All results / Stories / Arielle Dreher
Education
Special Ed Groups on the Fence about Initiative 42
Initiative 42, the citizen-supported ballot measure to fully fund Mississippi's public-school system, boasts of having a broad coalition of support. However, a vocal and influential bloc aren't fully convinced that …
LGBT
Pride and Prejudice: A Life-Long Battle from Civil Rights to LGBT Rights
It was 1962 in Jackson, and Dee Smathers lived in an apartment on State Street with her first college roommate turned lover. Dee's family was living out of the state, …
City & County
Synarus Green: I’m ‘Ready to Serve’ District 72
Synarus Green is no stranger to politics. He has worked government jobs in Jackson, Hattiesburg and Washington, D.C., and has decided to run for the now-vacant District 72 seat in …
Cover
MAEP: The Formula and How Politics Got in the Way
The state Legislature established the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, or MAEP, in 1997 to avoid equity lawsuits being filed across the country.
JFP Interviews
Buchanon-Williams: 'Plan, Prioritize and Execute'
A woman of many trades A. Shae Buchanon-William is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, mother and business owner. Buchanon-Williams works with communities in Jackson and around the state through her …
Education
Cristen Hemmins: Education, Equal Pay and Taking On Tollison
Jackson native Cristen Hemmins decided to run for the District 9 Senate seat (which includes Oxford and most of Lafayette County) when her opponent, Gray Tollison, introduced Initiative 42A to …
Politics
Confederate Flag Divides Mississippi Politicians
In the wake of the Charleston massacre, the nation is questioning South Carolina's Confederate flag, and in turn, looking to Mississippi's state flag that features the symbol.
Politics
The Curious Case of What the #MSLeg Passed, What It Didn’t
With their right to spend their campaign donations on mortgages, automobiles, clothing, tuition payments or non-documented loans still firmly in place, state lawmakers closed up shop early and skipped town …
Cover
November Election: Party Lines Drawn Early
Education funding, job creation and fighting corruption are at the top of many Mississippi statewide candidates' lists heading into the November election.
Politics
The Problems with a Supermajority
The 2016 session marked a turning point in the political landscape of the state. After a contested election resulted in the removal of former Rep. Bo Eaton, a Democrat from …
Crime
'Anti-Gang' Bills: One Alive As Experts Warn About Downside
Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, did not want to debate the "anti-gang" bill for long this morning, and after about half an hour, he tabled House Bill 541, noting that the …
City & County
Silent Protesters Will Greet Trump at Opening of Mississippi Museums
The Mississippi chapter of the NAACP and a Hinds County Democratic committee are calling for Trump's surprise plans to visit to Jackson this weekend to be cancelled.
Cover
The Demise of Initiative 42
As soon as the Mississippi Legislature proposed an alternative measure to Initiative 42, a citizens' initiative to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, its advocates cried foul, saying the …
Politics
UPDATED: State Rep. Karl Oliver Calls for Lynching Over Statues, Later Apologizes
Rep. Karl Oliver posted on Facebook that those taking down Confederate statues "should be LYNCHED!" He later apologized, but many are calling for his resignation.
Crime
'Anti-Gang' Bill Heads to Full House to Expand Policing Powers
Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, called the "Mississippi Anti-Gang Act" one of the most significant pieces of legislation the Legislature could pass in 2018. The bill would make "criminal gang activity" …
City & County
The ‘Radical’ Mayor, 120 Days Later
Hundreds of Jacksonians sat in mostly silence as Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba delivered his "State of the City" address on a late Monday afternoon in Thalia Maria Hall in downtown …
Cover
Under Pressure: Dan Jones on Health, History and Ole Miss Race Battles
Coaches at Warren Central High School told Dan Jones he couldn't play football past ninth grade—he was too small and slow, but he was welcome to be a trainer instead. …
Civil Rights
Remembering Emmett Till: A Boy Who Changed America
Scholars say understanding Emmett Till's death in historical context is important. While Emmett Till's death might have helped spark a reaction from Rosa Parks a few weeks later, the Civil …
Cover
‘Everybody Matters, Or Nobody Matters’: The JFP Interview with Public Safety Commissioner Marshall Fisher
Department of Public Safety Commissioner Marshall Fisher shared his opinions and ideas about how law enforcement fits into society and government as a whole with the Jackson Free Press recently.
Cover
Engineering Victory: Joce Pritchett Wants to be State Auditor
Mississippi pride runs deep for Jocelyn Pepper Pritchett, who goes by Joce (JO-see). The only time she has lived out of state was when she was away at graduate school, …
