Jackson Free Press

Summer Travel Forecast: Better, but No Blowout

Airlines, hotels and campgrounds are commanding higher rates and seeing more customers than a few summers ago, and luxury hotels are selling out. Local businessmen and state officials are optimistic.

Rings of Gemstone

The first recorded use of a diamond engagement ring was Archduke Maximilian of Austria's proposal to Mary of Burgundy with a ring containing thin, flat pieces of diamond in the …

Lumumba Calls 'Foul' on MBI's New Position on Officer-Involved Shootings

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba says the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations alerted the City of Jackson last week that it will no longer take on officer-involved shooting cases in Jackson.

Mississippi Parolees Paying for Supervision May Perpetuate More Criminality for Poor

Parolees in Mississippi must pay a $55 monthly fee, which can become an added burden on those released from prison, respondents say.

The Next Flood

Hurricane Katrina devastated everything it touched, from Alabama to Mississippi to Louisiana, but it was New Orleans, which survived the storm only to flood over the following days, that jolted …

[Dennis] Not a Guns-and-Gold Republican

Intervention is never easy. It generally implies that the subject of the intervention has an addiction that they themselves have not yet fully perceived to be a problem.

Road Strip

It was the first time I had ever seen an entire trunk full of beer. I take that back. It was the second time I'd ever seen a trunk full …

Most Viral, Impactful Stories in the First 15 Years of the Jackson Free Press

The JFP has gotten hundreds of thousands of page views for our top-viewed stories since we started tracking a decade or so ago. Here are our biggest stories ever, and …

Operation Downgrade

Gov. Haley Barbour's "Mississippi Education Reform Act of 2005," SB 2504, finally passed in the House of Representatives in early March, after living in the shadow of a looming Medicaid …

We, the Unhealthy

Last year, Mississippi ranked No. 1 overall for the unhealthiest citizens in the U.S. and No. 49 in the number of physicians per capita. A quarter of our 2-year-olds haven't …

Love Me, Hate Me: The JFP Interview with Kenneth Stokes

Councilman Kenneth Stokes slapped me the other day. His large hand hit my sweat-beaded skin in one swift swoop to kill the mosquito getting ready to bite. He did not …

SafeCity Miffs McMillin, Residents

JACKSON—Local crime watchdog group SafeCity miffed the police chief, the Jackson City Council and many residents of all political stripes with its apparent stealth efforts to get the Legislature to …

[Johnson] The Death of Birth

Biologist E.O. Wilson calls the stunning destruction of wildlife on our planet "the death of birth." We all must die in time, and there is a natural justice to the …

No. 45 July 26 - August 2

<b><u>They Will Be Missed</b></u>

The week after the Fourth of July saw the passing of two very different American patriots who each worked in their own way to make Mississippi a better place.

Voters to Question Politics Beyond Sound Bites

Jackson residents are trying to bring a Neshoba County Fair-style festival to Jackson this month in hopes of circumventing piecemeal, sound-bite political coverage of upcoming races.

Foods That Heal

Having a healthy immune system through proper nutrition is a key to combating illnesses. Supplementing your diets with foods high in nutrients like antioxidants, phytochemicals and enzymes will have a …

Hurricane Green: Who Profited?

By now, it should be clear who is making the big bucks on Katrina recovery: contractors and consultants. The storm's victims haven't fared so well.

Lott Uses Old Campaign Cash to Help Lobbying Clients

The Associated Press is reporting that former Sen. Trent Lott is redirecting leftover campaign millions to lawmakers who can help his new high-profile lobbying clients—and it's legal:

Hell Freezes Over

Deuce McAllister won't "run it up in there," my dad likes to say. Or so said an opposing coach, he claims, debating the last position for the Magnolia squad in …

Clueless in Condi-land? U.S. Endgame in Lebanon?

Here's more food for discussion on Lebanon, from Michael Young at Reason mag, who is also the opinion editor of the Daily Star newspaper in Lebanon: