Thursday, September 6, 2018   
 
Talking tailgate
There was, no doubt, a time when tailgating meant showing up before the game with a sandwich and six-pack, but oh, how things have changed. Thousands of Bulldog fans proved that again Saturday in The Junction as Mississippi State opened its season at home with a win. The entertainment and feeding of ourselves pre-game has evolved into a grand social experience. "We wouldn't miss tailgating," said Amy Skinner who lives near Starkville. "It adds so much to game day. It's so much fun to decorate the tables and tents, to share the food, to see people we haven't seen since last season. The excitement, the great eating, the anticipation -- oh, no, we wouldn't dare miss it."
 
Starkville aldermen pass FY 19 budget, millage increase
Starkville aldermen approved a $21.77 million budget -- and with it, a 1.05-mill tax increase -- for Fiscal Year 2019 on a split vote Tuesday. The budget, which aldermen have been discussing since early August, includes about $835,750 in new major or policy related expenditures, compared to last year's $20.92 million budget. The tax increase will raise the city's millage rate from 25.58 mills to 26.63 mills and is expected to generate about $266,000. Most of the additional money for the increased budget is expected to come from the increase in the value of a city mill, which has gone from $235,000 to $240,000, depending on the collection rate, to about $250,000. Mayor Lynn Spruill said the increases, both in spending and millage to help buoy it, are necessary steps if Starkville wants to improve.
 
Oktibbeha County adopts new drug test, towing policies
The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors adopted a drug testing policy for employees, a new towing policy and a training agreement with East Mississippi Community College at Tuesday morning's board meeting. Board President Orlando Trainer was not present during Tuesday's meeting. Trainer was out of town, attending a convention. After an amendment was made to one policy, the board approved the adoption of new "drug-free workplace and testing policies" for Oktibbeha County employees. After a presentation by Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Chadd Garnett, the board approved the adoption of a new county wrecker rotation policy. Oktibbeha County Fire Department Training Officer Austin Check came before the board Tuesday to propose a training agreement for a county Emergency Medical Technician training program. The agreement was made between the county and East Mississippi Community College.
 
Safety a growing concern along Natchez Trace
Safety along the Natchez Trace is becoming a growing concern. Traffic jams, speeding, and crime, all affecting the roads and walk ways. It's been a rough couple months for people who frequent the Natchez Trace. In Tennessee, a cyclist was injured in a hit and run in May. In Madison County, authorities were dealing with a serial groper. And on September 4th, a teenager was hit in a crash in Prentiss County. The Trace is also dealing with congestion from drivers headed to work and school. Moms, like Brittany Strong, who are driving up and down the Trace have to deal with the traffic on a daily basis. "Oh it's definitely not safe. It's kind of stressful because you're waiting and in a hurry and there's so much traffic backed up and you're you know like I said you can't get out unless someone lets you out, really," said Strong.
 
Most infrastructure money will take months, in some cases years, to aid counties, towns
During a celebratory news conference last week at the end of the special session Gov. Phil Bryant called to provide additional money for infrastructure needs on both the state and local levels, House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, said cities and counties "will immediately see the results of what we have done." While most would agree that in the special session bills were passed to provide local governmental officials their much sought after help with infrastructure needs, for most the aid will not be immediate. It will take at least months, or in some cases years, for most of the money to reach local governments to help, for instance, with the repair of the about 500 bridges that have been closed across the state for safety reasons. "It will take a while for the money to accumulate," said Derrick Surrette, executive director of the Mississippi Association of Supervisors.
 
Cindy Hyde-Smith's participation in October debates unclear, will depend on work schedule
All three challengers are accepting two debate invitations for a U.S. Senate race in Mississippi, but it's unclear if Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith will take part. Her campaign spokeswoman Melissa Scallan says Hyde-Smith's participation will depend on the Senate work schedule in Washington. Debates are scheduled for Oct. 4 and Oct. 23 in Jackson. The winner of a November special election will serve the final two years of the six-year term. Hyde-Smith faces former military intelligence officer Tobey Bartee, former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy and state Sen. Chris McDaniel.
 
Kavanaugh hearing: Trump's Supreme Court nominee faces second day of questioning
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh is appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday as senators continue publicly interviewing President Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh, a member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, has a good chance of being confirmed when the Senate votes later this month. Under questioning from senators, he has so far avoided answering whether he believes Trump can pardon himself, declined to say whether Roe v. Wade was correctly decided and defended his dissenting opinion in a case involving the abortion of a pregnant immigrant teenager held in federal custody. Nearly 12 hours after the first day of questioning wrapped up, Kavanaugh is back before the Senate Judiciary Committee for more questioning.
 
Anonymous attack on Trump roils White House
The White House was knocked on its heels for a second consecutive day on Wednesday after The New York Times published an op-ed from an anonymous senior administration official describing coordinated efforts among staff to push back against President Trump. In extraordinary language, the op-ed blasted the president's "amorality" and portrayed the administration as being inhabited by aides who had banded together to "thwart" Trump's worst instincts. It served as a double whammy of sorts for Trump coming a day after publication of excerpts from Bob Woodward's forthcoming book that similarly casts aides as being in rebellion against the president. Trump and the White House responded with fury and speed, labeling the author as a "coward" and discrediting the Times. In a one-word tweet apparently referencing the piece, Trump posed the question: "Treason?"
 
Blue Dogs See Single-Digit Majority as Their 'Sweet Spot'
The nearly moribund Blue Dogs, the coalition of moderate-to-conservative House Democrats, are looking to rebuild influence in the next Congress -- and they think they're in an especially good position to do so if the November midterms result in a single-digit House majority. The leaders of the Blue Dog Coalition, speaking with a small group of reporters Wednesday, said they obviously prefer a Democratic majority, but they think they will have power even if Republicans hold on to the majority with just a handful of seats. "We get stuff passed regardless of who's in control," Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader said. Schrader heads the Blue Dog PAC, the coalition's political arm that has endorsed 20 Democratic candidates so far this cycle, all of whom have committed to join the group if elected.
 
Making 'Black Voters Matter' in the Deep South
LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund, often breaks out into song when she speaks to a crowd. Two weeks ago, she kicked off a bus ride from Jackson into the Mississippi Delta with a rendition of "Eyes on the Prize." Other passengers joined her, but Brown's raspy voice rose to the top. Brown and co-founder Cliff Albright had recently come from a Georgia community that was then at risk to lose seven out of nine voting precincts in a majority-black county near Alabama. Brown, and those on her tour, contributed to the public pushback that kept those polling places open. The bus is a moving advertisement, with images of black people holding up the Black Power fist above the tour's title. Brown sees the bus as a "connector" because it belongs to the people, not a candidate, and sends a message of empowerment. Just before the bus pulled off to make its way to the Mississippi Delta, Brown rejoiced that even the bus driver was a black woman.
 
U. of Mississippi revises two-strike alcohol and drug policy
Ole Miss is rescinding its two-strike drug and alcohol policy and instead will now judge drug and alcohol offenses on a case-by-case basis. Since 2006, the university's two-strike policy has mandated minimum sanctions for alcohol and drug offenses on campus or in Lafayette County. Student or student organizations would receive a first strike for any level of alcohol or drug offense. The policy then required that the university suspend a student or student organization for a second alcohol or drug offense if it occurred during the probation period following the student's first strike. The university's decision to change its policy comes as the William Magee Center for Wellness Education is scheduled to open this semester and as conversations about how to address the opioid epidemic have taken prominence around the nation.
 
Ole Miss campus rules prohibit Juuls, other electronic cigarettes
Despite a smoke-free policy on campus, some University of Mississippi students have noticed an uptick in the use of electronic cigarettes such as Juuls on university property over the past few months. The 2013 policy prevents the use of cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and any electronic cigarette that emits smoke on university-owned facility or property. "The policy banned e-cigarettes, including Juuls," said Sandra Bentley, the director of the Student Pharmacy. "They're not supposed to be anywhere on campus." Though the smoke produced by e-cigarettes is different than and potentially not as noticeable as that from a traditional cigarette, Bentley said it is still important to eliminate this smoke from campus. "They might not be the same as cigarettes, but they still put toxins in the air for others to breathe," she said. "For students with asthma or other respiratory diseases, it is important to prevent this."
 
USM gets 'The GrubSlinger' food truck on campus
It's called "The GrubSlinger." A new food truck that offers a wide variety of food items to students at The University of Southern Mississippi. The GrubSlinger made its first appearance on USM's campus on Aug. 30 in Shoemaker Square. Students can now enjoy different breakfast items such as breakfast sandwiches, burritos and specialty toast. The food truck also offers a whirling menu of exciting lunch options. The idea all began last spring when representatives of USM Eagle Dining/Aramark were looking for ways to serve areas of campus where eating spots are not close by. John Meyer, Resident District Manager of Eagle Dining/Aramark, said The GrubSlinger brings new offerings and excitement to the campus.
 
Rick Young steps down as East Mississippi Community College interim president
Less than four months after taking the position, Rick Young has resigned as interim president at East Mississippi Community College. Young submitted his resignation in a letter to EMCC board Chairman Jimmie Moore Monday, Moore said at Tuesday night's board of trustees meeting. The rest of the board voted unanimously to accept Young's resignation. "Basically I think (the letter) just said that he felt like there was not total confidence in his leadership at this time, and he just felt it would be better for the institution that he does love to move on and let someone else serve," Moore told The Dispatch after the meeting. Moore said there were "no ill feelings" involved in Young's resignation.
 
Rick Young resigns as interim president of East Mississippi Community College
Rick Young, the interim president of East Mississippi Community College, submitted his letter of resignation to the college's Board of Trustees on Tuesday. Young was not present at the meeting, according to a news release from the college. He was not available for comment on Wednesday. Jimmie Moore, the board chairman, said that from his conversations with Young, Young felt a lack of confidence in his ability to to lead EMCC, and believed it was best for him to leave school. Moore said the search for a new president will continue through Oct. 31, with the new leader starting in January 2019. Young became interim president on May 18 following the resignation of Thomas Huebner, who subsequently was hired as president of Meridian Community College.
 
Auburn University taps former Homeland Security official to lead cybersecurity institute
Auburn University moved another step forward on the national stage of cybersecurity by naming globally renowned cyber expert Frank Cilluffo to direct Auburn's Charles D. McCrary Institute on Wednesday. Cilluffo, whose appointment is effective Sept. 17, previously served as an associate vice president at The George Washington University, where he led a number of national security and cybersecurity policy and research initiatives. He directed the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security and, with the School of Business, launched the university's World Executive MBA in Cybersecurity program. Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Cilluffo was appointed by President George W. Bush to the newly created Office of Homeland Security. There, he was involved in a wide range of homeland security and counterterrorism strategies and policy initiatives.
 
Ex-LSU student shot frat pledges with airsoft gun before hazing death, prosecutors say
A former LSU student accused in last September's alcohol-related death of Max Gruver was rebuked by fellow fraternity members for shooting pledges with an airsoft gun less than a week before the fatal hazing, prosecutors say. "Active members who were present observed the defendant's dangerous behavior, were upset and admonished him to stop shooting pledges," East Baton Rouge Parish Assistant District Attorney Morgan Johnson said in a recent filing meant to show Matthew Alexander Naquin had "reckless interactions" with pledges before Gruver's death. The prosecutor also revealed in the court documents that Naquin, 20, of Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, told a Phi Delta Theta pledge sometime between Aug. 20 and Sept. 13 of 2017 that, "Max is always late, I wish I could cut him because he is always late."
 
Conference at Texas A&M promotes diversity in children's literature
In less than three months, an idea turned into a two-day conference dedicated to diversity and inclusion in literacy and literature that was attended by about 600 people. Tuesday and Wednesday marked Celebrating and Exploring Diversity in K-12 Literature and Literacies, the first of what organizers hopes becomes an annual conference. The event was hosted by Texas A&M's department of teaching, learning and culture. "I think people want to have these conversations," co-organizer Peter Scaramuzzo said. In his research, he was unable to find a conference specifically focused on diversity and inclusion in relation to literacy -- both science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, and traditional reading and writing. "People want to talk about it, and I think people have a lot to offer, and they want to learn more and they want to engage."
 
New reports show free tuition programs may not help low-income students as much as expected
Tuition-free college programs enjoy wide public and political support, and their popularity is growing. But two new reports released today indicate that some programs do not guarantee the no-cost education promised to low-income students. One report, from the Institute of Higher Education Policy, examines tuition-free programs in New York and Tennessee. Both programs have been widely heralded for attempting to make college more affordable, and Tennessee's program was the basis for the Obama administration's America's College Promise initiative. But as last-dollar programs -- which only cover remaining tuition after other forms of federal and state aid have been used -- they often don't cover the needs of the poorest students, who don't have to pay tuition and fees but have housing, transportation, textbook and other college costs.
 
Fans, Portable Air-Conditioners, and Italian Ices: How Colleges Are Combating the Heat Wave
The University of Pennsylvania doled out Italian ices and sent ice trucks. The University of Maryland at College Park dropped mattresses in one of its chilly 75-seat lecture halls, while one student reported sleeping in her bathing suit on towels in her 90-plus-degree dorm room. It's common for colleges and universities to house students in lounges and common spaces as unexpectedly large classes arrive on campus at the beginning of the academic year. But in recent weeks, as heat waves have lashed the United States, and especially the Northeast, many colleges have adopted all sorts of tactics to help students cool down. Temperatures in the mid- to upper-90s have put additional pressure on institutions already shuffling students into unconventional living spaces due to housing shortages and confronting expensive choices about renovation.
 
Coastal Labs Studying Increased Flooding Consider Moving Because Of Increased Flooding
Scores of coastal research labs around the U.S. are helping communities plan for sea level rise. But now many are starting to flood themselves, creating a dilemma: stay by the coast and endure expensive flooding, or move inland, to higher ground, but away from their subject of study. The Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium lab is located along the state's fragile coast, about 80 miles southwest of New Orleans. The giant X-shaped building is at the end of a gravel road, surrounded by open water and grassy marshes. During a recent open house, cars packed the parking lot. Families and children streamed through the place, checking out aquariums with local fish and turtles, taking rides on the research vessels, and talking to researchers like coastal professor Alex Kolker. He showed them models of the Mississippi River and sediment cores to explain how fast the coast is disappearing.


SPORTS
 
Nick Fitzgerald eager for his first start of season for Bulldogs
Andrew Breiner got a text around noon. Mississippi State's quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator was in the office crafting the game plan on Monday, the players' off day, when he got a text from a player. It was Nick Fitzgerald. He wanted to know if the game plan was ready; Breiner said not yet. Fitzgerald asked Breiner to send it to him when it's done -- as if that wouldn't happen anyway, as the starting quarterback. "He's eager," Breiner said. The signs of Fitzgerald's excitement are showing this week as he counts down to the first start of his senior season 11 a.m. Saturday (ESPN) at Kansas State (1-0). Fitzgerald was suspended for No. 18 MSU's season opener after a violation of team rules in March, a week away from his usual starting duties that, by all accounts, was handled well.
 
Mississippi State QB Nick Fitzgerald handled suspension like a 'pro'
If Nick Fitzgerald felt any guilt or remorse for getting suspended for Mississippi State's season opener last week, he hid those emotions behind a pair of sunglasses during pre-game warmups. The senior quarterback flung passes prior to MSU's game against Stephen F. Austin in his No. 7 jersey, athletic shorts and those Ray Ban shades. If only Fitzgerald kept them on during his Tuesday night press conference when he was asked what he did to receive his suspension. "I'm good, man," he said sort of sheepishly. Fitzgerald makes his senior season debut Saturday against Kansas State. Head coach Joe Moorhead said he saw Fitzgerald giving Thompson advice and encouragement on the sideline at every opportunity.
 
Dontavian Lee sticks things out in Starkville
Running backs Dontavian Lee and Aeris Williams arrived at Mississippi State in 2014 and gave themselves the nickname "The Bash Brothers." While Williams went on to be a multi-year starter for the Bulldogs, several injuries curtailed Lee's once promising career. But instead of transferring elsewhere like so many others do around college football, Lee decided to ride things out in Starkville. "Whatever I start, I want to finish it," Lee said. "When I came here, I didn't have the desired affect on the team that I wanted to but there was really no point in packing up and leaving. I committed here and am going to stick it out." Besides a reserve role in the backfield, the 6-foot-1, 230-pounder discovered another outlet via special teams. Lee starts on both the kickoff and kickoff return units and was named MSU's special teams player of the week after making three tackles in the season opener.
 
High-pressure approach working for Mississippi State women's soccer team
Courtney Robicheaux wasn't agitated. The Mississippi State senior defender merely wanted to make a point. It didn't matter that there was 1 minute, 7 seconds remaining in the first half and her team was leading Austin Peay 2-0. "Nobody better be walking on this team," Robicheaux said as she walked toward midfield as the Bulldogs prepared to collect a throw-in near their attacking third. The cozy confines of the MSU Soccer Field made it easy to hear Robicheaux on Monday in the first half of what turned out to be a 4-0 victory. The win marked the first time MSU (6-0) has shut out five of its first six opponents. It also set the stage for an undefeated run through the non-conference portion of the schedule, which will conclude at 1 p.m. Sunday against Louisiana Tech in Starkville.
 
Economist Andrew Zimbalist has plan to save college athletics
Mississippi State softball player Kinsey Goelz likes numbers. Though softball is her sport of choice, the Myakka City, Florida, native always has found the economics of college athletics fascinating. Noted author and economics professor Dr Andrew Zimbalist shares that passion for numbers. He provided plenty of examples Tuesday afternoon in a speech centered on helping save college athletics at Mississippi State's McComas Hall. "As far as my teammates, go we just talk about practice and what is next for our team," Goelz said. "To hear his presentation today was eye-opening. It made you think about some things you have never thought of before. Even though softball is my sport, it was great to see a wide array of topics." Zimbalist hit a series of topics in his hour-long presentation. While baseball is his first love, the Smith College professor of economics focused on that is wrong with college athletics and how to fix some of the problems.
 
LSU proposes statue of Skip Bertman as part of new champions plaza outside Alex Box Stadium
A statue of Skip Bertman may soon join the collection of tributes to LSU athletic heroes. A proposal going before the LSU Board of Supervisors on Friday would request approval for a new Alex Box Champions Plaza. The plaza would honor LSU's past Southeastern Conference regular season and SEC tournament championship teams and feature a statue of Bertman. He coach the Tigers from 1984-2001 and led LSU to five College World Series championships from 1991-2000, then served as athletic director from 2001-08. The plaza would be a freeform-shaped area of about 3,150 square feet. It would be built just to the third base side of the home plate stands outside Alex Box Stadium along Gourrier Lane, adjacent to the ring of champions for LSU's six CWS title teams. Work would begin in November, with completion scheduled for August 2019. The cost of the project was not listed, but Tiger Athletic Foundation (TAF) would cover all the expenses.
 
LSU will add metal detectors to Tiger Stadium
LSU will install 15 metal detectors in Tiger Stadium by Saturday, WBRZ learned. It's part of a plan to have the security measures at every entrance to the stadium by next year. The metal detectors will be at Gates 23-28 Saturday. Keys, coins, belts, watches and jewelry can stay on the person. Cell phones, cameras, tablets, and other large metal items will need to be removed and placed in a basket as fans pass through the security gate. Metal detectors are to be in place at Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium and Mississippi State's Davis Wade Stadium as well. The SEC will require metal detectors at all stadiums by 2020. Officials said the metal detectors are part of a change at the stadium to make fans feel more comfortable and safe.
 
Attending a UT Vols game? It could cost you more to get to Neyland Stadium
With more than 100,000 people able to fit inside Neyland Stadium on Saturday, there will be thousands of vehicles traveling Knoxville roads. For the past six years, people have been able to avoid traffic and parking headaches by using Knoxville Area Transit's game day shuttles for the same set prices. Those prices are now set to increase. Each of the four football shuttle routes will increase by $4 this season, but KAT will offer increased service on fixed routes to help more people get to the stadium. Shuttle routes to and from the Civic Coliseum garage, Krutch Park and the Old City near Barley's will increase to $10. The route to and from Farragut High School will increase to $20. "Game day is our biggest season," KAT Marketing Manager Savannah Kilday said at a press conference last week. "We have everybody on staff and extra supervisors on the road to navigate buses. Kilday said KAT's board "felt it was time to increase fares as we had not increased fares in six years."
 
'A desperate, angry bitter person:' Kentucky's governor responds to Pitino's attack
Rick Pitino sounds like a "desperate, angry, bitter person," according to Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, who was one of the former Louisville men's basketball coach's targets in his new book, "Pitino: My Story." Bevin joined Leland Conway on NewsRadio 840 WHAS on Wednesday morning and was asked to respond to assertions leveled by Pitino and his book that the governor was somehow involved in his removal from the university. "It's pretty sad. It really is," Bevin said. "He was a great coach, and his life is devolving into this." Pitino has been making the rounds promoting the book this week and has reiterated its assertion that Bevin had something to do with his firing from the university last October in the wake of an FBI investigation into alleged corruption in college basketball. In the book, Pitino described the governor as a "religious zealot with a puritanical streak" and said that Bevin clashed with former athletics director Tom Jurich over the refinancing of the KFC Yum Center and the program's lucrative new contract with Adidas.
 
Jack Cristil's biography: a gift that keeps on giving
Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: So, I thought I had heard every story that exists about the late and legendary Mississippi State broadcaster Jack Cristil. Then I heard another beauty from long-time Mississippi journalist and friend Sid Salter, Cristil's biographer, Wednesday. ...Salter told a lot of Cristil stories during his hour-long talk, hosted by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) at the Two Mississippi Museums. ...Listeners, many wearing State colors, seemed to hang on every word of every story.



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