Jackson Free Press

Jackson Convention Center: The $65 Million Question

Update: On Thursday morning, Jeff Good and Dan Blumenthal, owners of BRAVO! and Broad Street restaurants, announced that they were pledging 1% of their sales between now and the election …

One Lake, Few Alternatives: A Primer

Many of the concerns surrounding One Lake remain unresolved and, to date, the Levee Board has declined to host a public forum to take questions from the audience openly, instead …

Independent Business Week: Taking a Slice of the Pie

The American Independent Business Alliance says on its website that shopping local helps build community, shapes a neighborhood's character, gives people access to expertise on a product; and creates a …

Mutiny at the Senate: Bi-partisan Death of New Ed Formula

Twenty-six senators joined Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, to kill the Republican-driven proposal to scrap MAEP, which would have replaced it with a weights-based student funding formula, which EdBuild developed and …

State Takeovers: A Fix for Failing School Districts?

When the state took control of the Hazlehurst City school district in 2008, the small rural district was in chaos and suffering from abysmal academic performance.

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The Faces of Travis Childers

Travis Childers, a former congressman from Booneville, hopes traditional Democratic voters and tea-party members can help him upset Republican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran in November.

Candidates Reveal Differences at Debate

Three Republican Party gubernatorial candidates leaned heavy right on social issues, but differed slightly on some money matters at a Flowood debate sponsored by the Mississippi Tea Party.

BREAKING: Mayor Cancels Confirmation, Outrages Council

Several members of City Council were outraged today that Mayor Frank Melton abruptly cancelled the confirmation hearing of Charles Melvin, who is Melton's choice to head up the Parks and …

Barbour Still ‘No' on Federal Funds

Gov. Haley Barbour reportedly renewed his criticism of the Obama administration's economic bailout package during the National Governors Association winter meeting in Washington, D.C. this past weekend.

Who Owns ‘Local' Media?

"Did you know this was happening? Have you heard about it in the local or national news?" wrote Federal Communications Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein in the San Francisco Chronicle on …

Palin's $50,000 Office Makeover ... into 'Bordello' Red

Salon is reporting that Sarah Palin shocked Wasilla when she spent $50,000 from a city highway fund to re-do her mayoral office:

ABC Disgraces Itself During Debate

The world is talking today about how poorly ABC's George Stephanopolous and Charles Gibson handled themselves during last night's Democratic debate. Over on The Root, Marc Lamont Hill writes:

The Best 10 Movies of 2005

This was a great year for movies in terms of quality, though 2005 will probably be remembered by the film industry for its hugely disappointing box office grosses (it marks …

Melton Resolves (Again) to Implode King Edward

Mayor Frank Melton laid out his immediate resolutions Friday afternoon:

You're From the South?

A few nights ago, at a reading for the book "Other People's Property" (supposedly a book about being white and loving hip-hop), a guy said, "Violent rap doesn't exist anymore. …

[Kamikaze] Just the Messenger

Mississippi, and Jackson particularly, suffers from "shoot the messenger" syndrome. You know: If you don't like the message, just attack the person(s) delivering it. If the message could possibly upset …

New York Times Honors Casey Parks

The Jackson Free Press is proud to announce that our very dear assistant editor emeritus Casey Parks—who departed in December for graduate school at the University of Missouri—is the one …

After Killen: What's Next For Mississippi?

A common, and easy, response to race-dialogue efforts today in Mississippi is that there is racism everywhere, so why should Mississippians keep apologizing, or be constantly under the microscope.

Firefighters Griping Over New Chief

After three months of grumbling among themselves, some Jackson firefighters have officially voiced concerns over Mayor Frank Melton's installation of former Jackson Fire Department Capt. Todd Chandler as interim fire …

Miss. State Wins Egg Bowl, 41-27

Throw out the records. This is the Egg Bowl. This year's annual rivalry between the Ole Miss Rebels (8-3) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-7) is the most appealing Egg Bowl …