Jackson Free Press

Zen and the Art of Optimism

I don't know about you, but this election season is damned stressful. Even as George Bush rolls out television ads with wolves lurking to terrify Americans into voting for him, …

[Stiggers] Stuck Like Chuck On The Side Of The Road

The Ghetto Science Team's Department of Transportation presents Transportation Secretary and Head Mechanic of Rev. Cletus Car Sales, Deacon O.D. Mann, promoting his transportation program for financially challenged commuters.

Earth Day and the Organic Movement

Forty-two years ago, a new way of looking at our Earth arose in human consciousness.

[Balko] Failing Upward in Criminal Justice

When the SWAT team came for Richard Paey in 1997, officers battered down the front door of the Florida home he shared with his wife and their two children. Paey …

Parchman's Past, Prison's Future

It's a strange month when the Parchman Farm comes out looking better than a county jail. On March 10, a federal judge finally dismissed the bulk of Gates v. Collier. …

21st Century Job Hunting

For many fields, the 21st century job seeker benefits from having an online resume. First, get a blog. Blogger and WordPress are free online hosts for blogs where you can …

Many Ways to Prevent Crime

The best way to stop crime is to put children on a good path early, help strengthen their families and intervene as needed. These groups do just that in many …

Youth Curfew A Bad Idea

Mayor Melton's state of emergency is over, but a youth curfew ordinance still remains on the books in Jackson. If the City Council is serious about combating juvenile crime, it …

Langston Deal Headed to Hinds County

U.S. District Court Judge William Pauley is sending the state's $14 million dispute with disbarred attorney Joey Langston to Hinds County. Pauley decided this month to uphold a decision to …

Senate Kills Police Pay Raise Bill

Jackson residents almost got a chance to vote on a proposal to raise hotel taxes to fund a police pay raise before a Senate subcommittee killed it Monday. The bill's …

SkyTel Back in the News

The former mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick, is demanding $100 million from SkyTel, a company formerly headquartered in Jackson.

Governor's Proposal Falls Flat

The Mississippi Legislature seemed in no mood to give Gov. Haley Barbour's thoughts on eminent domain any consideration yesterday. Barbour called a special legislative session in the midst of the …

UPDATED: Hosemann Seeks More Power

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann asked the Legislature for subpoena power last week to make it easier for him to purge the state's voter rolls. Hosemann suggested to the Senate …

Barbour: Fund ‘Pet Projects' Now

Last week Gov. Haley Barbour called the House and Senate back for a special session, to begin May 18, to continue slogging away at the state's almost $4 billion budget. …

Public Meetings and Community Events This Week

Donate Blood and Save a Life Monday through Thursday, Dec. 7-10, a the University of Mississippi Medical Center (2500 N. State St.) and Friday at the Jackson Medical Mall. Hours: …

[Balko] 4.5 SWAT Raids Per Day

During the last six months of 2009, police deployed SWAT teams oyed 804 times in the state of Maryland, or about 4.5 times per day. In Prince George's County alone, …

Regular Refs Back Tonight; Goodell Apologizes to Fans

The NFL's regular officiating crews are back, and Commissioner Roger Goodell has apologized to the fans who fretted about the replacements the last three weeks.

Sunshine Week, Part II: How to Demand More Open Gov't

1. Government workers who ask "why do you want to see THAT?" (It's none of their business.)

This is the week when media love to talk about "sunshine" and openness in government. (See my earlier blog post about how The Clarion-Ledger mangled their sunshine story earlier this …

A Beautiful Legacy

A’Lelia Bundles truly has a beautiful heritage.

Bloomberg Factchecks the Clintons

Al Hunt of Bloomberg News dissects what the Obama and Clinton campaigns have been saying about each other—and finds that the Clintons are severely distorting their comments about Obama: