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Stop the Mental Health Politicking

Lawmakers should and could have addressed mental health-care reform in previous sessions as well as this session. It turns out that addressing the problem with secrecy and an assumption of …

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No Longer About Party

While we debate politics for fun, the whims of administrations are not meant to be visited upon entire populations. This is no longer about party. This is about how we …

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Tort Reform, Sexual Assault Prevention and Fantasy Sports Bills Move Forward

"Tort reform" rose from the past at the state Capitol last week as lawyers in the House of Representatives battled it out over a short, seemingly inconsequential bill, House Bill …

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In the Statehouse and the Courtroom, Mental Health is Embattled

Research in the psychology and psychiatry fields show little to no evidence that hospitals and residential treatment centers are effective in helping a person with mental-health needs.

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Murder in the City: Deep Causes, Harmful Biases, Unexpected Solutions to Gun Violence

On the night of Thursday, Feb. 9, a group of twenty-something Jacksonians were hanging out in Westwood Apartments at 3150 Robinson Road playing dominoes. Suddenly, several men walked in pointing …

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Donnell Lewis

Florence, Miss., native Donnell Lewis joined mentoring and service organization 100 Black Men of Jackson in 1990, when it had been active for only a few years.

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Sweet Lillies, Southbound

Since forming in late 2013, Boulder, Colo.-based Americana act The Sweet Lillies has been working its way around the country, carving a name for itself in the string-band music scene …

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School Funding Rewrite Won't Happen Under Budget Deadline

The Mississippi House speaker says an effort to rewrite the school funding formula will not be limited by the regular budget deadlines.

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Governor Obfuscates with Call for 'Gimme some of that mental-health reform’

"We have a duty to protect the least among us: those suffering from mental illness. Ask your legislator what Jesus would do."

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Governor Name-checks Jackson in HB 1523 Brief, Dismisses LGBT Worries as 'Parade of Horribles'

Anti-discrimination attempts by the City of Jackson figure prominently in Gov. Phil Bryant's latest attempt to convince the courts to allow House Bill 1523 to take effect, despite its potential …

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Sugar Ray's Sweet Shop, Outlets of Mississippi, 2 Mississippi Museums and SBA 2017 Emerging Leaders Program

A new business called Sugar Ray's Sweet Shop opened downtown today, Tuesday, Feb. 14, in the former Cohen Brothers building at 224 W. Capitol St.

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Teaira McCowan

Mississippi State's Teaira McCowan is 6-foot-7 with broad shoulders, plenty of athleticism and a surprisingly soft touch around the basket. She also, at times, has displayed quite a temper.

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Michael Flynn Resigns White House Post Over Contact With Russia

National security adviser Michael Flynn has resigned after reports he misled Trump administration officials about his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S.

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February 13, 2017

UConn Looks for 100th Straight Win

By bryanflynn

College-basketball fans are in for a treat tonight, Feb. 13, as the No. 1-ranked women’s team, the University of Connecticut, hosts the No. 6-ranked University of South Carolina. This game is a possible Final Four preview with March just around the corner.

The South Carolina Gamecocks enters the matchup with a 21-2 overall record and a 9-1 record on the road, and the Huskies enter with a 24-0 overall record and 11-0 record at home, with a 60- home-game winning streak.

One more thing: UConn is also on a 99-game winning streak overall. A victory against the Gamecocks would bring the Huskies to their 100th win in a row.

UConn’s 99 consecutive wins surpassed the school’s previous record of 90 wins from 2008 to 2010. The Huskies own two of the top-three winning streaks in Division I history, with the University of California, Los Angeles men’s team in third place with 88 wins from 1971 to 1974.

Winning 100 games is hard at any level, and every team that the Huskies face gives them its best shot. UConn blows out most of the teams it plays, but those teams come in looking to make history by winning. UConn hasn’t lost a game since a double-overtime to Stanford University on Nov. 17, 2014.

Even Mississippi State University is a part of the streak. UConn defeated MSU 98-38 in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The victory sparked more commentary on whether the Huskies are bad for women’s college basketball.

If UConn is able to win tonight, the 100th victory will likely result in the same kind of debate. UConn wins year in and year out, but at the very least, the Huskies bring attention to the women’s game. South Carolina beating the Huskies would be a huge story. It would make the women’s NCAA Tournament more interesting, as some would tune in to see if another team could knock off the Huskies.

If the Gamecocks win, it will make for huge ratings for a Final Four or National Championship Game, but if UConn wins, it isn’t bad for women’s college basketball. UCLA didn’t ruin the men’s game with its winning streak in the ’70s, and UConn isn’t destroying the women’s game now.

The Huskies are making every team that wants to win a title pick up its game. Teams practice harder, run drills longer, shoot more shots in practice, and work more on dribbling, free throws and every part of their game. Opposing coaches and players known they will make history by being the team that beats the Huskies.

But history is getting made one way or another tonight. Either South Carolina breaks UConn’s winning streak, or the Huskies win for the 100th time in a row. As viewers, we all win.

Tune in to ESPN2 at 8 p.m.

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Governor Could Take Authority from Legislature if Bills Pass Today

Gov. Phil Bryant would get authority over the Mississippi Department of Mental Health and supervise the state's occupational licensing boards if legislation makes it out of the Mississippi Senate and …

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Canada's Trudeau Arrives in Washington to Meet with Trump

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a polar opposite to Donald Trump in almost every way, joined the new U.S. president at the White House Monday keen to build a relationship …

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February 10, 2017

MDAH Names Leadership Team for 2 Mississippi Museums

By amber_helsel

MDAH has now announced the leadership team for 2 Mississippi Museums, which will encompass the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History.

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Senate Attempts to Put Governor in Charge of Mental Health

Legislation to move the Department of Mental Health under the policy direction of the governor passed the Senate by one vote on Feb. 9, after a contentious debate and bi-partisan …

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Ed Formula Bills Dead ... For Now at #MSLeg

Both dummy bills that Mississippi legislators could have used to change the state's education funding formula died in the House and the Senate on Feb. 9, but attempts to implement …