Jackson Free Press

Three Mississippi Colleges Named ‘Best Buys'

Mississippi State University, Mississippi College and Millsaps College all made the 2009 Forbes "Best College Buys" list, which divides a school's overall quality score by its average tuition rates for …

MBN Seeing Spike in Meth Labs

Drug dealers and producers are getting smarter, says the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. The agency is seeing a rise lately in methamphetamine labs and in the numbers of cocaine investigations, …

Goodbye, Bobby DeLaughter

Ever since the former Judge Bobby DeLaughter's plea deal with the feds was announced last week, with him headed to prison, we've heard the words "Cedric Willis" come out of …

DeLaughter Pleads Guilty

Former Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter, 55, resigned his job and pleaded guilty to misleading authorities this week. The former judge had five counts against him, all representing …

[Stiggers] Rewriting Ghetto History

Welcome to another reader's guide to Ken Stiggers. My last reader's guide (published April 22, 2009) explained the term "Ghetto Science Team."

'The Business of Us All

On an August day in 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till went inside a Money, Miss., grocery store to buy bubblegum with his cousin, Curtis. On his way out, newspaper clippings suggest, …

Who's Getting Rich off ‘No Child Left Behind'?

In a fenced-in complex of buildings sandwiched between Capitol and Amite streets, a small tutoring business is making big money.

AG Sues Barbour Over Veto

Citing case law that restricts the Mississippi governor from selectively vetoing the purpose of an appropriation and redistributing its funds, Attorney General Jim Hood filed a lawsuit against Gov. Haley …

'ShopLocal' Blog Declares War on JFP; Says We're 'Misinformed'

In a post that can only be called "jaw-dropping" in its hubris, Gannett's ShopLocal™ blog has taken major umbrage with the JFP's special local-business issue last week, which exposed "local …

Builder Guild Improves Gulf Coast Workforce Housing Standards

Gulf Coast Renaissance Corporation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on affordable housing in the Mississippi counties hardest hit by 2005's Hurricane Katrina, has revised and improved its standards for affordable …

Haley Barbour Recalls Reagan in Neshoba County Fair Speech

Neshoba County Fair/July 30, 2009/Verbatim

Thank you. It's great to be back at the Fair; there's no place like it. A little mud on your boots never should bother anybody over here. This is my …

Think Local First

I'm currently reading the book "Big Box Swindle" by Stacy Mitchell, who wrote our cover story this week. The book argues that much of what we believe about big-box development—that …

[Kamikaze] Let Vick Play

After a maturation that included a confession, sentencing and then jail time, it seems that Michael Vick will once again be allowed to ply his trade on the gridiron.

Wink, Wink: The ShopLocal™ Scam

When the Jackson Free Press launched our Web site and published our first print edition in September 2002, we immediately started urging our readers to "Think Global, Shop Local." The …

How To Invest in the Community

For every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $45 stays in the local economy. That is the finding of a study by Civic Economics, which found that shopping at …

Sales Tax Holiday This Weekend

If you're in the market for back-to-school clothes and shoes, this coming weekend is the time to make your purchases.

Love Conquers Hate

I'm no Tony Bourdain, but I consider myself an adventurous eater. I'll try most anything once, and if my first impression doesn't include the words "epi-pen" or "health code violation," …

The ‘Local' Lie

The International Council of Shopping Centers is pouring millions of dollars into television ads urging people to "Shop Local"—at their nearest mall.

DeLaughter to Plead Guilty to Misleading Feds

Suspended Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter is expected to plead guilty tomorrow in U.S. District Court in Aberdeen. The plea will likely spell an end to a five-count …

Nunnelee Files Campaign Paperwork

Last year, conservative Democrat Travis Childers blew the socks off Republicans by winning one of the most conservative districts in the nation. Republicans saw Childers' victory over Republican Greg Davis—twice—as …