Jackson Free Press

Faith Leaders Call for Death Penalty Moratorium

About 20 Mississippi faith leaders gathered in the rotunda of the state capitol yesterday to appeal for a moratorium on executions in the state. The press conference came one day …

Ward 1 on Ice

Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance Legal Project Director L. Patricia Ice waited until the last minute to enter the race for the vacant Ward 1 council seat. Ice barely managed to …

My Mediterranean Veggie Life

Last summer was a season of new experiences for me. One experience that I now revisit almost every week is my encounter with Greek and Mediterranean foods.

Hinds County Officials Spar, Returning to Courthouse Sunday

After more than two days of resolving conflicts over the Tuesday's elections, election officials and campaign supporters will head back to the Hinds County Courthouse at 9 a.m. Saturday to …

[Balko] Drug Warriors Want Your Assets

The Supreme Court reviews Illinois' awful asset forfeiture law.

[Kamikaze] We Are Jackson

It appears my latest JFP blog post stirred up some emotions. It's no secret that crime and the perception of crime are push-button issues for many of us.

[Kamikaze] Superman Married to Superwoman

Frequent readers of my column know I often write about my mother. She was a great woman—indeed, one of the finest to walk the Earth. Her passing has left a …

Lawsuit Aims to Keep Abortion Clinic Open

Pro-abortion rights groups filed an expected lawsuit today to block the closing of the state's only abortion clinic.

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Lessons of Spencer's Death

Awareness has a huge role in making Mississippi—and the U.S.—a safer place for women. Created in 2006, the Attorney General's Office Domestic Violence Division, works with the entire judicial system …

Money, Medicaid and ... Money

The House and Senate addressed funding for state agencies last week, passing a number of revenue bills tapping into the state's projected $19 billion bank account. One of them was …

Another Reprieve for Pallets

The Jackson Historic Preservation Commission voted Tuesday to save A-1 Pallets on Mill Street from city wrecking balls.

State Farm Pulling Policies

State Farm Insurance and Casualty Company said that it plans to pull home-insurance policies from part of the Gulf Coast. The decision leaves many current and potential homeowners, who live …

Jackson Police Arrested City Employee at Parade

During Saturday's Mal's St Paddy's Parade in downtown Jackson, one of the seven people arrested was a city employee with close ties to Jackson Mayor Frank Melton, reports WAPT:

[HOOD] Stimulus Package Offers Solutions to Faltering Economy, Rising Crime

Guest column

Crime and the economy. No matter how it's sliced, these two issues are inextricably linked. When we face one problem head on, we also tackle the other. And that is …

UPDATED: Feds Want Melton Gun Charge Dropped

Federal prosecutors plan to drop one of the three charges against Mayor Frank Melton and his former bodyguard Michael Recio, according to reports by WAPT and WLBT. Prosecutor Mark Blumberg …

Could Melton's Health 'Diminish' Case?

Mississippi College law professor Matt Steffey says that Mayor Frank Melton's health problems could diminish the "prosecutorial urgency" of the federal case against him for allegedly ordering the destruction of …

The New Well

Graphic courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy is considering Richton, Miss., as a location for the newest expansion of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The reserve, established in 1975 to protect the …

A ‘Livable' Retreat

On Monday, April 12, the JFP revealed on our Web site the fact that Jackson had been named one of the "most livable places" by Partners for Livable Communities (http://www.livable.com). …

State Behaving Badly

More than 30 years after Mississippi's incarceration system was declared unconstitutional in the landmark case Gates v Collier, the Mississippi Department of Corrections is again being accused of subjecting its …

[Talk] eVoting Next for State

Hurry, you only have until Monday, July 28, to get in your two-cents about Mississippi's voting upgrades.