| Wednesday, August 5, 2026 |
| Twin brothers power through adversity | |
 | Twenty years before Kirklyn Johnson stood in front of thousands of onlookers at his 2026 Mississippi State commencement ceremony to sing the National Anthem, his parents were told he might never speak a word. When twin brothers Kirk and Kirklyn were diagnosed with non-verbal autism at three years old, they were already missing the typical milestones of early childhood. Their parents, Shae and Stan Johnson, refused to let a medical diagnosis define the limits of their boys' lives. So, they started early interventions to give their sons the support they needed. They held onto faith and looked for clues. They found them in the pews of their local church in Houston, where the twins' eyes would light up the moment the choir began to sing. Kirklyn graduated from Houston High School and completed two years at Northeast Mississippi Community College before setting his sights on MSU. Meanwhile, Kirk earned a completion certificate from Houston High and looked for his next steps to grow. Both found their answers at Mississippi State. For Shae, who attended the University of Mississippi, watching her sons step onto the campus of her school's rival was an eye-opening experience. Any old football grudges quickly disappeared, though, as MSU's campus welcomed the two young men. |
| Muscadine field day set for Aug. 27 | |
 | According to an MSU press release, muscadine producers can learn more about growing the specialty crop during an upcoming field day. The 2026 Muscadine Field Day will be held on August 27 at the Mississippi State University McNeill Research Unit in Carriere, located at 7 Ben Gill Road, across from Jack's Fish House. The field day begins at 8:30 am with registration. The program begins at 9 am and ends at 11 am. The event is co-hosted by the MSU Extension Service, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. Speakers from all three units will discuss muscadines. The Vitis x Muscadinia, or VxM, research project will also be discussed. MSU is one of 13 universities across the U.S. that have partnered for the project, which is focused on developing a hybrid grape for quality and disease resistance. The field day is free and open to commercial and hobby producers. |
| Strong corn crop drives early Mississippi harvest | |
 | Mississippi's corn harvest is underway earlier than usual this year. This follows one of the earliest planting seasons in state history. State agriculture leaders say this year's crop is coming together well, with growers reporting strong yields across much of the state. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates Mississippi farmers planted about 780,000 acres of corn this season. Acreage has varied widely over the past several years, but favorable growing conditions have helped the crop for 2026. "We were able to plant corn earlier this year than in the past years due to a drier February," said Dr. Amee Ausec, the Assistant Professor of Agronomy at Mississippi State's North Mississippi Research and Extension Center. "The farmers were able to get out in their fields a little earlier than normal, and we were able to get timely rain throughout the growing season." |
| Reused tailwater shows significant water savings in rice production | |
| Rice production requires a significant amount of water. Mississippi still has a plentiful water supply, but careful managers are finding ways to cut use of this diminishing resource. One method that shows tremendous promise is recirculating tailwater in rice production. Tailwater is water from precipitation or irrigation that runs off the field. In a recirculating system, that runoff water is reused by being sent back on the field. Even though the Southeastern rice crop is relatively small, almost half of the groundwater extracted from the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer is used to grow it. For the last three years, Mississippi State University researchers have been recirculating tailwater in furrow-irrigated rice and finding significant water savings. |
| Mississippi Food Network names new CEO | |
| The Mississippi Food Network has named Karli Coughlin as its new chief executive officer. MFN is a nonprofit food distribution organization that distributes more than 2.3 million pounds of food and feeds over 163,000 people every month. They send out food and goods across 430 member agencies in Mississippi. Karli brings the operational experience, relationship-building ability, and mission focus MFN needs for this next chapter," said Caroline Wright, chairperson of the Mississippi Food Network Board of Directors. Before joining MFN and becoming its CEO, Coughlin spent five years at Tyson Foods and is a graduate of Mississippi State University. |
| Parkridge East Hospital Names Nicholas Pounder Chief Executive Officer | |
| Parkridge Health System, part of HCA Healthcare, announced Nicholas Pounder, M.S., as the chief executive officer of Parkridge East Hospital. Mr. Pounder joins Parkridge East Hospital from TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center in Nashville, where he most recently served as chief operating officer and ethics and compliance officer. Since joining HCA Healthcare in 2023, he has advanced through several leadership roles, including director of medical staff services and co-ethics and compliance officer, vice president of operations and, most recently, chief operating officer. Mr. Pounder earned a Master of Science in healthcare administration from Lipscomb University and a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology from Mississippi State University. |
| Part of 22nd Avenue in downtown Meridian to close Monday for HVAC work at MSU Riley Center | |
 | A portion of 22nd Avenue in downtown Meridian will be closed Monday, Aug. 10, to allow crews to complete HVAC repairs and upgrades at the Mississippi State University Riley Center. The closure runs between 5th and 6th streets from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Detour signs will be posted along the affected stretch. Motorists are encouraged to follow designated routes, use caution, and allow extra travel time while moving through the area. The City of Meridian and Mississippi State University-Meridian issued the notice ahead of the planned closure. |
| Announcement of Oktibbeha industry expansion could come next week | |
 | Starkville aldermen on Tuesday joined Oktibbeha County in approving a tax incentive agreement for Project Jacket, the more than $200 million industrial development eyeing expansion in the county. The exact location of the project remains under wraps, as Golden Triangle LINK CEO Meryl Fisackerly said disclosing it would give away the company's identity. But Mayor Lynn Spruill said the project is a planned expansion of an existing industry. "I could not be more excited," Spruill told The Dispatch. "... They want to stay, and that says something about our community, and that's the kind of message that I think is just really gratifying that we're doing something that this business not only wants to stay but wants to expand." If approved, the project would bring at least 100 jobs, Fisackerly previously told The Dispatch. Marvell Howard, District 5 supervisor and board of supervisors president, echoed Spruill's excitement for the expansion. |
| DRC Industries creating 50 new jobs in Lowndes County with $4 million investment | |
| Packaging solutions provider DRC Industries is setting up shop in the Mississippi Golden Triangle with a $4 million investment. The Mississippi Development Authority announced Tuesday that the company is planning to create 50 new jobs in Lowndes County. Headquartered in Kentucky, DRC Industries provides custom packaging products, services, and solutions to a broad range of markets and industries. The company specializes in industrial packaging products, including corner board, paper tubes, and cores and chipboard sheeting used to protect products during storage and transit. "More and more companies are choosing Mississippi," Gov. Tate Reeves said. "It's further proof that we're taking the right approach to creating good jobs and growing our economy. DRC Industries' investment will create 50 new jobs in Lowndes County and new opportunities for Mississippi families. This investment adds to our state's historic momentum while strengthening our economy and the communities that power it." |
| Woody's steakhouse deal dead in the water | |
| After a deal to sell the marina to D.J. Mantooth fell through, the city has approved a pair of contracts with another of his businesses. The council on Tuesday voted unanimously to pay $68,652.41 to Rockwood Property Group, where Mantooth serves as CEO, to renovate and replace the roof at a portion of the old Dial-A-Bus building at 161 Maple St. Rockwood was the lowest qualified bidder on both contracts. That comes less than a month after a deal with another of Mantooth's companies, Daknas Holdings LLC, failed to close on the old Woody's on the Water property at the marina, where he planned to open a high-end steakhouse. Mantooth offered $100,000 for the marina property in February with an original closing date in May. After the deal hit a snag, the closing date was moved to July 7. City Attorney Jeff Turnage said that date passed without another extension offered, meaning the deal is dead. |
| Mississippi starts new fiscal year exceeding revenue estimate by $20.6 million | |
| One month into the new fiscal year and Mississippi revenues are already exceeding estimates, at least for now. July's revenue collections report from the Joint Legislative Budget Committee shows that total revenue collections for the month were $20,585,262, or 3.59% above the revenue estimate. The total came in $6,684,166, or 1.14% above the prior year's collections for the same month. Lawmakers set the total revenue estimate for Fiscal Year 2027 at $7,532,400,000. The report noted that General Fund collections were $6,684,166, or 1.14% above the same month in the prior year. Sales tax and corporate income tax collections for July were also above the same month last year, coming in above July 2026 by $3.1 million and $7.6 million, respectively. Individual income tax collections for July were below the same month in the prior year by $13.6 million as the state continues to phase out the tax. |
| Subpoena issued by Bryant alleges former law firm employee was source of information reported by Mississippi Today on TANF scandal | |
| Appearing at a Knight Foundation event in February 2023, Mississippi Today CEO Mary Margaret White described a breakthrough in her outlet's reporting on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) scandal, saying, "It was not until 2022 when a source that Anna [Wolfe] had worked for years leaked a trove of private communications, text messages, that really revealed the extent of the misspending." During that same presentation, White made comments that Mississippi Today uncovered how a former governor had "embezzled" $77 million in TANF funds that set off accusations of defamation and ultimately a lawsuit. For years, politicos in Jackson and beyond have guessed at who Wolfe's source(s) might have been for the reporting that eventually won her and her employer a Pulitzer Prize. If subpoenas issued by Phil Bryant in his defamation lawsuit against Mississippi Today are any indication, the former governor believes one of those sources to be Darra Woolman. The subpoena explicitly alleges that Woolman was a paralegal at Coxwell & Associates, PLLC, during a period in which the firm was representing former Mississippi Department of Human Services Director John Davis, with an understanding that Woolman leaked confidential file materials to Mississippi Today and Wolfe, and that Woolman was eventually fired for this conduct. |
| Todd Blanche's Nomination Is in Jeopardy After Sen. Collins Says She'll Vote No | |
| Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has moved to within a single vote of winning confirmation to lead the Justice Department, but his path narrowed after Maine Sen. Susan Collins, one of three remaining Republican holdouts, announced Tuesday evening she will vote against his nomination as it finally heads toward the Senate floor. "While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has become increasingly political. Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department's independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation," Collins said in a statement. After weeks of intense talks, the acting attorney general finally cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday morning, having struck a deal over the weekend with Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) to nix a controversial "anti-weaponization fund" and limit the scope of President Donald Trump's audit immunity deal with the IRS. However, he got a mixed bag of results after that committee vote. |
| Hegseth's Pick for Top Army Job Is Losing Republican Support | |
 | Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's pick for Army chief of staff is in jeopardy because of objections from Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst and other Republican senators, according to U.S. officials and congressional sources. Hegseth has been pushing to nominate Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who has served as acting Army chief of staff since Hegseth in April fired the former Army top officer, retired Gen. Randy George, according to U.S. officials. But without unanimous Republican support, a LaNeve nomination won't advance out of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The administration was poised in May to put forward LaNeve for the role, but has held off because the committee chairman, Sen. Roger Wicker (R., Miss.), communicated that he didn't have the votes to secure approval for LaNeve's nomination, according to U.S. officials and congressional sources. LaNeve, who commanded the 82nd Airborne Division, has faced criticism from lawmakers and experts who note he has been a four-star general for only six months. Most chiefs serve at least 18 months in a four-star role before assuming the top position. A spokesman for Wicker declined to comment, as did a spokesman for LaNeve. The news of LaNeve's troubled bid is the latest sign that congressional Republicans are pushing back on Hegseth's agenda. |
| Heavily armed man arrested at Trump golf club before president's visit faces federal charge | |
 | Hours before President Trump was scheduled to headline a Tuesday evening fundraiser at his Rancho Palos Verdes golf course, authorities announced that they had arrested a heavily armed individual seen wandering the grounds Sunday. Jeanine John Taele, 38, of Downey was charged with a federal firearm-related offense after he was apprehended at the Trump National Golf Club with ammunition in his pocket and a loaded firearm in his pick-up truck, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. L.A. County sheriff's deputies detained Taele on Sunday afternoon after he told federal agents at the golf club that he was a State Department employee there for security detail, according to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint in California's Central District Court. On Monday, sheriff's detectives and FBI agents searched Taele's Downey residence and found an alarming stash of weapons -- including an illegally modified AR-style rifle, a .45-caliber pistol, body armor, high-capacity magazines and bulk pistol ammunition. Detectives found multiple notebooks containing "concerning statements" and two radio signal devices. The president's Tuesday evening Republican Party fundraiser at the golf course took place as planned. |
| White House will exempt 'open' AI systems from security review | |
 | The White House told top technology companies Tuesday that it would exempt certain artificial intelligence systems from its plans for government vetting of new AI models, giving free tools known as "open weight" models a pass and focusing scrutiny on the latest technology from leading U.S. companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. The White House briefed companies on a framework for voluntary government review of new AI models for potential cybersecurity risks that was developed under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in June. The policy is designed to give the government a head start to protect its computer networks and those of key industries like banking and healthcare against new AI capabilities. The White House is not expected to publicly release the full framework for reviewing AI models. In recent weeks many American tech companies and investors have publicly argued that the United States should move to guarantee access to open models, which are favored by many in Silicon Valley because they can be built upon cheaply by start-ups. A carve-out from the new security review process represents a small victory for that camp. |
| Abdul El-Sayed Wins Democratic Senate Primary in Michigan in a Victory for the Left | |
 | Dr. Abdul El-Sayed narrowly won the Democratic primary race for Senate in Michigan on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, giving progressives a victory that signaled liberal voters' anti-establishment mood and shifting sentiment against Israel. Dr. El-Sayed, 41, a former public health official, narrowly defeated Representative Haley Stevens, a four-term moderate, in a hostile race that was dominated by the politics of Israel and the role of big money in American elections. He fiercely criticized Israel's actions in Gaza and promised to pull back American military support, while she vowed to continue sending U.S. military aid to Israel without conditions. While most Michigan political observers expected in the campaign's final days that Dr. El-Sayed would prevail, and polls showed him leading by a significant amount, the close margin between him and Ms. Stevens pointed to the tough general-election battle to come for Democrats. In the general election, Dr. El-Sayed will face former Representative Mike Rogers, a Republican, in a race widely seen as crucial for control of the Senate. |
| Ole Miss Mortar Board chapter honored for service, overall excellence | |
 | The University of Mississippi chapter of Mortar Board national honor society has earned its fifth consecutive Gold Torch Award, along with several other honors, for its continuing work to promote leadership and make a difference in the community. The Mortar Board national organization also recognized the university's Tassels Chapter with an Outstanding Achievement Award for on-campus visibility and Project Excellence awards for community service and for "Reading is Leading." The community service recognition honored the chapter's book and school supply drives. The "Reading is Leading" award was for read-aloud visits with kindergarten students at Lafayette Elementary School. "The Books and Bears drives will continue to be a focus this year, along with reading to kindergarten students in Lafayette County," said Sydney Sudduth, a senior biochemistry and biological sciences major from Pascagoula and the chapter's 2026-27 president. "With these projects, we hope to continue to enhance literacy throughout the community. |
| MCC, Compass Datacenters announce launch of MEI program | |
 | Meridian Community College and Compass Datacenters announced Friday the establishment of the first Mechanical, Electrical and Information Technology Data Center Pathway program in the state of Mississippi. The MEI pathway at MCC is a 14-week program that provides hands-on training for technical jobs supporting the digital infrastructure industry. As part of the announcement Friday, Compass announced that it would be funding full tuition for every student accepted into the first cohort of 12 students at the college. Fellow and Chief Advisor at Compass Sudhir Kalra said the program is the first of its kind in Mississippi. He said that Compass launched the MEI program in Red Oak, Texas and the results have been phenomenal. Based upon the success of that program, the company sought to bring the same opportunity to east Mississippi. Kalra said he has spent his career in data center operations and that the industry as a whole is at an inflection point. He said the problem in the industry is a shortage of workers in the skilled trades, not because such workers do not exist, but because there is a shortage of pathways to get there. This program would create such a pathway. |
| New Orleans, Shreveport medical schools join LSU as branch campuses | |
 | The LSU health sciences centers in Shreveport and New Orleans have officially joined the flagship institution as branch campuses, the university announced Tuesday. The merger was approved by LSU's accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, at its June 2026 board meeting. It cements the university's plan to operate as an "integrated research enterprise," a release from the university said. The move is part of the university's ongoing reorganization to unify the main campus in Baton Rouge, the LSU AgCenter, the health sciences centers and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center so they act as one research entity. Some local advocates in Shreveport have expressed hesitation about the plan, saying they fear losing independence. University administrators argue the merger will help LSU attain a top-50 ranking in the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development Survey, an annual census of the universities that spend the most on research. The ranking depends on combining research dollars across campuses, they say. |
| Report: Tennessee's lottery-funded scholarship program faces revenue shortfalls | |
| Tennessee Lottery proceeds that fund many of the state's college and technical education scholarships are projected to fall short of covering those programs' costs each year through 2030, according to a report released Tuesday. Net lottery proceeds -- the money left over after prizes and operating costs are covered -- have fallen 21.9% since fiscal year 2022, while scholarship enrollment and spending have continued to grow, according to the report produced by nonpartisan think tank ThinkTennessee and the Tennessee Skills Coalition. The report projects a funding shortfall of up to $344 million by fiscal year 2030. The advent of sports wagering in Tennessee is at least partially responsible for the drop in lottery ticket revenue, a University of Tennessee professor told lawmakers in March. And the sports gambling proceeds that backstopped the lottery's scholarship programs are now also steered toward construction and maintenance for K-12 schools after Tennessee lawmakers struck a deal to secure the votes needed to pass a statewide private school voucher program in 2025. |
| U. of Kentucky wants to sell a small parking lot for at least $6 million | |
 | The University of Kentucky wants to sell a small parking lot near South Broadway for at least $6.1 million, according to bid for the property released in late July. According to the request for proposals, a type of bid, UK wants a minimum of $6.1 million for the small parking lot at 245 Bolivar St. It also wants cash, according to the July 24 bid that closes Friday, Aug. 7. "The terms of purchase are cash only upon closing," bid documents say. UK acquired the less-than-an-acre parking lot on Bolivar when it purchased the Lexington Lofts at 236 Bolivar in 2011. The former private residential apartments are now UK's School of Arts and Visual Studies within the College of Fine Arts. The .7 acre parking lot is in an ideal location but is not part of UK's current needs, according to documents included in UK Board of Trustees June 30 meeting. Jay Blanton, a spokesperson for UK, said the university could not comment on potential buyers of the property because the bid for property does not close until Aug. 7. A Chicago-based private student housing developer may be the likely target of the RFP. |
| The Red & Black Sells Baxter Street Building, Establishing Endowment | |
| The Red & Black Publishing Co. today announced the sale of its property at 540 Baxter St., marking a transformational investment in the organization's long-term future and reaffirming its commitment to independent student journalism. Since 2002, the Baxter Street building has served as a newsroom, classroom and gathering place for generations of student journalists. While the organization will say goodbye to a space filled with memories, the sale represents an important step toward ensuring The Red & Black remains financially strong and mission-focused. The proceeds from the sale will provide the seed funds to establish The Red & Black Endowment Fund, which will support a significant portion of the nonprofit journalism programs for generations to come. Founded in 1893, The Red & Black became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1980, separating from the University of Georgia to preserve its editorial independence. Today, it is one of the nation's largest and oldest independent nonprofit student media organizations, preparing future journalists through hands-on experiential learning while producing award-winning coverage of the University of Georgia, Athens and the surrounding community. |
| Professors sue Texas A&M System over limits on teaching race, gender | |
| Four professors and a national faculty group asked a federal judge Monday to block the Texas A&M University System's restrictions on teaching about race, gender and sexuality and to reinstate courses canceled under the policy. The university system bars professors from "advocating" race or gender ideology or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity. The policy applies to all 12 universities in the system. It requires presidential approval to address those subjects in certain courses and, according to the lawsuit, prohibits them in core courses. The lawsuit asks the judge to rescind instructions requiring professors to remove particular readings or subjects and declare the policy unconstitutional. The professors and faculty group allege the restrictions violate the professors' First Amendment rights and are so vague that faculty cannot determine what they may teach without risking discipline. They want the judge to restore courses removed from the core curriculum and prevent the regents from imposing similar restrictions. |
| AI Detectors Are Out, New Assessments Are In | |
 | As faculty prepare their assessments for the new academic year, many are facing an artificial intelligence–powered academic integrity conundrum. First, there's the undeniable reality that access to AI tools have made large-scale cheating easier than ever. Autonomous AI agents have shown that they can complete -- and ace -- entire online courses without any help from the student enrolled in the class. Faculty at Brown and Alcorn State Universities went viral this summer after setting traps that indicated the majority of their students used AI to complete major assessments. And according to one recent national survey, 73 percent of faculty say they have personally dealt with academic integrity issues involving AI. At the same time, it's becoming increasingly difficult to hold students accountable for suspected unauthorized AI use. Numerous studies have shown that AI detectors -- such as those developed by OpenAI, Writer, Copyleaks, GPTZero and CrossPlag -- exhibit inconsistencies, produce false positives when evaluating human-generated writing and are biased against non-native English writers. In some cases, those false positives have resulted in accused students filing lawsuits against their universities. |
| These Professors Are Retiring Early. AI Was the Last Straw. | |
 | For most of his 25 years as an English professor at Fitchburg State University, Michael Hoberman assigned his students analytical essays about literature, which he would return with two or three paragraphs of feedback. When he noticed students sneaking generative AI-concocted sentences into their work a few years ago, he tried having them do most of their writing in class with pen and paper. But Hoberman found that his new approach didn't give students enough time to write, or allow him enough material to comment on, for them to grow as writers and thinkers. Trying to figure out a new way to teach in the age of artificial intelligence has so confounded Hoberman that he decided to retire this December, a few years earlier than planned. He will be 62. While he looks forward to spending time with his new grandchild and focusing on his scholarly work, AI was "definitely the straw that broke the camel's back," he said. Other faculty members wrestling with the impacts of AI are also so fed up that they're choosing to opt out early. Early retirements in academe are especially striking because faculty members are known to hang on to their jobs well into their 70s or even longer. |
| 61 Percent of Colleges Have Met Their Enrollment Goals for Fall 2026 | |
| As the fall semester fast approaches, just half of small colleges are confident in their ability to meet their enrollment goals this year, according to a survey of 134 higher education enrollment leaders Niche conducted this July. Although 61 percent of respondents told Niche they anticipated hitting those goals this fall, that number was significantly lower -- 50 percent -- for colleges with less than 2,000 students. Leaders at smaller institutions were also more likely than their peers to say that their confidence in their ability to hit their enrollment goals had declined since earlier in the admissions cycle. Niche's State of Higher Education Pulse Survey, provided exclusively to Inside Higher Ed, follows a February survey that asked enrollment leaders to predict how fall 2026 enrollment would play out. The latest update highlights where enrollment stands ahead of the start of the new academic year. The report emphasizes the unique struggles of small institutions, which made up almost half of the survey sample, to differentiate themselves from other institutions and meet their enrollment goals. In recent years, several small colleges have closed raising questions about what those who remain open need to do to stay afloat. |
| Nursing Coalition Challenges ED's Professional Degrees List | |
| A coalition of advanced nurses, public health workers, teachers and therapists is once again challenging how the Department of Education determines which graduate programs qualify for higher loan caps, filing an amended complaint Monday. The group originally filed its lawsuit in May, arguing that the regulatory language ED was using to implement a new law was too narrow, unlawfully limiting which degree programs qualified as "professional" and therefore would be eligible for higher amounts of federal aid. A district court judge put the definition on hold in late June, before the rules took effect, and directed the department to implement Congress's preexisting definition of professional while the case played out. By the end of the month, the Education Department released an updated list of eligible programs that deemed 29 programs as professional, up from 11 the first time around. But according to the plaintiffs, the department's latest list is still not in line with what Congress intended when it put the loan caps in place. |
| 'Radical Reform': Trump Official Explains New Plan to Get Colleges to Change | |
| The Department of Education published a letter Monday calling on "university presidents and board members" to sign on to seven broad principles that reflect the Trump administration's priorities for higher education. The letter was widely seen as a second attempt at last year's "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education," which suggested colleges could get extra consideration for "federal benefits" in return for enacting specific policies in admissions, hiring, and the treatment of "conservative ideas." Only a few small colleges indicated that they would be interested in signing. "Compact 2.0" tries a different approach. It's less prescriptive, asking colleges how they will fulfill its goals, instead of suggesting specific policies. It appears to have incorporated feedback from at least some college leaders. In reporting on the document, The Chronicle got 10 minutes to interview Jonathan Pidluzny, the department's deputy chief of staff for strategy and implementation. Pidluzny previously worked on higher-education issues at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank. At the beginning of his career, he was a faculty member in political science at Morehead State University. |
| Context, history matter in fairly assessing Trump administration's recent SNAP cuts | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: Cutting federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, commonly called "food stamps," is serious business anywhere in the U.S., but in no state is it more consequential than in Mississippi. The reduction in SNAP participation is part of President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" reconciliation act, enacted in 2025. Since that time, SNAP participation is down 11% or more than 4.5 million Americans. In Mississippi, SNAP participation is down by 43,000 or 12.04%. Cutting domestic spending was the intent of the OBBBA. In Mississippi in 2024, the State Department of Human Services reported that 390,761 individuals received $857.8 million in SNAP benefits. OBBBA applied work requirements to the program, which most Mississippians favor. But advocates said the bill would cut total food assistance spending by $300 billion. |
SPORTS
| Backup QB, O-line competitions heating up heading into fall camp | |
| Mississippi State football's starting quarterback position has been settled for quite some time, but the role of backing up Kamario Taylor is still up for grabs. Quarterback coach Kevin Johns told the media Monday that he'll let "a bunch of guys" compete for the role of QB2 through fall camp. MSU has five quarterbacks listed on the roster, including two transfers, AJ Swann and Jaden Rashada. "They've all had great summers, and I think that's why there isn't a clear cut number two," Johns said. "We got great depth, and so, once we start playing football, we'll learn a lot about how that shakes out." Swann and Rashada, even in what Johns said is an open competition, are the most likely candidates to fill the backup role. Both came to Starkville through the portal for the fourth stop in their respective college careers. Offensive line coach Phil Loadholt said there is also a lot of competition within his room. MSU's O-line, which allowed 45 sacks last season, brings back just one starter from last season, center Canon Boone. Loadholt said one of the more competitive fights for a roster spot on the line have been at the left and right tackle position. |
| Ty Warren bringing NFL experience into first Power 4 coaching gig | |
| Ty Warren has an impressive rolodex. Mississippi State's new defensive line coach has been a name in the football world for a long time. Before he started coaching, Warren was a key piece of the New England Patriots defensive line in the 2000s, starting 93 games through his eight year NFL career, and winning two Super Bowls. Warren stepped onto the sideline after his playing career, and officially made it from high school to the SEC when head coach Jeff Lebby hired him in December. Warren's climb up the coaching ladder didn't come without guidance from some football greats. "I stay close with all my coaching mentors," Warren said at Monday's MSU football media availability. "(Former Patriots DC) Dean Pees, (former Texas A&M head coach) R.C. Slocum, and (Bill) Belichek, I keep in contact with all those guys. (current Ohio State defensive coordinator) Matt Patricia and guys like that." |
| Super Bowl champion says Mississippi State DB Kelley Jones is the 'Sauce Gardner of college football' | |
| The Southeastern Conference recently released its preseason All-SEC teams, as voted on by members of the media ahead of the 2026 season, with Mississippi State defensive back Kelley Jones landing on the second team. Bryant McFadden believes that wasn't nearly enough. The two-time Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers thinks Jones is not only a first-team caliber player, but also has the talent to become the NFL's next elite defensive back. "I can tell you this much: If he takes it seriously this year, he will be a top 10 pick," McFadden said on SportsTalk Mississippi. McFadden took the praise a step further, comparing Jones to one of the NFL's premier cornerbacks: Sauce Gardner. "If Kelley is listening to me, please take it seriously. Take the game seriously. You have an opportunity to make a boatload of money. I don't know what he's making NIL-wise, but he is the Sauce Gardner of college football," McFadden said. |
| Cruz, Cantwell release college sports bill | |
 | Sens. Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell on Tuesday released a new version of their legislation to revamp the rules of college sports, after weeks of negotiations with the largest athletics conferences and the Trump administration. The bill, which would set rules for student athlete compensation and limit conference expansion, is a top priority for Cruz. The Texas Republican and Senate Commerce chair has been adamant about passing the bipartisan legislation before senators leave for August recess at the end of this week. "We listened to our colleagues, addressed their concerns and improved an already strong bill," the Texas Republican said in a statement, calling it "our last best chance to preserve one of America's great unifying traditions for the athletes who compete and the fans who fill the stands." t's unclear whether the Senate will tee up consideration of the bill this week. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Monday that the bill was "probably trending in the right direction" but that he was unsure whether the Senate could produce a "big vote" or "get it in the queue somehow." |
| Amid college sports chaos, Florida moves to influence Senate legislation | |
| Florida university leaders are asking Congress to take a timeout and call some audibles in the college sports legislation that could pass the Senate as soon as this week. Athletic directors and other top officials in the college-sports-crazed Sunshine State see the proposal, the country's most substantial attempt yet to govern this chaotic athletics marketplace, as "progress over perfection" -- a potential shift they welcome yet hope will evolve in the Senate or eventually the House. Notably, they are apprehensive about how the legislation could put schools in purgatory if they want to switch athletic conferences, and they're unsure about the idea of capping the number of colleges in those conferences. They also want more guardrails around third-party name, image and likeness deals they contend schools are using to funnel money to student athletes. "It's the third-party, what has been synthetic NIL, that gets created, because of just the highly competitive nature of the enterprise, that is really hard to govern and track," said Scott Stricklin, the University of Florida's athletic director. |
| What's actually in the bill that's supposed to stop the madness in college sports? | |
| The yearslong, multimillion-dollar effort to get Congressional action on college sports may soon come to fruition. If the Protect College Sports Act passes, it could dramatically change the future of the industry by freezing much of the tumult of the last several years. At least, that's the plan. The Big Ten and SEC threw their support behind the Senate's bill last week, a key hurdle for the senators driving the legislation forward. They'll hope for a Senate vote this week before the body's monthlong recess, but that may be difficult to squeeze in. More hurdles remain in the House of Representatives after the recess, but the possibility of passing something into law is closer than it's ever been. But what's actually in the bill? Everything from transfer restrictions to conference expansion caps to coach-departure limitations to a supposedly harder cap on revenue sharing. There's also a clause about the date of the football national championship game. If you haven't been in the legislative weeds over the past few months, here's a rundown of key provisions that would become law if the bill passes as it's currently written. |
| College Sports Commission Scores Win on MMR, NIL Interpretation | |
| U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken on Tuesday upheld the House settlement administrator's recent finding that multimedia rights companies (MMRs) and third-party brand sponsors can be classified as "associated entities" within the meaning of the agreement. Wilken's ruling is a win for the College Sports Commission as it tries to ensure NIL deals reflect commercial use of an athlete's right of publicity and aren't cloaking pay-for-play arrangements. Associated entities include traditional "boosters" of athletic programs and, in certain circumstances, MMRs like Learfield, Playfly Sports and JMI when they both manage a school's intellectual property rights and facilitate deals for that school's individual athletes. Class counsel representing the athletes in the settlement have argued MMRs shouldn't fall within the definition of associated entities, since they do not operate like boosters. While boosters seek to help their favorite team recruit top players and win championships, MMRs are not aligned with any particular school and simply want to turn a profit. But when MMRs are partners with both a school and one of its athletes, it can become a murky mixture of both profit and boosting. |
| Millsaps-Belhaven rivalry 'not going anywhere' despite Majors' conference move | |
| With Millsaps' planned departure from the Southern Athletic Association being announced earlier this summer, some Division III fans have naturally questioned whether the Majors' rivalry with Belhaven will continue. While Millsaps and Belhaven have never competed in the same conference – despite the schools being located just half a mile apart in Jackson – any conference change can bring new schedules and potentially affect longstanding matchups. When Millsaps joins the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in the fall of 2027, the Majors will have a new slate of built-in opponents across all sports. The good news, according to Millsaps athletic director Justin LeBlanc, is that the rivalry with Belhaven is not going away. "The Belhaven rivalry is not going anywhere," LeBlanc assured, adding that Major-Blazer matchups will continue in most, if not all, sports offered by both programs. "In the near future, in sports like football, baseball, and basketball, they're on the schedule," LeBlanc said. For the 2026-27 athletic year, the first meeting between Millsaps and Belhaven will come Sept. 3, when the football teams face off in the Riverside Rumble at Harper Davis Field on the Millsaps campus. |
| He's College Football's Biggest Villain -- and Also Its Biggest Gamble | |
| Eight months ago, no one in college football was as widely loathed as Lane Kiffin. After leading Ole Miss to the cusp of its first-ever playoff appearance, Kiffin left his employer in the lurch, skipping town for a rival job. Fans mobbed an airport to jeer him as he boarded a private jet bound for LSU. He was seen as a living embodiment of a sport that has become a Wild West of free-flowing cash, rampant opportunism and nonexistent loyalty. But as the 2026 season rounds into view, Kiffin has LSU convinced that gambling on the country's most controversial coach will pay off handsomely. Kiffin built the country's best transfer class practically overnight, and the Tigers are expected to compete for a playoff spot in his first season at the helm. The people who ponied up to bring Kiffin to LSU -- where he'll be paid $13 million annually over a seven-year contract -- say the reason is simple. In college football, if you aren't pushing the limits, you don't matter. "A bad reputation is better than no reputation," said Pepper Rutland, the Tigers booster who provided the jet that whisked Kiffin to Baton Rouge. "Everybody hates him -- unless he's your coach." |
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