Jackson Free Press

Barbour Redirecting Katrina Funds to the Wealthy?

Salon is reporting that Gov. Haley Barbour has gotten HUD waivers that have redirected 80 percent of federal block grants awarded to help Mississippi's low- and moderate-income residents recover from …

Melton Asks Warner to Oversee Ex-Con Staff

At District Attorney-elect Robert Smith's victory party, Mayor Frank Melton said that Smith is one of his long-time "kids" who will now help him with the young men of Jackson …

BREAKING: House Speaker on GOP Hit List

The House Republican Conference officially declared war on House Speaker Billy McCoy today. The conference agreed this afternoon that GOP members will vote together as a group to elect a …

The House Intention Bought

"We have an offer on your house," the caller said. If I had been selling my house, that would have been happy news. The problem was that I was renting …

Pardon My French

When I was a kid, my family and I would go on long fishing trips, involving hikes with several pounds of equipment, baiting our hooks with both a wriggly worm …

The Best In Sports In 7 Days

College football, LSU at Mississippi State (7 p.m., Starkville, ESPN/105.9 FM): The second-ranked Tigers invade StarkVegas. This could get ugly. … Millsaps at Mississippi College (7 p.m., Clinton, 1590 AM): …

Audio of Melton and Smith's Remarks

"Robert, you're like a little brother to me. I love you and I'll always love you, and I had to distance myself from your campaign ...."

Guide to Driving the Right Way

I suppose I was a late bloomer by most standards: I started dating at age 16, drinking coffee at 18 and got my driver's license at 19. I wasn't one …

DHS Wants Training School Lawsuit Dropped

Last week, the Mississippi Department of Human Services filled a motion to dismiss a lawsuit, filed on behalf of eight teenage girls, who guards reportedly shackled, and in other instances …

Fate Sealed for Ex-Klansman

Throughout his trial, James Ford Seale appeared in court wearing slacks and a dress shirt. This morning, as he walked in shackles into a U.S. District Court in Jackson, he …

Broken Katrina Promises

Racial discrimination, housing crises and neglect of prisoner rights in the wake of Katrina is the subject of a new ACLU report released Monday, Aug. 20. In anticipation of the …

State of the City: "Mistakes of the Heart"

Mayor Frank Melton's State of the City Address was filled with determined talk, but no details.

Don't Let Stokes Stop Progress

Livingston Village rode in on the violent tendrils of Hurricane Katrina. It's one of those once-in-a-century opportunities made possible through astounding tax credits from the federal government, but the federal …

[Dickerson] Who's Zooming Whom?

Earlier this month, President Bush signed into law revisions to the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. It gives the Bush administration new power to screen your e-mails and listen in …

The Truth About Barbour's ‘Blind Trust'

Bloomberg News is still hot on Barbour's trail. Today, they reveal much more about his so-called "blind trust" in the lobbying firm that lobbied the state for Katrina-related contracts—it pays …

The Myth Of Separation

Photos by Ronni Mott

Young Abraham left his father Azar's house after losing all hope of teaching him about God.

The Cavalry Arrives

Robert Smith is getting a nice boost from the Supreme Court less than 24 hours into his successful run-off against former Hinds County District Attorney Faye Peterson. Using $160,000 in …

Why today?

Coincidentally, by the way, Mayor Frank Melton was seen leaving Judge Yerger's chambers this week.

This is a serious question. Why did Supreme Court Chief Justice James Smith Jr. today appoint a special judge, directly by Judge Swan Yerger, to help the D.A.'s office prosecute …

Hurricane Katrina: Two Years Later

As our state and our Louisiana neighbors face the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with many thousands of people still living in FEMA trailers, and the possibility of another hurricane …

Melton Presents New D.A., Kept Distance During Campaign

Citizen bloggers are reporting that a jubilant Mayor Frank Melton introduced Robert Smith, his choice for district attorney, last night at Smith's campaign gathering. In his remarks, made before Smith's, …