Jackson Free Press

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 …

Boston Bombing Suspect Unable to Speak

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remains hospitalized and unable to speak Monday with a gunshot wound to the throat.

It's the Weekend!

Tonight, enjoy craft beer samples and music during Zoo Brew from 6-9 p.m. at the Jackson Zoo.

Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion Injures Dozens

WEST, Texas (AP) — A massive explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco on Wednesday night injured dozens of people and sent flames shooting into the night sky, leaving the …

‘42’: Swinging a Heavy Bat

"42" hit a home run at the box office this past weekend, doing better in its opening debut than "Moneyball."

‘It’s Not About Me’: The JFP Interview with Mayoral Hopeful Frank Bluntson

Jackson City Councilman Frank Bluntson, 77, is not exactly a newcomer to local politics: He has served almost eight years on the Jackson City Council, and several as council president.

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Headed West: Det. Eric T. Smith

Det. Eric T. Smith had an "old soul," as folks used to call it. He was quiet; reserved, yet outgoing; and tactful, yet honest. People looked to him as a …

Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Bass'

In southern culture, telling someone to take the bass out of their voice is a way to admonish an individual for being unjustifiably aggressive, insubordinate or otherwise disrespectful.

New University Place Plans Raise Eyebrows

One of Gov. Phil Bryant's first actions in office was to sell one of two state-owned jets to trim a few million dollars from the state's bottom line.

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The JFP Urban Development Manifesto

Both the day-to-day occurrences and the dramatic events not only shape our individual lives, but remind us that we're all together in the tempest that is our all-too-brief time here …

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Obama: Boston Culprits to Feel 'Weight of Justice'

A stony-faced President Barack Obama declared that those responsible for the explosions at the Boston Marathon "will feel the full weight of justice," but he urged a nervous nation not …

Bipartisan Bill Would Remake Immigration System

The U.S. immigration system would undergo dramatic changes under a bipartisan Senate bill that puts a new focus on prospective immigrants' merit and employment potential.

Role Reversal: GOP Blasts Obama Plan to Sell TVA

In a political role reversal, Republicans are blasting President Barack Obama's plan to consider selling the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Mississippi From Shutting Down Only Abortion Clinic

A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked Mississippi from revoking the license of the state's only abortion clinic.

JPD: Cop, Suspect Fought 3-4 Minutes

The struggle between Jackson Police Det. Eric Smith and a murder suspect lasted three to four minutes, JPD officials said this morning.

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Community Events and Public Meetings

The Mississippi Archery State Championship is April 16-17 at the Kirk Fordice Equine Center.

Works Had Once Adorned Governor's Mansion

The whirr of a band saw and the whiff of sawdust signal action at Fletcher Cox's studio, where the master wood craftsman is at work, for once, reviving rather than …

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?

Analysis: Fetal Homicide Laws Not Consistent in U.S.

The National Conference of State Legislatures lists Mississippi as one of 38 states with a fetal homicide law.

AP Source: Immigration Bill Could Exclude Many

A bipartisan immigration bill soon to be introduced in the Senate could exclude hundreds of thousands of immigrants here illegally from ever becoming U.S. citizens, according to a Senate aide …