Jackson Free Press

10 Local Stories of the Week

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.

OPINION: Southern Evangelical: Trump 'Fits the Scriptural Definition of a Fool'

"I can find very little in Trump's deeds as president that promote the message of the Gospel. I am afraid this hypocrisy will set the Evangelical movement back by decades."

Vic Schaefer

Mississippi State's win over LSU provided a perfect picture of what coach Vic Schaefer is dealing with in a transition year.

Azia's Picks 1-17-20

What are you in the mood for after a long, productive week? Let's plan a weekend together, starting with my top picks.

Mississippi Governor: Prison Violence Was a 'Catastrophe'

Mississippi's new governor said Thursday that the state will conduct a nationwide search for a new commissioner to lead a state prison system that's reckoning with what he called a …

Putin Fast-Tracks Effort to Extend His Rule in Russia

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday fast-tracked work on constitutional changes that could keep him in power well past the end of his term in 2024 while lawmakers quickly sealed his …

Trump's Impeachment Trial Underway With Reading of Charges

The U.S. Senate opened the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on Thursday, with House Democrats reading the formal charges in the chamber ahead of the swearing in of all …

The announcement came two days after Democratic lawmakers in the United States released a trove …

• January 16, 2020

Ukraine Opens Probe of Possible Surveillance of Ambassador

Ukrainian police said Thursday they have opened an investigation into the possibility that the U.S. ambassador came under illegal surveillance by an unknown party before she was recalled from her …

Lawsuit Says Mississippi Prisons are 'Plagued by Violence'

More than two dozen Mississippi inmates sued the state Tuesday, saying understaffed prisons are “plagued by violence” and inmates are forced to live in decrepit and dangerous conditions.

Mississippi U.S. Reps Face Challenges from the Left and the Right in 2020

A University of Mississippi law professor and self-described "Democratic socialist" is challenging her district's U.S. House representative, Republican Trent Kelly, in this year's election.

Bobbie Wilson

The Jackson State University National Alumni Association named Bobbie Wilson, a Clinton resident who serves on the JSUNAA's regional board, as its 2019 Alumnus of the Year during the JSU …

The 2020 Inauguration Speech of Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves

Gov. Tate Reeves took the oath of office today at the Mississippi Capitol beneath gloomy skies, surrounded by the state's new leadership. The governor's speech centered around unity, even as …

OPINION: D.J. Durkin as UM Football Coach Reduces Life of Jordan McNair

D.J. Durkin's hiring raises important questions for the sport of college football: Are there any consequences for elite, white men in positions of power? And just how low are we …

Mississippi Officials Set to Rule on Controversial Landfill

Mississippi's Department of Environmental Quality is set to decide on whether a controversial new landfill will be allowed in a county that already has two other trash dumping sites.

JXN Welcome Center, Iron Horse Patio and Mural and Food Truck Face-off

Visit Jackson opened the JXN Welcome Center, first full-service welcome center in Jackson on Friday, Jan. 10, inside the Electric Building at the corner of East Pearl and West Streets.

Former Simon City Royals leader Benny Ivey is critical of Jackson television stations for focusing …

• January 10, 2020

DOSSIER: Shame on WLBT for Dishonoring Past with Empty Crime Rhetoric

WLBT, the NBC affiliate of the Atlanta-based Gray Television, climbed fully on board with U.S. Attorney Hurst's false rhetoric that Jackson leaders and other locals are somehow "denying" gun violence …

Seth Power: 'Souvenir'

Growing up, Seth Power found himself locked away in his room for several hours a day, writing songs with his new recording software. The only force that could push Power …

Both Parties in New Mississippi Senate Leadership Roles

Mississippi's new Republican lieutenant governor is putting together a bipartisan leadership team in the state Senate for the new four-year term.