Jackson Free Press

Mississippi Teacher Pay Raise Bill Heading to Negotiations

Mississippi lawmakers will negotiate a final version of a bill to increase some of the lowest teacher salaries in the nation.

‘Babies in the Hospital’: Mississippi Drastically Lags in Child and Pediatric Vaccinations

As COVID-19 continues its decline across Mississippi and the country, state health leadership warns that hospitals are still seeing pediatric patients, while vaccinations in children are lagging far behind the …

JSU Relaunches Institute for Social Justice and Race Relations, Jazz Festival and Camp Kesem at MSU

Jackson State University relaunched its Institute for Social Justice and Race Relations on Thursday, Feb. 24, in the College of Liberal Arts. The original institute opened in 2013, but a …

Economist: Federal Money Boosted Mississippi Income in 2020

Employment in Mississippi decreased during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, but personal income in the state increased during that time because of federal payments that were …

Mayor Lumumba Alleges City-Council Corruption Amid Garbage-Disposal Lawsuit

Amid an ongoing dispute between Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba and the Jackson City Council over garbage-disposal contracts, the mayor said that he believes certain members of the council have accepted …

Mississippi Remapping Diminishes Black Voices, NAACP Says

Mississippi legislators drew a congressional redistricting plan that diminished Black voters' influence in the state's three majority-white districts, attorneys for the NAACP and two other groups argue in federal court …

Mississippi Senate Passes Income Tax Cut Slashing $446 Million in Revenue

The Mississippi Senate approved legislation to reduce the state income tax by hundreds of millions of dollars Wednesday, despite caution from opponents who questioned the wisdom of doing so while …

Mississippi Commemorates Wade-Ins That Integrated Beaches

A Mississippi historical marker provides information about the wade-ins of 1959, 1960 and 1963, which led to opening the beaches to all people.

Danny Lynch

The University of Southern Mississippi has been picked as the preseason favorite to win the baseball crown in Conference USA. The league coaches gave the Golden Eagles six first-place votes, …

'My Baby is Dead,' Mom Says in Call for End to Violence

A Mississippi woman says local officials need to take immediate steps end senseless violence like the drive-by shooting that killed her 6-year-old son while he was playing with friends at …

Mississippi Senate Panel: Reduce Income Tax, Don't Erase It

“If lawmakers truly want Mississippi to be a place where people want to start families, small businesses, and where national corporations want to expand, it needs to prioritize investments that …

Gangs Control Who Eats at Mississippi Jail, Monitor Says

Elizabeth Simpson testified Tuesday that staffing shortages are so severe at Hinds County's Raymond Detention Center that gangs and “inmate committees” control certain aspects of life, including whether some inmates …

Mississippi HBCU Gets $10M from Netflix CEO and Wife

Tougaloo College, a private, historically Black college in Mississippi, is getting $10 million from the head of Netflix and his wife, a film producer.

‘Fear the Virus, Not the Vaccine’: Leadership Urges Vaccinations for Pregnant Women

The current wave of COVID-19 is on the decline in Mississippi, but state health leadership is urging residents—especially vulnerable populations like pregnant women—to get vaccinated, and to keep up with …

‘I Was Shocked’: Ridgeland Aldermen Proposing New Library Contract After Raucous Meeting

Amid pleas against censorship and claims of pornographic “filth,” a Ridgeland Board of Aldermen meeting scheduled to address the city’s library contract quickly morphed into a raucous referendum on LGBTQ+ …

“There is no downside to putting money back into the pockets of Mississippians,” said Republican …

• February 21, 2022

Income-Tax Phaseout Up for Debate in Long-Poor Mississippi

Mississippi is accustomed to being first in worsts: It's one of the poorest, unhealthiest states in the nation, with public schools that are chronically underfunded. Some Republican leaders say a …

A company is creating a media training program focused on students at historically black colleges …

• February 21, 2022

Media Training Program Will Focus on HBCU Students

A company is creating a media training program focused on students at historically black colleges and universities in Mississippi.

Janus, Former Mississippi Lawmaker, Dies of Cancer at 55

Funeral services are Monday for former Mississippi state Rep. Michael Janus, who died Tuesday. He was 55.