On Sept. 1, Jackson Free Press Reporter Adam Lynch broke the story that Mayor Frank Melton (pictured) "and a team of young men partially demolish[ed] a duplex" on Aug. 26 in a so-called "drug raid." The weekly stayed on top of the story, reporting important details on its Web site as they happened. Melton was indicted Friday on numerous felony charges related to the Aug. 26 incident, including burglary, malicious mischief, and causing a minor to commit a felony. Melton was also charged with three counts of illegally carrying a gun.

Continue ReadingJackson Mayor Is Indicted — And a JFP Story Started It All

Max Gerskin, who writes the weekly "Madder Max" column in The Chattanooga Pulse, says that readers misinterpreted his recent columns calling for a "cat jihad." That term, combined with a statement that Gerskin had "become a trapper," led some to assume that he was harming the animals. The local police department investigated, but cleared Gerskin of wrongdoing, the Tennessean reports. In his Sept. 13 column, Gerskin clarifies that he is using traps provided by the Humane Society which do not cause any harm to the captured cats. "I found [the response] deeply troubling, as I have never harmed an animal in my entire life," Gerskin writes. The Chattanooga Pulse applied for AAN membership in 2005 and 2006.

Continue Reading‘Cat Jihad’ Controversy at the Chattanooga Pulse