Jackson Free Press

Rethinking "Tough on Crime"

Gov. Haley Barbour left a lot of people reeling with his recent round of pardons and clemencies. Among the list are vicious, premeditated murderers. It wasn't the first time he's …

Fire in Carson's Belly

Dorsey Carson, 40, has lived in northeast Jackson most of his life. He calls himself one of the "floodplain kids," youngsters who lived there during the Easter Flood of 1979. …

Lawmakers Laser in on Finances

Legislatively speaking, it was a bad week for Mississippi conservatives and the state's top Republican leadership, all of whom were ardent supporters of measures to toughen state immigration laws, limit …

[Editor's Note] Rethinking "Tough on Crime"

Gov. Haley Barbour left a lot of people reeling with his recent round of pardons and clemencies. Among the list are vicious, premeditated murderers. It wasn't the first time he's …

Raising An Army

This past Monday night, I sat in an auditorium at Millsaps College packed with students—mostly female, but many males as well—and watched the documentary "Half the Sky."

Clinic Remains Open

State attorneys for the abortion-clinic law say the governor and lieutenant governor's statements about its intent shouldn't matter because they did not author the controversial bill. The judge may not …

Love and Control

As the classical orchestral music builds into a crescendo, four dancers stagger around the stage in stifled movements. They slowly climb into a human edifice—one man on another's shoulders and …

The Contraception Wars

Most of you have surely heard by now that former presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is blaming his resounding loss on "gifts" that President Obama offered young voters, African Americans and …

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EDITOR'S NOTE: The Joy and Pain of Being A Mississippian

"Anyone with half a brain should see that confronting and defeating the insane misogyny here is a huge step toward lifting Mississippi to higher and more successful ground for all …

Oh, The Places I May Go

It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat from south Jackson or a Republican from Rankin County. We can all agree that the city needs help.

New Mississippi Abortion Ban Empty, Unscientific?

A female Mississippi senator is questioning a 20-week abortion ban that awaits signature from Gov. Phil Bryant, saying the bill is not grounded in medical fact.

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An Open Letter to Our Teachers

I don't doubt for a second that there are bad teachers who just show up to collect a paycheck, but I can't recall ever having a teacher who I didn't …

My Advice for Mississippi Politicians

Being inspired is pretty much the same whether you're trying to decide who to elect or to stay excited about your career.

Don’t Act Normal

I'd rather be "not normal" than stick with the status quo. I'd rather judge people based on the quality of their character, not by the way they look.

Mississippi: Clawing to the Top

As we've all been riding high in recent weeks over the Mississippi State football team's meteoric rise on the media radar, we've all seen those tweets. You know, the anti-Mississippi …

Dem Candidates A Minority at ‘Republican Woodstock'

Even though Democratic candidates are the minority at the Neshoba County Fair, many see the Republican-heavy grounds as a vital campaign stop to rub elbows with party supporters, media and …

Fire and Brimstone

For a minute, we toyed with having debates back at Neshoba Central High School in the 1970s.

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Mississippi AG Candidate Vows to Defend Six-Week Abortion Ban

State Rep. Mark Baker, a Republican candidate for Mississippi attorney general, is pledging to take the state's recently passed abortion ban all the way to the Supreme Court.

Southern ‘Defiance’: The Fight for Roe Rages in Mississippi

Earlier this month, Sen. Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, who sponsored an anti-abortion bill in Mississippi this year, told the Jackson Free Press that those laws are indeed intended to trigger a …

The Rough Road to Reproductive Health Care

Regardless of the state's appeal of the JWHO case, the fight for reproductive health in Mississippi will continue in the Mississippi Legislature.