Jackson Free Press

Coast Guard Issues High-Water Advisory for Lower Mississippi

The Coast Guard on Thursday issued a high-water safety advisory for a section of the lower Mississippi River and is asking the general public to stay off the fast-moving, rising …

Supreme Court Rules for Missouri Church in Playground Case

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that churches have the same right as other charitable groups to seek state money for new playground surfaces and other non-religious needs.

Sentencing for 3 in Racial Beatings that Killed Man

U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves is scheduled to sentence Deryl Paul Dedmon, John Aaron Rice and Dylan Wade Butler on Tuesday.

Hinds: Jackson Should Pay More for Inmates

People arrested in the city of Jackson, the largest municipality in Hinds County, also make up the majority of people incarcerated at the county-run Raymond Detention Center. That has long …

• 2 comments

4 More Hate Crime Indictments Handed Down for James Anderson Killing

Federal prosecutors announced today that a federal grand jury has indicted the following people for allegedly participating in the a conspiracy to commit federal hate crimes against African-Americans in Jackson:

Kemper Coal Plant Legal Battles Over

Six years of legal wrangling over the Kemper County coal-fired power plant, now under construction in eastern Mississippi, drew to an end today with the announcement of a settlement between …

3 Sentenced to Prison in James Craig Anderson Murder

Three people were sentenced to federal prison Tuesday, following a hate crimes investigation stemming from the death of a black man who was beaten and run over by a truck …

Federal Marriage Equality Suit Filed in Jackson

Jocelyn Pritchett and Carla Webb of Jackson are plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit challenging Mississippi's state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Danks, Danks Everywhere

The Jackson City Council voted last week to allow Mayor Frank Melton to hire attorney Dale Danks, who will help the city's shorthanded legal department clear its caseload. The council …

[City Buzz] no. 13 January 31 - February 7

The Mississippi AFL-CIO held a press conference on Monday, demanding the Senate pass two worker-friendly bills sent to them from the House.

Carless in Jackson

The rising price of gas may seem like a ubiquitous problem, but it holds little value for many Jacksonians. While some people spend hours a day complaining about the $2-a-gallon …

10 Local Stories This Week

Things seemed to return to normal after Hurricane Isaac and the three-day Labor Day weekend slowed down the capital city last week.

Prayer and Waiting in Texas Town Rocked by Blast

The First Baptist Church in the tiny Texas town where a fertilizer plant exploded is still off-limits, so the Rev. John Crowder put folding chairs in a hay pasture and …

Former Mississippi Gov. Bill Allain Dies at 85

Former Mississippi Gov. Bill Allain, a Democrat who appointed significant numbers of women and minorities to government jobs and strengthened the executive branch by removing legislators from state boards, died …

• 1 comment

Court: Can Human Genes be Patented?

DNA may be the building block of life, but can something taken from it also be the building block of a multimillion-dollar medical monopoly?

[Music] The Upcoming Weeks

"Cups in Fondren … 3:30 … look for the long-haired twins." These were my instructions from Chaz Lindsay, guitarist and singer for The Weeks. Formed on March 3, The Weeks …

Busting Chris McDaniel’s Confederate Myths

Mississippi State Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, spent the early months of his 2014 Republican primary bid for U.S. Senate downplaying his ties to neo-Confederate groups.

Ripley's Believe It or Not! At Science Museum, CAPE Art Residencies and Families First Resource Center

The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science launched a new exhibit called "The Science of Ripley's Believe It or Not!" on Saturday, May 19.

Confederate Monuments Removed Overnight in Baltimore

Confederate monuments in Baltimore were quietly removed and hauled away on trucks in darkness early Wednesday, days after a violent white nationalist rally in Virginia that was sparked by plans …

Secret Execution Team, Firing Squads, Restricted Media Included in House Bill

Death by firing squad could become an option for administering the death penalty if Senate Bill 2237, which passed by the Mississippi House of Representatives on Friday and held on …