| Wednesday, August 22, 2018 |
| To Get Ready for Robot Driving, Some Want to Reprogram Pedestrians | |
 | You're crossing the street wrong. That is essentially the argument some self-driving car boosters have fallen back on in the months after the first pedestrian death attributed to an autonomous vehicle and amid growing concerns that artificial intelligence capable of real-world driving is further away than many predicted just a few years ago. In a line reminiscent of Steve Jobs's famous defense of the iPhone 4's flawed antennae -- "Don't hold it like that" -- these technologists say the problem isn't that self-driving cars don't work, it's that people act unpredictably. "There should be proper education programs to make people familiar with these vehicles, the ways to interact with them and to use them," says Shuchisnigdha Deb, a researcher at Mississippi State University's Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems. The U.S. Department of Transportation has stressed the need for such consumer education in its latest guidance on autonomous vehicles. |
| Notice of Meeting; Board for International Food and Agricultural Development | |
| Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, notice is hereby given of the public meeting of the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD). The meeting will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 12, 2018, at the Murrow/White/Lisagor Room, 13th Floor, National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC. The central theme of this public meeting will be the new Feed the Future Learning Agenda which builds on the first Feed the Future Learning Agenda launched in 2012. Dr. Mark Keenum, BIFAD Chair, will preside over the public business meeting, which will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. EDT with opening remarks. Beginning at 12:30 p.m. EDT, Chairman Keenum will moderate a half-hour public comment period. The public meeting will adjourn at 1:00 p.m. EDT with Dr. Keenum's closing remarks. |
| Starkville could decide on annexation in September | |
 | Starkville aldermen could decide next month to expand the city's borders after receiving results from the second phase of a months-long annexation study. Consultant Mike Slaughter, with the Oxford-based planning firm Slaughter & Associates, presented the study's second phase findings to aldermen during a lengthy discussion at Tuesday's board meeting. The city has been considering annexation since October, when the board authorized the study. The third, and largest, area originally included Mississippi State University and the surrounding areas to the east and south of the university. However, at Tuesday's meeting, Mayor Lynn Spruill said MSU declined to be part of the annexation during discussions between university and city leadership. "They declined to be annexed, which is something that they can do," Spruill said. |
| Jessica Chambers: Oktibbeha County jury to hear second Quinton Tellis trial in Batesville | |
| The retrial of Quinton Tellis for the 2014 burning death of Jessica Chambers will be in Batesville -- the same location as the first trial -- with a jury selected in Oktibbeha County, District Attorney John Champion confirmed Tuesday. The Dispatch newspaper of Columbus and Starkville first reported Friday that an order entered in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court last week indicated the jury would come from there. The order calls for a jury pool of at least 300 to be drawn Sept. 24, the day the retrial is scheduled to begin. The Batesville venue will remain the same, Champion said. "None of that has changed," Champion said. "As far as I know, the jury will be selected there (Oktibbeha County), brought to Batesville and sequestered." Oktibbeha County, where Starkville is located, is about 120 miles southeast of Batesville. Batesville is about 60 miles south of Memphis. |
| Oktibbeha County supervisors bid $1.7 million for new SOCSD admin building | |
| Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors on Monday approved offering $1.7 million for a building on Lynn Lane for the new Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District's administrative building. Once the SOCSD administration building is secured, the county will swap it for ownership of unused buildings of the defunct Oktibbeha County School District, which SOCSD took over after the city and county districts consolidated in 2015. Supervisors voted 3-2 to purchase the roughly 10,000 square-foot Lynn Lane building, a Mississippi Department of Health building now owned by CMMG Enterprises. John Montgomery of District 1 and Bricklee Miller of District 4 opposed offering the bid. SOCSD would still use its Greensboro Center headquarters for administrative functions after the deal, district public information officer Nicole Thomas told The Dispatch. |
| Aurora working on pilot-less 'air version of Uber,' other initiatives | |
| Imagine if the Golden Triangle merged with New York City and suddenly had access to all of the talents and resources of The Big Apple. That, said Aurora Flight Sciences Vice President Greg Stewart, is the primary benefit of his company's sale to Boeing in November. "We weren't a small company before the sale," Stewart told the audience at the Columbus Rotary Club Tuesday at Lion Hills Center. "We had about 500 employees. But Boeing is huge, about 77,000 employees. One of the biggest things about that is suddenly we have access to the resources of a company that size. It's been less than a year since the sale, and we're already seeing the benefits of that." Stewart said Aurora Flight Science, which specializes in the design, testing and production of autonomous (unmanned) aircraft systems, is set to move into new areas thanks to its relationship with Boeing, the world's largest aircraft manufacturer. |
| Small Farmers want less strict rules in Mississippi | |
 | Several small farmers and local chefs are asking the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce to revise regulations they say are making it difficult to get products from the farm to the table. The United States Department of Agriculture allows small farmers to produce up to 20,000 chickens a year without the same inspection process as larger farms. But Mississippi law limits small poultry farmers in the amount of chickens they can produce and denies their access to sell directly to grocery stores. Ben Simmons of Nature's Gourmet Farm in Petal says the law in Mississippi is confusing and restrictive. Chef Nick Wallace says he wants his customers to eat more from Mississippi farms. "You have to work really hard to get local foods. I mean it's really tough," said Wallace. |
| SoS Delbert Hosemann in Hattiesburg to enlist help battling low voter turnout | |
 | The voter turnout in the June 5 Mississippi primary elections was abysmal, and Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann doesn't want a repeat in the Nov. 6 general election. He came to Hattiesburg Tuesday to kick off a statewide effort -- meeting with local elected officials and asking them to get out the vote in November. "The number of people voting in Forrest County (in June) was 6,093 out of 44,727 -- 13.6 percent of people voting in the primary here, Republican and Democrat," he told an audience at the Forrest County Courthouse. "In Lamar County, it was just a little bit better -- 5,165 voted out of 32,310 who are eligible to vote or 15.9 percent." The numbers statewide mirrored those locally, with 245,100 of more than 1.8 million registered voters going to the polls in June for a 13.4 percent turnout. "We have an opportunity to get a second chance," Hosemann said. "That second chance will come during the general election in November." |
| Lakeland Drive widening project part of 2014 legislative 'wrangling,' special session | |
| The genesis of the project that led to the controversial decision to build a frontage road from two gated neighborhoods in Flowood to a nearby shopping center was first considered in the 2014 regular session and passed a few days later in a special session, according to Mississippi Department of Transportation Commissioner Melinda McGrath. In a letter to Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, McGrath, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation, wrote, "You and/or your staff as well as other entities were informed of the safety options under consideration, e.g. traffic signals, J-turn and frontage road. Since the addition of a traffic signal was not a viable solution from an engineering (safety and mobility) standpoint and because of legislative wrangling over the Lakeland Drive expansion project within our FY2015 appropriation bill that required a special legislative session to resolve, the frontage road was pursued." |
| States Blast Trump Administration Coal Plan, Mull Lawsuits | |
 | States with a history of fighting air pollution generated by coal-fired power plants on Tuesday criticized a move by President Donald Trump's administration to scale back federal restrictions on emissions, with some threatening court challenges. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan was among those who pledged to "take legal action to ensure the federal government does its job" to protect the environment and people's health. But some states welcomed the move on Tuesday. Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi predicted the president's proposal should protect her constituents from threatened power plant closings and electricity rate hikes. |
| Trump cites death of Iowa college student in appeal for stronger immigration laws | |
 | President Trump on Tuesday seized on news that an undocumented immigrant was charged in the death of an Iowa college student to underscore his push for stricter immigration laws. "You heard about today with the illegal alien coming in, very sadly, from Mexico, and you saw what happened to that incredible, beautiful young woman. Should've never happened," Trump said at a rally in Charleston, W.Va. "We've had a huge impact but the laws are so bad," he continued. "The immigration laws are such a disgrace. We're getting them changed, but we have to get more Republicans." Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, was charged with murder in connection to the death of 20-year-old Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts, who had been missing for more than a month before authorities discovered her body this week. |
| Michael Cohen Says He Arranged Payments to Women at Trump's Direction | |
 | Michael D. Cohen, President Trump's former lawyer, made the extraordinary admission in court on Tuesday that Mr. Trump had directed him to arrange payments to two women during the 2016 campaign to keep them from speaking publicly about affairs they said they had with Mr. Trump. Mr. Cohen acknowledged the illegal payments while pleading guilty to breaking campaign finance laws and other charges, a litany of crimes that revealed both his shadowy involvement in Mr. Trump's circle and his own corrupt business dealings. He told a judge in United States District Court in Manhattan that the payments to the women were made "in coordination with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office," implicating the president in a federal crime. |
| Manafort found guilty on eight counts | |
 | Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman, was convicted Tuesday on eight felony counts after a trial on charges of bank and tax fraud brought by special counsel Robert Mueller. The federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, declared a mistrial on the remaining 10 charges, but the 69-year-old Manafort still faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison. The guilty verdicts in the first trial conducted by Mueller's team do not implicate President Donald Trump, but could help insulate the special counsel's Russia investigation from Trump's charges of a "witch hunt." Even so, Trump repeated that line shortly after the verdict Tuesday. |
| Fall Convocation at UM honors William Faulkner | |
 | Hundreds of Ole Miss freshmen, transfer students and faculty members filled The Pavilion on Tuesday night for the annual fall convocation, a ceremony welcoming new students to campus. The convocation centered around the "common read," a tradition since the first convocation, which is the book gifted to all new students at orientation that they're tasked with reading for discussion in EDHE and honors classes. This year's common read is an Ole Miss special edition of "Collected Stories of William Faulkner," which includes 42 short stories that were hand-picked by Faulkner as his best. "This marks the first time in the eight-year history of the program that the common read is not a book by a living author, and this means that your convocation speaker is not the common read author but, instead, a common read reader, just like all of you," keynote address speaker Jay Watson said. Watson, an English professor at Ole Miss, also holds the title of Howry Professor of Faulkner Studies. |
| Scooting to Success: 77-year-old veteran starts class at Ole Miss with a new ride | |
| James "Handsome Jim" Willis isn't the typical Ole Miss student, but thanks to a few good Samaritans, the soon-to-be 77-year-old will be scooting to success this semester. Willis is a Navy veteran and retired Teamster who, after 28 years, is fulfilling his lifelong dream of earning a degree. A social sciences major, Willis said he realized he needed to take classes on campus, but wasn't sure how that would happen due to limited mobility from coronary artery disease. "I'm handicapped. I can walk, but only about 50 feet before I've got to sit down," Willis said. "I can park in the handicap spots, but I've still got to go to the buildings somehow." Once Andrew Newby, Assistant Director for Veteran and Military Services, found out Willis enrolled at Ole Miss, Newby said he made it his mission to help Willis. The first day they met, Newby said he noticed Willis had difficulty walking from the handicap parking spot outside Martindale Hall to the Veterans and Military Services office on the third floor. |
| Ole Miss 'Get Involved Fair' provides a club for everyone | |
 | Throughout the upcoming school year, flyers will be ignored and emails will go unopened, so it was important Tuesday for student organizations at the University of Mississippi's "Get Involved Fair" to get an opportunity to meet potential members face-to-face. About 100 organizations lined the pathways through University Circle in front of the Lyceum as upperclassmen chatted up new freshman about the benefits of their clubs. "Yeah school can be a lot of work, but you've got to have a little bit of fun in college too," said senior Eric Lam, who was representing the Vietnamese-American Student Association. "If the drinking and fraternity life isn't your scene, you can definitely find a home somewhere else." |
| President William LaForge presents state of Delta State University | |
| Delta State University President William LaForge discussed progress from the past year and outlined what he envisions for the future during the university's annual convocation Thursday. One of the top highlights he mentioned was a partnership with FedEx, called Purple Runway, which will be happening soon. Delta State is one of three universities in the country forming the relationship. According to a press release, "FedEx Express, along with its feeder operators at Mountain Air Cargo and Empire Airlines, will have a collaborative outreach and engagement program to promote student interest in aviation careers at selected colleges and universities beginning with Delta State University." Specifics of the program are still in the works but it will provide increased opportunities for DSU students entering the aviation field. |
| Tulane's Biloxi campus announces its closing | |
 | Sad news for higher education on the Coast. The Tulane campus in Biloxi will be closing. Officials found out Monday morning and sent emails to the students letting them know the announcement. Officials say it is because of low enrollment that makes the campus no longer viable in this area. No more new students will be enrolled; however, officials say they will continue with classes possibly through next fall in order to help the current students receive their degree. If they cannot accommodate all of the students currently enrolled, they will work with those students to help them transfer their credits to another institution. The school will begin the closing process once approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Over the next several weeks, the school will come up with an official date of closing, including the last term where courses will be offered at the Biloxi campus. |
| LSU says this year's freshman class expected to be largest, most diverse in school's history | |
| Preliminary numbers show LSU is on track to have its largest freshman class in history. The university started fall classes Monday by announcing that it expects to have at least 5,800 freshmen, topping a prior record of 5,725 enrolled six years earlier. LSU says the freshman class is its most diverse, as well, with more than 1,625 students in the incoming freshman class who reported themselves as non-white, compared to 1,252 last year. Its honors college on campus also has a historically high level of enrollment, at 740 students, the largest ever. |
| U. of Tennessee-Knoxville: Big construction projects underway | |
 | Across much of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's campus, bright orange and white construction cones and barricades, many complemented by "detour" signs, blend in with the surrounding orange aesthetic of campus. Several construction projects have been underway on UT Knoxville's footprint and will continue to take shape into the school year. Among them: a new Student Union, the transformation of Volunteer Boulevard, the development of two new residence halls that will also contain classrooms, and a new engineering services facility that will provide a state-of-the-art facility for UT Knoxville's nuclear engineering department. The surge of construction at UT Knoxville equates to something of a renaissance for the university. Throughout the recession that closed out 2007 -- and extending back at least 40 years before it -- not many new buildings joined the campus landscape. |
| Welcome Students, Let's Talk About Confederate Statues | |
 | The toppling of a Confederate statue by protesters on Monday at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the latest skirmish in an intense debate over the future of such monuments and imagery on southern campuses. Institutions from Virginia to Mississippi are trying to come to terms with statues, markers and building names linked to their Confederate past, without alienating alumni and donors. For many Southern schools, a core issue is economics. They need to appeal to a more diverse student population, and Confederate symbols can scare off black and Hispanic families or prospects from outside the region. "How do you get kids to get interested and apply and feel like this is a place they want to be?" said Nicholas S. Zeppos, chancellor of Vanderbilt University. Vanderbilt, which draws students from across the country to its Nashville, Tenn., campus, announced in 2016 that it would pay $1.2 million to the United Daughters of the Confederacy to rename Confederate Memorial Hall as Memorial Hall. |
| Silent Sam No Longer Stands, But the Saga of UNC's Confederate Statue Is Far From Over | |
 | On Tuesday morning, Michelle Brown walked across the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She slowed her pace near a lush green plaza. There, the recent graduate saw in daylight what she had been working toward for years: a vista with no Silent Sam looming over her. In a dramatic gathering the night before, protesters had yanked the nine-foot-tall Confederate monument to the ground during a demonstration that drew hundreds of participants. The protest was held to energize the movement against the statue's presence and support an activist facing charges for splashing it with red ink and blood in May. "The campus feels..." Brown said, pausing to search for the precise word, "free." Activists reveled in their long-sought victory on Tuesday. For many, like Brown, Silent Sam occupied a big part of their college experience. To African-Americans especially, the statue was a constant and hard-to-avoid reminder that the Confederacy and its support of slavery were interwoven with -- and celebrated throughout -- the campus's history. |
| Meet the new kid on campus: Alexa | |
 | All students moving into residence halls at Saint Louis University this week will find a corner of their desks already taken up by a new roommate. Her name is Alexa. Housed in a SLU-branded Amazon Echo Dot, Alexa is the anthropomorphic personal assistant every 21st-century student needs, or so says David Hakanson, chief innovation officer at SLU. SLU purchased 2,300 Echo Dots from Amazon to put in students' dorm rooms. The devices are preloaded with an Alexa voice app or skill, called "SLU", which enables students to easily access information about what's going on on-campus. Alexa can currently answer around 130 campus-related questions, and more questions and answers will be added at students' request, said Hakanson. The SLU skill was developed with n-Powered -- an ed-tech company spun out of Northeastern University. It would be easy to dismiss SLU's Echo Dot purchase as a marketing gimmick -- a cool new toy for students that's cheaper for institutions to provide than an iPad or laptop. But Hakanson says that SLU's decision to invest in the Alexa devices and develop the SLU skill is part of an institutional strategy to help students feel more connected to the university and get engaged in campus life quickly. |
| State higher ed leaders praise pick for key U.S. higher ed post | |
| Just over 13 years ago, Robert L. King moved on from the State University of New York system after a rocky tenure in his first stint as a higher ed leader. The chancellor of the SUNY system from 2000 to 2005, he had lost the backing of trustees and key lawmakers and reportedly clashed with campus presidents before his departure. But higher ed leaders who have worked with King in more recent stops greeted his nomination for a key post at the Education Department Tuesday with strong praise, crediting him with a conciliatory approach and deep knowledge of postsecondary issues at the state level. If confirmed, King would be the first Senate-approved official charged with overseeing higher ed policy making in the Trump administration. |
| Special session promises new funding alternatives after GOP tax cuts launched | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: The proceeds from a new state lottery? A dedicated portion of the new online sales tax collections? A portion of gaming revenues from the newly minted sports book in Mississippi casinos? Borrowed or bonded revenues? Maybe a portion of the BP oil spill settlement funds as well? The 2018 special session of the Mississippi Legislature is shaping up to be a mixed bag of new and alternative revenue measures some two years after Gov. Phil Bryant signed the largest tax cut in state history into law in May 2016. ...This week's special session offers alternative revenue measures that certainly won't fully offset the 2016 tax cut package, but it does appear to be a plan that can stabilize state government finance -- and not just in the guise of addressing infrastructure needs. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State football to host Fan Day Saturday | |
| Mississippi State's Fan Day featuring the 2018 Bulldog football team is set for Saturday inside the Palmeiro Center. The event will be open to the public and free for fans of all ages. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m., and head coach Joe Moorhead and student-athletes will be available to sign autographs from 3-5 p.m. Fans are asked to enter through the southeast entrance of the Palmeiro Center. MSU Athletic Game Management staff will be available throughout the event to answer questions and review with fans the gameday, stadium security and access policies for the 2018 football season. Last Thursday, it was announced that walk-through metal detectors will be implemented at all gates of Davis Wade Stadium on football gamedays beginning Sept. 1. Fans interested in becoming familiar with the new entry process into Davis Wade Stadium in person are encouraged to attend. Though Fan Day is being held at the Palmeiro Center, walk-through metal detectors will be set up at Davis Wade Stadium for any fans interested in getting a preview of the gameday setup. |
| Renovation of Templeton Athletic Academic Center's atrium complete | |
| When Mississippi State student-athletes and visitors enter the Templeton Athletic Academic Center this fall, they will notice dramatic changes in the atrium. A renovation of the building's atrium space featuring a modern design with new graphics was recently completed. "The atrium of the Templeton Athletic Academic Center is a showplace for many visitors and student-athletes -- both current and prospective -- throughout the year," MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen said. "We had a vision to modernize the space and tell the story of our athletic success. Our marketing department did an outstanding job executing the plan. This renovation will benefit all of our athletic programs for many years to come." The atrium celebrates the athletic success of MSU, including the 2017-18 year. Adidas uniformed mannequins and backlit graphics highlighting student-athletes as well as the achievements of each team adorn the walls. |
| Defense defines Mississippi State's last week of training camp | |
 | Mississippi State held its last training camp practice of the year Tuesday before Wednesday's mini scrimmage. The team takes Thursday off before diving into preparation for the season opener. The Bulldogs entered preseason camp with loads of expectations from outside the program, and they appeared to have met or exceeded their own goals from within. Both head coach Joe Moorhead and defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said this has been one of the most productive training camps they've ever been involved in. Here are a couple takeaways from Mississippi State's final week of camp, both of which pertain to the Bulldogs' defense. |
| Mississippi State's Tucker Day focusing on punting again | |
| Jace Christmann's proliferation was ultimately Tucker Day's gain. Christmann's impressive 2017 season of 12 field goals made and no missed extra points was only made possible by Day's early struggles, going 2-for-4 on field goals and missing two extra points. While it wasn't the start to a college football career Day hoped for, it did grant him an opportunity he wanted: focusing on punting. The transition from punting prospect to starting placekicker and back again, all in the first three weeks of a freshman season, could be enough to derail a player's development for a season. Day made sure that wouldn't be the case, and now he's ready to compete for the starting punter job. "Punting was put to the side," Day said. "As far as developing punting training, we kind of focused on kickoffs and field goals and we didn't really develop the craft of punting." |
| Terrell Buckley believes Bulldog corners among the best | |
| Terrell Buckley knows talented cornerbacks when he sees them. Buckley himself was one of the best to ever play the position, having won the Thorpe Award at Florida State in 1991 before embarking on a 14-year career in the NFL that included 50 interceptions and a Super Bowl ring. For the past three seasons, Buckley has been the cornerbacks coach at Mississippi State and believes this group of Bulldogs has the talent and potential to be great. "I think we have one of the best secondaries in the country," Buckley said. "I think corner-wise, I wouldn't choose any other corner group in the country no matter what squad. And I think we're going to show and play that way." |
| Mike Villagrana heads up recruiting efforts for new Mississippi State football coaching staff | |
| Mike Villagrana sits in his office with a piece of paper in his hand, densely packed with information. It's sorted by position and by year, both current Mississippi State football players and the scores of recruits they're chasing. All the prospects are ranked and group by those rankings; it's color-coded in more than one category. Blank space is hard to find, on both sides of the sheet. It's nothing compared to the system in his computer, the one he organizes for the entire coaching staff. In an exclusive interview with The Dispatch, Villagrana, Mississippi State's Director of Recruiting, described how MSU coordinates its evaluation process and recruiting information. It's done in a way where each member of the staff has every piece of information possible on any recruit, plus all of the film MSU has on him and previous evaluations of the given recruit. "It's information overload, to be honest," Villagrana said. |
| Diamonds in the rough: Mississippi State relies on developing lower-star prospects to build program success | |
| Greg Eiland came to Mississippi State as a three-star offensive lineman from Philadelphia. The two in-state Southeastern Conference schools were providing most of the Power 5 conference attention; he had more offers from schools in smaller conferences, given he was ranked as the 58th-best offensive tackle in his senior class by 247 Sports Composite -- one of many services that ranks high school football prospects on a 5-star scale. In just his second year on campus, following a redshirt year, Eiland started four games. This season, he should start full-time. He is the stereotypical "diamond in the rough" MSU turned into a promising Southeastern Conference starter. |
| Rhylee DeCrane off to fast start with back-to-back shutouts for Mississippi State soccer team | |
| Rhylee DeCrane is finding her voice. Although DeCrane has practiced with some of her teammates for years, game action is different. That's why you can hear the cracks in DeCrane's voice because she has been working to make sure she is heard. "I have always had a problem of talking too fast," DeCrane said. "Some people describe it as sounding like a little bird, chirping, chirping in your ear. I definitely have tried to put emphasis into the words and to use one word and be confidence in so they will feed off the confidence in your words." Through two matches, it has been easy to hear the confidence in DeCrane's voice. The 5-foot-6 redshirt senior from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, posted the first two shutouts of her career in a 3-0 victory against Southern Mississippi on Aug. 16 and a 3-0 victory against Stephen F. Austin on Sunday. |
| New MSU Extension class offers game and land management techniques | |
| The start of bow season for white tail deer is just over a month away and many sportsmen are already looking into how they can make this their best year. A workshop, offered by the Bolivar County Extension Service, called Game Camera Surveys and Forest Management for White-tailed Deer, may help them to do just that. "The purpose of the class is to teach people how to better set up game cameras and improve the forest habitats on their land. This class is targeted to landowners and those with an interest in wildlife," said MSU Extension Agent Laura Jane Giaccaglia. "It is a new program that is actually being conducted around the region. Hunting is a tradition here and with all of the hunters we have in the Delta and those with an interest in wild game we thought this would be a good program for many of the people in our service area." |
| Georgia will open 2022 season against Oregon in Atlanta | |
 | Georgia will open another football season against a power five conference opponent at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Bulldogs will kick off the 2022 season against Oregon, Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity confirmed on Tuesday. Playing in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game meets the scheduling philosophy of coach Kirby Smart. "Kirby wants to, as I call it, schedule up," McGarity said. "His desire is in addition to Georgia Tech, preferably season opening, is to play another power five opponent." Gary Stokan, the director of the game, came up with the Oregon matchup which McGarity said "was certainly appealing to us." |
| Texas A&M faces NCAA scrutiny from ex-Aggie's bid to play this season | |
 | Santino Marchiol had no difficulty deciding in June that he needed to leave Texas A&M. The hard choice was how to get his football career moving as quickly as possible at the highest level possible. A four-star linebacker who enrolled at College Station in January 2017, he was hopeful even after his redshirt season ended with Kevin Sumlin's firing and Jimbo Fisher's arrival. Backed by a 10-year, $75 million contract, Fisher had vowed to make a culture change that would lift the Aggies into college football's elite. Over the next several months, however, Marchiol said he witnessed behavior that made him uncomfortable, including, he asserts, an assistant coach giving him cash to host top recruits on"unofficial" visits. Marchiol also said he and other players were evaluated in June practice sessions that were allegedly voluntary but were operated and observed outside the NCAA rule book. |
| Former Aggie football player levels allegations of possible NCAA violations | |
 | Texas A&M football coach Jimbo Fisher had no comment after Tuesday's practice on allegations by former linebacker Santino Marchiol that Fisher's staff might have committed NCAA violations. "I was informed the [USA Today] article came out, I haven't read it," Fisher said. "I don't know anything about it, so I can't comment on it. I'll comment on the players on our team." Marchiol claims the school mishandled his ankle injury, provided money for recruits on unofficial visits and had summer workouts that exceeded the maximum time allowed. Marchiol, who transferred to Arizona in June and is practicing with the Wildcats, made the allegations in a statement to the school's compliance office in a request for an NCAA waiver that would allow him to play immediately instead of sitting out a season. |
| After weeks of silence, Vanderbilt University says it will try to raise funds for football stadium | |
 | Vanderbilt University administration broke its silence about a lack of progress in renovating its football stadium, saying in a statement that it will put forth "efforts to raise funds" for athletic facilities, including the football stadium. The statement was released on Vanderbilt's website Friday. It was not attributed to a person or group. Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos has declined comment numerous times about the football stadium over the past three weeks. On Thursday, The Tennessean made interview requests to Vanderbilt Board of Trust members about the football stadium through their places of work. The Board of Trust includes American Airlines CEO W. Douglas Parker Jr., Cox Enterprises CEO Alexander C. Taylor, Minnesota Vikings owner Mark Wilf, billionaires Ross Perot Jr. and John R. Ingram, former Facebook Vice President Jeffrey J. Rothschild, NFL Senior Vice President of Labor Policy Adolpho Birch III, Ithaca College President Shirley M. Collado and others. |
| New contract for Lady Vols coach Holly Warlick has 32 ways she can be fired for cause | |
| Holly Warlick's contract extension with the University of Tennessee has more fire-for-cause provisions, including one regarding domestic violence that mirrors the language in athletic director Phillip Fulmer's deal. Warlick's new deal includes 32 ways in which she can be fired for cause by UT. One of them is failure to "cooperate reasonably with the University's efforts to prevent sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and/or stalking." Given the multimillion-dollar buyouts that can result from firing a coach or athletic director, universities such as Tennessee are adding more fire-for-cause provisions to offer further protection and create more opportunity to get out from under the financial burden of buyouts if an employee is fired. |
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