Jackson Free Press

Candidates Reveal Differences at Debate

Three Republican Party gubernatorial candidates leaned heavy right on social issues, but differed slightly on some money matters at a Flowood debate sponsored by the Mississippi Tea Party.

Fighting Back In Klan Nation

When Mary Geraldine Briggs heard a horn blaring outside her small house, under shady oak trees on Highway 84 in Roxie, Miss., she would go get the shotgun and head …

The Fierce Urgency of Now

A well-meaning friend from out of state asked me a puzzling question recently: "When will it be enough?" When will Mississippi have talked so much about race history that we …

[Solomon] Backlash Against Outrage

Looking at visual images from U.S.-run prisons in Iraq, news watchers now find themselves in the midst of a jolting experience that roughly resembles a process described by Donald Rumsfeld: …

Even a Little 'Involvement' Will Do

Before I was a newspaper publisher, I spent most of my time as a freelance writer and book author, which meant, largely, that I was alone in my office (wherever …

The Path of Least Drama

Everyone who reads me regularly knows that I despise the question "Why does she stay?" when asked about domestic-abuse victims.

WJXN: Pirate Radio?

Jacksonians have been talking about the radio station with no DJs, no commercials and a music lineup like none they've ever heard.

Ring a Bell

At the end of September, I took my vacation in Batesville. Unbeknownst to many--including the majority of Mississippians, I imagine--Batesville is the home to the Magnolia Grove Buddhist Monastery and …

Hood vs. Simpson

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, a Democrat, and his Republican opponent Steve Simpson accused each other last week of conflicts of interest.

Bryan Opposes Jackson's Sales-Tax Increase

Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, said he could not support a 1-cent sales-tax increase in Jackson to fund infrastructure repairs because the tax is too regressive, costing low-income residents proportionally more …

Grokking New Beginnings

With Jackson State University naming Carolyn Meyers as its new president within the past week (see Ward Schaefer's interview), my thoughts naturally turned to Mississippi's educational system and the subject …

AG: Bodyguard Changed Story

After Mayor Frank Melton copped to three pleas in his gun cases, The Clarion-Ledger's Eric Stringfellow criticized the attorney general's office for not interviewing the mayor's two bodyguards. Det. Michael …

New Sports Arena on the Way

Mississippi Headhunters team owner Greg Disotell got the go-ahead from the Jackson City Council Tuesday to begin pooling $40 million for the construction of an enclosed sports arena to host …

‘I Am Emmett Till'

Hank Thomas knew he was going to die. He only questioned how. As the Ku Klux Klan attacked and bombed the bus he was riding through Anniston, Ala., with 12 …

UPDATE: House Speaker McCoy Wins in 62-60 Vote

The Legislature is in session, and the House will vote on a new speaker shortly. Keep an eye out here for the outcome of the contentious battle, with Gov. Haley …

McCain Declares ‘Hands Down' Debate Victory

CNN Political Ticker:

Clinton's Plan for ‘Forgotten' Afghanistan

Hillary Clinton's Plan for the Forgotten Front Line in Afghanistan

With the Mississippi primary next week, suddenly the Clinton campaign is courting Mississippi voters with a vengeance. This is one of her statements that are filling our inbox today/verbatim:

The Tangled Web of Hate

The Southern Poverty Law Center counts the Council of Conservative Citizens as a "Neo-Confederate" hate group, which, like the more radical League of the South, fights for the rights of …

Report Finds Struggling Households in Hinds County

Read the report (PDF, 2.1 MB)

Wicker and Cochran Vote to Protect Contractors, Not Women

Both U.S. senators from Mississippi—Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker—voted against an amendment by Minnesota Sen. Al Franken halting government funding for defense contractors who deny assault victims their day in …