Jackson Free Press

[Ladd] Just As I Am

I was baptized when I was 13 in a Southern Baptist church in Neshoba County. I wasn't particularly spiritual; there was more anger and selfishness and confusion in my heart …

[Lott] A Generous Giving

To hear some folks talk, you'd think that big places with the most compassionate liberal attitudes and bountiful personal incomes would be teaming with the most generous, nicest, most appreciative …

Debra Kassoff

Seated demurely before me was the first rabbi I'd ever met—a slim clear-eyed young woman who looks like she could be a lawyer, a teacher, a counselor—not the stereotypical picture …

Gore Endorses Dean

Former Vice President Al Gore endorsed Howard Dean for president today. AP reports: "Gore said Dean 'really is the only candidate who has been able to inspire at the grass--roots …

MSU Slapped with NCAA Charges

First Croom, then the bad news ... The press release from State just in: Mississippi State University has received a letter and notice of allegations from the National Collegiate Athletics …

Bloggers Speak Out

Mississippi keeps cropping up out there on the weblogs (called "blogs," we're talking about Web sites that update daily with news and politics coverage) and—almost universally—in a familiar context. I …

[Drive] Cat-Like Reflections

Does your car say something about you? It's a question I can't seem to get out of my head, even though, intellectually, I'd prefer not to worry about it. Unwittingly, …

Conerly Trophy Giveaway

The Conerly Trophy is going to be given out on Thursday night in Biloxi. The finalists: USM linebacker Rod Davis, the 2002 winner; Eli Manning, the 2001 winner; and Scott …

Commitment to Egg-cellence

Mississippi State and Ole Miss meet for the 100th time in football on Thursday night. For the sixth straight year, all eyes will be on the Egg Bowl because it's …

Harvey Talks Back: The 2003 JFP Interview with Mayor Johnson

Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. is having one hell of a year. On the one hand, the Vicksburg native has presided over a city for six years that seems to …

Heeding Hip-Hop's Higher Calling

<b>An Interview with Russell Simmons</b>

A devout yoga practitioner, ruthless entrepreneur, dedicated philanthropist and burgeoning political player, Russell Simmons is most famous as the co-founder of Def Jam Records, the label that launched Run-DMC, Public …

Whip It Good

Watching George Glass demonstrate his skill with a bullwhip, I was convinced that I could grow to enjoy this sport. On eBay I could find myself an inexpensive whip, then …

[Fry] The 50 Cent Test

Lately, every time some politician is talking about education on the TV, on radio or in the newspaper, they're talking about testing. "Accountability." They act like standardized test scores are …

Seetha Srinivasan

From her fifth-floor window at the Education and Research Center of Mississippi—known as the R&D Center by most—Seetha Srinivasan has a splendid view of the surrounding trees. Not that she's …

Oops, They Did It Again

In the Southern Style section of The Clarion-Ledger on Sunday, Nov. 23, Orley Hood worked himself into a lather: "The single dumbest paragraph I've read in this newspaper in the …

Pigskin Prognosticator On Prowl

OK, so Dr. S was correct when he predicted Southern Miss would burst TCU's BCS bubble. That's all behind us now, because it's time for Dr. S to tell you …

Dixie Dems: Dean Too ‘Liberal'

The Washington Times reports that Democratic leaders in the South consider Howard Dean "too liberal" to win electoral votes in the South: "Most acknowledge the growing conservatism that dominates their …

Should the city ban smoking in restaurants?

[City Buzz] Best Gov, Gandhi in Jackson, Two Lakes Doom, more

BEST GOVERNOR: Haley Barbour may have ridden the GOP machine into town, but he's got a long way to go before he can take over the throne of Governor Emeritus …

No Fires Burning

For filmmaker Tom Rice, patience is paying off. Rice, a Jackson native, began work on "The Rising Place," his feature film debut as a writer and director, in the late …