Plans for Fondren 'Boutique' Hotel Unveiled
Construction on a hotel in Fondren needs approval from state officials, but could commence before the end of the year, according to the developer.
Business
Democrats Blast Child Support Privatization
The Mississippi Department of Human Services is rolling out a pilot program in 17 southwest Mississippi counties to privatize its child-support enforcement program.
Business
Crudup Ousted as JRA Chairman; Jones Walker Out as Board Attorney
The Jackson Redevelopment Authority this morning elected Jennifer Johnson as board president, replacing Bishop Ronnie Crudup. Commissioners selected Mat Thomas, an insurance-sales business owner, as JRA vice chairman even though …
Crime
Lessons from Ferguson
Understanding the historical significance of the Ferguson uprising is what drove a handful of activists from Jackson to go to Ferguson in support of protesters and observe organizing strategies being …
City & County
Hendrix Wants City Pay Raises
City employees could see a pay increase under a proposal from Jackson Ward 6 Councilman Tyrone Hendrix.
City & County
Zoo, JPS, Airport Kick Off Budget Talks
City of Jackson budget hearings started this morning with a bit of good news for the Jackson Zoo, one of the most beleaguered and beloved institutions in the city.
LGBT
Faith Leaders: Do State Politicians Really Follow Christ?
From the rolling back of abortion rights to extolling the virtues of teen abstinence and one-man-one-woman marriage to protecting religious freedom, Mississippi's elected leaders say they are all about spreading …
City & County
Yarber Budget Slashes Spending 20 Percent
Mayor Tony Yarber said his first budget proposal, presented Wednesday to the city council, "mixes aspiration with reality, hope with hard truth and inspiration with intractable assessments of yet another …
Civil Rights
One Night in Ferguson
Ferguson has drawn people from all over the country. A handful of people also reportedly flew in from overseas. I traveled to Ferguson with three activists from Jackson.
City & County
Jackson's Next Top Cop Is ...
On Monday, at Westside Community Center on Wiggins Road, Lee Vance and Juan Cloy talked about their approaches to crime prevention and policing.
Civil Rights
James Meredith Lauds Ferguson Protests as Vital to 'Black Race'
James Meredith, who is known for making provocative statements, said the Ferguson protests are more important historically than even the violence that erupted from his own admission to Ole Miss …
City & County
Jackson Back on Track With HUD Funds?
The city of Jackson has been in trouble with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for some time.
City & County
C.J. Lawrence
Defense attorney C.J. Lawrence's "#iftheygunnedmedown" turned into a worldwide call to awareness.
City & County
Whistleblower Faces Eviction
Annie L. Figures, who shined a light on ongoing problems at her apartment complex to the Jackson City Council and the Jackson Free Press, says she is facing eviction.
City & County
Hell’s Warriors in 'Gideon's Army'
Dante encounters an inscription posted above the entrance that reads: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”
City & County
Updated: Whitwell’s Exit Continues Leader Shakeup
By the time this year is over, it's possible that Jackson will have had two mayors, two police chiefs and, despite the fact that it is not a regular election, …
Editor's Note
If They Gunned Me Down
To the best of my knowledge, I never met Michael Brown, but I know him well.
Clarion-Ledger Parent Co. Gannett Slashing News Staffs
Jim Romenesko is reporting about a Gannett plan that would involve staff cuts and require current newsroom employees to reapply for new jobs.
Politics
Dems, GOP Mull Future Elections
Unprecedented—the word is used repeatedly to describe the recent Mississippi U.S. Senate primary.
City & County
JRA Starts Cleaning Up the Books
After a recent audit brought to light problems with JRA's accounting procedures, the seven-member commission recently took action to address the problems.
Business
Kemper Coal Plant Legal Battles Over
Six years of legal wrangling over the Kemper County coal-fired power plant, now under construction in eastern Mississippi, drew to an end today with the announcement of a settlement between …
City & County
Kishia Powell Faces Tough Roads at Public Works
Earlier this week, Kishia Powell became the city of Jackson's highest-paid employee. She may also have the toughest job in the capital.
City & County
Old Ghosts to Haunt City Budget Plans
Jackson city officials like to talk about the $1.25 billion worth of investment slated to come to the capital through infrastructure upgrades in the coming years.
LGBT
LGBT Pols Ready to Play in State
With black folks playing the spoiler in the Mississippi Republican Senate primary, bucking many traditional notions about how politics work in the Magnolia State, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people …
City & County
Yarber: Get Ready for Pain, New Initiatives
In his first state of the city address since becoming Jackson mayor, Tony Yarber painted a hopeful picture of the capital city's future.
Lawsuit: JPD Has Long Harassed Pro-Life Groups
Pro-Life Mississippi is suing the Jackson Police Department.
Cover
Black is the New Black: How Blacks Changed the GOP Game
On the night of June 24, state Sen. Chris McDaniel took the podium from his fellow Mississippi state legislator Michael Watson after results came in for the Republican primary run-off …
City & County
Yarber's City Shakeup Targets JRA, Judge
Mayor Tony Yarber's city shakeup continues as he has moved to terminate a municipal judge and is likely to appoint several new members to the Jackson Redevelopment Authority.
City & County
JPD Chief Horton Retires Amid Botched 911 Call Scandal
Lindsey Horton, one of Mayor Chokwe Lumumba's first and most popular appointments last year, is stepping down from his post as Jackson's police chief, effective immediately.
Business
Nissan: Part of New Supplier Park to be Complete this Year
Officials with Nissan North America's Canton assembly plant said that part of a supplier park, which the company broke ground on in 2013, is scheduled to be completed by the …
City & County
Council Nixes One Yarber Judge Pick, OKs Others
Amid speculation that a city judge might vacate her spot on the bench, the Jackson City Council declined to confirm one of two men Mayor Tony Yarber nominated as municipal …
City & County
4 More Hate Crime Indictments Handed Down for James Anderson Killing
Federal prosecutors announced today that a federal grand jury has indicted the following people for allegedly participating in the a conspiracy to commit federal hate crimes against African-Americans in Jackson:
Environment
KiOR on the Block?
Fully cashing in on the green energy revolution continues to elude Mississippi as a company that state officials, including former Gov. Haley Barbour, helped fund with state money, is now …
Politics
Legislative Fixes Needed for Primaries?
Assuming the Republican primary for U.S. Senate is resolved by the start of the 2015 legislative session, the Legislature could grapple with whether legislative fixes are required to curb electoral …
City & County
Hendrix, New Ward 6 Councilman, Brings Council to Full Strength
After a swearing-in ceremony with Federal Appeals Court Judge James Graves presiding, Tyrone Hendrix took his seat among attending city council members as the successor to Mayor Tony Yarber, the …
State
Hinds: Jackson Should Pay More for Inmates
People arrested in the city of Jackson, the largest municipality in Hinds County, also make up the majority of people incarcerated at the county-run Raymond Detention Center. That has long …
Politics
Dems, Tea Party: Hosemann MIA on Voter Fraud Allegations
Democrats and tea-party conservatives took Republican Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann to task for not looking more closely at charges of voter fraud.
Environment
Drilling Ruling Another Win for Gulf Boosters
When Derrick Evans talks about the challenges facing his home of Turkey Creek and the people who inhabit the community that former slaves founded on the Mississippi Gulf Coast near …
City & County
Tyrone Hendrix Bests Sweet, Takes Ward 6
Tyrone Hendrix is used to managing campaigns, but his recent foray into politics as a candidate also proved successful.
State
Mayfield, McDaniel Supporter and Attorney, Dies
A tea party official charged with conspiring to take photos of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran's wife inside a nursing home apparently committed suicide Friday, police said, days after Cochran won …
City & County
The Sales Tax’s Ripple Effects
A legislative change to Jackson's 1-percent sales-tax law would prevent a retail price increase on beer and light wine, the trade association that lobbied for the legal change said.
City & County
West Jackson Project Could Sacrifice Koinonia House
A $17 million development being planned along the Robert Smith Parkway in west Jackson would bring a mix of new apartments and retail spaces, but would come at the cost …
City & County
Belated Yarber Inaugural Ball Set
Two months after electing Tony Yarber as their newest mayor, the citizens of Jackson will have an opportunity to celebrate the moment.
City & County
Feds Probing Hinds Jail
The DOJ announced June 2 that the agency would open a "pattern or practice investigation" of both the Raymond Detention Center and the Jackson Detention Center downtown.
State
Report: Meridian Prison Still a ‘Cesspool’
New information about a troubled private prison raises questions about a Jackson company that has a contract to provide medical care and the possible role of a local judge.
Jacksonian
Daphne R. Chamberlain
Even though she was born a generation after the murder that galvanized the Civil Rights Movement in 1955, Daphne R. Chamberlain considers herself a member of the Emmett Till Generation.
City & County
Tea Party Election 'Shenanigans' Worry Hinds Supes
Supervisors in Hinds County say they're eager to get to the bottom of the Election Day scandal that cast a pall over the June 3 Republican primary for the U.S. …
Politics
Despite Talk, No Way to Prove Voter ID's Effects
The use of voter ID for the first time in Mississippi has largely been characterized as inconsequential.
Politics
Poll: GOP Excitement Still High, McDaniel Leads
Enthusiasm among an older and overwhelmingly white electorate has not waned in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate, a Democratic polling firm finds.
Politics
Analysis: Apathetic Dems Could Decide GOP Primary
The conventional wisdom in the Mississippi primary for U.S. Senate is that state Sen. Chris McDaniel has the momentum going into the runoff against incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran.
