Bills to Protect Domestic Abuse VictimsAfter her husband physically and mentally abused her for nearly a decade, Joy Jones* realized her situation was only going to get worse. She gathered up enough courage to seek a divorce and secretly obtained a lawyer, who encouraged her …
NAACP Asks Barbour to Condemn Klan PlateMississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson is asking Gov. Haley Barbour to condemn the Mississippi Sons of Confederate Veterans' push to create a commemorative license plate for Confederate General and the Ku Klux Klan's first Grand Wizard, Nathan Bedford Forrest.
Stadiums, Hackers and OilA bill the Mississippi Senate is considering could transfer control of Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium to Jackson State University. House Bill 1158, which the House of Representatives passed Feb. 10, would give JSU control of the stadium itself while transferring …
Ward 1 Special Election TodayWard 1 voters will decide today whether L. Patricia Ice or Quentin Whitwell will fill the Ward 1 City Council seat, which has been empty since Jeff Weill left in January to serve as a Hinds Circuit Court judge.
Cost of Flood Study Could JumpA study examining flood control along the Pearl River could cost taxpayers twice as much, due to post- Katrina requirements, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the Levee Board today.
Edwards to Argue for Job In MarchNext month, Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Lonnie Edwards will have a chance to win his job back. Edwards has appealed the JPS Board of Trustees Dec. 7 decision not to renew his contract beyond the end of this school year. …
On Feb. 15, Vote Ice for Ward 1The Jackson Free Press' readership is diverse in many ways, and we get criticized from the left and right for editorial stances and endorsements. Our editorial board believes in groups of people with varying opinions getting together to debate and …
Mississippi Lawmakers on Smoking, Sex-Ed and Kicked CatsToday is the deadline for Mississippi legislators to take floor action on all bills originating in their respective chambers, and the House and Senate passed several bills yesterday and this morning.
Facing the TruthOn Friday night, I made the road trip to my aunt and uncle's Flowood home to finally see "Mississippi ReMixed," a documentary by Jackson native Myra Ottewell who examines her personal beliefs about relationships between blacks and whites in Mississippi. …
Not Without A FightJackson Public Schools Superintendent Lonnie Edwards won't go quietly. Edwards announced Feb. 5 that he would appeal the JPS Board of Trustees' decision to let his three-year contract expire with the current school year.
Nathan's Law StrugglingOn a cold afternoon two weeks before Christmas in 2009, Laurel resident Lori Key stood outside her home like she did every day and waited for her son, Nathan, to get off his school bus. As the bus pulled up …
The Secession BandwagonIt seems Mississippi Sen. Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, is out to prove an election-year point by appealing to the most extreme fringe of the far right.
[Head] Hazardous CivilityIn 2009, I spent 48 minutes on Paul Gallo's SuperTalk radio show. I wanted to persuade Gallo to help me expose the mainstream resurgence of the Council of Conservative Citizens, a segregationist group patterned after the 1960s-era white Citizen's Councils …
Sales-Tax Commission Needed for Jackson?City leaders have only one major request this legislative session, but that doesn't mean they'll get it. Jackson lawmakers are pushing to revise a 2009 sales-tax bill that offered a stream of funding for public safety and improvements to the …
Mississippi a CO2 Dump?Mississippi would become a reservoir for carbon-dioxide storage under Senate Bill 2723 and House Bill 1098--both of which survived their respective Oil, Gas and Other Minerals committees this month.
House Stalls on Domestic Violence GPSMonitoring domestic violence suspects out on bond is apparently a controversial issue in the Mississippi House of Representatives. The House spent most of yesterday tackling an unofficial list of non-controversial legislation. Left off that list was a bill sponsored by …
More Art, Crafts, Cannoli, RetailA children's fountain, outdoor dining, garden rooms, performance stage and expansive art installations are just a few of the design elements The Art Garden at the Mississippi Museum of Art will feature when it opens in August.
Everybody Deserves Smoke-Free AirEverybody deserves smoke-free air. Pediatricians have first-hand experience about what happens when children and babies breathe second-hand smoke.
A.M.E. LoganRemaining fearless and determined even into her late 90s, civil rights activist A.M.E. Logan would frequently attend community meetings and drive herself around Jackson delivering Avon products to her clients.
Sweet Potato Queen's Fondren Parade SetStanding next to a pink port-a-potty decorated with a sequin-clad Sweet Potato Queen, author and boss queen Jill Conner Browne officially announced Fondren's Zippity Doo Dah Parade this morning.
Of Truth and the Shortest MonthI admit it: I've never been Black History Month's biggest fan. Let me put that another way: I don't like how media tend to treat Black History Month. Too often, it is a vehicle for selling ads on a special …
BP Claims Process Compromised?Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood asked a federal judge last week to oversee Gulf Coast Claims Facility pay-outs to individuals the 2010 BP oil spill disaster injured.
Immigrants, Medicaid and AbortionThe House took up a controversial bill demanding that state and local law-enforcement officials request proof of residency status from civilians they suspect are undocumented immigrants. The version of Senate Bill 2179 that left the Senate two weeks ago also …
Caring for CriminalsInmate medical care is an unpopular business, at least in Hinds County. The Hinds County Board of Supervisors learned that lesson the hard way in January, when it found itself scrambling for a medical provider before its existing contract, with …
Turn Down the PoliticsWith nearly two weeks before the Jackson City Council special election to replace former Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Weill (who left to serve as a Hinds County judge), candidate Quentin Whitwell was just as surprised as we were to find …
[Stiggers] Thriving in the GhettoWelcome to the Ghetto Science Team's Super Bowl XLV Tailgate Viewing Party and Disco Business Strategy meeting. I hope my fellow business associates are ready to provide lots of entertainment, fun, food and souvenir products for residents of the Ghetto …
[Kamikaze] Jackson Schools in CrisisI am a proud product of Jackson Public Schools. I spent nine years in that system. My mother was a long-time educator in JPS. My brother currently teaches in JPS. And I count several friends, classmates and colleagues who are …