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Crime Perception Hurts Jackson Economy

Jackson misses out on booking conventions because of a false perception that the city has a high crime rate, Rickey Thigpen says. Thigpen, executive vice president of the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau, spoke this morning at the Friday Forum gathering at Koinonia Coffee House.

Barbour Wants to Merge State's Black Universities

In his budget proposal today to the Mississippi Legislature, Gov. Haley Barbour proposed consolidating Jackson State University, Alcorn State University and Mississippi Valley State University. He also wants to roll Mississippi University for Women into Mississippi State University. He also called for most state agencies to cut their budgets 12 percent.

Owning Our Stories

The last time I talked to documentary filmmaker Micki Dickoff, we were standing on Center Avenue in my hometown during the Edgar Ray Killen trial. I was yelling at her for trying to own the story of long-overdue justice and the people who had fought for it for so long.

Hoodwinked! The U.S. Chamber Pulls a Fast One on Mississippi with 'Tort Reform'

It sounded mighty convincing: "Mississippi faces a crisis in medical malpractice insurance." The warnings by industry have been dire: "This is a wake-up call for Mississippi." The reports of doctors bolting the state have been breathless: "It's the harassment of dealing with meritless lawsuits." When the tort-reform hysteria blew up in 2001, Mississippi, it seemed, was finally on top of something: The state's "trial-lawyer cabal" was harnessing "runaway juries" willing to mete out "jackpot justice" and drive all our good doctors and job-producing businesses out of "lawsuit central" (the state).

Immigration: Myth Vs. Reality

Illustrations by Melissa Webster & Darren Schwindaman

"They can vote themselves in a pay raise, but they can't do nothing about all this illegal immigration," says Jackson talk show host 'JT,' of the JT and Dave show, after the House approved a raise for government officials, including a $10,000 raise for in-session work for legislators.

Report: Saddam Not In Pursuit of Weapons

AP is reporting: "Undercutting the Bush's administration's rationale for invading Iraq, the final report of the chief U.S. arms inspector concludes that Saddam Hussein did not vigorously pursue a program to develop weapons of mass destruction when international inspectors left Baghdad in 1998, an administration official said Wednesday. In drafts, weapons hunter Charles Duelfer concluded that Saddam's Iraq had no stockpiles of the banned weapons but said he found signs of idle programs that Saddam could have revived once international attention waned. 'It appears that he did not vigorously pursue those programs after the inspectors left, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in advance of the report's release. Duelfer, head of the Iraq Survey Group, was providing his findings Wednesday to the Senate Armed Services Committee. His team has compiled a 1,500-page report. Duelfer's predecessor, David Kay, who quit last December, also found no evidence of weapons stockpiles."

How Would You Reform Public Education in Mississippi?

The Clarion-Ledger is making a lot of hay out of recent statistics indicating that only 50.6% of JPS students graduate, rather than the previously estimated 67%. The trouble is that the new figures do not factor in students who are covered by the GED Program; if they did, the actual graduation rate would probably be higher than 67%, not lower.

Cathead Blues Update

11/7 - Guitar Mikey CD Release Party

SAMPLE OF THIS WEEK'S "LIVE" BLUES EVENTS IN THE DELTA (full list at http://www.cathead.biz/livemusic.html )...

Best of Jackson 2015: Urban Living

If you want one of the largest selections of antiques in the area—and also quite a few contemporary items—look no further than The Flea Market in Flowood.

I'm Fed Up!!! Tired of folks blaming hip-hop for our ills: My response to Leonard Pitts' Column

Peace and Blessings, my name is Kamikaze. Im a nationally known hiphop artist from Jackson, MS and President of the Mississippi Artists and Producers Coalition. I also write a bi-weekly column for a publication called the Jackson Free Press here. jacksonfreepress.com.

To Live and Die in Dixie

Sometimes the light comes from unexpected places. Last week, I sat down in front of my monitor and my e-mail blooped in. There was one from Jill Conner Browne, the Sweet Potato Queen author. I figured it was about her brand-new funny book, out next week. It wasn't.

This Is My Fault

Since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and thrust her spotlight on the abhorrent conditions of the poorest Americans, I have been pondering poverty. First, I got angry.

[Viewpoint] Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia

In the days since Rev. Jerry Falwell died, much has been written about his influence on politics, but relatively little has been written about his hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia—that is, his "fear of the number 666," a number the Book of Revelation calls "the mark of the beast."

[Kamikaze] Show. Me. Some. Passion.

I call myself a moderate for a reason. I find myself shying away from the lunacy that lurks on the outer fringes of both parties.

[Kamikaze] Brothers Behind the Badge

I began my life in the shadows of Christian Brotherhood Apartments, where I developed a latent fear for law enforcement. Back then, the sound of police sirens was constant, and the piercing blue lights glared outside my window more often than not.

The Learning to be 5th Child

Jackson rapper Stephen Brown, aka 5th Child, spends the majority of his time in his bedroom studio making music. When he has a show to rock, you can count on him being there and killing it. The rest of the time, you can count on the 24-year-old staying in Friday nights to dig for samples, make beats and write lyrics.

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