All results / Stories / Arielle Dreher
Politics
The Pros and Cons of a State Lottery
On a map of states that have no lottery, the hold-outs stand strong in pairs: Alaska and Hawaii, Nevada and Utah, and Mississippi and Alabama.The Pros and Cons of a …
LGBT
ACLU Files First Lawsuit Against HB 1523: 'Separate But Unequal'
The ACLU has filed the first federal lawsuit contesting House Bill 1523. The lawsuit names the Mississippi State Registrar of Vital Records as the defendant because that state office would …
Politics
'We Are In Crisis': Mental Health Staff, Services Reducing Due to Budget Cuts
Overnight chemical-dependency services for men in Mississippi state hospitals will end as a result of budget cuts in fiscal-year 2017, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health said in a statement …
Politics
'Spoiled' Criminal Justice Reform Bill Dies After Governor's Veto
Individuals would not be locked up for being financially unable to pay fines, and nonviolent offenders could get parole sooner under a bipartisan bill both the House and the Senate …
Health Care
State Health Officer: Cuts Mean 'Sending People Home'
The Legislative Black Caucus policy committee held budget hearings on Wednesday to see how cuts to agencies' budgets will affect services and employment at the state's health and mental-health agencies.
Education
State School Districts Get ‘Baseline’ Reprieve, for Now
The Mississippi Board of Education approved a new baseline for state test scores last week that will affect what grade the schools and districts earn in the school's accountability ranking …
Cover
Mutiny at the Senate: Bi-partisan Death of New Ed Formula
Twenty-six senators joined Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, to kill the Republican-driven proposal to scrap MAEP, which would have replaced it with a weights-based student funding formula, which EdBuild developed and …
LGBT
Mississippians Rally Against Hate, HB 1523: 'We Cannot Be Silent'
More than 200 Mississippians staged a "Rally Against Hate" Sunday, demonstrating against Gov. Phil Bryant's determination that a law allowing individuals, businesses and government workers to discriminate against LGBT citizens …
Civil Rights
Mississippians Sue to Get Voting Rights Restored After Serving Time
Wayne Kuhn completed his sentence for a grand larceny charge in the 1980s more than 25 years ago. He even got his record expunged—and yet he still cannot vote in …
City & County
JPS to Change School Day Schedule for Middle, High Schools
School-board member Robbie Luckett said he intends to look at the district's makeup day policy because it needs to change.
Health Care
CHIP in Limbo: 79,000 Mississippi Kids Could Lose Health Insurance
The U.S. Congress quietly let the Children's Health Insurance Program, initially authorized in 1997, expire last week, leaving more than 79,000 Mississippi children at risk for losing their health insurance.
Health Care
State Recovers $11 Million in Audit by Medicaid Division, Attorney General
Auditors working in the Mississippi Division of Medicaid and the attorney general's office recovered more than $11 million in improper payments and claims for fiscal-year 2017 after analyzing medical claims …
State
Cycling for a Cure
Lori Newcomb was diagnosed with stage III ovarian cancer in 2013. She says that while stage III is pretty far along to be diagnosed, it is not uncommon among ovarian-cancer …
State
Vulnerable Kids Get Child Care Subsidy Extension
Some of the state's most vulnerable children won't immediately lose their childcare, even if their guardian finds a job and loses support from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
Politics
Director: Foster System Needs More Funding and Staffing to Protect Children
Even as children are dying in the state's foster-care system, its director says the state may not meet a court-ordered deadline to improve conditions without more funding and more than …
Politics
Mississippi House Shake-Up Ahead
With four open seats and four special elections ahead, the Mississippi House of Representatives can expect a shake-up in the coming months, ahead of the 2018 legislative session.
City & County
Forest Hill Students Get APAC Program
Forest Hill High School students have an opportunity to be a part of the Academic and Performing Arts Complex, known as APAC, this year.
Politics
Budgets, Infrastructure Funding and What’s Still to Come
It's halftime in the Mississippi legislative session, and the heavy lifting for lawmakers trying to pass a balanced budget is just beginning.
Health Care
Medicaid Fraud Solutions: Two Ways
State Auditor Stacey Pickering is driving a bi-partisan approach to Medicaid fraud that stands in stark contrast to legislation the Republican supermajority in the Mississippi Legislature passed this past session.
Education
Some Parents Left Behind on Child Care
Deloris Suel knows and works with employed parents who can no longer receive financial support for child care due to clerical reasons like not having the same address on their …
