Jackson Free Press

The JFP Interview with Bill Luckett

In Clarksdale, Miss., Bill Luckett may as well already be governor. An attorney by training, he seems to have a hand in nearly every significant activity in town. Down the …

From Punishment to Healing: Moving Mental-Health Care Home

Jennifer Michaels traces her mental-health problems back to Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, when she was 12 years old.

Deadly Rally Accelerates Removal of Confederate Statues

The deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, is fueling another re-evaluation of Confederate statues in cities across the nation, accelerating their removal in much the same way that a …

Racial Politics Haunt GOP in the Trump Era

The statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia, was the focus of an emotional debate in the state's Republican primary election weeks before it became a flashpoint in the …

‘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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Bryant: Voting Rights Act Rigs Elections

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant spent the better half of a March 8 public forum mischaracterizing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as a former president's lingering attempt to influence southern …

William Waller Jr.: No Agenda

Criticized for political donations, Mississippi State Supreme Court Chief Justice William Waller Jr. says as long as the state constitution requires judges to run for office, contributions are necessary.

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Our Broken (Mental) Health System

This is a first in a series of columns and comments on mental health in Mississippi.

C-L Crime Coverage Improves

My Birthday House Summary

Roadblocks for Road Plans?

The Republican supermajority in the Mississippi Legislature has ignored the state chamber of commerce's calls to increase state funding for roads and bridges for three legislative sessions in a row.

State Settles Kids’ Mental Health Litigation

After seven years of litigation, one Mississippi teenager will finally get to move from the East Mississippi State Hospital to a regional center that provides services for those with intellectual …

Secrets & Lies: GOP Accused of Political Prosecutions

Prosecutions of a Mississippi Supreme Court justice and a wealthy Gulf Coast attorney are at the center a spectacular congressional investigation of political prosecution.

Take the Time to Do It Right

Last Sunday two Clarion-Ledger columnists expressed dismay at Mayor Frank Melton's string of public proclamations that turned out to be more hype than good, legal policy—telling city board members to …

BREAKING: Did Mayor Fire Cops for Muddling Domestic Case?

Sources tell the Jackson Free Press that Mayor Frank Melton may have fired police officers who muddled the response to reports on Ludlow Street Monday that Henry Phillips, 50, was …

With A Little Help From My Friends: Waveland's Getting By

In Waveland, Miss., the little town that arguably received the worst punishment Katrina could mete out, those credited with the swiftest response are not disaster-relief groups or government agencies, but …

The Lakes Plan That Won't Recede

Although both the U.S. Corps of Engineers and the local Levee Board have rejected the Two Lakes development/flood-control plan, its supporters are vowing not to give up.

Education: A Strong State Economy Starts Here

Research shows that struggling schools and low education levels hurt individuals as well as the state as a whole, bringing economic and social challenges. Fortunately, people outside the educational community …

JSU Advocates React to ‘Jacobs State' Merger

Ivory Phillips, former dean of Jackson State University's College of Education, said he suspected Jackson State University President Ronald Mason Jr.'s proposal to merge three majority-black state universities into Jacobs …

ISSUE: Crime—Fear of a Dangerous City

April 14, 2005 As the municipal elections roll through the city, one of the most repeated questions bombarding candidates concerns the issue of crime. Jackson, say some residents, has a …