All results / Stories / Jackson Free Press
[Hutchinson] Justice Demands More
The headline in many news accounts screamed "1964 killings finally solved." The headline referred to the indictment of suspected Klansman James Ford Seale on federal kidnapping charges in the murder of Charles Moore and Henry Dee in Mississippi. The two young blacks were kidnapped, savagely beaten and dumped into a river in 1964 by suspected Klan killers.
NOAA: 2011 Saw U.S. ‘Climate Extremes'
It was very hot last year. In fact, 2011 broke records for climate extremes, as the U.S. battled historic levels of heat, precipitation, flooding and severe weather, according to scientists from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
Smokey Joe's Café
If you're in the mood to bob your head to some upbeat oldies while taking in a visual dancing spectacle, don't miss New Stage Theatre's "Smokey Joe's Café."
Free Crossroads Film
Enjoy a free showing of the Mississippi documentary "The Year of Our Lord on Thacker Mountain Radio" with the Crossroads Film Society. The documentary is based on the book "The Year of Our Lord," by T.R. Pearson.
Wilco, ‘The Whole Love'
It should be evident to those of you who read my column that I am not a rock 'n' roll aficionado. I do not dislike the genre; I just need very little to sustain myself. I get all the rock I need from about a dozen bands taken in small doses.
Anna Franklin's Teacakes
When she was alive, Polkville, Miss., resident Anna Franklin used her teacakes to comfort the bereaved. "Everybody who went into the coffee room at Ott and Lee Funeral Home in Morton knew Anna Franklin had been there," my mom said. "She brought teacakes to the funeral home every time she heard about a death in the community."
JPD Investigating Communications Failure
Jackson Police Department Assistant Chief Lee Vance said he is looking into suspected communication failures that held a crime victim's car in impound for more than a month.
‘The Nightmare Is Over': Levon Brooks Finally Free
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 this morning. Arrested for the rape and murder of his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter, Courtney Smith, in 1990, Judge J. Lee Howard released Brooks on his own recognizance on Feb. 15, pending today's hearing. Brooks received a life sentence for the crimes in 1992 after two years in jail waiting for his trial.
Mississippian Nominated to Oversee Forest Service
President Barack Obama has nominated Mississippi State Conservationist Homer Lee Wilkes to oversee the Forest Service as undersecretary for natural resources and environment at the U.S. Agriculture Department, reports The New York Times.
It's the Weekend: Live it Up
The weather might be getting colder, but don't let that stop your weekend fun. When you get off work today, head to the Handworks Holiday Market at the Mississippi Trade Mart (1200 Mississippi St.) and start your holiday shopping. The market is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and continues Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5, and children under 12 get in free; call 205-991-9840 for more information. When you finish your shopping, head to Millsaps College Galloway Halls of Residence (1701 N. State St). and see sculpture and digital-arts students' collaborative performance at 7 p.m.; free. You have plenty of other entertainment options to get your groove on this week. Tonight, Amalgamation performs at Underground 119 at 9 p.m.; Sherman Lee Dillion plays the blues at F. Jones Corner until 4 a.m.; and Mia Borders plays at Martins at 10 p.m. For the city's best happenings check out Best Bets and the JFP Music Listings for your weekend entertainment.
Lalee: No Better Off Today
Gary Pettus has a good follow-up today on the story of Lalee Wallace, a Delta grandmother who was the subject of an HBO documentary. The JFP did a story about Lalee and the film way back in our first issue. The story shows that little has changed for poor people like Lalee in the Delta -- as if a film could change a system engrained by years of slavery, Jim Crow and poverty:
Truth in Barbecue
One of my favorite college professors, Lee Rackstraw of Booneville, once told me, "If a restaurant doesn't have enough respect for the art of smoking meat to advertise EITHER proper spelling of the word: Barbeque or Barbecue, then I don't bother to stop by and see if it's good or not. BBQ doesn't spell anything!" Well, Spooney's spells out the word BARBEQUE and does a respectable job of smoking of meats on the grill.
Girl Drama
When I arrived for a rehearsal of Primrose Path's production of "Cowgirls: The Musical," I quickly saw that all of the actors are actresses. "Having an all-female cast is great," director Debbie Hardy says. "This group of women has been wonderful to work with—it's been a very collaborative process. These ladies brought a lot to the show." They include Ella Hardwick of Richland as Jo, Brighton Goode of Madison as Lee, Morgan Cowart of Pearl as Mary Lou, Liz Hogue of Brandon as Mickey, Kaeley Lovett of Brandon as Mo, and Jennifer Hudson of Florence as Rita. The rollicking musical, by Betsy Howie and Mary Murfitt, tells the tale of Jo, who has 24 hours to save her father's country-western saloon, Hiram Hall, from foreclosure.
The Freest Man Behind Bars
"For a man to act himself, he must be perfectly free; otherwise he is in danger of losing all sense of responsibility or of self-respect."
Chicks We Love
Every year, the Jackson Free Press chooses a delightful slate of Chicks We Love to spotlight, and each year we host the JFP Chick Ball to raise money to fight domestic abuse in our community. This year, we decided to put them together in a new and fun way to help seed the new legal fund at the Center for Violence Prevention.
From 2004: Chokwe Lumumba v. Mississippi Bar
Activist attorney Chokwe Lumumba, the founder of the New Afrikan People's Organization, is headed back to court this week to fight for his professional life. Again. The Mississippi Bar is arguing for the disbarment of the attorney, who is known for representing black men accused of violent crimes from 17-year-old South African Azikiwe Kambule to rapper Tupac Shakur to ex-police officer Eddie Myers who was found innocent of murder in October 2002.
Let The Games Begin ... Updated
Saturday's Jackson State-Mississippi State game is the most intriguing so far this season, even if it's a huge mismatch.
Vicksburg Hip-Hop Show
A massive show is going down in Vicksburg, giving locals a rare chance to experience the best of Mississippi hip-hop. The show is the brainchild of Vicksburg MC Zalamar "ZeeDubb" Davis.
What is your favorite dish at a Jackson-area restaurant?
We ask you, JFP faithful, what sets your mouth drooling? And we received some (very) tasty replies.
From Facebook:
Taking The Stage
Katrina Byrd makes it a point to get to the JATRAN bus stop early. The bus is supposed to come by at 3:30 p.m, so she gets there at 3:15 p.m. When the bus shows up late, at 3:40 p.m, it whizzes right by her without slowing down.