SUMMARY: The Mississippi Supreme Court declined to rule on whether the state was violating its constitution with a $10 million grant program for private schools, as an advocacy group lacked legal standing to sue. The program, funded with federal pandemic relief money, was put on hold after a lawsuit by the ACLU and other organizations. Public schools were excluded from the grants, leading to concerns about competitive advantages. A separate program for interest-free loans for public schools was created. While three justices heard arguments on the issue, the court ultimately decided not to weigh in on the constitutional question.

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SUMMARY: House Speaker Jason White proposed a ballot initiative for Mississippi voters to voice their opinion on Medicaid expansion, which was not well-received by the Senate. House Democrats are pushing for a work requirement in the expansion but have faced opposition. With the federal government consistently denying Medicaid expansion plans with work requirements, many lawmakers see little point in supporting a measure that is unlikely to be approved. House Minority Leader Robert Johnson III presented a compromise to Senate leadership, but the Senate seems unreceptive. Lawmakers have until Thursday to reach a deal on a conference report or Medicaid expansion will die.

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SUMMARY: A Petal teacher who received a $25,000 Milken Educator Award in 2022 has been charged with sex crimes involving several minor students. 34-year-old Tyler Shows was engaged in questionable activities with at least a dozen students at Petal Upper Elementary School. Petal police served Shows with three warrants for his arrest, including distribution of sexual materials to a minor and touching a child for lustful purposes. Shows turned himself in and waived his right to a hearing, and will be booked into the Forrest County Jail. This arrest comes after Petal School District officials discovered instances of criminal conduct during an internal investigation.

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