News

More City Transparency: Council Posts Agenda Packets Online, Finally

In a step toward compliance with state law, and the latest in a series of steps to generate transparency in local government, the Jackson City Council posted its agenda packet for next week's meeting online: a first for the Jackson municipal government. Those documents are the back-up materials that council members get for discussions during meetings.

Willie Wazir Peacock

On Saturday, May 28, Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement will pay tribute to Willie Wazir Peacock, a civil-rights veteran who died at the Creekside Health Care Center in San Pablo, Calif., on April 17, 2016.

AG Hood: Mississippi Will Not Join Transgender Bathrooms Lawsuit

Attorney General Jim Hood issued the following statement today regarding the lawsuit by Texas and 10 other states.

Stokes to Circulate Police-chase Petition in Response to DOJ Letter

During a community meeting at Cornerstone Baptist Church Wednesday night, Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes and citizens decided to circulate a petition in response to a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division about suburban police departments' high-speed chases into the city.

Democrats to State Leadership: 'Return to Fiscal Sanity'

Legislative Democratic leaders decried budget cuts to the state health department on Wednesday outside agency offices, calling on Gov. Phil Bryant to take action and call a special session to address cuts that will affect emergency response, health and safety inspections, and other services the health department provides across the state.

Jake Mangum

Athletic talent is nothing new in Jake Mangum’s family. The Mississippi State University freshman outfielder comes from a long line of athletes who have made their mark on sports in our state.

A Very, Very Full Plate: An Interview with Department of Public Works Director Kishia Powell

Kishia Powell, director of the department of public works, sat down with the Jackson Free Press on May 4 to clear the air about her constant struggle against the problems she inherited as head of the fight against potholes, water leaks, and water bill difficulties.

JPD Targets ‘Bandos’: A Different Kind of ‘Broken Windows’ Policing

JPD Chief Lee Vance is frustrated at the State for owning so much crumbling housing in Jackson but is glad that his department is helping to bring it down.

Juvy Intervention Programs Losing Federal Funds

Pre-intervention programs are vital in the state's criminal-justice system and have the power to prevent young people from entering the criminal-justice system in the first place.

Resisting the Tide: Trans Mississippians Speak Out

Title IX is usually associated with sex-based equity in athletics, but advocates say it actually applies much more broadly.

Katherine Day

Katherine Day came home to Jackson on a train last fall; it had been six years since she had last lived in the city. Day grew up in Jackson, but when she was 24 years old, she made a break for it and left in 2006.

Mississisippi Department of Education Sides with State Leaders on Trans Student Guidelines

Mississippi's Board of Education is voting to follow state political leaders' opposition to federal guidance on use of bathrooms and locker rooms by transgender students.

National Airport Board Names Jackson's Carl Newman Chairman

The executive director of Jackson's airport now chairs the largest association of accredited airport professionals in the world.

Nick Feild

Nick Feild, a resident of San Antonio who works in the finance industry, never expected to become involved in the world of film until he and a friend began working on a screenplay together more than three years ago.

'Pay or Stay' Lawsuit Against City Part of Larger Trend of Challenges

Municipal-court systems that practice "pay or stay" policies, jailing people who cannot afford fines, are facing legal objections across the South from groups like the American Civil Liberties Union. In addition to Jackson, it includes the Municipal Court of Biloxi.

Facility for Children with Special Needs Set to Open in Jackson Metro

Children with special needs in the Jackson metro area will have a new option for community-based care due to the coordination between state agencies, private care and state agencies.

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 Honors Fallen Officers with 'Honor and Respect'

Family members of fallen Jackson Police Department officers placed roses on the memorial site outside of JPD headquarters in downtown Jackson yesterday, and were presented with potted peace lilies, a flower that represents innocence, harmony and purity after death.

Sens. Wicker, Cochran: Obama Transgender Directive Lacks the Force of Law

WASHINGTON D.C.– U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today signed a letter clarifying that federal law does not require states and schools to adhere to a new transgender directive issued by the Obama administration.

Chokwe A. Lumumba Promises Mayoral Campaign Built on His Father’s Foundation

Promising to build on the work of his father, Chokwe A. Lumumba announced his second mayoral bid this afternoon to more than a hundred supporters gathered on the steps in green space by City Hall.

Ride Against Fear: From Memphis to Jackson in Protest of HB 1523

Benjamin Morris is biking the length of the state of Mississippi in protest of House Bill 1523.

Hailey Lunderman

This softball season has been one of the best, if not the best, for the University of Mississippi. The Rebels' latest historic moment happened last week when the team won its first SEC Softball Tournament Game in the school's history.

Mississippi Education Award Not About Charter-School Legislation

Though Mississippi often ranks low among other states in education, the state got high marks recently from a national education group this month.

UPDATE: Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Robert Graham Running for Mayor

Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the son of the former mayor who died while in office, is offering his candidacy for mayor this week. He ran against now-Mayor Tony Yarber in the special election to replace his father

Avoiding the School-to-Prison Pipeline

When the parents, students, faculty, and staff at Forest Hill met in the auditorium to discuss violence and fighting at the community chat the night of May 4, the room rang with frustration at the perceived chaos of the school environment and concerns about the safety of the students and teachers after a mom drew her gun during an afterschool fight on campus.

Ellington