Jackson Free Press

2005 Year In Review, Part One: The First Six Months

No doubt about it, 2005 was the best of times, and the worst of times in Mississippi. We end the year sorrowful about our state's massive losses due to a …

[Greggs] Ali G's Magnificent 2006 Predictions

Last year on New Year's, I made a resolution against resolutions. My logic for this decision was knowing that if I truly wanted to change something about myself, I could …

City Ends Precinct-by-Precinct Crime Stats

Not that it made the front page as any story about the previous administration and crime stats used to, but The Clarion-Ledger has a story today about how the new …

Sex Shop Goes Up In Flames

This takes care of one of Melton's issues.

No. 14, December 22-28

<b><u>Boot Camps Won't Work</b></u>

I have to give the mayor credit for identifying a problem and then attempting to deal with it, even if it is in the mode of Don Quixote slaying windmill …

Dancing Like It's 1984

Developers say the city may have put a project to fund renovations at the dilapidated King Edward Hotel at risk by lingering too long on an application for a HUD …

Melton's Honeymoon, Part VI: The Mayor and The Police

Mayor Frank Melton swept into the city's mayor office July 4 with a badge and a side arm, determined to take a bite out of crime. During that time, he's …

Frustrating Democracy

If information wants to be free, it cannot be happy with the administration of Mayor Frank Melton. Since the mayor took office in July, the Jackson Free Press has made …

U.S. Supreme Court to Review Texas Redistricting Scheme

AP is reporting today:

My So-Called Holiday Column

They say that during the holidays, you're supposed to stop and consider what you're thankful for. (OK, this is starting out cheesy, I know. Work with me here.) Combine that …

Melton's Honeymoon, Part IV: Getting What We're Paying For?

When Frank Melton first became Jackson's mayor, he walked into a virtual black forest of uncertainty. The city had been facing a steady flight of residents to bedroom communities for …

Taking On The Times

"It was like it was someone's opinion but it wasn't attributed to anyone," Lea Stokes, a MEMA spokeswoman, said of "Storm Hit Little, but Aid Flowed to Inland City," an …

Booting Delinquents

After raising the hackles of several City Council members, Jackson Mayor Frank Melton walked out of a meeting Nov. 22 after presenting a proposal for a controversial "boot camp" for …

The Lion, the Witch, and the Governor

Mark this one on your calendars, folks, because it won't happen often: In the current controversy between Governor Jeb Bush and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, I'm …

Jackson Less ‘Dangerous' In 2004

Ironically, a murder binge in the city—nine fatal shootings in 10 days—comes just as a national crime-rating outfit released good news for the city of Jackson, at least about its …

We Need A Mayor, Not A Daddy

It is going to be painfully ironic—and useless—if the recent murder spate is the factor that finally gets the Jackson media to start questioning Mayor Frank Melton. Unless proven otherwise, …

Firefighters Griping Over New Chief

After three months of grumbling among themselves, some Jackson firefighters have officially voiced concerns over Mayor Frank Melton's installation of former Jackson Fire Department Capt. Todd Chandler as interim fire …

Allstate v. Melton

On Aug. 22, Jackson Mayor Frank Melton admitted to Lauderdale County Circuit Court Judge Robert Bailey that he had lied for more than two years about sending a debunked Mississippi …

No-Bid Contract for Coast Schools Under Fire

The New York Times reports today:

The Honeymoon, Part II: Melton's Secrets

One month after taking over the mayor's seat, Frank Melton said that the news business hadn't quite worked its way out of his soul.