Jackson Free Press

Week 9: Parole, Pontificating and Parenthood

Unpopular parole and pardon decisions drew the ire of senators March 5, as they nearly approved requirements for greater accountability for the state Parole Board and the governor.

Feds to Slash School Funding?

Federal mandates connected to the "No Child Left Behind Act," signed by President George Bush in 2002, demand that Mississippi improve its school test scores or face losing federal money …

Week 3: Schools, Dialysis and Unions

Education Appropriations Responding quickly to dire news about Mississippi's school districts, House lawmakers approved a bill Jan. 21 that would appropriate $68 million for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, the …

Funny Math At The Fair

The Neshoba County Fair was calm this year. There are no candidates fighting for state-wide races, leaving many politicians free to make jabs at national candidates like presumptive Democratic presidential …

Barbour to Hire Outside Counsel to Fight Choctaw Casino

Read Barbour's letter to Hood

U.S. Official Cheers Stimulus Jobs

Robert Peck, U.S. general services administration's commissioner of public buildings touted 48 new jobs created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, during a press conference at the …

Is Mississippi Rushing Executions?

The state of Mississippi is set to execute Joseph Daniel Burns on July 21, making Burns the third inmate executed this year. Attorney General Jim Hood asked the Mississippi Supreme …

'Dems' vs. Dems

Sen. Scottie Cuevas of Pass Christian filed a challenge with the Mississippi Democratic Party last week, contesting the primary in Senate District 46, in which challenger David Baria beat him …

Week 7–Butt Tax and Task Force

Two tricky bills survived their respective sides of the Legislature, most likely to be stoned to death or ignored into oblivion by the opposing chamber in the upcoming weeks.

Long Live The King

As attorney David Watkins stands beneath the 12-story façade of the dilapidated King Edward Hotel, he's got a glimmer on his face. He's exchanging pleasantries with James Guinn, general foreman …

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, …

Two-Party Bickering

State lawmakers have a little more than a month left in this legislative session, and they are getting down to business on the most important item on their agenda: Passing …

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 …

Is Shoe About to Fall on Trent Lott?

Well, the man state Republicans used to adore regardless of what he did may be about to fall even harder: The Associated Press reports that State Farm attorneys are alleging …

Foster System Remains ‘Unacceptable’

Jamison J. had shuffled through 28 foster homes, mental institutions and temporary shelters, by the time he was 17 years old.

Watchin' It

The delicious aroma of oatmeal raisin cookies greets me as I push open the office door. I attempt to rebel against the evil forces pulling me toward the scent. In …

Brinksmanship on Obama Medicaid Expansion for Poor

It's health care brinksmanship, with hundreds of billions of dollars and the well-being of millions of people at stake.

Bloodwater

Capt. Louis Skrmetta didn't know what hit him in late August 2005. That weekend, as he was running a boatload of about 600 people out to Ship Island, The Weather …

OPINION: Granting Clemency One Solution to Mississippi Prison Crisis

"Over the last few weeks, news about the conditions of Mississippi's prison system have exposed the need to see the humanity of people in prison."

MSU Digitizes Endangered Citizens Council Radio Tapes

Stephanie Rolph was a graduate student at Mississippi State University in the mid-2000s when she found a collection of reel-to-reel audio recordings of the Citizens Forum, a broadcast once helmed …