Friday, June 15, 2018   
 
U.S. farming cannot afford to continue to fall behind
Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum, chairman of the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research board of directors, writes in The Meridian Star: "With the possibility of new trade tariffs striking a sensitive chord in rural America, farmers are increasingly concerned about global competitiveness and the threat of a possible trade war affecting their bottom line. Hopefully, Congress will be able to pass a farm bill this year that can offer innovative research programs to help our farmers, lessen government dependence and tackle coming environmental challenges to maintain a competitive advantage in a global market. ...While the latest statistics paint a rosy picture of America's economy, U.S. farmers and agribusiness are in danger of being outperformed at a time when farm income is down significantly -- more than 50 percent over the last five years."
 
OUR OPINION: Grant grows programs for those with disabilities
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal editorializes: "Attending college is a challenging transition for all students. For those with various disabilities, those challenges can be compounded. That's what makes a recent announcement from Mississippi State University more meaningful. The university announced it is expanding a number of programs it offers for students who need assistance because of an autism spectrum disorder or other types of disabilities. After receiving a $1 million grant from the Mississippi Department of Human Services last year, the university has been able to significantly increase the number of people served by MSU's ACCESS program, its Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic and its autism liaisons program. ...We salute Mississippi State University, the Mississippi Department of Human Services and all of those who have made these programs a reality."
 
Mississippi State professor wins Civil War book prize
A Mississippi State University faculty member has won one of the top awards for Civil War history books. When MSU assistant professor of history Andrew Lang published his book "In the Wake of War: Military Occupation, Emancipation and Civil War America" in 2017, he would have been content receiving a positive book review. However, he ended up receiving the $50,000 Tom Watson Brown Book Award. The award is given by the Watson-Brown Foundation and the Society of Civil War Historians to the author of the best book published in the previous year on the causes, conduct and effects of the Civil War. The prize considered more than 50 titles for the award. The Louisiana State University Press, which published Lang's book, submitted it for consideration. Lang said receiving the award came as a shock.
 
Scott Maynard leaving Partnership for Florida State job
Scott Maynard, CEO of The Partnership, is leaving his position after roughly a year for a job at Florida State University. The Partnership announced Maynard's departure in a Thursday morning press release. Maynard is leaving the organization to accept a job at the Florida State University Career Center. Maynard was named the Partnership's CEO on June 29, 2017. Before that, he served as Ward 5's alderman from 2013-17 and worked for 30 years at the Mississippi State University Career Center. Partnership Board President Jerry Toney wished Maynard well and said a search for a new CEO is underway. "The Partnership has a strong staff in place and much of the programming has been set for the fall," he said. "There is an excitement and energy throughout the community that has grown under Maynard's leadership. We wish him the best in this new endeavor and will begin our search for a new CEO immediately."
 
Africa town Connection Blueway kayak trail plan announced
The next canoe and kayak trail offering access to the Mobile-Tensaw Delta will begin in Africatown with a launch facility and park to be built under the Cochrane-Africatown Bridge. The Blueway project will connect the historic Africatown Community in the City of Mobile with Africatown U.S.A. State Park in Prichard. The trial includes parts of Chickasaw Creek, the Mobile River; and Three Mile Creek. Maps and proposed architectural designs created by students at Mississippi State University's School of Landscape Architecture will be presented. Those designs include a beach, a public fishing pier, and an elaborate plaza.
 
Department of Public Safety pays $500K in Kaelin Kersh case
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety has paid $500,000 to the Oktibbeha County Circuit Court to be given to the victims of a fatal May 2017 accident involving a highway patrolman and a former Mississippi State University athlete. Mississippi 16th Circuit Judge Lee Coleman ordered the department to pay the amount in the case of Tanequa Alexander v. Mississippi Department of Public Safety v. Noel A. Collier and the estate of Kaelin G. Kersh. The litigation was spawned from an early morning car accident on May 7, 2017. The crash happened shortly before 1:30 a.m. at the intersection of Mayhew Road and Highway 182. The car in which Kersh was a passenger, a 2002 Toyota Corolla, was hit while attempting to turn onto the road by an eastbound Mississippi Highway Patrol cruiser. Kersh's death came shortly after she graduated from MSU with a degree in Kinesiology, on May 5. She was a track and field athlete for the university.
 
Farming in Mississippi growing, has challenges, opportunities
Mississippi's top industry is beset by challenges but ripe for growth -- such is the state of farming today. Agriculture is the top industry in Mississippi, employing close to a third of the state's workforce, directly or indirectly, according to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce. Yet farmers have trouble finding workers. Andy Gipson, Mississippi's new agriculture and commerce commissioner, is taking a deeper look into that economy, visiting with farmers across the state to see what they are doing and learn about their needs and opportunities. Large farms need support, too, said Gipson, who left south Mississippi to visit with farmers in the northern part of the state and the Delta on Thursday.
 
Black Caucus backs David Baria in Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate
The Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus on Thursday endorsed a candidate in the Democratic primary runoff for a Republican-held U.S. Senate seat, but a caucus member who lost in the primary questioned the decision. The caucus chairwoman, Rep. Sonya Williams-Barnes of Gulfport, said the 49-member group is supporting state Rep. David Baria of Bay St. Louis. Rep. Omeria Scott of Laurel, who is a caucus member, placed third in the six-person Democratic Senate primary on June 5. She endorsed Baria's runoff opponent, venture capitalist Howard Sherman of Meridian, three days later. Asked about the caucus endorsement of Baria, Scott told The Associated Press on Thursday: "Nobody's asked me."
 
You might not have to pay that bill, but you have to know this law
You might not be obligated to pay that sky-high medical bill. That's because of a 5-year-old Mississippi law almost no one seems to know about. Some large medical bills arise when a patient's insurance company doesn't pay the entire billed charges, so the health care provider bills the patient for the balance. This is typical when a patient receives services from a provider they weren't aware was out-of-network. This is also called a "balance bill" and it's prohibited by Mississippi state law. Still, it happens. "Medical providers, a lot of them, truly are not aware of this law," said Michelle Fuller, an employee benefit adviser in Hattiesburg. "When we make them aware of it and the administrators find that it is a legitimate law, they write off the balance bill." Fuller said she sees instances of balance billing -- either with her clients or her peers' clients -- at least once a month, despite it being prohibited by state law.
 
Trump announces tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods
President Trump on Friday announced that the United States would impose tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese products, making good on a threat that has been months in the making. The White House's move is expected to ramp up trade tensions with Beijing and possibly risk a key cooperative partnership to help denuclearize the Korean peninsula. "My great friendship with President Xi of China and our country's relationship with China are both very important to me," Trump said in a statement. "Trade between our nations, however, has been very unfair, for a very long time. This situation is no longer sustainable," he said. The plan faced immediate backlash from major business groups. Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill continued to express concerns about the White House's tariff plans.
 
Inspector general blasts Comey and also says others at FBI showed 'willingness to take official action' to hurt Trump
The Justice Department inspector general on Thursday castigated former FBI director James B. Comey for his actions during the Hillary Clinton email investigation and found that other senior bureau officials showed a "willingness to take official action" to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president. The 500-page report, documenting major missteps in one of the most politically charged cases in the FBI's history, provides the most exhaustive account to date of bureau and Justice Department decision-making throughout the investigation of Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, particularly in the months just before she would lose the presidential election to Trump. The report is a blistering rebuke of Comey, who has spent recent months on a book tour promoting his brand of ethical leadership.
 
Report Gives Trump an Opening, but Undercuts His Narrative
The report that had much of Washington buzzing on Thursday required 500 pages to outline its findings, but to President Trump, three words mattered most -- "we'll stop it." Those were the words that a senior F.B.I. agent texted in August 2016 to a colleague who was worried that Mr. Trump would win the election. For the president, that text seemed to validate his claim of a "deep state" conspiracy out to get him. But the same inspector general report also undercut Mr. Trump's narrative. Whatever the agent, Peter Strzok, meant, the F.B.I. did not "stop" Mr. Trump, nor did the inspector general find evidence it tried. To the extent that the F.B.I. and its director at the time, James B. Comey, did anything wrong in 2016, according to the report, it was to the disadvantage of Mr. Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton.
 
Trump disputes IG report's findings: It 'was a horror show'
President Donald Trump on Friday savaged his Justice Department's watchdog report on the FBI's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation as a "horror show," and disputed its finding that the bureau's management of the high-profile case was not influenced by political bias. "The report, the IG report was a horror show. I thought that one sentence of conclusion was ridiculous," Trump said during an unannounced interview with Fox News on the North Lawn of the White House. "The end result was wrong. There was total bias." Echoing his tweets from earlier Friday morning, the president again singled out FBI agent Peter Strzok for special criticism.
 
Greystar Offers About $3.1 Billion for Education Realty Trust
Greystar Real Estate Partners LLC is in exclusive talks to buy student-housing owner Education Realty Trust Inc. EDR +1.17% for about $3.1 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Closely held Greystar offered $41.50 a share for Education Realty, although it is possible that price could change between now and announcement, which is expected later this week. The timing could slip and it is still possible the companies won't strike a deal. At least one other group is still seeking to seal a purchase of EDR, as Education Realty is also known. Education Realty, based in Memphis, Tenn., is a real-estate investment trust that owns and manages facilities with more than 42,300 beds serving 50 universities across 25 states.
 
Governor at Pearl River Community College for opening of new lab: It's the future
Gov. Phil Bryant was on hand Thursday for the official opening of a new Industrial Electronics Technology Lab at Pearl River Community College's Forrest County Center. The lab is preparing students to enter Hattiesburg's manufacturing workforce under an industrial electronics program recently instituted at the school. "I am here celebrating the fact that Pearl River Community College has this great Industrial Electronics Technology Lab," Bryant said. "This is a laboratory. This is a classroom. "But it's also the future. As we look at advanced manufacturing across Mississippi, these are the very jobs that are in demand today." Bryant said graduates of the program can expect to make $20 to $25 an hour. And he said jobs would be plentiful. "The manufacturing we're looking at in Mississippi will continue to grow," he said.
 
Auburn University raises tuition, following across-the-board increases in state
Auburn University's Board of Trustees last week approved a 2 percent increase of tuition for the 2019-2020 school year. Since 2016, the university's tuition has been steadily rising by 3 percent each year. Because of an increase in state funds, the annual rise in tuition was lower this year. The University of Alabama System is also facing tuition increases at a slightly higher rate of 2.9 percent for in-state students attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a 4 percent increase at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The University of Alabama System has consistently kept their fees below those of Auburn. "Auburn University is committed to controlling costs for its students and their families, as evidenced by our Board of Trustees' recent decision to hold the tuition increase for fall 2019 at 2 percent compared to 3 percent as in years past," said the President's office in a statement to Al.com.
 
Auburn University vet uses acupuncture to treat horses for chronic pain, other conditions
An Auburn University equine veterinarian is having success treating horses with chronic pain and other conditions by using a form of integrative medicine -- acupuncture. Dr. Kara Lascola, an associate professor of equine internal medicine in the Department of Clinical Sciences, says acupuncture, a key component of traditional Chinese medicine, has been used in humans for over a thousand years. "In veterinary medicine, it has become more widespread in just the last 10-15 years," she said. "While it is probably used more commonly on dogs, I routinely use acupuncture on horses for pain management associated with musculoskeletal conditions -- such as arthritis, and for treating neuropathies." Veterinarians must be trained and certified to practice acupuncture, and Auburn has small- and large-animal veterinary faculty certified to practice this technique
 
Timberman's $7.5M gift to help build U. of Arkansas wood design center
The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville plans to build a wood design center with the help of $7.5 million from the chairman of an Arkansas timber company and his wife. The gift from John Ed and Isabel Anthony supports creation of the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation, UA announced Thursday, with the total project estimated to cost $15 million. The center would add to recent university efforts at boosting wood construction methods, such as a residence hall, estimated to cost $79 million, scheduled to open in 2019 and considered the first U.S. student housing built using a type of large wooden panel known as cross-laminated timber.
 
It just got easier for U. of South Carolina students recovering from substance abuse to find help
Long before Chase Loveless overdosed, his father knew something was wrong. Bruce Loveless had been taught drug addiction was the result of a personal choice, something that one could overcome if they tried hard enough. He pushed his son -- whose addiction likely stemmed from pain pills he was given after having wisdom teeth removed, Bruce said -- to overcome his addiction through tough love and sheer willpower. "I didn't know, and I did everything wrong," Bruce Loveless said. Chase, 23, died of an opioid overdose on January 22, 2014, just months before graduating from the University of South Carolina. Though Chase never overcame his addiction, Bruce thinks a program for Gamecocks trying to stay sober after an addiction could have helped save his son's life. That's why he and USC students recovering from drug and alcohol addiction pushed for the university to join about 200 other colleges and universities in creating a recovery program for college students.
 
Irate at Texas A&M's Handling of Sexual-Abuse Cases, 2 Women Ignite a Blaze on Social Media
Texas A&M University at College Station is facing a social-media firestorm over its handling of sexual-abuse complaints after two women who say they were victimized by athletes at A&M posted their accounts online. Both athletes, a swimmer and a football player, were initially suspended but later allowed to rejoin their teams. The two women, whose accounts on Twitter and Facebook over the past week quickly went viral, have accused the university of failing to take their complaints seriously enough. Their public campaigns to bring attention to what they consider the university's tepid response to sexual misconduct prompted more than a dozen other current and former A&M students to post similar accusations.
 
Faculty leaves cut in U. of Missouri budget; some programs could see reinstatement
The Chancellor's Distinguished Visitors Program and Lecture Series, faculty development leaves, project awards and research leaves made up less than 1 percent of the more than $29 million budget the University of Missouri provost was allocated for the 2018 fiscal year. However, the programs make up about 10 percent of the required reduction for the provost's office, said MU spokesman Christian Basi. Cutting the programs would save the provost's office $282,037, Basi said. The Chancellor's Distinguished Visitors Program brought people such as zoologist Jane Goodall and historian David McCullough to MU. "Another wise investment was the Chancellor's Distinguished Visitors Program, which has unfortunately been suspended until further notice," Stephen Karian, an associate professor and associate chair of the Department of English, said in an email. "This program has a small budget, only $36,000, and it has helped bring to MU and Columbia many important scholars and artists from across the world."
 
Discussions at AAUP meeting shows range of views on free speech
"In the last five years, we've certainly have an increasing number of free speech confrontations on many campuses across the country," George Waldner, president emeritus of York College, said to a room full of nodding professors. "Halloween costumes at Yale, the 'Trump' chalkings at Emory University ...There have probably been 30 or 40 of these [incidents] in the last five years." Waldner was referring to the 2015 resignation of a Yale University lecturer who defended students' right to wear whatever Halloween costumes they wanted, and the controversy surrounding pro-Trump sidewalk chalk messages at Emory University in 2016. But more broadly, he was getting at issues of free speech. These controversies, and the freedom of speech questions that inevitably accompany them, were the focal point of numerous sessions at the American Association of University Professors 2018 conference. How do colleges accommodate diversity of thought while keeping their students safe? How do they protect against public relations crises without sacrificing freedom of speech? It was clear Thursday that the jury is still out.
 
Chicago Drops SAT/ACT Requirement: Will Others Follow?
The University of Chicago on Thursday morning announced that it was dropping the requirement that all undergraduate applicants submit SAT or ACT scores. Hundreds of colleges -- including elite liberal arts colleges -- have stopped requiring the SAT or ACT. But Chicago's move is the first by one of the very top research universities in the country. And the move is striking coming from an institution, known for its academic rigor, that has had no difficulty attracting top applicants. For the class that enrolled in September 2017, the university received 27,694 applicants and admitted 2,419. The middle 50 percent of the range of SAT scores of admitted applicants was 1460 to 1550. Several experts predicted that other top universities might now reconsider testing requirements.
 
What this country really needs
The Mississippi Business Journal's Jack Weatherly writes: "What this nation needs is a national pastime. For starters, put down your cellphone. I don't know about the nation, but the Bulldogs are saving some of us from ourselves. The Mississippi State baseball team has reached the College World Series as probably the most unlikely squad in the final eight. And in doing so, the 'Dogs have reawakened something in me that had been dormant for decades. America's pastime. Or what used to be called that. Some background is needed. Deep background."


SPORTS
 
Mississippi State enjoys surprise run to Omaha
The opening weekend of Mississippi State's baseball season couldn't have been much more demoralizing. The proud program lost three straight games, lost its head coach and had multiple excuses to totally fall apart. Instead, the Bulldogs' season will end at the College World Series. Mississippi State's unlikely road to Omaha comes less than four months after coach Andy Cannizaro resigned on Feb. 20 for off-field conduct . Pitching coach Gary Henderson took over on an interim basis and the struggle to save the season began. It was not an overnight turnaround. "There was no miracle cure, that's for sure," Henderson said.
 
Mississippi State's Rowdey Jordan turned season around after trip home
Rowdey Jordan played shortstop for much of his high school career and had only played outfield occasionally. But for 47 games during his freshman season, Jordan has been Mississippi State's starting left fielder and has made the most of his opportunity to be in the every day lineup the past 29 contests. Jordan began the year as an opening day starter but saw his batting average plummet to .191 by early April. However, that average that was once below the Mendoza line is now up to .333 and ranks second on the team. Part of Jordan's rejuvenation at the plate could possibly be attributed to a trip back to his hometown, Auburn. The Bulldogs played at Auburn on April 13-15 and Jordan started the final two games and has remained in the lineup ever since after stroking a pair of doubles in the series.
 
CWS need-to-know: Info on parking, tailgating, tickets, schedules, bag restrictions and more
Can you take your purse in the stadium? How late can you tailgate? When's that fireworks show again? There's lots to know before the first pitch. Whether it's your first time attending, or you're a College World Series veteran, here's a run-down guide and everything you need to know to prepare for the CWS. The daylong Opening Celebration kicks everything off Friday, and games are every day, from Saturday through June 23. The three-game championship series starts June 25. Fan Fest presented by Capital One will be open every day of the CWS. It features food trucks, vendors, a Ferris wheel and more. It opens two hours before each day's first game in Lot C at 10th and Mike Fahey Streets and runs until the day's second game of the day starts.
 
What you can expect at CWS concessions, including the Colossal Tot
This year there are some lineup changes for stadium treats at the College World Series. Chef Chris Myers ran through the new College World Series menu on Wednesday. There are quite a few new items this year but the star of the game day treats this year has to be this tater tot that's as big as your head. "The Colossal Tot -- they're one pound tater tots," said Myers. "We didn't just want to do another loaded tot like everybody does. Got three different flavors -- there is buffalo blue cheese, there is a chili cheese and a poutine." Every year baseball fans are looking for special food at this special event. There's also a big spread of nachos in a giant carrying case. "We call it the NachOmaha because it has Omaha steaks and a local hot sauce from volcanic peppers on it," said Myers.
 
Mississippi State's Anderson Peters named Bowerman semifinalist
Anderson Peters, Mississippi State's national champion in the javelin, has been selected as one of 10 semifinalists for The Bowerman, collegiate track and field's highest honor. Peters had not appeared on any of the watch lists throughout the season, but his performance at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., last week caught the voters' eyes. The freshman from St. Andrews, Grenada, shattered the meet record with a toss of 82.82m (271-9) on his third throw. "It's been incredibly exciting to watch Anderson this season," head coach Steve Dudley said. "He's our first-ever semifinalist, which just shows you how much this program has grown this year."
 
SEC softball honored with 2017-18 Sportsmanship Award for support of Alex Wilcox
As freshman outfielder Alex Wilcox continued her lengthy battle with ovarian cancer, Mississippi State softball created its "No One Fights Alone" campaign to rally around Wilcox, and the message took on a life of its own. Across the Southeastern Conference, every member of the league's softball program showed their support for Wilcox. On Wednesday, the league office honored the collective group of SEC softball teams as the women's recipient of the 11th annual SEC Sportsmanship Award. "From sending encouraging videos, letters and social media posts to hanging posters in dugouts, every team in the SEC has shown unwavering and selfless support to a very special young woman and has brought MSU's season rallying cry to life that truly no one fights alone," said Mississippi State Athletics Director John Cohen.
 
Anti-sex trafficking campaign will zero in on the College World Series
Sex trafficking occurs in plain sight. So an effort to combat it this month at the College World Series will be very public. Volunteers will pass out informational cards around TD Ameritrade Park, and a message is already being regularly displayed on the large electronic billboard in the new Capitol District. The information on the cards and the display will cite indicators that someone may be a sex trafficking victim. The effort is part of the Not On My Watch campaign to stop sex trafficking. A panel of local and state officials, including Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, introduced the Not On My Watch effort Thursday afternoon at the Omaha Marriott Downtown. Sex trafficking happens everywhere, from downtown Omaha to small towns in Nebraska. Because the College World Series is a national event, it is an opportunity to more broadly spread the message.
 
Arkansas eager to put end to national championship drought
Dave Van Horn has never been one to shy away from a direct answer to a direct question. In fact, if the Arkansas coach is known for anything outside of all the winning teams he's put together during his 30-year coaching career, it's for his honesty. So it shouldn't come as any surprise that Van Horn has been direct this week when talking about the possibility of the Razorbacks winning their first national championship. Because unlike some of the teams Van Horn has taken to the College World Series in the past, this one arrives at Omaha with a better chance than most. This year's trip to the College World Series is the ninth in school history and the fifth in the last 16 seasons under Van Horn.
 
College World Series on Byrne notice
Florida baseball coach Kevin O'Sullivan often refers to soft-spoken junior closer Michael Byrne, as "a starting pitcher who happens to be getting the last three outs of the game." To get Florida to its fourth consecutive College World Series appearance, Byrne had no margin for error in a starter's-like outing. Byrne pitched four scoreless innings to earn the win, allowing Florida to outlast Auburn 3-2 in 11 innings Monday night to win the NCAA Gainesville Super Regional at McKethan Stadium. Byrne struck out the first four batters he faced, but kept his pitch count low, needing just 49 pitches to get through the four frames. He retired the side in order three times. "I tried to make at a simple as I could, not throw as many pitches as I had to," Byrne said. "Just get them back in the dugout."



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