Wednesday, June 6, 2018   
 
Michael Guest, Whit Hughes head to Republican runoff in MS03 race
Republicans Michael Guest and Whit Hughes are headed to a runoff in the GOP primary for Mississippi's 3rd Congressional District, based on incomplete, unofficial results. In a crowded field of six Republican candidates and relatively low voter turnout, Guest was leading with 45 percent and Hughes second with 21 percent with 93 percent of precincts reporting from the 24-county district. No candidate receiving more than 50 percent forces a June 26 runoff. The two GOP primary leaders were trailed by businessman Perry Parker, state Sen. Sally Doty, health care executive Morgan Dunn and educator Katherine Tate. State Rep. Michael "Big Country" Evans of Preston won the Democratic primary early Tuesday night, with the Associated Press calling his race.
 
Michael Guest, Whit Hughes poised to take the gloves off in House GOP runoff
Michael Guest and Whit Hughes, the longtime frontrunners for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House seat left vacant by retiring Rep. Gregg Harper, will face each other in a runoff on June 26. None of the six Republican candidates earned 50 percent of the vote on Tuesday, forcing a runoff in three weeks. Guest, the district attorney for Rankin and Hinds counties, narrowly missed a rare feat: Edging out five other candidates and winning the GOP nomination outright. The two candidates raised and spent more money than any of the other four candidates. Guest raised $396,000 and spent $336,000. Hughes, who worked for years in economic development and hospital administration, raised $430,000 and spent $363,000. The campaign to this point has been generally positive with little mud-slinging on either side. Pundits and operatives had already begun buzzing late Tuesday evening about an expected shift in campaign rhetoric, predicting a nastier tone from both sides as June 26 approaches.
 
Roger Wicker faces winner of Dem runoff in Mississippi Senate race
Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi easily won a Republican primary Tuesday, months after being endorsed by President Donald Trump and the same day Trump tweeted that the legislator "has my total support!" Wicker served nearly 13 years in the U.S. House before then-Gov. Haley Barbour appointed him to the Senate in late 2007 when fellow Republican Trent Lott resigned. Wicker's opponent in the November race isn't decided, as the Democratic primary heads to a June runoff. Wicker, of Tupelo, defeated one GOP primary challenger who ran a low-budget campaign, business owner Richard Boyanton of Diamondhead. Voter Mark Wall of Madison said he supported Wicker because of his conservative values and advocacy for the state: "He's done a lot to bring stuff to Mississippi that we need."
 
Sherman vs. Baria and Guest vs. Hughes in runoffs
Democratic Senate candidate Howard Sherman, a Lauderdale County resident, celebrated a victory of sorts on Tuesday night, qualifying for a runoff in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate against State Rep. David Baria of Bay St. Louis. "Its a huge win," Sherman said. "I brought a new message... and a new way to get from the bottom of all this. I think what the state is saying is, 'Hey, bring it on.'" Six Democrats ran for the U.S. Senate seat and Sherman and Baria will face off for the nomination on June 26. Sherman, a venture capitalist from California, is the husband of actress Sela Ward, a Meridian native. The winner of the June 26 Democratic Senate runoff will face GOP Sen. Roger Wicker, who easily defeated challenger Richard Boyanton of Diamondhead in the primary.
 
Sherman supporters celebrate; Lauderdale County voters like Guest
Voting was slow and steady through primary day in Lauderdale County, but Tuesday ended with at least one party. Just after 9:30 p.m., supporters of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Howard Sherman, a Lauderdale County resident, gathered at Weidmann's in Meridian celebrated the announcement of a June 26 runoff against David Baria. "There's massive talent in this state, we just have the wrong people running it," Sherman said at Weidmann's before the runoff pairing was decided. "... The state has made a statement that huge tens of thousands of people want change. They want a new coach. They're not happy with the way things are going." Sherman received 1,465 votes in Lauderdale County to Omeria Scott's 542 and David Baria's 280.
 
Baria, Sherman runoff pits veteran lawmaker against Hollywood big bucks
A nail-biter of a Democratic primary for U.S. Senate sets up a runoff election in three weeks between a veteran legislator and the spouse of a Mississippi-born actress. The home stretch, which included appearances at one of Jackson's largest black churches and an uptick in radio advertising, seemed to pay off for Rep. David Baria, the minority leader in the Mississippi House, and venture capitalist Howard Sherman. In official results, Baria and Sherman finished as the top two vote getters after spending most of the evening neck-and-neck, mostly with Baria narrowly leading until the final moments before the Associated Press called the election a runoff with Sherman in the first-place seat. Baria said he was thankful to be in the runoff, but did not mention his opponent by name when he spoke to Mississippi Today.
 
Two Republican Men Advance to Primary Runoff in Mississippi
The Republican primary for Mississippi's 3rd District is heading to a runoff after no candidate cleared more than 50 percent of the vote Tuesday night. Incumbent GOP Rep. Gregg Harper is retiring after five terms in Congress. Leading the six-candidate field were District Attorney Michael Guest and Whit Hughes, the chief development officer of Baptist Health Systems. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Guest led Hughes 45 percent to 22 percent, according to The Associated Press. The two will meet in a June 26 runoff. As the district attorney for Madison and Rankin counties, Guest's current territory overlaps with the 3rd District. A former Mississippi State University basketball star, Hughes was finance chairman for former Republican Gov. Haley Barbour's 2003 campaign and is a past deputy director of the Mississippi Development Authority.
 
One Coast candidate is headed to a runoff; here's how South Mississippi voted
The Democratic race for U.S. Senate will go to a June 26 runoff between state Rep. David Baria of Bay St. Louis and first-time candidate Howard Sherman of Meridian. On the Coast, Baria had it easy, winning the three coastal counties 4,989-1,731 over Sherman. Scott had 911. Baria won Harrison County 2,395-1,052 over Sherman. Scott was third with 462. In Hancock County, it was Baria 1,110, Sherman 50 and Scott 29. And in Jackson County it was Baria 1,484, Sherman 629 and Scott 420. Statewide, Sherman led Baria 25,943 to 25,312 with 95 percent of the vote counted, according to the Associated Press. Rep. Omeria Scott of Laurel was third with 19,437. Victor Maurice Jr. Jerone Garland and Jensen Bohren finished far behind. The winner will face Sen. Roger Wicker in November.
 
Sally Doty falls short in primary; Brookhaven's candidate finishes fourth
She was in good spirits, even though the party ended too early. By 9:30 p.m. on election night, Sally Doty held court over only the most loyal of her followers, the dozen or so Republicans and family members still hanging tight with her in the campaign room in the back of her law office on Railroad Avenue in Brookhaven. Results were still coming in, but the numbers were getting farther and farther away -- in the end, Madison and Rankin counties' district attorney Michael Guest and former healthcare chief Whit Hughes advanced to the June 26 runoff, while Doty's approximately 4,200 votes put her in a distant fourth place, where her bid to represent the 3rd Congressional District ended.
 
Rep. Steven Palazzo claims easy primary win as he moves to general election
In the 4th Congressional District incumbent Republican Steven Palazzo took an early and decisive lead over opponent E. Brian Rose. "I've got to thank everyone in Mississippi 4th Congressional District that got out and voted today in the rain and exercised their constitutional right," Palazzo said soon after the primary was decided Tuesday night. "They think after seven years of fighting for them, voting for them, they know I'm not just a conservative but a proven conservative and they wanted somebody in Washington to work alongside President Trump, as I have been." Palazzo said voters chose him because he has been working with the president and Republicans in the House and Senate to secure the nation's borders, improve national defense and veterans care. He said he also has continued to defend the Second Amendment and the sanctity of life.
 
Oktibbeha supervisors mull tax exemption standard procedure
A routine tax exemption request from a local manufacturer prompted Oktibbeha County Supervisors to examine the need for a set of standards for exemption requests. Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins approached the board at Monday's meeting about a request from Southwire, which is located on Airport Road across from George M. Bryan Airport, for a tax exemption on a recent expansion. "Southwire's doing a multi-year expansion," Higgins said. "The one we're talking about has created about nine jobs with an estimated payroll of $450,000 and an overall capital investment of just short of $3.1 million." Supervisors ultimately approved the 10-year exemption 4-1, with District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller opposing.
 
British Firm Denies Moving Facebook Data to Mississippi
A case involving the British data firm Cambridge Analytica is before a county judge in the U.S. state of Mississippi, where representatives of a British insurance company and the University of Mississippi have testified under oath that no private data of British citizens was ever transferred to the American university. Britain's Fair Vote Project continues to seek proof that private data ended up in Mississippi, despite their repeated denials. The hearing continues Wednesday. The Mississippi action stems from April testimony before the British Parliament by Brittany Kaiser, a former employee of Cambridge Analytica. Kaiser told Parliament she believes that leaders of the 2016 Brexit campaign to have the United Kingdom leave the European Union misused private data from Eldon Insurance and the U.K. Independence Party. She said Eldon owner Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore told multiple people they were going to use her proposals and create their own "their own Cambridge Analytica" at the University of Mississippi.
 
Ole Miss TB investigation identifies one infection
A public health investigation into a case of active tuberculosis at the University of Mississippi this spring has identified one non-contagious TB infection. Since late March, the Mississippi State Department of Health has tested 215 people who were in prolonged, close contact with the student diagnosed with active TB, said Liz Sharlot, state health department director of communications. TB is a bacterial disease that most typically affects the lungs and can cause serious, life-threatening illness if left untreated. The health department identified 386 Ole Miss students, faculty and staff who had close, prolonged contact with the student who developed active TB. "We worked very closely with the state department of health," said Ryan Whittington, Ole Miss director of marketing and brand strategy. "Communication was key."
 
GTR Coding Academy preps students for tech jobs
Right now there are 1,200 unfilled jobs requiring skills in computer coding in Mississippi. But if all goes as planned, said Paul Luckett, there will be 10 people in the Golden Triangle area with the skills to fill those positions by November. Luckett is the director of the Golden Triangle Coding Academy in Columbus, an 11-month program for high school graduates that teaches coding and other technological and life skills. GTR Coding is one of two Mississippi Coding Academy programs in the state, a $25,000 career-advancement program offered tuition-free thanks to funding from East Mississippi Community College and other state organizations.
 
U. of Alabama students can use student ID cards on the Apple Watch this fall
Students at the University of Alabama with Apple Watches and iPhones will be able to load their student ID cards in the Wallet app this fall under the new iOS 12 and WatchOS 5. The student ID feature is part of several other new features to be added in iOS 12 and WatchOS 5, Business Insider reported. The upgrades were announced during the WWDC keynote on Monday. WatchOS 5 will be released in the fall, and it'll be available for the Apple Watch Series 1 and newer models. Unfortunately, WatchOS 5 won't be available for the original Apple Watch (Series 0), which was released in 2015. Starting this fall, students at the University of Alabama will be able to load their student ID cards onto the Wallet app in the Apple Watch, allowing them to pay for items at the campus bookstore, access their dorms, the gym or dining hall. Alabama was selected along with Duke, Temple, Johns Hopkins, Oklahoma and Santa Clara.
 
Apple to launch student ID cards for iPhone
On many campuses, students must carry ID cards to access their residence halls, take out library books, go to the gym and pay for lunch in the dining hall. But this practice could soon be a thing of the past, with the launch of digital student ID cards on Apple Watches and iPhones. Using Near-Field Communications technology, students will be able to access a multitude of services on campus just by waving their phone or watch near compatible readers. Six universities have been working with Apple and Blackboard on the initiative, including Duke, Johns Hopkins, Santa Clara and Temple Universities and the Universities of Alabama and Oklahoma. Joshua Kim, director of digital learning initiatives at Dartmouth College's Center for the Advancement of Learning, said he is interested to see whether this initiative could be the "gateway drug" for other mobile educational experiences from Apple -- particularly on the Apple Watch.
 
Fired U. of Tennessee chancellor Beverly Davenport issues first statement since dismissal
Beverly Davenport closed her 16-month chapter at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a tone of gratitude as she released her first public statement since being fired on the same day university officials passed a settlement agreement with the former chancellor. Davenport took to Twitter Tuesday evening to thank "all of the people I had the opportunity to stand alongside in doing this noble work" and attached a one-and-a-half-page letter of "departing thoughts." Her message marks the first time she has issued any kind of public statement since UT System President Joe DiPietro dismissed her. In a mid-day meeting on Tuesday held at UT Knoxville's campus, the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees' Audit and Compliance Committee unanimously approved a settlement agreement for Davenport for a sum of $1.33 million – and a promise that Davenport won't say a negative word about the institution.
 
Gov. John Bel Edwards names new LSU Supervisors, replacing some Jindal appointees
With the naming of new members Tuesday, Gov. John Bel Edwards now has appointed a majority of the board that oversees LSU. Edwards has chosen nine of the 15 LSU Board of Supervisors. The 10th member's six-year term expired last week. He plans to make that appointment later this week. The term for the student representative on the board also expired last week. When Gov. Bobby Jindal's appointees became the majority on the board, the LSU president, chancellor and other top administrators abruptly left the state university's employ. The board under Jindal then approved contracting private administrators to run six of the seven LSU-owned public hospitals. Edwards, who graduated law school at LSU, "isn't planning any changes at this time," texted Richard Carbo, his deputy chief of staff.
 
Founder, longtime director of U. of Missouri Wellness Resource Center retires
Kim Dude calls herself a collector of quotes. She finds them online and saves them to her phone or computer. Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy are some of her favorite orators. Her favorite quote is "Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true," attributed to Leon Joseph Suenens. Dude's dream was to empower students to make healthy and safe choices, and she achieved that through her dedication to the University of Missouri's Wellness Resource Center. When she retired as director on May 25, the staff presented her with a framed poster of the quote, contained within her silhouette. Dude, 66, founded the center in 1990 and served as its director for 28 years. The Wellness Resource Center provides education about topics such as alcohol and drug use, bystander intervention and mental and physical health.
 
An Update of the Federal Law Governing Higher Ed Appears Dead
Could it be that the last chance for this Congress to draft a new Higher Education Act just died because two United States senators can't resolve a middle-school-style disagreement over who owed whom a call back? Sure, there's more to it than that. Democrats and Republicans fundamentally disagree over the federal government's role in holding colleges accountable and ensuring that a higher education is affordable and accessible to low-income and minority students. Democrats also distrust the education secretary, Betsy DeVos, over her willingness to protect students from unscrupulous colleges. (In the same vein, Republicans believe the Education Department overstepped its authority under the Obama administration.) But miscommunication between the chairman of the Senate's education committee and its top minority member is clearly part of the reason renewal of the key law, known as reauthorization, is all but certainly dead until 2019.
 
Colleges Grapple With Where - or Whether - to Draw the Line on Free Speech
It has happened across the country, at small private colleges and large public universities: an invited guest is heckled or shouted down or disinvited because of opposing political views. And the incident is followed by a competing chorus of accusations about the rights of free speech versus the need to feel safe and welcome. It's something those in higher education have grappled with for decades. But after the 2016 presidential election and the increasing polarization of the country, the issue has taken on a new resonance. Part of the problem, said David Axelrod, former chief strategist and senior adviser for President Barack Obama and director of the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics, is that students now often come to college having rarely -- or never -- interacted with someone with a different opinion or lifestyle.
 
Democrats still face long odds in Mississippi in U.S. Senate special election
Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "Mississippi Democrats showed signs of political life in recent months after years of fielding candidates in congressional elections who could fairly be described as either noble ideologues or political sacrificial lambs. The recent victory of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Doug Moore across the state line in Alabama fueled some Mississippi Democrats to conclude that ideological strains between Mississippi Republicans might well create openings for them in Mississippi in 2018. Now officially past the first June primary elections, the partisan political landscape in Mississippi in the mid-term congressional elections doesn't seem to have changed much despite the supposed influences of President Donald Trump, the so-called '#Me,Too' movement or the ongoing internecine social media wars between mainstream Republicans and the insurgent anti-establishment wing of the GOP."


SPORTS
 
Joe Moorhead to Bulldog fans: Set expectations high
After six months in Starkville, Mississippi State Head Football Coach Joe Moorhead said he's adjusting to southern living just fine. Moorhead, who hails from Pennsylvania and moved to Starkville after being named the Bulldogs' new head coach in late November after the departure of former head coach Dan Mullen to the University of Florida, explained his growing comfort with southern culture during a visit to the Starkville Rotary Club. For example, he demonstrated his knowledge of the proper use of "y'all" and how to accurately say that he was going to get his "picture made," rather than "taken." "I actually took out some pictures of me from when I first got to Penn State and I was looking pretty svelte," he said. "Now I come down here with the Starkville Country Club fried chicken and the fact that you can get fried chicken and biscuits at every gas station in the state."
 
Legalized sports betting: SEC coaches, ADs brace for changes
The poster hung in each clubhouse that John Cohen entered as a minor league baseball player in the early 1990s. Plastered on the wall outside of the manager's office or around the corner from the training room, its subject matter focused on the misdeeds of Pete Rose, the would-be Hall of Famer famously blackballed for betting on baseball. Nearly three decades later, Cohen, now the athletic director at Mississippi State, wonders aloud if he'll soon see that poster again, this time in a new home: the locker rooms of college sports teams. "You walked into any clubhouse and it was the first poster you see. It listed all the ways that you can gamble," Cohen says. "I can foresee that type of situation in college. We have to be overly officious in the way we educate our kids to maintain the integrity of the game." Cohen made that prediction in a mostly empty ballroom at the Sandestin Hilton last week on the busiest day of the SEC's annual spring meetings.
 
SEC's top football official on gambling: 'I worry about it'
Steve Shaw, the SEC's coordinator of football officials, has always taken the specter of gambling on college football seriously. The Supreme Court's recent decision that shook up the landscape around sports betting only adds to his concerns. "I worry about it, but we'll deal with laws," Shaw said. The Supreme Court recently struck down a federal prohibition on sports gambling, which will allow states to make the decision on their own, leading SEC administrators and coaches to spend a large part of their spring meetings last week trying to figure out how to deal with possible changes. The league's football officials already have been submitting to yearly background checks, Shaw said. While he stopped short of saying he would fire any official who was found to have gambled in any form in a casino, he did call it a fire-able offense.
 
How Jackson State found, hired new athletic director Ashley Robinson
JSU President William Bynum had been talking to candidates vying to be Jackson State's new vice president and director of athletics for several days when he finally got an opportunity to speak with Ashley Robinson. When Robinson told him he wanted the job, it made Bynum's decision easy. "When he expressed interest in the job, I just told him thank you," Bynum said. "You just made my job a lot easier, because you're going straight to the top of the list." Bynum introduced the 38-year-old Robinson to a packed ballroom at a press conference in the JSU Student Center Tuesday, almost exactly six months after he fired Robinson's predecessor Wheeler Brown. Robinson, a Murrah High School and Mississippi Valley State grad, touted his Jackson roots and pledged to unite the alumni.
 
Former Texas A&M coach Jackie Sherrill, others highlight Texas Sports Hall of Fame ballot
Former Texas A&M head football coach Jackie Sherrill and former Aggie place-kicker Tony Franklin are on the Texas Sports Hall of Fame 2019 ballot. Recently retired Sam Houston State softball coach Bob Brock, who won a trio of national championships at A&M, also is included along with Brenham native Cecil Cooper, who played 17 seasons in major league baseball and also managed the Houston Astros. Sherrill, Brock and Cooper made the organization's 20-person primary ballot. Franklin made the 12-person veterans ballot, which is for candidates who have been retired for two decades. Sherrill was 52-28-1 at A&M from 1982-89, winning three straight Southwest Conference titles and two Cotton Bowls. He also coached at Washington State, Pittsburgh and Mississippi State, going 180-120-4.
 
Former Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs hired at Florida
Jay Jacobs wasn't unemployed long. The University of Florida hired the former Auburn athletics director as an executive associate athletics director on Tuesday. "Florida Athletics is fortunate to have someone of Jay's caliber joining the UAA," athletics director Scott Stricklin said in a statement. Jacobs' decision to leave his alma mater came at the conclusion of a tumultuous year that saw a softball player file a Title IX complaint against then-softball coach Clint Myers and his son, former associate head coach Corey Myers, alleging improper relations with student-athletes and attempts of a cover-up; and men's basketball associate head coach Chuck Person arrested and charged with six counts of federal corruption as part of the FBI's investigation into college basketball.
 
NCAA's Oliver Luck to be commissioner and CEO of XFL
Oliver Luck will become the first commissioner and chief executive officer of the XFL, it was announced Tuesday. "The XFL will be a labor of love as I get to combine my experiences as a player and executive," Luck told ESPN in an email. "I'm thrilled to have this unique opportunity to reimagine the game that has been a constant in my life for 40 years." Luck will leave his leadership role at the NCAA, where he oversaw the organization's regulatory functions, including eligibility requirements and academic affairs, and the eligibility center. He will relocate from Indianapolis, where his son Andrew Luck is the quarterback for the Colts, to the XFL's headquarters in Connecticut as he prepares for the league's launch in 2020.



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