Jackson Free Press

Council: No to Payroll ... and Bodyguard Raises

The Jackson City Council failed to approve the city payroll by a 3-to-3 vote at a special meeting this afternoon. Council President Leslie McLemore, Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon and …

State Farm Pulling Policies

State Farm Insurance and Casualty Company said that it plans to pull home-insurance policies from part of the Gulf Coast. The decision leaves many current and potential homeowners, who live …

Council Must Address Another $3 Million Deficit

The Jackson City Council dropped the bomb at a special meeting that the city of Jackson is still stuck with a $3 million deficit from the 2006-'07 budget, even after …

The GOP's Obsession with Tort Reform

As the health-insurance reform debate swirls, Gov. Haley Barbour is claiming that most Americans are actually looking for tort reform, not a government-guaranteed insurance option, to lower their health-care costs.

Watkins Unveils Master Plan for Metrocenter

Read the master plan Powerpoint. (PDF, 1.6 MB)

Johnson's Back!

"I, Harvey Johnson, Jr, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully ... discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, so help me God."

City Plan Short On Details, Costs

Fifteen months after Frank Melton took the mayoral oath, Jackson Human and Cultural Services Department consultant Jayne Sargent submitted a city plan to council members last week that read more …

City Council Feuds Over Secrecy

A meeting of the City Council descended into bitter acrimony Monday over whether or not to go into closed session regarding a construction contract. Reginold Harrion, deputy city lawyer for …

City Council Interrogates Police Chief

The Jackson City Council criticized Police Chief Shirlene Anderson's crime plan and demanded action on unconfirmed department heads at a March 6 special council meeting. The council spent the first …

Net-Metering Advocates Push for Support

Advocates for net metering pressed legislators this morning to submit and pass laws during this legislative session making the consumer-based electricity policy a reality in Mississippi.

Voter ID Bill Passes the House

House Bill 1533, "The Election Reform Act," is the first bill containing a requirement for state-issued photo ID to pass the House this session—though the bill did not leave the …

Council Approves Zoo Debt Restructuring

The Jackson City Council grudgingly approved a loan guarantee for the Jackson Zoo last night, even though some council members called for the city to take ownership of the zoo.

Council Passes Budget Without Tax Increase or Pay Raises

Despite Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes' request, the Jackson City Council approved a city budget for fiscal year 2011 this afternoon without a tax increase or a blanket pay raise …

City Faces Homicide Spate

This past Sunday, Michael Jerome Williams, a 28-year-old suspect in a double homicide, turned himself in to police after committing the city's eighth and ninth homicides in 10 days with …

JRA on the Chopping Block

The mayor's recent proposal to dissolve the Jackson Redevelopment Authority and use the savings to reduce the city's $4.3 million budget deficit may do little to address the city's budget …

BREAKING: Council Splits 3-3 Over President Pick

This morning, the Jackson City Council split into predictable factions over who to appoint as Council President to take the place of Ward 1 Councilman Ben Allen, who stepped down …

NOAA Expands Gulf No-Fishing Zone

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday that it is expanding the ban zone on fishing in the Gulf to about 20 percent of the entire Gulf as a …

Mississippi Ranks No. 1 in Teen Pregnancies, New Report Says

Mississippi's first again—in term of the state with the highest teen birthrate. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the state's birthrate was more than 60 percent higher …

Drill, Baby, Drill: The Reality of the McCain-Palin Plan

Republican presidential nominee John McCain has a shiny new vice presidential candidate but an old idea for dealing with the nation's gas crisis.

Demolition Down on Farish

Photos by Adam Lynch

Mayor Frank Melton announced that he intends to demolish more than 30 dilapidated homes on Farish Street, near the Church Street junction. "I'm taking them all down, and we're billing …