Jackson Free Press

Cops, Community Separation Still Tangible

Members of the community, including law-enforcement leaders, met July 28 at Murrah High School to participate in Mayor Tony Yarber's "Us and Them" forum focusing on the relationship between the …

Despite Racist 'Redlining,' BancorpSouth Pledges to Support Under-Served Jackson

BancorpSouth CEO James Rollins III appeared before the Jackson City Council Tuesday night to address members' concerns in light of the Mississippi bank's recent settlement over "redlining" in the Memphis …

Public-School Rankings Present Concerns for Districts, Families

Even though Davis Magnet International Baccalaureate Elementary School in the Jackson Public School District is ranked an A by the Mississippi Department of Education—and the best elementary school in the …

Relative 'Devastated' After Shooting Kills 8 in Mississippi

Head in hands, his voice strained, Vincent Mitchell sat outside his little yellow home and tried to make sense of how a family dispute led to a rampage that killed …

Miss. Teen: He 'Loved Me Enough to Take Some Bullets for Me'

It was after midnight when a gunman burst into the living room of a southern Mississippi home where young people were playing video games.

Briarwood Pool in New, Uncharted Waters

Wilson Carroll helped form the Friends of the Briarwood Pool, the nonprofit now charged with the pool's operations. The YMCA formerly operated the Briarwood Pool. Phil Eide, another founder of …

The Curious Case of ‘Those Mothers’

"Did y'all hear about the 6-year-old boy who got kidnapped from Kroger this morning?" It was the first thing I heard from my mother when I stumbled into the kitchen …

UPDATED: JPS Board Forced to Halt Work After Fourth Member Leaves Board

The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees needs new members, and quickly. Richard Lind, the newly elected president of the school board, resigned yesterday, meaning only three members remain.

Sex Education’s Last Chance in Mississippi?

Sex education in Mississippi could end, or be revamped, as soon as July this year, depending on legislators' actions between now and the end of the session.

Transparency in the City

Several new technology additions to the City of Jackson will hopefully open up the records of a municipality that has of late been plagued by what some city leaders called …

LEGO Jackson: Making Progress in Plastic

Scott Crawford, the builder behind the LEGO Jackson display, began the project under his Christmas tree with a few decorations and some spare time.

Lessons in Abstraction

For every abstraction that leaves you cold, another may set your imagination afire. The viewer's experience is essential to abstract art, says Jackson artist Jonathan Berry, even though it was …

Will Byrom Be Tortured to Death?

Mississippi's pending executions of Michelle Byrom and Charles Crawford—which are not yet scheduled—have mired the state in a controversy over what constitutes "cruel and unusual" in executions.

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State Law Weak on City Elections

In the waning days of the April 22 special-election runoff for Jackson mayor, third parties, surrogates and political-action committees took control of the political discourse and broadcast airwaves to become …

A Long Apprenticeship

Some of my favorite fiction writers got their training banging out newspaper stories, like hardboiled master James Cain, but Hemingway had another point when he said getting "out of it …

The Tale of Samantha Woo

Woo Couture is the brainchild of Samantha Woo, a wedding-dress designer from Vietnam. Woo's family has been making clothes for generations.

What Does Local Mean?

As a publication, the Jackson Free Press has pushed the idea of shopping local in its almost 13 years of existence. We pride ourselves on being local—shopping local, dining local, …

Best of Jackson: Best Outdoor Dining in Jackson, Fondren Edition

The cool thing about Jackson is that it has a lot of great local restaurants. The trendy Fondren neighborhood is packed with outdoor dining options.

PEER Questions Grading System for Public Schools

A legislative oversight group is questioning the way Mississippi grades its public schools even as the state moves forward with plans to take control of schools considered failing.

Local Coffee and Wine Shops Offering New Locations, Products, Services

Early next year, Mitchell Moore, who owns Campbell's Bakery (3013 N. State St.) in Fondren, will open a second location at 123 Jones St. in Madison.