Friday, November 3, 2017   
 
P&Z Commission OKs Country Club Estates expansion
Starkville's Planning and Zoning Commission gave a nod to final plat approval for a planned expansion of the Country Club Estates subdivision on Wednesday. The commission met for a special-call meeting to approve the matter so it can go before the board of aldermen Tuesday. Wednesday's vote gave the final approval needed from the commission for the Country Club Estates phase 3B, which has 16 lots for new houses on a 10.95-acre parcel of land. The new phase is located at the east end of Turnberry Lane and Cypress Point Road, just north of the Starkville Country Club. Commission Chairman Mike Brooks and members Jim McReynolds, Tom Walker, Tommy Verdell and Jeremiah Dumas voted to give the final plat approval.
 
CAFB commander praises community, base relations
Throughout his Air Force career, Col. Doug Gosney has lived in about a dozen different communities -- but he says none have been as welcoming to him as Columbus and Lowndes County residents are to airmen at the Columbus Air Force Base. "You open up your homes and your churches and your schools to our families, and it means, as a father ... it means a lot to me," Gosney told the members of Columbus Rotary at their weekly lunch meeting at Lion Hills Tuesday. In fiscal year 2016, Gosney said, the base contributed $260.8 million in total economic impact to the Columbus community -- and that doesn't include the impact of numerous Air Force retirees who have chosen to make Columbus home, he added.
 
U.S. jobs growth reaches 261,000 as economy rebounds from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma
The U.S. economy added 261,000 jobs in October, meeting expectations that the country had rebounded from damage wrought by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and the jobless rate ticked down to 4.1 percent -- the lowest level since 2000. Year-over-year wage growth, though, sank to 2.4 percent, according to Friday's report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. "It was a bounce back after the weak jobs figures from the hurricanes --- the same pattern we saw with Hurricane Katrina in 2005," said Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at Glassdoor. Health care, which continues to be one of the fastest growing employment sectors, shot up by 22,000 jobs.
 
Mississippi opioid-related deaths set to hit another record this year
Opioids will claim a record number of Mississippi lives this year, state officials have said as the 2017 death total nears 200. At the end of 2016, there were 99 confirmed opioid overdose deaths. The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics was able to independently confirm another 112 through the Department of Vital Statistics, bringing the final number to 211. Through Oct. 31, 2017, 195 people have been confirmed to have died of opioid overdoses. At this year's rate, averaging of 19.5 a month, there could be a total of 234 confirmed by Dec. 31. But the reality is that as the backlog of paperwork trickles in, that number could grow by hundreds. "In looking at it from an analysis standpoint, it's not an issue of underreporting, though that's still an issue because we have a lot of counties where the coroners are not reporting overdose deaths," MBN Director John Dowdy said. "But in the counties where the coroners have consistently year after year reported to us, we've seen substantial spikes."
 
Drones assembled in Moss Point to take over Navy ocean surveillance
A high-flying drone with surveillance sensors and a wingspan longer than that of a Boeing 737 will be the newest way for the U.S. Navy to monitor the seas. The first operational MQ-4C Triton drone will be delivered by Northrop Grumman Corp. to the Navy in the next week at Point Mugu Naval Air Station near Oxnard, Calif., with a second drone to follow by year-end. The two drones will be tested at Point Mugu before being deployed to Guam next year. During low-rate initial production, Northrop Grumman will make three Tritons a year. The Northrop Grumman Unmanned System Center in Moss Point completes final assembly of the Triton.
 
Watchdog: State is not keeping your data safe
Critical personal information of state residents and others -- both in electronic and hard copy form -- may be at risk of theft or unintentional exposure, the state's watchdog agency reported Thursday. "State agencies sampled by PEER were found to have records management practices that could lead to breaches of security and the release of personally identifiable information for which the state would be liable," said James Barber, executive director of PEER, the Legislature's watchdog arm, in a report released Thursday. Two state agencies are responsible for retention and destruction of most personal data in the state: Department of Archives and History and Information and Technology Services. The PEER investigation zoned in on these two agencies, though practices of at least 13 state agencies were assessed.
 
Sen. Roger Wicker, Steve Bannon meet at Roy Moore fundraiser
Sen. Roger Wicker spent some time with former White House Chief Strategist Steven Bannon -- who has said he wants to oust Wicker -- but it's unclear how long the two spoke or what they spoke about. Wicker appeared at a D.C. campaign fundraiser for Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore Wednesday night when he was photographed next to Bannon. Wicker's campaign manager, Justin Brasell, said the senator appeared at the event to give a contribution to Moore's campaign. Brasell did not immediately know the amount of the senator's contribution. Bannon has reportedly set his sights on Wicker's Senate seat, urging state Sen. Chris McDaniel to run. McDaniel, R-Ellisville, said he has met with Bannon and is considering a run, but has not announced a decision. In an emailed statement, Wicker said he attended the fundraiser to help put another Republican in office.
 
Clovis withdraws nomination for USDA top scientist post after being linked to Russia probe
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientist nominee, Sam Clovis withdrew his name from consideration Wednesday amid revelations that he was among top officials on the Trump campaign who was aware of efforts by foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos to broker a relationship between the campaign and Russian officials. Court documents unsealed Monday revealed that Papadopoulos pleaded guilty in early October to making false statement to FBI investigators about his contacts with foreigners claiming to have high-level Russian connections. In August 2016, Clovis encouraged Papadopoulos to organize an "off the record" meeting with Russian officials, according to court documents. "I would encourage you" and another foreign policy adviser to the campaign to "make the trip, if it is feasible," Clovis wrote. The meeting did not ultimately take place.
 
Trump USDA pick, linked to Russia probe, withdraws from consideration
Former Trump campaign aide Sam Clovis, who has been swept up in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, has withdrawn from consideration to be the Department of Agriculture's chief scientist, according to a letter Clovis sent on Wednesday to President Donald Trump. Clovis had been under criticism for months for his lack of science credentials and, in recent days, for his role supervising George Papadopoulos, a Trump campaign foreign policy adviser who struck a plea deal on charges he lied to FBI investigators about his communications with Russia-linked contacts. While being linked to the investigations surrounding the Trump campaign's contacts with Russian interests was the one headline that Clovis couldn't withstand, the controversy over Clovis' qualifications had dogged him even before the White House sent his nomination up to the Senate this summer. "It was only a matter of time," Tom Vilsack, who was Agriculture secretary under former President Barack Obama, told POLITICO.
 
Rogue Twitter employee on last day of job deactivated Trump's personal account, company says
President Trump boasted Friday of his social media influence after his personal Twitter account was briefly deactivated by a departing company employee, raising serious questions about the security of tweets the president wields to set major policy agendas, connect with his voter base and lash out at his adversaries. The deactivation Thursday sparked deep and troubling questions about who has access to the president's personal account, @realDonaldTrump, and the power that access holds. The deactivation also came at a time when the social network is under scrutiny for the role it played in spreading Russian propaganda during the 2016 presidential election.
 
Brazile revelation tears at Democratic scab
Democrats struggling to rebuild their party after their stunning 2016 defeat were dealt another blow on Thursday: Donna Brazile's acknowledgement that the Democratic National Committee tipped the scales in favor of Hillary Clinton during last year's primary. In a surprising excerpt from her upcoming book, Brazile, who took over the DNC on an interim basis last year after DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz stepped down, criticized the agreement between Clinton's 2016 campaign and the DNC meant to keep the party financially viable. The arrangement, she wrote in a book excerpt published in Politico, was "not illegal, but it sure looked unethical." A Clinton spokesman did not return a request for comment.
 
Republican Tax Proposal Gets Failing Grade From Higher-Ed Groups
Republicans in Congress released their proposed overhaul of the nation's tax laws on Thursday, including several measures that would place new tax burdens on colleges and students -- and, critics said, could undermine charitable giving to higher education. The bill was met with immediate opposition from a number of higher-education groups, which argued that the measure would rob institutions of vital dollars and increase the price of college for debt-laden students and already-strapped families. M. Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, said in a written statement that eliminating the Lifetime Learning Credit would cause particular harm to nontraditional students and graduate students.
 
GOP tax overhaul would eliminate tax breaks used by colleges and students
The sweeping tax overhaul released by House Republicans Thursday would kill or limit key benefits for many colleges, students and borrowers paying off student loans. House GOP leaders released this plan about half a year after President Trump issued a set of broad but vague principles for tax reform legislation. The proposal released Thursday slashes corporate tax rates, reduces the number of income tax brackets and repeals taxes on large estates. To pay for revenue that would be lost, the plan would kill many tax breaks, some of them popular in higher education. Higher ed groups, though, say that provisions affecting the sector, taken together, would make a postsecondary education less attainable while putting colleges' finances on shakier ground.
 
College Students Set to Lose Several Big Tax Breaks Under GOP Tax Plan
House Republicans unveiled their long-awaited tax reform proposal Thursday -- and a handful of popular breaks for education are on the chopping block. The GOP wants to combine three separate tax credits for higher education expenses into one, and eliminate both the student loan interest deduction and tax-free tuition reimbursement from employers. The bill also calls for a new tax on wealthy universities' endowments. The GOP plan would repeal two of three existing tax credits: the Lifetime Learning Credit and Hope Scholarship Credit. The GOP plan also eliminates the student loan interest deduction. It also eliminates the tax-free status of employer tuition reimbursements, up to $5,250 a year.
 
GOP tax bill hits college, pro sports
Season tickets for your favorite college football or basketball team could be missing one perk next year -- a tax deduction. Under the tax reform bill introduced Thursday by U.S. House Republicans, the large donation typically required to get your hands on those tickets would no longer be tax deductible. It is among the provisions tucked in the 76-page bill that touches on nearly every aspect of tax law, taking on sacred cows such as the mortgage rate deduction, charitable giving -- and even college and pro sports. In order to purchase season tickets at many schools, fans must first make a donation to the athletic department's booster group, making those donations a large source of income for athletic departments. The money is passed back to the departments from the booster club. Currently, those donations are tax deductible up to 80 percent. Donations to college athletic departments and related booster clubs totaled $1.2 billion in 2015, eclipsing the $1 billion mark for the fourth time in five years, according to the Council for Aid to Education.
 
GOP Tax Bill Would Boost School Choice, May Squeeze K-12 Revenue
The Republicans' much-anticipated legislation to change the federal tax system includes a victory for school choice advocates: It would allow families to use up to $10,000 in savings from 529 college savings plans for K-12 expenses, including private school tuition. Overall, the bill released Thursday would slash corporate and some individual tax rates, offsetting the cost by nixing other deductions. That includes a $250 deduction that teachers can use to cover classroom expenses, such as books, art supplies, and rewards for students. The bill would also eliminate the deduction for state and local income and sales taxes, a step advocates warn could pinch K-12 spending at the district and state level. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the bill before Thanksgiving, with the aim of passing it by the end of the year.
 
Federal jury awards Ole Miss assistant professor $218,000
A federal jury has awarded a University of Mississippi assistant professor $218,000 in damages after he was denied tenure despite an advisory committee voting in his favor. The jury on Friday said Michael Wigginton Jr.'s due process rights were violated. It awarded him $18,000 for past wages from May 1, 2014, to the present, $100,000 for past pain and suffering, inconvenience, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life, and $100,000 for future pain and suffering. The jury award is against former Chancellor Dan Jones, former Provost Morris Stocks, Dean John Kiss, former Dean Velmer Burton and Eric Lambert, chairman of the Department of Legal Studies, in their individual and official capacities at the time.
 
Turning Point USA arrives on campus with Ole Miss chapter
Red and blue balloons floated behind a life-size cutout of President Donald Trump in the foyer of Bryant Hall. Handouts with titles such as "Great Myths of the Great Depression" and "50 Wacky Ways the Government Spends Your Money" were laid out on a table. The new Ole Miss Turning Point USA chapter was hosting a lecture by Matthew Hurtt, from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation --- a nonprofit associated with a conservative political advocacy group. Hurtt's talk was titled "Shackled By Debt," and he argued that "generations of government spending has made the millennial generation the most debt-laden in the world's history." The national group, which says it has student chapters at more than 1,000 universities, is probably best known for its "Professor Watchlist," a website identifying professors who Turning Point claims "advance leftist propaganda in the classroom."
 
UMMC closing wellness center in Madison
The University Wellness Center in Madison is closing November 30th. On April 1st, two wellness centers in Jackson closed. The University Wellness Center Downtown and University Wellness Center Northeast shut down because of unanticipated cuts in patient care reimbursement and other budget reductions. UMMC said in a letter sent out to members that they made a decision not to renew the center's lease in Madison. The letter reassures members that they are negotiating to relocate at a nearby location.
 
Southern Miss to reduce budget by $8 million, eliminate 20 staff
The University of Southern Mississippi announced Thursday that it must permanently reduce the budget by approximately $8 million and eliminate 20 current staff employee positions. University President Dr. Rodney Bennett made the announcement in an email sent out to all faculty and staff. Bennett attributed the decision to decreases in state funding, particularly over the past 18 months, and a recent Board Policy adopted by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees that outlines financial expectations of institutions. The $8 million reduction in funds will begin in the current fiscal year, and the 20 staff positions will be eliminated on Dec. 31, 2017. In addition, other visiting or temporary employees' positions will be eliminated after their current scheduled end dates.
 
From Germany to Millsaps College: Addressing climate change
Tackling global climate change might be too overwhelming for many Mississippians to think about, but everyone can make an impact. "Individual decisions about our own emissions can in fact have a significant effect," Millsaps College history professor William Storey said at a conference on global climate action hosted by the college on Thursday. "It's not that hard." His advice came at the event entitled "Global Climate Action -- Sustainable Investment in Germany and the United States" that was a partnership between Millsaps, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Ecologic Institute US, an environmental research think tank operating in Berlin, Brussels and Washington, D.C. Representatives from Continental Tire, Siemens USA, Tennessee Valley Authority, Entergy and other businesses took part.
 
Copiah-Lincoln Community College president to retire in June
After a decade as president of Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Ronnie Nettles has announced his plans to retire in June. Nettles made the announcement during a meeting of the Co-Lin Board of Trustees at the Wesson campus Thursday. "Everybody gets at that point in their career where they start thinking about when's the right time to retire, and sometimes it's already passed," Nettles said. "My experience here has been tremendous. I think we've done a lot of great things and had a great team." Nettles commended his strong administrative team for that success of the college. Nettles said he's not unhappy at Co-Lin, but he feels he's at a point in his career where he believes it's time to move on.
 
U. of Alabama class creates fundraisers to help local children
Students in a University of Alabama class have organized a series of fundraisers this month for a group that provides meals to needy schoolchildren. The Concepting and Implementation class is designed to help UA public relations students work with businesses and sponsors to create fundraising events. Susan Daria, the instructor, says the class is focusing on raising money for Secret Meals for Hungry Children. "A lot of my students don't have the frame of reference that there are kids, not in a Third World country, but here -- like maybe right down the street -- going to school with kids that you know who are not eating a single bit of food over an entire weekend." Daria said. "It's happening, and it's happening regularly, which one of the things I'm proud of is that I have a class that's doing something about this."
 
Collegiate flying competition enters final day at Auburn today
Bradley Euken says he has wanted to be a pilot for as long as he can remember, even before he could spell his own name. "When I was in preschool, I had a hard time spelling my name. So I asked my mom if I could change my name to Airplane," Euken said from a runway at Auburn University Regional Airport. "She said, 'No. You have to keep your name, Bradley. You cannot change your name to Airplane.'" Now a student working toward a degree in Auburn's flight program, Euken has been busy this week as one of the coordinators of an aviation competition. Auburn University is hosting the National Intercollegiate Flying Association's Region IX competition this week. Friday is the final day for events, but 60 students from five schools have been vying all week for the chance to advance to nationals.
 
Auburn to host SEC conference on cybersecurity
Southern scholars will be gathering in Alabama next year to discuss ways to deal with cybersecurity. Auburn University will host next year's SEC Academic Conference, "Cyber Security: A Shared Responsibility." The SEC supports the conference under the SECU, which seeks to advance the academic work of the SEC's 14 member schools. This is the second SEC Academic Conference. The inaugural meeting, "The Future of Water," was held at Mississippi State University earlier this year. The gathering is scheduled for April 8-10, 2018.
 
Finalists named in U. of Tennessee's search for head of research
Four finalists have been named in the search for a vice chancellor for research at the University of Tennessee. The vice chancellor is the chief research officer for the university and also works to promote research and economic development activities, including through partnerships with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and other research and development groups. The finalists are Lynne Parker, associate dean for faculty affairs and engagement at UT's Tickle College of Engineering; Mark Johnson, director in the Advanced Manufacturing Office at the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C.; Grace Bochenek, lab director for the National Energy Technology Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy in Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Victor McCrary, vice-president for research and economic development and professor of chemistry at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md.
 
U. of South Carolina, Clemson rack up millions in travel costs
South Carolina's colleges and universities -- routinely feeling pressure from some S.C. legislators for yearly tuition hikes and fee increases -- spent $58 million on travel within the past year. Among the state's public colleges, Clemson University and the University of South Carolina for the 13th year came in first and second in travel expenses. Together, both schools spent around $27.4 million, up about $1.5 million from the year before, according to data compiled by the S.C. Comptroller General's Office. Of state employees, Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables was the only person to break $100,000 in travel costs. Co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott and Clemson president Jim Clements each spent less than $90,000. At USC, Kendall Roth, an associate dean, spent the most in travel at $45,947, followed by vice provost Paula Miller at $42,820.
 
Tyson gives $1.5M to U. of Arkansas center to fund extensive archive of footage
A $1.5 million contribution to The David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History in Fayetteville will help preserve 50 years of Arkansas history on film and video. The donation, from Barbara Tyson and the Tyson Foods Foundation Inc., will provide funding to catalog, index and digitize an extensive archive of video and film footage from KATV, Channel 7, the ABC affiliate in Little Rock. Being able to see the footage, compared with just reading about the events, will make "all the difference in the world," Tyson said after a news conference Thursday at the Pryor Center in downtown Fayetteville. The Pryor Center is part of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
 
UGA graduation rate hits all-time high
Students are graduating from the University of Georgia at record levels, the university reported this week. Nearly two-thirds of entering freshmen come out four years later with undergraduate degrees, and about 85 percent have received a degree within six years of enrolling. By comparison, the six-year graduation rate for Southeastern Conference schools is 71 percent. The rate also compares favorably to so-called "peer" and "aspirational" institutions, universities officially designated by the state Board of Regents as schools that are similar to UGA or schools at levels UGA aspires to reach. UGA's peer schools had a six-year rate of 75 percent and aspirational schools were at 87 percent.
 
Three more fired in UF Housing theft case
Three of the five University of Florida Housing employees placed on administrative leave following the arrest of Azfar Mian, the former UF senior director of housing and education suspected of stealing $180,000 from the university, have been fired. Jennifer Andrews, a UF Housing executive assistant, Dirk Smith, a warehouse and stores specialist, and Curtis Harris, a part-time Housing employee, were let go after being placed on administrative leave in September, UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes said. According to their "notice of non-reappointment" letters, Andrews and Smith were informed Oct. 19 of their termination and that they would be paid what they would have received during the remainder of their appointment. The letters say Andrews and Smith were paid $18,490.88 and $11,602.64, respectively. Harris' "notice of dismissal" letter says he was let go Sept. 27. Stina Schoneck, the UF Housing associate director of financial services, remains on administrative leave, Sikes said.
 
U. of Missouri Provost Garnett Stokes to leave for top spot at New Mexico
The changing of the guard at the University of Missouri is complete. Provost Garnett Stokes will leave to become president of the University of New Mexico starting March 1, according to a news release from UNM. Stokes was appointed to the No. 2 spot at MU by former Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin in December 2014 and began in February 2015. Her 32-month tenure makes her one of the only remaining members of campus leadership who predate the 2015 protests for minority and graduate student rights. "The chancellor will be working with the campus leadership, including faculty leaders, to identify an interim provost," MU spokesman Christian Basi wrote in an email. A national search will begin immediately for Stokes' successor, and members of the search team have not yet been identified, Basi said. At UNM, Stokes' salary will be $400,000 annually, and she signed a five-year contract.
 
DeVos Falsely Suggests That Student Loans Were Federalized to Pay for Obamacare
In an interview with Politico, Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, falsely suggested that the federal government had taken control of the student-loan market to help pay for the administration of the Affordable Care Act. The statement reinforces the impression that Ms. DeVos is not schooled in the basics of higher-ed policy. Janet Napolitano, president of the University of California system, previously told The Chronicle that she had to explain to the secretary what a specific federal grant for low-income students -- commonly known as a "SEOG grant" -- was. "Her learning curve where higher ed is concerned is quite vertical," she said. The Education Department did not immediately respond to a request for clarification of the remark. Higher-ed policy experts say her answer is a fundamental misreading of how student aid works.
 
Survey finds IT effectiveness lacking
Many campus investments in information technology aren't necessarily paying off, according to the National Survey of Computing, eLearning and Information Technology. The survey of IT leaders, conducted by the Campus Computing Project, found that many see only modest benefits from IT investments, and generally low satisfaction with many IT services on campus. The survey, with responses from 199 public and private institutions across the U.S., asked chief information officers to reflect on computing efforts on their campus. More than 50 percent of IT leaders said that investments in the area of on-campus teaching and instruction technologies had been effective. The next most effective areas of IT investments were judged to be library resources and services, and student recruitment, which both received approval of around 40 percent.
 
Lionsgate, Appian Way On Ulysses S. Grant pic from New Ron Chernow Bio
Lionstate and Appian Way have acquired movie rights to Grant, the new bestselling Ron Chernow biography of Ulysses S. Grant. David James Kelly has been set to adapt. Chernow is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Washington: A Life, whose Alexander Hamilton was the inspiration for Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony winning musical Hamilton. Pic will be produced by Appian Way's Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson, with Chernow the exec producer. The book was published two weeks ago by Penguin Press to much acclaim, telling the story of one of the most complicated military leaders-turned politicians in American history.
 
Chernow's 'Grant' offers measured judgment of past
Washington Post columnist George Will writes: "Evidence of national discernment, although never abundant, can now be found high on the New York Times combined print and e-book best seller list. There sits Ron Chernow's biography of Ulysses Simpson Grant, which no reader will wish were shorter than its 1,074 pages. Arriving at a moment when excitable individuals and hysterical mobs are demonstrating crudeness in assessing historical figures, Chernow's book is a tutorial on measured, mature judgment. It has been said that the best biographer is a conscientious enemy of his or her subject -- scrupulous but unenthralled. Chernow, laden with honors for his biographies of George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, is a true friend of the general who did so much to preserve the nation. And of the unjustly maligned president -- the only one between Andrew Jackson and Woodrow Wilson to serve two full consecutive terms. He nobly, if unsuccessfully, strove to prevent the war's brutal aftermath in the South from delaying, for a century, freedom's arrival there."


SPORTS
 
No. 21 Mississippi State going for 4th straight win vs UMass
Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen has a reputation for being rough on defensive coordinators and the Bulldogs have run through several coaches at that spot during Mullen's nine-year tenure. Apparently, Todd Grantham didn't get the memo. The veteran defensive coordinator has turned Mississippi State's defense into one of the best in the Southeastern Conference during his first season with the Bulldogs. No. 21 Mississippi State (6-2, CFP No. 16) is going for its fourth straight win on Saturday when it hosts UMass (2-6) at Davis Wade Stadium. Grantham, 51, says he hasn't had any problems adjusting to life with Mullen and the Bulldogs. He said every situation has been different during his career, but it was obvious early that Mississippi State had the personnel to be successful.
 
Elgton Jenkins gaining confidence at center for Bulldogs
Elgton Jenkins' versatility was on display during his first two seasons at Mississippi State. The 6-4, 313-pounder drew starts at left guard as well as left and right tackle and had more than held his own at each position. With the Bulldogs losing both centers last year, offensive line coach John Hevesy approached Jenkins during bowl prep about the idea of trying his hand at that position as well. "I never thought I'd wind up at center," Jenkins said.
 
Injuries give Mississippi State's Jesse Jackson chance to make most of opportunities
Gabe Myles went down with a foot injury two weeks into the season and didn't play for a month. Donald Gray suffered a groin injury during the Texas A&M game and remains questionable for the Mississippi State football team's game against Massachusetts at 11 a.m. Saturday (SEC Network) at Davis Wade Stadium. If Gray isn't able to play against UMass (2-6), MSU (6-2) will call on junior wide receiver Jesse Jackson. "He really understands the position," MSU coach Dan Mullen said. "We're able to move him around because he's very intelligent. With that experience, he knows every position.
 
No. 7 Mississippi State opens exhibition play tonight
Mississippi State received its highest preseason ranking from the Associated Press at No. 7, marking the 56th straight week the Bulldogs have been ranked and 20th consecutive week inside the top 10. Vic Schaefer's squad will host Arkansas-Fort Smith at 6 p.m. tonight in exhibition action. The Lady Lions are coached by former Schaefer assistant Elena Lavoto, who spent the 2014-16 seasons in Starkville. MSU is 3-0 in exhibition games against the Lady Lions including an 88-62 victory last season.
 
Mississippi State women are again among the top teams in the country
The Mississippi State women's basketball team is ranked No. 7 in the nation in the preseason AP top 25 poll. The team was 34-5 last season and the Bulldogs made it to the Final Four and the NCAA national championship game but fell short in their bid for the title. The Bulldogs play the Virginia Cavaliers at the Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville at 8 p.m. on Nov. 10.
 
Ben Howland enters Year 3 at Mississippi State
Inside Ben Howland's office at the Mize Pavilion, there is a large portrait of John Wooden painted in blue and gold. This painting that Howland purchased at a charity auction hangs from the wall directly facing the door. A few inches to the left of Wooden is a framed photo of John Stockton. Soon, the coach Howland grew up idolizing and the hall-of-fame player whom Howland was tasked with guarding as an assistant in the 1980s at Gonzaga will have company. Howland said he recently finished collecting photos of each of his former players who have appeared in the NBA or professionally overseas. It took a while to gather all of them because, he said, he didn't want to decorate his Mississippi State office with shots of players in UCLA, Pittsburgh or Northern Arizona uniforms. He wanted to wait until he had the players dressed in their professional jerseys instead.
 
Mississippi State closes out exhibition slate with win
Mississippi State wrapped up exhibition play on a positive note Thursday night with an 87-62 win over West Florida. The Bulldogs had previously dropped an exhibition game to Nebraska and also a closed-door scrimmage to Texas Tech. MSU shot 51.5 percent from the field against the Argonauts and saw five players score in double figures. Aric Holman led way shooting 8 of 9 from the field and finished with 16 points and six rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. Nick Weatherspoon also contributed 14 points in 18 minutes off the bench. "That was big for us," said MSU coach Ben Howland. "(Aric) and Nick were both really good and it was by far the best they've played in the three games and we want to continue that growth and momentum into the next game."
 
Auburn's $10 million Under Armour stock deal keeps losing value
Auburn's 10-year apparel deal with Under Armour that included $10 million in UA shares has lost more than 75 percent of its value in only two years. At the time of the deal announced in Oct. 2015, Under Armour shares were trading for more than $100 a share. After another disastrous earnings report released on Oct. 31, Under Armour shares took another big tumble. Even factoring in Under Armour's stock split in April 2016, that's a significant loss of value for Auburn. The value of Auburn's UA stock is down to a little less than $2.3 million, according to AL.com estimates, after the initial $10 million in shares it received in 2015. Under Armour missed its third-quarter sales estimate and CEO Kevin Plank told investors he expected a continued difficult sales environment in North America well into 2018.
 
Tennessee AD on Butch Jones' future: 'Whole focus' on football program
Tennessee athletic director John Currie was asked Thursday if football coach Butch Jones would return for another season. The embattled Jones is in his fifth season with the Vols (3-5, 0-5 SEC), who have lost four consecutive games and is receiving mounting criticism from fans, former players and calls for his dismissal from media and on social media. Currie, who has been on the job since April 1, wouldn't say yes or no, but he did answer the question. "My whole focus for our football program is this week and I've been pretty consistent about that," said Currie. "I found in my career that if on Sept. 1 you're thinking about winning the championship, you might be in trouble. You need to think about the game on Sept. 1." On social media, the hashtag #EmptyNeyland has been encouraging fans not to go to Saturday's home game against Southern Miss in a protest of the administration's decision to not make a decision -- at least publicly -- on Jones' future at UT.
 
ESPN Must Face Copyright Trial Over Chucky Mullins Documentary
ESPN can't evade a trial for copyright infringement after a Mississippi federal judge on Monday denied the sports giant's motion for summary judgment. The dispute centers on two documentaries about the life of college football player Chucky Mullins, who was paralyzed during a 1989 game between University of Mississippi and Vanderbilt University while tackling Brad Gaines. Mullins died as a result of complications from his injuries in 1991. Charles Smith Jr. and his production company 38 Films sued ESPN, Wendy Yamano and others in August 2016 for breach of contract, fraudulent misrepresentation and copyright infringement, among other claims. He says the 2014 ESPN documentary It's Time: The Story of Brad Gaines and Chucky Mullins used his footage without paying an orally agreed upon license fee or giving appropriate credit. U.S. District Judge Michael Mills found upon viewing the two works that "identical or similar footage and photographs featured in Undefeated are also depicted in It's Time."



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