Jackson Free Press

But Earth, Which Is His Due

At the Neshoba County Fair this year, I had gotten up close to the lectern so I could take a close-up picture of Gov. Haley Barbour's face during his annual …

Melton Wants All JPS Students Drug-Tested

WLBT is reporting:

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton wants students to be able to pass one test in particular... a drug test. Announcing his commitment to improve Jackson's public schools, Melton wants officials to …

Sex Shop Shenanigans

When Mayor Frank Melton and two detectives raided an adult novelty store last Thursday, the incident raised a few questions. Disparate reports by local media WLBT-TV and The Clarion-Ledger offered …

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 …

Protect The Vote

Just as President Bush has nominated a potential U.S. Supreme Court justice who may further roll back federal voting-rights protections, the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP is announcing a …

Mayor Rebuked; Club Re-Opens

On June 26, around 3 a.m, 21-year-old LaKita Williams was shot to death while leaving the Upper Level Sports Bar at 4125 Northside Drive. Gunmen sprayed bullets so randomly that …

[Sawyer] Catholics Need Not Apply

Imagine for a moment you're a middle schooler. You know, the kind of young girl or guy with a slight self-confidence problem, maybe some acne on that indomitable T zone, …

Turnabout: Melton Changes Story About Leak

When he was head of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Jackson Mayor Frank Melton leaked a memo containing accusations that would later be disproved about agency personnel to The Clarion-Ledger. …

Deliver Us From Evil

I was lying in bed last week, thinking about the Edgar Ray Killen trial. My feelings on it are hard to sort out; I'm relieved, yet worried that too many …

[Greggs] Just Not Paying Attention

Most of the time when I'm driving home from work, I'm diligently thinking about something like how cool I would look wearing a cowboy hat while dancing on the hood …

Hail To The Staff

July 6, 2005 This is the 101st issue of the Jackson Free Press. We set out three years ago to bring independent journalism (and the best entertainment coverage) to Jackson, …

Eyebrows Raised Over Voting Decisions

The Mississippi Secretary of State's office announced June 29 that it had made its selection on the vendor to supply the state's voting machines for the 2006 elections: Diebold Election …

Plame-Gate Moves Closer to Karl Rove

Big news today was that Karl Rove was a source in a Time magazine story that helped out undercover CIA investigator Valerie Plame. Newsweek reports:

JFP Wins Two First Place AAN Awards in San Diego

Pro-Life Mississippi: 'A Moderate Will Not Do'

July 1, 2005/verbatim: In light of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's resignation announcement, Terri Herring, president of Pro-Life Mississippi, writes:

Creative Loafing: 'Racial Healing In Mississippi'

Creative Loafing editor and blogger John Sugg has published a cover story about the Killen trial, with an intriguing comparison of Killen and Dick Molpus, in the Creative Loafing papers …

It's Melton Time: What's Next for Jackson?

On July 4, Mayor-elect Frank Melton will officially move into the mayor's office of Jackson. Word on the street says he has big changes planned for the city, changes many …

[Fleming] Barbour: Be Proud, But Not Arrogant

"If thou desire the love of God and man, be humble, for the proud heart, as it loves none but itself, is beloved of none but itself. Humility enforces where …

[Breaking] Killen Sentenced to 60 Years

Moments ago in Neshoba County, Judge Marcus Gordon has sentenced Edgar Ray Killen, 80, to the full 60 years possible for his guilty verdict for manslaughter in the James Chaney, …

After Killen: What's Next For Mississippi?

A common, and easy, response to race-dialogue efforts today in Mississippi is that there is racism everywhere, so why should Mississippians keep apologizing, or be constantly under the microscope.