News

Tony DiCicco

Former U.S. Women's National Soccer Team head coach Tony DiCicco died from cancer at the age of 68 on Monday, June 19.

Blight, Fines and Violations

The State of Mississippi has taken over 3,500 abandoned and blighted properties that previous owners failed to pay taxes on for three years.

Farish Street Affordable Housing Hits Snags

Not everyone is supportive of expanding the pastel-painted affordable housing units in the Farish Street Historic District.

As a child, Devin Guillory was not interested in science, which says that she now blames on societal attitudes toward science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields. At the time, she was reluctant to pursue a career in any of those areas.

UPDATE: Nine-year-old Shot in Head; Two People Arrested and Denied Bond

Richard Kyles, 9, was sleeping in the back of his mother's car Saturday night when a bullet struck him in the head.

E&L at the Metrocenter, New District Tenants and Mississippi Film and Video Alliance

E&L Barbeque has partnered with Next Level Experience, an event space located inside the former Belk at the Metrocenter Mall, to open a second E&L location in the venue's restaurant section.

Kenyatta Stewart

Kenyatta Stewart, who is a curator at the Smith Robertson Museum & Cultural Center and a graphic-design professor at Jackson State University, says that he discovered his love for art as a child growing up in West Point, Miss.

Previously Secret Children's Mental Health Report: State Institutionalizes Too Many Kids

After nearly two years of litigation, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate ordered the State of Mississippi to release a 2015 report on its system of mental-health care for children, referred to as the TAC report.

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.

How Affordable is Housing in Mississippi?

Rental housing in Mississippi is not very affordable, the new "Out of Reach 2017" report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition shows.

JPD: Crime Down in Jackson Despite Recent Horrendous Murders

Jackson Police Department leaders praised each other Thursday afternoon, June 15, for decreasing major crime percentages by 14.6-percent from 2016 to 2017, despite recent acts of violence in Mississippi.

JPD Offers $20,000 Reward in Severed Head Case, Autopsy Results Released

Jeremy Jerome Jackson's head and body was discovered in separate locations on Saturday.

New Mayor-elect Lumumba Will Get to Appoint 3 JPS Board Members

The Jackson Public School District will be down three Board of Trustees members by the end of June, meaning Mayor-elect Chokwe Antar Lumumba will be responsible for filling the board once he takes office July 3.

Darden North

Jackson author Darden North was at a literary conference when the phrase "five manners of death," in reference to natural causes, accident, suicide, undetermined and homicide, truly stuck with him.

Special Session: Too Little, Too Late?

Gov. Phil Bryant tried to smooth out the state's economic appearance and patch up additional budget holes in the June 5 special session, but Democrats were not too pleased with the way he went about it. Still, at least all state agencies now have a budget for the new fiscal year, which starts in July.

Wrapping Around the Most Vulnerable

Terry Thigpen had been to four residential acute-treatment facilities before he was 10 years old, until his mother, Shavonne, discovered the Wraparound Initiative. It was an alternative to sending Terry away for treatment for his autism as well as sensory motor and mental-health disorders.

Public Works Pushes Back on Subcontractor

The City's Public Works Department is seeking to pay outside companies for assistance due to its lack of a qualified staff and potential damages to antennae's and water towers.

Bryce Yelverton

Thirty-one-year-old government-relations consultant Bryce Yelverton has dedicated 19 years of his life to helping inner-city kids through Calvary Baptist Church's ministry, His Heart.

Report: Mississippi Kids Still in Last Place; Black Children in Worst Conditions

Mississippi still sits in last place in the Annie E. Casey Foundation annual Kids Count report, which ranks economic and family well-being as well as education and health in each state.

Soul Spa, Launch Trampoline Park and Innovate Mississippi

Wischermann Partners, Inc., the parent company of the Westin Hotel in Jackson which is scheduled to open in early August, recently unveiled plans for the hotel's Soul Spa.

Nick White

For author Nick White, leaving Mississippi was necessary. It allowed him, as a writer, to see the state through different lenses, and the distance provided him with the perspective he needed for his work, he says.

UPDATED: JPD Calls On FBI, DEA and ATF to Help in Decapitation Murder Case

The Jackson Police Department called on the FBI, DEA, and ATF in hope of a speedy discovery regarding the decapitated head and burned torso of an unidentified black male over the weekend.

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.

Forum: Redeemer's School Bridging Home and School Gap

Redeemer's School welcomed its first group of kids in August 2014. Since its inception, DeSean Dyson said the school has grown in purpose and size.

Lumumba Responds to Republican Opponent's Call for Recount

Mayor-elect Chokwe Lumumba sent an official statement in response to his Republican opponent Jason Wells' call for a recount.

UPDATE: Warrant Issued To Arrest Former JPD Cop Dismissed

The Hinds County Justice Court issued a bench warrant today for the arrest of former Jackson Police Department Officer Justin Roberts, due to failure to appear this morning.

Hinds County DA Smith Trial Delayed, Again

Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith will now face a retrial for state charges for hindering a prosecution in late July. It was original scheduled for early June.

Cody Brown

Before this season, MSU hasn't won a regional after losing the opening game since 1979. Redshirt senior infielder-outfielder Cody Brown was one of the bright spots in the Bulldogs' opening 6-3 loss to the University of South Alabama. In defeat, he went two for four at the plate with an RBI and a run scored.

Best of Jackson: Health Care

The Jackson Free Press recently put out a pop-up ballot to let Jacksonians vote for the doctors, dentists, surgeons and more that help them stay healthy. Here are the results.

Slow and Steady

Ideally, maintaining a healthy diet and exercise program is a lifestyle decision that we should maintain year-round. But those who don't participate in a year-round healthy lifestyle must remember that weight loss is a marathon and not a sprint.

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