| Thursday, June 4, 2026 |
| Area libraries invite children to dig into summer reading | |
 | From sitting for storytime to competing in reading challenges, area libraries have a full summer lineup set to entertain children in the Golden Triangle. Children's Services Assistant for Starkville-Oktibbeha Public Library, Erin Talbert, said the library will also host a reading challenge along with a range of themed events, like a Dinosaur Crew meeting set for 10 a.m. June 22 where librarygoers will get an up-close look at a velociraptor. Talbert said all events are free of charge and registration requirements, with the exception of the Open Frames Acting Lab, which is free but requires registration. Talbert said weekly STEAM events will take place at 10 a.m. on Mondays, during which representatives from different Mississippi State University departments will teach participants about science and technology. |
| LEARNIN' AT THE LIBRARY | |
 | Photo: Kids got to learn all about archaeology and anthropology at the Starkville Public Library on Monday. Kids who attended got to handle replica bones and make their own bones and hieroglyphics with the help of Dr. Molly Zuckerman and a crew from Mississippi State. |
| MSU Extension cuts ribbon on new LIFT R&R Center in Laurel | |
 | Children in the Pine Belt now have a new place to learn and play. The Mississippi LIFT Resource and Referral Network at Mississippi State University Extension held an open house Wednesday afternoon for the new facility. The Mississippi Department of Human Services funds the center. Leaders from both organizations, including Senator Don Hartness, cut a ribbon welcoming the service to Laurel. This is one of 30 LIFT centers in the Magnolia state. "People can just come in and sign in," said Lexie Voge, office associate for MS LIFT Extension MSU. "They can sit with their children and literally just play with toys and use our office supplies that we have to offer for the community. We are literally here to serve our community." |
| From rural Mississippi to JSI@HKS to the MPP Program: A Q&A with Lily Langstaff MPP 2027 | |
| Growing up in rural Mississippi, Lily Langstaff MPP 2027 never imagined she would one day pursue a master's degree in public policy. She was studying conservation biology as an undergraduate at Mississippi State University, when a formative summer internship in Washington, D.C. opened her eyes to the world of environmental policy. Lily's interest in policy and public service deepened when she joined the inaugural cohort of the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute at HKS (JSI@HKS), a rigorous seven-week summer program that prepares undergraduates for graduate programs in public policy and international affairs. As the first JSI@HKS Summer Scholar to enroll at HKS, Lily just wrapped up her first year of the Master in Public Policy (MPP) Program. We asked her to reflect on her journey to HKS and experience so far. Here's what she shared. |
| ERDC Alumni Association awards 11 scholarships | |
| The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Alumni Association recently announced the recipients of its 2026 scholarships. Eleven high-school graduates were recognized for their leadership, academic excellence, and promising futures in their respective fields of study. Supported by donations and successful fundraising events, the ERDC Alumni Association awarded a total of $11,000, including: Elizabeth Bednar, a graduate of St. Aloysius High School, will attend Mississippi State University with a major interest in Physics. Hayden Bell, a graduate of St. Aloysius High School, will attend Mississippi State University with a major interest in Microbiology. Laura Ertle, a graduate of Warren Central High School, received the Sills Engineering Scholarship. She plans to attend Mississippi State University with a major interest in Mechanical Engineering. Kinley Lott, a graduate of St. Aloysius High School, will attend Mississippi State University with a major interest in Biochemistry. Austin Watson, a graduate of Lake High School, plans to attend East Central Community College and Mississippi State University with a major interest in Mechanical Engineering. |
| Mary Means Business: Vicious Biscuit coming to Starkville | |
| The Vicious Biscuit is slated to open its second Mississippi location right here in Starkville. At the former Salsaritas (I miss her every day), the Vicious Biscuit website lists Starkville's location at 87 Cotton Mill Drive as "coming soon." The breakfast joint first opened in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, in 2018, expanding with franchise locations throughout the country, from Akron, Ohio, to Louisiana. I checked out the menu, and boy, it looks good, with great names to match, including the spicy hen solo, silence of the hams and SEC or sausage, egg and cheese. It just means more. ... Also in Starkville, a new boutique is coming to downtown. Lily Pad, an Oxford-based boutique, plans to open its Starkville location at 220 E. Main St., the former Fleur de Lis Flowers and Gifts location, on Aug. 1. Lily Pad celebrated 26 years this year, and from the looks of their website, they offer various women's clothing, gifts and Greek life apparel. |
| BuildHER construction camp returning to Golden Triangle | |
| The FORGE Golden Triangle Chapter is preparing to welcome 16 young women to its annual BuildHER Construction Camp, taking place June 8–12. Learn more here. Designed for girls ages 11 to 14, BuildHER Camp provides hands-on experiences that introduce participants to careers in construction and skilled trades while helping them build confidence, leadership skills, and awareness of career opportunities available throughout Mississippi. Now in its third year, the Golden Triangle Chapter's BuildHER Construction Camp continues to introduce young women to construction careers while helping address the industry's growing workforce needs. Throughout the week, campers will work alongside industry professionals and mentors as they explore a variety of trades and construction-related careers. Participants will engage in hands-on activities, leadership development sessions, and interactive learning experiences while gaining exposure to electrical work, plumbing, carpentry, interior design, lighting, roofing, concrete, heavy equipment operations, and other construction-related career pathways. |
| Mississippi's Hwy 15 Yard Sale Stretches From Newton to Maben | |
| Timothy Bozeman organizes the Hwy 15 Yard Sale twice a year during the first weeks of June and October, respectively. This year's June event is from Thursday, June 4, to Sunday, June 7. The Hwy 15 Yard Sale often draws in anywhere from 200 to 300 vendors, Bozeman said, with larger locations such as flea markets often having more than 50 vendors in one place along with food trucks and activities for visitors. The Hwy 15 Flea Market that served as the founding site for the sale typically has the largest concentration of vendors along the route, with space for more than 250 vendors both inside and outside the building. Other sites taking part in the Hwy 15 Yard Sale include The Emporium of Wonderful Things in Mathiston, the Maben Community Church in Maben and the Louisville Trading Co. in Louisville, as well as many independent vendors operating out of their homes, neighborhoods or local community and trading centers along Highway 15. "This yard sale is the perfect place to find vintage items like clocks, bottles, comic books, furniture, toys, clothes, home items -- you name it -- that you just won't find at any big ticket stores," Bozeman said. |
| Mississippi Power Foundation partners with The MAX for America250 | |
 | The Mississippi Power Foundation is partnering with the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX) to honor the country's milestone founding anniversary. As the United States celebrates 250 years, Mississippi Power customers can visit The MAX for just $2.50 per ticket, giving families the option to have an affordable, creative and cultural experience this summer. The promotion will run from June 1 to Aug. 30. "The MAX is an absolute gem in Mississippi that showcases and celebrates the Mississippians who have shaped the culture of our great nation," said Mississippi Power Foundation Director Arnie Williams. "What better way to honor our country's founding than by inviting our families and children in to encounter art, culture and creativity so that they may be our next generation of inspiring leaders." Additionally, the Mississippi Power Foundation is providing funding so that students in schools across the company's service area will have the opportunity to attend a field trip to The MAX during the 2026/2027 season. |
| Free tool to provide 'peace of mind' against property fraud in Lowndes County | |
| Chancery Clerk Cindy Goode remembers seeing advertisement after advertisement on television last fall related to fraud prevention. Goode said those advertisements, alongside a growing number of concerns from Lowndes County residents, made her realize how widespread issues related to fraud had become in the country and in the county. That's part of the reason she took to Facebook on May 26 to remind county residents that there are already steps they can take for free through her office's property fraud detection service. According to data published by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, 98 cases of property fraud were reported in Lowndes County last year The chancery clerk's service helps to alert residents specifically to potential cases of identity theft or fraudulent property transfers by notifying them about any new filings or alterations made to documents like mortgages and deeds filed in a resident's name. Any Lowndes County property owner or business can enroll in the alert system by entering their name, phone number and an email address on the service's website to enroll in the notification system. |
| New ownership at Highland Village in Jackson to be announced soon | |
 | Multiple sources have confirmed to the Clarion Ledger that upscale Jackson shopping center Highland Village is on the verge of being sold. Highland Village has been a staple in Jackson along Interstate 55 North since it first opened in 1960 with a supermarket and a five and dime store. According to Jeff Good, who owns the restaurant Bravo in Highland Village and has been a tenant for 32 years, a company named Asana Partners is in the final stages of doing its due diligence and is expected to complete the purchase this summer of the property that has been owned by WS Development since 2012. "About five or six weeks ago, (Asana) did a series of interviews with random tenants," Good said. "They were just asking questions about Jackson, about the shopping center and about our relationship with WS and about our businesses and what our plans are for the future. It was a good positive conversation. I am absolutely bullish on this." Good, who said he had recently signed a lease extension with Highland Village, went on to praise WS Development for what it accomplished during its timing owning the shopping center. "They really upped the game at Highland Village," Good said. As for his feelings about Asana, Good said he believes the future is bright. |
| Mississippi revenues show slight dip in May but remain $177 million above estimate for the fiscal year | |
| The latest report from the Legislative Budget Office on Wednesday shows total revenue collections in Mississippi for the month of May came in at $7.5 million or 1.36% below legislative estimates. However, with one month left in the fiscal year, Mississippi revenues remain $177.1 million or 2.63% above the estimate. The full year state revenue estimate is $7.552 billion. Notably, fiscal year-to-date total revenue collections through May 2026 are $76.9 million or 1.13% above the prior year's collections. The May General Fund collections were $20.3 million or 3.61% below the same month in the prior year for actual collections. That dip was seen in sales tax collections for the month that came in $12.4 million below the last year for the month and corporate income tax collections which were $7.6 million under the same month in the last fiscal year. Despite the continued phase out of the state income tax, individual income tax collections for the month of May were above the prior year by nearly $300,000. Mississippi will lower its state income from 4% to 3.75% in the coming year. |
| House select committee holds first hearing on government efficiency | |
| State agency leaders told lawmakers that day-to-day bureaucratic bottlenecks are slowing government operations more than budget constraints, during a hearing of the House select committee on government efficiency. The hearing focused on gathering information from agency heads about operational challenges. "I don't know exactly what some of y'all may already be doing. I just wanted us to get together and let everybody share," Rep. Steve Lott, co-chair of the Government Efficiency Select Committee, said. State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney said basic steps get slowed by government processes. "There's no way to run government like a business. It's impossible because of state and federal law," Edney said. Bob Anderson, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, said some limitations are written into state statute and tie the hands of agency heads. He cited a requirement that MDHS maintain an office in every county. "I'm statutorily required at MDHS to have 82 county offices. I need legislative support to move to a regional approach," Anderson said. |
| State Rep. Price Wallace died Wednesday | |
| Speaker Jason White shared Wednesday evening that State Rep. Price Wallace has died. "It is with heavy hearts that we pause to reflect on the passing of our friend and colleague in the Mississippi House of Representatives, State Representative Price Wallace," White said. Wallace served in the House since 2018 representing Rankin and Simpson counties in District 77. Wallace was a poultry farmer and consistent advocate for Mississippi agriculture. "Price was a proud Republican and an asset to our state. He was always so proud of his kids and certainly enjoyed the title of granddaddy," White added. "We will miss our friend in the House. Please join me in keeping his wife, Cindy, and his family in your prayers. A good man, may he rest in peace." Condolences to Wallace's family and thoughts of his service poured in late Wednesday. "This news hits hard. Price was more than a Representative to our family -- he was family," said Brad White, executive director of MDOT. "He loved Simpson County and loved the House of Representatives. His word was gold." |
| First U.S. screwworm case confirmed in South Texas | |
| The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday confirmed the country's first case of New World screwworm -- the parasitic fly poised to harm the state's $15 billion cattle industry -- in South Texas. The USDA tested a sample from La Pryor in Zavala County at the USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, lowa, confirming the infestation, Secretary Brooke Rollins said during a press conference about the case. The infested animal is a three-week old calf, and there have been no other detections so far. The USDA said in a social media post earlier Wednesday that it was testing a suspected screwworm sample and that it had already activated personnel on the ground and were working with local partners. State and federal officials had been bracing for the arrival of screwworm for months, fearing its potential impact to livestock and the agriculture industry at-large. Texas Agriculture Sid Miller criticized the federal government's response to screwworm as "slow, bureaucratic, and [an] incomplete response" in a press release on Wednesday shortly before the case was confirmed. |
| Oil industry warns Trump administration of price spikes within weeks | |
 | The oil industry is warning the Trump administration that a Hormuz-sized hole in the world's petroleum market is steadily draining inventories to levels that are likely to send global energy prices surging in the next several weeks, according to four executives. Industry executives have flagged the issue to senior White House officials and Cabinet members in recent weeks as part of the Trump administration's ongoing dialogue with the U.S. energy industry, the people said. The warnings came as recently as late last month as data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and other sources began showing that fuel makers were increasingly relying on oil and fuel from their storage tanks to replace products no longer arriving from the Middle East. A White House official denied that any senior members of staff have been warned privately by the industry about inventories. "Politico's anonymous sources are wrong," the official said. Executives from Exxon Mobil, Chevron and other oil companies are also raising the alarm publicly, warning last week that fuel prices are poised to jump if inventory levels continue their rapid decline. |
| Trump Says He Will Nominate Todd Blanche as Attorney General | |
 | President Trump said he plans to nominate Todd Blanche to be attorney general, giving a show of confidence to his former criminal defense lawyer, who has refocused the Justice Department to benefit the president's allies and target his critics. The president said during a private dinner at the White House Wednesday night that he would instruct staff on Thursday to start the process to make Blanche the "permanent attorney general." Trump said he believed the process would "go very quickly." Video of his remarks was shared on social media by White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino. Asked whether he thought Blanche could get enough votes to secure confirmation, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R, S.D.) told reporters, "it's hard to say ... this is an environment where nothing is a safe or sure thing." Blanche developed a close bond with Trump while helping him navigate several criminal cases after his first term, including a pair brought by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith during the Biden administration. |
| The GOP push to 'love thy neighbor' | |
 | When Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles posted Tuesday that "homosexuality has no place in America," it wasn't the first time he declared a certain group of people didn't belong in the U.S. The difference this time: His fellow Republicans called him out, publicly. "Saying that homosexuals have no place in America is idiotic, but it's also not reality," Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who publicly denounced Ogles' post, said in an interview Wednesday. "There's other statements on his Twitter account that I'm sure people find offensive. But in this particular instance, I felt it was important to push back." Along with Lawler, former New York Republican Rep. George Santos, who is gay, immediately responded to the post. Even more GOP members denounced Ogles' post to the press Wednesday, including Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who called it "untoward." "We're supposed to love our neighbor as ourselves. ... We're supposed to treat every single person with dignity and respect, whether we agree with them or not," Johnson said. "It's a Christian virtue, it's a biblical virtue, it's also an American virtue. It's part of who we are -- out of many, one. We're a melting pot." |
| Congress set to unveil AI draft that would preempt state laws | |
| Two key House lawmakers are set to unveil bipartisan artificial intelligence legislation on Thursday that would override some state AI laws and require top developers to disclose the safety and security risks of their new AI models, over a dozen people familiar with the forthcoming discussion draft told POLITICO. he rollout of the much-anticipated discussion draft by Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) represents the first significant bipartisan effort to advance AI legislation before Congress' August recess -- and the last realistic chance to craft federal rules governing the technology before the midterm elections. The 269-page framework would require top AI developers to create and implement plans to address the potentially catastrophic risks posed by their advanced models, including the potential for new systems to supercharge cybersecurity threats. It would also task third-party auditors with ensuring that AI companies comply with those plans But it's the proposal to preempt state rules on AI developers that has drawn the fiercest attacks from AI safety advocates and tech critics in both parties. |
| Trump allies are quietly planning for AI doctors as a physician shortage takes hold | |
 | Last summer, Amy Gleason became a true believer in the wonders of artificial intelligence. Her daughter Morgan had spent more than a decade battling a debilitating autoimmune disorder. But when the 27-year-old uploaded 16 years of meticulously kept medical records into ChatGPT, the machine reported that Morgan was suffering from a different ailment than the one diagnosed by doctors. The new assessment granted her entry into a coveted clinical trial. Gleason is not your typical mom. The leader of the U.S. DOGE Service, which she took over from billionaire Elon Musk, Gleason is now tasked by the Trump administration with bringing AI into the health care system as an adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. She's part of a cohort of MAHA and tech-allied officials who are quietly paving the way for a future in which AI chatbots and robots are an integral part of medical care: diagnosing illness and prescribing medicine with limited or no human oversight. The longtime Silicon Valley dream is taking shape, some entrepreneurs say, thanks in part to a new approach within the Trump administration. But this idea is on a collision course with the medical profession itself. Many doctors argue that the incursion of AI chatbots into medical care will introduce a range of new problems to an already-overburdened system, from misdiagnoses to eroding the medical judgment of clinicians. |
| Inside the $850 Million Obama Presidential Center | |
| This month's opening of the Obama Presidential Center is arguably the biggest investment in this city's South Side in more than a century. The 19.3-acre campus, built at a cost of about $850 million, is expected to attract approximately 700,000 visitors annually. Former President Barack Obama -- and many Chicagoans -- hope it becomes an engine for an economically challenged part of the city where he began his political career as a community organizer and state senator. The project has faced plenty of challenges. It was initially projected to cost around $300 million and took roughly five years longer than originally planned to build, after preservationists slowed construction in court and the pandemic brought delays. The complex will host a June 18 opening ceremony that is expected to draw most of the nation's past living presidents, before opening to the public the following day. Here's an early look at the museum as well as the broader campus commemorating the 44th president. |
| President Nora Miller honored for dedication and service | |
| Mississippi University for Women President Nora R. Miller has been recognized with several accolades for her distinguished record of academic leadership and service to her alma mater and higher education over the last 30 years. Miller was recently awarded an honorary doctorate, the university's highest honor. Each university is allowed to award two honorary doctorates per year, and the selections must be approved by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. Dr. Scott Tollison, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, made the announcement at spring commencement exercises. He was accompanied by Dr. Alfred Rankins, Jr., commissioner of higher education for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, and IHL Trustee Jerry L. Griffith. During spring commencement, Miller was also awarded the status of president emeritus in recognition of her years of leadership and service to the university. Additionally, the Medal of Excellence, the university's highest non-degree honor, was bestowed upon Miller at her retirement celebration in April. |
| Ferris, West to discuss Mississippi folk artists at UM Museum | |
| The University of Mississippi Museum will host "A Conversation with Bill Ferris & Milly West" from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on June 17. A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the talk at 6 p.m. The program will feature Bill Ferris, founding director of the Center for Southern Studies, author, scholar and folklorist, in conversation with photographer and former Southside Gallery owner Milly West, discussing "Mississippi Self-taught and Folk Artists in the Museum Collections." The discussion will explore the creativity, ingenuity and cultural storytelling of self-taught and folk artists represented in the museum's collection. Ferris and West both had personal relationships with many of the artists and will share stories and insights into their artistic inspirations and processes. Through paintings, sculpture, textiles, carvings and mixed-media works, the pair will examine how artists working outside traditional academic training have shaped the art and visual culture of the American South. |
| Ocean robot mission marks breakthrough in hurricane research | |
 | Although last year's hurricane season brought few U.S. landfalls, it marked a significant year for hurricane research using uncrewed surface vehicles. An uncrewed surface vehicle traveled through the eyewall of a Category 5 hurricane for the first time in history. The mini-ocean robot, called a C-Star, cruised through Hurricane Humberto last summer. NOAA and robotics company Oshen, in partnership with the University of Southern Mississippi, launched five uncrewed surface vehicles into the waters off the U.S. Virgin Islands last summer. "We put five of them out there in late August, early September, and sent them into the Western Atlantic. The idea was to kind of keep them out there and watch. Then ideally direct them into hurricanes, get them into hurricane eyewalls, collect data in extreme conditions," said Dr. Greg Foltz with NOAA. The deployment is the latest effort by NOAA to advance data collection to improve hurricane research and forecasting. |
| Mississippi Court of Appeals Brings 'Court on the Road' Program to Natchez | |
 | The 9th through 12th-grade students in the Miss-Lou Pre-Law Academy received a firsthand look at Mississippi's judicial system on Wednesday as the Mississippi Court of Appeals brought its "Court on the Road" program to Alcorn State University's Natchez campus. The event allowed students and members of the audience to observe a live appellate court proceeding before a three-judge panel and later ask questions about the judicial process. The court heard oral arguments in McGee v. State of Mississippi, case number 2025-KA-00161-COA. The appeal involves Shawnzell Lee McGee, sentenced to life imprisonment by Circuit Court Judge John R. White for a January 2019 homicide in Prentiss County. Amber Stewart of the State Public Defender's Office represented the appellant, while Alexandra LeBron of the Mississippi Attorney General's Office represented the state. Alfred Galtney, Alcorn State University compliance officer and a member of the academy's planning committee, said the experience helped students understand the role law plays in everyday life. "I hope they'll get an understanding of how law impacts society and the important role lawyers play in our everyday lives," Galtney said. |
| Summer camps at MC emphasize mission, growth, service | |
| The serenity of the Mississippi Christian University (formerly Mississippi College) campus in the days following Spring Commencement transforms into a vibrant hub of energy starting in June when more than 5,000 youths from across the Southeast and their sponsors will turn the Clinton campus into a lively summer campground for athletics and Christian service. According to Ken Gilliam, MC director of continuing education, summer camps at MC blend skill-building, spiritual growth and community service to leave a lasting impression on participants and the community. "The MC family allows students and staff to share their campus space and, as a result, forever change countless lives while fulfilling the University's commitment to the cause of Christ," Gilliam said. MC is a statewide leader for Christian camps. MC was the first site to host the Lifeway-sponsored combination camps of Centri-Fuge and Mission-Fuge. The camps host around 3,500 campers from throughout the Southeastern U.S. in three weekly sessions. MC also hosts a variety of athletics camps. |
| Technology helps some students with disabilities excel. Now it's leaving schools | |
 | Ninth grader Soraya Martin is a bubbly, social teenager who recently found a new passion. "I'm a very creative writer, I love to write stories for fun," she says. Stories come naturally to Soraya, but reading and writing don't. That's because she has dyslexia. "Academically, school has always been a really big challenge for me." Then last school year, she started using technology that allows her to do a number of things: dictate her writing rather than type, listen to books rather than read them on a page and take photos of notes on the board. It changed everything. Instead of getting caught up in whether a word is spelled right, Soraya finds that with speech-to-text built into her school laptop, she can simply let the words flow from her brain out of her mouth. "I started getting really good grades," she says. "It made me feel like ... I'm not stupid, I have so much to say and it just made me like 'I can do this, I can do school and I can be good at it." This, her mom, Heather Martin, says, is the kind of promise screens hold for students like her daughter -- students she worries are being forgotten in the nationwide backlash against screens in schools. Much of the pivot away from screens in schools has come from parents who are concerned screen use is getting in the way of their children's learning -- an argument Heather Martin hears in her own community. |
| 'Teachers Are Going to Hate It': How Social Media Apps Hooked Teens at School | |
 | Snapchat sent phone alerts to adolescents during school hours, urging them to share what was going on in their classrooms. Meta paid "teen ambassadors" to promote Instagram and hand out swag to their friends at school. TikTok gave the National PTA millions of dollars, in part to throw school events about online safety and provide favorable comments to journalists. Again and again, the world's leading social media companies have targeted students, even as complaints have mounted that they are hurting teenagers' mental health and academic performance, according to a New York Times review of internal documents that lay bare for the first time these tactics to hook young users. The documents emerged from lawsuits filed by more than 1,400 school districts against Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube amid a rising backlash against social media, with parent movements and best-selling books blaming the platforms for loneliness, bullying, eating disorders and sexual exploitation. The outcry, long focused on social media's harm to mental health, has now shifted to its upending of the classroom. Many school districts are banning smartphones, and some are re-evaluating their reliance on devices like Chromebooks, the inexpensive laptops made by YouTube's parent company, Google. In the early days of social media, before the industry came under angry public scrutiny, some company leaders were candid about their pursuit of teenagers -- a key demographic that they knew could drive the next hit app and yield lifelong users. |
| The Test for Leading a Red-State Flagship: Deny Your DEI Darlings | |
 | In his first visit to the University of Florida as the sole finalist for its presidency, Stuart Bell again distanced himself from his past support of DEI, and said his focus as president would be predicated on "merit." The third question of the day asked Bell to confront the topic head-on. "Let me start by being crystal clear: I have not come to Florida to bring DEI or any form of woke back. Period," Bell said to a room of a couple dozen students, taking a dramatic pause to look back from the podium toward Rahul Patel, the vice chair of the Board of Trustees and chair of the presidential search committee. "I have come to build on Florida's commitment to merit, excellence, academic achievement, equal opportunity, and what I call hard work." In a series of hour-long forums with students, faculty, and staff on Wednesday, Bell did not take live questions from the audience. Instead, he answered prescreened questions that were largely about engaging faculty and students on campus, supporting athletic teams at the championship level, university rankings, and how he would sharpen the university's research, medical, and agricultural edge. In the student forum, however, he was asked why he had allowed gender-neutral bathrooms on the Tuscaloosa campus, why he had hired "DEI advocates" in the administration, and if he had simply "rebranded" DEI instead of dismantling it. |
| LSU names Joseph Messina as senior vice chancellor and provost | |
| LSU announced Wednesday that it has named Joseph Messina as its next senior vice chancellor and provost. This decision comes after a months-long national search, and the new provost will begin his role on Aug. 3, pending approval by the LSU Board of Supervisors. As senior vice chancellor and provost, Messina will serve as chief academic officer and oversee all academic affairs, faculty development and research partnerships to help support LSU's students and its goal of becoming a top research institution. Messina is currently dean of the J. Frank Barefield College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama, a position he has held since 2019. Before becoming dean at Alabama, Messina held a variety of positions at Michigan State University over his 20 years at the school, including assistant vice president for research and innovation, senior associate dean for faculty affairs, associate dean for research and associate dean for graduate studies. "LSU is one of the country's great flagship institutions, and the opportunities ahead are extraordinary," Messina said. |
| Changes in store for Louisiana colleges under new state laws | |
| Public universities in Louisiana are walking away from the 2026 legislative session with more authority to increase tuition and fees as well as the ability to punish those responsible for aggressive hazing incidents. Lawmakers also opened the door to Louisiana leaving the organization from which its college programs have received their academic stamp of approval and possibly joining a conservative alternative. These and other notable changes are in store for higher education in the state. Senate Bill 304 by Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, would require the Board of Regents to develop policy that would allow schools to switch from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to another accreditor. Landry has signed the bill into law. His law also prohibits schools from using accreditors whose standards require a violation of state law. Edmonds didn't name a particular law that concerned him, saying only that public universities belong to the people and must follow the law. |
| Dee and Jimmy Haslam invest $130M in U. of Tennessee, its largest gift ever | |
 | University of Tennessee at Knoxville alums, life partners and business moguls Dee and Jimmy Haslam are pledging $130 million to the Haslam College of Business and the university as a whole, marking the largest investment in UT System history. It's an investment the Haslams have been considering for years, Dee Haslam said, and it's about giving students the best experience at the state's flagship campus that's been "a part of our family's fabric." In total, Dee and Jimmy Haslam have given $195 million to UT. Their investment is largely designated for the business college, named after Jimmy's father, James A. Haslam II. $100 million will be used to hire top faculty members, offer graduate student scholarships, bolster Student Success and launch a new undergraduate honors program. The remaining $30 million will cover the university wide hiring of preeminent scholars, contributing to Chancellor Donde Plowman's "Next Level" plans. It's all about identifying top scholars to bring to UT with a few fields of focus in AI, cybersecurity and nuclear, with the latter specialty leveraging UT's neighbors leading the nuclear renaissance in Oak Ridge. |
| North appointed dean of Texas A&M's College of Arts and Sciences | |
| Following a national search, Simon North has been appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas A&M University, effective June 1. "Dr. North is well prepared to lead the college at this important moment," Alan Sams, provost and executive vice president, said in a press release. "He brings a strong record of academic leadership, a deep understanding of Texas A&M and a demonstrated commitment to advancing excellence in teaching, scholarship and service." North has served as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences since September 2025. He is the John W. Bevan Professor of Chemistry and previously served as executive associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences beginning in June 2024. Prior to that role, he served as head of the Department of Chemistry beginning in 2016, following appointments as interim head and associate head of the department. North played a significant role in the planning and development of Texas A&M's Instructional Laboratory and Innovative Learning Building. |
| A Flagship's Civics Center Saw Low Enrollment. Now Students Will Be Required to Take Classes There. | |
| The University of Iowa's Center for Intellectual Freedom got a slow start. Created by legislation passed last year, the center offered two one-credit classes this spring -- one on American culture and one on political and economic systems -- but they saw a combined enrollment of less than 20 students. That's all about to change. On Tuesday, Iowa's budget bill became law, including a provision requiring all students completing an undergraduate degree at the state's flagship to take six credit hours, or two classes, through the center. Other states have added incentives for students to take courses at their new civics centers, which critics call a conservative intrusion onto public campuses. Courses at the centers have been included in general-education curricula, and in some states officials have pushed for new civics or American-history requirements that could benefit the centers. Iowa's legislation, which takes effect in fall 2028, goes further, and is more specific. The budget law creates two new statewide general-education requirements, a course on American history and one on government. The legislation specifies that at the University of Iowa, these new courses can be offered solely through the Center for Intellectual Freedom. The center has been criticized for an alleged partisan bent. |
| U. of Maryland, College Park laid off 84 employees, noting 'uncertain' future for the school | |
| The University of Maryland, College Park, laid off 84 employees on Wednesday, according to a letter sent to the faculty and students. The cuts came after reductions in federal and state funding and an increase of $18 million in energy costs, according to the letter signed by the university's President Darryll Pines, Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer King Rice and Chief Financial Officer Greg Oler. The University of Maryland has lost about 10%, or $104 million, in state funding over the last three years, and has had its federal research funding slashed. "Arriving at these decisions required months of difficult analysis across the university," Pines said. While the layoffs will be the last for this fiscal year, Pines added that the future is "uncertain." "State budget forecasts continue to indicate significant fiscal pressures in the years ahead, and federal funding conditions remain unpredictable," he said. In the letter, university officials said they attempted to reduce discretionary spending, limit hiring and eliminate vacant positions, but the layoffs were still necessary "to ensure the university's long-term financial sustainability." |
| Spring enrollment ticks up 1% -- but graduate headcounts take a hit | |
| College enrollment ticked up 1% year over year in spring 2026, though the growth wasn't uniform across the higher education sector, according to final data released Thursday by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Undergraduate enrollment reached 15.5 million students in the spring term, up 1.3% from the year before. Meanwhile, graduate enrollment stayed mostly flat, falling 0.1% to 3.1 million students. "We're seeing more students enroll in undergraduate programs than we did last spring, but graduate enrollment is under pressure, with declines in both master's programs and international students," Matthew Holsapple, the clearinghouse's senior director of research, said in a statement. The clearinghouse's latest data shows that spring enrollment growth has been concentrated in a "somewhat narrow set of places," Holsapple said during a call with reporters on Wednesday. Public colleges, for instance, experienced the bulk of the sector's undergraduate growth. |
| College Presidents Navigate ‘Ultra-Politicization’ | |
 | As policymakers ramp up their scrutiny of higher education, the job of a university president is evolving -- and perhaps more difficult than ever. While college presidents are accustomed to "hat-switching" in service of a diverse constituency -- including students, faculty, staff, alumni and legislators -- "the real change" over the past five years has been "the ultra-politicization of the presidency," Elaine Maimon, a higher education columnist and former president of Governors State University, said Wednesday at the 79th Education Writers Association National Seminar here. "It's become such a [source of conflict] that it makes the president's job especially hard." The panel, titled Many Hats and Increasing Pressure: College Leaders Discuss Their Evolving Roles, featured Maimon; Harrison Keller, president of the University of North Texas; and Charles Nies, president of the University of Minnesota at Duluth. Over the past several years, college and university leaders have increasingly become targets of conservative policymakers pushing for more control over curricula and campus operations. Presidents are also under pressure to get creative about helping students find new funding sources, especially as new federal regulations have placed limits on graduate student loans. |
| $50M TRIO Grants? ED Gives States a Leg Up in College Access Program | |
| The Trump administration is giving states a significant leg up over higher ed institutions and other nonprofits in grant competitions for long-standing college-access efforts -- a move that some advocates worry could fundamentally change the programs. However, it's not yet clear how many states took the Education Department up on its offer, though several told Inside Higher Ed they applied. Applications were due last month, and decisions are expected later this year. Historically, colleges and universities have directly received grant funding for the programs, which are part of TRIO, and then used that money to help low-income middle and high school students and some adults attend and complete college. But recent solicitations for grant applications show the administration wants to give states the funding. States -- or rather, any organization "designated by their governor as the state-level applicant," or Native American tribes -- that applied this year for the Talent Search grant, which is the second-oldest part of TRIO, are eligible to receive up to $10 million a year for five years, while all other recipients are limited to $1 million annually. (The Talent Search grants are awarded on a five-year cycle, with annual payments to the winners.) |
| Trump administration to strip job protections of top NIH officials, grants staff | |
| President Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday defining thousands of positions within the civil service sector that the administration will reclassify as political appointees. Among those merit-based positions, which the White House estimates to be 8,000, are many high-level officials who oversee the review and disbursement of research grants from the National Institutes of Health. Biomedical researchers and policy experts decried the change when it was proposed, saying that by removing the protections of federal workers, they will be easier to fire. Science officials fear the shift makes the grants process more susceptible to political whims and risks destabilizing the research enterprise, which requires predictability over longtime horizons. |
| Trump officials went after dozens of colleges. Now they're rewriting the rules for all of academia | |
 | A year ago, the White House was unleashing a blitz on higher education. At one campus after another, Trump officials opened investigations and cut federal funding unless schools fell in line with the Republican president's political agenda. Now, after a campaign that put dozens of universities under investigation, President Donald Trump's administration is taking a wider approach, moving to rewrite the federal rules that govern all of higher education. Demands that were being pressed on individual schools are being written into the fine print for thousands of U.S. universities. "We're coming over the higher education system and course correcting," Nicholas Kent, undersecretary for the Education Department, said in an Associated Press interview. Unlike investigations that target individual campuses, he said the new tactic has power "to affect 6,000 institutions." Through regulation, the administration is going after many of the same targets it hammered with investigations -- diversity, equity and inclusion policies, transgender athletes, antisemitism and a variety of practices perceived as anti-white discrimination. |
| New reports show data center risk | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: While Jackson residents are showing stiff opposition to a proposed data center, a new report has come out indicating Entergy residential rates have gone up $10.60 a month. Dozens of protestors crowded a Jackson Planning Board meeting on a future data center development on roughly 190 acres near Forest Avenue and Interstate 220 in Northwest Jackson. A Musk data center in Memphis has created a lot of opposition. Residents complain of the noise and pollution from the gas-fired generators used to power the data center. Meanwhile, Synapse Energy Economics is distributing a report that claims the Mississippi data centers are already causing residential rates to climb, despite promised by Entergy officials that the data centers would reduce residential rates. The Synapse report was prepared for Earthjustice and Environmental Advocates of Mississippi. ... This report confirms that basic points that Kelley Williams and I have been making for a couple years about the data centers. |
SPORTS
| Bulldog battle: MSU heads to Georgia for super regionals | |
| Mississippi State baseball has an all-too familiar face standing in its way of a return to the College World Series. The Bulldogs will head to Athens, Georgia, this weekend to take on the No. 3 national seed Georgia Bulldogs in the super regionals. State faced UGA four times this season, losing all four. UGA's biggest margin of victory in the three games was just three runs, a 10-inning 8-5 win in Game 3 of the regular season series between Bulldogs in Starkville. MSU dropped Game 1 of the series 10-9, and lost Game Two 3-1. UGA beat MSU 5-3 when the teams met in the SEC Tournament. "It was a great college baseball series," MSU head coach Brian O'Connor said of UGA's regular-season sweep. "We just came out on the wrong end in all three ball games. And there is lessons to be learned from that." Game 2 of the Georgia series, O'Connor said, has the biggest lesson for State to learn before this weekend. MSU left 13 runners on base in the 3-1 loss, failing to deliver the knockout blow. O'Connor said his team is a "more developed offensive club," since the series with UGA, and they sure looked the part last weekend. MSU outscored opponents 39-11 in its three wins during the Starkville Regional. The Bulldogs reached double-digit runs in each game. |
| How Mississippi State baseball finally earned a Buc-ee's stop on way to super regional | |
| The Mississippi State baseball players have been craving a pit stop at Buc-ee's all season and finally will take a visit before the Athens Super Regional. Coach Brian O'Connor said the Bulldogs will stop at Buc-ee's for a snack break on June 4 as they bus to Athens, Georgia. It's an intentional way for the team to have some fun and shake off any tension before they play for a trip to the program's first College World Series since the 2021 national championship. No. 14 MSU (43-17) plays at No. 3 Georgia (49-12) with Game 1 at Foley Field on June 6 (10 a.m. CT, ESPN). "I think teams that want to get to Omaha so bad, they tense up and you can't play this game that way," said O'Connor, MSU's first-year coach who won five consecutive super regionals at Virginia. "You can't execute the pitches that you need to or execute offensively." MSU skipping out on Buc-ee's earlier this season wasn't for a lack of opportunities. O'Connor said the team wanted to go when they bused from Arlington, Texas to Hattiesburg in March, but they didn't earn it after suffering their first loss of the season. This time though, Mississippi State earned it after going 3-0 in the Starkville Regional and outscoring its opponents 39-11. |
| Two wins from Omaha, Mississippi State coach Brian O'Connor is grateful for the moment as State faces No. 3 national seed Georgia | |
| A Mississippi State-Georgia super regional gives the Bulldog faithful a chance to validate the pursuit of their new head coach. State's welcoming of long-time Virginia coach Brian O'Connor and the talented roster he built had the Bulldogs thinking national seed in the regular season's early weeks. But Georgia, the No. 3 national seed in its third season under former renowned pitching coach Wes Johnson, has shown this season the national profile State craves. Johnson built his reputation at Dallas Baptist, then at State in 2016 and at Arkansas and with the Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins before helping LSU to the national championship in 2023. Days later he was named the head coach in Athens and has responded with an 86-34 overall record, 35-25 in the SEC. Georgia just hosted its third-straight regional, now its second super in three seasons. The Athens Bulldogs are hopeful their coach will outsell O'Connor and earn his first Omaha bid. Both teams had relatively easy times in their home regionals. ...The sweat barely dry from the Starkville Regional-clinching win, O'Connor resisted the temptation to talk about the future, the immediate future of a possible Omaha trip or the plan for roster building to strengthen what he calls a solid foundation put in place by this year's team. Instead, he stayed in the moment and expressed gratitude. O'Connor in the moment felt "proud, thankful, incredibly grateful that President (Mark) Keenum and Zac Selmon thought enough of me that they felt I was the right leader for this program. I never will ever take that for granted because I know how much (the program) means to the fans, what it means to the people that support Mississippi State, and I know how much it means to the players that where this uniform." |
| Men's Tennis: Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez Earn Academic All-America Honors | |
| Mississippi State men's tennis standouts Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez have been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American team, the organization announced Wednesday. Jovanovic, who also earned first team honors in 2025, becomes the first player in program history to earn multiple First Team Academic All-America honors. This is also just the third time in program history, first since 2012, that Mississippi State has had multiple players earn CSC Academic All-American honors in the same season. Mississippi State now has 18 total Academic All-American honors (CoSIDA and CSC), which is the third-most among all NCAA and NAIA divisions. State's 18 honorees all-time is also the most of all Division I institutions. Stanford and Texas are tied for second with 12 honors all-time. Jovanovic has earned a 3.94 GPA in Finance. Sanchez Martinez has earned a 3.60 GPA in Business Administration. |
| MHSAA alters competitive enrollment rules for private schools without warning | |
 | The Mississippi High School Activities Association announced Tuesday a new competitive balance measure to go into effect for the 2027-2028 school year. In a video posted to misshsaa.com, executive director Rickey Neaves revealed that private school members will have their enrollment artificially inflated by 50%. Neaves explained the move was in line with other competitive balance multipliers used by neighboring states. But according to local administrators, the MHSAA did not provide any advance warning about the coming shift in the classification alignment process, nor did it consult with member schools that could be affected by the change. "We found out like everyone else, through social media," St. Patrick athletic director and football coach Nate Encrapera told the Sun Herald. "You would think if you do stuff like this you would gather a committee, gather all the information and hear from everybody and see what everybody thought about it." Encrapera told the Sun Herald that St. Patrick does not recruit athletes and that the school may appeal the decision. "It's shocking, we kind of don't understand that number," Encrapera said of the multiplier. |
| SEC, Big Ten vs. everybody? 'Protect College Sports' bill politicians rail against Power 2 leagues in pivotal hearing | |
| For years now, the Big Ten and SEC have distanced themselves from the rest of the college sports pack. The leagues will soon distribute as much as $40 million more to their schools than any other conference; are compensating their rosters at least five times more in above-the-cap NIL dollars; signed 82 percent of the five-star football recruits last year; and have won 10 of the last 12 football national titles. The divide has struck fear from those in the industry of an inevitable breakaway. That theory has now reached the steps of the U.S. Capitol. "They want to form a super league," Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told Yahoo Sports after a three-hour congressional hearing over the latest college sports legislation that he authored with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). "The bill is explicit that they can't form a super league," Cruz said as he maneuvered within the Capitol corridors. "I love the SEC. I'm a Texan. I go every year to UT and A&M games and love them. But a super league would be devastating for the rest of the country and smaller programs in Texas. That would be a disaster." Cruz's comments -- biting allegations toward the richest and most powerful conferences in America -- encapsulate a hearing in which he presided over on Wednesday before the Senate Commerce Committee. |
| Nick Saban takes aim at Ole Miss in Senate hearing on NIL, transfer enforcement legislation | |
| Ole Miss was fresh on the mind of former college football king Nick Saban during a congressional hearing in the nation's capitol on Wednesday. While advocating for the Save College Sports Act, a bipartisan measure authored by U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) aimed at establishing a national framework for college athletics amid ever-growing NIL deals and virtually endless transfers, Saban took two not-so-subtle jabs at Ole Miss. Saban, a seven-time national champion as a head coach, contended that, in the modern era of college sports, players have agents who can practically communicate with staffers from any school unchecked. He also pointed to tampering running rampant in football, pointing to how linebacker Luke Ferrelli recently made it to Oxford. "We have nothing to control agents and we have nothing to control tampering," Saban said. "Clemson had a player that was on campus for a whole week and [Ole Miss] came and got him off the campus and took him some place else." Another shot Saban took at Ole Miss centered on the successful quest Chambliss, the quarterback's legal team, and the university's athletics department embarked on to get the star field general an additional year of eligibility. Saban argued that the NCAA has no enforcement of its rules, asserting that student-athletes like Chambliss have found a loophole in favorable state courtrooms. "An example would be Ole Miss' quarterback. They say he can't play next year. He's playing next year because of litigation." |
| Amid talk of Trump attending NBA Finals game in New York, Silver says sports can be unifying | |
| There has been no announcement that President Donald Trump plans to attend an NBA Finals game at New York's Madison Square Garden next week, though Commissioner Adam Silver hinted at Trump's intentions Wednesday when he said sports remain something that unifies even in divided times. Silver, without saying Trump's name, responded to a question about "unique people" coming to finals games in New York and how the league prepares for such events. The New York Post, citing anonymous sources, reported Wednesday that Garden officials have "performed security walkthroughs" in anticipation of a Trump visit. Game 3 of the series is Monday in New York, Trump's hometown. The series opened Wednesday in San Antonio, and Game 2 is there on Friday. "I think what's really so special about sports in our society -- and it's a little bit of a cliché, but our increasingly divided society, and that goes to people who will be attending the first home game at Madison Square Garden -- it truly brings people together," Silver said. "It creates a sense of connectivity among people. It creates a sense of belonging, and I feel that every day." |
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