| Wednesday, May 16, 2018 |
| Mississippi State to begin accepting common application | |
 | A Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal report says Mississippi State University announced on Monday that it will begin accepting a Common Application from prospective undergraduate students on Sept. 1. Each year, over 1 million college applicants use the platform to apply to more than 800 universities worldwide. |
| Mississippi State's Keith Coble headlines farm bill webinar May 17 | |
 | Keith Coble, Giles Distinguished Professor and Head of the Agricultural Economics Department at Mississippi State University, will be featured in a May 17 University of Arkansas Farm Bill Update webinar, says webinar host Bobby Coats. Coats, professor, University of Arkansas Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, says Coble, "focuses on risk management, agricultural policy, and insurance. Coble has testified before Congressional Committees on three occasions and served as a Chief Economist for the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee during the 2014 farm bill debate." Previously, Coble worked at USDA Economic Research Service and studied at Texas A&M and the University of Missouri. |
| Mississippi State to issue boil water notice for three buildings | |
 | Mississippi State University will install a new water main to service Deavenport Hall, Dogwood Hall and the G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Center for America's Veterans at Nusz Hall, which is expected to temporarily impact water service beginning Tuesday night. The university will self-impose a localized boil water notice for each of the three buildings, effective Tuesday at 5 p.m. The new line is being installed in order to abandon an older water line. No other campus facilities will be affected by this boil water notice. All of the work is expected to be finalized by the end of the business day on Friday, May 18. |
| MSU police pick up trio accused of athletic facility break-in | |
 | Two adults and one juvenile are charged in connection with a weekend break-in on the Mississippi State campus. Montana Brasher, 18, and Brandon Gilliland, 18, were held overnight Sunday. One juvenile was also picked up at the same time. Sources tell WCBI News the three were stopped by MSU police officers doing a routine patrol in the early morning hours Sunday near the Mize Center and Humphrey Coliseum. The three were allegedly in possession of items stolen from athletic offices, including sports gear. During an initial appearance on Monday, Brasher and Gilliland were released on their own recognizance. |
| Soybean crop starting slow across Mississippi | |
 | At about 2.2 million acres, soybeans are easily the state's biggest row crop with a flexible planting window that puts them in the clean-up position when farmers cannot plant other crops on time. Trent Irby, soybean specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the crop was about 60 percent planted by early May. "As cool and wet as it stayed for so long, we already have a few areas in need of rain, while others remain too wet to plant," Irby said. "It's just been a challenging season so far." Brian Williams, Extension agricultural economist, said soybean prices are favorable, with Greenville cash prices about $10 a bushel and harvest-time futures reaching $10.24 a bushel. "We are in an environment where margins are tight for most crops, but soybeans are a relatively low-cost crop to produce," Williams said. |
| Farm to government to table? Ridiculous, say congressional critics | |
 | Farm to table isn't as simple as it sounds, thanks to the federal government. Federal rules control most of the action, particularly regarding food safety. But an unusual left-right congressional coalition hopes to change things. Rep. Thomas Massie, a libertarian-leaning Republican from Kentucky, and Rep. Chellie Pingree, a liberal Maine Democrat, are championing legislation they say would make it easier for small-time ranchers to sell their prime rib, pork chops and lamb shanks at farmers' markets and other small scale operations. Massie is hoping the House can vote on the plan later this week as part of a sweeping farm policy bill. Under the proposal, which faces opposition from the meat industry, beef, pork and lamb producers could sell meat -- within their states -- that has been processed in smaller "custom slaughterhouses" regulated by states, but don't have federal meat inspectors routinely on duty. |
| Mississippi could set lower cut scores for this teacher license test | |
 | The state Board of Education on Thursday will consider lowering the score needed to pass a licensure test required for prospective middle school and high school math teachers. The proposal to set a new cut score comes as schools across the state struggle to find math teachers who meet the state's requirements for certification. The Mississippi Association of Mathematics Teachers and Educators, a professional organization dedicated to strengthening the instruction of aspiring math teachers, is behind the pending change. The organization's president, Jessica Ivy, said many of the group's members who are college professors expressed concern about their students' passage rates on the Praxis 5161 mathematics test. The group's research turned up a viable reason for the disconnect -- Mississippi's cut score for the exam is 10 or more points higher than several states. |
| Meridian Community College presidential candidate touts blend of industry, academics | |
 | A candidate to be the next president of Meridian Community College highlighted his private-sector background during a campus forum Tuesday in McCain Fine Arts Theater. James "Don" Burnham, vice president of Holmes Community College's Ridgeland campus, has a masters in business administration and a doctorate of philosophy in higher education. He has an extensive background working in industry, having been employed with Georgia Pacific in Oxford before the plant closed down. He said his experience in this field, as assistant quality control director, helped prepare him for his future in education. Burnham is the third of five finalists to give a presentation and take questions on campus, moderated by Barbara Jones, executive director of the MCC Foundation. |
| ICC's 'Food Service Pathway Program' Teaches Students All Aspects Of Restaurant Business | |
| A local community college is giving future food service workers training and hands on experience as part of a new program. Itawamba Community College has a "Food Service Pathway Program" at its Belden campus. The 160 hour course provides training in all aspects of the food service industry, plus it places students at local restaurants through internships. Once students graduate the program, they also earn the "Serv Safe" Certification, a national education program that helps many restaurant workers get into management positions. "All local restaurants are looking for qualified, eager, employees. My hope is, I've hired lots of people in my past as well, I'm hoping this will put their application above all the rest, if you will," said Christy Scheuer, the director of the Food Pathway Program. |
| Auburn named among top 25 pharmacy programs by Drug Store News | |
 | The Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy was recently ranked among the top 25 pharmacy programs in the country by Drug Store News. In an effort to help hiring managers find the right pharmacists for specific retail environments, the magazine compiled a list, offered in no particular order, of the top programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. "Being recognized as one of the top 25 pharmacy schools in the country is a testament to the hard work of our students, faculty and staff," said Dean Richard A. Hansen. "I truly believe that we offer one of the best student experiences in the country and our new Practice-Ready Curriculum only adds to that. |
| 'We're fed up': U. of South Carolina joins effort to close Five Points college bars | |
 | The University of South Carolina is opposing a liquor license for a Five Points college bar in a court case this week that likely will have serious ramifications for bars across the state. Neighbors living close to the urban village and entertainment district near USC are challenging the permanent liquor license for Rooftop Bar, formerly The Attic. They claim the concentration of bars that cater to mostly USC students, many underage, result in widespread vandalism, public drunkenness, lewd behavior and violence both in the district and adjoining residential areas. USC has joined the protest in the S.C. Administrative Law Court, saying the number of drinking establishments, more than a dozen of which can stay open until the wee hours of the morning, contributes to alcohol abuse among USC students. "We are quite fed up with the number of bars in Five Points," Anna Edwards, USC's associate vice president for student affairs, testified Tuesday. |
| Paradise Papers: U. of Tennessee invests in Caymans, lobbied for secrecy law | |
 | The University of Tennessee's endowment has pumped millions of dollars into private investment funds in recent years, including many chartered in the Cayman Islands. And the university successfully lobbied the Tennessee legislature to pass a law last year that keeps the details of these and other "alternative investments" secret. Under the new law, the university still must disclose basics such as the name of the fund and the amount of money in it. But it doesn't have to disclose the fees the managers charge, or the specific companies in which the funds are invested, unless the managers agree. Rip Mecherle helps manage UT's endowment as chief investment officer. He said he personally sought the new state law and that outside fund managers wanted it. "There are managers who won't work with people that don't have these (rules) in place," Mecherle said. "And as you can imagine, if the managers can afford to be choosy, they're probably pretty good." |
| Guns allowed near Louisiana schools, but not in them after Senate panel softens bill | |
 | A Louisiana Senate Judiciary B Committee voted 3-2 Tuesday for a measure to clarify that people with concealed weapons permits can carry guns up to a school or university property line, but not actually on campus. The proposal is a substitute for House Bill 602, sponsored by Rep. Blake Miguez, R-Erath, that would have allowed people with concealed weapon permits to carry guns into schools and universities, both public and private. That measure passed the House but faced major opposition, particularly from universities, who threatened to derail it in the Senate. Currently, Louisiana law doesn't allow anyone but law enforcement to carry weapons within 1,000 feet of a school. But there are other laws that conflict with that measure, according to Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, who voted for the rewritten legislation. |
| Timing and tone are key to a college president's response to controversial speakers on campus | |
 | Growing criticism about a controversial commencement address at Sweet Briar College has prompted a debate about how college or university presidents should respond when speakers at campus events offend members of the student body and others in the audience. Widespread criticism of the comments made last Saturday by the speaker, Nella Gray Barkley, raised pointed questions about how Sweet Briar president Meredith Woo reacted to the speech. More broadly, it provoked a discussion of whether college presidents have an obligation to promptly and unequivocally challenge, correct or disagree with a speaker who makes comments that run counter to the stated values of the institution. Various college presidents said they sympathized with Woo and understood that she was in a tenuous position. Although they agreed that being president requires walking a diplomatic tightrope and balancing being courteous to an invited guest and respecting differences of opinion, their views widely varied on whether or not Woo should have done more. |
| New Evidence Adds to Troubling Picture for Black Borrowers of Student Loans | |
 | Analyses show that at both graduate and undergraduate levels, the debt burden has grown significantly greater for black students. For years, experts have worried about the disproportionate level of student-loan debt borne by black students. Two new sources of evidence -- federal data and a report on a controversial federal-student-loan program -- add to an already disturbing picture. The federal data come from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, which provides the most robust picture of student borrowing, but has been released only every four years (it will come out every two years in the future). Family resources are the theme of the second new look at black student borrowing, a report on the Parent PLUS loan program from New America, a nonpartisan public-policy think tank. The report pulls no punches. |
| Michelle Johnston named as sole finalist for CCGA president | |
| The University System of Georgia announced Tuesday that Michelle Johnston has been named the sole finalist to become College of Coastal Georgia's next president. Johnston currently serves as the 22nd president of the University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College in Ohio. She has held that position since 2014. Johnston's career includes 10 years of service as a faculty member and more than 20 years in administration. She's held positions at the University of Montevallo, University of Louisiana-Monroe, Mississippi State University and Wood College. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama, a master's degree from Louisiana State University, a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Mississippi State University. |
| Sports betting decision likely more impactful on state revenues than proposed lottery | |
 | Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "Mississippians have been talking about a state lottery for more than 25 years and still don't have one -- a decision that studies and industry estimates claim keeps between $100 million to $150 million out of the state's general fund revenues and continues to send state taxpayers across state lines to buy lottery tickets in Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee and Florida. Most recently, state government leaders have been debating enacting a state lottery as a means of funding the states growing infrastructure needs. Many observers still anticipate a special legislative session to address infrastructure concerns and a lottery proposal may well be intertwined in that effort. But with the lottery still mired in political limbo, Mississippi could well be poised to be in the sports betting business within months." |
SPORTS
| 2018 Road Dawgs Tour stops in Meridian | |
 | New Mississippi State head football coach, Joe Moorhead, headlines the 2018 Road Dawgs Tour as it makes its way throughout the state and region, which included a stop in Meridian Tuesday afternoon at the MSU Riley Center. The tour provides an opportunity not only for fans to get to know State's new face of the program, but to hear Moorhead's vision for the team. Moorhead notes the Tour is a good opportunity to connect with the community. According to Mississippi State Director of Athletics John Cohen, Moorhead brings an off the field dynamic fans will begin to learn about. "I think they'll learn that his knowledge of the game of football is extremely high," Cohen said. "But also they're going to realize that his knowledge of raising men, and all the things that they do with the football team off the field is pretty important to him as well." |
| Mississippi State women's basketball adds Ole Miss transfer Promise Taylor | |
| Promise Taylor's announcement Monday that she will transfer from Ole Miss to Mississippi State was the latest sign that 1.) the Bulldogs are recruiting well enough to remain elite and 2.) the gap between the in-state programs continues to widen. The addition of Taylor is a significant boost for Mississippi State's plans beyond this upcoming season. A rare bright spot for Ole Miss last season, Taylor averaged 8.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, but her calling cards as a player are her shot-blocking prowess and touch around the rim. |
| Private plane perk for UGA's Kirby Smart worth six figures | |
 | There are some standard perks that can be found in high-profile major college sports head coaches' contracts to sweeten a deal: monthly vehicle stipends, country club memberships, season tickets and athletic apparel. Kirby Smart's new $49 million, seven-year agreement with Georgia has "as additional compensation," something new for the third-year head football coach: the personal use of an airplane for Smart, his family or guests for non-business travel. Smart gets up to 25 hours of flight time a year on a light jet. That cost would start at $131,800 through Sentient Jet, according to the website of the private aviation company based in Quincy, Mass., which is endorsed by the Breeders' Cup, the Boston Celtics, and Sotheby's. The price includes fuel, tax, catering and all domestic fees. |
| Tennessee AD Phillip Fulmer says no plans to resume football series with Memphis | |
| Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer said Tuesday the door was open to restoring the football series with Memphis but as of now, there are no plans to add the Tigers to the schedule. Speaking at the Big Orange Caravan at Agriculture International, Fulmer noted that the Tigers are a far different program than when he faced them eight times during his 17 years as coach of the Vols. "They're a good team, a ranked team and playing well from what I saw," Fulmer said, "They've done quite well and it makes sense to have the conversation." A Memphis athletic department spokesman said earlier Tuesday that there have been no conversations with Tennessee to resume the series, which has been dormant since 2010. |
| Supreme Court delivers a home run for sports bettors -- and now states need to scramble | |
| Jennifer Roberts, an adjunct professor of law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, writes for The Conversation: On May 14, the United States Supreme Court invalidated the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, a federal law that prohibited states, aside from a few exemptions like Nevada, from allowing sports betting operations. In a victory for states' rights, the court ruled that the law unconstitutionally interfered with states' ability to implement their own legislation on the issue. So now what? As someone who studies sports wagering and gambling law, I've been following the case closely. While the decision marks an end to years of legal action to challenge the federal law, it also now creates a host of issues for states that are considering sports betting legislation and regulation. |
| Is Britain the Future of U.S. Sports Betting? | |
 | So now that the United States Supreme Court has cleared the way for gambling on sports, what does a world with legalized sports betting look like? To find an answer to that question, one only has to gaze across the Atlantic Ocean, to Britain and other European countries, where gambling is as much a part of the sports culture as wearing the home team's jersey to the game. Gambling here is, in a word, ubiquitous, and the only limit for bettors is their imagination. Bettors place wagers before the game and during it. They wager on who will score the next goal, or how many goals will be scored in the final 10 minutes or in stoppage time. Britain's 65 million inhabitants wagered nearly $20 billion for the year ending March 2017, according to a report from the country's gambling commission. The United States, however, has a far more diverse sports market, with five major professional sports leagues, plus college sports. |
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