Jackson Free Press

The Hunt for Vouchers in Mississippi, After All These Years

Republican leaders secretly slipped $2 million for a private-school voucher program into an unrelated funding bill—despite the fact that most Democrats and many Republicans opposed expanding the program.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: On Podcasting, Events and Crossroads Film Festival

As the weather gets a little more accommodating, I encourage you to take advantage of opportunities not only to have a little fun but to support local artists, local organizations …

Derek Augustus

Derek Augustus, who co-owns local recycling company Environmentality with Karissa Bowley, has always been interested in finding his creative eye, and designing and building things by hand, he says.

Poor Mississippi Counties Are Top IRS Targets in Hunt for Tax Cheats

A new study of IRS practices reveals a tale of two Mississippi counties, with one of the poorest in the state earning the top spot as the most audited in …

Mississippi Alleges Fraud by Entergy, Utility Says No Proof

Mississippi's attorney general alleges the state's largest private utility defrauded customers by not buying cheaper power from outside companies.

Reeves Skipping First Debate for Governor Despite Early End to Session

Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican candidate for governor, will be a no-show at the party's first primary debate on Tuesday night.

Aaron Pelch

Millsaps College named head football coach Aaron Pelch as interim athletics director on Dec. 20, 2018, and he assumed his duties on Jan. 1, 2019.

GOP Leaders Trick House Into Sending $2 Million to Private Schools

Mississippi will use millions in taxpayer dollars to fund private schools after Republican leaders in the Legislature secretly slipped funds into a bill for state construction projects.

Republican Gov. Phil Bryant signed the heartbeat bill March 21, and it is set to …

• March 29, 2019

Abortion-Rights Group Sues Mississippi Over 'Heartbeat' Law

An abortion-rights group is asking a federal judge to block a Mississippi law that will ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, about six weeks into pregnancy.

Jackson Black Pages Plans Expo for Mississippi's Black-Owned Businesses

Chuck Patterson founded the Jackson Black Pages, which connects Jacksonians with black-owned local businesses through its website so they can put money back into their local communities.

Lawmakers Approve $1,500 Pay Raise for Mississippi Teachers

The Mississippi Senate on Thursday voted 46-2 to approve changes to the pay schedule for teachers starting July 1. Senate Education Committee Chairman Gray Tollison says the increase is expected …

Mississippi Senate Approves New Map to Boost Black Voting Power

Mississippi lawmakers are working to redraw the lines of a state senate district that two federal courts ruled dilutes black voting power.

Mississippi Closes More Bridges After Counties Don't Act

Mississippi officials are closing more bridges that county officials haven't closed after inspectors found them unsafe.

Yolanda Ni

Yolanda Ni, an eighth-grader at Oak Grove Middle School in the Lamar County School District, won the 2019 Mississippi Spelling Bee on Tuesday, March 19, at the Mississippi Public Broadcasting …

Speaker: Lawmakers Eye $1,000 Raise for Mississippi Teachers

House Speaker Philip Gunn said Monday that Mississippi public school teachers are likely to get a one-time raise of $1,000 in the coming year.

John O'Neal Jr.

John O'Neal Jr., a civil-rights activist, playwright and actor who cofounded the Free Southern Theater and Junebug Productions, died of vascular disease on Feb. 15 in New Orleans. He was …

Michael Avenatti Defrauded Mississippi Bank, Prosecutors Charge

Michael Avenatti, the high-profile attorney who formerly represented Stormy Daniels, defrauded a Mississippi bank, federal prosecutors in California charged on Monday.

Teacher Pay in Limbo as Mississippi Senate Balks at $4,000 Raise

The fate of a bill that could grant Mississippi's public-school teachers a $4,000 pay raise over a two-year period remained uncertain Monday morning as lawmakers from both chambers of the …

Voting Rights Act Denied Mississippi Its 'Sovereignty,' AG Candidate Says

At a Tupelo campaign stop on Monday, Mississippi State Rep. Mark Baker, a Republican candidate for attorney general, said the 1965 Voting Rights Act violated Mississippi's "sovereignty."