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The Cavalry Arrives

Robert Smith is getting a nice boost from the Supreme Court less than 24 hours into his successful run-off against former Hinds County District Attorney Faye Peterson. Using $160,000 in grant money obtained by Gov. Haley Barbour, the Mississippi Supreme Court decided to appoint a second special judge to assist Hinds County in reducing its criminal docket, months after county residents—and the outgoing D.A.—began screaming for help.

Halloween Event Roundup

"Spooky season" is around the corner. Check out our listings for great things to do and eat around Jackson this Halloween.

Gang Bill Trying to Be a Baby RICO Mob Bill, But Too Wide, Critics Say

The Jackson Free Press recently asked Sen. Brice Wiggins if his push for Senate Bill 2459 is a way for Mississippi to have its own little Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. He looked surprised at the question, but answered yes.

The Hunt for Vouchers in Mississippi, After All These Years

Republican leaders secretly slipped $2 million for a private-school voucher program into an unrelated funding bill—despite the fact that most Democrats and many Republicans opposed expanding the program.

Dawes

Dawes may seem like an instant success story for the millions of supporters who have followed the California folk-rock band since its first release, "North Hills," in 2009. However, for bassist Wylie Gelber, who dropped out of high school to join the band's first incarnation, Simon Dawes, it was something of a last-ditch effort—one that has turned into a full-fledged career.

Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman Gives Democratic Response to Bryant 'State of the State'

Mississippi Democrats call for unity to fix problems: "These problems are too big for any one party or any one idea to fix. But I know that if we can put party labels aside and work together, we can create a better Mississippi."

Amid Growing Scrutiny and Pressure, State Flag May Land at Supreme Court

Pressure to change the Mississippi state flag has intensified since shocking images emerged of torch-wielding white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va., marching to protect symbols honoring the Confederacy—a weekend rally that ended with an anti-racist protester dead.

Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry, rock 'n' roll's founding guitar hero and storyteller who defined the music's joy and rebellion in such classics as "Johnny B. Goode," ''Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Roll Over Beethoven," died Saturday at his home west of St. Louis. He was 90.

Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2015

If you haven't already made plans for the final countdown to 2016, here are some local New Year's Eve events to celebrate in style.

Mississippi’s Mental-Health Conundrum

The mood shift in the old Mississippi Supreme Court room was palpable last week when the Department of Mental Health faced a group of legislators tasked with evaluating the agency's effectiveness and expenditures in upcoming months.

John Currence: Big Bad Chef

John Currence takes on the day—and the world—with a quart-sized container of iced coffee and the mouth of a sailor.

Deadly Force, in Black and White

Young black males in recent years were at a far greater risk of being shot dead by police than their white counterparts—21 times greater, according to a ProPublica analysis of federally collected data on fatal police shootings.

GOP Mailers Misleadingly Paint Espy as a Criminal

A series of campaign mailers the Mississippi Republican Party sent out around the state this week misleadingly paint Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Espy as a "corrupt" criminal for charges he was fully acquitted of in the 1990s.

Bloomberg Gives $1 Million for Jackson Art; Talks 2020 Plans, Stop-and-Frisk

The small-statured, thick-accented former billionaire mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, descended upon Jackson on Nov. 29 to announce a $1-million public-art grant, while perhaps putting out feelers for a 2020 presidential bid.

Tax Relief, But For Whom?

Speaker Gunn Wants Reform That Benefits Wealthiest, Costs Others More

Just as the realities of a fourth wave of COVID-19 sunk into the state, and just miles from a field hospital set up in the garage of the Mississippi hospital most likely to serve low-income patients, Mississippi legislators held a hearing on eliminating the state income tax.

Amazing Teens

We asked the community to suggest young people who have overcome challenges or who are working to make a difference and, thus, influencing other kids as well as adults. Readers nominated teenagers who volunteer, study and persevere. Not all these young people are seniors, but all them are influential leaders and optimistic about their future. Jackson should be proud.

The Mayor and His Women

It bugged the hell out of me when I got an e-mailed press release from Police Chief Shirlene Anderson's office late on July 3 with this subject line: "Chief Shirlene Andersons wants citizens to have a happy and safe Fourth of July Holiday… ."

BREAKING: ‘Troopergate' Report Finds Palin Abused Power

The Anchorage Daily News just posted a PDF of the full report on Gov. Sarah Palin's "Troopergate" investigation. Read it here. The report says that the investigation found that Palin "abused her power" by engaging in "unethical conduct" (see page 48 of report for reasoning). The investigator also found that she fired Walt Monegan under her authority, although his refusal to fire Mike Wooten was likely part of the reason she fired him. On page 67, the investigator concludes that her claims of fear of Wooten were "not bona fide."

Shrinking JPD Springs a Sex-Toy Sting

So, the city can manage to find money to do sting operations in order to seize dildos. What a relief. Clarion-Ledger is reporting:

Crossing The Mighty River: Race, Religion and Mississippi

At the climax of the 11 o' clock church service at Galloway Methodist church, the Rev. Ross Olivier assumes the pulpit to deliver his sermon. Olivier's polished demeanor gives no air of being weathered by years of struggle against apartheid in South Africa. He does not let any possible scars from that experience stop him from addressing the hard issues before American Christians. His sermon, which is riddled with messages of the social Gospel, is an open call to Christians to unseat themselves from complacency and work toward living out the mission of Jesus Christ by working for justice.

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