Jackson Free Press

Group Forms to Save Fondren Strip

An online petition asking developer David Watkins to preserve a 1938 strip of Fondren businesses on North State Street has gained the support of 189 people. Watkins proposes to tear …

Peppy Biddy

When actors auditioned for a role in New Stage Theatre's "39 Steps," director Peppy Biddy warned them that the play would be like running on a treadmill at its highest …

Community Events and Public Meetings

Free Tax Counseling and Filing. Bring all necessary documents. Joint filers must come together. Free.

Bill to Reinstate Ole Miss Mascot, Fight Song Likely to Die

A House bill that proposes to reinstate former Ole Miss mascot Colonel Rebel and require the university to play the controversial "From Dixie With Love" fight song during football games …

The Secret is ... People

I thought about going back into the JFP archives to check and see how many of these publisher's notes in previous Best of Jackson issues I've started with, "You hold …

2011

When the Jackson Free Press published our first issue nine years ago this fall, the issue included a Best of Jackson ballot. We were shocked that the city didn't have …

2011: Community

<b>Best Public Figure: 
Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.</b>

Jackson's first African American mayor has been through it. Since he was first elected to the seat in 1997, he has weathered belittlement, racism, jealousy, direct attacks, vicious media coverage, …

2011: Urban Living

Best Annual Event, Best Outdoor Event: Mal's St. Paddy's Parade Downtown Jackson, 601-948-0888 If you want to be part of a party—a colorful crowd that carpets downtown Jackson's streets with …

2011: Food & Drink

Best New Restaurant, Most Innovative Menu, Best New Bar, Best Cocktails: Parlor Market 115 W. Capitol St., 601-373-9841 Craig Noone and his crew hit Jackson like a madhouse toque-wearing, knife-wielding, …

Bernice Rayford

Bernice Rayford, 50, has more to offer the literary world than just "Collard Greens and Ham," the title of her debut self-published novel in 2005. She recently completed her seventh …

Religious Leaders Oppose Payday Lending Laws

Stewpot Community Services Chief Executive Officer Rev. Frank Spencer said Stewpot Community Services would supply groceries to people whose choices are limited to paying off their loan or buying groceries.

Luisa Macedo

"It's bigger than my head," 9-year-old Luisa Macedo says as she describes her 21-pound cabbage that named her the Mississippi winner of the National Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program award. A …

Community Events and Public Meetings

2:30 p.m., Book Buddy Volunteer Training at Boyd Elementary School (4531 Broadmeadow St.). The program aims to help children progress in school. Rebecca Starling of Jackson Public Schools is the …

[Kamikaze] Taking a Stand

I've always said if change were going to come in Jackson, it wouldn't come easy. I've known for years that some folks would have be dragged kicking and screaming into …

The New American Myth

When I was 6 years old, the concept of zero made my brain hurt. "How can there be nothing?" I wailed in utter frustration. "Even when you take away all …

Stand Up to Senate Scheme for Votes

The Mississippi Senate shamed our state Tuesday when it approved an Arizona-style anti-immigrant law that will require law enforcement to profile anyone they think could be an "illegal" immigrant and …

Reading the Tea Leaves: The Tea Party in Mississippi

Tea Party member Donald Wiggans was different. A small, wiry man, he stood quietly during an August 2009 town-hall meeting on health-care reform featuring U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson.

The Slippery Arena Study

The push for an entertainment arena in downtown Jackson, once a private endeavor, is now a matter for city government. Last month, the steering committee of business leaders that has …

Combating Intellectual Property Theft

It began with one patient exhibiting unusual symptoms in 2006. Doctors were puzzled. When dozens of similar cases began to appear, they got worried. But it wasn't until they found …

Arizona-Style Immigration Bill Advances, In A Hurry

The Mississippi Senate passed a bill modeled after Arizona's anti-immigrant law SB 1070 today, despite protests by some Democrats that the measure was rife with errors carried over from the …