AP source: coach Sean Payton resigns from New Orleans Saints
By BRETT MARTEL NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, whose 15-year tenure with the club included its only Super Bowl championship and also a one-season suspension…
Author: Associated Press
Mississippi working on plans for pandemic relief money
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi senators are taking the first steps toward spending some of the $1.8 billion the state is receiving from the federal government for pandemic relief. Senators passed bills Monday to put $104.6 million…
Black Mississippi senators protest vote on race theory bill
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Black lawmakers walked out in protest Friday and withheld their votes as the Mississippi Senate passed a bill that would ban schools from teaching critical race theory. The state superintendent of education has…
Meat Loaf, ‘Bat Out of Hell’ rock superstar, dies at 74
By HILLEL ITALI NEW YORK (AP) — Meat Loaf, the heavyweight rock superstar loved by millions for his “Bat Out of Hell” album and for such theatrical, dark-hearted anthems as “Paradise By the Dashboard Light,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t…
Louie Anderson, Emmy-winning comedian, dies at 68
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Louie Anderson, whose more than four-decade career as a comedian and actor included his unlikely, Emmy-winning performance as mom to twin adult sons in the TV series “Baskets,” died Friday. He was 68. Anderson died at…
Shooting near Mississippi State University injures 2 people
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Authorities are investigating a shooting near Mississippi State University that injured two people. The university said in an alert Thursday evening that the suspected shooter was seen running toward the campus after gunshots were fired at…
Mississippi House OKs bill on equal pay for women and men
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi employers would be required to pay women and men the same amount of money for the same work, under a bill that passed the state House on Thursday. But an advocate…
Bill banning critical race theory goes to Mississippi Senate
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi Senate committee on Thursday advanced a bill that would ban schools from teaching critical race theory, even though the state superintendent of education has said the theory is not being taught…
Woman killed in triple shooting in Mississippi; arrest made
FOXWORTH, Miss. (AP) — A Louisiana woman is in custody accused in a shooting in Mississippi that left one dead and two others wounded. Deputies were called to an area of Highway 587 in Foxworth late Tuesday, WLBT-TV reported. Foxworth is an…
Gators fouled by diesel spill get a scrubbing, teeth cleaned
By JANET McCONNAUGHEY and MATTHEW BROWN NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Wildlife rehabilitators are decontaminating dozens of alligators, brushing their pointy teeth and scrubbing their scaly hides in the weeks after a pipeline rupture dumped 300,000 gallons (1.1 million liters) of diesel fuel…
Medical marijuana proposal moves to Mississippi Senate
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A bill to create a medical marijuana program is headed for debate in the Mississippi Senate in coming days. Senate Bill 2095 passed the Senate Public Health Committee on Wednesday. It would allow a person with a…
Mississippi House takes 1st step to approve tax cut plan
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi would phase out its income tax, reduce the sales tax on groceries and set a higher sales tax rate on many other items, under a bill that advanced Wednesday through the…
Mississippi Senate set to vote on revamped US House map
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Senate on Wednesday is expected to approve a plan to redraw the state’s four congressional districts. The plan passed the House last week mostly along party lines, with Republicans and…
Mississippi House panel OKs bill to phase out income tax
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi House is working on a proposal to phase out the state income tax, reduce the sales tax on groceries and increase the sales tax on many other items. The House Ways and Means Committee…
Separate plans propose raises for Mississippi teachers
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi House and Senate are pushing forward with separate plans to give pay raises to teachers. The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday passed House Bill 530, and the whole House could debate the bill in…
Mississippi tax revenue is up; how will that affect a plan to cut income tax?
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi government collected more money during the first half of this budget year than it did during the same period a year earlier. State budget years begin July 1. New figures from the Legislative Budget Office…
Mississippi art shop sees deluge of orders after HGTV show
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) — A south Mississippi art shop is shipping artwork across the U.S. and as far as Canada and Germany after a Walter Anderson print was featured on the HGTV show “Home Town.” Show hosts Erin and…
Alabama, Georgia receive warm welcome in frigid Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Coach Nick Saban walked off Alabama's team plane Friday night to a cold, harsh reality. When he returns to the airport for the final time this season, the Crimson Tide will either be celebrating another national championship…
Hollywood legend Sir Sidney Poitier has died
Sir Sidney Poitier, the first black actor to win a best actor Academy Award, has died. Poitier was 94 years old. NBC's Mark Barger looks at his incredible 71-year career.…
Mississippi House OKs congressional remap amid objections
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Republican-controlled Mississippi House on Thursday approved a plan to redraw the state’s four congressional districts. The 76-42 vote was mostly along party lines, with Republicans and one independent in favor and…
Biden marks year since attack: ‘I will stand in this breach’
By MARY CLARE JALONICK, LISA MASCARO and ZEKE MILLER WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday delivered what he declared was the “God’s truth” marking the first anniversary of the U.S. Capitol insurrection, the violent attack by Donald Trump’s supporters that has…
Former social worker sentenced for sex crimes with minors
IUKA, Miss. (AP) — A former social worker with the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services has received eight years in prison for sex crimes involving two teenage boys under her care. Lauren Rose Cavness, 27, of Tishomingo, appeared Wednesday…
Mississippi lieutenant governor tests positive for COVID-19
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS and LEAH WILLINGHAM JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann has tested positive for COVID-19 after the opening day of a legislative session when Hosemann and many other people were walking around the Capitol…
DNA test identifies man’s remains found in South Mississippi
MOSS POINT, Miss. (AP) — Authorities have used a DNA test to identify the skeletal remains of a man found nearly two months ago near the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr. said Tuesday that the person was…
‘Mudi’? Try a toy: American Kennel Club adds 2 dog breeds
This undated photo, provided by the American Kennel Club, shows the Russian Toy breed. The American Kennel Club announced that the Mudi and Russian Toy have received full recognition, and are eligible to compete in the…
Mississippi legislators begin session, face marijuana debate
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi legislators began their three-month session Tuesday, and the mother of a man with chronic medical problems implored them to create a medical marijuana program, despite objections from Gov. Tate Reeves. The…
Stranded drivers endure frigid night on impassable highway in Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Hundreds of motorists waited desperately for help Tuesday after a winter storm snarled traffic in Virginia and left some drivers stranded for nearly 24 hours in freezing temperatures along an impassable stretch of interstate south of…
Mississippi COVID-19 hospitalizations rise as cases spread
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Hospitalizations for COVID-19 continue rising rapidly in Mississippi as new cases proliferate. The state Health Department reported Monday that 695 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were hospitalized Sunday. That is up from 265 hospitalized two weeks earlier, on Dec.…
Analysis: Mississippi legislators face full agenda in 2022
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi legislators begin their three-month session on Tuesday with a clear idea of several issues that will come up for debate. One of the first orders of business will be adopting a plan to redraw the state’s four…
Colorado wildfires burn hundreds of homes, force evacuations
DENVER (AP) — An estimated 580 homes, a hotel and a shopping center have burned and tens of thousands of people were evacuated in wind-fueled wildfires outside Denver, officials said Thursday evening. At least one first responder and six others…
Mississippi receives over $500M for K-12 school support
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi is receiving $543 million from the federal government to implement health measures to keep K-12 schools open during the ongoing pandemic and provide internet access, tutoring and mental health support to students. The money is…
Sandra Jaffe, co-founder of Preservation Hall, dies
By REBECCA SANTANA NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Sandra Jaffe, who co-founded Preservation Hall in New Orleans, introducing countless people to jazz through the intimate French Quarter venue over six decades, has died. Jaffe died Monday, her son Ben Jaffe, creative…
Tucker, who prosecuted Mississippi corruption, dies at 82
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — James B. Tucker, an attorney who prosecuted corrupt Mississippi public officials during a 30-year career with the Justice Department, died Tuesday. He was 82. His death was announced Wednesday by the Butler Snow law…
Anger management ordered for officer who knelt on man’s back
VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi police officer has been ordered to take an anger management class after a video showed him pushing a man down during an arrest and forcefully pressing his knee into the man’s back. Vicksburg police…
Officer suspended after video shows him kneeling on man
VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi police officer has been suspended with pay after a video showed the officer pressing his knee into the back of a man who was being arrested. The video, shot by an onlooker, shows Vicksburg…
John Madden, Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster, dies at 85
By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster whose exuberant calls combined with simple explanations provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades, died Tuesday morning, the league said. He…
Holiday Bowl scrapped as virus issues hit UCLA before kickoff
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Holiday Bowl became the fifth postseason college football game to be canceled when UCLA was forced to pull out just hours before Tuesday’s kickoff because of COVID-19 issues with the team. The game was scheduled…
Experts pull documents, money from Lee statue time capsule
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Conservation experts in Virginia’s capital Tuesday pulled books, money, ammunition, documents and other artifacts from a time capsule found in the remnants of a pedestal that once held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The lead…
US move to shorten COVID-19 isolation stirs confusion, doubt
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials' decision to shorten the recommended COVID-19 isolation and quarantine period from 10 days to five is drawing criticism from some medical experts and could create confusion among many Americans. To the dismay of some authorities, the…
Space telescope launched on daring quest to behold 1st stars
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer The world’s largest and most powerful space telescope rocketed away Saturday on a high-stakes quest to behold light from the first stars and galaxies and scour the universe for hints of life. NASA's James…
Mississippi reports jump in COVID cases over 5 days
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi State Department of Health is reporting more than 7,000 new COVID-19 cases over a five-day period. The department posted new numbers Monday, covering cases confirmed from Wednesday through Sunday. The state is seeing a significant increase…
7 people wounded during shooting at party in Mississippi
FAYETTE, Miss. (AP) — Seven people were shot and wounded during a Christmas party at a small town in southwestern Mississippi. The shootings happened early Sunday at the Fayette Community Center. Five of the wounded were taken to Merit Health…
Flight cancellations snarl holiday plans for thousands
By TALI ARBEL NEW YORK (AP) — Airlines continued to cancel hundreds of flights because of staffing issues tied to COVID-19, disrupting holiday celebrations during one of the busiest travel times of the year. FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, noted nearly 1,000 canceled flights entering,…
Man arrested, accused of trying to dig up Mississippi grave
MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) — A man has been arrested for allegedly digging up a grave at a cemetery in Mississippi. Meridian Police Sgt. Heather Luebbers said officers responded Christmas Eve to a call about two men walking around a cemetery…
Keeping track of Santa Claus as he makes his way across the globe on Christmas Eve
By JAMES ANDERSON Associated Press PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) — Rest assured, kids of all ages: Santa’s coming this Christmas Eve, and a second holiday with COVID-19 won’t stop him. That’s the word from the joint U.S.-Canadian military…
US jobless claims unchanged at 205,000
By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits was unchanged last week, remaining at a historically low level that reflects the job market's strong recovery from the coronavirus recession last year. Jobless claims remained…
Kim Potter guilty of manslaughter in Daunte Wright death
By AMY FORLITI and SCOTT BAUER MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jurors on Thursday convicted a suburban Minneapolis police officer of two manslaughter charges in the killing of Daunte Wright, a Black motorist she shot during a traffic stop after she said…
US adds Merck pill as 2nd easy-to-use drug against COVID-19
By MATTHEW PERRONE WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators on Thursday authorized the second pill against COVID-19, providing another easy-to-use medication to battle the rising tide of omicron infections. The Food and Drug Administration authorization of Merck’s molnupiravir comes one…
NHL announces players won’t be allowed to go to Olympics
By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer The inevitability sunk in for Steven Stamkos a full day before the NHL made it official that players would not be allowed to participate in the Beijing Olympics. Left off Canada's Olympic roster in…
Pause on student loan payments is extended through May 1
By COLLEEN LONG WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Wednesday extended a student loan moratorium that has allowed millions of Americans to put off debt payments during the pandemic. Under the action, payments on federal student loans will remain…
