Health
Measure to protect patients from surprise medical bills dies
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Some lawmakers oppose an existing law — and any efforts to strengthen it — that protects patients against large out-of-pocket medical bills, said a committee chairman
Mississippi demands accountability from parents on public assistance — so why is the state so secretive about how it manages welfare funds?
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Advocacy groups want to roll back a child support provision they say further stigmatizes low-income families
Justice
Beloved elderly man’s death after arrest motivates community, highlights growing tension with police
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Battling crime amid questions of police professionalism, Jackson police chief says ‘We’re not an abusive police. And we shouldn’t be painted that way.’
Equity
‘Promises after promises’: State workers, stuck under stagnant wages, have no guarantee of life without poverty
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Many state employees have not seen salary hikes in a decade, but some are cautiously optimistic as policymakers float the possibility of pay raises
Cigarette tax hike again eyed for 2019 session
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A key Senate committee chairman supports legislation to up the per-pack tax
Nooses at Capitol intended as critique of racism, Hyde-Smith ‘hanging’ apology
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A story making the rounds on social media may not be what it appears
Election
Civil rights leader: Senate runoff about policy, not politics
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The Rev. William Barber II said a Mississippi senator’s recent gaffe was “ugly,” but not more so than policies that perpetuate poverty
Election
Court’s not in session: A judge campaigns while his cases backlog
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Because they are elected instead of appointed, judges in Mississippi must balance their court docket and political campaigning.
Election
Not all ex-felons are barred from voting in Mississippi, but no one is telling them that
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The persistent myth that felony convictions automatically result in lost voting rights means that thousands of people may be eligible to vote and not realize it
Election
‘No room for them’: For Mississippians in deep poverty, voting is easier said than done
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On a recent trip to Jackson for a Poor People’s Campaign event, the Rev. William Barber II called participating in elections a moral responsibility
Money
Federal indictment: Contractor gave bribes to former Jackson mayor, other city officials
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Federal prosecutors allege that Atlanta political power player Mitzi Bickers made purchases totaling at least $5,000, to influence and reward an agent of the City of Jackson
Free from federal oversight, 5 percent of Mississippi polling locations have closed since 2013
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Counties have their reasons for closing polling precincts, but since the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, no one is asking
As payday loans thrive in Mississippi, neighboring states move to cap high interest rates
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Stores a lifeline for some but with yearly interest rates as high as 300 percent, some say they’re “sucking the life out of people.”
‘Food stamps’ fraud investigator extorted convenience stores, authorities say
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However, the numbers do not indicate rampant fraud within the SNAP program
‘It’s like they’re trying to push us out’: In the Delta, people are concerned about jobs, not politics
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In one of the nation’s poorest regions, many residents are unfamiliar with the candidates; some don’t even realize an election is coming up