News

Hinds DA Smith's Supreme Court Appeal Delays Rankin County Trial

A Rankin County judge today delayed the trial of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith for aggravated stalking, robbery, and two counts of domestic violence, all involving an ex-girlfriend pending his effort to stop the trial.

JPS Faces Big Week as Governor's Takeover Decision Looms

As Jackson Public Schools officials and administrators work to meet deadlines set in their 2016 corrective action plan, Gov. Phil Bryant could decide to take away local control of the district this week.

10 Local Stories of the Week

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.

JPD's First Woman SWAT Officer: 'I'm Not Intimidated'

The Jackson Police Department made history Thursday by inducting the first female member of to its SWAT team since its inception in 1971.

JSU Photography Exhibit, MSU Entrepreneurship Research Honor and UMMC Telehealth Center of Excellence

Jackson State University is partnering with WJSU and the Mississippi Museum of Art to present "The Beauty of Cancer," a photography exhibit that features 20 breast-cancer survivors in various stages of treatment.

Welty Library Set to Re-open Monday

The Eudora Welty Library in downtown Jackson will reopen on Monday, after state and city officials inspected the building today, determining the first floor is safe for patrons.

HB 1523 Becomes Law Amid Outcry, U.S. Supreme Court Asked to Appeal

The "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination" Act is state law in Mississippi, after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the request of plaintiffs in the Barber v. Bryant lawsuit to block it while they appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Transportation Head Calls Out Legislature for Not Funding Roads, Bridges

Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall did not mince words at the Stennis Capitol Press Forum Monday, calling out Mississippi lawmakers' inaction on funding the state's infrastructure.

Where Mississippi's U.S. Lawmakers Stand on Gun Laws, Rights

In the wake of the Las Vegas massacre, the Jackson Free Press assembled details on the gun-related legislation that Mississippi lawmakers in Washington have supported or co-sponsored, as well as how much gun-rights groups have donated to them.

JPS Students: ‘Takeover’ Could Empty Schools, Fill Jails

State of Mississippi takeover of Jackson Public Schools could be devastating to young people, a group of JPS students told reporters outside City Hall Monday.

Beyond Mississippi’s Dark Days of Judicial Injustice

On Sept. 27, Mississippi justices, lawyers and law students celebrated the state judicial branch's 200th birthday, along with U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who visited Jackson for the occasion.

Fighting for the Right to Vote

Mississippi state law on who gets to vote after serving time in MDOC's custody appears rather arbitrary. Twenty-two disenfranchising crimes are listed in a 2009 attorney general's opinion that clarifies the law. These crimes range from embezzlement and felony bad check to murder and rape.

Kristy Johnson

For Kristy Johnson, the current Miss Black Mississippi U.S.A., pageants are an opportunity to inspire change.

Waiting for the DA: Smith Seven Hours Late to Face Rankin County Judge

Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith was nearly seven hours late Monday to his pre-trial court date for two domestic-violence charges, an aggravated stalking charge, and a robbery charge he faces in Rankin County for allegedly attacking Christie Edwards.

The Place, MCM Arts Competition, Fuse.Cloud, Jackson Comprehensive Treatment Center and Miskelly Expansion

Event venue The Place at Harbour Crossing launched with a ribbon cutting and open house on Sept. 14.

Elizabeth Carr

Attorney Elizabeth Carr says she didn't think anyone was paying attention to how much time and effort she puts into helping people who come into her firm, Southern Capital Title, so she was excited when she found out that someone anonymously nominated her to be a Tougaloo College "Forty Under 40" honoree.

Mental Health Task Force Aims to Improve Services, Including for the Accused

Attorney General Jim Hood is tackling problems in Mississippi's mental-health system to make it easier for people to get treatment and to improve the commitment process, he said last week.

Welty Library Building Closure ‘Devastating’

The Eudora Welty Library building is closed off to the public after the state fire marshal closed it Oct. 5 due to several violations of fire and life safety standards after the office conducted an investigation on Oct. 4. It is unclear at this point when the building will re-open.

Awards and Research at UMMC and JSU

The National Science Foundation awarded Jackson State University researchers $350,000 through its Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research fund to support untested, high-risk exploratory research.

Fannie Lou Hamer

Mississippi-born civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer is being commemorated Friday on what would have been her 100th birthday.

Welty Library Closes Due to Fire Violations

The Eudora Welty Library in downtown Jackson closed this evening after a state fire marshal inspection on Wednesday, Oct. 4, revealed several violations of fire and life safety standards.

Rep. Bomgar, Businessmen: DACA Has 'Huge Economic Benefit'

A diverse panel of local business owners, a Republican state legislator and an economics professor at Jackson State University all agreed that immigrants on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program have a positive impact on the American economy.

Report: Jackson Airport Economic Impact More Than $1 Billion

The Jackson Municipal Airport Authority's total monetary impact in 2016 on the five surrounding counties—Hinds, Rankin, Madison, Simpson and Copiah—is valued at $1.19 billion, a Jackson State University study found.

Dennis Allen

New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen left London, England, with fonder memories than his last trip in 2014.

Republican Wins Mississippi House Seat in Special Election

An open seat in the Mississippi House remains in Republican control after a special election to replace a representative who became the mayor of Hattiesburg.

HB 1523 Becomes Law Tuesday, Oct. 10, After 5th Circuit Denied Stay

The "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act" will become state law on Tuesday, Oct. 10, after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied attorneys' request to prevent the law from taking effect while they petition the U.S. Supreme Court.

JPS: In the Midst of an ‘Unprecedented’ Situation

When the Mississippi Board of Education recommended a takeover of Jackson Public Schools, the district was almost finished implementing a corrective action plan that the department of education approved in December 2016.

New Head: ‘Public Works a Contact Sport’

The City of Jackson has a new director of public works to deal with ongoing infrastructure issues, including always-present potholes.

Sarah Stripp

Stripp knew she wanted to work at Springboard to Opportunities after she heard Chief Executive Officer Dr. Aisha Nyandoro speak about the nonprofit organization's mission to help families who live in low-income residences.

Fondren Hotel Demolition Restarted After Asbestos Found, Green Ghost Building Gone

As of today, the long-time building housing Que Sera Sera restaurant, and more recently Green Ghost Tacos, is a pile of rubble, and the State is assuring nervous residents that multiple demolitions in the two-acre plot in the heart of the Fondren business district have not created an asbestos problem.

Ellington