Jackson Free Press

Crossroads = Creativity

I and other writers, including Genevieve Legacy, Richard Coupe, Ronni Mott and R.L. Nave contributed to this cover package, reviewing films that cover everything from Depression-era Mississippi, to a wandering …

MDOC, Private Prisons on Trial

Located in Leake County, Walnut Grove opened in 2001 for children convicted as adults in criminal court, and has been the subject of nearly ongoing scrutiny for civil-rights violations.

Legal Pot Initiative Gets a Spark

Despite the hard work of dozens of Mississippi volunteers and shifting national tide toward loosening restrictions on marijuana, a state ballot initiative to legalize cannabis is just hobbling along.

You Are Welcome Here

My job at HRC Mississippi is to work with others to create a state where everyone is welcome. Or to put it this way, that the "hospitality state" truly embodies …

State’s Film Incentives Should Focus on Local Workforce

There is no doubt that the state's film incentives have revolutionized the movie industry in Mississippi.

It’s Time to Question Vaccinations

Immunization is one of the greatest public-health achievements in the 20th century, but as with all medications, vaccines can harm. We should be asking why some children experience severe reactions, …

Lou’s Full Serv: Energizing Southern Staples

Since its inception in March 2014, Lou's Full-Serv Neighborhood Kitchen has made itself into an eclectic hideaway tucked in a quiet corner of a district where faces are familiar and …

Energy for Brunching

While store-bought granola can have many added sugars, homemade granola can be much healthier for you, with nuts, grains and dried fruits—all good stuff.

Yarber Wants Another Emergency Declaration

After asking the Jackson City Council to hold off on approving his civil-emergency declaration earlier, Yarber said Tuesday evening that he wants a second emergency proclamation.

Lou's Full-Serv bronzed redfish

• April 7, 2015

Big Tests for New JRA Members, Google Lawsuit Blocked, Boosting Youth-Owned Biz

Six months after Mayor Tony Yarber first introduced a slate of nominees for the Jackson Redevelopment Authority, the Jackson City Council approved four new JRA members at a special council …

The Jackson Zoo's eighth annual Zoo Brew will have more than 50 craft beers to …

• April 7, 2015

Alex Melnick

Alex Melnick and other members of art advocacy organization Ko'ox Boon, which is Mayan for "Let's paint," will present the documentary film "The Barefoot Artist" tonight, April 7, at Millsaps …

Conservationists: 'One Lake' Endangers Pearl River

A conservation group has declared the Pearl River one of the Top 10 Endangered Rivers for 2015 because a dam project proposed south of Jackson might threaten areas of the …

Closing Arguments Begin in Trial of Ex-NFLer Aaron Hernandez

A lawyer for former New England Patriots star tight end Aaron Hernandez told jurors on Tuesday that there is only one possible and lawful verdict in his client's murder trial: …

Iraqi Teams Start Exhuming Mass Grave of Soldiers in Tikrit

Iraqi forensic teams in the newly recaptured city of Tikrit have started exhuming bodies from mass graves believed to contain some of the hundreds of soldiers killed by Islamic State …

Kenyan Students Protest School Killings, Urge More Security

Hundreds of Kenyan students marched through downtown Nairobi on Tuesday to honor those who died in an attack on a college by Islamic militants and to press the government for …

Jurors Begin Deliberating Charges Against Marathon Bomber

Jurors in the federal death penalty trial of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev began deliberations Tuesday, a day after both prosecutors and his lawyers told them Tsarnaev must be held …

County Might Not Pay for Private Lawyers in Weill, Public Defender Dispute

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors may refuse to pay private attorneys a county judge appointed because of a spat with the public defender's office.

Analysis: 2015 Session was About Modest Changes, Not Big

Facing pressure from conservatives who distrust the Common Core academic standards that Mississippi and most other states adopted in recent years, state legislators voted to create a 15-member commission to …