Story
VA Hospital Director Says Troubles are in the Past
The new director of the veterans' hospital in Jackson is struggling to change perceptions of the institution as members of Congress and a government oversight office pursue investigations into misconduct.
Story
GOP Governors Endure Early Trials, Gird for 2014
Republican governors took over statehouses across the country after the 2010 elections and immediately acted on promises to usher in a new era of budget cutting and conservative labor policies.
Story
Bradley Manning Trial Begins; Could Last All Summer
More than three years ago, Army Pfc. Bradley Manning was arrested in Iraq and charged in the biggest leak of classified information in U.S. history.
Entry
Why does the Ledger's Brian Eason ooze contempt for so many Jacksonians?
By Donna LaddOK, Snark King, it's your turn.
I've had it in the back of my head to blog about a really offensive post by The Clarion-Ledger's city reporter Brian Eason for weeks now, but it had fallen to the side in the need to report actual news. But while cleaning up my desk today, I started noticing a pattern—first from a clipping of another snarky thing he wrote calling a whole city office stupid, and then I saw a blog post belittling an enterprise story by our staff this week, but without actually saying what was in it or linking to it. So here's my Friday afternoon round-up of what I've been noticing about Mr. Eason's snark, which I assume is meant to be humor, except none of it is funny.
No. 1. Don't dare compare crime to terrorism, dumb little council candidate. After 20-year-old minister Corinthian Sanders decided to get involved enough to run for City Council, he made the mistake of saying that the "terrorism" of crime was one of his top priorities (as if he's the first to ever say that here). Sanders told the Jackson Free Press: "Let’s talk about getting our lawbreakers, criminals—I call them terrorists….(If) you can’t go anywhere without killing someone or robbing someone or terrorizing someone, that’s terror, (and) you’re a terrorist; you’re a domestic terrorist.” The mention of the word terrorism tickled Eason's funny bone. He snarked:
"To my knowledge, no major terrorist attacks have occurred or been planned on our streets, and the Jackson Police Department reported no terrorist incidents in 2012, according to its published crime stats. But maybe that’s what the terrorists want us to think.
"Lest anyone think Sanders is trying to politicize the Boston Marathon bombing, rest assured, his commitment to fighting terrorism on the streets of Jackson predated the explosions at the marathon.
"But while Sanders listed counter-terrorism as his No. 2 priority, right behind “protect, improve and increase affordable housing,” none of his competitors — or, indeed, any other candidates in the entire metro area — mentioned local terrorism as a problem worthy of their consideration.
Eason's blog post shows he later clarified what Sanders meant, and quoted Sanders' above words from the JFP in an addendum to the snark-post, but that nasty horse was out of Eason's barn by then. That's what you get for running for office in Jackson, Corinthian. The ire of a native Dallasonian. And I really don't know what all his references to monkey videos on your Facebook page were about, and don't care.
No. 2. In a post called "Common sense? Not at clerk's office," Eason showed the entire staff of the Jackson city clerk's office not to mess with him, no sir. He was irked that he couldn't get election results from the clerk's office at 11 a.m. the day after the primary. They didn't have certified results available, yet, and gave him a bit of a runaround. OK, it's fair to …
Story
National
Six Facts Lost in the IRS Scandal
In the furious fallout from the revelation that the IRS flaggedapplications from conservative nonprofits for extra review because of their political activity, some points about the big picture and big …
Story
Story
National
Making Sense of the Moore Tornado in a Climate Context
The devastating tornado that ripped apart Moore, Okla., on Monday now joins the ranks of America's strongest twisters on record, coming almost exactly two years after a similarly extreme and …
Story
Terror Fears Keep Toxic Plants Hidden from Public
Until the local fertilizer company in West, Texas, blew up last month and demolished scores of homes, many in that town of 2,800 didn't know what chemicals were stored alongside …
Story
chickball
10 Easy and Fun Ways to Help the Chick Ball & Fight Sex Trafficking
Here are 10 easy ways you can help:
It is JFP Chick Ball season in Jackson, and we need your help to fight domestic abuse—this year to start a rape crisis center and raise awareness about sexual assault …
Story
Theater
Role Playing
When it comes to "Hairspray," having the right actor in the right role is everything.
Photo
Story
City & County
Downing: The Man With the Answers
Ponto Ronnie Downing, self-proclaimed "Jesus freak," is running for the Ward 3 City Council seat on the Republican ticket.
Story
Business
Walthall Auction Disappoints; JSU’s Madison Campus Opens
With the lack of a convention-center hotel, the downtown area needs all the hotel space it can get. If all goes according to plan, downtown could soon get a new …
Story
Jacksonian
Annie Baker
Annie Baker, 40, has served as the director of community outreach for the Mississippi Institute for Improvement of Geographic Minority Health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center for the …
Story
Music
Out from Under a Famous Shadow
As an internationally known singer-songwriter with two successful EPs in as many years, James McCartney has made a tradition of not being crushed by the weight of his hyper-famous father, …
Story
U.S. Gun Debate Overlooks Daily Violence
Often lost in America's divisive gun control politics are the stories of people whose urban communities suffer the most from shootings every day.
Story
Tax Overhaul: IRS Scandal Could Lead to Changes
The Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative political groups has little if anything to do with most everyday taxpayers, but some lawmakers are hoping attention to the budding scandal will …
Story
Development
Walthall Still for Sale; JSU Opens in Madison
The Edison Walthall Hotel will have a new owner soon—but who that owner is, when the owner will take control and what they plan to do with the building is …
Story
City & County
10 Local Stories of the Week
There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
Story
State
Can MTC Fix Woodville Prison?
A Utah-based private-prison firm hopes that it can turn things around at the Wilkinson County Correctional Center in Woodville.
