Jackson Free Press

Sen. Roger Wicker

Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker will serve as presiding office of the U.S. Senate during the first day of the 114th Congress, which convenes Tuesday.

Bryan Stevenson

The founding attorney for the Montgomery, Ala.-based Equal Justice Initiative, Bryan Stevenson works in a broken system of justice. The indigent clients EJI represents deal with issues such as mental …

Court: Pardon Does Not Mean Clean Criminal Record

A pardon by the governor is not grounds to wipe clean a criminal record, the Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled.

Ward 1: Side-by-Side

Given the mountain of challenges staring at the Jackson City Council, it's hard to imagine two candidates whose resumes make them better equipped to get their hands dirty than Ashby …

Making Mississippi 420 Friendly

The potential of cannabis as an appetite stimulant is among the key arguments from proponents of rolling back legal restrictions for marijuana for its medicinal purposes.

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The Ward 1 Money Race

The race for the Ward 1 seat on Jackson City Council is nearing its end. Voters will go to the polls tomorrow, Dec. 2, to pick new representation. After that, …

Two Hinds County Judge Runoffs Today

Today, some Hinds County voters are returning to the polls for two runoffs for two county judge seats.

MAEP’s Moral Center: Mississippi’s Education Enigma

The quality of education in Mississippi is falling behind the rest of the nation with only 61 percent of students graduating from high school on time and two-thirds of kindergarteners …

The Perils of Deregulating MDOC

Not long after Chris Epps took over as the commissioner of the state prison system, the Mississippi Legislature passed a bill that removed the Mississippi Department of Corrections from the …

Mr. Barbour, Stop Insulting Black People

A few days ago I popped on the Jackson Free Press website to see what's going on in the city and noticed the interview with Ward 1 County Supervisor candidate …

Fighting Corruption Requires More, Not Less Oversight

A movement has been afoot for sometime to roll back government regulations and oversight at every level, the argument being that any amount of government mucks up the words for …

Hickingbottom Joins Ward 1 Race

The field is set for the special election to replace Quentin Whitwell as Jackson Ward 1 Councilman. The last man—all six candidates are men—in is Bob Hickingbottom.

Of Charles Barbour, TEDx Jackson and Decent Role Models

Simple facts about what built today's inequality are not discussed by people like Charles Barbour. They still use the same old-school scare tactics that should offend white voters because they …

Analysis: 2015 Republican Primary May Grow Again

The recent Republican U.S. Senate race won by Thad Cochran may be a sign that Republican dominance in general elections will finally translate into GOP primaries that are larger statewide …

10 Local Stories of the Week

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.

Democrat Baria Wants Legislative MDOC Hearings

A Democratic lawmaker wants the Legislature to look deeper into the allegations of corruption that have ensnared longtime Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps.

Ex-Gov.: 'Tar Babies' Quip Not Meant to Offend

Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour acknowledges he used the term "tar babies" to describe President Barack Obama's policies, but says "neither the context nor the connotation was intended to offend."

‘This Is All A Big Game’

What a gathering it was two years ago when Terry McAuliffe got together with his buddies Bill Clinton and Haley Barbour in Horn Lake to celebrate the plant opening of …

Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Literary'

If anyone is aware of the multiple, offensive meanings of the term tar-baby, it's the former governor and Yazoo City native with a history of landing in hot water over …

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 …