| Wednesday, January 9, 2019 |
| Mississippi State Provost/EVP Judith L. 'Judy' Bonner to retire June 30 | |
 | Mississippi State University Provost and Executive Vice President Judith L. "Judy" Bonner has informed the university of her intention to retire at the end of the current fiscal year on June 30, MSU President Mark E. Keenum announced this week. Keenum said work already has begun on formulating an exhaustive national search like the one that produced Bonner's appointment in 2016 after then-MSU Provost Jerry Gilbert was named president of Marshall University. "In this vital and challenging leadership role, Dr. Bonner served MSU with tremendous distinction and her accomplishments here have elevated this university to new academic heights," said Keenum. "While I am saddened over her decision to retire, I respect Dr. Bonner's impeccable vision and judgment that the time is right for her to bring to a close what can only be described as a legendary career in higher education." |
| Flying high: GTRA travel increased 10 percent last year | |
 | For the second straight year, Golden Triangle Regional Airport has set a record for passenger traffic, with 48,717 passengers boarding planes during 2018, an increase of 9 percent. Throw in a 30-percent increase in charter flights, and passenger travel increased a robust 10 percent compared to 2017. Another factor in the increase is GTRA is getting more traffic generated from Mississippi State, especially since 2016 when Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit (SMART) bus system began service to GTRA. Another MSU-related factor accounts for the increase in charter flight passengers -- from 2,780 in 2017 to 3,600 last year. Hainsey said the airport will hold another drone seminar on Jan 15 at 6 p.m. at the GTRA meeting room located on the second floor of the airport. The free seminar will includes speakers from Mississippi State University, Columbus Air Force Base and the Federal Aviation Authority. |
| Rex Buffington recounts U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis' leadership, character | |
| Rex Buffington can still remember former U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis' reaction to learning a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier would be named in his honor. It was a dinner party in 1988 after the Democratic senator, who served from 1947-89, announced he wouldn't seek another term. Buffington said about 1,200 people attended and the dinner party was an "amazing night." President Ronald Reagan gave the event's keynote address, Buffington said, and compared Stennis to various ships-of-the-line. Once Reagan announced the United States' next nuclear aircraft carrier would be named the USS John C. Stennis, Buffington said the room erupted in applause. But it was Stennis' reaction that stood out. "I remember when Sen. Stennis finally stood up -- and I share this to show the human side of it -- he said 'I wish my parents could be here,'" Buffington told Starkville Rotarians on Monday. "Who wouldn't have said that or thought that, or felt that? It was so human." Buffington, director for the Stennis Center for Public Service Leadership and a former press secretary for Stennis, said the senator, who hailed from Kemper County and is a renowned Mississippi State University alumnus, held tremendous sway in the Senate. |
| Court of Appeals rules in favor of Starkville industrial park zoning | |
| The Mississippi Court of Appeals has ruled to uphold an Oktibbeha County Circuit Court decision affirming the city of Starkville's rezoning of land for an under-construction industrial park. The court issued its ruling on Tuesday afternoon. The industrial park, which is scheduled to be completed later this year, sits on about 400 acres of land north of the Highway 82-Highway 389 intersection in north Starkville. The Golden Triangle Development LINK, which is developing the site, filed an application for rezoning about 360 acres of that land from general business and residential to rezoning in Dec. 2016. Aldermen approved the rezoning in January 2017. The court also found that the LINK's request was consistent with both Starkville's 2005 and 2016 comprehensive plans. |
| Earthquake reported in Mississippi Delta | |
 | A 3.7 magnitude earthquake was reported in Hollandale, Mississippi around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Shaking was felt throughout Washington County, however, according to Emergency Management Division Manager David Burford, there have been no reports of any damage. "The ground shook, but not for long." The earthquake was at a depth of 5 kilometers, which is very shallow. The center of the quake was a mile to a mile-and-a-half north of Leroy Percy State Park in Hollandale, said Burford. He also said that there are not a lot of structures in the area where the center of the earthquake occurred. Officials will ride around the Hollandale area on Wednesday to speak to residents who live closer to the center of the earthquake. Officials will also do site inspections and bridge inspections in the county. |
| Delbert Hosemann will seek lieutenant governor post | |
| Delbert Hosemann has made it official. He will seek the position of Mississippi's Lieutenant Governor. The Vicksburg native was in downtown Tuesday to have lunch with a few of his supporters at 10South, sign a few books and shake hands. The Republican, who has been widely regarded as a candidate, said Vicksburg was the right place to officially announce his candidacy for lieutenant governor. "Our roots are here," Hosemann said. Asked why he made the decision to seek the office of lieutenant governor, Hosemann, 71, said it's because he has done all he can as Mississippi's Secretary of State and wants to do more for not only the people of Mississippi, but for his legacy. He and his wife Lynn became grandparents for the seventh time this week. Howard Delbert Hosemann is named also for Vicksburg's Howard Waring, whose daughter is married to Hosemann's son. "(His birth) inspired in me that I want this to be a place they can have the same opportunities I had and you had; their future, where they're going to work, how good a state this will be, and enjoy the same things we did growing up here in Vicksburg. I want that for them too." |
| MDOT's Dick Hall leaving, says roads 'reaching emergency level' | |
 | One of Mississippi's top highway officials is retiring after two decades on the job, and he's not happy. Dick Hall is frustrated. Hall said he's been honking his horn at the Legislature for more highway funding for years, but the potholes continue to grow. Mississippi highways are "reaching an emergency level" of deterioration, said Hall, who has been Central District transportation commissioner for the Mississippi Department of Transportation since 1999. Hall said he's not running for re-election this year, and that leaves him one more year to advocate for increasing Mississippi's fuel tax. "I'm gonna be the most active lame duck anyone's ever seen," Hall said. Hall announced his decision last week. On Tuesday, Mike Tagert, Northern District transportation commissioner, also announced he would not seek reelection this fall, meaning two of the three commission seats will be open races. Southern District Commissioner Tom King is expected to seek re-election. |
| Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert won't seek re-election | |
 | The state's Northern District Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert announced Tuesday that he won't seek re-election this year. Tagert is completing his second full term. A Starkville resident and Marine Corps veteran, he was administrator of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority prior to his election in 2011. "It has been an absolute honor to serve the good people of North Mississippi in this capacity," Tagert wrote in a statement he released Tuesday announcing his election decision. Tagert was the first Republican elected to serve as Northern District transportation commissioner. "I do hope to remain in public service in some capacity," Tagert wrote in his statement. The Transportation Commission's Northern District stretches from the western to eastern borders of the state, DeSoto to Tishomingo counties, and from Alcorn County in the north to Winston County in the south, 33 counties in all. |
| Mississippi Lawmakers Return to Capitol for 3-Month Session | |
 | Republican Gov. Phil Bryant is proposing a teacher pay raise as Mississippi legislators begin their three-month session. House and Senate leaders say they also would like to consider raises for state employees. But it will be late March or early April before budget decisions are made. Legislators convene at noon Tuesday. Here are some issues and events for the first several days. |
| Following 3rd DUI arrest, Terry Burton resigning from leadership, won't seek re-election | |
| Sen. Terry Burton, R-Newton, told the Senate on Tuesday he will be resigning his position as president pro tempore after a DUI arrest in December -- his third DUI-related arrest in recent years. Troopers said they found a pickup driven by Burton crashed in a ditch the night of Dec. 19. "I'm turning it over to God, and I'm turning it over to the professionals I'm working with to deal with my personal issues -- demons, human frailties, whatever you want to call it," said Burton, the second-ranking member of the Senate behind the lieutenant governor. Burton also announced that he will not be running for re-election this fall after decades in the Senate. Burton told his fellow Senators he hoped his actions did not reflect upon them. Burton said he was thankful for the letters and words of support he has received. The Senate gave Burton a standing ovation following his brief speech. |
| Burton, Snowden DUI saga: One top leader resigns post as another's future is snarled in uncertainty | |
| On the first day of the 2019 legislative session, the Mississippi Senate's second-in-line stood before his colleagues and apologized. Senate President Pro Tempore Terry Burton, R-Newton, facing his third charge of driving under the influence, said he was sorry, "If my inability to behave the way a person should behave" cast a negative light on them and announced he would resign his post as Senate second in command. In a brief speech to his Senate colleagues, Burton announced his plan to finish this year representing District 31 in east Mississippi but would not seek re-election. He said he would resign as Senate president pro tempore effective midnight Tuesday. "You elected me to that position to be a leader, to do the right thing, to serve with dignity and honor," Burton said to his Senate colleagues. "This Senate is bigger than any one individual. It is bigger than any successes or failures of one individual." The Senate could elect a fellow member as early as Wednesday morning to serve as pro tem, a post outlined in the state constitution. |
| Mississippi Legislature convenes; Terry Burton leaves leadership | |
| Mississippi lawmakers opened their election-year session Tuesday and a top senator resigned his leadership post amid questions about a second-offense drunken driving charge he faces. Republican Terry Burton of Newton announced he is stepping down as Senate president pro tempore as of midnight Tuesday. He said he will remain in the 52-member Senate this year to complete the term but will not seek re-election in his eastern Mississippi district. Lawmakers are in session three months, and one of the biggest issues could be a teacher pay raise proposed by Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who is limited to two terms as in his final year in the state's top job. Leaders of the Republican-controlled House and Senate have also expressed interest in possibility approving state employee pay raises this year, but most decisions about salaries and other budget issues are likely to be made in late March or early April. |
| Mississippi Auditor Shad White Files Papers to Seek 4-Year Term | |
| The Republican appointed to become Mississippi auditor last year is now running for a full four-year term. Shad White filed his qualifying papers Tuesday at the state Republican Party headquarters. White says in a video posted to social media that he will "continue to be aggressive in finding embezzlement and fraud." White is an attorney from Flowood. Gov. Phil Bryant appointed him as auditor in July to succeed Republican Stacey Pickering, who had held the office since 2008. Pickering resigned to lead the state Veterans Affairs Board. |
| Republican governor candidate Robert Foster supports version of Medicaid expansion | |
| Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Robert Foster said Tuesday he supports a version of Medicaid expansion where participants would be required to contribute a monthly fee in order to receive coverage. "I do not personally support traditional expansion of Medicaid like they've done in some other states," the freshman legislator from Hernando said at a Tuesday news conference held at state Republican Party headquarters. "But what I do support, and what we do have to take into serious consideration, is looking at waivers and an innovative way of bringing health care that is affordable to the working class Mississippians that are left out right now." Also Tuesday, the 35-year-old Foster -- who runs a Desoto County agritourism business -- said he planned to do an 82-county "farm tour" in the coming months. He said he wants to learn about "what they need to make their lives better and to make our economy better." |
| GOP Gov. Candidate Robert Foster Pushes a Type of Medicaid Expansion | |
| A Republican running for Mississippi governor is advocating a type of Medicaid expansion. First-term state Rep. Robert Foster of Hernando says Tuesday he thinks working people added to Medicaid should be required to pay something for coverage. Mississippi would need federal permission for such a system. Foster says people would like "a hand up rather than a handout." |
| Jeff Tate to seek Senate District 33 post | |
 | A local businessman and chair of the Lauderdale County Election Commission is running for the Mississippi Senate. Jeff Tate, owner of Tate's Fireworks, is running in District 33, the seat currently held by Sen. Videt Carmichael, who is not running again. He currently represents District 5 on the county election commission. Tate qualified Tuesday with the state Republican Party and plans to make a formal announcement Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Lauderdale County Courthouse. |
| 'Bad as I've ever seen': Trent Lott blasts congressional leaders over Trump border wall impasse | |
| As the partial federal government shutdown dragged into its third week, a former U.S. Senate leader from Mississippi slammed fellow Republicans President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for the stalemate over funding a southern border wall. Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott blamed the shutdown on an ongoing lack of leadership in Washington, from the presidency and Congress. Lott spoke to Mississippi Today from the glass paneled conference room in the offices of his D.C. lobbying firm hours before President Trump, in a prime-time Oval Office address, accused Democrats of causing the shutdown by not giving in to the White House's demand for $5.7 billion for a border wall. "When you're one of 100 (senators) you don't get 100 percent of what you want," Lott said. "You have to know people. You have to test people. You have to see how much you can get. Reagan even said give me 60 percent of anything, I'll take it and I'll come back and try to get more later. So you have to be strong, you have to show courage, you have to lead." |
| Shutdown impasse: Trump heads to the Hill after Oval Office address | |
 | In the wake of President's Trump nationally televised plea for his long-promised border wall, both he and Democratic congressional leaders are digging in on Wednesday as a partial government shutdown continues with no end in sight. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) are holding an event with furloughed federal workers, and lawmakers from the Washington area will highlight the negative impact of the shutdown with union leaders. Trump, meanwhile, is heading to Capitol Hill at lunchtime to shore up support among Senate Republicans and then will host an afternoon meeting at the White House with congressional leaders from both parties for their first face-to-face talks since last week. The day began with both sides trying to make their cases on television. |
| Nobody Is Moving Our Cheese: American Surplus Reaches Record High | |
 | It's a stinky time for the American cheese industry. While Americans consumed nearly 37 pounds per capita in 2017, it was not enough to reduce the country's 1.4 billion-pound cheese surplus, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The glut, which at 900,000 cubic yards is the largest in U.S. history, means that there is enough cheese sitting in cold-storage to wrap around the U.S. Capitol. The stockpile started to build several years ago, in large part because the pace of milk production began to exceed the rates of consumption, says Andrew Novakovic, professor of agricultural economics at Cornell University. "What has changed -- and changed fairly noticeably and fairly recently -- is people are turning away from processed cheese," Novakovic says. "It's also the case that we're seeing increased sales of kind of more exotic, specialty, European-style cheeses. Some of those are made in the U.S. A lot of them aren't." |
| Three shootings in one week at apartments housing U. of Tennessee students | |
 | A Knoxville apartment complex that houses University of Tennessee students among its residents is facing backlash after waiting nearly a week to notify tenants of a Dec. 29 shooting. Since then, two more shootings have been reported at the complex, and the residents involved have been issued evictions. Knox Ridge apartments, which rents 370 rooms on Cherokee Trail and was purchased by University Partners in November, waited until Jan. 4 to notify residents of an early morning shooting that occurred nearly a week before. Brian Durkee, whose son is a UT student living at the complex, said he heard about the shooting on social media and was worried nothing was being done to explain what happened or to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. "I'm afraid that if somebody doesn't shine some light on this apartment complex, they're going to kind of smooth over it and not do anything extra for security," he said. |
| Advocates: Sports betting in Louisiana could provide 'secure funding' for early childhood education | |
 | Early childhood education advocates said Tuesday they were heartened to hear Gov. John Bel Edwards say he would be open to dedicating any revenue from sports betting to better prepare children for kindergarten. Melanie Bronfin, executive director of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, said she was thrilled and excited when she learned the governor made the comments Monday to the Press Club of Baton Rouge. "We need a secure funding source for early childhood education," Bronfin said. Cindy Bishop, executive director of the Child Care Association of Louisiana, noted that, even if sports betting is legalized in Louisiana, any revenue for state services would be modest. "But I think it is a good start to put our priorities or emphasis on funding early childhood education," Bishop said. Louisiana uses lottery proceeds for basic state aid for public schools. Some of the state's share of tobacco settlement dollars helps finance the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, or TOPS. |
| U. of Florida kicks off Martin Luther King events Thursday | |
 | Jeraldine Williams, one of the first 14 undergraduate students to desegregate the University of Florida, will serve as the keynote speaker for the 2019 Martin Luther King Celebration Opening Ceremonies on Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom. Williams, now a lawyer in the Tampa area, attended UF from 1963-67 and was the first African-American student to win the Hearst Award, a national collegiate journalism award. The gathering, sponsored by UF's Multicultural and Diversity Affairs and the Center for Gender, Sexualities and Women's Studies Research, will include remarks from Florida President Kent Fuchs and student presentations. |
| Colleges move to close Chinese government-funded Confucius Institutes amid increasing scrutiny | |
 | At least 10 American universities have moved to close their Confucius Institutes in the past year as political pressures over the Chinese government-funded institutions for language and culture education have intensified. The Confucius Institutes have long been controversial. The centers vary somewhat across different campuses, but they typically offer some combination of Mandarin language classes, cultural programming and outreach to K-12 schools and the community more broadly. They are staffed in part with visiting teachers from China and funded by the Chinese government, with matching resources provided by the host institution. Some universities have closed the institutes in direct response to concerns voiced by lawmakers. This was true in the case of Texas A&M University, which promptly announced the closure of institutes on two of the system's campuses last April after two Texas congressmen called for them to be shuttered, characterizing the Confucius Institutes as a "threat to our nation's security by serving as a platform for China's intelligence collection and political agenda." |
| Former U. of Missouri professor loses appeal of patent case | |
 | The Missouri Western District Court of Appeals has upheld a Boone County jury's ruling and damage awards against a former University of Missouri professor who for years has been battling the college over patent and employment issues. Former chemical engineering professor Galen Suppes in September 2017 was ordered to pay $600,000 after the university sued him for breach of contract and other counts, alleging his actions spoiled a deal to market a process for making propylene glycol. Suppes appealed the ruling on several points, but in an opinion released Tuesday the appeals court sided with the university, including Suppes' six-figure liability. "Suppes points to no case law that limits the discretion of the circuit court to award costs solely against one party even if that party was not successful in all claims," the court opined. "Instead, under Missouri law either party may be ordered to pay costs or they may be apportioned among the parties." |
| 40 Bird scooters stolen from U. of Missouri impound facility | |
 | The University of Missouri Police Department is investigating the theft of 40 impounded Bird scooters, according to public safety information officer Sara Diedrich. The scooters were last seen by employees at noon Dec. 24 at the storage facility where they were impounded by MU police. MU's Landscape Services retrieves scooters left in unsafe areas or blocking entrances accessible to people with disabilities and takes them to the storage facility for the company to pickup. Diedrich said they were discovered missing at 8 a.m. Wednesday when employees arrived after the winter break. |
| A year after tax law changes, new guidance still rolling out for colleges | |
| When President Trump at the end of 2017 signed a Republican-backed tax-reform package into law that included significant changes for colleges and universities, higher ed leaders were left waiting for answers. They wondered about rules for calculating a new tax on endowments. They sought guidance regarding a tax on parking and transportation benefits for employees. Questions circulated about a new tax on highly compensated nonprofit employees that had drawn criticism while the tax law was still being drafted. And leaders also wondered about the tax law's effects on human behavior. For instance, how would an increase in the standard deduction affect donor behavior? Would alumni newly covered by the larger standard deduction be less likely to give to colleges and universities because they wouldn't be itemizing their taxes? About a year later, some answers have become clearer, while others remain clear as mud -- and still others can be addressed by mucking around with pages of guidance from the Internal Revenue Service. |
| Professors Worry About the Cost of Textbooks, but Free Alternatives Pose Their Own Problems | |
 | When it comes to textbooks, faculty members have a lot of feelings. Many of them negative. But their thoughts on digital coursework and openly licensed materials aren't any less conflicted. These opinions, found in "Freeing the Textbook: Educational Resources in U.S. Higher Education, 2018," a survey of more than 4,000 faculty members and department chairs released Wednesday, paint a complex picture of a fast-changing landscape, one in which instructors and students have more options about course materials than ever before, yet the best path forward remains unclear. For the first time, the survey also asked about online homework systems and inclusive access subscriptions, adaptations to an increasingly digital and on-demand culture. In the survey, 37 percent of instructors said they require students to use an online homework system, but only 7 percent use subscriptions. |
| Construction starts on UAB high-rise housing | |
 | Construction is underway on a new 17-story, mixed-use student housing development near Five Points, scheduled for completion in the fall of 2020. The Opus Group, partnering with The McKinney Fund & Company, announced the beginning of work on the development, going up at the corner of 20th Street South and 10th Avenue on the former site of "The Break." The building will include 199 residential units, accommodating 522 residents. It was designed by Myefski Architects, with Auburn-based Rabren General Contractors handling the project. Creative License International is the interior designer. Ben Angelo, senior director of real estate development for Opus Development Co., said the building will be a "new living experience," with the site selected within a walkable distance to campus and nearby businesses and restaurants. |
| High demand from retirees to live on campus at Arizona State | |
| New housing under construction at Arizona State University isn't slated to be completed until 2020, but the university president has nonetheless dubbed it "the world's coolest dorm," and future residents have already secured their spots. The residents won't be typical college students, however -- they'll be people in their 60s, 70s and up. The housing complex on the university's Tempe campus will be a retirement community with a twist -- the residents will be able to take classes, make use of campus facilities such as the library with university-issued ID cards and immerse themselves in university life as much, or as little, as they like. They'll also be encouraged to mentor and build relationships with younger students. "There's no reason everyone can't be a college student and engaged in what this community has to offer for the entirety of their lives," ASU president Michael Crow said at a groundbreaking ceremony for the complex. ASU is part of a growing trend of privately owned retirement communities being built on or near college campuses. |
| Bernice Sandler, 'Godmother of Title IX,' Dies at 90 | |
 | When Bernice Sandler was a schoolgirl in the 1930s and '40s, she was annoyed that she was not allowed to do things that boys could do, like be a crossing guard, fill the inkwells or operate the slide projector. When she was older, teaching part-time at the University of Maryland, she was told that she wasn't being hired for a full-time job because "you come on too strong for a woman." Another interviewer complained that women stayed home when their children were sick. Another rejected her by saying that she was "just a housewife who went back to school." By that time, which was 1969, Dr. Sandler was more than annoyed. She was good and mad. And that led her to become the driving force behind the creation of Title IX, the sweeping civil rights law of 1972 that barred sex discrimination by educational institutions that received federal funding. Dr. Sandler, who died on Saturday at 90, was known as "the godmother of Title IX." She was central to its development, passage and implementation. The law would change the landscape of education. |
| There are some relevant realities to face with 60 candles on my birthday cake | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: Longevity runs in my family on both sides. My father lived to a few weeks shy of 76 years. My mom made it 82 years. My grandmothers lived to be 93 and 101 respectively. One grandfather died at 76 and the other at 81. Those numbers tend to be encouraging as I celebrate my 60th birthday this week -- or at least with no scientific fact to support my belief, I choose to be encouraged by them. But those numbers represent the up side of my realities. The down side? Demographics researchers report that for the third consecutive year, Americans aren't living as long. Life expectancy in the U.S., reports Johns Hopkins University Professor David Bishai, has declined from a high of 78.9 years in 2014 to 78.6 years in 2016. Do those few months matter? As I learned battling cancer in 2017, the answer is a resounding "yes" if the months in question are yours. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's Jordan Danberry named SEC Co-Player of the Week | |
 | Senior Jordan Danberry has been named the SEC Co-Player of the Week after helping the No. 7 Mississippi State women's basketball team open conference play with wins against Arkansas and Kentucky. Danberry averaged 21.5 points and 6.0 rebounds over the two contests last week and collected nine assists along the way. She has now scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games. Returning to her home state and former school, the Conway, Arkansas, native scored a career-high 26 points against the Razorbacks. She came one rebound shy of a double-double with a career-best nine, while going 11-of-21 from the floor. Hosting the No. 16 Wildcats, Danberry totaled 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting with five assists. She recorded a block in both games to bring her season total to six. |
| SEC tabs Jordan Danberry with weekly honor | |
| Mississippi State senior guard Jordan Danberry was named SEC Co-Player of the Week for the first time in her career. Danberry averaged 21.5 points and six rebounds in the Bulldogs' victories against Arkansas and Kentucky. The Conway, Arkansas native posted a personal best 26 points and nine rebounds when she returned to Fayetteville, where she began her collegiate career and added 17 points and five assists against the Wildcats. Danberry shared the honor with Georgia's Gabby Connally. |
| Mississippi State's Jake Mangum gets another All-American honor | |
 | Mississippi State outfielder Jake Mangum was picked as a third team All-American by Perfect Game on Tuesday. It's the second preseason All-America honor for Mangum after he was a first-team selection by Collegiate Baseball last month. Mangum will begin the 2019 baseball season as the active leader in career hits among all NCAA Division I baseball players. Mangum has 275 career hits to go along with 154 career runs scored. Only three other Division I athletes have scored more career runs than Mangum. Mangum has hit .356 for his career. The Pearl native is on a pace to end his time as a Bulldog among MSU's top 10 in multiple statistical categories. Mangum sits just 61 hits shy of becoming Mississippi State's all-time hits leader. He could also become the Southeastern Conference's all-time hits king if he can add 77 to his ledger in 2019. With 56 games played in 2019, Mangum would also become MSU's all-time leader in games played. |
| Five football signees enroll at State | |
| Five members of Mississippi State's 2019 signing class are already enrolled at the university. Two junior college transfers -- Fred Peters and LaQuinston Sharp -- and three early high school graduates -- Charles Cross, Garrett Shrader and Ani Izuchukwu -- started classes on Monday and will go through spring practice with the Bulldogs. Cross, Shrader and Izuchukwu are all considered four-star players while Peters and Sharp were both rated three-stars by 247Sports.com. Cross and Sharp are both offensive linemen while Shrader is a quarterback, Peters is a safety and Izuchukwu is a defensive end. |
| South Carolina stuns No. 14 Mississippi State 87-82 in OT | |
| The only Southeastern Conference team with a losing record in nonconference play is now on top of the league. Maik Kotsar scored a career-high 25 points and had nine rebounds to lead South Carolina to an 87-82 overtime upset of No. 14 Mississippi State on Tuesday. The Gamecocks (7-7, 2-0) lost to Stony Brook and Wofford in November and stumbled to a 5-7 record before they found themselves with two dramatic wins. They erased a 14-point second-half deficit to beat Florida on Saturday and didn't crumble as the Bulldogs (12-2, 0-1) shot 44 percent (11 of 25) on 3-pointers. The Bulldogs had nine days off before Tuesday's game, and coach Ben Howland said they have to adjust quickly to SEC competition. "We've got 17 more games coming up like this one," Howland said. |
| CLA thriller: Gamecocks outlast No. 14 Bulldogs, stay undefeated in the SEC | |
 | Hassani Gravett twirled twice before reaching the bench. South Carolina's team confidence was pumping through its senior guard who is playing the best basketball of his career. The Gamecocks hosted a top 15 foe on Tuesday night, a timely test for a bunch coming off a head-turning win at Florida. Could the good vibes continue? It looked that way early when Gravett, in Frank Martin's dog house as a junior, made the 24th 3-pointer of his senior season and No. 14 Mississippi State was forced to call timeout. USC had a lead -- and it kept it. Carolina has a win over a top 15 team in consecutive seasons thanks to a 45-minute effort that left everyone exhausted and 8,776 spectators at Colonial Life Arena overjoyed. Gamecocks 87, Bulldogs 82. In overtime. |
| Mississippi State javelin champion Anderson Peters named to The Bowerman preseason watch list | |
| Fresh off winning the NCAA javelin championship, Mississippi State's Anderson Peters has been selected as one of 10 athletes on the men's preseason watch list for The Bowerman, collegiate track and field's highest honor. The Bowerman was created in 2009 and is given annually to the top male and female athlete in track and field by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Peters finished as a semifinalist for the award in 2018 and was MSU's first ever semifinalist. "This is an outstanding accomplishment," interim head coach Chris Woods said. "It goes to show how much work that he and Coach [April] Thomas have been putting into his event and his craft. It's difficult for field athletes to win, but he's the NCAA meet record holder. This year, he's going to try to break the NCAA overall record. If he does those things, I don't see why he shouldn't be a finalist. Anderson's a super talented kid and a great student. He's everything that The Bowerman embodies." |
| SEC Football by the Numbers: Top 10 from bowl season | |
| The SEC posted a 6-6 record in bowls to end the 2018 season. The league's winners included Auburn 63-14 over Purdue in the Music City, Florida 41-15 over Michigan in the Peach, Texas A&M 52-13 over North Carolina State in the Gator, LSU 40-32 over UCF in the Fiesta and Kentucky 27-24 over Penn State in the Citrus. SEC teams that lost included Vanderbilt 45-38 to Baylor in the Texas, South Carolina 28-0 to Virginia in the Belk, Missouri 38-33 to Oklahoma State in the Liberty, Mississippi State 27-22 to Iowa in the Outback and Georgia 28-21 to Texas in the Sugar. In the CFP, Alabama appeared on both sides of the ledger, beating Oklahoma 45-34 in the Orange Bowl and losing to Clemson 44-16 in the national-championship game. |
| Security enhancements to be tested at Coleman Coliseum | |
 | In a proactive effort to evaluate improved security procedures, The University of Alabama will test the use of metal detectors at select men's basketball games in Coleman Coliseum. The first of such testing is Jan. 12 against Texas A&M, followed by the Feb. 6 contest against Georgia, Feb. 16 vs. Florida and March 5 vs. Auburn. The entry process will be similar to the one at Bryant-Denny Stadium for the 2018 season. Upon arrival, guests will be asked to remove any metal objects from pockets or clothing before going through the detectors. Those with prohibited items will have to dispose of them or return those items to their cars before entering the coliseum. Individuals who are unable to pass through a metal detector due to special circumstances will be checked with a hand-held device. |
| Empty feeling at college football stadiums after bond boom | |
| After years of bond-financed stadium expansions, college football is downsizing amid waning demand for seats, experts say. "Everyone is going smaller," said Darin W. White, executive director of the Samford University Center for Sports Analytics in Birmingham, Alabama. "It's definitely not smart to invest in larger stadiums because attendance across virtually all sports has been declining for the last several years. No one knows for sure when we are going to hit bottom." Even the University of Alabama, a perennial powerhouse playing in Monday's national championship game, is reducing capacity in 101,821-seat Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, White said. After years of bond-financed stadium expansions, Alabama will replace some student seating with a massive video board as part of a 2020 capital project. The video board will sit on an upper deck built within the last decade. |
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