| Monday, August 24, 2026 |
| Holmes Plaza honors Mississippi State's first African American student | |
 | A new monument was established on Mississippi State University's Starkville campus to memorialize the first African American student who attended the institution. Located in the former YMCA plaza, the monument is dedicated to Dr. Richard E. Holmes who attended MSU starting July 19, 1965. MSU president Mark E. Keenum held a ribbon-cutting on August 21, 2026, for the new monument. Formerly known as the YMCA Plaza, the area will now be Holmes Plaza, dedicated to community, conversation, connection and friendship. "Holmes Plaza and the monument we are dedicating today ensures that Dr. Holmes' story is always remembered on our campus. And what an incredible story it is," Keenum said. "He was a true pioneer and courageous trailblazer when he became Mississippi State's first African American student on July 19, 1965." |
| MSU art gallery features fall traveling exhibit 'Ecce Homo: Behold the Man' | |
 | The Colvard Student Union Art Gallery at Mississippi State this month begins hosting "Ecce Homo: Behold the Man," a traveling exhibit depicting 20 interpretations of the Passion of Christ. On view Wednesday through Oct. 20 and curated by the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., the presentation's works span five centuries with the earliest depictions of Pontius Pilate bringing Jesus before the crowd originating in the 1500s. Featured are dynamic visualizations by such well-known artists as Salvador Dali, Odilon Redon, Georges Rouault and Otto Dix. Free and open to the public, the MSU showing includes an opening reception Thursday, 9:30-11:30 a.m., at the art gallery on the second floor of Colvard Union, 198 Lee Boulevard. |
| Discover the world of Muscadines: the 2026 Muscadine Field Day | |
 | The Mississippi State University McNeill Research Unit, located at 7 Ben Gill Road, will host the 2026 Muscadine Field Day on Thursday, Aug. 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The Muscadine Field Day is an outdoor event that has been held for the past fifteen years, co-hosted by the Mississippi State University Extension Service, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, and the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. Muscadines are a unique fruit that vary in flavor, skin thickness, and seed size among different cultivars. They thrive in the local environment and face minimal disease and pest issues, allowing homeowners to cultivate them without the need for sprays. The Mississippi State University vineyard has a long history of association with USDA research, primarily focusing on muscadines -- a native grape species of the region. Eric Stafne, a professor at Mississippi State University who specializes in small fruit crops such as muscadines, grapes, and blueberries, helps organize this event. "One thing about muscadines is that it's a very unique fruit, and if you're not familiar with it, the idea behind this event is that you can come and taste it," Stafne said. "You can see what it looks like and, surprisingly -- or maybe not surprisingly -- a lot of the cultivars have very different flavors." |
| With turtle release from Gulf State Park, satellite will help researchers learn Kemp's ways | |
| After months of rehabilitation, two sea turtles returned to the Gulf Tuesday morning.Pudge, a subadult Kemp's ridley, and Skipper, a loggerhead, were released from the Gulf State Park Pavilion after being rescued following encounters with fishing gear. Both turtles spent months recovering at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies before being cleared for release. Pudge arrived at IMMS in March after being hooked in a flipper. Skipper, the loggerhead, was brought in in May after also being hooked and becoming entangled in a monofilament line. Theresa Madrigal, stranding coordinator at IMMS, said situations like Pudge's show why people should report turtles caught on fishing gear rather than trying to remove the hook themselves. Madrigal said veterinary examinations can uncover injuries that may not be visible at first. In some cases, turtles that appear to have been hooked once are found to have multiple hooks inside them. The rehabilitation process involves both medical care and daily care for the turtles. IMMS works with Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, whose veterinarians provide treatment while IMMS staff assist and care for the animals throughout their recovery. For Pudge, the return to the Gulf also came with a new piece of equipment. |
| School board incumbents face challengers in November | |
| Challengers are taking on two school board members -- one seeking a second term and the other seeking a fifth -- when Lowndes and Oktibbeha County voters head to the polls in November. On the Lowndes County School Board, incumbent Jacqueline Gray, who represents District 5, aims to secure the same seat she's held since 2003. Tresa Sanders, city clerk for Artesia, has submitted qualifying papers to run against Gray. Incumbent Cassandra Palmer has filed qualifying papers for her seat on the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School Board. Retired SOCSD educator Maggie Cooks will run against her. Thursday was the deadline to qualify. Once the candidates' qualification materials are certified, their names will be added to the ballot for the Nov. 3 general election. Since she was elected to the seat in 2021, Palmer said her focuses on the board have spanned the district's last superintendent search, expanded pre-K access, improved training for dyslexia services and support for arts programs. While she noted her excitement for the new Starkville High School and her motivation to see that project through to completion, Palmer said her primary reason for running again is rooted in advocacy. Cooks retired in 2016 from SOCSD, where she spent 25 years of her 28-year career as an educator. Cooks also noted her background working with her husband's Johnie E. Cooks Foundation, supporting at-risk students through mentorship and life skills programs. |
| Ground broken on pedestrian bridge connecting museums in Jackson | |
| Ground has been broken on a project aimed at connecting museums, parks, and trails in Jackson. Federal, state, and city officials, along with other local leaders gathered in the LeFleur's Bluff area of Jackson on Wednesday to break ground on a multi-million-dollar pedestrian bridge. The bridge will overlook the busy and well-traveled Lakeland Drive and will connect the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Ag Museum with the Mississippi Children's Museum and the Museum of Natural Science. Officials said the overarching goal is to link the museums with related facilities in the city's downtown region and even Jackson State University through Museum Trail. It will also allow foot travelers and bicyclists alike easier access to the Sports Hall of Fame and Ag Museum, venues where people typically travel by vehicle due to the difficulty of navigating Lakeland Drive when not in an automobile. "Jackson has tremendous promise," Great City Mississippi Foundation and LeFleur's Bluff Conservancy board member Pryor Lampton said. "We want young people to come home, build their lives here, raise their families here, and feel proud of this city. A great city deserves a great urban park." |
| Dozens of empty lots dot the Coast beachfront 21 years after Katrina. Is change coming? | |
 | Along Mississippi's coastal highway, between new homes built high above the old flood lines, scars of a storm two decades past still endure. Dozens of beachfront lots wiped bare by Hurricane Katrina remain empty except for grass and encroaching weeds. In some spots, the remnants of former driveways off U.S. 90 lead nowhere. And for-sale signs keep beckoning new buyers. New Orleans native Gregory Bertucci, 78, has been trying to sell his waterfront lot in Gulfport that was once the site of his eye clinic for more than a decade. He has fielded some interest over the years -- from churches, a casino and even a drive-thru Starbucks -- but nothing stuck. "We don't know what to do with it," he said. The vacant lots that line the Mississippi Gulf Coast are a somber reminder of Katrina's ruins across this region, where soaring insurance rates and new rules about building elevations have forever changed the once-packed stretch of U.S. 90. But as a surge of wealthy newcomers arrive in coastal Mississippi from Louisiana and around the country, some signs of change are at last emerging along the 26-mile stretch of beach highway. Real estate agents say beachfront lots are beginning to sell at a faster pace. |
| Governor: Mississippi's 'unprecedented momentum' leads to all-time employment record | |
| Mississippi has more workers than ever before, Gov. Tate Reeves said Friday. The Republican governor announced that the state's total non-farm employment reached a record high in July, reaching 1,196,200 jobs. "There's been no shortage of record-breaking economic news for Mississippi over the last six-plus years," Reeves said. "It's amazing to see what our state is accomplishing and how it's improving the lives of people across Mississippi. It seems like every week we're announcing another economic win that's helping continue Mississippi's unprecedented momentum." Mississippi is second in America for growth in job openings since 2020, with hiring demand up nearly 20%, the governor said. The U.S. state average was -9.6% for that same time period. Additionally, the governor touted that, during his term, the state has had an all-time low unemployment rate multiple times and the second-fastest-growing GDP in the United States. |
| Lt. Gov. Hosemann Replaces Sen. Simmons on Redistricting Committee | |
| Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann removed Senate Minority Leader Sen. Derrick Simmons, D-Greenville, from the Legislature's joint redistricting committee after the senator co-authored a letter urging Hosemann and House Speaker Jason White to reconsider redistricting efforts. "I appreciate the opportunity that the lieutenant governor afforded me to continue my service on the select committee," the Senate minority leader told the Mississippi Free Press on Friday. "As you know, I was appointed in 2022 to be a member of the select reapportionment and redistricting committee, but I do recognize that committee assignments do remain within his prerogative and I respect his authority to make those decisions." The letter, co-authored by Simmons, Mississippi House Minority Leader Rep. Robert Johnson and Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Kabir Karriem, said the Legislature should only redraw state Supreme Court maps and should create those districts to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and "one-person, one-vote principles." Although Mississippi Today broke the news to the general public on Aug. 21, Simmons said Hosemann informed him of the decision to remove him from the selection committee back in June. |
| 'Disappointed': Ranchers and Republicans React to Trump's Beef Import | |
| Jim Richardson's weekly trips to sell beef at the Battle Creek and Sunset Valley farmers markets in Austin, Texas have dipped in revenue. Local restaurants also aren't buying much of his hormone- and antibiotic-free beef. He's had to double his prices because of rising costs for processing, fuel, labeling, packaging, labor and electricity. Now Richardson, a 77-year-old rancher based in Georgetown, Texas, with about a 100-head cattle herd, is facing another pain point: President Donald Trump's announcement that the United States will import 300,000 metric tons of tariff-free beef in an attempt to lower costs for consumers. Farm organizations, ranchers associations and Republicans swiftly rebuked the plan as detrimental to the American cattle industry, which is experiencing historically low numbers of cattle herds and severe weather patterns on top of Trump's aggressive tariff measures. Importing foreign beef, agriculture groups say, undercuts American businesses that have increased their prices to stay afloat. Richardson, a self-described conservative, said he voted for Trump in 2024, but right now he's "disappointed" in him and worried that these economic policies could reflect badly on the next Republican presidential nominee. The effects of tariffs and disputes with trading partners such as Canada are being felt at home, Richardson said. |
| 'Trump in purgatory': A White House plan to lower beef prices is dividing the president's supporters | |
 | President Donald Trump's latest effort to lower beef prices ahead of November's midterms has rattled cattle markets, infuriated beef industry groups and alienated some conservatives. And it's not clear the move will pay off at the meat counter. Trump said Friday that he plans to remove duties on 300,000 metric tons of imported beef, which he said suppliers have agreed to sell at a 25 percent discount that will be passed on to consumers. But growing backlash to Trump's beef import plan illustrates the stakes of a White House political gamble to confront high food prices that threaten Republicans at the ballot box, despite the risk of sparking industry resistance that has previously derailed similar plans. "You don't put America first by putting U.S. cattle producers last," said Justin Tupper, president of the United States Cattlemen's Association, in a statement after Trump's announcement. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has vehemently opposed moves similar to Friday's announcement for months amid a rush of backlash from ranchers who have said that boosting imports will displace strong consumer demand for U.S. beef. Rollins on Thursday blamed the Biden administration for the ongoing price stress. |
| As Canada readies retaliatory tariffs, Mark Carney says his nation is 'at war' with U.S. | |
 | Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his country will initiate retaliatory tariffs against U.S. imports starting Sept. 8. The move came hours after the Trump administration began enforcing 50% tariffs on a slew of Canadian goods. At a press conference on Saturday, Carney likened the U.S. actions against Canada to a conflict. "You're at war when you get attacked. We got attacked," he said. Trade negotiations between the United States and Canada fell apart Friday night, shortly before a midnight deadline for the 50% tariffs to take effect on $20 billion worth of Canadian products, including some dairy products, alcoholic beverages, cement and hockey equipment. Carney said Friday night that "Canada will match those tariffs dollar for dollar to protect our workers and businesses." He later said the retaliatory tariffs set to kick in next month will focus on American sectors such as "steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics." The prime minister blamed the U.S. for the collapse in negotiations. |
| White House ballroom construction can proceed, SCOTUS says | |
 | The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to a Trump administration request to temporarily set aside an appellate court ruling that would have stalled above-ground construction on the planned White House ballroom. The one-sentence order, signed by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., did not provide any explanation for his decision, which he said is temporary while the court continues to review the matter pending further rulings. At issue is a preliminary injunction ordered by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit earlier this month. That order would have prevented the Trump administration from moving forward with the construction of a ballroom at the site previously home to the White House's East Wing without congressional approval. In arguing for a stay of the injunction in court documents this week, the National Park Service reiterated the administration's argument that the complex is "required by national security" and that any delay of its construction poses "intolerable risks." The administration also argued that the president has broad discretion over changes to the White House grounds, saying there is precedent to "endorse the longstanding practice by which Presidents have not needed, sought, or obtained specific approval from Congress for construction projects on White House grounds." |
| See the moment when Republican politicians turned against data centers | |
 | Sen. Jon Husted once promoted data centers as all upside for his state of Ohio. "Data centers are essential to our digital lives," the Republican said in 2024, praising a planned Google project that he claimed would establish "central Ohio as an important tech hub in America." This spring, as he drew nearer to what is expected to be a tight November reelection race, Husted's view of data centers appeared to change. He introduced a Senate bill that his website promises will "protect Americans from footing the bill for new data centers." Husted is far from the only Republican to shift from all-out data center booster to publicly speaking critically about the facilities in recent months, following growing signs that many voters are unhappy about the rapid spread of the computer-stuffed and power-guzzling facilities. Some Republican candidates are now trying to take the issue for themselves ahead of the midterm elections by attacking Democratic opponents with accusations they are too soft on data centers.Two years ago, when only a third of Americans had used an AI chatbot, lawmakers rarely mentioned data centers online. When they did, it was generally to celebrate the arrival of one of the facilities in their district, talking of jobs, investment and the future. "It is a relatively new issue for most politicians," said David Karol, a political scientist at the University of Maryland, who wrote a book about how parties shift their positions. "So the politicians are figuring it out, along with everyone else." |
| Jeffries and Kushner Meet Privately as Midterm Attacks Fly | |
 | Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, met privately in recent weeks with Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and top outside adviser, and discussed potential areas of common ground, according to five people with knowledge of the meeting. The rare engagement was held in a private space in New York City, offered up by a mutual friend of the two men, according to two people with knowledge of the meeting and a third who was briefed on it. They and others were granted anonymity to discuss a meeting about which they were not authorized to speak publicly. Through aides, neither man would comment on the session, which was described by one person with knowledge of it as a broad conversation on a range of topics. Still, its timing underscored that those around Mr. Trump were well aware of the likelihood of a Democratic-led House, and trying to foster as much of a working relationship as possible before any change. Mr. Jeffries is in line to be the speaker, were Democrats to win the majority. During the recent meeting, the pair discussed housing, immigration and the high cost of living as potential areas of common ground. The likelihood of any compromises between the White House and Democrats on those issues seems remote. |
| At the Iowa State Fair, pork chops mix with presidential politics. Will that change? | |
 | Tucked in amid the funnel cake stands and livestock exhibits is a small trailer decorated with bright images of fruit. Hoppy's Lemonade Shake-Up, one of the Iowa State Fair's oldest and most beloved vendors, has been selling lemonade to thirsty fairgoers for 79 years. Dana Hartney has worked at Hoppy's for decades. "I love everything about it," she says. "I've spent my entire life coming out here." One of the longest-running summer attractions in America, the Iowa State Fair has been a mainstay for generations of Iowans -- and politicians. For half a century, scores of White House hopefuls have come to the fairgrounds just east of Des Moines to flip pork chops and shake hands, trying to generate buzz. But while much of the fair seems almost impervious to change -- from its famous butter sculptures to the astonishing array of food items on sticks -- its place in the pantheon of presidential politics might be waning. Until recently, Iowa held first-in-the-nation caucuses for both major parties, making the Midwestern state a key proving ground. A win here or even a better-than-expected performance could give a candidate crucial momentum heading into New Hampshire and the primary states that followed. In the 2024 election cycle, however, the Democratic National Committee stripped Iowa of its early voting status -- a response to technical mishaps that had marred the 2020 caucuses, as well as complaints that Iowa's heavily white, rural population was not representative of the Democratic base. |
| USDA wants to revive the cotton industry. Experts aren't sure that's possible | |
| A denim-clad rancher poses on horseback, crimson-red shirt against a hazy blue sky. A farmer in a T-shirt stands surrounded by his crop, leaves bending toward weathered hands. "Real Americans wear cotton," reads bold text over a photo of a sprawling white field. This Americana-laden imagery came in an X post from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, uploaded in late May. The post -- and its subsequent reply by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. -- accompanied the release of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's "Great American Cotton Plan," an initiative with sweeping promises of reviving American cotton production and bringing textile manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. Over the past half-century, many American clothing companies have moved their factories to China, Indonesia and Bangladesh, decreasing the need for domestic cotton production. Climate change has depleted southern soils and contributed to the nation's reduction in the cotton sector, moving the U.S. behind Brazil in 2023 as the world's largest cotton supplier. The USDA's new cotton plan hopes to rebuild the industry, primarily by strengthening crop insurance for cotton and increasing direct funding toward American mills. Rollins' announcement comes as major voices of the nation's health and agriculture policy -- lawmakers, farmers, researchers and a new wave of online activists -- have set their sights on the fabrics we wear and the plant it often comes from. |
| UMMC hits record $93.2 million fundraising year | |
| The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) said fiscal year 2025-26 was its most successful fundraising year in history. Donors contributed a record $93.2 million to support patient care, education and research. "This record-setting year reflects the extraordinary confidence our donors have placed in UMMC and the work taking place across our Medical Center," said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. "Their generosity allows us to educate the next generation of health care professionals, care for patients and pursue discoveries that can improve lives. We are grateful for their belief in UMMC and their commitment to the health of Mississippi." Leading the momentum was the It's About Time: The Campaign for the Cancer Center and Research Institute. The $125 million campaign has surpassed 80 percent of its goal, bringing Mississippi closer to a new five-story, 250,000-square-foot Cancer Center and Research Institute designed to transform how cancer is prevented, diagnosed, treated and studied across the state. |
| JPS annual college fair set for Monday, August 24th | |
| Jackson Public Schools will host its annual College Fair on Monday, August 24, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Environmental Learning Center, 6190 MS-18 in Jackson. The event will connect high school scholars with representatives from more than 30 regional colleges, universities, career programs and military branches. Participating organizations include Jackson State University, Alcorn State University, Hinds Community College, Mississippi State University and the U.S. Army, among others. "College fairs give our scholars an opportunity to explore their options, connect with college representatives, and begin planning for their future," said Laketia Marshall Thomas, JPS assistant superintendent for the High School Network. "We want our scholars and families to explore these opportunities early and make informed decisions about their future." |
| McMahon says Education Department 'cracking down' on teachers harassing students | |
 | Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Sunday her department is "cracking down" on K-12 teachers sexually harassing students. During an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," McMahon criticized the practice of a school district reassigning a teacher accused of sexually harassing a student to another school. "And it's not part of their record or anything, so we have really been cracking down on that as well," she told host Dana Bash. McMahon also noted that 1 in 10 children will be sexually molested by the time they finish high school, citing research her department conducted. ProPublica and KQED reported in May that the state of California did not revoke the professional licenses of 67 teachers whom school districts determined sexually harassed students or committed other types of sexual misconduct from 2019 through 2025. The Education Department responded to that reporting by launching an investigation into the Los Angeles Unified School District, as well as a nationwide effort to "crack down" on teachers harassing students. |
| How Big Tech Captured American Schools | |
| One humid afternoon in the summer of 2025, representatives from Microsoft were waiting as some 200 teachers trooped into a conference hall in downtown Manhattan. The educators were there for a workshop on the school technology of the moment: artificial intelligence chatbots. The Microsoft team gave a presentation on their Copilot chatbot and asked the teachers to practice using it for tasks like generating emails to parents and customizing lesson plans. Microsoft instructors also screened an A.I. explainer video that their Minecraft Education division had produced for children. The animated clip, based on the company's blockbuster world-building game, featured a cheerful narrator and a cute Minecraft duck. Even if some schoolchildren weren't old enough to use A.I., one of the Microsoft workshop leaders told the teachers in attendance, at least they could start learning about it. Industry-sponsored teacher training is just one technique that Big Tech companies use to shape schools and promote their worldviews to students. |
| UA President Peter Mohler on AI, Nursing and Building a 'University for Alabama' | |
| Ahead of his second academic year as president of the University of Alabama, Dr. Peter Mohler sat down with the Tuscaloosa Thread for a wide-ranging conversation about the university's "Future Ready" framework, its embrace of artificial intelligence, the new School of Data Sciences and the state's looming nursing shortage. Mohler, who succeeded Stuart Bell as UA's president in 2025, spoke as students returned to campus for the fall semester. The questions below have been edited for length and clarity. Mohler's answers appear as he gave them. "Well, most simply put, we've been the University of Alabama for 196 years, and the history of this place is incredible. I'd like for your readership to think of us as the University for Alabama. And that means a little bit different things to every one of your readers. Whether it's making sure that we have nurses to meet the shortage of nurses here locally, at the county and statewide level, or even nationally, or ensuring that we're leading in areas of artificial intelligence -- leading it, instead of it leading us." |
| U. of Tennessee chemistry department to open new building in 2029 | |
| The University of Tennessee chemistry department is getting an upgrade. Construction for the future Charles and Julie Wharton Chemistry Building is underway on Cumberland Avenue. The building will house the department's faculty research in its eight stories. The building will feature 25 experimental research labs, three computational research labs, dedicated workstations for student researchers and more. The basement level and first floor will house teaching labs, core facilities, research space and classrooms. The upper three levels of the building will house upper level teaching labs and classrooms. "Chemistry is a field where we need lots of instrumentation to analyze the materials we make and study," Kevin Shaughnessy, UT professor and head of the department of chemistry, said. "The main facilities we will have will be nuclear magnetic residence, a massback facility, and a facility for x-ray crystallography." The new building will allow increases of about 15% of undergraduates majors, 20% of graduate majors, 20% in chemistry credit hours and 25% in external research grants. The building itself is projected to complete by August of 2029. |
| Nuclear training center, ROTC building named for Lindsey Graham among U. of South Carolina's 2027 budget asks | |
| The University of South Carolina is making plans for a nuclear workforce training center within its engineering school, as well as a new, $60 million Reserve Officers' Training Corps center to be named in honor of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. "With renewed federal investment and private-sector leadership from companies such as Westinghouse, the United States is poised for a nuclear energy resurgence," reads a statement from the college. "Through partnerships with private industry, federal agencies and the South Carolina Technical College System, USC is preparing to serve as a state and national hub for developing the workforce critical to supporting America's next-generation nuclear energy ecosystem." USC plans to ask state legislators for $100 million in the next state budget cycle, beginning July 1, 2027. That dollar amount will be matched by private investment, the school's statement said. The center will be part of the school's larger plans to renovate and expand its college of engineering and computing. It will train technicians, engineers, specialized construction professionals and operators for both large- and small-scale nuclear reactors. |
| For the first time, a woman will lead U. of South Carolina's Board of Trustees | |
 | For the first time in its 225-year history, the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees will be led by a woman. Rose Buyck Newton, a finance professional who has served on the USC Board of Trustees since 2018, was elected Friday as the board's new chairwoman. The Bluffton resident said she was honored to join the state's growing sorority of education leaders and looked forward to carrying on the university's mission of education, research and service. "We have a lot of women doing a lot of great things in the state," said Newton, nodding to the female chairs of Clemson University, Coastal Carolina University, the College of Charleston and state Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver. "I'm just glad to be a part of that team, moving higher ed forward in the state of South Carolina." A third-generation banker who chairs the board at the Bank of Clarendon in Manning, Newton holds a bachelor's degree from Converse College and a master's of business administration from the University of South Carolina. |
| U. of Texas replaces College of Liberal Arts dean with another temporary leader | |
| The University of Texas is replacing College of Liberal Arts interim Dean David Sosa in yet another leadership shake-up at the university, according to an email sent Friday afternoon to some faculty in the college. Sosa was named interim dean in May 2025 and led the college as four ethnic and gender studies departments were closed and folded into the new Department of Social and Cultural Analysis. Daniel Brinks, the college's associate dean for academic and faculty affairs and chair of UT's government department, will be the next temporary leader of the college starting Wednesday through August 2027, according to the email sent by a department chair to faculty. Brinks was instrumental in consolidating the ethnic and gender studies departments. He led the committee that explored the move last fall and reported directly to Sosa, according to records obtained by the American-Statesman. The change marks more turnover as the College of Liberal Arts enters its second academic year without a permanent leader in place. The last permanent dean was Ann Stevens, who said in 2024 that former President Jay Hartzell blocked her from a second term leading the college. |
| Boston Taking Extreme Measures to Combat Underage Drinking | |
 | When Gavin Holt was called before a Boston municipal court in October over a party that some of his housemates had thrown, he thought the incident would be a mere blip in the first semester of his junior year. The Boston College biology student said he wasn't even present at the party that resulted in noise complaints and disorderly house charges against him and a dozen others. Nonetheless, three months and thousands of dollars in legal fees later, Holt acknowledged the event for what it turned into: "An extra weight on my shoulders that I was carrying throughout the semester." Holt received a sentence of 20 hours of community service and was required to write letters of apology to the school and neighborhood. In this buttoned-up northeastern city with some 160,000 college students and notoriously strict laws when it comes to alcohol, imbibing underage has long been a point of friction. But lately those tensions have been brought to a boil as a result of a postpandemic partying revival, increasingly sophisticated fake IDs and stricter enforcement. According to the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, a state agency that supervises businesses that serve alcohol, the number of fake IDs confiscated in the state last year hit its highest level in at least two decades. Bars have adopted extreme measures to combat fakers. |
| Education Department Takes First Step to Revoke Recognition of Law-Schools Accreditor | |
 | A report from the Education Department is recommending that the accrediting arm of the American Bar Association lose its federal recognition. If approved, the accrediting agency, called the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, would no longer be eligible to serve as a gatekeeper of federal financial aid for the law schools it oversees. The loss of recognition would mean that 13 free-standing law schools would have to find a new federally recognized accreditor to be eligible for federal student aid. The other 184 law schools that are accredited under the ABA could still get federal financial aid under the accreditation of the university that they are affiliated with. That outcome could be months or even years away. The staff report will be reviewed next month by the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, an 18-member panel that makes recommendations to the education secretary on whether to grant federal recognition. After that, Nicholas Kent, the under secretary of education, will make a determination on whether to continue the accreditor's status as a gatekeeper. The accreditor can then appeal the decision and could sue the department if it loses that appeal. |
| Prediction markets, facing no Mississippi regulations, are targeting college campuses, policy expert warns | |
| Emily Stack, senior director of policy and executive director of Moms for America Action, writes: This month, Mississippi parents will pack their 18-year-olds off to campuses across the state and worry about the usual things -- homesickness, roommates and that first shaky attempt at independence. But there is a new risk many parents don't know exists. Their child can now place real-money bets on sports from a dorm room, despite Mississippi's prohibition on online sports gambling. So-called "prediction markets," popular platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket, let users as young as 18 all across the country gamble on everything from sports to what word might be mentioned at a press conference. It doesn't matter what the laws are in Mississippi or any other state. Unlike traditional online sports betting apps, these platforms don't abide by state age minimums or bans, nor do they provide problem gambling resources to prevent addiction. ... As students head off to campus this fall, they will face hundreds of betting opportunities every week and an advertising blitz already ramping up. Freshmen will see ads during game breaks in dorm lounges. They will watch classmates open the apps between lectures. And they will be told, over and over, that they are not gambling -- they are "investing." That framing is the most dangerous part. Investing is about ownership, long-term growth, and building a future. Wagering on whether the Ole Miss Rebels cover the spread on Saturday is not investing, no matter how sleek the interface. |
| Low student earnings back on DOE agenda | |
 | Columnist Bill Crawford writes: Of the nation's 4,640 colleges, universities, and certificate programs eligible for federal grants and loans, 1,930 or 42% could be at risk for failing to properly submit student outcomes data. Of 43 eligible in Mississippi, 16 or 37% may be at risk. Since July 1, 2024, colleges have been required to submit to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) data that will allow comparison of average earnings of completer of academic program with the average earnings of high school completers. Programs with average earnings below the state high school average in two out of three consecutive years can lose access to federal loan programs. Compliance had been delayed, but the agency is now moving to implement the program. ... Using the tool on a list of 57 colleges, universities, and certificate programs located in Mississippi, I found 27 in compliance, 16 in noncompliance, and 14 unlisted. ... Of our eight public universities, Delta State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi Valley State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi were noncompliant. |
SPORTS
| Dawgs Take Another Step Forward With Just Two Weeks Til Kickoff | |
| Just two weeks remain before Davis Wade Stadium is packed, the cowbells are clanging and Mississippi State's 2026 season officially begins. "We wanted it to be game-like today -- our sideline operation, our sideline communication, and how we do what we do between drives and have the ability to get our iPads out and go through the script," MSU head coach Jeff Lebby said. "With the mock game next week, we'll have the opportunity to do it again before we go do it for real. Had a good amount of live work today and went into thud, but the best thing is being off the grass and everybody healthy." For sure, health is of utmost importance. Bumps and bruises are to be expected, but State has remained fortunate from an injury standpoint all throughout camp. "The intensity has been able to sustain a little more because we're deeper," Lebby explained. "The roster is better, so there is more competition. You have seen the energy, physicality and speed sustain." |
| These 3 games may prove to be the most important on MSU football's schedule | |
| Mississippi State's football schedule is one of the toughest in the country. The Bulldogs play six of the AP's preseason top-25 teams. ESPN's Power Index rates State's schedule as the sixth toughest in all of college football. MSU's October includes four straight games against opponents ranked in the AP's preseason top-25, but the Bulldogs' September may host the most pivotal stretch on their entire schedule. After opening the season against the University of Louisiana Monroe of the Sun Belt, the Bulldogs will play three tough but winnable games against Minnesota, South Carolina and Missouri before they hit a gauntlet of an October. In Jeff Lebby's pivotal third season, it feels crucial that MSU has a successful September if it wants to surpass last season's 5-8 mark. Here's an inside look at MSU's early three-game stretch that could decide the season. |
| MSU to play Southern Miss, Auburn in fall ball series | |
| Spring may be a long way away, but there is some Mississippi State baseball right around the corner. MSU announced a weekend series featuring Southern Miss and Auburn Oct. 9 and 10. The Bulldogs will face the Tigers on Oct. 9, and the Golden Eagles on Oct. 10. "We're excited about returning to Biloxi in October," head coach Brian O'Connor said in a release from MSU athletics. "We had an incredible experience down there in March and are looking forward to the opportunity to play baseball in front of our fans from the coast again. I'm proud of the team my staff has assembled and can't wait to get them out there this fall and see what we can do against high-level competition like Auburn and Southern Miss." The series features three teams who hosted a regional last season. State played both teams last year, going 1-1 against Southern Miss and 1-2 against Auburn. The games will be held at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi. |
| NCAA gets win in court on 5-year eligibility rule, but this is hardly the end of the lawsuits | |
 | The NCAA notched an important win in federal court Friday over its much-disputed five-year eligibility rule, though it fell short of shutting down the last-minute shuffling threatening to upend college sports rosters with football season fast approaching. A 2-1 decision by a panel of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals halted, for now, a judge's order that would have granted thousands of athletes an extra season of eligibility. But it did nothing to resolve dozens of other lawsuits and court orders piling up across the country that allow players in the same situation to join teams for the upcoming season. Virtually all these lawsuits involve players who graduated from high school in 2022, whose college eligibility ended last season and who were not included in the NCAA's controversial new rule -- less than two months old -- that grants most Division I athletes five years of eligibility over five years but doesn't take effect until next season. "There's a reason we saw so many state-court lawsuits filed" after the now-paused federal court ruling that came down July 31, said Sam Ehrlich, a former lawyer who now works at Boise State and operates the College Sports Litigation Tracker. "It was a 'just in case.' They did it just in case what we just saw happen actually happened." |
| Court halts order, denies extra year of eligibility | |
| The NCAA won an important battle Friday in the ongoing legal war to determine who should be allowed to play college sports in the upcoming season. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a stay Friday morning in an order that reverses the federal judge's decision that previously opened the door for all athletes who started college in the 2022-23 academic year and played for four consecutive seasons to return for a fifth season. NCAA chief legal officer sent a letter to schools Friday afternoon saying that the association's eligibility rules were back in effect. "The Tenth Circuit's decision to stay the preliminary injunction issued by a Colorado federal district court judge in Wisne permits Division I to return to the status quo before the district court intervened," wrote Scott Bearby, chief legal officer for the NCAA. "Effective immediately, the age-based eligibility rules will be implemented as the Division I membership intended." The stay does not wipe out the dozens of athletes who have successfully petitioned for restraining orders to play a fifth season in state courts around the country. The appeals court decision could spark more lawsuits, restraining order requests and confusion with only two weeks remaining before college football season begins in full force. |
| Nationwide NCAA Eligibility Injunction Sidelined by 10th Circuit Stay | |
| A divided three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit on Friday granted the NCAA a stay of a nationwide injunction that had permitted thousands of formerly ineligible athletes to return to college sports at the start of the 2026–27 campaign. The ruling doesn't mean the NCAA has won its appeal of last month's ruling by U.S. District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney, which had granted the injunction in Wisne v. NCAA and certified a nationwide class of former Division I athletes who began college play in 2022–23, completed four years of eligibility and now seek to play an additional season. Although the granting of the stay signals the 10th Circuit panel is likely to rule for the NCAA, it's possible the player plaintiffs can better convince the panel as the appellate process plays out. Yet the stay has enormous practical importance for athletes and their families, especially with the fall 2026 semester about to start at universities across the country. Another important element to consider: College sports is predicated on athletes being full-time students. That becomes a more significant issue as September rolls in. Colleges have add/drop periods and deadlines for students to enroll in courses for the semester. Students' ability to play sports hinges on being enrolled, which might not be possible for the fall semester as the calendar turns to the second half of September and beyond. |
| From screaming 'Shout' to hating a rival, how international students fall for college football | |
| An estimated 1.17 million international students were enrolled in United States colleges in the 2025-26 academic year. The arrival for some has grown more complicated, as tighter visa policies and travel restrictions under the Trump administration have coincided with declining international enrollment, which is projected to drop about 9.5 percent this fall. "Before coming to the U.S., there were so many things that I thought, 'Oh, it's just a movie,'" said Ninjin Jadamba, a Mongolian undergrad at Michigan. "But then I come here and realize, 'Oh, this is actually real life.' And one of those things was college football. I'm living my dream life." The disbelief is a byproduct of how much happens at once at college football stadiums, eight of which are among the 10 largest stadiums in the world. Tailgates blur into walkways, walkways funnel into gates, and suddenly, the open concourse reveals a stadium that feels impossibly full, colorful and loud. "What was especially shocking for me was the scale of the show," said Texas track and field student-athlete Jeanne Le Goff, who grew up in Paris, "like with the jets flying over the stadium, the fireworks lighting up the sky. Experiencing American football is not just about watching a sport, but it's about witnessing a cultural spectacle." |
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