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Environment
Trump Puts Anti-Global Warming Projects on Chopping Block
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Tuesday aimed at moving forward on his campaign pledge to unravel former President Barack Obama's plan to curb global warming.
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Immigration
Mississippi Governor Approves Outlawing of Sanctuary Cities
Gov. Phil Bryant signed a law Monday banning sanctuary cities and other policies that might help people who have entered the country illegally, saying he wants Mississippi to help federal …
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City & County
JFP Staffers Receive First Place Honors in 2016 Associated Press Regional Awards
The Jackson Free Press staff won two first place awards from the Louisiana-Mississippi Associated Press Broadcasters and Media Editors; the winners were announced at a banquet this weekend held in …
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Politics
Legislature Scorches State Services After Governor Cuts Budget Four Times
If the U.S. Civil War is a metaphor for Mississippi's supermajority's approach to state services, Gov. Phil Bryant and the Mississippi Legislature are leading a Sherman-esque march to the sea …
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Health Care
Legislature Cutting Millions of Dollars from Human Services, Mental Health and Rehab Services
The Mississippi Legislature is cutting millions of dollars from state health-care services, and Democrats are not happy about it, especially with lawsuits looming.
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Person of the Day
Jo Ann Gordon
The Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of its current location on Old Canton Road and is now preparing for its 50th annual Beth Israel Bazaar …
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Health Care
Schumer Seizes on Trump Team's Offer to Work with Dems
President Donald Trump's aides opened the door to working with moderate Democrats on health care and other issues while Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer quickly offered to find common ground …
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National
Trump's Border-Wall Proposal Faces Many Obstacles
President Donald Trump has now laid out exactly what he wants in the "big, beautiful wall" that he's promised to build on the U.S.-Mexico border. But his effort to build …
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Health Care
Blaming Conservatives, Trump Signals New Openness to Dems
President Donald Trump on Sunday attacked conservative lawmakers for the failure of the Republican bill to replace former President Barack Obama's health care law, as aides signaled a greater willingness …
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National
Ex-CIA Chief: Flynn's Firm Discussed Removing Cleric from US
Former CIA Director James Woolsey has accused the Trump administration's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, of participating in a discussion with Turkish officials about possibly subverting the U.S. extradition …
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City & County
10 Local Stories of the Week
There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
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Gov. Bryant Cuts State Budget, The Fourth Time in Current Fiscal Year
By adreherGov. Phil Bryant announced his fourth budget cut to the current fiscal-year budget this afternoon. He will cut over $20 million from the state's budget, meaning a less than half percent cut for each state agency. He also pulled $39 million from the state's rainy day fund to plug budget holes, a letter to the state's fiscal officer Laura Jackson shows.
Gov. Bryant announced the news on his Facebook page today, shortly after the Joint Legislative Budget Committee met to adjust their revenue estimates, decreasing anticipated revenue projections for the upcoming budget year, which must be finalized by Saturday night and starts July 1.
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves told reporters after the meeting that revenue estimate change will make the budgeting process "even more challenging." Lawmakers will have to cut $174.6 million from the already reduced legislative budget office's proposed budget for fiscal-year 2018.
The state now has $240 million in its rainy day fund, which the governor has drawn from three times already this year as well as cutting agency budgets to keep the state's budget balanced in spite of lagging revenues.
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Health Care
UPDATED: Trump, GOP Leaders Pull Health Care Bill in Humiliating Loss
Republican leaders have abruptly pulled their troubled health care overhaul bill off the House floor, short of votes and eager to avoid a humiliating defeat for President Donald Trump and …
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Crime
Gov. Bryant Signs 'Back the Badge,' Increased Penalties Bills
Surrounded by law enforcement officers, emergency personnel and first responders, Gov. Phil Bryant signed the "Back the Badge Act," which adds law-enforcement officials, firefighters and emergency personnel as protected classes …
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Person of the Day
Cynthia Kaiser Ferguson
Thirty years ago, Natchez native Cynthia "Tia" Kaiser Ferguson sat through a freshman engineering course at Tulane University listening intently to the success stories from school alumni, including one graduate …
