Jackson Free Press

Net-Metering Advocates Push for Support

Advocates for net metering pressed legislators this morning to submit and pass laws during this legislative session making the consumer-based electricity policy a reality in Mississippi.

JFP Giraffe of the Day: Ruby

Dec. 8, 2009, was a banner day for the Jackson Zoo and for its resident reticulated giraffes, Diamond and Casper. On that Tuesday, Diamond gave birth to her seventh calf, …

Our Haley Barbour: The 'Anti-Obama'?

Newsweek has a story this week asking if Haley Barbour will be the next president. The story starts:

NCAA Hell

Ethical standards in college athletics are plummeting. The BCS is a cartel. NBA age requirements are leading to corruption in college basketball. How much longer will fans tune in to …

[Mott] Not One More Victim

The bad economy and shrinking budget is not an excuse for failing to add teeth to laws protecting women.

The Billion-Dollar Levee Question

Downtown Jackson Partners President Ben Allen came out last week as an avid opponent of a levee expansion, saying it is too expensive. His choice, Two Lakes, is also expensive, …

Mississippi Legislature Faces a Dire Task

Mississippi legislators skulked back into the state capitol Jan. 5, keeping their body movements at a minimum and their heads low in case somebody noticed them and asked them questions …

[Balko] The Criminalization of Protest

Police and politicians ignore the First Amendment when we need it the most.

Home price stability contributes to the Jackson metro area's high ranking as a strong performer …

• December 31, 2009

Jackson Metro Ranked in ‘Strongest 20,' Again

The city of Jackson again ranked high in a report released by the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., a nonprofit, non-partisan public-policy organization. The institution's quarterly MetroMonitor report now places …

Rep. Steven Palazzo

While he represents Biloxi in the Mississippi Legislature, Rep. Steven Palazzo often seems to be acting on a national stage. Palazzo, a Republican, sent Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood a …

"Kings of Tort": A Royal Hit Job?

The authors of the recent book "Kings of Tort: The True Story of Dickie Scruggs, Paul Minor and Two Decades of Political and Legal Manipulation in Mississippi" don't mince words …

Step Outside the Mall Box

Last year's skyrocketing gas prices, combined with the housing bust, unemployment and a general economic malaise, is enough to make many suburbanites rethink their commutes and McMansions in favor of …

Most Intriguing Jacksonians of 2009

Every December, the Jackson Free Press staff dips into our archives for the past year to select a handful of the year's most intriguing Jacksonians.

Healing Forces

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year for Jews. We spend it fasting and praying in hopes that we can be cleansed and absolved …

He Drank, She Drank

I like girlie drinks. There, I said it. I'm not ashamed of it, either. Sweet? Yep. Fruity? The more, the better. And if you buy me a chocolatini, then I'll …

[McInnis] Tiger Woods and Selective Naivete

I never understood the significance of Jackie Robinson breaking the color line in baseball, and baseball is the favorite sport in my household. Robinson's accomplishments in the integrated major leagues …

Council Approves Metrocenter Purchase Despite Budget Woes

The Jackson City Council voted to purchase property inside the Metrocenter mall today. The city will buy more than 170,000 square feet of space within the mall—formerly occupied by Dillard's …

State Economic Recovery Projected for 2013

Like the nation as a whole, Mississippi can expect to recover from the nationwide economic recession by 2013, according to a report released last week by the state Institutions for …

Season's Readings

As Christmas approaches, the television airwaves are deluged with a new crop of delightfully mind-numbing holiday movies. I enjoy a sappy Lifetime movie as much as the next girl—and I'm …