Jackson Free Press

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith Plans 2020 Kickoff With High-Dollar Donors

Just months after winning the most closely contested U.S. Senate race in Mississippi since the 1980s, U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith plans to kick off her 2020 re-election bid next month …

Hood and Reeves Headline 2019 Mississippi Election Field

The top of the ticket for Mississippi's 2019 statewide election could feature the most competitive governor's race since 2003.

'Take This Country Back': State Legislators Want Constitutional Convention

On Feb. 21, 2019, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Allen West asked state legislators to do something Americans have not done since the time when muskets and bayonets were commonplace—call …

Chris McDaniel, a Republican state senator who has twice run for higher office, says he …

• March 4, 2019

McDaniel Won't Seek Statewide Office in Mississippi in 2019

Chris McDaniel, a Republican state senator who has twice run for higher office, says he won't seek a statewide position in Mississippi's 2019 elections.

Five of Mississippi's eight current statewide elected officials, including House Minority Leader David Baria, are …

• March 4, 2019

Analysis: Mississippi Will See Big Turnover of State Offices

Mississippi this year will have its biggest shake-up of statewide offices in a generation, no matter who wins in November.

Montez Sweat

The defensive linemen hailed as the gems of the draft class didn't disappoint during their on-field testing Sunday, and nobody performed better than Montez Sweat.

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.

Democratic House Leader David Baria Won’t Seek Re-Election

Mississippi House Minority Leader David Baria will not seek re-election to his seat, the Bay St. Louis Democrat announced unexpectedly in a letter to supporters Friday afternoon.

Teachers College and Women's History Month at USM and MSU Alumni Association Awards Banquet

Mississippi State University will recognize Ridgeland native Richard A. Rula as its National Alumnus of the Year during the MSU Alumni Association awards banquet.

Water Customers Still Getting No Bills as City Scrambles for Payments

The City of Jackson over-billed David Thompson several times in 2018, with his most recent water bill coming in at $937, even though he lived alone in his home in …

Former Chief Justice Waller to Run for Mississippi Governor

Bill Waller Jr., a retired chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, says he has the best chance to win the governor's race because he believes he will appeal to …

GOP Kills Tort Reform Amendment Requiring 'Reasonable' Safety Efforts

Businesses no longer would have to "take reasonable steps" to prevent violence on their premises after Republicans defeated a proposed amendment to a "tort-reform" bill working through the Mississippi Legislature, …

Youth Courts, Detention May See Reforms from Mississippi Legislature

A record 459 children were in custody in 2015 in Hancock County on Mississippi's Gulf Coast—the highest number of children in detention facilities per capita in the state.

Richard Sun, Mississippi Coding Academies

While Richard Sun spent most of his working life maximizing shareholder value, he says Mississippi Coding Academies, of which he is a co-founder, is about maximizing human capital.

Bryant: GOP Would've 'Hollered' If Obama Pushed Criminal Reform

"You're the only president that can do this," Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant says he privately told President Trump last year, as he urged the fellow Republican to support criminal-justice reform.

Fetal Heartbeat Abortion Bill Advances to Mississippi House

Mississippi lawmakers are inching forward with a proposal that could become one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation.

President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, told Congress on Wednesday that Trump knew …

• February 27, 2019

Cohen Says Trump Knew About WikiLeaks Email Dump Beforehand

President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer told Congress on Wednesday that Trump knew ahead of time that WikiLeaks had emails damaging to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, and he testified that …