Jackson Free Press

Hispanic Influx: One School Struggles to Meet Children’s Needs

It's Cinco de Mayo in Christy Crotwell's class, and Luis Antonio Hernandez is reading the first-graders a story about the holiday's origins. He reads each page twice—once in English, once …

Tests on Trial

Statewide, 14.83 percent of third graders—5,612 students—failed to reach the minimum score needed for entrance into fourth grade on the first test.

I Got Mugged by the NOPD

It began, as it always does, with beer. It was my first trip to New Orleans, in October 2004, to see Voodoo Fest with my girlfriend Melissa. We had checked …

Twelve Steps to Danger: How Alcoholics Anonymous Can Be a Playground for Violence-Prone Members

Each year, the legal system coerces more than 150,000 people to join AA, according to AA's own membership surveys.

Getting to Graduation: Mississippi’s Statewide Push to Keep Kids in School

The Legislature's goal to increase the statewide graduation rate to 85 percent by the 2018-2019 school year has, in part, fueled Mississippi to work hard to keep students in school.

UPDATED: 2019 Power Couples

It's the time of year when many of us are thinking about those we love and what we love. This time of year also means that we look around for …

Transcript of President Obama's State of the Union Address

This is the text released to media just before the speech began. Verbatim:

Small Business Associations Recommend Reform

Small business owners are nervous about a potential new round of taxes connected to H.R. 3200, the embattled health-care reform bill being knocked around in Congress.

[Casey's Note] Leaving My Heart In Jackson

When I first saw the Jackson Free Press, something sparked. I had given up hope for local weeklies, but the cover—a grid-like spread of a variety of Jackson folks—called to …

The Little Weekly That Could

We celebrate a milestone with the issue of the Jackson Free Press that you hold in your hand, as it's the first issue of our fifth year of publishing. We're …

State Ranks High for Happiness, Religion

In separate nationwide reports, Mississippi gets high scores in happiness and religion. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta released a report ranking the states for happiness. The …

2009 College Hoops Preview

Before this college basketball season began, several national publications had projected Jackson State and Ole Miss as NCAA Tournament teams.

Hurricane Recovery, Barbour - Style

Photos by David Rae Morris,

As residents of Mississippi's Gulf Coast gathered to commemorate the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, they recalled a cataclysmic storm that spared no one, rich or poor, from its destruction. …

Karen Irby Indicted

A Hinds County Grand Jury reportedly returned three indictments for Karen Irby today in a case stemming from a Feb. 11 crash on Old Canton Road. The indictments include two …

A Look at the 2011 New Orleans Saints Draft

The NFL Draft is going to take place with or without a new labor agreement. In a little over a week the Carolina Panthers will be on the clock with …

After The Flood

Waiting To Recover

News that a flood was headed toward Vicksburg didn't come as a surprise to most residents. In late April, the Mississippi River and its tributaries began to overflow and reach …

Opening Saturday: F. Jones Corner on Farish Street

When Adam Hayes and Daniel Dillon bought 303 Farish St., the building was in terrible shape: The ceiling was falling, it had neither a kitchen nor plumbing, and to top …

Saved for a Reason: The Fight to End Domestic Violence

The Mississippi Department of Health tracks interpersonal violence in the state, and in fiscal-year 2015, law-enforcement officers responded to 10,411 calls related to domestic violence, the annual report from the …

Due to Garbage Contract Dispute, Environmental Crisis Looms in the City of Jackson

The Jackson City Council recently reversed the declaration of emergency that Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba declared on Friday, Sept. 17, after pushing for a different vendor due to claims of …

Amid Hotel Flap, Fondren Labeled a Top ‘Endangered Historic Place’ in State

Fondren is now on the list of the “10 Most Endangered Historic Places in Mississippi," just as developers of a new hotel anger neighbors for demolishing the house the neighborhood …