Jackson Free Press

British Judge Upholds Arrest Warrant for Julian Assange

A British judge on Tuesday upheld a U.K. arrest warrant for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, leaving him still a wanted man in the country where he has spent more than …

Assange, 46, has been holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London since he took refuge …

• February 6, 2018

Trump Aide: Some Immigrants 'Too Lazy' to Sign Up for DACA

Some immigrants may have been "too afraid" or "too lazy" to sign up for the Obama-era program that offered protection from deportation, White House chief of staff John Kelly said …

House GOP Plans Stopgap Spending Bill with Pentagon Funding

Senate leaders closed in on an agreement Tuesday to award whopping spending increases to both the Pentagon and domestic federal programs as well as long-sought disaster relief money and, perhaps, …

Lounge 114, Steve's Ribs and Grill, and Jackson Roof Deployment Project

Steve and Lisa Beagles, owners of Doe's Eat Place, recently opened a new restaurant called Steve's Ribs and Grill.

Public Hearing on Pot Decriminalization Ordinance Today at City Hall

Ward 4 Councilman De'Keither Stamps proposed a change to Jackson's ordinances last week that would decriminalize possession of user-level amounts of marijuana. The public can attend a hearing at 6 …

Vicksburg, Wingfield, Lanier High Schools Top 'Chronically Absent' List

More than 70,000 students were chronically absent in the 2016-2017 school year, chronic absentee data the Mississippi Department of Education released today show.

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.

Taylor Hughes

Don't expect the Braves to give up their crown easily, since Alcorn State boasts the 2018 SWAC Preseason Player of the Year, first-baseman Taylor Hughes.

What Legislation Is Still Alive; What's Dead at the Capitol

Lawmakers have about a week to pass hundreds of bills out of each chamber, after committee chairmen and women made their first round of cuts to proposed legislation this year.

EDITORIAL: City Contracting Is a Mess, Must Be Repaired

It didn't take two women who can't get payment for hauling nasty sludge from a wastewater-treatment plant to convince the Jackson Free Press that the City's contracting system is a …

OPINION: Jackson is the ‘Sole’ of Mississippi

Jackson is the only city in Mississippi referred to as the "capital," the only one with a star or some symbol that indicates its presence on a map, the largest …

Good Faith, Bad Faith: City Contract Controversies Explode ... Again

Arneedra Smith-Gaddis seemed nervous when she stepped to the microphone in City Hall on Jan. 3, but Bridgette Gandy looked more composed. The two women subcontractors were there, separately, to …

State Gets ‘B’ for Trafficking Laws

Pearl Assistant Police Chief Dean Scott pulled out his phone in the Mississippi Capitol on Jan. 17 to show just how easy it is to solicit sex from likely trafficked …

Cops Learn to Help Mentally Ill Mississippians

The celebration was small, but the impact is likely to be large. On Friday, Jan. 26, nine local law enforcement officers who work in Hinds County graduated from week-long mental-health …

Unnamed Officers on Paid Leave for Shooting of 21-Year-Old Driver

Early Saturday morning, two Jackson police officers shot at 21-year-old Crystaline Barnes during a traffic stop in response to a report that Barnes may have forced another motorist off the …

Hinds County DA Robert Smith's Criminal Trial Delayed Again Until March

Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith was supposed to be in front of a Rankin County judge this morning to begin the trial for two counts of domestic violence, …

'Nonpartison' School-board Election Reform on Legislative Agenda

Sen. Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven, has introduced legislation to standardize all school-board elections for districts that already elect school-board members.

Quinndary Weatherspoon

Quinndary Weatherspoon scored a team-high 20 points as Mississippi State defeated Missouri 74-62 on Saturday night.

'Anti-Gang' Bill Heads to Full House to Expand Policing Powers

Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, called the "Mississippi Anti-Gang Act" one of the most significant pieces of legislation the Legislature could pass in 2018. The bill would make "criminal gang activity" …