| Monday, July 30, 2018 |
| Mississippi State plans to break ground on new parking garage this fall | |
 | Mississippi State University will break ground this fall on a $9 million parking garage, said Jeremiah Dumas, director of the university's Parking and Transit Services. The new parking garage -- which Dumas expects will take about 18 months to complete -- should provide an additional 500 spots on campus. "As an auxiliary of the university, we have responsibility for the maintenance of our parking lots and the construction of new parking lots," Dumas said. "In the past four years, we've been working through a very detailed analysis of what our parking needs are. ... We've come to the realization we need a new parking supply on the north side of campus." The garage, Dumas said, will occupy the north side of campus because that area is most suited to handle additional traffic. That side of campus is accessible by highways 12 and 182. |
| Mississippi State University to build new parking garage | |
 | Mississippi State University is building a $9 million parking garage with about 500 spaces. The director of the university's parking and transit services, Jeremiah Dumas, tells the Commercial Dispatch that construction will start this fall and should take about 18 months. To offset the cost of the garage, parking permit prices for both commuter and residential students increased by nearly 10 percent this year. Before the fall 2017 semester, commuter students paid $149 for a permit. This year, those students are paying $163. Permit costs for residential students are increasing from $160 to $175. |
| MSU Receives Meteorological American Meteorological Society Award | |
 | The American Meteorological Society awarded the East Mississippi Chapter of the National Weather Association, which is Mississippi State University's student meteorological organization, with its 2018 Local Student Chapter of the Year Award this week. MSU student representatives will travel to Phoenix in January 2019 to formally accept the award at the AMS annual meeting. The university's meteorological organization received the award for its recent efforts in raising money for tornado and hurricane victims, as well as for coordinating the second-largest regional meteorological conference in the country, a release from MSU says. |
| New garden at Experiment Station celebrated | |
| A new addition to the public garden at the South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station was featured during "Get Social in the Garden," held Friday morning in Poplarville. The addition was a collaboration between the Pearl River County Master Gardeners and the Experiment Station to showcase flowering varieties chosen as All-America Selections. Associate Research Professor for Mississippi State University Dr. Gene Blythe has been involved in the judging process of selecting plants for the prestigious designation in previous years. It involves the testing of cuttings and seeds from several varieties of plants to see how they fare in every region of the United States and Canada. The results of the blind tests are then compiled and used to designate whether the plant is a regional winner or an overall winner. Regional winners are plants that grow better in certain regions of the country. |
| Camille Scales Young elected to Mississippi Power Board of Directors | |
 | Mississippi Power announced that Camille Scales Young, Principal and Director at Cornerstone Government Affairs, has been elected to the company's board of directors, effective October 23, 2018. "Camille's career has focused on improving Mississippi, from our rural communities to the state's largest cities," said Mississippi Power President and CEO Anthony Wilson. "She is an accomplished leader whose insight and perspective will add great value to our company and benefit our customers." Prior to her work at Cornerstone Government Affairs, Young worked with Watkins Ludlam Winter & Stennis, P.A. and the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation. Young earned a bachelor's degree in communication management and a master's degree in education from Mississippi State University. |
| Martin family are familiar faces at The Peoples Bank of Ripley | |
 | The Peoples Bank of Ripley has had only six presidents since it was founded in 1925. And the last two presidents have come from the same family. Mary Childs, who has been president and CEO since 2012, followed in the footsteps of her father, Bobby Martin, who held the titles for 42 years. Martin, 85, remains chairman of the board. Then there's Bob Glover -- Childs' son -- who is a vice president, investment and security officer for The Peoples Bank. It's fair to say that when The Peoples Bank is mentioned, Bobby Martin and his family are inextricably linked. Since Childs and Glover grew up in the business, it was natural for them to work in the industry. Childs worked at BancorpSouth for a decade before joining her father at The Peoples Bank in 1990. Glover joined the bank after graduating from Mississippi State University, from where his mother and grandfather also graduated. |
| Lauderdale chief deputy's security team keeps Neshoba County Fair crowds safe and secure | |
 | As Ward Calhoun drives around the Neshoba County Fairgrounds in a golf cart, he waves at passerby and hollers to many familiar faces. Thousands flock to the Neshoba County Fairgrounds year after year, turning the fair into a small town of its own. However, every town, big or small, needs rules and law enforcement, and the fair is no exception. "It's almost like a small town that comes up out of nothing," he said. "Within a few days, you have thousands of people and campers and cabins, and we have to keep them safe." Calhoun is Lauderdale County's chief deputy sheriff, but during fair week, he is the Neshoba County Fair security supervisor, in charge of making sure the security side of the fairgrounds runs smoothly all week, and he's been doing this for a while -- 21 years to be exact. |
| Horse racing at Neshoba County Fair draws participants and spectators alike | |
 | One of the oldest traditions of the Neshoba County Fair, the horse racing, began Sunday afternoon. The track hosts both the harness racing program and the running program with drivers and jockeys from all over the Southeastern United States in attendance. Chad Grantham co-chairs the running horse racing program. He says the event at Neshoba is different from other traditional tracks and is a factor in why participants return. Each program has six to eight races per day with those with the top times in the harness program and most points in the running program advancing to the championship races Friday. Regardless of the day, the races always draw a crowd. "A lot of our spectators, you know it draws a lot of people just for the horse races," Grantham said. "You notice in our grandstand on our harness races, you know, I mean we normally pack the stands. |
| New flood plan in Jackson could have dire effects on Coast's oyster business, fishermen say | |
 | The lake would be almost 200 miles, as the river flows, from the Mississippi Sound. Still, the One Lake project in Jackson has the men and women who make their living harvesting oysters and environmental activists more than a little antsy. And the 1,500-acre lake is little more than a concept with a lot of particulars to come. Supporters say it will curtail Jackson's flooding and provide a boost to the metro economy with parks and lakefront homes. The opponents fear the lake's weir, a dam that allows a constant flow of water to leave the lake, will alter the flow of freshwater into the Mississippi Sound at the mouth of the Pearl. |
| Longtime state legislator, veterinarian passes away at 87 | |
| Are there cigars in heaven? There probably are now. It's hard to imagine Bill "Doc" Canon, who passed away this weekend at age 87, without the stub of a cigar clenched in his jaw as he went about his business. "You hardly ever saw him without that cigar," said Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant, who had known Canon since he was just a kid. "He was just a prince of a fellow and a gentleman, just an all-around great guy. When he first ran for Senate, I made yard signs for him and so on. We go way back." Canon grew up in Vaiden, but after studying veterinary medicine first at Mississippi State, then at Auburn, he set up practice in Columbus, where he specialized in treating livestock. Canon entered state politics in 1976, winning a seat in the Mississippi House as a Democrat. He served just one term in the House, however, before running for state Senate. |
| Randy Wadkins boasts stronger financial standing than fellow Democrats | |
| Randy Wadkins, a Democrat running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly in Mississippi's 1st Congressional District, has raised more money than any other Democratic non-incumbent in a House race within the state. According to the most recent round of campaign finance reports to the Federal Elections Commissions, Wadkins has, since the current election cycle began, received about $122,700 in donations. As of June, the end of the most recent reporting period, Wadkins had about $55,900 in campaign cash on hand. Wadkins is a chemistry and biochemistry professor at the University of Mississippi. Other Democrats running in territory typically friendly to Republicans, like Wadkins, have coffers that are much leaner. |
| In Mississippi, closed bridges and crumbling infrastructure threaten lives and livelihoods | |
 | Mississippi, a relatively poor state, has never been known for its gleaming transportation network, but the situation today is worse than ever. Across the state, residents now have to circumvent nearly 500 closed bridges that have been declared unsafe, according to the Mississippi Office of State Aid Road Construction. Another 1,742 are posted with specific weight limits because of structural deficiencies. Combined, that accounts for more than 20 percent of the county and local bridges in the state. While the bridges have closed, more money to address their inadequacies has not been made available, because increasing taxes is a non-starter for the Republican-controlled state government. |
| Emails show the life, death, resurrection of $2M Rankin County frontage road | |
| In August 2017, a frustrated attorney for the Mississippi Department of Transportation fired off an email to the head of a homeowners' association in Rankin County. After months of negotiating over acquiring property for a frontage road near Lakeland Drive, MDOT officials knew the project was on the brink of collapsing because the agency and the neighborhood association couldn't agree on terms for the land needed to build the road. The project the men were discussing is a $2 million frontage road connecting two gated neighborhoods in Flowood where Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and other Republican elected officials live and own property to provide easier access to the busy state U.S. 25/Lakeland Drive. The project sparked a maelstrom of controversy when Melinda McGrath, the head of the transportation department, told the Clarion Ledger that plans for the road resulted not from need but from "political pressure" from the state Senate, where Reeves, a Republican, presides. |
| Sentencing disparities in Mississippi: State task force examining issues | |
| Do some Mississippi judges sentence criminals more harshly than others? Do black defendants get longer sentences than white defendants? And if so, should the state try to get judges to do something about it? Those are some of the thorny questions that could be answered by the Sentencing Disparity Task Force, a group of 14 elected officials, lawyers, judges, and others who started work last week. The law creating the task force is open-ended, saying members should "study and report the existence of possible disparity in sentencing for crimes," so the state can promote "the interest of uniform justice." It won't be a surprise if the task force discovers justice isn't currently uniform across Mississippi. |
| Mike Espy says Mississippi farmers will suffer under tariffs | |
| Former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy said Mississippi farmers, especially soybean growers, are being hurt by China's retaliatory tariffs. Espy, a candidate for Thad Cochran's U.S. Senate seat, held a press conference at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum Friday, saying China has responded to tariffs imposed by President Trump with retaliatory tariffs that will cost Mississippi farmers. He said China has been the number one market for this state's soybean crop. Because of the tariffs, Espy said China is now buying soybeans from Brazil, the number one competitor. "Now, I'm just so afraid that if we continue down this dangerous road very much longer, then we're going to cede that market in China to Brazil and we're never going to see that again," said Espy. |
| Soybean farmers are surviving Trump's trade war -- even without his $12 billion aid package | |
 | President Trump has committed $12 billion to protect American farmers hurt by his trade war, setting off a political firestorm over trade policy. But growers of soybeans -- the single largest agricultural export to China, worth $12.4 billion -- have largely escaped financial damage thus far, raising questions about the purpose and timing of the bailout, say economists, commodity traders and farmers. While soybean prices have plummeted in recent months as China slapped tariffs on $45 billion of U.S. goods, the complexity of the markets where they are sold has insulated many growers from financial harm in the short-term. "We probably don't need [the aid] on our farm," said Anna Balvance, who raises soybeans and cattle in northern Iowa and is expecting strong profits this season. "A lot of guys are skeptical of it. It's not going to change the way we do business." |
| College grads paying the price: Lawsuit highlights students' dependence on loans | |
| The lawsuit filed recently by Attorney General Jim Hood in conjunction with the Center for Justice highlights the prevalence of Mississippians depending on student loans to go to college. The lawsuit against Navient, filed in Hinds County Chancery Court, accuses the company of "unfair and deceptive practices" in the loans it both originated and serviced for the federal government. The lawsuit is asking the company to stop the practices and pay penalties, which under the state Consumer Protection Law, can be as much as $10,000 per instance. Navient, the nation's largest servicer of student loans, has denied any wrongdoing in the Mississippi lawsuit, as it has in lawsuits filed by four other states' attorneys general and by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. While the merits of the lawsuit might be debatable, there is no question about the dependency on student loans by Mississippians. |
| President Bill LaForge leads Delta State into the future | |
 | Five years ago, Delta State University welcomed home its beloved student as its president: Bill LaForge. As a Cleveland native, and the son of DSU's Dean of College Arts and Science William LaForge (whose name can be found on the university's library building), his homecoming seems obvious. But he is a nontraditional president."I did not come through the way of academia," said LaForge, recounting his 37 years in Washington D.C. where he first served as Chief of Staff to Thad Cochran then as chief counsel for an appropriations subcommittee for the U.S. Senate. Then he came home to the one place that helped impact Mississippi, United States and other countries around the world -- Delta State University. |
| GT Comic-Con returns with East Mississippi Community College as presenting sponsor | |
| The Golden Triangle Comic-Con, a gaming, sci-fi and cosplay event that combines popular culture genres, returns to the Trotter Convention Center in Columbus Saturday, Aug. 18. Doors open at 10 a.m. East Mississippi Community College is the presenting sponsor for the event co-sponsored by Re/Max Partners Colin Krieger and Cellphone Repair Geeks. "It's a celebration of nerd culture, intelligence and creativity," EMCC Information Systems Technology instructor Charlie Grace said. Last year, organizers with the Golden Triangle Comic-Con donated $2,000 from event proceeds to the Palmer Home for Children and another donation will be made to the agency this year, EMCC IST Director Brandon Sesser said. Admittance is free to the event for children from Palmer Home. This is the third year for the event and the second with EMCC as a sponsor. Last year, the GT Comic-Con attracted attendees from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee. |
| UGA construction projects making progress | |
 | Three major construction projects at the University of Georgia's main campus are in the works or soon to start with one project scheduled to finish up just in time for fall classes. UGA's on-campus residence hall Russell Hall, the Terry College of Business' third and final phase of its new Business Learning Community, and a new STEM building remain in the works. Construction on the STEM building will begin in December 2018, while Russell Hall's complete renovation will wrap up prior to UGA's on-campus move-in day. The construction at Russell Hall includes increased flexibility in student spaces, including modular room furnishings and increased privacy in the freshman-designated residence hall's bathrooms. "New residents moving into Russell Hall will benefit from modernized climate control, plumbing and electrical systems," said Greg Trevor, executive director of media communications at UGA. |
| New U. of Florida research center to engage the public | |
 | Science has a lot of big words. Dendrochronology. Leishmaniasis. Faculae. They don't necessarily scream, "you can understand me!" University of Florida students, professors and faculty members are examining the best ways to engage the average Joes in scientific research. UF's Center for Public Interest Communications, set to open this fall in the College of Journalism and Communications, will create curricula in storytelling and interdisciplinary connections. Ann Christiano, director of the center, has held training sessions and has had conversations with hundreds of scientists at UF and around the country. "It grew out of this incredible passion to help scientists articulate the value of their work and why it matters to journalists and other decision-makers," Christiano said of her work, which began at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, an organization that researches health factors. |
| Title IX process is sensitive, complicated and sometimes messy | |
 | In their original Title IX hearings the alleged rapists of University of Missouri students Kelli Wilson, Casey Campbell and an alumna under the alias Amanda, were all found guilty for their actions. After the appeals process, Wilson's alleged rapist received virtually no punishment. Both Campbell's and Amanda's appeals processes ended in their alleged rapists no longer being found guilty. All three women have changes to Title IX they'd like to see based on their individual experiences. In Wilson's case, her alleged rapist appealed on the basis that his punishment of suspension may "Fall outside the range typically imposed for this offense, or for the cumulative conduct record of the Accused." Dean of Students and Students Appeals Officer Jeffrey Zeilenga cited the respondent's clean record or "cumulative conduct record" as reason to reduce his punishments. In addition to better communication, Wilson believes the hearing process is not the most effective way to handle the Title IX process. |
| Trump admin official describes plan to 'rethink' higher ed through upcoming rule-making sessions | |
 | The Trump administration says it wants more innovation in higher education. And it believes rewriting the rules for college accrediting agencies is the best way to encourage innovation. In an exclusive interview with Inside Higher Ed, the administration's top higher education official described the philosophy behind the latest proposed regulatory overhaul, which the U.S. Department of Education plans to unveil Monday by introducing a wide-reaching rule-making session. The changes the department is mulling give the clearest sign so far of an affirmative higher education agenda from the Trump administration, which in its first 18 months has focused on blocking or watering down key Obama administration initiatives. The proposals could have far-reaching effects on the educational models colleges pursue, as well as for noncollege education providers. |
| U. of Virginia Center Defends Hiring of Former Trump Official, Over Faculty Resistance | |
 | The University of Virginia center that hired a former top official in the Trump administration, enraging some faculty members, is defending the appointment. In a written statement on Friday, William J. Antholis, director and chief executive of UVa's Miller Center, defended at length the appointment of Marc Short while acknowledging the divisions it has caused. Antholis said Short, who was director of legislative affairs for the White House, would offer valuable insight into President Trump's administration and so would be a boon for the center, a "nonpartisan affiliate" of the university that focuses on studying the presidency. Faculty members at the university have protested the appointment, and as of Friday at least 2,100 people had signed a petition decrying the move. |
| Georgia Tech's Finance Chief Is Out After Campus Gave 'Boat Load of Money' to Company That Paid Him | |
| The message came in on a University System of Georgia ethics hotline in late May: "Georgia Tech has spent a boat load of money with this company and hasn't see [sic] any benefit so far," the tipster said. "The company uses the Georgia Tech name on their website and especially their conferences, like we love their product and use it a lot. We don't." The private business was RIB Software SE, a German construction-technology company. And a top Georgia Institute of Technology administrator held a paid position on its board. A report released on Thursday detailed the relationship of Steven G. Swant, executive vice president for administration and finance, with RIB and said the association had violated conflict-of-interest policy. The report on Swant was one of several audits released on Thursday by Georgia Tech. A second report found improper vendor and contractual relationships, as well as waste and abuse of Georgia Tech employee time in the campus-services department. Leaders of campus services, parking and transportation services and digital communications resigned during that investigation, according to the review. |
| College 'Survivor' tributes popping up across the country | |
| A knockoff version of Survivor filmed by students at the University of Maryland, College Park, contains all of the elements that made the original CBS series a powerhouse pioneer in reality TV. Deceit and psychological warfare. Surprise twists. Even a devoted and occasionally rabid online following, despite only being a YouTube phenomenon, not one broadcast on major network television. But there are aspects of Survivor Maryland that college administrators would probably feel more comfortable seeing off campus. These types of activities could present a problem for colleges and universities -- students have never faced life-threatening injuries on the college shows, at least not at Maryland, nor with the imitators at the other campuses that Inside Higher Ed investigated. But lawyers said that, depending on the state where the shows are being filmed -- and especially when they're affiliated with the campus as a student club, as Maryland's version is -- institutions could potentially open themselves up to liability if a student is hurt. |
| Rural America is ripe with potential, starving for capital | |
 | Matthew McKenna, the founder and executive in residence of the Rural Opportunity Initiative at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, writes for The Hill: Investment in venture-backed companies in the United States reached $57 billion in almost 4,000 deals in the first half of 2018. Yet, only a fraction of those dollars found their way to funds and companies based in rural America. This capital deficit is starving innovative and valuable growth opportunities across rural communities. Many people think immediately of agriculture when focused on rural communities, yet it only makes up 6 percent of today's rural economy. ...At Georgetown's Rural Opportunity Initiative (ROI), we have partnered with the USDA and three leaders of our land grant university system: Iowa State University, Mississippi State University and Purdue University. Together, we have embarked on an effort to increase investment from the private sector in rural America. |
| Mississippi GOP candidates quiet on Trump tariffs and bailout | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: Agriculture is a huge part of Mississippi's economy, and soybeans are a major export. The tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, particularly on China, have resulted in retaliatory tariffs impacting U.S. exports, including soybeans. "Tariffs are the greatest," Trump recently tweeted. But when farmers and farm state politicians started complaining, Trump suddenly came up with a scheme to provide a temporary $12 billion bailout for farmers hurt by his tariff policies. Mississippi exported $109.7 million in soybeans in 2017 -- all to China, according to information from USDA as reported by Mississippi Today. As a result of China's retaliatory tariffs, soybean prices recently hit a nine-year low, costing farmers hundreds of dollars per acre. Now, Mississippi soybean farmers hurt by Trump's policies can get one-time payments from Trump's bailout to offset these losses. The bailout is not as popular as the President hoped. |
| Some not entertained by Reeves-Hood kerfuffle | |
| Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: OK, well, so no one is going to prison over "roadgate." Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves has claimed vindication. He would never-ever seek personal favors from state agencies and, besides, his own exhaustive search shows there's nothing (in writing) to show otherwise. Attorney General Jim Hood, accused by Reeves of grandstanding, also stands accused by his rival of not knowing the law. Mississippi Department of Transportation Executive Director Melinda McGrath has affirmed and clarified what she said, but is not of the opinion that any laws were broken or anything. As McGrath tells it, nothing out of the ordinary occurred, which, in a way, is an indictment itself. As a break from July's heat, Mississippians have been treated to an inside look at power politics. |
SPORTS
| How much will change for Mississippi State's offense under Joe Moorhead? | |
 | Nick Fitzgerald wore a wide smile in front of a group of local media last week. It wasn't because he was about to embark on a four-hour merry-go-round of SEC Media Days obligations. And it wasn't because somebody complimented him on his maroon bowtie. That didn't happen in the media scrum -- it might've happened later on the blue carpet. The senior quarterback beamed on that Wednesday morning because he was asked to gauge his excitement level concerning what's to come in head coach Joe Moorhead's offense. His words were scarce but meaningful. "I'm excited to throw the ball downfield," Fitzgerald said. |
| Who will rise at wide receiver for Joe Moorhead at Mississippi State? | |
| Joe Moorhead has a new philosophy for Mississippi State wide receivers. The first-year head coach doesn't use the long-standing term of "50/50 ball" to describe a one-on-one tossup down the sideline. To Moorhead, those are "100/0." "When that ball is up in the air, it belongs to our receiver," Moorhead said. That goes against conventional wisdom at Mississippi State in recent seasons. Last year, Jesse Jackson led the Bulldogs in receiving yards with 276. That ranked him tied for 490th in the nation. Jackson had 27 catches, which landed him tied for 383rd nationally. |
| Freshmen making impact with Mississippi State men's basketball team | |
| These freshmen got to watch the Mississippi State men's basketball team's run to the edge of the NCAA tournament with a certain level of emotional attachment, having already committed to the program. Now that they're in the program, they want to be the ones to take it over the edge. By all accounts from the veterans, they have what it takes. The three freshman additions -- Robert Woodard, Reggie Perry and D.J. Stewart -- alongside junior college transfer Jethro Tshisumpa enrolled this summer and have already made a name for themselves in summer practice. "They're coming along just fine, everybody's coming together. It's a great atmosphere on this team, everybody coming together as one," senior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon said. "Overall, I'd say this is the best and most improved summer we've had since I've been here." |
| Mississippi State's Spencer Price working hard to regain premier form | |
| Spencer Price was, once again, doing his own thing in Starkville. His teammates on the Mississippi State baseball team were taking on a day they've been anticipating for months: postseason baseball, as they were in Hoover, Alabama, for the Southeastern Conference tournament. Price was also living out a highly anticipated day. This was the day he would finally pick up a baseball. After nearly four months of lifting, conditioning and physical therapy, Price started throwing in late May and has thrown a few times a week ever since. Now, he has reached the fun part. "I felt great. I felt awesome," Price told The Dispatch. "I wanted to throw further and longer, I hadn't thrown in months, but (trainer) Jason (Wire) was like, 'Hey man, take it easy, you're going to be hurting tomorrow.' I said, 'No man, I'm fine.' I felt it the next day." |
| Dak Prescott Already Using Voice as New Face of Cowboys | |
| Dak Prescott's best test yet as the new face of the Cowboys came two days after owner Jerry Jones once again declared that all Dallas players will stand for the national anthem and even said they wouldn't be afforded the alternative of staying in the locker room. The star quarterback didn't pause or stammer. He didn't stop himself to consider what his peers might think. He made it clear he will stand, and doesn't think it's right to do otherwise. "Whether I was wearing the star or not, whether I was playing for Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones or any other owner, I believe in what I believe in and that's that," Prescott said Friday in his first session with reporters at training camp. Just as he did when he showed up two years ago as the overshadowed third quarterback on Tony Romo's team, Prescott offered his opinion plainly and simply, and in so many words. There are countless more people listening now. The former Mississippi State standout is the leading voice, and not hesitating to use it. |
| Strong MLB debut for Cardinals' Dakota Hudson | |
| Dakota Hudson enjoyed a great big-league debut for St. Louis on Saturday. The former first-round pick from Mississippi State took the mound in the seventh against the Chicago Cubs and retired all three batters he faced, including back-to-back strikeouts of Kyle Schwarber and Ian Happ. The final out came on an infield grounder. St. Louis went on to win 6-2. The 23-year-old Hudson, called up before Friday's game, threw 13 pitches -- seven for strikes. "It was awesome," Hudson told reporters. |
| Sports betting has arrived on Southern Miss' doorstep | |
| Southern Miss athletic director Jon Gilbert's grasp on the issue of sports gambling took on a new level of concern years ago when he sat in on a lecture given by Michael Franzese, a former capo in the Colombo crime family. "As Franzese kept talking, I'm thinking, 'Man, this is kind of a secret underground thing that takes place,'" Gilbert said. "Here we are 20-30 years later and it's at our doorstep and has rung the doorbell and is coming through the door. We all need to prepare for it." Delaware and New Jersey recently joined Nevada in allowing sports wagers after the Supreme Court struck down a federal law on May 14 that prohibited sports betting in most states. Mississippi is soon to join those three states with its 28 casinos in prime position to benefit. The legalization of sports betting will have an impact across the board in college athletics, but the challenge will be unique for a school like Southern Miss. Sports betting will take place within an 80-minute drive of the USM's Hattiesburg campus, leaving the school's athletic department to ponder the impact on its student athletes. |
| Caesars Launching Sports Betting in New Jersey, Mississippi | |
| Two Atlantic City casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment will start taking sports bets this week, and another two in Mississippi will do so in mid-August. Caesars Entertainment tells The Associated Press its Bally's casino in Atlantic City will start taking sports bets at 11 a.m. Monday. Its sister casino in Atlantic City, Harrah's will start taking sports bets on Wednesday. The company says it soon will offer mobile sports betting, as well, although it did not set a timetable. By mid-August, Harrah's Gulf Coast in Biloxi and Horseshoe Tunica, both in Mississippi, will begin taking on-premises sports bets. The company says it may expand the mobile betting app to other states besides New Jersey, if and when it makes financial sense to do so. |
| Lawyers for former Auburn coach Chuck Person: Violating NCAA rules isn't federal crime | |
 | Former Auburn basketball assistant coach Chuck Person renewed his request to dismiss the federal charges against him to be dropped with his lawyers once again arguing the government cannot make violating NCAA rules federal crimes and characterize the government's case as "deeply flawed." Person's lawyers filed a reply memorandum of law in support of his motion to dismiss the superseding indictment against him on six federal charges related to the FBI's investigation into corruption in college basketball, stating that violating NCAA rules "is not a proper purpose of a federal criminal prosecution." Person's lawyer, Theresa Trzaskoma, argues against each of the six charges against him, specifically the government's "revised wire fraud theory," in a 20-page reply brief and a separate six-page reply memo in support of a motion to suppress wiretap and cell phone evidence filed Friday in the Southern District of New York. |
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