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New Orleans Saints' Coach Suspended For 2012 Season, Draft Picks Lost

Well, it's official -- the NFL has levied its sanctions against the New Orleans Saints and they aren't pretty for the organization or for their head coach -- Sean Payton has been suspended without pay for a year; former defensive coordinator Greg Williams, who managed the "bounty" program that paid defensive players for dramatic plays and illegal hits, has been suspended "indefinitely" by the league. His suspension will be reconsidered by the commissioner after the end of the 2012 season. GM Mickey Loomis and assistant coach Joe Vitt will also be suspended, for 8 and 6 games respectively. The Saints were fined $500,000 and lose 2nd round draft picks in 2012 and 2013.

Gannett's ‘USA Today' Points to Flaws in Deals Programs

I couldn't help but notice that it was USA Today -- owned by the same company that owns the Clarion-Ledger and, of course, the extraordinarily creatively named "Deal Chicken" -- that published the story Daily Coupon Deals May Not Work For Buyers, Sellers over the weekend.

Quietly, Ds and Rs Kill Workers' Comp Bill

Thanks to a House Democratic caucus that remained unified combined with support from several Republicans, HB 555 died yesterday, and was killed off for good this morning when it came up for reconsideration.

Unity at Ole Miss

Yet another Rebel basketball season led by head coach Andy Kennedy ended in the NIT last night, when Ole Miss lost to Illinois State 96-93 in overtime in Oxford.

CNN Highlights Perks for Barbour Trustys

CNN is now reporting that in his last days in office, Gov. Haley Barbour's staff helped two mansion inmate workers secure driver's licenses and that those prisoners, David Gatlin and Charles Hooker, had new cars waiting for them when Barbour set the men free with his pardon pen.

Corps: One Lake Plan Seems to Work

Gary Walker, project manager for the Army Corps of Engineers' Vicksburg district, told members of the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District this week that flood reduction appears does possible in a proposed one-lake development along the Pearl River. Walker said he expects the Corps to issue a letter to that effect by the end of the week

Of Mats And Men

"You're just not gonna stop, are you?" I replied.

Mid workout, "The Devil" (my personal trainer) suggested that I try yoga. His reasoning was that it would help strengthen certain areas of my forty-year-old body and help with flexibility.

Cooper-Stokes Wants Weekly Council Meetings

Ward 3 Councilwoman LaRita Cooper-Stokes announced yesterday that she wants the City Council to hold weekly meetings. Right now, the council holds regular meetings every other week on Tuesdays, with special meetings on Mondays during the weeks when no regular meeting is scheduled. Here is the announcement from Cooper-Stokes, verbatim:

Flirting With The Idea

"3 miles tonight?" was all it said.

Late on a Tuesday afternoon, looking forward to an evening with nothing I had to do, I received a text from Terry, or "the devil," as I've come to call him.

Personhood Mississippi to Push for Amendment Again

Personhood Mississippi president Les Riley announced yesterday that the group will begin another petition drive to put a personhood initiative back on the ballot.

State Supreme Court: Barbour Pardons Valid

The roughly 200 acts of clemency Haley Barbour granted in his final days as governor are valid, according a 6-3 Mississippi Supreme Court decision handed down this afternoon.

Dead Man Running

It was a Saturday, which usually means a more relaxed environment at work, and I clipped along at a leisurely pace. It was easy to chat up my clients that day because I was trying not to think about what was to come later that afternoon.

Who Says There Are No 40-Year-Old Underwear Models?

I'm standing in front of my mirrored closet door, in nothing but athletic shorts and my running shoes, practicing my pose for a "before" picture. Yes, I said "before," meaning, down the road there should be an "after" picture, and I'm hoping there will be obvious results. As I round out my shoulders, shift my weight to the right hip and suck in ever so slightly, I'm not mortified with what I see, as long as I ignore the one love handle still peaking around my left side.

S.C. Republicans Want ‘Purity Pledge' from Candidates

In what sounds like a piece of political satire worthy of Steve Holland, a group of Republicans in South Carolina wants to make GOP candidates sign a "purity pledge" to promise marital fidelity. (I'll pause a moment to let you consider how many high-profile politicians of both parties this would disqualify.)

GOP Presidential Candidates to Court Mississippians

Newt Gingrich

From now until the Tuesday, March 13 Mississippi statewide primary, expect to see a lot of the Republican presidential candidates in Jackson and other cities around the state. The Mississippi GOP released a schedule this afternoon of campaign stops for several of the hopefuls. Below are the times and dates for each as provided by the state Republican Party:

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