All results / Stories / Jackson Free Press
JFP Cyberstalkers/Hackers At It Again
All, after receiving an expletive-filled e-mail from one of our bloggers last week, we have determined that he did not send it. Once again, one of our small group of JFP-haters is stupidly playing games, pretending they are someone else to try to, well, be stupid. And stupid he is—in part of this particular game, he is using a screen name he used years back on this site, which indicates that it's the same person. If you get an odd e-mail, or see something posted on a blog that indicates that the stalker(s) is up to no good, please forward all the information, including IP headers where possible, to us here. We're collecting it all to hand over to the authorities; I believe our harassers will find that this kind of thing is taken more seriously than they might think.
Transcribed Remarks of Barbour, Pickering, Red Cross Head
Transcribed Remarks: Governor Haley Barbour, U.S. Congressman Chip Pickering, and
Governor Haley Barbour: Let me start off by introducing a great ally to Mississippi, and somebody that is a genuine pleasure for me to have here and to let visit with you. Marty Evans is the President of the American Red Cross. Marty.
Factcheck.org: McCain and Palin Lie During RNC Speeches
Factcheck.org, a non-partisan campaign fact-checking site run by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania reported today that John McCain "made some flubs in accepting the nomination." Following is the verbatim summary of the McCain factcheck; go to the report for full details and attribution:
Clarion-Ledger Publisher Responds to Controversy
Clarion-Ledger Publisher John Newhouse has released the following statement to the media about their controversial plan to control free distribution outlets in and around Jackson: The Distribution Network of Central Mississippi (TDN) is a display and delivery network that has been established for the benefit of merchants and free publications in Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties. The growing number of free publications, not just here, but around the country, presents both opportunity and concern for all of us.
Melton Under Oath; Mistrial Declared
UPDATE: Judge Bailey declared a mistrial because the jury couldn't agree on damages Friday. Check back here Monday for more details and explanations of what happens next.
'The Grand Ole White Party Confronts Obama'
In his current New York Times column, Frank Rich dives into the racial fray that Republicans are facing in trying to campaign against Barack Obama:
Krugman: Obama's Budget Is 'Very, Very Good'
Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman writes in his New York Times column that President Obama is taking the country in the right direction in his new budget:
Does GOP STILL Want to Cut Taxes, Services for Poor?
New York Times editorial today:
Pack Up and Get Out!
Video still courtesy of WAPT-TV 16
What a week. As our last issue went to press, Mayor Frank Melton was in the middle of a tantrum about alleged "Wood Street Gang" associate Vidal Sullivan going free after a witness recanted his story to the district attorney. By the end of the week, Melton was basking in the Bahamas, and Sullivan was back on the streets as a free man, according to law enforcement insiders and friends of Sullivan who say they talked to him within hours of his brief visit with Melton on Wednesday night.
Melton's Honeymoon, Part I: ‘Hurry Up And Wait'
Mayor Frank Melton rode into the mayor's office with an 88 percent margin of victory according to a July 27 press release from the city. Though the margin was lower during the Democratic primary against incumbent Harvey Johnson Jr., and only about 22.8 percent of voting-age Jackson voters (or 31.66 percent of registered voters) showed up for the election, the new mayor's supporters believed that if change could come to the city, it was action-prone Melton who could make it happen. The new mayor promised to get the city back into the jail business by building a facility for packing away the bad guys. He also planned to tear down dilapidated housing at a faster rate than the administration before him and to improve the condition of the city's streets. Furthermore, he promised to forge better relationships with the county and state and repair some of the bridges burned between the city and the county during the last eight years.
JUST IN: Melton Set to Declare State of Emergency
The Jackson Free Press got a phone call today at 10:45 telling us that the mayor was gathering reporters at City Hall at 11 a.m. to address his "state of emergency" and youth curfew pledges from last week.
Day 4: Not Guilty On All Counts
Mayor Frank Melton and his police bodyguards, Marcus Wright and Michael Recio, were found not guilty on all counts. When court was recessed, it exploded in applause, with members of the Melton administration and family contingent hugging and congratulating the mayor.
McCain Chooses Alaska 'Hockey Mom' as Running Mate
The New York Times reports that Sen. John McCain has chosen a 44-year-old conservative, pro-life governor who called herself a "hockey mom" as his running mate:
BREAKING: Green Orders Melton Arrest
See the JFP Melton Blog/Archive Here.
Sheriff Malcolm McMillin has confirmed to the Jackson Free Press that Judge Tomie Green has issued a warrant for the arrest of Mayor Frank Melton. Green issued the arrest warrant March 1 in response to Melton violating the terms of his probation. In November, Melton pled guilty to misdemeanor weapons violations and was sentenced to six months in the Hinds County jail. That jail time was suspended so long as Melton honored the terms of his probation, which included a nighttime curfew.
Who Owns ‘Local' Media?
"Did you know this was happening? Have you heard about it in the local or national news?" wrote Federal Communications Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein in the San Francisco Chronicle on April 24. He was talking about the June 2 vote that FCC Chairman Michael Powell—son of Colin—has scheduled to lift restrictions on media ownership in the U.S. It's very likely that you haven't heard about this vote, although it will affect all of us, and is virtually guaranteed to happen based on a party-line 3-2 vote if a grass-roots miracle doesn't happen quickly. The vote, if passed, will do away with the cap on ownership of radio stations, newspapers and television channels, and make it possible for one company to own all media outlets. That means: One company could then own every media outlet in Jackson.
JFP Moving to Rankin County
Last night, as we toiled to get this issue out, Stephen interrupted some people breaking into one of our interns' cars. Fortunately, they didn't get away with much—they threw his backpack filled with school notes only useful to him into the bushes. But his window did get smashed, the police came, took fingerprints, and a bit of drama ensued. And he has a hassle to deal with today, and the emotions that go with being a victim of crime, any crime.
Mississippi Democratic Party Rolls Over, Plays Dead
"In 2006," DNC chair Howard Dean predicts, "Democrats will take back the House and Senate."
Driving While Young: Why The City's Curfew Isn't All That
When she got up the morning of July 10, 2003, Leslie Berryhill did not know she was going to face the "scariest thing" of her short life. Leslie, who was seven months from her 18th birthday, spent the evening of July 10 watching a movie at her boyfriend's house in Madison. She had a summer-school exam in the morning, so when the movie was over, she called her mom to let her know she was returning to their home on Ridgewood Drive. "That's our rule with cell phones, you always call," says Leslie's mother, Lisa, who always kept close tabs on her kids, which is easy in the age of cell phones. "Twenty minutes later, she wasn't here, and that's how it all started."
You Are a Jacksonian If ...
1. You eat at Hal & Mal's more than once a month.
4. You shop at Video Library or Video Café before you go near Blockbuster.
[Kamikaze] Just the Messenger
Mississippi, and Jackson particularly, suffers from "shoot the messenger" syndrome. You know: If you don't like the message, just attack the person(s) delivering it. If the message could possibly upset your gravy train, then you discredit the source.