Education
Mississippi Shutting Down as COVID-19 Reaches Jackson, Coast, Rural Areas
The confirmed arrival of COVID-19 in Jackson follows a weekend of growing restrictions on movement and public gatherings nationwide.
City & County
State Says COVID-19 Tests Available, But Confusion Among Local Providers
Clinics and hospitals in the Jackson metro demurred on March 13 when the Jackson Free Press called seeking COVID-19 testing
City & County
COVID-19 Task Force Will Monitor Virus in Jackson, Decide School Closings
The capital city will have its own COVID-19 task force composed of city officials, public-health experts as well as institutional partners in the capital city's health-care system, Mayor Chokwe A. …
State
State on COVID-19 in Mississippi: Get Tested if Show Flu-Like Symptoms
Public health officials announced the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Mississippi as the disease is declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. State leadership called for extraordinary …
National
Biden Draws 83% in Hinds County, Higher Than State Vote
Former Vice President Joe Biden drew just over 83 percent of the Hinds County vote in Democratic voting last night in his statewide rout of U.S. Bernie Sanders, who did …
Crime
Factchecking the Gang Law Bill, Sponsor’s Inconsistencies
"Some of these gangs certainly are (solid criminal enterprises), but it's not clear which ones, and I don't know that they know, either," de Gruy said. Furthermore, the public defender …
State
PATRIOT South Tests Pearl River Flood Responders
U.S. Army National Guard units joined with state agency personnel this week at Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg, including some of Jackson's own first responders, drilling the coordination and cohesion necessary …
City & County
Flourishing in Spite of a Flood
With every issue of BOOM Jackson, we like to reflect on the progress and developments that have occurred over the last quarter. From renovations to flooding, these last three months …
City & County
One Lake, Few Alternatives: A Primer
Many of the concerns surrounding One Lake remain unresolved and, to date, the Levee Board has declined to host a public forum to take questions from the audience openly, instead …
Crime
Gang Bill Trying to Be a Baby RICO Mob Bill, But Too Wide, Critics Say
The Jackson Free Press recently asked Sen. Brice Wiggins if his push for Senate Bill 2459 is a way for Mississippi to have its own little Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt …
City & County
'One Lake' Critics Sound Alarms on Bridges, Environment, Industry Effects
Environmentalists are sounding alarms over concerns that the Levee Board is misrepresenting alternative solutions to Jackson's flooding woes in favor of lucrative property-development opportunities.
Immigration
Immigrants, Activists Call For Rights at State Capitol
Jeimy Viveros wants those who come after her to have a better shot at their dreams. She came to the Mississippi Capitol to advocate for in-state tuition for all residents …
Levees Worked Well in Jackson Flood, But ‘One Lake’ Still District’s Choice
"I'm glad we're conducting the meeting today. I'm glad we can dispel some of the rumors and some of the myths about the One Lake project," Hinds County District 1 …
Health Care
Reform By Any Other Name
Legislative Black Caucus Chairwoman Sen. Angela Turner-Ford stressed the material realities of the black experience in Mississippi as the group unveiled its agenda for 2020, with health justice and Medicaid …
City & County
West Jackson Creek Woes Become ‘One Lake’ Pitch
A public meeting in west Jackson to debate solutions to recent flash floods quickly turned into an impromptu pitch for the "One Lake Project" from three Hinds County supervisors and …
City & County
Pearl River Crests and 500 Homes Flood Amid Stew of Chemicals, Tainted Sewage
The Pearl River crested Monday at 36.8 feet, inundating the City of Jackson with quickly creeping floodwaters. The waters reached a lower high-water mark than the worst-case scenario forecast of …
City & County
After Flooding Evacuation Order, City Will Not Send Help to Barricaded Areas
Mayor Chokwe Lumumba ordered Jackson residents living near the Pearl River to evacuate their homes in anticipation of massive flooding this Saturday and beyond, as of noon today.
City & County
UPDATED: City Declares State of Emergency, Orders Flood Evacuation for Northeast Jackson Residents Near Pearl River
The Pearl River is expected to crest at 35.5 feet by Saturday morning, the National Weather Service reports, one foot higher than the river reached during last month's catastrophic flooding.
Crime
Alleged TANF Fraud Follows Years of Individual Recipient Rejections
The State of Mississippi refusing to distribute money allocated to help the poor is not new. The Jackson Free Press reported in 2017 that the State has winnowed down TANF …
Crime
'Sprawling Conspiracy' Ensnares Voucher Beneficiaries, Republican Donors
At least two people who donated significant sums to Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves' campaign allegedly engaged in what the state's top elected official calls a "disgusting abuse of power."
Politics
Teacher Pay, Prison Reform, Horn Lake Dem Tentative Winners So Far
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann began the process of raising teacher pay on Thursday, Jan. 30. Senate Bill 2001 proposes a $1,000 raise for all public-school teachers in the state. The …
City & County
Disabled Children Losing Medicaid Coverage, Families Desperate for Help
The Mississippi Division of Medicaid announced last June that Alliant Health Solutions would replace eQHealth Solutions as the third-party vendor responsible for assessing applicants' eligibility for Medicaid, starting Aug. 1.
Politics
Hester Jackson-McCray Prevails in Special Election Committee
Rep. Hester Jackson-McCray, a black Democrat, is likely to keep her seat in the Mississippi House of Representatives after a long and contentious committee meeting Monday at the State Capitol.
Education
Less Blues, More Gospel In Gov. Tate Reeves' State of the State
New Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves closed his State of the State address Monday night by promising to "sing the gospel" of Mississippi, after rejecting pessimism, pettiness, ivory towers, gender studies …
City & County
Furious West Jackson Residents Seek Answers, Solutions After Flooding
The atmosphere was tense at Pearl Street African Methodist Episcopal Church on Tuesday, Jan. 23, as west Jackson residents gathered to call for state officials to address last week's massive …
Politics
Bipartisanship, Prisons, Gangs, Teacher Pay and Tarnished Lawmakers
Delbert Hosemann's ascent to the lieutenant governor's seat opened the possibility for a more bipartisan Senate than in recent sessions, even as Mississippi faces its most Republican-led state government since …
City & County
UM Confederate Statue Stays Put for Now as IHL Punts
The Confederate statue on the University of Mississippi's Oxford campus will stay put for now after the Institutions of Higher Learning Board tabled a motion to relocate it yesterday.
Politics
Gov. Tate Reeves Touts 'Loving Culture,' Need for Unity in Mississippi
Republican Tate Reeves is now the governor of Mississippi, presiding over a deeply red government and a legion of interests looking for pieces of the state government's full coffers.
City & County
2020 Legislative Preview: GOP In Charge, But Conflict Ahead?
The GOP's newfound dominance in Mississippi does not mean a pacified Legislature, outgoing House Minority Leader Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, says. Baria believes that real political daylight exists …
City & County
Local United Methodist Churches Face Schism Over LGBTQ Inclusion
The future of Mississippi's United Methodist churches and institutions is in question after a group of influential United Methodist Church leaders announced a preliminary agreement to split the church in …
Politics
Statewide Gas Taxes a Bridge Too Far for Lt. Gov.-elect Hosemann
Lt. Gov.-elect Delbert Hosemann will not consider raising gas taxes statewide in 2020, he told the press on Dec. 17. But he is opening the door for county supervisors to …
Immigration
ICE Raids Show ‘Christian Crisis in America,’ Guatemalan Cardinal Says in Jackson
Guatemalan Cardinal Alvaro Ramazzini called for a renewed humanity in the nation’s treatment of immigrants in Jackson last week before going to Carthage to meet people affected by massive, statewide …
Education
Teacher Pay Raises a Top Priority for New Session, Reeves and Hosemann Say
Teacher pay raises could be one of the first big achievements of the 2020 legislative session, multiple lawmakers say.
Politics
Support or Separation in Foster Care? Summit Explores Problems, Solutions
Neglect, not abuse, causes 75% of family separations in the nation's child-welfare system, and that neglect is often tied to poverty, Jerry Milner, acting commissioner of the U.S. Administration for …
Politics
UPDATED: After JFP Query, Child Protection Agency Says PEER Miscalculated Data
PEER, a legislative committee intended to improve the "economy, efficiency, effectiveness and accountability" of state agencies, found in its annual review of MDCPS that the turnover rate rose from 21% …
Education
Past Never Dead: UM Academic Freedom In Limbo?
"You better watch your back. I'm coming for you," a voice growled through the receiver. The caller then hung up, leaving Dr. James Thomas alone in his University of Mississippi …
Education
DOSSIER: IHL Document Dump Raises Questions About Boyce Role
In the course of my investigation into the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, multiple sources have repeated a simple refrain: The IHL's conduct in the Ole Miss chancellor search process …
Education
UM Faculty Senate Votes 'No Confidence' In IHL; Media Leak 'Suspicious'
The Faculty Senate of the University of Mississippi passed a resolution late last night declaring "no confidence" in the Institutions of Higher Learning board's search process to find a replacement …
National
Texts Reveal Volker's Role in Ukraine Talks, His BGR Role Still Unclear
The labyrinth of allegations swirling around Donald Trump administration's Ukraine dealings has only deepened since this newspaper's initial coverage of the Mississippi connections, direct and indirect, to the controversy last …
National
Mississippi Lobbyists, Associates in Thick of Trump’s Ukraine-Russia Web
A key figure in Trump's impeachment inquiry has an ongoing and paid association with lobbying firm BGR Group, started by former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, as well as a paid …
Art
Sengoku Souls
The most enlightening part of “Nioh” is how plainly it presents what elevates its spiritual predecessor. It’s gameplay, pure and simple: the balancing act of punch and counterpunch, the careful …
Style
Record of a Nightmare: A Review of ‘Yume Nikki’
About 10 years ago, a little game called "Yume Nikki" showed up on Japan's largest message board, 2channel.
Style
Prepare to Die, Again: A Review of “Dark Souls 2”
"Dark Souls 2" is the third entry in the Souls series, a further refinement on an already impeccably polished property.
Style
Home on the Range: A Review of ‘Banished’
The challenge of a good city builder is all in the planning. Never is the player expected to react on the fly—that's the domain of real-time strategy.
Style
Wide Open Space: A Review of ‘Starbound’
If you're familiar with the newer features of entertainment technology and software company Valve's digital gaming distribution system Steam, you probably know that it's a pretty good time to be …
Style
‘Black Flag’: An Immersive Expansion
The impressive experience of “Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag” makes an admirable case for more nautical adventures in video games.
Style
Where No Kerbal Has Gone Before
The concept of "Kerbal Space Program" is decidedly simple and open-ended like many of the best indie titles.
Technology
Return to San Andreas A Review of ‘Grand Theft Auto V’
“Grand Theft Auto V” is a triumphant return after a few missteps in the series’ fourth installment.
Technology
Historical Revisionism: A Review of ‘Civilization V’
The “Civilization” series is still releasing engrossing strategy games after two decades.
Technology
Everything's Kinected
The recently revealed Xbox One is the next generation of Microsoft gaming consoles, made to compete primarily with Sony's upcoming Playstation 4. The concern lies with the new Xbox's planned …
