Jackson Free Press

Melton Plans Quick ‘State of the City' at the Alamo

Mayor Frank Melton says he only plans to talk for 30 minutes Friday morning on the "state of the city." The Clarion-Ledger reports:

City's Murder Rate Soars

The latest ComStat reports (June and July) show 26 murders for this year versus 15 for the same period last year, an increase of 73.3 percent. In fact, murder now …

Myth vs. Reality: Myths Plaguing Public Education In Mississippi and Why They Are Not True

Myth 1: More than 60 percent of the state budget is spent on public education.

Jackson's PR Problem, Part Two

As I read Clarion-Ledger Executive Editor Ronnie Agnew's recent opinion piece, "Law Firm, CPA Move Just Plain Business," it occurred to me that his column seemed to be missing a …

Sheriff to Deputize Two of Jackson's ‘Finest'?

The Clarion-Ledger is reporting:

Christian Science Monitor on Melton and Race

The Christian Science Monitor just ran a piece about Frank Melton called Mayor's tough tack on crime stirs up racial sensitivities:

King Edward Hotel a Go

A memo released by David Watkins today says that construction on the King Edward Hotel has begun. Has the threat of implosion finally passed?

Who Was That Badged Man?

Melton learned recently that people outside of Jackson get nervous when civilians pose as licensed law enforcement officers. Staff members at the office of U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson report that …

Coming After Bad Numbers

Mayor Frank Melton threatened to "come after" the ACLU of Mississippi Tuesday and threw out vastly inflated crime numbers to justify his methods, after the group accused him of racially …

[Kamikaze] Don't Just Get Mad

Everybody's got an opinion. Some folks are mad. Some folks are indifferent. A lot of folks didn't even see it. I'm talking about Tom Brokaw's exposé on Jackson. Those damn …

Did Clarion-Ledger Columnist Plagiarize?

Update, Aug. 2, 2006—Today, The Clarion-Ledger published a statement (see below in Comments) saying that Courtney Taylor's work will no longer appear in the newspaper. We guess that answers the …

ACLU to Challenge Mayor's Tactics in Town Hall Meeting - Aug. 1

Please join the ACLU of Mississippi, the Jackson Free Press, the Magnolia Bar Association, the NAACP and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement in a special town hall meeting to address …

L.A. Times: ‘A Mayor By Day, A Lawman by Night'

Richard Fausett of the Los Angeles Times has published his story about Mayor Frank Melton. It starts:

Who Is Michael (Larry) Chapman?

Or whatever his real name is. And why is Frank Melton stashing him in a motel?

Batman's Family: ‘Enough'

Albert "Batman" Donelson's family is suing Mayor Frank Melton, the Jackson Police Department, six "John Doe" police officers and the city of Jackson for negligence, civil assault, trespass, nuisance, infliction …

Why Tom Brokaw Was In Jackson — Airs Sunday, July 23

[verbatim from NBC] "TOM BROKAW REPORTS: SEPARATE AND UNEQUAL" TO AIR ON SUNDAY, JULY 23 AT 7 PM

New York, N.Y. — In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, there were images that shocked America and the world. Not just the damage caused by the storm, but the sight …

Batman's Family Fires Back

In a note of claim dated June 28, 2006, the Donelson family informed the city of Jackson and Mayor Frank Melton in particular that they were bringing suit for offenses …

Melton Targets Homeless People

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton incited the wrath of advocates for the homeless when he used the city's emergency order to enforce a 10 p.m. curfew for the city's homeless population.

Melton Withdraws Chandler…Again

Phone calls from irritated firemen have driven Mayor Frank Melton to pull the confirmation of interim Fire Chief Todd Chandler.

The Peacemaker?

The effortless July 5 council vote giving Ward 1 Councilman Ben Allen the president's seat was a dramatic contrast to the council president vote of 2005, when Ward 6 Councilman …