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The Kill Zone

Moving wounded and dodging American bullets in Fallujah

Entering the besieged Iraqi city of Fallujah was difficult, but not impossible. We came in along the backroads, following the Euphrates River past beautiful date groves, villages of clay houses, and herds of goats. The air is marvelously dry, clean, and bright, the polar opposite of Baghdad's choking, fume-ridden skies. It is a fantastic and timeless landscape.

City to Vote on Renaming Ordinance; Lynch Street Grant

The Jackson City Council will likely adopt a new ordinance tomorrow that will change requirements for residents to rename city streets and municipal buildings for the third time this year.

Horne LLP Under Fire Again

Jackson accounting firm Horne LLP faces criticism for the second time in two months after a Feb. 18 audit by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General reported that the company billed Mississippi Emergency Management Agency an excessive amount of $7,751,445 for services that included paying employees up to $109 an hour to scan documents.

[Fleming] Told You Lott Would Quit

I hate to say I told you so … but I did.

Melton's Mixed Messages in 'Heinous' Case

Mayor Frank Melton doesn't have to write a check to two former Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics employees. Just yet.

Just the Facts: A Reader's Guide to the Melton Interview

Donna Ladd's interviews with Frank Melton have been conducted in several meetings since March 23 in his office in City Hall, his home and around the streets of Jackson in the Mobile Command Unit. More interviews and details of visits of with Mr. Melton will be published in the next few issues of the JFP, and posted in their entirety, as well as podcast, on the JFP Web site. The interviews touch on several issues, names and events that are not explained fully in the text--references to specific people and past allegations, in particular. Here are factual summaries about some of those issues, names and incidents brought up by the mayor, many of which will be covered in more detail in upcoming issues.

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Bush-Era Waterboarding More Widespread Than Thought

Human Rights Watch said it has uncovered evidence of a wider use of waterboarding than previously acknowledged by the CIA, in a report Thursday detailing brutal treatment of detainees at U.S.-run lockups abroad after the 9/11 attacks.

Tax Cuts Will Cost More Than Stimulus

Take one from column A and one from column B. That seems to be the strategy for the divisive issues of unemployment benefits vs. the Bush-era tax cuts. Republicans, in line with their well-entrenched obstructionist strategy of the past two years, made it clear that no legislation would get through the lame-duck session without first extending tax cuts for the wealthy.

Author Harry MacLean on Mississippi

When author and lawyer Harry MacLean arrived in Jackson from Denver to chronicle the federal kidnapping trial of ex-Klansman James Ford Seale, he was prepared to confront a dark history of Klan violence and enduring racial tension.

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Mississippi U.S. Reps Keep Seats, Medical Marijuana Passes

Mississippians have voted in favor of legalizing medical marijuana, opting for the less restrictive of two proposals on this year’s ballot.

Classes Resuming in Newtown, Minus Sandy Hook

With security stepped up and families still on edge in Newtown, students began returning to school Tuesday for the first time since last week's massacre, bringing a return of familiar routines—at least, for some—to a grief-stricken town as it buries 20 of its children.

Poll: Public Support for Alito Weak

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Reformer Jody Owens Wins Hinds DA's Seat, Other Races Head to Runoff

Jody Owens, a civil-rights attorney running on a "decarceral" platform with national backing, will become Hinds County's new district attorney following the Aug. 6 primary.

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Beto O'Rourke: Trump Used ICE to 'Terrorize' Mississippi Hispanics

"(Donald Trump) is terrifying this community. People who have done nothing to anybody else posed no threat to America. So there's no other reason to raid this community than to terrify this community. And that's exactly what he's done," Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke said in Canton this morning.

BREAKING: Melton Jury Chosen

The jury in the first Frank Melton trial has been chosen—the 12 main jurors included six African Amerians, one Hispanic and five whites. Four are men. There are two alternates, both white, one man and one woman. All 14 will be sequestered throughout the trial, which is expected to last about three days.

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Fewer Houston Residents Had Flood Insurance Before Harvey

Houston's population is growing quickly, but when Harvey hit last weekend there were far fewer homes and other properties in the area with flood insurance than just five years ago, according to an Associated Press investigation.

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State Board Sends JPS Takeover to Governor for Stamp of Approval

The fate of Jackson Public Schools is now in the hands of Republican Gov. Phil Bryant after the Mississippi Board of Education declared an “extreme emergency situation” in the district this afternoon.

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The Egg Bowl is Anyone's Game

Bragging rights will be up for the taking this weekend in a showdown to cap off the greatest season of Mississippi college football in recent memory.

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School Safety Act Includes Mental Health, School Surveillance Provisions

Mississippi's children go to school in places "of potential violence," Gov. Phil Bryant lamented in his State of the State address last month, as he called on lawmakers to craft legislation to combat those fears.

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WJTV Defends Web Poll Focusing on Obama's Race

Two polls on the Web site of Jackson CBS affiliate WJTV reveal an inordinate focus on Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's race. The first poll deals with Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. It asks respondents to describe themselves as voting for or against "the McCain-Palin ticket" because of one of three issues: "their positions on issues," their Republican affiliation or Palin herself.