Mississippi Legislature Creates a New Hurdle for Common Core StandardsMississippi became the latest state that could replace the controversial Common Core State Standards after the Mississippi House passed a bill Wednesday that will assemble a commission to examine the standards.
Troubled Water, Part I: Explaining Jackson's $91 Million Siemens ContractIt's almost impossible to turn on the nightly local television news without coming across a story of a Jackson resident who was shocked to open an astronomically high City of Jackson water bill after receiving a new meter.
Kill Bill Vol. 3: Education, Entertainment, ElectionsOn the Feb. 3 bill deadline in the Mississippi Legislature, committee chairmen—like the katana-wielding Uma Thurman—swiftly killed several bills aimed at helping educate Mississippi children, creating a music industry in the state and clearing up election law.
Are Schools Still Pushing Kids Out?Krystal Polk's 13-year-old daughter, Krystin, has been arrested twice this school year. The first time, the eighth-grader spent the night in a juvenile detention center.
Obama Aims to Clamp Down on Federal Student Loan ServicersMore than 40 million Americans are in debt thanks to their education, and most of their loans come from Uncle Sam. So President Barack Obama is aiming to clamp down on the private companies that service federal student debt with …
Judge: State Must Produce Execution Drug RecordsOn Friday, watchdogs of the state's execution procedures got a victory from a local judge who ordered the Mississippi Department of Corrections to produce unredacted documents about lethal injection drugs that are or have been in the state's possession.
City Launching Investigation of Water Dept. Finances"The largest municipal investigation, maybe in the history of the state" is how Jackson City Council President De'Keither Stamps described the announcement he and other city officials plan to make later this afternoon.
Excerpts from Judge Carlton Reeves’ RulingEven an abbreviated history shows that millions of Americans were once deemed ineligible for full Fourteenth Amendment protection.
Funking Up Jackson, Targeting CrimeFred McAfee was on a study committee that the Mississippi Legislature created last year to determine the feasibility of creating incentives to facilitate an entertainment industry for the state.
Building LGBT Teen, Business Alliances When a Magnolia Junior High School teacher conducted a math exercise by dividing the classroom into two teams based on gender, Destin Holmes was forced to sit in the middle of the room. This, according to the teacher, was because …
The Challenge of Paying for ‘One Lake’The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will give its final "yay" or "nay" on a long-awaited and long-overdue plan to ease flooding along the Pearl River.
City Roundup: Health Care Zones, Land TrustsNot a whole lot has happened in Jackson in the two years since the Legislature passed Gov. Phil Bryant's health-care zone law in 2012.
Middle-Class Families Could Get Special-Needs HelpWhen the parents of 10-year-old Flannery Smith noticed their daughter's learning difficulty, they took immediate action. Through legal help from the Mississippi Center for Justice, the family compelled the school district to provide services including diagnoses and a special computer …
Bubble Tea, Telehealth Center and NAMI MS Coming to the MetroKaren Gordon, owner of High Biscuits (7048 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland, 769-300-4948), a British-style tearoom that also has a contemporary southern atmosphere, wants to do something different for Jackson's neighborhood cafe scene.
Body-Camera Maker Has Financial Ties to Police ChiefsTaser International, the stun-gun maker emerging as a leading supplier of body cameras for police, has cultivated financial ties to police chiefs whose departments have bought the recording devices, raising a host of conflict-of-interest questions.
GOP: House to Vote on Homeland Bill Without ConditionsIn a major victory for President Barack Obama, the Republican-led House relented on Tuesday and will back legislation to fund the Homeland Security Department through the end of the budget year, without restrictions on immigration.
Sizing Up Jackson RacesThe filing deadline for state and county offices has passed, and we have our first glimpse of the battle lines for the Aug. 4 party primaries and the November general election.
LGBT Leader, Other Democratic Women Running for OfficeThe civil engineer and businesswoman helping to spearhead the fight for marriage equality in Mississippi is running for state auditor and hopes to bring transparency to the office that holds the state accountable for its spending.
Gov. Bryant Gets GOP Foe as Filing Deadline NearsFirst-term Gov. Phil Bryant picked up a Republican primary challenger Thursday, the day before candidates' deadline to qualify for statewide, regional and legislative races.
McDaniel Seeking 3rd Term in Mississippi SenateChris McDaniel, a tea party-backed Republican who lost a U.S. Senate race last year, says he's seeking re-election to the Mississippi Legislature.
Uncertainty Looms for Wages, Schools, Health Care in Tax Cut PlanDespite a controversial $1.5 billion tax cut prompting fierce debate on education funding, state employee salaries, grocery taxes and lottery tickets, the Republican-led tax plan passed the Mississippi House of Representatives with no mechanism to keep vital state services intact.