Politics
Delbert Hosemann Seeks Third Term
Republican Delbert Hosemann made it official that he will seek a third term as Mississippi secretary of state.
Politics
Sheriff Tyrone Lewis Prevails in Bailiff Dispute
It is up to Hinds County Sheriff Tyrone Lewis, not local judges, to hire and assign courtroom bailiffs, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
City & County
Siemens, City Headed for Showdown?
After months of complaints from residents about uncharacteristically large water bills, slow progress on the city-wide installation of 65,000 new water meters and skepticism about the prudence of a $90 …
Politics
Hinds County Races Take Shape
As statewide candidates garner most of the attention from pundits and observers, three of the top jobs in Hinds County government are also drawing challenges, which could set up interesting …
Justice
State Supreme Court Orders New Trial for Death Row Prisoner Manning
Willie Jerome Manning, one of the last people the state of Mississippi attempted to execute, will get a new trial, the Mississippi Supreme Court ordered on Feb. 12.
City & County
White Judge Accused of Assault, Race Abuse Indicted
Madison County Justice Court Judge Bill Weisenberger has been indicted and arrested for allegedly assaulting a mentally disabled black man in Canton last year.
City & County
Report: Miss. No. 2 in Lynchings Per Capita
A chilling new report revealed this week reveals that racial terror lynching in the U.S. was much worse than previously believed.
Crime
Prison Reform Target of Rollback
In March 2014, in an uncommon show of unity, the state's three top Republican leaders celebrated the passage of game-changing legislation.
City & County
Jackson: New Rankin County Wastewater Plant is Unlawful
Although City of Jackson officials are doing their best to appear collegial to entities they fear are attempting to force Jackson into a new regional wastewater authority, the city seems …
Civil Rights
Jesse Harris
The murders of Mack Charles Parker and Emmett Till in Money were the catalysts for Jesse Harris' lifetime of working for voting rights and social justice across the South.
City & County
It's Official: Kenny Stokes is Back on City Council
"He's back," a man shouted from the back corner of Jackson's crammed city council chamber this morning upon newly re-elected Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes's completion of the oath of …
City & County
Jackson Fights Takeover of Sewer System
The City of Jackson is fighting what its officials call an all-out assault from a Rankin County utility to take control of Jackson's profitable water-treatment facilities.
City & County
Sketching a Plan for Jackson: The JFP Interview with Mayor Tony Yarber
Mayor Tony Yarber recently invited the Jackson Free Press to the ceremonial mayor's office on City Hall's first floor to discuss his views on napkining, infrastructure financing, his trip to …
Business
Farish Street Still in the Balance
During the day, little is happening on Farish Street. As most people know, plans to redevelop the historic street, which once stood as the central-business-district for Jackson's African American community, …
City & County
Despite Henley-Young Report, Frank Bluntson Says ‘I’m Calling the Shots’
On Oct. 18, 2014, a teenage boy was booked into the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center. The boy has bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and the facility's medical staff did not believe …
Biz Roundup
South Jackson Kroger Closure Causes Alarm
Residents in south Jackson are working feverishly to make sure their neighborhood doesn't become a food desert when the Kroger on Terry Road closes later this month.
City & County
State Might Sell Hal & Mal's Property
A legislative proposal would allow for the sale or lease of state-owned property that now houses Hal & Mal's, a restaurant and music venue.
City & County
Ben Allen: Downtown Faces Setbacks, Hope
Briefing a small community gathering about downtown Jackson, including the Capitol Street two-way project, Ben Allen talked about regret.
Justice
Ain’t Grand Juries Grand? Not Always.
Every person who is acquitted by a jury was indicted by a grand jury. Let that sink in, Dennis Sweet III, a prominent Jackson attorney, told an audience recently when …
City & County
Battlefield Park Fights for Its Reputation
Willa Womack, the Battlefield Park president, told the Jackson Free Press that she believes it's unfair that their neighborhood is painted negatively when violence occurs anywhere in west Jackson, particularly …
City & County
Next Steps for Ward 3, Stokes and Hinds Board
As far as Jackson elections go, it's unusual for one candidate to walk away with a landslide victory in an eight-way race.
City & County
Big Ideas from Ward 3 Hopefuls
Eight people are vying for the vacant seat of Ward 3 representative on the Jackson City Council. The election takes place tomorrow, Jan. 27.
Politics
McDaniel Titillates with PAC Formation
Although it doesn't exactly come as a shock that state Sen. Chris McDaniel has formed a new political-action committee, McDaniel is leaving everyone in suspense about what his next moves …
Politics
What Gov. Bryant Left Out of His SOTS
In his fourth State of the State address, Gov. Phil Bryant reiterated much of the agenda he already laid out in his budget recommendation, but the subjects the first-term governor …
City & County
Why Newsrooms Need Leaders
It's a news manager's job to challenge journalists—that includes the reporters they supervise as well as their fellow managers—to step out of their comfort zones and get to the 5 …
City & County
Hinds Wastewater Plan Worries Jackson
Some members of the Jackson City Council are nervous about a proposal to establish a regional wastewater authority they fear could hurt the city's own sewage system, one of the …
Civil Rights
James Meredith
It shouldn't be surprising that James Meredith, whose life and activism is the subject of a whole corner at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, has a plan to …
Civil Rights
Bayard Rustin
If Martin Luther King Jr. was the face and the voice of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and '60s, Bayard Rustin was the movement's conscience because he was …
City & County
Building Marred with Anti-Gay 'Marrage' Threat
On the same day the U.S. Supreme Court decided to eventually rule on marriage-equality cases, Jackson's LGBT community is on edge after a message of hate is scrawled on an …
Business
Enabling Employers to Help Disabled People
A Mississippi advocacy group wants some state agencies to give closer consideration to people with disabilities when it comes to hiring decisions.
Business
City’s Biz Customer Service Under Fire
Tom Ramsey points to the slow pace of the Capitol Street two-waying project and what seems like the omnipresence of city meter readers during the lunch hour on Congress Street …
City Cold to Regional Wastewater Idea, Plans Review
Mayor Tony Yarber and members of the Jackson City Council expressed "great pause" about a proposal to create a regional wastewater authority.
Crime
Supreme Court Gives Ex-Death Row Inmate Parole Chance
The Mississippi Supreme Court, in a decision Dec. 8, changed Frederick Bell's sentence for his 1993 conviction for capital murder to life in prison.
LGBT
Analysis: 5th Circuit Could Surprise on Marriage Equality
Supporters of ending Mississippi's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage are understandably nervous about the future.
City & County
Bold Requests from the ‘Bold New City’
Mayor Tony Yarber has talked to top Republican leaders, who he says seem most amenable to helping with Jackson’s public-safety needs.
City & County
Familiar Faces Join Ward 3 Fray
For the first time in a quarter century, Jackson's Ward 3 city council is not occupied by an individual whose surname is Stokes. In fact, the near-west-side ward seat, a …
Environment
Mississippi Knocks Federal Clean Air Regs
The Mississippi agency responsible for protecting the state's natural resources is pushing back against a proposed federal clean-power plan designed to reduce climate changing carbon pollution and improve citizens' health.
Jacksonian
Sen. Hillman Frazier
Today, Sen. Hillman Frazier's office on the first floor of the Capitol is a shrine to his more than three decades in public service.
Editor's Note
Are Mississippi Officials Deadbeats?
The situation in Mississippi may be dire, but it's not hopeless. There are opportunities to drastically—not incrementally—improve things in Mississippi, but our leadership seems fixated on solutions looking for problems.
City & County
City Escapes $600K Judgment
A federal judge has dismissed a $600,000 judgment against the City of Jackson that dates back to a 2012 lawsuit.
City & County
Yarber Touts First Term 'Wins'
If the city had a rocky year, it was due in no small part to the growing pains of scrambling to assemble a mayoral administration mid-year and jumping right into …
State
State Grant to Train Teens for Safer Dates
The "Safe Dates" program aims to help teens differentiate between relationships that are caring and supportive and those that are controlling, manipulative and abusive.
City & County
For Jackson, ‘Progress in the Face of Adversity’
In December 2013, with a new city council and a once-controversial mayor who was starting to win the hearts and minds of his detractors, things were looking up for the …
City & County
Quietly, Campaign Season Starts Over Holiday Break
Despite the election being almost one year away, candidates are already announcing runs for local and state races in next year's statewide election, when voters will choose leadership for state …
City & County
Ashby Foote Joins Jackson Council
The Jackson City Council has moved closer to returning to full strength with Ashby Foote officially joining the body as Ward 1 councilman.
Person of the Day
Dr. Phyllis Hollenbeck and Dr. Charles Sherwood
It took courage and conscience for physicians Charles Sherwood and Phyllis Hollenbeck to blow the whistle on their employer, the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson, officials with …
LGBT
Marriage Equality and Beyond for LGBTs
Failure to protect LGBT people extends beyond shutting off the marriage, and a sobering new report sheds light on the economic and social effects of denying lesbian, gay, bisexual and …
City & County
New Homes Keep Midtown Revival Going
Midtown Partners, which promotes social and economic revitalization in the neighborhood just north of downtown, developed a master plan in 2010 that calls for expansion of services, parks and housing.
Jackson Punts on $76.5M Bank Decision
The clock is ticking on a decision of where the city of Jackson will keep its money for the next two years. State law requires the municipal to have a …
City & County
City to Unveil Legislative Agenda
An unusually long agenda faces today's special business meeting of the Jackson City Council, as members consider what appears to be Mayor Tony Yarber's agenda for the coming legislative session, …
