| Friday, August 24, 2018 |
| Alan Alda will help public understand science through storytelling at Mississippi State | |
 | Award-winning actor Alan Alda, known best for starring as Hawkeye Pierce in "M*A*S*H*" from 1972-1983, will share skills he developed through his acting career to teach Mississippi State University research faculty how to communicate effectively about science. Alda will present a free public lecture on "Getting Beyond a Blind Date with Science" Monday at 6 p.m. in Lee Hall's Bettersworth Auditorium. Admission is free, but attendees must have tickets, available at the Center for Student Activities in MSU's Colvard Student Union, Suite 314, or by calling 662-325-2930. Funding for the MSU workshop is being provided by the Robert M. Hearin Foundation. "The Hearin Foundation has a long history of supporting economic growth in Mississippi," said John Rush, MSU vice president for development and alumni. MSU President Mark E. Keenum said telling stories about MSU research is a common challenge that spans across disciplines. |
| Alan Alda to give public lecture at Mississippi State on Monday | |
 | Award-winning actor, speaker and instructor Alan Alda evokes memories of the classic American comedy-drama television series M*A*S*H* in which he starred from 1972-1983. When he visits Mississippi State next week, Alda will be sharing skills he developed through his acting career while he teaches university research faculty how to communicate effectively about science. Alda will present a free public lecture on "Getting Beyond a Blind Date with Science" Monday, Aug. 27 at 6 p.m. in Lee Hall's Bettersworth Auditorium. MSU President Mark E. Keenum said telling stories about MSU research is a common challenge that spans across disciplines. As a National Science Foundation Top 100 research university, faculty expertise runs a broad spectrum, from agriculture and engineering to unmanned aircraft systems and veterinary science. In addition to STEM fields, MSU has a strong research portfolio in the humanities. |
| New Mississippi State students introduced to community, campus through Shades of Starkville | |
 | Despite the wind being too much for some canopies, numerous campus organizations, churches and Starkville businesses set up on the Drill Field Wednesday for Shades of Starkville. The event was part of Dawg Days, a series of events early in the fall semester to welcome students back to campus and orient new students. Shades of Starkville also coincided with the first day of fall semester classes. The event was well attended, and several organizations and other presenters had free food and other items available to students. Clubs attending represented a broad range of interests, including duck hunting, Korean pop culture and ultimate Frisbee, among others. Dawg Days events will continue until the end of the month. |
| Locksley Way project close to moving forward | |
| City, county and Mississippi State University officials are hoping to soon get the go-ahead to move forward with a pedestrian and bicycle path project that will link the Lynn Lane multi-use path from South Montgomery to the university. Saunders Ramsey of Neel-Schaffer, the project engineer for the Locksley Way project, said the plan is a continuation of the multi-use path, with accommodations for limited space along Locksley Way. MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development David Shaw also praised the project, in an issued statement. "Mississippi State University is excited about the close three-way partnership between the university, the city and the county," he said. "It's a plus for all three partners and for the taxpayers. So many of our students, faculty and staff live in this area, and it gives them a great option for coming to and from campus." |
| Mississippi State's Sarah Lee leads her field with innovative thinking | |
 | It goes without argument that Mississippi is the stomping grounds for some of America's most influential people, unfortunately most of them who have left the state to find their fortune. Yet the state is beholden to a woman who has taken incredible strides to empower Mississippians in computing and technology. This woman, Dr. Sarah Lee, is the associate clinical professor, assistant department head and director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Mississippi State University. Since 2011 she has regularly taught numerous courses at undergraduate and graduate levels, and has consistently received favorable reviews from her students. But those titles don't convey what all she has done beyond the university. |
| Photo gallery: Mississippi State new student send-off | |
 | Photo gallery: The West Tennessee Chapter of the Mississippi State University Alumni Association held the 2018 Send-off Party for incoming and prospective MSU students and their parents at the home of Hoyt and Kathy Hayes of Jackson on Aug. 2. |
| Get Swept Up! aims to clean up Starkville | Starkville Daily News | |
| The Greater Starkville Development Partnership is inviting Starkville residents to Get Swept Up! in preparation for football season. Groups and individuals can volunteer at no cost to help clean up Starkville during Get Swept Up! on Aug. 29. Partnership Special Events and Projects Coordinator Paige Watson said registered volunteers can pick up their T-shirts early at the Partnership beginning at 8 a.m., and volunteers will be assigned where to go. Shipley's Donuts will be provided. "Get Swept Up! is a good way to get the entire community involved in welcoming our visitors," Watson said. "I think it says a lot about our community that we work together to clean up our town every year for our guests at the beginning of football season. It is a unifying effort." Starkville residents are also encouraged to fly their Mississippi State University flags and mow, trim and spruce up their homes and yards. |
| Circuit Clerk urges awareness of voter status ahead of election | |
| General Election Day is coming up on Nov. 6 and local election officials are urging awareness among everyone eligible to cast a ballot this fall. Oktibbeha County Circuit Clerk Tony Rook said it is important for everyone looking to register to vote to be aware that they must register within 30 days of the election and must update their address information if they have moved residencies since the last election. "They don't need to wait," Rook said. "We encourage individuals who want to register to do it sooner rather than (on the last day)." The General Election ballot will see races for both U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, along with judicial offices. |
| Police: Drug deal led to shooting at Starkville apartment complex | |
| A Starkville Police Department detective alleges a shooting last Thursday at The Block Townhomes occurred during a drug deal. Eupora native Carson Clement, 19, appeared in Starkville Municipal Court on Thursday for his initial appearance on one charge of attempted murder. Marty Haug was present as Clement's defense attorney. According to a court document obtained by the Starkville Daily News through a public records request, SPD Detective Kenley Reaves alleges Clement attempted to kill the victim by shooting him "in the head and back multiple times causing serious bodily harm" on the evening of Aug. 16. The victim of the shooting was identified as Bobby Spratt, Jr., who was airlifted to University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson after being shot. |
| President Trump tweets 'total endorsement' for Cindy Hyde-Smith for senator | |
 | President Donald Trump tweeted his "complete and total endorsement" Thursday for a Republican who was appointed to the U.S. Senate in Mississippi and is running in a November special election. Trump tweeted that Cindy Hyde-Smith supports a border wall, "is helping me create Jobs, loves our Vets and fights for our conservative judges." In a second tweet, Trump said: "Cindy has voted for our Agenda in the Senate 100% of the time and has my complete and total Endorsement. We need Cindy to win in Mississippi!" The endorsement is important in a race where Hyde-Smith faces three challengers, including a tea party-backed Republican state senator, Chris McDaniel. Both Hyde-Smith and McDaniel are campaigning as Trump allies. |
| Trump endorses Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in closely watched Mississippi Senate race | |
 | President Trump declared his support Thursday for Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), wading into a closely watched race that has divided Republicans. In a pair of late-afternoon tweets, Trump wrote that Hyde-Smith has helped him "put America First!" and has his "complete and total Endorsement."Also in the Mississippi race is Chris McDaniel, an insurgent conservative who has been hostile to Senate GOP leaders. McDaniel was encouraged to run by Stephen K. Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist. He was a supporter of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) in the 2016 presidential primary. Trump's endorsement has proven to be a valuable asset to Republican candidates in primaries this year. While Trump is a deeply unpopular figure in many areas of the country, in ruby-red Mississippi, Republican strategists believe he can be a powerful motivator. |
| Trump endorses Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith via Twitter | |
| President Trump has endorsed appointed U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, via Twitter - as has been his practice for endorsements. Trump's endorsement has been seen as crucial to Hyde-Smith's campaign. She has faced questions about her Republican and conservative bona fides in Mississippi and Washington. She had served as a Democratic state senator for much of her political career, although she frequently voted with Republicans on key issues. She switched to the Republican Party in 2010 prior to her two successful runs for state agriculture commissioner. Gov. Phil Bryant, a close ally of Trump's, in April appointed Hyde-Smith to the Senate seat vacated by Republican Thad Cochran. Besides Bryant's close ties to Trump, Hyde-Smith helped the Trump campaign in Mississippi and she had been considered a candidate for Trump's agriculture secretary or another post. |
| McDaniel Rages Against the GOP After Trump Endorses Hyde-Smith | |
| Republican Mississippi State Sen. Chris McDaniel raged at his own party on Thursday after President Donald Trump endorsed his opponent, incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, in the special election for her U.S. Senate seat. Over the course of the campaign, Hyde-Smith and McDaniel have both sought Trump's endorsement, with each spending significant time on the campaign trail singing the president's praises and promising to fight for his agenda. Shortly after the endorsement, McDaniel began an hours-long social-media blitz, promising in a Facebook post to be the "toughest fighter for President Trump's America First agenda" and suggesting the Republican Party establishment coerced Trump into the endorsement. In response to another supporter's comment, McDaniel said he had been "attempting" to get in contact with Trump. "Half of his staff is the swamp," McDaniel wrote. "He's getting bad information." |
| Trump endorses Hyde-Smith in Mississippi Senate race | |
 | President Trump endorsed Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) on Thursday in a competitive Mississippi Senate special election. A former Democrat, Hyde-Smith's conservative credentials have been questioned by her opponents during the campaign. Hyde-Smith "has helped me put America First!" Trump tweeted out. "She's strong on the wall, is helping me create Jobs, loves our Vets and fights for our conservative judges." "I could not be more honored to have your endorsement," Hyde-Smith tweeted in response to Trump. Hyde-Smith, who was appointed by the governor in April to fill a vacant seat, is in a tight race against state Sen. Chris McDaniel (R) and former Rep. Mike Espy (D). Trump in 2014 endorsed McDaniel in a previous race, according to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, and the two Republicans were vying for his endorsement in the current race. |
| Lottery and aid to localities advance in special session | |
| Mississippi is closer to having a state lottery and diverting existing tax money, all to improve roads and bridges. The state Senate voted 30-20 on Thursday, the first day of a special session, to pass legislation to create a state lottery, despite questions about the sweeping powers proposed for the lottery corporation in Senate Bill 2001 . Meanwhile, House members voted 108-5 for a plan to divert 35 percent of the state's current tax on internet and catalog sales to city and county infrastructure needs. The session will continue Friday, as both chambers consider the bills the other has already passed. Gov. Phil Bryant, who called the session, could also add more items for lawmakers to consider. |
| Special session kicks off with lottery, roads measures | |
| As he kicked off a special legislative session Thursday on infrastructure funding including creation of a state lottery, Gov. Phil Bryant noted at a news conference the large crowd, including many city and county leaders. "I appreciate hearing the roar in the Capitol this morning," Bryant said. "It's the roar of opportunity." The House by Thursday afternoon had passed a bill 108-5 that would divert millions in state dollars to cities and counties for infrastructure in coming years and adjourned until Friday. The Senate after much debate passed a bill to create a state lottery with a vote of 30-20. Sen. Philip Moran, R-Kiln, who has pushed for a state lottery for years, "dropped" the first bill of the special session Thursday morning to create one. Lawmakers have argued for nearly three decades over creating a lottery for Mississippi, one of only six states without one. |
| Lottery passes Senate despite rushed bill 'thoroughly' confusing lawmakers | |
| Senators voted to pass a special session proposal Thursday evening that would establish a state lottery, despite Senate leaders struggling to answer basic questions. The vast majority of senators received a dense, 135-page bill from Gov. Phil Bryant's office just hours before being asked to vote the bill through committee early Thursday afternoon. Several senators said they received the bill for the first time via email at 9 p.m. on Wednesday night. Five minutes after voting to pass the lottery bill out committee on Thursday, at least six of the 14 committee members couldn't define specifics of the proposal. Even amid the confusion, the lottery proposal passed by a vote of 30-20. Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, said: "You got this bill at lunch today. They denied you 24 hours. You can't go eat supper. You can't leave tonight. We're going to pass it today, and we refuse to wait 24 hours and we defeat all amendments. Is that why you ran for the Senate?" |
| House OKs road funding plan, but some fear poor areas will get shortchanged | |
| House lawmakers overwhelmingly passed an infrastructure bill on the first day of the special session Thursday, but the local officials in the districts they represent remain significantly more divided on whether their needs are being met. City and county officials flocked to the Capitol Thursday, anxiously watching to see if the Mississippi Infrastructure Modernization Act would provide them the funds they need to deal with local needs ranging from deficient county bridges, to pothole-laden city streets, to aged water and sewer systems. "I think this piece of legislation goes a long way to address the situation" as it relates to local government infrastructure woes, said House Ways and Means Vice Chair Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia. But some worried that the bill, which allots funding based in part on a community's population, wouldn't go far enough to help poor cities and counties in areas like the Delta that are grappling with declining populations. |
| Coast could get millions for roads and bridges in bill that passed House | |
 | Coast counties and cities would receive more than $10 million from a road and bridge bill that passed the Mississippi House by a wide margin Thursday. Harrison County would get about $1.5 million, Jackson County about $1.3 million and Hancock County $607,639 from the use tax, which comes mostly from internet sales. The counties also could get a share of $50 million in money that originally was going to be earmarked for specific projects but those were stripped with the first amendment to the bill. Rep. Stacey Wilkes, R-Picayune, first attempted to send that money to the 82 counties but her bill was tabled. Later, Steve Holland succeeded in getting the money divided evenly among all the counties except Lee, his home county, which would receive $1 less. That works out to over $609,000 per county. |
| AG Jeff Sessions offers rare public smack at President Trump | |
 | Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday took the unusual step of publicly pushing back against Donald Trump after the president freshly ripped into his top law enforcement official for recusing himself from the Russia probe. The rare statement from Sessions also came after two prominent senators expressed acceptance to the idea that Trump may oust his attorney general, despite the furor that such a move would inevitably unleash. Sessions' pushback to Trump was part of a remarkable skirmish for position between a president and his own attorney general that continued later in the day. Sessions -- who served in the Senate for 20 years before joining Trump's administration -- has long enjoyed the support of many of his former colleagues, but some Republicans once aligned with Sessions declined to back him up on Thursday. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, however, said he wanted Sessions to stay on. "Yes. I have no problems with his performance," Wicker said. |
| Trump Urges Sessions to Investigate His Political Foes | |
 | Amid their public war of words, President Donald Trump has a message for Attorney General Jeff Sessions: Investigate my political enemies. The president fired back Friday morning at his handpicked AG a day after Sessions responded to Trump's claim that the former GOP senator "never took control of the Justice Department." That prompted Sessions hours later to release a statement with his own message for Trump: "I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in, which is why we have had unprecedented success at effectuating the President's agenda." Before 7 a.m., Trump appeared to respond to cable news coverage of his renewed feud with Sessions by way of a tweet that included that Sessions quote and what seemed a series of instructions for the Cabinet official for whom he has had the most public scorn. |
| Parking permit cost increase to benefit UM transportation | |
 | When student parking pass sales opened in mid-July, many students noticed a jump in prices from the previous year. Commuter and residential parking passes rose from $200 to $210 and $300 to $325, respectively, for the 2018-19 school year. That's a cost increase of 5 percent for commuter passes and just over 8 percent for residential passes from the previous year. "I personally think that's way too much," freshman graphic design major Lauren Taylor said. "Having a car on campus isn't a necessity, but it is very helpful to have for off-campus extracurricular activities, grocery runs and travel to and from home." Money made from passes this year will be used for transportation improvements, according to Ole Miss Director of Parking and Transportation Mike Harris. This year's increase continues an upward trend in price over the past several years. In 2013, a commuter pass cost $95 versus $210 now, a 121 percent increase over five years. That same year, a residential pass was $115 versus $325 now, a 183 percent increase over five years. |
| Ole Miss to host third Tech Summit | |
| The University of Mississippi will host business and industry leaders next week as part of its third annual Technology Summit. The event will begin at 9 a.m. on Aug. 29 and will bring together leaders from government business and higher education to explore trends in technology and stimulate discussions about technology-related needs in industry and education, a statement from the University said. Rob Carter, FedEx chief information officer, will deliver the keynote address, titled "Seeking the Edge – How to Sustain a Culture of Innovation." Guest speaker Michael Kratsios, deputy assistant to the president at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, will also speak during a luncheon. |
| Tennessee sees thousands apply for tuition-free adult plan | |
 | In the weeks after Tennessee started accepting applications for its tuition-free program for adult students last February, Kim Bare and her family began having discussions about going to college. Her husband, Jim, had gone to college on and off over the years but never completed. The same was true for their daughter, Jessica Austin, and son-in-law, Michael Austin. Despite wanting to go to college, Kim was never able to go because of family and work responsibilities. Although there were many conversations about going to college, Michael Austin made the first move: applying for the tuition-free program called Tennessee Reconnect at Volunteer State Community College. "After Michael did his application, he was telling us how easy it was," said Kim Bare, 51, of Hickman, Tenn. "We had all been talking and my kids had been encouraging me." So the Bares and their daughter decided to visit Vol State and check out the program. By the time they finished meeting with college officials, all three had applied for the Reconnect program. They will be starting classes together next week. |
| Texas A&M University police seeking information in connection to Sul Ross statue vandalism | |
 | The Texas A&M University Police Department is investigating the origin of graffiti drawn on the statute of Lawrence "Sul" Ross on campus. According to UPD spokesman Lt. Bobby Richardson, early Aug. 16, an officer patrolling campus noticed that the statue positioned at the Academic Plaza had been defaced. In some sort of permanent marker, someone had written on the rear portion of the stone base, "Racist," "BLM" and an expletive geared toward Texas A&M. Campus staff were able to clean the statue of the writing. Richardson said the nature of the crime will depend upon how the permanence of the writing is evaluated. Easily removable marker will likely be tried as misdemeanor criminal mischief. Permanent graffiti scrawled on a building such as a church or higher education institution may be prosecuted as a felony, he said. |
| Podcast, newsletter campaign is direct avenue for U. of Missouri chancellor to connect | |
 | University of Missouri Chancellor Alexander Cartwright is working to emphasize the "real stories, real discoveries and real impact of the Mizzou community." His latest approach is "Inside Mizzou," a weekly newsletter and biweekly podcast. Gordy Sauer, who was hired last March as the chancellor's speechwriter and is the content creator for "Inside Mizzou," said Cartwright has been interested in finding more effective ways to engage with the campus community. "'Inside Mizzou' is simply one more tool that offers us that opportunity to really tell the dynamic Mizzou story," Sauer said. In its first month, the podcast explored the chancellor's one-year anniversary and MU traditions. The next episode will focus on the Missouri drought. The newsletter aims to share stories of student success, research, creative scholarship, community engagement and campus excellence, Sauer said. Sauer said this "new kind" of campaign will be an evolving, long-term project. |
| Why a Federal Rule Change Has Some Scholars Worried They'll Be Priced Out of Their Own Research | |
 | A set of new federal rules aims to simplify a process that has long frustrated scholars: getting approval for research that involves human subjects. But the changes could result in universities' doing inadvertent harm to the careers of young scientists, and could reduce the amount of research that is conducted in the first place. That's because the rules could lead universities to charge fees for the use of their institutional review boards, or IRBs, the administrative panels that act as checks on human research. Some scientists worry that any additional expenses will threaten work that does not receive significant financial backing. The concern isn't just theoretical. In March, Washington University in St. Louis posted a fee schedule that, for the first time, would have charged some researchers supported by funds from nonprofit sources. The fee was set at $2,500 to have their proposals reviewed, plus more for annual continuing reviews or reviews of proposed revisions. |
| Eight more colleges identified as submitting incorrect data for 'U.S. News' rankings | |
| It's just a few weeks from the next edition of the U.S. News & World Report "Best Colleges" rankings, widely questioned by educators but relied on by many students and parents (and boasted about by some of the same educators who say that the rankings are a lousy way to pick a college). But it turns out that eight of the colleges ranked a year ago submitted information that was sufficiently incorrect that it would have changed their places in the rankings. And so U.S. News has declared them to be "unranked," a punishment that lasts until Sept. 10, when the new edition comes out. The eight additional colleges reported to have submitted incorrect data follow other incidents this year, which has seen an uptick in the number of colleges whose rankings were based on incorrect information. In one of those cases -- involving the business school of Temple University -- officials have admitted that incorrect data were submitted intentionally and for several years for several programs. |
| Georgia Tech dragged its feet on investigation, tipster complained | |
| Georgia Tech reacted so slowly to anonymous ethics complaints last spring that a tipster threatened to go to the news media, in a move that elevated the case to authorities above the university and led to the resignation of three employees, according to records obtained by Channel 2 Action News. "Since you have done nothing but tip off the fraudsters and cover your own corrupt doings, this is going to Richard Belcher, so he can do something about it," the tipster complained on Tech's ethics website on May 15. A copy of that complaint, and several others obtained by Channel 2's Belcher, depict a lethargic university ethics enforcement system that left concerned employees feeling isolated. Tech President George P. "Bud" Peterson has been under a bright light since the wayward ethics controls at his university were exposed in July. His boss, University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley, told him in a letter Monday: "you are ultimately responsible." |
SPORTS
| Joe Moorhead feels 'really good' about Bulldogs' final preseason practice | |
| Mississippi State wrapped up its 2018 preseason training camp in style Wednesday evening. The Bulldogs held a mini scrimmage at Davis Wade Stadium. The travel squad faced the non-travel squad, and head coach Joe Moorhead said it's safe to assume who won. Moorhead said Wednesday served as a dress rehearsal. His team went through normal game day rituals, from arriving at the stadium on team buses, doing the Dawg Walk and running out onto the field as if it was Sept. 1 versus Stephen F. Austin. "I had a little pep in my step," Moorhead said. "You do every time you have an opportunity to go into the stadium and be under the lights. It felt good for me to be in there just imagining the sound of the bells." |
| Eight Bulldogs tabbed to Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team | |
 | Mississippi State placed a total of eight Bulldogs, including two first-team selections, on the 2018 Preseason Coaches All-Southeastern Conference Football Teams, the league announced on Thursday. MSU joined Georgia, Alabama and Auburn as the only programs in the league to produce at least eight selections on this year's preseason squads. Junior defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and senior defensive end Montez Sweat were State's lone first-team selections as MSU was the only school to produce two first-team defensive line honorees. Simmons, already named a preseason All-American four times this summer, ranked 11th in the SEC with 12.0 tackles for loss last season, while Sweat returns for his senior season after leading the conference in sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (15.5) last year. |
| MSU Notebook: Walk-on Stephen Adegoke earns scholarship | |
 | Handing out scholarships to walk-on players these days has become quite a production for a lot of college football programs. These moments are usually captured on video and create a lot of positive publicity for the university. When it came time for Mississippi State's Joe Moorhead to pass out a scholarship to senior safety Stephen Adegoke, there was not a lot of pomp and pageantry. Moorhead simply called the senior from Snellville, Georgia, into his office, delivered the good news to him one-on-one and shook his hand. "He's been on (scholarship) for a while," Moorhead said. "I'm not one of those guys that drops a football scholarship letter from a hot air balloon, make a big scene out of it and have it filmed. That's not my deal." MSU will host its annual fan day inside the Palmeiro Center on Saturday beginning at 2:30 p.m. |
| College, pro teams are cutting the cost of concessions | |
| The Atlanta Falcons moved into Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the 2017 season and lowered food and beverage prices by 50 percent, ESPN reported. The result? Fans spent 16 percent more money. Like any good sports trend, other teams are following suit. Mississippi State slashed prices on hotdogs, nachos and soft pretzels from $5 to $2, while the cost of a 20-ounce bottle of water was cut in half to $2. "I believe this new comprehensive plan for concessions is a key element to increasing value for our fans," Mississippi State president Mark E. Keenum said on the athletic department's website. "High quality refreshments, more sensible pricing, faster service and new policies that address items of input from our fan base are a winning combination for a better game day experience." A better fan experience is the common theme for teams with cheaper concessions. |
| Bulldogs' SEC title defense begins at Arkansas | |
| Mississippi State's defense of its Southeastern Conference championship in women's basketball begins on Jan. 3 at Arkansas. The Bulldogs' SEC schedule was unveiled on Thursday and features five home games against teams that appeared in the NCAA Tournament last season. "The Southeastern Conference schedule is always a grind. In our mind, it's 16 rivalry games," said MSU coach Vic Schaefer. "In this league, you have to be ready to play every night, because if you're not, you're not only going to get beat but you'll get embarrassed. We have a tough opener on the road once again, but thanks to our non-conference schedule we will be ready." |
| Julie Darty gearing up for Mississippi State's first volleyball matches | |
| If nothing else, Julie Darty's first roster as Mississippi State's volleyball coach is a diverse one. It will feature seven freshmen she helped secure in between the time she took the job and now, plus three players that came with her from Jacksonville University, leaving just eight spots for the Bulldogs of last season. Entering the preseason, they were three sects with different levels of understanding of the Darty experience. Darty sees no divides forming along those lines. If anything, those lines are disappearing in time for the season's beginning. MSU will open its season by hosting the Starkvegas Classic with Friday matches against Mississippi Valley State (11 a.m., SEC Network+) and ULM (7 p.m., SEC Network+). It expects to present a united front. |
| Mississippi State softball to retire Alex Wilcox's jersey; memorial service set | |
| After inspiring the Starkville and softball community with her courageous battle with ovarian cancer, Mississippi State softball will honor Alex Wilcox by retiring her jersey the day before celebrating her life with an on-campus memorial service. Dubbed the "Snowman" by her teammates and family, Wilcox's jersey will be retired on Saturday, Sept. 15 in a special halftime ceremony during Mississippi State football's contest versus Louisiana. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT. Wilcox will become the first female student-athlete in Mississippi State history to have her jersey retired. "Alex epitomized what it meant to be a Mississippi State student-athlete," said Director of Athletics John Cohen. |
| Athletics offers new, monetized tailgating experience at UM | |
| The Ole Miss Athletics Foundation is launching a new tailgating experience for game days this fall. This seemingly all-inclusive tailgating will provide game day attendees with a 10-by-20 tent, tables, chairs, TVs and more at the north end zone plaza near Vaught-Hemingway Stadium -- for a price. These tailgates will cost $17,500 per tent for the entire 2018 season, which amounts to $2,500 per game. Assistant director of development, Da'Ron Brown, said the tailgating experience wasn't set up to earn money but to provide a family-friendly atmosphere focused on fans and donors. Though this style of reserved tailgating is a first for Ole Miss Athletics, Clay Cavett, associate director of alumni affairs, said he doesn't see this change as a step towards charging fees for tailgating in the Grove. "The Grove experience is what it is," Cavett said. "I don't see it ever going in that direction." |
| Did Ohio State's Football Coach Overlook Domestic Abuse? 5 Lessons From an Investigation of Urban Meyer | |
| By the time Ohio State University released the 23-page summary of an investigative team's findings on Wednesday night, the lead investigator in the Urban Meyer inquiry had already told reporters there was no evidence that the head football coach had deliberately lied or tried to cover up allegations of domestic abuse against one of his assistants. If Meyer had had solid evidence that a former assistant coach, Zach Smith, had abused his wife, Courtney Smith, the head coach would have reported it to the proper authorities, the report concluded. Investigators were impressed that Meyer shared the "respect for women core value" he tries to instill in his players, said Mary Jo White, a former federal prosecutor and partner with Debevoise & Plimpton, who led the investigation. Based on those findings and a 10-hour Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday, President Michael V. Drake suspended Meyer without pay for the first three games of the season. Gene Smith, the university's athletic director, was suspended without pay from August 31 to September 16. |
| Ohio State criticized for Urban Meyer response | |
| Near the end of a Wednesday night press conference in which Ohio State University announced that its head football coach, Urban Meyer, would be suspended briefly for his handling of a domestic abuse case involving a former assistant coach, a reporter asked what message Meyer had for Courtney Smith. She is the reported victim and wife of former assistant coach Zach Smith, who was fired following accusations that he abused her on multiple occasions. Attempting to answer the question, Meyer stumbled: "Well, I have a message for everyone involved in this. I'm sorry that we're in this situation. And, um ... I'm just sorry we're in this situation." The exchange has drawn sharp criticism, with advocates for abuse survivors saying Ohio State officials glossed over Courtney Smith's story and avoided addressing domestic violence altogether; they also declined harsh penalties for Meyer, critics say, to ensure that a winning football program is preserved. |
| At The Athletic, a Hiring Spree Becomes a Story in Itself | |
 | The Athletic, the hyperlocal sports website and app, is growing quicker than any sports media company in recent memory. This month, hardly a day passes without the announcement of a new hire. Or four. A football writer in New Orleans. A baseball writer in Cincinnati. An N.B.A. columnist and a college basketball editor. Just 10 months ago, when The Athletic celebrated its second birthday, the subscription-only website had 65 editorial employees in 10 markets. By the time the N.F.L. and college football seasons open next month, it will have more than 300 editorial employees, and sites focused on 38 markets. Its recent expansion has generated considerable skepticism. |
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