Jackson Free Press

Death Row’s Manning Gets DNA Hearing

Willie Jerome Manning, who came within hours of being executed in May, could finally get an opportunity to have DNA testing on key pieces of evidence from his murder trial.

Ben Allen: Downtown Faces Setbacks, Hope

Briefing a small community gathering about downtown Jackson, including the Capitol Street two-way project, Ben Allen talked about regret.

Jackson Back on Track With HUD Funds?

The city of Jackson has been in trouble with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for some time.

Ron Chane and Brad Franklin on Rap and Reconciliation

It all started with an apology. Ron Chane, organizer of Fondren's First Thursday, apologized for a music act that preformed on Sept. 3 that wasn't exactly family friendly. In Chane's …

DA Dropping Charges Against Willie Jerome Manning in One Set of Murders

Prosecutors will dismiss capital murder charges against Willie Jerome Manning, 46, for the deaths of two Starkville women in 1993 as Manning continues fighting his conviction in a separate case.

Commish OKs $13 Million First-Year Sales Tax Plan

The commission in charge of Jackson's special sales tax plan approved spending approximately $13 million.

ACLU: Charges for Senatobia Graduation Cheering Infringes on Free Speech Rights

The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi says that charging people for cheering at a graduation is violation of freedom of speech protections.

West Jackson Project Could Sacrifice Koinonia House

A $17 million development being planned along the Robert Smith Parkway in west Jackson would bring a mix of new apartments and retail spaces, but would come at the cost …

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The Wrong Roads

Contrary to the popular belief held in some corners of Mississippi, kids who say a prayer before class won't become the targets of Obama administration drone attacks.

A Curfew-to-Prison Pipeline?

High-school student Donovan Barner calls a proposed curfew ordinance "blasphemous" because enforcing the law requires police officers to assume all teenagers are criminals.

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The Blueprint

The capital city wants legislative funding to pay for emergency services the city provides to state buildings and agencies, to move to elected school-board members and the ability to appoint …

Domestic Violence: From #WhyIStayed to #HowILeft

After the video surfaced of Ray Rice's assault of his now-wife, Janay, and people on the Internet started asking questions that sounded an awful lot like victim-blaming, an author named …

Oswalt: Hinds Jail ‘Correctable and Fixable’

Charlette Oswalt recently met with the Jackson Free Press about why she should be Hinds County's first woman sheriff.

MDOC Scandal Highlights Privatization Problems

With the nation's largest private prison operators earning more than $3 billion in revenue, private-prison and government watchdogs say the opportunity for the brand of corruption alleged against Epps and …

Calhoun Wants Action at Juvenile Center

A Hinds County supervisor wants know what's being done to fix problems at the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center.

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Another Mississippi Soldier Dies in Mideast

Over the weekend, Pfc. Patricia L. Horne became the second soldier with Mississippi ties to die in Afghanistan in the past week.

Dead Man's Family Wants Fairness

On July 22, Johnny Lee Butts went out for his usual morning stroll near his home east of Como in rural Panola County. But this time Butts, 61, did not …

Miss. House Approves $840M Medicaid Bill

Mississippi House Democrats didn't get the Medicaid expansion they wanted, but they are declaring victory of a sort.

After Short Debate, Senate OKs Medicaid Bills

In the end they lost, but legislative Democrats finally got the debate they've been asking for on Medicaid expansion in Mississippi.

Tamarra Grace Butler

The person who replaces state Sen. Alice Harden, who died earlier this month, will have some big shoes to fill to continue Harden's legacy of fighting for public education.