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Politics
Foster Care Legislation: ‘The Beginning to an End of Madness’
The state's foster-care system, now housed under MDHS as the Division of Family and Children's Services, must comply with a court order in the Olivia Y lawsuit to avoid federal …
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Sports
SEC, Major Conferences Get More Power
The biggest schools in college sports are about to get a chance to make their own rules.
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Crime
‘Hot’ Madison Police Pursuit Under Investigation
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations is reviewing policies of the Madison Police Department after its officers engaged in a high-speed pursuit through the streets of Jackson on Sunday, Feb. 23.
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Editor's Note
You’ve Got Mail
Rather than being disheartened that so much slips under the radar, it's a relief to learn just how wrong people are when they say, "There's nothing to do in Jackson."
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Sports
MHSAA: Noble But Wrong About Callaway
A Mississippi High School Athletic Association rule from 1938 prevented Callaway High School from participating in the Dick's Sporting Goods High School Nationals.
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City & County
Jackson: All About Community
We live in a place where hospitality means everything, and it always amazes me that many people who move to the suburbs seem to lose that sense of community.
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Person of the Day
Drew Mellon
For Clinton native Drew Mellon, the U.S. director for international nonprofit The Hard Places Community, his connection to Cambodia isn't a question of geography, but of compassion and calling.
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City & County
Funding Cuts Could Put Women and Children Out
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is urging Jackson to move toward funding rapid-rehousing programs instead of emergency shelters. In fact, they have a put a cap on …
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Biz Roundup
While Stores Prepare for the Holidays, UMMC Prepares for Ebola
With the holiday season approaching, the Outlets of Mississippi (200 Bass Pro Drive, Pearl) is preparing a number of events to celebrate the season beginning this weekend.
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Civil Rights
On Punishment
An attorney friend put it best when she told me that equality and progress can't just mean taking the same broken system that victimizes black and brown folks and applying …
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Failed Launches Cast Shadow Over Russian Space Program
Back-to-back rocket launch failures have dealt Russia one of the heaviest blows to its space industry since the Soviet collapse—with national pride and billions of dollars at stake.
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Food
How to Not Waste Food
I'm really good at wasting food. I go to the grocery store and drop a fairly decent sum of money on healthy groceries, and then, somehow, I find a reason …
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LGBT
A Long, Long LGBT Road
Cameron Stewart and Amber Cameron have been together five and a half years. About a year ago, the couple had a backyard wedding ceremony with vows and commitments—but because they …
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Business
Casinos, LGBTs Still Allied in Face of SB 2681
To say that Mississippi, where citizens passed a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage in 2004, has been slow to cash in on the economic potential of embracing LGBT people and …
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Publisher's Note
On Beer, Progress and Summer
Every time we choose a local business, we’re making a choice to help enrich our local area.
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Hitched
Bride On A Budget
The adage proved true for my wedding: If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. It wasn't necessarily that I thought no one else could do …
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Education
Public Education Lawsuit, Explained
While Attorney General Jim Hood prepares his defense against former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove's lawsuit against the state for failing to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, advocates and politicians …
Entry
The Saints' Draft Graded, Other Mississippi Players Drafted
By bryanflynnMonths of preparation and work are over for NFL scouts as the 2016 NFL Draft wrapped up over the weekend. But that doesn’t mean the work ends for the players who are just beginning their professional careers.
To be honest, it is fun to make judgments about how well a team drafted, but in reality, it will be a couple of years before we really know how well a team did. That’s not going to stop me from trying to look to the future to see how this class shapes up for the New Orleans Saints and the other players drafted from Mississippi universities.
First, let’s take a look at the Saints draft.
New Orleans’ dreadful defense has been the biggest reason for lack of success. Last season, the Saints gave up an NFL worst of 29.8 points per game. It’s hard to win when every game becomes a shootout.
Part of the reason for that was the Saints gave up a NFL worst 4.9 yards per rush and 8.35 yards per pass. Again, it is hard for a defense to get off the field or win games when the opposing offense is in second and third down and short on every drive.
New Orleans had to use this draft to fix the team’s defensive ills if it wanted to make the most out of quarterback Drew Brees' final peak years. The Saints delivered on defense with first round and 12th overall pick draft pick, Sheldon Rankins out of the University of Louisville.
Rankins should be a run-stuffing interior lineman who can also become a stud pass rusher in sub packages.
A note on sub packages: You will hear that phrase a good bit in today’s NFL. It's when defenses get into their nickel-and-dime defenses.
This pick will be a success if Rankins helps improve a defense that gave up 129.8 yards per game, which was second worst in the NFL behind the Philadelphia Eagles. Winning on first and second down should help the Saints get off the field on third down.
The Saints selected wide receiver Michael Thomas out of Ohio State University in the second round with the 47th pick. This should be the replacement for Marques Colston.
Thomas is a big-body receiver, can make catches in traffic and should be a force in the red zone. He should help take some of the coverage from Brandin Cooks and help get Willie Snead open for more catches.
An extra note on Thomas: His uncle is former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson.
New Orleans went back to defense with its second of two second-round picks when the team traded with the New England Patriots to get Vonn Bell, also out of OSU, with the 61st pick. Bell has the abilities to cover like a corner, but he plays safety.
This pick will work in sub packages, as Bell can be used to cover a team’s slot receiver. …
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For Whom the Zell Tolls
Admittedly, we have a rough history of treating each other badly sometimes, and we stubbornly act against our best interests too often and—perhaps worst—we are notorious for sending up the …
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For Louis
Last week, my husband, JP, was leaving our house to go to work when he saw something huddled in the bushes. Just as soon as I had heard his key …
