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Three Days in June

One spring afternoon in 2001, Jan Michael Brawner slipped into the home of his ex-in-laws, Jane and Carl Craft, in rural Tate County, and stole a .22-caliber rifle.

Day Trippin'

When I was younger, my parents would take me to the beach every school break. Dragging towel-laden plastic bags, we'd make the five-hour trip to Pensacola, Fla. The sea and the sand were great, but by about the 10th trip, I was so bored with the beach.

JFP Top 25: Week 12

This past weekend really shook up the college football world. Oregon spanked Stanford at home, and a kicker betrayed Boise State for the second year in row. Now college football is one loss away from a great debate and two losses from total chaos.

Game of the Year

Saturday, Nov. 5, I will be at my brother-in-law's man cave. The grill will be ready for some burgers and brats. Our favorite beverage will be in a cooler and the TV tuned into CBS.

Women of Substance

In 1961, Charlayne Hunter-Gault succeeded in integrating the University of Georgia alongside Hamilton Holmes. Hunter-Gault became the university's first black graduate in 1963. From there, she went on to excel in broadcast journalism, winning two Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards.

Listening Differently

Cassandra Wilson and Rhonda Richmond want Jackson to listen to music differently. Wilson, a Grammy Award-winning vocalist, and Richmond, a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter, have opened Yellow Scarf, a new kind of music venue for the city.

Irish Heroes

I sensed trouble as my brother's three sons and wife slunk out of the room slowly, without making eye contact. It had started well enough. I was in town and hadn't seen my brother or his family for a few months, and they had invited me over for dinner.

State of the State: A Fact-Check

Gov. Haley Barbour used his final State of the State address, on Jan. 11, to tout his resume of accomplishments over two terms. Ever the savvy political communicator, the governor stretched the truth and papered over the more complicated reality. In other instances, his claims were outright wrong. Here's a selection of Barbour's claims and that truth behind them.

The Superintendent Staredown

If the JPS Board of Trustees decides that it does not want Superintendent Lonnie Edwards to return next school year, it will have very little time to find a replacement.

New Court Rethinking Judge Policy

The Mississippi Supreme Court is deliberating a rule change that would force the Hinds County Circuit Court to abandon a case assignment system that two black judges and some black lawyers criticized as discriminatory.

Cigarette Tax Debate Rages On

Pragmatism and principle will collide when the Mississippi House considers the Senate version of a proposed cigarette tax increase. The Senate approved increasing the cigarette tax from 18 cents per pack to 49 cents per pack Jan. 29. The Senate bill was a more modest revision of the $1 tax, which the House approved two weeks earlier.

Irby Pleads ‘Not Guilty'

In a process that took about a half hour, Karen Irby, 38, pleaded not guilty Monday to multiple felony charges connected to a car crash on Old Canton Road that killed two young doctors and severely injured Irby and her husband Stuart, 56.

Family of Man Killed In Fire Wants Answers

Nearly two weeks after a fire destroyed a West Jackson warehouse, the Jackson Fire Department recovered the body of a homeless man in the collapsed structure. Now family members of the man, Jeremy Smith, want to know why it took investigators until Jan. 28 to discover that Smith died in the Jan. 17 fire. They say that Smith, 20, was apparently sleeping in the building at the corner of Capitol and Lemon streets.

To Be a Man

man n the personification of qualities traditionally associated with the male sex, including courage, strength, and aggression, or somebody with such qualities

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A Brief History of 'The City's Smart Alternative'

The Jackson Free Press started with no money but a big dream.

Chick-Fil-A Back in the Fryer Thanks to Confusing Same-Sex Stance

Controversy flared up this week when a Chicago politician said the company was no longer giving to groups that oppose same-sex marriage, angering Christian conservatives who supported Chick-fil-A this summer when its president reaffirmed his opposition to gay marriage. Civil rights groups hailed the turnabout, yet the company never confirmed it and instead released two public statements, neither of which made Chick-fil-A's position any clearer.

Tough Times Await Bigger JPS Board

Jackson Public Schools will enter the coming school year with a lean budget and a growing Board of Trustees. The five-member school board, which already boasts four members with less than a year of experience each, is set to add two new members this fall.

The Hidden Monopoly

The city of Jackson rakes in more than $1.5 million every year renting city-owned towers to cellular providers, and EZ 103.7 FM President Edward Saint Pé wants a piece of the action.

Radio JFP at Noon Thursday; Crisler May Appear

Councilman Marshand Crisler is joining Donna Ladd and Todd Stauffer today at noon for Radio JFP on WLEZ-FM (103.7 or http://www.wlezfm.com for a live stream)—if he can get out of city budget meetings long enough. If he makes, we'll discuss the city budget woes and his devotion to Buy Jackson. Regardless, we will also discuss our cover package of stories this week about revelations about Gov. Haley Barbour and the tragic case of Heather Spencer's murder, and what needs to be done to present other such murders. Tune in at noon, or check the site later for an audio file.

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Hometown Girl

On a rarely cool Mississippi summer evening, a congregation quietly gathers in St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral.