| Thursday, August 2, 2018 |
| Mississippi State opens renovated YMCA building | |
 | A historic building on the Mississippi State University campus is getting a new lease on life for the coming academic year. A ribbon cutting was held Tuesday morning for the MSU YMCA Building following more than a year's worth of renovations. The building will now house offices for the MSU College of Arts and Sciences, student affairs, general counsel, dean of students, and vice president for finance and chief financial officer. The academic offices are conveniently located near classroom space in the Old Main Academic Center. The $9.8 million renovation was funded by state bond money. Belinda Stewart Architects was the project architect and Gregory Construction was contractor. |
| Native Sid Salter humbled by cancer as he returns to Neshoba for the Fair | |
 | Sid Salter hit a low point in a battle that nearly claimed his life when he missed the Neshoba County Fair last year, but that made the high point of returning to a place dear to his heart that much sweeter. Salter, a Philadelphia native, spends the last week of July in his family's cabin on Founders Square right where he can see the political speaking that is a highlight of his Fair every year. However, in 2017, the Fair he loves so dearly was one of the many things taken away. Salter had stage four Burkitt's lymphoma. |
| Carl Small Town Center writes guidelines for downtown renovation | |
 | The city of Starkville and the Carl Small Town Center are partnering to craft a set of guidelines to help preserve the character of the city's downtown. Community Development Department Director Buddy Sanders said the process for the guidelines started about two-and-a-half years ago. Leah Kemp, director of the Carl Small Town Center, said the template is going to focus on exterior characteristics of the buildings. "We look at the height of the buildings, the character and the materiality," she said. "We look at how they were made. The goal is to provide options so future development can not necessarily return things to the way they were, but make decisions in keeping with the character and scale of what is already there." Kemp said the work Starkville is doing could set a positive model for other communities. |
| Meridian Freedom Project visits Mississippi State, meets with President Mark E. Keenum | |
 | Photo: Participants of the Meridian Freedom Project visiting Mississippi State University met with MSU President Mark E. Keenum on July 25 in historic Lee Hall. Keenum welcomed the youth to campus and discussed the importance of higher education. The organization emphasizes the core values of leadership and character development, academic support, arts enrichment, educational travel and health training. The Meridian Freedom Project's annual "Freedom Summer" program includes a week on a college campus in which participants live in residence halls, meet professors and college students, learn about the application and enrollment process, and enjoy a preview of college life. |
| Meridian Day held at the Neshoba County Fair | |
 | It was Meridian Day at the fair and representatives from various businesses and organizations were out showcasing what the city has to offer. The East Mississippi Business Development Corporation put on the Meridian Day program featuring the mayor and other city council members. NAS Meridian, Mississippi State University, and Meridian Community College were passing out fans, food, and other freebies. Officials with EMBDC say the fair is something they always look forward to. "The fair is just an opportunity for some of our awesome partners to come and set up booth and give information about what they do and what they can provide in Meridian. It's just really a great way to have a fun day with our neighbors in Philadelphia," says EMBDC Events Coordinator Casey Holladay. |
| Jim Hood, Tate Reeves take pre-2019 election jabs at Neshoba County Fair | |
 | Neshoba County fairgoers got what many believe is a preview of the 2019 gubernatorial election with Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood and Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves taking a few shots at each other in their stump speeches Wednesday. Hood said: "Over the past 14 years we've recovered $3 billion. You know, give or take a few million dollars here and there, I guess it's enough to pave somebody's driveway. Apparently that's what the Legislature's done." Hood was taking a shot at Reeves about a controversial project -- now halted -- to build a state-funded road from Reeves' gated neighborhood to a nearby shopping and dining center. Reeves responded in his speech with shots at Hood and at the Clarion Ledger for its reporting about the road project, and for Hood's recent announcement that he plans to investigate the issue. |
| Jim Hood, Tate Reeves preview possible governor's race | |
 | Two likely candidates for Mississippi governor in 2019 exchanged verbal jabs Wednesday at one of the state's biggest annual gatherings. Speaking at the Neshoba County Fair, Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said Mississippi is thriving under GOP leadership, while Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood said the state economy is faltering as Republicans give tax cuts to out-of-state corporations. The current governor, Republican Phil Bryant, is limited to two terms and can't run again next year. |
| Tate Reeves, Jim Hood trade barbs at Neshoba County Fair | |
| The crowd under the packed pavilion watched possible 2019 gubernatorial candidates Jim Hood and Tate Reeves exchange heated remarks at each other on Wednesday morning at the Neshoba County Fair. Though neither has officially declared a run, both hinted at their intentions during their speeches. The two likely candidates painted starkly different pictures of Mississippi while on stage. The speeches drew mixed reviews from those in the crowd. "I thought Tate did fine, but I think the question is if Delbert is going to run against him," Kent Stribling said. "I think Tate has done a good job." Rep. Earle Banks of Hinds County disagreed and said that the majority of the tax cuts that Reeves discussed in his speech have gone out of the state. |
| Hood and Reeves take turns insulting one another at Neshoba County Fair | |
 | Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood is speaking to an audience of hundreds at the Neshoba County Fair. One minute into his speech he hints at Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves. "Total over the past 14 years our office has brought in about $3 billion dollars. Give or take a few million dollars here and there. I guess it's enough to pave somebody's driveway. You know apparently that's what the Legislature's done," said Hood. The director of the state transportation department recently said there was political pressure to develop the frontage road project. Reeves denies it. "In recent weeks I have been under attack by Democrats and their liberal allies in the media after a discredited and unsubstantiated news article," said Reeves. Both officials say they will soon make a decision on the race for Mississippi governor in 2019. |
| At Neshoba County Fair, Reeves and Hood reveal political strategies for 2019 | |
| A couple of minutes before he took the stage on Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves stepped away from his family and campaign advisers to take in a wild scene. Attorney General Jim Hood, Reeves' top political rival and presumed opponent for governor in 2019, talked to reporters just after blasting Republican leaders in his speech about specific problems the state faces "as a direct result of legislative inaction." As television cameras faced Hood to capture his comments, four people wearing cheap masks walked behind Hood and held signs into the cameras. A Hillary Clinton imposter held a sign that said: "I'm with Jim Hood." Hood, seemingly unaware of the signs behind him, explained his perspective to reporters. "When you see people start talking about the other person, using labels and all those things, people are tired of this partisan mess," Hood told reporters. |
| Michael Guest, Michael Ted Evans spar at the Fair | |
 | A Democrat seeking to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper suggested he and the Republican nominee are part of the "Rankin County Mafia" serving wealthy suburbanites and neglecting the rest of the district, which drew a strong rebuke from the congressman at the Neshoba County Fair on Wednesday. Harper responded to the Democrat, Michael Ted Evans, by citing his record and endorsing the GOP nominee Michael Guest. "I am very proud that Michael Guest will follow in my footsteps," Harper said. "Michael Guest is going to be a great member of congress." Guest is the district attorney for Madison and Rankin counties and won the Republican primary for the Third Congressional District of Mississippi against five other candidates. Evans, also speaking at the Fair, referenced the Lakeland Drive controversy where Democrats have accused Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves of influencing construction, which he roundly denied and MDOT records seem to prove. |
| Evans says he will work for whole district, Guest touts conservative values | |
| State Rep. Mike Evans of Preston, the Democratic nominee for the open 3rd Congressional District U.S. House post, said Wednesday if he is elected in November "the Republican Party's mafia of Rankin County" will no longer run the district. Evans, a long-shot in the heavily Republican leaning district, took a calculated risk at the political speakings at the Neshoba County Fair of trying to pit the rest of the district against highly populous Rankin County, which is a Jackson suburb. The Republican nominee in the 3rd District race, Michael Guest of Rankin County, who spoke after Evans, did not respond to his charges but instead talked about the importance of the elections nationally as Republicans struggle to maintain their majority in the U.S. House. |
| Delbert Hosemann Will Seek Higher Office; Not Running for Re-election | |
| Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann drew boos from a crowd of supporters on Wednesday at the Neshoba County Fair in Philadelphia, Miss., when he announced he would not run for for re-election, but he quickly calmed them by teasing another possibility. "I'm not running for secretary of state again," Hosemann said, "but I will be a little higher up on the ballot." Without elaborating, Hosemann pivoted to issues he might campaign on, such as expanded broadband access across Mississippi and an emphasis on public education. "We've got to provide a good education for children, and it's got to be as early as possible," Hosemann said. |
| Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall slams Senate, renews call for fuel tax increase | |
| Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall said Mississippi's flagging infrastructure and "lack of a solid plan for our economic future" is holding Mississippi back and he heaped blame on the Legislature, particularly the Senate. "Who can fix it?" Hall asked a crowd at the Neshoba County Fair on Wednesday. "Those who control the money. Who controls the money? The Legislature, along with concurrence from the governor." Hall, other transportation officials and business leaders have lobbied lawmakers for increased road and bridge maintenance money for several years to little avail. Hall, a Republican, has called for an increase in the state's 18.4 cents a gallon fuel tax -- which hasn't been raised since 1987 -- but the Republican legislative leadership has balked at any tax increase. |
| ABC News: Race to Replace Sen. Thad Cochran 'Could Reshape Washington' | |
| The race to decide who will win Mississippi's U.S. Senate seat that Thad Cochran vacated is one of the "races that could reshape Washington and the country," ABC News said Monday. The special election, which pits Democratic candidate Mike Espy against Republicans Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, whom Gov. Phil Bryant appointed to the seat in April, and State Sen. Chris McDaniel, could help decide the balance of power in the Senate after the November midterms. In a July 24 email to supporters, the Espy campaign boasted of an internal poll that shows Espy up over incumbent Hyde-Smith 39-37. It's not the first poll to show them neck-and-neck; a poll in April found Hyde-Smith tied at 33 percent each, with McDaniel drawing less than 13 percent. |
| What Is QAnon? The Conspiracy Theory Tiptoeing Into Trump World | |
 | As the cameras rolled on President Trump's campaign rally for GOP Rep. Ron DeSantis in Florida Tuesday night, a peculiar sign appeared in view. "We are Q." Journalists at the event noted multiple attendees carrying signs and wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the name "QAnon." The shirts and signs are references to a conspiracy theory growing increasingly popular among those on the far-right -- and a conspiracy theory about which the White House fielded a question from the media Wednesday. "The president condemns and denounces any group that would incite violence against another individual and certainly doesn't support groups that would promote that type of behavior," Sanders said. QAnon isn't the first conspiracy theory to make the jump from the Internet to the real world. |
| Southern Miss Foundation's endowment reaches milestone of $100 million | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation's endowment has reached a milestone -- $100 million. In fiscal year 2018, more than 3,900 donors contributed gifts totaling $21.3 million, including $15.5 million in outright gifts and $5.8 million in deferred gifts through estate planning. Through the foundation, $7.6 million was disbursed to the university during FY2018 to support various scholarships and programs, which included $3.9 million awarded in nearly 2,200 scholarships. Significant gifts included an $8.7 million commitment from the Luckyday Foundation to renew its support of the Luckyday Scholars Program. This pledge brought the foundation's cumulative commitment to the university to $35.7 million. There was also an anonymous planned gift of $1 million to establish a Presidential Fund for Excellence to support the priority needs of Southern Miss. |
| Speakers encourage Lauderdale County school staff to strive to be better | |
| The keynote speaker for the Lauderdale County School District's convocation tapped into the excitement of a new school year to encourage teachers to try new ways of educating and looking for ways to "light up the room." "A great teacher comes alive in the classroom," said David Lee, associate professor in educational administration at the University of Southern Mississippi. "When you teach from your heart it comes from a different level," Lee said. Lee talked about how it's the responsibility of the teacher to be build a relationship with the student. Lee said that students need more than a lecture and a classroom assignment, a teacher is suppose be there to motivate students. The district held its annual convocation Wednesday morning at Mississippi State University-Meridian's Kahlmus Hall as way to welcome teachers, staff and administrators to a new academic year. |
| Renovated Russell Hall rededicated at UGA | |
 | The University of Georgia now has room for nearly 1,000 more students this fall. UGA President Jere Morehead and other university officials filled the lobby of 960-bed Russell Hall Wednesday morning to rededicate the 51-year-old Baxter Street high-rise residence hall, which has been home to tens of thousands of UGA first-year students after opening in 1967. Russell was empty of students last year, though, as workers with Atlanta's Juneau Construction gave the building an overhaul budgeted at about $44.5 million, all from surplus funds generated by UGA auxiliary services such as housing, meal services, parking and the UGA golf course. The university staged a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, then gave tours for the crowd of about 100 UGA officials, members of the contracting and architecture firms involved, and others. |
| New U. of Tennessee trustees put priority on finding new president, chancellor | |
 | The University of Tennessee's new board of trustees won't waste time in finding leaders to take over some of the institution's top administrative roles. The eight new trustees, whose appointments went into effect on July 1, assembled for an organizational meeting Wednesday afternoon in the Nashville Public Library, joining Gov. Bill Haslam and UT President Joe DiPietro to pick up where the old board of 24 voting members and three non-voting members left off. The previous board met for its final time in June. Most of the new trustees' energy was invested in setting up a foundation for the discussions and votes that are to come. Perhaps their most significant decision during their first meeting: appointing John Compton chair with a unanimous vote of approval and warm words about his proven leadership, his longtime engagement with UT, and his understanding of the institution's culture. |
| Trump intends to nominate extreme-weather expert for top White House science and tech role | |
 | President Trump intends to nominate Kelvin Droegemeier, an expert in extreme weather from the University of Oklahoma, as his top science and technology adviser at the White House, according to an administration official. Droegemeier's selection, if approved by the Senate, could soon end a roughly 19-month vacancy at the top of the Office of Science and Technology Policy --- a critical arm of the White House that guides the president on such issues as self-driving cars, artificial intelligence, emerging medical research and climate change. Droegemeier is a meteorologist by trade who has also served in government, including as Oklahoma's secretary of science and technology, and he aided the federal National Science Board under former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. |
| Influx of federal funds to provide more childcare services for college student-parents | |
 | Most mornings Kylie Moss's routine runs like clockwork. She wakes up, makes breakfast, and gets her son, Levi, ready for day care. Occasionally, though, her 5-year-old has a "morning meltdown" that delays them a bit, but they eventually get things together before the start of their 30-minute commute to the University of Houston's main campus, where Moss drops Levi off at the Children's Learning Centers before going to class or to her part-time job at an oil company. Like millions of students across the country, Moss, a 21-year-old mechanical engineering major at the university, is also a parent. And on-campus childcare providers like the one at the university enable Moss and students like her to go to college and hopefully complete her studies and earn a degree. Despite the importance of on-campus childcare facilities to student-parents, there has been a decline in the number of campuses that offer them as a resource. |
| The iGen Shift: Colleges Are Changing to Reach the Next Generation | |
 | They are, of course, super connected. But on their terms. Which is why college-bound iGens (Gen Zers, if you prefer) present a challenge to the grown-ups on campus eager to reach and teach them. Consider orientation season. Katie Sermersheim, dean of students at Purdue University, has a mother lode of information and resources to share (including wellness initiatives and a new mindfulness room). But getting iGen's attention? "It can be frustrating slash extra challenging to figure out how to get the word out, whatever that word is," Ms. Sermersheim said. "I do get discouraged." A generation that rarely reads books or emails, breathes through social media, feels isolated and stressed but is crazy driven and wants to solve the world's problems (not just volunteer) is now on campus. |
SPORTS
| AD John Cohen talks Bulldogs sports in visit to Meridian | |
| John Cohen grew up around baseball and spent most of his professional career as a baseball coach. In November 2016, however, the former Mississippi State baseball coach was asked to lead the school's athletic department when he was hired to replace Scott Stricklin as athletic director. Since then, Cohen has made key hires in some of the school's more higher profile sports, such as picking Chris Lemonis to lead the baseball team in late June and hiring Joe Moorhead as head football coach in late November 2017. Cohen was the featured guest at the Rotary Club of Meridian's weekly meeting Wednesday at Northwood Country Club. Being an athletic director is a much newer experience for him compared to being a baseball coach, but Cohen said he's always enjoyed traveling and meeting Bulldog fans during his tenure in Starkville. |
| Misinformation about chronic wasting disease circulating | |
| In a world of instant information, news travels fast. However, not all of it is true and many don't take the time to check facts or even know where to look. That has made the internet a prime vehicle for spreading misinformation -- intentionally or not -- about many topics including chronic wasting disease. One recent claim on an internet video stated that CWD is not always fatal. According to Steve Demarais, Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management at Mississippi State University, there is no evidence to support that. "I'm not aware of any animal that lived with CWD through a normal lifespan," Demarais said. "It's called CWD for a reason -- you waste away. And because your immune system is weakened, it makes you susceptible to other diseases like pneumonia. It's like that deer in Issaquena (County). It died from pneumonia. It wasn't eating and it wasted away." |
| Big names in sports place Mississippi's first legal bets in Biloxi, Tunica | |
 | The first legal sports bets in Mississippi were placed simultaneously in Biloxi and Tunica at noon Wednesday. Wagers were made at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi and the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica to make Mississippi the fourth state to allow sports betting. It came 26 years -- to the day -- after Isle of Capri in Biloxi became the first legal casino in the state on Aug. 1, 1992. "Today we're going to make a little history of our own," said Beau Rivage Manager Bill Boasberg before seven bets were placed. Parent company MGM Resorts International moved quickly to get ready for sports betting after the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban in mid-May. The seven-window sports book mimics the architecture of the Beau Rivage Casino, making it look like it's always been there. |
| Lobbying fight heats up over sports gambling | |
 | A major lobbying fight over the future of gambling on professional sports is poised to break out as powerful interests line up to influence Congress and states plotting to grab a piece of the billion-dollar pie. In the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in May that handed states the freedom to legalize and regulate sports gambling, dozens of states are preparing legislation that would give their citizens the right to wager on professional baseball, basketball and football games. Now, other states want in on the action, by levying taxes many legislators see as a potentially promising source of future revenue. They are being egged on by casinos and gaming interests that stand to make billions of dollars on their own. |
| Gamecocks football ops sneak peek: 'To win a championship, you've got to spend money' | |
 | Almost $50 million later, South Carolina's football program is on the verge of having the kind of curb appeal it takes to compete at the highest levels of college football. "When a young man and his family come on our campus, they see what we are building and they see that we are serious about winning a championship," Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp said Wednesday as school officials offered tours of their soon-to-be completed football operations building. "In order to win a championship, you've got to spend money. Just call it like it is, and that's what we're doing. That's what (athletics director Ray) Tanner is committed to doing, (USC president Harris) Pastides and our entire board. It's exciting to be a head coach at a place like that." |
| Gainesville PD releases video of UF receiver's traffic stop | |
| About eight weeks after being investigated for being involved in an on-campus confrontation involving air-soft riles, Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney was found to have an authentic AR-15 rifle lying across the backseat of his car after being pulled over for a seat belt violation. Toney and UF defensive back Brian Edwards were pulled over by the Gainesville Police Department on July 22, according to an incident report released Tuesday by GPD. The video of the traffic stop was released Wednesday. According to the report, Toney, who was driving, and Edwards were pulled over at about 12:30 a.m. Upon approaching the vehicle and ordering to stop, Toney began driving away, the report said. Toney slowed down before attempting to drive away again, the report states, then obeyed the officer's commands to stop the vehicle. |
| Ohio State Places Head Football Coach on Leave | |
 | Ohio State University announced on Wednesday that it was placing its head football coach, Urban Meyer, on paid administrative leave while it investigates allegations that he knew that one of his assistant coaches had been accused of domestic violence three years ago. The university acted in response to a Facebook post by Brett McMurphy, an independent sports reporter, alleging that Meyer knew that Zach Smith had abused his then-wife, Courtney Smith, in 2015. Last week Meyer fired Smith, the Buckeyes' former wide-receivers coach, after McMurphy reported that Courtney Smith had filed a domestic violence civil protection order against him three days earlier. Meyer told reporters last week that he was aware that Smith had been accused of aggravated battery on a pregnant victim in 2009, while Smith worked under him as a graduate assistant at the University of Florida. Meyer said that he and his wife, Shelley, had tried to help the couple work through their problems but that he did not know of any subsequent abuse. |
| Urban Meyer's six-year cycle of lies catches up to him again | |
 | Columnist Ron Higgins writes in The Times-Picayune: It is no coincidence that Urban Meyer lasted six seasons as Florida's football coach before he resigned. It is no accident that Meyer has completed six years as Ohio State's coach but may not get to year seven, because of damning evidence that his wife and likely he knew one of his assistants had a history of domestic violence. It takes about six years for all of Meyer's lies circle back around and haunt him, lies that he tells recruits, lies that he tells his players, lies that he tells himself to justify the lies and lies that he tells the media that his players know are lies. But Meyer's alternate universe, they are not lies but rather incomplete truths. There may not be a coach in college football history who has lived in the gray area more than Urban Meyer. |
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