Jackson Free Press

Open Thread for this week

Tobacco/Grocery tax package passes

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 …

She's Got A New Attitude

In a surprising move last week, Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck stepped away from her usual role as the governor's mouthpiece to come out in favor of a cigarette tax.

Mississippi Democratic Party Rolls Over, Plays Dead

"In 2006," DNC chair Howard Dean predicts, "Democrats will take back the House and Senate."

Legislature Funding a ‘Field of Dreams'

It's amazing the lengths these yucks will go in order to try to make up for the precious manufacturing jobs lost in the state due to NAFTA madness. And, thanks, …

Is Tuck Her Own Woman?

Here's an story from Bobby Harrison at the Daily Journal from back in December that discusses her new support for a tobacco tax and other ideas that Mr. Barbour might …

Legislature 2006: A House United?

Last year, in the days before the new legislative session, lawmakers were ready to walk into the state capitol with their guns out. Mississippi was, and remains, a state where …

2005 Year In Review, Part 2: To Hell and Back

The second half of 2005 turned out to be the most interesting six months any of us have lived through in a while. On the positive side, the city continued …

Delta Legislators Point Fingers at Barbour

The Delta-Democrat Times is reporting:

Head's Political Prognostications for 2006

2006 is going to be a really big year for politics--city, state, and national. Here's my take on what to expect.

2005 Year In Review, Part One: The First Six Months

No doubt about it, 2005 was the best of times, and the worst of times in Mississippi. We end the year sorrowful about our state's massive losses due to a …

The Best Of Times, The Worst Of Times

Last year began on a high note for the Jackson Free Press, and it's closing on a high note—with our readership at an all-time high, our position as the city's …

Grisham: Silent Nights on the Gulf Coast

This may be the best thing John Grisham has ever written, today in the New York Times. This is the last section, but read the whole thing:

Unions: Watch Your Politicians

In 1948, America stepped out of a world war with an economy still glowing from the explosive heat and an emerging middle class that promised great things for the world. …

U.S. Supreme Court to Review Texas Redistricting Scheme

AP is reporting today:

Gov. Barbour's Niece Racks Up FEMA Contracts

The New York Times is reporting today:

Taking On The Times

"It was like it was someone's opinion but it wasn't attributed to anyone," Lea Stokes, a MEMA spokeswoman, said of "Storm Hit Little, but Aid Flowed to Inland City," an …

Jackson Less ‘Dangerous' In 2004

Ironically, a murder binge in the city—nine fatal shootings in 10 days—comes just as a national crime-rating outfit released good news for the city of Jackson, at least about its …

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 …