News

Dress for Success Strength Award Recipients

This year's recipients of Dress for Success' Strength Awards are Miss Mississippi 2014 Jasmine Murray, philanthropist Joni Strickland McLain, dean of Mississippi College School of Law Wendy B. Scott and the Lefleur's Bluff Chapter of The Links, Inc.

Crime, JPD Big Themes for Ward 1 Hopefuls

Everyone with hopes of securing a spot on Jackson's City Council says the city has a crime problem, but opinions about how to prevent and clean up crime varies among the five men vying for the open Ward 1 council seat.

Downtown on Display, Bio-Med, Small Biz Awards, Top STEM Majors

The second annual Downtown on Display will take place in Jackson on Saturday, Nov. 1, coinciding with the fourth annual Town Creek Arts Festival.

Standing Up, and Dancing, Against Domestic Abuse

For 10 years, the JFP Chick Ball has focused on the strength of women. This year, a new event invites men of character to stand up against domestic violence—and celebrates those who do.

Here Come the Judicial Races

As they say, Mississippi likes to elect everyone from dog catcher to governor. That includes judges, who must run every four years. Here's a look at the judicial candidates who will appear on local ballots Nov. 4.

How to End Persistent Poverty

In Mississippi, he points out, half the state's 82 counties have experienced persistent poverty, where at least 20 percent of the people have lived in poverty for three decades.

How to Be a Stand-Up Guy Against Domestic Violence

Since March, a group of about 10 men from various walks of life have been meeting once a month around the Jackson area. The men represent a spectrum of experiences in dealing with interpersonal violence in several fields and not only learn how to safely intervene when they see or learn of domestic abuse, but also work toward teaching men to use positive language when talking about women.

Men of Character

Jed Oppenheim worked for the Southern Poverty Law Center for five years, and co-organized activities for the Freedom Summer Youth Congress this past summer.

Batterer’s Intervention: Changing Minds, Saving Lives

Early on in Ben Ellard's career as the program manager of the Batterer's Intervention Program at Pearl's Center for Violence Prevention, he had a profound experience while processing a new program participant.

Justin Glover/Vivian Montgomery

After praying to RuPaul, Justin Glover, also known as Vivian Montgomery, walked out of his apartment in Belhaven.

Richard Sellers: Schooling the City Council

Richard Sellers comes from a long family line of educators. Currently a special-education teacher at Brandon High School and a member of the Mississippi Army National Guard, Sellers, 31, believes serving on the Jackson City Council is a natural extension of his service experience.

MAEP Opponents Complain About Program They Helped Implement

Many people who don't support the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, which aims to support schools across the state with necessary resources, believe the formula is faulty. But few go beyond that in their explanation.

Community Leaders: Keep Homeless Shelters Open

This morning, representatives from Mississippi MOVE and Mu Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity met at Matt Devenney Emergency Shelter, or Matt's House, to ask for community support in keeping two Stewpot homeless shelters open.

Ann Turner Williams

Drake’s Designs Florist & Gifts owner Ann Turner Williams and her business-neighbor, Chris McCoy of The Book Rack, are teaming up for Books & Boos, Wednesday, Oct. 29.

Death Row Prisoner Manning in Court Today

Willie Jerome Manning, a Mississippi death-row inmate, will argue before the state's high court Monday that he deserves a new trial because his lawyer's poor performance and faulty evidence contributing to his conviction in the slayings of two elderly women.

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.

Supreme Court: McDaniel Challenge Too Late

The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled against state Sen. McDaniel, saying that he did indeed miss the 20-day filing deadline for his election challenge in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

City Wrap-Up: Thalia Mara's Cheap(er) Seats, Lakeland Costco Officially Dead

Thalia Mara Hall has seen some ups and downs in the past year. The down times have included a nearly yearlong construction period as Jackson's opera house underwent a $5 million makeover.

Laura Uzzell

An uncommon sport finds a star in Jackson State University student Laura Uzzell. The sophomore recently attended an international course in bowling that is sure to propel her into greater athletic successes.

The Faces of Travis Childers

Travis Childers, a former congressman from Booneville, hopes traditional Democratic voters and tea-party members can help him upset Republican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran in November.

Johnathan Perkins

Thanks to the Lady Arrows' dominance, head coach Johnathan Perkins won the 2014 National Federation of State High School Associations' award for girls' track and field, and it made him eligible for the NFSH regional award.

Hospitals’ Struggles to Beat Back Familiar Infections Began Before Ebola Arrived

While Ebola stokes public anxiety, more than one in six hospitals—including some top medical centers—are having trouble stamping out less exotic but sometimes deadly infections, federal records show.

Pro-Cochran PAC Sheds Light on GOP Primary

Recent federal-campaign finance reports shed new light into spending that took place in the final days of the grueling Republican primary in June.

Federal Candidates on the Local Ballot

Travis Childers, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, served the U.S. House of Representatives for the 1st Congressional District from 2008 to 2011.

Judicial, County Candidates for Hinds County

A list of judicial and county candidates for Hinds County

On the Issues

Travis Childers signed the Federation for American Immigration Reform's so-called no-amnesty pledge, saying that he opposes both authorization for people who came to the U.S. illegally as well as expanding the guest worker program.

Once Again, It's On

The Jackson City Council set Dec. 2 as the special election for the seat recently vacated by Quentin Whitwell. The runoff, if needed, will take place two weeks later on Dec. 16.

JPS Wants Tech-Savvy Students

The city and C Spire have teamed up to provide 1 gigabit per second fiber—100 times faster Internet access—to the homes of Jackson residents, but the advancements don't stop there. They're in schools.

More Jackson Water Woes

Some $2.2 million in water fees to the city of Jackson remain suspended in administrative limbo. Under law, city water customers facing disconnection can dispute the amount of their water bill if they believe there is a leak in the city's line.

Amile Wilson: Cashing in on Creativity

In a recent interview, Amile Wilson, 29, talked to the Jackson Free Press about the creative economy as economic development, addressing infrastructure and improving the capital city's image.

Ellington