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Nissan Declines Talks with Union After Mississippi Rally
Nissan Motor Co. has declined to talk to union supporters about conditions at its Mississippi assembly plant after a March 4 pro-union rally headlined by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
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Health Care
White House Abandons Negotiations with GOP Lawmakers, Demands Friday Vote on Healthcare
WASHINGTON (AP) — Abandoning negotiations, President Donald Trump on Thursday demanded a make-or-break vote on health care legislation in the House, threatening to leave "Obamacare" in place and move on …
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Health Bill Vote Delayed in House in Setback to Trump, Ryan
GOP House leaders delayed their planned vote Thursday on a long-promised bill to repeal and replace "Obamacare," in a stinging setback for House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump …
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Dwight Clark
There may not have been any NFL game in the 1980s more important than the 1982 NFC Championship Game. The game was a turning point in the fortunes of both …
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Saints Sign Te’o
By bryanflynnWhile we wait to hear about a possible deal between the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots for cornerback Malcolm Butler, the Saints still are working on fixing their defense, which was one of the worst in the league. It has gotten linebacker help with the poaching of former Carolina Panthers linebacker A.J. Klein.
New Orleans signed former San Diego Chargers linebacker Manti Te’o to a two-year deal. No financial details have been released, but it seems like a good bet that the Saints got a good deal.
Te’o missed 13 games last season after tearing his Achilles tendon in week three of the season in a game against the Indianapolis Colts. The 26-year-old has spent a good deal of time on the injury list, as he has missed 26 games in his four-year career.
He is an impact player on defense and started 34 out of 38 games, when healthy, for the Chargers. After San Diego drafted him in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, the linebacker amassed 221 tackles, 2 interceptions and 1.5 sacks. Te’o was named co-captain of the Chargers for the 2016-2017 season.
New Orleans is starting to get a logjam at linebacker with Te’o, Klein and returning starter Craig Robinson, who all play inside linebacker. The Saints could try to move one player to outside linebacker, but will Te’o have the speed after the Achilles injury?
The Saints, barring another trade, still have two first-round draft picks to use in late April. New Orleans is making an effort to improve its defensive unit.
Te’o was a star at the University of Notre Dame and led his team during his senior season of 2012 to the national championship game. He finished second for the Heisman Trophy that season.
Casual fans might remember the linebacker being misled in one of the more public versions of “catfishing” (when someone pretends to be someone else on the Internet and enters in online relationships with others. MTV produces a show on the subject.)
The linebacker thought he was having an online relationship with a woman, but in truth the woman wasn’t real, and he was being deceived. Things got worse. He told people that his girlfriend, who wasn’t real, had died. In real life, his grandmother had died around the same time.
It was one of the more bizarre sports stories in the last few years. Many believed the linebacker was in on the hoax until it was proven that he had been tricked.
Since entering the league, Te’o hasn’t be involved in any strange stories. The only time he makes the news is for playing or being hurt.
New Orleans doesn’t have to worry about him bring bad press because he has been drama free since joining the league four years ago. But the hoax of a fake-dead girlfriend might be what the public eventually remembers about the linebacker.
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Cover
Cruel & Unusual? The Death Penalty’s Trials in Mississippi
The State of Mississippi is litigating legal challenges to the state's lethal-injection law directly. Mississippi last executed a prisoner in June 2012, Mississippi Department of Corrections records posted online show.
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Americans for Prosperity: Online Sales Tax is Wrong for Mississippi
The Jackson Free Press recently published an editorial criticizing my organization, Americans for Prosperity, for opposing a bill that would impose sales taxes on all online purchases made in Mississippi—even …
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Crime
A ‘Gang,’ By Any Other Name
The word "gang" means different things to different people—and the realities of organized gangs in U.S. cities have shifted over the years. One result is that many of them are …
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Biz Roundup
New Stage Theatre, Butler Snow, Innovate Mississippi
New Stage Theatre recently announced Early Bird registration for its 2017 Summer Camps for students currently enrolled in grades one through 11 from now through May 1.
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Health Care
Ryan: More Help for Older People Needed in GOP Health Bill
Days before a pivotal vote, House Speaker Paul Ryan said Sunday he will seek changes to a GOP health care bill to provide more help to older people.
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Comey: FBI Probing Links Between Russia, Trump Associates
FBI Director James Comey confirmed Monday that the bureau is investigating possible links and coordination between Russia and associates of President Donald Trump as part of a broader probe of …
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Education
Groups Seek to Open 9 Charter Schools in Mississippi, Two in Jackson
Nine charter school operators say they're interested in opening new schools in Mississippi.
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BlindFromDaTruth
Steven McClenty II, known in local hip-hop circles as BlindFromDaTruth, has been building up his skill as a rapper and producer for nearly a decade.
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JPS Shrinks as Charters Pull Students, Money
In Dr. Freddrick Murray's view, Jackson Public Schools has to be proactive to get in front of the myriad problems the district faces, from decreasing enrollment and funding at most …
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‘One Lake’ Tax Sails Forward
Previous plans to dramatically remake the portion of the Pearl River that flows through the Jackson metropolitan area ran aground, but legislation is sailing toward the governor's desk that would …
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UMMC Facilities Closing, MDA Collaboration on Verizon Innovative Learning App Challenge
University of Mississippi Medical Center announced in a release last week that University Wellness Center Downtown and University Wellness Center Northeast in Jackson will both close on April 1.
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Theresa G. Kennedy
The Women's Business Center of Mississippi named entrepreneur and activist Theresa Kennedy as the organization's new director on March 1.
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Health Care
Congress' Analyst: Millions to Lose Coverage Under GOP Bill
Fourteen million Americans would lose coverage next year under House Republican legislation remaking the nation's health care system, and that figure would grow to 24 million by 2026, Congress' nonpartisan …
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Business
Volkswagen Pleads Guilty, Agrees to $4.3 Billion Fine
Volkswagen pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy and obstruction of justice and agreed to pay a $4.3 billion penalty for a brazen scheme to program nearly 600,000 vehicles to cheat on …
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Development
Infrastructure Funding Alive in Mississippi House
Repairing the state's roads and bridges may still be a priority of the Mississippi House of Representatives, with members voting to increase funding for infrastructure by about $150 million starting …
