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BREAKING: Melton to Veto Payroll

Mayor Frank Melton vowed to veto an amendment City Council made to the city's payroll this morning.

Day 3: Stokes Testifies; Defense Rests

Reporting by Brian Johnson

The defense elected to call only one more witness this afternoon—Councilman Kenneth Stokes. Under direct questioning by Melton attorney Dale Danks, Stokes said he had lodged complaints about drugs in the Ridgeway Street area. "We were asking for help, from the mayor's office especially," Stokes said. He said he had discussed the duplex at 1305 Ridgeway Street "a couple times" before Aug. 26, 2006. Stokes said he first discussed it with Melton on April 4, 2006, as well as Michael Recio and Marcus Wright. He said that it was his opinion that it was a "crackhouse."

Melton Asks Warner to Oversee Ex-Con Staff

At District Attorney-elect Robert Smith's victory party, Mayor Frank Melton said that Smith is one of his long-time "kids" who will now help him with the young men of Jackson he is trying to save. "I thank God tonight that I have somebody now who will help me with these children ... who will put these drug dealers in jail."

UPDATED: Council, JPS Report Mayoral Threats

This is an updated version of this story that broke Monday on the JFP Web site.

Health Challenge Issued to CEOs

[verbatim] Sister Mary Dorothea Sondgeroth, O.P., President, St. Dominic Health Services, Inc. and chair for the 2009 Metro Jackson Start! Heart Walk is challenging local companies to participate in the American Heart Association's National Start! Walking Day by allowing their employees to incorporate a 30 minute walking break into their day and raise money for heart disease research and prevention. National Start! Walking Day is April 8.

I Resolve, I Resolve, I Resolve

I just took a glorious week off. This hasn't happened to me much since we started the Free Press two and a half years ago. We managed to get away for a week in August to the Pacific Northwest—but, truth be known, I stayed on the laptop editing and perhaps even micromanaging a little from across the country as the home team put the paper out.

Things Worth Saving

Recently, my life went completely down the flusher. My wife, with whom I was blissfully in love, texted me to say she wanted a divorce.

Don't Let the Economy Add Pounds

It's not an accident that Mississippi—the state with the lowest individual and family incomes—is also the fattest. Ounce for ounce, highly processed food is usually cheaper than fresh, wholesome foods. The problem is that low food prices often come with lots of salt, sugar, refined grains and unnecessary additives that tend to pile on the pounds.

Use It or Lose It (Your Brain, that is)

We all know that if we exercise our bodies, our muscles and bones will stay strong, right? Did you know that your brain needs exercise, too?

Making Sense of Our Stories

Have you ever been in love? You know, "love" like in the storybooks, like the gods and goddesses, like a Shakespeare sonnet? Have you ever been so confused, so sick, so lost that you questioned your fundamental belief system like Job or Dante did? If you said yes to any of these questions, writing about those feelings will help you work through them.

Thomas Daschle to head HHS

The Washington Post announced today that former Sen. Tom Daschle will head the Department of Health and Human Services in the new Obama cabinet.

"Run"dezvous and Bike Too Duathlon

<i>(verbatim release)</i>

It's not too late to sign up for the inaugural "Run"dezvous and Bike Too Duathlon which will take place Saturday, November 15 at 7:30 a.m. on historic Jackson Street in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Proceeds will benefit Mississippi Children's Home Services' Jean Austin Bagley Campus.

The Not-So-Humble Apple

Jackson's blazing summer heat has finally begun to subside; cooler evenings provide much-needed relief; and the first blush of the season has started to tinge the trees along the Natchez Trace. It is the perfect time to take advantage of fall's abundant produce by visiting one of the area's farmers markets.

[Road to Wellness] Now We're Cookin', Weeks 3 and 4

I don't know about y'all, but this wellness shtick is not as easy as I thought it was going to be. The hardest thing I've found is that I have absolutely no willpower. I'll do well for one day and then reward myself the next day with a trip to Keifer's for a pita with mozzarella (and feta cheese dressing) and cottage fries (big slabs of fried potatoes).

Resolved: A Toxin-Free 2009

Everyone has a start on their New Year's resolutions, right? A lot of folks will be adding "Be More Green" to their lists this year, and here's a corollary to that one: "Get Rid of Toxins."

Anger: Confusing the Story With Reality

A few years ago, I nearly got into a war with one of my housemates.

The Road to Wellness, Week 6

<b>Walking on the Dock of The Bay</b>

Since I pretty much get to decide where the Road to Wellness takes me, then I say it goes through Bay St. Louis, Miss. Ms. D and I always enjoy any free moments we have to spend down on the Gulf Coast, and Bay St. Louis has its share of the things that appeal to us most—happy, creative, artistic people; good coffee and a place to walk or roam through a touch of nature.

Feed Your Brain

Dawn R. Dugle

There may come a day when I don't recognize you. We could be best friends, have had great adventures and long conversations about everything under the sun. But I won't know that.

Qi Channel-Surfing

As Dennis Holmes leads me through the dimly lit hall of the Spa at St. Dominic to his treatment room, I am vaguely aware that I am transitioning from a state of muddled exhaustion, a consequence of working all night, to a state of heightened curiosity at what I'm about to experience.

The Road to Wellness, Week 2

Zen and the Art of Monkey Training

"I don't think there are barbecue chips on the Road to Wellness," Ms. D opined, as we ambled away from the Semiahmoo Marina in Blaine, Wash., after enjoying a sunset cruise around Semiahmoo Bay complete with wine, cheese and chips. But we'd had a great time, and it was Friday (cheating day), so we cut ourselves some slack.