Jackson Free Press

[Balko] The Hunt for Criminality

Why it's important that prosecutors know when not to bring charges.

[Balko] Justice For Johannes Mehserle

Early the morning of Jan. 1, 2009, in a now-infamous incident that dozens of cell phones captured on video and then replayed across the globe, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) …

[Opinion] Jackson Loves Jackson

When I made the decision to leave Ole Miss and venture down to Jackson, I was admittedly scared. While taking breaks from epic "Halo 2" battles and scourging fraternity pledges, …

Note From A Concerned Citizen

When I arrived at the office one recent morning, an e-mail from a "concerned citizen" was awaiting my eyes in my inbox. In that e-mail, a Jackson resident expressed her …

Proposed Coal Plant Finds Opposition

Opposition is mounting against a proposed 582-megawatt coal gasification plant in Kemper County that could increase Mississippi ratepayers' utility bills by 15 percent.

City In Recovery

A spring storm went overboard last Friday, spawning about five tornados in the Jackson area and leaving a large portion of the city and some adjoining communities without power well …

Monticello Mayor: No Payments for Jackson

Mayor Dave Nichols II of Monticello has a letter in The Clarion-Ledger today opposing the move to pass a PILT (payment in lieu of taxes) bill for the capital city. …

Melton Objects To Gulf Coast Jury

Following a federal judge's decision yesterday to hold Mayor Frank Melton's retrial in Jackson, with a jury from the Gulf Coast, Melton has filed a motion to reconsider the ruling. …

Federal Stimulus: ‘We Need to be Ready'

The stimulus is coming, and it's bringing big money. The Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review told the Mississippi House Ways and Means Committee that the economic impact of …

EPA Kills Yazoo Pumps Project

The Environmental Protection Agency followed through with predictions and announced yesterday its decision to kill the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' proposed Yazoo Pumps Project in the Mississippi Delta.

Summer of Love

A little African-American girl dances, does handstands, twirls around. A blonde hipster college student, wearing a University of Michigan sweatshirt, holds her hand; a Mexican union worker from California teaches …

Draining The Reserves

Photos by Darren Schwindaman

The Jackson City Council has opted to dip into the city's reserve fund rather than collect additional revenue with a fee increase. The council voted 6-0 on the revised city …

Mason: ‘I'm Basically an Introvert'

Outgoing Jackson State University President Ronald Mason Jr. said at a Tuesday press luncheon that he did not expect his university to deviate from progress and growth in his absence.

The Tangled Web of Hate

The Southern Poverty Law Center counts the Council of Conservative Citizens as a "Neo-Confederate" hate group, which, like the more radical League of the South, fights for the rights of …

Not Enjoying Democracy

Today, the country that was founded on "no taxation without representation" contains a capital whose residents have no representation, but plenty of taxes.

The ‘Lord's Work'

In a silent but massive social shift, the Mississippi House voted unanimously to allow Medicaid to pay for home care for eligible Medicaid beneficiaries.

Protesters Rally Support at A-1 Pallets

Between 10 a.m. and noon on Friday, drivers on Mill Street honked their horns, encouraging eight protesters who walked up and down the length of A-1 Pallets with signs that …

Council To Vote on Bigger JPS Board

The City Council is set to vote tomorrow on an expansion of the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees from five to seven members. Proponents of the move argue that …

BP Funded Microbe Study

Last week, major news outlets ran with headlines about how scientist have found a new microbe eating up BP's oil and how microbes have degraded the hydrocarbons so efficiently that …

Birdland Reopening, Economy Still Lagging

Farish Street nightclub Birdland is open again after spending eight months closed under a court order. The club renewed its privilege license and dancehall permit Friday and was open last …