Jackson Free Press

[Balko] Killed on a Technicality

In 1994 Eddie Lee Howard was convicted of raping and murdering 84-year-old Georgia Kemp. Firefighters found Kemp dead in her Columbus, Miss., home after a neighbor noticed smoke coming from …

Left Behind: Public Defenders Underpaid, Have Little Oversight

When Michele Purvis Harris was city attorney of Jackson, she heard troubling remarks from the people her office was supposed to prosecute. "I don't want the public defender, I want …

Bryant: GOP Would've 'Hollered' If Obama Pushed Criminal Reform

"You're the only president that can do this," Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant says he privately told President Trump last year, as he urged the fellow Republican to support criminal-justice reform.

Where The Devil Comes In: Income Tax On Trial At The Mississippi Legislature

Sen. John Polk, R-Hattiesburg, who represents a certified retirement city, is concerned that eliminating the state income tax and raising the sales tax would harm the older residents of his …

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' 2003 Victory over Gary Anderson 'All About Race,' Critics Say

In his successful 2003 bid for state treasurer, critics accused current-Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves of running ads designed to remind voters that his Democratic opponent, Gary Anderson was black. …

The District Attorney's Mistrial: What Just Happened? A Day-by-Day Primer

The Mississippi attorney general's prosecution of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith for conspiracy to hinder prosecution in order to aid or assist a defendant ended in a mistrial …

Never Back Down: Mississippi Escalates War on Gangs

Mississippi law enforcement may soon be able to decide young people are a gang even if they're not part of a larger criminal enterprise with a hierarchy and criminal connections …

Unbelievable: Press Can't Interview Palin Supporters

Press kept under a watchful eye

The St. Petersburg Times in Florida reports:

Sex Shop Shenanigans

When Mayor Frank Melton and two detectives raided an adult novelty store last Thursday, the incident raised a few questions. Disparate reports by local media WLBT-TV and The Clarion-Ledger offered …

Jim Hood, Tate Reeves: Real Issues on Center Stage in Governor’s Race

Tate Reeves pushed typical conservative buttons on his way to primary victory. Tammy Pearson said he spent too much time "relying on his name-dropping of Trump," adding, "This is a …

How Integration Failed in Jackson’s Public Schools from 1969 to 2017

Jackson's public schools, like the majority in the state, remained solidly separate and unequal in the 1950s and 1960s despite the ruling in the Brown v. Topeka Board of Education …

Expanded Vouchers Not OK with Either Lt. Gov. Candidate, Short Debate Reveals

The Republican and Democratic candidates for Mississippi lieutenant governor found more to agree than disagree on in Thursday night's 30-minute debate, with similar positions on teacher pay, private-school vouchers and …

Mayoral Campaigns, PACs Spending Big on Ads, Some Secretly

With two young candidates who are relatively unknown to big parts of Jackson, the airwaves were expected to be a major battleground in the capital city's mayor's race.

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American Jobs Act: Why Obama is Right and Wicker Is Wrong

Make no mistake: The American Jobs Act introduced by President Obama last night in a fiery speech last night in Congress is one thing -- stimulus. It's exactly what we …

Letters Show Hood Warned State About Mental Health Crisis for Years

Hours after a federal judge ruled that the State of Mississippi's mental-health system violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood told reporters that he "knew this …

From Opioids to Heroin Addiction, Addressing the Epidemic in Mississippi

Heroin was involved in 24.0 percent (35 cases) of all opioid-related overdose death in 2015, data from the Mississippi Department of Health show. John Dowdy, director of the Mississippi Bureau …

Much Ado About Flooding: How 'One Lake' Could Change the Pearl River

People like to settle near rivers due to their need for water, good soil and potential food sources a river can provide, not to mention recreation. Still, it is important …

Video Captures Hyde-Smith Equating Debate to a $200,000 Donation to McDaniel

In a secretly videoed conversation, U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., said her reluctance to join her opponents for a debate is due to her fear that it would give one …

Hyde-Smith in New Video: Make Voting ‘More Difficult’ for People in ‘Those Schools’

In a newly surfaced video, U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith suggests making it “more difficult” for people in certain schools to vote.

"Don't tase me, bro!"

That's what Andrew Meyer yelled out while police officers restrained him at a John Kerry campus forum. The reason: asking too many questions.