Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Boggling'
The Mississippi Supreme Court granted Willie Jerome Manning a stay of execution after the Federal Bureau of Investigation twice admitted that investigators overstated the scientific significance of evidence during Manning's original trial.
Let's Clean House
As we move forward as a city and a state, it's time we discussed the difference between blame and accountability.
The Johnson Legacy
Voters have an interesting choice as they head to polls for the second time May 21 to cast ballots for the Democratic Party runoffs.
Smiling in Heaven
My old friend Ray Smithhart would have loved the irony of union-fighting manufacturer Nissan making a gift of $100,000 to the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute.
Jackson: Stop the Scorched-Earth Politics
Jackson city elections are not our city at its best. Inevitably, one or more candidates wage scorched-earth campaigns that make our city look like a hellhole.
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Dilatory'
An Oktibbeha County jury voted to execute Willie Jerome Manning for the 1992 murders of two Mississippi State University students based mostly on circumstantial evidence.
Inebriated with Knowledge
Big Roscoe: "Customers, staff, Lil' Momma Roscoe and I enjoyed last week's Hot Wing Happy Hour at Clubb Chicken Wing. We had an around-the-bar discussion regarding history, politics, society, entertainment, economics and literature.
The Hard Stuff
We have an amazing staff. And I don't just say because they work for me at the Jackson Free Press; I say it because of what they have to weather to help our collective mission to help lift Jackson and Mississippi off the bottom.
Seeing Signs
Keeping an eye and spirit open for universal signs of life has become like taking deep breaths for me. I started recognizing that nothing is by chance, and all things are designed to create the path we follow.
Doing Our Job
In the middle of crazy campaign coverage over the last week, we saw this quote posted on Facebook: "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations."
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Germane'
First, if a person deigns to run for office—putting themselves in the public realm—that person should expect scrutiny in all aspects of their lives.
Do Better, Jackson
When I became a feminist activist and a visible advocate for a woman's right to choose, I knew that I might lose a few friends in the process. Abortion has always been a divisive topic. The debate has layers of morality, gender, religion and race.
Re-elect Harvey Johnson Jr.
We liked the idea of new blood in city government in 2013. We are, therefore, both excited and encouraged by the prospect of a number of new, younger city council members this time around.
We Are Family
A few weeks ago the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Proposition 8, the California law banning same-sex marriage, and the Defense of Marriage Act, the law Congress passed in 1996 that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
Kemper Shareholders Should Share Pain
MPC's 582-megatwatt Kemper IGCC coal-fired power plant is now more than 80 percent complete. Since January, Southern's stock price has risen steadily from just above $42 in January to around $48.50 this week.
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Choices'
"Public" means just that—one's past and present will become an open book should you decide to run for office.
Calming the Worried
"In times like these, I reflect on the many unfortunate events we have experienced over the last 50 years. The baby-boom generation should already know them."
Great Expectations
All of us need to be believed in, regardless of the luck of our early circumstances.
Headed West: Det. Eric T. Smith
Det. Eric T. Smith had an "old soul," as folks used to call it. He was quiet; reserved, yet outgoing; and tactful, yet honest. People looked to him as a leader.
The Future of Newspapers
The program at Millsaps College April 15 was "The Future of Newspapers: The Clarion-Ledger's Pulitzer Prize 30 Years Later." The question: Can newspapers still convey big ideas?
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Bass'
In southern culture, telling someone to take the bass out of their voice is a way to admonish an individual for being unjustifiably aggressive, insubordinate or otherwise disrespectful.
Paying Attention
While I love living in a country where any citizen can run for public office, I also hate living in a country where so many think they should.
The JFP Urban Development Manifesto
Both the day-to-day occurrences and the dramatic events not only shape our individual lives, but remind us that we're all together in the tempest that is our all-too-brief time here on the planet.
By the Handful
Fannie Lou Hamer, a folk philosopher of the Civil Rights Movement, knew what she was up against in a state and region where an entrenched hard-right oligarchy ruled at the expense of the majority.
Begin a New Day
It's been a rough couple of weeks for Jackson, with two highly regarded local men meeting untimely deaths.
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Poo-poo'
Mississippi legislators have been slinging mud at each other over which party is to blame for not reauthorizing the state's Medicaid program during the regular session, which ended last week.
Greed is Good
Boneqweesha Jones: "Welcome to the Ghetto Science Public Television premiere of 'Stuff That Matters.' Yes, I'm back on the scene like a record machine and ready to share and talk about important things. Please be advised: This is not a celebrity-gossip, hot-topic show with giddy hosts continuously chatting about entertainment, fashion and food.
Hunting and Gathering
Last week, I had a young documentary crew called subSIPPI in my office asking me questions about whether Mississippi has changed.
Remembering Hal
Long before he became a restaurateur, raconteur and half of the namesake for Jackson's famous Hal and Mal's, Hal White was a quarterback.