Jackson Free Press

Inside JPD’s Use-of-Force Policy: Public Trust vs. Officer Safety

Lately Tetrina Blalock has been reconnecting with family members she has not seen in a while. Losing her cousin brought them together.

50 COVID-19 Cases Now as UMMC Works to Develop Own Test for 'Tidal Wave' Virus

“We are ramping up all of our contingency planning to be prepared for a tidal wave of patients that we know is about to hit us,” UMMC Department of Emergency …

Jackson’s Budget Marks Progress, Setbacks

Jackson's Chief Administrative Officer Robert Blaine stepped up to a podium at the base of the steps outside City Hall carrying "antique technology."

Will the People Have a Say in 2018 Budget?

With the tax deadline not too far in the rearview mirror, finances are still at the foreground of many people's minds, including Jackson officials as they work on the budget …

AP: Trump 2020 Working With Ex-Cambridge Analytica Staffers

A company run by former officials at Cambridge Analytica, the political consulting firm brought down by a scandal over how it obtained Facebook users' private data, has quietly been working …

Britain Votes to Leave EU: Cameron to Resign; Markets Rocked

Britain voted to leave the European Union after a bitterly divisive referendum campaign, toppling the prime minister Friday, sending global markets plunging and shattering the stability of a project in …

Flashing a Kid’s Mugshot Is No Way to Prevent Crime

Disseminating mugshots of minors should be rare due to the harm that it can cause to that kid and society to treat children as adult criminals, especially before they even …

Mississippi Music of 2016 (So Far)

Over the years, I've done plenty of interviews with local Jackson acts and nationally known recording artists, and I've been surprised at how many of the same topics of conversation …

Proposed Budgets Slashed Even Without 42’s Passage

Currently proposed budget cuts are even greater than those that Rep. Herb Frierson, a key Republican budget writer from Poplarville, warned would be necessary if the school-funding amendment Initiative 42 …

The ‘Good Samaritan’ Pizza Guy Runs for Mayor

Kenneth Swarts pulls out his big, white binder that he calls his "playbook" and begins to show off his vibrant campaign signs. He crafted the small signs from leftover Pizza …

The High Cost of Cheap Immigrant Labor

Attorneys want to use RICO to prosecute a pair of Mississippi companies they say defrauded workers from Mexico.

Stemming the Cycle of Toxic Stress—For the Kids’ Sake

A growing body of research shows that children who experience abuse, neglect or other "toxic stress" have a greater likelihood of developing chronic diseases when they get older.

Yarber, Council Disagree on Logjams

In recent weeks, Mayor Tony Yarber and members of the Jackson City Council have clashed over a number of high-dollar contract negotiations, but the key players offer different perspectives on …

Surveillance Powers Lapse with No Deal in Senate

The National Security Agency lost its authority at midnight to collect Americans' phone records in bulk, after GOP Sen. Rand Paul stood in the way of extending the fiercely contested …

Special Ed Groups on the Fence about Initiative 42

Initiative 42, the citizen-supported ballot measure to fully fund Mississippi's public-school system, boasts of having a broad coalition of support. However, a vocal and influential bloc aren't fully convinced that …

Keep on Pushing: Fifty Years After Freedom Summer, Two Mississippi Sisters Press the Fight for Voting Rights

Dorie Ladner helped coordinate a great number of the civil rights sit-ins leading up to Freedom Summer, and she participated in every major civil rights march from 1963 to 1968.

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McDaniel v. Hood? State Senator to 'Pray About' Run for Governor

Just days after his hopes of becoming a U.S. senator were dashed for the second time in four years, Mississippi State Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, signaled interest in a possible …

Lt. Gov. Reeves: No to Medicaid Expansion, Despite Strong Citizen Support

After weeks of speculation that Mississippi's Republican leadership might support expanding Medicaid in the state, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves slammed the door shut on Monday.

Sam Britton Announces Secretary of State Run, Pledges Loyalty to Trump

Mississippi Public Service Commissioner Sam Britton promised to "get government out of our lives" on Monday as he launched a bid to become Mississippi's next secretary of state.

Kneeling for America: My Dad Fought, Lost Much for Athletes’ Right to Protest Racism

I believe that today my Daddy would stand, or kneel in spirit, with the NFL players who are pushing back on Trump’s treatment of them as chattel entertainment, calling for …