Jackson Free Press

Best of Jackson 2020: Community and Culture

There's nothing to us more local than Best of Jackson. We're officially in our 18th annual award season. Here is who you voted as the best local people, places, food …

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 …

Sketching a Plan for Jackson: The JFP Interview with Mayor Tony Yarber

Mayor Tony Yarber recently invited the Jackson Free Press to the ceremonial mayor's office on City Hall's first floor to discuss his views on napkining, infrastructure financing, his trip to …

Troubled Water, Part I: Explaining Jackson's $91 Million Siemens Contract

It's almost impossible to turn on the nightly local television news without coming across a story of a Jackson resident who was shocked to open an astronomically high City of …

Engineering Victory: Joce Pritchett Wants to be State Auditor

Mississippi pride runs deep for Jocelyn Pepper Pritchett, who goes by Joce (JO-see). The only time she has lived out of state was when she was away at graduate school, …

Reforming Criminal Justice: Is Mississippi Making Progress?

The Mississippi Reentry Council has been working to make it easier for inmates to find jobs and re-acclimate to life free from bars. U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett says the …

Mayor Rattles Councilwoman's Cage

Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon said Mayor Frank Melton rattled her cage this morning on the way to a special council meeting. Barrett-Simon told the Jackson Free Press that Melton's …

Clarion-Ledger: Wilcher Must Die

In an editorial today, The Clarion-Ledger explains its support of the death penalty and why it is good that the state is going to kill Bobby Glen Wilcher today:

Police Beat 18-Year-Old While In Handcuffs

It's Melton Time: What's Next for Jackson?

On July 4, Mayor-elect Frank Melton will officially move into the mayor's office of Jackson. Word on the street says he has big changes planned for the city, changes many …

Ben Allen of Ward 1 Elected ‘El Presidente'

Just in ... The City Council has elected Ben Allen of Ward 1, the council's only declared Republican, to the seat of council president. More details soon ...

BREAKING: Councilman Accuses Melton of Lying

Jackon City Councilman Marshand Crisler accused Jackson Mayor Frank Melton of lying on a WJTV interview last night. In the interview, Melton told WJTV that an FBI investigation into the …

A Hunger to Live: The Struggle to Interrupt the Cycle of Violence

Several members of the “Undivided” crew told their story recently in Sheppards Brother Park in the Washington Addition.

Melton Ramps Up Morals Crusade

Mayor Frank Melton is showing his feminist side in his attempts to close down all sexually oriented entertainment in Jackson and "redefine" life in Jackson as we know it. The …

No Apologies: Inside Mississippi's Pro-Life Movement

Bruce Stuckey and Roy McMillan are doing what many people would consider radical—standing outside the Jackson Women's Health Clinic in mid-September, protesting in the rain. They are flanked by a …

[Lynch] Why I Lost My Temper

I lost my temper last week, and here's why: After I filed this week's cover story, I headed over to a health-care forum at Lemuria bookstore. The forum, hosted by …

And the Winners Are…

...Republicans (and Jim Hood) in contested statewide elections, Democrats in Hinds County and Legislative elections and turnout -- over 818,000 people had voted in the Lieutenant Governor's race with 92% …

We Need A Mayor, Not A Daddy

It is going to be painfully ironic—and useless—if the recent murder spate is the factor that finally gets the Jackson media to start questioning Mayor Frank Melton. Unless proven otherwise, …

[Parks] Unity, Mississippi Style

In the mall, Columbia, Mo.: My girlfriend and I giggled over Dippin' Dots ice cream. We held hands. We looked at the table next to us, where a young girl …

BREAKING: Melton, Kids Accused of Destroying Private Home

Photo Gallery of Destruction