| Monday, September 28, 2026 |
| Miss. State fans set world record for simultaneous cowbell ringing | |
 | Mississippi State Bulldogs set a new world record at Saturday's football game with 41,819 cowbells ringing simultaneously. The university's cowbell tradition has a history spanning nearly a century and has become one of MSU's most iconic symbols, with beloved bells passed down through alumni generations. "There is nothing in college sports quite like the sound of Mississippi State's cowbells. For generations, they have rung loud and clear on game days and for life's most important occasions, from graduations and weddings to birthdays and reunions. This world record honors a tradition that is deeply woven into the fabric of our university and demonstrates the extraordinary pride Bulldog fans have in Mississippi State. We are grateful to the MSU Student Association and everyone who helped make history in Davis Wade Stadium tonight," MSU President Mark E. Keenum said. More than 50 trained volunteers made an official count to confirm the world record at Davis Wade Stadium as the Bulldogs hosted the Missouri Tigers. |
| Mississippi State sets cowbell ringing record | |
| Everybody needs more cowbell. Nobody has more than Mississippi State. The university set a world record at Saturday's football game against Missouri by simultaneously ringing 41,819 cowbells during the two-minute timeout in the first half. The school collaborated with Elite World Records to certify the record. As fans entered Davis Wade Stadium, they were asked to hold up their cowbells as they passed through security checkpoints and 50 volunteers counted each one. Vicksburg accounting firm May & Company was tasked with certifying the count. MSU Student Association President Keegan Figueroa said cowbells are more than a tradition at Mississippi State. "They symbolize the pride, passion and sense of belonging that bring generations of Bulldogs together as one, and hearing thousands of cowbells ring together in Davis Wade Stadium was an unforgettable moment," Figueroa said. "I'm incredibly proud that the Student Association could help bring the Bulldog family together to celebrate a tradition that makes Mississippi State so special." |
| Bulldogs set world record for cowbells ringing simultaneously | |
| Mississippi State Bulldogs set a new world record at Saturday's football game with 41,819 cowbells ringing simultaneously. The university's cowbell tradition has a history spanning nearly a century and has become one of MSU's most iconic symbols, with beloved bells passed down through alumni generations. "There is nothing in college sports quite like the sound of Mississippi State's cowbells. For generations, they have rung loud and clear on game days and for life's most important occasions, from graduations and weddings to birthdays and reunions. This world record honors a tradition that is deeply woven into the fabric of our university and demonstrates the extraordinary pride Bulldog fans have in Mississippi State. We are grateful to the MSU Student Association and everyone who helped make history in Davis Wade Stadium tonight," MSU President Mark E. Keenum said. |
| FAO extends MSU reference center designation through 2031 | |
| The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has redesignated Mississippi State University (MSU) as an FAO Reference Centre on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Aquaculture Biosecurity. The renewal follows FAO's positive review of MSU's progress since the university was first named an FAO Reference Centre in 2022. The agreement has been extended for a five-year period through October 2031. MSU has a long history of expertise in fisheries and aquaculture and has worked with FAO on antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance, as well as aquaculture biosecurity and aquatic animal health. The center is housed within MSU's Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security (GCAHFS). MSU President Mark E. Keenum said he looks forward to the university continuing this important work. "With this renewal, our university will continue to provide the scientific expertise and technical competencies needed to strengthen capacity development efforts that support FAO's work in promoting the responsible use of antimicrobials in aquaculture and reducing the risks associated with antimicrobial resistance. Mississippi State will also continue to support FAO's efforts to advance responsible aquaculture practices and strengthen aquaculture biosecurity worldwide." |
| Solving Alzheimer's with math? Researcher explores the possibilities | |
| What can mathematics reveal about Alzheimer's disease? Mississippi State Associate Professor Shantia Yarahmadian is using mathematical modeling to examine how common metals may influence a protein that forms plaque associated with Alzheimer's disease -- and how potential therapies could alter these processes. The work, published recently in Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, builds on Yarahmadian's research into mathematical models of Alzheimer's disease. Yarahmadian developed a framework that simulates the chain of reactions through which metals such as copper and zinc may influence amyloid-beta protein aggregation and plaque formation. The model also allows researchers to examine two potential approaches to disrupting that process. To test it, Yarahmadian and his collaborators compared its results with experimental data from atomic force microscopy, a technique used to examine microscopic aggregates. |
| Starkville Community Market breaks annual attendance record, welcomes 20,000 customers in 2026 | |
 | The Starkville Community Market reached a new milestone this month, welcoming more than 20,000 customers in 2026 and breaking its annual attendance record. "Seeing the Starkville Community Market grow into what it is today is an incredible milestone," said Charla Laney, market coordinator. "Reaching 20,000 annual visitors shows just how powerful it can be when a community chooses to shop local. We're incredibly grateful to everyone who continues to make the market part of their Saturday morning." The Starkville Community Market is held weekly at 8 a.m. Saturdays at Fire Station Park in downtown Starkville, with the season continuing through Oct. 31. Earlier this year, the market was named the Best Farmers Market in Mississippi by Mississippi Magazine. Since opening in 2008, the Starkville Community Market has grown into a Saturday tradition that now welcomes tens of thousands of customers each season. The Starkville Main Street Association has managed the market since 2013. |
| Friends of the Starkville Library pledge $90,000 | |
| The Friends of the Starkville Public Library announced a significant increase in its financial support for the Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library System, marking a milestone in community-driven literacy and library advocacy. Historically, the volunteer-led nonprofit organization has disbursed $25,000 annually to the library. However, driven by years of stable earnings growth and a positive trend in community support, the Friends Board of Directors has voted to increase this annual donation to $30,000 for the next three years. This unprecedented multiyear pledge will result in a total investment of $90,000, providing an added layer of financial predictability for the library's operational planning. This funding serves as a vital lifeline for collection development, constituting a major portion of the library's book and media-buying budget each year. "Securing external funding and establishing long-term fiscal stability were the defining achievements of our chapter this past year," said David Morse, president of the Friends Board. "We can make this commitment because of our dedicated community members who enthusiastically donate thousands of books each year, purchase annual Friends of the Library memberships to support our work and consistently frequent our monthly used book sales." |
| Hairston officially announces intent to run for state Senate | |
| Lowndes County Supervisor Trip Hairston on Friday put an end to any mystery about whether he will seek higher office. In a Facebook post, he officially announced he plans to run for the District 17 seat in the state Senate in 2027. The incumbent, Republican Chuck Younger, who is entering his 13th year in the seat, announced last week he intends to run for Northern District transportation commissioner. "I wasn't necessarily looking for another public office, but the opportunity to represent the people in this area in the state Senate caused me to think seriously about where my experience could be most useful," Hairston wrote in his announcement. "I am grateful for the opportunity the people of Lowndes County have given me to serve and proud of what we have accomplished during that time." Hairston, a Republican, was first elected as District 2 county supervisor in 2019, becoming board president the following year. Earlier in his career, he worked as a budget analyst for the Mississippi Legislative Budget Office. He later worked in research finance at Mayo Clinic before returning to Columbus in 2005 in his current position as administrator for Nephrology Associates P.C. A Columbus native and Oak Hill Academy graduate, Hairston holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Mississippi and a master's of business administration from Belhaven College. |
| Why Are Democratic Donors Putting Money Into a Long-Shot Mississippi Senate Race? | |
 | Soon after District Attorney Scott Colom sat down at a Waffle House earlier this month, a server recognized him and asked a question: "Are you running for office?" Colom, a Democrat, replied that he was indeed running for Senate in this deep red state. His campaign manager fished a flier out of his bag and Colom asked the server if he could count on her support. It turned out he could. It has been almost 40 years since Mississippi sent a Democrat to the Senate, and hardly anyone expects that to change this year. But in a sign of just how bullish some Democrats are feeling, some party officials and donors are starting to size up the potential of once-unthinkable seats in the Deep South. Inspired by success in places like Georgia, they see Colom's long-shot bid as a down payment for future victory in a state with a large Black population. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has told donors at fundraisers and dinners in recent months to consider putting money into Mississippi, according to people with whom the senator has spoken. Several national Democratic organizations are quietly helping with advertising or door-knocking in Mississippi. |
| Trump Says He Has Reversed Biden-Era Fuel Efficiency Standards | |
| The federal government first regulated how far vehicles must be able travel on a single gallon of fuel in the 1970s, under conditions that looked a lot like 2026: high gasoline prices, blocked oil supplies, and U.S. leaders stoking conflict in the Middle East. At the time, the government felt it had to protect American consumers from tumultuous global energy markets, requiring cars to go further on less gas. On Saturday, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he has moved to significantly reduce gas mileage targets as part of his larger push to eliminate federal support for electric vehicles. "I have just approved new Fuel Economy Standards that TERMINATE Sleepy Joe Biden and Pete Boot-EDGE-EDGE's ridiculous EV Mandate," the president said in his post. According to the government's own analysis of the proposed rule, the move could lead to drivers paying hundreds more for gas each year and worsen the country's ability to weather shocks to oil prices. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has argued the previous Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards amounted to a mandate for automakers to produce electric vehicles, and that changing the rules will allow companies to produce cars that are more affordable and safer. |
| What to know about the $810 million in spending canceled by President Trump | |
 | Each year, Congress passes laws which allocate money to the federal government's various programs and agencies. Trump, for the second year in a row, is refusing to send some of that money to the places that Congress says it has to go, setting off a fresh battle with lawmakers over who controls federal spending. Of the $810 million being withheld, $567 million comes from programs that "provided services to refugees, asylees, and other non-citizens," according to a memo from the White House. The move, called a pocket rescission, is illegal, according to the Government Accountability Office, an independent, non-partisan watchdog agency charged with providing federal agencies fact-based information. Article 1 of the Constitution gives Congress the power to levy taxes and decide how federal funds are spent -- known as power of the purse. If the president disagrees, he or she can send a request to Congress to cancel the fund, but that is supposed to happen with 45 days notice in order to let Congress agree or disagree. "This is the most recent attempt by this Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to undermine Congress's Constitutional power of the purse," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who chairs the Senate Appropriations committee, wrote in a statement posted to X. "OMB is an agency of the executive branch. It does not get to decide which programs are worth funding." |
| Senators spurn Hegseth’s pick amid jockeying for Army secretary nomination | |
 | Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's pick to serve as secretary of the Army is facing Democratic opposition and a hesitant reception from key Republicans, amid jockeying for the service branch's top civilian post after Dan Driscoll resigned a month ago. Hegseth's choice to serve as Army secretary is Sean Parnell, a decorated Afghanistan war veteran and his senior adviser and chief spokesperson at the Pentagon. The former congressional candidate has boosters within the Pentagon and allies in MAGA circles outside of the department. But Parnell, a culture warrior in Hegseth's mode, has received an icy reception on Capitol Hill among lawmakers and staff on the Senate Armed Services Committee, in part over abuse allegations from his estranged wife. A congressional aide and previous committee staffer said Parnell currently would not have enough support to advance out of the committee if he were nominated by President Trump. Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said he has not counted votes on the panel to gauge if Parnell has enough backing. "I'd rather not comment until someone is nominated. I don't see the point of doing that," Wicker told The Hill on Thursday when asked if he sees a path to getting Parnell confirmed. |
| Delta State soon to open new Okra Threads clothes closet, complementing Statesmen's Shelf food pantry | |
| Whether it's something to eat when you're short on cash, or something to wear when your closet is threadbare... Delta State University wants to help those in need get a bite to eat, and some clothes to wear. Vice President of Student Affairs Eddie Lovin says that "we've seen a lot of involvement with the food pantry, a lot of interest from our students coming in as well as faculty, staff, and occasionally some alumni that we've been able to provide for." DSU's Statesmen's Shelf, originally created just weeks before COVID closed the university down in 2020, has provided food all year round ever since. Okra Threads is a relatively recent entity -- however, they've already received so many donations that they can't fit them all in one place. "We've got a little bit of construction going on, and getting some things set up for that," Lovin says of Okra Threads. "But we look to open those doors in the next few weeks... Some of the things that we're looking for, specifically for the Okra Threads, is looking for outerwear. Winter coats, rain jackets, things of that nature, we saw the need for those back in the ice storm." |
| Penn State's Campuswide Cocaine Ring Was Fueled by Fraternity Hazing | |
| Spring at Pennsylvania State University is rush season, when hopeful students vie for a spot in one of the school's many fraternities and sororities. At fraternity Delta Upsilon, for a short period, that meant prospects were instructed to cut and package cocaine inside the frat house and deliver the drugs across campus. The instigator, according to former fraternity brothers' testimony before a Pennsylvania grand jury and criminal complaints filed by Pennsylvania police, was Thomas Robinson, a senior brother who showed the pledges how to break down a brick of cocaine, mix it with creatine and bag it, creating an at-home assembly line with protective equipment and a plastic folding table the pledges purchased on shopping runs to places like Walmart. This was only one part of a larger campuswide drug ring that Pennsylvania authorities say ensnared 13 current and former students, five fraternities and even one frat brother's father before it all fell apart. |
| The Harvard Anthropologist Who's Skewering His Own Field | |
 | When Joseph Henrich, an anthropologist at Harvard University, agreed to study the question of whether his field is overly politicized, he knew he "wasn't going to make everyone happy," he says. Correct. In June, Henrich and nine other scholars released a report with withering criticisms of the state of scholarship in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. Research was being evaluated by political criteria, not traditional standards of rigor and objectivity, the panel concluded. This was found to be true in every field studied: history, philosophy, sociology, literary studies, music studies. But anthropology was "the most extreme" case of things gone wrong. That discipline showed "a widespread deterioration in scholarly standards grounded in a pervasive repudiation of ideals of objectivity together with a toxic intellectual climate in which reasonable dissent on politically charged topics is routinely suppressed and punished," the report declares. |
| Young Men's Excessive Internet Use 'Foremost Challenge of Our Time' | |
 | Concerns about loneliness, social isolation and belonging on college campuses are growing, especially for young men, who tend not to seek mental health support. But the challenges facing them extend beyond mental health, intersecting with how they spend their time online, their relationships with others and their expectations for education, work and their economic futures. For higher education leaders, those overlapping pressures raise questions about whether existing approaches to mental health are reaching male students---and what colleges can do to better support their well-being and success. At the Symposium on Young American Men in Washington, D.C., last week, businessman and political commentator Andrew Yang summed up the ways isolation and online life can compound the challenges facing young men: "Too many of our young men are not getting out there. They're staying at home. They're in their parents' basements. They're going down internet rabbit holes. They're becoming radicalized," Yang said. "I want people to reflect on what that means for that individual, but also their family and their community. This is one of the foremost challenges of our time." |
| Trump administration finalizes repeal of Biden-era Title IX rule | |
 | Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Monday unveiled a final regulation that seeks to restore a rule on how sexual misconduct is investigated on college campuses. The final rule, which is expected to officially publish Tuesday, comes after federal courts vacated a Biden administration regulation that sought to strengthen discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The rule stops short of defining "sex" in Title IX, the federal education law barring sex discrimination, as biological sex. But the Education Department's preamble repeatedly highlights court decisions that struck down the Biden-era rule over its protection for gender identity and sexual orientation. The final regulation is the Trump administration's effort to clean up the regulatory books to formally repeal the Biden-era rule and re-implement the first Trump administration's rule on Title IX, which mandated how schools must respond to reports of sexual misconduct through a formal process. |
SPORTS
| Football: State Now 'Holding The Pen' To Write Own Story | |
| Parents experience it all the time. One minute, a baby is crawling around on the floor. Then, after a few blinks of the eyes, that same little one isn't so little anymore. For the last couple of years, the head coach Jeff Lebby era at MSU was growing. The program was getting its feet under it to run. Then, we all blinked this offseason, and standing before us on Saturday night was a program that's passed the driver's test, moved out of the house and is now ready to stand strong. The 24th-ranked Bulldogs defeated No. 19 Missouri 31-24 in front of a sold-out, absolutely rocking Davis Wade Stadium. Suddenly, State is 4-0 with a 2-0 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Lebby's Dawgs are all grown up. And the college football world is their oyster. "We've got a very competent football team that understands we can be as good as we want to be," Lebby said. "We're the ones holding the pen, and it's about resetting...and getting ready for next Saturday [against Alabama]. I have a ton of confidence in our guys to be able to get it done." |
| Records set helped Mississippi State earn hard-fought win | |
 | What you see on the surface is special in and of itself. On Saturday night, No. 24 Mississippi State let a two-possession lead go, fell behind by seven, then came back to beat No. 19 Missouri 31-24. However, it took a total of four records being set to reach the milestone. Three by just one player and one by those who watched the game in person. It was announced ahead of Saturday's game that the school would use its game against the Tigers as an opportunity to try and break the world record for most cowbells rung simultaneously. During the two-minute timeout in the first half, those at Davis Wade Stadium gave it a go. Once the effort was over, the crowd had broken the record with 41,819 people all ringing cowbells at once. The record was a meaningful microcosm of how State's fans brought the energy for the contest. Its effects were not immediate, as Missouri landed some more punches after the record got broken. However, the crowd was never truly taken out of it, and with each big play that Mississippi State made, the crowd got more and more raucous. Every broken tackle by a running back. Every big stop that was made by the defense. Every play made by the offense that made you just say "wow." |
| How one MSU alum turned cowbells into a full-time job | |
| Much of Eric Vlietstra's life story is on display in the back wall of his home office. A Mississippi State diploma perched in the center. A framed photo of Dudy Noble Field below it, surrounded by shelves full with dozens of packaged cowbells. Vlietstra, an MSU graduate and former industrial engineer, sits at his desk, one adorned with an MSU baseball mouse pad, every day and gets to work He is the owner of "Cowbell Central," and makes his living off of MSU's biggest tradition. What started as a side hustle after a disappointing shipment of cowbells to his home in Tennessee, has turned into a brand. He's stocked the shelves at the country's biggest chain department store, earned the right to place MSU logos on his product and has become one of the biggest providers of cowbells to MSU faithful. If you hear the cowbells clanging at Davis Wade Stadium on a Saturday, you may be listening to a chorus backed by Vlietstra's. "Since 2010, I've been doing this full time by myself. And it's been awesome," Vlietstra said. |
| Soccer: Bulldogs Shut Out High-Scoring Wildcat Offense | |
| On a very short turnaround, Mississippi State produced a second outstanding defensive effort on the road on Sunday afternoon. Less than 72 hours after fighting to a scoreless draw at No. 6 Tennessee, the Bulldogs played to a 0-0 tie at Kentucky on Sunday. Jenny Harrison's fourth shutout of the season saw her make five saves. Kentucky fired off 13 shots, but the Bulldogs (7-1-3, 1-0-3 SEC) blocked four and forced three off target. The Wildcats entered the match ranked seventh nationally in goals per game and had put more than 50 percent of their shots on frame. "As a staff, we're really, really proud," head coach Kevin O'Brien said. "It's a long road weekend, five days on the road, two SEC games, two shutouts. I'm really proud of the group. I think the players are a little disappointed because I know they wanted more out of it – as we all did – but for me, the fact that we're a little bit of a thinner squad, we don't have as big a rotations as a lot of teams that we're competing against, I'm just incredibly impressed with how we dig deep, battle and fight and scrap and lay it on the line for the results." |
| Volleyball: Bulldogs Open SEC Play With A Win | |
| The Bulldogs open SEC play with a 3-2 win over the LSU Tigers remaining undefeated at home. "What a total team win with all-out effort, some guts, and a whole lot of heart and hustle. I am so proud of my team for fighting that out in five," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "The SEC is tough from top to bottom, and everyone is always going to bring their best. They earned every point in that win." The Bulldogs started the first set going on a 9-0 run before winning the set 25-21. State went on to win the second set 25-20 as well. The Tigers fought back and won the next two, but the Bulldogs came back in set five earning the win 15-5. Lindsey Mangelson has a record-breaking night with team-leading 62 attacks for 23 kills. Paloma Routaboul also picked up a career-high 13 kills on the night. Gha'Naye Whitfield-Moss collected a season-high 12 kills hitting .750 on the day. Bernadita Aguilar and Noella Obi grabbed 11 and 10 kills, respectively. |
| With Protect College Sports Act on brink of Senate passage, conference leaders working on a 'Plan B' | |
| On Monday, within the United States Senate, history will be made. Lawmakers are poised to pass a piece of college sports legislation intended to regulate an unruly industry -- a historic moment in the NCAA's century-plus existence that moves the federal government one step closer to its most involvement ever in college athletics. At least two-thirds of the 100-member chamber is expected to support the bill, according to procedural motion votes over the last week. The legislation would grant the NCAA an antitrust exemption to limit athlete transfer movement (one transfer without penalty); standardize a five-year eligibility policy; more strictly regulate a new, increased player revenue-share cap; create an agent registry with a maximum 5% fee, and plenty more. But as the legislation sits on the brink of Senate passage -- the vote is expected Monday evening -- conference executives and high-level school administrators are busy crafting what is often referred to as "Plan B": a conference-based governance and athlete-compensation framework that mirrors many of the bill's concepts. |
| SEC irked LSU is trying to dismiss suit with issue 'unresolved' | |
| The SEC said it was "deeply disappointed" in LSU's attempt to dismiss the conference's federal lawsuit against the university and its officials during their ongoing negotiations to end the dispute over the Tigers' previous endeavor to add former NFL players to their roster. On Friday, Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill, who was named a defendant in the SEC's lawsuit, filed a motion in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama to dismiss the league's complaint with prejudice and at the SEC's cost. Murrill wrote in the motion that the SEC has no personal jurisdiction over the defendants and the complaint "fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted." "The Southeastern Conference is aware of the motion filed Friday by LSU officials and the Louisiana Attorney General seeking dismissal of the conference's federal lawsuit," the SEC said in a statement. "We are deeply disappointed that this filing came amid efforts to reach a resolution with LSU that would address our other member universities' concerns about LSU's commitment to the conference's rules and shared governance responsibilities. Those concerns remain unresolved." |
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