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Politics
UPDATED: ‘Galactic Trouble’ for Foster Care Ahead?
Jess Dickinson likes to use an ancient maxim he heard in a film, "The Bourne Ultimatum," to illustrate where he sits currently as the commissioner of Mississippi's foster-care system. "Hope …
Cover
Cruel & Unusual? The Death Penalty’s Trials in Mississippi
The State of Mississippi is litigating legal challenges to the state's lethal-injection law directly. Mississippi last executed a prisoner in June 2012, Mississippi Department of Corrections records posted online show.
Immigration
Protecting Refugee Children
The Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program that Catholic Charities runs in the state is one of 19 programs nationally that resettle refugee minors in the U.S. The federal Office of Refugee …
City & County
Jackson School Board Off to Slow Start on Supe Search, Seeks Public Input
With Dr. Cedrick Gray leaving the top position early last November, Jackson Public Schools needs a new superintendent and invited public comment regarding the search at its Jan. 3 work …
Education
AG Hood: State Must Fund Mental Health Care, Not Ignore Lawsuit
Attorney General Jim Hood is calling on the Legislature to increase funding for the Mississippi Department of Mental Health as a part of his legislative priorities this session.
LGBT
HB 1523 May Become Law This Week; Plaintiffs Asking Supreme Court to Hear Case
House Bill 1523, the law Gov. Phil Bryant signed that can allow Mississippians acting on their religious beliefs to discriminate against LGBT citizens, is set to become state law this …
City & County
UPDATED: JPS Draws Expected 'F' in MDE District, School Grades Released Today
The Mississippi Department of Education released the 2017 accountability rankings of all schools and districts in the state this morning. Seventy percent of the state's schools are performing at "C" …
Politics
Gov. Bryant Wants Vote on State Flag; Taggart Says It Must Change
New messages about the Mississippi flag flowed out of the annual Hobnob Mississippi event this year with the governor revealing that he wants citizens to vote on it again and …
Civil Rights
Democrats, Republicans Honor Robert Clark's 'Striving and Working' Legacy
In the midst of Mississippi's turbulent reckoning with the Civil Rights Movement, Holmes County residents elected Robert G. Clark to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1967. He was the …
Politics
'Spoiled' Criminal Justice Reform Bill Dies After Governor's Veto
Individuals would not be locked up for being financially unable to pay fines, and nonviolent offenders could get parole sooner under a bipartisan bill both the House and the Senate …
Health Care
State Health Officer: Cuts Mean 'Sending People Home'
The Legislative Black Caucus policy committee held budget hearings on Wednesday to see how cuts to agencies' budgets will affect services and employment at the state's health and mental-health agencies.
Abortion
In Surprise Move, State's Abortion Clinic Added to Bill Restricting Planned Parenthood Funding
In a surprise move Tuesday, the Mississippi House targeted Medicaid funding for the state’s only abortion clinic in addition to the state’s sole Planned Parenthood clinic. The bill would prohibit …
LGBT
Establishment Clause Front, Center in HB 1523 Courtroom
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...." How those words affect the language in House Bill 1523 could lead to a …
Politics
Proposed Gun Law Would Allow Lawsuits over Conceal-Carry Laws
Mississippians with enhanced concealed-carry licenses, who are required to take an instructional course on firearms training before they receive their license, could file a lawsuit against public entities, like state …
City & County
Four New JPS Board Members to Lead Next Chapter for Beleaguered District
The Jackson City Council restored a quorum to the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees on Wednesday, unanimously confirming four new members who are charged with leading the district through …
State
Firing Squads Out, But ‘Spice’ Regs, Execution Secrecy, Planned Parenthood Limits Headed to Governor
The state’s one Planned Parenthood clinic will lose Medicaid reimbursements if Gov. Phil Bryant signs a bill headed to his desk.
State
Testing Solar in Mississippi
Last spring, Entergy announced it would invest $4.5 million into three solar plants in Mississippi. Entergy mainly serves the western half of the state.
Crime
Juvy Intervention Programs Losing Federal Funds
Pre-intervention programs are vital in the state's criminal-justice system and have the power to prevent young people from entering the criminal-justice system in the first place.
City & County
JPS Hires Consultant, Facing Corrective Deadlines
The Jackson Public School District has a lot of work to do ahead of the June 30 deadline set for some improvements outlined in its Corrective Action Plan, which the …
Politics
State Guts Firefighting Forestry Jobs
Fifty foresters with "boots on the ground" to fight wildfires all over Mississippi on almost 19.8 million acres will lose their jobs come July 1. The layoffs come after the …
