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Resignation over Retirement: Circuit Clerk Resigns because She Won’t Issue Same-Sex Marriage Licenses Due to ‘Religious Beliefs’
The Grenada County circuit clerk resigned today because she did not want to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. According to an AP report, Linda Barnette has served as the circuit clerk in Grenada County for 24 years, and was scheduled to retire after the November elections. She decided she …
3 Counties in Mississippi Are Not Issuing Same-Sex Marriage Licenses
Update: Now there are only three counties in the state not issuing same-sex marriage licenses according to Unity MS. The Campaign for Southern Equality and ACLU of Mississippi have compiled a map of the counties that are (and aren't) issuing marriage licenses for same-sex couples. For updates see the list …
Petition to Remove Confederate Symbol from State Flag Has Over 1,000 Signatures
Mississippi native Duvalier Malone has started a petition to remove the Confederate symbol from the Mississippi state flag. The online petition form has over 1,100 signatures. In a statement, Malone said he "wants to create enough momentum for Mississippi to have another referendum vote on the flag, which will hopefully …
Tupelo Daily Newspaper Won't Accept Same-Sex Marriage Announcements
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in the historic Obergefell v. Hodges case, several media outlets reverted and retreated to their ideological lines. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, has garnered national attention in an article by Robbie Ward, former DJ reporter, on the Huffington Post …
Foster Care Overhaul Coming to Mississippi?
The state admitted that it has not met court-order requirements in a 7-year-old lawsuit, Olivia Y v. Bryant, intended to change the state's foster care system. Gov. Bryant has agreed to hire an Executive Director of the Department of Family and Children's Services, which will soon become a cabinet-level position. …
See if Your Jackson-Area State Candidate Supports Initiative 42
The League of Women Voters of the Jackson Area released the results of a legislative candidate poll that asked candidates if they support Amendment (Initiative) 42 with the options: Yes, No or Undecided. So far, seven Senate candidates and eight House candidates have responded. See your candidate's stance below. Senate …
Don't Forget to Vote on Tuesday
If you are planning to vote on Tuesday, don’t forget to bring a photo ID. In the 2011 November election 62 percent of Mississippi voters approved a Constitutional Amendment that requires voters to present photo IDs before casting in-person ballots at polls or circuit clerk offices. The only exemptions to …
Republican Pickering's Robo-Calls Target Pritchett for being 'LGBT'
Stacey Pickering, the incumbent Republican candidate for auditor, is targeting his opponent, Joce Pritchett, for being an "LGBT Candidate" in his campaign's automated calls. One robocall that ran before the primary states: "The liberal left-wing media has their own agenda in the state auditor's race...They want to see their LGBT …
Mississippi's Same-Sex Couple Adoption Ban Challenged in Federal Court
A lawsuit to challenge Mississippi's same-sex couple adoption ban was filed in federal court by the Campaign for Southern Equality today. Mississippi is the only state in the nation that still bans gay couples from adopting children. The case, Campaign for Southern Equality v. Mississippi Department of Human Services, was …
Over 11,000 Mississippi Residents Signed Up for Healthcare.gov in 4-Month Period
11,466 Mississippi residents signed up for health insurance through healthcare.gov during the special enrollment period from February 23 to June 30. According to a new report released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 46 percent of Mississippi residents enrolled because they had lost coverage. Other reasons for enrollment …
Mississippi Cities That Have Taken Down the State Flag
On Tuesday, Oxford and Greenwood joined several other Mississippi counties and cities that have removed the state flag from city property. Mississippi is the only (and the last) state with the Confederate symbol on its state flag. An ad that ran this week in the Clarion-Ledger listed over 60 prominent …
Mississippi Colleges Ranked by 'Best Value'
It's back to school time which means time to figure out financial aid, student loans and other expenses for most college students. Smart Asset, a financial advising website, has created a Student Loan Calculator for students to estimate how much they will owe monthly and in total by the time …
Jackson State University Has Housed All Students on Wait List
Jackson State University has announced that all students who were on the waiting list for housing this semester have been placed, after an initial scramble. The incoming freshmen class is the largest the university has ever seen. There are a few spaces available to accommodate late arrivals or those who …
Two More Charter Schools Coming to Jackson
The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board unanimously approved an application for two new charter schools to open in Jackson. RePublic Schools Inc. will run both schools: Joel D. Smilow Collegiate and Joel D. Smilow Prep. RePublic Schools Inc. is the charter management organization that opened one of the first charter …
92 Percent of Mississippi 3rd Graders Pass 'Reading Gate' Test
92 percent of Mississippi third graders in public schools passed the so-called "3rd Grade Reading Gate" assessment according to the latest results released by the Mississippi Department of Education. Over 35,000 students statewide scored high enough to pass the test, and the average state test score was higher than the …
New State Testing Rules Released
Mississippi public schools will administer new assessments for 3-8 grades called the Mississippi Assessment Program (MAP) this year, and the Mississippi Department of Education released blueprints for the tests today. The MAP tests will be conducted primarily on computers, with the exclusion of the English language portion which will be …
Initiative 42 Campaign Files Lawsuit to Get Full Text on Ballot
Jonathan Compretta and Michael Rejebian, co-campaign managers for 42 For Better Schools, filed an 11-page lawsuit today asking a judge to order that the Initiative 42 ballot measure's full text be printed on the Nov. 3 ballot. Currently the ballot states the initiative title, the section of the Constitution being …
Reeves Seems More Concerned About Initiative 42 Than Actual Department Budgets
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves seems less concerned with creating a budget this year than he is with making sure Initiative 42 does not pass in November. During the Legislative Budget Office hearings on Monday and Tuesday, while most department heads were able to fend off taking sides, they were forced …
RePublic Schools Inc. Receives $9.6 million Federal Grant
RePublic Schools Inc., the charter management organization that opened one of two charter schools in Mississippi, received a $9.6 million U.S. Department of Education grant. RePublic Schools was one of twelve organizations selected for a Charter School Program Grant this year. The grant will be issued over a five-year period, …
Initiative 42 Campaign Asks Secretary of State to Review Ballots for Errors
The 42 for Better Schools campaign has asked the Mississippi Secretary of State's office to review ballots across all 82 counties in Mississippi after finding errors on ballots in Hinds county. A Mississippi voter in Hinds County found the errors when the voter went to complete an absentee ballot, according …
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