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Reason Mag: Straight Shooting on Gun Control

Tsunami Benefit Raises $4,311

The JFP-Collective-Rock 93.9 benefit last night at the Red Room at Hal & Mal's has raised $4,311.50 for disaster relief! Hal & Mal's donated 10 percent of sales for the evening. The checks will be mailed to Oxfam late Friday. The event was a raging success. Thanks to the musicians, volunteers, local businesses, artists and all the Jacksonians, young and older, who turned out to make the event such a success. The music was hot, and the community spirit was even hotter. Most of all, we thank JFP intern Swetha Regunathan who spearheaded the event and designer Jakob Clark who made such amazing music come together on one stage for such an important cause in less than a week. Cheers to them, and to Jackson.

Melton Receives Labor Endorsements

Danks Letter to JFP & Clarification

‘This Film Is Not Yet Rated' TONIGHT at Hal & Mal's

Head over to Hal & Mal's Red Room for the Crossroads Film Society presentation of "This Film is Not Yet Rated." This daring and funny documentary explores the mystery of the MPAA, a lobbying organization for the movie industry, and its hitherto unquestioned censoring process. 7 p.m., $7 ($5 for members). 601-510-9148 .

Tease photo

Alt. Wreaths

In search of the tackiest wreath I could come up, I decided to pay homage to Miss Donna Summer, Disco Queen. I glued the most scratched album I could find of hers behind a used pink wreath form, tied around a silver bead-garland and added disco-ball ornaments. Hint: Use this for inspiration to dress for the next Best of Jackson party.—D.L.

Reminders on the User Agreement

ACLU to Challenge Mayor's Tactics in Town Hall Meeting - Aug. 1

Please join the ACLU of Mississippi, the Jackson Free Press, the Magnolia Bar Association, the NAACP and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement in a special town hall meeting to address the rights of citizens. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 1, at 6 p.m. at Jasper and Associates Complex, located at 3365 Medgar Evers Blvd.

1997 Business Journal Interview with Harvey Johnson

I just ran across an interview with new Mayor Harvey Johnson from June 30, 1997 in Nexis. I'm posting some portions that seem relevant to today's Jackson:

Let Us Rise in Love, by Carole Cannon

Sweet Honey in the Rock shows up and shows out. This hurricane of African American women whirling, playing percussive instruments, moaning, humming, laughing, soothing, sassing, singing. In voices as deep as the Atlantic Ocean, as high as the sun at noon. These Grammy-winning musicians charm and challenge, scold and inspire, teach history and tout freedom, touch souls and tackle the heavy issues from AIDS to race. They placate, they push, they raise hell, they heal.

Congressional Report Doubts Bush Spying Legal

Melton to Address ‘State of the City'

[Verbatim from Carolyn Redd] Jackson, MS - Mayor Frank E. Melton will address the City of Jackson in his State of the City Address on Friday, Aug. 24, at 10:30 a.m. at the Alamo Theater. The Mayor's address will focus on Housing and Economic Development. He will be flanked by the City Council, the City's CAO and Department Directors. The Melton Administration will also honor city employees with 25 and 30 years of service. The State of the City Address is open to the general public. Doors will not be open to the Public until 10:15 a.m.

JFP Re-launches Truthwatch as Reader Forum

As Mississippi heads into the fall campaign season, the Jackson Free Press has re-launched the Truthwatch blog, in order that readers might question and test statements made by candidates. Truthwatch was active during the last city elections in Jackson. Now the blog has been converted into a reader forum so that readers might start their own posts, asking questions about statements made by candidates and in their ads. We encourage your participation. The first two new questions involve statements that Hinds County District Attorney Faye Peterson and her challenger Robert Smith made the day after the primaries. She accused him of "being in bed with criminals" (Truthwatch #43), and he accused her of "not being involved with cases" in her office. (Truthwatch #42). Go take a look and help us out.

JFP Blog Traffic Keeps Growing

Mary Johnson: Where's My House?

The Clarion-Ledger had a good story yesterday about Mary Johnson, to whom Frank Melton promised a new house if she would tear down her old one. The problem, of course, was in follow-through. She lost her house—and now the city's too busy with other things to get her new house built.

Executioner's Blues, by Scott Barretta

March 10, 2004—Steve Earle, who performed at an anti-death penalty benefit at Hal and Mal's on Friday, March 12, stirred up controversy in the country-music world in 2002 with his "John Walker's Blues," sung from the perspective of the infamous "Taliban American." Replete with Arabic chanting and references to America as "the land of the infidel," the song was widely misconstrued as unpatriotic or even sympathetic to the Taliban.

Breaking: Vidal Sullivan Turns Self In

WJTV is reporting that Vidal Sullivan has turned himself in to police and is being held at "an undisclosed location."