Jackson Free Press

Lifting As We Climb

The women wore breathtaking hats to hear Lerone Bennett Jr. A gargantuan canary-yellow feather creation was perfectly calibrated to match the wearer's canary-yellow suit. A bright-pink straw hat had big …

Driving While ‘Alien'

Why are your vegetables at your local grocery store so cheap? It may well be because the farmer that grew your vegetables was able to hire cheap help via immigrants—some …

The WORST of the New South

In the aftermath of the Edgar Ray Killen arrest, the tough-on-crime stalwarts at The Northside Sun fretted over whether the old Klansman can possibly get a fair trial in the …

North Toward Home

As House and Senate members met May 18 to hammer out the details of Gov. Haley Barbour's call for a special session, Barbour himself was nowhere to be found in …

Plugging a Dam

Former Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson might help to calm a storm that has raged at the University of Southern Mississippi for weeks: protesting students, unhappy instructors, flying allegations, proclamations …

X Marks the Boycott

Nearly 40 years ago, in Mississippi, the state fair was segregated. There was a white fair and later a fair for black people. This October, many of the children and …

Elvis, Beer and Thou

It was started in New Orleans by a guy named Elvis on Magazine Street in a bar called Brew Ha Ha. Beer fanatics Chris Crothers and Allen Tye of Jackson …

Festival of Hope

Several things make the 21-year-old WellsFest unique among Jackson's festivals—there's no charge for admission or parking, it's completely alcohol and drug free, and the proceeds of every sale, not just …

Fruits of Change

Cover art by Ramona Ward

Bob Dylan wrote "The Times They Are A'Changin'" 40 years ago and far from Mississippi. But the sentiment applies here and now; young creatives who couldn't be any more different …

Takin' the A Train

"The Last of the Mississippi Jukes"—will debut on the Black STARZ! cable network Feb. 16 at 8 p.m.

What Would God Think?

George County Justice Court Judge Connie Wilkerson kicked over a fire ant mound when he wrote in a letter to the George County Times, published March 28, that "in my …

No Magnolias Admitted

In 1971, Lesley Silver started the Attic Gallery above a Vicksburg gift store. Many folks didn't know that above all the candles, china, and soap was a gallery distinguished by …

Juveniles: Help Is On the Way!

Whether it's a 10th-grade boy skipping school twice a week or an even younger girl who defied the city's curfew laws, the Mississippi Legislature is ready to change the way …

Culture Clash

Dr. Margaret Drake lives in two worlds. An occupational therapist, art therapist and associate professor in the Graduate Program in Clinical Health Sciences at University Medical Center, Drake is also …

Great Balls of Fire

Traffic was snarled for miles around the Fondren shopping area, on Old Canton Road, early Friday morning. As many drivers took detours on their way to work and school, those …

Liberals In The Christian Center

These days in Mississippi, it can be hard to admit that you're, gulp, not conservative. And don't even say the L-word in public. You might get summarily run over by …

Medicaid Train Wreck

The most momentous action so far during the special session wasn't technically on the agenda: Gov. Haley Barbour signed HB 1434 Wednesday, May 26, a "landmark" bill to cut $106 …

D.I.Y.: How to Play African Drums

Nelajah and Kenya Gowans, of the Kuumba Afrikan Drum and Dance Workshop, make it sound simple to learn to play African drums. Likewise, dance instructor Felicia Bell easily explains the …

[City Buzz] A Time to Speak

A TIME TO SPEAK: Due to it being the 40th anniversary of Freedom Summer, 2004 seems to be the year of activism in the state of Mississippi. In fact, at …

An Imperfect Storm

On Monday, March 7, Gov. Haley Barbour delivered a hardcore ultimatum at the Capitol. "We cannot tax or cut enough in three and a half months to cover a $268 …