Story
Music
Growing the Gospel Artist Showcase
When Percy Davis and his daughter, Parkisha Davis, started Nighthawk Productions in 2005, he hoped to bring gospel music back to the forefront in the city of Jackson and around …
Story
Art
The Path to Freedom
"Icons of Freedom" at the Mississippi Museum of Art highlights the arduous trek to the polls and the strenuous battle for equality during Freedom Summer in 1964.
Story
Books
Lit Highlights October 2014
Mississippi's weather is unpredictable. Thankfully, October always has plenty of great literary offerings, whether you're escaping that last bit of summer heat or relaxing indoors on a nippy autumn afternoon.
Story
Sports
New Orleans Saints 2021 Preview
The New Orleans Saints are starting the 2021 season without Drew Brees since he retired after the 2020 season, leaving a major hole in the Saints’ offense as the franchise …
Story
Biz Roundup
Mississippi ToyCon 2021, New Stage Theatre and Southern Unity Project Pet Parade
Neal Bumpus, who organized the inaugural Mississippi ToyCon in 2020, is partnering with Nerdvana Comics, Games & Collectibles to bring the event back in a new location for 2021.
Story
Biz Roundup
Jurassic Quest, Bean Path Sprouting Season and Pumpkin Adventure at the Ag Museum
The Jackson Convention Complex will host a dinosaur-themed edutainment event called Jurassic Quest from Friday, Oct. 22, through Sunday, Oct. 24.
Story
Biz Roundup
Hal and Mal's Attic Sale, New Exhibit at the Museum and Coffee Bean Corral
Malcolm White, owner of Hal and Mal's restaurant in Jackson, is hosting an event called the "Big Ass Attic Sale" from Thursday, Nov. 18, through Saturday, Nov. 20.
Story
Biz Roundup
Ignite the Night, Junior League Jumble, and Mississippi Gem and Mineral Show
The Mississippi Children's Museum will host its annual "Ignite the Night" fundraiser from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12.
Story
City & County
What's Happening in Jackson: Weekend Events – Jan. 28-30
Immigrant Alliance for Justice & Equity of Mississippi is hosting a LGBTQIA+ Wellness Fair on Sunday, Jan. 30, at 510 George St. in Jackson beginning at noon.
Entry
Is Bryant Trying to Influence the Ethics Commission?
By RonniMottMississippi Democratic Party Chairman Rickey L. Cole's letter to the state ethics commission.
Entry
Peterson to Visit the Saints
By bryanflynnNo one can say the New Orleans Saints are standing pat after three straight 7-9 seasons. This offseason, the Saints have been busy exploring options, making deals and bringing in players for meetings.
New Orleans will be hosting another high-profile player on Monday, April 10, when former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson comes for a visit. Peterson hit the free-agent market when the Vikings decided not to pick up his $18-million option in February.
The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks have already met with the running back. At this late stage of free agency, it doesn’t hurt to kick the tires on the 32-year-old future Hall of Famer.
Peterson missed most of last season with injuries and most of the 2014 season suspended due to legal issues. Sandwiched in between those years, the 2015 season saw him rush for 1,485 yards, leading the league in rushing.
Peterson has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in seven of his 10 seasons in the NFL and rushed for double-digit touchdowns in eight of those. He failed to reach the end zone in 2014 and 2016, however, and rushed for a grand total of 149 yards those two seasons. New Orleans will have to decide if they would be getting the 2015 version of Peterson or the injury-prone 2016 version.
It is no secret that running backs begin to decline after reaching age 30 in the NFL. Peterson is known to keep himself in great shape and once recovered from an ACL tear during the 2011 season to rush for 2,097 yards in 2012, winning league MVP honors. It isn’t out of the question for the running back to produce another bounce-back year for whichever team he signs with in 2017.
New Orleans currently features Mark Ingram as its No. 1 running back. The 27 year old rushed for more than 1,000 yards for the first time in his career last season. It was just the second time in his career that he played in all 16 games, and he is still under contract for two more years.
If the Saints are going to sign Peterson, the team might have to change its offense. Both running backs are better when they get 20 or more carries in a game. That means that New Orleans must not rely on quarterback Drew Brees to carry the whole offense.
New Orleans will have to become a “run first” team if it signs the former Viking. Otherwise, the team is just wasting money on a big-name player when it still has a slight opening for a deep playoff run.
Ingram and Peterson would be a great one-two punch at the running-back position, but neither has been a major part of the passing game. New Orleans would have to make sure that it has a third-down-pass catching back. Peterson has also never been good at pass blocking during his career.
There are plenty …
Story
Taxpayers Covering Recio and Wright Attorney's Fees?
Jackson Mayor Frank Melton's assurance that he would be covering court costs in his April 2007 felony trial did not apply to his co-defendants, judging by a Nov. 30 letter …
Story
Personhood
Legislative Update: Fetal Heartbeats, Teacher Pay, Tort Reform
Daniella Dismuke-Roja is an activist who is challenging laws that she believes threaten the rights of Mississippians. On March 14, she traveled to Jackson and joined a group of Democratic …
Story
Lessons from Vietnam
This week, President George W. Bush made one more attempt to shore up support for our continuing war in Iraq by comparing our experience there to the war in Vietnam, …
Story
Focus On The ‘Mayor Stuff'
It wasn't until Friday, five days after Katrina had blown through Jackson, that a visibly uncomfortable Mayor Melton fielded questions about city response from what was a visibly frustrated, angry …
Story
[Just In] JPS Superintendent's Remarks on Full Funding
These are the remarks of Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Earl Watkins today at a press conference at the Department of Education calling for the governor and the hold-out members of …
Story
City Should Support, Not Control
Change is afoot in North Midtown. The neighborhood between Millsaps College and Mill Street has suffered from urban blight for over a decade, but new housing developments and a new …
Story
Death to Dildos
I am posting this link to a Dan Abrams "Sidebar" about Mississippi making sex toys illegal.
Story
Tell Me the Truth, JoAnne
<b>Right Between Church and State</b>
Q. Please tell me why state troopers patrol and direct traffic for a Jackson church on North State Street (near Millsaps) during church service, and oftentimes now, a deputy sheriff. …
Story
Editorial
Judicial Activism Must Stop
The Jackson Free Press revealed in a breaking story online last week that some Mississippi Supreme Court justices had been deliberating how to change a state law that determines who …
