Jackson Free Press

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tate Reeves Needs to Stop Making Excuses, Start Leading

"Gov. Tate Reeves is spinning. He is grasping at any straw he thinks can divert attention away from his abysmal leadership during the COVID-19 crisis in Mississippi."

Mayor Floats Guaranteed Income as Leaders Gather to Find Crime Solutions

A guaranteed income, a youth center, a focus on mental health and better engagement with federal help are some of the ideas that emerged from a recent special Jackson City …

U.S. Kids Born in Polluted Areas More Likely to Have Autism

Women who live in areas with polluted air are up to twice as likely to have an autistic child than those living in communities with cleaner air, according to a …

Medicaid Expansion 'On the Table,' Says Incoming Lt. Gov. Hosemann

The Mississippi Senate could still expand Medicaid access to as many as 300,000 residents who currently have no health-care access, Delbert Hosemann, the State's incoming lieutenant governor, told members of …

OPINION: Jackson Policing Betrays Poor and Working-class Black People

Before rushing to volunteer to be Jackson's political classes' attack dog against racist insult, we should be mindful of Zora Neale Hurston's oft reminder: "all my skin folks ain't my …

Tort Reform, Sexual Assault Prevention and Fantasy Sports Bills Move Forward

"Tort reform" rose from the past at the state Capitol last week as lawyers in the House of Representatives battled it out over a short, seemingly inconsequential bill, House Bill …

With Gov. Bryant’s Support, Judge Strikes Pre-Existing Condition Protections

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant backs a lawsuit that Republicans designed to kill the Affordable Care Act and its pre-existing conditions protections. A federal judge just ruled the law unconstitutional in …

JFP, Other Alts Stand with Phoenix New Times

The Jackson Free Press is proud to stand up today, alongside our sister papers in the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies against the efforts of elected officials in Phoenix, Ariz., to …

‘Mad and Scared’: The Religious Shift in U.S., Mississippi Politics

Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says no one has seen a presidential election like this one in his lifetime, at least. Speaking at the Mississippi Economic Council's Hob Nob event …

Due to Murder Spike, Lumumba Pledges More Surveillance, Prevention Efforts

Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba navigated between his "radical" criminal-justice reform stances and his decisions to increase policing surveillance in his press conference Monday, Jan. 14.

Young Perps: The Costs of Sensationalizing Youth Crime

Jackson Police Department spokesman Sgt. Roderick Holmes Holmes told the Jackson Free Press that the police department's protocol for sending out mugshots to media depends on several factors, including public …

'Take This Country Back': State Legislators Want Constitutional Convention

On Feb. 21, 2019, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Allen West asked state legislators to do something Americans have not done since the time when muskets and bayonets were commonplace—call …

Democrats: The Mayor or the Businessman?

Bill Luckett and Johnny DuPree, Democratic candidates for governor in Mississippi, resembled long-time acquaintances more than they did political opponents during a debate at the University of Mississippi July 6.

Snow

The last significant snowfall I recall was New Year's Day, 2001. I remember it well because I was at church on New Year's Eve when the snow started, and it …

Past Never Dead: UM Academic Freedom In Limbo?

"You better watch your back. I'm coming for you," a voice growled through the receiver. The caller then hung up, leaving Dr. James Thomas alone in his University of Mississippi …

Republican Candidates 'Looking at' Medicaid Expansion, Other States

At least two Republican candidates for statewide office in Mississippi are voicing support for Medicaid expansion—a policy state GOP leadership has long resisted.

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.

Mississippi Mourns Two Journalists

In recent days, two outstanding Mississippi women journalists have died.

Mildred Dearborn was the long-time editor of The Carthaginian until two years ago, when she suffered a stroke. Dearborn died on Feb. 11.

MoveOn.Org Irritates the Right

Michelle Goldberg writes in Salon: "Bill O'Reilly wants its nonprofit status revoked. Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie sees it as part of the 'Democrat plan to subvert campaign finance …

C-L Editorial: City elections

The Ledge says: