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Stocks Open Higher on Wall Street; Mattel Jumps
Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street Tuesday after several big-name U.S. companies posted strong results for the third quarter.
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Education
Scrap MAEP?
The Mississippi Adequate Education Program, a formula the state uses to level funding for the state's K-12 public schools, is wrong, according to state Auditor Stacey Pickering.
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10 Things to Know for Thursday
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that people will be talking about today:
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Mississippi Black Caucus Endorses Obama
Granted, no surprise here, but the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus just released a statement endorsing Barack Obama, and perhaps more important pledging a massive get-out-the-vote effort for November. Verbatim:
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FASHION PROFILE: Mae
If you perused the silent-auction tables at the 2010 Chick Ball in July, you had the opportunity to bid on Jewels by Mae pieces by local jewelry designer Myrtlena Alice …
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Sports
The Weekend Starting Five: Show Me The Money!
Men's college basketball: Hattiesburg native Tim Floyd listens to Arizona, but decides he will remain the coach at Southern California. That doesn't seem like such a tough decision. Oh yeah, …
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Black College Women Take Aim at Rappers
AP reports: "Maybe it was the credit card that rap superstar Nelly swiped through a woman's backside in a recent video. Here at Spelman, the most famous black women's college …
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Business
Frontier Airlines Coming to Jackson, Direct Flights to Denver, Orlando
Frontier, the budget airline that promises to bring its customers "Low Fares Done Right," descended upon Jackson today to announce direct flights to Denver and Orlando. It will begin in …
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State Tax Collections Lag in Final Budget Month
Mississippi tax collections picked up in May but are still lagging as the state enters the final month of its budget year.
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College
Mississippi State Routs LSU 37-7
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Nick Fitzgerald threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores to help Mississippi State rout No. 12 LSU 37-7 on Saturday night.
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City & County
Zoo Wants City Help With Killer Dogs
Beth Poff, executive director of the Jackson Zoo, wants the City of Jackson to help beef up security around the park after six animals were killed in late December.
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Mississippi Capitol Still Undergoing Restoration
Restoration work continues at the Mississippi Capitol as legislators prepare to start their session next week.
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Person of the Day
Rita Martinson
State Rep. Rita Martinson, 77, who has represented Madison as a Republican since 1992, recently announced that she would not seek another term so that she can spend more time …
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Saints' Terron Armstead Gets Extension
By bryanflynnJust days after the draft ended, the talk about picks has turned to their potential and their development as players. The New Orleans Saints are rewarding one of their recent draft picks, who has exceeded his early potential and development.
In the 2013 NFL Draft, the Saints took offensive tackle Terron Armstead out of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in the third round with the 75th overall pick.
As it turns out, he was a steal.
Many scouts believed it would take a couple of seasons for him to turn into a NFL tackle.
In his rookie season of 2013, Armstead saw action in six games and made two starts. He was ahead of schedule developmentally when he made 14 starts the next season.
Last season, he started 13 games despite being limited by injuries that forced him to miss games. He was considered a snub for the Pro Bowl when he wasn’t named to the roster.
While the Saints try to workout a new extension with quarterback Drew Brees, the club can show its single caller that it is committed to protecting him. Armstead is the man who protects Brees' blindside.
ESPN reported that New Orleans locked up its left tackle with a five-year extension that runs until 2021. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the deal is potentially worth $64.5 million with $25 million fully guaranteed and an $11-million signing bonus.
Armstead was on his rookie contract but could have become an unrestricted free agent in 2017 without a new deal. The Saints' other choice would have been to use the franchise tag on him, which would have been around $14 million.
If 2015 first-round draft pick Andrus Peat can develop the same way as Armstead did, the Saints could potentially have the best tackle combination in the league. Peat must come into camp this summer in shape and ready to compete if he is going to live up to his high draft choice. He could also get kicked inside to guard.
Instead, the Saints have locked up a franchise left-tackle at a solid price for both club and player. New Orleans already exercised its 2017 option on safety and fellow member of the Saints 2013 draft class in Kenny Vaccaro.
While the salary cap hasn’t been kind to New Orleans over the past few seasons, the club is locking up its young talent. Pro Bowl defensive end Cam Jordan signed an extension that keeps him with the Saints until 2020.
New Orleans has two big moves left on its off-season to-do list: reworking a deal with Brees and locking up center Max Unger past the 2017 season.
Armstead, Peat (if he pans out) and Unger could give the Saints one of the best young offensive lines in the league.
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The New Well
Graphic courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy is considering Richton, Miss., as a location for the newest expansion of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The reserve, established in 1975 to protect the …
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City Fights Wastewater Order
The City of Jackson has asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to stay an Aug. 12 court order requiring it to transfer its wastewater treatment contract to a new provider.
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Espy and Thompson Lock Antlers
The Mississippi Democratic Club hosted a debate between second congressional district contenders Bennie Thompson and Chuck Espy on May 28. Candidate Dorothy Benford did not attend the debate.
