Manhunt D.A.‘s ‘Guard' DutyWhen Bruce Dunagan heard that Tallahatchie County prosecutor John Whitten III was involved in a vigilante-style manhunt last month, in Sumner, he wasn't surprised. Dunagan, who was Biloxi's police chief during Hurricane Katrina, remembers Whitten testing the limits of the …
Two Lakes Developer Long a 'Green' FoeNorthside Sun Publisher Wyatt Emmerich declared in a recent column that the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District should appoint Jackson oilman John McGowan to head the board's technical advisory committee. The committee will work with the U.S. …
The GOP's Obsession with Tort ReformAs the health-insurance reform debate swirls, Gov. Haley Barbour is claiming that most Americans are actually looking for tort reform, not a government-guaranteed insurance option, to lower their health-care costs.
Power Industry Watchdog Grows Three New TeethThe Mississippi Public Service Commission will be getting $824,901 to better watchdog the power industry. This morning, District 1 Rep. Travis Childers announced the grant award from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, which the PSC applied for earlier this …
Barbour Misses ACORN BandwagonThe day after Gov. Haley Barbour announced he was cutting state funds to ACORN, the JFP broke the news that the state gives no money to the groupwhich no longer exists here.
Roger WickerPassed by a 68-to-30 Senate vote, an amendment authored by Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, mandates that Amtrak allow passengers to carry handguns in their checked baggage. The amendment is an addition to a $122 billion housing and transportation bill, of …
Jackson One of 20 Strongest-Performing MarketsA new report issued by the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., ranks Jackson as one of the nation's strongest-performing metro areas in the country. The MetroMonitor report tracks the recession and its recovery, and examined the 100 largest metropolitan areas …
Future for Clinic UncertainThe future of the Catholic Charities Legal Assistance Clinic in Jackson, which provides legal services for women and children fleeing domestic abuse, is uncertain, as pending upcoming funding decisions. Funding for the clinic from the Mississippi Bar and the U.S. …
Immigrant Rights Alliance Says Enforcement UnbalancedMississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance Executive Director Bill Chandler is charging that the indictment of Jose Humberto Gonzalez in the 2008 Howard Industries immigration-enforcement raid highlights the unbalanced enforcement of federal immigration law. In 1986, the federal Immigration Reform and Control …
BCBS: Domestic Abuse Not Pre-Existing ConditionState Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney has clarified a statement he made to the Jackson Free Press used in a story Wednesday regarding Mississippi being one of the eight remaining states whose laws allow insurance companies to use a history of …
Jackson Crime Down AgainMajor crimes in Jackson decreased slightly last week, according to statistics (PDF) released yesterday at the Jackson Police Department's weekly COMSTAT meeting. For the year to date, violent crime is down roughly 10 percent compared to last year, while property …
Entergy continuing move to JacksonDowntown Jackson Partners President Ben Allen said the city of Jackson will certainly feel the benefit of Entergy's decision to move about 200 transmission workers from New Orleans to the Jackson area.
Dish with Fran HowzeThe North Midtown Community Development Corp has big plans for the area west of Millsaps College.
A Work In ProgressWhen Ira Murray moved to Jackson from Nashville four years ago, he knew the city was poised for metamorphosis.
Domestic Abuse is a Pre-Existing Condition in MississippiMississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney expressed outrage today that the state of Mississippi is one of eight states in the nation, including the District of Columbia, which allows insurance companies to consider domestic abuse as a pre-existing condition with which …
[Stauffer] A 21st Century Boom Town?When we launched the Jackson Free Press seven years ago this week, it was with a cover story on Jackson's "creative class." Seven years later as the JFP rolls into Volume 8, I still hear from people surprised, amazed and …
Business News In and Around JacksonIda's, a restaurant serving up soul food and blue-plate specials, recently changed locations but will continue serve to South Jackson. Owner James Reed said the business recently moved from 4501 Raymond Road to 4580 N. Siwell Road in an effort …
State Sued over ‘Abstinence'In an effort to stop taxpayers from funding religious events, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in federal court last week against the Mississippi Department of Human Services for promoting religion at its annual abstinence-only-until-marriage summit this year.
JPD Blasts ‘Negative Crime Story'Using FBI statistics that the agency warns not to take out of context, The Clarion-Ledger reported a 9.3 increase in violent crime for the Jackson area this morning.
Council OKs Budget, No Pay RaisesThe Jackson City Council voted to approve the city's 2010 budget Monday with a five-to-two vote, with only minor changes in the $359.5 million package. The budget, only rejected by Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes and Ward 1 Councilman Jeff …
Daniel McMullenEighteen-year FBI veteran Daniel McMullen is the new special agent in charge (SAC) of the FBI's Jackson Division, moving from his most recent position in Los Angeles where he was SAC for criminal matters. FBI Director Robert S. Mueller appointed …
Justice Association Slams Barbour's Request to CourtThe Mississippi Association for Justice is accusing Gov. Haley Barbour of playing politics with a wrongful-death case in Bolivar County. "Haley Barbour's recent motion to the Supreme Court to reconsider a previous decision based on tort reform is inconceivable and …
Most-Endangered Places List Includes Jackson and Raymond SitesThe Mississippi Heritage Trust has unveiled its 2009 list of the 10 most-endangered places. This year's list includes the Hinds County Armory in Jackson and the Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Raymond.
Paul E. WinfieldVicksburg Mayor Paul E. Winfield was one of 18 mayors in the country to participate in the Cities of Service Inaugural Summit last week in an effort to engage citizens in community service initiatives and to provide a platform to …
Small Business Associations Recommend ReformSmall business owners are nervous about a potential new round of taxes connected to H.R. 3200, the embattled health-care reform bill being knocked around in Congress.
New Madison Hospital, Despite BattleMadison County will soon have a new hospital. The Madison County Medical Center hosted a Sept. 10 groundbreaking ceremony for Madison River Oaks Hospital, a 67-bed hospital covering more than 110,000 square feet. The facility will contain traditional features such …
Council Seeks $2.6 Million for Pay IncreasesThe Jackson City Council's budget committee passed a motion yesterday, 3-2, asking the Johnson administration to locate funds to finance a $1,000 per employee pay raise, a cost increase of about $2.6 million, according to the preliminary estimate of Jackson …
Melton Bodyguard Recio Gets House Arrest, ProbationMichael Recio, who served as a Jackson police officer and bodyguard to the late Mayor Frank Melton, will serve one year of probation for his role in the 2006 warrantless destruction of a Ridgeway Street duplex. Recio's sentence, which includes …
When Ira Murray moved to Jackson from Nashville four years ago, he knew the city was poised for metamorphosis.