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Economy

Miss. Cities Push for Power to Set Local Sales Tax

Mississippi municipal officials are again proposing a 1 percent local sales tax as a way to build parks, improve water systems and get crumbling streets back into shape.

Education

Lawmakers Push Forward Bryant School Proposals

The House Education Committee endorsed two bills that contain key parts of Republican Gov. Phil Bryant's education agenda Wednesday.

National

Cockfighting Felony Bills Filed

Cockfighting is big business because Mississippi has the second weakest cockfighting law in the nation, according to Humane Society of the United States.

National

Giffords Pleads for Gun Curbs; NRA Fights Back

Severely wounded and still recovering, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords begged lawmakers at an emotional hearing Wednesday to act quickly to curb firearms because "Americans are counting on you." Not everyone …

National

Ala. Child Hostage Standoff in 2nd Day at Bunker

A standoff in rural Alabama went into a second full day Thursday as police surrounded an underground bunker where a retired truck driver was holding a 5-year-old hostage he grabbed …

Education

From Pets to 'Recess': High School Stress Relief

The four-legged member of the counseling team at the high school in suburban Chicago waits patiently, as a crush of students fills the hallways. Her tail wags with the first …

World

Diplomats: Iran Prepared to Up Nuclear Program

The U.N. nuclear agency has told member nations that Iran is poised for a major technological upgrade of its uranium enrichment program, in a document seen Thursday by The Associated …

Business

Union Backers Say Nissan Threatens Plant Closure

Pro-union workers said Tuesday that Nissan Motor Co. has threatened to close its Canton assembly plant if workers vote for the United Auto Workers to represent them, though the company …

State

Crews Aim to Start Removing Oil from Damaged Barge

The Coast Guard says crews hope to start work Wednesday to remove thousands of gallons of oil from a damaged barge on the Mississippi River, but it's not clear how …

Economy

Slow U.S. Economic Growth in Q4 May Hide Strength

Most economists agree that Wednesday's snapshot of U.S. economic growth is going to look dismal.

National

GOP Lawmakers See Automatic Cuts as Leverage

Driven by frustration over deficits and debt, Republican conservatives are pushing a politically risky move to permit painfully large automatic spending cuts to strike the Pentagon and domestic programs alike …

National

1 Dead as Vast Storm Rakes South, Midwest

A large storm system packing high winds, hail and several possible tornadoes tore across a wide swath of the South and Midwest on Wednesday, killing one person, blacking out power …

National

Giffords to Speak at Senate Gun Violence Hearing

Wounded former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will appear as an unscheduled witness Wednesday at the year's first congressional hearing on curbing gun violence, adding drama to a session that was already …

Economy

US Economy Shrinks 0.1 Pct., 1st Time in 3½ Years

The U.S. economy unexpectedly shrank from October through December for the first time since 2009.

Education

Bills Would Combine Miss. School Districts

Bills passed Tuesday by the Senate Education Committee would merge the Clay County and West Point school districts and give agricultural high schools in Coahoma and Hinds counties to the …