| Thursday, July 12, 2018 |
| Rock and roll is noise pollution, Mississippi State study shows | |
 | A recent study by Mississippi State University researchers shows that contrary to what rock band AC/DC famously hypothesized in its 1980 classic song, rock and roll is noise pollution and can have a harmful effect on environmental systems. Researchers in MSU's Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture exposed ecosystems of lady beetles, aphids (small agricultural pests) and soybean plants to rock music, country music and more conventional urban sounds to test the effects of noise on an environment. As part of the experiment, ecosystems "shook all night long" to AC/DC's "Back in Black" album, repeated for two consecutive weeks. The album contains the band's hit "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution." |
| Mississippi State study shows rock and roll is noise pollution | |
 | A recent study by Mississippi State University researchers -- including a Russellville native -- shows that contrary to what rock band AC/DC famously hypothesized in its 1980 classic song, rock and roll is noise pollution and can have a harmful effect on environmental systems. Brandon Barton, the paper's lead author and avid AC/DC fan, said he was "thunderstruck" by the results. The experiment was designed in part to help recruit undergraduate students to Barton's lab. However, he quickly learned that most students knew some of AC/DC's songs through events like football games but knew relatively little about the band -- like Russellville native Mariah Hodge. Now a master's student in biological sciences, Hodge enrolled at Mississippi State after beginning her higher education at Northwest-Shoals Community College in Alabama. |
| Looks Like Rock 'N' Roll Is Noise Pollution, After All | |
| Humans and their constant barrage of noise cause all sorts of problems for wildlife. But new research suggests noise pollution may do more than impact individual animals -- it can potentially modify whole ecosystems by messing with how predators interact with their prey. How did scientists figure this out? By blasting plants and insects with AC/DC, of course. For Brandon Barton, a community ecologist at Mississippi State University and lead author on the study published Tuesday in the journal Ecology and Evolution, the original inspiration for seeing how ecosystems handle being forced to chronically rock out came from AC/DC directly, specifically the Australian rock band's 1980 album Back in Black. While much scientific attention had been given to testing noise pollution's direct effect on single species, few studies have looked at whether these effects rippled through the ecosystem. |
| Study: AC/DC's 'Back in Black' experiment shows rock IS noise pollution | |
 | For those about to rock, be careful. You may be less productive if you decide to shake all night long. I bet you're thinking hells bells right about now, huh? You can blame science and a group of researchers at Mississippi State University. A recent study by the researchers shows that contrary to what metal icons AC/DC famously hypothesized in their 1980 classic song, "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution," rock music can have a harmful effect on environmental systems. Researchers in MSU's Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture exposed ecosystems of lady beetles, aphids (small agricultural pests) and soybean plants to rock music, country music and more conventional urban sounds to test the effects of noise on an environment. As part of the experiment, ecosystems didn't much care for AC/DC's "Back in Black" album, repeated for two consecutive weeks, according to an MSU news release. |
| Mississippi State professor combines heavy metal, biology in research project | |
 | A Mississippi State University laboratory recently plucked the strings on some pretty rockin' research. MSU Department of Biology assistant professor Brandon Barton and a team of students looked closely at the effect of various music and sounds on ecosystems. Baton said he was inspired while listening to one of his favorite heavy metal bands. Barton also said the two students working under him on the project both decided to pursue graduate studies in biological sciences, rather than their original programs. He then acknowledged his students and colleagues for their role in the research. "I don't think anybody's actually concerned about rock and roll affecting soybeans," Barton said. "The idea is the proof of concept that noise pollution can affect soybeans. We used rock and roll, but it could be the noise from cities encroaching into agricultural landscapes, highways, tractors." |
| Aldermen interview four candidates for Starkville parks director | |
 | Starkville aldermen are set to hire a new parks director after interviewing four candidates for most of Tuesday afternoon. The city is searching for a new director of the Parks and Recreation Department after former director Herman Peters was fired at the beginning of the year and arrested for his suspected role in embezzling more than $21,000 between January 2015 and January 2017. Three other parks and recreation employees were also fired for embezzling in the same time frame. Four candidates, including current interim parks director Gerry Logan, were selected for Tuesday's interviews. Aldermen also interviewed Reginald Burton, of Merrillville, Indiana; Edward Smith, of Jackson, Tennessee; and Digby Whyte, of Bordeaux, France. |
| Asian Market expanding into restaurant | |
| The Asian Market on Highway 12 is changing to Asian Foods Market Restaurant and will include a new eatery. Asian Foods Market Restaurant is located at 210 Highway 12 across the highway from Pizza Hut. Manager Kevin Yang said the food market is expanding to include a restaurant that will offer customers an authentic Asian dining experience. "We expanded the grocery side. It's now triple the size," Yang said. "You can come in through the market side and then there's a door that leads you to the restaurant side." Yang said customers can either bring in food to be cooked or order off the menu. "For example, if the customer would like, they can pick a lobster, and we can cook it," Yang said. |
| Next phase of Lowndes County horse park underway | |
| The Lowndes County Horse Park is located on a 22-acre site west of Columbus, and Board of Supervisors President Harry Sanders hopes it will be the place to hold horse shows, livestock shows, county fairs and other outdoor and agricultural activities. The site currently houses the Lowndes County Extension Service office. Extension Agent Reid Nevins said the location has helped the department grow exponentially within the year, as well as give the department a place to actively work on their mission of teaching the community skills while focusing on the participation aspect of learning. "(The building) has been a godsend," Nevins said. "Since we moved in during April of last year, we have had over 5,000 people walk through those doors. ... That's not phone calls, that's coming in the door and interacting and asking questions and participating." The next phase is the horse park -- a planned 45,000 square-foot open-air arena. |
| Nissan announces new Canton leader | |
| Nissan announced on Wednesday senior management changes to its automobile production facility in Madison County. Steve Marsh, vice president, manufacturing, will return to Nissan Manufacturing United Kingdom as vice president. Marsh has served as vice president of the Canton facility since 2015 and was instrumental in leading new model launches of the Nissan Murano and Nissan Titan. Succeeding Marsh will be Philip Calhoun, who is named vice president, manufacturing. Calhoun currently is senior director, manufacturing operations, Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant, a positon in which he has served since October 2017. He brings more than 25 years of broad experience in manufacturing and quality roles, including site management for assembly and powertrain plants with other automotive manufacturers. All appointments are effective Sept. 1. |
| McDade's sold to Louisiana chain; Rainbow Co-op to close | |
 | McDade's Market, a small family-owned chain of grocery stores, has been sold to Louisiana-based Durnin Group. McDade's Wine and Spirits in the Maywood Mart of north Jackson also has been sold. The Durnin Group will rename the two of the four groceries as Froogel's, a chain with stores on the Mississippi Coast, according to Find It in Fondren, a community newspaper that focuses that part of Jackson. The Jackson Free Press reports that another community grocery, Rainbow Co-op," has decided to close its store at 2807 Old Canton Road in Fondren by he end of the month. The store's directors voted to seek Chapter 11 reorganization in March. The Free Press quoted general manager Bryan Carrero as saying the store, which opened in 1980, is seeking another site. |
| Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves asks MDOT for proof of political pressure so he can investigate, take corrective action | |
| Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves denies any involvement in the decision to construct a $2 million frontage road from his subdivision to a traffic light to provide easier access to busy Lakeland Drive in Rankin County. At a news conference at the Capitol Wednesday, where he accused members of the media of either being confused or of intentionally misrepresenting facts, Reeves said he would send a letter to Mississippi Department of Transportation executive director Melinda McGrath asking who in the Senate tried to influence the agency to construct the frontage road. In an article earlier this week in the Clarion Ledger, McGrath said "political pressure" from the Senate led to the decision of MDOT to commit to constructing the frontage road. "I am not aware of any undue influence on that particular project," Reeves countered Wednesday to members of the media during a news conference in a Senate committee room. |
| Commissioner Dick Hall takes blame for road to Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' subdivision | |
| Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday he had nothing to do with a push for a state road being built from the entrance of his gated subdivision to a nearby shopping hub and said if there were any inappropriate legislative influence on the project, he wants to know about it and investigate. Reeves said if his staff communicated with the Mississippi Department of Transportation about the road, it's because his neighbors or other constituents wanted updates on it, not him. He said his staff routinely inquires about state road projects on behalf of constituents or other elected officials who can't get information. He also accused the Clarion Ledger of "creating a story that doesn't exist" and other media of suffering confusion at best, or practicing "conflagration." |
| MDOT Cuts off Road Funding to Jackson | |
| Federal funding for the North State Street TIGER grant project has been cut off, at least temporarily. On Monday, the Mississippi Department of Transportation suspended funding for the project. In a letter dated July 9, the agency said it was suspending federal and state funding on all projects under construction in the city, because the city had not completed its audit. "MDOT has suspended payments to the city of Jackson and future projects will not be considered," according to the letter, which was signed by P. Diane Gavin, the agency's audit director. "The suspension is effective immediately." The audit was due to the agency on June 30 but had not been completed at press time. The audit has been delayed after a new independent auditing firm discovered discrepancies in some of the city's past accounting systems. |
| State lawmaker addresses prison employees shortage | |
 | Staffing concerns have been an issue for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. As recent as October of last year, MDOC transferred 400 inmates from the South Mississippi Correctional Institution due to staff shortages. The prison in Leakesville is the same facility convicted murderer Michael Wilson escaped from last week. State Sen. Brice Wiggins serves on the Senate Corrections committee and he recognizes the challenges of keeping jails secure. "We're dealing with criminals that have a lot of time on their hands," said Wiggins. Wiggins said part of what he believes makes the challenge of dealing with those criminals hard to overcome is an under paid and under trained work force. In the last two years, crackdowns at South Mississippi Correctional Institution have produced large amounts of contraband including cell phones, drugs and sharp objects. In multiple instances prison employees have been arrested for smuggling in contraband. |
| Two go to runoff in Rankin, Simpson for Mississippi House seat | |
 | Two candidates are heading to a special election runoff to fill a seat in the Mississippi House. Hayes Patrick and Price Wallace advanced from a field of five candidates Tuesday in District 77 in parts of Rankin and Simpson counties. Patrick runs a country store in Puckett, and Wallace is a farmer from Mendenhall. The runoff is July 31. The winner will serve until January 2020, finishing a term started by Republican Andy Gipson of Braxton. He had been in the House since 2008 and left in April when Republican Gov. Phil Bryant appointed him state agriculture commissioner. |
| U.S. Reopens Investigation Into Emmett Till Slaying | |
 | The federal government has quietly revived its investigation into the murder of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old African-American boy whose abduction and killing in 1955 remains among the starkest and most searing examples of racial violence in the South. In a report submitted to Congress in late March, the Department of Justice said it had reopened its inquiry "based upon the discovery of new information," but it did not elaborate and declined to comment further on Thursday. The government has not announced any new charges in connection with its investigation, and it is unclear whether prosecutors will ultimately be able to bring a case against anyone. The woman who made the allegations against Till remains alive, and her account has shifted through the years. |
| Rep. Trent Kelly broaches trade, immigration with local GOP | |
| U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly waded into a thicket of contentious national issues before a friendly audience of Lee County Republicans this week. Immigration, trade policy and upcoming midterm elections all surfaced as Kelly, a Republican representing Mississippi's 1st Congressional District, spoke to a crowd fielded by the local GOP club Monday night. Tariffs surfaced early in the congressman's remarks. Kelly described himself as "apprehensive" about certain trade policies currently in force but didn't directly criticize President Donald Trump. The Republican congressman was also quick to echo several of the president's talking points about the "unfair trade practices" of countries like China. |
| Hyundai union: Alabama plant could be first shut down under tariff plan | |
 | Hyundai Motor Co.'s labor union said Thursday that steep auto tariffs the U.S. is considering could cost tens of thousands of American jobs, echoing concerns of the global auto industry as spiraling trade conflicts between the U.S. and other major economies heat up. The labor union at South Korea's largest auto company said in a statement that if President Donald Trump goes ahead with imposing 25 percent auto tariffs, it will hurt Hyundai's U.S. sales and jeopardize some 20,000 jobs at a Hyundai factory in Alabama. The U.S. Department of Commerce is investigating whether auto imports pose enough national security threats to justify tariffs. While there are views that the threat of auto tariffs is a negotiating ploy, there are also concerns that the Trump administration could deliver on the threats as it has done with China. |
| South Carolina Chamber to lawmakers: Stop Trump's auto tariffs | |
 | The South Carolina business community is sounding alarm bells over President Donald Trump's trade policies as Republicans in the state's congressional delegation try to ease frayed nerves. But the stakes are getting higher for some of the state's biggest manufacturers, and they're asking Washington lawmakers to step in and speak up. S.C. Chamber of Commerce president Ted Pitts sent a letter Tuesday to each of the nine S.C. congressmen in Washington, imploring them to do "whatever it takes to inform the administration about the jobs at risk" in imposing tariffs on imported automobiles." The German car manufacturing giant BMW has a massive plant in Greer. Though it has not announced plans to reduce the workforce there, many fear layoffs could come later as BMW prepares to skirt tariffs by ramping up SUV production in China. Volvo of Sweden is preparing to start building cars near Charleston later this year but is questioning whether to add 2,000 additional jobs as originally planned, citing the tariffs. |
| Eaglepalooza 2018 to be held in downtown Hattiesburg, first since 2015 | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi and the city of Hattiesburg are teaming up to bring Eaglepalooza back to downtown for the first time since 2015. City and university officials announced Wednesday the venue for the popular free concert, which traditionally features pop or R&B artists. Officials gathered at Main and Front streets to divulge the news, saying the concert stages would be set up nearby where downtown businesses could sell their goods and cater to the crowds. "I am proud to announce that the University of Southern Mississippi and the Student Government Association have partnered with the city of Hattiesburg and the Downtown Hattiesburg Association to host the 2018 Eaglepalooza, which will take place right here Sept. 15," said McKenna Stone, Student Government Association president. "This year, we will not just host one stage, but we will host two stages." |
| At Northeast Mississippi CC tech camp, remote control robots for more than just racing | |
| Mason Stone clenched his teeth and leaned over the pool. The robot submarine connected to his remote control bumped into part of the under-water obstacle course and floated toward the surface. After he reset and completed the course, the next eager camper in line quickly snatched up the joysticks. Wednesday afternoon at Northeast Mississippi Community College, middle and high school students weren't just racing each other by the pool. At Tiger Tech Camp they are wiring, drilling and water-proofing their own robot submarines. With hands-on experience, the camp aims to inspire students to pursue careers in technology. "I want my future job to be in mechanical engineering. I like doing stuff like that," said Stone, a 12-year-old rising seventh-grader at Booneville Middle. |
| Stacy Leeds Named U. of Arkansas Vice Chancellor for Economic Development | |
 | Stacy Leeds, a former dean of the University of Arkansas School of Law, has been appointed vice chancellor for economic development. Leeds has served in the role on an interim basis since August. The UA Office of Economic Development directs the university's efforts to "expand economic opportunities and improve quality of life in Arkansas and beyond," the UA said in a news release. Also this week, the UA said Chris McCoy has been appointed vice chancellor for finance and administration, effective Aug. 2. McCoy previously served as the university's associate vice chancellor for Information Technology Services and chief information officer. The UA said a search will begin immediately for a new associate vice chancellor for Information Technology Services and CIO. |
| U. of South Carolina requiring all students to have health insurance | |
 | Before most University of South Carolina students can attend class next month they'll have to prove they have health insurance or agree to pay up to $2,047 for coverage through the university. All current undergraduates and graduates taking more than six credit hours of classes and all international students will either have to get insurance through the university's plan, prove they are on their parents' plan or buy their own health insurance, according to USC's website. USC's health insurance, through BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, costs $2,047 for the year. That can be paid all at once, or in two installments: $869 in the fall semester and $1,178 for the spring semester -- something that could benefit students graduating in the winter. "I was barely scraping by to pay tuition and they hit me with this," said senior mass communication major Jessica Waters. |
| Texas A&M researcher digs into origins of dogs in the Americas | |
 | A new study, co-written by a Texas A&M University professor, is shedding light on the remaining vestige that connects the modern dog to its ancestors from thousands of years ago. The study, titled "The evolutionary history of dogs in the Americas," dispels the myth that the first American dogs descended from North American wolves; rather, American dogs' complex lineage originates in Siberia. The research appeared in the latest issue of Science, an academic journal from American Association for the Advancement of Science. Anna Linderholm, co-author of the study and A&M anthropology assistant professor, said researchers were not originally looking to discover how dogs were brought to North America. Linderholm said what she mainly wants people to draw from the study is how correlated the evolution of dogs are to human migration. |
| U. of Missouri shatters fundraising record by $26M | |
 | The University of Missouri enjoyed a record year for cash donations as contributors fulfilled pledges to the $1.3 billion fundraising campaign launched in 2015. The $147 million received during the fiscal year that ended June 30 is almost 22 percent more than the previous record of $121 million set in fiscal 2017 and helped boost the campus endowment to more than $1 billion. Donors made $161 million in pledges during the year, the third highest total on record and boosting the total for the Mizzou: Our Time to Lead campaign to $1.06 billion. "It is continuing a trend line that is pretty exciting," Tom Hiles, vice chancellor for advancement, said in an interview. |
| West Virginia University draws heat for new coordinating board connection | |
 | West Virginia's public colleges and universities are reeling this week after the state's Higher Education Policy Commission named a top West Virginia University administrator as its new chancellor, sparking fears that the flagship university and its president, E. Gordon Gee, are seizing influence. West Virginia officials said concerns about it seizing power are assumptions without merit. Disagreements flare in many states over the management of public higher education, on issues including state funding decisions and state agencies holding power over higher education. Such situations can turn particularly contentious when a flagship university is viewed as having much more clout than other institutions. Others are trying to find a way to focus on policy in the midst of the palace intrigue. Jerome Gilbert, the president of Marshall University, is also co-chairing the blue-ribbon commission. He's proposing taking about $10 million of a surplus the state is running and using it to provide additional funding to regional institutions. |
| Turnout crux of GOP concern as November looms | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Caleb Bedillion writes: "They were familiar words. U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, of Mississippi's 1st Congressional District, spoke to the Lee County Republican Club Monday night and issued an alarm. Ahead of midterm elections in November, Kelly cautioned against apathy and divisions. His words rang with familiar tones for the crowd, squeezed into a downtown Tupelo barbecue restaurant. Only a month ago, in June, state GOP Chairman Lucien Smith delivered a similar message, urging the party faithful to focus on national policy fights rather than intraparty division. This consistency takes its cue from national strategies." |
SPORTS
| Players picked to represent Mississippi State, Ole Miss at SEC Media Days | |
| SEC Football Media Days get underway next week in Atlanta and both Mississippi State and Ole Miss will be sending their top quarterbacks. A full listing of players representing each SEC school was released on Wednesday. Mississippi State will send senior captains Nick Fitzgerald (quarterback) and Gerri Green (defensive end) along with returning SEC interceptions leader Mark McLaurin, a senior safety. The Bulldogs will accompany Alabama, Missouri and Tennessee on Wednesday. |
| A change of plans led Jared Liebelt to Mississippi State | |
| Jared Liebelt's college career began at Villanova. But after one semester there, Liebelt decided to transfer out to Waubonsee Community College just a few miles away from his hometown of Aurora, Illinois. Although Liebelt won 15 games with 189 strikeouts during his junior college career, it was his performance playing for the La Crosse Loggers during the summer that caught the eye of college recruiters. "After my freshman year, I played in the Northwoods League that's where most of the teams that offered me found me," Liebelt said. "That's where coach (Gary) Henderson came up and watched me. It was Mississippi State, Arizona and Kentucky that were the big three. I came here on a visit first and just fell in love." Liebelt was hosted on that visit by former MSU pitcher Parker Ford and was amazed at how many fans stopped by their tailgate and wanted to talk baseball during the middle of football season. |
| Morgan & Morgan -- for the Cardinals? Lawyer says NCAA 'is the enemy of all college sports' | |
 | Calling the NCAA a "corrupt organization," a lawyer suing the governing body on behalf of former University of Louisville basketball players said his clients were portrayed in a false light and they and the program deserve to have their reputations restored. "We're here today to clear names. We're here today to get back awards," attorney John Morgan said during an hourlong news conference announcing the suit Wednesday at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville. "We're here to get (Rick) Pitino's championship back. But more than that, we're here to get these players' good names back." The players, Luke Hancock, Gorgui Dieng, Stephan Van Treese, Tim Henderson and Michael Marra, are represented by the law firm of Morgan & Morgan. The suit, filed in Jefferson Circuit Court, accuses the NCAA of painting the plaintiffs in a false light, negligence and other transgressions connected to its sanctions against Louisville as a result of the escort scandal involving a former assistant coach and a few unnamed players and recruits. |
| Papa John's founder John Schnatter resigns from U. of Louisville board of trustees | |
| ohn Schnatter -- founder of the Papa John's pizza empire -- resigned Wednesday from the University of Louisville board of trustees after he admitted to using a racial slur during a business call. Board chairman J. David Grissom announced Schnatter's resignation, which is effective immediately, late Wednesday afternoon. The announcement came several hours after Forbes reported that Schnatter said the N-word during a May conference call. Schnatter later confirmed it had happened and apologized. Schnatter used the slur during a call with a firm hired to help him avoid public relations problems as he tried to make the point that his comments about NFL player protests of racial injustice were blown out of proportion. "John has tendered his resignation from the University of Louisville board of trustees effective immediately," Grissom said. "The board appreciates his 2 years of service and thanks him for his generous support for so many years." |
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