Jackson Free Press

The Battle Over Schooling

Public-school K-12 education is slated to take a top spot on Mississippi lawmakers’ agendas again this year. Heat notwithstanding, Republicans will probably get their way on both issues.

• 1 comment

Jackson’s Legislative Agenda

What Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. wants to see from the state Legislature hasn’t changed much in the past year.

Home Brews

Mississippi home brewers may not have the law fully on their side, but they now have a place to buy all the hops, barley, yeast and equipment they need to …

The Circus is in Town: 2013 Legislative Preview

Gov. Phil Bryant has big plans for the 2013 legislative session. For the past few months, he’s been busy selling his agenda.

How Clinton is Reducing Domestic Abuse

Tamra Morgan was the driving force behind putting a batterer's intervention program into the Clinton judicial system's toolkit. The program has significantly reduced domestic violence in the city.

A Kinder, Gentler Union

Picking on food stamps has long been a way to gather votes from people who don't bother to pay attention to who is poor and why (call them the 47-percenters).

UN: Analysis Suggests 60,000-Plus Killed in Syria

At least 60,000 people have been killed in Syria's civil war, with monthly casualty figures steadily increasing since the conflict began almost two years ago, according to a new analysis …

Political Brinksmanship Still Threatens U.S. Economy

Lawmakers managed to avoid driving the United States over the so-called fiscal cliff with a late-night vote Tuesday. But higher taxes and brinksmanship in Washington are likely to sap strength …

Brain Image Study: Fructose May Spur Overeating

This is your brain on sugar—for real. Scientists have used imaging tests to show for the first time that fructose, a sugar that saturates the American diet, can trigger brain …

Middleby Has Bought Viking Range for $380M

Food service equipment maker Middleby Corp. has bought Mississippi-based oven and kitchen appliance maker Viking Range Corp. for $380 million.

AP Interview: Bryant Says Education Is Top Issue

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said education dominates his 2013 legislative agenda, from merit pay for teachers to charter schools that will receive public funding but be free of some state …

Crisis Postponed: House Passes Senate 'Fiscal Cliff' Bill and Sends to Obama for Signature

WASHINGTON (AP) — Past its own New Year's deadline, a weary Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation to avoid a national "fiscal cliff" of middle class tax increases and spending …

Farish: No Foundation, No Funding

The Farish Street entertainment district has been on metaphorical shaky ground for nearly three decades. In 2012, its developer says it was a literal lack of foundation that stopped the …

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton remains under observation at New York-Presbyterian Hospital following treatment for a blood clot caused by a concussion earlier this month.

Watch Nights Mark Emancipation Proclamation 150th

As New Year's Day approached 150 years ago, all eyes were on President Abraham Lincoln in expectation of what he warned 100 days earlier would be coming—his final proclamation declaring …

GOP Governors Walk Balance Beam on Health Law

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who made a fortune as a health care executive, long opposed President Barack Obama's remake of the health insurance market.

Afghan Violence Falls in 2012, Insider Attacks Up

Violence in Afghanistan fell in 2012, but more Afghan troops and police who now shoulder most of the combat were killed, according to statistics compiled by The Associated Press.

Deal Reached for Stopping Spike in Milk Prices

The top leaders in both parties on the House and Senate Agriculture committees have agreed to a one-year extension of the 2008 farm bill that expired in October, a move …

Progress Seen in Last-Minute 'Fiscal Cliff' Talks

Working against a midnight deadline, negotiators for the White House and congressional Republicans narrowed their differences Monday on legislation to avert across-the-board tax increases.

Analysis: Miss. Judges See Raises with New Year

The new year marks the beginning of four years' of incremental salary increases for Mississippi judges—thanks to Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. for a novel funding method …