Jackson Free Press

Final Tally: 143 Homes Burned in California Fire

The final count is in on homes and other buildings destroyed by a wildfire that tore through a small Northern California timber town.

IS Group Seizes 16 Villages in Northern Syria

Islamic State fighters backed by tanks have captured 16 Kurdish villages over the past 24 hours in northern Syria near the Turkish border, prompting civilians to flee their homes amid …

California Wildfire Shows Explosive Growth

An out-of-control wildfire that was threatening more than 2,000 homes in Northern California showed explosive growth, consuming tens of thousands of additional acres, fire officials said Thursday.

Furthering the Athens Four-Piece

Athens, Ga., has incubated plenty of important musical acts in the last 40 years. With Pylon and REM as vanguards, the city proved to be especially fertile ground for stripped-down …

Autumnal Ventures

While exploring another city is always a good time, this fall brought a number of new places to try in Jackson, and I was feeling the need to play catch-up …

The Friendly, Film-School Slasher

"Director's Cut" (Dogwood Press, 2014; $22.95) is the fifth novel in the Oakdale series, suspense stories that share the same backdrop—a rural town in northeast Mississippi.

Mississippi: The Next Stage for Progressivism?

A lot is changing in my home state, and the change here says much about the South today.

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Pistorius Could Get 15 Years for Culpable Homicide

A South African judge on Friday found Oscar Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide in the shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp but declared him not guilty of murder. Prosecutors said …

House, Senate Weigh Bills that are Going Nowhere

House and Senate leaders, usually proud sorts, staged showdown votes in their chambers Thursday on measures that are going nowhere. And in the logic that prevails during the weeks before …

Police: Father Confessed to Killing His 5 Children

The five children of Timothy Ray Jones Jr. had been dead for days by the time he led investigators to the spot where they had been dumped among dead trees …

Lit Highlights September 2014

Fall might mean football season to a lot of people, but the conscientious bookworm knows changing leaves mean that your favorite bookstores are changing their shelves.

Do Kids Pay for Lazy Summers? Why We Must Prep Now for Next Year

For far too many children in the United States, there is such a significant academic regression during the summer months that studies have shown it is responsible for most of …

The Dollars and Sense of the Costco Fight

In looking to relocate to the Jackson area, Costco is not making an altruistic overture, bestowing a gift on the people of the capital city and expecting nothing in return.

Palestinian: Donors Wary of Funding Hamas-Run Gaza

The deputy Palestinian prime minister said Tuesday that international donors are hesitant to fund the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip so long as Hamas remains in control there and the …

Ferguson Plans Reforms After Fatal Police Shooting

City leaders in Ferguson, where the fatal shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old by a white police officer sparked days of sometimes violent protests last month, say they will establish …

Death Toll in India, Pakistan Floods Reaches 400

The death toll from floods in Pakistan and India reached 400 on Tuesday as armies in both countries scrambled to help the victims and authorities in Islamabad warned hundreds of …

Arab League Agrees to Combat Islamic State Group

The Arab League agreed Monday to take urgent measures to combat extremists like the Islamic State group as one of its suicide bombers killed 16 people at a meeting of …

Ukraine Cease-Fire Begins, but US Still Skeptical

Ukraine, Russia and the Kremlin-backed separatists signed a cease-fire deal Friday after five months of bloodshed, and Europe readied additional sanctions in case the truce fails. NATO leaders created a …

Holy Ghost Electric Show Finds the American Sound

Oxford, Miss., band Holy Ghost Electric Show dove into the melting pot of music to create a whole new sound—something All-American.

Bad Habits Start Young

Our junk-food habits contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic and the related illnesses later in life. In Mississippi, the state Department of Health reported in 2009 that 40 percent of …