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 stage at the Jackson City Council's regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Feb. 27 at City Hall.
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.
'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 President William Bynum on Feb. 19.
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, LLC, and Fisher Construction of Jackson.
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.
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 in their cul-de-sac after school.
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.
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 p.m. today at City Hall for citizens to voice their concerns and ask questions.
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.
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 tell the Jackson City Council that a local construction company had cheated them out of money paid through a municipal contract.
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 girls just minutes down the road.
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 roadway, but is so far only providing vague information about the deadly incident as well as whether its use-of-force policy for moving vehicles meets national guidelines.
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, and aggravated stalking and robbery. After yet another delay, the trial will take place in March.
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 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's water system and evaluate the need for a new electronic water-meter system.
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 Public School District seems prepared to keep students in class by any means necessary.
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 businesses can have water and children can go back to school.
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 a departmental memo dated Jan. 18, 2018, Mason called out "dissenters" in his office, while praising his own leadership to date.
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.
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. 12—the day of Johnson's passing—offering condolences to her family and praising Johnson's commitment to the airport.
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 the Warren Hood building downtown across from City Hall.
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 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.
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 the forefront.
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 off with pressures starting to return to normal in some areas.
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.
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 other existing municipal judges, Henry C. Clay III and Ali Shamsiddeen.
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 the workplace by the end of 2017.
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 twice to the Jackson City Council and twice to the circuit bench. He will continue to serve in his judgeship through the end of his term that ends Dec. 31, 2018.
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 late in December.
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 shows.
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 the tourist and convention tax that supports the bureau from 1 percent to 2 percent.
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 treatment, pulling out of an agreement to use the Jackson's Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment Plant.
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 motels.
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 and convention tax from 1 percent to 2 percent.
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 literacy courses.
'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.
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 need free of charge. The only qualifying question he asks is, "Are you hungry?"
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.
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.
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.
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 violent crime in the City of Jackson called Project EJECT: Empower Jackson Expel Crime Together.
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."
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.
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 taken a knee during the national anthem to bring awareness to racial injustices in America.
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.
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 and media demands. But, it can also hinge on "what's going on at the time," he said.
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.
‘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.
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.