All results / Stories / Jackson Free Press
Real Mississippi Stories the Mainstream Ignored
JPS Troubles with Federal Tutoring Funds
New York Times Honors JFP Editor
Jackson Free Press contributing editor Casey Parks got a delightful shock last week when New York Times columnist Nick Kristof called to offer her a coveted slot as his "traveling companion" on a 10-day trip to Africa—to New Guinea, Cameroon and the Central Africa Republic—this fall. Parks came out on top of 3,800 applications by other college and graduate-school students around the country.
Greenwood Officer Resigns
Amid pressures from his department, Greenwood police officer Casey Wiggins resigned from the police department on May 16.
Robbery Suspect Talks Back
Robbery suspect Irving Blake said Tuesday in a telephone interview with the Jackson Free Press that he and his three companions were falsely accused of strong armed robbery targeting Latinos in Ridgeland.
Death Trailers
Recent Environmental Protection Agency testing of FEMA trailers reveals higher average levels of formaldehyde than was originally found by Sierra Club testing last year. EPA testing showed unventilated trailers were 12 times the EPA limit, and that even if the trailers were fully ventilated, toxic levels in the trailers would still be three times the EPA limits.
Court Showdown: Chamber v. Plaintiffs
The Mississippi Supreme Court races are a step apart from the other campaign fights this November. Unlike the contentious elections between Senate nominees Roger Wicker and Ronnie Musgrove or the campaigns of presidential nominees Barack Obama and John McCain, the Supreme Court races revolve around one single power struggle: the battle between plaintiffs and defendants.
Dioxin Back on Trial
One year after a Mississippi Supreme Court jury overturned a $15.5 million jury award for Bay St. Louis couple Glen and Connie Strong, their toxin tort case is moving forward.
Arrests Halt Latino-Targeted Robberies
After a recent string of robberies targeting Latinos in Ridgeland, Lt. John Neal of the Ridgeland Police Department said that police had arrested the suspects and that the incidents should now stop.
Supes Debate Jails, Two Lakes
On Monday, the Hinds County Board of Supervisors held a contentious special meeting, discussing jail expansion, use of empty space at the Henley-Young Youth Detention Center, and the LeFleur Lakes ("Two Lakes") Project.
New Jail, New Costs
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors walked out without a decision on the size of a new jail this morning. Supervisors are tossing around the idea of a proposed regional jail housing 200 state inmates, as opposed to a jail capable of housing 300 prisoners.
Dish with Fran Howze
The North Midtown Community Development Corp has big plans for the area west of Millsaps College.
One for the Price of Two
In its zeal to find a new superintendent, Jackson Public Schools has hired one administrator for the price of two. A day after the school board selected Georgia education specialist Lonnie Edwards, on Aug. 10, Earl Watkins resigned as JPS superintendent.
Going Rogue
On his county-provided laptop, Phil Fisher has replaced the standard mouse icon with a sword. A former Marine and a current brigadier general in the Mississippi Army National Guard, Fisher has a bit of the warrior in him, and his stint on the Hinds County Board of Supervisors has been marked by vocal opposition to many of the board's actions.
JPD Officers Get Commission Hearings
The Civil Service Commission has granted former Det. Ernest Perry a hearing to contest his 90-day unpaid suspension from the Jackson Police Department following an internal fuel theft investigation.
Manhunt D.A.‘s ‘Guard' Duty
When Bruce Dunagan heard that Tallahatchie County prosecutor John Whitten III was involved in a vigilante-style manhunt last month, in Sumner, he wasn't surprised. Dunagan, who was Biloxi's police chief during Hurricane Katrina, remembers Whitten testing the limits of the law in the aftermath of the 2005 storm.
DOJ: No Break For Minor
The U.S. Department of Justice wants Mississippi attorney Paul Minor to stay in jail, despite his wife's imminent death. The DOJ filed a motion last week opposing Minor's motion for release pending appeal in his 2007 corruption conviction.
Chief Alleges, Then Backpedals
After the Jackson Free Press broke news about an April 17 ComStat report last Tuesday, May 9, Police Chief Shirlene Anderson and Mayor Frank Melton went into damage-control mode.
The High Cost of Calories
A state tax on sodas, sponsored by Rep. John Mayo, D-Clarksdale, was effectively dead on arrival at the state Legislature this year, given the difficulty of passing any revenue measure during an economic recession.
Meet the Valentines
Chrissy Vessell received the best Valentine ever Feb. 14, 2008, when Billy Valentine became her husband.
MBN Confiscates, Returns ACLU Tape
Last month, a Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics officer confiscated a videotape of an interdiction from ACLU workers who had gathered outside their offices on Jefferson Street to observe the arrest, which was taking place in a parking lot across the street. Last week, an MBN officer and an attorney personally returned the tape after ACLU Staff Attorney John Williams wrote a letter to MBN's attorneys and deputy director, demanding that they return the tape within 10 days.