Crime High, Perception BleakRecent Jackson Police Department statistics reveal that major crime this year remains stubbornly high compared to last year's figures. Though the May 8-14 ComStat Overview Report reveals that crime is tracking 2 percent lower than the last ComStat figures—which the …
[Talk] Thompson's Easy Win Shocks ManyU.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-2nd District, easily trounced his Democratic opponent Chuck Espy in the June 6 primary. Thompson, who has held his seat for more than a decade, won the election with more than 55,000 votes, or 65 percent, …
Melton Flies to PhillipsMayor Frank Melton flew to Dallas today with city investment guru Jimmy Heidel and his ever-present body guards. In comments before the flight, Melton told members of the press that he could not disclose the name of the investor he …
Clarion-Ledger Features Casey ParksThe Clarion-Ledger did right by JFP contributing editor Casey Parks today in a delightful feature written by Gary Pettus. (Cheers, Gary. You make our profession proud.) And they flag the story on Page 1 with Casey's photo (taken in our …
Asymmetrical Warfare"They are smart, they are creative, they are committed. They have no regard for life, neither ours nor their own. I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us." - Rear …
[Lott] Honesty is the Best Insurance PolicyI have introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate to make future insurance policies easier for consumers to understand. The "Honesty is the Best Insurance Policy Act" calls for requiring insurance companies to state in plain English and big letters exactly …
David WatkinsDavid Watkins is an attorney who's been haunting the city of Jackson for the last half-century. Though the Fondren resident has been all over the world, he says he always had to keep coming back to Jackson. "This is home. …
Fighting For The American DreamMay 31, 2006 <i>Editor's Note: The following column about Gannett's effort control independent media is also running in the June issue of Metro Christian Living (formerly Jackson Christian Family).</i> My mission in creating a Christian magazine has everything to do …
Renee Shakespeare"Everything I learn, I'll share it with you," Renee Shakespeare says, and that is how her radio show, "The Drinking Gourd," began.
NEW Online Petition: Support Local Media Now!We have just posted an online petition where you can sign on—and choose to have an e-mail sent directly to the management of the Clarion-Ledger, telling them that you value independent media and do not appreciate how they have tried …
The Closed CityIn November of last year, Jackson Free Press reporter Adam Lynch arrived at City Hall to cover a public meeting. Representatives of the sheriff's department and two county supervisors were meeting with Mayor Frank Melton in a room the mayor …
Fantasy IslandDevelopers are cheering and environmentalists are jeering as the Lefleur Lakes ("Two Lakes") project gains momentum, helped along by political support from men like Mayor Frank Melton and Gov. Haley Barbour, who seem poised to rubberstamp the development despite concerns …
Margaret CupplesWhen Natchez native Margaret Cupples graduated from law school at Washington and Lee in 1993, she was offered a year-long position in Jackson with Judge Rhesa Barksdale. After that, she worked at the firm of Lake Tindall, which later merged …
New York Times Honors Casey ParksThe Jackson Free Press is proud to announce that our very dear assistant editor emeritus Casey Parks—who departed in December for graduate school at the University of Missouri—is the one student journalist in the country who has been selected to …
Clarion-Ledger Publisher Responds to ControversyClarion-Ledger Publisher John Newhouse has released the following statement to the media about their controversial plan to control free distribution outlets in and around Jackson: <i>The Distribution Network of Central Mississippi (TDN) is a display and delivery network that has …
Tonyatta Hairston"The great thing is that I get to help people medically, but then I take them out of that examination room and have the opportunity to glamorize them, to help them find a whole new look," Tonyatta Hairston says. Hairston, …
Gannett v. Local Media; What You Can DoExtra, extra! The JFP's Goliath Blog launches, as the independent media's battle against the Gannett Corp. is heating up. Jackson media are reporting and analyzing the scheme, and media consumers are weighing in to support local media. Read and view …
2006 JFP Interview: Peterson Makes Her CaseHinds County District Attorney Faye Peterson is nothing if not confident. It's a stalwart, rocky kind of demeanor that probably helps get her through her day in her office on the top floor of the Hinds County Courthouse.
Ruth DavisSitting on a park bench among automobiles, passersby and wasps buzzing about spring in full force, Ruth Davis fearlessly and passionately pours out her thoughts on life, past, present and future.
JFP EXCLUSIVE: Jackson Crime Surges<b>Read the story that the city is talking about, based on a report the Jackson Free Press unearthed on Monday. You saw it here first.</b>
Haley Barbour Refuses to Pardon Black ManClyde Kennard was convicted of purchasing $25 worth of chicken feed he knew to be stolen. He died in 1963 after being released early due to intestinal cancer. The only witness against him has recanted his story. Barbour agrees that …
Tragedy at Jackson State—May 4, 1970Today is the 36th anniversary of the tragic shootings at Jackson State University, as well as Kent State University, where police killed students protesting. Take a few moments to read up on the history of this dark era of American …
[In Memory] Florence Mars, 1923-2006I didn't know Florence Mars growing up in Neshoba County. She was from a different part of town—the side that had old money. I don't have memories of her walking around town in her floppy hat like Sen. Gloria Williamson …
Pat ChamblissPat Chambliss is the perfect spokeswoman for Dress for Success, the international nonprofit organization whose Jackson chapter she helped to found.