Ellington

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them:

1. Madison taxpayers paid at least $11,565.44 in security expenses for a March 7 political rally for Donald Trump, public-records requests have revealed.
2. New charter schools are a money drain on Jackson Public Schools, the district's chief financial officer, Sharolyn Miller, warned Thursday.
3. The Mississippi Legislature would control the sale of all Jackson airport land under changes the Senate approved Friday.
4. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves added $1 million to his cash on hand in his campaign finance account in the 2015 cycle, campaign-finance records show.
5. Rep. Jeff Smith, R-Columbus, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, significantly reduced the potential impact of the Senate’s Taxpayer Pay Raise Act, before sending it back to the Senate.
6. The Mississippi Board of Education released an updated restraint and seclusion policy this month that inaugurates more stringent regulations for when adults working in public schools can use force in order to handle student behavioral issues.
7. 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 happen: lawmakers repeal it, or courts strike it down.
8. While Jacksonians worry about whether their pipes are leaching lead into their water, those who live in the oldest, poorest sections of the city have been living with the threat of lead for years.
9. Nearly one month since Daniel Omar Gomez and Eli Nunez were shot and killed while grilling dinner with loved ones in their Westhaven Drive front yard, approximately 15 Latinos have been victims of homicide or violent crimes in central Mississippi.
10. A new poll by the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program shows that more than 50 percent of Mississippians support expanding Medicaid, which could provide health-care coverage to an additional 280,000 Mississippians, as well as provide tax credits for low-income adults.

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