Legislature’s Sales-Tax Change Unconscionable
Quietly, lawmakers extended the list of items that are off limits to 1-percent tax collectors. Now, city officials say that the $15 million they were hoping to collect could be slashed in half.
Put Sideshows Aside in GOP Primary Runoff
Once again, public officials in Mississippi have thrust our state into the national spotlight. And once again, it's not for anything positive.
Under Tougher Policing, Know Your Rights
The Jackson Police Department and office of Mayor Tony Yarber are making no bones about the fact that the city's posture toward fighting crime will be increased police visibility, more police contact and, subsequently, more citations and arrests.
Media: Stop Feeding Bloodthirst Toward Kids
No doubt, research shows that treating even guilty minor suspects as adults increases recidivism and their chances of committing more severe crimes later.
Gov. Phil Bryant Must Explain 2681 Support
Either Gov. Phil Bryant has no idea what is happening in his own state—or he isn't being forthright about his motives for signing SB 2681, the so-called Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Justice System Should Help, Not Just Punish
Last summer, a SWAT team descended on the home of a man named Cornealious "Mike" Anderson in a quiet suburb of St. Louis, Mo., and took him to jail. The crime the man was accused of had taken place 13 years earlier.
Voter ID Is Here, Like It or Not
On June 4, for the first time in modern history, Mississippi voters will be required to show a government-issued photo-identification card before submitting a ballot. Registration for that election—the Republican and Democratic primaries—ended this past Saturday.
City: Make Smart Decisions on Contracts, Department Heads
From where we sit, mayors put too many people into key city roles, such as Planning and Public Works, for political or personal reasons.
Jackson Needs a Transparency Movement
Every time Jackson has a city election, the Jackson Free Press news team spends the last week or so following the money, trying to track down shadowy, unregistered or unreported, groups that are either funding the candidates, paying for last-hour attack ads and, usually, lining up for payback and contracts.
Bypass the Legislature on MAEP, Medicaid LGBT Rights
In the past six years alone, under a Republican-led Senate and, until 2012, a Democratic-led House of Representatives, MAEP has been shorted by more than $1 billion.
Stop the Death Penalty Now, Mississippi
If you were unsure last week whether Mississippi should immediately declare a moratorium on the death penalty, then now it's hard to deny the evidence.
Show Us the Campaign Money—On Time
On Tuesday, April 1, candidates seeking the office of Jackson mayor are required to submit their campaign-finance reports.
Stop the Execution of Michelle Byrom
Michelle Byrom is clearly not guilty of the crime for which the state plans to execute her next week.
Stop Endangering Lives with ‘Hot’ Police Pursuits
Here in Jackson, the police department has caught up with modern criminal-justice best practices based on the reality that high-speed police pursuits must be limited to situations where the risk of not pursuing is higher than the risk of a pursuit.
Take a Breath, Jackson
Still, it is completely irresponsible for both elected officials and supposedly "real" media outlets to spread the rumor that Lumumba was murdered.
State Worker Pay Raise Could Jumpstart Economy
Last month, in a story that didn't receive a huge amount of media coverage, state economist Darrin Webb told a legislative panel that the state of Mississippi is—not projected to be, is—the No. 1 employer in the state.
Yes, We Need To Continue Talking About ‘It’
People who go through structured discussions that focus on race and culture in America frequently report that it can dramatically change their lives.
Felons Deserve Voting Rights Back
Eric Holder, the U.S. Attorney General, wants states to roll back laws that prevent people who have been convicted of a felony from voting.
Embrace All Forms of Downtown Housing
The building at 300 W. Capitol St. is the nicest public housing in the state. Or so its last two occupants—currently, Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, and his predecessor, Haley Barbour—like to quip about the domicile, better known as the Mississippi Governor's Mansion.
Editorial: Shop Local, Shop the Best
When we launched the Best of Jackson reader poll back in 2002, we did it in part because we wanted people to fully grasp all of the wonderful and unique local people, places and businesses that Jackson had to offer.
Give Teachers Raises
As long as we have had a public-education system, we have debated how much public-school teachers deserve to paid. The answer is simple: a whole lot more than they're earning now.
Make Prison Reform Real
Our story last week about the Mississippi Department of Corrections' decision to end its longstanding practice of allowing conjugal visits has been getting a lot of attention in and outside the state.
Council Must Seek Public Input on Fee Hikes
As City Reporter Tyler Cleveland reports this week, the Jackson City Council quietly, on Nov. 19, added a $5 ticket surcharge for events at Thalia Mara Hall when the municipal auditorium reopens after a months-long renovation.
Wish for Continued Downtown Growth in 2014
Downtown is leaving 2013 with a bang with a number of exciting new restaurants with opening of Tom Ramsey's La Finestra and the reopening of the Iron Horse Grill. Fischer Gallery moved into the Dickie's Building, and even the ACLU relocated to Capitol Street downtown.
City Must Give More Notice to City Council
The Jackson City Council was frustrated last week when the Mayor Chokwe Lumumba introduced two emergency items at its special meeting Monday afternoon.
DA Smith Should Recuse from Thomas Killing
Both the DA and Jackson police seem to be assuming that the killing would fall under the state's Castle Doctrine, but it is entirely unclear whether a grand jury would agree, considering that no evidence has emerged that Thomas intended violence against the people inside the house or had the means to commit it.
Rethink ‘Family Values’
A Mississippi judge won't let Hernando resident Lauren Beth Czekala-Chatham get a divorce from the woman she married in San Francisco in 2008, nor is she getting any help from state officials.
Hey, Leave Those Kids Alone
On the national scene, news of a so-called knockout game where teenagers go around attacking innocent strangers started out on conservative websites but has since been picked up by mainstream news outlets like CNN and USA Today.
City: Get Messaging Right on Sales-Tax Referendum
Ward 6 Jackson City Councilman Tony Yarber made a good point at the council work session Monday night.
Please, Help Us Get Serious About Transparency
As City Reporter Tyler Cleveland frustratedly reports in this issue and in previous weeks, the quasi-public yet clandestine Jackson Redevelopment Authority has a tendency to recess into executive session when it only has one or two items on its once-a-month agenda.