Jackson Free Press

Real Life

As I start this column, I'm in a hotel room in Baltimore, Md., just outside of BWI airport, having had my flight back to Jackson canceled repeatedly for the past …

[Balko] Chicago's Thick Blue Wall

The Windy City's notoriously aggressive police department fights for less accountability.

Truth to Power

I spent last weekend in New Orleans at the Association of Alternative Newsmedia convention. It was held in the posh Ritz Carlton in the heart of the city's business district, …

‘Deer Camp On Estrogen'

Once a year, a group of women make a pilgrimage across the country to Jackson. Mostly middle-aged, they come decked out from head to toe in sequins, feathers and anything …

UPDATED: Ridgeway Tenant Denies Melton's Claim

Evans Welch disputes Mayor Frank Melton's claims that he asked the mayor for help before the 2006 demolition of the duplex he rented. Melton, who faces three felony charges for …

Federal Stimulus: ‘We Need to be Ready'

The stimulus is coming, and it's bringing big money. The Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review told the Mississippi House Ways and Means Committee that the economic impact of …

Schoolhouse to Statehouse

Yvonne Horton made an unconventional job transition in 2007, joining a lobbying firm after 30 years as a public-school teacher. Horton, 60, is a Bolton native and a 1971 graduate …

Straitjacket of Straight Thinking?

The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees may be holding back its superintendent, but depending on whom you ask, that may not be a bad thing.

Fondren Makeover; Sushi and More

A new upscale sushi restaurant is set to open this December on Capitol Street. Wasabi Bistro is a collaboration between owner Lina Lynn, who also owns Ding How Asian Bistro …

Capturing Imaginations

If you are ever going to rent a kid, 4-year-old Jackson Andrews is the best deal you could possibly get. He is at the just the right height that I …

In Southern La., Residents Blame Levees for Floods

The Army Corps of Engineers says it will look into whether the city's fortified defenses pushed floodwaters provoked by Hurricane Isaac into outlying areas.

Mississippi's First Embassy Suites Design Option III Opens in Jackson

[Verbatim from Embassy Suites] Memphis, TENN, January 5, 2009- Embassy Suites Hotels today announced the highly anticipated opening of the brand's first Design Option III property, the 145-suite Embassy Suites …

Sandy Disrupts Presidential Campaign; Candidates Look For Right Tone For Final Week

Suddenly, after drifting through months of confusing finger-pointing and iffy economic theory, the presidential candidates are getting walloped by an all-too-tangible October surprise. Superstorm Sandy is a real-world, gut-level test.

Under Pressure: Fighting to Keep ‘Choice' In State

Shelley Abrams is fighting the state of Virginia's attack on abortion rights. She oversees several clinics that provide legal abortion services, including one in Virginia and several other southern states. …

High Court Hears Case on Federal Benefits for Gays

The Supreme Court is turning to a constitutional challenge to the law that prevents legally married gay Americans from collecting federal benefits generally available to straight married couples.

BP Civil Settlement Remains Elusive as Trial Nears

The U.S. Justice Department and the five Gulf coast states affected by a massive oil spill nearly three years ago have indicated they would like to settle their environmental and …

Justice Dept Joins Suit Against Lance Armstrong

The Justice Department joined a lawsuit Friday against disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong that alleges the former seven-time Tour de France champion concealed his use of performance-enhancing drugs and defrauded his …

Not Your Ordinary Cable Network

Cable-television networks such as Nickelodeon and the Discovery Channel should serve as economic models for public broadcasting, Gov. Haley Barbour quipped recently.

The JFP Urban Development Manifesto

Both the day-to-day occurrences and the dramatic events not only shape our individual lives, but remind us that we're all together in the tempest that is our all-too-brief time here …

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Thalia Mara, Grants, Bowling, Film, Social Media, CEO Pay

Jackson's Thalia Mara Hall will begin a $5.5 million renovation in January, thanks in part to the state Legislature's $1 million appropriation.