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The Mississippi Flag Case Against Gov. Phil Bryant: A First

The case against Gov. Phil Bryant for continuing to fly the current Mississippi flag could be the first in which judges consider an Equal Protection Clause claim based on government speech, if a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel rules that Grenada attorney Carlos Moore has standing to make his case.

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JPS Shrinks as Charters Pull Students, Money

In Dr. Freddrick Murray's view, Jackson Public Schools has to be proactive to get in front of the myriad problems the district faces, from decreasing enrollment and funding at most levels to maintaining the district's 60 schools and buildings with enough teachers, staff and maintenance.

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Students, Parents, Business Leaders Rally for "Seat at the Table" in Ed-Formula Re-Write

Students, parents and advocates gathered at the Mississippi State Capitol on Thursday, March 16, calling on lawmakers to slow down the process of rewriting Mississippi's education funding formula and hold public hearings with parents, teachers and students before dramatically changing the way schools are funded in the state.

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Advocates, Lawmakers: Women's Rights Legislation Will Be Back

Women make 75 cents to every dollar a man makes in Mississippi, data from the Mississippi State Treasurer's office says.

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Slain Teen's Mother Sues Business Owner Charged with His Murder

Yvette Mason-Sherman filed a civil lawsuit against Wayne Parish, the man indicted in the killing of her 17-year-old son, Charles McDonald Jr., at Performance Oil Equipment in Jackson last fall, saying he acted with a "pre-meditated mind."

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'Back the Badge' Bill Heads to Governor's Desk

Police officers will become a protected class for hate crimes against them if Gov. Phil Bryant signs the "Back the Badge Act of 2017," which is headed to Gov. Phil Bryant's desk after the Mississippi House of Representatives approved the Senate's version of the legislation.

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GOP Health Plan Would Affect Older Mississippians, Many Rural Whites

Despite the Affordable Care Act's uncertain future, more than 88,000 Mississippians, many elderly and white, re-enrolled in health insurance-marketplace plans by the Jan. 31 deadline, data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show.

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'Transform Your Hustle': 'Shark Tank'-Style Re-Entry Program Coming to State

Mississippians in the state's custody could soon have access to a new re-entry program focused on entrepreneurship, rehabilitation and getting a job upon release.

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Bracing for Budget Cuts, Sparing Ed Funds

Impending and deep budget cuts have tainted many-a-committee comment and shadowed several debates this legislative session. With less than two weeks left until lawmakers leave Jackson, they must sign off on a budget that so far means reductions to almost every state agency.

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Compromising on Vouchers, Criminal Justice as ‘Back the Badge’ Bill Goes to Governor

The fate of dyslexia scholarship-voucher expansion efforts, how criminal-justice reforms are implemented and occupational licensing-board oversight are in the hands of a few this week as Mississippi lawmakers conference and compromise on what stays and what goes.

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Cruel & Unusual? The Death Penalty’s Trials in Mississippi

The State of Mississippi is litigating legal challenges to the state's lethal-injection law directly. Mississippi last executed a prisoner in June 2012, Mississippi Department of Corrections records posted online show.

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18 Artists Inducted into Mississippi Arts and Experience Hall of Fame

Mississippi's top political leaders announced the induction of 18 artists into the inaugural Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Hall of Fame class at the Capitol this morning.

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'Big, Black or Boy' Preschoolers Face Higher Expulsions and Suspensions

Implicit bias starts early in education—really early. New research shows that boys, black children and especially black boys are more likely to be expelled or suspended from early education program than their peers who commit similar offenses.

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Veteran Democratic Lawmaker Diagnosed with Dementia, Plans to Retire

House Speaker Philip Gunn directed all members to their seats this morning, as Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, took the podium for a point of personal privilege.

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Gov. Bryant Signs 'Back the Badge,' Increased Penalties Bills

Surrounded by law enforcement officers, emergency personnel and first responders, Gov. Phil Bryant signed the "Back the Badge Act," which adds law-enforcement officials, firefighters and emergency personnel as protected classes under Mississippi's hate-crime laws.

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Legislature Cutting Millions of Dollars from Human Services, Mental Health and Rehab Services

The Mississippi Legislature is cutting millions of dollars from state health-care services, and Democrats are not happy about it, especially with lawsuits looming.

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Legislature Scorches State Services After Governor Cuts Budget Four Times

If the U.S. Civil War is a metaphor for Mississippi's supermajority's approach to state services, Gov. Phil Bryant and the Mississippi Legislature are leading a Sherman-esque march to the sea with deep cuts of the state's budget, including to agencies providing vital services.

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Midnight Meltdown Over Roads, Bridges: Three Budgets Die after House-Senate Showdown

Lawmakers staged a showdown in the Capitol last night over money for roads and bridges, as the Mississippi Senate and the House of Representatives stayed in session until midnight on budget deadline day.

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MAEP, Mental Health Among #MSLeg Cuts

Public schools should prepare for more budget cuts, as the Mississippi Adequate Education Program took a hit in the budget lawmakers passed late Monday, March 27.

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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.