| Thursday, October 11, 2018 |
| Mississippi State's Mark Horstemeyer has new paradigm for helmets | |
 | A few thousand feet north of Davis Wade Stadium, in Mississippi State's Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems, Mark Horstemeyer sits in an office surrounded by old football helmets, a few hockey helmets, and animal skulls. The skull of an American bison is in a chair against the wall. A ram's skull, horns attached and intact, is on a shelf next to a window. Horstemeyer finds inspiration in those animals for the future of football helmets. In July, the NFL and Football Research Inc. announced Horstemeyer's research into the helmet and the facemask earned him a $20,000 grant as part of the HeadHealth TECH Challenge, which encourages research in protective equipment. The grant was related to Horstemeyer's work on a transformative facemask, but his goals for his research go beyond improving only that piece of equipment. |
| Rep. Gregg Harper's papers at Mississippi State | |
 | The congressional papers of U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper have found their home at Mississippi State University. Harper formally donated his papers to MSU during a Friday ceremony on campus. The congressman's papers, which help tell the story of American government during Harper's tenure, will be housed in MSU Libraries' Congressional and Political Research Center. During Friday's ceremony, Harper reflected on his 10 years representing Mississippi's Third Congressional District and what MSU has meant to his family. He said the top reason MSU stole his family's heart was the ACCESS program for students with intellectual disabilities, of which his son was one of the first graduates. "I cannot say enough about what Mississippi State has meant to our family," Harper said. |
| Mississippi State's Vic Schaeffer peps Community Development Partnership banquet | |
 | Mississippi State women's basketball coach Vic Schaeffer said the goal to winning in sports and in business revolves around a number of factors. Whether it is facing down adversity, like the adversity Schaefer and his family faced when his son Logan suffered a traumatic brain injury several years ago, only to make a full recovery, or holding yourself and others accountable for the work that is done like he does with his women's basketball team. Schaeffer has learned what it takes to be successful. Schaeffer spoke of these traits and many more things during his speech as part of the 65th annual Community Development Partnership banquet Monday evening at the Neshoba County Coliseum. Schaefer also talked about accountability and responsibility. He said he feels as though those are two traits that don't exist like they used to when he was younger. Most of all Schaefer discussed the traits of success. |
| 'It's got to be fixed by us': MBN agent, former addict offer stark picture of opioid crisis | |
| In his 20 years as a Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agent, Lt. John Harless has seen his share of "crises" and "epidemics" -- words he said government agencies often apply to negative patterns. However, he said the opioid crisis sweeping across the United States stands out. "It's like candy at Halloween because we know those get attention," Harless said. "But I've got to tell you, in my time, I've been through the end of the crack cocaine boom. I've been through the meth boom. I've been through those and I've never seen anything like this." Harless was one of several speakers at an opioid town hall the Mississippi Department of Mental Health hosted Tuesday evening at Mississippi State University. |
| Lime Green Bikes Take Over Starkville | |
 | Getting around Starkville and the Mississippi State campus is getting a little easier. A new company is rolling into town providing transportation, exercise, and entertainment. "They contacted the city and said that they had an agreement with MSU so the bikes on campus and they wanted to know when obviously but those bikes would end up downtown or around town they wanted to have an agreement with the city and so we thought that was a great idea," said Mayor Lynn Spruill. There are about 200 bikes in Starkville and at MSU, and they can be found using the company's app. Mayor Spruill says this alternative transportation works well with some of Starkville's most recent projects. |
| Earth lessons: SEED garden helps kids 'grow' smarter at Sudduth Elementary | |
| If you've never caught sight of a garden fairy, some of the children at Sudduth Elementary School in Starkville might tell you what they look like. They can have carrot legs, arms made of sugar snap pea pods, a cauliflower head and spinach leaves for wings. And with a little ranch dressing, they're quite tasty. It's just one way the SEED Garden project -- Sudduth Elementary Exploration and Discovery Garden -- is teaching kindergartners and first-graders that food doesn't just magically appear. Children are learning those lessons from Garden Granny and other Oktibbeha County Master Gardener volunteers. "We have 10 classes participating, about 230 children, and five master gardeners who teach the classes," explained Garden Granny June Schmidt. The efforts of people including Dan and Rita Jackson, Dylan Karges, Starkville Kiwanis, students at Mississippi State, Town & Country Garden Club and many others have helped it become the resource it is today. |
| Hurricane Michael: Death, destruction in Florida before violent storm moves to Georgia, Carolinas | |
 | The remnants of Hurricane Michael continued to batter the Southeast, pummeling states with powerful rain, wind and flooding, even after being downgraded to a tropical storm. Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday as a "potentially catastrophic" Category 4 storm -- the strongest hurricane on record to hit the area -- and continued to charge north, wreaking havoc and causing emergencies. Darkness concealed the full extent of the damage left behind, but a second death was reported early Thursday, apparently caused by debris crashing through a mobile home and killing a child inside. The storm has knocked out power to more than 715,000 across the Southeastern United States, with about half of the outages occurring in Florida, where Michael first made landfall Wednesday as a powerful system. |
| From 'Disturbance' to Historic Monster in Just Four Days | |
 | After just four days, what started as a "disturbance" in the Caribbean Sea slammed into Florida's Panhandle on Wednesday as one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the U.S. Unfortunately for the Gulf Coast, conditions were just right to make Hurricane Michael a monster. Warm water is like jet fuel for hurricanes, and a combination of balmy conditions in the Gulf of Mexico, a lack of disturbance from wind shear and rapid intensification near the coast turned Michael into a historic storm, according to hurricane experts. "The timing was ghoulishly perfect," said Weather Underground meteorologist Bob Henson. Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach, Fla., as a Category 4 storm packing maximum-sustained winds of 155 miles an hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. That is just two miles an hour shy of Category 5, the strongest on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. That is rarefied air: only three storms have hit the U.S. at Category 5: an unnamed storm that devastated the Florida Keys in 1935; Camille, which hit Mississippi in 1969; and Andrew, which plowed across South Florida in 1992. |
| U.S. Charges Alleged Chinese Government Spy With Stealing U.S. Trade Secrets | |
 | The Justice Department unsealed charges Wednesday against a suspected Chinese spy for allegedly conducting economic espionage and trying to steal trade secrets from U.S. aerospace companies. The alleged Chinese intelligence officer, Yanjun Xu, was extradited to the United States on Tuesday from Belgium, where he was arrested in April at Washington's request. His extradition marks what appears to be the first time that a Chinese spy has been brought to the U.S. to face prosecution, according to U.S. officials. The U.S. is trying combat what American officials describe as a relentless effort by the Chinese government to plunder American industry of its innovative ideas and technologies. "This case is not an isolated incident," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said of Xu's alleged actions. "It is part of an overall economic policy of developing China at American expense. We cannot tolerate a nation's stealing our firepower and the fruits of our brainpower." |
| At Delta State, NCAA president talks positives of student athletics | |
| National Collegiate Athletics Association President Mark Emmert was the guest speaker at the first Colloquia event of the school year Tuesday Delta State University. "President Emmert has championed greater support for student athlete wellness and academic success. He has put student athletes first and has taken on major challenges," said DSU President Bill LaForge. Emmert explained how approximately 65 schools came together in 1904 to "run college sports and make sure that it is focused on students being students, on taking care of them physically and mentally and on creating a level playing field." "It has grown from 65 schools to over 1,100 colleges and universities but the same principals and the same issues exist today. Today we talk about three things academic success, health and well-being and fairness. Exactly as was laid out in 1904 as the cornerstones of our organization," he continued. Emmert said the NCAA has improved the lives of student athletes through these three guiding principals. |
| Parents who lost sons to fraternity hazing speak to Ole Miss students | |
 | Evelyn Pizza's son Tim was an exemplary older brother and caring boyfriend. While pledging at fraternity at Pennsylvania State University in 2017, a hazing ritual forced him to drink an excessive amount of vodka, beer and wine. After being knocked unconscious from falling down flight of stairs, Piazza's fraternity brothers carried him to a couch and waited 12 hours before seeking medical attention. Surgeons were unable to save the 19-year-old. He died the next day. Steve and Rae Ann Gruver's son Max was an avid writer and aspiring sports journalist. While pledging a fraternity at Louisiana State University in 2017, a hazing ritual forced him to chug 190-proof grain alcohol. After he passed out, fraternity brothers left Gruver on a couch. They did not take him to the hospital until 11 a.m. the next morning, where he was pronounced dead from choking on his own vomit. Tuesday night at the University of Mississippi, Evelyn Piazza and the Gruvers spoke to 1,250 students at the Ford Performing Arts Center about the need to end hazing on college campuses. |
| Beyond Ed Meek: Where the university goes from here | |
 | Before the dust even began to settle around Ed Meek's offensive Facebook post, the university had taken a public stance and the student body had made its opinion clear. Within a few hours of Meek's post, Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter condemned its racial tone and a student's petition had garnered more than 600 signatures calling to remove Meek's name from the journalism school. A little more than 24 hours later, journalism faculty had condemned Meek's sentiments on camera and two listening sessions had further cemented students' demands for university action. Since Meek pressed "send" on Sept. 19, the familiar conversation about addressing racism on campus has been different. The vitriolic back-and-forth that typically follows racially-charged rhetoric has been subdued. And while some who know Meek have vouched for his character, denouncement of his Facebook post has been nearly unanimous. Students have made clear their worries that university administration will soon move on to the next item on its agenda, without fully addressing the issues brought forward by Meek's post. |
| Flower shop sells leis for U. of Alabama homecoming week | |
 | Leading up to the University of Alabama's homecoming Saturday, a Tuscaloosa business seeks to capitalize on one the Crimson Tide's most-talked about football players. The Tuscaloosa Flower Shoppe is offering Hawaiian leis to honor UA quarterback Tua Tagovailoa during the football team's Saturday night homecoming game against Missouri. The leis, which are a combination of purple and white Dendrobium orchids stringed together, were custom-ordered from Tagovailoa's home state of Hawaii and were delivered to the store Wednesday. Sarah Morrison, owner of the shop, said the idea to sell the leis came from customers who wanted to wear the traditional Hawaiian necklace to UA football games. "It's always fun when people in Tuscaloosa do something that is different," Morrison said. "We're so built on tradition." |
| As MBA programs decline nationally, U. of Florida bucks trend | |
 | Applications for MBA programs throughout the country have dipped as a thriving economy lures undergrads straight into the workforce and more restrictive visa requirements deter international students from choosing programs in the United States. At the University of Florida, though, applications for one-year and online MBA programs have only seen a slight decrease, while applications for traditional two-year MBA programs were up by 4 percent. "The best thing to say is we've weathered the storm," said Andy Lord, senior director of admissions for UF's MBA programs. Lord said the attractiveness of UF's MBA programs, which rank in the top 20 nationally, has played a role in application demand remaining stable. In addition, Lord said UF launched a full scholarship for two-year MBA programs. "That got the word out across the nation that we were willing to support any of those folks that were looking to enter a full-time MBA program," Lord said. |
| U. of Arkansas Names Cherie Rachel Senior Director of Corporate, Foundation Relations | |
 | Cherie Rachel has been named senior director of the University of Arkansas' Office of Corporate & Foundation Relations. The office works with Economic Development and University Advancement to better connect university strengths with resources from corporate and philanthropic partners. It helps companies and foundations navigate the university, identify opportunities for collaboration, and connect with the right faculty and programs to match interests. Rachel is charged with enhancing the Office of Industry Engagement's reach and increasing industry partnerships. |
| Hurricane Michael: UGA to delay opening Thursday | |
 | Due to the threat posed by Hurricane Michael, the University of Georgia will delay opening the campus on Thursday until 10 a.m. with classes starting no earlier than 11 a.m. All university residence halls will remain open, according to a news release issued by the university Wednesday evening. On-campus residents in University Housing, should contact their community front desk or RA with any questions or concerns and to report any facilities-related problems. Information about dining and other campus services will be posted on emergency.uga.edu as it becomes available. |
| Hurricane Michael: U. of South Carolina closes campus ahead of storm | |
 | The University of South Carolina will be closing campus as Hurricane Michael approaches the Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane. The university tweeted Wednesday that it would be canceling all classes and closing Thursday. The Midlands have been under a tropical storm warning since Wednesday morning, with forecasters expecting the area to receive between 4 to six inches of rain, The State reported. Unlike Hurricane Florence, which literally moved across the state slower than a turtle, Hurricane Michael is expected to move quickly from the Gulf Coast through the Southeast, with tropical storm force winds reaching the Midlands by Thursday morning. The cancellations add to the five days students missed for Hurricane Florence last month. |
| Tight Senate race prompts provocative visit by anti-abortion group at U. of Missouri | |
 | A visiting anti-abortion group that tours with an exhibit of graphic images of aborted fetuses drew supporters and opponents Wednesday to Speakers Circle at the University of Missouri. Representatives of Created Equal, an anti-abortion rights group from Columbus, Ohio, came to MU on a tour the group said targeted states with close Senate races like the one between Sen. Claire McCaskill and Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley. An abortion rights group set up a tent in response and countered Created Equal's speaker with a speaker of its own. Sara Diedrich with the MU News Bureau confirmed that police were present in the area but that no arrests had been made. Meanwhile, a voter registration effort was underway nearby. |
| Texas A&M chapter of Active Minds working to create stigma-free mental health community | |
 | One student at a time, Alicia Steinley is working to create a stigma-free community at Texas A&M. "My big dream is to create a campus that's stigma free, but in reality, I think if we each can personally work toward being stigma free in our lives and creating friend groups and family members that are stigma free ... our lives are so much better when we can talk about how we feel," said Steinley, president of the Texas A&M chapter of Active Minds. "It's a domino effect, and it just spreads so quickly." Within her family and group of friends, Steinley has seen the barriers of discussing mental illness break down. "Everyone is so much more willing to talk about if they're sad or if they have really bad anxiety. My roommate has even opened up about how she struggled with depression, and she said she's never told anyone," she said. While it might sound easy, the most difficult part is just getting people to listen, Steinley said. |
| Explore Bike Share to expand onto U. of Memphis campus | |
| The Explore Bike Share system that launched in Memphis earlier this year will expand onto the University of Memphis campus next fall. U of M received $580,000 through a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant to fund the installation of docking stations with a total of 60 bikes throughout campus. The funding will also pay for a one-year membership to the bike share program for about 2,000 students, the university's sustainability manager Amelia Mayahi said. The university previously sought an opportunity to offer bikes on campus for short-term rentals, she said, and chose Explore because of its use throughout the rest of the city. The university already has a long-term bike rental program on campus with a mechanical shop. |
| When Asians Are Targets of Racism | |
 | When Han Ju Seo, a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, first saw messages calling Asian students invaders of campus study spaces, she felt "immediate anger." "I'm not embarrassed to admit that I had a very visceral emotional reaction," she said. Seo is Korean American, and she said she wasn't upset about what the messages said but about the racist connotations they carried. Anti-Asian racism is something that she and other Asian American students felt everyday. The characterization of Asian students as "taking over" is common, and not just specific to Washington University, said Julie Park, an associate professor at the University of Maryland at College Park. In 2011, a student at the University of California, Los Angeles, posted a YouTube video that criticized Asian students for talking loudly in the library and having family members visit them. |
| Facing GOP fire, two options on offer for Jim Hood | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Caleb Bedillion writes: As Jim Hood faces the deep waters of the political challenge before him, he might cast an eye elsewhere toward a neighboring pair of Deep South Democrats. Once dubbed the "last Democrat in Dixie," Hood was for a time about the only example on offer as his party sought inroads back into the once "solid South." But despite his enduring ability to hold onto the attorney general's office, he's preparing to enter much more polarizing territory. The appeal of his rural roots, down-home persona and tough-on-crime talk will be sorely tested as he seeks the governor's office. Republicans have already signaled key strategies against Hood. |
| Who's (maybe) running next year? Is GOP gubernatorial primary afoot? | |
 | The Clarion-Ledger's Geoff Pender writes: Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood's announcement that he's running for governor next year came as no surprise, and Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' entrance into the race is considered fait accompli. But Hood running has caused nervousness among some GOP movers and shakers. They're worried that Reeves, despite being the heir apparent and having a massive $5.4 million and counting war chest, could be vulnerable. They fear Democrats could retake an office Republicans have had a lock on since 2004. Polling made public for the last couple of years would bear out this fear: Hood is remarkably popular, even across party lines. Reeves doesn't poll as well and at times as lieutenant governor has failed to get the "gets along with others" smiley sticker on his report card. He has chalked this up to "I'm not afraid to tell people, 'No.'" This has prompted some hushed talk among Republicans -- less hushed from the rank and file GOP on social media -- about an alternative to Reeves. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's secondary has rounded out a 'championship defense' | |
| Maurice Smitherman bounced on his toes and anticipated Auburn's slot receiver to shoot out into the flats. Smitherman waited... and waited... and then watched the Tiger dart toward the middle of the field instead. Auburn faced fourth-and-seven from Mississippi State's 30-yard line last Saturday. The Tigers only trailed by one touchdown with over six minutes remaining. A completion would make more than 60,000 people inside Davis Wade Stadium antsy. That completion didn't come. Smitherman attentively cut toward the hashmarks at the same time as Auburn's wide out. Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham saw his man had a step on Smitherman, but the Bulldogs' junior corner quickly closed in after Stidham fired his attempt. Smitherman, playing in place of injured senior Jamal Peters, battled the ball away with his left hand. Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop envisioned the play that led to another Mississippi State touchdown drive in the Bulldogs' 23-9 victory. |
| Mississippi State's Jeffery Simmons sees his share of attention | |
| Six games in, some of Jeffery Simmons' statistics are down compared to the midway point of last season. However, that doesn't mean Simmons is having a down year. In fact, the junior nose guard is making a huge impact for a Mississippi State squad that currently leads the country in scoring defense. At 6-foot-4, 300 pounds, Simmons sees his share of double-team blocking from opposing offenses, which allows his teammates to go make plays. "It's a blessing because if I'm getting double teamed, somebody else is free," Simmons said. "That helps us out as a team and as a defensive front." The player who has likely benefited the most from all the attention Simmons receives is defensive end Montez Sweat coming off the edge. Sweat leads the Southeastern Conference and ranks second nationally with 7.5 sacks. He also has 10 tackles for loss. |
| Chris Lemonis preparing for his first World Series at Mississippi State | |
| Chris Lemonis' first fall as Mississippi State's baseball coach will conclude with a weekend of evaluation and some time with fathers and sons. MSU will kick off its annual intrasquad world series with Game 1 at 4 p.m. Thursday. The series will wrap up with games at 7:30 p.m. Friday and at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Also Saturday, MSU will hold its Fall Father and Son Overnight Camp. The Dispatch talked with Lemonis on Tuesday for a question-and-answer session. |
| SEC's 8 Ranked Teams Adds Intrigue to Remaining Schedule | |
 | The SEC this week has been able to celebrate having the most ranked teams within a single conference at any time in the past two years. One league has not had eight simultaneously ranked members since the SEC had eight in October 2016. "It just goes back to understanding that on a weekly basis, the margin of error is either non-existent or razor thin" in the SEC, Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead said. "There's no respite. There's no break. You're going out of the frying pan and into the fire. There's no time to look back. There's no time to look ahead." In most cases, anyway. No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Georgia have not looked threatened yet, but the other six ranked teams in the league all were directly affected by a trio of results last weekend. |
| Alabama to play Dixieland Delight at homecoming game | |
| Alabama director of athletics Greg Byrne announced on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon that the song "Dixieland Delight" would be played at Saturday's game. Several fans, including a large contingent of students, had asked for the song to be played since Alabama ceased playing it during the 2015 season. "I'm here to say that we are freeing Dixieland Delight," Byrne said. "We're going to do our part here and try this one more time, so we need you to do yours." The song, usually played during the fourth quarter, became a point of contention when many fans began chanting expletives directed towards SEC rivals Auburn, LSU and Tennessee during the song's refrain. Byrne posted a video to make the announcement that featured Terry Saban, running back Damien Harris and student body president Price McGiffert. "We really need your help," Harris said. "I know we can do it the right way, so remember to keep it clean, keep it classy when we play Dixieland Delight during the fourth quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium." |
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