Jackson Free Press

Stringer Says Toyota is ‘New Beef Plant'

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Johnny Stringer, D-Montrose, compared the state's potential loss in the delayed Toyota plant, near Tupelo, to the failed Mississippi Beef Processors LLC plant, today.

Bring the Noise

Legislative Republicans are setting 'em and knockin' 'em down. After a clumsy first month when the House didn't even have committee assignments, bills are starting to soar through the committee …

Calling B.S. on Voter ID Plan

Today, the 5th Circuit called bullsh!t on a lower court's plan to force Mississippi voters to register by political party and show photo ID at the polls in order to …

Legislative Update—Week 4: IDs and Immigrants

The Senate followed up on the whack-a-Pedro rhetoric of conservative talk radio this month by passing a bill refusing state contract work to businesses that do not screen employees for …

Gas Ain't Forever

It's clear from the parking lots around the state capitol that the legislative session is a busy time for the building. During the session, those parking lots, empty for most …

Celebrating the Best

Welcome to our tenth annual "Best of Jackson" edition, celebrating the best that Jackson and its surrounding communities have to offer in terms of people, places, services and products. (And, …

Preparing for Success

Though most women may have the desire to be successful, some need a hand—and a suit. Dress for Success prepares disadvantaged women to enter or re-enter the work force. The …

Did Fox News ‘Win' The Election?

I wasn't watching this as closely and didn't realize *exactly* how tied in they really are:

Interesting piece by Karl Frisch putting together the puzzle pieces on Fox News' political strategy. It's an ironic read on the same day that MSNBC suspended Keith Olbermann -- a …

[Publisher's Note] Celebrating the Best

Welcome to our tenth annual "Best of Jackson" edition, celebrating the best that Jackson and its surrounding communities have to offer in terms of people, places, services and products. (And, …

Kenneth Grigsby

Young Democrats of Mississippi President Kenneth Grigsby, 32, is an attorney at Phelps Dunbar who's been living in the Jackson area for five and a half years. The Tupelo native …

JRA Moving on Farish, Slowly

The history of Farish Street's renovation efforts, which Jackson architect Steven Horn first proposed in 1983, is as shameful as the area is illustrious.

• 3 comments

Coming Soon: 1-Percent Sales Tax Increase?

Faced with steep spending increases to meet the challenges of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's consent decree and Jackson's crumbling roads, Mayor Chokwe Lumumba says he is moving ahead with …

• 1 comment

State's Payments to CoreCivic for Housing Inmates at Private Prison May Exceed Legal Limits

Mississippi's emergency contract with a private prison corporation to house 375 inmates could exceed legal limits even more than previously known.

Downtown Civil Rights Museum Supporters Gathering at 1 p.m.

Council President Leslie McLemore is leading a diverse group of Jacksonians who want to see the new Civil Rights Museum located in downtown Jackson, rather than then the suggested locale …

Bill Minor Rips Sid Salter, The Chipper, et al

Columnist Bill Minor rips the Ledge's Sid Salter a well-deserved new one over his playing into the partisan Mississippi-vs.-Louisiana rhetoric. This has been one of the toughest political games to …

[Balko] Justice Stevens' Mixed Record on Civil Liberties

Many hail retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens as a champion of the accused. Stevens, The New York Times editorial board opined, has a "record of being on the …

To Live and Die in Dixie

Sometimes the light comes from unexpected places. Last week, I sat down in front of my monitor and my e-mail blooped in. There was one from Jill Conner Browne, the …

This Is My Fault

Since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and thrust her spotlight on the abhorrent conditions of the poorest Americans, I have been pondering poverty. First, I got angry.

Voter ID, Abortion, Eminent Domain, Oh My

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann will deliver three voter-referendum initiatives to the state Legislature this morning that could require voters to bring photo identification to polls, restrict the state's use …

Desperation Descends

The Jackson City Council enters the month of November under a cloud of desperation. The city racked up its first $266,000 monthly deficit in October as a result of Jackson …