Jackson Free Press

School Daze: Testing Madness

As I proctored a classroom full of seventh-graders taking the Grade Level Testing Program (GLTP) test last April in a suburban Jackson public school, I couldn't help but think that …

‘The Mayor Happened'

The Jackson Free Press got an anonymous call about the mayor of Jackson tearing down a house with sledgehammers in late August 2006.

Disaster in the Making: Will the Next Hurricane Be the Big One?

Here's a story we ran in Oct. 7, 2004, questioning whether federal policy and budget changes—and homeland security concerns—are trumping protection from natural diasters. We're pulling it back to the …

File under 'WTF'

Federally run "big gorilla" mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will pay out $210 million in retention bonuses over the next 18 months, reports Times Online. Between them, the …

Barbour's ‘State of the State' Address

"Thank you. Lt. Governor Tuck, Speaker McCoy, ladies and gentlemen of the Legislature, fellow Mississippians. Thank you for being here for my third State of the State address. I apologize …

Melton Moves Halloween

Does anyone know what's going on for Halloween in Jacktown? The last couple of years there's been a pretty big party in Fondren, but I haven't heard anything about it …

20 Police Officers Fired; No Details Given

WLBT reported Friday night that the mayor and police chief have fired another 20 or so police officers, but will say what they did to deserve, or even how many …

Mississippi Flag: A Symbol of Hate or Reconciliation?

Kitsaa Stevens is arguably one of the more passionate defenders of the current Mississippi state flag, which has included the most notorious Confederate battle emblem in its canton since 1894.

Tarring and Feathering Faye Peterson

I was sitting in the student center at Belhaven College Friday afternoon, participating in a media-ethics forum with several other media leaders from around town. The conversation was compelling, and …

Home, Bitter Home

The last time Tim* hit Olivia, they had broken up. Outside their apartment complex, in front of his friends, they did their usual screaming at one another. He had her …

No Apologies: Inside Mississippi's Pro-Life Movement

Bruce Stuckey and Roy McMillan are doing what many people would consider radical—standing outside the Jackson Women's Health Clinic in mid-September, protesting in the rain. They are flanked by a …

You Can Help Revive the Cigarette Tax

Communities for a Clean Bill of Health says that Mississippians can be instrumental in reviving the cigarette tax increase for this session.

Talking Back in Flyover Country

Not too long before the election, I found an e-mail I'd missed from a young Mississippi artist: "Donna, I think this article deserves a talented rebuttal. See what you can …

Personhood: A Pandora's Box

Atlee Breland picked her three young children up from preschool and drove home to Brandon. A self-employed computer programmer, Breland is able to adjust her day around her children. Her …

Radical Health: The JFP Interview With Dr. Joseph White

Photos by Ronni Mott

It can be challenging to write an upbeat article on health and wellness in Mississippi. We've all seen the barrel-bottoming numbers. Good news about the subject is difficult, though not …

Clarion-Ledger's Jackson Circulation: 22,000

This is so deliciously educational that it deserves its own blog entry. In an article today about the city's legal-ad controversy, The Clarion-Ledger admits that out of its total circulation …

Lessons from Vietnam

This week, President George W. Bush made one more attempt to shore up support for our continuing war in Iraq by comparing our experience there to the war in Vietnam, …

AP: Census Shows Many Couldn't Afford to Evacuate

An Associated Press analysis of Census data shows that the residents in the

Here's one for the dumbasses who tried to blame the victims, saying they just should have evacuated like the other folks did. The Associated Press is reporting that an analysis …

Kim Wade

Kim Wade, a boisterous conservative, reclines in the cramped studio of WJNT. The witty and outspoken Wade is probably best known in the Jackson area for his weekday talk show, …

BREAKING: Ben Allen Responds to Melton's "Sideshow"

Council President Ben Allen said at a press conference this afternoon that Mayor Frank Melton had put the city through an "18-month sideshow," but added that the council was prepared …