Latest Mississippi state government News
House Republican duo calls for fraud probe into federal anti-poverty program
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The federal government should investigate potential fraud in one of its largest anti-poverty programs, two Republican members of Congress say. In a Sept. 20 letter to Comptroller General Gene Dodoro that was made public Monday by Mississippi's state auditor,...
US court will reconsider ruling that granted voting rights to Mississippians convicted of felonies
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A significant expansion of voting rights in Mississippi was put in doubt Thursday when a federal appeals court said it's reconsidering an earlier decision to allow people convicted of certain felonies to cast ballots. The 5th U.S. Circuit of Appeals said in a...
Absentee ballots are late in 1 Mississippi county after a candidate is replaced because of illness
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Voters in one Mississippi county are waiting extra days for access to absentee ballots because a candidate dropped out of a race last week and his party named someone to take his place. A longtime Jones County Justice Court judge, David Lyons, had a stroke...
What is saltwater intrusion and how is it affecting Louisiana's drinking water?
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — For months, residents in the southeast corner of Louisiana have relied on bottled water for drinking and cooking, with the water from the faucet coming out salty. Plaquemines Parish Councilman Mark “Hobbo” Cognevich, who represents the affected area,...
Mississippi high court blocks appointment of some judges in majority-Black capital city and county
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Supreme Court on Thursday struck down part of a state law that would have authorized some circuit court judges to be appointed rather than elected in the capital city of Jackson and the surrounding county, which are both majority-Black. Critics...
Mississippi GOP governor says his plan would aid hospitals; Democrat pushes for Medicaid expansion
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves released a proposal Thursday aimed at helping some of the state's financially struggling hospitals, even as the Democrat who is trying to unseat him has spent months hammering Reeves for opposing Medicaid expansion in one of the...
Federal appeals court reverses ruling that found Mississippi discriminated in mental health care
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal appeals court has overturned a lower court ruling that found Mississippi relies too much on institutionalizing people with mental health conditions rather than providing care in their communities. The decision came Wednesday from three judges on the...
Mississippi should revive process to put issues on ballot, Secretary of State Watson says
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi should revive a process that lets voters put initiatives on the statewide ballot, Secretary of State Michael Watson said Wednesday, although he hasn’t yet settled on the exact number of signatures people would need to gather. Mississippi has been...
Outrage intensifies over New Mexico governor's temporary gun ban as sheriff vows not to enforce it
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal lawsuits, cries for impeachment and outside protests. Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said she would welcome a fight after announcing an emergency order to suspend the right to carry firearms in most public places around...
Mississippi Democrats name Pinkins as new nominee for secretary of state, to challenge GOP's Watson
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Democrats on Thursday named attorney Ty Pinkins as their new nominee for secretary of state to replace a candidate who left the race because of health problems. Pinkins will face Republican incumbent Michael Watson in the Nov. 7 general election. ...
