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[Hill] Tragedies Yet to Come
Latasha Norman was a promising, attractive young Jackson State University student who was stalked and killed late last year. The man arrested for her murder, Stanley Cole, was a fellow JSU student whom Norman had dated and broken up with. But he allegedly refused to take no for an answer, and continued to harass her for months after their break-up, even after she filed an assault charge against him in October 2007.
Why Peterson Needs to Stay DA
I didn't know Faye Peterson from Eve when she ran for re-election four years ago. I knew much was being made about the criminal "backlog" (that she inherited). I knew that her white Republican opponent, oddly endorsed by The Clarion-Ledger, had never tried a criminal case, and that he was making a lot out of outdated crime figures.
The Mayor and His Women
It bugged the hell out of me when I got an e-mailed press release from Police Chief Shirlene Anderson's office late on July 3 with this subject line: "Chief Shirlene Andersons wants citizens to have a happy and safe Fourth of July Holiday… ."
[You Turn] Oxford's Mean Girls
At the Lyric Theater in Oxford I recently encountered a very strange example of Southern femininitythe vicious sorority girl inflamed by pledge week. The Lyric has quickly become a world-class music venue, perhaps the best in Mississippi, due in large part to the booking of excellent bands such as Wilco, Umphrey's McGee and Modest Mouse.
[Stiggers] Rabid Race Mixers
Mr. Announcement: "On this episode of 'All God's Churn Got Shoes,' members and supporters of Operation White Backlash have organized a Tea Party protest rally and barbeque outside the offices of the Progressive Multi-Cultural Review, World Report and Other Stuff Journal Inc.
EDITORIAL: McMillin Needs a Chief, Not a Badge
This editorial appears in the print edition this week. The mayor has requested that Council schedule a time at a special meeting today at 4 p.m. to confirm Sheriff McMillin as police chief.
[Balko] A Drug Raid Goes Viral
Last week, a Columbia, Mo., drug raid captured on video went viral. As of this morning, the video had garnered 950,000 views on YouTube. It has lit up message boards, blogs, and discussion groups around the Web, unleashing anger, resentment and even, regrettably, calls for violence against the police officers who conducted the raid.
[Rainey] Jackson is Yours
I moved to Jackson in summer 2007 from St. Louis, Mo., for my first job out of college, a two-year fellowship at the Institute of Southern Jewish Life. I was a traveling Jewish educator, with a briefcase of curricula and a minivan, driving around the South and helping teach Jewish children in small and isolated congregations.
Stop the Injustice of ‘Justice'
Nothing brings the inequality and foibles of our justice system into stark relief like an upcoming execution. As lawyers battle over last-minute efforts to save a human life, it's impossible not to weigh one man's sentence of death against others who receive lesser sentences—or even pardons—for equivalent crimes.
[Balko] Another Marylander Arrested for Recording the Police
The city of Annapolis, Md., recently received a Homeland Security grant for 20 new surveillance cameras in the downtown area. The city of Baltimore already has nearly 500.
[Gregory] The Christmas Miracle
I've always loved the holidays. I like the fall smells in the air, eggnog lattes and almost any dessert spiced with cinnamon. I especially adore the whiskey drinks and how no one seems to mind if you get publicly drunk between the last week in November and Jan. 1.
Grokking New Beginnings
With Jackson State University naming Carolyn Meyers as its new president within the past week (see Ward Schaefer's interview), my thoughts naturally turned to Mississippi's educational system and the subject of how we learn.
[McLaughlin] Lovers Unite
The people who go out of their way to make life better for others inspire me. With Valentine's Day approaching, we should celebrate our lovenot only for each other, but our love for our city. Let's strive to see the bigger picture, especially when pettiness comes between us. I've learned that it's our setbacks that make success and victory sweet.
[Stiggers] Common Trauma Ward
Judy McBride: "Allow me to provide you with a glimpse of mental-health conditions seldom recognized by the general public. Let's take a brief journey through Ward 6 and 3/5, also known as 'Almost 7.'
For Those We Love
We buried my cousin Anita last week. She was a beautiful, saucy blonde who used to tag around her brother Martie and me back on Fork Road in Neshoba County. Our mamas--both deliciously loud women married to Ladds--were great buddies, and took turns "keeping" us all. Martie and I were born the same year, and people used to think we were twins.
[Balko] The Continuing Saga of Steven Hayne
Last week the Mississippi Supreme Court granted a new trial to Cory Maye, who is serving a life sentence for shooting and killing Prentiss, Miss., police officer Ron Jones during a botched drug raid on Maye's apartment. One of the key prosecution witnesses in Maye's case was Steven Hayne, an overworked, ethically dubious medical examiner who performed the overwhelming majority of criminal autopsies in Mississippi for two decades, from the late 1980s until 2008. Although last week's ruling did not address Hayne's work, it presents an opportunity to consider recent developments in Mississippi's slow evolution toward a more competent death investigation system.
[Miller] Coal Plant: Unnecessary, Expensive and Dirty
The Mississippi Sierra Club, AFL-CIO and NAACP strongly oppose Mississippi Power Company's proposal to build a $2.4 billion "clean coal" plant and adjoining mine in Kemper County.
Crossroads: Telling Our Own Stories
I was privileged this year to serve as the president of the Crossroads Film Society's board of directors, which meant an opportunity to work with a wonderful group of creative folks. Mostly, I would tell them things like, "No, that's not in the budget."
[Stiggers] Everything Must Go
Big Head Fred: "During Black History Month, the corporate world has thrived on your impulsive buying habits. In spite of your overworked and underpaid status, they depend on you to spend your time on spending your hard-earned salary or tax-refund check on things that clutter up your home. I must admit, however, that I, too, need your money. I'm a small businessperson, with bills to pay.
No More Sugarcoating
In the afterglow of the King Edward's re-opening and as we've prepared this "Most Intriguing" issue, I've been thinking a bit about Frank Melton. After spending the last several months untangling from all the emotions and frustrations of covering him for four years, I'm starting to realize that he may have done the city good.