Mississippi Advances Bill Against COVID Vaccine MandatesAnyone in Mississippi could cite “a sincerely held religious objection” to avoid a public or private employer's COVID-19 vaccination mandate, under a bill that advanced Wednesday at the state Capitol.
Mississippi Moves Toward Reviving an Initiative ProcessMississippi legislators are working to revive a way for people to petition to put issues on the statewide ballot. This is happening months after the state Supreme Court found the state's old initiative process was invalid.
'Home Town' Stars Back Mississippi City's Tourism Tax EffortThe Mississippi House honored the stars of HGTV's “Home Town" at the state Capitol on Tuesday, and married couple Ben and Erin Napier used the visit to help lobby for a possible increase in a local tourism tax for their …
Hearing Set for Mississippi Inmate Who Sought Execution DateA Mississippi judge will hold a hearing next month to determine if a death row inmate truly wants to request an execution date and if the inmate is mentally competent to waive appeals in the case.
Analysis: Mississippi Legislators Face Pocketbook DecisionsMississippi legislators are supposed to make big decisions about the state's pocketbook in the next few weeks, setting a budget that exceeds $6 billion and deciding whether to approve tax cuts.
Republicans Approve ‘CRT’ Bill Despite Opposition From All Black House MembersFor six hours on Thursday, Black Mississippi House representatives argued against a bill that would set limits on discussions of race in classrooms. Once their arguments wrapped up, though, the chamber approved the bill in a 75-43 vote, sending it …
Mississippi County OKs Contracts for Emmett Till StatueA Mississippi county has approved contracts for a sculptor to make and install a bronze statue of Emmett Till, the Black teenager whose 1955 lynching became a catalyst for the civil rights movement.
Mississippi Teacher Pay Survives Legislators' Political SpatProposals to increase some of the lowest teacher salaries in the U.S. were in danger Tuesday as Mississippi legislators engaged in a political showdown. Hours before a big deadline, Senate committees voted to keep the issue alive.
Economist: Federal Money Boosted Mississippi Income in 2020Employment in Mississippi decreased during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, but personal income in the state increased during that time because of federal payments that were intended to head off a steep decline in the national …
Mississippi Remapping Diminishes Black Voices, NAACP SaysMississippi legislators drew a congressional redistricting plan that diminished Black voters' influence in the state's three majority-white districts, attorneys for the NAACP and two other groups argue in federal court papers.
Mississippi Senate Passes Income Tax Cut Slashing $446 Million in RevenueThe Mississippi Senate approved legislation to reduce the state income tax by hundreds of millions of dollars Wednesday, despite caution from opponents who questioned the wisdom of doing so while education, roads and other public infrastructure remain critically underfunded.
'My Baby is Dead,' Mom Says in Call for End to ViolenceA Mississippi woman says local officials need to take immediate steps end senseless violence like the drive-by shooting that killed her 6-year-old son while he was playing with friends at a city park in McComb.
City of Jackson To Resume Community Cleanup ProgramJackson’s Community Cleanup Program—meant to help support residents in clearing trash from their neighborhoods—is set to resume on the first weekend of March, after city officials put the program on hiatus last November.
Mississippi Senate Panel: Reduce Income Tax, Don't Erase It“If lawmakers truly want Mississippi to be a place where people want to start families, small businesses, and where national corporations want to expand, it needs to prioritize investments that benefit all Mississippians over tax cuts that only benefit the …
Gangs Control Who Eats at Mississippi Jail, Monitor SaysElizabeth Simpson testified Tuesday that staffing shortages are so severe at Hinds County's Raymond Detention Center that gangs and “inmate committees” control certain aspects of life, including whether some inmates get to eat.
USM Economic Outlook Forum, Grants and Online Degree Program at MSUThe University of Southern Mississippi is set to host its annual Economic Outlook Forum on Thursday, March 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Thad Cochran Center Grand Ballroom on the university’s Hattiesburg campus.