Author: Neil Pitts

Friends and family of the man arrested for the murder of Jackson State University student Jaylen Burns say surveillance footage proves that the suspect is innocent. Police arrested Jones College student Joshua Brown on Oct. 19, 2023, charging him with the high-profile murder of Burns. Brown has been in the Raymond County Detention Center since his arrest. Brown’s family says GPS-tracking data and surveillance footage show he was about 90 miles away in Hattiesburg, Miss. around the time of the Oct. 15 shooting. The Mississippi Free Press spoke to one of Brown’s friends and a family spokesman who are two of the…

A lopsided loss to start the season had No. 14 LSU looking to re-establish itself as a championship contender out of the Southeastern Conference against Mississippi State. The Tigers looked every bit the part Saturday. Malik Nabers set career highs with 13 catches for 239 yards and scored two touchdowns, Jayden Daniels ran for two scores and set a school record for passing accuracy, and No. 14 LSU beat Mississippi State 41-14. The Tigers (2-1) outgained the Bulldogs 310-79 in the first half on the way to a 24-7 lead. Source : AP News

Lawmakers in Mississippi are at odds over a bill that would create an unelected, state-appointed court system in a district within Jackson, a majority Black city, with some concerned that the move smacks of a modern-day Jim Crow regime. The Republican-controlled Mississippi House of Representatives passed a bill (HB1020) last week to expand the Capital Complex Improvement District, a defined area within Jackson, and create a separate court system within the city – which is 83% Black, according to US Census data – that two state offices, both of which are currently held by White officials, would entirely appoint. CNN has…

Weeks after a Jackson-based hospital announced the closure of its behavioral services unit, two metro-area hospitals are too full to accept psychiatric patients. Both the University of Mississippi Medical Center and Merit Health Central have repeatedly been on psychiatric diversion – meaning neither are accepting new patients – since July 4. It’s not clear when the facilities became full. MED-COM, the state’s hub for medical communication for emergency response hospitals, agencies and first responders, is housed under UMMC and operates a diversion board showing which hospitals are at capacity throughout each day. UMMC spokespeople declined to provide information about what health facilities…

North of Scottsdale, Arizona, lies a little community that feels almost too good to be true. The town of under 4,000 people was once a 400-acre goat farm that the founders bought for $44,000 in 1955. Their vision was to start a community with an easygoing, airy vibe — and so they named the plot of land Carefree. Today, Carefree has the feel of a small town, but is close to northern Scottsdale and less than an hour from downtown Phoenix. Because it sits at the edge of the urban area, it’s easy to head north into the Sonoran Desert, which has abundant hiking…

In April, Bulgaria plans to receive LNG from the US, while in March it buys Russian fuel from European traders. Next month, Bulgaria is expecting several shipments of LNG from the US. At least according to the DESFA operator, the state company Bulgargaz has booked slots for two tankers at the Revitus terminal. On April 15 and 26, MOL Hestia and Global Energy vessels are to arrive in Greece and deliver a total of 143 million cubic meters of gas in the form of LNG. According to the navigation portal Vesselfinder, Global Energy is only heading to the US from Europe, but…

Ukraine urgently needs additional military assistance. This was stated by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a meeting of Ukraine’s Western allies (in the Rammstein format) at NATO headquarters in Brussels. He assured that the allies are ready to support Ukraine in the long term. The head of the Pentagon recalled the words of US President Joe Biden that Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a test for the whole world. Lloyd Austin announced additional aid that the countries supporting Ukraine have promised to provide. We are talking, among other things, about tanks, ammunition, air defense systems – along with plans for their integration and training…