Rienzi News

A state auction of more than 855,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes could happen as early as September, State Auditor Stacey Pickering said.

With just a week left in the state's fiscal year, Gov. Haley Barbour said Monday he won't call lawmakers back for a special session to pass a state budget because he's unhappy with a Medicaid agreement reached by House and Senate negotiators that would prevent him from making spending reductions in the program.

Mississippi House and Senate leaders said Thursday they're closer to reaching an agreement on a state spending plan for the coming fiscal year, thanks to a settlement with Microsoft that will provide $40 million in 40 days.

State lawmakers still haven't agreed on a spending plan for the coming fiscal year, despite tonight's midnight deadline and pressure from state workers.

Tammy Bragg went through a rigorous process of completing projects and passing exams to become a nationally certified teacher, and the extra academic credential entitles her to a $6,000 annual pay supplement.

Mississippi lawmakers will return to the Capitol after Memorial Day to try to finish a nearly $5 billion state budget for the year that begins July 1. They hoped to finish the job during their three-day meeting this week.

Some key state lawmakers will return to the Capitol today to try to work out a cigarette tax compromise that many are banking on to prevent a surge in Mississippi car-tag costs.

People toiling to have their income-tax returns done by Wednesday's deadline can look ahead to a variety of changes the state Legislature recently made for Mississippi's tax structure.

Mississippi car tag prices will increase this summer anywhere from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars, unless there is last-minute intervention by state lawmakers.

The leader of the state House said Tuesday he was shocked Gov. Haley Barbour vetoed a bill that would've given tax credits to companies that make sofas, chairs and other furniture in Mississippi.

State Rep. Charles Young of Meridian delivers the final prayer as the Mississippi House of Representatives ended the session - at least for now - on Wednesday.

Mississippi lawmakers ended the first part of their 2009 session Wednesday and left the Capitol knowing they'll return in just a few weeks to tackle their biggest duty: Writing a state budget.

Alcorn County school officials say the closing of 2 elementary schools could save $883,000 a year.

To whom are House Judiciary B Committee chairman, Willie Bailey, D-Greenville, and House Speaker Billy McCoy D-Rienzi, indebted? How can they claim to representlocal constituents when they will not even allow a vote by the entire membership of the House on any of four Senate bills which concerned things such as welfare benefits, false IDs or ...

The state Senate today confirmed the appointment of Martha "Jackie" Murphy to the state Board of Education.

Alcorn County school officials are considering a restructuring plan that could lead to closure of the Rienzi and Glendale elementary schools.

A Trojan Horse? Really? Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant says he'll back Gov. Haley Barbour if Barbour rejects $50 million due to Mississippi in the $787 billion federal stimulus bill.

Plan A failed in the Democrat-controlled Mississippi House Appropriations Committee last week when the chairman declined to bring the matter up for a vote.

Gov. Haley Barbour's refusal to accept all of Mississippi's federal stimulus money could lead to a showdown at the state Capitol as lawmakers consider an attempt to bypass his decision in coming weeks.

Raised voices in Jackson arguing about parts of the federal economic stimulus carved out for Mississippi indicate there's partisan fire mixed in the hot rhetoric.