All results / Stories / Arielle Dreher
Civil Rights
A Legal Battle for Same-Sex Parental Rights
Christina and Kimberly could not get married in Mississippi in 2009. Same-sex marriage was illegal at the time and would be legal until 2015, so the couple went to Massachusetts …
Politics
A Bi-Partisan Mutiny Over Roads and Bridges
Lightning flashed outside as storms gathered inside the Mississippi Capitol late the night of Monday, March 27, a pivotal deadline day for budget legislation.
JFP Interviews
Kennedy: ‘Caring, Capable, Committed’ to District 72
Theresa G. Kennedy can't go far for long before coming home to Mississippi. She has never lived out of the state for more than a year, on purpose, she says.
Civil Rights
The Right to Pre-Trial Justice for All?
Scott County law enforcement officers arrested Joshua Bassett on Jan. 3, 2014, under a warrant for grand larceny and possession of meth. Bassett could not know then that he would …
Education
Rankin Schools Paying for Religion Violation
Magdalene Bedi, a junior at Northwest Rankin High School in 2013, didn't subscribe to an institutional religion, but considered herself spiritual—and not an atheist.
Courts
UPDATED: Inside the ‘Brexit Boys’ Data Project at Ole Miss
After months of negotiations and coordination facilitated in part by Gov. Phil Bryant to bring two British companies stateside, a public United Kingdom office that reports to Parliament is investigating …
Politics
Lawmakers Use Templates to Target Welfare Fraud, Focus on Recipients, Not Providers
Lawmakers seem serious about addressing welfare reform this year, potentially making it both harder to get benefits and then to stay on the rolls once a recipient has a job. …
Politics
Electing Justice: Money, Partisanship and Dirty Ads
Judicial races are meant to be nonpartisan. After all, the judicial branch is a separate arm of the state government from the Legislature and the governor's office.
City & County
Farish Street Affordable Housing Hits Snags
Not everyone is supportive of expanding the pastel-painted affordable housing units in the Farish Street Historic District.
Cover
MAEP Formula Explained
MAEP funding (theoretically) covers teacher and district employee salaries, retirement and insurance, instruction materials, operational costs, transportation, and special, vocational, gifted and alternative education.
City & County
Synarus Green: I’m ‘Ready to Serve’ District 72
Synarus Green is no stranger to politics. He has worked government jobs in Jackson, Hattiesburg and Washington, D.C., and has decided to run for the now-vacant District 72 seat in …
Education
Web of National, State PACs and PICs Fight Initiative 42
As the November election draws near, large political advocacy groups and Republican donor’s dollars are pouring into anti-Initiative 42 Political Initiative Committees (PICs), mainly the KidsFirst and Improve Mississippi committees. …
Civil Rights
Amid Growing Scrutiny and Pressure, State Flag May Land at Supreme Court
Pressure to change the Mississippi state flag has intensified since shocking images emerged of torch-wielding white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va., marching to protect symbols honoring the Confederacy—a weekend rally that …
City & County
The 2017 Legislature’s Lasting Effects on Mississippians
The raucous legislative session ended a few days early on March 29 with several successful bills headed to Gov. Phil Bryant for signature, but without budgets in place for the …
Politics
How A ‘Brexit Boys’ Project Ended Up in Jackson Court
Kyle Taylor believes Eldon Insurance and Big Data Dolphins Ltd. might be using U.K. citizens' data in their new artificial-intelligence project they have planned to start in Oxford, Miss.
LGBT
Mississippi Locals Celebrate SCOTUS Decision but Wait for Marriage Licenses
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in a 5-4 ruling on Friday. In Mississippi, small celebrations broke out on the steps of Hinds County Courthouse, as …
City & County
Blows, Bullets, Tears: History, Civil Rights Museums Open Amid Hope, Distrust
Myrlie Evers never mentioned Donald Trump by name but said that she sees prejudice, hatred and negativism today she never thought she would see again.
Cover
Junior Jail: Surviving Mississippi’s Juvenile Justice System
Many juvenile "offenders" are routinely sent into a separate labyrinth from adult offenders in the justice system, one with its own complex problems, remedies and slowly changing standards.
City & County
Unfriendly Skies: Can Jackson Save Its Airport?
The City of Jackson, which controls the 3,381 acres of land the airport occupies, is bracing for a looming battle for its control with the State of Mississippi.
Crime
'Anti-Gang' Bill Heads to Full House to Expand Policing Powers
Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, called the "Mississippi Anti-Gang Act" one of the most significant pieces of legislation the Legislature could pass in 2018. The bill would make "criminal gang activity" …
