| JFP Mobile | Jackson, Mississippi

DeLaughter Pleads Guilty

Former Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter, 55, resigned his job and pleaded guilty to misleading authorities this week. The former judge had five counts against him, all representing various forms of corruption, but he pled guilty to the one count arguably carrying the lightest sentence, obstruction of justice.

Hood Settlement Under Suspicion

Attorney General Jim Hood offered no guess as to what media outlets are looking for in a sealed February 2008 settlement between his office and State Farm and Fire and Casualty Company. Jackson New Media, Inc., publisher of the Y'all Politics blog, filed motions to intervene and unseal the settlement this month, joined by three TV stations: Jackson's WLBT, Hattiesburg's WDAM and WLOX in Biloxi.

CityBuzz [10.4.06]

'Allen and His Loony Squad'

Former JFD Assistant Chief Tony Davis got free rein at the Jackson Advocate two weeks ago in a vitriolic column describing Council President Ben Allen's "hidden agenda for the city of Jackson." In the column, Davis called Allen a "pick-pocket racist," who hates other races but still wants their support. Davis recently resigned after he demanded written substantiation of firefighter complaints made to the JFP. The fire department suspended five firefighters for failing to comply, but Mayor Frank Melton soon returned them to duty. It was Davis who got the boot.

Law on Call

Last summer, Jackson attorneys Tim Porter and Rocky Wilkins came up with the idea for "Law Call," a live call-in show that premiered on WLBT Feb. 7.

Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em

Graphic courtesy of The Mellman Group

The Mississippi Legislature made a second attempt at tax reform this year, with the House's approval of Senate Bill 3084 on a 79 to 41 vote. The bill is an attempt at compromise after the last tax bill was vetoed by Gov. Haley Barbour.

Straitjacket of Straight Thinking?

The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees may be holding back its superintendent, but depending on whom you ask, that may not be a bad thing.

Sleep Inn Poised for September Opening

After a brief hiatus, construction on the Sleep Inn downtown is set to resume in the next two weeks and finish in time for a Sept. 1 opening. Robert Gibbs, a member of the Jackson-based LEAD Group LLC, which is developing the hotel, told the Jackson Free Press today that his group has acquired construction financing to finish the $5 million project.

Report Finds Struggling Households in Hinds County

Read the report (PDF, 2.1 MB)

JFP People of the Day: John and Margrit Garner

As the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees has poured over its budget for the upcoming school year in a series of hearings, John and Margrit Garner have been there to watch and comment. With three grandsons in JPS, the Garners have a personal interest in the district's success. But their involvement speaks to a long history of activism for children and students.

'No Justice, No Peace'

Young people were the majority last week in Jena, La. Amid the vast numbers of media crews and veteran civil-rights activists, the thousands of fists raised to the sky and chants of "no justice, no peace," and the sounds of bongo drums and handclaps of excitement, the youth of America were heard.

Fed's Bold Plan: Will it Help?

No sooner did the Federal Reserve unveil a bold plan Thursday to juice the U.S. economy than it dangled the prospect of doing even more.

Family Ties: Earle S. Banks Sr.

Earle S. Banks Sr. counts his two decades of legislative experience as a top qualification to serve on the Mississippi State Supreme Court.

Jane, You Ignorant Snit!

The other day, an e-mail popped up with the subject line, "tired of insults." I grimaced a bit and opened it. The correspondent first told me that she reads my paper most every week, and "I like the Free Press." But then she got to the point: "I wanted to let you know that you do have some conservative readers and I, for one, would like to read more articles by liberals that are not SO OFFENSIVE."

What a Difference a Week Makes

May marked the first full year of the Jackson Free Press as a weekly publication, a feat that we were excited to dive into last summer and, now more than 50 issues later, we're very glad that we did.

Buzz: FREEDOM IS JUST ANOTHER WORD

FREEDOM IS JUST ANOTHER WORD

News came Monday that The Associated Press and the Hattiesburg American are suing the U.S. Marshals Service for seizing and erasing journalists' tape recordings of a peech by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia to high school students in Hattiesburg. The news organizations filed the lawsuit in federal court in Jackson. "It's been more than a month since this happened, and we're still angry about it," said Dave Tomlin, AP assistant general counsel said in a report by his wire service. "People who enforce the law should know what the law is, and especially the basic law that says citizens can't be shaken down by their own government.'"

Capturing Imaginations

If you are ever going to rent a kid, 4-year-old Jackson Andrews is the best deal you could possibly get. He is at the just the right height that I can reach down and run my fingers through his dark brown bowl-cut, and his puckered lips form an "o" as if he is always on the verge of asking a serious question.

All results / Stories

Sort By

Date

Authors