From the Wire

Police Reports in Tucson Shooting Rampage ReleasedHundreds of pages of police reports in the investigation of the Tucson shooting rampage that wounded former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords are being released Wednesday.
North Korea Says It Has Cut Last Military HotlineRaising tensions with South Korea yet again, North Korea cut its last military hotline with Seoul on Wednesday.
High Court Hears Case on Federal Benefits for GaysThe Supreme Court is turning to a constitutional challenge to the law that prevents legally married gay Americans from collecting federal benefits generally available to straight married couples.
Charter School Bill Loses House Vote, But Not DeadMississippi House members don't want to proceed with a bill including a charter schools expansion favored by the Senate.
Bomgar Named to State Education BoardA leading proponent of charter schools may be joining the state Board of Education.
Lillie Ayers Dead at the Age of 85Lillie B. Ayers, who became the lead plaintiff in Mississippi's college desegregation lawsuit after the death of her husband, has died at her home in Glen Allan. She was 85.
Senator Switches to Republican PartyState Sen. Nicky Browning of Pontotoc is switching to the Republican Party.
Kerry, Karzai Bury Hatchet in Kabul MeetingEager to overcome a bout of bickering, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Afghan President Hamid Karzai made a show of unusual unity between their two nations on Monday. The friendly display came as the U.S. military ceded control …
USDA Expanding Program to Fight Rural PovertyU.S. officials are expanding a program intended to reduce poverty and improve life in rural areas through better access to federal funding.
Bars Test Limits of Legal-Marijuana Laws in WA, COJohn Connelly leaned forward on his barstool, set his lips against a clear glass pipe and inhaled a white cloud of marijuana vapor.
N. Korea Puts Artillery Forces at Top Combat PostureNorth Korea's military warned Tuesday that its artillery and rocket forces are at their highest-level combat posture in the latest in a string of bellicose threats aimed at South Korea and the United States.
Calif. Gay Marriage Argument at High Court TodayThe U.S. Supreme Court is wading into the fight over same-sex marriage.
Miss. State Rep. Jessica Upshaw Found DeadState Rep. Jessica Upshaw, an attorney who had been a lawmaker since 2004, was found dead Sunday of an apparent suicide. She was 53.
Life of Medgar Evers Being CommemoratedThe Mississippi Department of Archives and History commemorates the 50th anniversary of the slaying of civil rights leader Medgar Evers with the opening of a new exhibit in Jackson on May 1 with Evers' widow, Myrlie Evers Williams.
GOP's 'No' on Medicaid Becomes "Let's Make a Deal'Given the choice of whether to expand Medicaid under President Barack Obama's health care law, many Republican governors and lawmakers initially responded with an emphatic "no."