Jackson Free Press

Goodbye, Sweet Ladies

Two beautiful women are about to leave Jackson—and leave a huge void in the creative community here. One of them introduced me to the other of them; without them, the …

‘Waited 36 Years'

On Aug. 19, 1966, at 8:30 p.m. the Beatles were at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tenn. I was not. Mama wouldn't take me. I was in the 10th grade …

Who Owns ‘Local' Media?

"Did you know this was happening? Have you heard about it in the local or national news?" wrote Federal Communications Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein in the San Francisco Chronicle on …

Clarion-Ledger: A ‘Moral Contract' With Melton?

Rarely mentioned in the ongoing lawsuit between Mayor Frank Melton and former Lt. Col. Robert Pierce is the role of The Clarion-Ledger.

A ‘Crucial' Tax

To help the city fund a convention center, the Jackson City Council has approved Mayor Harvey Johnson's proposal for a 1-percent optional sales tax increase, and other proposals that will …

The Mayor and the Cowboy

Hundreds of Jackson citizens poured through the doors of the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center to hear Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. give the annual State of the City address …

Cat Cora

Within weeks of Hurricane Katrina's attack on the lives of Mississippians, Chefs for Humanity Executive Director Debra Rainey was in the area to assess needs so that the non-profit could …

Making A Shelter A Home

A week after Katrina, Jackson's largest shelter—the Red Cross-sponsored Mississippi Coliseum—is a whole new ballgame. Each day at the Coliseum possesses a completely different vibe. Saturday filled itself with excitement—from …

But, Mr. Cleo

I first saw Robert Little, a very handsome toastmaster-by-trade and Jacksonian, take on a young, somewhat skeptical audience Nov. 19 at the North Midtown Community Development Center. He was the …

Just Who Is Clinton B. LeSueur?

The late-model black Jeep Cherokee pulls into the parking lot of Central Mississippi Medical Center in Southwest Jackson. It is covered with green cardboard signs that read, "Who is Clinton …

Felons Are (Back) In

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton, who refused to sit next to a "convicted felon" at a campaign forum back in April, is now a fan of granting second chances. Melton did …

Guilty By Default?

When Mayor Frank Melton held the post as head of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, he leaked a memo containing accusations against MBN employees that were later disproved by the …

Jackson Diary

Edited by JoAnne Prichard Morris

Here's a great way to get into print in the Jackson Free Press. Just send us your true anecdotes, short tales and observations from your life in Jackson, or beyond …

Little Mister Doe

He was found amid the stench of discarded wet coffee grounds, smushed cereal boxes and blackened banana peels. Ten fingers, 10 toes, a perfect baby. But a dead baby. Little …

Evacuees Face Confusion, Long Lines

Stories are still trickling in from major damage zones across the south. Disturbing tales of personal failures and the greater breakdown of government in the face of unconscionable disaster roll …

[Talk] Perception vs. Reality

and Donna Ladd

Police Chief Robert Moore seems a bit more relaxed these days. It was pretty touch-and-go for him there for a while, especially during television sweeps time last spring when property …

[Buzz] Don't Say ‘Tort Reform'; Collective Forms

DON'T SAY 'TORT REFORM': It's kind of fun to watch lawmakers try NOT to talk about a favorite topic: tort reform. Although legislating against "lawsuit abuse," especially with industry-friendly damage …

Summer of Love

A little African-American girl dances, does handstands, twirls around. A blonde hipster college student, wearing a University of Michigan sweatshirt, holds her hand; a Mexican union worker from California teaches …

Hob-Gate

Note: As the JFP went to press, the organizers of Hobstock cancelled the event altogether.

Wake-Up Call For Repubs?

On April 20 House Speaker Billy McCoy swore in Rep.-elect J. Shaun Walley, 28, of Leakesville. Walley represents District 105, consisting of parts of Greene, Perry, Wayne, George and Forrest …