| Tuesday, July 14, 2026 |
| Organic production increasing in the state | |
 | According to an MSU press release, organic production represents a small but rapidly growing segment of Mississippi agriculture, and a growing number of farmers are doing what it takes to meet this consumer demand for quality products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that as of 2021, which is the most current year for this data, the total number of certified organic acreage in the U.S. is 1% of farmland. Despite this low number, organic sales accounted for 3% of U.S. farm receipts, as consumers are more willing to pay premium price for organic products. Consumer demand for these products has led to their increased availability in grocery stores and other retail outlets. This retail demand has encouraged many existing farmers to convert a portion or all of their acreage into organic production, and a new wave of people are trying their hand at organic production. The Mississippi State University Extension Service is one resource that individuals use when learning how to grow and market organic crops. In April, Extension hosted an organic vegetable production workshop with more than 25 people in attendance. |
| Sid Salter briefs Starkville community leaders about the events of this year's Fair | |
| It has its roots as an agricultural fair and exposition, but in the past 130-plus years, the Neshoba County Fair has grown into "Mississippi's Giant Houseparty." Neshoba County native, noted journalist, and longtime fairgoer, Sid Salter briefed Starkville business and community leaders about the events of this year's Fair today. The Neshoba County Fair still has some of its traditional agricultural aspects, along with harness racing, entertainment, and a carnival midway, but for many, political stump speeches in Founders' Square are the main attraction. Salter says it comes down to "porches, pies, and politics". The politics give you something to talk about after you've eaten the pie, and you're relaxing on the cabin porch. But really, it comes down to the fact that there is something for almost everyone at The Fair. "Everybody can find some facet of the Fair that will appeal to them. Maybe, not all of them, but I like to tell people there are a lot of different 'fairs' going on there when people visit. It depends on what your interests are and where your heart is. People find their 'fair' when they get down there," said Salter. |
| Spruill requests LINK refund as county weighs future | |
 | Mayor Lynn Spruill thinks Golden Triangle Development LINK should issue a refund to Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority. In the two years since OCEDA, for which Spruill serves as president, began covering a $150,000 increase to the county's contract with the LINK, Spruill said the level of economic development brought in by the organization has been disproportionate to the rate hike and to development in other parts of the region. "I think that there is a disparity ... in the ability for us to receive as much value for Oktibbeha County as ... Lowndes and Clay received, and it's not based on anything other than their and our different asset division," Spruill told The Dispatch after a Monday meeting of the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors. "So I don't think our upside is going to be a s great as the upside Clay and Lowndes have." Spruill attended the Monday meeting, where LINK CEO Meryl Fisackerly met with county supervisors to discuss the path forward after the board served notice June 23 to potentially end its contract with the LINK in 2028. The board cited recent turnover with LINK leadership as a primary reason. Spruill has also publicly expressed concerns about turnover and what she sees as poor communication between the LINK and its clients. |
| Meridian demolishes former police headquarters | |
 | Crews are tearing down the city's former police headquarters, a building that has sat empty for more than a decade. The structure has been vacant since the Meridian Police Department moved out in May 2013. The city has not announced a completion date for the demolition project, saying the work could change from day to day based on site conditions and safety considerations. "Demolition of the former police headquarters is progressing, and while we are not putting a specific completion date on the project, our priority is making sure the work is done safely and with as little disruption to traffic and the surrounding area as possible," the city said in a statement. City leaders have not detailed plans for the site but said an announcement is coming. "As for what comes next, there are plans and we look forward to sharing those details with the public at the appropriate time," the city said. "Right now, our focus is completing the demolition safely and responsibly, and we'll have more to announce soon." |
| Falling gas prices likely cut inflation last month but renewal of Iran war could undo progress | |
 | Inflation likely cooled last month as gas prices declined, providing consumers with some welcome relief even as renewed combat with Iran has sent oil prices climbing again. The government's latest inflation report, to be released Tuesday, is forecast to show that consumer prices dropped 0.2% in June, according to a survey of economists by data provider FactSet. It would be the first monthly decline in nearly four years. Compared with a year ago, prices probably rose 3.9%, down from a 4.2% annual rate in May. Gas prices have fallen a bit more in July, suggesting inflation could dip again in next month's report. Still, the better numbers aren't likely to unwind concerns about affordability that have become a political liability for the Trump administration as the midterm elections near. Inflation is still higher than before the Iran war, when it was just 2.4%. And the situation in the Middle East continues to change hour to hour. Gas price spikes have also raised air fares. And by pushing up diesel prices, they have lifted shipping costs for groceries and other goods. |
| Mississippi AI task force hears competing claims on data center costs, community impacts | |
 | Mississippi's artificial intelligence regulation task force opened its first day of hearings Monday, taking testimony from utility representatives, public service commissioners, and community advocates on the costs and consequences of the state's data center industry growth. Entergy told the task force it expects residential customer bills to decrease as data center growth expands the utility's customer base. "When you have higher sales volume to spread those costs over, it's going to produce a lower rate," said Jeremy Vanderloo, vice president of business operations and strategy for Entergy Mississippi. The company projected residential bills would be $30 a month less by 2030 than they would have been without data center growth. Entergy pushed back on a recent study commissioned by environmental groups that claims costs are already being passed on to ratepayers. |
| Data centers take center stage at Mississippi State Capitol | |
 | Data centers took center stage at the Mississippi State Capitol on July 13, 2026, but not everyone is pleased with how they're impacting local communities. An AI Task Force heard from elected officials, power companies and public interest groups on Monday. The discussion focused on the role data centers will play in the state moving forward and how they're being viewed right now. "The communities that are being impacted have to be part of the discussion, because we are who make Mississippi. We are the people who live here," said Shannon Samsa, executive director of Safe and Sound Coalition. "And if you don't have us, then what is Mississippi anymore?" De'Keither Stamps, Public Service Commissioner for the Central District, said he's not taking a stance for or against data centers. "As elected officials, whether you're right wing, left wing, we have to commit to saving the bird. The wings are not going to save the bird unless they work together. So, we have to work together and make good decisions, first off. It won't matter if you're ruby red or baby blue. If the bird dies, we all die," he said. |
| Flags ordered to fly half-staff in Mississippi in honor of Lindsey Graham | |
| Gov. Tate Reeves has ordered flags to fly half-staff across Mississippi in honor of late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. Flags were ordered Monday morning to fly half-staff until Saturday, July 18. Reeves said on social media that the move comes at the direction of President Donald Trump, adding, "Mississippi is praying for the entire Graham family and for all the people of South Carolina." Graham, a South Carolina Republican, died Saturday night at the age of 71. U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican and chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, worked closely with Graham as it pertained to military and defense policies. Graham, a noted foreign policy hawk, was often a direct line to Trump on matter such as the Iran war and Russia. "There are no words to describe Lindsey Graham, my friend of more than three decades," Wicker said. "There are no words to describe his impact on the foreign and domestic policy of the United States. Lindsey served his beloved country in uniform and in the House and Senate. He stood solidly for freedom and strength and he fought for liberty across the globe. Lindsey Graham can be succeeded in office but he cannot be replaced." |
| South Carolina governor picks Graham's sister to serve out his term | |
 | Darline Graham Nordone, the sister of the late South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, will fill his Senate seat through the end of his term in January, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster announced Monday. "Lindsey took care of his little sister in years long departed," McMaster said at a news conference in Columbia, referring to Graham becoming his then teenage sister's legal guardian after their parents died within 15 months of each other. "It's my honor to ask his little sister, Darline Graham, to finish his work for him now." The late senator, a close ally of President Donald Trump, died Saturday evening from a tear in his aorta, according to a preliminary medical examiner report shared by his office. "As I think everyone would agree, Lindsey worked harder than anyone. He worked nonstop to make our state, country and world better.," Nordone said at Monday's news conference. "I promise to work hard over the next several months to support the president and carry forward the efforts of my brother on behalf of the citizens of South Carolina and the United States." A mother of two, Nordone has worked with people with disabilities and helped them to find jobs. She has not previously held elected office. |
| The Battle for Hormuz: Trump Shifts Into Dangerous New Phase in Iran War | |
 | President Trump's new plan to wrest control of the Strait of Hormuz by resuming strikes and reimposing the blockade is his third major shift in military strategy as he searches for a way to turn the tables on Iran in the nearly five-month-old war. Trump has tried air and missile attacks, a naval quarantine and now the calibrated use of firepower to try to coerce Tehran to agree to his terms, in addition to diplomatic inducements. But Iran has exploited its proximity to a major oil export route to defy Washington and joust for influence across the Middle East. A stable peace appears elusive, some former officials say, as each side is calculating that it can win the long game in a test of wills that may haunt the rest of Trump's presidency, including through the midterm elections in November. "We are now locked in a coercive war of attrition. Both sides are trying to push the other past some unknowable pain threshold," said Kenneth Pollack, the vice president of the Middle East Institute and a former CIA analyst. "Coercive wars can go on and on." The Trump administration wasn't bargaining for an open-ended conflict when it rolled the dice in late February and joined Israel's military campaign to eliminate Iran's leadership and cripple its arsenal of ballistic missiles and launchers. |
| Mike Johnson Is Plotting a Narrow, Fast Reconciliation Bill | |
| House Speaker Mike Johnson and the White House are hoping to push a narrow reconciliation bill through the House by the end of next week that would include very few Republican priorities and focus mostly on defense and farm aid, multiple sources told NOTUS. The working plan is for the bill to have sections from four committees: the House Administration Committee, the House Armed Services Committee, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Agriculture Committee. The bill will include $70 billion for the war in Iran and defense, $20 billion for agriculture, mostly relief funds, and the SAVE America Act. While leadership knows that the SAVE America Act, President Donald Trump's priority voting bill, is likely to be stripped out in the Senate, including it in this package would help secure support from conservatives to pass it out of the House. That's especially true because the White House is not pushing for any cuts to avoid a fight with House moderates and pass it quickly. The White House wants Johnson to vote on the measure by the end of next week, a lofty goal in a chamber with such a razor-thin majority. |
| Blanche to face skeptics in GOP after judge's scathing criticism | |
 | In Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump appears to have found the attorney general he has always wanted -- one who shares his vision of a Justice Department tethered to the White House and who has demonstrated an ability to swiftly turn presidential demands into action. This week could determine whether he can officially clinch the job. Blanche -- the president's former defense lawyer who was tapped last year to serve as the Justice Department's No. 2 official -- will face what is expected to be a contentious confirmation hearing Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee as he seeks a full term as the nation's chief law enforcement officer. Several key Republicans have not yet pledged their support. Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) and Sen. Thom Tillis (North Carolina), both members of the Judiciary Committee, have expressed reservations about Blanche's involvement in the now-scuttled plan to create a nearly $1.8 billion taxpayer fund to compensate those who say they were unfairly targeted by the justice system, potentially including those convicted of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. A federal judge on Monday criticized the Department of Justice, and Blanche specifically, in a case related to the fund, calling it an effort to "earmark billions of dollars from American taxpayers to redress grievances not defined in the law." |
| Cruz eyes July 29 as possible date for markup of AI bills | |
 | Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz is eyeing July 29 to hold a highly anticipated markup of kids' online safety and artificial intelligence bills, according to two people granted anonymity to share details of private scheduling discussions. The Texas Republican has said he intends to convene a meeting in late July to consider multiple bills that could garner bipartisan support, though exactly which measures land on the agenda remains to be seen. His office would not confirm whether July 29 was the target date. "This markup is designed to move legislation that has a real chance of passing into law," Cruz said in an interview last month, adding that he was vetting bills depending on "what bipartisan agreement and consensus can be reached." Cruz personally has authored a bill on chatbots -- or online apps that mimic human conversation and can pose harm for children. According to his aides, Cruz is also drawn to legislation that reflects his belief that the government should have a role in enacting rules around the threats of catastrophic risk posed by AI. |
| Can Democrats Win Rural Voters Turning Away From Trump? It's a Tough Sell. | |
 | Beth Macy built her career writing about the plagues inflicted on rural America, most famously the opioid epidemic in "Dopesick," but also the job losses from trade agreements that devastated communities across Appalachia. Now running as a Democrat in the kind of House district she says she is uniquely qualified to reach, she recited the 4-H pledge from memory -- "I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service" -- before about 25 farmers and three goats in a barn in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. A giant fan tried in vain to blow off the 100-degree heat. "Wouldn't it be nice if we had some of that pledge coming out of Washington?" Ms. Macy asked as some in the crowd nodded. Ms. Macy is among a small number of candidates trying to prove that Democrats can win back the House not just by contesting swing districts in the nation's suburbs and industrial cities but by talking and listening to the rural voters who have bolted the party over the last 25 years. But Democrats are not exactly pushing on an open door. Rural voters complain, too, about a party that has abandoned them for decades. |
| Bloom Academy gives neurodivergent students a college experience | |
 | High school students with autism, ADHD, learning disabilities and other neurodivergent needs got a chance to experience college life on Monday at Itawamba Community College (ICC). The Bloom Academy on the ICC Tupelo campus gave students ages 14-21 a hands-on look at campus life while helping them build confidence and explore future career opportunities. Participants took part in a campus scavenger hunt, career exploration rotations, life skills lab activities and social skills games designed to prepare them for life beyond high school. "A lot of these children, college has not been something that really was on their radar, and we want to make sure that they know that ICC wants them here and they belong here with us," Bloom Academy Director Andrea Hardin explained. |
| Metallica grant to boost workforce training at NMCC | |
| Legendary heavy metal band Metallica is investing in workforce education across the country and now at Northwest Mississippi Community College. NMCC has been selected as one of 18 new schools to join the eighth year of the Metallica Scholars Initiative, receiving a $75,000 grant to expand workforce training programs. The funding will support manufacturing career pathways at Northwest, including welding, machining, industrial maintenance and related technologies, helping students earn industry credentials and prepare for high-demand jobs across the region and state. "This thing started as a dream. Now our program is changing lives," said Metallica's James Hetfield. "To expand our impact on a global scale and support even more students is so rewarding. We're so proud of all the Metallica Scholars who have come through it and all the ones who will participate in it. It's humbling to know we've been part of the journey of thousands of trade professionals doing good, hard work in the world." The Metallica Scholars Initiative is funded through All Within My Hands, the nonprofit foundation established by the members and management of Metallica. |
| LSU School of Veterinary Medicine dean steps down | |
 | LSU School of Veterinary Medicine Dean Oliver Garden has stepped down, with Colin Mitchell announced as interim dean. Garden will stay on with the veterinary school as the Kenneth F. Burns Endowed Chair and Professor of Comparative Medicine in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, the school's website states. "After five wonderful years, I am taking a temporary break from administrative leadership to re-invigorate my scholarship and contribute to the success of the school from the ranks of its talented faculty," Garden's LinkedIn profile says. A release from LSU Vet Med said the school will launch a national search for its next permanent dean. Britta Leise will serve as interim head of the Veterinary Clinical Sciences department while Mitchell fulfills the responsibilities of dean, the release said. Garden was named dean in August 2021. His dean biography said he led the transition to a new Doctor of Veterinary Medicine curriculum, renovations to the campus and a class size increase to 200 students. |
| U. of Arkansas Countersues Professor, Alleging He Spent Research Dollars on Wedding | |
 | The University of Arkansas system board is countersuing a professor who filed a civil rights lawsuit against the university this past spring, claiming the professor defrauded the institution by using research funding to pay for his wedding reception and honeymoon, The Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported. In the counterclaim, university officials argue that Najja K. Baptist, a tenured associate professor of political science, lied about how he spent the university's money. The filing states that Baptist sent an invitation to political science chair William Schreckhise for a June 7 wedding reception in Columbia, S.C., at the Gala Event Center. An internal audit -- which flagged $48,000 of "questionable" spending by Baptist -- found that, in paperwork filed to the university, Baptist reported that he rented the Gala Event Center for a 75-person focus group on June 7. Baptist denies the fraud allegations. |
| Georgia introduces Dawgs to Docs pathway program for student-athletes | |
| The University of Georgia Athletic Association, The Georgia Way, and the University of Georgia School of Medicine is now offering a new one-year guided pre-med pathway program, Dawgs to Docs, intended for student-athletes looking to pursue a future career in medicine. Its goal is to provide these students with resources to form a competitive application when later applying to the university's medical school. These resources include professional development, clinical exposure, structured mentorship and also academic support specifically catered to support the business of student-athletes' schedules. Student-athletes are able to enroll in the pathway after completing their sophomore year. Much of the motivation behind the creation of the program was due to the university's recognition that "student-athletes bring distinctive strengths, discipline, resilience, leadership and teamwork that translates into success in medical school and clinical practice," according to a university press release. |
| U. of Tennessee research uncovers tick protein that could prevent disease transmission | |
| A tiny, vampiric bug crawls onto the shoe of an unsuspecting hiker. It climbs up to deliver a painless bite – one with serious consequences. Tick-borne illnesses have reached some of the highest rates in a decade, prompting a strong demand for solutions. In a new study published in the European Molecular Biology Organization Journal, scientists at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine have discovered a protein found in ticks that could prevent disease transmission. The research was conducted by professor Hameeda Sultana, alumni postdoctoral fellow Waqas Ahmed, and various former and current graduate students. "When ticks bite, we get a highly inflammative bump," Sultana said. "It is not just a nuisance, but if they're infected, they can transmit the viruses and bacteria to us." The lab focuses on arthropod-derived exosomes, small, bubble-like structures that are important for cell communication. Sultana and her team discovered a protein carried by these exosomes in tick saliva that assists in disease transferral. After this discovery, the lab conducted many transmission experiments to observe the effects of manipulating the protein. |
| U. of Tennessee plans 3 new dorms through private partnership | |
 | The University of Tennessee at Knoxville received state approval to add three new dorms to a public-private partnership on the state's flagship campus after the completion of Torchbearer Hall. The university will continue working with Provident Resources Group and developer RISE Real Estate to construct the new residence halls and a classroom space to replace Reese, North Carrick and South Carrick halls. All of these dorms opened in the 1960s and no longer are used for student housing. Once complete, the dorms replacing them will house around 1,569 students. Torchbearer Hall, set to open for the fall 2026 semester, is the newest of three dorms built on campus through a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership to fast-track construction. UT and RISE broke ground on the project in March 2024, with Beacon and Poplar Halls opening for the fall 2025 semester. UT will need to consult with the Tennessee Historical Commission about what to with the old dorms. |
| Texas A&M employees report sharp drop in trust after year of leadership upheaval | |
| Faculty and staff reported sharp declines in trust in senior leadership at Texas A&M University after a year marked by presidential turnover and concerns about academic freedom, according to an annual employee survey obtained by the Houston Chronicle. Out of more than 5,600 employees who responded, only 19% of faculty and 38% of staff said they trusted and had confidence in the senior leadership team. The change from last year -- down 23 percentage points among faculty and 14 points among staff -- was "the most significant concern" from the survey, one administrator said in an April email to employees. "Employees generally are satisfied with their local work teams and supervisors, as well as their working conditions and benefits," Joseph P. Pettibon II, A&M's senior vice president of strategy and business services, wrote in the email. "While these gains are encouraging, the trust gap limits our ability to fully realize them." About 38% of A&M's 14,699 employees responded to the 2026 survey, which was conducted in February by the consulting firm Korn Ferry. The reported levels of trust in A&M leadership were significantly lower than what the consulting group typically sees in higher education, at nearly 60%. |
| UC abruptly suspends plan to reconsider SAT in admissions | |
 | The University of California admissions board has voted to rescind -- for now -- its plan to study whether to resume SAT or ACT requirements in admissions, a move that leaves one of the university's most closely watched debates unclear a day before the Board of Regents meets in San Francisco. UC's Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools, known as BOARS, announced last month that it would convene two work groups through next year: one to weigh the role of standardized tests in admissions, the other to reexamine high school course requirements for acceptance to UC. At a Friday meeting, the board voted to pull back on the plan, and the links that explained it -- which appeared on the UC website late last week -- have been removed. The decision shelves, possibly for months, a process UC said would be a careful, evidence-driven review that was praised by UC President James B. Milliken as "comprehensive." It is unclear why the plan was suspended. Faculty outcry that first-year STEM students were severely deficient in math skills built up over months before the admissions board in June said it would study reinstating the UC test policy. |
| To AI-Proof Lawyers, Some Law Schools Restrict Technology | |
| Even as the legal profession embraces generative artificial intelligence, some of the nation's top law schools are restricting its use. In May, the law school at the University of California, Berkeley, announced that effective this summer, students are by default prohibited from using AI in "conceptualizing, outlining, drafting, revising, translating, or editing any work submitted for credit" to ensure "the best legal education possible for our students by equipping them to perform activities constitutive of excellent lawyering." Last month, the dean of the law school at the University of Texas at Austin called on faculty to "make extensive use of classroom time to engage students in sustained and rigorous dialogue" by making sure students are "not distracted by (let alone relying upon) whatever might be taking place on their screen at that time." And late last week, the University of Chicago Law School announced that it will ban laptops, tablets and phones in the classroom for first-year law students beginning this fall as part of its broader strategy of adapting legal education for the AI era. The ban is intended to prevent generative AI from undermining the Socratic method, which has long been a hallmark of legal education; instead of spending class time lecturing, law professors probe students with questions about legal theories and principles. |
| New NSF policy would ban almost all collaborations with Chinese scientists | |
| The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has decided to ban collaborations between every U.S. scientist it funds and nearly all Chinese research institutions and their employees. The new policy abandons NSF's earlier attempt to balance the potential risks and benefits of such collaborations. But it puts the agency in step with actions taken earlier this year by the much larger Department of Defense (DOD) and with congressional Republicans, who assert that any interactions with China threaten national security. The new policy, posted on Wednesday and still being digested by university administrators, relies on lists of so-called restricted entities maintained by DOD and other federal agencies. The lists contain the names of hundreds of leading Chinese universities, national laboratories, and other research institutions. Any interactions with "the employees of such restricted entities" is taboo, the NSF policy notes. There are a handful of notable omissions, however, including Tsinghua University, which last week announced it had hired away the 2025 winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Omar Yaghi, from the University of California, Berkeley. |
| Nearly a Million People Have Left the SAVE Student-Loan Program. Here's Where They Went. | |
| Nearly one million student-loan borrowers have moved out of a generous repayment plan that the Trump administration is winding down. Some of the more than 7 million borrowers who were in the Saving on a Valuable Education plan, or SAVE, started receiving alerts on July 1 that they had 90 days to switch out of the plan. Loan servicers are sending notifications to borrowers on a rolling basis, said Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent. More than 1 million borrowers were notified at the beginning of July and another wave of borrowers will be alerted this week. "We wanted to make sure that we had the operational support with our servicers to be able to answer the phones and respond proactively and get borrowers the answers to the questions that they may have," Kent said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Kent has said that student-loan borrowers shouldn't count on sweeping debt forgiveness, extinguishing hopes among many during the Biden administration that their loans would be canceled. Borrowers who don't move out of SAVE before the end of the 90-day window will be automatically transferred to the new Tiered Standard repayment plan, which could also mean higher monthly payments, Kent said. |
| Now Democrats Are Losing Confidence in Higher Ed, Too | |
 | Democrats have suddenly lost confidence in higher ed, according to polling released Tuesday by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation. Democrats' faith plunged 11 points since last year, leaving just half confident in colleges, as shown in the chart below. And college graduates are pessimistic. Only 43 percent said they had "a great deal " or "quite a lot" of confidence in higher ed. That weak number is buoyed somewhat by those with postgraduate degrees, 49 percent of whom were confident. Bachelor's holders were no more bullish than high-school graduates: Fewer than 40 percent of both groups expressed confidence in the sector. Confidence among bachelor's holders has now tracked with non-college graduates for three straight years, as the chart below shows. This means higher ed risks losing its core constituencies. Democrats were a reservoir of political support over the last decade as views of higher ed soured more broadly. And colleges must ask who will support them if not their own graduates. Just 38 percent of all American adults were confident in higher ed. That's down from 42 percent last year, when overall confidence posted a rare six-point uptick. |
SPORTS
| College Athletes Can Now Get Paid. How Is It Working Out? | |
| Talk about moving the goal posts. Collegiate sports have changed completely in the past year since the settlement of a lawsuit, House v. NCAA, enabled college athletes to be paid. The settlement mandated that 22.5% of revenues generated by the so-called Power Five athletic conferences go to athletes at 310 Division I sports programs, working out to about $20.5 million per school. And it allowed college athletes to monetize their own notoriety. (The subsequent demise of the Pac-12 leaves a Power Four of the Big Ten, Southeastern, Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences.) Star athletes can now legally earn millions of dollars, between direct compensation from their schools and fees the players can command for the marketing rights to their name, image and likeness, known as NIL payments. Athletes also can switch schools -- every year, if they like -- through a "transfer portal" where colleges bid for their services. And it's high-stakes madness in the eyes of many university leaders. Eighty percent of administrators at Division I schools, the highest level of competition, said in a recent poll that Division I sports is headed in a negative direction. Many of them warn that the expense of sharing revenue with athletes and pursuing star players to remain competitive draws funding away from less popular sports, potentially leading schools to shut some of those smaller programs down. |
| Capito, Welch Cosponsor Protect College Sports Act | |
| Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) added their names as cosponsors to the Protect College Sports Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Senators Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.). The bill aims to end the disorder facing college sports with nationwide standards governing NIL, transfers, eligibility, and enforcement. Last month, the Commerce Committee advanced the bill with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of more than two thirds (19-9) in support, propelling its advancement to the Senate floor. Support for the legislation includes 24 collegiate athletic conferences, 280 colleges and universities across 49 states and Washington, D.C., including historically black colleges and universities, and current student athletes. Additional endorsements for the bill include: the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Team USA Athletes' Commission (Team USA AC), and National Governing Body Council (NGBC). |
| LSU formally opposes Protect College Sports Act in statement from President Wade Rousse | |
| LSU is formally opposing the Protect College Sports Act, a piece of federal legislation that aims to patch several flaws in modern college sports at the national level. LSU President Wade Rousse and Board of Supervisors Chairman Lee Mallett authored the opposition in a statement to Sens. Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell on Monday. "For nearly a century, LSU has been at the forefront of college athletics, and we recognize that the important issues facing us today necessitate substantive reform," part of the statement read. "While we support all the efforts surrounding the Protect College Sports Act, we believe key issues remain with the legislation and we do not support the bill in its current form." The PCSA is a bill that advanced through the Senate Committee on Commerce with bipartisan support last month. It provides a set of solutions to challenges that have emerged in the college game over the past half decade, primarily in the realms of NIL, transferring and eligibility. The bill would change name, image and likeness rules, and though it would enshrine the right for athletes to earn through NIL, it would change reporting rules and could alter a landscape that LSU has dominated in recent years. LSU joins Alabama, Auburn, Texas and Texas A&M as SEC members to formally oppose the bill. The bill has also received pushback from several schools in the Big Ten, another power conference in college athletics. |
| Group of 11 athletes challenge new NCAA eligibility rules in suit | |
| The NCAA is facing a federal class action lawsuit against its new eligibility rules. Eleven Division I athletes, including Division I basketball standouts Cade Tyson and Brock Wisne, have filed a federal class action lawsuit in Colorado that alleges the NCAA's new eligibility rules have adversely affected their ability to extend their college careers and the NIL benefits attached to that opportunity. The NCAA recently announced an eligibility rule change that grants all athletes five years to compete, but it did not grant athletes who exhausted their eligibility in the 2025-26 campaign an additional season. If successful, the federal lawsuit could essentially nullify the NCAA's new eligibility rules for a massive pool of athletes across all sports who would then be allowed to enter the transfer portal and extend their careers. With football season set to begin in a month, a ruling in favor of these athletes could alter the college landscape for the upcoming season. If it's defeated, it could also signal a significant ruling in favor of the NCAA, which has faced numerous state lawsuits already regarding its new eligibility rules. |
| A major bracket shake-up: NCAA women's tournament to seed the top 16 by true ranking next year | |
| Beginning with next year's NCAA women's basketball tournament, the top 16 teams will be placed in the bracket in their true ranking regardless of conference affiliation. In the past, the top four teams in a conference would be placed in different regions to protect them from playing each other until the Final Four. For example, the tournament this past season had four SEC teams in the top eight overall seeds. Texas was third, South Carolina fourth, LSU fifth and Vanderbilt seventh. LSU was dropped down to seventh and Vanderbilt eighth in the bracketing to avoid having them be in the same regions. Now if that happened going forward, the teams would remain where their seeds should have them. "We put a lot of time into establishing those top 16 teams in the order they go in," NCAA women's basketball committee chair Amanda Braun said in a phone interview. "You're splitting hairs to decide who has the edge and some of that is undone by those principles. To all of us, the work we did and the work those teams did justifies keeping them where they are in that group of 16." The men's selection committee will still separate out the top four seeds in each conference and put them in different regions. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
