Jackson Free Press

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them:

1. Rep. Mark Baker, R-Brandon, introduced a bill Friday that would prohibit Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood from bringing claims under the Mississippi Consumer Protection Act.
2. Interim Superintendent Freddrick Murray presented the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees with a plan to extend school days by an hour for the next two months to ensure students get enough instruction as state law requires.
3. Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, faced opposition while presenting the "anti-gang" bill Thursday morning in the House of Representatives, and he tabled it, noting that the Senate had passed its version already.
4. The Mississippi Department of Education will redistribute 90 education scholarship account vouchers left over after 90 families had not used them in the current school year.
5. In just one year, the Mississippi Legislature has gone from slightly tweaking its voucher program for students with dyslexia to a push to allow any public-school student to apply for a taxpayer-funded voucher to use at a private school.
6. Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven, introduced the “Gestational Age Act,” which would ban abortions in the state before 15 weeks. The measure passed the House by a vote of 79-31, with some Democrats supporting it.
7. Merrill McKewen, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Capital Area, said Mississippi Home Corporation’s “Blight Elimination Program” will have real, significant impact in neighborhoods.
8. Rep. Mark Baker, R-Brandon, introduced an equal pay amendment that the House approved and passed on to the Senate in a bill that prohibits cities from raising the minimum wage for nonpublic employers.
9. The Jackson City Council hosted a public hearing about marijuana decriminalization in City Hall on Monday.
10. More than 70,000 students were chronically absent in the 2016-2017 school year, chronic absentee data the Mississippi Department of Education released Monday show.

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