[Casey's Note] Leaving My Heart In JacksonWhen I first saw the Jackson Free Press, something sparked. I had given up hope for local weeklies, but the cover—a grid-like spread of a variety of Jackson folks—called to me. Someone had dropped off about 100 copies outside of …
[Stiggers] Finding PhilmoIt's time to take your mind on an adventure with Readin' Rain-Bro! Join him as he shares with us a Christmas holiday story.
[Greggs] Hear Me RoarThe other day I was reading a news brief about Heidi Fleiss opening the first all-male brothel in Nevada. It has all the other cathouse owners in the state, the owners of the <i>regular</i> brothels, in high dungeon. They complain …
[Fleming] Goodbye, My FriendIn the early spring of 1993, I had a serious decision to make. One choice was to become a lance corporal in the United States Marine Corps, having served six months reserve duty in a special program designed to lure …
[Kamikaze] A Simple PlanThe equation seems simple. In order for society to create productive adults, it must first nurture them as children. Young people are the foundation of our future. Some will be our next teachers, doctors, lawyers, bus drivers, skilled laborers, star …
My So-Called Holiday ColumnThey say that during the holidays, you're supposed to stop and consider what you're thankful for. (OK, this is starting out cheesy, I know. Work with me here.) Combine that seasonal desire with the fact that Donna assigned me the …
[Stiggers] Tale Of Two NationsWe interrupt Oprah's Lexus from Texas Luxury Car Giveaway show to bring you a special holiday message from Rudy McBride, C.E.O. of the Let Me Hold Five Dollars National Bank.
Coming HomeI was always that kid who stuck out in school. With my glasses as thick as ashtrays and my disheveled hair, I was constantly slipping on social banana peels wherever I walked. I was clumsy and silly, but eager to …
Oh, Say Can We See?When Mazie Moore saw <i>that</i> picture in Jet Magazine in 1955, it terrified the Franklin County mother. Mamas across the South, black mamas, were hearing about the photo. They took it as a warning to protect their boys from the …
[Stiggers] Stayin' AliveHere's a brief pre-holiday message from Pork-N-Piggly CEO and former third-string NFL football star Ernest "Monday Night Football Head" Walker: "An inflated economy has produced a depressed nation of price-gouged poor people already in debt before Christmas. Family gatherings will …
We Need A Mayor, Not A DaddyIt is going to be painfully ironic—and useless—if the recent murder spate is the factor that finally gets the Jackson media to start questioning Mayor Frank Melton. Unless proven otherwise, the nine murders in 10 days are not Frank Melton's …
[Kamikaze] Hold The BeefThere is great joy in understanding. Simple communication doesn't get nearly as much hype as it should. Conflict managers through the ages have championed the benefits of true conversation, but in this age of beefs (real or perceived) people have …
[Stiggers] Oui, Oui-ing On Poor FolkGhetto Science Public Television presents the Boneqweesha and Momma Church Hat News Hour. Boneqweesha: "Greetings! Momma Church Hat kicks off the News Hour with a special report on the riots in Paris, France."
[Greggs] All In The Single Girl's FamilyIn honor of the holidays I was going to write an endearing column listing all the wonderful things in my life for which I have to be thankful. I scrapped that after realizing it would probably end up sounding trite …
Sensational ‘Suburban Legends'Perhaps the biggest single flaw that The Clarion-Ledger has in its recent addition to its "Changing Face of Jackson" series is the fact that it doesn't include itself in the litany of problems that the newspaper claims are holding back …
[Stiggers] Hell On EarthG-SPAN television presents "The Ghetto Science Team's Working Poor People's Economic State of Emergency Summit," with closing remarks by Grandpa Pookie.
[Mangum] The Life and Death of HamburgerI keep getting asked why I don't eat red meat. Not to be an Oprah, but I actually do worry about Mad Cow Disease. There's a story, too—the real reason I don't include red meat in my diet.
You Can Do ThatI hadn't planned to write about the death, or the life, of Rosa Parks. I know she was an amazing hero, but I didn't think I had anything else to say that everybody and his brother aren't already falling over …
[Kamikaze] Bush's Report CardMy kids got their first report card of the year recently. As most parents know, it's that initial indicator that lets you know just where your child stands with his schoolwork or his behavior. It's those infamous letter grades that …
[Stiggers] The Michael Moore Of The GhettoThe Bootleg Low Power Television Network presents "Wee Hour Conversations by the Stove in Grandma Pookie's Kitchen with Ghetto Economist Pookie Peterz."
[Greggs] One Tiny Little Pink LineOn some rather innocuous Sunday eight years ago, I was a 21-year-old recent college graduate just back from a camping trip. I sat on the edge of a bathtub and anxiously awaited the results of a pregnancy test. It wasn't …
[Stiggers] Law And Order In An S.U.V.Cootie McBride uses his S.U.V. to help Ghetto Science Team Counter-Intelligence agents conduct a drive-by investigation regarding a CIA leak. They stop at a prestigious Washington, D.C., hotel to take security guard Lee-Lee Johnson for a ride around the block.
Blowin' In The WindLast week Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff, I. "Scooter" Libby, was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice in an investigation into how the identity of a covert CIA operative was leaked to the press. This scandal comes …
Franklin Advocate Editorial and Thomas Moore ResponseThis letter appeared in The Franklin Advocate, the weekly newspaper in Meadville, Miss, the week after Thomas Moore's story appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It is reprinted verbatim; below it you can read Thomas Moore's letter to the editor …
Damned If We Don'tThe weekend Katrina hit, Kate Medley and I were in the Natchez area finishing research and art for the package of stories that you'll read in this issue. This time in Adams and Franklin counties, as Kate and I got …
[Cohen] All Haley The ChiefOn Oct. 1 in Oxford, 4,000 people filled the Tad Smith Coliseum for what was billed as a fund-raising concert to benefit Hurricane Katrina's Mississippi victims. My wife and I were there. America was generous that night: 11,000 people called …
[Kamikaze] The Apocalypse Is NighI'm back from a couple of weeks in the media capital of the world—New York City. Bright lights, big dreams and bad weather. Unfortunately while I was there, the Northeastern seaboard experienced some of its worst weather in years. Here …
[Stiggers] Crunchie Burga, Give Us GasIt's Boneqweesha, your on-the-scene reporter, live from Crunchie Burga World headquarters. The Customer and Support Services Workers' Union, No. 208-1/3, has gathered outside C.B.W. headquarters to protest the plight of the minimum-wage worker. Union president, part-time old-skool deejay and head …
Your Name In LightsYou gotta love the folks who decide to do something instead of just complain about it. Last year, in response to the common refrain "We never get any decent independent films in Jackson," the Crossroads Film Society decided to expand …