Jackson Free Press

Truant ‘Sweeps' Obscure Progress

After a setback last Tuesday, Jackson Mayor Frank Melton went through with a campaign promise to attack the Jackson Public School drop-out rate and get school-age children off the street. …

Gov. Barbour's Niece Racks Up FEMA Contracts

The New York Times is reporting today:

Saving Lives: One Month of Torture At A Time

I saw the title of this article and just laughed and laughed...

Seattle's Former Top Cop Says End Drug War

In an op ed this weekend in the Seattle Times (and, it seems, the LA Times, since he's bylined as "Special to the Los Angeles Times"), Norm Stamper, former chief …

No. 11, December 1-7

<b><u>Give Wal-Mart A Break</b></u>

Y'all should give Wal-Mart a break. I love Wal-Mart on Highway 18. The people who work there are friendly and very helpful. The range of goods is low to moderate. …

[Stiggers] Stayin' Alive

Here's a brief pre-holiday message from Pork-N-Piggly CEO and former third-string NFL football star Ernest "Monday Night Football Head" Walker: "An inflated economy has produced a depressed nation of price-gouged …

‘New' Stage

This year at New Stage Theatre, "A Christmas Carol" has a new concept. Everything is different, but the script is the same. There is more detail than ever, and veteran …

Fine Line

"Walk the Line" is a foot-stompin', stand-up-and-cheer, cry-in-your-popcorn film. I've been a long-time fan of Johnny Cash, both as the musician who surpassed both genre and generation, and the man …

The Day That Emmett Died

Twelve-year-old Simeon Wright lay in his bed in his family's small house near Money, Miss., in the Mississippi Delta. It was Saturday night, Aug. 27, 1955, and Simeon was tired …

Melton's Honeymoon, Part IV: Getting What We're Paying For?

When Frank Melton first became Jackson's mayor, he walked into a virtual black forest of uncertainty. The city had been facing a steady flight of residents to bedroom communities for …

Taking On The Times

"It was like it was someone's opinion but it wasn't attributed to anyone," Lea Stokes, a MEMA spokeswoman, said of "Storm Hit Little, but Aid Flowed to Inland City," an …

Papers Please

This is the website of a woman in Colorado who was arrested for failing to show her driver's license to a security officer on a public bus. The case is …

We Need A Mayor, Not A Daddy

It is going to be painfully ironic—and useless—if the recent murder spate is the factor that finally gets the Jackson media to start questioning Mayor Frank Melton. Unless proven otherwise, …

JFP Interview: Mac Speaks Up

Sheriff Malcolm McMillin is not a small person. McMillin stands at 6 feet and weighs in at 250 pounds. He engages in regular fitness training, sports a shaved head, watermelon-sized …

[Greggs] All In The Single Girl's Family

In honor of the holidays I was going to write an endearing column listing all the wonderful things in my life for which I have to be thankful. I scrapped …

City Faces Homicide Spate

This past Sunday, Michael Jerome Williams, a 28-year-old suspect in a double homicide, turned himself in to police after committing the city's eighth and ninth homicides in 10 days with …

Sensational ‘Suburban Legends'

Perhaps the biggest single flaw that The Clarion-Ledger has in its recent addition to its "Changing Face of Jackson" series is the fact that it doesn't include itself in the …

Objets D'Espoir: Artists Put It Back Together Again

Every day after Hurricane Katrina decimated her studio and ripped her home off its foundation, Bay St. Louis artist Lori Gordon picked her way through piles of debris to the …

Gobble, Gobble, Pass The Wine

Thanksgiving is almost here: Have you planned your menu, yet? More importantly, have you chosen your wine, yet? Wine should be an integral part of any gathering. It can make …

Take-Out Turkeys

Despite the record-setting hot weather, this week's forecast appears more seasonal. To help you make your preparations for Thanksgiving, whether you're eating in or out, here's a list of helpful …