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Immigration
Trump Pardons Sheriff Joe Arpaio
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has pardoned former sheriff Joe Arpaio following his conviction for intentionally disobeying a judge's order in an immigration case.
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Democratic Congress Earns Its Keep!
I've just received word that Congress has not only funded the $1 billion in Millennium Development Grants that it had promised, but added $450 million to the total. Link The …
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Family Feels the Backlash of their Confessions after Brokaw Special
As I normally do on Thursdays, I was reading the Jackson Advocate and the Mississippi Link for news stories that I may have missed or that they exclusively covered. This …
Story
Rebel Reversal
In the biggest retreat for the University of Mississippi since Gettysburg, the school has placed its search for a new mascot to replace Colonel Reb on hold. The official line …
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State
No ‘Hiney Contests,’ Got It?
When a warning by a state Alcohol Beverage Control investigator spooked Ben Shemper, the owner of The Dollarbox Showroom in Hattiesburg, into canceling Big Freedia's Feb. 12 there, it did …
Story
Russian Parliament Votes to Adopt Controversial Privacy Law
Lawmakers in the Russian parliament on Friday voted for a bill forcing online search engines to remove search results about a specific person at that person's request.
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MDE Report: Mississippi Graduation Rate Swells, Dropout Rate Falters
By sierramannieThe Mississippi Department of Education reports that Mississippi's graduation rates have seen significant improvement between 2011 and 2015.
"Districts showed a four-year graduation rate of 78.4 percent for the 2014-15 school year, up from 74.5 (percent) in the 2013-14 school (year)," an April 26, 2016 MDE press release said. The press release also reports America's high schoolers as having graduated at a rate of 82 percent for the 2013-2014 school year.
Dropout rates were down to 12.8 percent in the 2014-2015 school year from 13.9 percent the school year prior. National Center for Education Statistics reports the percentage of high school dropouts as 6.8 percent in 2013.
Mississippi's graduation and dropout rate figures are based on students who entered 9th grade for the first time as of the 2010-2011 school year.
“Those efforts, as well as the Mississippi Department of Education providing more technical assistance to districts and school counselors to help students explore multiple pathways to college and careers, have contributed to dramatic decreases in students leaving school and increases in graduation,” Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education said in the press release. “However, there are districts in the state that still struggle to keep students on the path to a high school diploma, which means we have more work to do.”
The graduation rate for students with disabilities was 27.5 percent.
"We are far from where we need to be when it comes to graduation rates for students with disabilities. The MDE will continue to provide technical assistance to districts to help them support the educational needs of all students,” Wright said in the press release.
Read the full press release, which includes a link to MDE's full report, here.
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Place
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DA Faye Peterson on Radio JFP Friday at Noon
District Attorney Faye Peterson is the guest this Friday, July 27, at noon on Radio JFP on WLEZ. Listen at 103.7 FM, or hear the stream live at http://www.wlezfm.com. The …
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Development
The Saga of the Convention Center Hotel
The city council met behind closed doors Tuesday evening to discuss a possible cost-sharing agreement with developers of a $200 million mixed-used development along four blocks of Pascagoula street that …
Story
JFP Update: Goin' Live with the Tabs
As you can see, I've put the "tabs" into play from our Beta page. They're now the default look on the home page of the JFP. Let me know if …
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Hearing to Continue Monday in Ricin Letter Case
The man charged with mailing ricin-laced letters to the president and a senator was expected back in court Monday, and the hearing could reveal what evidence authorities have collected from …
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LGBT
UPDATED: Obama Tells Schools How to Protect Transgender Students' Civil Rights
Today the Obama administration issued a directive offering "significant guidance" to school districts on curbing sex-based discrimination in schools, specifically against students who do not identify with the gender commonly …
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National
Facebook to Release Russia Ads to Congress Amid Pressure
Facebook will provide the contents of 3,000 ads bought by a Russian agency to congressional investigators, bowing to pressure that it be more forthcoming with information that could shed light …
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Small Business State of the Union Scorecard
President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday covered a lot of issues that are important to small business including the tax code, minimum wage, immigration and the difficulty some …
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Education
Mississippi Sets Online Meetings About Child Care Services
The Mississippi Department of Human Services is holding online meetings to gather information about improving child care services in the state.
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Business
University of Mississippi and Meridian Hospitals to Ally
The University of Mississippi Medical Center is agreeing to work more closely with another hospital.
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Waggoner Sentencing Delayed in Prison Contract Bribery Case
Sentencing has been indefinitely delayed for a Carthage man who pleaded guilty to bribing former Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps.
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House Unveils Voting Maps
By R.L. NaveThe wait is over, kids. Mississippi House members finally have a new legislative district map to vote on. The maps, which add two districts in rapidly growing DeSoto County, were unveiled at the Capitol today. Under the plan, several Democrats could lose their seats either by hasquaring off with fellow Democrats or by having to compete in mostly GOP districts.
