JFP Voter Guide - County OfficesIncumbent Faye Peterson, a Democrat who graduated from Jackson State and Mississippi College, says that her record shows that she is a strong prosecutor and has worked diligently to clear a backlog left by her predecessor, Ed Peters. She, however, …
Chasing Amy<i>Read the full transcript of this interview on the JFP Politics Blog</i>.
A New Politics"A third party? I'd just be happy with a second party!" Agree with that statement? If so, there's a chance you've considered yourself a "centrist," an "independent," a "free thinker"—or you just think politics is for suckers. Perhaps you identify …
Hoodwinked! The U.S. Chamber Pulls a Fast One on Mississippi with 'Tort Reform'It sounded mighty convincing: "Mississippi faces a crisis in medical malpractice insurance." The warnings by industry have been dire: "This is a wake-up call for Mississippi." The reports of doctors bolting the state have been breathless: "It's the harassment of …
Scary BurbsLast spring, during the media frenzy over crime in the city, I interviewed a Brandon woman who had been the victim of an armed robbery in Jackson. She wasn't physically harmed, but she clearly had been terrified by her experience, …
Your Grid or Mine?Turn off U.S. 51 onto Hoy Road in Madison, toward the reservoir, and drive past a number of bland gated communities until the gravel ends and you're on dirt. Keep going through the trees, under a Natchez Trace bridge, through …
Fixin' the BurbsWe hear and read a lot about the hidden costs of sprawl, for example that the average American now spends 443 hours behind the wheel every year, the equivalent of 55 nine-hour days. And we hear about new kinds of …
Mobilizing the Hip-Hop GenerationTo anyone who watches MTV all day—where P. Diddy, Ja Rule and Nelly dominate the screen flashing fancy cars, gold chains and an entourage of scantily clad women—political empowerment and hip-hop may seem like conflicting terms. But hip-hop has been …
Get Your Grid OnThat chill in the night air (it got down to 75 the other night, brrr) signals that it's almost time for football. And here in Mississippi, the favorite brand of football is college football (unless Junior is playing for the …
School Daze: Testing MadnessAs I proctored a classroom full of seventh-graders taking the Grade Level Testing Program (GLTP) test last April in a suburban Jackson public school, I couldn't help but think that some of the children are going to be left behind. …
Tough Questions: Gov. Ronnie MusgroveThey said they'd give me 15 minutes. I took 23. In that minuscule amount of time—enough time for sound bites, but not as much substance as I'd like—I tried to pack in as much meat as possible about issues that …
Blogging the Body Politic<i>Read about presidential hopeful Howard Dean's remarkable grass-roots blogging campaign. And add your voice at the end: Will this campaign change politics as we know it?</i>
Will You Bother to Vote?There's no argument that the right to vote has been hard won in Mississippi, but this election year only a fragment of the state's citizens, black or white, is likely to bother to lock down a decision at the polls. …
Tyner Lunges, Barbour DefendsThe two personalities on the Republican primary ballot of the gubernatorial race couldn't seem any more different. Tyner, with his innocent gee-whiz demeanor and Boy Scout-ish philosophies, stepped quietly into the political boxing ring like a million-to-one-long-shot prize fighter with …
Downtown: The ‘Neighborhood' SolutionOn Thursday, July 3, 2003, real estate developer Mike Peters and his wife drove to Memphis to stay in the Peabody Hotel. After dinner, they were told in the lobby to check out the roof of the hotel, where a …
It sounded mighty convincing: "Mississippi faces a crisis in medical malpractice insurance." The warnings by industry have been dire: "This is a wake-up call for Mississippi." The reports of doctors bolting the state have been breathless: "It's the harassment of …