‘The Nightmare Is Over'After serving 18 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, Levon Brooks walked away from the Noxubee County courthouse a free man on March 13. Arrested for the rape and murder of his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter, Courtney …
One in 100 Behind BarsAmerica reached a new record this year, but it's not one that comes with bragging rights: We've reached the point where one in every 100 adults is behind bars. In Mississippi, one in every 97.3 adults is in prison or …
Pandering for Cheap VotesSenate Bill 2988, a bill making felons out of employed undocumented immigrants and their employers, is now law. Mississippi Building and Construction Trade President David Newell says the law will help prevent the displacement of working U.S. citizens, while associations …
[Sue Doh Nem] Price-Gouged Victims UnitMr. Announcement: "In a recessive economy, opportunists overwhelm financially challenged individuals on fixed incomes with inflated prices. As the price of gas and other necessities increases, poor folk commit desperate acts of retribution. Greed, desperation and retaliation are elements in …
Vol. 6, No. 27As a recent transplant from Texas and an American of Mexican decent, I am appalled at the ignorant comments made by some radio personalities and politicians running ads in Jackson regarding the immigration issue. "Pedro" jokes are no less insulting …
[Mott] Pulling Hard for Our FutureWangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Prize-winner from Kenya, planted seven trees in 1977 in honor of seven women environmentalists. Jailed and reviled for her own environmental activism, Maathai's seven trees became 40 million over the course of two decades, planted by …
Flashback: JFP Cover Story, March 19, 2003As the Jackson Free Press prepared to go to press five years ago this week, we knew that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was immiment. Even as most of the media supported Bush's war, and dissent was unpopular, our consciences …
The Emerging Mississippi: Are New Voters Changing State Politics?When presidential hopeful Barack Obama entered the Rose Embley McCoy building at Jackson State University on March 10, he flowed easily into the hungry arms of the crowd. At least 100 young people—mostly females—pressed against the metal barricades, screaming and …
It's About Turnout, Stupid!Crunching the state's numbers from last week's primaries shows that something is happening in Mississippi. The question is: Will the Obama Effect linger in the state, creating a new political landscape?
The Issues 2008What's on your mind this election year? As the national media focus on the presidential horse race, and who's sprinting ahead, chances are good that these issues will crop up.
[Lunch Lady] Brand Spankin' New DowntownIn some cities, storefronts are full, and any time one business vacates, there is another one on its heels to take over. In other places, storefronts stay empty for years and fall into disrepair, and the vacancy seems more like …
[Green Girl] Fewer Cow Pies, More French FriesOne major solution to the problem of global warming is making small changes in our own homes. A multitude of thingscars, factories, power plantsheavily contribute to global-warming pollution. We've heard a lot about driving less, changing our light bulbs, recycling. …
Which is Worse: An Uninformed Electorate or a Bad Newspaper?The Clarion-Ledger today has a somewhat-admirable editorial blasting the Legislature for passing such a stupid anti-immigration bill. It's called "Immigration: Pandering to fears is shameful." It starts out:
Calling All Shoes! Still Accepting!Northwest Rankin senior Alecia Edney needs your help. For her senior project, she is collecting used (or new) shoes for women and children to donate to the Center for Violence Prevention, the shelter that the JFP works with to raise …
David Paterson sworn in as NY Governor todayLieutenant Governor David Paterson became the fourth black person in the state and first visually impaired person in the nation to hold the title. Although he became governor due to the resignation of Eliot Spitzer, Paterson still spoke optimistically about …