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Person of the Day
Sen. John Horhn
Mississippi Sen. John Horhn, who has served in the state Senate since 1993, has spent the past 25 years promoting blues music in Mississippi on top of his duties as …
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Biz Roundup
Kendra Scott at Highland Village, Baker Donelson and Healthy Heroes
Last week, Highland Village announced the arrival of popular jewelry designer Kendra Scott to the shopping center, with the store's opening slated for summer 2017.
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GOP Drops Weakening of Ethics Office, Challenged by Trump
House Republicans reversed themselves Tuesday under pressure from President-elect Donald Trump, and dropped plans to swiftly gut an independent congressional ethics board.
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Trump Objects After House GOP Votes to Gut Ethics Office
President-elect Donald Trump criticized House Republicans Tuesday for voting to gut the independent Office of Congressional Ethics, arguing that tax reform and health care should be higher priorities.
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School Funding, Budget and Roads Headline 2017 Legislature
Mississippi's 174 legislators will return to the Capitol Tuesday, starting a 90-day legislative session that will run as late as April 2.
Entry
The Saints Enter Another Uncertain Offseason
By bryanflynnOnce again the New Orleans Saints have finished with a 7-9 record and are out of the playoffs.
The team has missed the postseason four of the last five seasons and hasn’t been able to recapture the magic of the Super Bowl season in 2009. It hasn’t been able to finish with a winning record since 2013.
As soon as the season ended, New Orleans Head Coach Sean Payton spoke with General Manager Mickey Loomis after the team’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Loomis and Payton will continue to meet this week following the end of the season.
Rumors began to swirl that the Saints would be open to trading Payton to another team if the right offer came its way. This is the second offseason that rumors of the Saints looking to shop Payton have started.
After the end of last season, New Orleans and Payton came to an agreement on a five-year contract extension worth $9 million per year. The Saints also worked a deal with quarterback Drew Brees that has him signed for next season.
Even after a disappointing year, there is hope in New Orleans. The defense suffered injury after injury and still rallied to become better as the season progressed.
Rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins and rookie wide receiver Michael Thomas ended up playing well in their first seasons. The offense is still one of the best in the NFL, and Brees, who turns 38 this month, is still one of the quarterbacks in the league.
New Orleans has plenty of offensive weapons but needs to get cap room and use draft picks to continue to work on the defense. Over the Cap says that the Saints have more than $30 million to spend in cap space this offense.
The team has to make a big decision: Will it continue to chase a title with Payton and Brees, or will it begin to rebuild?
If the team can carve out more cap space and use that money judiciously, the defense can be improved quickly. A pass rusher should be the No. 1 offseason need the team should address.
The NFL is a passing league, and getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks is part of winning games. Teams that can’t get pressure normally struggle during the season.
New Orleans finished 27th in sacks this season with 30, but to be fair, the Oakland Raiders finished last in the league in sacks with 25 and still made the playoffs. Most of the teams in the postseason finished from near the top to the middle of the league in sacks.
Brees could play until he is 40 or beyond, and if he will work with the team on salary, it could help the Saints make one or two more championship runs. But will the future Hall of Fame quarterback cut the team a hometown discount? Who knows at this point.
The …
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City & County
Man Indicted for 1st-degree Murder of Teen in September, Arrested Dec. 29
The Hinds County Sheriff’s Department arrested Wayne Mitchell Parish of Crystal Springs on Dec. 29 for the alleged murder of 17-year-old Charles McDonald in the parking lot of Performance Oil …
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City & County
City Gives $105,000 Back to Arts Council; Homeless, Senior Funds Cut
After facing cuts, the Greater Jackson Arts Council grew by $105,000 after the Jackson City Council voted Tuesday, Dec. 27, to restore one of the cuts to the local Department …
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Business
Continental Tire Spends More Than $200,000 in Mississippi
Continental Tire spent $228,300 in November, a spending report from the German-based corporation shows. The tire plant, opening just off Interstate 20 in Hinds County outside Clinton, will eventually hire …
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Person of the Day
Vic Schaefer
The No. 5 Mississippi State University Bulldogs routed the Louisiana State University Tigers 74-48 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
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UN Backs Russian-Turkish Syria Efforts as Cease-Fire Wavers
The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Saturday supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end the nearly six-year conflict in Syria and jump-start peace negotiations, as a fragile …
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Texas Judge Halts Federal Transgender Health Protections
A federal judge in Texas on Saturday ordered a halt to another Obama administration effort to strengthen transgender rights, this time over health rules that social conservatives say could force …
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US States, Leery of Russia Malware, Re-Examine Cybersecurity
Several states around the country on Saturday asked cybersecurity experts to re-examine state and utility networks after a Vermont utility's laptop was found to contain malware U.S. officials say is …
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New Year's Attack on Packed Istanbul Club Leaves 39 Dead
An assailant believed to have been dressed in a Santa Claus costume opened fire at a crowded nightclub in Istanbul during New Year's celebrations, killing at least 39 people and …
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N. Korea's Leader Hints of Long-Range Missile Test Launch
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hinted Sunday that Pyongyang may ring in the new year with another bang—the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
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Trump Still Not Sold on Russian Link to Hacking
President-elect Donald Trump says that "no computer is safe" when it comes to keeping information private, expressing new skepticism about the security of online communications his administration is likely to …
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Oil Pipeline Protesters Unfurl Huge Banner at Vikings Game
Protesters trying to stymie the Dakota Access oil pipeline sneaked up on a truss connected to the roof and rappelled down to unfurl a huge banner inside U.S. Bank Stadium …
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City & County
10 Local Stories of the Week
There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
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School Funding Formula Looms as Top 2017 Issue for Lawmakers
The top issue for Mississippi's Legislature when it returns Tuesday is education funding, but Republican leaders' plans remain to be seen.
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Putin Says Russia Won't Expel Diplomats; Trump Offers Praise
President Vladimir Putin castigated the United States on Friday for trying to punish Russia but said his country will not immediately retaliate and instead will wait for a new U.S. …
