Jackson Free Press

Pushing Kids Out

Feeding the 'Cradle-to-Prison' Pipeline

Drodriquez Williams watched the news that night about the twin towers at the World Trade Center collapsing Sept. 11, 2001. It shocked the 9-year-old boy. Every time he saw the …

Face-Off: The Battle for ‘Tort Reform'

When Sen. Gloria Williamson walked up to the podium on the first day of the 2004 Extraordinary Session called by Gov. Haley Barbour, she had one goal. The senator from …

JFP Voter Guide 2003 - Statewide

<b>Just Who Are these Guys and Gals?</b>

Democratic incumbent Ronnie Musgrove, 47, was a two-term state senator and former Mississippi lieutenant governor before replacing Kirk Fordice as the state's governor. Musgrove, who grew up poor and worked …

Did She Have To Die?

By 10 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2007, the temperatures were well on their way to 93 degrees when JPD Sgt. Eric Wall pulled his cruiser into the turn lane on …

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Obama To Address Joint Session of Congress

According to The Hill, President Obama will address a joint session of Congress next Looks like Obama will be working to get the talking stick back after a month of …

Krugman: Obama's Budget Is 'Very, Very Good'

Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman writes in his New York Times column that President Obama is taking the country in the right direction in his new budget:

The Election Predictions Thread

Ready to throw your weight behind your predictin' prowess? Here's the "official" word (mine, that is) on what's going to happen in today's elections. Are you brave enough to answer …

DOSSIER: Two Faces of Mississippi Powerhouses; Meek Strikes Back

Power brokers like former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott can always find a sympathetic, or least non-questioning, ear back in the Magnolia State.

Good Faith, Bad Faith: City Contract Controversies Explode ... Again

Arneedra Smith-Gaddis seemed nervous when she stepped to the microphone in City Hall on Jan. 3, but Bridgette Gandy looked more composed. The two women subcontractors were there, separately, to …

Clarion-Ledger Downplays Huge Turnout, Hosemann's Error

Remarkably, even in the light of day, Clarion-Ledger reporter Natalie Chandler is still repeating an abysmally off turnout prediction by Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann as if it were …

Ban Shirley Q. Liquor, blackface minstrel character

What Don Imus did pales in comparison to this disgusting portrayal of black women.

[Kamikaze] Don't Blame Nelly

My condolences go out to rap mega-star Nelly and his immediate family. In case you haven't heard, Nelly's sister, 31-year-old Jackie Donahue, lost her battle with leukemia recently. What a …

BREAKING: Melton in Jail, In Medical Lock-up

Photo caption: Mugshots of Mayor Frank Melton, courtesy Hinds County Sheriff's Office.

Cochran and Lott AWOL on Lynching Resolution

[Originally posted June 14] In a highly publicized resolution last night, the United States Senate formally apologized for the body's failure over the years to pass a federal anti-lynching law …

Take the Time to Do It Right

Last Sunday two Clarion-Ledger columnists expressed dismay at Mayor Frank Melton's string of public proclamations that turned out to be more hype than good, legal policy—telling city board members to …

Abortion 'Ban' DOA

After weeks of sending abortion-rights supporters into a furious tizzy, a bill to ban the procedure in Mississippi flittered away into impotence as it passed its March 27 deadline for …

Juvenile Justice: What's Needed

Rep. Earle Banks, D-Jackson, chaired the Mississippi House Juvenile Justice Committee last year, but accepts that with Republicans running the Legislature, much will change.

Presidential Pardons Heavily Favor Whites

White criminals seeking presidential pardons over the past decade have been nearly four times as likely to succeed as minorities, a ProPublica examination has found.

Men We Love

In most cases, stereotyping is a bad thing. Fairness dictates that we avoid it all costs. But it's safe to say, as actress Mae West once did, "Men are all …

The Sound and Fury of 'Perception'

Ponder these statements for a moment: "There is too much crime in Jackson." "The perception of crime is worse than the reality."