Jackson Free Press

Hood vs. Simpson

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, a Democrat, and his Republican opponent Steve Simpson accused each other last week of conflicts of interest.

Tea Party Weighs in on Redistricting

The Mississippi Tea Party wants a federal three-judge panel to toss a redistricting map that favors Democrats.

Lynn Fitch

Lynn Fitch, 49, hopes to become the next treasurer of Mississippi. One of three GOP candidates, she faces Lucien Smith and state Senator Lee Yancey. If victorious, she would then …

Jackson, Let's Shoot for the Top

As I write this Tuesday, I have no idea who will be the Democratic nominee for mayor when you read this. As always happens in Jackson and Mississippi, it's been …

Mason: ‘I'm Basically an Introvert'

Outgoing Jackson State University President Ronald Mason Jr. said at a Tuesday press luncheon that he did not expect his university to deviate from progress and growth in his absence.

Speed Answers Ethics Questions with Challenge to Levee Board

After giving away part of his family's property bordering the Two Lakes development footprint last week in response to ethics questions, Jackson businessman Leland Speed today asked fellow Levee Board …

Family Ties: Earle S. Banks Sr.

Earle S. Banks Sr. counts his two decades of legislative experience as a top qualification to serve on the Mississippi State Supreme Court.

Moratorium-Blocking Judge Owns Drilling Stock

Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman lifted the Obama administration's six-month moratorium on new deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The judge, however, owns stock in numerous oil and …

Yes, They Can

Last Friday, several interns sat in front of their computers, refreshing their e-mail inboxes. They also had their cell phones at the ready, impatiently waiting for the big text message …

EDITOR'S NOTE: Midterm Madness Comes to Mississippi

Editor-in-Chief Donna Ladd and Publisher Todd Stauffer started Best of Jackson almost 16 years ago to uplift the city because back then it was in a bad place, much worse …

Confronting the Realities of Autism

For Angela Douglas, the realities of autism are all around her at work and at home. As an advocate at Disability Rights Mississippi in Gulfport, Douglas works with parents whose …

In Mississippi, Retiring Officials Can Pocket Campaign Cash

When former Mississippi Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck shut down her campaign committee in the closing days of 2013, she took a parting gift — the $158,342 remaining in the account.

Jails and Prisons Also Need Adequate Funding

Although the state of Mississippi's criminal-justice system always seems to be in the news, lately there's been a flurry of bad press for the state's jails and prison system.

Legislative Round-up: Week 1

The House Appropriations Committee started the 2007 legislative session off with a gun-shot—but then fell on its face later that day. The committee approved a total of seven money bills …

[Breaking] Education Funding Talks Break Down

[Just in from a "plumber" (our new word for unnamed source)]: "Budget negotiations, especially funding for education have completely broken down. The House has held firm for (close to) full …

Blackmon-Tuck Clash in Debate

Is it just me, or does it seem like a weird question to ask two candidates for a major office to waste time asking candidates if they can say something …

The Politics of Voter ID

Photos by Adam Lynch and Kate Medley

Candidates tend to look for issues to separate themselves from their opponents. It's a tough order in conservative Mississippi, where many nominees on both sides of the political spectrum agree …

Objets D'Espoir: Artists Put It Back Together Again

Every day after Hurricane Katrina decimated her studio and ripped her home off its foundation, Bay St. Louis artist Lori Gordon picked her way through piles of debris to the …

Real-Life Horror Stories

John Grisham says Haley Barbour should sign a moratorium on executions in Mississippi. "Absolutely. If I had my way, we'd stop all of them," Grisham said.

[Barbour] Danger Looming Large

We lost the possibility of children; we did not lose children.