Jackson Free Press

Every Single Life Matters

We're living through one of those difficult times in Jackson when fear and distrust of "the other" reach a fevered pitch due to a high-profile crime.

Creating Better People

It's hard to watch a grown man cry. It's even harder to see a distinguished judge break down in front of an audience decades after a white teacher lied about …

‘A Violent Takedown’ in Stonewall

One week after the death of Jonathan Sanders, a black man killed after a white police officer stopped him in the east Mississippi town of Stonewall, a clearer picture of …

UPDATED: Absentee Voting Lawsuit Unfolding on Day of Mississippi Run-off Election

Three individuals and the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP brought a civil-rights suit against the State for absentee-ballot issues ahead of the U.S. Senate run-off election between Cindy Hyde-Smith …

Corps Plan Inadequate?

Levee Board member and Jackson developer Leland Speed made clear his belief at Monday's levee board meeting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has duped Rankin County mayors into prematurely …

Farish Street Blues: Rebuilding A ‘Music Town," by Scott Barretta

I wouldn't have a gal on Farish Street, I wouldn't speak to one that lived on Mill

— Doodleville Blues, by John Henry "Bubba" Brown & Cary Lee Simmons

Voting Rights: Was Chief Justice Roberts Wrong About Voting in Mississippi?

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said implementation of a controversial voter-identification law, which he has championed, began immediately after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating a key section of …

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Free the Scott Sisters

Gov. Haley Barbour should pardon Jamie and Gladys Scott—and not because we believe beyond a shadow of doubt that they are innocent. He should pardon them because they have done …

Bills, Bills, Bills: Jackson Residents Confused by New Water Systems

Judging by the number of paint-stained overalls and tired faces in the Smith Robertson Museum auditorium, many people who attended Mayor Tony Yarber's recent town-hall meeting came directly from work …

Best of Jackson 2015: Music & Nightlife

From a University of Southern Mississippi basketball star to a master of blues guitar, Jarekus Singleton always seems to end up center stage.

Violent Summer: When Klansmen and Tyranny Stalked Mississippi: ‘I’ll Shoot You In Two”

There were no Klan robes in sight the night the violent Wolf Pack was born in southwest Mississippi.

Readers, Advertisers and Community

The Jackson Free Press, as with any for-profit publication, is designed to appeal to two constituencies: the reader and the advertiser. In these pages, the reader will find examples of …

Get Serious About Flooding

The area got good news last week when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced it is recommending that FEMA certify existing Pearl River levees as capable of withstanding most …

Blowing the Roof Off

Baby Jan Smith and Chalmers Davis joined forces in the spring after meeting and working with each other in the choir loft at Wells United Methodist Church. The two hit …

Benefits of Inmate Labor

When I met Haley Barbour he was running for governor for the first time in 2003. It was at the Black Hawk political rally here in Carroll County. I have …

Invitational Delights

Franklin Sirmans, the curator of contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, was out of his element a few months ago in the woods outside Oxford. He …

What I Like About the South

What do we like about the South? There's the food, for one thing—hams cured with southern sugar served up with black-eyed peas and cornbread. Sweet tea that goes with long …

The Toast of the Town

It's the moment we've seen in virtually every wedding movie ever made. Someone, usually the lead character, raises a glass, the reception hall goes silent, and we know one of …

Record Flooding on the Way

Gov. Haley Barbour warned the state yesterday that the typically languid waters of the Mississippi River could crest the middle of next month at 53.5 feet in Vicksburg, 10.5 feet …

Gov. Calls Special Session, Commemorates Katrina

Gov. Haley Barbour is calling a special session of the legislature Friday to approve one or two large economic development projects.