| Tuesday, August 18, 2026 |
| Statewide organization stops in Starkville to discuss local workforce | |
 | The Mississippi Business Alliance is a new organization made up of the Mississippi Economic Council, the state's Manufacturers Association and other organizations. The Alliance is hosting the Business Forward Tour to talk with city and county leaders about the opportunities and issues in economic development across the state. President and CEO of the Mississippi Business Alliance, John McKay said it is pivotal to figure out immediate ways to grow the state. "You hear the intersection of business and education and how critical that is so we look moving forward, we look at the workforce development and education," McKay said. "How can we bring all the partners in those areas together so K-12, community college, and then so important in this area in the IHL university level. How can we get businesses to the table and help inform the education partners on what things will be needed in the most relevant business growth and activity." The tour will be making further stops to talk with city leaders around Mississippi. |
| Madison County economic successes celebrated by businesses and government leaders | |
 | Madison County's economic landscape is accelerating, and the businesses and government officials are celebrating the widespread commercial growth. Those leaders gathered Monday for the Madison County Business League & Foundation's quarterly meeting. Amazon Web Services' multi-million-dollar investment in local data centers is just one factor. According to officials, $21 billion dollars has been invested in the county, creating 1,700 jobs. Seven hundred positions are already filled by Mississippians. "We want to continue to keep up the great momentum that we've seen," said Congressman Michael Guest, District 3. "We're happy to be able to have the federal dollars partnering with state and local leadership". Mississippi State University's Dr. Julie Jordan, PhD. gave a presentation to the organization on AI's expanding role in business and government. |
| 'It was so bad,' MSU student said of apartment condition on move-in day | |
 | Some Mississippi State University students said they found rat droppings, roaches and rotting food inside their apartments on move-in day at the Yugo Apartments in Starkville. A student identified only as John, whose real name was withheld to protect his identity, said his mother became sick after entering the apartment. "My mother was there with me, and as soon as she got in there, she had to go straight to the bathroom and throw up; it was so bad," John said. John said he decided to move elsewhere after seeing the condition of the apartment. He said the complex had provided a written notice stating the unit would be clean before move-in, and that residents could submit a ticket to the office if it was not. He described the whole situation as disappointing and left him angry. |
| How Louisiana's law requiring Ten Commandments displays is unfolding on college campuses | |
 | As Louisiana college students return to campus this month, they will encounter mandated displays of the Ten Commandments in their classrooms. This fall marks the first full semester since a federal appeals court in February allowed the Louisiana law requiring displays of the religious text in all public classrooms -- including the lecture halls of colleges and universities -- to take effect. Many of Louisiana's public higher education institutions have completed or nearly completed the task of hanging the posters in their classrooms, according to administrators. The law left some ambiguity about how to comply on a college campus, where "classroom" can be a murky term. The Louisiana Family Forum, a conservative advocacy group, donated thousands of posters to public colleges and universities to support the statute, which states that institutions are not required to spend their own funds to be compliant. LSU Faculty Senate President and political science professor Daniel Tirone said he wants all students to still feel welcome in the classroom as campuses implement the law. "I would not anticipate that there would be any element of the education that would change as a result of this," Tirone said. |
| What U. of Texas students would study under proposed core curriculum | |
| Last week, University of Texas President Jim Davis unveiled a proposal to change the core curriculum for all future Longhorns. The plan, if approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and UT regents, could shift what students must learn, in part by decreasing the number of required courses. Texas core curriculum accounts for about a third of the credits needed to obtain a bachelor's degree. Under a 2025 law, all public universities and the state agency are reviewing what courses count toward the requirements. UT is the only institution so far that has suggested an entirely new model. Under the new proposal, UT students would have to take 36 credits across three pillars: arts and humanities, social sciences and STEM. There are 12 topics included within the three pillars. Writing is not a specific requirement, but the proposal encourages each core class to include a section featuring the skill. |
| U.Va.'s planned data center expands $30 million amid statewide debate over energy use | |
| The University of Virginia is moving forward with its plans for a new research data center at Fontaine Research Park, expanding the project by roughly $30 million as demand for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing continues to grow throughout the Commonwealth. The project has grown since it was initially approved by the Board of Visitors in June 2025 as a $72 million, two-story data center facility. At the time, University officials described the facility as necessary to support the University's growing high-capacity computing needs. In an email statement to The Cavalier Daily, University Spokesperson Bethanie Glover said that the Fontaine Data Center project will be funded through a combination of institutional funds, repayment from institutional resources and strategic fund allocations. The facility will initially provide four megawatts for Research Computing and 0.5 megawatts for U.Va. Health IT, the website also states, with plans to scale up to 17 megawatts as demand increases in the future. Glover said that the Fontaine Data Center will ensure the University is prepared for the increasing role that computation plays in modern research, which she said will enable the recruitment and retention of faculty at the "pinnacle of their fields." |
| Advocates worry new bans on student IDs will trip up younger voters | |
 | To vote in the 2024 election, Lia Symer remembers checking in at her polling place with her student ID card. "I tend to not carry my driver's license on my person when I'm walking around campus. Most students just carry their student IDs to get into buildings," says Symer, who's about to start her senior year at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire -- one of about three dozen states with in-person voter ID laws. But to cast a ballot this year, Symer is going to need to show a state ID, U.S. passport or another accepted identification now that New Hampshire has become the latest of several states to ban registered voters from using a student ID to verify their identity at the polls. Weeks before New Hampshire's student ID ban began in June, a federal appeals court put a similar Indiana law back into effect in April. And earlier that same month, Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into a law an upcoming ban on accepting student IDs when checking in voters at the polls. Florida's restriction is set to start in 2027. Those state laws come amid President Trump's so-far failed push for a Republican plan to overhaul voting in federal elections in every state, including a proposal that would not allow in-person voters to use student IDs. |
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