| Friday, August 25, 2017 |
| MSU Riley Center upgrades ticketing software | |
 | If you plan on going to a show at the MSU Riley Center, there is a new way you can purchase tickets. The venue recently upgraded its ticketing system called provenue ticketing through tickets.com. This will allow customers to purchase tickets from home, receive tickets sooner, and pick their own seats. "Patrons can now buy the build your own package on the MSU Riley Center website," said Derron Radcliff, the box office manager at the MSU Riley Center. "Patrons can also print their tickets from home now. Patrons will also notice a change once they come to the first show here at the Riley Center, they will be able to get their ticket scanned at the door." New features also include the ease of transferring tickets to family, friends, or others with free forwarding. |
| Jeremy Clay to lead Office of Technology Management at Mississippi State | |
 | Jeremy Clay, a Mississippi State alumnus, has been named director of MSU's Office of Technology Management --- the campus unit charged with capturing, protecting, managing and accelerating the commercialization of university-owned and generated intellectual property. In 2015, he joined OTM as a licensing associate. Most recently, he served as interim director of the office during a leadership transition. Clay graduated magna cum laude from MSU in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in wildlife science. As a student, he was president of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, a member of Xi Sigma Pi Natural Resources Honor Society, and served as secretary of the College of Forest Resources Student Council. He is a graduate of the Mississippi College School of Law and member of the Mississippi Bar. |
| Mississippi State's Jeff Adkerson receives national PGA honor | |
| Jeff Adkerson, director of Mississippi State University's PGA Golf Management program, is the 2017 recipient of the Professional Golfers' Association National Horton Smith Award. The honor recognizes golf professionals for outstanding and continuing contributions to professional education. The two-time MSU alumnus has received the Gulf States PGA's Horton Smith Award four times. Earlier this year, Adkerson became one of approximately 350 people since 1969 to earn the PGA's Master Professional in Golf Operations distinction, given to PGA Professionals that demonstrate the highest degree of excellence. Adkerson joined the MSU College of Business' PGA Golf Management program in 2003 and became the program's director in 2007. |
| Turnout big for forum on redband bug at Stoneville | |
| The attendance at a forum last week on the redbanded stink bug in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas soybean crops was commensurate with the scope of the infestation. In other words, big. That's according to Dr. Fred Musser, professor of entomology at Mississippi State University. There were 130 at the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, Musser said. Also, 80 lines were engaged in the live stream of the forum, he said. "It is infesting most of the soybeans in Mississippi," Musser said on Tuesday. The last outbreak of the pest in the state was in 2009, but that was followed by a cold winter, which meant that it was not tracked closely as a major blip on the agricultural radar. This past winter was mild, which allowed the insect to make inroads much deeper and farther north. |
| A song in his heart: Starkville icon of business, service passes away Wednesday | |
 | Those close to John Robert Arnold, a prolific Oktibbeha County businessman with strong ties to the local Boy Scouts troop and First United Methodist Church, say they remember him as a man with a song in his heart -- and one for everyone else. Arnold routinely drove a flatbed truck in Starkville's annual Christmas parade, towing college students and other participants down Main Street as they sang carols through an amplified speaker. One year, his vehicle came to a grinding halt near FUMC when it experienced trouble with its brakes. "He and another person jumped out with tools, let the pressure out and rolled through the rest of the parade without brakes. Apparently it wasn't the first time it happened, and it certainly wasn't going to stop them then. They kept on singing," said Allen McBroom, a co-owner of Backstage Music who knew Arnold through their mutual support of the local Boy Scout Troop 45. Arnold, 94, died Wednesday at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo after complications from a fall. |
| Golden Triangle unemployment rates remain stable | |
| An increase in jobs combined with a decrease in employment cause a slight spike in across the state, according to the data released Wednesday by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. Of the four Golden Triangle counties, only Oktibbeha County saw a drop in unemployment in July compared to June (0.6 percent). While Lowndes County saw only a 0.2 percent increase in unemployment, both Clay and Noxubee counties saw a pronounced uptick in joblessness -- both by 1.1 percent. The July 2017 numbers were nearly identical to those of a year ago this month, but all four counties have shown strong recovery compared to five years ago with drops in the jobless rates of 6.4 percent (Clay), 3.1 percent (Lowndes), 3.7 percent (Oktibbeha) and 4.3 percent (Noxubee). |
| GSDP names new director of membership development | |
 | The Greater Starkville Development Partnership on Thursday named Hunter Harrington as the GSDP's new director of membership development. Harrington comes to the GSDP after working with Mitchell Companies, Curio Brands and Learfield Sports. Additionally, Harrington has internship experience with the College of Charleston Athletic Department and the Tupelo Convention and Visitor Bureau. She also holds undergraduate and masters degrees from Mississippi State University. Harrington will take the role vacated by Heath Barret, who left the GSDP in July. Barret is now the vice president of membership development at the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance in Lynchburg, Virginia. |
| Uber to hold support sessions in Starkville Friday and Saturday | |
| Uber will hold support sessions for new drivers and those interested in driving Friday and Saturday in Starkville, the company announced. The sessions will be held each day from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn. Company officials will be on-hand to assist with accessing and downloading documents as well as answering questions about driving for Uber. |
| 20-year-old Starkville resident killed in Brookville Gardens shooting | |
| A 20-year-old Starkville resident is dead and another person is in custody after a Thursday shooting at Brookville Gardens. Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt confirmed Deontay M. Rogers was pronounced dead after he was admitted to OCH Regional Medical Center about 9:21 p.m. SPD Frank Nichols said one person was in custody, but the agency did not release that person's identity or any other information about the incident. Nichols also confirmed another unconnected shooting occurred Thursday but did not release any details. |
| Engineer: Inspectors to close many Mississippi wood bridges | |
 | Urging Mississippi lawmakers to provide more infrastructure funding, a county engineer warned Thursday that a stiffened federal inspection program could force repairs or the closure of hundreds of county bridges across the state in the next two years. Jeff Dungan, whose company is the county engineer for six south Mississippi counties, told the Senate Transportation Committee Thursday that federal inspectors are targeting more than 2,000 county bridges across the state with wood supports. The news came as lawmakers reopened discussions over whether they should raise taxes to provide more money for roads and bridges. |
| Lawmakers ponder tax increases, hear dire warning about bridges | |
 | A south Mississippi county engineer warned lawmakers on Thursday that federal inspectors are likely to close hundreds of bridges on county roads over the next couple of years. Jeff Dungan, an engineer in Columbia whose firm works for several counties, said Mississippi has more bridges with wooden substructure -- more than 2,000 on county roads -- than any other state. He said lack of maintenance and funding has created a "crisis." Dungan was among several presenters on the first day of two days of hearings for the Senate Transportation Committee. Transportation Chairman Willie Simmons, D-Cleveland, said he called the hearings to discuss problems with state and local roads and bridges and consider ways of raising taxes and fees to fund at least $330 million more a year in road and bridge maintenance money. Sens. Angela Burks Hill, R-Picayune, and Billy Hudson, R-Hattiesburg, bristled at the notion of the federal government taking over inspections from counties. |
| Tax hikes could raise $360 million for roads and bridges | |
 | Increasing taxes -- on gas, hotel and motel stays, cigarettes and other tobacco products, big rigs that travel on highways -- and creating a state lottery could raise $360 million for infrastructure, a legislative committee concluded Thursday. Sen. Willie Simmons, D-Cleveland, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, which is holding hearings this week, said Mississippi has fallen behind on maintaining its roads and bridges in part because taxes have not been raised in years. "We have chosen to remain constant with the amount that we're charging at the pump," Simmons said at the beginning of Thursday's hearing. |
| Square Books offers discount in support of free speech | |
 | Square Books is celebrating the First Amendment of the United States Constitution this weekend by offering its customers a "tax-free holiday." The bookstore is applying a 7 percent discount on all book purchases since it is required to still collect and pay the sales tax. The sale will occur at the same time as the weekend of sales tax exemptions for gun purchases, a Second Amendment holiday created by Gov. Phil Bryant during his first term. The bill gives Mississippi sportsmen an annual tax-free holiday "for firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, and certain hunting supplies," according to the governor's website. Square Books hopes to see the state Legislature adopt the same holiday for the sale of books in the future, a right the bookstore feels is just as innately human and respected. |
| Bullets and Books: Shoppers Get Discounts in Mississippi | |
| Shoppers in Mississippi can save money this weekend based on some constitutional rights. The Second Amendment weekend takes place Friday through Sunday. Guns, ammunition, archery equipment and many other hunting supplies are exempt from the state's 7 percent sales tax. Named for the constitutional right to bear arms, the exemption was passed by the Republican-led Legislature with bipartisan support and signed into law by Republican Gov. Phil Bryant in 2014. Even without a state law, a store in Oxford is offering a 7 percent discount on books the same three days. Square Books will collect the state sales tax. General manager Lyn Roberts says the discount, equal to amount of the tax, celebrates the First Amendment rights of free speech. Roberts says this is the second year for the store to offer the book discount during the Second Amendment weekend. "It's not against that," Roberts said, but is way of honoring other constitutional rights. |
| 'Clerical error' leads to state's first late bond payment in 100 years | |
| A recent miscommunication between the treasurer's office and the state of Mississippi's bond paying agent led to the first late bond payment by the state in at least 100 years. The late payment came after the state's payment agent -- US Bank -- provided a debt payment invoice to the treasurer's office on June 6, one day after the June 5 due date, said Michelle Williams, Treasurer Lynn Fitch's chief of staff. The state paid the bill on June 7, according to a document disclosed to investors. That document described the late payment as a "clerical error." Debt on various bond issues is typically paid once a month by the treasurer's office. |
| Far From Dixie, Outcry Grows Over a Wider Array of Monuments | |
 | It began with calls to remove Confederate generals. But since the violence in Charlottesville, Va., two weeks ago, the anger from the left over monuments and public images deemed racist, insensitive or inappropriate has quickly spread. The disputes over America's racial past and public symbols have proliferated with dizzying speed, spreading to states far beyond the Confederacy and inspiring campaigns by minorities and political progressives across the country. But along the way, they have become to some an example of politically correct sentiments gone too far, with the potential to mobilize the right and alienate the center. New disputes seem to be springing up daily. Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia who watched neo-Nazis march on his own campus, said the left seems to have once again become focused on symbolic issues rather than the ones that most voters care about. |
| Texas in direct path of suddenly intensifying, 'astounding' Hurricane Harvey | |
 | Texas is bracing for potentially catastrophic flooding and winds as Hurricane Harvey intensified Thursday and cruised toward a late Friday impact near Corpus Christi. The National Hurricane Center described Harvey's sudden strengthening as "astounding." The storm is expected to strike as a Category 3 hurricane --- meaning with winds greater than 111 miles per hour --- making it the most powerful storm to make landfall in the United States since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. The surprise hurricane is poised to be the first major test of disaster response for the Trump administration, whose appointee to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- William B. "Brock" Long -- was confirmed in June. |
| Ole Miss student shot in head at University Trails Apartments | |
| A woman was shot in the head at University Trails Apartments in Oxford. D'Marius Madkins, 28, was taken into custody just after midnight after a woman was found shot in the head on an apartment balcony. Other people living in the apartment complex said the sound of gunshots woke them up early Thursday morning. "We didn't really expect it to be gunshots. I thought the power line or something like this happened," Simon Bogenreider said. The apartments are located just off of the Ole Miss campus. Investigators said a 23-year-old student, who has not been identified, got into an argument with her boyfriend, Madkins. The victim was flown to Memphis' Regional Medial Center in critical condition. |
| Preston, Miss., has its first doctor; rural patients have a lifeline | |
| When Dr. Anna Marie Hailey-Sharp was growing up in rural Preston, there was no such thing as a quick trip to the doctor. Her pediatrician worked in Meridian, one hour away. So she didn't see a doctor unless she really needed to. Unfortunately, Haley-Sharp, who had asthma as a child, needed to see her doctor a lot. "We were back and forth to Meridian for years," Hailey-Sharp said. "I don't think we really thought that much about it at the time. It's just the way things were. You got so used to going to Meridian for stuff that it just became a way of life." But for Preston's residents, this way of life may be on its way out. In late 2015, not long after she had finished her medical residency, Hailey-Sharp opened a family medicine clinic in Preston, making her the first doctor to practice in this one-stop-sign town. As one of the first graduates of Mississippi's Rural Physicians Scholarship Program, she had committed to returning to Preston before she even committed to a specialty at the University of Mississippi's medical school. |
| Freshmen at William Carey University prepare for orientation weekend | |
 | William Carey University is holding a series of events for new students this week, as it continues to recover from a devastating tornado just seven months ago. The university is hosting CareyWOW, or Welcome and Orientation Weekend for new students. Many of those freshmen moved into residence halls Thursday morning, as repairs to tornado-damaged buildings took place. "I've been looking forward to this day for my whole life really," said Kevin Williams, a freshman from Vicksburg. "It just feels good to be able to say I finally made it out of high school and I'm here." University administrators said the campus is continuing to make a steady recovery. "Nearly every single building has been repaired, most look like they've never been scratched by the tornado," said Scott Hummel, executive vice president and provost for William Carey University. |
| Underground utility work begins at East Central Community College | |
 | A project to place the majority of the overhead utility lines at East Central Community College underground is underway on the campus in Decatur, according to a news release from the college. All above-ground electrical, telephone, fiber optic and other utility lines are being placed underground from Broad Street on the front of campus to 10th Street on the north side of campus. Work began in June, and the timeline calls for the project to be completed by December. ECCC President Billy Stewart said, in a statement, that the work would improve campus aesthetics and also serve as a "hazard mitigation project" to "reduce the risk of damage to property or person during hazardous situations." Most of the funding for the $1.2 million project comes through the state of Mississippi, according to the college's news release. Stewart expressed gratitude to State Representative Randy Rushing, representing District 78 and Leake, Newton, and Scott counties, along with other members of the five-county legislative delegation. |
| U. of Florida to hire diversity officer | |
 | The University of Florida will hire a chief diversity officer, President Kent Fuchs announced in his State of the University speech Thursday. The announcement came a week after the university denied white nationalist Richard Spencer's request to rent campus space for a September event. Fuchs said the position comes after a year of discussing how to bolster diversity and inclusion and will act as a "senior adviser for inclusive excellence." The hiring search will begin this fall. During a question-and-answer session after Fuchs' speech, he and faculty members discussed ways they could further create a more inclusive campus culture, especially as international student enrollment fell this year by 30 percent. "In the past, we could be silent, and the world's greatest students would come here," Fuchs said. "We have to actively recruit and have the message that they're welcome." |
| U. of Tennessee hosting Peaceful Protesting 101 talk | |
 | Amid a tense climate of recent demonstrations nationally, the University of Tennessee office of Multicultural Student Life is hosting a Peaceful Protesting 101 talk. The event has been organized in light of this month's deadly clash between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Va., as well as a white supremacist rally planned for Fort Sanders on Saturday, said UT staff psychologist Amber Thornton. Thornton, along with UT Police Chief Troy Lane, will speak about constructive strategies for participating in a public demonstration. Among her advice, Thornton said she encourages demonstration participants to be mindful of their intentions and set clear goals. Demonstrators also should set boundaries for acceptable behavior, and attend such events in groups, she said. Students, faculty and staff also are encouraged to share their feelings about recent events and the upcoming Knoxville rally. |
| UGA to restore Lake Herrick, open it to boaters | |
 | The University of Georgia's Lake Herrick will be open to kayaks and other kinds of non-motorized vessels next summer, following an extensive restoration of an upper pond, now drained, that once filtered pollutants from reaching Lake Herrick. That's good news for several people using trails around the lake on Wednesday. University officials halted swimming and boating in the man-made lake near UGA's intramural fields year in 1982, citing high pollution levels, including bacteria from dog waste. However, fishing from the lake's banks or its pedestrian bridge remains popular. The forested area between the two ponds remains a popular place for students and others to walk dogs, and part of the plan to reopen Lake Herrick is to reduce the amount of resulting dog waste that washes into the lake. |
| WUGA, Athens' public radio station, turns 30 | |
| WUGA, Athens' public radio station, is turning 30. The station held an open house Thursday in its studios tucked away in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education, and more events marking the anniversary are scheduled next week. On Monday, Steve Inskeep, host of National Public Radio's "Morning Edition," will be the featured guest at a sold-out reception and dinner attended by about 400 people, with a concert by Athens musician Randall Bramblett and band. On Tuesday, selected University of Georgia journalism students will see a taping of Georgia Public Broadcasting's morning talk show "On Second Thought," with host Celeste Headlee. Also on Tuesday, Inskeep will give a talk to students in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. The university sets the station's budget and pays employee salaries, but it's the station's responsibility to fund operating expenses of between $150,000 to $175,000 through underwriting and other means. |
| Student alleges U. of Kentucky failed to help her after two sexual assaults | |
 | A University of Kentucky student has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the school, the second in two years to question its handling of sexual assault cases. According to the lawsuit filed in U.S District Court in Lexington, the woman identified as Jane Doe said she was raped twice by two different students at UK in 2016. In one case, the alleged assailant was expelled, but in the other, the accused was found "not responsible." The lawsuit alleges that UK's lengthy and complex process of dealing with alleged sexual assaults and various missteps by UK officials in both cases resulted in trauma and a loss of educational opportunities for Jane Doe. The lawsuit comes at a fraught time for dealing with campus sexual assault. UK is currently battling another Title IX case by a Jane Doe, who said her alleged campus rape by a football player was mishandled by UK. |
| Texas A&M Galveston to bring evacuated students to College Station campus | |
 | Students from Texas A&M's branch campus in Galveston will be brought to the flagship campus in College Station on Friday afternoon to get out of the way of Hurricane Harvey's menacing path. A&M Galveston officials said student check-in at residence halls has been canceled Friday and that all students, faculty and staff must be off the seaside campus by noon. Students needing transportation are being asked to contact Residence Life to reserve a seat on buses making the trek to the main campus two hours away. Students were told to bring items necessary for a five-day stay, including bed linens, laptop and textbooks, according to officials. The Galveston campus has almost 2,200 students. Classes for Monday in Galveston are canceled, but not in College Station, which will be the first day of the fall semester. |
| U. of Missouri launches plan to cut costs for lower-income students | |
 | The University of Missouri has a simple message for students eligible for Pell grants -- attend MU and all tuition and fees will be paid. On Wednesday, Chancellor Alexander Cartwright and Vice Provost for Enrollment Pelema Morrice rolled out a new program the university calls the Missouri Land Grant Compact. It is intended to address several issues facing students and MU -- it will reduce student borrowing, encourage new applications and fill idle dorm rooms with sophomores, juniors and seniors. "We are at a very special time in our institutional history, one that requires all of us to be very reflective about why we are here and who we are here serve," Morrice said. The decision to increase investment in financial aid comes while the university is adjusting to major budget cuts imposed July 1. State aid to the university was cut this year and the opening day of classes saw the second precipitous drop in enrollment in as many years. |
| Multimillion-dollar gift to support, rename center at Texas A&M's Mays Business School | |
| The Texas A&M Foundation announced Thursday a $10 million gift from Arthur and Dorothy McFerrin to support the Mays Business School's Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship and rename it in the family's honor. Arthur "Artie" McFerrin, a class of '65 graduate and longtime donor to the university, died this month in Houston after a struggle with leukemia. "We are truly grateful to the McFerrin family," said Eli Jones, dean of Mays Business School, in a statement. "Artie's spirit lives on through the thousands of lives he has influenced and will continue to influence. His heart for Texas A&M and entrepreneurship beats in the hearts of those Aggies who choose to be courageous enough to create solutions to the world's biggest problems---those who are indeed fearless." Officials said the multimillion-dollar gift will "advance the center's work as an international leader in entrepreneurial education." |
| Report finds decline in political science jobs | |
 | Political news was plentiful last year, but political science jobs were down significantly year over year, and to their lowest point since 2010, according to the American Political Science Association's annual jobs report. The report, released earlier this month, presents data on subfields, position types and location of colleges, universities and institutions advertising jobs with the political science association's jobs platform. While many jobs in the field may not be listed there, the trends in the association's job board tend to match those in the profession, experts say. In 2016-17, there were just 1,141 postings -- some 7 percent lower than the 2010-17 annual average of 1,230 jobs. In 2015-16, there were 1,260 available jobs in political science. |
| Book festival brings together thousands for solitary passions | |
| The Mississippi Business Journal's Jack Weatherly writes: "The Mississippi Book Festival is held a week before the thunder of college football season just about drowns out everything else that is good in the state. Thousands packed the rooms of the state Capitol on Saturday for the third annual event celebrating the solitary passions of writing and reading. The sounds of music and smells of cooking emanating from the encampment of white pavilions where authors signed and sold their creations were spread by a breeze suggesting that rain was again in the offing. But the showers held off and nature served to promote the 'literary lawn party' with its 41 indoor events -- up from 32 last year -- mostly panel discussions, not including those for children." |
SPORTS
| Out of Dak's shadow, Mississippi State's Nick Fitzgerald has become his own kind of leader | |
| Nick Fitzgerald is talking with a reporter on the second floor of the Seal Football Complex after a recent practice, but his eyes are occasionally wandering to the nearby ping-pong table. That's where a dozen of the Mississippi State quarterback's teammates are. While in the middle of fielding a question, Fitzgerald is struck by a crumpled white paper ball. Now, a t-shirt. The objects are coming from the first floor, directly below where Fitzgerald is standing. Then a rolled up white sock fresh from the laundry room hits Fitzgerald. Linebacker Dez Harris is the main culprit, his laugh giving him away if he hadn't picked up a yellow caution sign from a wet area on the floor and threatened to toss that up next. Fitzgerald responds by staring at Harris while still answering the reporter's questions, only louder than he previously had. Harris' playful shenanigans stop there. No matter; this kind of scene has been commonplace during Mississippi State's training camp this month so Harris knows he won't be waiting long for another opportunity. |
| Mississippi State will turn focus toward Charleston Southern | |
| The Mississippi State football team will have only Charleston Southern on its mind the next time it takes the practice field. The MSU football team will conclude its preseason program this morning with a practice that will end what MSU coach Dan Mullen called a "transition week." Mullen is giving the players a long weekend to see their families before returning to campus to prepare for MSU's season opener at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville. "Still teaching, still good on good, but work in some scout team and game planning in that time," Mullen said. |
| Six wins may be the floor for this year's Mississippi State team | |
| Dan Mullen has welcomed reporters for each post-practice media session with a loud, "How's everybody doing?" He has smiled and laughed when fielding questions. He has been demanding of his players, particularly newcomers, but he hasn't been overly-critical when assessing strengths and weaknesses. Mullen has been around long enough to know it is best not to talk up a team coming off a 6-7 season. But those close to the Mississippi State program believe Mullen's body language and demeanor through the first weeks of training camp are the results of him being confident in what he has on his roster and coaching staff. "We expect to have a really good year," Mullen said. "I like the attitude that our team has had, that they've brought to the table, their work ethic, and their demeanor of this football team I'm excited about." |
| MSU notebook: Bulldogs begin year without Malik Dear | |
 | Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen says that Malik Dear's rehab is ahead of schedule but doesn't expect the junior receiver to be cleared for the first couple of games. Dear tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in late March during spring drills and has only been able to do some running with trainers so far in fall camp. "We still haven't made the decision on Malik of where he'll be this season," Mullen said. "They think he's ahead of schedule. I don't expect him in the first two games. But then after that we're going to have to make a decision as it gets going of where he's at. Is it going to be he's kind of ready game-three and four; or is going to be not ready until seven or eight? We'll make our decision at that point." Dear began playing as a true freshman in 2015 and does have a redshirt year available. |
| Mississippi State opens SEC slate at home against Arkansas | |
| Mississippi State's men's basketball team will play three of its first five conference games at home beginning with Arkansas on Jan. 2 to open the SEC slate. Following road trips to Ole Miss (Jan. 6) and Florida (Jan. 10), the Bulldogs are back at Humphrey Coliseum hosting Auburn (Jan. 13) and Vanderbilt (Jan. 16). Ben Howland's squad has home-and-home dates with Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Missouri and South Carolina this season. The Rebels visit Starkville on Feb. 17. MSU will also travel to Kentucky, Texas A&M and LSU while hosting Georgia and Tennessee. |
| Catalina Perez makes impact in goal for Mississippi State soccer | |
| It didn't take long for Catalina Perez to make an impression on her Mississippi State women's soccer teammates. The ease Perez had in transferring from Miami to MSU didn't surprise MSU first-year head coach Tom Anagnost. After all, Anagnost recruited Perez to come to Miami while he served as head coach at the school in 2011-12. He didn't get a chance to coach Perez after he was let go in April 2013. But Anagnost knew MSU was getting an exceptionally quick and accomplished goalkeeper who was going to make an impact. "She has been the best goalie since the first minute she has been here," Anagnost said. "She has experience, athleticism, she is quick, she reads the play well. Technically she is good. Tactically she is good. She still has, and she knows, significant improvements to make, but she has earned the spot. Everyone knows it." |
| Netflix picks up 'Last Chance U' for third season, moving to Kansas JUCO | |
 | "Last Chance U" is back for a third season, Netflix announced on Thursday. But it will be in a different locale. Gone is the campus of East Mississippi Community College. The series, which as the show title indicates, showcases many junior college players who have left Division I rosters due to academic or disciplinary issues, will now set the stage at Independence Community College in Kansas. "While we now have the opportunity to head to Kansas, we hope to revisit the people we've grown to love over the past two seasons of Last Chance U," "Last Chance U" director Greg Whiteley said in a statement. "We are forever grateful to the talented team at East Mississippi Community College who dedicated months of their lives in Scooba and trusted us to tell their incredible stories." |
| Delta State makes plans to move football opener because of turf issues | |
| With the start of the college football season just over a week away, Delta State is making plans to play its opener at Cleveland Central High School instead of its own home field on campus. Delta State will play its opener on Sept. 2 against Tarleton State. The move is being made because of problems with the artificial turf surface at Delta State's Parker-McCool Stadium. The current surface was installed in 2014, but school officials said it has had numerous issues and repairs since then. "We remain hopeful that Hellas Construction may complete the project ahead of schedule and allow us to keep the game on our campus, but we also have to have a plan in the event that does not happen," DSU director of athletics Ronnie Mayers said in a statement. "Let us be clear, it the field is ready next week, we will play at Parker Field-McCool Stadium." |
| Getting to know Florida AD Scott Stricklin | |
| Scott Stricklin had a plan even when he wasn't sure what it was. The little boy growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, knew he loved sports. That was the easy part. The difficult part was figuring out what he could do with that love. It wasn't going to be on a field or an arena. A little high jumping his senior year of high school was pretty much the summation of his high school athletic career. But a lack of physical stature or high-end motor skills were not going to keep him out of the games. "My older brother Dave and I were eaten up with sports," says Stricklin. Still, what to do about it? Stricklin ended up being "the guy" long before he became "the guy" at the University Athletic Association. Now, at 47, he's the athletic director of one of the nation's top programs, the high school wannabe made it a habit to be wherever there were sports being played. |
| Auburn asks fans to refrain from rolling new oaks at Toomer's Corner this season | |
 | Auburn University officials are asking fans not to roll the new Auburn Oaks at Toomer's Corner this football season because the trees aren't fully established, but they welcome fans to enjoy the tradition by rolling designated trees next to the corner. The university has designated an oak tree and two magnolias in front of Biggin Hall and four oaks on College Street for rolling. After athletic wins, Auburn fans gather at the corner of Magnolia Avenue and College Street to roll trees with toilet paper---one of the nation's most-recognized college traditions. The university planted the two new Auburn Oaks in February as part of its commitment to having vibrant trees on the corner for the Auburn Family. The previous trees were replaced due to a fire that damaged one of the trees last season. University officials are also asking fans not to roll the 10 smaller oaks lining the walkway from Toomer's Corner to Samford Hall. |
| Gamecock statue won't be ready before South Carolina's football season | |
 | A massive Gamecock statue the University of South Carolina plans to erect outside Williams-Brice Stadium won't be installed in time for football season. The 15- to 18-foot-tall bird is taking longer than expected to cast in bronze and assemble, the university says. The school had hoped to place the $995,000 statue, paid for with private gifts, on Springs-Brooks Plaza before the Sept. 16 home opener against Kentucky. The school now expects to install it just after the season ends. "The Gamecock sculpture is a complex piece, and we don't want to sacrifice quality by rushing the project," USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said. "This will be an impressive sculpture that fans will be able to enjoy for many years to come." |
| Curators to vote on U. of Missouri stadium expansion Friday | |
| The University of Missouri Board of Curators will hold a special session Friday to vote on final approval for expansion of the south endzone of Memorial Stadium. The proposed design is a three-story building that will replace 10,800 general admission seats with 16 suites, 1,500 premium seats and 1,300 outdoor general admission seats. Inside, the building will include a new locker room, weight room, training facility, coaching offices, meeting rooms and recruiting reception areas. The 191,000 square-foot project budget is set at $98 million, a figure which will have to be approved Friday. Of that, a minimum of $40 million is slated to come from private gift pledges, $800,000 will come from Campus Infrastructure Funds and a maximum of $57.2 million will come from long-term debt financing. Missouri's Tiger Scholarship Fund raised a record $50.4 million for the 2016-17 fiscal year. The board approved Populous as the project architect in February. Henderson Engineers will serve as the project engineer. |
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