Some of the top stories we discussed on "Gulf Coast Mornings with Kelly Bennett and Uncle Henry" this Feb 28th:
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A bill born in the Mississippi Senate that would ban abortions in the state once there's a fetal heartbeat is now headed to the full House. The legislation cleared the lower chamber's Public Health Committee yesterday after it was amended. If it makes it to Governor Bryant's desk, he's expected to sign it into law. Enforcement will be another matter, given that the state is still appealing a federal judge's blockage of a 15-week abortion ban.
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The MS lottery is expected to launch in the next few months, and our State Revenue Commissioner--Herb Frierson--says folks will NOT have to pay a sales tax on tickets. House Bill 1576 died when lawmakers failed to consider it before a Wednesday deadline. It would have specified that no sales tax would be charged on the lottery. Frierson, who is a former lawmaker, says the bill was not needed. He says lottery tickets are not considered tangible property but are evidence of a bet, and there’s no need to tax that.
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American women are having heart attacks at a younger age. A new report from the American Heart Association says the rate of heart attack patients ages 35-to-54 has jumped in recent years, and mostly for women. The study adds that women are getting inferior care compared to men, because they don't fit the profile of a patient in cardiac distress. The researchers at Yale University found that women were less likely to be recommended blood-thinners and cholesterol medication to prevent a future heart attack, because of the differences in symptoms between men and women.
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Folks are still no doubt talking about several members of the Ole Miss basketball team taking a knee during the playing of the National Anthem on Saturday in Oxford. But, there was no kneeling last night ahead of the Rebels contest on their home court against Tennessee. The weekend protest by eight Ole Miss players prior to a game with Georgia coincided with a march and rally on campus by two pro-Confederacy groups.