| Tuesday, June 18, 2019 |
| Road closures near Davis Wade Stadium set for Tuesday | |
 | On Tuesday [June 18] roads around Davis Wade Stadium will close to assess the security protocols for the stadium. At 2 p.m., B.S. Hood Road will close from Stone Blvd. to Barr Ave. At 5:30 p.m., Barr Ave. will close from the Garner Hall entrance to McArthur Hall. Also at 5:30 p.m., College View Drive will close from the intersection at B.S. Hood Road to Giles Hall. North-bound traffic will divert through the McArthur Hall parking lot to access north College View Drive. Barnes and Noble Bookstore can be accessed from Barr Avenue. |
| Temporary road closure, detours planned for George Perry Street through Friday | |
| Due to street paving and road repairs, there will be a temporary road closure and detours on George Perry Street from Barr Avenue to Bailey Howell Drive. The closure will begin Tuesday [June 18] and is expected to last through Friday [June 21], weather permitting. Questions may be directed to the Facilities Management Service Desk at (662) 325-2005. |
| Bulldog buddies: Natchez MSU alumni take another trip to Omaha | |
 | The College World Series played in Omaha, Nebraska, every year is 804 miles from Natchez. If Mississippi State University is in the tournament then you can believe that Pat Burns and Scott Kimbrell of Natchez will be there, too. "It's a 13 hour drive from Natchez, so instead we drive to Jackson and fly to Atlanta and then to Omaha," Burns said. Both men are graduates of Mississippi State University, Burns in 1968 and Kimbrell, a semester later in 1969, Burns said. Burns said this is his sixth trip to the College World Series to watch the Bulldogs, the first time being in 1985. Kimbrell said this was his fourth trip to Omaha. The two friends said they have been lucky enough to travel to T.D. Ameritrade Park together three times: in 2013, 2018 and this year, to attend the games and root for their beloved Bulldogs baseball squad. |
| Federal disaster declaration requested by state delegation | |
 | Mississippi's congressional delegation sent a letter to President Trump Monday requesting full consideration of Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant's request for a major federal disaster declaration in the wake of devastating weather events and record flooding across the state that occurred April 13-14. The delegation includes U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, and U.S. Representatives Bennie Thompson, Steven Palazzo, Trent Kelly and Michael Guest. The delegation's letter referenced preliminary damage reports that showed at least 25,923 power outages, 389 lost or damaged homes, 45 affected businesses, 64 destroyed or damaged roads, four compromised bridges, four non-profit utilities, twenty-one injuries, and one fatality from these events. The governor's request covers Clarke, Clay, Itawamba, Kemper, Monroe, Oktibbeha, Warren and Yazoo counties, as well as hazard mitigation assistance statewide. |
| Louisiana governor: Upriver floods a disaster for fisheries | |
 | Louisiana's governor says floodwaters from the Midwest are severely hurting people who make their living from coastal seafood, so he's asking the federal government to declare a fisheries disaster for the state. Floodwaters rushing from the Bonnet Carre Spillway north of New Orleans have killed oysters, hurt fish catches and damaged livelihoods, Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. The fresh water has driven crabs, shrimp and fish out of bays and marshes and into saltier water where they can survive. But oysters are stuck -- glued to the bottom. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant asked Ross on May 31 for a fisheries disaster declaration, which would make federal grants, loans and other aid available to affected people. It would open the way for Congress to appropriate money to help fishermen and businesses that rely on them. |
| Governor Phil Bryant coming to Philadelphia | |
 | Governor Phil Bryant is coming to town. Philadelphia will host Bryant, along with the state Director of Tourism Craig Ray and country music star Marty Stuart Wednesday. Community Development Partnership President David Vowell said the trio is bringing exciting news. "They will announce five new country music trail markers and also it will give the governor the opportunity to see the collection and spend some time there," said Vowell. Mississippi currently has around 30 country music trail markers, honoring some of the genre's biggest names, including Jimmie Rodgers in Meridian and Stuart, in Philadelphia. "The intent is every time they add some, they will announce it at the Marty Stuart Congress of Country Music. We think that's a pretty good hit for the museum and for the community. The governor and the director of tourism will talk about that Wednesday," said Vowell. |
| Ahead of primaries, absentee voting begins next Monday | |
| We're a week away from an important date in the 2019 election cycle. Starting next Monday -- June 24th -- you'll be able to request an absentee ballot ahead of August 6th's primary elections, during which, you'll select the primary candidates for your respective party in the race for Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General and several other statewide races. You must apply for an absentee ballot through your local circuit clerk's office, but an application can be mailed to you if you are disabled, over the age of 65, or if you're temporarily outside of the county where you are registered to vote. The in-person absentee voting deadline is August 3rd at noon while the mail-in deadline is August 5th at 5:00 p.m. If you're still not registered to vote, the deadline to do so is July 8th. |
| Mississippi secretary of state candidates on transparency, lobbying, gifts to officials | |
 | Mississippi has the worst regulations of political financing of any state, according to a 2015 study from the Center of Public Integrity. The Magnolia State fared better in other transparency and accountability metrics, but ranked 33rd overall. The Mississippi secretary of state controls public access to campaign finance information and has some -- very limited -- oversight of political candidates and lobbyists. Four people are running this year to replace outgoing Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann. Three responded to a request for comment on several transparency and accountability issues. Each said they support transparency and accountability reforms -- to varying degrees. Here's what they said. |
| Fact check: Phil Bryant, Tate Reeves ad misrepresents Amazon report | |
| Mississippi politicians have been touting a recent Amazon announcement that highlights the Magnolia State's small business growth. But they consistently misrepresent the company's findings. The latest spin on the Amazon report comes from Gov. Phil Bryant, in a radio ad supporting Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' candidacy for governor. Bryant discusses his administration's accomplishments in recent years, and how it couldn't have been done without Reeves as his "teammate" in office. Bryant begins by saying, "The largest company in the world just ranked our state as the best place in America for small businesses." But this misrepresents the ranking. Amazon put Mississippi first for year-over-year sales growth by small- and medium-sized businesses -- in the Amazon.com marketplace. It doesn't factor in other local or internet sales growth, or make claims about Mississippi having the best climate for small- and medium-sized businesses overall. |
| Lt. Gov. candidate Jay Hughes stops in Meridian | |
| State elections are drawing closer, and candidates are making their rounds across Mississippi. On Monday evening Democratic Representative Jay Hughes gave voters a chance to hear his ideas and ask him some tough questions in a town hall meeting at the Lauderdale County Courthouse in Meridian. As a prospective lieutenant governor, Hughes says he plans to address education, mental health and transparency in our government. He says it all starts with education, but all improvements need to happen statewide. "I care about all 82 counties, not just a few. That's been one of our biggest problems. We need economic development. We need work force training. We need jobs in all 82 counties, and that's what needs to happen here. Meridian is a beautiful stone that just needs to be polished, and it will happen with economic development and education," Hughes says. |
| Mississippi Supreme Court hears charter schools property taxes case | |
 | The state Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Tuesday morning about whether it's constitutional for local communities to help fund charter schools through property taxes. That question is at the center of the three-year-old case brought by a group of Jackson school parents with children enrolled in the city's traditional public schools. Four charters are located in Jackson. Local property taxes are a financial lifeline for the schools. Lawyers with the Southern Poverty Law Center representing the parents argued in court filings that picking up the tab has come at the expense of the second-largest school district in the state. Since 2015, JPS has allocated more than $4.5 million in local taxes to charter schools operating within the district's boundaries. With two new charter schools set to open in the coming years that figure is set to grow. At play in Tuesday's hearing is whether Section 206 of the state Constitution shields school districts from having to share their property taxes with other school systems. |
| Ole Miss seeks confidential records in gender bias lawsuit | |
| Court records say University of Mississippi students Andrew Doe and Bethany Roe were both intoxicated that December night in 2016. Doe and Roe, their court pseudonyms to protect their identities, agree they had sexual intercourse. According to court records, Doe said Ole Miss disciplined him for having sex with the woman while she was under the influence of alcohol, but she wasn't disciplined for having sex with him while he was under the influence. Now, a settlement agreement Doe reached with Roe could be used against him in his gender bias lawsuit against the university if a federal judge allows university attorneys to get their hands on the agreement or view the document. Federal Judge Dan Jordan has yet to rule on motions to prevent Ole Miss from obtaining the settlement agreement. Doe maintains that the encounter with Roe was consensual, but Roe's friends called law enforcement and reported the incident as a sexual assault. |
| Constance Slaughter-Harvey reflects on storied law career | |
| Constance Slaughter-Harvey lives by one rule: To whom much is given, much is required. As the first African-American woman to graduate from the University of Mississippi School of Law, Slaughter-Harvey has done just that. She began practicing law upon completion of classes in January 1970, throwing herself full-force into the courtroom. She was so dedicated to helping others, she said, that she missed her own commencement ceremony in May 1970. The first case Slaughter-Harvey, a Forrest, Miss. native, worked on was the criminal trial of Civil Rights Activist Rev. John Perkins, which was appealed to the Mississippi State Supreme Court. At the same time that case was in appeals court, she was also involved in the case of the murders of two Jackson State University students. Although she retired from practicing law in 2011, Slaughter-Harvey is still highly active in her community. She also got to return to her alma mater to attend commencement proceedings in May. However, she wasn't just a face in the crowd -- she was the keynote speaker. |
| Recycler reroutes U. of Arkansas waste to landfill | |
| A recycling broker "disposed of" materials placed in recycling bins on the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville campus, the university announced Monday. Smurfit Kappa, an international company whose business includes recycling services, beginning in January took a mix of plastic bottles, aluminum cans and glass "and disposed of it as it would other waste materials," UA spokesman Mark Rushing said. Smurfit Kappa treated the materials as waste because of recent global changes in how recyclable materials are handled, the university stated. Market upheavals include restrictions enacted by China in 2018 on imported materials. Other campuses around the country have also made diverting waste from landfills a major goal and had to deal with the recent market changes, said Julian Dautremont, director of programs for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, which includes UA as a member. |
| UGA researcher: For Athens poor, life gets worse | |
 | The recent economic expansion has helped some people in Clarke County escape poverty, and more people are employed now than two years ago. But for those remaining in poverty, life has gotten worse, a University of Georgia researcher told Athens-Clarke County commissioners this week. And more people lack health insurance now than two years ago, said Grace Bagwell Adams, a professor in UGA's College of Public Health and principal investigator of the community-wide Athens Wellbeing Project. The Athens-Clarke School District, the Athens-Clarke government and other agencies partnered with Adams on the Wellbeing Project three years ago, and the researcher this week gave the first public presentations on the first round of results the researchers obtained by surveying families across Athens. The poor bear a number of burdens: limited access to health care, limited access to quality child care, and for most of the poor, housing costs that put a big strain on family budgets, Adams told commissioners. |
| Study finds falling appropriations will negatively affect degrees awarded by public universities | |
 | A new study finds that states that cut appropriations for higher education see declines in the numbers of bachelor's and doctoral degrees -- with a negative impact on the state's work force. The study, published as a white paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research titled "Public Universities: The Supply Side of Building a Skilled Workforce," was written by John Bound, a University of Michigan economics professor; Breno Braga, an Urban Institute research associate; Gaurav Khanna, a University of California, San Diego, economics professor; and Sarah Turner, a University of Virginia professor of economics and education. The study, according to Braga, found that a 10 percent decrease in state appropriations over time at a public research institution leads to a 3.6 percent decrease in bachelor's degrees awarded. A 10 percent decrease in state appropriations also lead to a 7.2 percent decrease in Ph.D. degrees completed. |
| Betsy DeVos opens investigation into Duke-UNC event with alleged 'anti-Semitic rhetoric' | |
 | The U.S. Department of Education will investigate a Middle East conference co-sponsored by Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill to see if the schools' consortium violated the terms and conditions of its federal grant. In April, Rep. George Holding, a Raleigh Republican, asked the department to investigate the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies' event for its "Conflict Over Gaza: People, Politics, and Possibilities" conference that was held in late March at UNC. Holding said he'd seen "reports of severe anti-Israeli bias and anti-Semitic rhetoric at the taxpayer-funded conference." "I am troubled by the concerns outlined in your letter," Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wrote to Holding in a letter dated June 18, 2019, and provided to The News & Observer by Holding's office. "In order for the Department to learn more about this matter, I have directed the Office of Postsecondary Education to examine the use of funds under this program." |
| Harvard rescinds admission to Parkland survivor Kyle Kashuv over past comments | |
 | A survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting said Monday that Harvard University has rescinded his acceptance after recently surfaced screenshots showed him using racial slurs a few months before the 2018 massacre in Parkland, Fla. Kyle Kashuv, 18, who was admitted to Harvard earlier this year, wrote on Twitter that he had been made aware of "egregious and callous comments" he made when he was 16 years old. Kashuv, a gun rights activist, later posted on Twitter explaining his previous remarks, saying "we were 16-year-olds making idiotic comments" and that he was "embarrassed by it," adding that "the comments I made are not indicative of who I am or who I've become in the years since." In a letter dated June 3, Harvard notified Kashuv that it was rescinding his acceptance. |
| Professor says his course proposal on conservative thought was rejected because of diversity rule | |
| Bruce Gilley, a professor of political science at Portland State University, said an international "hate mob" tried to silence him following the 2017 publication of a controversial essay in which he defended aspects of colonialism. Now Gilley says his own institution won't grant permanent status to a course he designed on conservative political thought because it doesn't meet a new diversity standard. Such a standard is a kind of "political litmus test," Gilley said recently, recalling that colleagues advised him to play the game in seeking permanent course approval: keep his head down, explain how the class advances diversity, equity and inclusion, and then teach as he saw fit. So in his application for permanent status, Gilley wrote that the combined advanced undergraduate and graduate-level course would contribute to the diversity of ideas on campus. Ideological diversity is of course a goal on college and university campuses. And it's an increasingly popular response to what Gilley and others call the diversity "agenda." But some say it's offensive. |
| World's fastest computer: Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory | |
 | The Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory remains the world's fastest and most powerful, according to the latest TOP500 ranking. Coming in second is Summit's sibling, the Sierra supercomputer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. For the first time, all of the 500 computers ranked process at more than 1 petaflop, or more than 1 quadrillion floating-point operations per second. Floating-point operations, a special system of math, are used in scientific computer research and so are also a measure of computer performance. China holds the third spot with its Sunway TaihuLight at the National Supercomputing Center in Wuxi, clocking in at 93 petaflops. Fourth place also belongs to China, for the Tianhe-2A supercomputer in Guangzhou, about a third slower than TaihuLight. The new Frontera supercomputer at the University of Texas placed fifth. |
SPORTS
| State squares off with Vandy once again | |
 | No. 3 Mississippi State was understandably on an emotional high late Sunday after scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat Auburn 6-5 and advance in the winner's bracket at the College World Series. But the Bulldogs went right back to work with a Monday morning practice in preparation for tonight's matchup against second-ranked Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. on ESPN. "It was hard to go to sleep last night for players, coaches and fans but we didn't come out here to win one game," said MSU coach Chris Lemonis. "My message after the game was to enjoy it but you can't get too high or get too low out here." MSU and Vandy are certainly no strangers to one another in the postseason. The Bulldogs and Commodores matched up in a wild super regional in Nashville last season with walk-off hits by both teams in the first two games and 10-6 victory in 11-innings that sent State to the College World Series. |
| Why Mississippi State baseball believes it can beat Vanderbilt in College World Series | |
| Having been to the College World Series in each of his first two seasons at Mississippi State, sophomore first baseman Tanner Allen is no stranger to media attention. But even Allen was in awe at the number of reporters waiting for him on the practice field at Creighton University before Mississippi State's Monday practice session. "Wow, that's a lot of cameras," Allen said as he stepped into the center of the scrum. Allen and his teammates were barely 12 hours removed from a ninth-inning walk-off victory over Auburn at TD Ameritrade Park. The win sets up the No. 6 national seed Bulldogs against No. 2 national seed Vanderbilt (55-11) at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Vanderbilt is arguably the best team in Omaha, but don't tell that to the Bulldogs. After Mississippi State (52-13) won the way it did Sunday night, the Diamond Dawgs have nothing but upbeat, positive vibes circulating throughout the locker room. |
| Could shaved heads be the new rally banana for Bulldogs at the College World Series? | |
| Last year, it was the rally banana. This year it's -- hairless heads? The Mississippi State baseball team knows a thing or two about adopting a rally token during the postseason. Everybody's favorite yellow fruit took the Bulldogs to the brink of the College World Series finale last season. This year, the Bulldogs are back. And they have something new to rally around: the shaved heads of juniors Gunner Halter, Colby White and freshman Landon Jordan. Halter was in the locker room at Dudy Noble Field after Mississippi State's Regional round victory over Southern on May 31. He had a conversation with sophomore outfielder Josh Hatcher that went something like this: "If we make it to Omaha, I'll shave my head," Halter said. "No you won't," Hatcher replied. "You won't do that." "Heck, yes, I will," Halter said. Nine days later, Mississippi State swept Stanford in the Starkville Super Regional with an 8-1 victory in Game 2 to punch its ticket to Omaha. A few days after that, Halter followed through with the promise he made to Hatcher. |
| Mississippi State's Jake Mangum receives Senior CLASS Award | |
| Mississippi State center fielder Jake Mangum is the 2019 recipient of the Senior CLASS Award in the sport of baseball. The honor is given to a senior that excels in his character as well as in the community, classroom and in competition. Mangum is the SEC's all-time hit king with 380 career hits and is the school's leader in doubles (72) at bats (1,066) and games played (260). The Pearl native has also been a Dean's Scholar in the classroom and on the SEC Academic Honor Roll while working towards his degree in business administration. Mangum also volunteers his time with the Challenger League, a baseball league for adults and children with disabilities. |
| State vs. Vandy: You knew it had to happen... | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: So now we have Vanderbilt vs. Mississippi State ... two baseball teams that seem to bring out the best in each other and quite likely the two best teams coming into this 2019 College World Series. Don't just take it from me. Butch Thompson, the Auburn coach, said as much before the tournament began and again Sunday night after State's astonishing 5-4, comeback victory over his Tigers. "The best two teams I've seen coming in here," Thompson called State (52-13) and Vandy (55-11). Just look at the records: 107 victories against 24 defeats, between them. They are the best two teams in the best conference in America. Tuesday, weather permitting, they square off at 6 p.m. (ESPNU) in a game that could go a long ways toward determining this season's national champion. Said Chris Lemonis Monday prior to State's afternoon practice: "Us vs. Vandy, it's almost destined for us to play." |
| Kumar Rocker's talent seen by J.J. Bleday's brother long before Vanderbilt no-hitter | |
 | Adam Bleday, the older brother of Vanderbilt slugger J.J. Bleday, recognized the hard-throwing high school pitcher's name the moment the game film started. It was Kumar Rocker, the same pitcher who threw a no-hitter to help send Vanderbilt (55-11) to the College World Series, where he will face off against Mississippi State (52-13) on Tuesday (6 p.m., ESPN). ... This will be Rocker's College World Series debut, but he's already pitched well in three postseason starts. He allowed a combined two runs in 20 2/3 innings (0.87 ERA) with 29 strikeouts and three walks in wins in the SEC Tournament, NCAA Regional and Super Regional. But Rocker, a right-hander, never has pitched against Mississippi State, which carries five right-handed batters and four lefties/switch-hitters. The Bulldogs have a .317 team batting average, ranking fifth nationally and second in the SEC, behind Vanderbilt (.318). |
| Back to baseball: Auburn gets right back on the practice field to erase CWS nightmare | |
 | One by one, the Tigers filed in, with bags slung over their shoulders, sunglasses masking their weary eyes, stepping past the twisted steel of a chain-link fence glowing in the morning sun -- and walking out onto the baseball field again. Yes. Less than 12 hours had passed since Auburn's nightmare, and the Tigers were already back out on the field working to erase the memory. Auburn returned to practice Monday morning at Creighton University's old ballpark in Omaha, just down the road from TD Ameritrade Park where, late Sunday night, the world watched Auburn's dreams unravel in an indescribable bottom of the ninth that saw Auburn crumble and Mississippi State charge back to a walk-off win that sent Auburn into Tuesday's elimination game. And there Monday in that quiet little stadium removed from the big stage, head coach Butch Thompson spoke with his team, the players threw catch to warm their arms, Edouard Julien and the rest started taking groundballs again in the infield, and the Tigers looked at peace again. |
| Coming up short: Second one-run game knocks out Razorbacks | |
| Everything was all set up for the University of Arkansas baseball team. The Razorbacks had the winning runs on base with no outs in the top of the ninth inning, the top of the order coming to bat and All-American closer Matt Cronin warming up in the bullpen. But Cronin never got in the game. Texas Tech reliever Taylor Floyd retired Trevor Ezell on a popout, struck out Casey Martin and got Matt Goodheart on a flyout. The Red Raiders held on to win 5-4 Monday before an announced crowd of 19,236 at TD Ameritrade Park and eliminated Arkansas from the College World Series. Arkansas (46-20) lost 1-0 to Florida State on Saturday night in the Razorbacks' College World Series opener. "Two one-run losses that really could have gone either way," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "It's hard to swallow." |
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