City & County
JPS Keeps Accreditation for Now as 18 Districts Go on Probation
The Commission on School Accreditation approved the 2017 accountability grades of JPS schools and districts at its meeting Tuesday morning, as well as recommended that 18 school districts in the …
City & County
JPS Faces Big Week as Governor's Takeover Decision Looms
As Jackson Public Schools officials and administrators work to meet deadlines set in their 2016 corrective action plan, Gov. Phil Bryant could decide to take away local control of the …
City & County
Welty Library Set to Re-open Monday
The Eudora Welty Library in downtown Jackson will reopen on Monday, after state and city officials inspected the building today, determining the first floor is safe for patrons.
LGBT
HB 1523 Becomes Law Amid Outcry, U.S. Supreme Court Asked to Appeal
The "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination" Act is state law in Mississippi, after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the request of plaintiffs in the Barber …
Development
Transportation Head Calls Out Legislature for Not Funding Roads, Bridges
Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall did not mince words at the Stennis Capitol Press Forum Monday, calling out Mississippi lawmakers' inaction on funding the state's infrastructure.
Cover
Where Mississippi's U.S. Lawmakers Stand on Gun Laws, Rights
In the wake of the Las Vegas massacre, the Jackson Free Press assembled details on the gun-related legislation that Mississippi lawmakers in Washington have supported or co-sponsored, as well as …
City & County
JPS Students: ‘Takeover’ Could Empty Schools, Fill Jails
State of Mississippi takeover of Jackson Public Schools could be devastating to young people, a group of JPS students told reporters outside City Hall Monday.
Civil Rights
Beyond Mississippi’s Dark Days of Judicial Injustice
On Sept. 27, Mississippi justices, lawyers and law students celebrated the state judicial branch's 200th birthday, along with U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who visited Jackson for the …
Politics
Fighting for the Right to Vote
Mississippi state law on who gets to vote after serving time in MDOC's custody appears rather arbitrary. Twenty-two disenfranchising crimes are listed in a 2009 attorney general's opinion that clarifies …
Health Care
Mental Health Task Force Aims to Improve Services, Including for the Accused
Attorney General Jim Hood is tackling problems in Mississippi's mental-health system to make it easier for people to get treatment and to improve the commitment process, he said last week.
City & County
Welty Library Building Closure ‘Devastating’
The Eudora Welty Library building is closed off to the public after the state fire marshal closed it Oct. 5 due to several violations of fire and life safety standards …
City & County
Welty Library Closes Due to Fire Violations
The Eudora Welty Library in downtown Jackson closed this evening after a state fire marshal inspection on Wednesday, Oct. 4, revealed several violations of fire and life safety standards.
Immigration
Rep. Bomgar, Businessmen: DACA Has 'Huge Economic Benefit'
A diverse panel of local business owners, a Republican state legislator and an economics professor at Jackson State University all agreed that immigrants on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals …
Business
Report: Jackson Airport Economic Impact More Than $1 Billion
The Jackson Municipal Airport Authority's total monetary impact in 2016 on the five surrounding counties—Hinds, Rankin, Madison, Simpson and Copiah—is valued at $1.19 billion, a Jackson State University study found.
LGBT
HB 1523 Becomes Law Tuesday, Oct. 10, After 5th Circuit Denied Stay
The "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act" will become state law on Tuesday, Oct. 10, after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied attorneys' request to prevent …
City & County
JPS: In the Midst of an ‘Unprecedented’ Situation
When the Mississippi Board of Education recommended a takeover of Jackson Public Schools, the district was almost finished implementing a corrective action plan that the department of education approved in …
LGBT
Federal Judge Revives Same-Sex Marriage Case After 5th Circuit's HB 1523 Hearing Denial
U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves wasted no time in reviving the original case that sought to legalize same-sex marriage in Mississippi, after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied …
Education
JPS Set to Begin $2.5 Million School Renovations to Wingfield, Brinkley, Murrah, Forest Hill
Students at Wingfield High School and Brinkley Middle School will see renovations and improvements to their facilities in the coming months after both the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees …
Health Care
CHIP in Limbo: 79,000 Mississippi Kids Could Lose Health Insurance
The U.S. Congress quietly let the Children's Health Insurance Program, initially authorized in 1997, expire last week, leaving more than 79,000 Mississippi children at risk for losing their health insurance.
Politics
Poll: Mississippi Flag Losing Favor; White Voters Still Oppose Change
A new poll shows that 49 percent of Mississippians favor the current state flag, signaling the first time a majority of state residents does not support the banner.
LGBT
HB 1523 May Become Law This Week; Plaintiffs Asking Supreme Court to Hear Case
House Bill 1523, the law Gov. Phil Bryant signed that can allow Mississippians acting on their religious beliefs to discriminate against LGBT citizens, is set to become state law this …
Education
Auditor: 'Culture of Obstruction' Inside State Education Department
The Mississippi Department of Education may have broken state law with contracts it authorized in fiscal-year 2014 and 2015, and some of those deals with people and companies in the …
Civil Rights
Civil Rights Photographer Doris Derby Unveils Work at JSU Tonight
Doris Derby, a civil-rights veteran who worked in Jackson in the 1960s, walked into a basement room of the not-yet-opened Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and saw her black and yellow …
City & County
Takeover or Not: Jackson Schools in Limbo
The afternoon of Thursday, Sept. 14, seemed to creep by slowly as Mississippi Board of Education members deliberated the future of Jackson Public Schools behind closed doors.
City & County
Protecting Children: New Leader, New Challenges
Almost 6,000 children are in the state's custody, and some of them are backlogged in the system, newly appointed commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services Jess Dickinson …
City & County
Charter School Decision Over Diversion of Public Funds Should Drop Soon
Parents with children in Jackson Public Schools are waiting for Hinds County Chancery Court Judge J. Dewayne Thomas to decide if the state's charter-school law violates the Mississippi Constitution, which …
Economy
State Economic Growth Lags, As Agencies Request More Funding
From public safety to education, several large state agencies asked top lawmakers for more funding last week. Based on the State of Mississippi's economic outlook, however, more funding does not …
City & County
'Our JPS' Coalition Activates Against State Takeover
The pending takeover of Jackson Public Schools drew dozens of citizens to Friday Forum at the former Koinonia Coffeehouse this morning to learn about what it means for capital-city families.
City & County
Jackson’s Confederate-Named Schools May Change After JPS Board Vote
With the potential for a state takeover of the Jackson Public School District looming, its board of trustees voted to allow the local PTAs to rename three elementary schools in …
City & County
Gov. Bryant on JPS Takeover: 'Not Going to Rush Judgment'
After meeting with Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba this morning, Gov. Phil Bryant said today that he does not plan to "rush judgment" on the Mississippi Board of Education's proposal to …
City & County
Next Steps for JPS Takeover: Governor in No 'Rush'
Jackson Public Schools started the week of Sept. 11 facing a possible takeover and ended with its fate in Gov. Phil Bryant's hands.
Jacksonian
Lilli Evans Bass
Lilli Evans Bass says that Jackson is and always will be home for her. That's why, even after receiving her law degree at the University of Mississippi in 2008, she …
Immigration
35 New U.S. Citizens from 23 Countries Take Oath at Jackson Middle School
In honor of Constitution Day, Sept. 17, as well as the anniversary of federal courts this month, U.S. District Courts around the country hosted naturalization ceremonies in schools.
City & County
Attorney, JPS Parent Files Federal Lawsuit to Block State Takeover of School District
Jackson attorney Dorsey Carson says the state's process to take over school districts, violates his child's and all parents' due-process rights.
City & County
State Board Sends JPS Takeover to Governor for Stamp of Approval
The fate of Jackson Public Schools is now in the hands of Republican Gov. Phil Bryant after the Mississippi Board of Education declared an “extreme emergency situation” in the district …
City & County
JPS ‘Takeover’ Looms as Commission Declares ‘Extreme Emergency’ in District
The impending state takeover of Jackson Public Schools moved forward today, shocking a packed board room at the Mississippi Department of Education, which is housed in the old, long-segregated Central …
Cover
‘Everybody Matters, Or Nobody Matters’: The JFP Interview with Public Safety Commissioner Marshall Fisher
Department of Public Safety Commissioner Marshall Fisher shared his opinions and ideas about how law enforcement fits into society and government as a whole with the Jackson Free Press recently.
City & County
Lumumba Alleges 'Nefarious Intent' in JPS Audit, Says City Will Fight
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba rallied with advocates on Tuesday ahead of this morning's Mississippi Commission on School Accreditation meeting, during which members will determine whether or not to put Jackson …
City & County
UPDATED: How Will the Jackson Property Tax Increase Affect You?
The Jackson City Council approved Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba's revenue increase proposal, raising the city's property tax rate by 2 mills, late on the Friday before Labor Day weekend.
City & County
Local DACA Immigrants: We Still Have a Dream
The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security show that more than 3,000 Mississippians have applied for DACA approval, with 2,700 applications approved as of March 31.
Politics
As Money Flows to Hopefuls, Hattiesburg Votes to Elect New Legislator
Hattiesburg residents have their choice of four candidates in the special election for House District 102, which they vote in today, to replace former Rep. Toby Barker's seat in the …
City & County
Advocates, Lumumba Call For 'No State Takeover' as State Decisions Looms
This week, the Mississippi Commission on School Accreditation will decide whether or not Jackson Public Schools is in a state of emergency.
Hurricane
Mississippi Helps Florida in Irma Response
Ninety-eight emergency responders from Mississippi are headed to Florida to assist with hurricane relief and recovery efforts after Hurricane Irma made landfall there this weekend.
State
AG Warns: It's a Felony to Sell Flood-damaged Vehicles as New
Attorney General Jim Hood cautioned Mississippians who are in the market to purchase vehicles in the next few months to be wary of flood damage.
City & County
Mayor Lumumba Backs 'Dreamers,' Calls on Trump to Preserve DACA
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba is calling on President Donald Trump to preserve the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, known as DACA. Lumumba signed the "We Are With Dreamers" letter …
Politics
Secretary of State Launches Voter Registration Status Tool
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann launched a new part of the Y'all Vote website on Wednesday, Sept. 6, that allows Mississippians to easily see if they are registered to vote—and …
Civil Rights
Amid Growing Scrutiny and Pressure, State Flag May Land at Supreme Court
Pressure to change the Mississippi state flag has intensified since shocking images emerged of torch-wielding white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va., marching to protect symbols honoring the Confederacy—a weekend rally that …
City & County
JPS Faces ‘Emergency’ Decision: What’s Next?
The future of Jackson Public Schools is uncertain after a recent audit investigation found the district has hundreds of unfilled and uncertified teacher slots; inconsistent board-to-district policies; and did not …
City & County
UPDATED: Lumumba, City Council Quietly Raise Property Taxes to Fill Budget Holes
Late last week, the Jackson City Council approved a 2-millage tax increase in a close 3-2 vote, with two city council members not attending the last-minute Friday-evening meeting.
City & County
City of Jackson Collecting Harvey Relief Supplies, Where to Donate
The City of Jackson is collecting relief supplies to send to people in Texas and Louisiana affected by the storm damage from Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall last week.
