Story
Stop Hillary PAC, Other Trump Supporters File Federal Lawsuit to Block Wisconsin Recount
Supporters of President-elect Donald Trump have filed a federal lawsuit trying to stop Wisconsin's ongoing presidential election recount.
Story
US Judge Hears Arguments in Mississippi House Election Spat
A federal judge hears arguments Friday over whether to dismiss a lawsuit challenging a 2015 Mississippi election that went to a drawing of straws.
Entry
U.S. Justice Dept. Announces (More) Federal Prison Reforms
By adreherThe Department of Justice announced a series of reforms for federal prisons today. Reforms include building a school district within the system and improving the halfway houses that serve as re-entry homes for inmates in the system.
The DOJ also announced plans to improve programs for women in prison and provide inmates that are released with ID cards, free of charge. The reforms are a part of the department's intense focus on lowering recidivism rates across the country and rehabilitating former inmates. Earlier this year, the DOJ announced that they would phase out all contracts they had with private prisons due to the lowering number of inmates in the country as well as not finding real advantage in cost savings or enhanced services with private facilities.
There are two federal prisons in Mississippi: one in Yazoo City, and one in Natchez. The facility in Yazoo City is privately operated and run by the Corrections Corporation of America, or CCA, whose stocks soared after Donald Trump won the projected electoral college votes on Nov. 8.
President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions for attorney general could change some of these reforms, and Democrats fear what Sessions' prosecutorial reputation and Trump's promises for "law and order" on the campaign trail could mean for reforms made in the past eight years.
Story
Protesters: Police Shooting May be Legal, but isn't Right
A prosecutor's decision to clear a Charlotte police officer in the killing of a black man left some African-American community leaders saying while the shooting may have been legal, it …
Story
Wisconsin First State to Start Presidential Election Recount
The first candidate-driven statewide recount of a presidential election in 16 years began Thursday in Wisconsin, a state that Donald Trump won by less than a percentage point over Hillary …
Story
James Challenges Appeals Court Loss, Cites Partisan Politics
Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge Ceola James is contesting her loss in the Nov. 8 election.
Story
City & County
JRA, City at Odds Over $1.5 Million Bill for Farish Street
Somebody has to pay back $1.5 million to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development since the Farish Street project stalled in 2014, but it is unclear whether the …
Story
LGBT
What’s Up with House Bill 1523?
In the language of people who refuse to fight in wars like Vietnam, Mississippians should have "conscientious objector" status if they do not want to recognize LGBT citizens' right to …
Story
Young Immigrants Who Came Forward Now Worried About Future
Hundreds of thousands of young immigrants living in the country illegally willingly came out of the shadows and identified themselves to the Obama administration on the promise that they'd be …
Story
Thousands Line Up Early to Pay Homage to Castro in Cuba
Thousands of Cubans began lining up early near Havana's Plaza of the Revolution Monday carrying portraits of Fidel Castro, flowers and Cuban flags for the start of week-long services bidding …
Story
The Pot Train Could Still Go Off the Tracks, and Here's How
Weed is winning in the polls, with a solid majority of Americans saying marijuana should be legal. But does that mean the federal government will let dozens of state pot …
Story
National
Green Party Candidate Requests Presidential Recount in Wisconsin, Vows Michigan and Pennsylvania
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump pressed forward Friday with two more administration picks, as failed Green Party candidate Jill Stein took new steps to force recounts across key …
Story
State
Early Years Network Set to Close by Year’s End
Meghan Gallagher, a mother of four who lives in Oxford, was disappointed to hear the news that a statewide network of early learning resource centers will close at the end …
Entry
EEOC Issues Guidance on 'National Origin' Discrimination
By adreherThe U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued updated enforcement guidance on national origin discrimination to replace its 2002 compliance manual section on that subject today.
“EEOC is dedicated to advancing opportunity for all workers and ensuring freedom from discrimination based on ethnicity or country of origin,” said EEOC Chair Jenny R. Yang said in a press release. “This guidance addresses important legal developments over the past 14 years on issues ranging from human trafficking to workplace harassment. The examples and promising practices included in the guidance will promote compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws and help employers and employees better understand their legal rights and responsibilities.”
On June 2, the EEOC published a proposed guidance for public input, and the guidance issued today reflects the Commission’s consideration of feedback received on the proposal from approximately 20 organizations and individuals.
The new guidelines define a "national origin group," or an "ethnic group," as a group of people sharing a common language, culture, ancestry, race, and/or other social characteristics. For example, Hispanics, Arabs, and Roma are ethnic or national origin groups, the guidelines say.
The guidance also addresses developments in the courts since 2002, as well as topics such as job segregation, human trafficking and intersectional discrimination. In fiscal year 2015, approximately 11 percent of the 89,385 private sector charges filed with EEOC alleged national origin discrimination, a press release from EEOC says. These charges alleged a wide variety of Title VII violations, including unlawful failure to hire, termination, language-related issues, and harassment.
Story
Education
Faith Leaders, Black Caucus Members Talk Education, Infrastructure, Health Care
Members of several Mississippi Baptist conventions along with members of the Legislative Black Caucus hosted a public hearing at the Capitol on Nov. 17 to discuss education, infrastructure and health …
Story
Mississippi Ex-Gov. Barbour Sued Over Photos in Katrina Book
A photographer is suing former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, saying he used her copyrighted work without permission in his 2015 book, "America's Great Storm: Leading Through Hurricane Katrina."
Story
LGBT
Queer-Punk Act Faces Protesters in Downtown Jackson
Ben Hopkins was eating spicy shrimp pasta in a van when a handful of protesters began organizing in front of Big Sleepy’s, an all-ages music venue in downtown Jackson. The …
Photo
Rep. Jay Hughes, D-Oxford, spoke to members of various Mississippi Baptist conventions at a public …
Story
After Bail Revoked, Epps Asks Judge to Let Him Out of Jail
Mississippi's former corrections commissioner is asking a federal judge to reconsider the decision to jail him.
Story
Minnesota Officer Charged with Manslaughter in Castile Death
A Minnesota police officer has been charged with second-degree manslaughter after prosecutors determined he acted unreasonably when he shot and killed Philando Castile, a black man whose girlfriend streamed the …
