All results / Stories / Ashton Pittman
'Take This Country Back': State Legislators Want Constitutional Convention
On Feb. 21, 2019, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Allen West asked state legislators to do something Americans have not done since the time when muskets and bayonets were commonplace—call for a convention of the states to amend the constitution.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith Plans 2020 Kickoff With High-Dollar Donors
Just months after winning the most closely contested U.S. Senate race in Mississippi since the 1980s, U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith plans to kick off her 2020 re-election bid next month with a high-dollar fundraiser in Washington, D.C.
Voucher Bill Dies at Legislature, Possibly Ending Program Next Year
Mississippi's education voucher program, which subsidizes private-school tuition at the expense of public schools, could end next year after lawmakers allowed a bill to extend it to die in committee.
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' 2003 Victory over Gary Anderson 'All About Race,' Critics Say
In his successful 2003 bid for state treasurer, critics accused current-Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves of running ads designed to remind voters that his Democratic opponent, Gary Anderson was black. Reeves denied the allegations.
Mississippi Holds Special Elections for Three House Seats Today
Mississippi voters in three state House districts head to the polls today to elect new representatives to fill vacant seats.
Mississippi Teachers Unimpressed As House Ups Two-Year Pay Raise to $4,000
Mississippi teachers told the Jackson Free Press that they agreed with critics of the Legislature's $1,000 raise bill, and they had their own criticisms of even a $4,000 raise.
Ronnie Crudup Jr. Wins Special Election for South Jackson House Seat
Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn called Ronnie Crudup, Jr. Tuesday evening to congratulate him on his victory after voters in south Jackson elected the local activist to fill a vacated seat in the House of Representatives.
Phil Bryant Praises White Officials for Evers Honor, Bashes Bennie Thompson
In the wake of a new federal law declaring civil-rights hero Medgar Evers' home a national monument, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant credited President Donald Trump and Mississippi's two white Republican U.S. senators—but not the African American Mississippi congressman who spent 16 years pushing for its passage.
Sen. Roger Wicker Defies Trump With Vote Against National Emergency Order
At the Neshoba County Fair in August 2018, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker sought to assure a suspicious, conservative crowd of his allegiance to President Donald Trump's agenda.
‘I Can’t Keep Calm’: Myrlie Evers-Williams ‘Incensed’ at Bryant, Hyde-Smith
Civil-rights activist Myrlie Evers-Williams told a radio host Friday that she refused “sit down and be quiet” after Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant credited only President Donald Trump and the state’s two white Republican U.S. senators for a law making her former home a national memorial—a designation the state’s lone black congressman spent years pushing.
Legislative Update: Fetal Heartbeats, Teacher Pay, Tort Reform
Daniella Dismuke-Roja is an activist who is challenging laws that she believes threaten the rights of Mississippians. On March 14, she traveled to Jackson and joined a group of Democratic state legislators and Planned Parenthood activists to protest the state's fetal heartbeat bill.
‘Why Can’t I Break That Barrier?’: The JFP Interview with AG Hopeful Jennifer Riley Collins
During our afternoon interview with Jennifer Riley Collins in downtown Jackson, she explained why she believes she is up to the momentous task of becoming the first African American woman ever to win a statewide office, and what she believes she can bring to the attorney general's office.
Gov. Bryant Signs Abortion Ban in Deadliest State for Babies
With Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves at his side, Republican Gov. Phil Bryant signed the nation's most restrictive abortion bill into law on Thursday morning.
Mississippi Senate Calls for Constitutional Convention, Raising Civil Rights Concerns
Civil-rights protections could be "rolled back" if Mississippi joins a conservative group's effort to amend the U.S. Constitution, a prominent civil-rights organization is warning.
Voting Rights Act Denied Mississippi Its 'Sovereignty,' AG Candidate Says
At a Tupelo campaign stop on Monday, Mississippi State Rep. Mark Baker, a Republican candidate for attorney general, said the 1965 Voting Rights Act violated Mississippi's "sovereignty."
Teacher Pay in Limbo as Mississippi Senate Balks at $4,000 Raise
The fate of a bill that could grant Mississippi's public-school teachers a $4,000 pay raise over a two-year period remained uncertain Monday morning as lawmakers from both chambers of the state Legislature worked to reach an agreement.
Michael Avenatti Defrauded Mississippi Bank, Prosecutors Charge
Michael Avenatti, the high-profile attorney who formerly represented Stormy Daniels, defrauded a Mississippi bank, federal prosecutors in California charged on Monday.
Mississippi Senate Approves New Map to Boost Black Voting Power
Mississippi lawmakers are working to redraw the lines of a state senate district that two federal courts ruled dilutes black voting power.
GOP Leaders Trick House Into Sending $2 Million to Private Schools
Mississippi will use millions in taxpayer dollars to fund private schools after Republican leaders in the Legislature secretly slipped funds into a bill for state construction projects.
Reeves Skipping First Debate for Governor Despite Early End to Session
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican candidate for governor, will be a no-show at the party's first primary debate on Tuesday night.