Jackson Free Press

Most Viral, Impactful Stories in the First 15 Years of the Jackson Free Press

The JFP has gotten hundreds of thousands of page views for our top-viewed stories since we started tracking a decade or so ago. Here are our biggest stories ever, and …

Mississippi's Creative Economy

The Mississippi Development Authority and the Mississippi Arts Commission host a summit on Mississippi's Creative Economy Aug. 10 at the Jackson Convention Center.

Epps Resigns as Miss. Corrections Commissioner

The Department of Corrections said state Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps has resigned without giving a reason.

$500 Million Just Ain't Enough

The New York Times reported on Friday about the wave of lawsuits in Mississippi and Louisiana over contracts for debris removal. In her piece, "After Hurricanes Comes Tempest Over Cleanup," …

Personhood Heads to the Capitol

Just over a week into the legislative session, we're already seeing some movement on "personhood" bills, to define when human life and legal protections begin, similar to Initiative 26, which …

Barbour Trying to Bring Back 1920s

Excellent column by Ole Miss professor Joe Atkins:

Capitol Report

On Monday, Feb 28, a conference was held in Room 103 between the Senate and the House, where Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, accused the Senate of holding some of their …

STEPS: Barbour's Good Idea?

A new Mississippi program that will use federal welfare funds to help hire new employees has many policy analysts excited. The Subsidized Transitional Employment Program and Services, or STEPS Program, …

Searching for Dems at the Fair

As Democratic governor hopeful Johnny DuPree took the stump at the Neshoba County Fair, he looked at a majority-white crowd waving signs supporting Phil Bryant and Gov. Haley Barbour.

Politics Clash in Initiatives Battle

The Mississippi Supreme Court is setting itself up for a consistency clash if it votes in favor of a ballot initiative giving rights to microscopic human eggs.

Barbour Signs $25 Million Incentive Bill

Gov. Haley Barbour signed HB 1628 yesterday, which provides Alliant Techsystems Inc. with a $25 million incentive to expand its aerospace manufacturing plant in Iuka, Miss., according to the KTTC …

McCain, Palin Coming to Jackson Sunday for Gustav Face Time

The Associated Press is reporting that the McCain-Palin campaign is coming down to Gustav territory:

State Workers Forced to Furlough?

Mississippi Sen. Alice Harden, D-Jackson, said she will submit a bill this legislative session forcing all state employees not directly connected to essential services, like hospital care, to accept a …

OPINION: Mississippi: A Microcosm of the U.S.

Way back in 1964, the year of "Freedom Summer" and the disappearance and death of three civil rights workers in Neshoba County, the "singing journalist" Phil Ochs offered this elegy: …

Medicaid on Hold?

Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, said he wants the Mississippi Senate to belly up and help the House fund Medicaid.

First Week Light on Substance

On a mild but drizzly afternoon that forced planned inauguration ceremonies indoors, Phil Bryant took the reins of Mississippi government.

Now Comes the Hard Part, Again

Mississippi's lawmakers may have approved $20 million in bonds for a state civil-rights museum last week, but the project still has major hurdles to clear before becoming a reality. Chief …

BREAKING: AG Hood Announces Pardon Findings, Serves Notice

Barbour Watch Archive

Also see: JFP investigation of Barbour's 2008 Pardons of Domestic Killers

Transparency and Head Trips

State agencies will have to put their spending and contracts on a website for public scrutiny if the Mississippi House of Representatives and Senate work out their differences with a …

House Dems Cave, Then Flee

House Democrats caved in to pressure the first day of the special session, passing a bill to temporarily reauthorize the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.