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Talking Back to Gov. Bryant: Flag Needs to Change with White Support

Actor and activist Aunjanue Ellis talked back to Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant today to denounce his refusal to back changing the state flag to one without a symbol of the …

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Rep. Moore: Plans to Cut Mississippi School Districts from 148 to Less Than 50

Mississippi would be on the road to 50 or fewer school districts, a new public-education funding formula and more charter schools under legislation the House Education Committee members approved Friday …

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Expungements: A ‘Fresh Start’

Laura Brown wanted to work at a local daycare and was shocked when her background check brought up two charges from over a decade ago.

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Fear Rules with Kim Davis Laws, Guns at Church

The deepest fears of some members of the Mississippi House of Representatives came out last week, as the chamber passed bills to fight terrorism, protect religious freedom and allow armed …

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JPS Shrinks as Charters Pull Students, Money

In Dr. Freddrick Murray's view, Jackson Public Schools has to be proactive to get in front of the myriad problems the district faces, from decreasing enrollment and funding at most …

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HB 1523: Half ‘Redundant,’ Half ‘Unconstitutional’

The controversial House Bill 1523, with its long list of protections for people who discriminate against LGBT people and others, will become law in July unless one of two things …

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Opioid Task Force Releases Recommendations

The Governor's Opioid and Heroin Study Task Force released its recommendations Wednesday, Aug. 3, to help Mississippi curb the number of overdoses and death that the opioid epidemic is causing.

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‘All That Is Dead’: Roads and Bridges Funding Dies at Legislature

Efforts to provide additional funding for roads and bridges are dead in the 2018 legislative session after Senate and House leaders could not come to an agreement on exactly how …

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From Jefferson Davis to Barack Obama: Jackson Elementary School Gets a New Name

One of Mississippi's top-performing elementary schools, Davis Magnet IB Elementary School, has changed its name to Barack Obama Magnet IB Elementary School.

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Electing Justice: The JFP Interview with Judge Kenny Griffis

Judge Kenny Griffis is no stranger to the bench; he has been on the Court of Appeals for almost 14 years and has six years left of his term.

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Fair Food: Inspected and Ready to Eat

The Mississippi State Department of Health wrapped up inspections of 130 food booths at the State Fair right before it opened on Wednesday night.

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Governor Could Take Authority from Legislature if Bills Pass Today

Gov. Phil Bryant would get authority over the Mississippi Department of Mental Health and supervise the state's occupational licensing boards if legislation makes it out of the Mississippi Senate and …

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Reaching the Mentally Ill in Hinds County

A staff of about 170 therapists, nurses, doctors and administrative staff at HBHS work on 6,500 cases annually, serving residents of Hinds County who experience mental illness.

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The Comeback: Adult Education on the Rise

Former famed attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs says he found purpose in prison by helping educate his fellow inmates. In federal prisons, any inmate without a high-school equivalency diploma is required …

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Establishment Clause Front, Center in HB 1523 Courtroom

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...." How those words affect the language in House Bill 1523 could lead to a …

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Proposed School Board Election Changes Dead by Bipartisan Vote

In a bipartisan shutdown, Sen. Kevin Blackwell's bill to change school-board elections statewide died in the Mississippi Legislature on Monday.

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Grant to Help 7,000 Mississippians Finish College Degrees

Mississippians looking to finish their college degrees may receive a $500 one-time tuition assistance grant after the W.K. Kellogg Foundation donated $3.5 million to the Complete 2 Compete initiative.

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An (Almost) Full House at Mississippi Legislature, Must Still Replace Moore

The House of Representatives is one member shy of a full house, after a series of retirements and resignations in the off-season.

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Wrapping Around the Most Vulnerable

Terry Thigpen had been to four residential acute-treatment facilities before he was 10 years old, until his mother, Shavonne, discovered the Wraparound Initiative. It was an alternative to sending Terry …

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Juvy Intervention Programs Losing Federal Funds

Pre-intervention programs are vital in the state's criminal-justice system and have the power to prevent young people from entering the criminal-justice system in the first place.