Jackson Free Press

10 Local Stories of the Week

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.

The Coast's Forgotten Poor

"It was already hard to find an apartment even before the storm," Karen Peyton of Biloxi said. "Now it's almost impossible, and the rents are skyrocketing."

STEPS: Barbour's Good Idea?

A new Mississippi program that will use federal welfare funds to help hire new employees has many policy analysts excited. The Subsidized Transitional Employment Program and Services, or STEPS Program, …

The Bush-Delay-Barbour Friends That Ate Iraq

Fourth Death in Mississippi Prisons; Judge Says Other Prison OK

Another Mississippi inmate has died at the hands of a fellow inmate, bringing the death toll to four amid disturbances over the past week in the state prison system.

[Sue Doh Nem] Love Connection in the Recession

Brett Starrchild: "I'm Brett Starrchild, the other token Caucasian TV host of the Ghetto Science Team Cable Network. Welcome to the final round of the new dating show, 'No Romance …

Nurturing Your Little Chef

Last night my kitchen exploded. My 3-year-old daughter helped me cook dinner. She doesn't quite have all of the techniques down yet, particularly the mixing and pouring parts, which at …

When the Going Gets Tough

No doubt about it, these are scary economic times. Many people are losing jobs, some businesses are closing, consumers are holding tight to their dollars.

JFP Endorses Musgrove, Blackmon, Peterson, full slate

To determine our candidate choices, the JFP editorial board looked at the record, watched the campaign (focusing on issues, not rhetoric) and talked to many of the candidates whom our …

But Earth, Which Is His Due

At the Neshoba County Fair this year, I had gotten up close to the lectern so I could take a close-up picture of Gov. Haley Barbour's face during his annual …

Barbour Reaffirms Vow to Sue

In response to Attorney General Jim Hood's statement yesterday that his office needed additional time to assess the constitutionality of the health-care reform bill signed by President Barack Obama earlier …

Legislative Update—Week 5: Medicaid, Jobs, Land

Legislative committees worked furiously this week during the run-up to the Feb. 19 deadline for House and Senate committees to act on general bills and constitutional amendments originating in their …

Clarion-Ledger Whining About ‘Tort Reform' ... Again

Gov. Haley Barbour's media partner in "tort reform" is now whining about Mississippi's position on the U.S. Chamber's state legal climate ranking, now asking the question they should have asked …

Barbour's Ambitious Posturing

Gov. Haley Barbour has been a vociferous opponent of the Obama administration's stimulus package, especially when it comes to accepting the $2.3 billion allocated to Mississippi.

Dems Also to Blame for Playing Language Game

When I blogged about Mississippi Republicans using coded anti-Latino rhetoric to their advantage, my editor offered up a challenge: are Democrats doing the same thing, just less explicitly?

[Stauffer] A River Running Through It

The LeFleur Lakes project will be something that Jackson talks about for some time to come. Originally the brainchild of developer and engineer John McGowan, the "Two Lakes" project, as …

Hood Threatens Insurance Industry

Attorney General Jim Hood attacked State Farm Fire and Casualty Co.'s decision last week to suspend new home-owners and commercial insurance policies in Mississippi. Hood said the national insurance company …

Legislative Update: The End — But Not Really

The legislative session ended with less fighting than expected, though a few battles didn't quite get finished—meaning that Gov. Haley Barbour is likely to call one of his pricey special …

Barbour Reacts to Race to the Top

The Obama administration announced the recipients of this year's Race to the Top grants, and Mississippi was not on the list.

Sabotage, Death, Danger: Private Prison on Trial

The Southern Poverty Law Center, the National Prison Project of the ACLU and two other law firms brought a class-action lawsuit against the Mississippi Department of Corrections back in 2013 …