Monday, May 20, 2019   
 
Summer fun awaits at Mississippi State camps
From agriculture to art and science to sports and business, Mississippi State University is offering a variety of fun, educational summer camp experiences for elementary through high school students. Dixie Cartwright, manager of the university's Center for Continuing Education, said summer is one of her favorite times of the year at MSU because "campus comes alive with kids of all ages enjoying the benefits of this great university." "Camps are so important to the growth and development of youth because they offer safe and structured opportunities for exploring current and new interests, as well as making new friends," she said. "Many of our camps fill quickly, so I encourage parents to enroll their kids early to ensure they don't miss out on all of the fun and excitement."
 
50 years of MSU Extension Service program celebrated
Earlier this week, Governor Phil Bryant named May 14, 2019, a day to recognize 50 years of successful programming by the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, or EFNEP. The proclamation honors EFNEP graduates, volunteers and Extension Service educators and agents in Mississippi who have worked tirelessly to enhance the quality of life for the clients they serve. EFNEP is a grassroots initiative of the Mississippi State University Extension Service working with cooperating county, state and federal partners. The program benefits limited-resource families and young people. The governor's proclamation honors EFNEP for teaching parents, caregivers and young people the essentials of nutrition, food safety, food preparation, physical activity and food resource management. EFNEP helps families acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to change behaviors and improve lives.
 
Container gardening offering revolutionary growing technique
Container gardening is getting very popular for growing flowers, vegetables and herbs. The technique has really improved over the years. Gary Bachman with the Mississippi State University Extension Service has quite a container set up at his home. They're called earthboxes. They are the perfect device in the world of container gardening. "We have 136 of these earthboxes. I think this is the way to do it," Bachman said. Bachman, professor of Horticulture for the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center, works what he calls his urban nano-farm at his Ocean Springs home. Bachman grows a variety of flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables, like beans eaten right off the plant.
 
Mississippi Governor Leads Trade Trip to Uzbekistan
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is in Uzbekistan this week to try to strengthen connections between the state and the country in central Asia. Mississippi State University has had connections to Uzbekistan for about five years, university spokesman Sid Salter said Thursday. In February, the land-grant university established a collaboration agreement with Tashkent State Agrarian University in Uzbekistan, focusing on agriculture issues including irrigation and water management in horticulture. A delegation from Uzbekistan, including the country's minister of higher education, toured the campus in Starkville. Julie Jordan, Mississippi State University's vice president for international programs, is on the trip to Uzbekistan this week. "She has some meetings on her own and will attend some joint meetings with Gov. Bryant," Salter said.
 
Makerspace movement continues to thrive in Starkville
Haley Boyd, 10, sat silently at her table in the Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary library Friday waiting for her name to be called. Whenever HWS librarian Elizabeth Lott called the students at her table, Boyd walked toward a cart chock-full with Makerspace activities, including Legos, K'nex and other hands-on manipulatives. Boyd had her eye on a K'Nex set and quickly sat down to start her project. "I'm making a thing with eyeballs," Boyd said. "I like making the different shapes. I also like to build candlesticks or little puppy dogs." By next year, Boyd and students from HWS, Sudduth Elementary, Overstreet Elementary and Armstrong Middle School will have classrooms and libraries expanded into Makerspaces thanks to a $120,000 grant Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District received from the Mississippi Department of Education. Each school will receive $30,000 toward each Makerspace. SOCSD was one of 15 school districts to receive the grant geared toward advancing STEM.
 
Emerson withdrawing from J.L. King Center
After 25 years, changes are coming to the J.L. King Center as funding from Emerson's Family Centered Programs has run out. While the center has enough funding to remain in operation through the summer, its future is murky for August and beyond. The center's uncertain future is a lingering aftereffect from a more than month-long partial federal government shutdown in December and January that led to the elimination of a $150,000 annual Families First grant, administered by the Mississippi Department of Human Services through the Family Resource Center in Tupelo, that the J.L. King Center program relied on for operation. While Emerson will no longer be affiliated with the center, the same programs will remain available at Emerson Family School on Louisville Street. In the meantime, Alison Buehler, with the Homestead Education Center, is leading fundraising efforts to keep the center open for at least five more years. She said it takes about $5,000 per month -- $60,000 for a year -- to run the center with some part-time staff on-hand to oversee donations.
 
Starkville's Leslie Fye named Mississippi Parent of the Year
During football season, Leslie Fye is the loudest parent in the stands. Her children aren't on the field and they're not in the band. But to Fye, every child at Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District needs to hear their name called from the bleachers. Those efforts helped name Fye the SOCSD parent of the year in 2018 and then the Mississippi Parent of the Year for 2019. "My kids avoid sitting next to me at all costs at a football game," Fye said in an email to The Dispatch. "Apparently, I am a little overzealous. I love going to football games. I want every child on that field, every parent in the stands and every teacher working that game to know they are believed in and supported." Fye and her husband Don have two children at SHS, senior Haley and freshman Jace. Fye has served as the Parent Teacher Organization class representative for each school her children have attended, and currently serves as the SOCSD PTO Executive Board Legislative Liaison. She is also the president for Starkville Foundation for Public Education, which raises money and gives grants to educators.
 
Fred's Starkville location closing
Fred's in Starkville will close its doors this summer amid a second round of more than 100 store closures across the Southeast. Fred's, Inc., based in Memphis, Tennessee, announced on Thursday it will close 104 "underperforming" stores. The closures will shutter 18 stores in Mississippi, including Starkville's location on South Jackson Street. The company expects stores included in the round of closures to shut their doors by the end of June. Fred's corporate headquarters and media contact Jen Ehlers did not respond to multiple calls for comment from The Dispatch by press time. It's unclear when the Starkville location opened or how many people it employs. A manager at the Starkville location said the store was instructed not to speak to media about the closure. In April, Fred's announced it would close 159 stores, including the locations in downtown Columbus and West Point.
 
Neshoba County Fair will celebrate 130 years this summer
It's known as Mississippi's Giant House Party, but when the Neshoba County Fair began back in 1889 things looked a lot different. "Supposedly, they would come in with the wagons and the ladies would do their cooking on the outside fire. The ladies would sleep inside the wagon at night and the men and the dogs would sleep under wagon. Someone got the idea around the turn of the century to build a shack or cabin," said Fair Association Manager Doug Johnson. Johnson said there are now a total of 598 individually owned cabins on the property. Johnson said 2019 is already gearing up to be a big year. "Well, it's a political year. We have an election year this year so you're going to see a lot of political speaking. They've already sent invitations and we've got 40 or 50 political speakers that will be speaking," said Johnson.
 
Abortion ban: Mississippi heartbeat bill lawsuit goes to court
The state of Mississippi will present arguments in federal appeals court Tuesday, defending the merits of its most recent effort to limit abortion in the state. In March, Gov. Phil Bryant signed the "heartbeat bill" into law, banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can come as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The law does not allow exceptions for rape or incest. It's set to take effect July 1. The law is being challenged in federal court by the Center for Reproductive Rights. The hearing will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday. If the court rules against the state, the ban will not go into effect. If that happens, the state is likely to appeal. Mississippi has been in a similar position before. Last year, Bryant signed a 15-week abortion ban into law. After an emergency hearing, the law was ruled unconstitutional and blocked from taking effect. Attorney General Jim Hood recently filed papers on behalf of the state, appealing the ruling. So, now, both the 15-week ban and the heartbeat bill are in court.
 
Ad hits Jim Hood over Hurricane Katrina insurance claims. Is it true?
A new radio ad alleges Attorney General Jim Hood and a "gang of trial lawyers" have made life worse for Mississippi Gulf Coast homeowners by pursuing lawsuits over Hurricane Katrina insurance claims. Hood, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate this year, said the ads are false. The recent lawsuits against insurance companies, he said, were because they refused to pay out claims they owed to "Mississippians in crisis" --- and the state ultimately covered them instead. "Had the greedy insurers paid what they truly owed to those homeowners, Mississippi could have devoted hundreds of millions more to other Katrina recovery and infrastructure repair projects," the attorney general said in a statement to the Clarion Ledger. The radio spot is paid for by a pro-business group called the Mississippi Civil Justice Alliance, and appears to be the first major third-party attack ad in what promises to be a heated gubernatorial race.
 
Teachers Vent Frustrations and Share Ideas at Jay Hughes Townhall
On the penultimate day of Mississippi's 2019 legislative session, state leadership dropped an amended version of an appropriations bill for state construction projects on lawmakers just 23 minutes before asking them to take a vote. State Rep. Jay Hughes' "nerd herd," as he calls his group of aides, immediately went to work searching the bill for references to the Education Scholarship Accounts, or ESA, voucher program to make sure funds had not been slipped in at the last minute. Their searches turned up no results, and nearly every legislator voted for it. The funds they had searched for, though, were in the bill after all, Hughes told a group of dozens of Lamar County public school teachers at a town hall event in Hattiesburg on Tuesday. "You have to search as fast as possible, but they literally changed the name and didn't put the code section in," he said. That, Hughes said, blocked his team from catching the added funds in time for the vote.
 
New trade disputes are threatening industries in Mississippi
The trade war between China and the U.S. is ramping up. Farmers in Mississippi say they are trying to stay afloat. Mike McCormick is the president of the Mississippi Farm Bureau. He says if another round of tariffs takes effect, it is a big unknown how much they will profit harvesting notable crops like soybeans and cotton. Hundreds of thousands of Mississippi crops have already been impacted by recent flood waters. He says new tariffs are just another thing farmers have to worry about. "Trying to get a crop in and then looking at the commodity prices that are being affected by these trade negotiations it's impacting their mental health. It's very stressful on farm country right now," said McCormick.
 
Farmers are in crisis. Lawmakers can't do much to help unless Trump agrees
President Donald Trump has repeatedly called farmers patriots for weathering his trade war with China. But in Kansas and Missouri, some farmers feel like they're casualties. Tom Giessel, who grows wheat and corn on his 3,000 acre farm in Larned, Kansas, said that the country has effectively imposed an embargo on its own crops. He called it the worst crisis American farmers have faced since the early 1980s. "My biggest frustration is there's no light at the end of the tunnel. There's nothing out there giving me a glimmer of hope that commodity prices will increase substantially," Giessel said. "The Chinese have zero reason to come to the table on this on commodities. Why would they want to do anything different? It's lowered the price of grains." Trump won both Kansas and Missouri by double digits in 2016 with overwhelming support from farm country, but as the president's trade war drags on farmers have grown increasingly frustrated.
 
Trump says foreign autos are security threat, Toyota responds
Toyota issued a strongly-worded statement aimed at President Donald Trump on Friday, saying his proclamation on foreign automobile parts and vehicle imports is "a major set-back for American consumers, workers and the auto industry." A proclamation issued by the White House Friday said national security is being threatened by auto imports. Toyota responded that "our operations and employees contribute significantly to the American way of life, the U.S. economy and are not a national security threat." The Japanese automaker pointed out that it has a 60-year history in the United States and directly and indirectly employs more than 475,000 people at its 10 manufacturing plants, 1,500 dealers and other operations.
 
Nearly all states use drones for range of work
In Utah, drones are hovering near avalanches to watch roaring snow. In North Carolina, they're searching for the nests of endangered birds. In Kansas, they could soon be identifying sick cows through heat signatures. Public transportation agencies are using drones in nearly every state, according to a survey obtained by The Associated Press ahead of its release Monday. The report from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials shows a sharp increase in their use over the last few years, reflecting the rapid adoption of the technology by governments as well as hobbyists. In North Carolina, drones are finding the nests of endangered species like the red-cockaded woodpecker. North Carolina is one of three states working with the Federal Aviation Administration to test drones beyond the operator's line of sight, at night and over people.
 
MUW's Erin Kempker recognized for excellence in teaching
Erin Kempker is invested in the American experience. Kempker, a professor of history at Mississippi University for Women, would love to engage students in a walk through the annals of time. It's not a chore to survive her class. That's because Kempker is energized to get students excited about civic engagement and the history of the United States, as well as women's history. "It is a motivating factor in the classroom to use my time really well and to think about whether they're connecting with the material and then how to make it better," Kempker said. On May 11, Kempker's passion for what she does helped her receive the Kossen Faculty Excellence Award at The W's Commencement.
 
Mississippi College's President Visits Tupelo
The president of Mississippi's oldest college makes a stop in our area to visit with alumni. Dr. Blake Thompson is the president of Mississippi College in Clinton. He stopped in Tupelo on Thursday, for an informal dinner with alumni. Thompson has been president of the college for nearly one year. He says there are many great things happening and enjoys letting alumni know how Mississippi College is preparing students for life, with a Biblical worldview. "We think Mississippi College plays a special role in higher education. As the world grows more secular, institutions that are distinctive for their faith mission, as well as, distinctive for academics, are not only going to survive, but thrive and we're convinced of that. We're thankful to be a place where both academics and faith are both key components of what we do."
 
UAB medical research center secures $50M in federal funding
UAB's Center for Clinical and Translational Science has been awarded nearly $50 million in federal funding to support ongoing research, career development and pre-doctoral training, Sen. Richard Shelby announced Thursday. The center, which was established in 2008 through federal funding from the National Institutes of Health, tries to boost clinical research to improve health outcomes, designs clinical trials and conducts experimental training. After the center, or CCTS, secured more than $123 million in funding over its first 11 years, the NIH is now committing another $50 million in funding over a five-year period, the senator announced. "NIH's decision to continue supporting translational science efforts at UAB is a clear indication of the excellent work taking place at CCTS," Shelby, who chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement.
 
William Tate was a clear favorite with students and faculty for U. of South Carolina president, documents show
As the University of South Carolina prepared to consider four finalists for the school's next president, students, alumni, faculty and members of the public had a clear favorite on who should be picked. William F. Tate, the dean of the graduate school and vice provost for graduate education at Washington University in St. Louis, received 91 percent favorable comments, according to copies of public comments obtained Friday by The State through the Freedom of Information Act. The other two finalists were John S. Applegate, professor and executive vice president for university academic affairs in the Indiana University System and Joseph "Jay" Walsh Jr., vice president for research at Northwestern University in Chicago. Comments on Tate mostly focused on his presence as a public speaker, his engagement with students and his diverse resume. Despite the comments, none of the finalists got the job. After backlash over the university's search process, particularly that the search included no female finalists, USC reopened the search and named USC Upstate Chancellor Brendan Kelly as the school's interim president.
 
U. of Florida engineering college partners with Air Force for research
UF and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research have launched a Center of Excellence for Assured Autonomy in Contested Environments at the UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, the school announced Monday. The center's purpose will be to study, research and develop methods to better protect information shared via autonomous vehicles -- like drones -- from getting into the wrong hands, to block enemy agents from hacking into the autonomous vehicle controls and computer systems, and to build up autonomous vehicles' tolerance to cyber attacks, said Warren Dixon, a professor at the engineering college's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The goal of the research is to assure that autonomous agents can fulfill their missions in contested environments.
 
Professor Holly Sellers named UGA Inventor of the Year
Holly Sellers, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is UGA's 2019 Inventor of the Year and the first woman to receive the designation since 2001. A researcher at the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, Sellers' research has led to 12 invention disclosures and five U.S. patents, with another application pending and a multitude of foreign patents and applications. Her technologies have been made available to industry partners through more than 20 license agreements, leading to four commercial poultry vaccines as well as numerous autogenous vaccines that together support and secure Georgia's $22.9 billion poultry industry. "The poultry industry has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I knew early on that I wanted to pursue a career in science that supported this great industry," Sellers said.
 
Appeals court: U. of Kentucky violated Open Records Act in harassment case
The University of Kentucky violated the state's Open Records Act with its blanket refusal to provide investigative documents from a sexual harassment case involving a former UK associate professor, the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled Friday. The appeals court sided with a challenge brought by the UK student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel, and Attorney General Andy Beshear, overturning a 2017 decision by Fayette Circuit Judge Thomas Clark, who ruled for the UK administration. "Here, there is more at stake than simple curiosity. The public has an interest in the investigative methods used by its public agencies and to know that a publicly funded university has complied with all federal and state laws," Judge Kelly Thompson of Bowling Green wrote for the three-judge panel.
 
Jeff Hyde named sole finalist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service director job
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents has named Jeff Hyde as sole finalist for director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. According to an AgriLife Extension release, Hyde currently serves as acting associate dean and director of Penn State Extension. He also serves as a professor of agricultural economics. At Penn State, according to the release, Hyde's role as acting associate dean and director includes oversight of extension programs, operations and external relations. Under Texas state law, university governing boards must name finalists at least 21 days before making an appointment. The regents will meet again in the coming weeks to make the final appointment. Hyde is expected to start Sept. 1. In a statement, Patrick Stover, vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences at Texas A&M AgriLife and director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, praised Hyde's technological skills and stated vision for AgriLife Extension's future.
 
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine tells grads of lesson learned day one at U. of Missouri
Public universities are essential to democracy, Virginia U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine on Sunday told graduates of the University of Missouri College of Arts and Science in Mizzou Arena. It was a lesson he said he learned in his first economics class at MU in 1976. Kaine delivered the commencement address 40 years after graduating from MU and three years after unsuccessfully running for vice president on the Democratic ticket with Hillary Clinton. Kaine hadn't been to the campus since 2004, when he received an alumni honor. Kaine graduated in 1979 from MU with a degree in economics, though he originally majored in journalism. He had also enrolled in an introductory economics course, taught by professor John Kuhlman, who retired in 1985. Kuhlman told the students that a big part of their grade would be based on attendance, Kaine recalled. Someone asked why. "This is a public university," Kaine said was Kuhlman's response. "People all over the state are paying for you to come to class, so you have an obligation to show up."
 
GOP tax law included surprise tax hike for college students
A provision in the Republican tax law passed in 2017 could actually mean a hike in the tax bill for many low-income families with a student receiving scholarships for college, a top higher ed group warned lawmakers this month. Scholarships or grants for nontuition expenses like room and board have traditionally been subject to the same marginal tax rate paid by parents. So low-income students could expect to pay low taxes. But the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act applies the same high marginal tax rates for those scholarships as it does for trusts and estates. "Now these students are being taxed at the same rates as wealthy individuals," wrote Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, in a letter to key lawmakers. The issue, which was first reported by The New York Times, only recently began to register with college groups as the filing deadline approached for the 2018 tax period, the first since the law took effect.
 
Billionaire Robert F. Smith to pay off Morehouse grads' student debt
Billionaire Robert F. Smith, who received an honorary doctorate at Morehouse College's Sunday morning graduation exercises, had already announced a $1.5 million gift to the school. But during his remarks in front of the nearly 400 graduating seniors, the technology investor and philanthropist surprised nearly everyone by announcing that his family was providing a grant to eliminate the student debt of the entire Class of 2019. "This is my class," he said, "and I know my class will pay this forward." The announcement came as a surprise to Smith's staff and to the staff at Morehouse, and elicited the biggest cheers of the morning. The gift has been estimated to be worth up to $40 million. In his commencement address, Smith said being on the bus toward success isn't enough. "You want to own it, you want to drive it, and you want to pick up as many people as you can along the way."
 
Can you identify the little brothers among the candidates?
Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: In Orwell's novel, Big Brother was the tyrannical Party leader behind the doublethinkers. Today, Big Brother doublethinking doofuses dominate the national political landscape. What's perturbing is the proliferation of Little Brother offshoots at the state and local levels. Little Brother doofuses who mimic Big Brother doofuses tend to be coattail riders rather than serious-minded candidates. With Mississippi holding local, regional and state elections this year, voters will be challenged to identify the Little Brothers among the candidates. Detecting them really isn't hard. Match up what candidates say to real issues, not to what talking heads, blogs and ardent followers on the left and the right proclaim. Peer through the rhetoric to see if candidates have a grasp of those issues and can offer solutions. Little Brothers crave power, not solutions.
 
Andy Taggart's AG campaign could be litmus test for Republicans on state flag
Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: Andy Taggart recently was sitting at a Jackson eatery explaining to a news reporter why he was running for attorney general -- primarily to combat drugs and to be an active lawyer in the courtroom defending the state. The reporter, thinking all the issues had been covered, was wrapping up the interview when Taggart voluntarily brought up another issue. "I really think we need an attorney general who is as passionate about Mississippi's future as an awful lot of people are about our past," he said. "And one component of that which I think would help us in retaining young people in our state and recruiting their peers to come across state lines and stay here is to give our current state flag a dignified retirement." The success or failure of the Taggart campaign could be a key as to whether there is a concerted and bona fide effort in the foreseeable future to change the controversial state flag, which contains the Confederate battle emblem prominently in its design.


SPORTS
 
Mississippi State loses finale, shares SEC West title
A pregame power outage at Dudy Noble Field did not seem to have any effect on South Carolina's offense. The Gamecocks were able to salvage the final game of the regular season, 10-8, at No. 5 Mississippi State and play themselves into the SEC Tournament. Meanwhile, the loss left the Bulldogs to share the SEC West title with Arkansas. "It wasn't our day," said MSU third baseman Marshall Gilbert. "We ended up fighting hard at the very end, which shows a lot about our team. We just never give up no matter what day it is or what happens over the weekend. There's a lot of stuff still on the table for us. I think today was a pressurized game because we knew going into it that we had a chance to win the West, and that was our goal." It was the 13th time the Diamond Dogs have claimed at least a share of the SEC West and first since State won the conference outright in 2016. The Bulldogs (45-11, 20-10 SEC) will be the No. 4 seed in Hoover, Alabama, playing the late game Wednesday night against the winner of a Tuesday night game between No. 12 seed South Carolina and No. 5 seed LSU.
 
Inside Mississippi State's mentality heading into SEC Baseball Tournament
Marshall Gilbert watched strike three whiz by home plate at Dudy Noble Field on Saturday afternoon. With it, the senior third baseman watched Mississippi State's opportunity to secure the SEC West regular season title and the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament slip by as well. Gilbert, whose ninth-inning strikeout ended a 10-8 loss to South Carolina in the final regular season game of the year, said winning the West was one of the team's goals since before the season started. The No. 5 Bulldogs (45-11, 20-10 SEC) certainly have other attainable achievements on the table, which is why head coach Chris Lemonis wasn't too worried about falling one win shy of a regular season division title. "I don't get too much into that," Lemonis said. "It's about us playing good baseball." The team has a chance to correct those issues this week in the SEC Tournament. Mississippi State, the No. 4 seed, starts tournament play at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium at approximately 8 p.m. ET Wednesday against either No. 5 seed LSU or No. 12 seed South Carolina.
 
Marshall Gilbert transitions from catcher to third base, crushes the ball at the plate during senior season
As Mississippi State took the field for warm-ups Saturday, senior Marshall Gilbert paused. Before taking his spot at third base he walked to the edge of the dirt behind the bag. Once there, he reached down and scribbled in the dirt the word "daWgs" -- placing special emphasis on the W -- before quickly wiping it away. The process is brisk, yet it's one that further exudes the selflessness Gilbert has demonstrated all year. "I like doing that because at the end of the day, that's what it is. We're a team and we're trying to do one thing and that's get the 'W' and that's really all it's about," Gilbert said. The inscription is new to this season -- one that has thrown as many inconsistencies as pitches at Gilbert. Since losing out on the starting catching role, he has shifted to third base. The move occurred by happenstance.
 
Mississippi State adds Penn State transfer QB Tommy Stevens
Mississippi State has added Penn State transfer quarterback Tommy Stevens to its football team. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Stevens was Trace McSorley's backup on the Nittany Lions. He has thrown for 304 yards and four touchdowns over 23 career games while also running for 506 yards and eight touchdowns. Mississippi State confirmed Stevens' signing on Friday. Stevens is a graduate transfer who has one season of eligibility remaining. He'll likely compete for the starting job against Keytaon Thompson, who was Nick Fitzgerald's backup last season.
 
Tommy Stevens will play QB at Mississippi State
Tommy Stevens has found a new home, and it's no surprise at all where the former Penn State quarterback is transferring. Stevens is heading to Mississippi State, where he will reunite with his former Nittany Lion offensive coordinator, Joe Moorhead. Stevens entered the transfer portal last month, and many believed he ultimately would decide on Mississippi State, where Moorhead will be in his second season as head coach this fall. As a graduate transfer, Stevens will be eligible to play immediately at MSU. "Tommy is very talented and will be an excellent addition to our roster," Moorhead said in a team statement. "He will have the opportunity to compete at quarterback this season. With nearly 100 days until kickoff, we are excited about our summer preparations as we continue to build a program that will make Mississippi State fans proud."
 
Mississippi State's Nuno Borges named ITA National Senior Player of the year
A day after being named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southern Region's Senior Player of the Year, Mississippi State's Nuno Borges received the prestigious national honor on Sunday. The award marks the second straight national award for the three-time SEC Player of the Year after Borges received the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award in 2018. "It is an indescribable feeling to be recognized with such an incredible award," Borges said. "I'm very happy and am so thankful for all of my coaches and teammates who have helped me get to this point. It has been an honor to represent Mississippi State over the last four years." Borges has automatically qualified for both the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships - which begin Monday in Orlando -- earning top-5 national seeds in both draws for the second year in a row. The three-time SEC Player of the Year Borges, ranked first nationally, will compete as the No. 1 singles seed, while he and Strahinja Rakic will team up as the No. 3 overall doubles seed.
 
Five Mississippi State tennis players to compete in NCAA Championships
Five Mississippi State tennis players will continue their individual postseason runs beginning Monday at the NCAA Championships in Orlando. Freshman Emma Antonaki will represent the women's team in the singles competition after getting in as an alternate. She enters the competition ranked No. 59 in the country after finishing her campaign 25-12 in singles. Antonaki will take on NC State's Anna Rogers, who sits No. 10 nationally. She finished her season 30-14 in singles and 20-8 at the No. 1 position. Rogers boasts 17 wins over ranked opponents and helped the Wolfpack reach the NCAA round of 16. On the men's side, senior Nuno Borges and junior Giovanni Oradini will take part in the singles competition. Borges will be the No. 1 overall seed while Oradini was entered into the draw after being the first alternate. Borges will also play in the doubles competition alongside partner, senior Strahinja Rakic beginning Tuesday. Oradini will join senior Niclas Braun in the doubles draw as they take on the No. 9 ranked Bjorn Thomson and Parker Wynn of Texas Tech.
 
Bulldogs' season ends in Seattle Regional finals
Mississippi State softball's (35-23) 2019 campaign came to a close in Sunday's Seattle Regional finals as No. 2/2 Washington (48-7) claimed the regional championship with an 8-0 victory at Husky Softball Stadium. Washington's Gabbie Plain (21-2) tossed a no-hitter, allowing just one base runner via a walk with 10 strikeouts to secure the victory for the Huskies. Washington slugged two home runs to account for five runs of the team's eight runs. Mississippi State closed its 2019 season with a 35-23 record, marking the seventh time in Stuedeman's eight seasons that the Bulldogs have tallied 30 or more wins in a season. Mississippi State punched its ticket to its third straight NCAA Regional, competing in the regional final for the second straight year. It's the first time that the Bulldogs have competed in back-to-back regional finals since the tournament moved to the Super Regional format. Sophomore Mia Davidson set not only Mississippi State's single-season record, but also the Southeastern Conference's single-season mark. Davidson also set the school's career record with her 45th home run.
 
Students compete for scholarships in shooting sports
On the back roads of Madison County and in the woods, 150 high school students from all over Mississippi are competing in a shooting sport. "The Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks wants to get the kids outside. We want to get them involved in outdoors and hopefully this will turn into license sales down the road for us," said Jad Touchton, head of Shooting Sports with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks. The competition is being held at the Turcott Shooting Range. The sport is gaining popularity. Walker Milner competed when he was home-schooled in Madison. He's now part of the shooting team at Mississippi State University. He's trying to recruit others and says safety is priority number one. "We always have it in the back of our heads about the safe thing to do, but no safety concerns. Everybody's watching for it any safety issues. If there is a safety issue, it's taken care of immediately," said Milner.
 
After dropping UAB series, USM must win Conference USA tourney to reach NCAA regional
If a silver lining was to be found in Southern Miss' weekend disappointment against UAB, the Golden Eagles now know exactly the postseason path they must travel. Southern Miss dropped its third consecutive Conference USA baseball series with a 13-10 loss to the Blazers Saturday afternoon at Pete Taylor Park. And that loss in the regular-season finale narrowed Southern Miss' postseason possibilities to one: To make a fourth consecutive NCAA Regional appearance, the Golden Eagles will have to win next week's C-USA tournament. "It's that simple," Southern Miss coach Scott Berry said. "I don't think there's any other choice. If we want to continue to play after the (C-USA) tournament, we're going to have to win it, because we are not worthy of an at-large (bid). So, we know what we have to do, and that's half the battle sometimes when you don't know, if you're on the bubble. But it's pretty evident we're going to have to win that." The Golden Eagles (34-19, 20-10), who have lost six of their final 10 games, enter the C-USA tournament as the second seed in the eight-team field at MGM Park in Biloxi. Southern Miss will face seventh-seeded Rice (24-31) at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.
 
Arkansas splits SEC West baseball championship
Arkansas has shared the Southeastern Conference Western Division baseball championship for the second consecutive year. The No. 4 Razorbacks and No. 5 Mississippi State each finished the regular season with 20-10 SEC records after both teams lost Saturday -- Arkansas 6-1 at Texas A&M, and Mississippi State 10-8 at home to South Carolina. The division title is Arkansas' sixth since joining the SEC. The Razorbacks won conference championships in 1999 and 2004, outright division titles in 2007 and 2011, and split the division title with Ole Miss last season when both teams were 18-12 in conference games. Arkansas' 20 regular-season conference wins are its most since it won a program-record 22 during its SEC championship season in 1999. Mississippi State won its second division title, and first since it won the regular-season conference championship in 2016.
 
LSU baseball: Jaden Hill won't pitch in SEC tournament, Cole Henry on track for return
Freshman Jaden Hill won't pitch in the Southeastern Conference tournament next week, and his status for the NCAA tournament is in doubt, coach Paul Mainieri said Saturday. LSU planned simulated games this weekend for Hill and freshman Cole Henry while it played Auburn. Henry pitched, remaining on track for a postseason return. Hill never threw. "I don't know if (Hill) will make some kind of miraculous jump here in the next week which would allow him to pitch in the NCAA tournament," Mainieri said, "but he won't be ready to pitch in the SEC tournament." Hill, who has not appeared in a game since mid-February, tossed a bullpen last Tuesday. Mainieri thought he looked good, and he felt optimistic that Hill might pitch during the postseason. But Hill didn't feel right as he played catch Friday, Mainieri said, and LSU canceled his simulated game.
 
Vanderbilt baseball wins first SEC regular-season title since 2013
No. 2 Vanderbilt baseball secured its seventh SEC regular-season title, and it will play Wednesday in the SEC Tournament. The Commodores beat Kentucky 16-10 Thursday, 12-4 Friday and 7-4 Saturday to win their sixth consecutive SEC series and fifth series sweep this season. Overall, they won 18 of the past 19 games to finish the regular season. Vanderbilt (45-10, 23-7 SEC) has won at least a share of an SEC regular-season title in 1973, 1974, 1980, 2007, 2011, 2013 and in this season. The last four came during coach Tim Corbin's tenure, when the Commodores climbed to among the top programs in college baseball. Vanderbilt will play the Auburn-Tennessee first-round winner in the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala., at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday on SEC Network in the double-elimination portion.
 
Kentucky baseball team's 'difficult year' ends without a trip to SEC Tournament
For the first time in eight years, the University of Kentucky won't be playing in the Southeastern Conference baseball tournament. The Wildcats' season ended Saturday with a 7-4 loss to Vanderbilt, the final defeat in a three-game sweep to close out the team's first spring in Kentucky Proud Park. UK came into the weekend in a three-way tie with Alabama and South Carolina for the final spot in the SEC Tournament, which takes 12 of the league's 14 teams and leaves the other two at home. That three-way tie held going into Saturday's games --- and the Cats were tied with No. 2-ranked Vandy going into the ninth inning -- but, as it turned out, a victory for Kentucky wouldn't have mattered. South Carolina's win at Mississippi State -- coupled with Alabama's loss at Georgia -- meant the Gamecocks would lock up the 12th and final spot in the SEC Tournament regardless of the outcome in Lexington on Saturday. The Gamecocks held the head-to-head tiebreaker after winning two of three against Kentucky in Columbia last weekend.
 
'We are the best:' Louisiana elite gather for LSU AD Scott Woodward at James Carville's home
Wrapped around a staircase in Uptown New Orleans was so much Louisiana power. Looking out on the sweaty, tightly-packed crowd in James Carville and Mary Matalin's home, Gov. John Bel Edwards stood in his light seersucker suit Friday and reminisced for a moment. Surrounding him was a who's who in Louisiana. Carville and Matalin. Attorneys Mary Olive Pierson and Calvin Fayard. Eventually, LSU president F. King Alexander and Board of Supervisors Chairman James M. Williams joined them. But halfway up the staircase was the man they gathered to celebrate. Holding onto the ledge, admittedly uncomfortable about all the attention, was new LSU athletic director Scott Woodward seemingly trying to hide while the masses raved about him. Woodward is as popular an incoming athletic director as can be at any school. And he's connected, being able to gather influential people he's known for decades. That's why Friday's group also included U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Jefferson), former New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu, Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore and a third of the members of the LSU Board of Supervisors.
 
NCAA committee endorses new rules to govern academic integrity
The NCAA's Division I Committee on Academics endorsed an academic integrity rules change Friday that, by its own description, takes aim at the long-running academic-athletic scandal at UNC-Chapel Hill. According to an NCAA release, the change "would create an overarching bylaw to capture instances of systemic, willful disregard for academic integrity that impacted student-athlete eligibility or fair competition." The NCAA investigated UNC for a system of fake classes taken by 3,100 students, roughly half of them athletes, that ran for 18 years. The school received three notices of allegations during the drawn-out inquiry before the NCAA's committee on infractions determined it couldn't sanction the university in 2017. The 20-person Committee on Academics, in its decisions this week, supported the changes to the NCAA's academic integrity rules and policies that grew out of last month's NCAA Division I Presidential Forum. The decision represents another step in a process that began last year after a special commission on college basketball led by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for changes to the NCAA's rules to give it more jurisdiction over academic matters.
 
Ohio State Sports Doctor Sexually Abused at Least 177 Men
For almost two decades, it was an open secret on the Ohio State University campus. There was something odd in how the physician Richard H. Strauss examined male athletes. "The student-athletes we interviewed described how certain aspects of Strauss' behavior were broadly witnessed and discussed in the athletics department," states a long-awaited independent investigator's report, released on Friday. "Including the fact that Strauss habitually showered with the male student-athletes, and that he frequently performed lengthy or medically unnecessary genital exams on male student-athletes, regardless of what injury or illness was presented to him." So if everyone in athletics knew, why did no one stop it? That fundamental question is at the heart of the troubling 182-page investigative report, produced by the Seattle-based Perkins Coie law firm. The report comes more than 13 months after Ohio State announced the first allegations against Strauss, and the university's investigation is expected to cost at least $6.2 million.
 
ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro is fighting the cord-cutting wave
When the 2019 NFL draft took over downtown Nashville last month, ESPN became a city within the city, with more than 600 staffers and freelancers on site, and its top executive, Jimmy Pitaro, surveyed the scene like its mayor. Pitaro shook hands and introduced himself to every ESPN employee in his path as he toured the red brick brewery on Honky Tonk Highway where the sports media behemoth was based for 90 hours of live draft coverage. ("I'm Jimmy," was his opening line.) But the New York Giants fan in him took over when he ran into "NFL Primetime" host Trey Wingo. "Tell me real quickly -- what are the Giants going to do?" Wingo told Pitaro that his fellow ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. was certain the Giants were targeting Duke quarterback Daniel Jones, a prediction that proved correct several hours later. Such insider information is why Pitaro, 49, loved ESPN as a sports-obsessed schoolboy athlete in Edgemont, a Westchester County, N.Y., hamlet 15 miles north of Yankee Stadium. "I grew up as a huge ESPN fan, not just a sports fan," he told The Times. His passion for the network is what drove the veteran Walt Disney executive to aggressively pursue the president's job at ESPN.
 
7 ways sports betting is changing Mississippi Coast casinos, one year after legalization
Mississippi is the only state in the Southeastern Conference where fans legally can bet on football or basketball, and that's made wagering at a Coast casino different than in Vegas or New Jersey. It's been a full year since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the ban on sports betting and 9 months since the first legal bet was placed in Biloxi, giving Mississippi a monopoly on sports betting in the South. The surprise for local casino operators was just how much of a draw sports betting would be, the general managers said during the Southern Gaming Summit earlier this month at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. The Beau Rivage sportsbook already is being redesigned and other casino sports books are getting an upgrade. Sports betting adds to the experience for people flying or driving to Biloxi, said Jonathan Jones, manager of Harrah's Gulf Coast Casino. What typically was a slower time of the year for casinos before and after Christmas now is a booming football and basketball season.



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