Jackson Free Press

[Kamikaze] Show Up, Jackson

"Those that succeed are the ones that show up" is a mantra that I live by and practice. It is the simple premise that one's mere presence can be a …

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 …

LeFleur Lakes Barreling Toward the Falls

The results are in from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study of the LeFleur Lakes project, and, according to a report in The Clarion-Ledger, the Corps says it isn't …

The Road to Wellness, Week 5

Super Deluxe Lifestyle Diet

I've managed to completely swear off sodas in the past few weeks—I've switched mostly to unsweetened brewed tea and water. Likewise, I've kept away from fried chips, except on Fridays …

Engineering Whimsy

Betsy Bradley stepped into the construction zone in high heels, looking back at a group of curious art lovers. Behind her, more than 30 adults holding wine glasses and beer …

Advocates Gear up For Personhood Battle

Anti-abortion advocates celebrated a Mississippi Supreme Court ruling last week that OK'd a Nov. 8 ballot initiative asking voters whether the state Constitution should define when life begins, but the …

No Sex in This City

A few years ago, I went on a journey to find my Mr. Right by going on 100 dates in a year. I blogged about each date, with plans to …

Community Stands Against Racial Injustice

As more than 500 community leaders, families and public officials held candles and sang "This Little Light of Mine" last night, they walked in unison along Ellis Avenue to honor …

The Next Americans

Last week, President George W. Bush signed The Secure Fence Act, which adds 700 miles to the 83 miles of fence on our border with Mexico. Along with the fence, …

Bulldogs Ring Up Liberty Bowl Victory

Mississippi State used a ball-hawking defense and a last-minute burst of offense to defeat Central Florida, 10-3, Saturday in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. A Liberty Bowl-record crowd of …

Duane O'Neill: Marketing Jackson

Duane O'Neill has one of the nicest offices in Jackson, a high-ceilinged corner office in the old fire station next to City Hall. The place is appropriate for a man …

2006: The Year That Was (Nuts)

As we survey the top local news from this past year, we have to take a deep breath and feel a measure of pride. Time after time over the last …

Quentin Whitwell

Quentin Whitwell, 37, is a local political advisor and the go-to guy for many campaigns in the state. He co-founded the largely Republican government-relations firm The Talon Group in 2004, …

Just the Facts: A Reader's Guide to the Melton Interview

Donna Ladd's interviews with Frank Melton have been conducted in several meetings since March 23 in his office in City Hall, his home and around the streets of Jackson in …

Four Things

Things I've Learned Since I've Been at the JFP:

1. Always park across the street. When I went to interview the Lettuce Ladies (on my second day) I parked directly in the parking lot of the gas station where …

Jail: My Experience

Last week I was arrested for a charge I am legally not old enough to commit. I was transfered to the downtown jail in a car that the officer was …

Eaves Makes Front Page of NY Times

In a story headlined In Mississippi, Democrat Runs in G.O.P. Lane, reporter Adam Nossiter explores John Eaves' run to Haley Barbour's right on social and religious issues:

Chronicling Jackson's BOOM

It just occurred to me when I sat down to write this that the Saints won the Super Bowl within weeks of the King Edward re-opening--after both had suffered roughly …

Threading Our Path

Sixty-one-year-old Gwen Magee grew up surrounded by arts and crafts, immersed in her mother's passion for knitting, crocheting, ceramics—anything except sewing. "She hated anything to do with sewing. I took …

Singing Without Shame

Jill Conner Browne, The Sweet Potato Queen, and I are pulling thick wires out of glittered sweet potatoes on a farm in Clinton. Inside a barn, two Sweet Potato Queens, …