Tuesday, October 10, 2017   
 
FFAR board to ask for flexibility in grant allocations
The board of the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research, will ask Congress for more flexibility in how it allocates funds for research projects as well as for an additional $200 million in research money in the next farm bill, Mark Keenum, the Mississippi State University president who chairs the board told The Hagstrom Report after an open board meeting on Oct. 6. FFAR was set up to combine federal and private research money, and provided $200 million with instructions to raise an equal amount of non-federal dollars. Under the current law, when the foundation commits an amount of federal dollars to a research project it must raise an equal amount for that project, Keenum said. The foundation has followed that practice in its first years in operation, but found that sometimes a private-sector organization will offer more than a matching amount while it's hard to raise matching money for other projects, said Keenum, a former aide to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran, R-Miss.
 
Mississippi State vet students decorate, donate dog houses
Several Mississippi State University veterinary students recently participated in a project geared toward relieving the stress of school while helping out the Oktibbeha County Humane Society. Nestle Purina Petcare Company donated 15 dog houses to students of MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine to be assembled and distributed. Third year veterinary student Veronica Kiely, a Purina student representative, was involved in deciding what to do with the dog houses. "We had a painting event to make it fun and just kind of a stress reliever for the vet students," Kiely said. "There were prizes for the most creative dog houses, which were judged by faculty members." The dog houses were painted by hand by students who worked in teams. Of the 15 dog houses donated, there were 10 judged by faculty members, and the most creative are on display in the front lobby of the Wise Center.
 
Willie Nelson is coming to Meridian and the MSU Riley Center Tuesday night
The MSU Riley Center is gearing up for a big concert Tuesday night. Willie Nelson and Family is coming to Meridian and the show has sold out faster than any other in the history of the Riley Center. "This is probably by far the biggest concert that we've had at the Riley Center in a long time. A few years ago B.B. King sold out extremely fast, but Willie Nelson has taken the record," says Derron Radcliff, box office manager. With an updated ticket and software system in place, staff at the center are more than prepared for the sell-out crowd. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
 
Mississippi State professor to publish first novel
A Starkvillian's first novel will be released Saturday on Black Opal Books. Mississippi State University professor of kinesiology Stan Brown's novel "The Legacy" is his first non-academic book to be published. Two more will follow in 2018, a fantasy novel called "The Stonehenge Chronicles" and a middle-grade novel titled "Fallen Wizard." Brown said "The Legend" is the story of Harry Black, a 27-year-old man from Mississippi, who comes from an old money family. The protagonist discovers a terrorist plot he must solve. "It's being billed as a paranormal thriller set in Mississippi and Washington D.C.," Brown said. "It's about terrorists and ghosts." Brown said his fiction writing is based mostly on his own taste in literature.
 
Bill would have Mississippi voters decide on tax increase for roads
Republican state Sen. Dean Kirby plans to introduce a bill next year that would raise taxes and fees to pay for needed renovations to state roads and bridges, but with several new twists compared to other such proposals that quickly have been snuffed out in the current anti-tax Legislature. For starters, voters would say "yes" or "no" to the plan in a statewide referendum and would be able to view a list of the projects the money would fund in each of the state's three transportation districts. Kirby said a similar successful referendum in Georgia gave him the idea to let voters see exactly what taxes and fees would fund. "If they don't want it, that's fine," Kirby, R-Pearl, said. "But then don't complain about the condition of roads." Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall on Monday announced Kirby's plan to introduce road-funding legislation next year. Hall, during a speech to the Stennis Institute's press luncheon, donned a red hat emblazoned with "Make Mississippi Roads Great Again."
 
Commissioner Dick Hall bemoans lack of effort to fix highways, bridges
Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall donned a red "Make Mississippi roads great again" hat Monday as he talked about the state's transportation needs and the Legislature's unwillingness to tackle the issue. Hall said some in the Legislature must think his multiple warnings that the state needs to spend significantly more on transportation are "lying words" because if they believed him they "would actually have to get off their butts and do something." Hall, who has been the Central District commissioner since 1999, spoke Monday to the Mississippi State University Stennis Institute of Government/capitol press corps luncheon.
 
State revenue exceeds expectations despite slow corporate collections
Despite lagging corporate tax revenue collections and a slow September, the state collected more revenue than expected through the first quarter of the current fiscal year. Tax revenues feed the state's general fund, which funds basic public services like K-12, community college and higher education, various public health programs like Medicaid and mental health, and public safety departments. Lawmakers budget each year based on projections. If revenue projections are not met, state leaders often have to cut agencies' budgets mid-year or draw from reserve funds. But through the first three months of this fiscal year, revenues have exceeded projections -- a first in the past three fiscal years. Total tax collections are $20.2 million above the estimate through the first quarter, which is $30.7 million, or 3 percent, higher than this time last year.
 
The Lawyer Who Beat Big Tobacco Takes On the Opioid Industry
Seven years ago, Mike Moore stepped from the 2 a.m. darkness into the light of a small home off Lakeland Drive in Jackson, Miss., to find his nephew close to death. The 250-pound 30-year-old was slumped on the living room couch, his face pale, breath shallow, and chest wet with vomit. It was his fiancee who'd called Moore, waking him in a panic. Now they were both screaming in the man's ears, dousing him with ice cubes and water, and pinching him as his respiratory system began to collapse. Moore, who's 65, served as Mississippi's attorney general from 1988 to 2004. In 1994, using an untested and widely derided legal strategy, he became the first state AG to sue tobacco companies for lying about nicotine addiction and hold them accountable for sick smokers' health-care costs. As he's watched the tobacco victory pay off in declining smoking rates, he's also seen easy access to powerful pain medication spark a new deadly crisis. He's convinced this is the moment to work the same mechanisms on the drug companies that forced the tobacco industry to heel -- and he's committed himself to making that happen.
 
Local educators honored for humanities instruction
Educators from across the state have been honored for their outstanding work in the humanities. Each year, Mississippi's institutions of higher learning are asked to select a faculty member for the Mississippi Humanities Council's 2017 Teacher Award. Local recipients are Shawn Whittington, Itawamba Community College; Christopher Schager, Northeast Mississippi Community College; Lisa B. Spinks, East Mississippi Community College; Lee Crouse, Mississippi University for Women; Wendy Herd, Mississippi State University; and Marc Lerner, University of Mississippi.
 
Zimride promotes ride-sharing on UM campus
The University of Mississippi Department of Parking and Transportation has repeatedly made efforts to decrease heavy traffic flow on campus and offer ways for students to travel more easily with ride-share programs, bike-share programs, Zipcars and the Oxford-University Transit System. Zimride, an Enterprise program, came to Ole Miss in 2011 with help from the Office of Sustainability. The ride-matching service allows students or faculty traveling to the same destination to connect with each other and share a ride. The purpose of the program is to encourage carpooling, but it also helps students without cars find rides when they need them. Since 2011, there have been more than 1,800 active Zimride users on campus, a combination of both students and faculty. Hal Robinson, manager of transportation, said most rides are short, but there are occasional longer rides that students use as one-time deals.
 
U. of Southern Mississippi to go tobacco free January 2018
The University of Southern Mississippi is going tobacco-free Jan. 1. The move means no cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, pipes, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco or products that mimic tobacco will be allowed on campus. The shift has been a long time coming. Southern Miss greatly restricted tobacco use in 2011, limiting smokers to 20 designated areas around campus and imposing fines on those who violated the rules. Ever since then, university health officials have been saying a tobacco-free campus was imminent. Southern Miss is the last of the state's three big universities to go tobacco-free. Ole Miss banned all tobacco products in 2013, and Mississippi State went tobacco-free in 2016. Enforcement will be up to the denizens of Southern Miss themselves. "The success of this policy depends upon the thoughtfulness, consideration and cooperation of tobacco and non-tobacco users," chief communications officer Jim Coll said. "Concerns about tobacco use should be respectfully addressed in the moment whenever feasible.
 
Eaglepalooza to return on Oct. 27, headlined by B.o.B.
The Student Government Association at the University of Southern Mississippi announced that the 14th annual Eaglepalooza will take place on Oct. 27. On Monday night Ty Trehern, coordinator of Eaglepalooza, announced at an event in the Reed Green Coliseum that B.o.B. will headline the event, with Hampton Lamar and Elise opening. In March the SGA had announced that it would no longer be able to sponsor the annual free concert due to budget cuts. In a letter to the Southern Miss and Hattiesburg communities dated Oct. 3, SGA President Cameron Cloud thanked the Southern Miss alumni, faculty, staff and Southern Miss and Hattiesburg community for their support in helping bring back the concert.
 
Hinds Community College to break ground Wednesday on new building in Vicksburg
Hinds Community College and its supporters in local government and the business community in Vicksburg will break ground Wednesday on a 40,000-square-foot Academic & Career-Technical Building at the Vicksburg-Warren Campus. The two-story building will house 10 classrooms, eight training labs, administrative offices, meeting space and a multipurpose room. Two parking lots and a bus drop-off are also proposed as part of the project, plus an access road to connect parking spaces to the existing parking area. Flexibility is the prime selling point, said Marvin Moak, vice president for the Vicksburg-Warren Campus. "The main goal for the building is to give us the space to operate a 24-hour-a-day class schedule," he said, adding that kind of borderless flexibility gives night shift workers at local industries who want to build their skills and bolster their resumes a chance to do so.
 
After Richard Spencer returned to Charlottesville, the U. of Florida braces
The University of Florida is bracing for a speech by the white nationalist Richard Spencer on campus later this month, coming after he led another torchlight rally in Charlottesville Saturday night with supporters chanting, "You will not replace us." The Florida school had canceled a planned speech by Spencer in September after clashes between white supremacists and counterprotesters turned violent at the University of Virginia in August, with tensions worsening the next day in Charlottesville. Now, the University of Florida is in the position of spending an anticipated $500,000 to try to ensure security on campus for a speaker it did not invite and does not want to host. Concerns about security during Spencer's visit are forcing the university to close one of its biggest outpatient clinics and surgery centers, postponing medical services, one of the school's top doctors said.
 
UGA Provost Pamela Whitten finalist for Iowa State University presidency
University of Georgia Provost Pamela Whitten is one of four finalists for the presidency of Iowa State University. Whitten is scheduled to visit the Ames campus Tuesday to meet with students, faculty and others. Iowa State, a public university about the same size as UGA -- about 37,000 students -- is seeking a replacement for Steven Leath, who left Iowa State to become president of Auburn University. Whitten is scheduled to appear in a public forum at 4 p.m. Central time that will be live-streamed on the Iowa State University presidential search site, according to that university. So far, only one of the other three finalists has been identified: Sonny Ramaswamy, director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
 
Maxwell Gruver's LSU fraternity previously punished for hazing, report reveals
The now-disbanded LSU fraternity which is being investigated for hazing in the recent death of Maxwell Gruver was suspended for separate hazing violations less than a year ago, according to a report by LSU's newspaper The Daily Reveille. Phi Delta Theta was placed on a month-long suspension of all chapter events on Nov. 15, 2016, after allegations that new members were being required to buy chewing tobacco and cigarettes for senior members of the fraternity. The report also alleges pledges were expected to be available to active members for rides or errands at all times, excluding time in class or when parents were in town. "The report stated pledges were called to deliver food and pick up brothers from bars at 3 a.m., and they were 'exhausted all of the time,'" The Daily Reveille reported.
 
LSU To Give Charity Hospital Redevelopment Another Shot
After years of abandonment since Hurricane Katrina and several attempts to redevelop Charity Hospital, it looks like LSU and the LSU Foundation are giving it another shot. LSU and the LSU Foundation, the university's fundraising arm, announced plans last week to study highest and best use for the property while the university seeks out a business partner to redevelop the vacant, 20 story, 1,000,000 square foot property. LSU is conducting two studies. The first is with LSU's Real Estate and Facilities Foundation, an affiliate of the LSU Foundation, on a comprehensive land-use study of the building, according to a news release. The second is in conjunction with the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit education and research institute. "We look forward to receiving the results of Urban Land Institute's study and exploring the potential for Charity Hospital to become an exciting hub of downtown development in New Orleans," LSU President F. King Alexander said.
 
U. of Missouri receives grant to support STEM education
The National Institutes of Health have awarded the University of Missouri $1.25 million as part of the institute's Science Education Partnership Award. In a news release, MU said the money will be used to strengthen science, technology, engineering and math literacy and skills, provide professional development for teachers and assess materials' value for instruction. Delinda Van Garderen and William Folk, both professors, are leading the program, the release said. The team, which includes other educators and researchers from MU and institutions in Ohio and Nevada, will develop texts and activities to help support all learners.
 
Gender, LGBTQ inclusion concerns were major theme in U. of Missouri climate survey
Inclusion concerns for women and LGBTQ people emerged as a major theme in an MU campus climate survey conducted last fall. Gender of the respondents was grouped into three categories: men, women and trans spectrum, which includes gender identities such as transgender, non-binary and genderqueer. Nonbinary and genderqueer are terms used by those who identify their gender as outside the categories of man and woman. Female respondents reported experiencing acts of sexism, such as being called misogynistic slurs, getting cat-called, or being told they "may be starting a family and wouldn't be worth investing in." Incidents of discrimination against men were also mentioned. About 20 percent of the people eligible took the survey.
 
Texas Tech police officer killed, suspect in custody
Police apprehended a 19-year-old student accused of fatally shooting a Texas Tech University police officer at the campus police station Monday night. University officials issued an alert saying the suspect was taken into custody and that the campus lockdown order had been lifted. According to a university statement, campus police made a student welfare check Monday evening and -- upon entering the room -- found evidence of drugs and drug paraphernalia. Officers then brought the suspect to the police station for standard debriefing. "During this time, the suspect pulled a gun and mortally shot an officer," Texas Tech Police Chief Kyle Bonath said. "The suspect fled on foot and later apprehended by ... (campus police) near the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum."
 
Can Social Science Tell Us How Much Gerrymandering Is Too Much?
In the 205 years since Gov. Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts was criticized for drawing legislative-district boundaries to benefit his own political party, the gerrymander has presented a quandary: an obvious mathematical trick whose chicanery is almost impossible to prove mathematically. In a 2004 Pennsylvania case, its most recent ruling on the matter, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that it could see no clear standard for deciding how much gerrymandering is too much. That problem may now have been solved by the nation's social scientists, who have become the driving intellectual forces in a pending Supreme Court case with major long-term political implications.
 
Poli-Sci for the Trump Era
President Trump's rise to power prompted numerous think pieces from political scientists about the virtues (or lack thereof) of political neutrality in the classroom. But beyond questions about teaching and personal opinion, political scientists are also asking how they should study political science today. Namely, they're asking whether the discipline's traditional structure -- semi-siloed subfields including American politics, comparative politics (everyone else), political theory and international relations -- works in the age of Trump. "For those of us who have been studying this country, it's been remarkably stable over time," said Suzanne Mettler, the Clinton Rossiter Professor of Political Institutions at Cornell University and co-author of a new paper on Trumpism and democracy; the article is an outgrowth of a workshop Mettler, an Americanist, and colleagues held at Cornell in June to promote dialogue across political science subfields -- a central message of the new paper.
 
Why Colleges Are Borrowing Billions
While public attention has been focused on runaway student loan amounts, colleges and universities themselves are also borrowing heavily --- often in the hope of shoring up enrollments, but in many cases leaving them financially weaker, analysts say. Colleges and universities collectively owe $240 billion, the Moody's bond-rating service reports. That debt rose 18 percent, to $145 billion, in the last five years at public universities, Moody's says. At privates, it went up 3 percent, to $95 billion. One reason for this borrowing is that money is comparatively cheap while interest rates remain low. But much of it is happening because -- despite budget cuts at public universities, sluggish endowment growth at private ones, and falling enrollments everywhere -- colleges and universities have continued to build new facilities at record-setting rates. "The big Ivy League schools and the big public universities, this is not who we're talking about," said one analyst. "The problem is at regional public universities and small private colleges."
 
Remake of 'Casablanca' to be set in Mississippi?
Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "It's one of the most famous movies ever, with many memorable lines. One comes to mind whenever cavalier handling of public funds comes to light in Mississippi. It's where Capt. Renauld blows his shrill whistle and orders everybody out of Rick's tavern. 'How can you close me up?' Rick demands. 'On what grounds?' The officious Renault responds, 'I'm shocked, shocked to find out that gambling is going on in here!' The crucial part of the scene follows when a casino teller discretely slides Renault a wad of cash and says, 'Here are your winnings, sir.' The captain waves his ill-gotten gains in the air while chasing people out the door for engaging in the same behavior. Perhaps it's unfair, but if there's a remake of 'Casablanca,' could it be set in Mississippi? The pattern seems familiar."


SPORTS
 
Bulldogs finally back at home
Finally, it's home sweet home for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are back at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday, taking on BYU at 11 a.m. -- their first home game in nearly a month. "This is a big game and it's great to be back at home," MSU coach Dan Mullen said Monday. "We haven't played a home game in about 28 days, which is kind of unusual but that's how the schedule panned out for us this year." MSU has only played at home twice this season with its last appearance coming on Sept. 16 against LSU. The Bulldogs upset the then 12th-ranked Tigers 37-7 that night with 60,596 in attendance. Mullen is hoping his fan base will be able to recreate that environment when the Cougars come to town this weekend.
 
Dan Mullen: 'Chances are' Malik Dear will redshirt this season
Despite trying to make a return to the playing field in recent weeks, "chances are" Mississippi State receiver Malik Dear will redshirt this season, Dan Mullen said on Monday. Mullen said he would meet with Dear later on Monday. Dear suffered a torn ACL injury in the spring and has yet to play in a game this season. He started practicing last month ahead of the LSU game, but hasn't returned to 100 percent yet. Mississippi State is 3-2 without Dear heading into its game Saturday against BYU (1-5) (11 a.m., SEC Network). The move to redshirt him would make sense, considering Mullen originally said a decision would be made after four games.
 
Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen breaks down team ahead of BYU
Shortly after Mississippi State was taken to the woodshed in a 49-10 loss at Auburn two weeks ago, Dan Mullen said that he didn't know if there was ever a good or bad time for a bye week. For the Bulldogs, last week's bye came at a much-needed moment. State just finished off a stretch of back-to-back road games against top-10 opponents in blowout losses to Georgia and AU. They needed a week to regroup and repair a roster that was in need of it. It started with a defense who gave up big play after big play against Auburn. Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said his defense wasn't disciplined enough, but Mullen saw some improvements made during the week.
 
MSU Notebook: Bulldogs hoping height will help WR's
It's no secret that Mississippi State's wide receivers have struggled so far this season. Donald Gray and Keith Mixon are the Bulldogs top two wideouts with 13 catches and 169 yards respectively and a touchdown apiece. Gray and Mixon are also under 5-foot-11. Hoping some height might help spark the receiving corps, MSU involved sophomore Jamal Couch and redshirt freshman Reggie Todd more in practice over the past week. Both players are listed at 6-foot-4. "Both had a really good approach to practice and worked hard," said MSU coach Dan Mullen. "They did what you'd hope they'd do. Now as young players, it's a long, hard journey in a path to success so I need to see them continue to grind, improve, grow up and both move up that ladder."
 
Mississippi State's Jeffery Simmons named to Bednarik Award watch list
Opening the first month of the season as one of the top defensive lineman across the Southeastern Conference, sophomore Jeffery Simmons was placed on the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list as part of the award's expansion from its preseason selections. The Chuck Bednarik Award was created by the Maxwell Football Club in honor of college football and NFL Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik and is presented to the top defensive player across college football. Simmons has dominated the defensive line for the Bulldogs this season with 27 total tackles over Mississippi State's first five contests. The Macon, Miss., native leads the team with 4.0 tackles for loss for a total of 27 yards, which includes a career-best and team-leading 3.5 sacks. Defensively, he has forced and recovered one fumble and has racked up two blocks on special teams, which ranks Simmons in a tie for first across the nation.
 
BYU trying to stay positive during historic losing streak
It would be easy for the BYU football team to fold up the tents after their 5th straight loss, their longest losing streak in one season in 47 years. But head coach Kalani Sitake says his team is staying positive. "The morale is good," Sitake said. "I think if you're not in touch with your players and you're not in communication with them, then it can really drop. But our coaching staff is involved with our players. For some people it's hard to believe, we have a good beat on these guys mentally where they're at right now. There's no quit in them." BYU's last game against a big name opponent happens this Saturday when the Cougars travel to Mississippi State. Last season, the Cougars beat the Bulldogs in Provo, but both teams are headed in the opposite direction this year. "I think it's exciting," said cornerback Troy Warner. "It's the SEC, a great opportunity for us to go out and make a statement. Even though we're going through some downs right now, I think it's a great chance for us to show people that we can win games this year."
 
Mississippi State homecoming set for 3 p.m. kickoff against Kentucky
Mississippi State's homecoming game against Kentucky is slated for a 3 p.m. kickoff on Oct. 21. The game will be televised on SEC Network. The series between the two teams is tied at 22 wins each with the Bulldogs owning a 12-6 record in Starkville. UK won last year's game in Lexington 40-38 as Austin MacGinnis kicked a 51-yard field goal as time expired.
 
Will Lamar Peters be Mississippi State's next NBA Draft lottery pick?
Combo guard Lamar Peters may end at least one unwanted streak for Mississippi State, judging by a few way-too-early recent NBA mock drafts. Mississippi State hasn't produced a first-round draft pick since 2012 when Arnett Moultrie was picked No. 27 overall. It also hasn't produced an NBA lottery pick (top-14 selection) since 1996 when Erick Dampier was picked No. 10 overall. The Bulldogs' season doesn't start until Nov. 10, so this is almost as meaningful as a high school sophomore's commitment to a college, but some mock drafts have labeled Peters as a top-15 pick. Peters raised eyebrows in Houston during the Adidas Nation showcase, displaying his long range, defensive tenacity and improved passing ability. "He played great," MSU coach Ben Howland said. "They had every NBA team there and he led the Adidas Nation's college players in assists, scored 15 points a game and played great defense."
 
Texas A&M officials: Beware of forged Aggie football tickets
Aggie fans who wait until the last minute to buy tickets to a football game at Kyle Field should beware, Texas A&M University police say: Some fake tickets are nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. University Police spokesman Lt. Bobby Richardson said some people were turned away from Texas A&M's game against Alabama at Kyle Field on Saturday because they had purchased forged tickets. He said there were at least five instances of fake tickets reported over the weekend. Richardson said while there is no overall trend, it appears to be the high-profile games that most often draw the forgeries. "Two years ago was when we had this problem -- the last time Alabama came to town," Richardson said. "It seems to really be the bigger games when we start to see this problem."
 
Swamp green: Gators to reveal new alternate football uniform
Twenty-five years after Ben Hill Griffin Stadium became "The Swamp," the University of Florida football team will take the look of a Gator when they take the field on Saturday. As the only Division I school in the country named the Gators, UF and Nike officials saw a unique opportunity that has been in the works for over two years. This marks the first time in school history that the Florida football team will stray from its traditional Orange and Blue look that is synonymous with its storied program. Nike Football designers created and delivered a new alternate look for the team (incorporating the Nike Vapor Untouchable Speed uniform) that takes after an alligator's armored body and channels its ability to be a master of camouflage.



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