Jackson Free Press

Open Letter to the Publisher of The Clarion-Ledger

Public Involvement is Necessary for Fairly Redrawing District Lines

There was some good news at the state Capitol in January. The Joint Legislative Redistricting Committee met to announce their plans for passage of a redistricting plan this legislative session. …

Freedom Rides Again

Their Story, 50 Years Later

Hank Thomas walked up the steps of the Greyhound bus on a sunny day May 4, 1961. As he calmly surveyed its drab, blue-gray interior, the lanky 19-year-old black student …

Strong and Natural

In April 2010, I had my last chemical hair relaxer. "I have had it," I thought as I decided to go natural once and for all, and I made the …

JFP Voter Guide 2003 - Statewide

<b>Just Who Are these Guys and Gals?</b>

Democratic incumbent Ronnie Musgrove, 47, was a two-term state senator and former Mississippi lieutenant governor before replacing Kirk Fordice as the state's governor. Musgrove, who grew up poor and worked …

UPDATED/URGENT: What to Donate NOW in Jackson/on the Coast

This thread orginally started Tuesday, Aug. 30, and has been updated over the last several days. Be sure to read the comments to the bottom to determine the way you …

"That's What Homemade Soups Are, Mmm Mmm Good": A Fall Lunch Beyond Campbell's

Autumn may not conjure images of ripe, juicy, tomatoes in most people's minds. But the sight of a Campbell's tomato soup can nearly always triggers a storm of nostalgic yearnings …

Hometown Country

Country music songwriter and singer Jeff Maddox has a single getting airplay across the United States and overseas, but so far he hasn't heard his song on radio stations at …

Jeff Maddox

Country music songwriter and singer Jeff Maddox has a single that's getting airplay across the United States and overseas, but so far he hasn't heard his song on radio stations …

Wanted: Weather Observers in Mississippi

[Verbatim] The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, better known as CoCoRaHS, has recently expanded into Mississippi and is looking for volunteer weather observers across the Magnolia State! CoCoRaHS, …

No. 51 Sept 15-21

An Open Letter to the people of Mississippi:

[Outlaw] The Act of Creativity

I found myself neck deep in a community serious about its art.

Hello, Melissa Ferrick

Melissa Ferrick, 39, has been busy recording a cover of Radiohead's "High and Dry" for her forthcoming album, but has stopped long enough to call me. She is slightly flustered, …

Mayor Johnson Weekly Newsletter 5/20

Fischerspooner's "Odyssey" Out Now

"Odyssey," the long-awaited follow-up to NYC art-pop duo Fischerspooner's groundbreaking debut, #1, is out now, April 5th worldwide. Odyssey, so named for the emotional and artistic journey it took to …

Coming-of-Age Flicks

Graduation is not closing a chapter. It is not turning one's back on lessons learned. Instead, graduation is a stepping stone to responsibility. Numerous movies capture this transition. These options …

The Best In Sports In 7 Days

Golf, British Open (6 a.m., TNT): Will wee Padraig Herrington win a third-straight British Open? Or is Tiger Woods ready to pounce? The battle for the claret jug continues through …

Mayor Johnson Weekly Newsletter 11/12

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. …

JFP Interview: Keith Beauchamp

Telling The Untold Story

Keith Beauchamp, 34, has spent the last 10 years of his life investigating the brutal murder of Emmett Louis Till in Money, Miss., in 1955. Till, 14, was visiting relatives …