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Music

Thanksgiving leftovers, new music, new releases...

Cool stuff at Morningbell, new releases and regional picks...

Politics Blog

Does 'Open Carry' Actually Increase Gun Violence?

An interesting piece in Salon this week seems to have discovered (bless their little San Francisco hearts) that 'open carry' is a "new craze" (ahem) out here in flyover country. But, now that they've caught on, the piece does take a fascinating look at some of the psychology of open …

Jackblog

One Church: An Oasis of Religious Diversity

While working on a story on Tony Yarber's Jackson Crime Alignment, I got the pleasure of speaking with pastor Matt McGue of one of Jackson's newest churches, One Church. I am admittedly not very religious, but there's something about McGue's message of inclusion that struck me as incredibly genuine. There …

Music

60 New Albums in 2013: 10-1

Hello readers. You might remember me from my time at the JFP as the writer of the bi-monthly column “The Key of G,” where I covered local and national music, as well as just musing about different topics related to music in general. One of the things I liked to …

Jackblog

Forbes Features HOPE's Bill Bynum

Last week, Forbes Magazine ran an interesting Q&A with HOPE Enterprise Corp.'s chief-executive officer Bill Bynum. Bynum told interviewer Willy Foote that the population HOPE serves through its credit union is similar to a developing nation and talked about why HOPE is successful, saying: "It’s certainly not easy but it …

Food Blog

JFP Beer Fridge #6: Schlafly APA

Up this time in the beer fridge it's Schlafly APA from St. Louis Brewery; this is a smooth drinking, hoppy pale ale that's worth a taste:

Jackblog

CROSSHATCH Fundraiser Set For Jan. 10

Brent's Drugs in Fondren is set to host CROSSHATCH, a fundraiser for Fund the Hatch, a mixed-use creative business incubator the old warehouse building at 143 Keener Ave. in Midtown. The JFP first wrote about the incubator on April 3, 2013, and project's lead promoter/developer/fund-raiser Whitney Grant of Midtown Partners …

Jackblog

Road Closure: Medgar Evers Blvd. Edition

The city of Jackson has announced that a portion of South Medgar Evers Boulevard will be closed for the next three days. The closure starts at the intersection known as Freedom Corner, at Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, and continues south to Pocahontas Street at Society Ridge …

Politics Blog

A New Wonk Blog for Mississippi

There's a new place for state government news, commentary and analysis. It's called Rethink Mississippi, and it's a project of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at Ole Miss. According to the site's "about us" page, Rethink Mississippi "is a forum for insight, analysis, and debate about Mississippi’s critical …

Politics Blog

Lumumba to Legislators: "Feel good, be at home"

After his election as mayor, one of the biggest questions hanging over Chokwe Lumumba's new administration was what kind of relationship he would have with the state Legislature. Historically, that relationship has been icier than our weather the past few days. Lumumba's predecessor, Harvey Johnson Jr., wasn't known as someone …

Music

Happy New (Release) Year!

The few new releases that hit the streets this week...

Politics Blog

Town Hall In Ward 1 Set For Tonight

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba and the City of Jackson is hosting another Town Hall meeting tonight to discuss the 1-percent local sales tax option. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church at 6000 Old Canton Road in Ward 1. City leaders are putting the option …

Jackblog

Fire Blazes in Downtown Jackson

What fire officials are calling a "major" industrial fire is burning in downtown Jackson. Few details are available but the fire is located in a building on South Jefferson street, near the offices of WLBT-TV. No cause has been made available. http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2014/jan/09/15297/

Jackblog

Whole Foods Announces Jackson Grand Opening

After years of planning, Whole Foods Market in Jackson is opening in less than one month. Here's the full, verbatim release from the company: JACKSON, MS (January 10, 2014) Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) announces it will open its doorsTuesday, February 4, at 9 a.m. at Highland Village, 4500 I-55 …

Jackblog

SCOTUS Sides with Mississippi AG Hood

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is touting a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that he says affirms the rights of state attorneys general to file lawsuits in state court. Here's the full release from Hood's office: Jackson, MS – In a case brought by Attorney General Jim Hood, the …

All Politics is Local

Where’s Harvey? The Elephant in the Democratic Debate Room

As for the debate, with all due respect to the candidates, it had the feel of a spring training baseball game, the established veterans just looking to getting in shape for opening day, the long-shots looking to do something spectacular to stand out so that they don’t get cut, and the high draft choices doing just enough, trying to gauge where they stood in the race to make the final cut.

All Politics is Local

THE MAYOR'S TELEPHONE TOWN HALL: A DIFFERENT KIND OF REALITY SHOW?

And perhaps that’s the whole point of the event, to look like one thing while actually being something close to the exact opposite of the thing. It’s a contrivance, as real and unscripted as a reality show, with much the same intent: to appear to be something it is not while selling a message or product.

All Politics is Local

APRIL 1ST 2013: Better Late Than Never Breaking News

Special to the Jackson Free Press…Breaking News…Dose of Reality? Got word late today that all of the mayoral candidates meeting this afternoon to consider offers from competing reality shows, and are feverishly negotiating to strike a deal by end of day. All have agreed that winner of show will decide …

All Politics is Local

APRIL 9TH, 2013/It’s All In The Strategery: Part 1

Campaigns at their heart are moments in time. The successful campaign will seize on a feeling in the air, the candidate and his or her supporters will walk the streets and gather intelligence on what’s being discussed in the barbershops and beauty shops and salons and supermarkets and churches. Then, having figured out what the people think is important, and what they think needs to be changed or improved or eliminated, the campaign will take that grass roots intelligence and fashion it into a rationale for their candidate, will create a memorable campaign slogan and set of reasonable and somewhat bland priorities packaged into a 4- or 5- or 6-point plan. (4 seems to be the number this year in the mayoral race). And to most people, that will be the “campaign” that they see.

All Politics is Local

APRIL 28,2013/Campaign Strategery Part 2: Crisis Management

In any professional political campaign, ones that raise money, hire campaign staff and build a grass roots operation, there is a meeting that usually happens at the beginning of the campaign, before the candidate has even announced his or her candidacy, which is critical to the success of the campaign. The candidate, the campaign manager and sometimes one or two advisers will sit down in a room, close the door, and then someone in the room, usually the campaign manager, will ask the candidate a difficult but necessary question. “Is there anything we don’t know about you that could have an impact on the campaign?” Or if they are really direct they might just say “tell me about every skeleton you have in your closet. And don’t leave anything out. I want to know if you cheated on your second grade penmanship exam!”