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Oregon meets Mississippi
"Mississippi in the summer?" my friends, co-workers and instructors in Eugene, Ore. asked me with a look of bewilderment when I excitedly announced my plans to intern at the Jackson Free Press for two months. "Are you crazy!?"
A Mother's Love
The nostalgically delicious aroma of a family feast is the first thing to envelope the senses in Minnie Spicer's home in Flora. Skillets of cornbread sit on a stove worn to vintage chic from years of large-scale dinner productions.
Urgent: Town Hall Meeting Thursday Nov. 15th 6pm @ Smith Robertson Museum
This meeting will be primarily to get the public involved in the fiasco that is the Farish St. Development project. This will be an opportunity for concerned citizens and long-time members/residents of the Farish St. community to voice their concerns about the status of
Mayor Rattles Councilwoman's Cage
Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon said Mayor Frank Melton rattled her cage this morning on the way to a special council meeting. Barrett-Simon told the Jackson Free Press that Melton's vehicle pulled up behind her car as she drove to a 10 a.m. special meeting on city payroll and claims. Barrett-Simon said Melton's car pulled "up to the bumper" before sounding off its police-issue horn, reportedly shaking Barrett-Simon's car while she drove.
Clarion-Ledger: Wilcher Must Die
In an editorial today, The Clarion-Ledger explains its support of the death penalty and why it is good that the state is going to kill Bobby Glen Wilcher today:
It's Melton Time: What's Next for Jackson?
On July 4, Mayor-elect Frank Melton will officially move into the mayor's office of Jackson. Word on the street says he has big changes planned for the city, changes many supporters say are long in coming.
Ben Allen of Ward 1 Elected ‘El Presidente'
Just in ... The City Council has elected Ben Allen of Ward 1, the council's only declared Republican, to the seat of council president. More details soon ...
Melton Ramps Up Morals Crusade
Mayor Frank Melton is showing his feminist side in his attempts to close down all sexually oriented entertainment in Jackson and "redefine" life in Jackson as we know it. The Clarion-Ledger reports:
No Apologies: Inside Mississippi's Pro-Life Movement
Bruce Stuckey and Roy McMillan are doing what many people would consider radical—standing outside the Jackson Women's Health Clinic in mid-September, protesting in the rain. They are flanked by a visiting group from Kansas City, young protesters with the word "LIFE" etched onto the red tape that covers their mouths.
[Lynch] Why I Lost My Temper
I lost my temper last week, and here's why: After I filed this week's cover story, I headed over to a health-care forum at Lemuria bookstore. The forum, hosted by Fox News commentator Angela McGlowan, featured guest speakers like oncologist Dr. Phillip Ley and Dr. Pat Barrett.
And the Winners Are…
...Republicans (and Jim Hood) in contested statewide elections, Democrats in Hinds County and Legislative elections and turnout -- over 818,000 people had voted in the Lieutenant Governor's race with 92% of precincts reporting, suggesting that turnout was better than the Secretary of State, Eric Clark, had predicted at the beginning of the day, and besting recent gubernatorial elections.
Peterson Demands Equal Justice
This story will appear in the April 4 print edition of the Jackson Free Press.
We Need A Mayor, Not A Daddy
It 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 fault. To my knowledge, he did not put the guns in the killer's hands; he did not tell them to rob and kill; he did not provide illegal drugs that people are willing to kill for; he did not tell a troubled man to pick up a weapon and go kill his girlfriend and another man.
[Parks] Unity, Mississippi Style
In the mall, Columbia, Mo.: My girlfriend and I giggled over Dippin' Dots ice cream. We held hands. We looked at the table next to us, where a young girl and guy were holding hands, too. The guy stood up, and his girlfriend jerked on his baggy jean shorts a little. She pulled too hard, though, and his genitals flopped out.
BREAKING: Melton, Kids Accused of Destroying Private Home
Photo Gallery of Destruction
[Kamikaze] Let's Get ‘Real'
Listen, this proposed "council" on racial reconciliation that I've read so much about in previous weeks appears to be a good idea ... in theory. But here's the thing, while this "council" is a necessary tool in the healing process, it will only work if two key pieces are in play.
[Ladd] Ain't That Something
Not long ago, Todd and I were downtown to see "Groovaloo" at Thalia Mara. As we walked to the car, an obviously homeless man walked up and respectfully asked us for money. Todd did what I've watched him do so many times when we lived in New York City and when visiting San Francisco and other cities. He paused for a split-second in decision and then reached into his pocket. He pulled out a $20 bill, glanced at it and handed it to the man who was holding the bucket he uses to wash windshields. The man looked surprised.
Batman v. Melton, et al?
Among all the possible violations of the law by Frank Melton that District Attorney Faye Peterson presented to the attorney general recently, the potential charge of filing a false arrest warrant against Albert "Batman" Donelson was the most serious. Why? Because it's a felony—and a felony conviction would get Melton removed from office.
Mayor Walks Out On Citizens
Community policing took a body blow last week when Mayor Frank Melton and Jackson Police Chief Shirlene Anderson—a man and a woman put there to be anti-crime crusaders—suddenly dumped the department's Crime Prevention Unit as of Oct. 1, leaving eight crime prevention specialists out of work with only days' notice, and saving about $275,000 in salaries. The eight employees learned of the job eliminations on Tuesday before their jobs ended on Friday; they are getting paid through Oct. 15. The budget awards $110,000 in raises to legal personnel.