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City & County
Azia’s Picks 4-9-21
What you got up for this weekend? If you’re still wondering, take some time to read through my upcoming picks. Looks like it's going to be a wet weekend, so …
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Health Care
Obamacare Presents Complex Choices For People With Disabilities
The Affordable Care Act has set new standards—called essential health benefits—outlining what health insurance companies must now cover.
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City & County
Jackson Restricts Anti-Abortion Activists With New Buffer Zone, Noise Law
Anti-abortion protesters in Jackson will now have to voice their concerns standing at least 15 feet away from the Jackson Women's Health Organization in Fondren, and will no longer be …
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City & County
Lawyer in Flowood Officer-Involved Shooting Wants Video, Answers
On the evening of March 8, a Flowood Police Department officer unloaded his gun into Von McDavid's car somewhere between four and eight times.
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Crime
Fellow Inmate Convicted for Murder of Choctaw Activist in Neshoba Jail
On Thursday, more than two years after activist Rexdale Henry of the Choctaw tribe of Native Americans turned up dead in a Neshoba County Jail cell, a jury found Justyn …
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City & County
Town Hall: Reduce Youth Crime with Less Incarceration, More Engagement
The room was nearly packed on July 14 at Millsaps College as concerned members of the community gathered for a town-hall meeting on preventing violence, gang interruption, and alternatives to …
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LGBT
UPDATED: ADF to Defend Bryant in HB 1523 Appeal, Emails Reveal Outside Groups' Influence
In a court filing Wednesday, Roberta Kaplan, one of the lawyers representing plaintiffs in the case that made the "Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act" unconstitutional, revealed numerous emails …
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Education
MSU Homecoming Week, Millsaps Grant and Belhaven Tuition Exchange
Mississippi State University will hold its Homecoming Week from Sunday, Oct. 28, to Saturday, Nov. 3. A press release states that the theme of the event is "Old is Gold: …
Entry
Six Reasons NFL TV Ratings Are Down
By bryanflynnThere has been plenty of talk this week about the state of TV ratings for NFL games. Currently, the league is experiencing a dip of 10 to 11 percent in the ratings from the previous season.
Everyone is speculating what is causing the ratings to drop, but there is no magical answer to the decline in viewership.
But here are my reasons, from smallest to biggest.
6. Scandals
It seems like the scandals never end in the NFL—Bountygate, Conclusions, Deflategate, domestic violence by players, and so on and so forth.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see fans stop tuning in because they are tired of hearing about a different scandal each week. After a while, everyone gets fed up with the constant, never-ending negative news coming out of the league.
These fans will probably return around the playoffs as long as another giant scandal doesn’t grip the league for the rest of the season. If the scandals keep up, these fans could find something else to watch.
5. Anthem Protest
Just look on Facebook or other social media sites, and you will see articles on folks protesting the protesters in the NFL.
Since players started kneeling during the national anthem, fans have supported and criticized the players involved. Those who dislike the protest have decided not to watch.
Casual fans and those who don’t follow a team regularly are probably the ones more likely to not watch because of the anthem protests. Hardcore Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and other national-team fans are going to tune in each week.
These fans will come back at some point, but they will probably not watch while they are mad at the players. Few people are that upset over the players to not watch at all, so in reality, this could make up a small number of viewer loss.
4. MLB Playoffs
The ratings for the MLB playoffs are up this year. Why? Because fans have strong interest in the teams still alive this postseason.
They want to see if the Chicago Cubs can break their curse and win their first World Series since 1908. They want to see if the Cleveland Indians can win their first World Series since 1948.
With the playoff games on TBS, MLB Network and FS1, fans are finding channels they don’t normally tune into and watching this postseason.
MLB’s postseason is going to steal more casual fans from NFL games. Everyone wants to see something they have never seen before, and a ton of people have never seen a Cubs or Indians team win the World Series.
These fans will return to football once the World Series is over in late October or early November, depending how long the series lasts. This is one of the few times in recent years that the MLB playoffs have been more compelling than the NFL regular season.
3. Too Much NFL
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Crime
Day 4 of DA Smith Trial All About Jail Visits
Staff from the Raymond detention center and criminal defendant Christopher's Butler's old attorney, Sanford Knott, dominated the much of day four of the trial of Hinds County District Attorney Robert …
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College Football: A New Top Dog?
An announcement is expected Wednesday.
Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen is expected to be named the new football coach at Mississippi State, ESPN and The Clarion-Ledger is reporting.
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State of the State Tonight
Gov. Haley Barbour will deliver the twice-delayed Mississippi State-of-the-State speech tonight at 6 p.m. The speech, postponed because of water issues in Jackson, will air live on Mississippi Public Broadcasting …
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Miami Not-So-Nice
The NBA playoffs have been going for — what, two months now? — and the last first-round series finally ends on Tuesday night. The New Orleans Hornets and Miami Heat …
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The Best Sports Writer?
Who's the best sports writer in America? Slate's Ben Yagoda casts his vote for Sports Illustrated's Gary Smith (who wrote an incredible story in the June 16 SI). Dr. S …
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College Baseball: Rebels, Eagles Win
Ole Miss probably clinched a trip to the NCAA Regionals on Wednesday with a 4-1 victory over Georgia in the first round of the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. The …
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CHAMPIONS!!
Delta State's baseball team defeated Grand Valley State 12-8 on Saturday night and won the school's first Division II national baseball championship. In case you're counting, that's the second national …
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College Baseball: Blazers and Boo
Belhaven pitcher Craig Wescott is a finalist for the Ferriss Trophy, the annual award for Mississippi's top college baseball player, along with Ole Miss' Scott Bittle and Southern Miss' Brian …
