Jackson Free Press

As the Budget Turns

After several stalled attempts, Jackson Mayor Frank Melton presented an overview of his revised budget to the City Council at a Monday evening work session. The new budget, which must …

Facing the End of the Oil Era

If there's one bright spot in the whole worry about global warming, greenhouse gases and the impact of using oil for everything from powering cars and machinery to making agricultural …

Dems Bolster Power in Legislature

Photos by Adam Lynch

The Mississippi Legislature moved into Nov. 7 looking on the surface much as it did prior to the elections, party-wise. But education proponents say the new Legislature will likely be …

Alive at Night

It's the weekend in Jackson, and you're looking for something to do.

[Balko] Lessons From the Death of Aiyana Stanley-Jones

On the morning of May 16, a Detroit police officer fatally shot 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones in the throat during a police raid on her home. The police were looking for …

From Pets to 'Recess': High School Stress Relief

The four-legged member of the counseling team at the high school in suburban Chicago waits patiently, as a crush of students fills the hallways. Her tail wags with the first …

Why John Kerry Should Be Elected President

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How many of you remember your parents talking about the president? I remember as a child I wondered why we elected such terrible presidents. Truman could hardly get anything right, …

Alison Hogan and Andrew Ross

From the night that Alison Hogan and Andrew Ross met, they never wondered whether they were going to get married. They just assumed it. "It's very cliché," Alison says, "but …

‘My Mother Is Not a Political Figure'

Historic Victory for Espy in Mississippi Is 'Not An Illusion,' George Will Says

Democrat Mike Espy could be the next U.S. senator from Mississippi, renowned conservative columnist George Will wrote in a Sept. 5 piece in the Washington Post.

OPINION: Anti-Abortion Laws Won’t Stop Abortions. Eradicating Poverty Could.

"Making it more difficult for residents to access abortions won’t stop women from doing so. ... We must first address the No. 1 factor that appears to drive the demand …

State Board Sends JPS Takeover to Governor for Stamp of Approval

The fate of Jackson Public Schools is now in the hands of Republican Gov. Phil Bryant after the Mississippi Board of Education declared an “extreme emergency situation” in the district …

How ‘Trumpcare’ Could Hurt Mississippians

The U.S. House of Representatives made good on President Donald Trump's campaign promise of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act last week, but the legislation could have dire impacts …

The Henley-Young ‘Emergency Room’ Shows Progress, Houses Fewer Youth

The Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center has come a long way since a federal judge issued a consent decree and settlement agreement back in 2012, which required the county to cut …

Jackson Airport CEO Newman Outlines Plans for Hotel, Low-Cost Carrier

The airport's chief executive officer, during an interview at the airport on March 24 just as the Mississippi House was passing its controversial "takeover" bill of the facility, outlined a …

Why Does the State Still Want to Kill Willie Jerome Manning?

Willie Jerome Manning has been on death row for more than two decades, facing the possibility of execution for two sets of murders that occurred about one month apart.

Abortion Down in U.S., Mississippi, But Why?

The abortion rate in Mississippi and across the U.S. is down, a new AP report released today shows. The question of why, however, is subject to wide and fierce debate.

Mississippians Fight for Medical Marijuana in 2020

Ashley Durval first filed the Medical Marijuana 2020 ballot initiative in July. She hopes medical marijuana can be used to treat her daughter, Harper Grace, who has Dravet Syndrome, a …

Of Paranoia and Xenophobia

See related blog thread.

Mal Tiempo, Buenas Caras (Bad Times, Good Faces)

Photos by Cheree Franco and Matt Saldaña

José Bacallao stares into a boarded-up restaurant on the edge of a Highway 90 strip mall in Waveland, a tiny town in southwestern Mississippi that was the epicenter of one …