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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'Sinners' Mixes Blues, Vampires and the Mississippi Delta Into Ryan Coogler's 1st Original Film

1 week ago | mississippifreepress.org | Lindsey Bahr

Ryan Coogler only makes personal movies. “Fruitvale Station” was set in his hometown of Oakland, California, and explored the last day of Oscar Grant. “Creed” was dreamed up for his father, who loved “Rocky” unabashedly. And “Black Panther” let him grapple with the idea of what it means to be African. In just four features, he’d established himself as one of the top filmmakers working today.
New Mississippi Senate Map Still Dilutes Black Voting

1 week ago | mississippifreepress.org | Heather Harrison

The Mississippi Legislature’s newly redrawn Mississippi Senate District map does not follow court orders to strengthen voting power for Black Mississippians in DeSoto County, a unanimous three-judge panel ruled on Tuesday. The Legislature has seven days to propose a new Senate district map, the judges said.
Mississippi Senate District 18 Election

1 week ago | mississippifreepress.org | Heather Harrison

In a special legislative election on Tuesday, April 15, Mississippi voters in Leake, Neshoba and Winston will elect a candidate to represent them for Mississippi Senate District 18. Voters can confirm which Senate district they live in at this link. Gov. Tate Reeves had to set a special election for the district after former Mississippi District 18 Sen. Jenifer Branning, a Republican, won a spot on the Mississippi Supreme Court after the Nov. 26, 2024, general runoff election.
Last-Minute Polling Place Changes Prohibited Under New Law

1 week ago | mississippifreepress.org | Heather Harrison

Mississippi election officials will no longer be able to change or close polling places within 60 days of an election except under certain circumstances under a new law. Mississippi House Rep. Noah Sanford, a Republican from Collins, introduced House Bill 1419 on the House floor on Feb. 5.
DOGE Cuts Mississippi Humanities Council’s Funding

2 weeks ago | mississippifreepress.org | Heather Harrison

The Mississippi Humanities Council, an organization behind events and programs across the state focused on history and culture, is facing steep cuts after the Trump administration eliminated federal funding for its current and future grants. The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency notified the council of the termination in a late-night email on April 2, MHC Executive Director Dr. Stuart Rockoff told the Mississippi Free Press on April 4. “It’s really callous.
Good Ole Days Festival

2 weeks ago | mississippifreepress.org | Dustin Cardon

On a sunny day in the mid-1960s, a young Danny Lynn Clark watched as his father, Robert E. Bobby Clark, rumbled down the road toward their family farm in Lucedale, Miss., aboard a rust-red Model A Farmall tractor. The elder Clark had purchased the tractor—a one-plow model produced throughout the 1940s—from a vendor some seven miles away and driven it down the highway to get it to the farm.
Governor Will Call Special Session Aimd Budget Impasse

2 weeks ago | mississippifreepress.org | Heather Harrison

The Mississippi Legislature’s 2025 session is over, but lawmakers could soon return to work in a special session after the House and Senate failed to adopt a budget before the regular session ended on April 3. Gov. Tate Reeves will have to call lawmakers into a special session ahead of the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.
Republican Mississippi Senator Retires as District Lines Change

2 weeks ago | mississippifreepress.org | Heather Harrison

Sen. John Polk, a Republican from Hattiesburg, Miss., who has served the residents of Mississippi Senate District 44 since 2012, is retiring from the Mississippi Senate after lawmakers redrew his district following a court order. The Senate honored his time in the Legislature with two resolutions. The senator said he was emotional as he spoke to “over 50 people that I love” on the Senate floor on April 3. “I’m going to go home, and I’m going to be a regular old citizen,” he said on April 3.
Bryant Defamation Lawsuit Against Mississippi Today Dismissed

2 weeks ago | mississippifreepress.org | Ashton Pittman

A judge has dismissed former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant’s defamation lawsuit against Mississippi Today, which he first filed in 2023 over the publication’s reporting on the welfare scandal that began during his time in office. The ruling comes after a federal court dismissed a separate defamation lawsuit the former governor filed against Sports Illustrated.
Belzoni Catfish Festival Honors Its Aquacultural History

3 weeks ago | mississippifreepress.org | Yesica Balderrama

Clara Ann Yates, in a silver sequined dress with a bouquet of red roses in her arms and a purple sash reading “Miss Catfish,” bent her knees on the steps of the Belzoni, Miss., courthouse in April 2024 to accept her crown. As a kid who grew up in the neighboring Yazoo County, she would watch the event each year her family attended, and she often envisioned herself on stage next to other contestants.