Jackson Free Press

JFP Voter Guide 2003 - Statewide

<b>Just Who Are these Guys and Gals?</b>

Democratic incumbent Ronnie Musgrove, 47, was a two-term state senator and former Mississippi lieutenant governor before replacing Kirk Fordice as the state's governor. Musgrove, who grew up poor and worked …

[Fry] Why Young Minorities Barely Vote

OK, I am ready to vote. But for whom? Let me go through my process of personal questions. The first question is obvious: Which one is a person of color? …

Chasing Amy

<b>Can Barbara Blackmon Make History?</b>

Read the full transcript of this interview on the JFP Politics Blog.

[Stauffer] The Secret to Jackson's Future

The burning question of how to fix what ails Jackson is on the minds of, at the very least, newspaper editors and the people they've interviewed here in our fair …

[Drive] Focus on Chivalry

Ms. D and I have a running point of, er, discussion regarding, of all things, remote keyless entry. I say it's an absolutely must-have feature in terms of the next …

Musgrove's Economic Plan

October 5, 2003 -- (verbatim release) Today Governor Ronnie Musgrove proposed a detailed plan to keep Mississippi's economy moving forward. National unemployment has grown to a nine-year high, but we've …

Her Perspective

To be 19 years old from a small town outside of Petal, newly married and living in "the big city" provides opportunities to see things other people take for granted. …

A New Politics

<b>How Cultural Creatives Are Changing the Map</b>

"A third party? I'd just be happy with a second party!" Agree with that statement? If so, there's a chance you've considered yourself a "centrist," an "independent," a "free thinker"—or …

[Ladd] Souls of Our Citizens

I left Mississippi in 1983 to find my place in the world. It wasn't in my home state, I knew then; I just didn't fit here. My spirit was a …

Changing Gears

Jackson now has a bicycle lane. It runs from Duling to Crane Park on Old Canton Road in the Fondren-Meadowbrook area. The lane is part of a pilot program in …

Healing Port Gibson

Those of us with the desire to integrate people through art need look no further than Port Gibson this weekend, when a diverse, intergenerational community will come together in Jo …

[Drive] The Ultima Armrest Test

I rolled up to Ms. D. and pulled the car to a stop, as I'd successfully navigated the Hertz desk and become the proud temporary proprietor of a red 2003 …

Stokin' the Flames

and Donna Ladd

It's the most tasteless kind of three-way tussle one could imagine: The Clarion-Ledger and Councilman Kenneth Stokes are fighting over who's more under the sheets with the Ku Klux Klan. …

Tell Me the Truth, JoAnne

If nobody e-mails any questions to me (see below) or gives me any when they see me around town, I have two choices: (1) harass friends, neighbors and total strangers …

Scary Burbs

<i>Urban Flight May Shorten Your Life</i>

Last spring, during the media frenzy over crime in the city, I interviewed a Brandon woman who had been the victim of an armed robbery in Jackson. She wasn't physically …

[Drive] Mocked in a Mustang

I have never been in a hardtop Mustang that was made after 1972. But I have seen them around and wondered about them. So, I was determined a few weeks …

Your Grid or Mine?

<i>Jackson Designers Push 'New Urbanism'</i>

Turn off U.S. 51 onto Hoy Road in Madison, toward the reservoir, and drive past a number of bland gated communities until the gravel ends and you're on dirt. Keep …

Cheers to Gailya Porter!

Last week, we learned that Smith Elementary has ranked as a Level 5 school. We featured principal Gailya Porter as "Jacksonian" a month ago in our education issue. Here's an …

Clinton's Own Invention

I fell through the looking glass and ended up in Clinton. Surrounded by clouds of patchouli incense tinged with freshly brewing coffee aromas, luminous saris in glorious purples and reds, …

Tell Me the Truth, JoAnne

<b>Complicated and Loquacious

Q. I'm new to Mississippi, and everybody talks too damned much. You ask someone a question, and you can't get them to shut up. Whatever happened to "yes" or "no"? …