Jackson Free Press

Interrupting the Poverty Cycle: Looking Back to Move Forward in Mississippi

Otibehia Allen's days in the Mississippi Delta start and end with her five children—three boys and two girls. She feeds them. Clothes them. Their well-being rests on her shoulders. She …

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tis the Season to Stop Judging the Poor

Bare feet don't have bootstraps. You catapult from day-to-day, trying to stay ahead enough not to go hungry or have the lights turned off, even if you eat milk and …

Taking Responsibility in West Jackson

Civil-rights veteran John Perkins and his wife, Vera Mae, founded Voice of Calvary Ministries in 1975. The mission-driven Christian organization renovates homes and helps low-income families purchase them through financial …

Rural Hospitals in Financial Crunch

Work can get personal for State Auditor Stacey Pickering. With the release of a new study of the state's 19 public rural hospitals, Pickering reflected on almost losing his father …

Senate Moves Tax Cut Legislation to Brink of Final Passage

After midnight, the Senate narrowly passed the legislation on a party-line 51-48 vote. Protesters interrupted with chants of "kill the bill, don't kill us" and Vice President Mike Pence repeatedly …

'Winter Wonderland' Ice Skating Coming to Jackson Dec. 22

The City of Jackson's Winter Wonderland ice-skating rink will begin Dec. 22, 2017, through Jan. 4, 2018, in the parking lot of Smith-Wills Stadium.

601 Escape Rooms, Sous Chef for Dave's Triple B Named and Museum Cafe Reopens

Britny and Trey Hester, owners of 601 Escape Rooms, held a ribbon cutting for their business on Monday, Dec. 11. The business first opened in August.

Amtrak Train Hurtles Off Overpass; At Least 6 People Killed

An Amtrak train making the first-ever run along a faster new route hurtled off an overpass Monday near Tacoma and spilled some of its cars onto the highway below, killing …

UPDATED: Mental-Health Center Must Pay $7 Million in False Claims Act Settlement

Region 8 Mental Health Services must pay back $6.93 million to the Mississippi Division of Medicaid, the U.S. government and a whistleblower because the facility did not provide proper services …

Trump Upset About Email Disclosure But Not Firing Mueller

President Donald Trump says he is not considering firing special counsel Robert Mueller, but he's plenty upset about the way the Russia probe investigator obtained and is using thousands of …

Mississippi Medicaid Director Resigns

Gov. Phil Bryant told WLBT-TV Friday that Dr. David Dzielak is leaving his post as executive director of the Division of Medicaid after six years.

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.

JPS Listening Sessions Bring Out Concerns, Aspirations and Community

Parents, students, teachers and other concerned Jacksonians packed into City Hall on Thursday night to participate in the last of several citywide listening sessions this week about the Jackson's public …

UPDATED: Jackson Schools Not Part of New Achievement School District

Jackson Public Schools will not be a part of the state's new Achievement School District.

Mississippi Ranks 50th in Overall Health, New Report Shows

Mississippi ranks 50th for the second year in a row in the United Health Foundation's health rankings. The foundation specializes in clinical expertise and health data, focused on making the …

Disney Buying Large Part of 21st Century Fox in $52.4B Deal

Disney is buying the Murdoch family's Fox movie and television studios and some cable and international TV businesses for about $52.4 billion, as the home of Mickey Mouse tries to …

Madinah Muhammad

Much of the preseason hype has been focused on Mississippi State University women's basketball, but there could be a good team in Oxford, Miss., as well. The University of Mississippi …

Democrat Doug Jones Wins In Stunning Alabama Senate Upset

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — In a stunning victory aided by scandal, Democrat Doug Jones won Alabama's special Senate election on Tuesday, beating back history, an embattled Republican opponent and President …

Doug Jones scored the first Democratic Senate victory in a quarter-century in Alabama, one of …

• December 13, 2017

Gov. Phil Bryant, first lady Deborah Bryant, Sen. Roger Wicker, Rep. Gregg Harper, Vicksburg Mayor …

• December 13, 2017