All results / Stories / Arielle Dreher
Debtors’ Prisons Out, Parole For More People
Criminal-justice reform is and has been a bipartisan issue in the Mississippi Legislature in recent years, and 2018 is no exception.
HB 1523: Bad for the Business Sector
Roy Decker felt the financial consequences of House Bill 1523. Decker, a Jackson developer and architect, says a potential investor pulled out of a project earlier this year, largely because …
Bracing for Budget Cuts, Sparing Ed Funds
Impending and deep budget cuts have tainted many-a-committee comment and shadowed several debates this legislative session. With less than two weeks left until lawmakers leave Jackson, they must sign off …
Shifting the Power to Regulate Nurses, Barbers, More
Melony Armstrong did not want to cut hair; she wanted to braid hair in her own shop. She believed that the time and money spent on beauty school would be …
The Comeback: Adult Education on the Rise
Former famed attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs says he found purpose in prison by helping educate his fellow inmates. In federal prisons, any inmate without a high-school equivalency diploma is required …
Uber May Leave Under New Regs
Uber has been operating in Jackson for a just under a year, but the company said the prospects of continuing to do business in the capital city are bleak if …
Negotiations Over in Troupe v. Barbour
Mississippi's short-term inpatient care and special-treatment facilities served about 542 adolescents in fiscal-year 2015, Mississippi Department of Mental Health data show.
Election Disputes: No Bibles, and Lots of Swearing
The Mississippi Capitol became a temporary courthouse last week in a Republican battle for super-majority control of the House of Representatives.
The Rough Road to Reproductive Health Care
Regardless of the state's appeal of the JWHO case, the fight for reproductive health in Mississippi will continue in the Mississippi Legislature.
Revamping the VA: A Slow Process
Darryl Brady, Jackson's regional benefit office director for the Veterans Administration, said his office is doing everything they can to reach out to military vets in all 82 counties in …
Special Session: Too Little, Too Late?
Gov. Phil Bryant tried to smooth out the state's economic appearance and patch up additional budget holes in the June 5 special session, but Democrats were not too pleased with …
Funding a Lifeline for Homeless Youth
Stewpot Community Services is one of several programs that serve homeless youth in the Jackson area. More than 3,000 students in Jackson Public Schools are homeless.
‘I Can’t Breathe’: Restraint, Seclusion Under Review
In June, the Mississippi Department of Education drafted a restraint and seclusion policy that is already under tough scrutiny by parent, education and advocacy groups around the state.
Sharon Brown: A Woman on a Mission to Change the State Flag
Sharon Brown isn't waiting for the Legislature to start the process to change the Mississippi flag.
The Problems with a Supermajority
The 2016 session marked a turning point in the political landscape of the state. After a contested election resulted in the removal of former Rep. Bo Eaton, a Democrat from …
Honey, We Shrunk the General Fund: Medicaid, Education, Gang Debates Loom in 2018
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee, made up of lawmakers, adopted a budget that cuts the State's general fund by $66.1 million or 1.3 percent. The legislators' plan includes small increases …
Fighting for Women: Workplace Rights, Paid Leave and Pay Gap
Child care, wages, domestic violence, pay equity and paid family and sick leave are at the top of the Mississippi Women's Economic Security Initiative's agenda for the upcoming legislative session.
Enough Teeth in the Campaign-finance Bill?
Lawmakers would no longer be able to use campaign finances to pay for personal cars, new suits, health clubs or slush funds once they leave office if House Speaker Philip …
Undocumented and Caught in the System
Traditionally, the Federal Bureau of Prisons houses undocumented immigrants charged with federal crimes in "criminal alien requirement" facilities. Private prison corporations run the BOP's 11 contract prisons.
A Legal Battle for Same-Sex Parental Rights
Christina and Kimberly could not get married in Mississippi in 2009. Same-sex marriage was illegal at the time and would be legal until 2015, so the couple went to Massachusetts …