Jackson Free Press

Cap & Trade: The Fight Ahead

Today, the Obama administration's plan to reduce greenhouse emissions and lower America's dependence on fossil fuels will come under intense Congressional scrutiny. With more than 50 witnesses scheduled to provide …

Didja Vote? Have Problems?

Get voting info/advice/help numbers here.

Focus On The ‘Mayor Stuff'

It wasn't until Friday, five days after Katrina had blown through Jackson, that a visibly uncomfortable Mayor Melton fielded questions about city response from what was a visibly frustrated, angry …

Why Peterson Needs to Stay DA

I didn't know Faye Peterson from Eve when she ran for re-election four years ago. I knew much was being made about the criminal "backlog" (that she inherited). I knew …

Close To Home

Does $4-a-gallon gas have you down? While we suffocate under the battle over oil, the price marquee at gas stations is constantly changing.

Jubilee! Jam Goes Street

Design by Jakob Clark

Make no mistake: The 2005 Jubilee!JAM will be markedly different from those in years past. Music coordinator Charles Abraham says the 19th JAM will be "more of a street party …

'Nothing But Negative Attacks'

Minutes after Gov. Haley Barbour began his prepared speech at the Neshoba County Fair last week, a transcript of the speech arrived in the Jackson Free Press' e-mail box.

Hurricane Recovery, Barbour - Style

Photos by David Rae Morris,

As residents of Mississippi's Gulf Coast gathered to commemorate the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, they recalled a cataclysmic storm that spared no one, rich or poor, from its destruction. …

Where Voter ID Stands in Mississippi

After years of unsuccessfully trying to get the Mississippi Legislature to pass a voter ID law, last November, state conservatives put the issue of voter ID to the state's voters.

[Lott] The Tools of Peace

Not long before the terrorist attacks of September 11, and well before Hurricane Katrina, some in the national media criticized me for helping fund the construction of a new helicopter …

Despite Deaths Behind Bars, Hinds County Wants Out of Consent Decree

Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said that his office had fired two detention officers for violating various jail policies at Hinds County Detention Center concerning the death of pre-trial detainee …

Fathers, Firefighters: Lives Lost in West, Texas

With help from relatives, friends and obituaries of the deceased released by local funeral homes, The Associated Press compiled vignettes of some of the 14 victims who died in the …

Public Education

Illustration by Ken Patterson In all four presidential/vice presidential debates, the moderators failed to ask a single question about public education and the candidates' views on President Bush's "No Child …

Teachers Vent Frustrations and Share Ideas at Hughes Townhall

On the penultimate day of Mississippi's 2019 legislative session, state leadership dropped an amended version of an appropriations bill for state construction projects on lawmakers just 23 minutes before asking …

Mississippi Leaders Condemn Bomb Attempts

Gov. Phil Bryant and other Mississippi leaders from both sides of the aisle offered condemnation after an unknown person mailed bombs to national Democratic leaders on Wednesday.

[Kamikaze] Hamster On A Treadmill

I've been intrigued reading some of the posts on the JFP Web site in response to the New York Times story "Plight Worsens for Black Men." Although I didn't need …

Fear is a Four-Letter Word

Harvey Johnson is not the only one who lost the mayoral primary last week. So did fear. Yes: fear suffered a resounding loss in Jackson.

"Fahrenheit 601": JFP Readers Want Film in Jackson

Here's the blog that has Jackson talking; originally posted June 19, 2004, this thread spawned a movement to bring "Fahrenheit 9/11" to Jackson. Now the energy has turned to bringing …

Melton Flies to Phillips

Blog post by Brian Johnson:

Mayor Frank Melton flew to Dallas today with city investment guru Jimmy Heidel and his ever-present body guards. In comments before the flight, Melton told members of the press that …

Silencing the Media, Hiding Crimes & Misdemeanors

A good story in USA Today about the "scorched-earth" assault on the media's ability to hold elected officials accountable: