Jackson Free Press

A Night (And a Day) of Music: Flowood Flea Market Hosts ‘Singing for the Kids’

A self-proclaimed "nickel-and-dime musician," Robert Ferren joins forces with Phillip Till to host a round-the-clock music show beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 20, at the Flowood Flea Market …

Mississippi Tax Overhaul Appears Headed to Doom in Senate

A bill to overhaul Mississippi's tax structure faces a critical deadline Tuesday in the state Senate, but it appears unlikely to survive despite a push from Republican Gov. Tate Reeves.

Mississippi Prisons Begin Vaccinations As State Passes ‘1 Million Shots In Arms’

The Mississippi Department of Corrections began vaccinating the state’s prison population on Friday, starting with the entire Central Mississippi Correctional Facility.

Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Benefit Still Positive Despite ‘Rare Side Effects,’ EU Reports

After investigating reports of a rare but serious side effect in Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, the European Medicines Agency concluded yesterday that the vaccine’s label should include information about …

Parole Reform Law Brings New Chance For Thousands, But Not Habitual Offenders

Thousands of incarcerated Mississippians will soon become eligible for a parole hearing after Gov. Tate Reeves signed the “Mississippi Earned Parole Eligibility Act” into law this Thursday.

Analysis: Watchdog Gives Bleak Report on Mississippi Prisons

Bloody clashes that brought Mississippi's prison system under federal scrutiny last year were part of a dramatic increase in reported cases of violence behind bars.

Analysis: Census Will Reshape Political Maps in Mississippi

States are set to receive detailed Census information in September, and Mississippi legislators will use those numbers in a tough political battle—deciding how to redraw the four U.S. House districts …

Petitioning Starts for Plan to Expand Mississippi Medicaid

Health care professionals on Tuesday became the first people to sign petitions to put Medicaid expansion on the November 2022 ballot in Mississippi.

Beyond English Provides More than Language Lessons

In 2018, Xiwei “Aaron” Wu and his wife, Langshan Song, both natives of China who learned English as a second language, founded Beyond English as a way to help students …

Lumumba, City Council Members Sworn-in

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba lists past achievements of his office after Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Denise Owens swore him in for a second term at the Jackson Convention Complex …

Sisters in Birth, Standing by Expecting Mothers

Founder and CEO of Sisters in Birth Getty Israel says governmental disdain (for affordable health-care) disproportionately affects new and expecting mothers—particularly Black women, who die in childbirth at a rate …

Analysis: Mississippi Lawmakers Could Set Parole Board Path

Mississippi legislators will decide next year whether to keep the state Parole Board as a separate entity or transfer the board's functions to the Department of Corrections.

Mississippi Remapping Diminishes Black Voices, NAACP Says

Mississippi legislators drew a congressional redistricting plan that diminished Black voters' influence in the state's three majority-white districts, attorneys for the NAACP and two other groups argue in federal court …

Lt. Gov. Hosemann: Suspend Mississippi Gas Tax 6 Months

Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Monday that he and other Senate leaders are pushing to suspend the state's gasoline tax for six months to give drivers a break as …

COVID-19 Program for Uninsured Ends as Global Cases Rise

A federal program closing this week could mean less access to COVID-19 testing and treatment for poorer Mississippians moving forward.

Updated: Mississippi Man Arrested Over Poisoned Mail is Conspiracy Theorist, Elvis Impersonator

CORINTH, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi man accused of mailing letters to national leaders with suspected poisonous ricin believed he had uncovered a conspiracy to sell human body parts on …

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Miss. Becomes 3rd State to Sue BP for Oil Spill

Mississippi has become the third state to sue BP PLC over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Hearing to Continue Monday in Ricin Letter Case

The man charged with mailing ricin-laced letters to the president and a senator was expected back in court Monday, and the hearing could reveal what evidence authorities have collected from …

No Explanation for Ricin Suspect's Release

Paul Kevin Curtis has been released from custody hours after officials canceled a detention and preliminary hearing without explanation.

As Rates Soar, Kemper’s Investors Cash In

After several credit downgrades and gloomy financial forecasts, the balance sheets of utility companies constructing a 580-megawatt coal power plant in eastern Mississippi are improving as their ratepayers are saddled …