Jackson Free Press

Mississippi Farmers Could See 100 Percent Crop Losses

The Mississippi State Fair isn't the only thing suffering because of the state's run of bad weather. The state is considering declaring entire Mississippi counties disaster areas because of enormous …

School Proponents Urge Budget Cut Restraint

UPDATED: October 16, 2009

Education advocates are urging Gov. Haley Barbour to resist making further cuts to the state's education budget in response to revenue shortfalls yesterday. Barbour warned this week that more budget …

Johnson: Test Scores Reflect Education Funding

Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson blames legislators for the state's low rank in a national summary of elementary school math grades. "The Nation's Report Card: Mathematics 2009," released yesterday, outlines …

Into the Groove

Back in the 1980s, I wasn't too worried about much of anything. I was living in Washington, D.C., working by day as a legal assistant for a huge broadcast corporation …

Dirty Laundry

The Mississippi Democratic Party called on Gov. Haley Barbour last week to speak openly about allegations that former U.S Rep. Chip Pickering laundered a $5,000 donation from his political action …

STEPS: Barbour's Good Idea?

A new Mississippi program that will use federal welfare funds to help hire new employees has many policy analysts excited. The Subsidized Transitional Employment Program and Services, or STEPS Program, …

GO Zone Deadlines Coming and Going

Local governments in southern and central Mississippi must begin using federal funds for disaster recovery by the end of the year, according to Gov. Haley Barbour. Barbour recently sent a …

Public Meetings and Community Events

Monday, Oct. 12

69th Annual Beauty Professional Association Meeting Oct 10-13, at the Clarion Hotel (5075 Interstate 55 S.). Manufacturers and vendors will be on hand in the Exhibitor Hall. The President of …

Lessons of Spencer's Death

Awareness has a huge role in making Mississippi—and the U.S.—a safer place for women. Created in 2006, the Attorney General's Office Domestic Violence Division, works with the entire judicial system …

Jackson Unveils Blues Marker Honoring Ace Records

Jackson will unveil its seventh Mississippi Blues Trail marker this afternoon, honoring Ace Records and its founder, Johnny Vincent Imbragulio (1925-2000). Known simply as "Johnny Vincent," he founded Ace Records …

Tax Revenues Down Again; More Cuts Likely

With the release of Mississippi's September tax collection information, Gov. Haley Barbour is once again looking to slash the state's budget. Actual collections last month fell short of the state's …

Governor's Office Announces Employment Programs

Gov. Haley Barbour is attempting to combat dreary economic news with a month-long publicity push called "Let's Get Working Mississippi." The campaign is meant to draw attention to job training …

Barbour Targeting Dem Governors

It's political deja vu all over again. In his new role as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Gov. Haley Barbour is playing a key role nationally again—strategizing about how …

Legislators Scrambling to Fill Budget Holes

Mississippi Legislators are searching for new sources of revenue to ensure services are not cut to the state's citizens; they want to maintain government operations without raising taxes. Lawmakers say …

Higher Ground

Amid all the bellowing anger and finger-pointing and insults and threats to shove tennis balls you-know-where, last week I was fortunate enough to participate in something remarkable in downtown Jackson.

Barbour: Stop the Lame Games

Gov. Haley Barbour butt-thumped a community organization devoted to poor people this week.

Manhunt D.A.‘s ‘Guard' Duty

When Bruce Dunagan heard that Tallahatchie County prosecutor John Whitten III was involved in a vigilante-style manhunt last month, in Sumner, he wasn't surprised. Dunagan, who was Biloxi's police chief …

The GOP's Obsession with Tort Reform

As the health-insurance reform debate swirls, Gov. Haley Barbour is claiming that most Americans are actually looking for tort reform, not a government-guaranteed insurance option, to lower their health-care costs.

Barbour Misses ACORN Bandwagon

The day after Gov. Haley Barbour announced he was cutting state funds to ACORN, the JFP broke the news that the state gives no money to the group—which no longer …

State Courts Face Spring Shutdown

State lawmakers received an unwelcome surprise yesterday, when Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller revealed that the state court system is set to run out of money in April.