Archive for February 2020
Sign the petition to support second chances
Mississippi has the third highest incarceration rate in the country. Our prisons are dangerously understaffed. People often leave prison no better than when they went in, struggle to find work, and end up re-arrested. By safely reducing our prison population, prioritizing solutions that reduce crime, and removing barriers to work, we can fix the broken…
Read MoreSenate Amends ESA Bill
Online and out of state options removed Today, the Senate Education Committee passed a substitute amendment to Senate Bill 2594 ahead of the March 3rd deadline for committee consideration. SB 2594 would renew the state’s Special Needs Education Scholarship Account program, set to expire on June 30, 2020. The substitute amendment made several changes to…
Read MoreProposed legislation could kick hundreds of children with special needs out of their schools
Hundreds of children with special needs all over the state are at risk of losing their Education Scholarship Accounts (ESA) if Senate Bill 2594 passes out of committee this week. The bill would extend the ESA program, set to expire this summer, for ten years, at the same time significantly reducing the number of schools eligible…
Read MoreRobert St. John: ‘Drug treatment and drug courts are methods that have been proven to be effective.’
“As an employer for the past 32 years, we have hired hundreds who are in recovery and rarely have gotten burned. People who are working towards making things better in their life and practicing some type of 12-step recovery program have found dignity in work.” You may know him as a famed restaurateur, author,…
Read MoreSave Our ESA: ‘Families depend on it.’
“I don’t want to think of what Landon’s life might look like without (the ESA).” A small rural town in Northern Mississippi has much to offer the Morrow family. Unfortunately, Pope, Mississippi, is not able to offer a public education that meets the needs of their middle son Landon. Struggles in the classroom have…
Read MoreNumber of Mississippians Working is the Lowest in the Country
New data released by the federal government shows that Mississippi’s Employment Rate is now the lowest in the country. Preliminary data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that Mississippi’s prime age employment rate for 2019 was 76%, which ranks the state at 50th out of all 50 states. The prime age employment…
Read MoreRankin County Sheriff (Part Two): ‘They need a brand new life and I’m going to help them’
“It breaks my heart to see the talent we have in this jail that is wasting away.” The Rankin County Sheriff’s Department has adopted a new approach when it comes to rehabilitating non-violent offenders. The Sheriff’s Trustee Program has had great success in helping those who have struggled with addiction and run-ins with the…
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