| Monday, July 17, 2017 |
| Drone revolution: Researchers, regulators prepare for unmanned aircraft to fill US skies | |
 | From crop dusting to package delivery, commercial drones are about to become a part of everyday life. To safely integrate the vast numbers of new unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the nation's airspace, the FAA is relying on a group of 23 research institutions led by Mississippi State University. The Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) is conducting in-depth studies on virtually every aspect of drone operations, including air traffic control, pilot certification and crash avoidance. "We've had a very long history of incremental development of the national airspace and policies and rules and regulations that govern it," said David Shaw, vice president for research and economic development at Mississippi State University. "So, you introduce something that is a complete game changer and all of a sudden we have to rethink about everything." |
| Mississippi State drone programs net national attention | |
 | Some Mississippi State University based unmanned aerial system (UAS) programs will be featured on national television Monday. Fox Business Network was on campus Friday filming the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) for a story to be broadcast Monday at 4:30 a.m. local time on Fox Business Network. Several live shots were also broadcast throughout the day. In addition to ASSURE, Fox News also covered other UAS research going on at MSU, including the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory at the Starkville/Oktibbeha County Airport. The Fox News crew also visited North Farm to see UAS used to survey crops. ASSURE Deputy Director Steve "Lux" Luxion said the jobs done by manned aircraft that were candidates for drones included those that were dull, dangerous and dirty, such as agricultural and coastline surveying, power line inspections and applications involving firefighting and hazardous material. |
| Furniture institute to be reorganized, not closed | |
 | Mississippi State University's Franklin Furniture Institute is not closing, but will reorganize, the university said. On Thursday, the institute's former director said the center would close because of budget cuts, but university officials said Friday that wasn't the case. Rather, MSU stated in a press release it was "reaffirming its strong commitment to the state's furniture manufacturing industry by continuing to provide testing and research while broadening its focus to enhance innovation and technology." Gregory A. Bohach, MSU's vice president for the Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine, said the center will continue its mission to enhance the state's $7 billion furniture industry, and also will adopt a new name to better identify with its new emphasis: the Franklin Innovation Center. |
| Mississippi State reorganizing Franklin Furniture Institute | |
 | Mississippi State University says change is coming to the center created to help the furniture industry. The university issued a news release Friday that said the Franklin Furniture Institute was "broadening its focus to enhance innovation and technology." It is also changing its name to the Franklin Innovation Center and planning to strengthen the connection between furniture-related classes and the effort to help students create companies as well as jobs. |
| Mississippi State helps rural school districts gain access to AP classes | |
 | Mississippi State University is helping facilitate a program that will allow students in rural school districts to take Advanced Placement courses from leading American scholars. Beginning in the 2017-2018 school year, the Mississippi Public School Consortium for Educational Access is implementing a pilot program to teach Advanced Placement subject matter in select rural and low-income school districts that do not offer the courses. As part of the program, over 20 students from seven participating districts participated in a two-week preparatory summer academy for AP physics at MSU. When they return to school in August, they will take an AP physics course taught by Meg Urry of Yale College, an internationally renowned astrophysicist and director of the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics. |
| Mississippi State professor awarded fellowship | |
| A Mississippi State University engineering professor was recently named to a prestigious position in a widely-known professional organization. Marshall Molen, who serves as the Ergon Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at MSU, was named a 2016-2017 international fellow for the Society of Automotive Engineers at a recent event in Detroit. Molen was one of 22 fellow inductees recognized during ceremonies at WCX 17: World Congress Experience. Over the last ten years, Molen was served as the faculty advisor for Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors, and other automotive suppliers. |
| Rains, night temperatures push state's corn yields | |
 | Early or not, Mississippi's corn crop is well on the way to its best yield in years, barring any major disasters. Erick Larson has spent more than two decades as the Mississippi State University Extension Service corn specialist. Larson said 2017 weather generally has been better than he can remember for any past growing season. Timely rains in some areas and cool nights during the crucial early grain-filling periods were important keys. "Nighttime temperatures are the most critical environmental factor during the early reproductive stages," Larson said. "In recent years, we have been 2 to 3.5 degrees above normal. But this year, we were about 1 degree below normal. That's enough to make a favorable difference." Larson said he sees promise for strong yields in dryland corn as well as irrigated fields. |
| Transform Section 18 welcome news for Mississippi cotton growers | |
 | Despite the rainy spring and abundant wild host plants, says Dr. Angus Catchot says, plant bugs in cotton "were are about what I'd call normal -- which was "a welcome surprise, because we did a lot of ditchbank surveys earlier in the year and I've never seen as many plant bugs on wild hosts." But while there were are a few hot spots, he said at the annual meeting of the Mississippi Boll Weevil Management Corporation and the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Cotton Policy Committee, "the frequent and often heavy rains kept them somewhat in check, and for the most part we are currently experiencing a low to moderate plant bug year on average." Catchot, Mississippi State University Extension entomology professor, cautions growers not to let their guard down, however -- "with cotton moving into the bloom stage, plant bugs are coming; I expect their numbers to increase in coming weeks." Welcome news for growers, he says, is the EPA's Section 18 approval of Transform. |
| Ice Cream, Ice Cream, We All Scream For Ice Cream | |
 | In celebration of National Ice Cream Month, Mississippi State University's MAFES Sales Store treated customers to free ice cream on Friday. Store employees expected to serve over 1,000 free scoops. "We're going to celebrate today and open up free ice cream to let people know that we have got a premium ice cream for those that don't know about it and it gives them an opportunity to try it and hopefully they'll come back," says manager Troy Weaver. |
| Sales tax collections mixed in area | |
 | The Golden Triangle's three primary cities posted a mixed bag for sales tax results in May. Sales tax disbursements were up, compared to last year, in Columbus and Starkville, while they were down in West Point, which is now starting its new fiscal year. In Starkville, monthly and year-to-date sales tax collections are up. The city received $564,539 in sales tax revenue this month, which is $50,809 higher than this time last year. Starkville has received $5.88 million in sales tax collections so far this fiscal year. That's trending ahead of the $5.75 million the city took in by the same point in FY 2016. Mayor Lynn Spruill said she's pleased with the sales tax growth and hopes to see the trend continue. |
| Angie McGinnis emerging as option for interim circuit clerk | |
| A familiar face could take over as Oktibbeha County's interim circuit clerk. Supervisors are expected to set Nov. 7 as the date for a special election to fill former Circuit Clerk Glenn Hamilton's seat and appoint an interim clerk Monday. District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery and District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller said they both support nominating former Circuit Clerk Angie McGinnis as interim after McGinnis confirmed with them that she will not seek office in November. McGinnis joined the office as a deputy clerk in 1989 and was first elected circuit clerk in 1995. She served in that role until 2012 and retired two years later. "I told them I'd help out if I was needed. Oktibbeha County deserves a good, clean transition period," McGinnis said. |
| George King, Delta Council's new president | |
| George W. King Jr., the new president of Delta Council, doesn't draw a line between work and play. He considers farming his primary hobby. He also likes to bicycle, and often enjoys riding along Lake Washington. "When you ride early in the morning, you won't pass a car on the west side of Lake Washington," says King, whose family farms about 6,500 acres of soybeans and corn in Washington County. "We live on the lake. It is pretty. It is really a nice place to live if you like a rural setting. The communities here are close knit." Being a farmer can be stressful at the best of times, and currently commodity prices are at levels that allow no major setbacks if a profit is to be made. King is still bullish on the future of the Delta agriculture. He is a big champion of the Delta and the kind of advocacy necessary to help enhance the ag economy of the region. King and his wife, Lisa Nelson, attended Mississippi State University where he received a degree in agronomy and she received a degree in ag economics. |
| What to expect at the Neshoba County Fair | |
| The 2017 rendition of the weeklong Neshoba County Fair opens Friday and promises eight packed days of deep-fried, mouthwatering, music-infused Southern festivity. This abbreviated insider's guide will help you get the most out of a trip to the fair. The fair's 140-plus acres front Mississippi 21 and are divided into grass parking areas outside the multiple entrance gates; about 600 cabins; the midway (carnival area); the racetrack; and Founder's Square. Daytrippers should park outside Gate 2 and proceed to Founder's Square (just 200 feet from the entrance). The oak-shaded Square makes a good base, offering wooden benches under a covered pavilion, and an adjacent hospitality cabin with maps, water and restrooms. |
| Corporate tax collections biggest drag on state revenue | |
| The dramatic decline in corporate tax collections appears to be the primary cause for the budget woes and revenue shortfalls during the past two fiscal years. In fiscal year 2015 (July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015) corporate tax collections peaked at $714.1 million or 12.9 percent of overall collections. Corporate tax collections for the just-completed fiscal year are $150 million less than the amount collected two years ago. For fiscal year 2017, which ended June 30, the state's corporate tax collections were $564 million, or 10.4 percent of the total collections, according to figures compiled by legislative staff. "The tax cuts are part of a long-term tax policy for Mississippi," said House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton. "We believe that in time, they will result in a stronger economy and in the creation of more jobs for our citizens." |
| Sweeps legislation generates $125 million for general fund in first year | |
| The state garnered $125.7 million in new revenue during the just completed fiscal year from the Budget Transparency and Simplification Act, according to a revenue report developed by the staff of the Legislative Budget Committee. The complex and confusing legislation, passed during the 2016 session, helped make up for the ongoing downturn in state tax collections. Total general fund revenue collections for the fiscal year that ended June 30 was $5.65 billion -- $51.5 million more than was collected during the previous fiscal year. But without the $125.7 million swept into the general fund as a result of the Budget Transparency and Simplification Act, the state would have collected less revenue than it did for the previous fiscal year. It is rare occurrence in the history of the state for revenue collections to fall year over year -- having only occurred four times since 1970. |
| Contested race gets underway in 1st Congressional District | |
| Over a year-and-half before congressional elections in fall 2018, a Democratic candidate has mounted a campaign to challenge Mississippi's 1st District incumbent, Republican Trent Kelly. Randy Wadkins, 52, is a professor of chemistry and a cancer drug researcher at the University of Mississippi, where he has taught approximately 14 years. An Iuka native with roots going back four generations in Tishomingo County, Wadkins deems his entry into the political arena the result of frustration with President Donald Trump's budgeting priorities and comments running counter to prevailing scientific consensus. Wadkins particularly highlights for objection statements by Trump on climate change and vaccines as well as the president's proposed budget released earlier this year. |
| Small drones still posing big problem for US Air Force bases | |
| After two incidents where small civil drones invaded U.S. Air Force airspace -- and in one event almost collided with an F-22 Raptor -- the head of Air Combat Command is clamoring for congressional authorities that would allow him to deal with future incursions of unmanned aircraft. Speaking at an Air Force Association event Tuesday on Capitol Hill, Gen. Mike Holmes implored congressional staff for more help on countering unmanned aerial systems that are flown near a military airfield. "One day last week I had two small UASs that were interfering with operations," he said. "At one base, the gate guard watched one fly over the top of the gate check, tracked it while it flew over the flight line for a little while, and then flew back out and left, and I have no authority given to me by the government to deal with that." |
| The Mississippi Encyclopedia: Massive book explores Magnolia State's people, places, things | |
| At 1,451 pages and nearly 9 pounds, "The Mississippi Encyclopedia" is something to behold. "Foot injuries," said Charles Reagan Wilson, a senior editor. "I see a lot of foot injuries from this book." In the early 2000s, there was a nationwide push to create state encyclopedias. Wilson and fellow senior editor Ted Ownby had recently finished work on "The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture," a 24-volume exploration of life below the Mason-Dixon line. They weren't excited about digging into another massive project, but Seetha Srinivasan, then-director of the University Press of Mississippi, made a solid case. "Because we had this history, she thought we should do it," Ownby said. Colleges and universities from throughout Mississippi provided ideas and scholarship. |
| Early release halted for convicted killer of U. of Mississippi police officer | |
 | The head of Mississippi's prison system has decided not to release an inmate convicted in the 2006 killing of a University of Mississippi police officer. The Mississippi Department of Corrections notified victims, law enforcement agencies and court officials Thursday that Daniel Cummings, 31, would be released from prison July 28 after serving less than half of a 20-year sentence, The Oxford Eagle reported. On Friday, Corrections Commissioner Pelicia Hall decided to block Cummings' release after receiving objections from victims and the community, department spokeswoman Grace Simmons Fisher told The Associated Press. Fisher said the department is not allowed to publicly disclose names of registered victims. |
| Ole Miss interns help bring awareness to foster care | |
| A group of Ole Miss interns is trying to help foster families. The students interning at the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services hosted a foster care awareness drive Saturday at Fair Park in Tupelo. The group says they want to raise awareness for the need for supplies such as car seats, diapers and wipes, and school supplies. There were also fun activities for kids who came to the drive. |
| Student leasing incentives helping to fill empty apartments in Oxford | |
 | With newer complexes being built each year, there has been a slow to the once intense demand for student housing. Students can be pickier over living quarters and it is causing complexes to react. Nico Brouwer, Ole Miss student and Gather Oxford resident says he recently noticed his complex has had a tough time filling spaces. "This will be my second year living in the Gather," Brouwer Said. "I lived in a four person complex with one other kid the whole entire year." The Gather, which consists of 13 two-story buildings with eight apartments each housing four persons per unit, offers all sorts of amenities including free Wi-Fi and fully furnished complexes. Brouwer said he thinks the problem is not the Gather itself, instead he believes it is location. "Most students after freshman year want to live off of the Square," Brouwer said. "The desire to live off of the Square forces more students to sign leases in closer proximity to the Square, which causes a decrease in leasing for complexes not near the Square." |
| USM draft reorganization plan reduces colleges, defines administrative roles | |
 | A draft reorganization plan for the University of Southern Mississippi makes significant changes to the academic structure at the university and defines the roles of administrators as it tries to meet the challenges of state funding decreases and a trend toward more collaborative scholarship. The draft plan reduces the number of colleges at the university from six to four and sets up schools as the primary organizing unit within colleges, with a lead director who acts as a "first among equals" with faculty. The Hattiesburg American obtained the draft plan through a Freedom of Information Act request. University counsel initially rejected the American's request before emailing the document after being challenged on the law. President Rodney Bennett has seen the draft plan. University officials expect to finalize the draft version that will be sent to the Institutions of Higher Learning this week, according to Jim Coll, university communications director. The IHL is expected to consider the plan in the fall, Coll said. |
| Southern Miss President Rodney Bennett donates $72,630 raise to scholarship fund | |
| Rodney Bennett, University of Southern Mississippi president, has donated a recent raise he received to a scholarship fund at the university. The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning gave Bennett a $72,630 raise, increasing his salary to $464,500 a year. But in a July 6 email to the campus community, Bennett said he wouldn't keep that hike. "I am sensitive this increase comes at a time when so many employees have not received pay increases, have had positions eliminated or have had positions in their units unfilled," he wrote. "As such, I have decided to use this salary increase to endow a second scholarship through the USM Foundation." Southern Miss cut personnel in May after receiving $7.96 million less in funding since fiscal year 2017. Three employees lost their jobs. Another 33 vacant positions were eliminated. |
| Our view: USM lucky to have Bennett as president | |
| The Hattiesburg American editorializes: "Rodney Bennett wasn't even officially Southern Miss' president yet when the Feb. 10, 2013, tornado hit. That didn't stop him from coming to campus to help lead the recovery efforts. We were impressed with Bennett's leadership then, and we're just as impressed more than four years into his tenure as the university's president. The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning recently gave Bennett a $72,630 raise, which boosted his salary to $464,500 a year. (The raise came from the IHL to help make his base salary consistent with those of other presidents at research universities in the system.) Sounds like a nice raise, right? But it's one that Bennett won't keep." |
| Despite declining enrollment, William Bynum sees turnaround for Jackson State | |
| Dr. William Bynum, Jackson State University's new president, faces a decline in student enrollment for the fall. However, he hopes to turn the university around in a year or two, he says, using his "style of handling things and some belt tightening." Bynum, whose first day on the job was July 1, spoke with the media Friday morning on campus to lay out in broad terms his operational plan. Although final enrollment numbers won't be available until September, Bynum said applications for admission this fall indicate enrollment will be down. Bynum identified three areas of focus for the coming academic year: students, teamwork and collegiality, and the pursuit of excellence. |
| U.S. Sen. Luther Strange tours Auburn's poultry research center | |
 | U.S. Senator Luther Strange visited Auburn University on Thursday, touring the Charles C. Miller Jr. Poultry Research and Education Center. "On a childhood note, my grandparents had a farm, and they had chickens. So I want to see if there's been any progress made," the senator told university and media representatives gathered at the poultry facility. "I ran around the chicken houses a long time ago." During his visit, Strange met with poultry producers, toured the feed mill and was updated by university staff on their research. "This is a great example of the importance of agriculture research, teaching and extension, working collectively for the good of Alabama," extension director Gary D. Lemme said. "The poultry industry is our largest agricultural industry in the state. We process over a billion birds a year. That's four million birds a day." The facility, which is in its tenth year, exists because of funding under Title VII of the Farm Bill, Lemme said. |
| LSU touts opening of elaborate new 'leisure pool' at Recreation Center | |
 | LSU recently opened its new outdoor "leisure pool," part of a nearly $85 million University Recreation expansion. "Have you taken a dip?" the university tweeted on Saturday in touting its latest aquatic amenity. The new leisure pool, similar to a lazy river, was built in the shape of "LSU." It's 536 feet in length and three-and-a-half feet deep. It also features two bubbler lounges. The $84.75 million University Recreation expansion and redesign, which broke ground in 2013, also included a sloped jogging trail, new multi-purpose courts, an expanded cardio and weight space, new tennis courts, more parking spots and a challenge course. The project was funded by student fees. |
| Arkansas professor puts undetected-planet idea back in focus | |
| Finding an undiscovered planet in the solar system isn't easy, said astrophysicist Daniel Whitmire. In the vastness of sky, "the problem is, you don't know where to look," said Whitmire. His research in the 1980s while working at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette described the possibility of an undiscovered world orbiting the sun. Such a planet would be more than just an important astronomical discovery, according to an idea put forward by Whitmire and colleague John Matese. Their work described a planet where the orbit around the sun took much longer to complete than Earth's or any known planet, and whose path varied in a predictable way so that every several millions of years it dislodged clusters of distant comets. Shaken loose by the hidden planet's gravity as it approached, the comets would then break away in all directions -- including toward Earth. "In hindsight, the odds were not too good in finding it," said the soft-spoken Whitmire, 74 and now a math instructor at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. "Now, today, the odds are much better." |
| Iran sentences Princeton grad student to 10 years for espionage, report says | |
 | A Chinese American student Iran has accused of espionage was sentenced by an Iranian court to 10 years in prison, the judiciary's official news agency reported Sunday; a move likely to raise tensions with the Trump administration ahead of a deadline to waive some Iran sanctions. The Mizan news agency named the American as 37-year-old Xiyue Wang, a graduate student and researcher at Princeton University. The report said he was born in Beijing and is a dual Chinese American citizen, but that information could not be confirmed. Earlier in the day, judicial spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi announced that a U.S. citizen had been sentenced for "infiltration" but did not release further details. The website of Wang's adviser at Princeton, Stephen Kotkin, lists Wang's PhD thesis as "Islamic Inner Asia." Kotkin did not respond to requests for comment. |
| When I stopped hating Ole Miss | |
| The Clarion-Ledger's Jimmie Gates writes: "During my younger years, I remember how a lot of people in the black community had deep-seated resentment of Ole Miss, considering it an elitist university that was forced to accept black students by the federal government. I couldn't bring myself to cheer for or support any of Ole Miss' athletic teams. My mind would have flashbacks to then-Gov. Ross Barnett's effort to try to block James Meredith from becoming the first black student there. I don't know exactly when my feelings about Ole Miss began to change..." |
| Confidence is critical for student success | |
| Angela Farmer, an assistant professor of educational leadership at Mississippi State University, writes: "In today's competitive and multifaceted learning environments, students are challenged to process, recall and perform on a regular basis. They must synthesize new information and somehow store it in both short-term and long-term memory centers, nearly simultaneously. Further, they must be able to apply this new information in such a manner that they can transfer it to a variety of conditions, settings and scenarios. Ironically, while just reading the steps entailed to process this newly learned material often gives adult readers stress, students have to undergo the process in multiple classrooms on a daily basis. When educators quantify students' academic success, what is often left out of the comprehension set is that students must have the confidence in themselves to believe that they can master the new concepts. This confidence is not something which students automatically acquire." |
| Are charter schools the answer to education deficit? | |
| Daphne Carroll, a data analyst for the Institute for Market Studies at Mississippi State University, and Claudia R. Williamson, the co-director of the Institute for Market Studies at MSU, write in The Clarion-Ledger: "Much of the education reform debate in Mississippi has been about the Mississippi Adequate Education Program school funding formula or the EdBuild funding proposal that didn't see the light of day in the 2017 legislative session. What we haven't heard is serious consideration for more charter schools as an alternative to the education crisis we face today. Mississippi currently ranks 51st (including the District of Columbia) in K-12 achievement and 49th in overall educational performance. It is clear that the children of Mississippi need a change to keep up. Competition is a divisive word in public policy. But in this sense, it means giving parents more freedom to choose an educational plan for their children. As we're seeing today, not enough competition is a harmful thing." |
| Save us from doofus driven debacles | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: "In his novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four,' author George Orwell defined 'doublethink' as, 'The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.... To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed.' Sounds so current, doesn't it? In Orwell's novel, Big Brother was the tyrannical Party leader behind the doublethinkers. Today, the major political parties' powerful special interests play that role. And, like Orwell's Party, they primarily seek 'power entirely for its own sake.' Not that hard to detect all the doublethinking doofuses -- the talking heads, the duped politicians, the ardent followers on the left and the right. The ultimate question is will the vast majority of Americans join them, or will some common sense coalition get off their rear ends and save us from doofus driven debacles?" |
| Did legislative leadership fall for sports-betting rope-a-dope? | |
| The Clarion-Ledger's Geoff Pender writes: "Did the Mississippi Legislature approve what could be the largest expansion of gambling in 25 years either inadvertently or through sleight of hand, without the leadership realizing it? That remains hard to tell at this point. As first reported by The Sun Herald last month, state gaming and legal officials say a law change the Legislature passed this year to regulate and tax fantasy sports clears the way for Las Vegas-style sports betting at Mississippi casinos -- if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns a federal ban as many expect. It also means horse race betting is now legal here, regardless of federal action, they say. But apparently there may be some legal debate on whether the bill does clear sports betting on the state level, and the Legislature might revisit the issue." |
SPORTS
| These college athletes are still celebrating their ESPY wins | |
| Some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment gather each summer to honor the year's most dynamic and game-changing athletes at the ESPY Awards. While reigning champs are honored from the NBA, NFL, MLB and more --- but did you know the best college athletes are honored too? At the 25th annual ESPYs, presented on Wednesday, former Clemson University quarterback Deshaun Watson won the award for Best Male College Athlete, University of Florida softball pitcher and sophomore Kelly Barnhill won Best Female College Athlete, and the Mississippi State University women's basketball team won Best Upset for their win over the University of Connecticut in the 2017 NCAA semifinals. Morgan William, a Mississippi State rising senior, stunned the nation when she hit the game-winning shot in overtime, just as the buzzer sounded. |
| 10 most important Bulldogs: No. 10 Jamal Peters | |
| Mississippi State is starting practice in late July, but there is still time between then and now with the completion of SEC Media Days only adding to the thirst and anticipation for this season. Looking ahead to Mississippi State's start of practice for this fall, The Clarion-Ledger counts down the 20 most important Bulldogs in 2016. For the next 10 days, we count down the players who matter the most to the success of Mississippi State football in 2017. This is not a straight talent evaluation -- each player's role matters. No. 10: Jamal Peters. |
| Ole Miss ordered to release boosters' names by Mississippi Ethics Commission | |
| Ole Miss has been ordered to release copies of its notice of allegations and amended notice of allegations without the booster names redacted after the Mississippi Ethics Commission delivered its final order on the matter Friday. Per a copy of the final order obtained by The Clarion-Ledger, Chris Graham, the ethics commission's hearing officer, ordered the university to "produce a copy of the notice of allegations and amended notice of allegations redacted as necessary to fully comply with federal education privacy laws or any other statutes or case law, but that any booster names shall not be redacted solely due to right of privacy." Ole Miss has not released booster names in either of its notices of allegations but has seven working days from the receipt of the final order to produce the notices without the booster redaction. |
| Inside SEC football numbers: Figures show the glaring differences between haves and have-nots | |
| Alabama hasn't lost a Southeastern Conference football game in 22 months. Nick Saban's boys have won those 17 games by an average of three touchdowns, and they have claimed the past three conference championships and four of five. The parity once so strong in the conference -- six teams won the title from 1998-2004 -- is gone. So, naturally, the most consistent question to coaches this year at the four day-long SEC media days was regarding this situation: How do you close the gap against the Tide? "They're right now at the top," Florida coach Jim McElwain said, "and, you know, it's up to the rest of us to go get them." There's another gap in this league: cash flow. Like any other walk of life, SEC football has haves and have-nots. Programs are separated by as much as a whopping $70 million in revenue. |
| Notre Dame vs. Auburn? Fighting Irish AD would like to see football game happen | |
| Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick would like to be able to say that the Fighting Irish have met every FBS program in the nation on the football field. Once of the schools it hasn't met yet is Auburn. And Swarbrick would like to see that game happen. "I have a great relationship with the Auburn athletic director (Jay Jacobs), and I'd love to figure out how to do that," Swarbrick said in a wide-ranging Q&A with Laken Litman of the Indianapolis Star. "Alabama is one of those opponents we would love to play. I hope we do get that done. It was interesting to see the list of teams we've never played." One thing standing in the way of a potential matchup is the teams both schools already have on their schedule: Auburn's four-game nonconference slate is filled in 2018 and 2019, and the Tigers already have games scheduled against Power 5 teams Penn State (2021-22) and California (2023-24) in future seasons. |
| Chris Spielman's lawsuit vs. Ohio State may induce more | |
| In the first player name, image and likeness lawsuit since Ed O'Bannon's historic victory against the NCAA became final in 2016, former NFL All-Pro and Ohio State linebacker Chris Spielman filed a federal lawsuit on Friday against his alma mater and IMG College, the popular sports marketing company that negotiates on behalf of Ohio State and many other colleges. Spielman contends that Ohio State and IMG College, along with co-conspirators Honda and Nike, have unlawfully conspired under federal antitrust law to deny payment to current and former Ohio Sate football players. |
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