Jackson Free Press

Role Playing

When it comes to "Hairspray," having the right actor in the right role is everything.

Ceremony and Celebration

Not many couples can say they had their first fight before they even went out on a date. But then again, most couples aren't lawyers on opposite sides of a …

Downing: The Man With the Answers

Ponto Ronnie Downing, self-proclaimed "Jesus freak," is running for the Ward 3 City Council seat on the Republican ticket.

Mayor Johnson Delivers State of the City

Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. delivered his final State of the City address today, May 29, 2013. The transcript follows.

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Rising and Falling

Navigating the tricky world of being The Black Person has been my life. I'm a biracial woman who was raised half her life in an almost all-white town and who …

Breaking Down the Democratic Mayoral Runoff Numbers

Jackson may not experience a huge racial divide on a daily basis, but once or twice every four years, one day certainly sets white and black people apart: Election Day.

Lumumba on Unity: ‘Stay; Give it a Shot

Chokwe Lumumba doesn't want any person or business to leave Jackson just because he will probably be the city's next mayor.

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Williams: Families and Faith

Independent Jackson mayoral candidate Richard "Chip" Williams wants to focus on the family.

Annie Baker

Annie Baker, 40, has served as the director of community outreach for the Mississippi Institute for Improvement of Geographic Minority Health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center for the …

Redefining Success

What makes one person successful ... when a person of similar intelligence, experience and means is not?

Out from Under a Famous Shadow

As an internationally known singer-songwriter with two successful EPs in as many years, James McCartney has made a tradition of not being crushed by the weight of his hyper-famous father, …

Economic Gains Lift U.S. Confidence to a 5-Year High

Home prices are surging. Job growth is strengthening. And stocks are setting record highs. All of which explains why Americans are more hopeful about the economy than at any other …

U.S. Gun Debate Overlooks Daily Violence

Often lost in America's divisive gun control politics are the stories of people whose urban communities suffer the most from shootings every day.

Tax Overhaul: IRS Scandal Could Lead to Changes

The Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative political groups has little if anything to do with most everyday taxpayers, but some lawmakers are hoping attention to the budding scandal will …

Feds Investigate Md. Train Derailment, Explosion

Federal investigators planned to spend the coming days piecing together what caused a chemical-carrying CSX train to collide with a garbage truck, derail and explode at a rail crossing in …

Miss. Unveils Marker for 1963 Civil Rights Sit-In

Mississippi on Tuesday unveiled a historical marker commemorating the sit-in that took place 50 years earlier at a segregated lunch counter in downtown Jackson.

Passengers Returning to U.S. After Cruise Ship Fire

For the second time this year, a fire at sea has aborted a cruise ship's voyage. This time, aboard Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas and the ship's 2,200 passengers …

Suu Kyi Opposes 2-Child :Limit for Myanmar Minority

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Islamic leaders expressed dismay over decisions by authorities in western Myanmar to restore a two-child limit on a Muslim minority group, a policy …

Officials: Gunman in Texas Rampage was Marine

A man suspected in a West Texas shooting rampage that left one woman dead and five others wounded was a Marine who was wanted for questioning in a slaying in …

U.S. Intelligence Embraces Debate in Security Issues

In the months leading up to the killing of Osama bin Laden, veteran intelligence analyst Robert Cardillo was given the nickname "Debbie Downer."