Jackson Free Press

Think Global, Shop Local

<i>Vote for your community with your dollars</i>

"There's Johnson's Hardware and Morgan's Jewelry. … They were the little men. … I go back now, and it's as if they've never existed. … There goes the little man."

MAMAS WHO THINK: Primal Worry

I started worrying seven years ago. Constant worry—about my health, my diet, my energy, my exercise, my toothpaste, my hair color, everything. I was pregnant, and therefore worried. Pregnancy snuck …

Ex-Felons Fight for Right to Vote

Twelve years ago, Yvonne Kennedy, a Democratic member of Alabama's House of Representatives, began a campaign to re-enfranchise ex-prisoners in the state after they had served out their sentences. At …

'Dreary Climate for Women'

The murder of Jackson State University student Latasha Norman, 20, marks the third death of a woman allegedly at the hands of her boyfriend in the Jackson area since September. …

Left Behind: The Reality Bites

First, the good news. Jackson Public Schools announced last week that three schools—George Elementary, Murrah High School and Power APAC Elementary—all reached Level 5 for the 2003-04 school year, which …

GOP '08 Debate: The Hair Tonic Brigade

Just in case you had something better to do and missed it, I thought I'd remind y'all that the GOP had its first presidential debate last night at the Ronald …

[Balko] That Other War

Drug War deaths show that the Verndun mentality continues to thrive in America's effort to protect its citizens from themselves. Law enforcement officials shrug off the deaths of innocents and …

Loving Thy Neighbor

Last week, the day after the JFP's first "Race, Religion & Society" panel discussion, I looked at two e-mails within a couple hours of each other. The first, from a …

Politicizing Hurricane Isaac

The candidates tweaked their plans to show up in Louisiana to see Hurricane Isaac's damage.

A Journey of Bones

During her largely improvised closing argument, federal prosecutor Paige Fitzgerald stumbled upon one of the most poetic moments in the James Ford Seale federal kidnapping trial.

Ode to Fondren

I moved to Jackson because of Fondren. (I can hear a few of you cursing Fondren now.) More specifically, it was because of Rainbow Whole Foods, which a friend of …

Are Obama Comparisons to JFK Unhealthy ‘Baby-Boomer Reminiscing'?

New York Times blogger Matt Bai argues that it's time to move forward instead of backward, as all the Kennedy comparisons do:

‘I'm Not Crazy'

Keep up the good work," they'll say. Or, "your folks must be proud." They say this when I show up to interview them or to photograph them. Before even seeing …

Marchers Seek Equality

A demonstration for gay equality is underway in Jackson this morning. Participants met in the Fondren district and plan to travel to the state Capitol in Fondren's March for Gay …

Money Fears vs. Real Benefits in Medicaid Choice

President Barack Obama thinks his health care law makes states an offer they can't refuse.

Al-Qaida Tipsheet on Avoiding Drones Found in Mali

One of the last things the bearded fighters did before leaving this city was to drive to the market where traders lay their carpets out in the sand.

Fiery Balloon Accident Kills 19 Tourists in Egypt

Nineteen people were killed Tuesday in what appeared to be the deadliest hot air ballooning accident on record. A British tourist and the Egyptian pilot, who was badly burned, were …

Shameless Self-Promotion

Here is an interview C.A. Webb did with me for his Coversations zine. (I have no idea if he's provided this link. If he has, there's two of them...so sue …

Leaping into Spring

It's difficult to write about spring food when it's wet and cold outside—when the groundhog is predicting that a lovely, warm spring is not "right around the corner." Because of …

Food Fight: Desserts of Vicksburg

Before the 19th century and the mechanization of the sugar industry, desserts were consumed mainly by privileged aristocrats or as a rare holiday treat. Thank goodness for technology, or I …