Jackson Free Press

JUST IN: Melton Set to Declare State of Emergency

The Jackson Free Press got a phone call today at 10:45 telling us that the mayor was gathering reporters at City Hall at 11 a.m. to address his "state of …

Seattle's Former Top Cop Says End Drug War

In an op ed this weekend in the Seattle Times (and, it seems, the LA Times, since he's bylined as "Special to the Los Angeles Times"), Norm Stamper, former chief …

'Local' Means More than 'Locale'

In her Aug. 21 column, "How Locavores Brought On Local-Washing," Forbes magazine Deputy Editor Elisabeth Eaves takes umbrage with the story "A Local Lie" (link) published here and in a …

Take That, O Disloyal Ones!

Immediately following a Jackson City Council work session in January, Mississippi Link publisher/owner Socrates Garrett was all smiles. Council President Marshand Crisler had informed him that it was looking like …

[Editor's Note] Mayoral Stunts Hurting Jackson

I'm mad. And I'm getting madder by the day at the joke that Mayor Frank Melton is making out of the city of Jackson, a city I love, a city …

Dignity-Rutgers Team on Oprah Today

Of course I have more to say, but in my busy chick world, for now I only have to say it's time. It's time to use that repressed energy to …

A.G. Hood: Any Deal Includes Melton's Resignation

In a press conference this afternoon, Attorney General Jim Hood confirmed that his office will offer a plea bargain to Frank Melton, telling reporters that it is the policy of …

Dirty Tricks Against Obama ... Already

Per Joe Conason over at Salon, the right-wing machine is pulling some old dirty tricks out of its archive:

The Civil War Had Nothing to Do With Slavery

[Irby] Thank You, Mr. McIntyre

PHILADELPHIA, MISS.—Lawyers made closing arguments today in the State of Mississippi v. Edgar Ray Killen trial. I sat with the media in the courtroom shaking my head as defense attorney …

Hello, and Goodbye

I've never been great at goodbyes. When I meet people I dig, I want them around. But I've learned that a life filled with interesting experiences and people does mean, …

Bill Proposes to End MPB Funding

Mississippi Public Broadcasting Acting Executive Director Jay Woods said a proposed bill that would eventually end state funding for his agency due, in part, to its supposed "liberal" bias would …

Whitney Place to Rebuild Fondren

Watkins Partners Developer David Watkins says he plans to move ahead with his plans to tear down a 1938 business strip in Fondren, recently used as a movie set in …

[Lott] The Oreck Challenge

Before this column takes on the big issues expected in the Senate this year, I want to address something all Mississippians should note. It's a lesson about corporate citizenship and …

Senate Sets Sights on Gun Laws

Mississippi already exports more firearms than any other state, but some legislators want to relax our gun laws even more.

Melton: ‘How Dumb Can You Be?'

Jones County Circuit Court Judge Billy Joe Landrum gave Jackson Mayor Frank Melton the keys to the courtroom at a hearing today, allowing him to belligerently insult the attorney for …

Beth Kander

In response to the news that state Sen. Lydia Chassaniol was the "surprise speaker" at the recent Council of Conservative Citizens meeting in Jackson in June, Jackson playwright Beth Kander …

Obama Campaign Comes to Mississippi

The Associated Press is reporting that the Barack Obama presidential campaign is opening an office in downtown Jackson in order to work toward the March 11 state primary. The JFP …

The King Gets Another Reprieve

In the nick of time, the Mississippi Senate approved an amendment this week that would provide a $2 million interest-free loan to the Jackson Redevelopment Authority to fund environmental cleanup …

‘He Will Be Missed': Herman Snell, 1969-2010

"A secret turning in us makes the universe turn. Head unaware of feet, and feet head. Neither cares. They keep turning." - Rumi