Jackson Free Press

Bonds, Boards and the School for the Blind

Ah, spring—the season when a state lawmaker's mind turns to money. The Mississippi Legislature spent most of last week considering appropriations bills; lawmakers had until Friday to concur or invite …

[Hutchinson] An Ugly Glare

The throng of angry whites jeered, catcalled and spat out borderline racial insults at the small group of mostly black protesters. The charged racial confrontation happened March 14, 2010, in …

A Story That Deserves Telling

When three white men invaded the home of an African American family in rural Attala County, the nation saw much of the story through the eyes of Billy McMillan, a …

‘Killing Ourselves with Convenience'

On a Sunday afternoon at Lumpkin's BBQ on Raymond Road, a predominately African American crowd dressed in formal suits and dresses fill their plates from a buffet line. The restaurant's …

Health Reform: What's In It?

President Barack Obama enjoyed rising approval ratings Tuesday as he signed a historic health-care bill the U.S. House of Representatives passed late Sunday without a single Republican vote--the same health-care …

[Balko] Pre-Crime Policing

To hear them tell it, the five police agencies who apprehended 39-year-old Oregonian David Pyles early on the morning of March 8 thwarted another lone-wolf mass murderer. The police "were …

Show to Go On Without Sweet Potato Queens

Mal's St. Paddy's Parade founder Malcolm White told the Jackson Free Press today that he has not spoken to Sweet Potato Queens founder and author Jill Conner Browne about her …

Mosque Construction Planned in April

The Mississippi Muslim Association will break ground on a mosque off Highway 51 in Madison next month, following the approval of a 3-to-2 vote by the Madison County Board of …

Haley Barbour: Heath Reform ‘Crammed' Down Americans' Throats

Also see: Immediate Effect of Health-Reform Bill

Shortly after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the historic health-reform bill, Gov. Haley Barbour released the following statement, verbatim:

Barbour Leads Anti-Health Reform Rhetoric

Gov. Haley Barbour and other opponents of health-care reform are making final efforts to derail an upcoming House vote on the Senate health-care package this Sunday.

St. Paddy's A Boon for the City

The roughly 70,000 visitors who will descend on Jackson this weekend for Mal's St. Paddy's Parade will bring more with them than green clothing and a strong thirst. The parade, …

Events: Green and More Green This Weekend

It's time for Jackson's biggest citywide party, all centering on Mal's St. Paddy's Parade, which steps off at 1 p.m. Saturday at State and Court streets in downtown Jackson. Even …

Jackson Police Battling Burglaries

Jackson police reported 226 crimes last week, up from 177 the previous week, according to crime statistics released at a Jackson Police Department command staff meeting this morning. Officers reported …

Keisha Varnell

When Keisha Varnell walks down the hallways of Lanier High School, she remembers what it was like to face peer pressure but admits today's students have it a lot harder. …

Mississippi to End HIV Segregation in Prisons

State Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps announced yesterday that Mississippi will end its practice of separating male HIV-positive prisoners from other inmates beginning in May, reports WDAM. Mississippi currently houses 152 …

The Best In Sports In 7 Days

Men's college basketball: CIT, Southern Miss at Louisiana Tech (7 p.m., Ruston, La., 1180 AM/103.3 FM): You knew that if they kept creating postseason tournaments, the Golden Eagles would finally …

Steer Clear of the Clover

With St. Patrick's Day upon us, I found myself asking the same question I ask every year: At what point did St. Paddy's become a green Mardi Gras? By the …

Makin' a List

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the '02 Mal's St. Paddy's Parade. I went against my better judgment and wore the two-inch platform flip-flops I had ordered …

What's a Throw?

I have family all over Louisiana, so Mardi Gras usually happens for me every year. It has trained my hand to only procure the best of the throws.

The Beerin' O' the Green

This March 17, as Americans once again celebrate a foreign holiday with more gusto than the originating country, Jackson will run amok with green clothing, green food, green clovers, green …