Crossing The Mighty River: Race, Religion and MississippiAt the climax of the 11 o' clock church service at Galloway Methodist church, the Rev. Ross Olivier assumes the pulpit to deliver his sermon. Olivier's polished demeanor gives no air of being weathered by years of struggle against apartheid …
Mayor, Chief Downplay Crime StatsJackson City Council President Marshand Crisler spoke out last week against the city police department's tight lips regarding crime figures, in contrast to Former Police Chief Robert Moore, who provided weekly reports on crime statistics. The computer-generated statistics, called COMSTAT …
JFP Night for "Santaland Diaries" TONIGHT at New StageJoin the Jackson Free Press Friday, Dec. 16, for a special showing of "The Santaland Diaries" at New Stage Theater. You don't want to miss the hilarious and irreverent one-man show of David Sedaris' rather twisted mind. For this one, …
David RopCoach David Rop, 28, may seem soft-spoken and gentle, but his fierce dedication to cross-country is anything but mild. A native of Eldoret, Kenya, Rop moved to Jackson in 1995 after accepting an athletic scholarship to Jackson State University. At …
Going-Away Dance Party for Casey TONIGHTThe Jackson Free Press is sending Casey Parks off to grad school with style in the Red Room with a "Please Don't Go" Going-Away Dance Party. Starts at 9 p.m., no cover, 18+. DJs Stephen Barnette and Donna Ladd will …
Local Blues Musician Loses Everything in FireVirgil Brawley (of the Juvenators) and his wife lost everything in a fire this morning that destroyed their Belhaven Heights home and its contents, including a very large collection of vintage guitars. The local music community is in the process …
Patti Carr BlackPatti Carr Black's Belhaven living room appears almost square, with built-in, wall-size bookshelves directly across from the front door. A quarter of the way down, surrounded by a portion of her collected books, hangs Walter Anderson's "Magic Carpet," opulent in …
Just RewardsChristmas came early for Thomas Moore when Mississippi religious leaders agreed to offer a reward for tips about the 1964 murders of his brother and his friend.
Holiday Arts Mixer TONIGHTAs a board member of the Greater Jackson Arts Council (formerly the Arts Alliance), I'd like to personally invite each of you to tonight's Holiday Arts Mixer at the old Capitol Inn from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Come enjoy free …
More Allies Pulling Out of Iraqi War<i>Two of America's allies in Iraq are withdrawing forces this month and a half-dozen others are debating possible pullouts or reductions, increasing pressure on Washington as calls mount to bring home U.S. troops. Bulgaria and Ukraine will begin withdrawing their …
Robert LangfordTall and slender, with a fluid gait that quickly takes him from one responsibility to the next, Robert Langford, 42, has the needs of children and their families foremost in his heart and mind. First, there's his wife Betsy Bradley, …
The Day That Emmett DiedTwelve-year-old Simeon Wright lay in his bed in his family's small house near Money, Miss., in the Mississippi Delta. It was Saturday night, Aug. 27, 1955, and Simeon was tired from a busy week. Wright was looking up at the …
JFP Interview: Keith BeauchampKeith Beauchamp, 34, has spent the last 10 years of his life investigating the brutal murder of Emmett Louis Till in Money, Miss., in 1955. Till, 14, was visiting relatives in Mississippi when he was reported to have whistled at …
Twin FailuresWe live in a culture so driven by visual images that our eyes can't take them all in. From pop-up Internet ads to quick-cut TV commercials to high-tech billboards, we witness far more than we can comprehend, wiping most of …
Jackson Less ‘Dangerous' In 2004Ironically, a murder binge in the city—nine fatal shootings in 10 days—comes just as a national crime-rating outfit released good news for the city of Jackson, at least about its reputation in 2004. For the first time in a decade …
Rebecca StarlingRebecca Starling hesitated a bit about being a JFP Jacksonian—she's not someone looking for the spotlight. Her deep-seated conviction to meeting the needs of Hurricane Katrina-displaced students attending Jackson Public Schools changed her mind.
Ride ‘Em Cowboys, We're Back ... But ApologiesAs most of you cowpokes have figured out by now, the JFP's site underwent technical problems this week with our service provider. Understanding exactly what happened is above my pay grade, but Todd tells me it has a whole lot …
Melton's Honeymoon, Part III: Crime and Punishment, Melton StyleFrank Melton carried the May 2 mayoral primary in part because of a surly, take-no-prisoners attitude on crime. Melton used his 14-month tenure as head of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics to forge a local image as a hard-nosed delivery …
Michael RobinsonMichael Robinson, 31, is wearing a t-shirt that says, "I Love Myself," when I interview him. "Born and bred" in Jackson, Robinson sharpened his public speaking skills at Murrah High School on the rap team, then went on to Mississippi …
Clarion-Ledger: Jackson Nightlife ‘Virtually Nonexistent'I'm reading the first piece in The Clarion-Ledger's new "Changing Faces" installment, and I run into this humdinger of a sentence, stated as a fact by the journalist, thus the newspaper:
Steve DeatonSteve Deaton teaches English at Belhaven College and Holmes Community College. He also gives guitar lessons at Morrison Brothers. It doesn't take too much imagination to see all of this when I meet him: He's got the English teacher look …
‘Tis ‘Best of Jackson,' ‘Think Global, Shop Local' SeasonThis week's issue kicks off the JFP's "Best of Jackson 2006" campaign season—and our fourth annual "Think Global, Shop Local" campaign, which we introduced to Jackson in our first year of publication. Pick up this week's issue and read all …
Kendria Moreland RobinsonCanton native Kendria Moreland Robinson, 33, understands the "no pain, no gain" mantra. As a former gymnast, fitness has always been her drug of choice, and running is her new fix. A couple weeks ago, she completed the five-mile "Over …
Trent Lott: Alito Is a ‘Home Run'[Verbatim statement/Oct. 31, 2005] WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi issued the following statement upon President Bush's nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. to be Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court:
Trent Lott, Harry Reid Call for ‘New Blood' in White HouseThe New York Times reports today that prominent lawmakers of both parties, including Sens. Trent Lott and Harry Reid are calling for the president to make shake-ups in the White House, in the wake of Friday's indictment of Scooter Libby, …
3 More Soldiers Die in Iraq; 8 in Last 3 DaysOn the day that a high-level White House office was indicted for trying to cover up lies told to justify invading Iraq in the first place, three more American soldiers were killed there. Our prayers go out to their families. …