| JFP Mobile | Jackson, Mississippi

Family Shelter Needs Furniture

I just got this from Sandy Middleton at the Center for Violence Prevention, which provides shelter and assistance for women and children escaping domestic violence. Please help if you can:

John Reeves to Represent Melton in Federal Trial

Weeks after Mayor Frank Melton tapped him to serve on the Jackson Development Authority, local attorney John Reeves told the Jackson Free Press that he has decided to represent Jackson Mayor Frank Melton in November when Melton goes on trial for constitutional violations against some Jackson residents. Reeves said he would not discuss the particulars of the upcoming trial for ethical reasons. "I can't make any comments about a case that's in litigation. There are rules of ethics that govern what lawyers can say and can not say and we strictly adhere to those rules by just not commenting at all," Reeves told the Jackson Free Press.

Council Doubts Mayor's Rosy Budget Talk

Several Jackson City Council members disagree with Mayor Frank Melton's recent assessment that the city budget is in wonderful financial shape. Melton said at a February press conference, and repeated in recent Jackson Free Press interviews, that the budget is in "the best fi nancial shape" it's ever been in, which prompted raised eyebrows after the city announced days later that it was calling for a 3-percent cutback in all departments. The mayor then blamed sliding sales revenue and demanded that all unfilled positions be frozen. He also asked department heads to cut back on overtime pay, travel and office supplies.

Tonight's Mayoral Debate: No Tickets Required

See Complete Election Coverage including Candidate Interviews

Down-Home Recipe

Blend tangy, honey-infused mandolin with a simmering string bass, and then add a double-layer of hot, finger-licking guitars. Jackson-based Anna Kline and the Grits and Soul Band satisfy a hunger for some good old-fashioned down-home music. Every tempting offering from Grits and Soul is seasoned with authentic southern spice and smothered in warm velvety vocals.

Kelly Pates

If you've lived in Jackson for a few years or more, chances are you've heard the Patesa family roots-rock bandperform at local clubs, bars, festivals and other venues in the city. Covering good-vibe songs like Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" and Rod Stewart's "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You," Kelly and Jean Pates and their son, Andrew, have been connecting with crowds and collaborating with other Jackson musicians for the past several decades.

Barbour Not Pleased with Senate Over Eminent Domain Limits

After the Mississippi Senate passed Senate Bill 2230 today to restrict the use of eminent domain to direct public use, Gov. Haley Barbour released this statement tonight: "If the bill that passed the Senate today were to become law, it would be a major impediment to Mississippi's job creation efforts. Toyota would not be coming to Mississippi if this had been the law in 2007, and the Senators recognized that fact by an amendment they included in the bill."

Hinds DA: Castle Doctrine Has Gray Areas

Mississippi's "castle doctrine" law, which allows for the use of deadly force in certain self-defense situations, has some gray areas, Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith acknowledged in a community meeting yesterday.

Amani Floyd

For students at Jackson's Bailey Magnet School, Amani Floyd's dedication as a teacher has paid off well. Floyd, a student in the Mississippi Teacher Corps program at the University of Mississippi, helped the kids raise their American history test scores by 10 percent, with 95 percent of students passing the state exam. That's the highest rate of inner-city students passing the exam in four years.

AG: How to Protect Yourself from Gustav Scams

From Attorney General Jim Hood, verbatim: Jackson, MS-As Hurricane Gustav wraps its sweep across portions of Mississippi, Attorney General Jim Hood reminds residents impacted by the storm to protect themselves from the scammers that every storm brings.

10 U.S. Soldiers Die in Iraq Today; 69 This Month

The New York Times is reporting:

TALK: State Pops Up on Gaydar

In the wake of U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum's remarks this past week that some critics feel equate homosexuality with bigamy and incest, a Mississippi state senator has come out against a potential appearance by Democratic presidential candidate Dr. Howard Dean, who, as governor of Vermont, helped that state enact the first "civil union" legislation in the country. Richard White, who represents the 29th district (Hinds), told an Associated Press reporter, "Any candidate talking about gay rights might as well not even visit Mississippi. The people down here, they are not going to put up with that kind of stuff. We're not prepared for all that in Mississippi or anywhere else in the southern states."

Just Rewards

Christmas came early for Thomas Moore when Mississippi religious leaders agreed to offer a reward for tips about the 1964 murders of his brother and his friend.

Mary Grace Brown of Mardi Gras

Jackson has set big goals to renovate downtown. Lots of private business people have been getting in on the ground floor of some very exciting downtown developments. Mary Grace Brown, owner of Brown's Fine Art in Fondren, and her business partner, Shawn Hunt, recently have taken on a massive project that will contribute to the revitalizing of Jackson's downtown nightlife with the opening of Mardi Gras at 824 South State St. in an abandoned car dealership.

JPS Helps Spur New ‘Urbanism'

A diverse group of community leaders gathered on a beautiful morning in "downtown Fondren" Friday to celebrate a new economic-development opportunity for the neighborhood, as well as a way for the Jackson Public Schools to raise a bit of dough.

Fruits of Change

Cover art by Ramona Ward

Bob Dylan wrote "The Times They Are A'Changin'" 40 years ago and far from Mississippi. But the sentiment applies here and now; young creatives who couldn't be any more different are sharing a common goal — change — and working to make it happen.

Juveniles: Help Is On the Way!

Whether it's a 10th-grade boy skipping school twice a week or an even younger girl who defied the city's curfew laws, the Mississippi Legislature is ready to change the way it officially handles these scenarios.

Miracle on North State

Forty years ago—October 1963—I was a tenth-grader at Provine High School. Never in my wildest imaginings would I have believed where I would be and who I would be with four decades later.

Nickel and Dimed

Councilman Kenneth Stokes proclaimed at the June 1 Jackson City Council meeting that "kids looking for a job are often turned away and only have the dope lords to turn to." In response, Alfrenett Johnson-Orr, director of the Mayor's Youth Initiative, described her summer tutoring program as a remedy for that concern, asking for City Council to approve the funding for her program.

Delores' Bus

Delores Williams drives a Greyhound bus full time. I'd be willing to ride anywhere with her after being on board Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.'s 18th "Mayor's Pride Ride" last Saturday. The mayor welcomed us on board, calling us VICs—very important citizens—and then introduced Delores. Throughout the ride, she proved over and over why she gets this special assignment, maneuvering that big dog deftly down narrow, crowded streets, turning at tight corners without touching nearby power poles or parked cars, and zigzagging through the crowded parking lot of Jackson State's Athletics and Assembly Center so that those on board finishing their sweet tea from the Chimneyville BBQ Smoke House didn't spill a drop.

All results / Stories

Sort By

Date

Authors