Senators: Don't Disrespect JacksonSen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, acted shamefully this week in circumventing an attempt to get better funding for Jackson's cops.
Time to Be Responsible, Pet OwnersThis issue of the Jackson Free Press, owned and operated by animal lovers, is dedicated to the idea that Jackson, and Mississippi as a whole, can quickly become a whole lot smarter when it comes to taking care of animals. …
Be Part of the Crime SolutionThe town-hall meeting that the local police union and the Jackson Free Press sponsored last week downtown was eye-opening and sobering. Audience members seemed genuinely flummoxed when they saw the PowerPoint slides of how few police officers are available in …
Kill Two Lakes, Enhance The RiverA vote this week by the Rankin-Hinds Pearl Flood and Drainage Control District ("Levee Board") appeared to overturn its decision of last July to support a "Lower Lake" plan based, in part, on the Levee Board-sponsored charrette featuring noted architect …
Pandering for Cheap VotesSenate Bill 2988, a bill making felons out of employed undocumented immigrants and their employers, is now law. Mississippi Building and Construction Trade President David Newell says the law will help prevent the displacement of working U.S. citizens, while associations …
Barbour: Reset Museum DecisionThis week, the commission appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour to choose a location for Mississippi's Civil Rights Museum voted 22-9 in support of its location committee's recommendation that the museum be located on property leased to the museum by Tougaloo …
OurCity: Jackson Belongs to EveryoneLast issue, the Jackson Free Press told you about SafeCity's attempt to make parts of the city into what one JFP reader called on our Web site, "Baghdad by the Pearl." The "watchdog" group wanted to create some sort of …
Ask Us Before You LeapIt's been a crazy couple of weeks. Everywhere Jacksonians look, we discover that somebody is trying to slip something by usto benefit themselves in some way that ranges from completely absurd to annoyingly selfish.
Civil Rights Museum Should Be DowntownLast week, the location sub-committee of the National Civil Rights Museum Commission in Mississippi recommended Tougaloo College as the location of a proposed civil rights museum in Mississippi. While we recognize Tougaloo's extraordinary role in the fight for civil rights …
Enact Campaign Finance Reform NowThe recent scandals surrounding political donors like Dickie Scruggs and Joey Langston, former elected officials like Ed Peters and judges like Bobby DeLaughter has brought a chronic problem in Mississippi front and center: Lax campaign-finance laws have left the state …
Kill Telco Immunity ClauseIt's odd, really, to hear Republicans on Capitol Hill extol the virtues of "original intent" doctrines for interpreting the U.S. Constitution. Especially when they're so busy subverting the original intent of our Founding Fathers this week in legislation.
Stop Removing Kids from SchoolOn Jan. 21, young Mississippi students traveled across the state, converging in front of the state capitol. They arrived carrying their hopes, dreams, passions. They also carried the dreams of young people who could not be there, who could not …
Dare to Be the BestThis week, under a tribute post to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on jacksonfreepress.com, reader "justjess" shared a story about keeping his dream alive. She told the story of her friend in Chicago speaking to a group of young men …
Justice CorruptedWhile the state is mesmerized by the Scruggs saga, another type of judicial corruption is begging for attention. Arrested in 1992 for rape, a Sunflower County jury found Arthur Johnson guilty after a two-day trial in '93, where the victim's …
Melton: Time to RetireMayor Frank Melton's fainting session at Monday's county inaugural event was the latest warning he needs to heed: It is time for him to retire as mayor of Jackson. It would also be a good idea for him to return …
Chief: Re-Assign the BodyguardsThe events of Dec. 21 make plain what happens when you give power to the undeserving. Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon said Mayor Frank Melton and two of his bodyguards pulled up behind her car as she drove to work …
Melton, Resolve to Be MayorThe recent dust-up over the Jackson Public School Board is yet another reminder that Mayor Frank Melton remains focused on petty political maneuvering at the expense of a business-like approach to city government. Citizens would like him to get about …
Spoon-feeding the FBI?This week's City Council agenda contained an order confirming Mayor Frank Melton's appointment of Millsaps professor Bill Brister to the Jackson Public School Board of Trustees. If confirmed, Brister will replace board member Jonathan Larkin.
Crossing the 'T' In 'MeltonSheriff Malcolm McMillin was confirmed this week in his new role as part-time chief of police for Jackson. From what we know of McMillin, we like him, and there is word already that morale may be improving in the Jackson …
Words Do Hurt"Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you." Any child who's been the object of hateful, hurtful words knows down deep that it's a lie. Words can hurt, can damage, can, in fact, leave psychic …
We Don't Need Another HeroEver since the mayor announced that the sheriff is going to moonlight as the police chief, it's as if fairy dust has been sprinkled on Jackson. It would seem that crimeדthe No. 1 issue!ԗwill be gone in a matter of …
State Gets a Second ChanceSecond chances are rare. Mississippi gets an occasional glimpse at another chance when it convicts murders and conspirators of the horrendous crimes committed here during the Civil Rights Era. But those chances don't come nearly often enough, and at this …
Feds: Mete Out Equal JusticeAs the dust from a very ugly election settles, one thing is clear: There is a new, disturbing kind of well-funded machine politics that has rolled through the state in recent years, which has little use for Democrats. Granted, Dems …
Melton's Budgetary ConfusionWhen writing an editorial, it's important to hit on a few high points. Generally, you want to relate some recent occurrence in the news to a trend that the newspaper's Editorial Board feels should be a concern to citizens. Next, …
Mystery BallotsLeading up to Election day, we've heard a lot of semi-hysteria regarding voter fraud in Mississippi. Certain politicians have latched onto this chimera as the wedge issue for 2007, while loudly bemoaning the lack of voter turnout in the state. …
Don't Blame (It All on) MeltonLeland Speed, whose family enthusiastically supported Frank Melton in his mayoral run, is going around saying something amusing about the beleaguered mayor in recent days as rumors fly about possible federal grand-jury indictments against the city's loose-cannon folk hero.
Recio Promotion Insult to JPDLast week Mayor Melton appointed his bodyguard, a 15-year police officer with little supervisory experience, to the position of assistant chief, granting him a $31,000 raise and, presumably, a considerable jump in responsibilities. Sgt. Michael Recio appears to be leapfrogging …
It's Time to Save LivesDomestic Violence Awareness Month, which started Monday, has taken on a new urgency this year. Given the recent spate of domestic murders in Jackson that might have been prevented, it's clear that the people who most need their awareness raised …
Jackson Needs a Money ManagerHere's something we all know: Mayor Melton likes to throw money around. Prior to his election, he was well known for sending kids to college, "adopting" young men into his home, and handing out high paying jobs to friends, former …
JPD and DA: Do the Right ThingIt's been a tough week. In addition to budget woes and ludicrous statements by the mayor about confiscating the nicest cars to sell, we have lost two beautiful women at the hands of their boyfriends. And mere competence by the …