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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: ‘One Lake’ Backers Have a Transparency Problem
Proponents of the "One Lake" project on the Pearl River have a high bar to clear, and I don't think they're doing it yet. Their problem is simple: lack of transparency.

What We’re Looking for in a Mayor
With the mayoral primary just a few weeks away, we've been discussing our JFP endorsement possibilities; we haven't yet chosen a candidate, but we've been talking about the criteria.

Congrats to Staff and Freelancers: It’s Award Season!
Spring weather, barbecue and canned beer on ice mean a little something extra at the Jackson Free Press in the month of May, because it's also the annual announcement era for a few of the key journalism award contests that we are a part of every year.

AFA Bearing False Witness Against Businesses?
This past week, the American Family Association put out an "action item" that accuses the "We Don't Discriminate" campaign of being ... discriminatory.
The Artist and the Councilman
Photograph by Jessica Kinnison
Mid-afternoon on New Years Eve, Ward 1 City Councilman Ben Allen is finishing an eight-year run on the Jackson City Council, and artist William Goodman is heading toward his first major exposition in New York City. Worlds apart, Allen surfs through introductions with his gold wedding ring resting against the crease of his jeans, leaning back in his chair just as he does in City Council meetings. The purple acrylic paint on Goodman's fingernail looks bold against the green grapes, as he grabs another from the bag he brought with him to the interview.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Mr. Mayor, Don’t Let ‘One Lake’ Be Your ‘Siemens’
"The mayor is clearly trying to express support for the people who are experiencing flooding this week. But this isn't (just) about sturgeon, Mr. Mayor. And I sincerely encourage you not to make the One Lake project your 'Siemens.'"

Celebrating 15 Years in the DIY City
The Jackson Free Press is 15 years old. It's still sinking in a little. No, it doesn't seem like "yesterday" to me when we started the JFP—because it's been a long road, and sometimes a tough one.
DRIVE: ‘Ion: Say It With Me'
Every week our car-shopping adventure starts out pretty much the same. We have the best of intentions, planning a Car Driving Day soon after the most recent JFP has been printed and distributed. That's the day we promise—really swear—to go to another dealer and see another car.
Real Life
As I start this column, I'm in a hotel room in Baltimore, Md., just outside of BWI airport, having had my flight back to Jackson canceled repeatedly for the past two days because the airport had no power and water. I'm watching the Weather Channel and CNN and checking in to post things on the JFP Web site, because I'm the only member of the staff with Internet access. Or power. The devastation on the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans is heartbreaking and, seemingly, getting worse by the hour.
Obama Camp Says He's Goin' to Oxford
According to a story at the Huffington Post, the Obama camp still expects McCain to attend the debate; if he doesn't, Obama will head to Oxford anyway and hold a town-hall meeting:
Hail To The Staff
July 6, 2005 This is the 101st issue of the Jackson Free Press. We set out three years ago to bring independent journalism (and the best entertainment coverage) to Jackson, Miss., based on the "alt-weekly" model that is successful in other markets from the Village Voice to the Chicago Reader to the Nashville Scene, Memphis Flyer and many of the top 120 or so media markets. We had a kitchen table, some know-how, and the rich tapestry of Jackson and Mississippi to work with. The three-year trip we've made to become Jackson's news and entertainment weekly has been both grueling and gratifying.
[Stauffer] A 21st Century Boom Town?
When we launched the Jackson Free Press seven years ago this week, it was with a cover story on Jackson's "creative class." Seven years later as the JFP rolls into Volume 8, I still hear from people surprised, amazed and (at least, more often than not) pleased to see the JFP is still kicking andin factgrowing.
Where the Jobs Are in 2010
If we're lucky, we're coming out a deep recession and looking at economic growth that, hopefully, will mean jobs, consumer spending and new business investment nationally. Jackson is poised to take advantage of economic revitalization, but to do it, we'll need to pull together and create opportunities.
Make Friends, And Build A City
What we call the "Best Of" season in January here at the JFP always ends with a big bang in the form of our Best of Jackson party, which happened this year in the Electric 308 building in downtown Jackson. It was an extraordinary event this year, attended by hundreds of folks … and at least one cute little dog. We had exceptional food from a slew of local restaurants (all of whom were big winners in the Best of Jackson 2006 reader poll), and entertainment ranging from bellydancing to fashion models to DJ Phingaprint, who is not only Jackson's Best club DJ, but also the secret ingredient to turning a good party into an outstanding party.
Calm Before the Storm
Today, I heard that the Killen trial media was gathering in the afternoon and headed over to Neshoba County to see what was up. The town seemed very calm, other than the mass of cars around the media center, which is in the old Magnolia restaurant on Walnut Street a block from the courthouse. It's a loft-like building with low-hanging loft lights and a really rustic, yet hip interior with exposed brick. It's too bad this place closed; it was probably hard to compete with the casino restaurants.
My So-Called Holiday Column
They say that during the holidays, you're supposed to stop and consider what you're thankful for. (OK, this is starting out cheesy, I know. Work with me here.) Combine that seasonal desire with the fact that Donna assigned me the Publisher's Note this week, and you get what you paid for—a Publisher's Note in which I offer up a laundry list of the things that have me smiling this season.
Biloxi Sun-Herald: Printing in Ga.; Blogging From Biloxi
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/
According to a story in Editor and Publisher the Biloxi-based Sun Herald is still without power, but is being produced and printed by sister paper (Knight-Ridder owned) Columbus Ledger-Enquirer in Columbus, GA. Some reporters have found their way to the Sun Herald building, however, and have been reporting online, including video and audio.
[Stauffer] Shop Mississippi, Buy American
I'm not a fan of Wal-Mart, and that's only been made worse by a recent Frontline episode entitled "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" The show has made me think, once again, about the behemoth that I love to hate. I haven't shopped in a Wal-Mart or Sam's Club in well over seven years and, if the current trend holds, I never will again.
TEST DRIVE: Hunting Hybrids
When Mr. K—Ms. D's brother—is in town, he and I have a tendency to disappear for hours at a time. If you happen to reach me by cell phone during one of our excursions, you'd likely find that we're in a new vehicle from a local dealership, one of us manning the controls while the other peppers the hapless salesperson with questions about the mileage, the engine's power, the quality of materials, the mindset of the workers who built the car, the exact chemical composition of the flecked plastic dashboard insets …
Seeking the Authentic
Since I'm one of those folks who was "brought back" to Mississippi by a native, I sometimes feel like I have a unique vantage point. Mississippi reminds me enough of my boyhood Texas to be a second home to me, and yet it's weird enough to feel like "a whole'nother country."