Stories for March 2008 | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS

Stories for March 2008

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Sunday, March 30

Jackblog

Jackson's Cure

How do we save a city in the throes of blight? This has been the omnipresent question for the last 20 years facing residents and public officials here in Jackson. …

Saturday, March 29

Jackblog

Bill Clinton—Carville's Mafia Boss?

Does James Carville really think that people should make political decisions based on loyalty above all else? No matter what someone does? No matter who else comes along who is …

Jackblog

Republicans Singing the Blues?

A New York Times Magazine piece chronicles the depression that is setting in for Republicans now that the strategies that gave them temporary power are starting to turn off new …

Friday, March 28

Jackblog

VIDEO: Bronx students discuss Obama's race speech

Out of the mouths of babes...

Meeting Addresses Crime, Calls for Tax Increase

Straight talk was the theme at a March 27 town hall meeting on Jackson crime at the Board of Education auditorium in downtown Jackson. The meeting, hosted by the Jackson …

Jackblog

Hillary Clinton Crosses the Right-Wing Line

I tell you, I'm really starting to believe that Hillary is scum. I'm sorry to put it that way, but she is starting to turn me off in entirely different …

Thursday, March 27

Jackblog

The Rev. Wright Controversy: More Than Meets the Eye?

"Dear Jodi: Thank you for engaging in one of the biggest misrepresentations of the truth I have ever seen in sixty-five years." This is how Rev. Jeremiah Wright begins a …

Sports

Ron Polk To Resign

Mississippi State baseball coach Ron Polk will resign at the end of the season, The Clarion-Ledger is reporting. He has recommended long-time assistant and former MSU player Tommy Raffo as …

Canton Police Arrest Protesters

Canton police arrested demonstrators protesting racial profiling this morning after protesters allegedly violated a city permit.

Frank Melton

Melton Vetoes Use of Eminent Domain

[Verbatim release] Mayor Frank E. Melton issued a veto today that will prohibit the use of eminent domain by the Jackson Redevelopment Authority to acquire owner-occupied residential property located west …

"Policing Jackson: Problems & Solutions" – Questions?

Post your questions for the panel or specific panelists below.

The Jackson Police Officers Association and the Jackson Free Press are presenting a town-hall meeting with police officers and other concerned citizens for real talk on fighting crime in Jackson. …

Attorney General Amending Beef Plant Lawsuit

[Verbatim from the Attorney General's Office] Attached please find a copy of the Circuit Court lawsuit (645 KB) filed by the Office of the Attorney General against Facility Construction Management …

Philadelphia Coalition Calls for More Justice

Statement of the Philadelphia Coalition

The Philadelphia Coalition—the multi-racial group in Philadelphia, Miss., that called for the prosecution of Edgar Ray Killen for the 1964 Klan murders of Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner—want further justice in …

Wednesday, March 26

Editor's Note

The Other Side

When I was at Neshoba Central back in the 1970s, I would get called to the office quite a bit. The students around me would look at each other, cutting …

Pearl River

Lakes Plan Still Alive, Despite Vote?

Photos by Melissa Webster & Mississippi Museum Of Natural Science

Also see: Archive of Two Lakes/Pearl Coverage

Talk

Rebirth of a King

What a long, strange, trip it's been. The co-developers of the King Edward Hotel are holding a groundbreaking on March 27, at 11 a.m., after years of the project languishing …

Talk

A Smoking ‘Play on Words'

A Jackson City Council committee on Monday approved a change to a 2003 city ordinance banning smoking in many businesses, extending the ban to restaurants—unless they have a bar.

Justice

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 …

Justice

Workers Rally Against Human Trafficking

A group of about 70 Indian workers marched onto the Mississippi State Capitol Thursday, March 20, protesting treatment by Pascagoula construction company Signal International, LLC.

Talk

Legislature: Subtle Casualities

Deadlines both made and spayed bills last week. Many bills passed in the two chambers of the Mississippi Legislature, but now face conference committee to bang out their differences.

Talk

Medicaid on Hold?

Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, said he wants the Mississippi Senate to belly up and help the House fund Medicaid.

Editorial

Kill Two Lakes, Enhance The River

A vote this week by the Rankin-Hinds Pearl Flood and Drainage Control District ("Levee Board") appeared to overturn its decision of last July to support a "Lower Lake" plan based, …

[Sue Doh Nem] Gripe, Moan and Complain

Grandma Pookie: "Welcome to the Gripe, Moan and Complain Weekly Business Report with Pookie Peterz. I'm Grandma Pookie sitting in for my very busy grandson. He's preparing taxes for financially …

[Kamikaze] Let the Chickens Roost

It appears that the chickens did indeed come home to roost. No, not in the Rev. Jeremiah Wright sense. Not even the Malcolm X sense. These "chickens" are a direct …

Politics

[Dickerson] Presidential Politics 101

A word of warning: If you don't want to know who's going to win the presidential election, don't read further.

Cover

Spring ‘08 Sports Issue

Welcome to the first installment of the JFP sports supplement. This issue offers previews of state college baseball, the Mississippi Braves and their new radio voice, bloggers-choice sports heroes, NCAA …

Cover

Behind The Seams: College Baseball 2008

Ping! That sound means one thing: It's college baseball season. And now is the time when the games really count, when teams are playing conference games.

Culture

Brave New Voice

It's springtime in Jackson. The days are getting longer, the birds louder, and the shirt sleeves shorter. For the diehard baseball fans among us, this can only mean one thing: …

Sports

NCAA Tournament List

SWEET 16

North Carolina and Washington State. I like it when there is a bi-coastal match up whenever possible.

Jacksonian

Michael Rubenstein

Michael Rubenstein's office in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame is cluttered with sports awards and pictures, and a little plastic sumo wrestler stands on his desk. Born in Booneville, …

Jackblog

Olga's Moving to Jackson

It's Flowood's loss and Jackson's gain when Olga's Fine Dining re-opens in the city of Jackson—in the old Posh location next to Habana Smoke Shop—on May 1. It'll be BYOB. …

Jackblog

The Clintonian ‘Divide-and-Conquer' Strategy

Both David Brooks and Maureen Dowd are skewering Hillary "I ducked, really I did" Clinton in New York Times columns today. Dowd even accuses her to trying to muck it …

Tuesday, March 25

DA and AG Dismiss Case Against Robbie Bell

Attorney General Jim Hood

[Verbatim statement from the AG's office] "The criminal case against Robbie Bell was dismissed today for lack of evidence in the case. The decision was made by both the Hinds …

Jackblog

New National Articles on the Jackson Free Press

The magazine, Next American City, just published an article about the Jackson Free Press in their new issue. It also quotes Ben Allen, Harvey Johnson and Kamikaze about the JFP …

Monday, March 24

Jackblog

ARTICLE: Disabled pregnant woman used as target practice

Six people, including a 12-year-old, are in jail on $1 million bond for torturing a pregnant woman with developmental delays who lived with them.

Subject: Send to your Republican friends all across MS

The following e-mail went around the Sunday before the March 11 primary. When one of the JFP writers got it (through an account for an organization he volunteers with), it …

Friday, March 21

Workers Rally Against Human Trafficking

A group of about 70 Indian workers marched onto the Mississippi State Capitol Thursday protesting treatment by Pascagoula construction company Signal International, LLC. "These people endured a kind of slavery," …

Jackblog

Is Hillary Clinton's Candidacy Over?

Politico seems to think so, exposing what it calls "the Clinton myth", and explaining why they believe Barack Obama already has the nomination in a lockbox:

Thursday, March 20

Jackblog

Lori Gregory and Emily Braden Guests on Radio JFP Friday

Join JFP columnists and chicks-about-town Lori Gregory and Emily Braden Friday at noon on Radio JFP. They will draw on their social worker and teacher experiences in Jackson to talk …

Fly

Come FLY with us: What to Make from Old Sweaters?

OK, here's a Fly question of the week. We have two old wool men's sweaters here with a few holes in them (moths?). One is black; one is gray. What …

Wednesday, March 19

Capitol Police Re-locate War Vigil at Last Minute

Sharon Lobert, Jackson resident and organizer of the candelight vigil today in Jackson protesting the war in Iraq, said Capitol Police moved the vigil to the steps of the capitol …

Jacksonian

Don and Becky Potts

Don and Becky Potts' backyard would be noticeable even without the horse. Behind their Fondren home, the couple maintains an elaborate garden and two greenhouses. Somehow, they also have room …

Editor's Note

The Rocky Race to the White House

Warning: If you're considering running for president, there are several pitfalls to expect, as we've learned over recent weeks.

Talk

Legislative Update: Medicaid and Marriage

This week marked either the victory cheer or the death knell for a round of money bills seeking approval. Tuesday, specifically, marked the deadline for the House or Senate to …

Jackblog

Miss. No. 1 in Past Due Mortgages; No. 8 in Foreclosures

According to a new report (pdf) by the Mississippi Economic Policy Center, "Mississippi has the eighth highest foreclosure rate and the highest percentage of borrowers with past due home loan …

snark >:-(

Given the chance to be the mainstream media authority during a primary with a shocking turnout, The Clarion-Ledger flubbed it, instead displaying how deep its culture of incompetence runs. On …

Talk

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 …

Talk

Immigration Bill a Reality

Well, he signed it. Gov. Haley Barbour caved in to the screaming fury of conservative talk radio and the raging rant of phone calls and signed into law SB 2988, …

Justice

Let's Make a Deal

The Mississippi Center for Justice is still looking to buy the old library building at 301 N. State Street, the site of the historic "read-in" by nine Tougaloo College students …

Justice

‘The Nightmare Is Over'

After serving 18 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, Levon Brooks walked away from the Noxubee County courthouse a free man on March 13. Arrested for …

Justice

One in 100 Behind Bars

America reached a new record this year, but it's not one that comes with bragging rights: We've reached the point where one in every 100 adults is behind bars. In …

Editorial

Pandering for Cheap Votes

Senate Bill 2988, a bill making felons out of employed undocumented immigrants and their employers, is now law. Mississippi Building and Construction Trade President David Newell says the law will …

[Sue Doh Nem] Price-Gouged Victims Unit

bu Sue Doh Nem

Mr. Announcement: "In a recessive economy, opportunists overwhelm financially challenged individuals on fixed incomes with inflated prices. As the price of gas and other necessities increases, poor folk commit desperate …

Letters

Vol. 6, No. 27

<b><em>Immigration Lies</b></em>

As a recent transplant from Texas and an American of Mexican decent, I am appalled at the ignorant comments made by some radio personalities and politicians running ads in Jackson …

[Mott] Pulling Hard for Our Future

Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Prize-winner from Kenya, planted seven trees in 1977 in honor of seven women environmentalists. Jailed and reviled for her own environmental activism, Maathai's seven trees became …

Jackblog

Flashback: JFP Cover Story, March 19, 2003

As the Jackson Free Press prepared to go to press five years ago this week, we knew that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was immiment. Even as most of the …

Cover

The Emerging Mississippi: Are New Voters Changing State Politics?

Photos by Kenya Hudson

When presidential hopeful Barack Obama entered the Rose Embley McCoy building at Jackson State University on March 10, he flowed easily into the hungry arms of the crowd. At least …

Culture

It's About Turnout, Stupid!

Crunching the state's numbers from last week's primaries shows that something is happening in Mississippi. The question is: Will the Obama Effect linger in the state, creating a new political …

Culture

The Issues 2008

What's on your mind this election year? As the national media focus on the presidential horse race, and who's sprinting ahead, chances are good that these issues will crop up.

Eating Out

[Lunch Lady] Brand Spankin' New Downtown

In some cities, storefronts are full, and any time one business vacates, there is another one on its heels to take over. In other places, storefronts stay empty for years …

Cooking

[Green Girl] Fewer Cow Pies, More French Fries

One major solution to the problem of global warming is making small changes in our own homes. A multitude of things—cars, factories, power plants—heavily contribute to global-warming pollution. We've heard …

Jackblog

Which is Worse: An Uninformed Electorate or a Bad Newspaper?

The Clarion-Ledger today has a somewhat-admirable editorial blasting the Legislature for passing such a stupid anti-immigration bill. It's called "Immigration: Pandering to fears is shameful." It starts out:

Jackblog

Calling All Shoes! Still Accepting!

Northwest Rankin senior Alecia Edney needs your help. For her senior project, she is collecting used (or new) shoes for women and children to donate to the Center for Violence …

Monday, March 17

Jackblog

David Paterson sworn in as NY Governor today

Lieutenant Governor David Paterson became the fourth black person in the state and first visually impaired person in the nation to hold the title. Although he became governor due to …

Mississippi GOP Politicizes Scruggs Plea

The head of the Mississippi Republican Party is using the guilty plea of Richard "Dickie" Scruggs to try to focus the scandal spotlight away from Republicans and put it squarely …

Jackblog

My St. Paddy's Day Parade Photo Album

On Friday afternoon, I decided at the last minute to participate in the parade on Saturday. Since this is not something I do on a regular basis, I decided to …

Hot 97.7 No Longer Blazin' Hip-Hop

[verbatim statement] Effective March 17, 2008, HOT 97.7FM has changed its name to 97.7FM WRBJ and no longer promotes itself as "Jackson's Blazin' Hip-Hop and R&B Station." In addition, the …

Sunday, March 16

Civil Rights Museum Part of Tougaloo ‘Master Plan'

Tougaloo College President Beverly Hogan told The Clarion-Ledger today that a civil rights museum has been part of the college's "master plan" for years:

Saturday, March 15

SNL Slams Mississippi

"Saturday Night Live"

"This week Barack Obama won Mississippi with 90% of the black vote and a quarter of the white vote with Mississippi's one Asian guy still hiding indoors afraid to go …

Friday, March 14

Sports

SI's Don Banks Sees Hope for Saints 2008

In this Don Banks' Inside the NFL column this week, he lists the Top 5 most improved teams of the off season (meaning talent signed and gained), listing the New …

Scruggs Pleads Guilty

The Sun-Herald is reporting that attorney Dickie Scruggs has pled guilty:

Jackblog

U.S. House to Consider FISA Bill Sans Telco Immunity

The bill is coming out of committee in the House and should get a floor vote this afternoon. It grants the president many of the powers he wants for roving …

Thursday, March 13

Jackblog

Need a Crazy Paddy's Crown? Then D.I.Y.

Don't miss our gallery of "Head Games" crowns that we put together this issue. Much of the JFP staff let me do really crazy things to their heads, and the …

Jackblog

Chick Talk on Radio JFP; Ladd on San Francisco Talk Show

Tune in as Laurel Isbister, Maggie Burks, Kimberly Griffin and Sage Carter-Hooey talk about stuff we chicks care about—the St. Paddy's Parade, shoes and presidential politics, among them—Friday at noon …

‘The Nightmare Is Over': Levon Brooks Finally Free

After serving 18 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, Levon Brooks walked away from the Noxubee County courthouse a free man this morning. Arrested for the …

Jackblog

Join the JFP Tonight at Pi(e) Lounge

The JFP's monthly Lounge is tonight—Thursday, March 13—at Pi(e) Lounge, Sal & Mookie's new tres-chic cocktail spot. Please join us 6 to 9 p.m. for a specially designed "creative class" …

Jackblog

Who Are Mississippi's Top Sports Heroes of All Time?

Folks, we're preparing a special sports issue and want to get your nominations of the best sports heroes from/in Mississippi of all time. Talk to us.

Jackblog

Are ‘HillPublicans' True Dumba$$es?

Just ponderin'. (See Alternet article).

OK, if all these desperate Republicans are going to follow Rush Limbaugh's advice and turn out to vote for Hillary Clinton in order to try to keep Obama (and his …

Wednesday, March 12

Sports

Who Did In Doc?

Scott Ross, the reptilian state College Board member and mayor of West Point, is being blamed for the sudden resignation of MSU President Doc Foglesong. And some State fans aren't …

Jacksonian

Lorenzo Bailey

Go to college. Play basketball. Live out your dream.

Editor's Note

Seize the Day

What a bizarre, crazy week. As we've been putting together this special Fly issue, dedicated to the madness that is the Mal's St. Paddy's Parade, not to mention lots of …

Talk

Suddenly, Mississippi Matters

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama rocked the campus of Jackson State University March 10, committing to an agenda of ending the Iraq War, universal health insurance and providing $4,000 in annual …

Talk

Undocumented Workers, Felons and Fines

Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin warned that legislators had better be ready to back up Senate Bill 2988 with more funding if they intend for local law enforcement and jails …

Talk

Legislative Update: It's About Money, Stupid!

The Mississippi House of Representatives deeply involved itself in appropriation bills last week. The House is up against a March 12 deadline to weigh in on "money bills" originating in …

Talk

Voice of Change

Since Mississippi State University President Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong announced his resignation last Friday, students have vocalized mixed feelings about his two-year administration. A decorated four-star Air Force general, Foglesong …

Talk

Tougaloo Site a 'Done Deal'

A Civil Rights Museum commission appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour approved the location of a planned National Civil Rights Museum, March 11, with a 22-to-9 vote in favor of a …

Editorial

Barbour: Reset Museum Decision

This week, the commission appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour to choose a location for Mississippi's Civil Rights Museum voted 22-9 in support of its location committee's recommendation that the museum …

[Sue Doh Nem] A Black Dog Like Me

Mr. Announcement: "On this edition of 'Animals 'n' the 'Hood,' Poochie, the shiny, black, talking and literate dog, addresses a very sobering phenomenon called 'Black Dog Syndrome.'"

[Kamikaze] Rising Above the Muck

By the time you read this column, the cameras will be gone. The reporters will have packed up all their pens, pads and voice recorders, and moved on to Pennsylvania. …

[Williamson] 100 Years of Waste

You flip a switch, and the light goes on. It's like magic. It is easy to forget how much impact electricity has, how it allows us to work at night, …

Culture

For Goodness Snakes!

Professional herpetologist Terry Vandeventer has been studying snakes for 50 years and is Mississippi's foremost expert on snakes (Mississippi, alone, has 55 indigenous species). Vandeventer is a crusader against the …

Food

Krewe of Broccoli

Can't get enough of Mal's St. Paddy's Parade? Continue the party at home, and have another Mal-athon on your dining room table. You need only to create a krewe of …

Food

One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four…

Mark McCrary, executive director of the Mississippi Center for Nonprofits and enthusiastic St. Paddy's Day celebrant, grew up eating potatoes—the most Irish of vegetables. His mother no doubt used them …

Drink

How to Make Irish Coffee

Step-by-step instructions for a tasty beverage.

Drink

DIY: The Day After

For the past three months I've been stuck inside the four walls of my house, braving this new-fangled "southern winter" we're experiencing, and I am bored. I'm dying in here. …

Drink

Irish Cocktails

If you can't find anything green in your closet, a green drink could be your best defense against pinchers ready to pounce on their non-green companions. You can add green …

Drink

Beer Me Up, Scotty

This St. Patrick's Day, forget the artificially green light beer, and pick up a real Irish beer. The Irish have been brewing beer since at least the 12th century, so …

Culture

St. Paddy's Done Right

Follow this St. Paddy's Parade Schedule for the most awesome day possible (compiled from various parade experts):

Culture

Queen for a (St. Paddy's) Day

No tiara? No time? No problem. There's a tiara for you 10 minutes (or less) away from wherever you live in Jackson.

Culture

Schedule of Events

Hal & Mal's Schedule of Events visit http://www.halandmals.com/stpat/schedule/sched.html

Cover

[Fly] Green, Pink, and Over The Top

Welcome to Fly: St. Paddy's edition. Here at the JFP we are big fans of the Sweet Potato Queens and didn't want to miss our chance to give a shout …

Jackblog

The Nation Blogs on the ‘Hell-Raising' JFP

This is how he starts out:

Folks, Bob Moser at The Nation is blogging about our Obama commentary last night, quoting from us liberally (which he asked permission to do because he is a class act). …

Clarion-Ledger Downplays Huge Turnout, Hosemann's Error

Remarkably, even in the light of day, Clarion-Ledger reporter Natalie Chandler is still repeating an abysmally off turnout prediction by Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann as if it were …

Sports

Another Cheap Shot At Ole Miss

This is wrong on so many levels. Doctor S can't help himself, he has to pass it on.

Tuesday, March 11

OBAMA WINS; Eyes on Mississippi Tonight

Thoughts? Comments? Returns? Concerns?

The polls just closed, and the world is watching Mississippi's Democratic primary. (Sit up straight.)

Jackblog

An Open Letter to Jackson: The Old, Next, and Now Generations

I'm torn. I wrote in my column this week that it is indeed a great time to be alive. These days will be recorded for posterity, and stories will be …

Jackblog

‘I'm Keeping the House'

Amy Ephron is blogging on Huff Post about women who publicly stand by their cad husbands, as Eliot Spitzer's wife is doing, despite the humiliation:

Music

Upcoming BEAU RIVAGE ENTERTAINMENT

Beau Rivage Box Office – (888) 566-7469 / Beau Rivage Room Reservations – (888) 567-6667

Showtimes: VariousTicket Prices: $9.95, $19.95 & $29.95 plus tax and service chargeVenue: Beau Rivage Theatre

UPDATED: Civil Rights Museum a ‘Done Deal'

A Civil Rights museum commission appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour approved the location of a planned National Civil Rights Museum Tuesday with a 22-to-9 vote in favor of a controversial …

Monday, March 10

Jackblog

What a ‘Bad Week' Obama Has Had

Since the media narrative flip-flopped once again toward Hillary Clinton in the last week, just how has Barack Obama actually fared. Read Kos' analysis of Obama's "bad week"—including all the …

Chelsea Campaigning for Mama at Cups, Broad Street

Update: See Roy Adkins' photos of Chelsea Clinton at Cups here.

Obama Speech Streaming at WJTV

.jacksonfreepress.com/v3/images/uploads/obama_jsu.jpg" border="0" alt="pic" width="300" />

As they did with Senator Hillary Clinton last week, WJTV plans to live-stream the video from Senator Barack Obama's appearance at JSU later this evening. WJTV's e-mail anticipates that things …

Jackblog

VIDEO: Girl in Clinton's "3 A.M." ad an Obama supporter?

You can't make this stuff up.

The young lady, whose first name is Casey, was eight years old in this commercial, which was originally for a railroad. Whoever produced the Clinton ad bought the file footage …

Sunday, March 9

Jackblog

Listen to DJ Doc's Hot Talk @ 9 on 97.7 this Monday

601 981 0977 is the request line..

In light of the March 11th vote on the Civil Rights Museum, Ben Allen, Dr. Gene Young and myself will be on 97.7 Monday morning 9am pushing for downtown.

Saturday, March 8

Sports

Another Major Victory

Millsaps defeated Mary Hardin-Baylor 57-56 on Saturday night at the Hangar Dome in the NCAA Division III regionals. The Majors are going to the Sweet 16 for just the third …

Friday, March 7

Rights Museum Hidden Costs, Lobbying Questioned

As a vote to approve a controversial placement of a new civil rights museum looms, a commission member is saying that extra taxpayer costs of locating it in a planned …

Obama Coming to JSU; Clinton Speaks in Canton

Mississippi has suddenly found itself a focus of presidential politics as the March 11 primary approaches, and the two major Democratic candidates scrap for votes. Sen. Hillary Clinton attended the …

Jackblog

SF Bay Guardian Wins Suit over SF Weekly

Many will rightly consider this insider baseball, but we've been watching with interest a long-standing battle between the independently held San Francisco Bay Guardian (the sort of alt-weekly that defines …

Booming Jackson Topic of Radio JFP Friday

Tune in at noon Friday, March 7, to hear JFP Publisher Todd Stauffer interview Ben Minnifield of Novia Communications and Charles Richardson of the Fondren Renaissance Foundation about the renaissance …

Thursday, March 6

JFP Editor on MPB Friday 8:30 a.m.

Mississippi Public Broadcasting will interview JFP Editor Donna Ladd Friday at 8:30 a.m. about next week's Mississippi primary. Tune in at http://www.mpbonline.org.

Jackblog

Mental Health Parity on the Way?

{verbatim email} - House Passes Mental Health Parity Bill - March 6, 2008 By a vote of 268-148, the US House of Representatives on March 5th passed its version of …

WJTV Plans Live Stream of Clinton Speech

WJTV called this afternoon to let us know that they'll have a live stream of Senator Hillary Clinton's speech tonight at the Democratic Party's 26th Annual Jefferson Jackson Hamer Day …

Sports

Favre's Farewell

The tears flow as Brett Favre officially announces that he is retiring from the Green Bay Packers after 17 seasons in the NFL. "I know I can play but I …

Clinton's Plan for ‘Forgotten' Afghanistan

Hillary Clinton's Plan for the Forgotten Front Line in Afghanistan

With the Mississippi primary next week, suddenly the Clinton campaign is courting Mississippi voters with a vengeance. This is one of her statements that are filling our inbox today/verbatim:

Jackblog

*BULLETIN*..Special Council Mtg on Civil Rights Museum TODAY 3pm @ City Hall..BE THERE!

The City Council is holding a special 3pm mtg TODAY to vote on a resolution about the future site of the Civil rights museum. We need concerned citizens to show …

Jackblog

Passing the Torch to Obama

Letter to the editor,

It's a new thing for Mississippians to have the world giving a damn about how we're going to vote on something. But the primary next week suddenly is drawing international …

Wednesday, March 5

Drink

[Lunch Lady] Beer Me!

Lunch Lady's friends hear it all the time: Lunch Lady's getting too old for this. Too old for what, you ask? And for what, short of wearing footie pajamas, could …

Culture

[Green Girl] Clean, Green Water

With the current bottled-water craze, millions of Americans are paying more money per gallon for water than for gasoline, even though most cities charge less than 1 cent per gallon …

Theater

The Questioning Soul

What do you do when you're not sure? This question looms over New Stage Theater's production of John Patrick Shanley's 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning "Doubt," but don't expect any easy answers.

Editor's Note

Dating the Candyman

After exploring Beijing's Chaoyang district for much of the afternoon, my boyfriend JP and I escaped the heat of the July sun, ducking into a Starbucks. The three stories of …

Hillary Clinton Comes to Canton

Hot off her wins in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island, presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton is turning her attention to Mississippi. Clinton will be appearing tomorrow at the Mississippi Democratic …

Talk

Playing Civil Rights Favorites?

Animosity continues to rage between advocates of the city of Jackson and friends of Tougaloo College over the proposed location of a National Civil Rights Museum with advocates of a …

Undocumented Workers, Felons and Fines

Illegal immigrants and employers of illegal immigrants beware. The House passed Senate Bill 2988 by a wide margin today. The bill, called the Mississippi Employee Protection Act, forces all employers …

Talk

Snark

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann's office sent out a bizarro, mistake-riddled press release this week that, ultimately, seemed to avoid taking a position on what to do about "felon voting." …

Dish

Challenging the Next Generation

It was our own hometown David and Goliath story. Bernie Ebbers and WorldCom were the symbol of what Mississippi could be. WorldCom was the lone Fortune 500 company in the …

Editorial

OurCity: Jackson Belongs to Everyone

Last issue, the Jackson Free Press told you about SafeCity's attempt to make parts of the city into what one JFP reader called on our Web site, "Baghdad by the …

[Sue Doh Nem] Foreclosure Folly

Mr. Announcement: "Welcome to the premiere television episode of 'The Finance Pimp Gets His Homes Back.' Our story takes place in a barren suburb of foreclosed homes. Predatory lending, sliding …

Your Turn

We're All Newcomers

Thank you for an excellent article on the challenges, myths and realities of illegal immigration ("Los Cuentos Chinos: Immigration Myths and Realities," Feb. 21, 2008).

Politics

[Dickerson] Shame on You, Hillary

The weekend after the Texas debate, I saw Hillary Clinton on television losing her cool over Barack Obama's criticism of her health-care plan. I don't think that I will ever …

Cover

The Scruggs Saga Comes Home To Hinds County

Photos by Jaro Vacek

On June 11, 2005, Jackson Police Officer Jeffrey Middleton ran a red light on Highway 18 while coming back from Raymond. Middleton had no siren or police lights on at …

Jacksonian

Mitchell Shears

Looking like a giant among the three-feet-tall first-graders pouring into the bright, sun-filled hallway of Clausell Elementary School, Principal Mitchell Shears steps into the main office where three students await …

Clinton Gets 12 New Delegates; Obama Still Leads

Even as Hillary Clinton is trying to claim a major victory last night—and seems to think that Ohio speaks for the nation—her wins Tuesday netted her 12 new delegates when …

Jackblog

‘Quixotic Do-Gooders': ‘They Really Are Right'

It's good to start seeing the mainstream press in Mississippi taking seriously the idea that there may be many innocent people in our prisons due to a screwed-up judicial system …

Monday, March 3

Jackblog

Kaze, Councilman McLemore and Matt Allen on Kim Wade Show Wednesday 5pm

FYI..we're going to continue the debate Next Monday on DJ DOC's Hot Talk @ 9. on 97.7.

Kamikaze writes: Tune in today...5pm...As we continue the civil rights museum debate. With myself, Councilman Leslie McLemore, Attorney Matt Allen, and Ben Minniefield. 1180am. Call in with your questions 601 …

Landrum Campaign Reacts to Voting Revelations

From Bill Lampton, campaign manager for David Landrum, who is running for the Third Congressional District as a Republican/verbatim:

Jackblog

I Have Been On Hold for 91 Minutes ...

I'm trying to call Comcast "customer service," and I've now been on hold for 91, er, 92 minutes with them promising to get with me momentarily. Nice.

Jackblog

Ban Shirley Q. Liquor, blackface minstrel character

What Don Imus did pales in comparison to this disgusting portrayal of black women.

AP Reports on Columbia Training School Abuse

This isn't exactly a new story–see the JFP story from January 2005–but it is good to see the Associated Press taking our training-school horrors to a national stage. The story, …

Delbert Tries to Hose More Felon Voters?

[verbatim statement from Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann]Jackson, MS—Our current Constitution excludes certain felons from having the right to vote. These include criminals convicted of murder, rape, bribery, theft, arson, …

Major Victory

The Millsaps men's basketball team is headed to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time after upsetting Centre 69-60 on Sunday in the SCAC Tournament championship game. The …

Sunday, March 2

Jackblog

Would you like to appear in a documentary?

Bridgitte Krupke, producer of a documentary tentatively titled "Red State Blues" will be in Jackson on March 9 and 10, and she is looking for people to interview.