Politics
Electing Justice: Money, Partisanship and Dirty Ads
Judicial races are meant to be nonpartisan. After all, the judicial branch is a separate arm of the state government from the Legislature and the governor's office.
National
‘Mad and Scared’: The Religious Shift in U.S., Mississippi Politics
Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says no one has seen a presidential election like this one in his lifetime, at least. Speaking at the Mississippi Economic Council's Hob Nob event …
Politics
'Mississippi's Elections Are Not Rigged,' Secretary of State Promises
Mississippians will head to the polls in a week at more than 1,800 precincts around the state. Each polling precinct will have some of an estimated 10,000 trained poll workers …
Education
JPS Supe Intends to Resign
Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Cedrick Gray gave the school board his verbal intent to resign on Friday at a special school-board meeting.
State
Drought-like Conditions Lead to More Burn Bans, One Fatality
Droughts can lead to wildfires, which is why, in the midst of continuing drought in the South, Gov. Phil Bryant issued a burn ban for more than 50 counties on …
Education
House Speaker: MAEP Has ‘Failed’
"Antiquated, confusing, inefficient, unreliable, unpredictable. What do these words describe?" House Speaker Philip Gunn said at the annual Hob Nob on Oct. 27. "They describe the Mississippi Adequate Education Program …
Cover
Electing Justice: The JFP Interview with Justice Jim Kitchens
Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens will complete his first full eight-year term on the state's highest court this year. Before joining the court in 2008, Kitchens worked primarily as …
Cover
Electing Justice: The JFP Interview with Judge Kenny Griffis
Judge Kenny Griffis is no stranger to the bench; he has been on the Court of Appeals for almost 14 years and has six years left of his term.
Health Care
What’s Next in Planned Parenthood Bill Fight?
Mississippi women who use Medicaid can legally continue to get family-planning services like birth control and cancer screenings at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Hattiesburg and at the state's only …
State
Mississippians Give $12.3 Million to GoFundMe Campaigns
Scrolling through Facebook, it's almost impossible not to see a GoFundMe campaign these days. The Internet age has made generosity simple: the click of a button and a few online …
Crime
Minor Sex Trafficking Sting Nets 28 Arrests, But No Children
In a national sting operation aimed at recovering children exploited into sex trafficking, the Jackson division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made 28 arrests—but found no children.
Abortion
Judge Blocks Planned Parenthood Medicaid Reimbursements Law
A federal judge has enjoined a Mississippi state law that prevented the Division of Medicaid from reimbursing the state’s Planned Parenthood clinic and the only abortion clinic for offering birth …
Economy
How State Agencies Dance with Privatization
Mississippi children living in poverty may be among the neediest in America, but last year the State of Mississippi did not allocate $35 million earmarked to help poor families in …
Politics
Mississippi’s Silenced Voters
Thanks in part to Mississippi's antiquated and disenfranchising voting-rights laws, Robert Banks still cannot vote, even though he has been off probation for over a decade.
Health Care
Mississippi First Lady, Justice Launch Drug Abuse Program
Mississippi's first lady, Deborah Bryant, and Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Dawn Beam launched a program Friday to help parents struggling with drug addiction who have children in state custody.
Politics
Mississippi Democrats Clap Back on Tax Policy, Wage Gaps
The Mississippi Democratic Caucus held a meeting Wednesday to discuss key policy issues about the state's economy, tax structure, and how certain policies mostly impact women and African Americans in …
Civil Rights
Governor Owes Apology for 'Racial Reconciliation Month,' Protesters Say
Gov. Phil Bryant should apologize for declaring October "Racial Reconciliation Celebration Month" without acknowledging the dark past of racism in Mississippi or how the state flag plays into that history, …
Education
MAEP's Future: Legislature Hires New Jersey Firm to Evaluate Education Law
Legislative leaders have hired New Jersey-based nonprofit EdBuild to evaluate the state's school-funding formula, the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. The State uses MAEP to appropriate tax dollars to school districts …
Business
Continental: Conservation, Excavation and New Hires
Zach Morrow was born and raised in Ackerman, Miss., and has been doing construction work since he was 18 years old. He has worked in and out of the state …
Politics
Lost Revenue: Closing the ‘Amazon Tax’ Loophole
In the state's never-ending search for revenue—and as corporate and individual income-tax cuts loom—lawmakers are looking to shift the state's tax code, all while not losing revenue in the process.
Crime
State's High Court May Change Criminal Procedures, Getting Public Comment
After 11 years of review, the Mississippi Supreme Court is seeking public comment on its proposed new rules for criminal-law procedures. The rules reflect changes in several parts of the …
Food
Fair Food: Inspected and Ready to Eat
The Mississippi State Department of Health wrapped up inspections of 130 food booths at the State Fair right before it opened on Wednesday night.
Crime
The Murder Trial That Won’t Go Away
To understand the history of Curtis Flowers' case and the claims of racial discrimination in jury selection, it is vital to understand the history of landmark cases in the same …
Crime
Replacing Military-Style Detention
Mississippians who receive earned probation for crimes that do not carry a death sentence or involve deadly weapons will now have access to high-school equivalency education, alcohol and drug counseling, …
State
Vulnerable Kids Get Child Care Subsidy Extension
Some of the state's most vulnerable children won't immediately lose their childcare, even if their guardian finds a job and loses support from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
Economy
Panel: Raising Sales Tax, Cutting Business Taxes Options for Increasing State Revenue
The State of Mississippi needs revenue, and lawmakers have three options: increasing the state's sales tax rate, apply sales tax to more items or sell more stuff.
Health Care
Money, Medicaid, Social Justice Dominate Black Caucus' Town Hall
The state budget, expanding Medicaid and social-justice issues were hot topics at a town-hall meeting the Hinds County members of the Legislative Black Caucus hosted Thursday at the Mississippi Capitol. …
State
Cycling for a Cure
Lori Newcomb was diagnosed with stage III ovarian cancer in 2013. She says that while stage III is pretty far along to be diagnosed, it is not uncommon among ovarian-cancer …
Economy
The State of Mississippi’s Debt, Finances
The State of Mississippi is in an $8.4-billion financial hole, a new report based on the State's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, or CAFR, shows.
Education
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 …
Economy
Study: Mississippi Has 'Two School Systems'
Mississippians in the highest income-tax brackets have enjoyed the limited economic growth the state has seen since the Great Recession, according to a recent report by Loyola University in New …
State
Fostering Children on a Faith-based Fast Track
Children in the State of Mississippi's custody have few options when the new Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services remove them from their homes. The Jackson metro area and a …
Politics
Preppin’ for November: ‘Y’all Vote’
With the presidential election drawing near, Mississippians who are registered to vote can change their addresses up until the day before the election due to new rules the Mississippi Legislature …
Economy
Census: Child Poverty Rose in Mississippi in 2015, Now Almost One-Third
Mississippi was the only state where the number of children in poverty increased in 2015, while child poverty rates are declining nationally or remaining constant in other states. More than …
Civil Rights
JSU Research: Confederate Symbols Could Disrupt Heart Rates, Physiology
A federal judge last week struck down a lawsuit a Mississippi man brought against the Confederate emblem in the Mississippi state flag, saying plaintiff Carlos Moore did not prove that …
State
Walnut Grove Prison is Officially Closed
The Walnut Grove Correctional Facility in Leake County closed today after years of allegations of sexual abuse, illicit drugs and physical abuse of inmates by correctional officers, which eventually led …
LGBT
HB 1523 Brings Gov. Bryant Another Award, Group Says Not 'Anti-Gay'
The Heritage Foundation awarded Gov. Phil Bryant a Conservative Leadership Award in Washington, D.C., earlier this week, for signing House Bill 1523 into law in April.
State
When State Agencies Lose Their People
The Mississippi Department of Health can have a hard time keeping nurses because they can earn more if they go to work for other hospitals, an attrition problem that afflicts …
Politics
Narrowing the Private vs. Public Prison Debate
In May 2012, a correctional officer at the Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez died in a 250-inmate riot at the facility. Prisoners at the facility were upset with the …
Health Care
Groups: Mississippi's C-Section Rates Too High
Just because a mother has had a C-section for a previous birth does not mean she has to have one in her subsequent births. That was a primary message Saturday …
State
State Flag Lawsuit Dismissed, But Judge Leaves Door Open for Future Case
U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves dismissed Grenada-based attorney Carlos Moore’s lawsuit today, which challenged the constitutionality of the Mississippi state flag.
Economy
'Staff Error' Turns into 1.6-Percent Cut to Most State Agencies
Mississippi is only two months into the new fiscal year, and Gov. Phil Bryant has announced that he will reduce or "adjust" the state budget by $56.8 million to account …
Economy
‘Fairer, Flatter’: State GOP Craves New Tax Code
A "fairer, flatter tax code" is the goal for Republicans who are leading the tax-policy panel, made up of the most powerful politicians in the statehouse. The group has started …
Crime
Study: 'Glaring Inequality' in Juvenile-Justice System Fines and Fees
The juvenile-justice system can pose financial burdens on youth depending on their economic background and the color of their skin. A new study, conducted by the Juvenile Law Center, found …
Politics
Gov. Bryant Has Problem with Universities Taking Down the State Flag
Gov. Phil Bryant told reporters Tuesday that he is concerned over state universities taking down the state flag, though, mainly due to concerns about following state law.
Health Care
Mississippi’s Mental-Health Conundrum
The mood shift in the old Mississippi Supreme Court room was palpable last week when the Department of Mental Health faced a group of legislators tasked with evaluating the agency's …
National
Polls, Voter Turnout and Winning Mississippi
In Mississippi, so far, Trump looks like the favorite, but some pollsters have also speculated that with the right turnout formula, Clinton could give him competition, depending on several factors.
Business
Study: Mississippi Women Need More Political Representation
In honor of Women's Equality Day last Friday, WalletHub released its "Best and Worst States for Women's Equality" study, which looked at education, workplace and political environments for women in …
Politics
In Jackson, Trump Talks Bigotry, 'Brexit' and Fixing America's 'Inner-Cities'
The Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump, visited the capital of the Magnolia State on Wednesday night—first for a private fundraiser at the convention center, then for a rally at …
Health Care
Coming into Its Own: ‘Obamacare’ Gets a Shakedown
Mississippians using the federal health marketplace, also known as "Obamacare, "will have fewer options than last year—largely due to United Healthcare's exit from the state's system, which takes effect Jan. …
