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CRIME: Playing the Numbers

The question of whether Jackson is "safe" has become about as polarizing as "Ford vs. Chevy" or "fats vs. carbohydrates." It depends on whom you ask. Crime is up 15 percent. Crime is down this month. Crime skyrocketed in February. Crime is way down over the last decade. We're drowning in crime. We're safer than ever. Just look at the numbers. It seems this spring has been open season on crime statistics. Everyone says the numbers don't say enough, even as they try to use the statistics to their advantage, whether to push an ideology, build a political campaign, raise ratings, sell newspapers, bash the city—and sometimes even to try to prevent crime. Which brings us to the central questions. One, is crime completely under control or out of control? Two, do the statistics matter?

Sit, Pray, Love

Walking up the leaf-littered driveway off Old Canton Road, I almost miss the unassuming little brown building tucked away in the trees, but Bebe Wolfe is on the front porch to welcome me.

Cinematastic!: Crossroads Film Festival 2008

It's April again, and that means the Crossroads Film Festival is here. The perilous task of choosing films is over, and now all you have to do is sit back and enjoy a wide variety of film shorts and features. Some films have been reviewed here, but there are many more showing at the festival. Take some time this weekend and have a whole new movie experience with Crossroads. For a screening schedule and more information, visit http://www.crossroadsfilmfest.com

Senate Overwhelmingly Passes the Matthew Shepard Act. Cochran and Lott Vote ‘Nay'

This morning the Senate overwhelmingly voted to pass the historic Matthew Shepard Act, expanding federal hate crimes protection to include sexual orientation. The vote was 60 for, 39 against. Shamefully, Mississippi's two senators Cochran and Lott were among those voting against the Matthew Shepard Act.

Expelled Nazis Got Millions in Social Security

Jakob Denzinger, 90, is among dozens of suspected Nazi war criminals and SS guards who collected millions of dollars in Social Security payments after being forced out of the United States, an Associated Press investigation found.

A New Sheriff? JFP Interview with Tyrone Lewis

I come from a family of six kids—two sisters, three brothers. And my mother and father still live, and still reside in this neighborhood I grew up in. I had a good childhood.

Censored! The 10 Big Stories the National News Media Ignored

In late July more than 600 people showed up in Monterey, Calif., to speak at a Federal Communications Commission hearing on ownership concentration in the news media. The participants were a diverse group, young and old, activists and workers, but they had a single consistent message: The mainstream news media have been doing a deplorable job of covering the day's most important stories.

Promised Land: Are Mississippi's Anti-Immigrant Efforts Bad for Business?

'Reasonable suspicion usually goes to a crime, something you can measure. Reasonable suspicion that you are unlawfully present is not something you can observe.'

Amazing Teens

If kids are our future, we have a lot to look forward to as the 16 young people chosen as this year’s Amazing Teens grow into adulthood.

The Expendables: How the Temps Who Power Corporate Giants Are Getting Crushed

In June, the Labor Department reported that the nation had more temp workers than ever before: 2.7 million.

Lost to History: Missing War Records Complicate Benefit Claims by Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans

A strange thing happened when Christopher DeLara filed for disability benefits after his tour in Iraq: The U.S. Army said it had no records showing he had ever been overseas.

First, Do No Harm: State Struggles With Record of Juvenile Injustice

At 17 years old, Tommy Croft has grown up faster than most youth his age in Mississippi. Croft conveys the pain and genuineness in his story about his dark past with his large brown, puppy-dog-sad eyes. Croft wears the same street clothes as many other African-American youth in this state do: an orange bandana and a backward orange-and-white baseball cap with an over-sized baseball jersey. The dark hair on his upper lip is just enough to make him look a few years older.

The Best 10 Movies of 2005

This was a great year for movies in terms of quality, though 2005 will probably be remembered by the film industry for its hugely disappointing box office grosses (it marks the first year since 1991 in which ticket sales have actually decreased from the year prior). This list, which does not include certain positively reviewed December releases that have not yet opened in the Jackson area (such as "Brokeback Mountain," whose enthusiastic reception indicates that it probably would have earned a place on this list, and "Munich," which is reportedly even better), looks at the 10 films from 2005 most worth seeing.

District Attorney Challenges Chief Justice

An updated version of this story will appear in the print edition Wednesday, June 21.

Did She Have To Die?

By 10 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2007, the temperatures were well on their way to 93 degrees when JPD Sgt. Eric Wall pulled his cruiser into the turn lane on Northside Drive east of I-55, ready to make a left onto Ridgewood Road and head north.

Doris Shavers Killed in Domestic Dispute

WAPT is reporting that Doris Shavers, 40, has died after being shot in the head, allegedly by Henry Phillips in a domestic dispute last night on Ludlow Street. While Shavers was in UMC fighting for her life, police had originally charged Henry Philips, 50, with aggravated assault, a felony, and domestic violence. He is now charged with murder.

[Kinnison] Engage This

"One of the most patriotic things you can do in this country is protest." — Keith, 21

[Silver] The 30-Year-Old War

I'm glad I'm not running for president. My service record would be made public, and while there's little in there that's embarrassing other than my grade in navigation, it's not the stuff of the greatest generation, either. To avoid stomping through rice paddies, I joined Navy ROTC at Tulane and majored in sociology. It was a way to defer the worst of the war and ensure that when I went, I would go on my terms.

[Lott] Base Closure

By a razor thin 49 to 47 vote, the Senate narrowly missed an opportunity to put overseas military bases ahead of domestic facilities in the anticipated 2005 base closure round. I introduced this amendment because a growing number in Congress feel it's time that we radically rethink America's antiquated commitment to aging Cold-War-era military bases overseas, especially in Western Europe where politically temperamental nations like Germany and France should start shouldering their own defense burden. The close vote shows support for changing or delaying the base closure process is growing, and this vote signals a significant shift in the base closure issue.

[Kamikaze] Bush's Report Card

My kids got their first report card of the year recently. As most parents know, it's that initial indicator that lets you know just where your child stands with his schoolwork or his behavior. It's those infamous letter grades that say either "good job" or "some improvement is needed." Either you're on your way to success or headed toward failure.

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