Jackson Free Press

Health-Care Reform to Dump Poor Kids?

Oleta Fitzgerald, director of the Children's Defense Fund's Southern Regional Office, says she is concerned over the welfare of Mississippi children if either of the two health-care reform packages considered …

Why I Like the Senate Health Care Bill

This past week I learned something surprising and encouraging about the health-care reform bill in the Senate— -- something that you may not know if you've only listened to mainstream …

Insurance-Reform Bills Big on Change

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had a lot to be proud of at the end of October when the House released a new and improved bill to reform health care and …

Love Thy Neighbor

I grew up in the Episcopal Church, and it was the center of everything my family did. From Sunday school to youth group and potluck dinners, the church provided a …

Ceara's Season

Ceara Sturgis' home in Wesson, Miss., is filled with cookie jars. Ancient, smiling caricatures of 1950s-era "Campbell's Kids" join recent additions featuring the likeness of the M&M characters.

Judges Order Two Off Mississippi Death Row

In separate cases, federal judges have ruled that two Mississippi inmates on death row in Parchman are mentally ill. Both cases stem from 1981 crimes, and the two inmates have …

BREAKING: Health Care Reform Passes U.S. House 220-215

One Republican joined 219 Democratic members of the U.S. Congress minutes ago to pass H.R. 3962 to reform health care in America. Rep. Joseph Cao, of the 2nd District of …

State Sued over ‘Abstinence'

In an effort to stop taxpayers from funding religious events, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in federal court last week against the Mississippi Department of Human Services …

The Young and the Uninsured

Amanda Starnes, 24, is in duress. She learned a few months ago that she suffers from Type 1 diabetes. She is a Holmes Junior College student and unemployed, with no …

Lose the Rhetoric on Health Care

When Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi's second congressional district hosted a town hall meeting on health-care reform Monday in Jackson, there were no angry mobs, protesters with guns or yelling …

Rep. Bennie Thompson

Opening up a forum for civil discussion and debate, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi's Second Congressional District addressed questions to more than 300 people last night on proposals for health-care …

[Balko] What No One Bothered to Ask Sotomayor

Confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor included much of what we expected. Almost entirely left out of the discussion was a subject you might think has some relevance …

Enforce the Smoking Ban

On Feb. 1, 2009, a smoking ban went into effect for the city's restaurants. After an initial flurry of objections, the air in most of city's restaurants and clubs became …

Minister Blasts Mississippi Senator's Connections

Also see JFP cover story: Guess Who's Coming to Jackson, June 24, 2009

[Opinion] Jackson Loves Jackson

When I made the decision to leave Ole Miss and venture down to Jackson, I was admittedly scared. While taking breaks from epic "Halo 2" battles and scourging fraternity pledges, …

Guess Who's Coming To Jackson

Gordon Baum, the chief executive officer of the Council of Conservative Citizens, can tell a good story.

Stewart v. Huckabee on Abortion: What do you think?

After growing up Southern Baptist— and spending a good bit of time on the opposite side of the spectrum when I was in college— I've had a number of different …

Kennedy: Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Beck Spread Hate

Speaking to reporters last Friday after his keynote speech at the memorial for slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers in Jackson, Robert Kennedy Jr. said some right-wing broadcast hosts feed …

Hmph!

When I made the decision to leave Ole Miss and venture down to Jackson, MS, I was admittedly scared.

Taking breaks from epic Halo 2 battles and scourging fraternity pledges, I'd caught breaking news flashes of Jackson's zany mayor busting into residential buildings and wearing Kevlar vests.

Arkansas Shooter Pleads Not Guilty After Confession

This morning, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, 24, a Little Rock man formerly known as Carlos Bledsoe, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and 15 counts of engaging in terrorist activities. Muhammad …