Jackson Free Press

State Medicaid Drops 55,000 Children

A new program requiring face-to-face meetings for Medicaid recipients has contributed to over 55,000 children being dropped from state rolls. At a meeting of the Legislative Budget Committee last Thursday, …

CityBuzz [10.4.06]

'Allen and His Loony Squad'

Former JFD Assistant Chief Tony Davis got free rein at the Jackson Advocate two weeks ago in a vitriolic column describing Council President Ben Allen's "hidden agenda for the city …

Melton's MBN Lawsuit: A Timeline

Dec. 4, 2002—Gov. Ronnie Musgrove appoints former WLBT executive Frank Melton head of Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.

Barbour Calls Special Session on Coast Housing

[verbatim statement] (JACKSON, Mississippi) * Governor Haley Barbour announced today he has called a Special Session of the Mississippi Legislature for Thursday to ask legislators to reduce the cost of …

Update: Melton Is Appearing in Meridian Court Today

Oct. 2, 12:20 p.m.: Mayor Frank Melton has been spotted in the Meridian courtroom where jury selection took up the morning. The judge has asked all parties to be in …

Call the Roll on Dirty Politics

Disturbing statements have been coming from inside Mayor Frank Melton's inner circle since he and his bodyguards were indicted Sept. 15 for home invasion and demolition. To put it simply, …

Big City, Bright Future: Development Surges Ahead in Downtown Jackson

Graphic illustration courtesy of Downtown Jackson Partners

These may be strange days for a Capitol City, but Jackson's rebirth continues to pick up speed, despite the antics of its indicted mayor.

City Council Divided on Melton Investigation

Update: Podcast of Ben Allen's 9/6/06 Press Conference is available here.

The Coast's Forgotten Poor

"It was already hard to find an apartment even before the storm," Karen Peyton of Biloxi said. "Now it's almost impossible, and the rents are skyrocketing."

Bloodwater

Capt. Louis Skrmetta didn't know what hit him in late August 2005. That weekend, as he was running a boatload of about 600 people out to Ship Island, The Weather …

Barbour Overblowing Katrina Progress Claims

Read JFP's KatrinaBlog

Bill Minor takes Gov. Haley Barbour to task this week over the myth that the Coast is in such better shape a year after Katrina:

Long Live The King

As attorney David Watkins stands beneath the 12-story façade of the dilapidated King Edward Hotel, he's got a glimmer on his face. He's exchanging pleasantries with James Guinn, general foreman …

[Kamikaze] Stop The Witch Hunt

Enough already! At this point we're beating the proverbial dead horse. It's one thing to do some good investigative journalism. It's another to question standing policy or programs. But it's …

Barbour Adds Gulf Coast to Special Session

Earlier this week, Gov. Barbour announced a special session to allot corporate welfare to a North Mississippi project. After criticism that his call was ignoring dire needs on the Coast, …

Special-Session Man Is Back!

[verbatim] GOVERNOR BARBOUR TO CALL SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION

(JACKSON, Mississippi) * Governor Haley Barbour announced today he will call a special session of the Mississippi Legislature to convene at 9 a.m. on Thursday, August 24, 2006, and deal …

Barbour Flaunting Phantom Surplus

State legislators are accusing Gov. Haley Barbour of misrepresenting the condition of the state budget.

Clock Ticking On Commerce Street

John Lawrence, president of Downtown Jackson Partners, said developers have big plans for a section of Entergy-owned territory along Commerce Street, in downtown Jackson, and urged council members to work …

$150 Million or Bust

Jackson voters will have the chance to approve a $150 million bond this November when they go to the polls. It's the first of this size ever in Mississippi, but …

A Broken System Expands

Hinds County Supervisors surprised some onlookers at the Aug. 7 supervisors' meeting by producing more money for the Raymond Detention Center. Supervisors voted 4-to-1 to approve $481,000 to expand the …

Christian Science Monitor on Melton and Race

The Christian Science Monitor just ran a piece about Frank Melton called Mayor's tough tack on crime stirs up racial sensitivities: