Story
City & County
Frances Fortner’s Family Seeks to Teach Lesson to City, Businesses of Jackson
Almost six months to the day, Frances Fortner's mother and father have filed a wrongful-death suit against the City of Jackson, Superior Asphalt, Sigma Corporation, IMS Engineers Inc., and Integrated …
Story
Politics
Judicial Run-off: Black Women Lead Hinds Circuit; Bryant Choices Bomb
Hinds County voters had a harder decision to make than most on Nov. 27, with six judicial seats up for grabs alongside the hotly contested, historic U.S. Senate race that …
Story
Cover
2018 College Basketball Preview: The Smalls
This year, Mississippi Valley State University is picked to finish ninth in the SWAC.
Story
City & County
With 84 Homicides in 2018, City Hopes to Stem Violence With New Cops, Strategy
The City of Jackson ended the year with 84 total homicides—a 30-percent increase over 2017's year-end count of 64.
Story
Education
OPINION: The Algebra Project: Bob Moses’ ‘Gateway To Equality’ For Black Students
Bob Moses used a MacArthur Foundation genius grant to create and launch the Algebra Project in 1982 to help rural and urban students achieve math literacy and to train teachers, …
Story
Books
Jessie Daniels’ ‘Nice White Ladies’ Sparks Discussion About Race, Privilege In Jackson
Louwanda Evans, who said she was one of two Black women on faculty at the private college in downtown Jackson, said her daily encounters with race complicated her reading of …
Entry
Former Division Rivals: Saints and 49ers Battle for a Spot in NFC Championship Game
By bryanflynnBefore the NFL shifted teams around in the 2002 realignment, the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers were in the same division. Many Saints fans remember the old NFC West that featured the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams with Saints and 49ers.
Entry
WrestleMania 32 Preview and Prediction
By bryanflynnIt’s time for “the Showcase of the Immortals,” “the Show of Shows” on “the Grandest Stage of Them All.”
Are you ready for WrestleMania 32?
It’s understandable if people aren’t excited about this year’s WrestleMania. Depending how the event goes, WrestleMania 32 might be remembered more for which performers are not in a match.
Several of the WWE’s biggest stars are on the shelf or won’t compete for the company again, including John Cena, the company's biggest face in more ways than one, who is out with a shoulder injury.
Randy Orton, multiple-time champion and crowd favorite, is also out with a shoulder injury, and Seth Rollins, the only former member of The Shield who won’t be on the card, is out with a knee injury.
Those are three big name stars, and you can add a couple more to the list. Daniel Bryan, leader of the Yes Movement and major fan favorite, recently retired due to injuries and concussions, and CM Punk won’t be making an appearance after walking out and deciding to fight in the UFC.
It is worth mentioning that Sting might have been on the card if Rollins hadn’t injured him in at a pay-per-view match called “Night of Champions.” There is no telling if Sting was going to be in a match at WrestleMania 32 or if he would simply slip away into the WWE Hall of Fame, since he was close to the end of his career before the injury.
Mid-card talents will also be missing, including Cesaro (billed as the “Swiss Superman”), who is out with a torn rotator cuff, Luke Harper (member of the Wyatt Family), who suffered a knee injury, Neville (billed as “the Man Gravity Forgot”), who is out with a broken ankle, and Tyson Kidd, who is dealing with an injured neck.
The women’s division is without some star power, as former WWE Divas champion Nikki Bella is out with a neck injury. That leaves her twin sister, Brie Bella, who is married in real life to Daniel Bryan, at WrestleMania.
Injuries are a part of professional wrestling. The outcomes of the matches are predetermined, but the potential for harm from falls, flips, chair shots and so forth, is real.
But even with the injuries, the show must go on, and while the card might be underwhelming, in some areas, it has some potential.
There are three matches on the preshow to WrestleMania 32 that will be televised on the USA network. The chance for some of the biggest early pops might come from the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
The Usos vs. The Dudley Boyz (tag-team match)
Expect the Usos to get the win here in a quick match that will feature some of their highflying moves and a table or two at some point.
Total Divas vs. B.A.D. and Blonde
The WWE is going to have the Total Divas team (Brie Bella, …
Story
Politics
OPINION: Running While Black—Dem AG Nominee Reveals Privilege, Ghosts Faced in Race
I boxed the glaring ghost of a broken and unsupportive party structure. I guess I am not supposed to say that out loud, but we might as well tell the …
Story
Crime
Smith Trial: Defense Tries to Impugn Informant
On the fourth day of the trial against the Hinds County district attorney, his attorney tried to impugn the motives of a former employee-turned-informant, pressing him for more details on …
Story
City & County
UPDATED: Lumumba Files Campaign Report, Third Behind Horhn, Graham in Donations
On a major campaign filing date, Mississippi Sen. John Horhn leads, so far, in donations with upwards of $200,000 in donations to date, although he has spent much of it.
Story
State
#ConfederateHeritageMonth: Your Essential Primer to How It Blew Up in Mississippi
This month, as I'd hoped would happen when I broke the story, many people around the country—especially historians—are using the hashtag #ConfederateHistoryMonth to share facts about the Confederacy.
Story
Radio JFP to Discuss Melton Interview Noon Friday
Here's a double whammy for y'all. Mayor Frank Melton is slated to appear on Ben Allen's WJNT radio show Friday morning. Then, at noon, the JFP will discuss is comments …
Story
Candidate
The JFP Interview with Steve Simpson
When Stephen Simpson stands over you with his 6-foot-7-inch frame, you might want to think twice before disagreeing with him. The Republican will tell you that "it's easy being on …
Story
Candidate
The JFP Interview with Heather McTeer
Greenville Mayor Heather McTeer, 35, isn't afraid to challenge herself. She completed the St. Jude Marathon years after doctors said she'd never be able to run due to an old …
Story
Common Sense in 2011
Political junkies watched with some surprise as the lame-duck 2010 Congress passed a number of last-minute bills to bring the year to a close. Widely heralded as a week of …
Story
Bluntson and Lumumba Square Off
Council President Frank Bluntson claims allegations that he pressured city employees to take off work and campaign for his daughter-in-law, unsuccessful Madison County Justice Court candidate Barbara Ann Bluntson, are …
Story
Soldier's Heart
The first time Kristin Peterson's husband hit her, she was asleep in their bed. She awoke that night a split second after Joshua's fist smashed into her face and ran, …
Story
The Place To Be: Developers Catering More To City's ‘Creative Class'
Since the early 1970s, an outflow of businesses and residents to the suburbs has decimated downtown Jackson. Until recently, the lower taxes demanded of cow pastures and the cheap gas …
Story
A New Sheriff? JFP Interview with Malcolm McMillin
My opposition in this race, their mantra is, "It's time for a change." Not that I've done a bad job, but that it's time for a change, just a change …
