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Education
Sex Education’s Last Chance in Mississippi?
Sex education in Mississippi could end, or be revamped, as soon as July this year, depending on legislators' actions between now and the end of the session.
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Education
Durant Superintendent Not Allowed to Speak on His District’s Consolidation
Thanks to SB 2494, authored by Senate Education Committee Chairman Sen. Gray Tollison, R-Oxford, Dr. Robinson's school district is up for involuntary consolidation with the neighboring Holmes County School District.
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City & County
Jackson Report: Of Cheap Land, Water Woes and Subcontractors
The Jackson City Council passed the Neighbors First Lot Program at its Feb. 23 meeting to address the city's neighborhood blight and revitalization plans.
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Business
Airport ‘Takeover’: An Ethical Minefield
The opposition to the Jackson airport "takeover" bill strengthened this week even as a Senate committee passed it to the floor Tuesday despite warnings from state airport leaders that the …
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Editor's Note
Small City, Big Ideas
It's easy to go to a city like Memphis and think to yourself how little a place like Jackson has ... and how little it can feel.
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Art
Miranda Jordan
Miranda Jordan's signature glass pieces, which include microbead-adorned jewelry, electric lamps and bottles that customers often buy to hold perfume or candle oil, make up the product line of her …
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Business
Race Clearly Behind Airport ‘Takeover’ Move
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass once said, "Power concedes nothing without a demand." A cliche proclaims, "There is power in numbers."
Story
Stop Pushing ‘Anti-Human Being’ Laws
Religious moral conviction is a powerful tool in politics. Last week, the Mississippi House of Representatives proved this by passing the "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act."
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National
Hillary is Best Choice for President, Period
Indeed some, not all, men and women supporting Sen. Sanders for president have resorted to a lewd advocacy that often refers to the female body parts of presidential candidate and …
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Art
Virginia Reeves: Of Home and History
Virginia Reeves may be from Montana, but she has long had a feel for southern stories.
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Senate Transparency Chairman Bans Cellphones in His Meeting
The chairman of a Mississippi Senate committee on government transparency is telling the public not to use cellphones or other electronic devices while his committee meets.
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State
Legislature Makes No Move to Remove Confederate Symbol From State Flag
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi legislators this year won't attempt to redesign the last state flag that features the Confederate battle emblem because leaders say they can't find a majority …
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Two Deaths Reported in Louisiana and Mississippi Storms
Authorities say at least one person has died after a possible tornado touched down in Mississippi. Vann Byrd of the Lamar County Emergency Management Agency says the death occurred Tuesday …
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All Flag Bills Die; House Speaker on State Flag: 'I have not wavered'
By adreherHouse Speaker Philip Gunn released a statement defending his position on the state flag, after all filed bills to change the state flag referred to the House Rules Committee died today. No Senate or House flag bill made it out of committee by today's deadline.
Gunn's statement is below, verbatim:
"For anyone to suggest I have surrendered or backed up on my position of changing the flag is simply not true," said Speaker of the House Philip Gunn. "I have not wavered in my viewpoint that we need a different flag to represent Mississippi. I have spoken with many House members both individually and collectively and have tried to convince them to adopt my view."
“I have explored every option from taking legislative action to change the flag to adopting two official flags, but we cannot get a consensus on how to address the issue,” he continued. "I will continue to stand by my view that changing the flag is the right thing to do. The flag is going to change. We can deal with it now or leave for future generations to address. I believe our state needs to address it now. I am disappointed that nothing took shape this year, but I will continue this effort."
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Hospital to Pay $1M to Family of Eric Garner
The hospital center that dispatched paramedics and treated Eric Garner as he died after being placed into a chokehold by police has agreed to pay $1 million to the family, …
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Business
Jackson Airport 'Takeover' Bill Passes to Senate Floor, JMAA Gets Award
The airport "takeover" bill now heads to the Senate floor after the Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee passed Sen. Josh Harkins', R-Flowood, bill to create a nine-member commissioner board …
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Development
Baria: 'No Democrat(ic) or Republican Way to Fix a Pothole'
Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, said that Democrats and Republicans should be able to agree on fixing the state's crumbling infrastructure.
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Despite ethics concerns, Senate committee passes Jackson airport "takeover" bill to floor
By Donna LaddBreaking news: This morning, the Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee passed the SB 2162 to the full Senate floor over the objections of Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, who accused the bill's proponents of trying to "control" the airport.
Here is the full report. Also, read this story from yesterday detailing why the bill could cause the FAA to close the airport and why it may present conflict-of-interest concerns for the state.
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Obama: Guantanamo Bay Undermines Security, Must Be Closed
President Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed to "once and for all" close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and transfer remaining detainees to a facility in the U.S., though …
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Politics
Speaker Gunn: Mostly Silent on Mississippi Flag Since Call Last Year to Change It
Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn, who became the first prominent Republican last summer to call for Mississippi to remove the Confederate battle emblem from its flag, said Monday that if …
