Jackson Free Press

Make a Joyful Noise

Christmas is the season of giving (or re-gifting, for some), and musicians all over the state are playing Santa Claus, using their talents to help others during the holiday season. …

Think You're Not Creative?

"You're so creative," they'd say. "I wish I could be creative."

Back in my last life, I worked as a professional marketer, writing and designing advertising and materials to sell stuff. It used to make me totally nuts when people would …

More Than Alright, in the End

"The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," based on Deborah Moggach's novel, "These Foolish Things," meditates on life after retirement. The movie blends touches of Eastern philosophy with British wit and irreverence.

MIFF: A Cinematic Extravaganza

Edward Saint Pe and his team of organizers and volunteers commandeer the indie-film scene from Friday through Saturday with the 2011 Mississippi International Film Festival. "We're showing 50 films all …

Cosmo Tots and Blithe and Vine

Casual, elegant and modern. That's how Cosmo Tots and Blithe and Vine co-owner Liz Spratlin describes her well-lit and simply decorated store. Tammy Wynette plays softly in the background, enhancing …

Eat Your Garden

Want to have a little garden—grow a few herbs and vegetables, and maybe some fruit to get off the grid just a tad— but don't know how to get started? …

Parents to Ask JPS to Reconsider Supt. Picks

The Jackson Public Schools board has narrowed down its field of possible superintendents to two, but some parents say the district should search again for a candidate with more experience …

Thea Faulkner

In Jackson, people perceive public schools as having many problems and challenges, Thea Faulkner said, and rightly so. Sometimes, people focus so much on the negatives, however, that they don't …

Rebels Without a Pause

On the first floor of the Capitol last Wednesday, a handful of Democrats assembled to enjoy a late lunch when a burly assistant sergeant-at-arms burst in to say that Speaker …

Scrapping for Funds

The Mississippi Department of Education says it needs a 13-percent funding increase in 2013, but most of the increase includes funding that the department was legally entitled to in previous …

Bright Future

Despite the recent high-profile bankruptcy of Solyndra, a solar panel manufacturer in Fremont, Calif. that was backed by a federal loan guarantee, proponents of solar power in Mississippi said the …

[Hightower] Facts For Action On Health Care

Widely reported fact No. 1: Our country faces a growing health-care crisis, which leaves 47 million Americans with no health insurance—an increase of 7 million people since the year 2000.

[Rob In Stereo] Evaluating a Five-Star Album

My family subscribed to Rolling Stone magazine through my grade school years. Though the stories often went over my head, I was always avidly interested in the album reviews—especially the …

[Talk] What's in the Water?

The City of Jackson was inconvenienced last week when officials released a precautionary boil-water alert because samples showed bacteria that can cause digestive problems. Everyone scrambled for alternatives. Residents lugged …

Chutzpah, Y'all

Then, she pursued Madonna, JFK Jr., the New York Yankees and the beautiful people at the Cannes Film Festival. Now, it's the Sweet Potato Queens and congressional candidates at the …

City Unveils Urban Garden

On the corner of Capitol and Adams Streets, city work crews and volunteers are busy transforming an empty lot into a community garden that will provide fresh produce and a …

Bus Drivers Fighting for Contract Improvements

School bus drivers in Hinds, Madison, Clay and Yazoo counties are negotiating for better wages to bring them up from the lowest levels in the area. The drivers, employees of …

Ex-Hinds Official Defends Radio Purchase

Larry Fisher, former emergency operations director for Hinds County, defended the city of Clinton's purchase of 19 emergency radios today, challenging the claim by Board of Supervisors President Robert Graham …

Pam Greer

Pam Greer remembers what it felt like to not get any Christmas gifts. When she was a child growing up in Magnolia, Miss., her family couldn't afford them and were …

State Public Safety Dept. to Stay in Jackson, For Now

A proposal to move the Mississippi Department of Public Safety's headquarters from Jackson to Pearl is off the table for the moment, but a spokesman for the Department said Commissioner …