| Friday, August 31, 2018 |
| Gameday visitors to see changes at Mississippi State | |
 | College football is back in Mississippi and there are several new changes at Mississippi State University to help with gameday experience. Earlier this month, the university announced it is taking a step forward by introducing metal detectors at Davis Wade Stadium. In recent years, the school adopted the clear bag policy. One new change this year will be to campus parking. The university is introducing a new way to pay and reserve a parking spot on gameday Fans can now download the Park Mobile app or go to ParkMobile.com to reserve a spot on campus. Police Chief Vance Rice encourages fans to arrive an hour before to accommodate for time with parking and with the school's new metal detectors. |
| Attorney Johnny Moore dies at Jackson hospital | |
 | Multiple sources confirm Starkville attorney Johnny Moore, who practiced law in his hometown for decades, died on Thursday at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson after a brief illness. He was 58. Moore was born in Columbus in 1960 to John Paul and Evelyn Moore, and was well known in the community, from both his own merits and those of his family. His father, who also served as a state senator, practiced law for decades out of the same office on Lafayette Street, Moore Law Office. Moore had been in the political spotlight in the last couple of years, after campaigning for mayor of Starkville on the Democratic ticket and losing a tight race by a final tally of five votes, which was decided by a judge in July. |
| Trent Lott remembers Senate colleague John McCain | |
 | The relationship between Arizona Senator John McCain and former Mississippi Senator Trent Lott goes back to their time together in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1980's. But Lott says the relationship between their families goes back to the 19th century Mississippi. "Jessie Lott, one of my forefathers, ran for treasurer, and the sheriff of Carroll County, John S. McCain, did a campaign for our endorsement," says Lott. "And then in 1952 my uncle, State Sen. Arnie Watson, was running for the Senate and his campaign manager was Joe McCain, John's uncle. So we go back a long way." Lott says everyone always knew where they stood with John McCain. He says the former presidential candidate would fight against fellow Republicans on campaign finance one day and join them in the trenches the next. "While we had our disagreement, typical of his personality -- and I hope mine, too -- the next day we would come back and work together for something that was for the good of the country," says Lott. |
| McCain memorial features guitarist from Ridgeland | |
 | An Arizona-based guitarist and music teacher who was born and raised in Mississippi had the opportunity to play classical guitar at John McCain's state funeral ceremony. John Oeth, 27, of Phoenix, is a member of the classical guitar duo, Petrichor Duo. Oeth and his duo partner, Andrew Lesley Smith, were hired to play the private event at the Arizona State Capitol. Oeth is a 2009 graduate of Ridgeland High School, a graduate of Mississippi State University and has a master's degree from the University of Memphis. |
| Senate refuses Hood's request for frontage road project information | |
 | Senate Pro-Tem Terry Burton has sent a letter to Attorney General Jim Hood saying senators and their staff will not respond to his request for any documents related to the plan to build a frontage road from Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' neighborhood to a nearby shopping center. Burton, R-Newton, said the Senate would not comply even though there is "nothing to cover up." He added, "When we get a request like that, that is what we send to everybody. The law says we have control of our records." Burton said the decision by the Rules Committee not to comply is not uncommon. Burton said the Legislature is currently in court fighting efforts to release House and Senate correspondence as part of a lawsuit filed in an attempt to block a bill that strips the city of Jackson of some of its control of the Jackson-Medgar Wiley-Evers International Airport. |
| AG Hood to Senate: Secrecy rules won't protect from road investigation | |
| Attorney General Jim Hood says rules allowing state Senate records to be kept secret from the public will not protect senators or staff who withhold them from a court order or investigation into a now-halted, $2 million road to Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' gated neighborhood. "I want to make clear to all senators (and) staff ..." Hood said in a written statement on Thursday, "that the Senate Rules will not protect them from a court order to disclose any and all records pertaining to this civil inquiry. Anyone who refuses to disclose or destroys such evidence would be subject to contempt or other civil proceedings. If any criminal investigation caused a grand jury subpoena to be issued for these records, destruction of such evidence could be considered obstruction of justice." |
| 'Run, Jim, Run': AG Hood on Race for Governor, Women Empowerment | |
| Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood was one of the only men in Thalia Mara Hall in downtown Jackson last night. Women for Progress of Mississippi hosted a women's issues forum called "She is Running," where Hood offered remarks about the role of women in his prosecutorial career. He also addressed his desire to run for governor once the leading woman in his life -- his wife, Debbie -- gives him the go-ahead. "I've made my mind up to do it," Hood told the Jackson Free Press. "I'm going to give my wife another month to make sure she's OK with it. She's prayed about it. It's not something that for me that I ever intended to do. But I do see our state not moving and not helping the least among us -- and we can." Hood dotted his remarks with nods to the African American women, sometimes the first in their roles, he had hired over the years, in a clear nod to the majority of the attendees at the event. |
| Gov. Bryant helping raise money for Michael Watson's secretary of state campaign | |
| Gov. Phil Bryant is helping fellow Republican Sen. Michael Watson raise money for a run for secretary of state next year, an invitation from Watson's campaign shows. It's somewhat unusual for a governor to keynote such a fundraiser that far down ticket and this far out from elections and before party nominees have been chosen in primaries. Watson, 40, serving in the state Senate since 2008, has long been considered a contender for higher office. He was strongly urged by GOP leaders to run for Congress in 2010, but didn't because of the birth of one of his three daughters. Watson, of Pascagoula, is one of only a few people who have formally announced candidacy for races in next year's statewide elections. |
| Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith to headline candidates forum in Gautier | |
 | U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith will headline a candidates forum set for Friday night in Gautier. Hosted by Gautier Mayor Phil Torjusen and friends of the candidates, the forum will be held at Shell Landing Country Club from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. In April, Hyde-Smith was appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant to fill the seat vacated with the retirement of longtime Sen. Thad Cochran. She was sworn in April 9, becoming the first woman to represent Mississippi in Congress. Although not confirmed, Torjusen said U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo may attend, but representatives from his campaign will be on hand, regardless, along with those from the office of U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker. |
| Trump Proposes Freezing Federal Worker Salaries | |
 | President Trump wants to cancel an automatic pay raise set to take effect next year for federal civilian workers. Federal workers were to get a 2.1 percent across-the-board raise in January, with more for those who live in high-cost areas. But in a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday, Trump wrote, "We must maintain efforts to put our Nation on a fiscally sustainable course, and Federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases." Trump put the cost of the raises associated with high-cost areas at $25 billion. Members of the military are still set to receive a 2.6 percent pay hike. The letter, while indicative of the Trump administration's often adversarial stance toward the 2 million-member federal workforce, is largely symbolic. Congress will ultimately decide whether federal workers get a raise. |
| The changing face of Ole Miss: A look back at the university's mascots | |
 | The new face of the University of Mississippi -- the character that will likely emblazon tents, cups, stickers and fan paraphernalia this season -- is Tony the Landshark. Revealed on Aug. 18 at a celebration with fans called Meet the Rebels Day, Tony stands as the latest in a long line of Ole Miss mascots, which formally began with "The Flood" in 1929. Before 1929, support for the team suffered because of its lack of a proper, university-backed name and mascot. Fans and newspapers referred to the team by varying titles, from "the University men" or "the Oxford boys" in 1893, to "the Southerners" and "the Mighty Mississippians" in the 1920s. Some even referred to the team as "the Magnolia Tigers" or "Wampus Cats." |
| USM invites graduates to participate in Black Alumni Weekend | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi is hosting some special events for its African-American graduates on Friday and Saturday. USM is kicking off its Black Alumni Weekend Friday night with a block party on Front Street in downtown Hattiesburg. The fun continues before the football game with Jackson State Saturday afternoon with a private tailgate party at the Ogletree House. "The private tailgate that we're having, our kickoff tailgate, is from 3:30 to 5:00 and then after that, if you were registered and you purchased terrace-level football tickets, then you're able to enjoy the game and terrace-level access," said Shonice Montgomery, coordinator of students and young alumni programs at the Southern Miss Alumni Association. |
| Nettles endowment established for Co-Lin Community College | |
 | Sometimes there was money. Sometimes there wasn't. For 10 years as president of Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Ronnie Nettles managed construction priorities across three campuses by saving dollars where he could, going without when he had to and remembering to ask -- politely -- lawmakers for a little extra to accommodate the approximately 3,000 students the college educates every year. There was always a need for more dorm space, better roads and parking, water and sewer fixes, whether the budget allowed it or not. Now in retirement, Nettles has left behind a gift that will ensure Co-Lin always has a little something in the bank when it comes time for building -- the Dr. Ronald E. and Rosie J. Nettles College Support Endowment, which will provide additional funding for construction projects. |
| Sen. Richard Shelby announces $3 million for 3-D printing research at Auburn University | |
 | Auburn University is about to have $3 million more to use for research in the 3-D printing industry. U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) announced last week that Auburn would receive the $3,087,090 award from the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology. "The new funding from NIST will allow Auburn's National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence to expand its programs to include new research on metrology, which is the measurement and characterization of 3-D printed parts, and advanced process models that will allow engineers to predict the properties and performance of these 3-D printed parts," according to a press release from Shelby's office. "Additive manufacturing is revolutionizing industries ranging from aviation to medical instruments to automotive," Auburn University president Steven Leath said. |
| LSU has a Coke machine per every 100 students: report | |
 | For every 100 students at LSU, there's a Coke machine, because of exclusive "pouring rights" contracts, according to a report by news site Muckrock. The group sent out public records requests to 94 schools for those contracts and examined 38 of those contracts so far, publishing findings in a new report. Muckrock's analysis found that beverage companies exercise control over every aspect of their products, specifying space allocation in campus convenience stores and locations of vending machines. In addition to the 100:1 ratio, LSU's agreement with Coca-Cola (available on Muckrock) says LSU is required by the contract to "use its reasonable, good faith efforts to promote the sale and distribution of Coca-Cola Products on Campus." LSU's contract with Coca-Cola was effective April 1, 2011 and expires June 30, 2021. |
| UGA announces speakers for Signature Lectures series | |
 | Renowned authors, scholars, artists and leaders from a wide range of fields will visit the University of Georgia this fall as part of the Signature Lecture series. "This fall's Signature Lectures bring us national and international expertise in history, science, business ethics, art history, journalism and food security, among other topics," said Meg Amstutz, associate provost for academic programs. "Through this lecture series, students and members of the community can explore important topics of our time, both familiar and new." Signature Lectures are designated at the beginning of each semester by the Office of Academic Programs to highlight campus talks by speakers noted for their broad, multidisciplinary appeal and compelling bodies of work. Many of the lectures are supported by endowments, while others honor notable figures and milestones in the university's history. |
| U. of Missouri waiting for DeVos' Title IX proposals to be finalized | |
 | College students accused of assault, harassment or rape could receive bolstered rights, the New York Times reported Wednesday. The changes would come under rules proposed by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The proposals haven't been publicly released yet. "Nothing has changed with Title IX," Andy Hayes, the University of Missouri's assistant vice chancellor for Civil Rights & Title IX, said. "As the (Times) article reads, these are proposed rules," Hayes wrote in an email. "Mizzou has strong policies and procedures in place related to Title IX, and we will ensure that we continue to be on the forefront of supporting our students, faculty and staff," Hayes said in a later email. "We're continuing to wait for permanent direction of any changes to the Title IX guidelines. Once that occurs, we'll be sure to review our policies and procedures to see if we need to make any changes." |
| Stanford will stop telling the world about its admission rates | |
 | Every spring, Stanford University and other colleges and universities issue press releases, such as this one, about the accomplishments of the newly admitted applicants and how few acceptances went out relative to the large applicant pool. This year Stanford received 47,450 applications and admitted 2,040 applicants, for an admit rate of 4.3 percent. And that statistic -- seemingly lower every year at Stanford and similar institutions -- results in headlines such as those above. On Thursday, the university announced that it will no longer issue news releases about its application data. While Stanford won't issue press releases going forward, it's not making the information secret, either. Stanford will continue to report its data to the federal government and for use in the Common Data Set, used by many groups that publish rankings. |
| Your Opinion: Respect for NCAA guidelines important as sports betting begins | |
 | In a letter to the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Ross Bjork, John Cohen and Jon Gilbert write: With a new academic year upon us and the start of football season just days away, we are united across our campuses and with the leadership of our state university system on how best to respond to legalized betting on collegiate sports. Our highest priority is to safeguard the well-being of our student-athletes and the integrity of intercollegiate competition. The U.S. Supreme Court changed the landscape last spring when it allowed each state to enact its own laws around legalized sports betting. Since then, our athletics departments have conferred with the NCAA and worked with our respective staffs, coaches, student-athletes, student families, and those who support our athletics programs to ensure that everyone understands the implications of the Supreme Court's ruling for NCAA member institutions like ours. |
SPORTS
| Dawgs feel ready on both sides of the ball | |
| Luke Getsy and Bob Shoop looked tranquil inside the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex this week. They didn't reveal game-week jitters concerning Mississippi State's season opener against Stephen F. Austin on Saturday -- probably because they simply don't have any. Both Getsy and Shoop, MSU's offensive and defensive coordinator, respectively, feel great about this week's matchup with the Lumberjacks. Here's where each coach's unit stands heading into game day. |
| No. 18 Mississippi State goes into opener using backup QB | |
 | Mississippi State's football program has hit a little adversity early in Joe Moorhead's tenure. Now the first-year coach is interested in how the Bulldogs respond. No. 18 Mississippi State will play Saturday's opener against Stephen F. Austin without senior starting quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who was suspended for the first game because of a "violation of team policy" that happened in March. Sophomore Keytaon Thompson will start instead and Moorhead doesn't expect any dropoff in performance. "On top of what Thompson brings as a player, our team has a belief that we will handle prosperity and adversity," Moorhead said. |
| Stephen F. Austin's Jeff Byrd making head coaching debut in home state | |
| Saturday will be a homecoming of sorts for Stephen F. Austin interim head coach Jeff Byrd. Byrd, a native of Southaven and a Southern Miss alum, will travel back to his home state to make his collegiate head-coaching debut against Mississippi State. "Without question, that means a lot to me," Byrd said. "I've had an opportunity to play there once before and had an opportunity to play at Ole Miss. Being from there, this will be a big time game for me because I'll have people that are there that I know. To be in Mississippi in my first head-coaching role is pretty special to me." Byrd is in his second season with the Lumberjacks after serving as defensive coordinator last season. He was promoted to assistant head coach in March and then to interim head coach on June 19 when Clint Conque was suspended pending an investigation into university policy violations. |
| What Southern Miss is doing to combat its low revenue rankings | |
| What's happening on the field doesn't match what's happening behind the scenes. On the football field, Southern Miss has steadied itself as one of the most successful programs in Conference USA. Over the last three seasons, USM ranks third among C-USA schools in wins with 24 and second in league wins with 17. Along with Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee State, Southern Miss is one of three teams in the conference to have posted winning records each of the last three seasons and one of four to have played in three-straight bowl games. But from a monetary perspective, Southern Miss hasn't kept up with the rest of the conference. |
| Athletic director Ross Bjork has certain expectation for Ole Miss' football season | |
| For the first time in a long time, Ole Miss' football program has some momentum. Athletic director Ross Bjork doesn't want to lose it. The Rebels have moved out from under the scandalous cloud that's hovered over the program in recent years. It's been nine months since Bjork and chancellor Jeffrey Vitter decided to pull the interim tag off coach Matt Luke after the Rebels' former offensive line coach took over in the wake of Hugh Freeze's forced resignation amid an escort scandal, a decision that was followed days later with the final sanctions being handed down in NCAA's long-running investigation into the program. Ole Miss is still awaiting final word on its appeal of another bowl ban in effect for this season, but much of the talk in the preseason has been about what's transpiring on the field for a team that's won just 11 games the last two seasons. |
| Stadium stateliness: Arkansas players impressed by their new digs | |
| University of Arkansas athletic department officials escorted and mingled with the media during a tour of the school's sparkling new $160 million north end zone expansion at Reynolds Razorback Stadium this week. Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek and senior associate athletic directors Matt Trantham, Chris Pohl and Kevin Trainor came across as proud parents showing off the facility, which will make its game-day debut in Saturday's 3 p.m. season opener against Eastern Illinois. The tour included a comprehensive look at the eye-popping renovated Broyles Athletic Center, as well as updates on fan game-day experiences, new ticket scanning and traffic flow plans and new food vendors Dickey's Barbecue Pit and Slim Chickens to supplement the Levy's food options. |
| Georgia stays on sideline, for now, with Heisman campaigning | |
| The college football season kicks off in earnest this week with a slate of games Saturday and some that started Thursday night. It's also the beginning of the rise and fall of Heisman Trophy candidates. Before the first game was played, the University of Central Florida sent out hundreds of "MiltonForHIsman" emblazoned leis to football writers in an early push for quarterback McKenzie Milton, a Hawaii native. There's a website to promote Milton, who finished eighth in the Heisman voting last year. The cost, for now, for UCF to promote Milton is only about $2,000. While UCF is one of a handful of schools who have already launched campaigns of players for what's considered sports' most prestigious individual award, Georgia is staying on the sideline. It starts the season Saturday with running back D'Andre Swift and quarterback Jake Fromm being mentioned nationally. |
| Clemson, Georgia to kick off 2024 football season in Atlanta | |
 | Clemson is adding another SEC power to its future football schedule. Clemson announced Friday morning that the Tigers will face Georgia in Atlanta to kick off the 2024 season. The game will be played Aug. 31, 2024. The Tigers and Bulldogs will meet at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium as part of the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game. Clemson and Georgia last played during a home-and-home series in 2013-14. "To play a great opponent like the University of Georgia in a first-class venue like Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be an outstanding experience for our football team and fans," AD Dan Radakovich said. Future Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Games include Washington vs. Auburn on Saturday, Alabama vs. Duke in 2019, West Virginia vs. Florida State in 2020, Georgia vs. Virginia in 2020, Louisville vs. Ole Miss in 2021 and Alabama vs. Miami in 2021. |
| Officials: No major issues with traffic, crime during Aggies' Thursday night game | |
 | While cars were towed and a few minor arrests were made in the area around Kyle Field, Thursday proved to be a typical weeknight for College Station officials despite the Texas A&M football game. College station police said there were some minor car accidents Thursday, but they did not appear to be related to game-day traffic. University Police Department spokesman Lt. Bobby Richardson said Thursday's fan activity didn't differ much from a regular Saturday game. By 9:30 p.m., one person had been arrested and charged with public intoxication, and one had been arrested with failure to properly identify themselves -- both misdemeanor offenses. Though scanner traffic relayed that law enforcement and campus staff did have to shoo away ticket scalpers, Richardson said no scalping arrests had been made. |
| Ohio State Trustee Resigns, Saying Urban Meyer Punishment Was Too Soft | |
 | An Ohio State trustee has resigned, saying the punishment of the football coach Urban Meyer, a three-game suspension, should have been "more profound" after a report concluded he had mishandled domestic violence accusations against an assistant coach and had tolerated the assistant's misbehavior for years. The trustee, Jeffrey Wadsworth, said in an interview on Thursday that he had stepped down from the board shortly after the university announced Mr. Meyer's punishment last week. "I didn't feel that I'd seen high-integrity behavior," Mr. Wadsworth said of Mr. Meyer. He said he was the "lone voice" of dissent in advocating a harsher punishment. |
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