Jackson Free Press

Fear and Loathing at Sneaky Fest

The following account may or may not be a truthful re-telling of my day at Sneaky Fest Aug. 27, 2011.

Candidate of the Day: Cindy Hyde-Smith

Now that state Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith won the Republican primary Tuesday in her bid to become Mississippi's agricultural commissioner, she's helping her daughter start a new school year.

Invitational Delights

Franklin Sirmans, the curator of contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, was out of his element a few months ago in the woods outside Oxford. He …

Oil Spill Czar Being Slick?

Jim Hood doesn't pull any punches when it comes to criticizing the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, the agency set up to help people who were hurt by the 2010 BP …

Keeping Kids Off the Streets

Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. and the Jackson City Council are advocating for a facility in the city to house minors who are not serious offenders as a solution to …

[Kamikaze] Political Drama

The federal government was able to avert shutdown. Whether or not you actually believed it would happen, it stands to reason that all of us should take pause at how …

Michael Byrd

Michael Byrd and his family moved to the Philippines after he became disabled and retired from his career as a nuclear engineer in 2008. Shortly after, Byrd and his wife …

Power to the People

When someone offered Melissa Cooper $700 for some of her prescription pain medication in 2010, she jumped at the opportunity.

Animal Cruelty Bill Clears Major Hurdle

Cruelty to cats and dogs would become a felony in Mississippi under Senate Bill 2821, which the House Agriculture Committee voted unanimously today to approve. The bill to make "aggravated …

Scrapping for Funds

The Mississippi Department of Education says it needs a 13-percent funding increase in 2013, but most of the increase includes funding that the department was legally entitled to in previous …

U.S. Attorney to Reveal Sealed Criminal Complaint at 4 p.m.

Something big is going down today; the U.S. attorney's office just sent out this e-mail to media:

There will be a hearing at 4:00 p.m. today before US Magistrate Judge Sumner on the fifth floor of the federal courthouse. I am not able to tell you what …

Lifting As We Climb

The women wore breathtaking hats to hear Lerone Bennett Jr. A gargantuan canary-yellow feather creation was perfectly calibrated to match the wearer's canary-yellow suit. A bright-pink straw hat had big …

[Talk] What's in the Water?

The City of Jackson was inconvenienced last week when officials released a precautionary boil-water alert because samples showed bacteria that can cause digestive problems. Everyone scrambled for alternatives. Residents lugged …

Hinds Supervisors Feud Over Radios

Tempers flared at a Hinds County Board of Supervisors work session yesterday, as supervisors debated the activation of 19 radios purchased by the city of Clinton for emergency personnel. The …

Engineers Want Lower Lake Plan on Table

An engineer urged the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board last week to press the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to approve a lake plan to …

Business Round Up: Crazy Cat Serves Dinner, Leaves Fondren; UMC Turning Dirt

After six months in Fondren, Crazy Cat Bakers is refocusing its efforts on its Highland Village location, which will be opening for dinner next week. Owner Jon Lansdale closed the …

Police Foundation Eyeing SafeCity Role

As the watchdog group SafeCity closes today citing financial issues, the police advocacy group Jackson Police Foundation, Inc., is contemplating a more active role in the city.

Let's Just Be Friends

Old Mississippi wouldn't have allowed them to be friends. Back in the 1960s, when Cornelius "C" Turner, a black man, was fighting for civil rights in the state, he could …

Casey Therriault

Update: Casey Therriault threw for four touchdowns Saturday to lead Jackson State's pounding of Alcorn State 51-7. He also became JSU's single-season leader in passes completed (372 yards), passing yards …

Another Condemned Man Seeks Reprieve

Gary Carl Simmons Jr., scheduled to be the third person Mississippi puts to death this month, wants the State Supreme Court to grant him a stay of execution. Monday evening, …