| Tuesday, August 7, 2018 |
| Mississippi State Celebrates YMCA Building Renovation | |
 | Mississippi State University held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, July 31, to celebrate the recently completed renovations of the university's YMCA Building. The YMCA chapter was founded in 1882, back when the school was still the Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi. As the organization grew, it constructed and opened the 28,000-square-foot building in 1914 and opened it in 1915. In 1985, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History designated the building as a Mississippi Landmark Building. The $9.8-million renovation added faculty offices for MSU's Dean of Students and College of Arts and Sciences faculty on the first floor, an office for vice president for student affairs on the second floor, and the vice president for finance and chief financial officer and the Office of General Counsel on the third floor. |
| SOCSD leaders preview 2018-2019 school year | |
 | All students of the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District return to school today to begin the 2018-2019 school year. In preparation, the SDN sat down with Superintendent Eddie Peasant, Assistant Superintendent Christy Maulding, Assistant Superintendent David Baggett and Assistant Superintendent Anna Guntharp to discuss the district's plans for the upcoming year, and any changes students and parents may notice. Prior to the beginning of the school year, the district rolled out its new strategic plan at the July school board meeting. The document is intended to shape every move the district makes for the next five years. The plan lays out five specific areas to focus on and the district's means of reaching them. The document also includes a new mission statement and seven core values of the district. "It's really going to be part of everything that we do," Peasant said. "Those five goals are how we do everything." |
| Starkville, Oktibbeha eye parks & rec partnership | |
 | Oktibbeha County is in the very early stages of considering a relationship with the city of Starkville for recreation. Supervisors discussed the possibility at last week's budget workshop meeting, where Board President Orlando Trainer said Mayor Lynn Spruill asked the county to consider putting some funding toward a park the city is looking to build at Cornerstone Park on Highway 25. Supervisors seemed generally receptive to the idea on Thursday. However, they talked about having conversations with Starkville on ways to expand recreation throughout the county, in addition to what's being considered within the city limits. "I'm thinking about county-wide recreation," Trainer said. "I'm thinking about not only the lake, but the horse park -- I'm thinking about everything. It could be a real game-changer." |
| Democratic candidate's comments about Mexican immigrants causes firestorm | |
| Gov. Phil Bryant accused the media of "a double standard" Thursday for not reporting on comments state Rep. Michael Evans of Preston made about Mexican immigrants during the annual political speakings at the Neshoba County Fair. Speaking last Wednesday, Evans, who is the Democratic nominee for the 3rd District U.S. House seat, described a purported conversation he had with a woman in southwest Mississippi who said Mexican immigrants were taking jobs away from her three sons. "Do you want to pay these Mexicans back tonight?" Evans said he asked the woman. "I said, 'I guarantee if your three boys want to work tonight I will get them a job ...You have your boys in Philadelphia tonight at that chicken plant, we will put all three to work.'" Evans said the woman said the boys did not want to work in the chicken plant because they had college degrees. He said if the boys did not have jobs it was not the fault of undocumented immigrants from Mexico. |
| Democrats want more say in roads, bridges fix | |
 | Democratic leaders in the Mississippi Legislature are asking Republican Governor Phil Bryant for a seat at the negotiating table when it comes time to talk about roads and bridges. Legislators are at a years-long impasse over how to fund repair projects on the state's crumbling streets and highways. Senator Derrick Simmons of Greenville says he and his fellow Democrats have felt left out of the process so far. He says they're open to any ideas, except more corporate tax breaks. Simmons is the leader of Senate Democrats. He and his House counterpart, Representative David Baria of Bay St. Louis, co-authored a letter to Governor Bryant. At last week's Neshoba County Fair, Bryant says he has a plan to fix infrastructure that will not involve tax increases. Governor Bryant says he will call a special session to address infrastructure funding when House and Senate leaders reach a tentative agreement. |
| Fact check: Gov. Phil Bryant's Neshoba County Fair speech | |
| Gov. Phil Bryant's Neshoba County Fair speech Thursday was chock full of facts and figures designed to illustrate prosperity under Republican leadership. Mississippi Today reporters, as they have done in the past, researched and provided context for several of the governor's statements about health care, social services, jobs and the economy. |
| Fact check: Tate Reeves and Jim Hood Neshoba County Fair speeches | |
| Attorney General Jim Hood and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves delivered fiery Neshoba County Fair speeches last week, which included facts and figures they claimed supported their platforms. Reeves and Hood are barreling toward the 2019 governor's race, with Reeves the likely frontrunner for the Republican Party and Hood the leading candidate for the Democratic Party. Mississippi Today reporters, as they have done in the past, researched and provided context for several of the two candidates' statements about health care, social services, jobs and the economy. |
| U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith making impact in Forrest County | |
 | U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith stopped by the Forrest County Board of Supervisors meeting Monday morning. The board thanked her for her work in getting Forrest County and Petal Schools one step closer to having safe rooms. Hyde-Smith stepped in and got eight out of 10 rooms approved for the bidding process, and is working on two more. The Senator is also helping with funding to Bobby Chain Airport's runway and getting the funds for fencing and security at the Hattiesburg Laurel Regional Airport. Hyde-Smith said there are a lot of advantages to the Forrest County area. "I did have the opportunity, serving on the appropriations committee, to get money for both the airports in the county," Hyde-Smith said. "One, we are going to extend the taxiway on it. The other, we are going to put a perimeter fence around it. It's a fantastic community. It's got the great health centers here, just the retail market here, what's spent in retail that generates taxes in the rest of the state, a lot to be said for." |
| Mississippi Manufacturers Association endorses Cindy Hyde-Smith in Senate race | |
 | The Mississippi Manufacturers Association board of directors voted unanimously to endorse Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in a November special election. After Thad Cochran's resignation in April with two years remaining in his 6-year term, Hyde-Smith was appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant to serve until a replacement could be elected. "We have chosen to support Sen. Hyde-Smith in her campaign for election because she has been an advocate for Mississippi's manufacturing industry," said Jay Moon, MMA president and CEO. |
| SoS Delbert Hosemann assesses Mississippi's future | |
 | In assessing the state's future, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann's top priorities for a brighter Mississippi include resolving infrastructure problems and refocusing on the state's small businesses. Hosemann's first action item, however, relates to Mississippi's most valuable resources: teachers and children. "For Mississippi to succeed, public schools must succeed," said Hosemann during his annual Neshoba County Fair speech. "Spending our taxpayer dollars wisely starts with increasing teacher pay," Hosemann, a Republican, said. "Just adequately funding education is not adequate for me." |
| A year after Charlottesville, many white supremacists are keeping a lower profile | |
 | A year ago, white supremacists were ready for a big show of unity in Charlottesville. Hundreds traveled to the city for a rally in support of their belief that white people are superior. But the gathering quickly became violent, and an anti-racism protester was killed when a car rammed into a crowd. Since then, many supporters of "white rights" who frequently appeared on campus speaking tours or smaller gatherings throughout the country have become significantly less visible even as the number of neo-Nazi groups has increased, according to members of white supremacy groups, anti-racism activists and other observers. The spectacle of Charlottesville, Va., has kept the far right movement more splintered than united, even as demonstrations such as one in Portland, Ore., on Saturday still draw right-wing extremists and counter-protesters, raising concerns about violence. |
| Emmett Till Sign Is Hit With Bullets Again, 35 Days After Being Replaced | |
 | For more than 50 years after the murder of Emmett Till, no historical markers in the Mississippi Delta told the story of the 14-year-old African-American boy who was dragged from his bed in the night, lynched and then dumped in the Tallahatchie River. That changed in 2007. Eight signs were erected in northwest Mississippi, including at the spot on the river where fishermen in 1955 discovered Emmett's mutilated corpse tethered to a cotton-gin fan. But a year later, vandals tore down the sign on the riverbed. It was replaced. But then bullets were fired into that marker --- more than 100 rounds over several years. A new sign was installed in June. Thirty-five days later, on July 26, it was shot up again. |
| Complete 2 Compete program making a difference | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi has created a new degree aimed at a specific student -- one who has dropped out of college and needs only a few credits to come back and graduate. The new Bachelor's of University Studies is in response to the state's launch last summer of the Complete 2 Compete program -- devised to help 85,000 Mississippi adults complete their college degrees and create a brighter future. "This degree is designed specifically for eligible students associated with the Complete 2 Compete initiative and is very generous in accepting previously earned credit toward that degree," Richard Ladner, Southern Miss Complete 2 Compete coach, said in an email. Hard to believe, but state education officials say there are more than 17,000 adult learners in Mississippi who have dropped out of university or junior college but could graduate with no additional coursework. They estimate more than 67,000 could get a degree with some additional work. |
| Andrew Harris among first MCCers in Complete 2 Compete program | |
 | When Andrew Harris walked across the Temple Theater stage at Meridian Community College's commencement to receive his degree last Friday, he was among the first MCC students to earn his degree through Complete 2 Compete. Complete 2 Compete (C2C) is a statewide initiative designed to help Mississippi adults who have earned college credit -- but do not have a degree -- better their lives by completing a degree program. Created by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Community College Board, the C2C program combines the resources of the state's 15 community colleges and eight public universities. Harris, 33, a resident of Lauderdale, came to MCC for the first year and a half of college but didn't complete enough hours to earn his degree. He took time off from his studies to care for his father and grandfather before they passed away. "It was a good experience because I got to bond with them before they died." |
| MSMS faculty ranked top in nation for 2nd year in a row | |
| This year, as it does each year, the Mississippi School for Math and Science appears prominently on the list of the top high schools in the nation. According to Niche.com's rankings, MSMS is sixth best public high school in the nation this year. The residential high school located on the Mississippi University for Women campus regularly attracts high-achieving and highly-motivated students, an obvious factor in the school's success. But another big factor in that success has been the faculty. This year, for the second year in a row, the MSMS faculty has been ranked No. 1 among public high schools in the U.S. Starkville High School was ranked 58th among the state's public high schools. No other area high schools were ranked among the state's top schools. |
| U. of Alabama rents space in Mobile for transportation research | |
 | The University of Alabama will lease space at the GulfQuest facility in Mobile for research and program initiatives in the region, primarily in the area of transportation. "The University of Alabama has a long history in Mobile and along the Gulf Coast, including the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. With a large and growing number of research projects and collaborations in the area, the GulfQuest facility will give us a centrally located physical space to expand our research capacity," said John Higginbotham, UA interim vice president for research and economic development in a statement released by the university. The lease begins Sept. 1 at the facility on South Water Street in downtown Mobile. GulfQuest is a 120,000-square-foot maritime museum designed to look as if it were a ship headed into Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. |
| U. of Arkansas suspends fraternity from campus over hazing | |
| The Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity will be suspended for the school year at the University of Arkansas after being found responsible for violating conduct rules related to hazing, a UA spokesman said. "The organization has been suspended from campus and is eligible for reinstatement at the conclusion of Spring 2019 semester, pending successful completion of all requirements," UA spokesman Scott Flanagin said in an email. "The organization has been removed from their house for this academic year." The organization had 182 members as of spring 2018, Flanagin said. It was found responsible in April for specific conduct violations of hazing, violation of safety systems, disorderly conduct and conduct that endangers the health and safety of any person, Flanagin said. The organization's latest trouble comes after a UA investigation last year into a February 2017 party and a pending lawsuit filed by a woman at the party that states the fraternity should be held responsible for sexually explicit photographs taken without consent and distributed to a fraternity email network. |
| U. of Arkansas to go with interim art chief in 2018-19 | |
| An interim director will lead the University of Arkansas School of Art in 2018-19, with travel records showing details of thus far failed efforts to hire a top leader. Two finalists in June accepted jobs at other universities, leaving UA still searching for an arts leader despite unprecedented gifts announced last year of $160 million in support of arts education. "I think everyone was a little surprised, but we are an agile team and a team that believes in finding the right person to fill this important role," Mathew McConnell, a UA art faculty member since 2011 and the school's interim director as of July 1, said in an email. Details about the next steps in the search have yet to be announced, but "we are hopeful for a new director to be in place by fall 2019," Kayla Crenshaw, the school's communications director, said in an email. |
| Bill Clinton spoke at U. of South Carolina on Monday | |
 | When Bill Clinton grows up, he wants to be just like former South Carolina Gov. Dick Riley. That's what the former U.S. president signed in Riley's 85th birthday card in January, Clinton told a crowd of about 400 on Monday. The occasion was a ceremony at the University of South Carolina's Alumni Center where Riley donated his personal artifacts to the university's library. "These papers reflect the man who had the single greatest quality of public service," Clinton said of Riley, who served as South Carolina's governor from 1979 to 1987. "And that is he kept score in the right way." That criteria, Clinton elaborated, was whether the constituents he served were better off after Riley left office than before. Riley, 85, and Clinton, 71, were elected to their respective states' governorships on the same day in 1978 and have known each other for decades. |
| Cattle expert Larry Boleman retiring after 54 years with Texas A&M | |
 | Hundreds of people gathered Monday in Aggieland to honor Larry Boleman's 54 years of service at Texas A&M University. Boleman, 73, will retire as the associate vice chancellor of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service at the end of the month. Boleman started both his educational and professional career at A&M in 1964. Growing up in McLennan County, Boleman participated in FFA, and his high school agriculture science teacher encouraged him to attend Texas A&M. "My natural inclination just took me to cattle," Boleman said. "Even though I spent a lot of years riding horses and training horses, I just felt closer to the cattle industry and cattle themselves. I showed cattle and won awards and just really loved being around them. So a natural progression was, in my mind, to be an [agriculture] teacher or [do] something in the educational area ... and so the route to that was to come to Texas A&M." |
| DeVos regulatory framework means less pressure on colleges, tougher standard for student borrowers | |
 | Eighteen months into Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's tenure, colleges with poor student outcomes -- particularly for-profit institutions -- are poised to benefit from a more forgiving regulatory approach than under the Obama administration. Colleges had pushed for those changes, but consumer advocates say students will lose out. DeVos late last month released details of a new borrower-defense rule that would raise the standards for students who were misled by their institution and are seeking to have their federal loans forgiven. And she reportedly plans to repeal entirely the gainful-employment rule, which would cut off federal aid to career-oriented programs that produce too many graduates with debt they can't repay, offering in its place more outcomes data for all higher ed programs. Both proposals meet the demands of industry groups, and the repeal of gainful employment, in particular, would be a boon to the for-profit college sector, which accounted for the vast majority of programs that failed federal standards. |
| Trump doesn't want an educated workforce, Obama education secretary says | |
 | Former education secretary Arne Duncan on Tuesday sharply criticized the Trump administration's policies on education and said he doubts the president wants an educated workforce because "it doesn't play to his authoritarian tendencies." Duncan, who served as Barack Obama's secretary of education through the end of 2015 and is currently promoting his new book, made the comments Tuesday morning during an interview with CNN. Asked for his opinion on the performance of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who earlier this year drew criticism following a CBS interview in which she appeared to have difficulty answering questions on basic education issues, Duncan replied, "I think they're really struggling. There's no vision. There's no meaningful strategy." Duncan argued that a highly educated workforce would mean more people challenging Trump on his policies as well as his false or misleading claims. "I'm not sure if that's in his self-interest," he said. |
| What Does This Professor Know About Conspiracy Theorists That We Don't? | |
 | Joseph Uscinski is a wanted man. At least, he has been since last week, when the presence of a bunch of people wearing 'Q' T-shirts at a Trump rally catapulted a bizarre conspiracy theory from the fringes of the internet to the center of the news. (The theory is hard to parse, but suffice it to say that it involves Hillary Clinton, the "deep state," and child sex trafficking.) Suddenly reporters and news producers wanted to talk about how people come to believe in outlandish stories about powerful people, and how those beliefs seem to be shaping American politics. So they turned to Uscinski, an associate professor of political science at the University of Miami. |
| Sooner or later, Mississippi will legalize pot | |
 | Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: The day is coming when marijuana will be sold legally in Mississippi under rules similar to those in place for whiskey, wine and beer. Don't freak out. Workplace rules will remain. A stoned school teacher or truck driver or retail clerk will still be as vulnerable to being fired as a drunk teacher, trucker or clerk. But 30 states and the District of Columbia have now legalized pot in one form or another, and Mississippi will eventually join them. It may come as a surprise to people that Mississippi was second only to Alaska in "decriminalizing" marijuana in the 1970s. Yes, possession of large amounts or sale of any amount remains a peniteniary offense. But for the past 40 years or so getting caught with a personal stash has been on legal par or slightly less serious than a DUI. |
SPORTS
| MSU Notebook: Change nothing new for Gerri Green | |
| Moving around is nothing new for Gerri Green. Green has played outside linebacker, moved inside and then back out again during his career at Mississippi State. But for his final stanza, the senior will switch positions entirely as he drops down to play defensive end. "It's been a fun transition," Green said. "I'm still going to be in a two-point stance some this season. But being able to go into a three-point stance just adds versatility for me." The 6-foot-4, 255- pounder began practicing at his new position in the spring but didn't really have to put on any additional weight despite now putting his hand on the ground. "I gained a couple of pounds but it wasn't for the position per say," Green said. "I'm at about three or four pounds heavier than I played at last season." |
| Independent league play helps Carly Mauldin prepare for senior season with Mississippi State soccer | |
| Carly Mauldin spent nearly all of the summer putting herself in uncomfortable situations. It was an easy decision because Mauldin wanted to be at her best for her senior season with the Mississippi State women's soccer team. That's why Mauldin opted to return to Southeast Michigan for the second-straight season and play for and train with Aaron City and the Women's Premier Soccer League's Motor City FC. In addition to playing in eight matches in the independent league that features more than 100 teams from across the United States, Mauldin trained in the gym and on the field with Byrd five to six days a week. Byrd believes all of that work has helped Mauldin develop greater confidence and a higher comfort level on the ball. As one of only five seniors on a team that features 14 freshmen, Mauldin will be counted on to play a key role. |
| Stephen F. Austin head football coach Clint Conque resigns | |
| Stephen F. Austin State University head football coach Clint Conque announced his resignation Monday. "Today I announce my decision to step down as the head football coach at Stephen F. Austin," Conque said. "Although I have remained confident in the ongoing investigation into the potential violation of university policy, as a family of faith and out of respect to my profession, I do not want this situation to be a further distraction to the 2018 football team and season. I deeply care for my players and wish them great success this season and beyond." Conque joined the SFA athletic staff in 2014. |
| Georgia eyes future facility improvements for 'football spaces' | |
 | As Georgia puts the finishing touches on its west end zone project in Sanford Stadium, it is laying the groundwork for more changes on the horizon to its football facilities. "We are working on plans to enhance the football spaces that are currently in the Butts-Mehre building in the future," athletic director Greg McGarity said. "We are looking at all type of options. It's more or less a feasibility and massing exercise now where things could potentially go and how they fit. ...All football spaces will be under review." Expect a larger weight room (currently 12,000 square feet) and other upgrades that could include additional office space to accommodate an expanded support staff and to the locker room the team uses on practice days. "The misconception is everybody thinks it's just the weight room," McGarity said. "We're talking about all football spaces, but we're in the feasibility process right now." |
| UGA raises a record $80.4 million toward athletics | |
| It was announced Monday afternoon that the Georgia Bulldog Club -- the fund-raising arm of the UGA Athletic Association -- raised $80.4 million in total donations last year, which includes $40.5 million in major gifts and nearly $40 million through annual giving campaigns. This past year's total was 43.5 percent above the $56 million raised in fiscal year 2017 and 41 percent higher that the previous high mark of $56.9 million in fiscal year 2016, according to an athletic association release. The release also said the majority of major gift funds raised went toward the $63 million West End Zone project at Sanford Stadium, which includes a new game-day locker room, recruiting hospitality lounge, a new entry plaza and video board and enhanced concession and restroom facilities. |
| 13 UNC football players to miss games for selling shoes | |
| Thirteen North Carolina football players will be suspended by the university for selling school-issued sneakers, the school announced on Monday. Quarterback Chazz Surratt, who started seven games for UNC last season, is one of them. The NCAA approved a request to stagger some of the suspensions. UNC coach Larry Fedora said he was disappointed upon finding out what his players had done, but he placed some of the blame on himself. He called it a teachable moment. "I've been coaching for over 30 years," Fedora said. "These are young men. They don't all make the best decisions every day of their life. That's our job as coaches is to teach them and to make sure they understand that life is about choices and the choices you make in life, there are consequences to those choices. And the choices you make don't just affect you, they affect other people. Something greater than yourself." |
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