News

Large Turnout Expected for Amnesty Days in JacksonJackson police say they are expecting a large turnout for the city's Amnesty Days.
Records Disputes Could Go to Miss. Ethics GroupThe Mississippi Ethics Commission could gain power to settle disputes over requests for public records.
Senate Gives Final Approval to 3 Anti-Union BillsBills that aim to restrict union organizing and picketing practices in Mississippi, as well as restrict governments' abilities to pressure employers to use unionized workers, are on their way to Gov. Phil Bryant.
LGBTers Rally in Jackson to Demand RespectAdvocates have injected new energy into the push for LGBT rights with a flurry of recent activity in Jackson and throughout Mississippi. This afternoon, several organizations from around the state rallied in Jackson's Smith Park to urge policymakers to affirm …
Piling on the PoorBefore the session started, fiscally conservative budget writers vowed to keep state spending to a minimum unless the economy improved and projected revenues went up.
A #JXNMayor ConfessionalThe three members of the Jackson City Council who are running for mayor got ahead of the rumor-mill in interviews with the Jackson Free Press last week.
State Takeovers: A Fix for Failing School Districts?When the state took control of the Hazlehurst City school district in 2008, the small rural district was in chaos and suffering from abysmal academic performance.
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.
Mississippi Lawmakers Increase Budget EstimatesTop Mississippi lawmakers on Tuesday increased the estimate of how much money state government can spend this year and next.
Diaz: Michelle Byrom Did Not Get a Fair TrialFormer Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Oliver E. Diaz jr. explains why Michelle Byrom did not get a fair trial and does not deserve to be executed. And he wants to abolish the death penalty.
Same-Sex Couples Apply For Marriage Licenses in Hinds CountySame-Sex Couples applied for marriage licenses this morning at the Hinds County courthouse in Jackson.
Soul Wired, Mama Hamil's and Outlets of MississippiSoul Wired Cafe offers healthy cuisine with plenty of vegetarian items, geared toward getting people to eat right and is also a cultural venue that provides a mix of music, art, and poetry with plenty of soul.
Justices Tackle Health Law Birth Control CoverageSupreme Court justices are weighing whether corporations have religious rights that exempt them from part of the new health care law that requires coverage of birth control for employees at no extra charge.
Miss. College Savings Plan to Reopen EnrollmentA state board voted unanimously Monday to reopen enrollment this fall in the Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition program.
Secretary of State Kicks Watkins; Watkins Alleges Republican PoliticsThe secretary of state says David Watkins misused bond money; Watkins says it's all about politics.
Byrom Execution This Week UnlikelyWith the Mississippi State Supreme Court considering appeals from death-row prisoner Michelle Byrom, it's unlikely that the state could schedule the woman's execution in time for the date Attorney General Jim Hood requested.
10 Local Stories of the WeekThere's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
Jackson Mayor Hopefuls Draw Battle LinesIn the first forum for the Jackson mayor's race, which the West Central Jackson Improvement Association hosted Thursday evening, several battlefronts emerged.
Black Preschoolers More Likely to Face SuspensionBlack students are more likely to be suspended from U.S. public schools—even as tiny preschoolers.
With Health Law, Workers Ponder the I-Quit OptionFor uninsured people, the nation's new health care law may offer an escape from worry about unexpected, astronomical medical bills.
Miss. Legislators OK Final Version of Justice BillLegislation to make Mississippi's criminal justice system more efficient and less expensive won final approval Thursday from state lawmakers.
Deep South Dems Mount Comeback with Familiar NamesDemocrats in the conservative Deep South are looking to recapture some old political magic in the 2014 elections.
GOP Titans Clash in Mississippi's Senate RaceMississippi Republican Thad Cochran is facing his toughest primary challenge in nearly 36 years in the Senate, from a tea party favorite who casts him as an out-of-touch Washington insider.
Jackson Mayor's Poll Shows High UndecidedsAn early poll about the Jackson race for mayor shows Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber in a dead heat with attorney Chokwe Antar Lumumba for first place. It also indicates that approximately one third of voters have not made up …
‘Personhood’ May Be BackThe anti-abortion organization Personhood Mississippi filed paperwork for Initiative 41 on March 5, 2013. If supporters gather 107,216 signatures by May 14, 2014, the bill will appear on the ballot in November 2015.
An Innocent Woman? Michelle Byrom vs. MississippiIf Mississippi executes Michelle Byrom, now 57, she will be the first woman the state has put to death in 70 years. It may also be a horrible injustice.
War of Words Begins in Mayor’s ContestWhen the robots begin calling, you know the race has begun. Before she announced that she had indeed decided to seek the mayor's office, Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon was already the target of automated robocalls.
State Employee Pay Proposal Stalls in Miss. SenateMississippi senators have rejected a proposal to give a $1,000 pay raise to all state employees. But, a top budget writer says legislators still might consider a raise for lower-paid government workers.
Concerns About Cancer Centers Under Health LawSome of America's best cancer hospitals are off-limits to many of the people now signing up for coverage under the nation's new health care program.
Immigrants Need Affordable College, Advocates SayImmigrant-rights advocates have been working to change the law to make college more affordable for Mississippi's growing immigrant population.