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Special Elections Will Fill Two Seats in Mississippi Senate

Special elections are being held Tuesday to fill two Mississippi Senate seats that have been vacant since the summer.

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Groups Erase Some Probation Debt in Mississippi, Florida

A nonprofit group and a debtors' union have bought and erased private probation debt for about 20,500 people in Mississippi and Florida, sending letters that told them the news and sharply criticized “abusive debt collectors.”

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New Pipes Could Ease Some Water Woes in Jackson

Mississippi's capital city will soon start installing larger water pipes to replace some of the lines that failed during a deep freeze that struck the Deep South in February.

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Mississippi Pre-Ordering 50,000 Doses of Vaccine for Kids

The state of Mississippi has pre-ordered almost 50,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine in anticipation of the shots being approved for 5 to 11-year-olds early next week, State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said Thursday.

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Mississippi: 14K Pandemic Food Cards Mistakenly Deactivated

More than 14,000 low-income children in Mississippi had their pandemic food cards mistakenly deactivated, prompting an apology from state officials and a promise that new cards would be mailed to their families within days.

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Republican Attorneys General Criticize Biden Vaccine Order

Twenty-one Republican state attorneys general sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Wednesday saying they think his COVID-19 vaccination mandate for federal contractors “stands on shaky legal ground," is confusing to contractors and could exacerbate supply-chain problems.

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Favre Repays $600K in Mississippi Welfare Case, Auditor Says

Favre is not facing criminal charges, but former Mississippi Department of Human Services director John Davis and other people have been charged in one of the state’s largest embezzlement cases.

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No COVID Vaccine Mandate at Mississippi University for Women

Mississippi University for Women will not require employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 because the university is not at risk of losing federal money without a vaccine mandate, the school's leader says. “At present, we do not have any federal contracts that would force us to abide by that executive order,” MUW President Nora Miller told WCBI-TV.

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Analysis: Judges Can't Order Attorney General to Take Cases

In a unanimous ruling Tuesday, Mississippi Supreme Court justices said a circuit court “acted outside its authority” this year when it ordered Attorney General Lynn Fitch's office to investigate a death after a district attorney recused herself.

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Mississippi Legislators Revising Medical Marijuana Proposal

Mississippi lawmakers are tweaking a proposal to create a medical marijuana program, but Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has not said when he will call a special session to put it into law. A new version of a bill would allow larger growing facilities, restructure the excise tax on medical marijuana products and limit the state Agriculture Department’s regulatory role.

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Longtime Mississippi Public Health Officer Dr. Alton Cobb Dies at 92

Dr. Alton Cobb, a former Mississippi state health officer who helped create some of the nation's most comprehensive vaccination requirements for children, died Friday. He was 92.

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Report: Jackson Dumped 6B Gallons of Partly Treated Sewage

Mississippi’s capital city dumped more than 6 billion gallons (22.7 billion liters) of partly treated sewage into a river in 2020, seven years after signing a federal court agreement to clean up its act, court records show.

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Thousands Protest Vaccine Mandates at Mississippi Rallies

Thousands recently rallied against COVID-19 vaccine mandates at protests held on Mississippi’s coast and in its capital.

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Grants Will Help Students Who Left School in Finishing Their Degrees

Mississippi students who left college at least two years ago without a degree can apply for a grant to help them return to—and finish—school.

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Mississippi Book Festival Goes Online Amid COVID Concerns

The Mississippi Book Festival is being shown online after the in-person event was canceled because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.