Major VictoryThe Millsaps men's basketball team is headed to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time after upsetting Centre 69-60 on Sunday in the SCAC Tournament championship game. The Majors are a good bet to host an NCAA regional. …
Huge 'Leap' Show at Swell-o-Venue FridaySwell-o-Venue kicks off their 2008 season on Friday, Feb. 29, with their first show of the year featuring Bear Colony (Esperanza Plantation), Look Mexico (Lujo Records) and Captain & Company (featuring ex-Colour Revolt-er Drew Mellon). Bear Colony are touring in …
A Blank Check for Entergy?Consumer's rights advocates and environmentalists alike are furious about a Senate bill that would pave the way for the state Public Service Commission to let utility companies charge customers for construction of a new nuclear facility at Grand Gulf, in …
Bruce GoldenDuring the day, he's Mr. Golden, the mild-mannered school librarian who dispenses copies of "Tuck Everlasting" and "Because of Winn-Dixie" to the book-loving kids at Peeples Middle School in South Jackson. Mr. Golden's library is a peaceful world of words, …
SafeCity Miffs McMillin, ResidentsJACKSON—Local crime watchdog group SafeCity miffed the police chief, the Jackson City Council and many residents of all political stripes with its apparent stealth efforts to get the Legislature to create a discriminatory city "safety zone" that would have carried …
Innocent Man Goes Home for First Time Since 1993INDIANOLA—Arthur Johnson, 48, wrongfully convicted in 1993 of rape and burglary, went home with his family Monday, Feb. 25, for the first time in a decade and a half. Sunflower County Circuit Judge Ashley Hines still levied $25,000 in bail, …
Obama Campaign Comes to MississippiThe 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 learned separately that the office will be in the site …
Family Shelter Needs FurnitureI just got this from Sandy Middleton at the Center for Violence Prevention, which provides shelter and assistance for women and children escaping domestic violence. Please help if you can:
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 of Tougaloo College land north of the city. Join the …
Finding James Ford Seale Alive: A TimelineMedia folks often ask the Jackson Free Press to clarify why the timeline in the original story, "I Want Justice, Too," published in the JFP on July 20, 2005, about Thomas Moore's July 2005 trip to Meadville varies from the …
Republicans Kill Law Enforcement BillMississippi Attorney General Jim Hood berated House Republicans Wednesday for voting down a bill that would have allowed him to ask a judge for permission to wiretap phones for white-collar crimes. "It's nothing less than a partisan attack. This vote …
Inky The ClownThe pink-and-blue (Calvin Clown designed) striped arms disappear beneath the table, drawing forth a plain-looking hardcover black book. "You don't mind if I read?" Inky asks casually, waiting a second for my surprised, affirmative nod before opening his book to …
Dongles Back in Action?One of the most conservative U.S. appeals courts in the nation outlawed Texas' ban on sex toys last week, and local retailers could use the decision to overturn a local municipal ban. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled …
Immigration: Myth Vs. Reality"They can vote themselves in a pay raise, but they can't do nothing about all this illegal immigration," says Jackson talk show host 'JT,' of the JT and Dave show, after the House approved a raise for government officials, including …
Civil Rights Museum to Tougaloo?Jackson hip-hop artist Kamikaze is organizing community feedback regarding a consulting group's recent recommendation to place the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum north of County Line Road in Ridgeland. Museum consulting firm LaPaglia & Associates recommended Tougaloo College as the site …
Controversy Over Civil Rights Museum Growing[Promoted from forums] If approved by a commission studying the issue, the museum would be built on the college's property off County Line Road, west of I-55 and south of I-220.
BREAKING: Levon Brooks ReleasedA Noxubee County judge released Levon Brooks on his own recognizance without bond after spending 18 years in prison for the rape and murder of a 3-year-old child. After Noxubee District Attorney Forrest Allgood reviews the case, Brooks will reappear …
BREAKING: Kennedy Brewer is a Free ManThe Jackson Free Press' Ronni Mott called this morning from a Noxubee County Circuit courtroom to say that the judge hearing Kennedy Brewer's case has granted his freedom. There was not a dry eye in the courtroom as Brewer's grandmother …
Free At Last? Brewer May Go Free FridayTwo men who have served a combined 34 years behind bars for crimes they apparently did not commit may walk away free men on Friday, Feb. 15.
Jayur MehtaAfter leading me through the maze of bookshelves and cataloguing drawers and into his office in the downtown Charlotte Capers building, archeologist Jayur Mehta motioned me to sit down and began rummaging through opaque rectangular boxes in a corner. Once …
[Release] Performa Gets ‘Phase One' Loan for Farish St.[Verbatim Release] Funding Complete for Phase One of the Farish Street Entertainment District; Focus Turns to Phase II -- BB King's Blues Club and Stimley Performing Arts Park
To Booze or Not to BoozePolice Chief Malcolm McMillin submitted an ordinance proposal to the Jackson City Council this week that would restrict alcohol retailers from doing business after 2 a.m. The ordinance specifically makes it unlawful for any owner, proprietor or an employee of …
Hood Renews Call for Campaign Finance Reform[verbatim statement] JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood—as he has done since 2004—is again calling on state lawmakers to reform campaign finance laws.
Nebraska Suspends ExecutionsThe New York Times is reporting that the electric chair is "cruel and unusual punishment," suspending executions there until the state can find a more humane way to kill prisoners:
UPDATED: Suspect Arrested in 1992 Murder of Toddler[verbatim from AG's office] Jackson, MS-Attorney General Jim Hood today confirmed that an arrest has been made in the 16-year-old murder of a 3-year-old girl in Noxubee County. Albert Johnson (age 51), of Brooksville, MS, was arrested on Monday, February …
State Farm Suit Against AG Hood DismissedAs Attorney General Jim Hood predicted yesterday, The Sun Herald is reporting that a State Farm lawsuit against him has been dismissed, allowing the civil investigation of State Farm's actions after Katrina to continue:
JSU Town Hall Meeting on HIV/AIDS TodayIn honor of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Jackson State University is hosting a "Prevention is Power" town hall meeting today (Feb. 7) from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Jackson Medical Mall Community Room. Miss JSU Jasmin Searcy will …