Jackson Free Press

Mississippi’s Mental-Health Conundrum

The mood shift in the old Mississippi Supreme Court room was palpable last week when the Department of Mental Health faced a group of legislators tasked with evaluating the agency's …

GOP Mailers Misleadingly Paint Espy as a Criminal

A series of campaign mailers the Mississippi Republican Party sent out around the state this week misleadingly paint Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Espy as a "corrupt" criminal for charges …

The JFP Interview with Johnny DuPree

Johnny DuPree makes clear that he is a city man. DuPree, 57, has served as Hattiesburg's mayor for almost 10 years and wants to take his municipal know-how to the …

Governor Haley Barbour's State of State Address

Thank you Speaker McCoy and Governor Bryant, and thanks to you in the Legislature for your warm welcome.

Domestic Terrorism: Stalked to the Death

Adrienne Klasky knew for years that Michael Graham would kill her. She just didn't know when it would happen.

Old Fights, New Bruises

House Speaker Billy McCoy, Senate leader Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and Gov. Haley Barbour will address some very old fights this year as the Legislature convenes. Many of these are …

Jesus Rode A Donkey: THE JFP Interview With John Arthur Eaves

Photos by Roy Adkins

Attorney John Arthur Eaves, 40, is the polar opposite of his Republican opponent, Gov. Haley Barbour. Barbour is a faithful follower of smaller-government philosophy, isn't afraid to boot Mississippians off …

Bush ‘hatred'; Wilson Carroll Talks Back

Very compelling column by E. J. Dionne Jr. in the Washington Post: "Republicans won in 2002, but Bush lost most Democrats forever. Conservative critics of "Bush hatred" like to argue …

Fraud, Katrina Contracts Could Waste $2 Billion

The Associated Press is reporting on staggering waste and loss of funds due to no-bid and fraudulent contracts, especially to Republican supporters, after Katrina, as well as how few minority-owned …

This Is My Fault

Since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and thrust her spotlight on the abhorrent conditions of the poorest Americans, I have been pondering poverty. First, I got angry.

Voter ID, Abortion, Eminent Domain, Oh My

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann will deliver three voter-referendum initiatives to the state Legislature this morning that could require voters to bring photo identification to polls, restrict the state's use …

Scott Sisters To Be Released Today

Also see: Let My Daughters Go

Private Youth Prison Under Fire

By corporate standards, the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility has been a success. Since opening in 2001, the private prison has generated roughly $100 million for the companies that have …

Convention Center At Risk?

In 1995, Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. and local business leaders managed to convince legislators to authorize more than $17 million to build the Telecommunications and Conferencing Center, now due …

Winners in Run-offs

Dewayne Thomas and Virginia Carlton were victorious in run-off elections held on Tuesday. Carlton, who was running against Ed Patten for a seat on the court of appeals, took 20, …

Change on the Horizon

Barack Obama can win Mississippi for the Democratic Party. A laughable statement in political circles as recently as last year, this was the message Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean …

Why Foreign Businesses Dig Mississippi

The state of Mississippi currently has 30,231 businesses that count as foreign-owned, or are owned by corporations, LLCs, unlimited liability partners or other business organizations. The list includes companies such …

Objets D'Espoir: Artists Put It Back Together Again

Every day after Hurricane Katrina decimated her studio and ripped her home off its foundation, Bay St. Louis artist Lori Gordon picked her way through piles of debris to the …

Eminent Domain a Job Killer?

Limiting eminent domain to public projects only is a "job killer," Bishop Ronnie Crudup, senior pastor of New Horizon Church International, said yesterday.

Ledger Needs Help Finding Positive Stories

Clarion-Ledger Perspectives Editor David Hampton ends his navel-gazing (and defensive) column this week about why his paper is so bad, and so negative, this way: