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Herb Frierson

Gov. Phil Bryant announced Thursday that he is nominating House Appropriations Committee Chairman Herb Frierson, R-Poplarville, to be commissioner of the Department of Revenue.

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National

Police Charge Trump Campaign Manager With Battery

Florida police have charged Donald Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski with simple battery in connection with an incident earlier in the month involving a reporter.

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Tease photo Education

Some Charter-school Students Could Cross Districts Due to New Legislation

Students from Mississippi school districts with academic ratings of C, D or F could cross district lines to attend charter schools elsewhere under a measure moving forward in the state …

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March 28, 2016

Treadwell Finally Runs

By bryanflynn

The Manning Center was the place to be this morning. Breaking a University of Mississippi Pro Day record, 63 NFL representatives from all 32 NFL teams descended on Oxford, Miss., to look at the three stars entering the draft after their junior seasons at UM.

Overall, there were 15 current and three former players who took part in the Rebels' Pro Day. Most of the focus was on offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche.

One of the things everyone came to see was Treadwell run the 40-yard dash. He didn’t run at the NFL Combine, and this was the first chance all the scouts had to put him on a stopwatch.

Treadwell did run, but his times didn’t alleviate fears that he won’t have the ability to separate from defenders at the next level. His unofficial times were 4.65 or 4.69, depending on the scout, on his first attempt, and he had a minor improvement at 4.63 on his second attempt.

While his top-end speed might not get scouts' heartbeats racing, Treadwell does have other abilities that had to impress NFL teams.

He has a big body that he can use to position himself between the ball and defenders. He also has strong hands and makes each catch look easy. He is a solid run blocker in rush attack, and in fact, he might be above average in receiver blocking.

One thing to remember about Treadwell and his not-so-fast speed is the fact that he is returning from a serious broken leg that he suffered during his sophomore season. Treadwell still came out this season and put up great numbers as he worked himself back into the shape and got his football instincts back.

It is projected that an NFL team may draft him as early as the ninth pick or as low as the 20th pick. Some mock drafts have him going to the New Orleans Saints with the 12th pick. If you want an NFL comparison, think Anquan Boldin. Several teams could move up in the draft to get their hands on Treadwell since he is the near-consensus top wide receiver in the draft.

One player who didn’t run the 40-yard dash at either the NFL Combine or the UM Pro Day was Tunsil. The fact that he didn’t run at either event might not matter, as the offensive tackle is projected to go as high as the first pick but nearly guaranteed to go within the top five picks. He said in an interview that he didn’t run at the Pro Day due to a pulled hamstring.

Tunsil did an impressive 34 reps at 225 pounds in the bench press and added 10 pounds of muscle so far this offseason. There are very few knocks against the potential No. 1 pick, though his run blocking needs more work, and there are questions about his power.

However, there are no questions about …

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Crime

Woman Will Join Boyfriend in Terrorism Charge Guilty Plea

A young Mississippi woman plans to plead guilty to a terrorism charge, months after authorities say she and her fiance tried to go to Syria to join the Islamic State …

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Tease photo Education

'Save Our Children Act' Amendments Appear in More Bills

Sections of Rep. Omeria Scott's failed Mississippi Save Our Children Act have ended up into another education bill as an amendment weeks after it was added to the already-controversial Parent …

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Secret Execution Team, Firing Squads, Restricted Media Included in House Bill

Death by firing squad could become an option for administering the death penalty if Senate Bill 2237, which passed by the Mississippi House of Representatives on Friday and held on …

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Donald Brooks

Millsaps College's new athletic director, Donald Brooks, is used to working at small colleges and universities. His hiring seems to be the perfect fit for the Majors' athletic program.

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LGBT

Lawsuit Challenges North Carolina Anti-Discrimination Law

Two transgender people and a lesbian law school professor filed a federal lawsuit Monday to challenge a new North Carolina law that blocks local governments from passing anti-discrimination rules and …

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LGBT

Georgia Governor Vetoes Religious Exemptions Bill

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Monday said he will veto legislation shielding opponents of same-sex marriage, after a groundswell of opposition from companies threatening to boycott the state if it …

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Analysis: New Laws Could Mean New Lawsuits in Mississippi

Mississippi legislators are on track to produce dozens of new state laws. And, as in years past, they're probably creating plenty of work for attorneys.

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March 26, 2016

#Tellthewholestory: Clarion-Ledger Lifts Stamps 'Ferguson' Comment Out of Context, Stamps Holds Easter Press (Videos)

By Donna Ladd

The Clarion-Ledger posted a sensationalistic headline and story yesterday about a west Jackson rally against dangerous suburban police chases into the city, followed by intriguing edits of what a Jackson city councilman actually said. The Ledger's video was edited down for the most dramatic effect, and the following text in the story was even worse.

After the Capitol Street Coalition gathered to protest the death of Lonnie Blue Jr. Friday morning, The Clarion-Ledger posted the story on its website headlined "Stamps calls Clinton 'Ferguson waiting to happen". The story's lead image was edited video of Councilman De'Keither Stamps speaking out against the Clinton police chase of shoplifters that resulted in the death of an innocent bystander.

The video contained only a snippet of Stamps' remarks, essentially calling for a boycott of surrounding cities that do not rein in their dangerous police habits and referencing Ferguson, Mo. The video skipped over Stamps' initial remarks offering condolences to the family and "encouraging folks to speak a universal language" and went right to the juicier part:

Ledger video: "Every surrounding city who refuses to use common-sense policies must be economically challenged because it's not safe for you to shop there. Clinton is a Ferguson waiting to happen. Clinton is a city with a high minority population and oppressive police tactics. It's steps away, steps away from a Mike Brown. It's only a matter of time."

The story beneath the video was much worse, with only snippets of that quote included, and the vital part about Clinton having "a high minority population and oppressive police tactics"—which explains Stamps' Ferguson analogy—simply cut out:

Ledger story: Referencing the violent unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, Jackson Councilman De'Keither Stamps said Clinton is a "Ferguson waiting to happen" and is "steps away from a Mike Brown. It's only a matter of time if this culture does not change."

The Clarion-Ledger story followed that with edited additional comments that were not included in its video of Stamps:

Ledger story: "It seems to me that there are some elected officials and some police officials who want to maintain the culture," Stamps said. "What we must make them understand is that culture is not acceptable. Misdemeanor property crimes are not worth human life. ... We've got some great police officers in the metro area, but common sense must prevail in their actions." (bold emphasis added)

Stamps is now passing around the full video, which is below this post, to "#Tellthewholestory," which indicates information that the Ledger simply cut out of the middle of his quote. That part is a key response to those who say the police have no choice but to chase petty criminals.

The Ledger omitted these bolded parts of Stamps' complete quote: "Misdemeanor property crimes are not worth human life. You should not be going 120 miles per hour in Clinton or Jackson. Because we've got news copters, we've got radios. I've never seen anyone outrun a radio. No matter …

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Tease photo Politics

Mississippi House Proposes Firing Squad as Execution Method

The Mississippi House wants to allow the state prison system to execute prisoners using a firing squad if officials decide lethal injection is too expensive or unavailable.