Anti-Abortion Resolution Holds Little WeightA senate resolution suspending a January legislative deadline for bills to be introduced, afforded Sen. Alan Nunnelee, R-Tupelo, the opportunity to include language to stop federal funds from funding voluntary abortion in the state, which the House passed today in …
Family ValuesOur history as a state and a nation is filled with atrocious efforts to destroy the self-esteem of black men. During the entire arc of slavery and then Jim Crow laws--which did not end until the U.S. Supreme Court finally …
Grading the LawmakersPolitical and community activist Rims Barber released a 2010 political report card grading legislators based on their votes for 10 progressive bills that filed through the 2010 legislative session before it temporarily recessed in March.
Legislators Eye State BudgetThe Mississippi Legislature was back in action April 20 to approve a $5.5 billion fiscal-year 2011 budget and the re-authorization of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.
Things Can Change, MississippiMississippi's prison system is in desperate need of reform. Under "tough on crime" legislation like increased zero-tolerance penalties for minor drug offenses and the 85-percent rule, which mandate that prisoners serve 85 percent of their sentences prior to parole eligibility, …
[Collier] Matters of the HeartJust about all my formal education was whitewashed. The things I knew about the parts of American history that weren't white, I learned from my family.
The Cost of ‘Tough on Crime'Jackson resident Almona Fleming is a placid woman, prone to introspective stares and thoughtful contemplation during interviews. Her calm demeanor says nothing about the writhing coil of hunger that for years twisted inside her, eating at both her stomach and …
Walthall County: Separate and Still UnequalThe two biggest high schools in Walthall County are only 10 miles apart, but for almost 20 years a student transfer policy allowed the two schools to become symbolically separate, effectively re-segregated public schools. Last week, a federal judge put …
[Balko] Justice Stevens' Mixed Record on Civil LibertiesMany hail retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens as a champion of the accused. Stevens, The New York Times editorial board opined, has a "record of being on the side of fairness and justice."
Business Round UpLocal celebrity chef and entrepreneur Nathan Glenn told the Jackson Free Press last week that he will no longer be The Auditorium's general manager. Instead, chef Nate Ballard will take over as the new general manager. Glenn will continue to …
Business Accelerator Hopes to Speed EntrepreneursA new collaborative venture run by Jackson's New Horizon Ministries seeks to promote entrepreneurship and develop the city's existing small businesses. The Jackson Business Accelerator will connect potential entrepreneurs and current business owners with resources, program manager Michael Harris said …
Bill Minorhttp://www.jacksonfreepress.com/v3/images/uploads/Bill_Minor_web01.jpg
Medical Mall Pitches ProjectsThe Jackson Medical Mall Foundation has several large economic-development projects pending, but Hinds County appears unable to support them, for the moment. Primus Wheeler, executive director for the foundation, asked the county Board of Supervisors at a work session this …
Police Search for Shooting SuspectThe Jackson Police Department is searching for a suspect believed to have shot and killed a man outside the Texaco station on North State Street last Sunday morning.
Lake 255 Makes its DebutThe Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board is considering decreasing the size and depth of its Lower Lake plan to save portions of LeFleur's Bluff Park and its adjoining campgrounds and hiking trails from inundation.
JPD Officers Get Commission HearingsThe Civil Service Commission has granted former Det. Ernest Perry a hearing to contest his 90-day unpaid suspension from the Jackson Police Department following an internal fuel theft investigation.
[Kamikaze] Open the DialogueMy father and I are the only non-educators in my immediate family. My mother and my siblings were once or are all teachers. And since my father sees every conversation as a "teachable" moment, I guess he could qualify as …
Levee Board Opinion Request WithdrawnThe Department of Archives and History has withdrawn its request for an opinion from Attorney General Jim Hood to determine if the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board should be designated as a state agency.
Pre-K: An Ounce of PreventionLittle Samaritan Montessori is an unusual sight in Jackson's Midtown neighborhood. In an area with high rates of vacancy and a declining population, Little Samaritan represents the future. The child-care center serves 62 children, from 6 weeks to 5 years …
Barbour Joins Health Care SuitDespite Attorney General Jim Hood's advice, Gov. Haley Barbour announced today that he will join a multi-state lawsuit against national health-care legislation President Barack Obama signed last month.
Barbour Criticized for Slavery InsensitivityGov. Haley Barbour earned the ire of many when he downplayed a controversy over state proclamations of Confederate History Month--which omitted any mention of slavery--in comments last weekend.
Mason Could Leave Hard FeelingsJackson State University President Ronald Mason Jr. is scheduled to interview for the president's post at the Southern University System in Louisiana today, and his potential departure could mean new leadership for JSU.
[Balko] The Police BlackoutLast November along the roadside of Richmond Highway, a major thoroughfare in Fairfax County, Va., a police officer shot and killed David Masters, an unarmed motorist, as he sat in the driver's seat of his car. Masters, who was bipolar, …
Jackson Business Round UpThe success of last month's "Downtown After Dusk" event in the courtyard of Underground 119 has secured a new tradition in Jackson. Julie Skipper, one of the organizers, said today that the event will not conflict with "Fondren After Five" …
City Defends Officer DismissalThe Jackson Civil Service Commission will decide if the city had the right to dismiss former Jackson Police Officer Kevin Nash after allegations that he used excessive force against a civilian and violated his employment agreement.
Traffic Citations Boost City RevenueCity revenues are slipping, but the Jackson Police Department is making a dent in the budget hole by stepping up traffic citations.
Smoothie Bar Promotes Healthy LivingWhen Sameerah Muhammad was walking through the Jackson Medical Mall last summer, she craved a smoothie to accompany her morning workout. "I saw that there were different vending stands, but there wasn't a fresh fruit smoothie bar," she says. Less …
Chronicling Jackson's BOOMIt just occurred to me when I sat down to write this that the Saints won the Super Bowl within weeks of the King Edward re-opening--after both had suffered roughly four decades of discontent. I guess the Saints and King …
New Charter School Law Brings New CostsFormer Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Earl Watkins said a new charter school law that both the House and Senate approved last month will carry additional costs to the local public-school districts, which already have strapped budgets.
Chaney Critical of Insurance Hike RequestAllstate has submitted its request for a home-owner rate increase on more than 50,000 Mississippi homes because of higher expenses in the state.
Jackson resident Almona Fleming is a placid woman, prone to introspective stares and thoughtful contemplation during interviews. Her calm demeanor says nothing about the writhing coil of hunger that for years twisted inside her, eating at both her stomach and …