Mississippi Free Press

The Mississippi Free Press is a nonprofit media organization supported by the Community Foundation for Mississippi. It aims to provide unbiased news coverage and focuses on solutions-oriented journalism for the residents of Mississippi and the broader community.

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Indicted Hinds County DA Flouts Campaign Disclosure Laws

1 day ago | mississippifreepress.org | Caleb Bedillion

Jody Owens, the district attorney in Mississippi’s capital city who faces trial on federal corruption charges, has been fined for failing to disclose his most recent campaign fundraising and spending. But the state’s weak and much-criticized campaign finance enforcement system may spare him from the strongest sanctions—the loss of his government salary.
Americans in St. Peter's Square Were Stunned by New Pope

5 days ago | mississippifreepress.org | Giada Zampano |Vanessa Gera |Trisha Thomas |Christine Fernando

VATICAN CITY and CHICAGO, Ill. (AP) — Americans in St. Peter’s Square were stunned and joyous when they learned that an American cardinal, Robert Provost, was elected pope Thursday and had taken the name Leo XIV. “Who in our lifetime would have thought that we would see a North American Holy Father?” said Father Thomas Montanaro, an American priest with the Legionaries of Christ. Montanaro was among the many tens of thousands of people who filled St. Peter’s Square for the historic moment.
Revitalizing Senatobia's Downtown

1 week ago | mississippifreepress.org | Dustin Cardon

Each year in early May, the City of Senatobia in northeast Mississippi closes all roads across the two square miles that make up its downtown district in preparation for a flood of some 6,000 people descending on the town for its Five Star City Fest.
Trump Says He’s Not Sure He Has to Uphold Constitution, Oath

1 week ago | mississippifreepress.org | Aamer Madhani

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — When he took the Presidential Oath of Office for the second time on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump swore to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”But now, he is circumspect about his duties to uphold due process rights laid out in the Constitution, saying in a new interview that he does not know whether U.S. citizens and noncitizens alike deserve that guarantee.
Mississippi Government Shutdown Possible Amid Budget Clash

1 week ago | mississippifreepress.org | Heather Harrison

Mississippi’s state government could shut down in less than two months unless House and Senate leaders reach a budget deal, potentially paralyzing state agencies that deal with public safety, health, education, courts, regulations, prisons and more. The 2025 legislative session ended in early April without lawmakers finalizing a budget amid disagreements over money for local infrastructure projects and concerns about federal funding freezes and economic uncertainty.
Publisher’s Note | Solutions Circles Are New Wine in New Wineskins

1 week ago | mississippifreepress.org | Kimberly Griffin

A few days ago, we held our first in-person rural Solutions Circle in Lexington, Miss., located about an hour from Jackson. Calling it “fantastic” would be an understatement. For those unfamiliar, our Solutions Circles are community-led discussions where anyone can participate, provided they agree to our ground rules, most of which involve respectful dialogue. Attendees write down three or four challenges on sticky notes as they enter, which our team quickly organizes into topic areas.
Exciting Races and Outdoor Recreation

1 week ago | mississippifreepress.org | Dustin Cardon

Since 2017, dozens of “mega trucks” from across the country have descended upon the small town of Leakesville in southern Mississippi each year on the first Saturday in April, converging on a 900-foot dirt track just outside the city limits. Unlike the tires of monster trucks, which measure up to roughly five and a half feet tall, mega trucks instead run tractor-sized tires built for speed and maneuverability.
Struggling Mississippi Hospitals Approved for Federal Program

2 weeks ago | mississippifreepress.org | Heather Harrison

Three endangered Mississippi hospitals will switch to a Medicare payment model that could keep them afloat after the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved their applications for the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration program. Greenwood Leflore Hospital in Greenwood, Magee General Hospital in Magee and the Wayne General Hospital in Waynesboro will participate in the program, which the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services facilitates.
Mississippi Holiday Honors Those Who Died Defending Slavery

2 weeks ago | mississippifreepress.org | Ashton Pittman

State offices in Mississippi are closed today to commemorate the men who died fighting the United States government to protect the institution of human slavery. Confederate Memorial Day is a state holiday observed in several southern states. As in years past, the majority-white, Republican-led Mississippi Legislature once again allowed a Black Democrat’s bill to get rid of Confederate Memorial Day to die without a vote. That lawmaker, Sen.
Case Against Abrego Garcia Based on Cop Deemed Unfit to Testify

2 weeks ago | mississippifreepress.org | Baynard Woods |Baltimore Beat

Baltimore Beat originally published this story. The Maryland cop who first linked Kilmar Abrego Garcia to alleged gang activity in 2019 was placed on a “do not call” list published by Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy in Maryland in 2021 — meaning he was deemed unfit to testify in state court due to criminal charges filed against him for sharing confidential information about a police investigation.