Jackson Free Press

Capitol Report: Will They Or Won't They?

The Legislature only has until Jan. 31 to decide whether it will reinstate the Medicaid benefits taken from 50,000 people characterized as Poverty Level, Aged and Disabled (PLADs) last session. …

I Was a Teenage Curfew Violator

January 6, 2005—For the third time the Jackson City Council is considering implementing a youth curfew law. The recent curfew, which expired in August, affected kids under 18 who were …

Running with the Young Guns

I just typed "04" in the date for this file and then corrected myself. It's that time of year again. After our week off for the holidays, we're back and …

Capitol Burning: The War Between the Branches

Mississippi is known for many things: great authors, beautiful antebellum plantations, Sweet Potato Queens, civil rights troubles and a ridiculously tight state budget. In the poorest state in the country, …

The Road to Wellness, Week 6

<b>Walking on the Dock of The Bay</b>

Since I pretty much get to decide where the Road to Wellness takes me, then I say it goes through Bay St. Louis, Miss. Ms. D and I always enjoy …

The Year in Hip-Hop

This has been one hell of a year in hip-hop. It may have been a little bit of a rollercoaster ride for some artists, but on the local side, this …

[Breaking] Judge Charles W. Pickering Retiring

[verbatim] Today, Charles W. Pickering, Sr. made the following statement:

"My nomination and permanent appointment to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has been pending before the full Senate for more than one year. The recess appointment given to me …

[City Buzz] Headed to Climax

From 2004: Chokwe Lumumba v. Mississippi Bar

Activist attorney Chokwe Lumumba, the founder of the New Afrikan People's Organization, is headed back to court this week to fight for his professional life. Again. The Mississippi Bar is …

Soldiers Challenge ‘Stop-Loss' Extensions

AP is reporting:

Eight soldiers are challenging the Army's policy requiring them to serve longer than the terms of their enlistment contracts. In a lawsuit being filed Monday in federal court, the soldiers …

City Makes Letter to Ledger Public

Letters to the Editor

This (so-far-unpublished) letter to the editor of The Clarion-Ledger about an Eric Stringfellow column came around this week in the mayor's weekly newsletter: [verbatim from here]The letter below is from …

Mayor Johnson Weekly Newsletter 12/03

[Verbatim from city] The 2004 Jackson Holiday Parade is Saturday, December 4, 2004 at 2:00 p.m. The Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony begins immediately after the parade at Josh Halbert Gardens …

The Progressive Morality

Professor George Lakoff writes in The Nation:

Peace, Love and Appeasement

After nearly two weeks of tug-of-war between the Mississippi House of Representatives and Gov. Haley Barbour, it seems that both sides have stopped pulling and come to agreement on a …

Dust-Up on Floor of U.S. Senate Today

[Breaking] Apparently, it was just disocvered that Republicans snuck a provision into the 3,000-page budget bill that allows agents of congressional committees to have access to anybody's IRS records. They're …

Could Upcoming Ohio Recount Change Outcome?

CNSNEWS.com is reporting:

November 9th Music Releases

After a hiatus spurred on by the election, the New Music Releases are BACK! So, let's get on with the new releases for the week of November 9th, 2004.

Part-Time Justice

<b>Poor State Prisoners Shorted on Legal Help</b>

A recent town meeting in Jackson highlighting prisoner abuse in the state's penal system offered a peek at another legal issue plaguing many Mississippians who find themselves on the wrong …

A ‘Mixed Blessing'

Along with the history of segregation and inequality among elementary and secondary education in the state, the state's historically black state universities, called HBCUs, have endured a longstanding tradition of …

It's Mourning in America

Rick Perlstein of The Village Voice writes: