From the Wire

City Campaign Laws Inconsistently FollowedCity clerks are required to collect campaign finance reports during local elections throughout Mississippi and deliver that information to Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann's office, but Hosemann said he only receives the information sporadically.
Records Tell Spending Story for Miss. CitizensBoth the State Auditor's Office and the FBI have ramped up probes of misspending at the agency charged with protecting and enhancing the state's coastal resources.
AP Enterprise: Nixon Wished for Total Handgun BanFew presidents in modern times have been as interested in gun control as Richard Nixon, of all people.
Bryant Gets Bill Permanently Allowing Payday LoansThe state Senate gave final approval Friday to House Bill 559, which deletes the requirement that lawmakers periodically renew authorization for the loans.
Cardinals Set Tuesday As Start Date for ConclaveCardinals have set Tuesday as the start date for the conclave to elect the next pope, a milestone in this unusual papal transition and an indication that even without an obvious front-runner, the cardinals have a fairly good idea of …
Job Gains Cut Unemployment to 7.7 pct., 4-Year LowEmployers added 236,000 jobs in February and drove down the unemployment rate to 7.7 percent, its lowest level in more than four years.
Plan Could Allow State Takeover of F-Rated SchoolsMississippi lawmakers are considering a sweeping plan that could remove more than 100 low-performing schools from local school board control for unknown periods of time.
City Elections Filing Deadline is FridayCandidates for municipal offices have until 5 p.m. Friday to qualify for the May party primaries and the June general election.
Arkansas GOP Eyes Planned Parenthood Funds NextNot content with enacting the most restrictive abortion law in the country, Arkansas Republicans plan to press the legislative advantage their party hasn't enjoyed since Reconstruction by making it even more difficult for women to get abortions in the state.
Obama Presses on with GOP Charm OffensivePunctuated with the sounds of ringing phones and clinking china, President Barack Obama's new legislative diplomacy has Republicans wondering what took so long.
Forest Service May Let More Fires BurnAfter coming in $400 million over budget following last year's busy fire season, the Forest Service is altering its approach and may let more fires burn instead of attacking every one.
U.N. Sanctions May Play Into North Korean PropagandaSeven years of U.N. sanctions against North Korea have done nothing to derail Pyongyang's drive for a nuclear weapon capable of hitting the United States.
Furlough Plans Vary Widely at Gov't AgenciesFederal workers could face seven days of furloughs at the Housing and Urban Development Department, but Homeland Security personnel might see twice that number.
US Adds 236K Jobs, Unemployment Falls to 7.7 PercentRobust gains suggested that the economy can strengthen further.
House Revives Push to Raise Speed Limit to 75 MPHHouse members amended an unrelated Senate bill Thursday to allow the state Transportation Commission to raise the speed limit on some highways to 75 mph.