Jackson Free Press

Camaraderie and Tradition

My oldest daughter spent her last year of high school living with a family in a rural town in Ecuador, and it became a family joke to serve her dinner …

HB 1523's Religious Refusals Could Discriminate Against Public, Private Students

Although the Mississippi governor and legislators who support HB 1523, the "Freedom of Conscience of Religion Act," say it will not contribute to discrimination against the LGBTQ community, many legal …

Mississippi Doctor: Why I Oppose Mississippi Sharia Law 1523

My opposition to the Mississippi Sharia Statute 1523 is based on my objection to the "protection" of some citizens' "deeply held moral beliefs" and not others.

Charlie Flowers

Our state lost a legendary football player on Dec. 7, when former University of Mississippi fullback Charlie Flowers passed away. The Rebel great lost his fight against cancer at the …

Starkgrass Takes Over the Capital City

Starkville-based bluegrass band The Tombigbees began as a trio, performing at open-mic nights and backwoods bars.

10 Local Stories of the Week

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.

Elvis Presley

In 1953, Elvis Presley walked into Sun Records in Memphis and recorded the song "My Happiness." He was only 18.

Miss. Same-Sex Marriage Fate Now With 5th Circuit

Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas are three very different places, arguments for throwing out each state's same-sex marriage bans—the subject of cases heard in a federal appeals court in New Orleans …

Ju Ju Swag Shawty

Every rapper wants fans to know how skilled he is, but few can back it up as confidently as Ju Ju Swag Shawty of Vicksburg.

MetLife to Challenge 'Too-Big-to-Fail' Tag

MetLife is challenging its U.S. designation as a company that is "too big to fail," a tag given to corporations that the government believes could pose a risk to the …

FBI: Ohio Man Planned to Bomb US Capitol, Kill Officials

A 20-year-old Ohio man's Twitter posts sympathizing with Islamic terrorists led to an undercover FBI operation and the man's arrest on charges that he plotted to blow up the U.S. …

In Belhaven, Outrage and Solutions; In South Jackson, Silence

In response to Jackson's first high-profile homicide in Belhaven, neighbors in the historic community turned out in force to a community meeting Thursday night to talk about action.

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Islamic State Group Releases 200 Captive Yazidis in Iraq

The Islamic State group released about 200 Yazidis held for five months in Iraq, mostly elderly, infirm captives who likely slowed the extremists down, Kurdish military officials said Sunday.

Havana Talks Start After Promises by Obama, Cuban Caution

The highest-level U.S. delegation to Cuba in decades kicked off two days of negotiations Wednesday after grand promises by President Barack Obama about change on the island and a somber …

At Odds on Human Rights, US and Cuba Move Toward Embassies

Still at odds over human rights, the United States and Cuba closed two days of historic talks in Havana with some progress toward restoring diplomatic ties after a half-century of …

Gunmen Storm Libyan Hotel; 4 Foreigners, 5 Guards Dead

Gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in the Libyan capital of Tripoli on Tuesday, killing four foreigners and five guards, and triggering an hours-long standoff that ended when two assailants set …

On Life and Crime in South Jackson

I don't like the term "black-on-black crime." Crime is crime, and it happens in all communities, some more than others. The difference is in how we organize as a community …

A History of Breastfeeding

In 2013, Mississippi ranked dead last in babies who were ever breast-fed, with just 50.5 percent, the Centers for Disease Control reports.

Taking MAEP to the People

After three weeks on the job, Better Schools, Better Jobs had signatures of 40,000 Mississippi voters for Initiative 42, which would require the state Legislature to fund "an adequate and …

Songs that Saved Our People

These tunes all have two things in common: They are all about making the world a better place, and they really groove.