| Thursday, January 31, 2019 |
| Partnership recounts growth, accomplishments of 2018 | |
 | Greater Starkville Development Partnership leaders lauded the organization's growth in 2018 at its annual banquet on Tuesday evening. Mike Richey, chair of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, said 2018 was an excellent tourism year for Starkville. Richey referenced Starkville earning recognition as the best place to live in Mississippi, and being named one of the United States' best college towns last year. He added that local events are growing, which is pushing economic strength in the community. In June, 11,000 visitors came to Starkville for Mississippi State University's orientation. Richey said they all got meal vouchers to use at local restaurants, and 86 percent of them were used, which helped to push a 40 percent year-over-year boost in the city's food and beverage tax for the month. Briar Jones, chair of the Partnership's entrepreneurship task force, said there have been advances in pushing entrepreneurship in Starkville, from a recent roundtable on the subject to the first Innovation Challenge, hosted in collaboration with MSU's Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach. |
| Mississippi State students meet potential employers at annual Career Day | |
 | Every year, Mississippi State University invites employers to meet students. Finding that start to a career can be stressful. Students at MSU piled in this year with minds set on impressing employers and defeating the competition. Career Day is actually where most of these students begin the jump-start to their career. While some students might react negatively about the waiting process, two students are optimistic about waiting for their breakthrough to a new beginning. "I'll be ecstatic, I've been looking for a job ever since like sophomore year, trying to find internship and co-ops and now I'm a senior, I know my parents will be happy," said senior Brandon Harmon. |
| Aldermen interview two community development director candidates | |
| Starkville aldermen interviewed two candidates for the city's vacant Community Development Director position on Tuesday. The interviews, in a first for the city, were conducted entirely via video conference as aldermen spoke with candidates from Texas and Florida. Three applicants applied for the position, which has been vacant since former Community Development Director Buddy Sanders resigned in August. However, only two applicants -- Sungman "Simon" Kim and Richard Grana -- interviewed on Tuesday. The third applicant, Steve Roberge, withdrew before Tuesday's meeting. Spruill said the city will take time to consider its next steps in the hiring process. She said she may put the community development director position on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting as a discussion item, but she does not anticipate a vote to hire. |
| Air National Guard director visit focuses on Key Field history | |
 | Each of the 90 wings with the Air National Guard have crafted their own personalities, dividing and utilizing their resources in completely different ways, and Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice, the director of the Air National Guard, is visiting them all. "My wife and I have been to over 80 of our units so far," Rice said. "It's fascinating, for us, how different our units are... Each unit does have a personality." At the Key Field Air National Guard Base, home to the 186th Air Refueling Wing, that personality has roots in Meridian's aviation history, including brothers Fred and Al Key. "The thing that I've heard for months, and for years... is that the place you need to go is that place with a rich history -- Key Field," Rice said. "(Air refueling) started with those two people -- Fred and Al. Who wants to go up in a plane for 37 days, constantly refueling? They did it and they showed us that's possible. That's in your DNA." For Col. Edward Evans Jr, the commander of the 186th ARW, the visit gave airmen the opportunity to show Rice how the 186th ARW fit into the overall national defense strategy and domestic operations of the Guard. |
| Coast a step closer to 13th casino after Mississippi Gaming Commission OKs site | |
 | It's been talked about for years, and on Wednesday, Long Beach took a big step toward getting the city's first casino. The Mississippi Gaming Commission granted site approval at a special meeting Wednesday in Gulfport. The vote was unanimous, said Allen Godfrey, executive director of the Gaming Commission. In November, the Gaming Commission met in Long Beach and tabled the application for site approval. The delay was to give the commission more time to consider and investigate the application, Chairman Al Hopkins said following that meeting. Site approval means the 12-acre property -- on the old Kmart site north of U.S. 90 and east of Jeff Davis Avenue in Long Beach -- meets state regulations and that the casino will be within 800 feet of the mean high water line. |
| Legislative PEER Report shows some marginal improvements but still danger ahead for PERS | |
 | The Legislative PEER Committee is releasing its report titled 2018 Update on Financial Soundness of the Public Employees' Retirement System. Some of the Committee's major findings include: The funding ratio at June 30, 2018 was 61.8%, which is an increase from 61.1% at the end of FY 2017. In FY 2018, there was 1.40 active employees for each retired member. The ratio of active members to retired members in the PERS plan has decreased approximately 36% over the past ten years. This decrease results in funding future pension obligations over the payroll of fewer active members. The PERS actuarial model currently assumes a 3.25% increase in annual payroll. For FY 2018, payroll decreased by .065% when compared to FY 2017 payroll. |
| Bill addresses asset forfeiture in Mississippi | |
 | Dozens of police chiefs and sheriffs lined a corridor of the state Capitol Monday afternoon, shaking hands and chatting up representatives as they walked from the elevator to the House chamber. They want their administrative asset forfeiture back. Only the Legislature can give it to them. Supporters say civil asset forfeiture (when police seize property connected to criminal activity) is a powerful tool in fighting and stopping the drug trade. Opponents say it's an easy way for officers to take someone's property without having to prove much. |
| Broadband bill becomes law, but questions persist about transparency at electric co-ops | |
 | Even though a proposal to give rural electric cooperatives the authority to offer broadband sped its ways through the legislative process, some have questioned whether the utilities are responsive to their member-clients. Wednesday morning, flanked by legislators, electric cooperatives members and others at a desk set out in the middle of the state Capitol, Gov. Phil Bryant signed into law the Mississippi Broadband Enabling Act. The Republican governor praised the efficiency and cooperation in moving the legislation quickly through the process -- the first bill to reach his desk this session. Rep. Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, hopes it does not take that long to bring internet to rural areas of Mississippi. While Johnson voted for the rural cooperatives bill, he is among of a group of attorneys suing seven of the cooperatives, claiming the nonprofits are not returning to their members (customers) excess revenue as they are charged with doing as part of state and federal laws. |
| Over law enforcement's objections, autopsy privatization bill advances | |
| With a backlog of hundreds of cases in the state medical examiner's office, lawmakers could allow counties to privatize some autopsy services. But Mississippi's chief medical examiner said he's concerned that the bill would at best be ineffective and, at worst, derail potential criminal cases. On Tuesday, a Senate judiciary committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 2400, which authorizes a three-year pilot program. Coroners in Itawamba, Lee, Harrison and Warren counties could choose to send bodies to private forensic pathologists rather than to the state medical examiner's office in Pearl, which has limited staff and can take more than a year to produce a finalized autopsy report. "I'm not looking to undermine (the medical examiners). I'm looking to give coroners the opportunity to expedite the process in certain cases," said Sen. Chad McMahan, R-Guntown, who sponsored the legislation. |
| New bill may save Lincoln County board $1.6 million | |
 | A bill that would retroactively undo something that got Lincoln County supervisors in hot water passed the House of Representatives Wednesday. Supervisors are in an ongoing dispute with State Auditor Shad White, who has demanded they personally reimburse Lincoln County around $1.6 million for improper insurance benefits payments made on behalf of county employees. White is requiring supervisors to personally repay the county for making insurance premium payments for county employees' dependents in fiscal years 2015 through 2018. State law says county employees who desire dependent coverage must request it in writing, and that "the entire cost of such additional coverage for dependents shall be paid by the employee." House Bill 1249, which lists Rep. Becky Currie as a co-author, would amend state law to allow county governments to pay the total or any part of the cost of insurance coverage for employee dependents. It would allow them do so retroactively for any existing group coverage plan previously adopted. |
| Randy Denton to run for Legislature in District 25 | |
 | The Republican race for District 25 state Legislature will include a challenger to incumbent Rep. Dan Eubanks of Walls. Randy Denton of Lake Cormorant has announced and qualified to be on the August primary ballot to challenge Eubanks for the nomination. Denton made his announcement earlier this month on social media, stating he wanted to limit government, reform and fund education and support local municipality control. "Who better to administer public services, public schools, facilities and taxes than its locally-elected officials, boards and administrators," Denton said. Denton stated he also wants to preserve personal freedom, support agriculture, conservation, local farmers and land owners, while also supporting effective law enforcement. |
| GOP poised to rebuke President Trump | |
 | Frustrated Republicans say it's time for the Senate to reclaim more power over foreign policy and are planning to move a measure Thursday that would be a stunning rebuke to a president of their own party. GOP lawmakers are deeply concerned over President Trump's reluctance to listen to his senior military and intelligence advisers, fearing it could erode national security. They say the Senate has lost too much of its constitutional power over shaping the nation's foreign policy and argue that it's time to begin clawing some of it back. "Power over foreign policy has shifted to the executive branch over the last 30 years. Many of us in the Senate want to start taking it back," said a Republican senator closely allied with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). They plan to send Trump a stern admonishment by voting Thursday afternoon on an amendment sponsored by McConnell warning "the precipitous withdrawal" of U.S. forces from Syria and Afghanistan "could put at risk hard-won gains and United States national security." |
| Sarah Sanders: God wanted Trump to become president | |
 | White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders claimed Wednesday that President Donald Trump's presidency is part of a higher calling. "I think God calls all of us to fill different roles at different times, and I think that he wanted Donald Trump to become president," Sanders said during an interview with Christian Broadcast Network News. "And that's why he's there, and I think he has done a tremendous job in supporting a lot of the things that people of faith really care about." The president has long touted his Christian faith, and white evangelical voters have overwhelmingly supported his presidency. Trump's multiple divorces and alleged affairs have also not significantly affected the president's popularity among white evangelical voters. |
| USM raising funds for new Veterans Center | |
 | University of Southern Mississippi officials hope a new Campus Veterans Center will better serve a growing number of veteran and military students. USM is raising funds for a new facility to replace the current center, which is a converted house. It would include offices, study areas and a library and would cost $1.7 million. The location is on North 35th Avenue at Pearl Street. "It's time to get the energy going and we're now looking to seek help to seek support, to seek financial assistance as we pursue this dream of a place on our campus, the premiere veterans support center here across the south," said Jeff Hammond, director of the USM Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families. Architectural drawings have been completed, but there's no date set for the beginning of construction. |
| Marty Stuart shares vision with Neshoba Central students | |
| Think about Marty Stuart and his Congress of Country Music initiative that he is bringing to Philadelphia and several things come to mind. Of course, Stuart's priceless and irreplaceable collection of country music memorabilia will be a main event attraction when it is displayed in the museum area. There will be plenty of country music forums and concerts with different headliners joining in. Stuart also plans to involve interested students from the local schools of his hometown. He started making that known during a meeting with the student council at Neshoba Central High School last week. Stuart said this was a start and he will be involving other local schools as well. "This is only the beginning, we are eager, now, to partner with other area schools and universities to discuss similar opportunities," Stuart said. |
| UGA plans 'innovation district' near downtown Athens | |
 | The University of Georgia has made great strides in the past five years, and is poised to make even more in the next five, according to UGA President Jere Morehead. The future is "brighter than ever," said Morehead as he delivered the UGA president's annual State of the University speech in the UGA Chapel. That future is going to include a physical "innovation district" on university land on or near Oconee and Broad streets, said Morehead, who's appointed a task force to develop a long-term master plan for the area. That team is also studying a renovation plan for UGA's Business Services Annex at the corner of Spring and South streets near downtown Athens, said Morehead, who's now been UGA president about five and a half years. The innovation district plan grew out of another task force report completed in July. Meanwhile a separate team is developing a new five-year plan for the university as the previous strategic plan expires in 2020, he said. |
| U. of Arkansas rises 7 notches on endowment list | |
| An increase of about 20 percent in the market value of endowed funds supporting the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville pushed the school's ranking up seven spots to 94th in an annual report on college endowments. The UA endowment value increased to $1.199 billion at the close of the 12-month period ending June 30, according to data published today as part of the annual National Association of College and University Business Officers-TIAA Study of Endowments. However, UA spokesman Mark Rushing said in an email Wednesday that "there appears to be a discrepancy" in the "actual value" of the endowment compared with what's listed in the report, which is based on a survey of more than 800 U.S. and Canadian institutions. Rushing said he did not have details. A UA official "will be following up with NACUBO on this matter," he said. |
| U. of Arkansas for Medical Sciences audit finds $29M deficit | |
| An internal audit discovered accounting practices that had created a $29 million deficit over eight years at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' Myeloma Center, university system chief audit executive Jacob Flournoy said Wednesday. The audit, which was presented at a meeting of the University of Arkansas System board of trustees, had been initiated to integrate the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and the Myeloma Center. Chancellor Cam Patterson had called for the assessment as part of "best practices" after assuming his role June 1. "We've taken this situation [at the Myeloma Center] very seriously," Patterson told the board. "It's not something UAMS is proud of." The audit's "major discovery," Patterson said, was a problem of using a restricted-funds account called a 279 account, which was incorrectly used for operating expenses. |
| Tennessee college chief calls for innovations along with $107M more in spending next year | |
 | Tennessee shouldn't rest on the progress it has made in bettering college statewide, one of the state's top higher education leaders said. Instead, the state must continue to find innovations that will meet the demands and needs of employers to set students up for success, said Mike Krause, Tennessee Higher Education Commission executive director. "I think that higher education in Tennessee needs to take a step back and think about what it looks like in 2028 and take a hard look at how it does degree programs," Krause said. His comments before the Tennessee Senate Education Committee on Wednesday came on the same day the state's colleges requested from Gov. Bill Lee more than $107 million in spending increases in the 2019-20 fiscal year. Most of that -- $64 million -- is tied to the state's higher education funding formula which provides incentives based on measures such as increased graduation rates. |
| Trouble with shuttles prompts U. of Missouri to cancel classes | |
 | The University of Missouri canceled classes three minutes before 8 a.m. Wednesday when a private contract shuttle company reported "mechanical issues." After receiving notice from Green Way Shuttles that some buses were not operational, a quick decision was made to cancel classes, said Christian Basi, university spokesperson and director of the MU News Bureau. Cory Scruton, co-owner of the shuttle company, said a "handful" of Green Way shuttles were down Wednesday morning. Around 13 Green Way buses run each day, Scruton said, and the company has backup buses in the area. Private contract shuttles transport thousands of students from approximately 75 percent of private apartments around Columbia, Basi said. Green Way has contracts with individual apartment complexes near campus, not with the university, Scruton said. |
| Higher ed groups call for major changes to Betsy DeVos Title IX rule | |
 | Top higher education groups are lodging major criticisms of new regulations proposed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos dealing with campuses' handling of sexual misconduct allegations. The DeVos Title IX rule, those groups say in comments submitted by Wednesday's deadline for feedback on the new rules, would impose a quasi-legal system on colleges that would raise new issues involving fairness, cost and liability for institutions. Many college officials had welcomed a reset by the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights under President Trump after years of complaints about overreach by the office under President Obama. And for the past two years, the office has narrowed its approach to overseeing investigations of civil rights violations on campuses. But college groups say the Title IX sexual misconduct rule released by DeVos late last year would prescribe their responses to complaints at a level of detail never before attempted by the department. |
| What Does Higher Ed Have to Say About the Proposed Title IX Rules? | |
 | The Education Department's proposed regulations on Title IX, the federal gender-equity law, would provide colleges with some long-sought flexibility when responding to sexual-misconduct reports -- but would make campus disciplinary proceedings far too legalistic and burdensome. That's according to the public comments, compiled in a 33-page letter, submitted to the Department of Education on Wednesday by the American Council on Education, higher education's biggest lobbying arm. Sixty other associations signed onto the letter. The letter runs through a long list of "serious concerns" that colleges have about the proposed regulations. On the whole, said Ted Mitchell, ACE's president, they "are a step in the wrong direction." The letter hints at colleges' frustration with the heavy-handed approach of the Obama-era civil-rights office, which opened hundreds of investigations into institutions for possibly mishandling sexual-misconduct cases. |
| College endowments returned 8.2% in 2018; survey adds some insight into how funds are spent | |
| Just under half of all spending from endowments goes to supporting student financial aid, according to data included for the first time in an annual survey of college and university endowments. Now the question is whether that's high or low -- and whether it provides any meaningful insight into colleges' and universities' priorities. The annual study of endowments, released today by the National Association of College and University Business Officers and the financial services company TIAA, includes the headline finding that endowment returns fell by about a third to 8.2 percent, net of fees, for the year ending in June 2018. That rate lifted the 10-year average return to 5.8 percent, which falls short of a 7.2 percent target set to keep endowments' purchasing power intact in the face of spending and the cost of inflation over time. But this year's survey also includes an enticing bit of data about how colleges and universities spend the money their endowments generate. |
| U. of Iowa student dies during polar vortex; 7 other deaths linked to wintry blast | |
 | A University of Iowa student has died after being found unresponsive on campus grounds early Wednesday as a polar vortex gripped the Midwest in arctic temperatures that have been linked to at least seven other deaths. Gerald Belz, 18, was found behind an academic building on the Iowa City campus just before 3 a.m. by campus police, KCRG-TV reported. The pre-med student was rushed to a hospital, where he later died. Police haven't released a cause of death, but believed the frigid temperatures played a role, FOX28 Cedar Rapids reported. With wind chill at the time police found Belz was minus 51 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Foul play isn't suspected and zero alcohol was found in Belz's system, police said. Police are continuing the investigation into his death. The university canceled classes until Thursday amid the frigid weather. |
| Feud Between Idaho, Prof Reaches Fever Pitch as Officials Accuse Her of Meth Use, Access to Guns | |
| In a campuswide alert, University of Idaho administrators told people on Wednesday to call 911 if they saw Denise Bennett, an associate professor of journalism, on campus, saying she had told the police of her "meth use" and access to guns --- assertions the professor fiercely denies. The alert is the latest development in a high-profile spat between Bennett and the university, which placed her on leave this month, drawing outcry from students. Wednesday's alert, reported by the student newspaper, The Argonaut, says that Bennett has been barred from campus and referenced "recent admittance to police of meth use and access to firearms." In the YouTube video Bennett posted after she was placed on leave, she read aloud the paperwork that she said was mailed to her about her administrative leave. During the reading, Bennett interjected to express her frustration: "I interact with students in a way more offensive manner, in a way more uncivil manner, on a daily basis. I yell at them," she said. "And the reason why is because it's a performance, dude. You get people's attention when you raise your voice." |
| Bat infestation forces closure of building at the U. of Louisiana-Monroe | |
 | The University of Louisiana Monroe has closed a building until a colony of bats can be removed. ULM's Public Relations Director, Hope Young, says Sugar Hall will be closed until the bats are removed and the building's vent system is cleaned. Young says classes and administrative offices have been moved until the vents are cleaned. Young says the bats entered through vents and the ceiling. College of Health Sciences Interim Dean Dr. Ken Alford says he and other people were coming out the building and saw bats streaming out of vents. He says there were thousands of them. News outlets report the university has hired a nuisance animal removal company that'll relocate the mammals without harming them. |
| Sexual assault, harassment up nearly 50 percent at military academies | |
 | Incidents of sexual assault at U.S. military academies spiked nearly 50 percent during the last school year despite years of focus on the issue and declarations of zero-tolerance, according to results of a survey conducted by the Pentagon. The number of students reporting unwanted sexual contact totaled 747 during the 2017-18 academic year compared with 507 in 2015-16, according to anonymous surveys of cadets and midshipmen. Unwanted sexual contact ranges from groping to rape. "We're disheartened and disappointed that the things and the strategies that we've employed just really aren't getting the results that we want," Nathan Galbreath, deputy director of the Pentagon's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, told USA TODAY on Thursday. "Alarm bells should be going off at our academies, the DoD, and Congress," said Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., who chairs the personnel panel on the House Armed Services Committee. "Clearly what is being done to address sexual assault in our academies is not only not working, it has allowed assault rates to increase a staggering 47 percent." |
| Asset forfeiture testing criminal justice reform alliances | |
 | The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Caleb Bedillion writes: Bipartisan hand-holding on issues of criminal justice reform down in the state capitol apparently doesn't extend as far as an agreement that law enforcement should face stronger oversight in the courts before taking the private property of people who haven't even been convicted of a crime. Steering into the last legislative session of his tenure as governor, Phil Bryant has become increasingly vocal in his support for a broad package of reforms to the state's criminal justice system. These reforms include expanded access to drug courts, probation, and other measures intended to reduce the prison population and guide offenders toward rehabilitation. Mississippi lawmakers have been rethinking the state's approach to incarceration for several years now, a history the governor recited in a column his office distributed to media outlets about a month or so ago. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State women look for 8-0 start in SEC play at LSU | |
| Through 20 games, the Mississippi State women's basketball team has demonstrated that "different" can be nearly as good as its predecessor. Weeks after the 2017-18 team made a second-consecutive run to the national title game, MSU coach Vic Schaefer said the 2018-19 squad would be "different." The word included a note of curiosity from the veteran coach, who realized it would be difficult to replace seniors Victoria Vivians, Morgan William, Blair Schaefer, and Roshunda Johnson. This year's team has helped fans move past the program-best 37-win team by building a new identity. At No. 6 in The Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls, MSU (19-1, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) is one game off the pace of the 2017-18 squad at this juncture. MSU will look to stay on course at 6:30 p.m. Thursday (SEC Network+) when it takes on LSU in a SEC game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. |
| Offense vs. defense in tonight's Mississippi State-LSU match-up | |
| No. 6 Mississippi State is bound for Baton Rouge to take on LSU tonight at 6:30. The Bulldogs (19-1) have won 23 straight SEC games during the regular season and are atop the league standings at 7-0 this season. Tonight's match-up will pit the nation's top offense in MSU, which averages 90.4 points per game, against LSU's defense that tops the conference only allowing 54.8 points. The Tigers are 12-7 overall and 3-4 in SEC play having lost three of their last four outings, including a 74-65 loss at Tennessee on Sunday. Junior forward Ayana Mitchell leads LSU averaging 13.2 points while senior center Teaira McCowan continues to top the Bulldogs with 16.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. |
| How one word defines Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer's mentality | |
| Perfection. It's what Mississippi State head coach Vic Schaefer strives for, but he knows it's something he'll never reach. If he was perfect, his No. 6 Bulldogs (19-1, 7-0 SEC) wouldn't have lost to Oregon earlier this season. If he was perfect, Mississippi State would be the back-to-back national champion. Instead, the Bulldogs are back-to-back runners-up. If he was perfect, he would go down to Baton Rouge and beat LSU (12-7, 3-4 SEC) 100 to zero Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. Schaefer said he'd love to coach his girls to that final score someday. He knows it will never happen, but Schaefer believes it's the mentality of striving for perfection that has turned Mississippi State into one of the best women's basketball programs in the country. He also believes it will eventually allow his team to win that elusive national championship. |
| Still room to grow: Vic Schaefer believes Bulldogs can be much better | |
 | When the 2017-18 Mississippi State women's hoops team walked out of the locker room for the final time last season, coach Vic Schaefer closed the book on a kind of team he said he may never coach again. It was a team unlike any one he had coached before last season, either. The Bulldogs were the highest scoring team in school history and the winningest senior class ever. This year's squad is on pace to break both of those numbers, but it's not in any way similar otherwise. "When the lights came on, man, I had a real confidence in them," Schaefer said of the 2017-18 squad. "That's the first team I've had that was like that. They didn't let sour milk on their cereal, a bad test or something personal in their life take away their pure joy of basketball. They were just really mentally tough." That's not to say that Schaefer doesn't have confidence in the 2018-19 team. It's the exact opposite. However, he does understand like any other team that there are nights where things might not click. It was a worry that he never had with last season's run as the team continued to produce from multiple spots every single night. |
| LSU women will need Faustine Aifuwa's best vs. No. 6 Mississippi State | |
 | There's no doubt which of the LSU's 19 games has had the biggest impact on Lady Tiger post player Faustine Aifuwa. On Jan. 13 she went scoreless on 0 for 6 shooting, and had one rebound in 13 minutes, and it wasn't one of those foul-trouble situations. "It was like a slap across the face," said Aifuwa, a 6-feet-5 sophomore. Since then, Aifuwa has responded nicely, averaging 13 points and seven rebounds per game and that's a good thing considering what's coming next. Aifuwa will go head-to-head with the best post player in the nation, 6-7 All American Teaira McCowan, when No. 6 Mississippi State comes to the Maravich Assembly Center Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff. "McCowan is one of the best in the country," Aifuwa said." We just have to go hard and stick with the game plan, not come in there scared. You've got to not second guess yourself and try to keep her off the boards. This game will definitely be a test to see if I can guard the best player in the country." |
| Area standouts making a name at State | |
| Denver McQuary, Luke Hancock and Tucker Childers all made a name for themselves on the baseball diamonds of Northeast Mississippi. Now that trio is trying to further their legacies by helping Mississippi State baseball return to the College World Series for the second-straight year. McQuary and Hancock both hail from Houston while Childers comes from Ripley by way of Northeast Community College. McQuary is entering his third season with the Bulldogs while Hancock and Childers are beginning their first year in Starkville. |
| LSU coach Ed Orgeron to receive contract extension | |
 | LSU head football coach Ed Orgeron will receive a contract extension, an LSU senior official confirmed to NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune on Wednesday afternoon. The official said details of the contract extension are being finalized. The next LSU Board of Supervisors meeting is March 15, with agenda items being due on Feb. 15. Orgeron's current contract, which guarantees him $3.5 million annually, runs through 2021. The current contract is also loaded with $1.5 million in incentive bonuses. Orgeron cashed in on the $150,000 incentive for getting LSU to a New Year's Six bowl game. LSU and former coach Les Miles settled on a $1.5 million one-time lump sum payment in November. Before the university and Miles reached the settlement, LSU still owed Miles $6.5 million from the buyout following his 2016 firing. |
| Texas A&M sports information director Debbie Darrah retiring after 28 years with Aggies | |
 | About 30 years ago Debbie Darrah gave up a job that likely paid more and had better benefits for a chance to work in a field she loved. Darrah, who earned a business degree from Texas-Arlington, worked for a management consulting firm in Dallas, but for the sports enthusiast, the corporate world wasn't gratifying enough, something she realized when she took a few days off to volunteer at the Southwestern Conference basketball tournament. "I absolutely loved it, the behind the scenes organized chaos, the press conferences and the competition," said Darrah, who passed out game statistics and helped with interviews. "They had an internship opening in August, and I said I want to do it." It paid $800 a month, which in a roundabout way is the reason Darrah has spent 28 years in the middle of that organized chaos in the Texas A&M athletic department as a sports information director. |
| Missouri athletics reports deficit for second straight year | |
 | Missouri athletics isn't back in black, but it's closer than it was last year. The athletic department operated at a deficit for the 2018 fiscal year, according to a report made public Wednesday. Missouri athletics reported revenues of $107,351,581 (up 9.71 percent from last year) and expenses of $109,158,522 (up 6.59 percent from last year). It's the second straight year the department has failed to turn a profit. The report released Wednesday was for the 2018 fiscal year, which spans from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018. The department's budget deficit of $1.8 million is down from $4.5 million in 2017. Much of the revenue from the report comes from Tigers' 2017 football season, when Missouri went 7-6 and made a trip to the Texas Bowl, and the 2017-18 men's basketball season, in which the signings of Michael and Jontay Porter along with the hiring of coach Cuonzo Martin sparked a wave of new ticket sales. |
| Clemson absences from White House visit not all about Trump, Tigers leader says | |
 | One of Clemson's defensive leaders is shooting down national reports that appear to try to cause a stink over who did and didn't make the trip to the White House after the team's national championship win over Alabama. Former Clemson linebacker Kendall Joseph told The State that any attempt to put too much emphasis on politics as the reason 45 players opted not to go is misguided and that one report that said players were pressured to go or threatened was "trash." Of Clemson's 119 student-athletes on the 2018 roster, 74 were part of the most recent trip to Washington, D.C., according to a review of the attendee list provided by the university. The Root, a website that is part of the company that owns Deadspin and Jezebel, cited three players anonymously who said Trump's politics were the reason they passed on the trip. Joseph and several of his teammates had already made plans to leave the Upstate and start training for the NFL Draft prior to the trip to the White House being scheduled, he said. |
| U. Of Maryland President Delays Retirement By One Year After Football Death | |
 | University of Maryland President Wallace Loh was supposed to retire in June, following the death of college football player Jordan McNair. But the university announced Wednesday that Loh would stay on an extra year because it's taking longer than expected to find a new president. McNair, a 19-year-old offensive lineman, collapsed last spring due to heatstroke during an off-season workout, and died two weeks later. Subsequent investigations found that McNair might have survived had Maryland trainers recognized the severity of his illness. While some called for Loh's ouster, others -- including McNair's father -- praised Loh for accepting responsibility on behalf of the university for the death. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Loh said he would step down at the end of the 2018-19 academic year. Now, Loh plans to stay on until June 2020. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
