JFP Editor Donna Ladd's Speech at the Women's March, State Capitol, Jackson, Miss, 1/21/17
JFP Editor-in-chief and CEO Donna Ladd ended the Jackson Women's March at the Mississippi Capitol on Jan. 21, 2017, with this speech about the importance of independent media.
Reforming Criminal Justice: Is Mississippi Making Progress?
The Mississippi Reentry Council has been working to make it easier for inmates to find jobs and re-acclimate to life free from bars. U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett says the ultimate goal of the council is community safety.
The Slate
Either the New England Patriots will win their fifth Super Bowl, or the Atlanta Falcons will win their first. The Patriots are making their ninth appearance, and Atlanta is making its second.
A New Executive (Chef) in Town
Though chef Nicole Medrano has only been in Jackson for a year, she is making waves in the local culinary scene. After Jesse Houston stepped down as executive chef at Saltine Oyster Bar, Medrano took the helm in early January.
Best of Jackson 2017: Doctors & Lawyers
We all need doctors, dentists and sometimes a lawyer, so a couple of years ago, the Jackson Free Press added a special pop-up for Best of Jackson: Best Doctors and Dentists and Best Lawyers.
Political Homelessness
It's hard not to feel a little politically homeless these days. I'm thinking of that old folk song, "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child."
The Problem with EdBuild
There has been much hoopla this legislative session over the 80-page proposal from EdBuild suggesting that Mississippi move to weighted student funding to pay for its public-education system.
Resolution and Revolution
This year promises to be filled with loud voices and screams of outrage. The bang of cries for justice, freedom and equality has already begun, and who do you think kicked it off? That's right, women folk with a powerful Women's March that took place all over the nation in various cities, including ours—Jackson.
Trump Taps Conservative Judge Neil Gorsuch for Supreme Court
President Donald Trump has nominated Neil Gorsuch, a fast-rising conservative judge with a writer's flair, to the Supreme Court, setting up a fierce fight with Democrats over a jurist who could shape America's legal landscape for decades to come.
Senator: Army Corps Told to Approve Dakota Pipeline Easement
The acting secretary of the Army has ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to allow construction of the Dakota Access pipeline under a Missouri River reservoir, a North Dakota senator said, the latest twist in the months-long legal battle over the $3.8 billion project.
GOP Suspends Senate Rule, Muscles Trump Picks Through Panel
Republicans muscled through committee approval of President Donald Trump's nominees for Treasury and Health on Wednesday, suspending a key Senate rule in the latest escalation of partisan tensions in Congress.
Hinds, Rankin Battle for Wastewater Treatment
The City of Jackson's monopoly on wastewater treatment for the region lost ground last week as a Rankin chancery court agreed with an earlier decision to allow the West Rankin Utility Authority to build its own wastewater-treatment facility on the Pearl River.
UPDATED: School Choice Bills Die, Sanctuary Cities Bills Still Alive
Never mind changing the state's education-funding formula; both the House and Senate education committees have passed several bills that would affect student funding, school-board autonomy and a school's responsibility to fly the state flag.
Ways the State Can ‘Back the Badge’
It is clear that lawmakers in both houses of the Mississippi Legislature intend to implement some sort of "Back the Badge" or "Blue Lives Matter" bill this session, but how such a law is written could be up for debate.
This Is Enrichment
Each year, Jackson area residents get to learn something new with Millsaps College's Community Enrichment Series.
Lottery Bill Clears Mississippi House Panel, Prospects Dim
A Mississippi House committee voted Tuesday to create a state lottery, but the proposal faces a tough future with opposition from the Republican House speaker.
A Follow-up to Fanfare
Given the positive response to the Mississippi Chambre Music Guild's inaugural Fanfare Festival in 2016, a second installment isn't that surprising. However, the event wasn't always so certain.
Jillian Smart
When Jillian Smart, owner of Jackson Education Support, was growing up, she says her parents wanted their children to be productive.
Sen. McDaniel, Meet the Real ‘Liberal Women’
As I was consumed with Best of Jackson week last week, I kept getting emails and texts about a state legislator proving himself to be among the worst of Mississippi.
UPDATED: In Allen Trial, DA Argues that DJP Funds Are Public
The trial of Downtown Jackson Partners President Ben Allen began this morning with opening statements and testimony from an attorney who formerly worked with the state auditor's office asserting the money DJP collects from downtown property owners is public money.