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Hinds Coroner May Get Refrigerated Truck Friday; Extra Judges in Place; Evers Honored

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors yesterday presented the family of Charles Evers with a resolution recognizing the impact of his life and accomplishments. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kevin S. O'Brien/Released

‘It Is Your Money’: Hinds Residents Have $26,000 In Unclaimed Money with State Treasury

Hinds County residents have $26,288.73 in unclaimed cash with the Office of the State Treasurer, information on its website reveals.

‘Collective Vision’: Lynch Street Repaving, Multi-Use Path Underway in West Jackson

A resurfaced Lynch Street and a new multi-use path in west Jackson officially got underway this week, Mississippi Central District Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons and Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba announced at a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday.

Hinds County Receiving 'Dangerous' Seeds From China, Could Spread Diseases

Hinds County is among 15 counties in the state where people reported receiving unsolicited seeds from China, Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson said yesterday.

Bailey Avenue Up For Repaving As Jackson Paving Season 2020 Continues

Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba yesterday announced the commencement of the re-pavement of Bailey Avenue from Bailey Avenue Bridge to Mayes Street as part of the 2020 paving-season projects.

Charles Evers Honored, WMPR Street Renamed at Special City Council Session

Charles Evers, who died Wednesday at 97, came to Mississippi from Chicago after a white supremacist killed his brother, Medgar, in 1963. He led protests to champion the civil rights of Black Mississippians.

Hinds County Commits $50,000 for 'Reentry Program’ for Formerly Incarcerated

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors on Monday committed $50,000 for what it calls Second Chance Reentry Program for the formerly incarcerated.

Jackson Zoo May Open in August; City Receives Temporary Exhibitor’s License

The City of Jackson Zoo may open in August after receiving a temporary exhibitor’s licence, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba informed members of the Jackson City Council Tuesday.

Mitigating COVID-19 Risk if School Reopens

Albert Sykes, executive director of the Institute for Democratic Education in America, wants to add to the conversation on reopening schools and to draw attention to the problem of educational inequality the pandemic exacerbates and exposes.

City of Jackson Hires JRA Executive Director, County Director of Emergency Operations Announces Resignation

Latoya Cutts is the new executive director of Jackson Redevelopment Authority. She was the downtown manager and head of development for Albany, Ga., before her new appointment, which Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba announced yesterday.

JPS Superintendent Lays Down Rules for School Reopening Amid Pandemic

Superintendent Errick L. Greene yesterday laid out the reopening plan for the Jackson Public School District while urging those who can to opt for the virtual-only learning option as, barring any future change, the 2020-2021 session will begin Aug. 10.

Jackson Public Works Director Bob Miller Resigns; Mayor Says ‘Grateful to Him’ for Service

City of Jackson Public Works Director Robert MIller revealed his resignation yesterday in a Facebook post.

Construction of Jackson Museum Trail Begins for 2.5-Mile Path from Downtown to Lakeland Drive

The Jackson Museum Trail, a 2.5-mile, 10-foot wide multi-use path, stretching from downtown Jackson to Lakeland Drive, will enhance quality of life and spur economic growth, Clay Hays of Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership told Jackson Free Press this week.

People’s Assembly on Police Reform Reveals Civil Review Board in Progress

Efforts to reform Jackson policing will include increasing investment in community alternatives to policing, members of the City's criminal-justice task force told participants at the Jackson's People's Assembly virtual forum last week.

New Law Enforcement Committee Will Monitor Policing Responses in Jackson

The death of George Floyd inspired newly elected Jackson City Council President and Ward 6 representative Aaron Banks to kick off his one-year tenure as president by including a law-enforcement committee among his slate of 10 reconfigured committees last week.

City Buying 100,000 Masks Due to COVID-19, Debates Gerrymandering

To help slow the spread of COVID-19 in Jackson and enable the citizens to do their part, the Jackson City council on Tuesday authorized Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba to purchase 100,000 facial masks for distribution.

Evers Statue May Replace Slave Owner, ‘Trail of Tears’ Leader Andrew Jackson’s at City Hall

In line with the current trend against glorifying slave owners and the slavery era with monuments and statues, Jackson City Council on Tuesday authorized Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba to legally remove and relocate the statue of former President Andrew Jackson from the City Hall.

In the Spirit of Medgar: State Flag Came Down the Week Slain Hero Would’ve Turned 95

When the signature of Gov. Tate Reeves put an end to the 126-year reign of the former Mississippi flag with the Confederate emblem on June 30, it was two days before what would have been the 95th birthday of Medgar Evers.

Confederate Statue at Raymond Courthouse May Move After Black Citizen Pleads Case to Supervisors

The Confederate statue at the Hinds County Courthouse in Raymond represents racial injustice and should be removed, Marshand Boone told the Hinds County Board of Supervisors Monday. The board, in turn, committed to resolving the issue.

Autopsy: Death of Harvey Hill in Madison County Detention Center Ruled Homicide

The death of 36-year-old Harvey Hill on May 6, 2018, in the Madison County Detention Center was a homicide, the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's Office has determined.

Activist: 'We Need to Flood the Polls as We Flooded the Streets to Protest'

Calyn Stringfellow wants more young people to get politically engaged and to register and turn out to vote, hence the program she held in front of Jackson City Hall.

Gov. Reeves Vetoes Jackson Water Bill, More Paving, Mask Requirement Ahead

Gov. Tate Reeves has vetoed the “Jackson Water Bill,” a piece of proposed legislation that passed in both the Mississippi Senate and House of Representatives with no opposing vote.

Hinds Leaders: Mississippi Flag Stands for ‘Hate, Torture, Murder, Rape’

Hinds County leaders issued a passionate plea yesterday, joining the growing call to change the Mississippi flag because of the Confederate emblem in its canton.

Lumumba Threatens To Shut Down Businesses If COVID-19 Infection Rate Spikes

Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba is expressing frustration at people not following social-distancing guidelines to counter the spread of COVID-19, saying he may need to tighten restrictions he earlier loosened if the rate of infection and hospitalization spikes.

Losing Queenyanna: Could Quicker Response Have Saved Her Life?

Queenyanna Davis would have been 6 years old on June 23, but she was murdered. She attended Watkins Elementary School in Jackson.

Smelling Sewage on Sage Street

Jesse and Sarah Pittman have had to live with the smell of sewer for a long time. They call it racist that the City of Jackson hasn’t stepped up to help.

Jackson Water Bills May Decrease Under Pending State Law; Sewer Woes Mount

The City of Jackson could lower residents’ water-bill debts if Gov. Tate Reeves signs Senate Bill 2856, which both houses of the Legislature passed unanimously, 51-0 in the Senate and 108-0 in the House of Representatives.

Juneteenth: Stokes Declares June 19, 2020, Sheriff Lee Vance Day and Jackson Advocate Day

Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes honored Hinds County Sheriff Lee Vance and the Jackson Advocate newspaper on Friday as part of a Jackson Juneteenth celebration.

Mayor Announces Local TSA PreCheck Service for Travelers, Warns COVID-19 Still Serious Danger

Citizens of Jackson who previously had to travel 30 miles to Vicksburg for Transportation Security Administration PreCheck Services can now obtain the same with the city.

CITY: ‘Deeper Than Racism’: Jackson Declares ‘Classism’ a Public Health Crisis

To attract more funds to counter the impact of socioeconomic factors on health disparity, the Jackson City Council unanimously declared classism as a public-health crisis on June 9, saying it is recommitting itself to improving the quality of life and health of the underclass.

Council Overturns Mayor's Veto of Transfer of $1.6 Million of Siemens Fund

The Jackson City Council recently overturned Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba's veto of its resolution to take $1.6 million from the $89.8 million Siemens settlement with the City and separating it to invest in the development of Highway 18 corridor.

12 Detainees, 7 Staffers Test Positive for COVID-19 at Hinds Detention Facilities

Twelve inmates and seven employees across Hinds County detention facilities have tested positive for COVID-19, Sheriff Lee Vance told the press last night.

Hinds Election Commission Moving Precincts for Runoff, Adding Voting Machines for November

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic led to the postponement of the runoff between Brian Flowers and Carey Thomas earlier scheduled for March 31.

City Repaves Belvedere Drive, Rebrands Transit System

In another effort to reverse the degrading of road infrastructure in Jackson, Miss., Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba announced the repaving of Belvedere Drive at a press briefing last week at Mary Belle Key Elementary School located on the street.

Families Accuse JPD Of Police Brutality, Demand Justice

Four Jackson families whose loved ones were victims of local police violence, three of them fatally, spoke out yesterday, publicly calling for justice in the wake of national awareness over police brutality.

Mayor Lumumba Tests Negative for COVID-19, Urges Continued Vigilance

Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba tested negative for COVID-19, Communications Director Candace Cole told the Jackson Free Press yesterday. Lumumba had a mouth swab on May 26 at a mobile testing site at Wood Village Apartments. His wife, Ebony Lumumba, also tested negative to COVID-19.

Hinds Supervisor Archie Wants Police Reform; County Studying Homelessness

Hinds County District 2 Supervisor David L. Archie has called for police reforms in the wake of the death of 46-year-old George Floyd in Minnesota, which led to protests around the world in the last two weeks.

Mayor: All Jackson Businesses Can Open; Employees Must Wear Masks

Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba, in an amended ‘Stay Safe Jackson’ executive order taking effect today, loosened restrictions on gatherings and social activities, signaling that the capital city is following the trend across the country.

Raymond Detention Center Detainee First to Test Positive for COVID-19

A detainee at Hinds County Raymond Detention Center in Raymond has tested positive for COVID-19 after falling ill on Thursday, becoming the first among 371 others detained in the three facilities the Hinds County Sheriff's Office manages as they await trial.

Sesame Street Donates Books to Jackson Children Facing Digital Divide

Sesame Street has provided learning supplies for children across the Jackson Public School District who do not have internet access at home, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba announced at a press conference at Bates Elementary School on May 29.

Of Water, Heat and Asphalt: An Essential Journey to Paving Robinson Road

Jordan Brown, a car seller, has a deep connection to Robinson Road. He started working with his father in his auto-services business on the thoroughfare that runs through west and south Jackson in 1999 when he bought the current building where his company operates.

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