| Tuesday, October 30, 2018 |
| Area Jewish community reacts to Pittsburgh shooting | |
 | The northeast Mississippi Jewish community is cautiously concerned after the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, synagogue shooting left 11 dead and six more injured. Even while hosting memorial ceremonies for the victims of the Tree of Life synagogue, area Jewish groups are considering additional security at gatherings. The Hillel at Mississippi State University will hold a vigil Wednesday evening at 6:30 at the non-denominational Chapel of Memories. MSU president Mark Keenum, the student body president and many religious leaders from across the area will speak. "We will have security for the vigil," said Hillel president Tyler Daniel. "We have several meetings throughout the year. There has not been a call so far for more security. We are very aware that these (anti-Semitic hate crimes) happen everywhere -- whether it's New York City, Jackson or Tupelo. We are always vigilant." The only synagogue in northeast Mississippi held a memorial ceremony Sunday night. Though organized quickly, the event at Temple B'Nai Israel synagogue in Tupelo drew a number of people, including guests from other religions showing their support. |
| MSU-Meridian professor creates learning opportunities beyond classroom | |
 | Ksenia S. Zhbanova, an assistant professor in Elementary Education at Mississippi State University-Meridian, is finding practical experiences for her students to apply what they learn in the classroom. She has asked her students to write pen pal letters to students in Russia, to work with Hope Village for Children and to work with the MSU-Riley Center arts integration in the classroom program. The goal of these programs, she said, is to give students experience outside the classroom and to apply what they have learned while exposing them to different experiences. Zhbanova, a native of Russia, received her bachelors and masters degrees at the University of Iowa. Before teaching at MSU-Meridian, she taught gifted students at a public school in Iowa for several years. She involved her students there in a pen pal program and that gave her the idea to apply the lesson for older students studying to become teachers. |
| Back in the classroom: Five years of custodial work paved the way for this teacher's dream job | |
 | Sandy Devlin knows a good teacher when she sees one. As graduate coordinator for special education at Mississippi State University, she helps prepare future teachers for the challenges they will face when they lead their own SPED classrooms. When Devlin met Stacee Bonner in fall 2011, her new student's fire and passion for the special education field indicated she would have little problem meeting those challenges. In fact, Bonner's own challenges to become SPED teacher were arduous enough. Bonner spent seven years at MSU as a custodian, cleaning classrooms and hallways while taking the necessary classes to earn a master's degree in special education and an educational specialist degree in instructional technology. Now, she's a first-year SPED teacher at Columbus Middle School. "I pushed her because I knew she could do the job and do it very well," Devlin said. "She was a great custodian, but I could see she had a passion for kids and we don't want to waste that. In special education, we need people like her to nurture children." |
| State, local issues get spotlight at Itawamba Community College | |
| Jobs training and rural development were major themes as a trio of federal lawmakers evaluated the state of Mississippi and of the 1st Congressional District. Sen. Roger Wicker, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Rep. Trent Kelly gathered on Monday at the Fulton campus of Itawamba Community College. Perhaps with a nod to the setting, education and jobs training took the spotlight. Kelly, for example, described community colleges as "the greatest workforce developers." ICC touted the event as an opportunity some of the region's top elected leaders to discuss the state of the district. A moderator asked questions that shied away from hot-button issued and focused on brain drain, rural development, infrastructure and public health. Wicker and Hyde-Smith both espoused the view that retention of the state's young people and rural vitality depend on the availability of jobs. |
| Northeast Mississippi has pockets of economic strength, but many voters see need for more | |
 | Bobby Goff remembers ordering two cat legs the day after a confused feline landed in the deep fryer as the employees were trying to chase him out of the Hardee's here in this Lee County community that connects to the southern border of Tupelo. He said the manager did not see the humor in his comments. The cat survived the ordeal and was named Hardee by the veterinarian who administered treatment. Ten years after the cat incident, Goff, age 83, still can be found at the Verona Hardee's where he eats, drinks coffee, socializes and opines. "We talk politics, community stuff and families," said Nathan Goff, a nephew of Bobby's. The perception from the Goff's table at Hardee's is that the state, nation and Lee County are doing reasonably well, though they say the city of Verona, which is struggling with crime and other issues, is not. It is clear that on Nov. 6 the men at this table at Hardee's will be voting for candidates who support President Donald Trump and can help him with his agenda. According to a NBC News/Marist poll, 54 percent of Mississippians prefer electing candidates who would help Trump achieve his agenda. |
| For Mississippians in deep poverty, voting is easier said than done | |
| Congregating with others outside Stewpot's community kitchen on an overcast, drizzly Thursday afternoon after grabbing some lunch, a bus driver reflected on the decline of his West Jackson surroundings. The man, Tony Moore, said he'd rather try to make a difference in his community -- give a hand up to folks living in poverty -- than go to the polls on Election Day. Chris Purdon and Jed Blackerby won't vote because they can't -- they both are among the nearly 10 percent of voting-aged Mississippians permanently stripped of their right to vote due to a felony conviction. Vivian Sims said she registered "just in case," but she doubts she'll cast a vote come November 6. Mississippi Today spoke to a dozen people around Stewpot the day after the popular longtime civil rights activist the Rev. William Barber II visited Jackson as part of the Poor People's Campaign's "moral revival" aimed at engaging low-income Americans. |
| Steven Palazzo Inflames 'Caravan' Fears Despite Weekend Synagogue Tragedy | |
| Congressman Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., sought to rile up supporters over a "migrant caravan" en route to the U.S. in an email sent just a day after a 47-year-old white supremacist--- driven by a conspiracy belief that Jews are behind the caravan---committed the deadliest anti-Semitic mass murder in U.S. history. Robert Bowers, armed with an AR-15 and three .357 SIG-caliber semi-automatic Glock handguns, entered the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pa., and killed 11 members. Just before the massacre, Bowers posted a message on Gab, a-social media site popular among white supremacists, blaming HIAS, a Jewish nonprofit that aids refugees. n the days leading up to the massacre, President Donald Trump claimed, with no facts to back it up, that "Middle Easterners" were among the thousands of Central American migrants who are fleeing on foot. His press secretary, Sarah Sanders, later explained that he was referring to "terrorists." In Palazzo's email Sunday, Mississippi's fourth district congressman wrote that he supports Trump's efforts to "end the caravan." |
| Trump eyeing executive order to end birthright citizenship | |
 | President Trump is vowing to sign an executive order that would seek to end the right to U.S. citizenship for children born in the United States to noncitizens, a move most legal experts say runs afoul of the Constitution. The action, which Trump previewed in a television clip broadcast Tuesday, would be the most aggressive by a president elected to office pledging to take a hard line on immigration, an issue he has revived in advance of next week's midterm elections. Whether the move is legal, Trump seemed to welcome the controversy his comments ignited. The White House has been intent on stoking a debate over immigration as a way to motivate Trump's base to turn out for midterm elections in which Republicans risk losing the House. |
| Are dogs the future of security? "Auburn dogs" earn reputation for safeguarding America | |
 | The dogs bred through Auburn University's Canine Performance Sciences program are nationally recognized for their work, but that hasn't stopped the department from pushing even further. The department breeds, researches and tests dogs to become trained to detect body-worn explosives on a moving target, and the dogs are used throughout the country. But co-director Paul Waggoner said the department is always working to learn more and continue advancing the dogs. The next step, he said, is employing modern genomics technology to make the process of training dogs to the Vapor Wake standard more efficient. "Vapor Wake" is a method, patented by Auburn University, by which dogs are trained to detect explosives. The method involves dogs sampling odors from the aerodynamic wakes of a moving person. |
| Reported rapes, alcohol violations at U. of South Carolina up from last year | |
 | The University of South Carolina saw an increase in the number of reported rapes and alcohol violations in 2017 compared to the last three years, according to newly released statistics. In 2017, there were nine reported rapes on campus compared to four in 2016 and five in 2015. Seven of the offenses allegedly occurred in on-campus residence halls and two were on campus but not in dorms, according to the 2018 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. "USC has worked to educate students about the issue of sexual assault and to create an environment where survivors know how to reach out for help. There is also a larger societal conversation taking place about sexual assault, and the increase in our reports hopefully demonstrates that survivors feel empowered to come forward," university spokesman Jeff Stensland said in an email. |
| U. of Florida students gather for Tree of Life vigil | |
 | There were words, songs and a few tears as University of Florida students gathered at Turlington Plaza on Monday afternoon to honor victims of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting. Close to 500 students, faculty and staff, including UF President Kent Fuchs and UF Student Body President Ian Green, showed support in a quickly-assembled vigil set up by two UF Jewish student groups, Chabad UF and Hillel UF. On Saturday, 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh were killed by an AR-15 wielding gunman, 46-year-old Robert Bowers, who has ties to white supremacist groups. The most powerful speech came from three UF students --- Julie Mallinger, Olivia Hirshman and Morgann Green --- who are from Squirrel Hill and have relatives who worship at Tree of Life. During her portion of the speech, Hirshman, wearing a Pittsburgh Penguins shirt, tearfully revealed that one of her mom's cousins was wounded in the attack. Mallinger and Green showed their support for Pittsburgh by wearing Steelers jerseys. |
| Opioid crisis: Companies' cultural changes could prevent addiction, U. of Tennessee researchers say | |
 | How can companies get more out of their employees? By giving them what they need to be productive, a team of University of Tennessee industrial engineers has found. As for what it is they need, the engineers have studied that, too. And they'll present that information Nov. 9 at an industry symposium, "Creating an Operational Excellence Culture for the Millennial Workforce," at the downtown Hilton, 501 W. Church Ave. It's the second annual symposium the Center for Advanced Systems Research and Education has hosted, but their research goes back even further --- and is broader, hitting other age groups and all kinds of industries, including manufacturing, government and health care. "Generally, the No. 1 stressor in people's lives is work," said professor Rupy Sawhney, executive director of the center. |
| Potential 2020 Democratic contenders issue proposals on equity that could help people pay for college | |
 | Student loan debt has become perhaps the biggest preoccupation of policy makers overseeing the higher education system. But often buried beneath headlines about graduates with six-figure debt is the reality that students who most need loans to attend college come from families with little or no savings. That's especially true of African American households, who rely on loans to send children to college to a greater extent and spend more of their income after loans and grant aid on higher ed than white families. A proposal from Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, aims to address those patterns of inequality in the U.S. by establishing a savings account for every child in the country when they are born. The federal government would make payments of as much as $2,000 into the account each year based on family income until the child turns 18 -- at which point, he or she could use the money to buy a home or pay for a college education. It's the latest ambitious policy idea offered by a handful of expected 2020 Democratic presidential contenders. |
| Professors Are the Likeliest Mentors for Students, Except Those Who Aren't White | |
 | Having a mentor can make a big difference in students' academic success -- particularly for underrepresented minorities who often seek guidance on how to battle feelings of isolation on campus. Yet a newly released report on college alumni shows that students have disparate access to sources of help navigating the ins and outs of college life, and beyond. Of the more than 5,000 recent college graduates polled for the Strada-Gallup Alumni survey, more than half said they either hadn't had a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams, or didn't agree or disagree with that statement. The survey, which has been conducted four times since 2014, has asked graduates about issues that include whether their degree was worth the cost, how often they used career services at their alma mater, and their perception of inclusiveness on campus. |
| For Handicapping Midterm Races, Old Rules May No Longer Apply | |
 | Analyst and columnist Stuart Rothenberg writes for Roll Call: Political handicapping is more than looking at polls and regurgitating who is ahead. Throughout an election cycle, there are signs political handicappers use to understand what is happening at a given moment and to project how races will play out in the weeks or months ahead. During the endgame, one of the most reliable rules of handicapping is that for incumbents, "what you see is what you can get." In other words, incumbents won't get many undecided voters. The underlying reasoning for that view is pretty simple: Incumbents tend to be better known than their challengers, in part because of the advantages of incumbency. They traditionally raise more money and have every opportunity to ingratiate themselves with voters, building relationships that will ultimately pay off on Election Day. |
| Violence yet another reason to avoid public service | |
| Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: We should have seen it coming in 2001. That's when President George W. Bush selected U.S. District Judge Charles Pickering of Laurel for promotion to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Pickering was met with a verbal assassination, and it has only become worse. As voting nears for Mississippians and nationwide, the Pickering fiasco illustrates a question worth pondering: Why on Earth would any sane person seek to serve in public office? Seriously. Politics has always involved wheeling and dealing, but it has disintegrated into a bloodsport. Anything goes. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State back in poll at No. 21 after week of upheaval | |
 | The No. 22 Syracuse and No. 23 Virginia football teams broke long runs of being unranked and joined No. 21 Mississippi State as part of a group of a record seven teams to move into The Associated Press poll after a season-high 11 ranked teams lost last weekend. The top of the ranking was mostly unchanged. No. 1 Alabama, No. 4 LSU, and No. 5 Michigan were idle and unchanged. No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Notre Dame won easily. MSU's 28-13 victory against then-No. 16 Texas A&M at Davis Wade Stadium helped the Buldogs (5-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) climb back into the poll after a loss to then-No. 5 LSU two weeks ago in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Texas A&M dropped to No. 25 to give the SEC seven teams in this week's poll. The Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big Ten Conference are next with four teams in this week's rankings. The College Football Playoff selection committee releases its first ranking of the season Tuesday. |
| Mississippi State unveils 'Statesman' uniform for Nov. 17 Arkansas game | |
 | Mississippi State will honor MSU alum and World War II hero G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery on Nov. 17 against Arkansas by wearing an alternate uniform. The Bulldogs will dress out in Adidas Primeknit A1 "Statesman" uniforms to pay tribute to Montgomery, who was the third person in United States history to have a military fleet named in his honor. The uniform is inspired by a particular plane -- the Mississippi Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster III -- that was nicknamed "The Spirit of G.V. 'Sonny' Montgomery." Montgomery graduated from Mississippi State in 1943. He served in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant during World War II. |
| Sonny Montgomery to be honored by MSU Bulldogs | |
 | The Mississippi State Bulldogs will honor the late G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery next month. The Meridian native will be saluted through special uniforms worn when MSU hosts Arkansas Nov. 17. The "Statesman" uniform is inspired by the Mississippi Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster III aircraft named 'The Spirit of G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery'. Montgomery was also a Mississippi State alumnus, graduating in 1943. He also served in the United States Army as a second lieutenant during World War II where he was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor, Legion of Merit and Combat Infantry Badge and is a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. Montgomery served on active duty during the Korean Conflict in the 31st National Guard Infantry Division. Montgomery had a long and distinguished career in the Mississippi National Guard, retiring with the rank of Major General after 35 years. Montgomery served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967-1997, where he championed veterans' issues and fought for a strong national defense. |
| Mississippi State, Adidas unveil special uniform in honor of Sonny Montgomery | |
 | When Mississippi State football takes Scott Field on Senior Day against Arkansas on November 17, the Bulldogs will pay tribute to MSU alum and World War II hero G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery. MSU will proudly don commemorative Adidas Primeknit A1 "Statesman" uniforms inspired by the Mississippi Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster III plane named "The Spirit of G.V. 'Sonny' Montgomery." Montgomery became the third person in the United States to have a military fleet named in his honor. The C-17 remains in active use by the 172nd Airlift Wing of Jackson. The commemorative jersey will be available for purchase on www.adidas.com/us/hailstate and in retail stores in Starkville later this week. |
| MSU Notebook: Bulldogs to wear special 'Statesmen' uniforms | |
| Mississippi State will don special "Statesmen" uniforms in honor of the late G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery for its final home game against Arkansas on Nov. 17. The light onyx Adidas uniforms are inspired by the Mississippi Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster III plane named in Montgomery's honor. The font of the letters and numerals used throughout the uniform mimic those used on the plane. The hand-painted helmets are inspired by the tail of the plane and features the various medals awarded to Montgomery during his time in the service. The jerseys feature the word "State" and the pants have "Spirit of G.V. 'Sonny' Montgomery" scripted down the right leg and "Mississippi State" running up the length of the left leg. |
| 'I have it in me': Mississippi State's Joe Moorhead opens up on emotions | |
| When Mississippi State fell behind in the second half against Kentucky earlier this season, head coach Joe Moorhead calmly walked the sidelines and kept whatever he was feeling to himself. State fans quarreled on social media whether Moorhead was engaged enough in the Bulldogs' battle. About a month later, Moorhead put those arguments to bed with a dedicated display of emotion in Saturday's 28-13 win over Texas A&M. After the Dogs went down and scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game, Moorhead chest-bumped players, playfully punched them, grabbed senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald's helmet and screamed words of encouragement at him. "That was organic," Moorhead said. "That wasn't fake, and that wasn't manufactured. I was truly that fired up." |
| Erroll Thompson delivers highlight reel performance | |
| Erroll Thompson's physical skill helped him earn a spot on the Southeastern Conference's All-Freshman team last year. It was made clear to Thompson that wouldn't be enough in 2018. Thompson was asked to become a cerebral player and an expert in Mississippi State first-year defensive coordinator's new scheme so he could adapt to changing offenses in the Southeastern Conference offenses on the fly. Through eight games, Thompson has become a student of the game and has remained one of the Bulldogs' most consistent players. Thompson's interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter was part of another strong performance in MSU's 28-13 victory against then-No. 16 Texas A&M on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium. |
| Mississippi State-Alabama set for 2:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS | |
| No. 21 Mississippi State's Nov. 10 game at top-ranked Alabama has been designated for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS. It marks just the second daytime game the Bulldogs have had this season and first since Sept. 8 at Kansas State. The Crimson Tide have dominated the overall series against MSU, holding an 81-18-3 overall advantage and a 43-9-1 mark in Tuscaloosa. The Bulldogs' last win in the series came in 2007. Alabama claimed a 31-24 victory in Starkville last season, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 25-seconds remaining in the contest. |
| Mississippi State soccer: Carly Mauldin, Zakirah McGillivary earn All-SEC honors | |
| Mississippi State's Carly Mauldin and Zakirah McGillivary, Ole Miss' CeCe Kizer, and Alabama's Emma Welch were three of the players honored Sunday when the Southeastern Conference announced its annual league awards. Mauldin, a senior midfielder, was named second-team All-SEC, while McGillivary, a freshman forward, was named to the All-Freshman team. The awards mark the fourth season MSU has seen multiple players receive conference honors, including twice under MSU second-year coach Tom Anagnost. Mauldin, a senior midfielder from Laurel has started every match in her four-year career. She is fifth in Bulldog history with 6,436 career minutes and tied for eighth with 71 career starts. McGillivary is the fourth Bulldog to earn an All-Freshman nod, and the first since Mallory Eubanks in 2014. |
| South Carolina frats unanimously ban hard alcohol from Gamecock tailgate lots | |
| University of South Carolina students will no longer be allowed to drink hard liquor at fraternity tailgate lots before Gamecock football games. USC's Interfraternity Council, the governing body that regulates fraternities at the university, agreed to ban all alcoholic drinks with more than 15 percent alcohol at private fraternity tailgate lots, according to a letter obtained by The State. "With increasing concerns from law enforcement, the University of South Carolina, and fraternity lot administration, the chapter presidents of the Interfraternity Council have unanimously voted to ban liquor at social events that do not utilize a third-party vendor," according to an unsigned letter from the university's Interfraternity Council. |
| Police response to crowded tailgate at South Carolina-Tennessee game prompts apology | |
| Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott apologized Monday for the conduct of several deputies dispersing a crowd at a black alumni event during the South Carolina-Tennessee football game. "It did not look good," Lott said of how several officers dispersed a large crowd of people in a tailgating spot near the S.C. State Fairgrounds. The Richland County Sheriff's Department's responded to a report of overcrowding around 8 p.m. Saturday at a homecoming tailgate hosted, according to Lott, by the group "USC BAR." BAR stands for Black Alumni Reunion, according to USC spokesman Jeff Stensland. Lott, a USC alumnus who was at the game and received calls about the incident during the game, said the presence of the horse and the deputy's behavior in dispersing the crowd were concerning. |
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