Latest stories | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS

Latest stories

Subscribe


Tease photo Politics

Mississippi Could Revive a Form of Initiative Process

Mississippi legislators are working to set a new way for people to petition to put issues on statewide ballots, months after the state Supreme Court tossed out the state's old …

Tease photo Health Care

State Healthcare System ‘Essentially Broken,’ MSDH Leadership Says

Mississippi’s healthcare infrastructure may take years to recover from the continuing strain of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, leadership from the Mississippi State Department of Health said in a press briefing …

Tease photo Education

Black Colleges Alarmed by Bomb Threats, but Undeterred

From her office in Birmingham, Alabama, DeJuana Thompson looks across the street and sees a daily reminder of terror. Her window overlooks the 16th Street Baptist Church, where a bomb …


Tease photo Crime

Judge Issues Contempt Order Over County Jail in Mississippi

A federal judge has issued a civil contempt order against Mississippi's largest county, saying officials have failed to fix more than two dozen problems in a jail plagued by violence …

Tease photo State

Retired Librarian Creates and Preserves Black Milestones

In her lifetime, Anita Walton Moore has been both a documentarian of and participant in the Mississippi’s civil rights movement. She’s stood alongside groups like the Council of Federated Organizations …

Tease photo Education

Analysis: Mississippi Considers College Aid for Foster Youth

Most states already offer scholarships or tuition waivers for young people who have spent time in the foster care system. Mississippi could join that list this year.


Tease photo Politics

Mississippi Medical Marijuana Licensing Set to Start by June

Days after Mississippi became the 37th state to legalize medical marijuana, the state Health Department said Friday it is working to develop its part of the program.

Tease photo Education

Mississippi: Donor Funds Fannie Lou Hamer Scholarship

An anonymous donor is giving the University of Mississippi $100,000 to pay for a scholarship named after civil rights pioneer Fannie Lou Hamer, according to a news release from the …

Tease photo Personhood

‘God Selected This Case’: The Christian Dominionist War On Abortion, Part II

Days before the 2020 presidential election, then-President Donald Trump celebrated the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, achieving a top priority of many Christian dominionist …


Tease photo Person of the Day

Mississippi Connections in Super Bowl LVI

A handful of players in Super Bowl LVI have ties to the Magnolia State. Most played college football in Mississippi and a couple left the state after successful high-school careers …

Tease photo Crime

Man Involved in Fatal Kidnapping of Child Released on Parole

A parole board has released one of three men convicted in the kidnapping and 2017 death of a 6-year-old boy who was asleep in the backseat of a car that …

Tease photo Politics

Statue of Racist Ex-Gov. Bilbo Quietly Moved in Mississippi

A statue of white supremacist former Mississippi Gov. Theodore Bilbo has quietly been moved out of sight in the state Capitol — a move praised by Black lawmakers who say …


Tease photo Person of the Day

‘To Rule History With God’: The Christian Dominionist War On Abortion, Part I

In hopes of triggering a U.S. Supreme Court case, the Alliance Defending Freedom drafted the 15-week abortion ban that the Mississippi Legislature passed in 2018.

Tease photo Health Care

Fifteen Months After Initiative Passes, Gov. Reeves Signs Medical Marijuana Into Law

Gov. Tate Reeves gave a reluctant nod to the “will of the people” yesterday, signing Senate Bill 2095 into law. Mississippi now has a fully legalized medical-marijuana program, 15 months …

Tease photo National

EXPLAINER: Blood Supplies Run Short, Affecting Patient Care

After the holidays, it’s normal for the nationwide supply of life-saving blood to dwindle at hospitals and blood banks as donations slow. This year, with fears about COVID-19 and the …


Tease photo Politics

Longtime Circuit Judge in Mississippi Retiring at Year's End

A longtime Mississippi judge announced Wednesday that she plans to retire Dec. 31. Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie T. Green of Jackson will have served 24 years by the time …

Tease photo Health Care

10th Child Dies as Mississippi Encounters Likely Omicron Peak, Hospitals Still Over Capacity

Mississippi may have arrived at the peak of the omicron wave, with cases and hospitalizations pausing a dizzying climb that began with the new year.

Tease photo City & County

Blues Music’s Spell Hits a Resonant Note in New Stage Play in Jackson

Austin Hohnke and Mark G. Henderson star in New Stage Theatre’s production of “I Just Stopped by to See the Man” as English rocker Karl and blues musician Jesse “The …


Tease photo Crime

Despite Deaths Behind Bars, Hinds County Wants Out of Consent Decree

Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said that his office had fired two detention officers for violating various jail policies at Hinds County Detention Center concerning the death of pre-trial detainee …

Tease photo Politics

Mississippi Senate Unveils Proposal to Reduce Some Taxes

Mississippi Senate leaders unveiled a tax cut proposal Tuesday that they described as a sustainable way to reduce what people pay to the government while maintaining enough money to pay …