Jackson Free Press

Barbour Calls Special Session for Tort Reform, Voter ID

[Verbatim statement] Governor Haley Barbour is standing by his pledge to call lawmakers back to the Capitol since the House of Representatives failed to address lawsuit abuse during their Regular …

Bush Approval Ratings at All-Time Low

CBS News is reporting: "President Bush's overall approval rating has fallen to the lowest level of his presidency, 44 percent, in the latest CBS News poll, reflecting the weight of …

Black Monday: Mississippi's Ugly Response to 'Brown v. Board' Decision

It was the late spring 1953, and Gov. Hugh White had called a crucial special session of the Mississippi Legislature. He needed to mobilize a group of moderate lawmakers. If …

[Ladd] Thin Line Between Love and Hate

I was talking to a young woman the other day who is in the family of a Jackson man who toiled and lobbied and prodded and threatened for many years …

GOP Blames Soldiers, Dems, Media for Scandal

In an editorial, The New York Times exposes the strategy to protect the White House from prisoner-abuse fall-out: "The administration and its Republican allies appear to have settled on a …

[Mimi] Last of the Red-Hot Sugar Mamas

Each suburban wife struggled with it alone. As she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured Cub Scouts and Brownies, …

Fran's Creole Girls

When I was a child in the 1950s, white middle class society pitied childless women. They had few options for a productive life outside of motherhood. The husband of a …

[Cohen] The Enemy Within

Our new NOISE section will highlight the JFP's breaking online stories, hot blog discussions and exclusive online op-eds. Starting this week, the JFP is asking a number of opinionated souls …

[Lott] Keeping Up Our Recovery

Web Exclusive

Twice as many jobs were created in March than expected, more than 300,000 nationally. That shows the U.S. economy is indeed rebounding with a total of 750,000 jobs added since …

Triple Trouble at MDHS

The Mississippi Department of Human Services' latest troubles have come in threes: Children's Rights, a national advocacy group has filed a federal lawsuit against it; the state auditor is investigating …

The Un-Tuskegee Experiment

African Americans had every reason to join the Jackson Heart Study, and every reason not to participate. A landmark study of African Americans and heart disease, it is no ordinary …

Kerry Heralds Education and Good Deeds in Jackson

"Mr. Kerry, Please help save our democracy. Equal Rights for all!" In a sea of "Kerry for President" signs, these words were written on a homemade sign held up in …

[City Buzz] Rules Are Made to Be Busted

DON'T LIKE THE RULES? CHANGE 'EM: Democrats in the Mississippi House succeeded in passing a rules change on Wednesday, March 3, 2004, that they will likely use to block some …

South by Northeast

On the one hand, you've got your Mexican food, and on the other hand, you've got your Asian food. Difficult decision? Not when someone else prepares it, serves it and …

[Featured Blog] On Bush's Gay Marriage War

In Salon today: :On the first day of his reelection campaign, George W. Bush attacked Sen. John Kerry as an equivocating wimp from Massachusetts. On the second day, the president …

Barbour Urges Tort Reform Rally

[Verbatim; from Barbour office) Governor Barbour is asking tort reform supporters to attend a rally at the New Capitol Building this Wednesday (2/25) at 1:30 p.m. on the second floor …

[Buzz] Don't Say ‘Tort Reform'; Collective Forms

DON'T SAY 'TORT REFORM': It's kind of fun to watch lawmakers try NOT to talk about a favorite topic: tort reform. Although legislating against "lawsuit abuse," especially with industry-friendly damage …

C-L Crime Coverage Improves

Reality Check: State of the State

Gov. Haley Barbour laid out his agenda and policies, in many ways for the first time, when he gave his State of the State address on Jan. 26. Of course, …

Let Us Rise in Love, by Carole Cannon

Sweet Honey in the Rock shows up and shows out. This hurricane of African American women whirling, playing percussive instruments, moaning, humming, laughing, soothing, sassing, singing. In voices as deep …