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Alabama Begins Issuing Marriage Licenses to Gay Couples
Alabama began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples Monday despite an 11th-hour attempt from the state's chief justice—an outspoken opponent—to block the weddings.
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Grammys: Sam Smith Wins Record, Song and New Artist; Beck Takes Top Album
Sam Smith was the king of the Grammys, taking home three of the top four awards, including song and record of the year for "Stay With Me," and best new …
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GOP Rep. Nunnelee Dies After Brain Cancer, Stroke
U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee of Mississippi, a fiscal and social conservative elected to Congress in a Republican wave of 2010, died Friday. He was 56.
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City & County
Jackson Fights Takeover of Sewer System
The City of Jackson is fighting what its officials call an all-out assault from a Rankin County utility to take control of Jackson's profitable water-treatment facilities.
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Person of the Day
Malcolm Butler
It only seems fitting that former Vicksburg and Hinds Community College star Malcolm Butler made the game-winning play in the Super Bowl.
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German, French Leaders Take Ukraine Peace Effort to Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of France and Germany began talks Friday on a new proposal for ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
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Abortion Statistics Bill Copies Existing Law
The Mississippi Senate has voted to make the state keep track of how many women die because of abortion.
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National
Lethal Rejection: Will the Supreme Court's Lethal Injection Review Kill the Death Penalty?
If the nation's top court strikes down Oklahoma's lethal injection procedure, what would it mean for the death penalty? We've asked the experts what you need to know.
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Obama: US Must Resist Urge to 'Overreach" Abroad
President Barack Obama says the United States must resist the urge to "overreach" abroad, as he outlined a new national security strategy Friday that is meant to serve as a …
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Jarvis Dortch to Run for House Seat
By R.L. NaveJarvis Dortch, a health-policy expert and advocate, said today that he will run for the Mississippi House of Representatives.
"There are a number of policy concerns that I hope to address during this campaign. Our state's failures in healthcare, education, and wages are all issues that keep too many Mississippians in poverty," Dortch, who is running as a Democrat, wrote in the announcement.
"To be completely honest, many of our local legislators are not doing the job of engaging the public and truly representing our needs. Our problem isn't that we have poor people that aren't working hard, but we have poor leadership working against them."
Dortch is competing in District 66, which Democratic Rep. Cecil Brown now serves. In the last round of redistricting, however, Brown's district was combined with that of Republican Rep. Bill Denny. Brown is running for Public Service Commissioner from the Central District. The new District 66 serves south Jackson, Byram, Terry, Raymond and Utica.
"Unless you have your own personal lobbyist, the game is rigged against you. And there are way too many legislators willing to play the game. I'm not naive but I'm also not so cynical that I don't believe it's worth fighting for change," Dortch wrote.
A previous version of this story misstated that Jarvis Dortch is running against Rep. Bill Denny, R-Jackson.
http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2015/feb/05/20269/
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Civil Rights
50 Years of #BlackLivesMatter: Freedom Summer to Ferguson
Recently, Jackson activists along with the Veterans of Mississippi Civil Rights Movement Inc., the Tougaloo College National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Gamma Upsilon chapter of …
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Person of the Day
Chung-Fan Chang
Growing up, paintings and decorations from western and eastern masters surrounded Jackson artist Chung-Fan Chang in her home in Taiwan.
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UN: Islamic State Torturing, Killing Children in Iraq
The United Nations says the Islamic State group is systematically killing, torturing and raping children and families of minority groups in Iraq, and it is calling on government forces there …
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NATO Official: Alliance to Beef Up Response Force
NATO's is set to more than double the size of its Response Force in response to Russian actions in Ukraine and the challenge of Islamic extremism, the head of the …
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AP-GfK Poll: Support of Gay Marriage Comes with Caveats
While finding that Americans narrowly favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry, a new Associated Press-GfK poll also shows most believe wedding-related businesses should be allowed to deny …
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Jordan Launches New Airstrikes After Vowing Harsh War on IS
Jordanian warplanes bombed Islamic State targets on Thursday, state TV said, after the country's king vowed to wage a "harsh" war against the militants who control large areas of neighboring …
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Hackers Access Records for Millions of Anthem Customers
Health insurer Anthem said hackers infiltrated its computer network and gained access to personal information for "tens of millions" of customers and employees, including CEO Joseph Swedish.
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Nigerian Extremists Kill Dozens of Civilians in Cameroon
Boko Haram fighters have shot or burned to death about 90 civilians and wounded 500 in ongoing fighting in a Cameroonian border town near Nigeria, officials in Cameroon said Thursday.
