Jackson Free Press

Gannett's ‘USA Today' Points to Flaws in Deals Programs

I couldn't help but notice that it was USA Today -- owned by the same company that owns the Clarion-Ledger and, of course, the extraordinarily creatively named "Deal Chicken" -- …

LA Times: Cancer Victim Apologizes to Obama

Am I the biggest fan of Health Care Reform? No... I think a number of additional steps, like the public option, could have been taken to make this a more …

Graham Attorney: No Choice but to Let Jury Decide

As I reported earlier today, the Mississippi auditor and attorney general sued Hinds County Supervisor Robert Graham over alleged double-dipping. Graham, they say, was running a private business while on …

Nigerian Plane Crash: Something's not right

Scores of innocent children just lost their lives today in a plane crash, and I am livid.

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (AP) - A Nigerian jetliner filled with schoolchildren going home for Christmas crashed Saturday while landing during a lightning storm in a delta oil port.

Resolve to Write! 2008 Classes Forming Now.

Happy new year, all. And be sure to express yourself in 2008.

Sign up now for my 2008 creative non-fiction writing classes. The next round starts Jan. 3, and I have still have a couple slots in that class (until I hear …

Ledge: Just Fill the Jails with Juveniles!

Anyone think The Clarion-Ledger has any friggin' clue about what causes crime? It's as if they refuse to read the vast piles of research about juvenile crime, instead focusing on …

Testing Another Feature…‘Flip' Version

Scroll to the bottom of the JFP site and you'll see an image of this week's cover...up until now, clicking that image has taken you to the cover story or …

You've Got to be Kidding

One of my former bosses often quipped that her "need to edit" was a force too strong to resist. Having worked as an editor myself, I have to admit that …

Christopher Hitchens Endorses Obama; Palin ‘National Disgrace'

The always-contrarian Christopher Hitchens writing in Slate the way pretty much only he can:

Russ Markle

Even though Russ Markle joked about growing a mustache, he knew it would involve a few challenges. His wife wasn't a fan of facial hair, and he felt he would …

Rehabilitating Retail Space

The Mississippi Development Authority is testing a program to beautify old strip malls and make them useful again. The Retail Center Revitalization Program will award grants of up to $50,000 …

In Their Words: Mitchell Travis Tanksley

The JFP is featuring the stories of some of the people Gov. Haley Barbour pardoned, in their own words.

Campaign Shenanigans

Candidates are pulling out all the stops to attract votes, often, as many citizens are learning, with questionable if not unsavory tactics. One might expect it in the days leading …

[Rob In Stereo] What's In A Name?

Ever notice how you can pretty accurately tag the genre of an artist solely by their name? With few exceptions, you can look at an artist's name and figure out …

The Future of Anonymous Tablogging

Y'all enjoy the wild, wild west while it's still here. Thanks to personal-attack-filled "tablogs" (as I call tabloid-quality blogs), more and more people are suing over unsubstantiated and libelous attack …

NYTimes Op-Ed Spells Out Plame Game ‘Team'

In an Op-Ed for the Sunday New York Times, columnist Frank Rich has the best explanation I've seen of the White House Iraq Group (WHIG), the group of White House …

U.S. Chamber to GOP—Wait…But… We Like Roads!

Here's a fun one from the Careful What You Wish For Dept. (care of the Wall Street Journal) it turns that the U.S. Chamber is not 100% happy with all …

Most Miss. Students Unprepared for College

Mississippi's ACT scores remained the worst in the nation last year, despite an increasing number of students taking courses that are supposed to prepare them for college.

Yes, He Did: Jay-Z Mimics Rocky at Philly Made In America Fest

Jay-Z's entrance said it all: He bounced up and down on top of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, mimicking Rocky before he took the stage in front …

Air It Out

"We've told people they can air those trailers out," Paulison said.

FEMA really is the gift that keeps on giving, isn't it? Witness the deep concern of FEMA Director David Paulison about formaldehyde contamination of FEMA trailers on the Gulf Coast: