| Wednesday, July 11, 2018 |
| Horse therapy builds empathy, self-confidence | |
 | Therapy can take many forms, and Lori Irvin told Starkville Rotarians that working with horses can offer a sort of healing for some patients. Irvin, an Extension associate with Mississippi State University, works with the Extension Equine Assisted Therapy Programs. During Monday's meeting at Starkville Rotary Club, she focused on the programs the university offers for children and veterans. The therapeutic riding program is primarily housed in West Point, but Irvin said it does some activities at the Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville. The program for children serves those with developmental disabilities, autism, ADHD and other conditions, Irvin said. She said the program once also served adults but has recently become child-focused due to high demand. |
| MSU 2018 Seed Technology Short Course | |
 | Basic considerations for seed-applied technologies and seed treatment processes and equipment applications will be two of many topics covered at this year's Mississippi State University Seed Technology Short Course. The MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station invite seed industry professionals, producers, consultants, and others to attend the 2018 MSU Seed Technology Short Course scheduled for July 31 and Aug. 1 at the Charles W. Capps Jr. Entrepreneurial Center in Stoneville, Miss. The theme of this year's course is Seed Treatments and Enhancements. Participants will learn about seed treatment solutions for commodity, forage, and turf seed applications, treatment products, labels, coatings, application methods, and equipment calibration. |
| Mississippi State's Summer Scholars program well underway | |
 | Comedy and tragedy, love and loss can all be found here, the theater. Mississippi State University welcomed more than six dozen middle and high school students for the 35th Annual Summer Scholars Program. "The art is a vehicle to helping these kids understand themselves, to learn about themselves, and to learn about each other," said Summer Scholar's Production Manager Joe Evans. Evans says in his 35 years working with the program it's still amazing what these students are able to do. "To have the students create their own play right at from scratch. Then they get to see their dream realized in a very short time. What we do is really compressed and is really a challenge to go from nothing to a blank piece of paper and in 3 weeks have a show we put on," said Evans. |
| Top-tier taste: College friends start coffee business with heart | |
 | Collin McIntyre and Josh Tomlin became acquaintances when they were students at Itawamba Community College. Once they moved on to Mississippi State University, they became friends. Today, the business partners consider themselves brothers. Add in their wives, Kelsey and Abby, and they are one big happy family. After graduating from MSU, McIntyre, with a degree in communication management, worked as a restaurant manager in Starkville. Then he and his wife, Kelsey, left their jobs and moved to Alaska for four months as missionaries. "We came back with a different perspective on life," he said. "We wanted to be serving others instead of being self-serving." McIntyre, 25, kicked around several ideas, from a cafe to a food truck to a coffee company. When Tomlin, 24, heard McIntyre wanted to open a coffee company, he thought he might be able to offer him some business advice. |
| CBD is Certainly a Big Deal! | |
 | Barbara Kaplan, as assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State whose research investigates the effects of marijuana on the immune system, writes: What is CBD and how does it differ from marijuana, medical marijuana, and THC? With new cannabis-based medicine available on the US market, it seems like a good time to review some of what we know about THC and CBD, two of the chemicals found in marijuana. ...My work is focused on understanding the degree to which CBD is active in the immune system, which is responsible for protecting you from disease. We and others have shown that cannabinoids, including CBD, do affect the immune system. |
| Black farmers sold defective seeds, suit claims | |
| Black farmers, whose numbers already have dwindled precipitously over the past century, face new hardships after suffering poor yields last year because they were sold "fake" soybean seeds marketed at a Memphis trade show, members of a group representing African-American growers said Tuesday. Leaders of the Memphis-based Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association have filed a class-action lawsuit against Stine Seed Co., the nation's largest independent seed-producer, accusing the Adele, Iowa, firm of targeting African-Americans for sales of defective seeds. At the news conference, BFAA officials distributed laboratory results from Mississippi State University showing that none of the farmers' seeds that had been submitted for testing germinated. |
| The spectacular rise and fall of MoviePass | |
| MoviePass majority shareholder Helios and Matheson was on top of the world last October, its share price shooting up to $32.90 from $2.50 in less than a month. Then things began to go south. Jordan Neyland, an assistant law professor at George Mason University, ran the company's latest financials through the Ohlson model, a financial formula that takes into account things like net income, current assets, and current liabilities in order to predict bankruptcy. Neyland found "a very high probability of bankruptcy, close to 99%," he told MarketWatch, though the model in general can't account for things like the probability of the company being bought out by a competitor. At the same time, "burning cash at this point in the life cycle is fairly common," said D. Brian Blank, an assistant professor of finance at Mississippi State University. He thinks if the company can get the funding it needs in the coming months, it will likely pull through. |
| Everything to Know About Cushing's Disease in Cats | |
| If your cat is diagnosed with Cushing's disease, it can be scary and confusing. So, what exactly is Cushing's disease in cats? "Cushing's disease occurs when a cat's body makes too much of a steroid called cortisol," says Dr. Patty Lathan, associate professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. (Dr. Lathan is an internal medicine specialist who focuses on cats with endocrine diseases, including Cushing's.) Cortisol regulates metabolism, reduces inflammation and helps control blood sugar. If your cat has too much cortisol in her body it may lead to multiple medical conditions. Dr. Lathan says that these conditions include "diabetes that's difficult to control, fragile skin and extreme hunger." |
| Grand Junction condos opening in August 2019 | |
 | A four-story condominium complex, Grand Junction, on University Drive next to City Bagel will open next summer. Tabor Construction and Development and Progressive Properties are the developers for the project. Tabor Vice President of Development Kay Regimbal said dirt work on the property has been done, and construction is set to start within 30 days. The project will be complete in August of 2019. Regimbal said the project will take place in three phases, with the first phase consisting of 22 condominiums, a fitness center for residents, parking and site work. Regimbal said phase one, which will be the corner of the building near City Bagel, will also feature 2,776 square feet of commercial space with an outdoor patio area and on-site management that will allow owners to rent their condos weekly, monthly, eight-week or long-term stays. |
| OCH, UMMC highlight affiliation goals | |
| OCH Regional Medical Center and the University of Mississippi Medical Center hope partnering can improve health care in Oktibbeha County. That was the general theme of a joint press conference held during an affiliation celebration to mark the partnership between the two hospitals. New OCH CEO Jim Jackson said the hospital is no stranger to the challenges of rural health care. He said the hospital faces the same challenges many other hospitals do, from declining reimbursements for the same services to declining volumes and increased operational costs. UMMC CEO Kevin Cook, present at Monday's celebration, said the changing health care landscape is putting pressure on physicians and hospitals everywhere. He said small, community hospitals feel those pressures particularly acutely. |
| Starkville clinic under federal investigation | |
 | A clinic in Starkville was forced to close its doors Tuesday amidst a federal investigation. According to a report by WCBI, the Starkville Internal Medicine Clinic was shut down around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning after a visit from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. No arrests have been made but Don White, Sr. Media Relations Specialist with the Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services did confirm to WCBI that a warrant had been served. The building and property is owned by Oktibbeha County Hospital Regional Medical Center but is leased by Dr. Ben Sanford. In a statement to the local media, OCH said it does not own manage the practice housed at the clinic. |
| Report: 29 fired at Yokohama over WorkKeys fraud | |
| Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Company in West Point is investigating employees in possession of fraudulent WorkKeys certificates. The company has terminated 29 employees due to not meeting pre-employment requirements, including the score of a silver or higher on the WorkKeys assessment, WCBI reported. The Dispatch left several messages with spokespeople from Yokohama's Human Resources department to verify that information, but they did not return calls by press time. The Golden Triangle Development LINK is aware of the investigation though it didn't have any details about the situation, according to LINK Vice President Macaulay Whitaker. |
| Hawkeye Industries investing $3M, adding 10 jobs | |
| Hawkeye Industries in Tupelo is investing another $3 million and adding 10 jobs to meet growing demand in its core business, as well as its entry into the high-volume laser processing of tubing market. Hawkeye Industries is a contract sheet metal fabricator, using metal manufacturing technologies that include state-of-the-art laser cutting, punching, forming and welding. The company's investment includes the addition of new equipment and renovations to its existing facility to accommodate the new laser tube processing line. "We repurposed our original building and reorganized the plant," said Hawkeye President and CEO Bryan Hawkins, who founded the company in 1995. The Mississippi Development Authority provided a $75,000 grant for storm water drainage and concrete for the expansion. Lee County and the Tombigbee Water Management District are helping with erosion containment and repair of an adjacent major creek bank. |
| Attendance beats expectations at Mississippi history museums | |
 | Two Mississippi history museums have attracted more visitors in their first seven months than officials predicted for an entire year. More than 185,000 people have toured the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the adjoining Museum of Mississippi History since they opened in December as part of the state's bicentennial celebration, state Department of Archives and History director Katie Blount said Tuesday. Blount said visitors have come from all 82 counties in Mississippi and several countries, including Australia, Brazil, China, France, Japan, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Almost 100,000 students, from kindergarten to high school, have visited. |
| Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson Launches Genuine MS Program | |
 | Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson announced the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce's new state branding program, Genuine MS, to the public Tuesday at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum. Gipson kicked off the Genuine MS launch by showing a short video that explained the program through the eyes of the four inaugural Genuine MS companies --- Two Brooks Farm of Sumner, Simmons Farm Raised Catfish of Yazoo City, Flathau's Fine Foods of Petal, and Short Line Manufacturing of Shaw. He then reiterated their sentiments and delved further into the program's purpose. Genuine MS was developed by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce to identify and promote products proudly created or produced by Mississippi farmers, artisans, entrepreneurs and manufacturers. |
| MDOT puts brakes on building road near Lt. Gov. Reeves' neighborhood | |
| Mississippi's transportation commissioners have halted movement on building a $2 million road from Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' neighborhood to a nearby shopping hub. Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall said that a Clarion Ledger article about the project and concerns raised by Mississippi Department of Transportation Director Melinda McGrath that the road was being built because of political pressure prompted commissioners to postpone taking bids on the project this month. "I'm not saying we're not going to do it, but we're going to postpone it and re-evaluate the need for it," Hall said. He said he spoke with his two fellow elected commissioners and they decided to hold off on bidding out the project while they examine it further. |
| Lawmakers requested $163M for pet projects even as they criticized MDOT spending | |
| Legislative leaders have requested more than $163 million for dozens of special transportation projects in their districts, a Mississippi Today analysis shows. About half of those requests received funding, sometimes pushing other projects deemed necessary to enhance public safety lower on the list, records show. A long standing practice in the Legislature, these earmark requests, made between 2012 and 2018, have continued while top lawmakers sharply criticized fiscal and operational management at the Mississippi Department of Transportation. Scrutiny over management of the agency has also resulted in attempts in recent years to strip the department of its spending authority. |
| NATO summit: Trump calls Germany a 'captive of Russia,' slams other European allies | |
 | President Trump unleashed a blistering attack Wednesday on Germany and other NATO allies, wasting no time to take the offensive before a week of high-stakes diplomacy on both sides of the former Cold War divide. The series of meetings -- beginning with NATO and capped by a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin -- has been largely framed around Trump's claims that Washington bears an unfair burden to help protect its allies. "Germany, as far as I'm concerned, is captive to Russia because it's getting so much of its energy from Russia," Trump told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in a fiery on-camera exchange that was among the harshest in the history of the post-World War II alliance. |
| Lawsuits alleging weed killer Roundup caused cancer gets green light | |
 | Hundreds of lawsuits claiming Monsanto's weed killer Roundup caused cancer were given the green light to proceed to trial, a San Francisco judge ruled Tuesday. The chemical glyphosate, an active ingredient in Roundup, is at the center of the debate. Cancer victims and families presenting cases say Monsanto knew about the ingredient's risk for years, but failed to warn buyers. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria said there's "rather weak" evidence the ingredient causes cancer, but the opinions of three experts linking glyphosate and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were not "junk science." Monsanto Vice President Scott Partridge denies any connection between glyphosate and cancer. |
| Ex-Apple engineer arrested on his way to China, charged with stealing company's autonomous car secrets | |
| For about two years, Xiaolang Zhang was privy to information to which many in the tech world can only dream of having access: the inner workings of Apple's secretive autonomous car research. Over the weekend, the former Apple engineer was arrested by U.S. authorities at San Jose International Airport while preparing to board a flight to China and charged with stealing proprietary information related to Apple's self-driving car project. At the time of his arrest, he said he was working for a Chinese start-up that is also developing autonomous vehicles, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in San Jose on Monday by the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office. |
| Michael Miles replaces Jay Dean at Southern Miss' symphony orchestra | |
 | As the University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra plans its 99th concert season, new leadership is in the wings, taking over from the renowned Jay Dean, who retired this year after being conductor of the orchestra for 30 years. During that time, Dean brought legendary performers to the symphony and attracted scores of talented international students. But now, a new leader is on tap -- Michael Miles, former director of the Music School for six years and associate director for four years. He steps in as interim director of orchestral activities, while Dean remains on as associate dean for arts and external relations. How will the new leadership structure work? What will happen to the symphony orchestra? Here are five things that might surprise you. |
| EMCC's Leah Jackson receives competitive award to conduct biomedical research | |
 | This summer, East Mississippi Community College student Leah Jackson was selected as part of a group of only 34 students in Mississippi to participate in a biomedical research internship through Mississippi IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence Research Scholars program. Jackson spent her first week of the internship at the University of Southern Mississippi learning laboratory basics and safety techniques. During this time, she was also able to hear from professionals about graduate programs, resume and interviewing tips, and presenting at professional conferences. After completing this training week, Jackson began working with Dr. Padmanava Dash at Mississippi State University to complete the remaining 10 weeks of her internship. |
| President of U. of Alabama in Huntsville plans to retire | |
 | University of Alabama in Huntsville President Robert Altenkirch has announced plans to retire once a successor takes office. Altenkirch made the announcement in a memorandum released Monday. The retirement is expected to occur in the 2018-19, academic year, according to System Chancellor Ray Hayes, who earlier announced plans to step down at the end of July. Altenkirch will continue serving as president until the search for his successor is completed, Hayes said. No timeline for the search was announced Monday. Altenkirch's departure is not expected to impact the timeline for the search for Hayes' successor, system spokeswoman Kellee Reinhart said. Board members praised Altenkirch's leadership since his appointment in 2011. |
| Arkansas Scholarship Lottery tops $91M for state students; year's revenue at record $500M | |
| The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery raised $91.9 million for college scholarships in the fiscal year that ended June 30 -- the third-largest amount that it's raised in nine years of operation. And the lottery collected a record $500.4 million of revenue in fiscal 2018, exceeding the previous peak of $473.6 million in fiscal 2012. The only other fiscal years that the lottery raised more than $90 million for college scholarships were fiscal 2011 and 2012. Net proceeds totaled $94.2 million and $97.5 million, respectively. Fiscal 2018 is the third consecutive year that the lottery raised more for college scholarships than in the previous fiscal year. The lottery's revenue and net proceeds peaked in fiscal 2012 before they dropped for three consecutive fiscal years. |
| UGA poetry series to feature notable authors | |
 | The summer poetry series "A Seat in the Shade" kicks off this week with a slate of notable writers that include Georgia's poet laureate. Hosted by Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor, a professor in the University of Georgia College of Education, the weekly readings start Wednesday and continue July 18 and 25. The final performance is July 26, with a special reading by Cahnmann-Taylor and student poets who attend the readings as part of a class. Readings take place 5-7 p.m. each date at Hendershots Coffee, 237 Prince Ave., Athens. The poetry event began six years ago in conjunction with Cahnmann-Taylor's summer poetry class that encourages students -- often Georgia teachers pursuing a graduate degree -- to think outside the box in their writing. |
| Texas A&M's Formula SAE team takes checkered flag again | |
 | An Aggie dynasty is off to the races -- again. The Texas A&M University Formula SAE team won its seventh national championship late last month at the Society of Automotive Engineers International competition in Lincoln, Nebraska. The all-undergraduate team of 22 mechanical engineers won first place in the overall competition. A&M's program also won titles in 2000, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2017. The SAE International program is an engineering design competition for undergraduate and graduate students. The competition gives students the opportunity to design Formula-style race cars. The Texas A&M program is "inherently unique" in part because only undergrad students participate, according to Yuval Doron, a mechanical engineering lecturer and adviser for the team. |
| A Flagship's Proposed Slogan -- 'The World Needs More Cowboys' -- Draws Fire Out West | |
 | n early April, Ellen Currano got an email from the University of Wyoming's marketing department asking if she'd appear in a promotional video for a newly proposed marketing campaign. She was surprised, then angry. It wasn't the idea of being in a promotional video that Currano objected to, but the slogan on which the entire campaign hinges: "The world needs more cowboys." "Honestly, I thought it was a joke at first," said Currano, an associate professor in the department of geology and geophysics. The tag line has incited a battle on the flagship campus, in Laramie. On one side are faculty members who say it excludes women, people of color, and Native Americans. On the other is the administration, which says the slogan is part of a purposefully inclusive campaign that seeks to dismantle the traditional image of a cowboy and that plays on the university's mascot. |
| Bill Clinton, George W. Bush to Join 59 Scholars in Arkansas | |
| Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will join dozens of scholars who've been focusing on topics ranging from immigration to veterans issues. Graduation ceremonies are planned Thursday in Little Rock for the 59 Presidential Leadership Scholars. The event at the Clinton Presidential Center is not open to the public but will be streamed live at PresidentialLeadershipScholars.org. The scholars, for the past six months, worked together to learn about leadership through the presidential experiences of Clinton and Bush, plus former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Lyndon B. Johnson. |
| Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh will face confirmation firestorm | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: After much prime time buildup, Trump announced Monday night his nomination of U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the nation's highest court to succeed the retiring Presiding Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kavanaugh's nomination comes about 18 months after Trump's successful nomination of former Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Neil M. Gorsuch of Denver to the U.S. Supreme Court to succeed the late Presiding Justice Antonin Scalia. ...It's highly unlikely that Kavanaugh's confirmation process will go as smoothly as Gorsuch's. |
SPORTS
| And the beat goes on | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Logan Lowery writes: The saying "the beat goes on" has held true yet again. After surviving the mass media exodus of 2018, I took some overdue time off but the Mississippi State beat still moved on in my absence. Let's take a look back at what went on with the Bulldogs over the last eight days. ...SEC Media Days start next week in Atlanta with MSU taking its turn on Wednesday. Football practice is also right around the corner, getting underway on Aug. 3. |
| Greg Byrne shares vision for Alabama's major facilities | |
 | What changes could be on the horizon for Alabama's two largest athletic facilities? There's no room left for football national championship plaques on the Walk of Champions outside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Coleman Coliseum, home to Alabama's basketball and gymnastics teams, is showing its age at 50 years old. Details about the future of each facility have been scarce, but Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne recently shared his thoughts in an interview with AL.com's Lauren Sisler. "We have to continue to reinvest in our success and see what our next steps are," Byrne said. "Sometimes they're just little minor projects, sometimes they're bigger ones." |
| Auburn University Signs Dyehard Fan Supply to New, Multi-Year Agreement | |
| Auburn University has selected Dyehard Fan Supply, an event and retail merchandise marketing and e-commerce company, as the official merchandiser for the school's athletics programs in a new, multi-year agreement. Dyehard will handle e-commerce, game day, at-event merchandising, and permanent, on-site store merchandising for the Tigers beginning July 1, 2018. "Dyehard will provide Auburn athletics with a comprehensive e-commerce strategy focused on growing our brand and providing our fans a unique merchandise experience," Director of Athletics Allen Greene said. "They will use local vendors as much as possible in combination with national vendors and will have a local warehouse ready to supply merchandise for our fans in a timely manner." |
| After 2nd-place finish at CWS, Razorbacks' Dave Van Horn receives contract extension | |
| Dave Van Horn just completed his 16th season as the Arkansas Razorbacks' baseball coach, and he's planning on coaching a lot more. Van Horn said Tuesday night that he has agreed to a contract extension. Talking to the media before an appearance at the Harrison Area Razorback Club, Van Horn indicated the extension will be through the 2023 season with options for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Van Horn's current contract, extended in July of 2015, runs through the 2021 season. His annual financial package before bonuses is $775,000. The Razorbacks finished second at the College World Series to Oregon State this season in their fifth CWS appearance under Van Horn. Van Horn said he's hopeful for a facility at Baum Stadium that will include a new locker room, weight room and nutrition center along with a pregame warm-up area and that it is completed for the 2021 season if not sooner. |
| Kentucky football not alone in declining ticket sales | |
 | Columnist John Clay writes for the Lexington Herald-Leader: So season ticket sales for Kentucky football's 2018 campaign are down 10 percent from a year ago. The numbers suggest UK has plenty of company. Fact is, actual game attendance is down for most every major sport, with college football no exception. The NCAA's numbers last year revealed average attendance for the 129 FBS teams dropped by 1,409 fans per game from 2017 to 2016. That's the largest decline since 1983, a span of 34 years. Despite its national success and the fervor of its fan bases, the SEC hasn't been immune from this trend. Last year, the SEC's average attendance dropped 2,433 per game, its biggest drop since 1992. The average of 75,074 was its lowest since 2005. ...Another alarming trend is the lack of students in the stands. |
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