Thursday, November 16, 2017   
 
New Ulysses Grant presidential library at home in the South
It's not ironic, but intentional. Ulysses S. Grant, the Union general who won the Civil War and later the presidency, is back in Mississippi in a way few would have imagined not long ago. His new presidential library opens this month at a university in the state where Grant gained fame by capturing the Confederate stronghold at Vicksburg. Mississippi State University will launch the new library and exhibit space housing Grant's papers and artifacts on Nov. 30. That may seem improbable in a state steeped in the Confederacy, but supporters hope the library -- with its interactive exhibits, artifacts and vast trove of historic documents -- will help further unity more than 150 years after the war. Mississippi State President Mark Keenum championed the library, calling it a "beacon of reconciliation" for the nation.
 
SOCSD Board holds off accepting Partnership School bid
Selection of a bid for construction of the Partnership School will wait following Tuesday's meeting of the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees. Following Superintendent Eddie Peasant's recommendation, the Board of Trustees did not accept any of the four bids at its meeting Tuesday night. Peasant and JJ&H Architects Principal Bruce Wood said there were more discussions needed prior to accepting a bid. However, Peasant said the district had been in talks with Columbus-based West Brothers Construction, the lowest bidder with a base bid of $26,450,000. Other bids include $28,586,000 from Tupelo-based Century Construction and Realty, $27,866,000 from Brandon-based Flagstar Construction and $28,200,000 from Thrash Commercial Contracting, also of Brandon. "We look forward to maybe having a recommendation at the next board meeting based on information we're looking at now, and that means we could possibly do notice to proceed on December 13," Wood said.
 
Oktibbeha supervisors seek AG opinion on hospital sale moratorium
Oktibbeha County supervisors will seek a Mississippi Attorney General's opinion on whether they can impose a moratorium on further county efforts to sell OCH Regional Medical Center after last week's special election halted their efforts to sell. The board voted 4-1, with Board President and District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer opposing, to seek the opinion. District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery, who indicated before the meeting he'd like the county to look into the matter, raised the issue. "I'm not trying to stifle discussion," he said. "But at the same time I'm trying to make it a fair environment so that each party can move on. I think that's the best thing. I'm not talking a time frame -- maybe five years or more. There have been discussions of five to 10. That's open to discussion, but now I think it's imperative that we get an Attorney General's opinion on what we can do and what we can't do."
 
Report: Alabama, N.C. finalists for Toyota-Mazda plant
Mississippi could be out of the running to land a $1.6 billion automotive plant jointly run by Toyota and Mazda. Bloomberg reported Tuesday that Alabama and North Carolina were the finalists, citing sources familiar with the negotiations. The report said the Japanese automakers -- who announced in August that the plant would build the Toyota Corolla and future Mazda crossover vehicles and employ up to 4,000 workers -- have narrowed the list of more than a dozen states. Alabama is the fifth-largest automobile producing state. Mississippi's automotive industry is about a third of the size of its neighbor. Research done by the National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center at Mississippi State University showed that more than 18,000 workers across the state work directly in the automotive sector.
 
Education and economy focus of MEC tour
Developing an educated workforce to improve the economy of Mississippi was the bulk of a message from the Mississippi Economic Council as it made its latest statewide tour stop in Vicksburg Wednesday. The MEC pitched their goals to a large crowd during the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce's monthly meeting at the Vicksburg Convention Center. The MEC is currently on an 18-city tour across the state, gathering information and focusing on the future of Mississippi by discussing economic development, workforce training, healthy living and community programs that are making a difference. Marvin Moak, the president of Hinds Community College's Vicksburg campus, said during a panel discussion with Vicksburg-Warren School Superintendent Chad Shealy and Vicksburg-Warren Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Pablo Diaz that education must also be "flexible and adaptable" in training a stronger workforce. He indicated HCC offers workforce training classes to students at midnight.
 
Governor renews call for MAEP rewrite
Gov. Phil Bryant renewed the call to rewrite the state's school funding formula -- the Mississippi Adequate Education Program -- as part of his $6 billion budget recommendation released late Wednesday. The budget proposal unveiled Wednesday by Bryant is $32 million or .05 percent less than what the Legislature appropriated during the 2017 session for the current fiscal year. The primary reason for the decline is that the legislative leaders and Bryant, upon advice of the state's financial experts, are projecting that there will be another slight dip in state revenue during the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1. And on top of that, the governor is recommending that 2 percent of the revenue be placed in reserves in case revenue collections do not meet projections. The universities would be cut $2.9 million or 0.5 percent under the governor's proposal.
 
Bryant proposes austere spending plan, expects Trump to help state's economy
Gov. Phil Bryant on Wednesday released an austere state spending plan that would keep most agency budgets flat for next fiscal year, based on predictions that government revenue will remain stagnant amid slow economic growth and tax cuts. Bryant's roughly $6 billion recommendation for fiscal 2019 that starts in July calls for general-fund spending that is $32 million, or .05 percent less than budgeted for the current year. In his budget summary Bryant said he and lawmakers have been fiscally responsible and, "The notion that there have been draconian cuts to government is simply untrue." Bryant praised the Legislature for cutting state-supported appropriations by nearly 7 percent for the current year.
 
Mississippi governor's budget has free community college
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is recommending that the state spend $7 million in the coming year to provide free community college for an unspecified number of students. The Republican says it would help people learn skills that could lead to jobs that pay good wages. Bryant suggested a similar, but smaller, scholarship program three years ago and legislators did not fund it. The community college proposal, called the Mississippi Works Scholars Program, is part of the governor's proposed state budget for fiscal 2019, which begins July 1. Bryant released his spending suggestions Wednesday, and legislative leaders will release theirs later this month.
 
Gov. Phil Bryant's budget calls for free community college, cuts to some agencies
Gov. Phil Bryant, in his 2019 budget recommendation released Wednesday, called for free community college for students entering high-wage industries and more funding for job creation efforts. Conversely, in Bryant's $6 billion budget plan seven state agencies would receive a total of $13 million in cuts, while just four would receive a total of $1.3 million in year-over-year increases. The Republican governor proposed $7 million for community college for students entering industries with skills-heavy, entry-level jobs that don't require a four-year degree and pay between $35,000 and $40,000 annually. However, the governor proposed budget cuts for the Mississippi Development Authority, which promotes the state's business climate to attract new jobs, and Innovate Mississippi, which encourages entrepreneurs to invest time and capital in the state.
 
Governor wants to wait for a big-impact project to spend BP money
People on the Coast worried that upstate politicians would raid the BP settlement for economic damages might find some solace in the governor's budget recommendation for next year's legislative session. In the document released Wednesday, the Bryant administration says it wants to sock the money away until someone comes up with a project that will have "an important economic impact" on the Gulf Coast and the state. That's very similar to a plan proposed by many leaders on the Coast. They'd like to see the money put into a reserve fund and spent on big-ticket projects that would boost the economy. Bryant has supported spending most of the money on the Coast, as does Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves.
 
Up to 20,000 Medicaid recipients could be impacted by work requirement
Between 15,000 and 20,000 people would be required to work or participate in work skills training or other programs to receive health care through Medicaid if proposed changes are ultimately enacted. The Mississippi Division of Medicaid is preparing to request a waiver from the federal government to require those who receive Medicaid because their children are on Medicaid or because they are the caretaker for someone else on Medicaid, such as a disabled person, to work or participate in some other program to remain on the health care program. The request is slated to be submitted to the federal government on Dec. 11. How long it would take federal officials to act on the request is not known. A limited number of people attended a public hearing Wednesday to comment on the proposed change.
 
Restaurant tax: Mayor rejects LINK proposal dividing revenue
Columbus Mayor Robert Smith is rejecting a proposal to save a 2-percent restaurant sales tax, but he said he is open to continuing negotiations on how the tax revenue should be divided. Golden Triangle LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins submitted to city and Lowndes County leaders a proposal last week that would give each entity $400,000 from the tax for recreation, designate $100,000 to finish construction of the Sen. Terry Brown Amphitheater on The Island in Columbus, contribute $250,000 to the LINK's economic development operations and leave the rest for the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau for tourism promotion.
 
Mayor: Foul language fouling up restaurant tax conversation
If Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins arranges a joint meeting of Columbus and Lowndes County officials to negotiate how to divide a 2-percent restaurant sales tax, Mayor Robert Smith said he will not attend. For one, Smith doesn't believe the negotiations need a mediator. Secondly, he doesn't take kindly to being called a son of a b****. Renewing the tax -- which expires in June -- first requires a joint resolution from the city council and county board of supervisors for how the money will be divided. Each has approved very different resolutions, a move state lawmakers have said threatens to kill the tax altogether. Higgins stepped to the issue's forefront late last week, offering to spearhead negotiations between the city and county to hammer out a joint resolution.
 
Doctors prescribe dramatically different remedies for 'No. 1 public health crisis'
As the opioid epidemic propels overdose deaths in Mississippi to a record high this year, doctors in the state agree that they need to be the first line of defense against prescription drug abuse. But what that line of defense will look like has become the topic of a very contentious debate between the state Board of Medical Licensure, which governs all doctors, and several prominent physician associations. In October, the Board of Medical Licensure released its new recommendations for prescribing opioids, one of the first regulatory moves by a state agency to combat Mississippi's nascent epidemic. If implemented, these recommendations would govern how doctors prescribe these substances, potentially costing physicians their licenses if not followed. Within days, the State Medical Association issued a letter, obtained by Mississippi Today, urging the board to delay enforcing the vast majority of the changes.
 
Mississippi welfare most meager, least accessible in US, report says
Mississippi puts up more barriers to receiving public assistance than nearly any other state, concludes a report from New America released Tuesday. And those roadblocks not only affect folks economically, the report states, they perpetuate harmful, inaccurate narratives about the families receiving benefits, while not actually helping them out of poverty. D.C.-based policy research group New America and Springboard to Opportunities, a Jackson-based group that assists families in affordable housing, partnered on the report, which pulls from the experiences of low-income mothers. More than one in five Mississippians lives in poverty, making the state consistently the poorest in the country.
 
Feds to Jackson: Ditch 'sanctuary' law for immigrants or lose funding
The federal government has moved closer to following through on a threat to pull funding from cities and states that have so-called sanctuary city policies that protect undocumented citizens from deportation. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice sent letters to the City of Jackson and 28 other cities, counties and states saying each may have laws, policies or practices that violate a federal statute that promotes information sharing related to immigration enforcement, which could put their eligibility for federal grants and funding related to law enforcement at risk. In a letter dated Nov. 15 but addressed to former Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber, federal justice officials cite an ordinance Jackson adopted in 2010 that prohibits police from questioning people about their immigration status solely to determine if they are in the country illegally.
 
Lawmakers say some in Congress are harassers, new policies may be needed
Lawmakers in both parties said Tuesday that current members of Congress have been involved in sexual harassment and called for mandatory training for lawmakers and their staffs. The House Administration Committee, which issues policies for congressional offices, is considering new policies on sexual harassment, including new training requirements. "There is no place for sexual harassment in our society, period, and especially in the Congress," said Republican Rep. Gregg Harper, Mississippi's 3rd District congressman and chairman of the House Administration Committee. "This is not a political or partisan issue. This has bipartisan support to make sure this type of behavior is not tolerated in the future," he said.
 
House Dems nearing release of major election security legislation
House Democrats' election security task force will likely offer legislation based off its findings early next month, according to one of the panel's co-chairs. "I think by the first week of December we'll have a document that we can push out," Rep. Bennie Thompson told POLITICO late Tuesday. The measure "will probably lend itself to Congress getting involved in helping states finance systems of conducting elections, but I think those states will have to opt in, rather than opt out," he added, suggesting some kind of federal grant program. Thompson's remarks came the same day the task force received a classified briefing from the Homeland Security Department. "They brought us up on what their findings have been, the work that they have put with the 21 states that have been identified as having been hacked in some form, and some of the best practices they have been working with states on," Thompson told POLITICO.
 
The Confederacy still haunts the campus of Ole Miss
When a drunk driver accidentally plowed into the Confederate statue on the University of Mississippi's campus in September, the school had a choice: get rid of the statue and join the national movement erasing Confederate heritage, or pay to repair it. The school administration chose the latter option, although the state attorney general's office gave it permission to move the monument. And it replaced a plaque that explains why the statue was first built, including these words: "It must also remind us that the defeat of the Confederacy actually meant freedom for millions of people." The decision illustrated the contentious balancing act that Ole Miss has pursued since the university integrated in 1962, which led to riots, tear gas, thrown bricks and two murders. The school wants to appeal to a new diverse student base without disenfranchising its conservative students, or infuriating the wealthy political groups and alumni that are pressuring the university to uphold its white heritage.
 
UM's Green Grove Initiative experiences influx of volunteers as result of sorority recruitment violations
Among the Rebel red and blue hues in the Grove at the University of Mississippi on game day, tailgaters may spot volunteers sporting T-shirts dotted with recycling signs and toting green bags. Their goal is to promote recycling and educate fans about keeping their Grove green. This year, the Green Grove Initiative has received some new volunteers. Instead of paying fines for violations during formal sorority recruitment, chapters found to be in violation of recruitment rules must volunteer with the Green Grove Initiative during football games. "The idea for using Green Grove as a sanction for recruitment violations came about several years ago," said Caitlyn Clegg, the president of College Panhellenic. "College Panhellenic Council has made an effort to make our sanctions constructive and beneficial to the community rather than impose monetary fines on our organizations." Though some participants have griped about having to give up tailgating time to promote recycling, others think College Panhellenic is taking steps in the right direction.
 
Michelle Roberts: Tireless Ambassador for Delta State University
Dr. Michelle Roberts, who was the first female vice president of Delta State University, always wanted to be in education. In elementary school, she would take home the assignments and materials left over at the end of the school year so that she could "play school" during the summer. "I thought I would be a math teacher because it combined my love of numbers with my love of teaching," Roberts said. "But, in college, I began to explore other subjects and became interested in accounting and computers. I chose to double major in those two subjects until my senior year when I had to take the infamous John Quon for cost accounting. When I could no longer avoid his class, I changed my major to management and computers." After completing a bachelor's degree in business administration at Delta State, she contemplated going to law school. She made this decision very late in the process, and so she decided to get a job while she took the Law School Admittance Test and went through the application process. "I took a job at Delta State, and 25 1/2 years later, I'm still here," Roberts said.
 
U. of Alabama wins annual food drive competition ahead of Iron Bowl
The University of Alabama students coordinating the Beat Auburn Beat Hunger food Drive celebrated with sparkling cider and cookie pies Wednesday after learning they had won the Iron-Bowl inspired drive which collected 492,997 pounds of food to benefit regional foodbanks. "This year, we really just tried to look at all the people we could bring together for this cause," said UA senior Courtney Charland, who was president of the student effort. The annual competition collects nonperishable food and monetary donations for the Food Bank of East Alabama in Auburn and the West Alabama Food Bank. UA collected 260,453 pounds. Auburn University collected 232,544 pounds. Last year, the drive collected approximately 400,000 pounds of food. UA collected 152,322 in 2016 and Auburn collected 245,000 pounds. The totals include monetary donations. Every dollar is equivalent to about 2 pounds of food.
 
Delta Air Lines heads major gift to support numerous programs at Auburn University
Delta Air Lines, the Delta Air Lines Foundation and the Jacobson Family Foundation granted $6.2 million to support multiple programs at Auburn University during an event at the Auburn University Regional Airport late last week. The gift will fund the construction of the Delta Air Lines Aviation Education Building, as well as support the purchase of an aircraft simulator and create endowed faculty professorships within the Department of Aviation, home of one of the longest standing public flight programs in the country. Delta's gift also will provide funding for the university's Radio-Frequency Identification, or RFID Lab. Auburn is the leading academic institution for RFID technology, conducting research on how specialized sensor technologies can have an impact on industries, including aviation, retail, supply chain and manufacturing.
 
Tennessee college tuition hikes should be low this year; officials want to keep it that way
Tennessee higher education officials on Wednesday laid the groundwork for another year of low tuition increases and discussed a long-term plan to prevent severe tuition hikes in the future. The higher education commission, which can limit tuition hikes at public colleges, plans to keep increases between zero and 3 percent for the next academic year. That would set the stage for the fourth straight year of unusually low increases. That trend represents something of a reversal. During and after the Great Recession, when state funding for higher education shrunk dramatically, many colleges used large tuition hikes to make up some of the difference, shifting a larger share of the cost burden to students and their families. Tuition for the 2011-12 academic year, for instance, jumped by 9.3 percent at Middle Tennessee State University and by 8 percent at Tennessee State and Austin Peay State universities.
 
Chief negotiator defends NAFTA during panel discussion at Texas A&M
The North American Free Trade Agreement is frequently criticized by President Donald Trump as a bad deal for the U.S., but according to Carla Hills, who was the primary trade negotiator for the agreement, that is not quite the case. Hills was the featured speaker at the "NAFTA 2.017: Strengths, Weaknesses and Ways Forward" event hosted Wednesday by the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M's Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs and the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics and Public Policy. The event came as the fifth round of negotiations regarding NAFTA began in Mexico City between officials from the U.S., Canada and Mexico. She was joined by fellow panelists Michael K. Young, president of Texas A&M; Alejandrina Salcedo, director of the Banco de Mexico Real Sector Research Area; and Jesus Canas, senior business economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
 
U. of Missouri chancellor unveils new scholarships in '100 Days' address
Two new initiatives will cut the cost of attending the University of Missouri for students from bordering states and the children of out-of-state alumni, Chancellor Alexander Cartwright said Wednesday. Anyone accepted as an undergraduate from eight bordering states will receive a $2,500 cut in tuition, Cartwright said. For the children of MU graduates, the Black and Gold Scholarship will provide a full waiver of non-resident tuition for students with an ACT score of 27 or higher and a $7,500 reduction in tuition for those with an ACT score of 25 or 26. Cartwright unveiled the new initiatives during a speech that drew a standing-room-only crowd to the Columns Ballroom in the Reynolds Alumni Center. It is the first of a series of talks Cartwright plans to highlight ideas for education, economic development and research at MU.
 
Higher ed's nuanced strategy gives it options for navigating tax reform debate
As both houses of Congress charge forward with wide-ranging tax overhaul plans, higher education leaders have chosen to attack specific provisions they feel would hurt colleges and students instead of mounting a more ambitious assault against Republicans' broader goals. The strategy is in some ways ironic. Leaders who often talk about the complexity of the postsecondary education system and its pivotal role in fostering economic growth have chosen to focus on their narrow corner of the tax code instead of taking a more holistic view of the currently tangled web of federal rates, incentives and carve outs. In other words, many in higher ed aren't saying the current set of tax bills is bad because it seeks to pay for lower corporate tax rates by closing loopholes. They're saying the current set of bills contains provisions that would be very bad -- for us. It is a strategy packed with trade-offs.
 
If you have student loans, tax plan could save you money, U. of South Carolina professor says
If you're still paying off a student loan, you probably claimed a deduction last year to take hundreds off your tax bill due to Uncle Sam. But if Congress passes the GOP tax reform plan now in the U.S. House of Representatives, the deduction for student loan interest would disappear from federal tax forms. That would be a big change for more than 160,000 S.C. taxpayers who deducted student loans from their taxes in 2015, saving $180 million. That would seem like bad news. But those taxpayers might not notice if the rest of the House proposal passes into law too, says Donna Bobek Schmitt, an associate professor of accounting at the University of South Carolina. While Schmitt says those taxpayers would save money under the House tax plan, USC would still prefer the deduction stay in place.
 
Football field perfect place to fight war between the states
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Bobby Harrison writes: "Mississippians have been accused of still fighting the Civil War. I confess. I am one of those still fighting. But I restrict my war between the states to sporting events. When it comes to collegiate sports, I am as regional, as provincial as they come. If there is a Southeastern Conference team on the television playing a squad from another conference -- particularly some Midwestern or Northeastern school -- I stop everything, much to the chagrin of my lovely wife, to pull for the SEC squad. It does not matter what the sport is. If there is an SEC school playing, I am rooting for that squad. ...But I often thought that perhaps the same regional pride is what leads some to so adamantly oppose changing the Mississippi flag, which contains, the Confederate battle emblem as part of its design, or to resist efforts to remove Civil War monuments that might be offensive to some."


SPORTS
 
Grant Harris tackles larger role on defensive line for Bulldogs
Up until this season, Grant Harris had been more of a role player for Mississippi State. That all changed this fall as Harris was tasked with more responsibility and responded with a career year. The junior defensive lineman had only played in 11 games and made six tackles prior to this season but has appeared in all 10 games and totaled 12 stops already. "It feels pretty good," Harris said. "I feel like I'm a factor on defense and have been working to get better everyday." Harris is not the only defensive lineman for the Bulldogs enjoying a career-best season. Fletcher Adams and Jeffery Simmons have also put up personal best numbers in first-year defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's scheme.
 
Razorbacks report: Team has mind on fired AD
The defensive personnel in the post-practice media room on Thursday spoke fondly of Jeff Long, who was ousted as athletic director at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville on Wednesday. "You know what, he's a great guy to work for," inside linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves said. "It's unfortunate, but obviously with business and everything else that goes on, things happen. We'll miss him and wish him all the best." Defensive captain Kevin Richardson said Long "cared about everybody" in the athletic department. "You saw it all across social media today," Richardson said. "The guys were wishing him the best. Not just us, but basketball and soccer and everybody, gymnastics, all those different sports had some type of impact on him like he had on us, and it's huge to see that everybody cares about him like he does us." Linebacker De'Jon Harris said Long was always respectful and uplifting, particularly after losses.
 
Bulldogs hosting Georgia State tonight
No. 7 Mississippi State returns to action tonight at 7 hosting Georgia State. The Bulldogs (1-0) have won 23 consecutive non-conference games during the regular season and their senior class have never lost a non-conference home game. MSU is led by senior guard Victoria Vivians, who scored 22 points in a 68-53 win over Virginia last Friday. Georgia State is 0-1 on the season, dropping an 82-66 decision at Florida last Saturday. Guard Jada Lewis led the Lady Panthers with 20 points in that contest and is the reigning Sun Belt Freshman of the Year.
 
Mississippi State's Victoria Vivians tasked with improving shooting percentage this season
Victoria Vivians impressed in Mississippi State's season-opening win against Virginia last week. She shot 8 of 15 from the field for 22 points. She defended well and grabbed seven rebounds. But what was most impressive about her game was what she didn't do. Vivians didn't take any bad shots. "I was really concentrating on that," Vivians said. "We've been doing that in practice. We've got good chemistry so there's no point in taking bad shots. It's like coach always says, 'Make a good shot a great shot.'" Vivians, a senior, has shot 37 percent from the field over her career. She is a volume scorer, though, meaning she takes a lot of shots to score in big numbers. Many high-scoring guards do. Last season, Vivians shot 37 percent from the field and took 603 shots -- 300 more attempts than anyone else on the team. She averaged a team-high 16.2 points a game.
 
U. of Alabama to test metal detectors at Bryant Denny Stadium
Fans attending the University of Alabama's football game on Saturday will be required to pass through metal detectors before entering Bryant-Denny Stadium. A news release from UA says the move is a proactive effort to evaluate improved security procedures. Alabama will play Mercer University, with kickoff set for 11 a.m. The game will be televised by the SEC Network. The trial will include walk-through metal detectors and wands at selected gates around the stadium. The security measures will be used to enforce existing rules that exclude entry with prohibited items, such as weapons, umbrellas, artificial noisemakers, flags/banners, strollers, computers and more.
 
Football woes cited by trustees as U. of Arkansas fires athletic director
Jeff Long -- the athletic director of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, for nearly a decade -- was fired Wednesday after support from the Razorback community waned. In a letter dated Wednesday, UA Chancellor Joe Steinmetz did not state a reason for the termination, but he wrote, "As we have discussed, in my professional judgment, I believe this decision is in the best interest of the athletics program and the University." A handful of University of Arkansas trustees spoke Wednesday of unhappiness among fans, alumni and other supporters over a football team that has gone 4-6 overall and 1-5 in Southeastern Conference games this season and has a program-record five losses of 20 points or more. A few also made reference to other concerns but would not speak about them.
 
Bret Bielema's Future in Question After Jeff Long's Firing by Arkansas
Arkansas football coach Bret Bielema had a direct answer this week when he was asked if either he or his representation had taken part in any conversations recently with athletic director Jeff Long about his future. "No," Bielema said. Turns out, it was Long's future that should have been up for questioning -- the decade-long leader of the Razorbacks athletic program was fired Wednesday. In the wake of Long's ouster, Arkansas senior associate athletic director Julie Cromer Peoples was named interim director of athletics as the search for a new department head begins. Long was widely praised when hiring Bielema, but he's faced strong criticism since giving the coach an extension through 2020 following the 2014 season.
 
U. of Florida's Scott Stricklin addresses coaching rumors
It's still early in Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin's search for a new football coach, but the rumors and false information are already spiraling out of control on social media. If those rumors and reports were to be believed, Chip Kelly would have been introduced as the Gators' new coach at a news conference Wednesday. He was not, of course. Here is the real news at this point in the search: there is no legitimate news coming from any verifiable sources. That would be Stricklin himself and any of the potential candidates. "The only thing I know for certain is we are in the middle of a search process," Stricklin told The Sun on Wednesday. So, let's just say that most of the stuff that's out there right now -- mostly about Kelly -- is speculation/guessing at best.
 
Jon Gruden on U. of Tennessee coaching speculation: 'Never say never to nothing'
ESPN broadcaster Jon Gruden said Wednesday morning that he loves his current role as a color commentator for the network's Monday Night Football broadcasts and doesn't plan on leaving. "But as you know in life," he added, "you never say never to nothing." As the coaching rumor mill heats up, Gruden joined ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike to discuss, among other things, his potential return to coaching. Co-host Mike Golic asked Gruden specifically about his name being linked to the head coaching job at Tennessee, which fired Butch Jones earlier this week. "Well you know what Mike, I haven't talked to anybody," Gruden said. "All I really have in my life is my family and football. That's about it. I'm real sensitive to the coaches that are out there coaching, so I don't speculate. I just love football." Gruden got his start as a graduate assistant at Tennessee but hasn't coached at the collegiate level since he was the tight ends coach at Pacific in 1989.
 
Texas A&M reportedly interested in Florida State's Jimbo Fisher
Another year, another round of coaching job rumors surrounding Florida State football coach Jimbo Fisher. The latest has been brewing for several weeks with USA Today reporting Tuesday that Texas A&M plans to inquire about poaching Fisher from FSU at the end of the season. The report states Fisher's relationship with A&M athletics director Scott Woodward when the two were at LSU and FSU's disappointing season are two factors that could sway the eighth-year Seminoles coach away from the program. A&M is expected to gauge Fisher's interest once the school parts ways with current coach Kevin Sumlin at the end of the season, citing two people familiar with the situation, according to the report.
 
Auburn releases contract details for 3 first-year football assistants
Auburn released the contract details of the three first-year members of head coach Gus Malzahn's football staff on Wednesday. Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, who officially joined the program on Jan. 20, 2017, signed a three-year deal that runs through Jan. 31, 2020. He earns $700,000 annually and will earn retention bonuses of $100,000 at the conclusion of every regular season (which runs through the SEC Championship) he remains on the coaching staff. Defensive backs coach Greg Brown and tight ends and H-backs coach Larry Porter signed contracts through Jan. 31, 2019. Brown earns $375,000 annually and will earn retention bonuses of $25,000 for remaining on staff through Dec. 31, 2017, and Dec. 31, 2018. Porter earns $400,000 annually and earned a retention bonus of $50,000 for remaining on staff through Nov. 1. He will receive another one of the same amount should he stay on staff through Nov. 1, 2018.
 
Donald Trump tweets at UCLA basketball players: 'You're welcome'
Early Thursday morning, President Donald Trump directed a pair of tweets at three UCLA basketball players who had been arrested in China for shoplifting and had thanked Trump for helping them return to the U.S. this week. Trump instructed the players -- freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley -- to thank Chinese president Xi Jinping and "HAVE A GREAT LIFE!" The three players publicly apologized Wednesday and are indefinitely suspended from the team. On Wednesday morning, Trump wondered on Twitter whether the players would thank him for his efforts, claiming that they had faced a possible sentence of 10 years in prison. And at a press conference later in the day, Ball, Hill, Riley and coach Steve Alford did in fact thank the president by name, in addition to the U.S. State Department and others.
 
Most precarious position in sports is head football coach in the SEC
Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: "Prediction: Nick Saban will be the head football coach at Alabama in 2018. Otherwise, in the SEC, your guess is as good as mine. Well, yeah, Kirby Smart remains a safe bet at Georgia. They love Will Muschamp at South Carolina. Ed Orgeron has earned another year at LSU (and nobody else would hire him). Can't imagine Gus Malzahn hasn't regained steady footing at Auburn. But generally, in the SEC, this will be a year of fruit basket turnover. ...The next SEC coaches meeting is going to have a decidedly different look. Name tags might be necessary. And, between all the buyouts and new, multi-year contracts, millions upon millions upon millions of all that SEC Network money is about to be spent."



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