Jackson Free Press

Ban-the-Box a Good Step

For decades, employers from fast-food joints to mall boutiques and financial-services firms to news organizations have been asking prospective employees about their criminal histories.

EKO the Sumatran Tiger Cub

EKO (Indonesian for "first born"), a 100-pound Sumatran tiger cub, was born in May, and JSU adopted him Nov. 11 in a partnership with the zoo.

Miss. Universities Plan 3.2 Percent Price Increase

In-state tuition at eight public universities is likely to increase by an average of 3.2 percent this fall, if the College Board approves plans Thursday for the Mississippi University for …

Schools Reopen in Baltimore, Streets Quiet After Curfew

Schools reopened and tensions seemed to ease Wednesday after Baltimore made it through the first night of its curfew without the widespread violence many had feared.

28% of 3rd Graders in JPS Might Be Held Back

Results from the so-called third-grade gate test, which requires students to demonstrate reading proficiency before moving on to the fourth grade, show that 28 percent of JPS' third graders may …

Baseball Disappointment

None of the three Southwestern Athletic Conference schools from Mississippi will go to a NCAA Regional. Texas Southern University won the SWAC baseball tournament, so the league will only get …

Sen. Thad Cochran Weds Kay Webber in Gulfport

U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran — the Mississippi Republican whose 2014 primary campaign drew national attention over an aspiring blogger's photos of his bedridden wife — has married his longtime aide, …

Mississippi's LGBT Community Awaits Supreme Court Decision

The Mississippi LGBT community is anxiously awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could federally legalize same-sex marriage, which would make it legal in the state.

Changing Flag Is Just a Step Toward Progress

While we applaud House Speaker Phillip Gunn's statement this week that the Confederate emblem should be removed from Mississippi's state flag, we would sound a note of (optimistic) caution.

Freedom Summer to Empower Youth

Albert Sykes grew up in west Jackson the next block over from the street where Medgar and Myrlie Evers lived, but says he never had a real connection to the …

Legislature’s Sales-Tax Change Unconscionable

Quietly, lawmakers extended the list of items that are off limits to 1-percent tax collectors. Now, city officials say that the $15 million they were hoping to collect could be …

Michelle Alexander

Michelle Alexander is as versatile as the program she coaches. A fitness enthusiast, Alexander, 39, is a retired Marine Corps sergeant and a CrossFit coach.

Tips from Troop 5441

During the summer of 2014, we were joined by several young women from Girl Scout Troop 5441 nearly every morning of the summer. They participated in workshops, brainstormed ideas, and …

The Jail Needs a Sense of Urgency

Crime is a hard thing to solve. It is the tragic confluence of poverty and generations of miseducation, not to mention institutional racism, patriarchy, childhood abuse and other structural biases. …

As COVID Surges, Mississippi Sets Up Second Field Hospital

Mississippi's only Level 1 trauma center is setting up a second emergency field hospital in a parking garage that will handle some of the sickest COVID-19 patients as the virus …

SEC New Event Cancellation Policy

College football returns with a full slate of games this Saturday in what is considered week one of the season. Last Saturday, a handful of games were played on what …

Favre Misses Payment of $228K in Welfare Case, Auditor Says

Retired NFL player Brett Favre missed a deadline to pay $228,000 in interest on welfare money he was paid for a public speaking contract he did not fulfill, the Mississippi …

Small Business Saturday Coming to Jackson and Surrounding Areas

Small Business Saturday, a national event dedicated to small businesses, will take place on Saturday, Nov. 27.

Medical Marijuana Advances With Mississippi Senate Vote

Mississippi senators voted Thursday to advance a bill that would create a medical marijuana program, sending it to the House for more work.

Tonight is Do or Die for the Saints Against the Chargers