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National

Officials: Threatening Letter Sent to Trump Son's NYC Home

Police and the FBI are investigating a threatening letter sent to the Manhattan apartment of Donald Trump's son Eric that contained a white powder, two law enforcement officials said Friday.

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Tease photo State

McDaniel: Highway Bill ‘Unfair Tax Policy,’ Would Hurt Poor, Middle Class

Three hours of heated debate, bi-partisan opposition and five failed amendments later, the last finance bill—to ostensibly fix crumbling highways, bridges and roads—passed the Mississippi Senate by four votes Wednesday.

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World

Syria's Kurds Declare De-Facto Federal Region in North

Syria's Kurds on Thursday declared a de-facto federal region in Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria, drawing sharp condemnation from both the Damascus government and its opponents who decried the unilateral …

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National

Cranking Up Pressure, Garland Ready for First Senate Visits

President Barack Obama's choice for the Supreme Court commenced courtesy calls with senators Thursday as Democrats began the next phase of their drive to put unbearable election-year pressure on Republicans …

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New Madison Airport Push Potential 'Threat,' Jackson Airport Still in Committee

A new report from the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority reveals a years-long discussion about a Madison County commercial airport, as a bill focusing on the "takeover" of the Jackson Municipal …

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Erick Dampier

Today marks the first day of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, but viewers won’t find any teams from our state in the Big Dance. That wasn’t the case 20 …

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National

SeaWorld to Stop Breeding Orcas, Making Them Perform Tricks

Finally bowing to years of public pressure, SeaWorld announced Thursday that it will immediately stop breeding killer whales and making them perform crowd-pleasing tricks at its theme parks.

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Media

SUNSHINE WEEK: Amid Push for Transparency, Few Colleges Reveal Investments

Colleges and universities are under growing pressure from Congress and campus activists to reveal financial investments made through their endowments, but most institutions are standing firm against the idea.

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National

Lawmaker: Michigan Governor Responsible for Flint Crisis

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is responsible for lead contamination in Flint, Michigan's water supply, and would likely face criminal charges if he were running a business, a Democratic lawmaker said …

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March 16, 2016

Councilman Stamps: Corrosion Contract is 'Unfunded Mandate' from State

By Donna Ladd

Jackson City Councilman De'Keither Stamps, of Ward 4, says he voted against the Trilogy Engineering Inc. contract to do a corrosion study for the city last week because it is an "unfunded mandate" by the State of Mississippi—and one the taxpayers cannot afford. In two videos on his YouTube channel, Stamps said his main priority wasn't who was getting the contract, but that the State was demanding that the City suddenly pay $400,000 for a corrosion study, instead of helping the capital city.

"I know several of the subcontractors personally," he says in the most recent video (see below). The issue is I don’t want to spend $400,000 when we don’t have it. This is an unfunded mandate from the State of Mississippi. If they can help us, I’m all for it. … It’s not something we’ve budgeted for."

Stamps, who has unsuccessfully asked for an emergency declaration over the lead issue several times, says the City needs stand and/or federal assistance in order to make sure Jackson residents are safe, especially in areas where 90 percent of the water tested positive for at least trace elements of lead.

"I want to test every child in the whole city that’s in these affected areas," he said in the second video below.

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City to Begin $9 Million Operation Orange Cone Street Repairs—But Which Roads?

The Operation Orange Cone committee has given the go-ahead to begin work on several of the city’s most worn-down streets. However, it is still unclear which streets the work is …

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Making Sense in March Madness

While no college or university from the state of Mississippi made the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, it still could offer one of the craziest years for March Madness in …

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Sports

The Slate

The University of Mississippi didn't get an invite to the NCAA or NIT Tournament this season.

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Tease photo Justice

Doing Juvenile Detention Right ... Finally

After a long fight against oppressive juvenile-justice policies and negligent practices in Mississippi, 2012 was a watershed year for juvenile rights in Mississippi.

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City Roundup: Local Control for ’Hoods, Crime’s Root Causes, Taxi Wars

In its third annual attempt, the Jackson City Council worked to approve a resolution to support a private, local fund resource for neighborhood associations to address their local issues, like …

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Tackling ‘Corrupting Effects’ of Election Laws

The Mississippi Legislature, at least so far, is showing more willingness to regulate campaign and election practices than at anytime in its history.

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At What Cost? Legislative Majority Tries to Slash Size of State Government

Taxpayers could get a pay raise if the Taxpayer Pay Raise Act of 2016 becomes law, but after two hours of debate last week, several senators asked, "At what cost?"

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National

Obama Nominates 'Serious' Candidate for SCOTUS, Challenges GOP to Put Aside Partisanship

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama nominated appeals court judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, challenging Republicans to drop their adamant refusal to even consider his choice …

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Trump’s Politically Correct Call for Bigotry, Hate

It's really hard to find a stronger sign that Donald Trump hopes to become a fascist dictator of people and thought in America, and he's playing to very ugly instincts …

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World

FIFA Acknowledges World Cup Hosting Bribes, Asks US for Cash

FIFA acknowledged Wednesday that past World Cups were awarded based on bribes, and the organization wants U.S. prosecutors to give it "tens of millions of dollars" seized from the former …