Jackson Free Press

Whistleblowers and Secrecy?

I'm going to be blogging about this issue on my About.com site, but I'm mentioning it here because I'm annoyed at the way our local newspaper has covered it.

Still I Rise

Photos by Josh Hailey

Rosalind Roy, a 46-year-old Jackson native known as Roz, bubbles with energy. Her vigor emanates from her like an invisible vapor—it will either infect you or make you feel guilty …

Guys We Love 2019

Each year around Father's Day, we honor men in the Jackson metro area who are making differences in our community. This year's include ones who are involved music, art, medicine, …

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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Mississippi: The Battleground for Roe v. Wade’s Future?

Red states, emboldened by the Trump regime, are passing hardline anti-abortion laws aimed at triggering a reconsideration of Roe at the nation's highest court—laws like the fetal heartbeat bills the …

Trying To Make It Right

The e-mail about the Jackson doctor came all the way from Canada. Hollis Brown, a singer/songwriter in Saskatchewan, wanted to know if an e-mail he had received, calling New Orleans …

‘A Brave Man'

It was nearing 11 p.m. as Hank Allen and his cousin, John Horton, drove east along Highway 24. The two young men, 17 and 16 years old, respectively, had attended …

First, Do No Harm: State Struggles With Record of Juvenile Injustice

At 17 years old, Tommy Croft has grown up faster than most youth his age in Mississippi. Croft conveys the pain and genuineness in his story about his dark past …

Senate To Investigate "Mega-churches" and the Pastors Who Run Them.

The senate annouced yesterday that they will be asking several so-called "Mega-churches" to come before them and answer some questions about their financial practices. On CNN yesterday, several pastors of …

Frankie's Got A Gun

From the day Frank Melton took office as mayor of Jackson on July 4, 2006, he has exercised his right to bear arms in dramatic and public ways. Almost immediately …

SPANN: The Wacky Professor Strikes Again

"Sweetie, what do you think of all these corporate scandals?" "Well, management guru Charles Handy would posit that …" Uh-oh! The Wacky Professor strikes again!

SPANN: It's a Crime and a Shame

Sitting in the beauty salon last week, I listened while my stylist and a friend of his sparred about the criminal-justice system and the political mechanism they believe runs it …

CHICK: One for the People

<i>Bingo goes in search of 'nekkid chicks' in Clinton.</i>

I was listening to Z106 the other day when the disc jockey started crowing approvingly that he had never had a Playboy Playmate on his show before. I soon learned …

Stop Wasting the City's Time

Jackson City Council President Leslie McLemore said it best in summing up the proposed "Sagging Pants Ordinance," when he described it as "a waste of council time." He's got a …

[Moore] A Love Story

We first met when I was only 3 years young. I had no idea of her deep yearning to simply be loved. Nor did I know the love I would …

City to Spur Development at Metrocenter

Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. says moving city facilities directly into the largely under-used Metrocenter Mall on Highway 80 will give the mall a much-needed economic boost.

Fairy Tale Redux

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the biggest bitch of them all?" That is the real question never posed by the Evil Stepmother Queen (Charlize Theron) in "Snow White and …

Rep. John Lewis Rallies Dems

Sometimes, Democrats like to feast on red meat, too. At this year's Jefferson Jackson Hamer Dinner, held Friday at the Regency Hotel in Jackson, Georgia U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a …

A Bottle Opener and a Band

Although Jacksonians know the Church Keys for their fun performances and eccentric humor, their rare and custom-made instruments convey their musical depth and acute focus.