Politics

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Complacency vs. The Permission to Care Deeply

One of the biggest letdowns of the modern era—and the money involved in American politics—is the complacency that sets in once someone gets into office.

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$6 Billion Budget, But No Roads, Bridges Funds

State revenues are higher than expected, and lawmakers set aside about $112 million, or 2 percent, of the state budget for its rainy day fund, as they worked several late nights at the Mississippi Legislature to pass a roughly $6-billion budget to fund state agencies starting in July.

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Youth Take Lead on Guns in Schools

As the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School take the world stage to demand stricter gun laws, many people in the Jackson metro area recall that 20 years ago, Rankin County had its own high-profile school shooting.

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Mississippians Sue to Get Voting Rights Restored After Serving Time

Wayne Kuhn completed his sentence for a grand larceny charge in the 1980s more than 25 years ago. He even got his record expunged—and yet he still cannot vote in Mississippi.

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'I Call B.S.': 'March for Our Lives' in Jackson Puts Young Protesters on Display

Nearly 200 people took to the streets of downtown Jackson on Saturday, March 24, 2018, for the March for Our Lives, which calls for school safety and stricter gun laws.

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Medicaid Funding in Flux as Lawmakers Work on $6 Billion Budget

Over the weekend, lawmakers worked to pass a roughly $6-billion budget to fund state agencies beginning in July. They have until Monday night to complete passing the state budget, with 10 budget bills left by press time.

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Mayor Lumumba on Paternity Leave Until April 3

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and his wife, Ebony Lumumba, welcomed a baby girl Wednesday, March 21. Nubia Ngozi was born at 8:09 a.m., weighing 8 pounds and 1 ounce.

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Governor Defends Choice of Cindy Hyde-Smith to U.S. Senate Seat

Gov. Phil Bryant made history on Wednesday, March 21, when he named Cindy Hyde-Smith to take Sen. Thad Cochran's seat, which he will vacate on April 1. Mississippi has never sent a woman to Congress.

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EDITORIAL: Public Officials, Get Facts Straight on Project EJECT

There are two sides to the proverbial Project EJECT coin: what the public hears and what actually happens.

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Oh, the Places You'll Go: Project EJECT Expels Gun Offenders to Faraway Prisons

U.S. Attorney Michael Hurst has charged 35 people since he first announced the anti-crime initiative Project EJECT in late 2017.

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Lawmakers Turn to Budgets; Re-Entry Reforms on Governor’s Desk

It's crunch time at the Mississippi Capitol. This week lawmakers will have to finalize the state budget, predominantly behind closed doors, before passing a slim fiscal-year 2019 budget.

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UPDATED: ‘Galactic Trouble’ for Foster Care Ahead?

Jess Dickinson likes to use an ancient maxim he heard in a film, "The Bourne Ultimatum," to illustrate where he sits currently as the commissioner of Mississippi's foster-care system. "Hope for the best; plan for the worst," Dickinson says.

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Judge Blocks Newly Signed 15-Week Abortion Ban for 10 Days

It took less than 24 hours for Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban to become law and then be stopped from taking effect.

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Indigent Defendants Denied Counsel, Speedy Trials in 10 Counties

Mississippians accused of felonies who cannot afford their own representation have the right to counsel and a speedy trial under the 6th Amendment, but a new report found that access to adequate representation across 10 Mississippi counties is lacking and far from consistent.

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Criminal Justice Reform Law Headed to Governor's Desk

If Gov. Phil Bryant signs House Bill 387 into law, Mississippians will not automatically go to prison or jail if they do not pay fines or court fees.