Jackson Free Press

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 …

Nowhere to Go: LGBT Youth on the Move, Without a Home

A 2015 Williams Institute survey of homeless-youth service providers found that the most widely selected reason for homelessness among LGBT youth (as reported to service providers) was "forced out of …

Why Few Mississippi Mothers Nurse Their Babies

As she stared through the nursery window at her four-day-old twins, 22-year-old Francesca Maxwell ticked off her reasons for wanting to breast-feed: Her obstetrician advised it. Her mother thought it …

Left to Fend: The State’s Mental Health Failure

In 2013, MSH decided, with help from the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, to close their community-based services and prioritize their acute inpatient care at Whitfield.

Tale of Two Charter Schools in Mississippi

Charter schools weren't legal in Mississippi until 2013, when the Legislature passed the Mississippi Charter School Law, allowing nonprofit charter schools to enter the state for the first time.

Shoot to Kill—Store Clerk Shoots Robber

So WAPT is reporting that a store clerk shot a man who had attempted to rob his store for a case of beer. This guy is facing murder charges since …

Hughes Demotes Chandler After Video Investigation

Jackson Fire Chief Vernon Hughes announced he was demoting Assistant Chief Todd Chandler to captain status at a press conference today. Hughes re-assigned Chandler to the division of air supply, …

A Dark Touch

Mathew Puckett's workspace on the second floor of One to One Studio is full of oil paintings of variations on his image.

Community Events and Public Meetings

The Jobs for Jacksonians Job Fair and Business Engagement Summit is Sept. 26 at the Jackson Medical Mall from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Promised Land: Are Mississippi's Anti-Immigrant Efforts Bad for Business?

'Reasonable suspicion usually goes to a crime, something you can measure. Reasonable suspicion that you are unlawfully present is not something you can observe.'

The Emerging Mississippi: Are New Voters Changing State Politics?

Photos by Kenya Hudson

When presidential hopeful Barack Obama entered the Rose Embley McCoy building at Jackson State University on March 10, he flowed easily into the hungry arms of the crowd. At least …

The Reality Of Tort Reform

Photos by Darren Schwindaman and Roy Adkins

On Aug. 31, 1999, 73-year-old McComb obstetrician Edsel Stewart signed a pack of Prudential Life Insurance papers that he believed gave him a million dollars worth of life insurance for …

Community Events and Public Meetings

The Jackson State University v. Alabama State University Basketball Games are Feb. 28, in the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center.

Melton and Bodyguards Arraigned; No Guns or Alcohol

Mayor Frank Melton and his two bodyguards, Michael Recio and Marcus Wright, were arraigned in a packed federal courtroom in downtown Jackson before U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda Anderson today at …

Community Events and Public Meetings

The Crossroads Film Festival is April 11-14 at Malco Grandview Theatre.

Best of Jackson 2015: Music & Nightlife

From a University of Southern Mississippi basketball star to a master of blues guitar, Jarekus Singleton always seems to end up center stage.

[Kamikaze] Change Is Gonna Come

"Change" has become the buzzword for 2008. I never thought such a tiny word could be so powerful. It holds promise for some, and negativity for others. Ultimately, I've found …

D.A. Questions Judge Allowing Officer to Walk

The Clarion is reporting today that District Attorney Faye Peterson is outraged that Judge Bobby DeLaughter has allowed a police officer charged with vehicular manslaughter to go free with no …

It's Melton Time: What's Next for Jackson?

On July 4, Mayor-elect Frank Melton will officially move into the mayor's office of Jackson. Word on the street says he has big changes planned for the city, changes many …

Myth vs. Reality: Myths Plaguing Public Education In Mississippi and Why They Are Not True

Myth 1: More than 60 percent of the state budget is spent on public education.