Jackson Free Press

Hinds Supervisors Mull Jailer Pay Raises

After the release of a damning report from the U.S. Justice Department concerning conditions at Hinds County jails, officials are eyeing changes to the pay structure for guards.

Yarber Signals Shakeup with Crisler Pick

The appointment of former Ward 6 Councilman Marshand Crisler as public-safety commissioner marks the start of Mayor Tony Yarber's vow to overhaul the city's organizational chart.

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Democrats Blast Child Support Privatization

The Mississippi Department of Human Services is rolling out a pilot program in 17 southwest Mississippi counties to privatize its child-support enforcement program.

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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.

Tom Stingley: About the Business

Tom Stingley, 61, is running for city council as a service to his hometown of Jackson.

On Punishment

An attorney friend put it best when she told me that equality and progress can't just mean taking the same broken system that victimizes black and brown folks and applying …

Casinos, LGBTs Still Allied in Face of SB 2681

To say that Mississippi, where citizens passed a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage in 2004, has been slow to cash in on the economic potential of embracing LGBT people and …

Resigning AG Eric Holder Was Key in Mississippi Cases

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, the nation's first African American AG and one of the longest-tenured members of first-black-President Barack Obama's cabinet, is stepping down.

Rebel Land: A Racial History of Oxford and Ole Miss

“I saw years of work of digging out of this hole covered back up. I felt quite disgusted, and there are still some feelings there of discontent even today.”

Bomp, Bomp: Law & Order and the Race for Hinds County District Attorney

It's hard to tell whether Robert Shuler Smith, the top prosecutor in Hinds County, is confident he'll coast to a third term as district attorney—or if he's scared out of …

Kevin J. Williams

Kevin Williams explores the relationship with the black community in the documentary "Fear of a Black Republican."

Beer Law Changes July 1

With the stroke of his pen on April 9, Gov. Phil Bryant approved one of the most popular measures in recent history—the craft-beer bill.

Abortion, Guns Spark Capitol Debate

The Mississippi Senate and House of Representatives put off debating many of the most controversial bills—about guns and abortion—until today's deadline to pass general bills.

Hosemann Trashes SEC

Mississippi is once again locking horns with the federal government, but this time it's about neither guns nor affordable health-care insurance—it's about securities fraud.

Mississippi's Comeback Kids

Mississippi's record on youth incarceration is less than stellar. The number of county-run youth jails and state-run youth prisons that have been slapped with lawsuits for mistreating kids is almost …

Jackson to Curb Illegal Guns

A Jackson councilman wants to curb the presence of illegal guns with an ordinance requiring gun owners to promptly report lost or stolen guns.

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State Shortchanges Domestic Abuse Shelters

Mississippi domestic-violence shelters have been shortchanged more than previously believed—$1.6 million over the course of four years.

New Oversight for Domestic-Violence Funds?

Several lawmakers have proposed bills that would establish an interpersonal-violence commission to monitor and distribute funds to domestic-violence shelters.

Jackson Charter School to Make its Case

"Schools are the next frontier for community organizing," said Ravi Gupta, who took a leave of absence from law school to help Barack Obama be elected president the first time, …

Revolution's Corner, Bodega and Chill Spot, Open Downtown

Abraham Santa Cruz is trying to make a way for a new downtown venture called Revolution's Corner, now open at the corner of Pearl and Roach streets in the Standard …