Jackson Free Press

Azia’s Picks 9-11-20

I hope you are able to spread your wings into the crisp looming fall breeze and take time to enjoy your weekend. Here’s my top picks to get you started!

Jay Hopson

University of Southern Mississippi head coach Jay Hopson resigned after his team lost the season opener to the University of South Alabama.

Grants for Projects at MSU and USM, JSU to Serve as Polling Place

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, an organization devoted to curing spinal cord injury by advancing research and improving the quality of life for individuals with paralysis, recently awarded a …

The path that brought rapper and activist Genesis Be to a New York City stage, …

• September 9, 2020

Rapper Genesis Be's Long Battle Versus the Confederate Flag

The path that brought rapper and activist Genesis Be to a New York City stage, her body draped in a Confederate flag and a noose hung around her neck, was …

Oxford, Starkville Outliers as COVID-19 Trends Positive Despite 3,300 Likely Deaths

Gov. Tate Reeves struck a particularly confident tone at Tuesday’s COVID-19 presser, celebrating the state’s consistent decline in new coronavirus cases, even as schools open across the state.

Jackson’s Murder Rate May Break Record, U.S. Attorney Touts ‘Operation Legend’

The spike in homicides in Jackson so far in 2020 is raising concern for leaders and may be on track to break the capital city’s all-time record.

William McHenry

Today’s science students are tomorrow’s problem solvers, and Jackson educator William McHenry has dedicated his 45-year career to mentoring and recruiting women and minorities into the fields of science, technology, …

Analysis: GOP Keeps Control Amid Special Legislative Races

The Mississippi Legislature is already seeing some turnover just a few months into this four-year term, but it's not enough to tilt control away from Republicans.

Mississippi Protesters Rally Against Confederate Monument

Dozens of demonstrators gathered in a Mississippi county to call for the removal of a Confederate monument officials have previously refused to relocate.

During Pandemic, Black Families Put Trust in Black Doctors

Research suggests Black patients have better outcomes when treated by Black doctors and nurses. Yet, only 5% of doctors nationwide are Black, and only 2% are Black women, according to …

After Six Trials and 23 Years, Charges Against Curtis Flowers Finally Dismissed

Twenty-three and a half years after his arrest, and after an unprecedented series of six trials, the prosecution of Curtis Flowers finally came to an end today with the dismissal …

Mike Espy Holds Drive-In Rally In Jackson, Emphasizes Health Care, Racism

Mike Espy, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, centered health care and racial justice at his drive-in rally the evening of Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, in Jackson.

Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba unveils one of the parking meters on North Lamar Street on …

• September 4, 2020

City Overhauls Parking Meters, Funds Homeless Center, Art Groups

Downtown Jackson now has 146 new parking meters to reinvigorate revenue generation, the City of Jackson announced Tuesday.

Critics: Eviction Ban May Only Delay Wave of Homelessness

Housing advocates say the Trump administration's surprise national moratorium on evictions only delays a wave of crushing debt and homelessness, and an attorney representing landlords questions whether the measure is …

Former Mississippi Education Head, Contractors Accused of Fudging Bids, Stealing Funds

A former top official at the Mississippi Department of Education and three contractors who worked with the agency are being accused by the federal government of stealing thousands of dollars …

A New $300 Federal Jobless Benefit? Not Likely for Some

Because of a raft of restrictions and bureaucratic hurdles, more than 1 million of the unemployed won't receive a new $300-a-week benefit check, and their financial struggles will deepen. The …

Charles Araujo

Charles Araujo, an adjunct instructor for Jackson State University’s School of Social Work, became president-elect for the Mississippi Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers on July 1.

MSU Receives Grants for Blindness Research and Solar Fuel, USM Online University Forum

The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research recently gave a five-year, $4 million grant to Mississippi State University's National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low …