City & County
Open Containers, Bike Shares, Guns and Angie Thomas on City Hall Agenda
Renaming streets, voting on Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay's open-container ordinance, bringing a bike share to Jackson, approving a new roof at the zoo and other issues will take the …
City & County
An ‘Open Container’ Blueprint
Mississippi's liquor rules are enough to make your head spin before you take a single sip of alcohol—if it's available for purchase where you live.
City & County
'God-fearing' JSU President Hosts Tech Panel on Coding, 'Brain Drain,' Jobs
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker matched the energy of the bustling student center at Jackson State University where he hosted a technology roundtable featuring Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr and JSU …
Business
City Contracting Battles: Veolia, Fisher Fight On
A month has passed since the City held its first Equal Business Opportunity Review Committee hearing to mediate a dispute between the larger Massachusetts-based company, Veolia North America - South, …
City & County
Decriminalizing Pot in the City
Jackson has become the latest city in the nation to propose legislation to decriminalize marijuana possession of 30 grams or less within city limits.
City & County
Jackson’s First Couple: How the Lumumbas Met and Why They Love Jackson
Jackson's first couple's story begins in a kindergarten classroom at North Jackson Elementary School. They both remember walking to school together with other kids in the neighborhood and playing together …
City & County
Tackling Jackson’s Blight, More or Less
Alexis has been a homeowner in southwest Jackson since 1999. Her neighbors left more than five years ago, and the house next door has been abandoned ever since.
City & County
Public Hearing on Pot Decriminalization Ordinance Today at City Hall
Ward 4 Councilman De'Keither Stamps proposed a change to Jackson's ordinances last week that would decriminalize possession of user-level amounts of marijuana. The public can attend a hearing at 6 …
City & County
Jackson May Decriminalize Pot Possession of 30 Grams or Less
Ward 4 Councilman De'Keither Stamps proposed a change to Jackson's ordinances that would decriminalize possession of user-level amounts of marijuana.
Business
Good Faith, Bad Faith: City Contract Controversies Explode ... Again
Arneedra Smith-Gaddis seemed nervous when she stepped to the microphone in City Hall on Jan. 3, but Bridgette Gandy looked more composed. The two women subcontractors were there, separately, to …
Crime
State Gets ‘B’ for Trafficking Laws
Pearl Assistant Police Chief Dean Scott pulled out his phone in the Mississippi Capitol on Jan. 17 to show just how easy it is to solicit sex from likely trafficked …
Crime
Unnamed Officers on Paid Leave for Shooting of 21-Year-Old Driver
Early Saturday morning, two Jackson police officers shot at 21-year-old Crystaline Barnes during a traffic stop in response to a report that Barnes may have forced another motorist off the …
Crime
Hinds County DA Robert Smith's Criminal Trial Delayed Again Until March
Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith was supposed to be in front of a Rankin County judge this morning to begin the trial for two counts of domestic violence, …
Crime
Boy, 13, Indicted for Armed Robbery, Forced to pay $100,000 Bond, Gun Missing
A Neshoba County grand jury has indicted a 13-year-old African American boy on armed-robbery charges, and he is now out on $100,000 bond.
City & County
City of Jackson Wants to Sue Siemens
The City's water-meter issues stem back to the 2012 contract with Siemens that came about when the council during Mayor Harvey Johnson's era gave Siemens the authorization to audit the …
City & County
JPS Reopens Despite 27 Schools With Little to No Water Pressure
In what seems like old news, Jackson's water issues persist into this week. Except this time students have returned to schools with little to no water pressure, and the Jackson …
City & County
Jackson's 'Deplorable' Pipes Still Bursting, Causing School Closures
The City of Jackson is somewhere between praising its public-works department for its hard work this year and quickly patching the aging infrastructure and pipes so that all citizens and …
Politics
Hinds County Sheriff Victor Mason to Employees: 'Get out of My Way'
Hinds County Sheriff Victor Mason wrote a memo to his employees Thursday basically saying they need to get on board with his leadership or "get out of my way." In …
City & County
City Hall and Schools Reopen as Pipe Repairs Continue
The City of Jackson and Jackson Public Schools reopened today after being closed this week in the face of the wintry weather in Jackson and beyond.
Business
Rosie L.T.P. Johnson ‘Loved All Things Jackson’
A commissioner of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority Board, Rosie L.T.P. Johnson, passed away late last week. The current JMAA chairman, James L. Henley, Jr., issued a statement on Jan. …
City & County
Simplifying Entrepreneurship in City
On Fridays an assortment of City workers situate themselves in a small conference room with a large wooden table and several cushy wheeled office chairs on the second floor of …
Development
West Rankin's Water, Sewer Lawsuit Against Jackson Continues
Water and sewage are at the heart of dueling legal efforts the City of Jackson and a coalition of west Rankin elected officials brought against each in recent years.
City & County
City Boil-Water Alerts: Updated Regularly
A live document tracking the City's water crisis
This is a live document tracking the City's water crisis that began in the first couple days of the month. Check back for updates.
City & County
Fixing Jackson's $7 Million HUD Debt
A $7-million debt to the Department of Housing and Urban Development caused contention at the first Jackson City Council meeting of the new year, bringing recurring HUD headaches back to …
City & County
JPS Still Closed, But Many of City's 'Peanut Brittle' Pipes Repaired
While Jackson has suffered a staggering 116 water-main breaks in the last week, Director of Public Works Bob Miller is assuring citizens that the number of new breaks has fallen …
Crime
Victims' Family Speak to Man Sentenced for 2013 Triple Homicide
Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Jeff Weill Sr. sentenced Javondus Beasley to life in prison for capital murder plus two consecutive 40-year sentences for second-degree murder today.
City & County
Council OKs Municipal Judges, Debates Bonds
June Hardwick, a Hinds County municipal judge under the first Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, returned to that post in late December after the Jackson City Council confirmed her and re-confirmed two …
Politics
UPDATED: Top Jackson, Hinds Officials Fight Charges, Settle Lawsuits for Harassment, More
The "Weinstein era" of exposing sexual misconduct has launched many powerful and high-profile men out of their career posts and into the spotlight for their raunchy and violating behaviors in …
State
Hinds Judge Jeff Weill Sr. Will Not Seek Re-election
On the last day of 2017, Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Jeff Weill Sr. announced that he will not seek re-election to a third term in 2018. Weill was elected …
City & County
New Interim Police Chief Anthony Moore ‘Familiar’ with National Trends
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba appointed Anthony Moore as the interim chief of the Jackson Police Department today. Moore fills former Chief of Police Lee Vance's spot, as he retired suddenly …
Business
Businesses in Mississippi Need Educated Workforce
Mississippi's businesses are ready to expand but most cannot because they cannot find educated employees to help make it happen, a new survey of 1,800 business owners in the state …
City & County
Council: Continue, Don’t Double Tourist Tax
At a special Jackson City Council meeting called just before the long Christmas weekend, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba asked members to reauthorize the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau and double …
City & County
City Votes to End Water Treatment Lawsuit
The City of Jackson has been going through a long, public and drawn-out break-up with the West Rankin Utility Authority since WRUA received a permit to create its own wastewater …
City & County
City Council Rejects Mayor's Request to Double Tourist Tax in 2018
The Jackson City Council voted against Mayor Chokwe Lumumba's request to double the local tourist tax this morning from 1 percent to 2 percent on purchases at restaurants, hotels and …
City & County
City to Vote on Doubling Tourist Tax in Special, Pre-Holiday Meeting Thursday
In a late-announced Jackson City Council meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 21, the members will decide if they want to pursue an increase in the local tourist …
City & County
Taking Responsibility in West Jackson
Civil-rights veteran John Perkins and his wife, Vera Mae, founded Voice of Calvary Ministries in 1975. The mission-driven Christian organization renovates homes and helps low-income families purchase them through financial …
Business
'Winter Wonderland' Ice Skating Coming to Jackson Dec. 22
The City of Jackson's Winter Wonderland ice-skating rink will begin Dec. 22, 2017, through Jan. 4, 2018, in the parking lot of Smith-Wills Stadium.
City & County
Bringing Back a Poorly Named Park
On a cold Friday night, the snow still dusting the trees from the snowfall that morning, Bilal Qizilbash set up his weekly station where he offers food to those in …
City & County
Blows, Bullets, Tears: History, Civil Rights Museums Open Amid Hope, Distrust
Myrlie Evers never mentioned Donald Trump by name but said that she sees prejudice, hatred and negativism today she never thought she would see again.
City & County
Inside Trump's Private Event at the Opening of the Two Museums
Mississippi turned 200 Sunday, and President Donald Trump descended upon Jackson to crash the party at the invitation of Gov. Phil Bryant.
City & County
Trump First to Tour Museum Saturday, Mayor Lumumba Will Boycott Opening
President Donald Trump is not scheduled to speak during the opening ceremony of the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum this Saturday.
City & County
Feds Helping JPD, Hinds 'Eject' Suspects into Federal System Without Bond
On the steps of the federal courthouse in downtown Jackson, U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst stood alongside federal, state and local law enforcement as he announced their new project to reduce …
City & County
Hot and Collective: Inside the People’s Assembly
Many locals joke that when Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba took office six months ago, so did they, echoing his slogan: "When I become mayor, you become mayor."
City & County
Silent Protesters Will Greet Trump at Opening of Mississippi Museums
The Mississippi chapter of the NAACP and a Hinds County Democratic committee are calling for Trump's surprise plans to visit to Jackson this weekend to be cancelled.
Civil Rights
Kneel-In Movements Tried to De-segregate Jackson Churches in 1960s
This day and age, it is almost impossible to talk about kneeling without thinking about Colin Kaepernick and his NFL protests during which he and now other football players have …
City & County
First People's Assembly Kicks Off with High Energy, Without Mayor
Jackson's mayoral visioning committee hosted its first people's assembly at the Smith Robertson Museum on Tuesday.
Cover
Young Perps: The Costs of Sensationalizing Youth Crime
Jackson Police Department spokesman Sgt. Roderick Holmes Holmes told the Jackson Free Press that the police department's protocol for sending out mugshots to media depends on several factors, including public …
City & County
Shaky City Communication, A New Ice Rink, Spanking
It was mostly business as usual at the last Jackson City Council meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 21, just before the Thanksgiving holiday.
City & County
‘Crank It Up’: Taking Action Against Blight
Unsightly at best, a former drug house at its worst, a single-story, boarded up bungalow house sat across from Lake Elementary School in west Jackson.
City & County
UPDATED: Lumumbas Announce First People's Assembly at Smith Robertson
The "people's mayor" is making good on a promise to execute "people's assemblies" in Jackson, using social media over the weekend to announce the first official gathering.
