Jackson Free Press

Christopher Epps, the long-tenured commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections has resigned effective today.

The letter of resignation he submitted to Gov. Phil Bryant did not state a reason for the unexpected departure nor has MDOC made one public.

The Clarion-Ledger cites "multiple sources" who confirm the existence of a federal probe, but the newspaper does not specify whether Epps is the subject of the investigation.

Epps had been the longest serving prison chief in state history.

Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove first appointed Epps to lead the agency in 2002; two subsequent Republican governors, Haley Barbour and Phil Bryant, kept Epps in place.

MDOC is searching for an interim commissioner.

Southern Living magazine has named Saltine in Fondren one of the South's best new restaurants. The write-up begins:

"You might not think Jackson, Mississippi, when you imagine robust oyster culture. And you might not expect to find a sleek eatery in a repurposed schoolhouse. But Jesse Houston has created such a spot, where he is wholeheartedly supporting a resurgence of American oystermen, such as Murder Point Oysters off Dauphin Island, Alabama. Inside a former elementary school that was built in 1927 in the city’s Fondren District, Houston has turned a series of classrooms into a nautical wonderland worthy of Jules Verne—complete with a massive octopus mural."

Congrats to Jesse and the crew! Hard work and creativity pay off.

Jackson Police Officer Melvin Williams was arrested today after a federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment against him for soliciting, demanding and accepting a bribe, U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and FBI Special Agent in Charge Donald Alway said in a press release today.

The indictment alleges that from February 2016, to September 2016, Williams solicited, demanded and accepted things of value totaling $5,000 dollars from an unnamed individual intending to be influenced and rewarded. Williams is scheduled for arraignment at 2:30 p.m. today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Ball.

The FBI is investigating the case and the and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Lemon is prosecuting the case. If convicted, Williams faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Daniel MacGregor is an abstract artist and photographer with a studio in Flowood, and one thing I look forward to daily is seeing what painting he will share next on Facebook. HIs Facebook page has hit the 1000-like benchmark for good reason: his paintings are vivid and rememberable. A common theme of his is a landscape of trees with a rainbow sky in the background - my personal favorite. He sometimes asks Facebook visitors to name his painting, so I like this level of interactivity between artist and viewer.

MacGregor also offers acrylic painting classes every Thursday from 7-9 p.m. The classes are only $15, and you get $5 off if you bring your own 11-by-14-inch canvas. More details here. Sounds like a good way to spend an evening!

Construction to replace a 90-year-old water line and three feet of Yazoo clay began today on West Street between Woodrow Wilson Avenue and Marshall Street.

The construction has forced the close of both southbound lanes from Woodrow Wilson Avenue to Millsaps Avenue, and one northbound lane in the same area. The city is suggesting vehicles over 12 feet wide take another route. Traffic is being detoured to State Street.

West Street sidewalks are also closed from Woodrow Wilson to Millsaps Avenue. Those sidewalks will be replaced during the process, but are not safe while construction is going on.

Neighborhood streets near the construction zone could be subject to closure as well, as crews will need to replace the water lines at each street as they get to them.

A press release from the city says the closures are expected to last two or three months. Once the work on the southbound side of the street is completed, similar restrictions will be put in place for the northbound side of the street.

The numbers are in, and it looks like the soon-to-be-law, one-percent local option sales tax won in every precinct last Tuesday.

The results, which you can view here, show that the vote received the highest support in north Jackson, but enjoyed widespread support throughout the city's seven wards.

The four wards with the highest turnout went overwhelmingly for the measure. To wit:

• Ward 35, which votes at Spann Elementary School in Ward 1, voted 475-34 in favor of the tax.
• Ward 45, which votes at St. Philips Episcopal Church in Ward 1, voted 463-48 in favor of the tax.
• Ward 46, which votes at Christ United Methodist Church in Ward 1, voted 689-90 in favor of the tax.
• Ward 83, which votes at New Hope Baptist Church in Ward 2, voted 648-38 in favor of the tax.

The Mississippi Association of Educators has endorsed Synarus Green in the District 72 House of Representatives special election.

"For generations, the Mississippi Association of Educators has worked to build opportunities for the people and communities they serve," Green said in a press statement. "I'm honored to have the support of MAE's members and leaders, and proud to stand with them as a champion for all our students."

Green is one of four candidates running for the District 72 seat that was vacated when former-Rep. Kimberly Campbell announced she would be leaving the House after the 2016 legislative session to take a position as the state director of AARP.

Read interviews with all the candidates in the District 72 special election race here.

Mississippi consumers will get a chance to protect themselves from becoming victims of identity theft courtesy of the sixth annual Shred Days.

Like a proud mother watching her child's first foray into the spotlight to glowing reviews, we at the JFP love to send links around the office of national stories realizing what we already know (that Jackson is pretty cool). Here are a couple stories circling our in-boxes this week:

The Atlantic Cities website published a story this morning called "Where Millenials Can Make it Now." The author, Nona Willis Aronowitz, traveled the country looking for the best cities for twentysomethings. She writes that she avoided "cities already deemed magnets for young, creative people—place like New Orleans, Austin, or Detroit." In the end she, chose nine cities, including Jackson. She puts Jackson into the category "Small Ponds for Big Fish" (Omaha, Neb., also makes this category), and describes our city thus:

"These are cities where creativity and entrepreneurship are on the rise, even as the rents remain reasonable. Chances are, small ponds have DIY art scenes: Omaha boasts a thriving start-up economy and the still-relevant force of Conor Oberst’s Saddle Creek Records while Jackson’s Fondren and Midtown neighborhoods have sparked a local art community. Yet even in the gentrified corners of town, the price points remain low by necessity, since most people aren’t making much money. And since there isn’t a shortage of space, local politicos are practically begging young people to take abandoned buildings and empty lots off their hands. Many of the twentysomethings I spoke with in these towns were on a first-name basis with the mayor or city council. One Jackson native was even running for office. These cities have a growing population of young people who would rather start something from the ground up and live cheaply than scramble anonymously in huge cities."

Aronowitz will be elaborating on her travels and the cities she chose over the next two weeks, so check back for more on Jackson.

Read her introductory story here: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/11/where-millennials-can-make-it-now/7454/

And keep an eye on the landing page for "Where Millenials Can Make It" for Jackson's full feature: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/special-report/where-millennials-can-make-it/

Another publication, the website Credit Donkey, recently named Jackson the fifth-best small city for starting over. The story comes from a study that took into account factors of population growth, income growth, unemployment rate and percentage of single adults. The idea is that these cities are great for mostly young, single folks looking for a new job and a new life. Here's how they described Jackson:

"If you’re single and hoping to start over in a new city, Jackson is one of our top locations for you, especially if you want some authentic Southern charm. With a strong music scene, particularly gospel and blues, Jackson is aptly nicknamed the "City with Soul." Literature lovers will want to visit the Eudora Welty House to explore the home and gardens of the Pulitzer Prize winner who wrote The Optimist’s Daughter. You can also visit the Medgar Evers Home Museum to learn about the civil rights activist’s contributions to our nation’s history."

See that story here: …

Last weekend, I happened by local television news and saw a report about Madison police officers going on a high-speed chase through the streets of Jackson—because of a problem that happened in the Target in Jackson, ending in a crash that seriously injured a bystander. Huh?

Also, looking at the website of the Starkville Daily News on Feb. 21, I had seen a short news report about Starkville police pursuing two teenagers through the streets of Starkville ending in a two-car collision. What were they charged with? "[S]uspicion of felony fleeing law enforcement officers." Huh? Starkville police pursued people in a dangerous chase that could injure or kill bystanders -- to charge them with fleeing? Why were they pursuing them in the first place, Daily News? (We're going to ask.)

The JFP has long reported about dangerous police chases, often in pursuit of non-violent criminals. Some of those chases end in serious injury or death. See this extensive report on the problem: "Code Blue: Police Pursuits Cost a Life a Day". It always amazes me that residents don't get more outraged (until one of their family members is killed) at these dangerous chases. And, even more startling, is how few questions local media often ask about the necessity of the chases.

I was pleased to see this release from the Jackson Police Department (which seems to have matured on this issue over the years). JPD is asking serious questions about why Madison police were engaged in dangerous pursuits outside their jurisdiction. Here is the statement, verbatim:

On February 23, 2014, the Madison Police Department engaged in a hot pursuit chase in that began in the Jackson city limits. Based on the information compiled by the Jackson Police Department, an alleged incident occurred at the Target Store in Jackson and outside the jurisdiction of the Madison Police Department. According to the incident reports Madison Police Officers engaged in a high chase pursuit without the authority or assistance of the Jackson Police Department. The Madison officers had no arrest powers for an alleged crime that occurred in the city of Jackson. There was no request for assistance to investigate a crime in Jackson. The officers only contacted JPD after they were already on scene at the Target Store and pursued a high speed chase.

The Jackson Police Department policy regarding high chase pursuits takes into consideration the inherent dangers of high speed chases on the public thoroughfares. The facts that have been presented to date did not show that a criminal act occurred that would justify a high speed chase. As a result of the action taken, at least one innocent by-stander was seriously injured. As a result of the actions taken by the Madison police officers, the Jackson Police Department has solicited the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations (MBI) to conduct an independent investigation. Public safety in the City of Jackson is this Department’s ultimate concern and responsibility. We encourage the assistance of other agencies but only within the …

Today, several southern Democratic Party heads, including Rickey Cole of Mississippi, signed a letter asking Bernie Sanders to stop characterizing southern voters as people who "distort reality":

The letter, posted on Politico, started in part:

We commend you on running a spirited campaign that has energized and mobilized a new generation of voters, but we are concerned about the way you and your campaign have characterized the South.

As you may recall in 2006, the Democratic National Committee chaired by former Vermont Governor Howard Dean took two historic steps towards diversity and inclusion. First, the DNC modified its Presidential Primary process and added South Carolina and Nevada (states with sizable minority populations) to join the historic early states of Iowa and New Hampshire. Governor Dean stated at the time that he “strongly believed in the importance of broadening participation in the nomination process to better reflect the rich racial, regional and economic diversity of the Democratic Party.” Second, Governor Dean initiated a 50-state strategy to strengthen the Democratic Party and amplify Democratic voices in all states and not just states traditionally dominated by Democrats.

The greatest asset we have as a party is our diversity—a diversity of cultures, religions, ethnicities, experiences, and backgrounds.

Yet over the course of this Democratic primary, you and your surrogates have sought to minimize Secretary Hillary Clinton’s victories throughout the South as a symptom of a region that, as you put it, “distorts reality.” You argue that the South is “the most conservative part” of America; implying states that traditionally vote Republican in a general election are not worth contesting in a Democratic Primary.

...

Southern Democrats already have to deal with Republicans refusing to expand Medicaid, deteriorating infrastructure, and the lack of adequate funding for our public schools. We need our national Democratic leaders to invest in our races and causes—to amplify our voices, not diminish them. In contrast, Hillary Clinton has spent her entire career trying to help people all across the South. She saw a region full of families and children of every color, and instead of diminishing them, she worked to build them up. She is committed to a long-term strategy of rebuilding our state Democratic parties, to assist candidates up and down the ballot, and to serve as a voice for the voiceless. She has not dismissed the importance of states that you have won, because she realizes s that to be President of the United States you have to be a champion for all of the states. To be leader of the Party, you have to be with Democrats in all states as well. That includes the ones you won and yes, even the ones you lose.

http://www.politicususa.com/2016/04/20/southern-democrats-revolt-demand-bernie-sanders-minimizing.html

Jackson State University gets to play in the opening game of the 2016 SWAC Baseball Tournament. It is going to be an early start for the Tigers, who face off against Texas Southern University at 9 a.m., Wednesday, May 18.

JSU earned the No. 2 seed in the East with a 14-10 SWAC record and 32-24 overall record. TSU is the No. 3 seed out of the West and finished with a 13-10 SWAC record and 21-25 overall.

Both teams didn’t meet in the regular season, so this matchup brings a little mystery to the tournament. This game is the first of four that will be played during the day at the MLB Urban Youth Academy's Wesley Barrow Stadium in New Orleans.

The Tigers enter the tournament as the best hitting team in the conference with a .322 average and second-best ERA at 5.31. Texas Southern is the fifth-best hitting team with a .275 average and fourth-best pitching staff with a 6.65 ERA.

JSU had six players earn All-SWAC honors at the end of the season. Shortstop Cornelius Copeland and outfielder CJ Newsome earned First-Team All-SWAC, and catcher Carlos Diaz, first baseman Jesus Santana, outfielder Bryce Brown and pitcher Miguel Yrigoyen earned Second-Team All-SWAC honors.

Texas Southern had one player on the postseason All-SWAC teams: pitcher Robert Pearson, who earned First-Team All-SWAC honors.

The winner of the opening game will play whichever team comes out on top between Arkansas-Pine Bluff University and Alabama A&M University at 3 p.m. on Thursday. The losers of both games will face each other at 9 a.m. on Thursday.

After JSU and TSU open up the tournament, the next game on May 18 will be between Alcorn State University and Grambling State University at noon.

The Braves are the No. 3 seed out of the East, having finished with a 10-14 SWAC record and 15-34 overall record. GSU is the No. 2 seed from the West after a 15-8 SWAC season and a 22-25 overall record.

Both teams played a pair of games this season. The Tigers won the first meeting 12-3 at Alcorn State, and the Braves won the second meeting 11-8 at Grambling State.

Grambling State is the third-best hitting team in the SWAC with a .290 average and the fifth-best pitching staff with a 7.12 ERA. Alcorn State is hitting .274 as a team for sixth in the SWAC and eighth in pitching with an 8.26 ERA.

ASU had one player on the postseason teams, with designated hitter Cedric Bell earning Second-Team All-SWAC honors. Meanwhile, the Tigers had six players on the Second-Team All-SWAC after the regular season.

The winner of the Alcorn State and Grambling State game plays the winner of the Alabama State University and Southern University game Thursday, May 19, at 6 p.m. The losers of the two games play at noon on Thursday.

The tournament features the top four teams from the East and the …

In the history of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, only once before now has a wife presented a husband entering the shrine. Kim Singletary presented her husband, Chicago Bear great linebacker Mike Singletary, in 1998.

That will change on Saturday, Aug. 6, when Deanna Favre becomes the second woman to present her husband, former Green Bay Packer and living legend Brett Favre, at the Hall of Fame. The pair met and began dating in high school before being married in 1996.

Brett said his first choice would have been his father Irvin Favre, who passed away from a heart attack on Dec. 21, 2003, at the age of 58. The Packers star went on to have one of the greatest games in his career the next night on Monday Night Football.

In that Monday night contest, Brett threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns, as the Packers blew out the Oakland Raiders 41-7. The quarterback returned to Kiln, Miss. after the game to lay his father to rest.

It only makes sense for Brett to pass the honor to his wife, Deanna. She was the one who called him and told him his father had passed.

She stood by Brett through his retirements and un-retirements, his admitting that he had an addiction to painkillers, his scandal of allegedly sending racy text messages to a New York Jets game day host and two massage therapists and other bumps in his stellar career.

“Deanna is the best teammate I’ve ever had,” Brett said in a statement. “She has been by my side throughout this journey and I’m so excited that she gets to play such an important role for me.”

“Serving as Brett’s presenter is a great honor. I am thrilled to be able share this special moment in time with him,” Deanna said in the statement.

The other members of the 2016 Hall of Fame Class are Edward J. DeBartolo Jr., who will be inducted by daughter Lisa DeBartolo; Tony Dungy, who will be inducted by former teammate Donnie Shell; Kevin Green, who will be inducted by former Carolina Panthers head coach and current Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers; Marvin Harrison, who will be inducted by Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay; Orlando Pace, who will be inducted by son Justin Pace; Ken Stabler, who will be inducted by Hall of Fame coach John Madden; and Dick Stanfel, who will be inducted by Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy.

The newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be inducted in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday, Aug. 6. On Sunday, Aug. 7, the Colts and Packers will face each other in the Hall of Fame Game, and the newest members of the hall will be honored on the field.

The game will be seen on ESPN and will kickoff at 6 p.m.

The New Orleans Saints are trying to fix a defense that was terrible last season. It was one of the worst in the history of the NFL, but this preseason was a chance to improve the unit.

The defense wasn’t completely horrible in the first preseason game against the New England Patriots, but four turnovers by the offense put it in bad spots. In all, the defense gave up 18 of the Patriots’ 34 points, but New England’s two touchdown drives needed just seven plays total.

Big plays hurt the defense, including a 44-yard run and a 56-yard pass in the loss. New Orleans failed to force a turnover and only had two sacks that night.

As New Orleans tries to rebuild the defense, some bad luck hit the unit on Monday, Aug. 15. During goal-line drills, first-round pick and 12th pick overall Sheldon Rankins went down with a broken fibula.

The injury will cause the potential star defensive tackle to miss six to eight weeks. Rankins had surgery to repair the injury on Tuesday, Aug. 16, and could return before the midpoint of the regular season.

Drafted out of the University of Louisville, Rankins had already shown the athleticism that made him a top-15 pick. He even intercepted Tom Brady during joint practices with the Patriots.

He was working with the first-team defense and had shown the normal growth of a rookie with good days and plays and bad days and plays during the early portion of training camp. Rankins was expected to play a big part in the rebirth of the Saints defense this season.

Now, New Orleans will need to get even better play from free agent pickup Nick Fairley. So far in camp, Fairley has been a bright spot and was expected to rotate behind Rankins.

The defensive tackle isn’t the only injury to the Saints defense this preseason. Second-year pass rusher Hau’oli Kikaha suffered a knee injury earlier this summer that could keep him off the field all season.

Linebacker Stephone Anthony injured his leg last week but is expected to return for week one of the regular season. The secondary has banged up players such as Keenan Lewis, who has a hip injury.

The worst part of Rankins’ injury is that he will miss valuable practice time to develop as a rookie. He can watch film and practice, but there is nothing like learning during practice, drills and preseason games.

New Orleans isn’t the only club to have its first-round pick lose time this preseason. So far, 10 of the 32 first-round picks have missed time dealing with some sort of injury.

Four of the top five picks have been hit with the injury bug at some point, and so has former University of Mississippi defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche.

Injuries are a part of football, and everyone else on the Saints defense will have to step up …

This week could end up being extremely fruitful for the New Orleans Saints. If there was ever a week to catch up in the NFC South and the playoff race, it is this week.

At 5-6, New Orleans sits two wins behind the 7-4 Atlanta Falcons, who lead the NFC South, and a game behind the 6-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Atlanta hosts the 8-3 Kansas Chiefs out of the AFC West, and Tampa Bay travels to face the San Diego Chargers, also out of the AFC West.

The Chiefs are solidly in the playoff picture and battling with the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos for the division title. San Diego is still alive in the AFC playoff picture but can’t afford to lose many more games.

If both the Falcons and the Buccaneers lose this weekend, New Orleans would move into a tie with Tampa Bay and end up just a game behind Atlanta. The Saints need to beat the Detroit Lions at home this Sunday, Dec. 4.

New Orleans must gain ground this week on Atlanta. The Falcons, after playing the Chiefs, face the 4-7 Los Angeles Rams, the 1-10 San Francisco 49ers, the 4-7 Carolina Panthers and the Saints to end the season.

Atlanta has a chance to win every game and the division, but if New Orleans can win out and get a little help from another team, the Saints could win the division. There is little room for error, but the Saints could be peaking right now.

New Orleans has played vastly better on defense over the past two months and is getting healthier by the day. The Saints’ offense has been its normal explosive self but needs to cut down on turnovers.

Catching Tampa Bay will be easier for New Orleans. The Buccaneers, after playing the Chargers, face the Saints, the 10-1 Dallas Cowboys, Saints (again) and Carolina.

If New Orleans can sweep the Buccaneers and get some help from, say, the Cowboys, then the Saints would easily pass Tampa Bay. The Saints would need help to get in the wildcard picture, with the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins, the Buccaneers and the Minnesota Vikings ahead of the team.

Dallas could really help New Orleans out with games against the Vikings, Giants, Redskins and Buccaneers, but New Orleans needs to keep winning, as well.

New Orleans just has to win its remaining six games, and the playoffs should be in reach. One loss might not hurt but more than one could end any postseason hopes.

The Saints will have something else to play for this weekend, too. Head coach Sean Payton is tied with Jim Mora for most wins in franchise history. Both coaches have 93 wins, and a victory over the Lions will mean that Payton has the most wins of any head coach in Saints history.

It would seem fitting to reach the …

The NCAA announced two rule changes for the men’s 2017 Postseason National Invitation Tournament. Those rule changes will make the NIT different from the Division I Men’s NCAA Tournament.

Fouls will be reset after 10 minutes of play each half, and the league will eliminate the one-and-one bonus free-throw opportunity. After a team commits four fouls, every successive foul will allow the opposing team to shoot two free throws until fouls reset.

In overtime, teams that commit more than three fouls will award their opponents with two free throws for each foul.

Technical fouls won’t count toward those numbers. Resetting the fouls will mimic how the game would work with four 10-minute quarters instead of two 20-minute halves.

The women’s game switched from two 20-minute halves just before the start of the 2015-2016 season. Olympic basketball, high-school basketball and the NBA play four quarters, so moving the men’s game to four quarters puts it in line with the rest of basketball. Of course, the length of the quarters is different for each level of play.

The other rule change is that the shot clock will stay the same or reset to 20 seconds, whichever is greater, after the defense commits a foul and a team inbounds the ball to the frontcourt. This rule change is to give each team more possessions. The shot clock used to reset to 30 seconds after defensive fouls.

The idea is that with more possessions, teams should score more points. As teams shoot more three-point shots, changing the shot clock might not actually increase scoring that much, though.

Personally, I like the idea of the men’s game playing four quarters. Each season, I watch more and more women’s basketball because it seems like the flow of the game is faster and smoother than it is for the men.

The NCAA should just go all in and make the NIT four quarters and see how the games play out. Between that and the foul changes, coaches will have to alter their decisions and late-game strategy.

If they’re discussing rule changes, can the NCAA Tournament exclude teams that don’t finish .500 or better in conference play? In the ESPN and Sports Illustrated bubble watch, there are several teams from major basketball conferences that could make the tournament with losing conference records.

Teams shouldn’t be rewarded for being worse than mediocre in their own conference. Playing in a tough basketball conference shouldn’t mean you get in the tournament if you can’t finish .500 in the league.

There are plenty of mid-major conferences with teams that finish above .500 in conference play, but the major conferences including the ACC, Big East and Big 12, that are getting shorted because of that rule.

Instead, reward those mid-major conferences with more bids. The field is 68 teams, but the major conferences get over-rewarded with bids and take up half the field. Those major conferences get bids that they …

The winner of the 143rd Kentucky Derby will need to navigate a full field of 20 this Saturday, May 6. Officially, 22 horses are eligible for the race, with Royal Mo and Master Plan as alternates, but they need two horses to withdraw by early Friday morning to be in the field.

Ben Huffman, Churchill Downs Racing Secretary, and Dan Bork, Churchill Downs Assistant Racing Secretary, pulled the post numbers at the event held at the Churchill Downs. The post-draw and early-line odds for the first leg of the Triple Crown of horse racing this morning, Wednesday, May 3 sets the stage for the one and one-quarter mile race.

Classic Empire drew the No. 14 post, and the horse is the early 4-1 favorite. Only two have won from the No. 14 post, with the last happening in 1961 when Carry Black won.

Good news for Classic Empire is that the betting favorite has won the derby the past four years, which is the longest winning streak for the favorite since the 1970s.

The co-second favorites at 5-1 odds are Always Dreaming, who drew the No. 5 post, and McCraken, who drew the No. 15 post. The last winner from the No. 5 post was California Chrome in 2014, and the last winner from the No. 15 post was Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in 2015.

Irish War Cry will break from the No. 17 post at 6-1 odds. No horse has won the derby from that position. At 6-1, Irish War Cry is the last of the four horses listed with single-digit odds.

No. 7 post Girvin is the first of four horses at 15-1 odds, with Hence next to him in the No. 8 post. Gunnevera out of the No. 10 post and Gormley from the No. 18 post are the other two horses at 15-1 odds.

Six horses are at 20-1 odds, with Lookin At Lee in the No. 1 post. Lookin at Lucky, the sire to Looking At Lee, also drew the No. 1 post in 2010 and was the favorite at 6-1 before the race, but he finished sixth.

Thunder Snow drew the No. 2 post, Irap drew the No. 9 post, J Boys Echo drew the No. 13 post Tapwrit drew the No. 16 post, and Practical Joke round all the horse at 20-1 odds. The rest of the field is full of extremely long shots.

Untrapped in post No. 4, State of Honor in post No. 6, Battle of Midway in post No. 11 and Patch in post No. 20 are at early 30-1 odds. Patch is an interesting horse in this race, as he is missing his left eye.

Fast and Accurate, which Olympic skier Bode Miller partially owns, will break from the No. 3 post. That horse and Sonneteer out of the No. 12 post are listed at 50-1 odds. Sonneteer hasn’t won a race in his career, and if he …

While no athletes from universities in our state won at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, there were strong performances. The University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University and the University of Southern Mississippi all saw athletes qualify for the meet.

USM junior Cra’vorkian Carson finished 18th overall in the 100 meters, reaching the semifinals to earn Honorable Mention All-American. His teammate, senior Emron Gibbs, placed 20th in javelin to ensure Honorable Mention All-American honors, as well.

The MSU women placed two athletes on First Team All-American and one on Second Team All-American. Junior Logan Boss placed fourth in the high jump, and junior Tiffany Flynn finished eighth in the long jump for First Team honors. Junior Rhianwedd Price landed on the Second Team with a ninth-place finish in the 1,500-meters.

Two Bulldogs men earned First Team honors in the same event. Junior Nicolas Quijera finished second in the javelin, as teammate and defending national champion Curtis Thompson, who is a junior, finished seventh.

The MSU 4x400-meter relay team of Stephan James, Rasheed Tatham, Charles Taylor and Juston Waters finished 15th for Second Team All-American honors. Senior Leah Lott finished 18th in the women’s long jump, sophomore men’s long-jumper Willie Reed finished 19th overall, and the men’s 4x100-meter team of Charles Taylor, Philip Smith, Stephan James and Lawrence Crawford placed 19th overall to earn Honorable Mention All-American.

UM junior Janeah Stewart racked up the honors. She placed fifth in the women’s shot put for First Team All-American honors, and ninth in discus and 10th in hammer throw for Second Team All-American honors.

Teammate Raven Saunders, who is also a junior, finished ahead of Stewart in shot put in fourth place to earn First Team All-American for the Rebels. Shelby Brown finished 23rd in the steeplechase, and the women’s 4x100-meter relay team of Deanna Tate, Breanna Tate, Shannon Ray and Nicole Henderson finished 19th to earn Honorable Mention All-American.

Three UM men earned First Team All-American honors. Senior Craig Engels finished third in the 1,500-meters, senior MJ Erb finished fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and junior Brian Williams finished fourth in the discus.

Junior Dempsey McGuigan finished in 10th place in the men’s hammer throw to become the only men’s athlete to earn Second Team All-American honors for the Rebels.

MSU men finished in 26th place overall, and the university’s women’s team finished 38th overall. The Rebels’ men finished in 19th place overall, and the UM women took 29th in the final standings. USM’s two participants didn’t earn points to place overall.

Months 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. …

What will the election of new Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba mean for our somewhat besieged city and the communities that surround it? (anyone who lives in the Jackson metro area and who doesn’t believe that as Jackson goes so goes the metro area is being both short-sighted and provincial). How will he choose to govern the city, and how will his lifetime of civil rights activism and his career as a defense lawyer influence his decision making and term as mayor?