"Robert Shuler Smith" | Search | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS

All results / Stories

Tease photo

B.B. King’s Universal Language

Blues music may be singing the "No Future Tomorrow" blues once B.B. King hangs up his guitar for good, Alligator Records founder Bruce Iglauer warned back in 2004.

Tease photo JFP Interviews

Vikki Mumford: ‘Preserving Our History’

Vikki Mumford talked to the Jackson Free Press about why she is running for Hinds County circuit clerk for a third time.

Tease photo Theater

Ain’t Nothing But the Birthplace of the Blues

The South is the birthplace of the blues, and Public Broadcasting Station's "Blues Road Trip" describes the Mississippi Delta as the genre's emotional heart.

Tease photo Music

A Closer Look at ‘Crossroads’

Brandon, Miss., singer-songwriter Tommy Ray and I have crossed paths on more than a few occasions, usually with me catching the tail end of his sets at Bonny Blair's Irish …

Tease photo Sports

Bianco Ball Pays Off

Ole Miss baseball's run to the College World Series semifinals last summer was a breakthrough for 14-year head coach Mike Bianco. It was his first trip to Omaha, Neb.—the annual …

Tease photo Biz Roundup

Farewell to Cherokee Inn, Zoo Signs and MEMA Emergency Center

The Cherokee Drive Inn (1410 Old Square Road), long-time Best of Jackson winner for Best Dive Bar and Best Hangover Food, has closed down.

LGBT

Boy Scouts' Leader says Ban on Gay Adults not Sustainable

The national president of the Boy Scouts of America, Robert Gates, said Thursday that the organization's longstanding ban on participation by openly gay adults is no longer sustainable, and called …

Cover

The Must-Sees of Summer 2015

Once May rolls around each year, tons of new activities pop up, old events spring back to life, and summer feels absolutely endless. That is, it does until it's over. …

Tease photo Education

The Steep Price of Summer Slide

Research from summerlearning.org suggests that unequal access to summer learning opportunities accounts for more than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income students.

Tease photo Sports

Lunderman: A League of Her Own

It was hard to pinpoint the most impressive thing about Neshoba Central High School softball senior star Hailey Lunderman the first time I saw her play.

Tease photo Music

Joining the Ruckus

Nestled within Deville Plaza off Interstate 55 lies a new and little-known music venue that is ripe for discovery. Appropriately named The Hideaway, owner Pete Suthar opened the doors about …

Tease photo Music

The Streaming Landscape

When it comes to music-streaming services, I'm usually late to the party, and not fashionably so.

Tease photo Civil Rights

Police Relations: From Gibbs and Green to Freddie Gray

In Jackson, local leaders don't see police-community relations as good versus evil. In fact, they say the relationship between the cops and the community has drastically improved.

Tease photo Cover

Tunes of the Sun: Playlist Battle

Music can make everything better, even the heat of Mississippi summers. Here are some playlists from Assistant Editor Amber Helsel, Editorial Assistant Adria Walker and Music Editor Micah Smith, developed …

Tease photo Style

The Thief in the Night

Following screening guidelines that health-care providers recommend could find cancer early—before symptoms appear. Early detection usually means a better outcome with earlier treatment options.

National

Thursday's Red Nose Day TV Special: Comedy for a Good Cause

Writer-director Richard Curtis is bringing Red Nose Day to the United States with a star-studded three-hour TV event airing Thursday at 8 p.m. EDT on NBC.

National

Fall of Ramadi Raises Doubts About US Strategy in Iraq

The Islamic State group's capture of Ramadi, a key provincial capital in western Iraq, calls into question the Obama administration's strategy in Iraq.

Civil Rights

Judge to Weigh Desegregation Options for Cleveland Schools

Sixty-one years and one day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial school segregation was illegal in Brown vs. Board of Education, lawyers Monday presented clashing visions of what …

Tease photo Person of the Day

B.B. King

B.B. King believed anyone could play the blues, and that "as long as people have problems, the blues can never die."

National

House Set to Pass Defense Policy Bill Opposed by Obama

The House is on track to pass a nearly $612 billion defense policy bill, a measure that usually garners bipartisan support but this year has drawn a veto threat from …