JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Kenneth Almons says he began a 23-year sentence in a Mississippi prison just two weeks after graduating from high school, and one of his felony convictions — for armed robbery — stripped away voting rights that he still has not regained decades later. Now 51, Almons told lawmakers Wednesday that he has worked hard and remained law-abiding since his release, and he wants to be able to vote. “It would mean I am no longer considered a nobody,” Almons said. “Because when you don’t have a voice, you’re nobody.” Mississippi is among the 26 states that remove voting rights from ..read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has dismissed all impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, ending the House Republican push to remove the Cabinet secretary from office over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. The two votes effectively end the trial before arguments ever began. Senators voted separately to dismiss the two articles of impeachment, arguing that they were unconstitutional. The first article charged Mayorkas with “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law.” The second article charged Mayorkas with a “breach of trust” for saying the bord ..read more

An Aberdeen alderwoman watched from jail Tuesday night as the city’s voters chose not to reelect her. Lady Garth, no stranger to controversy, was taken into custody on Sunday stemming back to a February ruling by the Mississippi Supreme Court to uphold a five-day jail sentence after the Ward 2 alderwoman was found guilty of disturbing the peace. In September 2022, Garth illegally attempted to direct law enforcement to remove a sitting member from a board meeting. The 64-year-old incumbent was also arrested on April 5 for allegedly assaulting a poll worker during the April 2 city election, in w ..read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House sent two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate on Tuesday, forcing a trial on allegations that he has “willfully and systematically” refused to enforce immigration laws. While the Senate is obligated to hold a trial under the rules of impeachment once the charges are walked across the Capitol, the proceedings may not last long. Democrats are expected to try to dismiss or table the charges later this week before the full arguments get underway. After walking the articles to the Senate, the Republican prosecutors ..read more

Help is on the way for Mississippi forest landowners impacted by last year’s drought and the subsequent infestation of beetles that destroyed trees across the state. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday approved Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) signup in all 82 counties in Mississippi. A 120-day period for landowners to apply for aid will run until August 15. The move by the federal government follows a letter issued to Vilsack by each member of the state’s congressional delegation urging the USDA to allow Mississippians to access emergency forest restoration funds to ov ..read more

Officials with the Mississippi Department of Transportation are looking for a recurring stream of funding from the legislature to bring roads and bridges statewide up to par. Commissioner Willie Simmons of the state’s central district joined The Gallo Show on Monday to explain that the ability to execute routine maintenance projects will be in limbo if a stream of cash is not made available soon. In 2023, MDOT was allocated a historic amount nearing $2 billion by the legislature. However, that was a one-time allocation, not a series of figures that will continue to roll into the departmen ..read more

An Aberdeen alderwoman up for reelection will be watching the results of Tuesday’s runoff from inside a jail cell. Lady Garth, 64, was arrested Sunday on two misdemeanor warrants of simple assault and disturbance of an election, per a report from WTVA. According to the local TV station, the Ward 2 alderwoman had initially been arrested on April 5 for allegedly assaulting a poll worker during the April 2 city election. Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook said Garth was taken into custody after a week of deputies searching for her. She was found at a local church and was transported to jail after ..read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tax Day reveals a major split in how Joe Biden and Donald Trump would govern: The presidential candidates have conflicting ideas about how much to reveal about their own finances and the best ways to boost the economy through tax policy. Biden, the sitting Democratic president, plans to release his income tax returns on Monday, the IRS filing deadline. And on Tuesday, he is scheduled to deliver a speech in Scranton, Pennsylvania, about why the wealthy should pay more in taxes to reduce the federal deficit and help fund programs for the poor and middle class. Biden is proud to ..read more

A bill is heading to the desk of Gov. Tate Reeves that would create two new state symbols in Mississippi. Senate Bill 2143 was originally written to designate the American Quarter Horse as the official state horse, but earlier this week, the House added an amendment to also designate the Kemp’s ridley as the official state sea turtle. On Friday morning, the Senate concurred with the House’s amendment. “I worked long and hard to find that there were some similarities between sea turtles and quarter horses,” Republican Sen. Lydia Chassaniol of Winona said when presenting the amended version of t ..read more

The process of legalizing mobile sports betting in Mississippi has taken a turn for the second year in a row. While the Senate voted on Tuesday to pass House Bill 774, which establishes the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act, a strike-all amendment was inserted, gutting the text and reverting the legislation back to current state law. “The amendment that came out of committee makes no changes to the current law. It does not express the Senate’s position one way or another,” Democratic Sen. David Blount of Jackson said. “It does express our position to continue to discuss this and hear from ..read more