EDITORIAL: State, City Must Not Hinder Access to Public InfoMississippi legislators are arguing with a straight face that they should not have to turn over documents about a 2016 vote to shift control of Jackson's airports to an outside board because of "legislative privilege."
OPINION: At Home on the BusAs morning dawns on the capital city, my fellow JATRAN passengers and I begin our day together. On the road, I have formed the kind habit of wishing my fellow passengers well upon their destination. "Take care," I say.
OPINION: Reflections After the Union LossIn These Times writer Joe Allen says the Nissan-Canton election loss "is nothing less than a knockout punch ending for the foreseeable future any efforts by the UAW to organize the large, predominantly foreign-owned auto assembly plants in the South."
EDITOR'S NOTE: Lessons in Humility and KindnessCats and kids have to be dependent on other people. But as children get older, they can begin to take care of themselves, though there are still certain things they can't or won't do. I wouldn't go to the doctor …
OPINION: The Work of Overcoming Abuse"Everything that happens to you is a reflection of what you believe about yourself. We cannot outperform our level of self-esteem. We cannot draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth."
EDITORIAL: State Lawmakers Must Support Abuse VictimsDomestic and interpersonal abuse, especially violence against women, are systemic and national in scope, but some clear policy and program solutions would make Mississippi safer and better for women.
COMMENTARY: Reinsert Value Back Into JournalismIn 2004, the now-deceased Mississippi journalist Bill Minor gave an assessment of his profession. Among its problems, he said, was that too many of his colleagues would rather play "go along, get along" than risk the consequences of the truth.
OPINION: 'One Lake’ A Triumph of Cronyism?Flood-control alternatives, including the "One Lake" project for the Pearl River, have been out of the spotlight and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' technical review for nearly four years since scoping meetings in fall 2013.
Mississippi: Listen to the ‘Me, Too’ ChorusWomen should not have to post on social media to bring awareness to the harassment, assault and abuse that half of the world's population endures daily.
Men: Stop the HarassmentThe journey from being shamed about a stranger commenting on my ass at 16 to being worried about its continual definition of who I am at 40 is one that is familiar to most women.
The Six-Word Musical Death SentenceFor me personally, I know, like nearly every white man who ever picked up a guitar hath known, that being a singer-songwriter does not make me one in a million. If anything, it puts me closer to "a million in …
OPINION: Remembering the Lessons of the 1917 RevolutionOne hundred years ago, the Bolshevik Revolution, which began in February 1917, reached its apex in October 1917 when the party met and voted to overthrow the inept and floundering provisional government.
From Trump to Weinstein: ‘This Way of Treating Women Ends Now’Hell week for women started with Donald Trump telling employers they can cherry-pick access to birth control out of women employees' health insurance. It ended with a long line of Hollywood women collectively revealing mega-producer Harvey Weinstein's apparent habit of, …
HB 1523: Mississippi's Extreme Attack on LGBT RightsThe insidious power of a law like this is that it casts a long shadow over public life, forcing someone to assess whether they will be treated fairly and respectfully in situations from the crisis of an emergency room to …
America’s Gun Culture: 'How Many More Must Die?'Let's send our politicians a message; and if they are not willing to create the change that we demand, then we will create the change at the next ballot box.
Clockwork Gun ViolenceIt's like clockwork, at this point. There's a deadly shooting in this country, followed by an ocean of "thoughts and prayers," then a debate over whether more gun control is needed, then not a damn thing done.
Mississippi Lawmakers, Lead on Health CareCongress let the Children's Health Insurance Program, which insures kids who come from low-income families but are not eligible for Medicaid, expire last week. Now lawmakers are scrambling to renew the program, established in 1997 with bi-partisan support.
A Voice for the OppressedIt's distressing yet important to acknowledge that in this country, oppressed people have no voice. Though we yell and scream for attention and assistance, our voices don't travel beyond our network and our community.
Fighting the Good Fight for JacksonJackson is filled with locally owned businesses and restaurants. A lot of people in outer counties want to see the city fail. They want to move the capital away from the cool, urban center of great food, music, art and …
HB 1523 Creates a Dark and Dismal Cloud Over MississippiI am a proud gay man who will always be a product of Mississippi. Once again, I offer this statement simply to show my support for Mississippi's LGBT community and its incredible allies.
Character Acting With Harry Dean StantonHarry Dean Stanton, who died this month at the age of 91, was a "character actor," a term he didn't particularly like, one of those working stiffs of the Big Screen whose faces everyone knows, but not their names.
How the JPS Takeover Affects StudentsJPS has been under scrutiny for 18 months, and I would not claim that the district does not need major improvements. But is JPS in such bad shape that the state should take control and shut out the people of …
Jackson Developers: Involve Locals in Decisions EarlyAs long as developers are following zoning and city codes, it's within their right to build. Just because you can do something, however, does not mean you should.
Yep, JPS Takeover Is a Conspiracy. Prove Me Wrong.The predictability of all this takeover hoohaa isn't lost on anyone who comprehends Mississippi's history of racial dynamics, white flight and victim-blaming.
Fragments of Women's History"I’m all too aware of the lack of recognition at both the state and national levels that women receive for their contributions to the arts, letters, politics and the law, among other fields."
Mississippi legislators are arguing with a straight face that they should not have to turn over documents about a 2016 vote to shift control of Jackson's airports to an outside board because of "legislative privilege."
As morning dawns on the capital city, my fellow JATRAN passengers and I begin our day together. On the road, I have formed the kind habit of wishing my fellow passengers well upon their destination. "Take care," I say.
I'm a journalist to find solutions for issues such as youth crime. And that means seeking the various causes first to get there. That is why the journalism in the Jackson Free Press is different.
"We teach our children to build upon their past accomplishments and to continually strive for higher goals."
In These Times writer Joe Allen says the Nissan-Canton election loss "is nothing less than a knockout punch ending for the foreseeable future any efforts by the UAW to organize the large, predominantly foreign-owned auto assembly plants in the South."
While the new administration's leadership on JPS has been noteworthy, communication on other changes in the city has been slow to take root.
The drug war is not working. Countless lives—including law enforcement officers—are being lost or ruined.
Cats and kids have to be dependent on other people. But as children get older, they can begin to take care of themselves, though there are still certain things they can't or won't do. I wouldn't go to the doctor …
"Everything that happens to you is a reflection of what you believe about yourself. We cannot outperform our level of self-esteem. We cannot draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth."
Domestic and interpersonal abuse, especially violence against women, are systemic and national in scope, but some clear policy and program solutions would make Mississippi safer and better for women.
In 2004, the now-deceased Mississippi journalist Bill Minor gave an assessment of his profession. Among its problems, he said, was that too many of his colleagues would rather play "go along, get along" than risk the consequences of the truth.
Maybe you weren't bullied, but as a woman, you've probably been told to make yourself smaller and to fit the mold society created for you.
Flood-control alternatives, including the "One Lake" project for the Pearl River, have been out of the spotlight and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' technical review for nearly four years since scoping meetings in fall 2013.
Women should not have to post on social media to bring awareness to the harassment, assault and abuse that half of the world's population endures daily.
The journey from being shamed about a stranger commenting on my ass at 16 to being worried about its continual definition of who I am at 40 is one that is familiar to most women.
For me personally, I know, like nearly every white man who ever picked up a guitar hath known, that being a singer-songwriter does not make me one in a million. If anything, it puts me closer to "a million in …
One hundred years ago, the Bolshevik Revolution, which began in February 1917, reached its apex in October 1917 when the party met and voted to overthrow the inept and floundering provisional government.
Hell week for women started with Donald Trump telling employers they can cherry-pick access to birth control out of women employees' health insurance. It ended with a long line of Hollywood women collectively revealing mega-producer Harvey Weinstein's apparent habit of, …
The insidious power of a law like this is that it casts a long shadow over public life, forcing someone to assess whether they will be treated fairly and respectfully in situations from the crisis of an emergency room to …
Let's send our politicians a message; and if they are not willing to create the change that we demand, then we will create the change at the next ballot box.
It's like clockwork, at this point. There's a deadly shooting in this country, followed by an ocean of "thoughts and prayers," then a debate over whether more gun control is needed, then not a damn thing done.
Congress let the Children's Health Insurance Program, which insures kids who come from low-income families but are not eligible for Medicaid, expire last week. Now lawmakers are scrambling to renew the program, established in 1997 with bi-partisan support.
It's distressing yet important to acknowledge that in this country, oppressed people have no voice. Though we yell and scream for attention and assistance, our voices don't travel beyond our network and our community.
Jackson is filled with locally owned businesses and restaurants. A lot of people in outer counties want to see the city fail. They want to move the capital away from the cool, urban center of great food, music, art and …
I am a proud gay man who will always be a product of Mississippi. Once again, I offer this statement simply to show my support for Mississippi's LGBT community and its incredible allies.
Harry Dean Stanton, who died this month at the age of 91, was a "character actor," a term he didn't particularly like, one of those working stiffs of the Big Screen whose faces everyone knows, but not their names.
JPS has been under scrutiny for 18 months, and I would not claim that the district does not need major improvements. But is JPS in such bad shape that the state should take control and shut out the people of …
As long as developers are following zoning and city codes, it's within their right to build. Just because you can do something, however, does not mean you should.
The predictability of all this takeover hoohaa isn't lost on anyone who comprehends Mississippi's history of racial dynamics, white flight and victim-blaming.
"I’m all too aware of the lack of recognition at both the state and national levels that women receive for their contributions to the arts, letters, politics and the law, among other fields."