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No Name Calling At Neshoba

The Neshoba County Fair has been a hot spot for political unrest ever since Sen. James K. Vardaman compared blacks to "hogs." It's the only place in Mississippi where a politician can hurl insults at his political opposition with impunity. Unlike the nationally televised presidential debates, few listeners research the terse indictments hurled off the center stage in Founder's Square, so a candidate can say practically anything and have.

Walker, Belafonte Appearing at JSU Civil Rights Conference

Actor Harry Belafonte Jr., writer Alice Walker and filmmaker Keith Beauchamp are headlining the third annual Conference of the Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement at Jackson State University starting this Thursday.

Council Approves Budget, With Cuts

The Jackson City Council approved a balanced $387.7 million city budget last Friday, after almost two weeks of grueling daily budget meetings.

Dealing Death

The Senate passed a bill that expands the use of the death penalty in the state. Senate Bill 2921 provides that multiple murders in a single incident or a murder committed in conjunction with an attempted murder—a classification that did not exist in Mississippi until the Legislature took up a bill creating the classification this year—shall constitute capital murder, which comes with the possibility of a death sentence.

Dropout Dropping Off

Mississippi has a problematic history with high-school dropout rates, often ranking near the bottom of the state roster for high-school completion. But last week, the Mississippi Department of Education shared the good news that the high-school dropout rate for the class of 2007 has decreased.

JFP EXCLUSIVE: Jackson Crime Surges

Read the story that the city is talking about, based on a report the Jackson Free Press unearthed on Monday. You saw it here first.

Precinct 4 to Relocate

The Jackson City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to move Jackson Police Department's Precinct 4 office from its current location on North State Street to the plaza across from Mikhail's about a mile away on the same street.

Nursing Homes and Overrides

Last week was all about passing budget bills, with the House and Senate considering a huge list of appropriation legislation funding various state agencies.

JFP INDEX: VIP White Jackson

The November 2009 edition of The Clarion-Ledger's now-shrunken VIP Jackson Magazine is a study in how (not) to publish an extremely white publication in a majority-black metroby a company that supposedly prides itself on media diversity.

Droppin' Hard

In his March 27, 2008, deposition, Stephen Hickman said that drugs were long flown into Jackson's Hawkins Field and then distributed among various drug heads.

Little Love for Levees

The meeting room for the Rankin-Hinds Pearl Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board in Flowood filled with rancor Monday, Feb. 8, after the board learned that the state Legislature may vote to dilute its authority to make flood-control decisions for the metro area, clearing the way for the controversial Two Lakes development plan to come back to life.

'Dereliction of Duty'

Having re-opened the sluice gates of executions with Earl Berry in May, the state of Mississippi could put a second man to death later this month. Dale Leo Bishop, convicted in 2000 in the 1998 murder of Marcus Gentry, has a date with lethal injection July 23.

Man of Iron

As a young boy, Shad Ireland wanted to be a professional athlete when he grew up. But at the age of 10, he was diagnosed with Membranoproliferative nephritis, which causes the immune system to damage the kidneys, and his dream was dashed. Today Ireland is a dialysis patient of 25 years and works with Fresenius Medical Care as a motivational speaker. He travels across the nation with a success story: He is the first and only dialysis patient to compete and finish an Ironman triathlon. Ireland and his team, Team Ireland, compete in Ironman competitions around the U.S. and have finished 14 races to date. In August, Ireland visited seven Fresenius clinics in Mississippi, offering his personal testimony to dialysis patients.

Virginia Sen. Webb Stumps For Musgrove

An indication of the national attention on Mississippi's Senate race, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb appeared with former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove on Monday to speak in support of Musgrove on veterans' issues.

Flaggs Backs Down on Mergers

Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, has changed his tune somewhat regarding Gov. Haley Barbour's budget recommendation for merging Mississippi's historically black colleges and universities.

Young Candidates Seize the ‘Urgency of Now'

The same day that he filed his qualifying papers to run for Jackson City Council, Jonathan Jones received a number of calls from strangers.

Learning With A Legend

Young people from around the state will gather June 5 in Indianola for the ninth annual B.B. King Blues Workshop.

The Floods Keep Coming

Workmen from Young's Floor Covering were laying down new linoleum on the floor of the Computer Co-op, in Jackson's Fondren area July 20. Though the business and its neighbors are partial to renovation and inside design changes, the new linoleum going down that day had nothing to do with aesthetics.

[City Buzz] no. 10 November 22 - 29

A Hasty Decision Reconsidered?

The Jackson City Council will vote this week on whether or not to rescind approval of the construction of a parkway running to the international airport in Pearl.

Look At All These Rumors

As the JFP goes to press, the city is awash in rumors about what is going to happen next to Mayor Frank Melton and friends. Some are more credible than others. If you're the bettin'-startin'-an-office-pool type, here are some cheeky options:

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