City & County
City Announces Precinct Changes in 5 Wards for Jackson Primary in 3 Weeks
With three weeks to the municipal primary election, the City of Jackson announced precincts changes in five of the seven wards and have informed those affected by the changes
City & County
Manager: Staff Shortage, Contractors’ Practices Affect City’s Solid Waste Management
In this Feb. 16 interview, Solid Waste Division Manager Lakesha Weathers discusses the crisis of illegal dumping in the city, who is responsible for it, and how she plans to ...
City & County
Planning Director: Casa Grande Demolition On Hold
Casa Grande Apartments on 3603 Terry Road in Jackson may not be demolished as soon as expected, if at all, as an unnamed interested party reached out to the Department ...
City & County
Homelessness Outreach Coordinator: Downtown Jackson Partners Helped 25 Since January
The Downtown Jackson Partners Homelessness Outreach Coordinator Tommie Brown has, since January, identified and helped 25 homeless Jacksonians get the services that they need.
City & County
City Plans Demolitions of Commercial Blight, New Code Enforcement Regime
Five structures constituting commercial blight in Jackson are up for demolition starting in April after pending bids and council approval, Department of Planning and Development Director Jordan Hillman said at ...
City & County
JPS Closes Watkins Elementary School Because of Building Structural Problems
Jackson Public School District Superintendent Errick Greene explained to stakeholders during a Zoom meeting Tuesday that it was urgent to close Watkins Elementary School for student safety.
City & County
Mayor: Achieving Herd Immunity Aim of Jackson’s Vaccination Day
Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba said the next step toward herd immunity in Jackson is collaboration with churches and other credible messengers to increase the vaccination numbers.
City & County
Seeking Solutions to Illegal Dumping: Education, Citation, Action
"(Illegal dumping) poses a big problem in the city of Jackson," Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks acknowledged at the Feb. 2 council meeting. "As soon as we organize cleanups to ...
City & County
How the Water Shutdown Unfolded; What, Who Is Needed to Fix It
Parts of Jackson were still without water two weeks after the February winter storm wreaked havoc on the capital city's two water-treatment plants.
Health Care
Moderna, Pfizer Vaccines Don't Change DNA, Expert Says
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines will not change recipients' DNA, American Public Health Association Executive Director Dr. Georges Benjamin explained to journalists during the virtual National Press Association Statehouse Fellowship ...
City & County
Daggers Drawn: Lumumba and Stokes Trade Blame As City Suffers Water Crisis
Amid a water crisis in the wake of a serious winter-weather storm, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba and Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes gave dueling statements during the week, trading accusations ...
City & County
Jackson Works Director Details Water System Breakdowns, System Failure Mitigation
As Jacksonians struggle with the aftermath of winter weather that caught the city flatfooted, Director of Works Charles Williams told the city council yesterday that it might happen again soon.
Politics
Reducing Harsh Sentencing Goal of House Bill to Limit Maximum Sentencing Requirement
With a goal of reducing the harsh sentencing in Mississippi, the House of Representatives has passed HB Bill 796, which would restrict the mandatory maximum sentencing requirement for so-called habitual ...
City & County
City Imposes Night Security Requirement on Jackson Convenience Stores
Convenient stores in Jackson must have security personnel between midnight and 5 a.m., under an ordinance the city council passed to help curb crime.
Politics
Formerly Incarcerated Would Get Mental Health Care Under Jackson Rep’s Bill
Former Mississippi Department of Corrections inmates with mental-health challenges will be able to get more help from community health centers if the Mississippi Legislature passes House Bill 1341.
City & County
Conversation with JPS Principals: Navigating the Pandemic
The COVID-19 crisis first led to suspension of school grading last year. Now, the 12-member Mississippi Board of Education suspended the same for the 2020-2021 school year, so schools and ...
City & County
City Opens Poll-Workers Application, Lynch Street Resurfacing Complete
The City of Jackson seeks 679 poll workers to cover the 82 voting precincts for the April 6 primary, April 27 run-off and June 8 general election for mayor and ...
City & County
34 Candidates Total: Mayor, Jackson City Council Leaders Face Primary Challengers on April 6
By the Feb. 5 deadline, 21 candidates had officially signed up for City of Jackson municipal elections. No new mayoral candidates filed to challenge Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba since January.
City & County
City Gets Art, Climate Change-Mitigation Grants, Fitness Court
Seven Jacksonians will explore the intersection of arts and social justice to create change and to address prevailing arts grantmaking inequities.
City & County
Caught in Water-Billing Hell: Jackson Citizens Seek Justice for Enormous Bills
Barbara Tadley wants the water to her hotel turned back on for her to start receiving guests again after shutting down in June 2020.
City & County
Violence Experts: Mayor's Youth Curfew Order May Prove Counterproductive
Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba imposed a five-day curfew order for those under age 18 from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. due to rising crime in the capital city.
City & County
City Leaders Call Out State for Leaving Out Jackson in Initial COVID-19 Vaccinations
The Jackson City Council is kicking against the State of Mississippi for what it is calling neglectful COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the majority-Black capital city.
City & County
'A Perfect Storm': Mayor Lumumba Addresses Spate of Homicides
Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba condemned the recent spate of killings in Jackson, which reached 128 last year, the highest recorded number in the city’s history.
City & County
Public Shooting, Doing ‘Donuts’ Could Become Felonies with Full Jackson City Council Support
Concerns about indiscriminate shootings spurred the Jackson City Council to support House Bill 854, which proposes increased penalties against the practice. At its Jan. 27 meeting, the council voted unanimously ...
Crime
District Attorney Owens: Hinds County Diverted 300 From Criminal Justice
Three hundred first-time non-violent offenders went through a diversion program last year in Hinds County in exchange for dropped charges, District Attorney Jody Owens said at a press conference Tuesday.
City & County
So Far, Six Candidates Running for Jackson Mayor, 12 For City Council Seats
Ten days out from the deadline to qualify for city elections, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba is standing for primary election against two Democratic Party contenders, Kenneth Wilson and Palvise Patterson.
Crime
Legislators Push for More Felony Expungements, Prison Labor Minimum Wage
Sen. Derrick Simmons, D-Greenville, is asking the Legislature to add several felonies to the list of possible expungements from an inmate's permanent record five years after the offender’s sentence was ...
City & County
Bridging Digital Divide for JPS Students Goal of Collaboration with City of Jackson
Students in Jackson Public Schools may start having access to free internet access as early as February, Chief Administrative Officer Robert Blaine told the city council Tuesday.
City & County
Mayor Lumumba Plans Public COVID-19 Vaccination to Encourage Participation
More City of Jackson leaders taking the COVID-19 vaccine when available may increase African Americans' participation percentage from a low of about 18%, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba said at the ...
City & County
City Partners with Mobile Lab for COVID-19 Testing as State Faces Vaccine Shortage
Only 18% of those who have been vaccinated in Mississippi are African Americans, though they account for about 40% of the population, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba said at a media ...
City & County
City Prepares Shelter for Homeless as Temperature Dips Below Freezing
The dip in temperature creates the need to provide shelters for the homeless population in Jackson. The City is prepared to open Champion Gymnasium at 1355 Hattiesburg St. as an ...
City & County
JPD Arrests Second Person In New Year’s Day Interstate 55 Obstruction
The Jackson Police Department made a second arrest six days after a group of people blocked Interstate 55 and had vehicles racing and doing donuts on the highway.
City & County
MLK Day During COVID-19; West Capitol Work Ahead; New Focus on Illegal Dumping
The City of Jackson is replacing its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade with a motorcade this year due to COVID-19 safety concerns. The city has officially designated Jan. ...
City & County
Black-Owned Jackson Businesses See Million-Dollar Boost
COVID-19 has hit Black-owned businesses in Jackson hard, but Otis Rolley III, senior vice president of The Rockefeller Foundation's U.S. Equity and Economic Opportunity Initiative, is eager to work with ...
City & County
City Reforms Public Transit Routes After 30 years
The City of Jackson is crafting new routes for its public transit system and is calling on the citizens to contribute to the process. At a press conference Monday, Mayor ...
City & County
JPS Seeks Support to Expand Non-Traditional Sports Like Tennis, Golf, Archery, Swimming
The students of Jackson Public Schools are underserved in non-traditional sports such as tennis, archery and golf, and the district is inviting paid and volunteer coaches to help reduce that ...
City & County
North State Street ‘TIGER' Project Completed, Medgar Evers Resurfacing Begins
The Dec. 15 ribbon-cutting ceremony on North State Street marked the end of three years of construction work. With $16 million funding from the Federal Government's Transportation Investment Generating Economic ...
City & County
City Eulogizes Winter, Warns of COVID-19 ‘Community Spread,’ Backs Legislative Agenda
In its last meeting for 2020, members of the Jackson City Council joined numerous others on Tuesday to recognize the contribution of former Mississippi Gov. William Winter, who died Dec. ...
City & County
Blight, Flooding Compromise Quality of Life
Tyrone Washington, a homeowner on Rondo Street, is livid that the city government is not, in his opinion, living up to expectations.
City & County
JPD Officers Allege Sexism, Racism, More in Lawsuit Against Mayor, Police Chief
Former and current Jackson Police Department officers have filed a lawsuit accusing Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba and Police Chief James Davis of abuse of office, infringement of civil rights, fostering ...
City & County
Angelique Lee Wins Ward 2 Run-Off Election, City Appoints Foreign Trade Members
Angelique Lee has emerged the winner in the special runoff election for the Jackson City Council's Ward 2 seat to replace Melvin V. Priester Jr., an attorney who resigned in ...
City & County
DOJ Sues Pearl Property Company for Racial Discrimination
A federal lawsuit filed in November alleges that property manager James Roe steered white prospective renters away from this apartment complex located in Pearl, which it alleges that he encouraged ...
City & County
Code Red: Hinds County Doubles COVID-19 Infection Rates In Two Months
Hinds County is now categorized as red, the color code for areas with over 10% COVID-19 test positivity rates. It has recorded 11,046 cases of COVID-19, with 208 deaths as ...
City & County
Jackson Sees Up to 142% Increase In COVID-19 Cases in Some Neighborhoods
Many Jackson neighborhoods are seeing dramatic increases in COVID-19 cases, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba said at a press conference Monday.
City & County
James Meredith Plans Museum and Bible Society in Downtown Jackson
James Meredith, the first Black person to graduate from the University of Mississippi, has set his eyes on another goal of building a personal museum in the next year, as ...
City & County
Jackson COVID-19 Rate Worsening; Flood-Prevention Effort Needed for Creeks
Some parts of Jackson have seen COVID-19 infection rates increase 117% in the past three months, Chief Administrative Officer Robert Blaine told the Jackson City Council last week as cases ...
City & County
Public Works Director Williams: City’s Infrastructure Problems Won’t End Soon
In a recent interview with the Jackson Free Press, Jackson public works director Charles Williams explained the department's problems and his plans to move the needle on Jackson's infrastructural challenges.
City & County
Lawyer: Harvey Hill's Jail Killing Egregious, Expects Criminal Indictments
Harvey Hill's death in Madison County Correctional Detention Center in 2018 is highly disturbing, family attorney Carlos E. Moore said after viewing the video of prison guards brutalizing him and ...
City & County
Lee and Lewis in Ward 2 Runoff; Archie Blasts Broadband Inequity, Homeless Drop-off
The special election to the City of Jackson's Ward 2 council seat will proceed to a runoff after no candidate met the 50% vote majority required to win in the ...
City & County
City Launches Online Building Permit Platform, Ward 2 Special Election Today Till 7 p.m.
People seeking building permits in Jackson can now do so online with a new platform Jackson’s Department of Planning and Development developed.
