Jackson Free Press

Big Tech Companies Are Joining Apple in Its Encryption Fight

The tech industry is starting to line up with Apple in its fight against the federal government over the encryption it uses to keep iPhones secure.

Oregon Lawmakers Approve Landmark Minimum Wage Increase

Oregon lawmakers have approved landmark legislation that propels the state's minimum wage for all workers to the highest rank in the U.S., and does so through an unparalleled tiered system …

Mourners to Pay Respects Friday to Late Justice Scalia

In a day of ceremony and tribute, the casket carrying Justice Antonin Scalia will lie in repose at the Supreme Court where he spent nearly three decades as one of …

Lawmakers Look to Consolidate at Least 10 School Districts

Mississippi lawmakers want to abolish two school districts and consolidate at least eight others, part of a renewed push to pare down the state's 144 school districts to increase efficiency.

City Council Seeks Input on Subcontractor Transparency Ordinance

The Jackson City Council wants to ensure that minority subcontractors have the ability to take part in major construction projects in the city, get paid on time and be held …

Domestic Abuse May Become Grounds for Divorce in Mississippi

Domestic violence is not currently grounds for divorce in Mississippi, a state where "natural impotency" is listed first as legal grounds for divorce.

'Separate-But-Equal' State Flags? Lawmaker Suggests Having Two Instead

In Mississippi, the last state to display the Confederate battle emblem on its flag, some lawmakers want the divisive symbol removed, others want to punish public institutions that refuse to …

S.C. Primary: Cruz Tells Trump to Sue Him, Rubio Gets Gubernatorial Endorsement

CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) — A three-way feud among the GOP's leading White House contenders escalated Wednesday, with Republican Ted Cruz daring Donald Trump to sue him and dismissing Marco Rubio's …

Chef Jesse Houston Is a James Beard Award Semifinalist

Sarah Ross, Reintroduced

Sarah Restuccio was only 17 years old when she appeared on Season 12 of Fox's soon-to-end singing show, "American Idol," but she made an impression.

Bernie Sanders: For the People

Southerners are friendly folk, so Bernie Sanders is going to hear a lot of "Y'all come!" as he takes his populist presidential campaign to Dixie. The question is: Will they …

Muzzling Mississippi’s Educators

Going into last November's elections, Mississippi educators were hoping for real leadership. Instead, what they got was more of the same.

Is the Payday Soon Over for Payday Lenders?

De'Keither Stamps says that the more money people spend on payday-loan and check-cashing fees, the less they have to help bolster the City's treasury by purchasing goods and services.

Off to the Races ... and the Chopping Block

Money was front of mind over the last week in the Mississippi Legislature as Senate and House appropriations committees began budget hearings for state agencies last week.

No ‘Hiney Contests,’ Got It?

When a warning by a state Alcohol Beverage Control investigator spooked Ben Shemper, the owner of The Dollarbox Showroom in Hattiesburg, into canceling Big Freedia's Feb. 12 there, it did …

Apple to Fight Order to Help FBI Unlock Shooter's iPhone

Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook says his company will fight a federal magistrate's order to help the FBI hack into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino, …

War Against Potholes: The City Battles Nature, Resources

To people in Jackson, who have to battle blown tires, crooked front-end alignments and nearly drowned children, the distinction between potholes, sinkholes and utility cuts are meaningless.

Urban, Rural Areas Need Food Stores, Health Clinics

Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, introduced legislation in the 2015 session that would have provided tax incentives for grocery stores to enter communities considered to be "food deserts" by the USDA's …

A Common Identity

Our Jackson community is full of shared traditions that bind us together and create a shared common identity.

A New Frozen Treat

When customers walk into Fondren Fro-Yo, which recently opened in the Jackson neighborhood, bright colors, designs and topping dispensers surround them.