour prices …

Palin and the Fringe

The extreme right is declaring a third-party victory with Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin on the presidential ticket this fall.

Melton: Jail Bound?

It began with an interview. Last Thursday, Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin had more on his mind than re-election when he officially announced he would run for sheriff again. Following …

Rush to Judgment: Trying Kids As Adults

Tyler Wayne Edmonds took his last seventh-grade exam at Fifth Street Junior High School in West Point on a Thursday and was confident he had done well. So far, 2003 …

A Minor Injustice

Alexandre Dumas' most popular novel, "The Count of Monte Cristo," revolves around the narrative of Edmond Dantès, the captain of a merchant vessel who visits Napoleon on the isle of …

I'm Fed Up!!! Tired of folks blaming hip-hop for our ills: My response to Leonard Pitts' Column

Peace and Blessings, my name is Kamikaze. Im a nationally known hiphop artist from Jackson, MS and President of the Mississippi Artists and Producers Coalition. I also write a bi-weekly …

GOP: Avoid Tea Party Kool-Aid

That Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and many Mississippi Republicans are aligning themselves with the tea party comes as little surprise. Bryant told The Clarion-Ledger last week that tea-party beliefs "are …

Governor Haley Barbour's State of State Address

Thank you Speaker McCoy and Governor Bryant, and thanks to you in the Legislature for your warm welcome.

Mayor Having Negative Influence on Troubled Teens?

Two of Mayor Melton's young housemates are back in jail. Last week, Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Swan Yerger revoked the bond of 17-year-old Michael Taylor for a 2005 armed …

To Booze or Not to Booze

Police Chief Malcolm McMillin submitted an ordinance proposal to the Jackson City Council this week that would restrict alcohol retailers from doing business after 2 a.m. The ordinance specifically makes …

Barbour Will Veto Eminent Domain Bill

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour will exercise his veto power today regarding eminent domain, reports WAPT.

Health-Care Events in Jackson

Two health-care reform events will take place in Jackson tonight and tomorrow representing the opposing viewpoints of the reform debate.

[Chick] Hands Off My ‘You Know'

As Eve Ensler, author of "The Vagina Monologues," would say, I come from "down there" people. Actually, I come from "you know" people. That was our whispered code for vagina, …

What's In A Gang?

The brutality of gang life makes for popular entertainment on movie screens across America. Riddling a wall or restaurant with bullet holes from automatic gunfire kicks the pulse into overdrive.

‘These Are Not Fair Trials': The JFP Talks With John Grisham

Since publication of "The Innocent Man" in 2006, author John Grisham has become a strong advocate for the Innocence Project, lending his name and voice to help establish the organization's …