Jackson Home Prices Bucking National TrendWhile most of the country continues to see a drop in home prices in the wake of the housing and foreclosure crises, Jackson home prices will be going in the opposite direction. The average home across the nation will lose …
Mike Huckabee Criticizes Government Emergency AssistanceFormer Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee used his address at Salvation Army's annual dinner in Jackson last night to criticize the role of government in assisting in emergencies such as Hurricane Katrina. "Frankly, I'd rather …
Walk the Local TalkHere at the Jackson Free Press, we know well how hard it can be for a small, locally owned business to stand up to a corporation that wants to stamp out as much competition as possible in order to please …
Parents Should Make Plans for Getting Kids to SchoolWith school bus drivers employed by First Student threatening a strike beginning Thursday morning, the Hinds County School District is urging parents to make alternate plans for getting their kids to school tomorrow.
Weill Lone Vote Against New ChiefsThe Jackson City Council confirmed Police Chief Rebecca Coleman and Fire Chief Raymond McNulty after a brief hearing yesterday. Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes was not available for the hearing, and could not be reached to explain his absence. The …
JPS Board Drops Music ProgramThe Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees failed to renew funding for a music education program yesterday, effectively discontinuing a 42-year-old collaboration with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Board members voted 2-2 on renewing the program. Members Jonathan Larkin and Ann …
Costs Mounting for Levees, Lake PlansLegislators say the chances of the Mississippi Legislature approving funding to build levees in Jackson and surrounding counties are slim, especially since it has taken so long to reach consensus on how to mitigate flooding along the Pearl River.
Rains Hurt State Fair, Helped Local RestaurantsThe weather was unkind to the Mississippi State Fair last week, but the near-constant rain was a boon for one segment of Jackson: downtown restaurant owners. Fair director Billy Orr estimates that roughly 500,000 people attended this year, down from …
Weill Challenges Mayor Over Bond MoneyThe Jackson City Council and Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. got off on the wrong foot at the Monday work session after Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Weill inquired whether the city administration was spending a portion of a recent $26 million …
Karen ParkerBefore Byron Knight opened Sneaky Beans coffee shop on North State Street in Fondren, just about a year ago, the little house was home to Karen Parker's store, New Vibrations, for more than four years. The aroma of coffee has …
Mississippi Farmers Could See 100 Percent Crop LossesThe Mississippi State Fair isn't the only thing suffering because of the state's run of bad weather. The state is considering declaring entire Mississippi counties disaster areas because of enormous farming losses due to weather, said Mississippi Department of Agriculture …
Hinds Supes Go to Executive Session on Detention CenterHinds County Supervisors considered adopting a memorandum of understanding with a youth justice advocacy organization at a board meeting this morning. The proposed memorandum, which the board discussed in a closed executive session, would establish acceptable staff-to-youth ratios at the …
Dr. James Bowley"I love my job!" proclaims Dr. James E. Bowley on his Web site. Bowley, an associate professor in the Millsaps College department of religious studies, teaches courses on the Bible and related religious traditions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. "What's not …
Supreme Court: Fairview Illegally ZonedThe Mississippi Supreme Court refused to revisit its August decision regarding a four-star bed and breakfast in Jackson. The court had earlier decided that the city of Jackson had illegally spot-zoned the property for the Fairview Inn, on Fairview Street …
Johnson: Test Scores Reflect Education FundingMississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson blames legislators for the state's low rank in a national summary of elementary school math grades. "The Nation's Report Card: Mathematics 2009," released yesterday, outlines achievements of fourth- and eighth-graders on the National Assessment of …
Jackson Police Putting Focus on Property CrimeAssistant Police Chief Lee Vance called on Jackson police to concentrate on property crimes in the city, noting at a meeting today that the Jackson Police Department has a "realistic chance" of finishing the year with an overall crime reduction …
Jackson's ComebackYou can feel it in the air. Jacksonians are starting to believe in the power of Mississippi's capital city to be great, to rise from the ashes that fiery politics and racism of old turned us into.
BREAKING: Jackson 11th Best City For Small BusinessThe Jackson Free Press has just learned that Fortune Small Business has named Jackson a "best place to launch" a small business. Jackson ranks 11th on the magazine's list of mid-size American cities, which it released online today. JFP reporter …
You Tell Us!In honor of this week's special ode to the onerous '80s, today's Person of the Day is a JFP staffer pictured here when he was a strapping young Jacksonian, complete with gold chain and muscle shirt. Can you tell who …
[Balko] Scenes From a CrackdownPolice overkill, such as that displayed at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, is becoming more common every day.
GO Zone Deadlines Coming and GoingLocal governments in southern and central Mississippi must begin using federal funds for disaster recovery by the end of the year, according to Gov. Haley Barbour. Barbour recently sent a letter to the 39 cities and counties that received a …
Kristen ThigpenBefore accepting her new job with the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Kristen Thigpen didn't personally know anyone who had been a victim of intimate partner abuse. Since she took the job Oct. 1, she's been researching the issue, which …
Navy Names Ship After Medgar EversThe U.S. Navy is naming a ship in honor of Medgar Evers, the civil rights leader who was assassinated outside his Jackson home in 1963. Navy Secretary and former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus is expected to announce the honor when …
Connie McCaaDr. Connie McCaa has set her professional bar high. This week she was again ranked by Best Doctors, an international, independent medical resource, as one of the leading doctors in Mississippi. This is McCaa's 12th consecutive time on the list.
Wicker and Cochran Vote to Protect Contractors, Not WomenBoth U.S. senators from MississippiThad Cochran and Roger Wickervoted against an amendment by Minnesota Sen. Al Franken halting government funding for defense contractors who deny assault victims their day in court. The amendment, successfully introduced to the fiscal year 2010 …
Farish Street Nightclub to Increase SecurityAttorneys for the Birdland Restaurant and Lounge reached an agreement with Jackson city attorneys yesterday to close the Farish Street nightclub for 30 days while addressing security concerns stemming from a recent fatal shooting.
KBR to Engineer Kemper Plant?U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth was electrocuted in his shower stall in Iraq in January 2008. Army documents showed that KBR Engineering and Construction had inspected the building and found serious electrical problems 11 months before Maseth's death.
No Flood Plan = Higher RatesJackson insurance agent Hank Aiken warns that some home-owner insurance policies could triple in price if the Federal Emergency Management Agency changes local flood maps without the benefit of a final flood-control plan for the Pearl River.
Teens Expect JSU HazingA Former Forest Hill High School band director and a local Jackson attorney say that high-school students know what they're getting into when they try out for the Jackson State University marching band, the Sonic Boom of the Southand that …
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth was electrocuted in his shower stall in Iraq in January 2008. Army documents showed that KBR Engineering and Construction had inspected the building and found serious electrical problems 11 months before Maseth's death.