Jackson Free Press

Candidate Profile: Melvin Priester Jr.

Jackson City Council President Melvin Priester Jr. officially announced his candidacy for the upcoming special mayoral election at a press conference on March 11 at Priester Law Firm.

Candidate Profile: John Horhn

Mississippi Sen. John Horhn officially announced his candidacy for Jackson mayor at a press conference on the morning of Wednesday, March 12, 2014, at Cade's Courtyard on Mayes Street. Horhn …

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Candidates You May Not Know

As Election Day draws near to replace late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, many of the official mayoral candidates are doing their best to draw in more supporters, but what about the …

Lumumba, Priester, Horhn Lead Mayoral Money Race: Who Are Their Big Donors?

Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Melvin Priester Jr. and John Horhn are leading the money race heading into the last week of the race for mayor.

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Crime’s Down—But Do the Candidates Know It?

Now that we're in the throes of another city election, it should come as no surprise that Jackson crime has been a major subject of conversation in debates and forums.

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Congressman Bennie Thompson Officially Backs Priester for Jackson Mayor

A close listen to Melvin Priester Jr.'s radio ads and policy ideas, which echo U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson's oft-repeated frustrations of Jackson's failure to apply for federal money, was enough …

Food Corps Recruiting Service Members; Apply by March 30

For the last year, Mariel Parman, 24, has worked as a service member with Food Corps to help improve the health of Mississippi's young people by linking health disparity with …

2nd Debate Exposes Generational Differences

In the second forum for the Jackson mayoral race, political rivalry was still holding strong — and may be getting stronger.

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LGBTers Rally in Jackson to Demand Respect

Advocates have injected new energy into the push for LGBT rights with a flurry of recent activity in Jackson and throughout Mississippi. This afternoon, several organizations from around the state …

Dr. Paresh Ray

Jackson State University professor and researcher Dr. Paresh Ray recently became one of 30 people worldwide to receive the 2014 Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Samman Award for his research and contributions …

Jackson Mayor Hopefuls Draw Battle Lines

In the first forum for the Jackson mayor's race, which the West Central Jackson Improvement Association hosted Thursday evening, several battlefronts emerged.

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Deep South Dems Mount Comeback with Familiar Names

Democrats in the conservative Deep South are looking to recapture some old political magic in the 2014 elections.

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GOP Titans Clash in Mississippi's Senate Race

Mississippi Republican Thad Cochran is facing his toughest primary challenge in nearly 36 years in the Senate, from a tea party favorite who casts him as an out-of-touch Washington insider.

Stop the Execution of Michelle Byrom

Michelle Byrom is clearly not guilty of the crime for which the state plans to execute her next week.

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Analysis: No Safe Wards in Mayor's Race

As of this morning, nine individuals—two women and seven men—have said they would participate in the special election to replace late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba.

Stop Endangering Lives with ‘Hot’ Police Pursuits

Here in Jackson, the police department has caught up with modern criminal-justice best practices based on the reality that high-speed police pursuits must be limited to situations where the risk …

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‘Hot’ Madison Police Pursuit Under Investigation

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations is reviewing policies of the Madison Police Department after its officers engaged in a high-speed pursuit through the streets of Jackson on Sunday, Feb. 23.

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Embrace All Forms of Downtown Housing

The building at 300 W. Capitol St. is the nicest public housing in the state. Or so its last two occupants—currently, Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, and his predecessor, Haley Barbour—like …

Gulf Drilling Saga Almost Over?

A controversy that started more than two years ago, during the waning days of Gov. Haley Barbour's final term in office, sparking a lengthy legal battle between environmentalists and state …

Drilling, One Lake Need Real Public Airing-Out

We oppose the state's plan to lease parcels in Mississippi's magnificently pristine sound to exploration and oil and gas drilling.