Jackson Free Press

APAC's Impact: Shining Bright

As a boy in a school uniform gets off the bus on tree-lined Riverside Drive early one fall morning, faculty and staff inside the Power Academic and Performing Arts Complex …

You Are a Jacksonian If ...

1. You eat at Hal & Mal's more than once a month.

4. You shop at Video Library or Video Café before you go near Blockbuster.

[Ladd] You Got the Power

They call you "sorry." "Lazy." "Apathetic." Or, worse: "Dumb." At the same time, they treat you like an idiot. They don't talk about anything that matters much to you. They …

Sweet Alleges Bias Against Hinds Judges

Jackson attorney Dennis Sweet claims Hinds County Senior Judge Swan Yerger violated the U.S. Constitution when he barred the county's black circuit court judges from hearing more serious cases.

Rankin Anti-Liquor Flier Bashes Jackson

The Clarion-Ledger is reporting:

Husband Speaks About Wife Shot at JSU

The husband of a woman shot at Jackson State University last night is asking for authorities to help find the suspect who is still at large.

Which song was #1 on your birthday?

I found out about this Web site called http://www.joshhosler.biz/ where you can find out which song was at the top of the charts at any time in history - as …

Hills And Gullies On State Street

I've got two different things I need to say this week, and they're almost impossible to segue between, so let me just get the first one out of the way.

Gulf Coast Syndrome

One year after the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and ensuing BP oil disaster, Gulf Coast communities blame oil exposure and dispersants for health problems they say threaten their lives.

The 10 Most Active Jackson Free Press Threads, Ever

Happy birthday, Todd! Thanks to you and Donna for getting this paper running. You have affected the culture of Jackson in more ways than anyone can know, I think.

Melton's Honeymoon, Part V: Seven Degrees of Separation

Like any governmental body that has to share power, the Jackson City Council is a forum of individuals who can rarely accomplish goals without forming some kind of alliance on …

The Case For Innocence

It was Ron Williamson's obituary in the Dec. 9, 2004, issue of The New York Times that caught attorney and author John Grisham's eye.

Rudy Giuliani, Family (Values) Man

The "family values" mantra of the national Republican Party must really be in trouble when this is one of their front-runners:

Are The Saints The Best Team In The NFC Playoffs?

The NFL regular season is over and the playoffs are set to begin this week. Over in the AFC the New England Patriots look like heavy favorites.

Madison County Journal Profiles Melton

Ooo, look at this. The Madison County Journal has a rather glowing profile of Melton this week. Some money quotes:

PPS Hosting Mayoral Forum Sunday Night

Jonathan Lee and Chokwe Lumumba square off in another candidate forum Sunday night, this one about public education.

The JFP Interview with Jim Hood

Attorney General Jim Hood appears to be a natural prosecutor, although it was a career path he initially resisted. His father was a Chickasaw County attorney and prosecutor. In 2003, …

The Lawyers and the Statistician

By day three of the Michael Ellis termination hearing, the Ellis women had moved up to the first row of the hearing room. They wore apparel appropriate for Valentine's Day—a …

Eyes Wide Shut

About four years ago, a colleague invited Myra Ottewell, a native Jacksonian and teacher in British Columbia, to speak to his class after they viewed "Mississippi Burning," the 1988 movie …

Coming On Home

Expatriates return, work for change

Four years ago this week I was languishing at a picnic table in front of tent No. 11 in an area called Boy's Town in the majestic Yosemite Valley. I …