All results / Stories / Arielle Dreher
Education
Third Graders Improve Pass Rate on Reading Test Statewide
Third graders around the state improved their scores on the reading assessments required for promotion to the fourth grade this year. Statewide, 93.2 percent of third graders passed the test, …
Health Care
Mental-health Courts Could Supplement Jails If Bill Stays Alive
Replacing jail with mental-health courts in some instances is still possible statewide, after the House Judiciary B and Appropriations Committees passed their version of legislation to the House for a …
Food
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.
Cover
Where Mississippi's U.S. Lawmakers Stand on Gun Laws, Rights
In the wake of the Las Vegas massacre, the Jackson Free Press assembled details on the gun-related legislation that Mississippi lawmakers in Washington have supported or co-sponsored, as well as …
City & County
JPS: School Bond Issue to Go Before Jackson Voters this Summer
District leaders and school board members are preparing to bring a bond issue to Jackson voters, likely in June, to keep Jackson Public Schools' current millage rate—and tax rate for …
Education
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.
Politics
Six Mississippians Get Voting Rights Back
Six Mississippians await the governor's signature in order to get their right to vote in the state restored.
City & County
Jackson Schools to Re-Open on Tuesday with Make-up Days Ahead
Frozen pipes mean more than low water pressure for local public schools: the district is closed until Tuesday, Jan. 16.
Education
'Nonpartison' School-board Election Reform on Legislative Agenda
Sen. Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven, has introduced legislation to standardize all school-board elections for districts that already elect school-board members.
Education
Third Graders Who Failed Reading Test Eligible for Free Eye Exam
Every third grader in Mississippi must pass the third-grade reading exam to be promoted to fourth grade. When a student fails the third-grade reading exam, it could mean they are …
Education
Statewide School Testing Task Force Named, Will Meet Next Month
Mississippi public high-school students will have a place on the statewide testing task force, which will begin meeting in June.
City & County
'One Lake' Could Mean 'Catastrophic Failure' of State-Owned Bridges
One day before public comment closed on the "One Lake" flood-control and development project proposed along the Pearl River, the Mississippi Department of Transportation sent a letter to the Rankin-Hinds …
City & County
Commissioners Named to Lead Jackson Public Schools Coalition
Gov. Phil Bryant and Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba, in coordination with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, announced who would sit on the 15-member Better Together Commission today.
City & County
Lumumba Alleges 'Nefarious Intent' in JPS Audit, Says City Will Fight
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba rallied with advocates on Tuesday ahead of this morning's Mississippi Commission on School Accreditation meeting, during which members will determine whether or not to put Jackson …
City & County
Jackson’s Confederate-Named Schools May Change After JPS Board Vote
With the potential for a state takeover of the Jackson Public School District looming, its board of trustees voted to allow the local PTAs to rename three elementary schools in …
Economy
Study: Mississippi Has 'Two School Systems'
Mississippians in the highest income-tax brackets have enjoyed the limited economic growth the state has seen since the Great Recession, according to a recent report by Loyola University in New …
Politics
State Guts Firefighting Forestry Jobs
Fifty foresters with "boots on the ground" to fight wildfires all over Mississippi on almost 19.8 million acres will lose their jobs come July 1. The layoffs come after the …
State
McDaniel: Highway Bill ‘Unfair Tax Policy,’ Would Hurt Poor, Middle Class
Three hours of heated debate, bi-partisan opposition and five failed amendments later, the last finance bill—to ostensibly fix crumbling highways, bridges and roads—passed the Mississippi Senate by four votes Wednesday.
Education
Report: Low-performing Districts Test Students More in State
Mississippi students spend less than 1 percent of a school year on state testing, a new Mississippi First study shows.
LGBT
HB 1523 Becomes Law Tuesday, Oct. 10, After 5th Circuit Denied Stay
The "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act" will become state law on Tuesday, Oct. 10, after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied attorneys' request to prevent …
