Mississippi Free Press

09/18/2025

Delta State University student Trey Reed’s death was a su***de, Cleveland Chief of Police Travis Tribble said on Thursday afternoon while announcing the results of the autopsy on the 21-year-old student who was found hanging in a tree in the middle of campus.

Delta State University student Trey Reed’s death was a su***de, Cleveland Chief of Police Travis Tribble said, announcing the results of an autopsy.

09/18/2025

OPINION: "Despite their sharp disagreements on other aspects of DEI, both red state and blue state faculty overwhelmingly agree that 'colleges and universities should provide support for students of all religious, secular, and spiritual identities and backgrounds,'" Mayhew writes.

Matthew J. Mayhew compares the leanings of college faculty on issues such as diversity and religion across the red-blue divide.

09/18/2025

Thousands of literary fans climbed the steps of the State Capitol in Jackson, Mississippi, on Saturday, Sept. 13, to sit in on panels, attend workshops and ask authors to sign their books as part of the 2025 iteration of the Mississippi Book Festival.

This photo gallery gives viewers an inside look of the 2025 Mississippi Book Festival that took place in Jackson, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 13.

09/18/2025

The Mississippi Republican Party alleged that Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Scott Colom illegally impersonated U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in a social media video. He says the video was a parody.

Mississippi Republicans alleged that Democrat Scott Colom illegally impersonated U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. He says the video is a parody.

09/18/2025

Police in Bolivar County are awaiting autopsy results for Trey Reed, a Black student found hanging in a tree at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi.

Though police say they saw no evidence of foul play, the case has ignited strong emotions in a state with a history of racist violence.

Police are urging patience as they wait for autopsy results for Trey Reed, a student found hanging from a tree at Delta State University.

09/18/2025

TONIGHT: Veteran photographer Charles Smith joins our VIP Club for a candid look at civil rights images and their ripple effects. Join now to get the link: https://givebutter.com/mfpvip

09/17/2025

OPINION: "My southern friends up north had told me about Greenville’s newspaper, The Delta Democrat-Times, which enjoyed a reputation for heroic stands against the Klan, the White Citizens Councils and the racist clouds that continue to define a good deal of the white South," Paul Krause writes.

Pauk Krause, who lived in Greenville, Miss., for years as a reporter, reflects on how the state’s history with race affected local reporting.

09/17/2025

It’s Democracy Week! At MFP, we don’t center power; we center people. Support people-first reporting today: https://givebutter.com/mfpdonate

09/17/2025

Rocking on his front porch overlooking the Mississippi Sound, former Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes questions how anyone wouldn’t want to live there.

“People are always going to gravitate to the water,” he said, 20 years after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the coast. “And we have a beautiful waterfront.”

A decade after 2005's Hurricane Katrina, one Mississippi city began offering property tax breaks to encourage building near the waterfront.

09/17/2025

A group of Mississippi parents tied up in custody cases and advocates are calling for more transparency and accountability from the Mississippi judiciary.

Mississippi parents tied up in custody cases and advocates are calling for more transparency and accountability from the Mississippi judiciary.

09/17/2025

DSU Police Chief Michael Peeler said that video of Trey Reed does exist, but declined to specify if that refers to surveillance video showing his death before he was found hanging in a tree on campus.

“There are videos and they're in the hands of the investigative team,” he said.

Demartravion “Trey” Reed’s family is seeking an independent autopsy after the Delta State University student was found hanging in a tree.