Monday, July 1, 2019   
 
Mississippi State University Well Represented on 'Top in Tech' List
Three Mississippi State University personnel are being recognized as Mississippi's leaders in technology. Director of High Performance Computing Trey Breckenridge, Computer Science and Engineering Associate Clinical Professor Sarah Lee and Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems Executive Director Clay Walden all were named to the Mississippi Business Journal's 2019 Top in Tech List. In addition to their professional roles at MSU, all three are alumni of the university's Bagley College of Engineering. As director of the High Performance Computing Collaboratory at Mississippi State, Breckenridge oversees one of the top high-powered academic computing centers in the country. MSU's newest supercomputer, Orion, is the 4th fastest academic system in the U.S., providing a competitive edge that allows university researchers to solve complex problems for public and private clients.
 
New floral design course presented online, statewide
A new floral design course intended to enhance skills and inspire community volunteerism is now easily accessible to floral enthusiasts statewide. The Master Floral Designer course is now available as a hybrid course that combines video and face-to-face sessions. The first course begins Aug. 19 with online classroom instruction. It is a program of the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Jim DelPrince, Extension horticulture specialist, will guide students through the basics of floral design in three phases. Participants who successfully complete the course and 40 hours of volunteer service will earn the Master Floral Designer certification. DelPrince taught students in the MSU floral design program for 20 years before joining Extension. He has nearly 40 years of experience in the professional floristry industry.
 
Season tickets on sale now for 2019-20 Lyceum Series at Mississippi State
Season tickets for Mississippi State University's 2019-20 Lyceum Series are now available for purchase. Featuring some of the world's most talented artists, this season's lineup includes: Sept. 17 -- The Akropolis Reed Quintet, hailed by Fanfare Magazine for its "imagination, infallible musicality and huge vitality." MSU faculty and staff members receive a discounted ticket price for all season-ticket and mini-series packages, as well as individual performance tickets. For more information and to purchase season tickets, visit lyceum.msstate.edu or call the Center for Student Activities at 662-325-2930.
 
Three candidates apply for Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District board vacancy
Three candidates have applied for a vacant position on the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees. Deadline for application was Thursday at 5 p.m. Starkville City Clerk Lesa Hardin said the three applicants are Wesley Gordon, Donna Sims and Ryan Walker. Gordon, 37, has lived in Starkville for nine years and is the director for planned giving at the MSU Foundation. He will have four children in the district's schools this fall. Sims, 60, is a Starkville native who returned to her hometown last year and serves as market president at Renasant Bank. Although she has no school-aged children, her son attended public schools when the family lived in Madison. Walker, 40, has been in Starkville for eight years and is an associate professor at Mississippi State's College of Education. He has a daughter who will be a third-grader in the school district. The position on the board was created when Lee Brand resigned June 11 after almost 10 years on the board. He is taking a job in Tennessee.
 
Pleasant Acres work could be finished in August
It cost twice as much as first expected and has taken more than twice as long to finish, but the first of several major infrastructure projects in the city is near completion. Work on replacing water and sewer lines in the 65-year-old Pleasant Acres subdivision should wrap up sometime in August, said Starkville Utilities General Manager Terry Kemp. "We're probably 90-percent complete on all the water and probably 50- to 60-percent complete on the sewer," Kemp said Thursday. "We're making really good progress now that things are beginning to dry up." The Pleasant Acres project is the first of three infrastructure projects planned by the city. Green Oaks is next on the schedule, followed by Rolling Hills. Other yet-to-be-announced projects will follow. In July 2018, the city raised some sewer and some water rates to fund the large-scale projects, estimating the increases would produce an additional $1.7 million per year.
 
Aldermen hear from manufacturer about costs, benefits of parking meters
If you walk around downtown Starkville, you can see a reminder of the past and, perhaps, a glimpse of the future. During Friday's work session, Starkville's Board of Aldermen listened to a presentation from Sherry Fountain of San Diego-based IPS Group Inc., one of the nation's leading manufacturers of parking meters. IPS developed the first parking meters that accepted credit cards in 2005, and today offers meters that accept payment by coins, credit cards or phone app. Because it is a programmable system, rates can be adjusted to provide free or discounted parking on certain days. The technology is new. The concept of parking meters is not, as a tour of downtown will confirm. All along the sidewalks, you'll find the remnants of parking-meter polls, sheered off at the level of the concrete. It's no small irony: The meters were removed to lure people downtown as malls and shopping centers in outlying areas began to draw customers away. Today, the meters are going back up in many cities as an effort to lure those shoppers back.
 
J.L. King Center needs $30K to continue 'crucial' programs
Shanice Davis used to go to the J.L. King Center in Starkville every day, starting three years ago. She would participate in classes for yoga, cooking and parenting, and her three children -- now 4, 5 and 14 -- would go along and play in the childcare program. If it was summertime, the kids would go to a reading and tutoring camp at the center. Last year, Davis, who didn't complete high school, started taking classes to earn a high-school level diploma through an adult education program offered at J.L. King. She earned her remaining credits, in world and U.S. history, chemistry, algebra and English, between March and May 2018, and then graduated in June last year. Now, she's pursuing an associate's degree in child psychology from East Mississippi Community College and considering a career in social work. Without the "crucial" center close to her apartment in north Starkville, Davis doesn't know how she would've gotten this far in her education. After losing its main source of funding in January, its doors will close if it can't come up with $30,000 by Aug. 1.
 
Mississippi Blues Trail markers will honor Lynyrd Skynyrd
People are raising money for two Mississippi Blues Trail markers to commemorate the 1977 plane crash that killed three members of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, their road manager and two pilots. The Enterprise-Journal reports the markers will be unveiled in October --- one near the crash site in Gillsburg and the other at Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in McComb, where survivors were treated. Mike Rounsaville, a Lynyrd Skynyrd fan from northern Mississippi, is raising money, and a GoFundMe page had nearly reached a $10,000 goal by last week. The Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center Foundation is also collecting donations.
 
MDA to lead trade mission to Chile in August
The Mississippi Development Authority will lead a multi-sector business development mission to Chile from August 26-30. Mississippi companies interested in expanding or initiating trade in the Chilean market are invited to participate. The trip also will give participants the opportunity to attend or exhibit at Expo Hospital, one of South America's largest medical trade shows and conferences. "The upcoming business development mission to Chile will give the Mississippi delegation an abundance of opportunities to initiate new business partnerships by connecting with qualified buyers," said MDA Executive Director Glenn McCullough, Jr. "Chile is an extremely competitive country, so there is no better time than now for Mississippi companies to expand trade into this strategic market." Chile is one of the U.S.'s strongest South American trade partners due to its open-market policies, zero tariffs, stable and open government and solid business practices. In 2018, Mississippi businesses exported more than $150 million in products to Chile, a 10.2 percent increase from 2017. In the near future, public and private investments are set to modernize Chile's health systems countrywide.
 
New maritime jobs cost taxpayers $2.2 million each. And the port workforce still shrunk.
Gov. Phil Bryant is declaring the $570 million Mississippi port restoration and expansion project an economic success, even though the port has fewer maritime jobs today than it did before spending the money and most are low-paying jobs at a casino hotel. The Mississippi Development Authority, which heads the project, pledged to create 1,300 full-time maritime jobs at the port in exchange for federal grant money the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provided for economic development after Hurricane Katrina. HUD long questioned whether the port was meeting job goals and cited MDA for failing to properly document the jobs created. But HUD says in a June 25 letter to MDA Executive Director Glenn McCullough that those objections have been satisfied. "I am very pleased that HUD has reached this conclusion after a thorough compliance review," Gov. Phil Bryant said in a news release Friday. "I appreciate the hard work and diligence by Secretary Ben Carson and his team. This is an important milestone that shows the economic strength of the Port of Gulfport restoration project."
 
New state laws will affect school supplies, schools and rural internet
When the state sales tax holiday rolls around in late July, parents will finally be able to buy pens, pencils and paper without forking over an extra 7 percent. The inclusion of school supplies to the list of tax-free eligible items is one of Mississippi's new laws that will go into effect Monday. Other new laws will require active shooter drills at every school in the state, reduce the time needed to renew a driver's license and offer high speed internet to rural citizens. This year's sales tax holiday will be July 26-27. While the sales tax holiday has been around for 10 years, the state legislature never felt the need to include school supplies in the list of items exempt for sales tax. That changed this spring when the Legislature amended the law. The list of eligible school supplies includes backpacks, scissors, protractors, lunch boxes, dictionaries, paintbrushes and even chalk for the blackboard.
 
District 39 candidates spar over education, tourism funding
Like Jeff Smith or not, he's the state representative for District 39, at least until January. The Caledonia Republican made that plain to Columbus Exchange Club members and their guests Thursday at Lion Hills Center, during a candidate forum that included the incumbent and his Republican challenger, local Realtor Dana Underwood McLean. "I don't care whether you like me or not, it doesn't make a difference at this point," Smith said. "You're stuck with me right now." That response came directly to a question about the gas tax, but it was a culmination of what had, at times, been a contentious forum for Smith, who faced pointed questions and critiques of his positions on subjects ranging from public education and infrastructure to the once star-crossed 2-percent restaurant sales tax that supports tourism efforts in Lowndes County. Smith, an attorney first elected to the Legislature in 1992, and McLean, formerly an attorney, will face off in a party primary in August. With no Democratic challenger running, the primary winner will take office in January.
 
U.S., China to restart trade talks; farmers, Huawei may gain
The U.S. will restart stalled trade talks with Beijing and delay imposing new tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese imports, President Donald Trump said Saturday. "We will be continuing to negotiate. We're going to work with China to where we left off to see if we can make a deal," Trump said at a news conference in Osaka, Japan, where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a meeting of G-20 leaders. U.S. farmers may also see a boost, according to Trump, who said China had agreed to buy "a tremendous amount of food and agricultural products" during the renewed talks. The president made a similar assertion in early June after the U.S. and Mexico reached an agreement on the handling of migrants to the southern U.S. border. Trump said Mexico agreed to buy U.S. agricultural products, but the countries' declaration made no mention of that detail. At his press conference Saturday, Trump lavishly praised farmers and ranchers as steadfast patriots for continuing to stand behind him.
 
Debates kick off Iowa summer sprint
Two back-to-back debates marked a pivot point in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, earning millions of dollars and tens of thousands of new donors for leading and long-shot candidates alike -- and kicking off a new phase that begins this week in cities and towns across Iowa. Virtually all of the 25 contenders will make swings through the first-in-the-nation caucus state over the Fourth of July week, marching in parades and stumping in town halls and living room house parties. The swarm descending on Iowa reflects the state's prominent place in the presidential primary field. Though Iowa will allocate less than 1 percent of the delegates who will attend the Democratic National Convention, the caucuses bestow something even more crucial than an early lead in the hunt for delegates: momentum. While social media channels and cable news have nationalized what is normally a retail contest, and even as more states set their primaries or caucuses for Super Tuesday, the reality of the media atmosphere today has amplified Iowa's already-tremendous influence.
 
The 2020 Democratic primary is suddenly wide open
For months, the Democratic presidential primary has been dictated by Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. That primary is now over. After an eventful month and the conclusion of the first round of Democratic debates, there is a new top tier -- and a sense among many campaigns and Democratic operatives that Biden and Sanders are suddenly within reach in a race that has broken wide open. "Bernie and Biden were largely living off of inertia," said Colin Strother, a veteran Democratic strategist. Now, he said, voters are becoming aware that "other [candidates], they have a lot of other things to offer." The campaign's evolution came gradually at first --- then violently amid the debates. Biden, already damaged by his shifting views on abortion and his one-time work with segregationists, withered under Sen. Kamala Harris' filleting of his record on busing for school desegregation.
 
Orientation introduces the newest students to The W
Student's success is the focus of orientation at Mississippi University for Women. Throughout the summer, The W offers orientation sessions as a chance for new students and their family to experience life at The W before the first day of classes. "The biggest goal of orientation is making the students feel prepared to come to campus. We want to ease the transition," said Matthew Robinson, First Year Experience coordinator at The W. For both incoming freshmen and transfer students, orientation is a program that introduces students to the opportunities and services available at The W. Events such as the Campus Resource Fair introduce incoming students to campus offices, social clubs, sororities and fraternities that are a part of The W's student life. "Orientation is a way for a student to know everything before stepping on campus, but we try to make it fun," said David Brooking, director of the Student Success Center.
 
U. of Mississippi looks to new ways to attract more donors with Ignite and Giving Day
When the goal post came down after Ole Miss's unexpected win against Alabama in 2014, the university had to pay large fines and replace the goalposts. Fans wanted to donate to the cause, and the mass of support had donors calling in to ease the burden of the students' celebration. "We got we got a call from (the Athletics Department) saying, 'I've got people calling up saying they want to support our fine and putting our goal post back up,'" Wendell Weakley, president of the UM Foundation, said. "We said, 'We got a deal for you.'" At the time, the UM Foundation had been working on a crowdsourcing tool, Ignite Ole Miss, to allow community members to donate to specific campus needs online. "We had the software, and literally within about 48 hours, we raised over $100,000. Because people were able to go into that site and gives directly to that particular issue," Weakley said. Ignite Ole Miss is a University of Mississippi community funding platform that is available to both students and campus groups. "(It is) this GoFundMe for campus-based groups (to put it) really simply," said Angela Atkins, Digital Giving Officer for Ignite.
 
UM Tech Summit to look at rural broadband expansion, how tech will shape economy
Government experts, business executives and politicians will discuss the expansion of rural broadband internet and how technology will shape the economy at a summit in August. The University of Mississippi will connect policymakers and business executives at the fourth annual Technology Summit to tackle telecommunications issues and technology. Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Ajit Pai will provide remarks as the guest government speaker, Comcast Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer David Cohen will be the keynote speaker and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the U.S. senate committee on commerce, science and transportation, will be the guest of honor. Wicker told The Daily Journal in April that reliable high-speed internet access is one of his top legislative priorities and the expansion of rural broadband would be possible with federal funding. The event will be held at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts on Aug. 28.
 
Copiah-Lincoln Community College announces new leader for Natchez campus
The Copiah-Lincoln Community College Board of Trustees approved the hiring of Sandra Barnes, Ph.D., of Natchez as the new Vice President of the Natchez Campus during a recent special meeting, school officials said. Barnes will begin her new role as vice president at Co-Lin, Natchez on July 15. "We are so excited to have Dr. Barnes lead our Natchez Campus," said Co-Lin President Jane Hulon, Ph.D., "Dr. Barnes has an extensive background in higher education. Her expertise in academics, leadership, grant writing and with the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges will greatly benefit Co-Lin." She serves as the Chairperson and Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Physics at Alcorn State University and has also served in other capacities at Alcorn including Associate Professor of Chemistry and Research Assistant Professor for the Center for Biotechnology and Genomics. Barnes received her bachelor's degree in chemistry from Alcorn and her doctoral degree in bioanalytical chemistry at the University of Kansas.
 
College Public Relations Association of Mississippi selects Board of Directors
Photo: The College of Public Relations Association of Mississippi elected its Board of Directors for 2019-2020. They are, front row, from left: Kell Smith of Mississippi Community College Board, government agencies representative; Sophie Wolf of Institutions of Higher Learning, president-elect; Pam Starling of the University of Mississippi, senior institutions representative; Maria McLeod of East Central Community College, hospitality chair. Middle row: Tammi Bowles of Hinds Community College, secretary; Donna Thomas of Itawamba Community College, treasurer; Tracy Duncan of Hinds, junior institutions representative; Karen Robertson of East Central, awards chair. Back row: Caron Blanton, APR, of IHL, government agencies representative; Steve Diffey of Holmes Community College, scholarship chair; Maxine Greenleaf of Jackson State University, past-president and Barin von Foregger of Mississippi Public Broadcasting, president. Not pictured: Kathy McAdams of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Jamie Scrivener of Mississippi Delta Community College, both junior institutions representatives.
 
Auburn University, city of Auburn work for smooth transition after Leath's departure
The three-star general met the mayor for breakfast this week. They talked about the same thing everyone else in Auburn is talking about. The sudden resignation of Auburn University president Steven Leath has stirred the city and its school, with campus chatter behind closed doors giving way to "No comment" out in the public forum. But as the calendar crawls closer to a July 8 special meeting that could see former president Jay Gogue brought back in as interim, Mayor Ron Anders said he was assured by the university president's office that the relationship between the city and the school won't be lost or weakened in the new transition. Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ron Burgess, holding among other titles that of Auburn University executive vice president, reached out to Anders and met with him last Wednesday morning, Anders said, with the two taking proactive steps amid the whirlwind to keep any bridges between town and gown from crumbling. "We talked about making sure that lines of communication are open and that everything stays in the right order that it needs to stay in," Anders said. "I'm very optimistic that we'll continue to roll on."
 
Prosecutors: Ex-LSU student deleted hundreds of files from phone amid Gruver investigation
A former LSU fraternity member accused in the 2017 hazing death of Max Gruver had obstructed justice during the criminal investigation by deleting hundreds of files from his own phone the same day a judge approved a search warrant for it, prosecutors alleged Friday. State District Judge Beau Higginbotham also had signed an order directing Matthew Naquin to preserve the contents of his cellphone, East Baton Rouge Parish Assistant District Attorney Morgan Johnson wrote in a notice of intent to use so-called "other crimes" evidence at Naquin's negligent homicide trial set to begin July 8. Naquin, 21, of Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, is not charged with obstruction of justice, but prosecutors are asking for the judge's permission to tell the trial jury about the deletion of phone files. "We think it's for a jury to consider that," District Attorney Hillar Moore III said.
 
New UT-Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman talks campus safety, culture
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville's new chancellor had a strong response when asked if the campus has a rape culture, a charge made in a Title IX lawsuit settled a few years ago and following a sexual assault accusation by two students. Speaking of the accusation made last year by two female students who say they were drugged and raped at the on-campus fraternity Phi Gamma Delta, Donde Plowman said she has "zero tolerance for that kind of stuff." "I don't know enough about that incident, but that is not behavior that is appropriate anywhere in our society and certainly not at a university," Plowman said in a sit-down interview with Knox News on Friday on a number of topics. "Our campus has got to be a place that men and women feel safe, and I'm committed to making that happen." Plowman, who starts in her new role on Monday, was candid about her stance on many campus issues, including student safety and diversity. She will be UT's highest-paid chancellor in the university's history with an annual salary of $600,000.
 
Facilities, commitment to the arts lands U. of Kentucky a summer program it's never hosted
Thanks to access of facilities and a commitment to the arts, the University of Kentucky is hosting the Governor's School for the Arts for the first time since it was established in 1987. GSA Director Nick Covault said UK stepped up and is invested in the state arts program. And thanks to a push from Mark Shanda, Dean of the College of Fine Arts, the program that brings 256 high school students to a college campus during the summer will be at UK for the next four years. "I assumed we had been hosting it," Shanda said. "But we had not. So I aggressively worked with the president's and provost's office to put together for a proposal for UK to become the host." Covault said UK has provided facilities that have allowed them to take their program to another level. This was a deciding factor in taking GSA to the campus for the next four years. But Covault said it was not just their facilities, but UK's commitment to the arts that prompted them to bring the program to the university.
 
UGA's Avian Academy increases teachers' understanding of chickens
Chickens are a vital part of Georgia's economy and the state's agricultural heritage. And, thanks to a University of Georgia program for teachers, chickens will be helping middle school and high school teachers educate students in Georgia classrooms. About 30 Georgia agriculture and life sciences teachers from more than a dozen counties across the state came together at the University of Georgia Department of Poultry Science this summer to learn how to incorporate chickens into their lesson plans -- both in traditional agricultural education and STEM classrooms. The program, Avian Academy, has brought middle and high school teachers together with poultry science faculty each summer for almost a decade. Over the last two or three years, organizers have actively recruited life sciences teachers from across the state in addition to agriculture teachers.
 
In era of rising college costs, U. of South Carolina's law school slashing tuition significantly
Students at the University of South Carolina's School of Law are among the biggest winners of the General Assembly's focus on education this year. Tuition for in-state students will be $5,100 lower next year -- a 17.3% cut -- after S.C. lawmakers injected the state's only public law school with more cash to make its sticker price competitive with rivals in neighboring states. "We've been losing some very good students to out-of-state laws schools because of the cost," USC School of Law Dean Robert Wilcox told The State Friday. "When you go to school out of state, the odds increase dramatically that you will stay out of state for your career. This will keep more good students in South Carolina." Cutting tuition is extremely uncommon in higher education, usually a last resort for schools that need to boost enrollment to survive. The cut is possible this year because the General Assembly decided this spring to increase its funding of public colleges that have been neglected by the state since the Great Recession.
 
Students pitch products made from NASA technology as part of Texas A&M program
Two dozen students from throughout the country have spent the past week working with NASA technology to develop marketable products, and on Friday the group presented their ideas. The Shark Tank-like experience concluded the Summer Startup Camp, an entrepreneurship session run through the Youth Adventure Program, which is part of the Texas A&M department of educational psychology. Divided into six groups of four, some of the teams were still developing their ideas Thursday before having to make the pitch Friday morning to the five NASA representatives from Johnson Space Center's Technology Transfer Program. "They definitely used that creativity to come up with novel ways of implementing it in different industries than what we had developed the technology for," said Executive Vice Chairman of NASA's Cross Industry Innovation Summit Michael Interbartolo.
 
FBI Urges Universities To Monitor Some Chinese Students And Scholars In The U.S.
U.S. intelligence agencies are encouraging American research universities to develop protocols for monitoring students and visiting scholars from Chinese state-affiliated research institutions, as U.S. suspicion toward China spreads to academia. Since last year, FBI officials have visited at least 10 members of the Association of American Universities, a group of 62 research universities, with an unclassified list of Chinese research institutions and companies. Universities have been advised to monitor students and scholars associated with those entities on American campuses, according to three administrators briefed at separate institutions. FBI officials have also urged universities to review ongoing research involving Chinese individuals that could have defense applications, the administrators say. Several university presidents have issued statements this year reaffirming their commitment to Chinese researchers and students.
 
U.S. Treasury Department provides some clarity about the tax on endowments
The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday released long-awaited guidance designed to clarify the impact of the so-called endowment tax that Congress approved as a part of a sweeping tax bill in late 2017. The tax, a 1.4 percent excise tax on net investment income at private colleges and universities with at least 500 tuition-paying students and assets of at least $500,000 per student, has generated intense pushback. College and university leaders -- especially those at the wealthy private nonprofit institutions that are subject to the excise tax -- generally oppose the new tax, but they have nonetheless been eager for information about its impact. The guidelines don't break a ton of new ground, but they define some terms in ways that will help colleges' lawyers, business officers and others gauge which institutions will be affected, and how.
 
One charged in fatal shooting of UAB student atop Riverchase Galleria parking deck
An arrest has been made in the deadly shooting of a 20-year-old UAB student on the top floor of the Riverchase Galleria parking deck. Michael Jabari Akamune, 20, is charged with murder in the Wednesday killing of 20-year-old Zachariah Taylor Music, the son of a former Birmingham police officer and stepson of a current Birmingham fire lieutenant. Alabama court records do not list prior criminal arrests for either Akamune or Music, however Jefferson County Jail records show Akamune was jailed last year on drug charges. "This was not a random shooting and we were aware of that within the first 10 minutes of arriving on the scene,'' said Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector. "We have several individuals who were engaged in high-risk activities and sometimes those activities turn tragic."
 
U. of Maryland at College Park is warned that it could lose accreditation
The University of Maryland at College Park said it is working to respond to a warning from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that its accreditation is at risk. On Friday, the commission wrote to the institution informing it that its accreditation may be in jeopardy because of insufficient evidence that it is in compliance with standards on governance, leadership and administration. The commission found this spring that the institution appeared to be out of compliance after its investigation found that personnel actions taken following the June 2018 death of football player Jordan McNair show "that the Board of Regents and the UMD administration do not have a clearly articulated and transparent governance structure." The warning from the regional accreditation agency follows a tumultuous and tragic year at the state's flagship campus. Fallout from McNair's death sparked turmoil on campus and within the university system's leadership.
 
Imminent massive cuts could force faculty, staff layoffs at U. of Alaska System
Stakeholders at the University of Alaska system spent the weekend preparing for a difficult future after the state's governor cut 41 percent of the system's state appropriations through a line-item budget veto. University leaders have begun an uphill battle to lobby members of the Legislature to override the veto and have warned that if they are unsuccessful, they will have to take drastic cost-saving measures. Governor Mike Dunleavy had previously promised extensive cuts to the state's operating budget, which university leaders, working with legislators, thought they had averted. But on Friday, Dunleavy vetoed portions of the budget passed by the Legislature -- taking the largest chunk from the University of Alaska system. The veto resulted in the university losing $130 million in state support. Cathy Sandeen, chancellor of the University of Alaska at Anchorage, said that state appropriations account for 40 percent of the system's total budget.
 
College on the beach: Climate change, sea level could flood campuses
The leaders of Texas A&M University's seaside Galveston campus had a choice to make. It was 2008, and Hurricane Ike had just devastated the Gulf Coast, forcing the university to move its students 145 miles inland to College Station for a semester. Should the school retreat inland and close down its former campus? Or would it build more structures and place an emphasis on coastal resiliency? "Of course, it's Texas A&M, and they said, 'Let's double down,' " said Sam Brody, a professor at the university and the director of the Center for Texas Beaches and Shores. Now, the university is committed to a future in Galveston -- despite models that say 90% of the city's inhabitable land could be underwater in 80 years. Texas A&M in Galveston's decision mirrors the situation that many colleges in high-risk coastal areas are grappling with.
 
Studies show that where you live matters
Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: Where you live matters, they say. Let's start with this from USA Today. "In a capitalist economy, like that of the United States, some level of income inequality is to be expected. In recent years, however, the increasing consolidation of wealth in the hands of a few has gone beyond what many Americans deem to be justified or morally acceptable. According to a recent report published by the New York-based financial firm JPMorgan Chase, the wealthiest 10% of American households control nearly 75% of household net worth." USA Today said that 24/7 Wall St reviewed over 3,000 U.S. counties and county equivalents to identify the 25 counties in America with the widest income gaps. Mississippi has four of them.
 
Tate Reeves touts his social conservatism, though at times, at odds with social conservatives
Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: With steadfast resolve, Tate Reeves speaks of Mississippi's conservative values and proclaims, "If I am elected governor, I am going to stand with President Trump." One of the central themes of Reeves' front-running campaign for governor is that he is going to protect the state from efforts of outsiders to impose their liberal policies and values on Mississippians. But in terms of passing socially conservative legislation through the Senate where he has presided for the past eight sessions as lieutenant governor, Reeves has often been criticized by his fellow conservatives.


SPORTS
 
Mississippi State football: QB Tommy Stevens seeks 'consistency'
Mississippi State's competition to replace quarterback Nick Fitzgerald got a lot more interesting in May, when Penn State graduate transfer Tommy Stevens announced he'd be heading to Starkville, reuniting with Bulldogs head coach Joe Moorhead. Stevens, who completed 24 of his 41 passes for four touchdowns in his time at Penn State backing up Trace McSorely, joined a crowded Mississippi State quarterback room that already included Keytaon Thompson, Garrett Shrader, Jaylen Mayden and Logan Burnett. This weekend, Stevens left Starkville to serve as one of the more than 40 college quarterbacks working as camp counselors at the Manning Passing Academy, hosted by SEC and NFL legends Archie Manning and his sons Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. While sitting in a room alongside some of the most highly-touted quarterbacks in college football, ranging from Georgia's Jake Fromm to Oregon's Justin Herbert, Stevens talked a little bit about what he's seen from the group of quarterbacks he's been competing with in Starkville.
 
Mississippi State football: What's most intriguing position battle?
For the first time in nearly a decade, it's mid-summer and Mississippi State isn't set on who will start at the most important position on the field in its first game of the season. The program hasn't had true quarterback controversy since Tyler Russell and Dak Prescott split starts during the 2013 season. And even then, Russell, a senior, was the surefire starter until an injury pushed Prescott, a sophomore, onto the field. Prescott started the next two seasons before leaving for the NFL, and Nick Fitzgerald took over for the following three. You have to go back to the 2010 and 2011 seasons to find a situation similar to that of junior Keytaon Thompson and graduate transfer Tommy Stevens. Russell and Chris Relf battled throughout the offseason to see who would start. Thompson and Stevens are currently doing the same.
 
Mississippi State to meet Kansas State in men's hoops
Mississippi State's football team won't be the only Bulldog team taking on Kansas State this year. The MSU men's basketball team will also square off with the Wildcats at the 2019 Never Forget Tribute Classic on Dec. 14 in Newark, New Jersey. "Kansas State won the Big 12 last year, and Bruce Weber is one of the best coaches in the country," said MSU coach Ben Howland. "It will be a big challenge for our team to play a very good and a well-coached team in Kansas State." The Bulldogs are 0-3 all-time against Kansas State last losing a 78-67 decision in the opening round of the 1994 National Invitation Tournament in Manhattan, Kansas. It marks the second straight year for Mississippi State to participate in the Never Forget Tribute Classic. The Bulldogs defeated Clemson 82-71 at the event last season.
 
Ben Howland: Reggie Perry's Team USA experience will benefit Mississippi State
Ben Howland is excited. Speaking with reporters on a teleconference Thursday morning, Howland expressed how happy he is sophomore forward Reggie Perry will be a part of the USA U19 national team for the upcoming FIBA World Cup. "I just think, No. 1, it's an honor for him to represent our country playing for Team USA," he said. "I think he's playing with a lot of really good players on his team -- I mean that team is loaded with talent." Perry will start for the red, white and blue as the team makes its charge through the 16-team field in Crete, Greece. "Playing against great competition, playing at the highest level against some really good teams from all over the world, is a great experience," Howland said in reference to Perry. For Perry, his selection to the squad is just the latest indication of what the towering forward will bring to the floor come October.
 
Blair Schaefer joins Mississippi State women's coaching staff
The Mississippi State women's basketball coaching staff has a new Schaefer in town. Blair Schaefer, the former Bulldog guard and the daughter of MSU head coach Vic Schaefer, has been hired as the coordinator for women's basketball player development for the upcoming season. In 2017-18 -- Schaefer's senior year -- she averaged 9.1 points, 1.8 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game as she helped MSU to its second-straight national title game appearance. During her playing career she was a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and a 2018 SEC All-Defensive team honoree. Schaefer also finished fifth in program history with 175 made 3-pointers, while her 38.5 percent 3-point shooting rate is third all-time. Since graduation, she has worked as a reporter for WCBI in Columbus and an analyst with SEC Network.
 
Blair Schaefer's return to MSU is first stop on road to finding deeper purpose
For Blair Schaefer, something was missing. After finishing her standout four years as a guard playing for the Mississippi State women's basketball team, Schaefer had decided to pursue a career in television. That path first took her to WCBI, the Columbus-based CBS affiliate, where she covered local news and sports. She also worked as a color commentator and analyst for SEC Network covering women's college basketball and even helped with ESPN's coverage of the NCAA women's basketball tournament. As she stood along the sidelines breaking down games for the viewing audience, that's when it really hit her. She wanted something more. "It just felt like no matter how big the stage, my heart was always with athletes," Schaefer said. "And I kept thinking throughout the games as I was calling them, 'I wish I could talk to the athletes instead of telling the public what I'm seeing.' I felt like my purpose was deeper than what I was doing." That drive ultimately brought her back to Starkville -- to a Mississippi State program where the Schaefer name carries weight for a number of reasons.
 
Mississippi State's JT Ginn earns fifth Freshman All-American honor
Freshman pitcher JT Ginn has earned another All-American nod. Ginn was named a first-team Freshman All-American by D1 Baseball Friday afternoon after finishing the season 8-4 with a 3.13 ERA in 17 starts for the Mississippi State baseball team. The talented right-hander has now earned first-team Freshman All-American honors from all five major college baseball publications -- D1 Baseball, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Perfect Game. Ginn was also named Perfect Game's Co-National Freshman Pitcher of the Year, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's National Freshman of the Year and the SEC Freshman of the Year.
 
Mississippi State's Curtis Thompson throws season best at American JavFest
After finishing as the 2019 NCAA runner-up in the men's javelin, Curtis Thompson launched a throw that would rank second among collegians this year at the American JavFest on Saturday night. The Mississippi State senior finished third at the meet hosted by the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation. Current American national leader Michael Shuey, formerly of Penn State, won the event. Shuey was followed by Riley Dolezal, who claimed the USATF crown in 2015 and 2017. Thompson's mark of 78.82m (258-7) stands as a season best, and is his best throw in nearly three years. Following his 2016 NCAA Championship, he landed throws of 79.28m (260-1) at the NACAC U23 Championships in July and a personal-best 82.88m (271-11) at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June of that year. JavFest has been held in each of the last five years and includes competition for every age and ability level along with teaching and educational opportunities. The meet is intended to be a stateside version of the great Pihtipudas Javelin Carnival in Finland, focusing exclusively on the discipline.
 
Logan Cooke hosts his first football camp at Columbia Academy
When Logan Cooke was growing up in Columbia, there weren't many football camps to attend in the summer. So when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Cooke in the 7th round of the 2018 NFL Draft, he immediately thought about organizing a camp at his alma mater Columbia Academy. "Nothing was really like this in Columbia or around here, really," Cooke said. "I think the closest thing I went to, I may have gone to a Ray Guy camp when I was young. [I] didn't really know who Ray Guy was at the time, which is ironic. We never really had an NFL guy or a big-time college guy come back and run a camp here. That's kind of the way I looked at it, if I was their age I would've thought it'd be a cool camp." The community responded. Over 70 kids showed up Saturday morning to play some football with the NFL punter. "Being able to come back and being on my home field where I grew up since I was three-years-old was awesome," said Cooke, a Mississippi State grad. "Like I told them before the camp started, this was just as much fun for me as it was for them."
 
State of Mississippi represented well with quarterbacks at Manning Passing Academy
Every summer, the Manning Passing Academy hosts the biggest and most noteworthy collection of elite college quarterbacks in America. This year is no different, with projected Heisman Trophy frontrunners and potential first-round NFL Draft picks like Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and Oregon's Justin Herbert all accepting invites. But demographically, this year's Manning Passing Academy included an interesting twist. The 44 quarterbacks who accepted invites to work as camp counselors at this year's Manning Passing Academy represent colleges from 27 different states. Naturally Louisiana, the camp's host state, is the best represented with seven quarterbacks. But after Louisiana, no state has more colleges represented at the Manning Passing Academy than Mississippi. All three of Mississippi's FBS programs sent quarterbacks to the Manning Passing Academy. Graduate transfer Tommy Stevens is representing Mississippi State, junior Jack Abraham is representing Southern Miss and redshirt freshman Matt Corral is representing Ole Miss.
 
American Athletic Conference opening has some pondering possibilities
No report has linked the University of Southern Mississippi and the vacancy in the American Athletic Conference created by the abdication of the University of Connecticut. Which is not to say that USM would not be willing to consider other options than standing pat in Conference USA. "We're proud members of Conference USA, founding members of Conference USA, so it's always going to be important to us, the health of the conference, how the conference grows" USM athletic director Jeremy McClain said Friday afternoon during a wide-ranging conversation with WDAM-TV. "I think we've been a huge part of that, and we're very proud of that. But I will also say that we're never going to pass up an opportunity to put our student-athletes and this institution in the best position possible to be successful, to raise our profile and continue to grow." With the loss of UConn, AAC members include former USM brethren, University of Cincinnati, University of Memphis, Tulane University, East Carolina University, Southern Methodist University, University of Houston, University of Tulsa, University of South Florida and University of Central Florida, as well as Temple University and Wichita State University.
 
Despite fresh water and algae bloom, Coast charters still putting clients on fish
Trillions of gallons of fresh water diverted from the flooded Mississippi River have poured into the Mississippi Sound for months and with it came headlines about dead dolphins, dead sea turtles and population reductions of popular seafood such as crabs and oysters. As if the situation wasn't bad enough, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality recently announced numerous beach closures due to a toxic blue-green algae bloom. Despite these events, Mississippi charter captains say they are still able to find quality, healthy fish. But after MDEQ warned against eating fish from waters affected by the bloom of blue-green algae, convincing some would-be clients that fishing is safe has been somewhat of a challenge. "Everybody is concerned about health issues," said Clay Necaise of OutKast Charters. "We're just seeing the algae bloom along the beach-lines. We don't fish along the beach-lines. We go out 25 miles to catch our fish. I've been fishing out at Cat Island and I'm not seeing it there. I'm probably running 70 percent of my trips to Cat Island and probably 30 percent to the (Biloxi) Marsh. I haven't seen anything there or Cat Island."
 
Auburn announces members of football facility working group
Auburn's executive director of public affairs, Brian Keeter, announced the members of the working group that was put together to look into options regarding the construction of a football-only facility on the Auburn campus. The group was announced via Twitter by former Auburn president Steven Leath on June 12. It was on June 21 that Leath and the university parted ways -- and that was only two weeks after a board of trustees meeting in which Leath was reportedly instructed to start looking into the football facility, per 247Sports. An interesting note here is that in the announcement from Keeter, he only said, "The working group charged with exploring options for an Auburn football facility will soon begin its deliberations with the goal of providing recommendations during the fall semester to the Board of Trustees, Athletics officials and university leadership." It was similar language used to Leath, in his announcement Tweet, where he referred to the recommendations only as "exploring options."
 
Running Saints and Pelicans, Gayle Benson takes a family-like approach -- and it 'starts with our fans'
Gayle Benson could have easily just stayed on the golf cart and waved at the fans screaming her name and taking pictures of her as she rode by. That's typically what her routine was in years past as she and her husband Tom made their daily lap around the Saints' practice field to greet the fans. But Mrs. Benson, who took over sole ownership of the Saints last year when Mr. B died, has added a more personal, hands-on approach in running her sports franchises. So on this particular steamy June afternoon at Saints' minicamp, Mrs. Benson got off the golf cart, walked up to the fence and signed an autograph. Then another one. Then another one, scribbling her name on whatever piece of memorabilia fans stuck out in front of her. Her focus isn't solely on Sean Payton or Alvin Gentry or Drew Brees or Jrue Holiday or any of the others donning Saints and Pelicans' uniforms. It's also about those who cheer them on, which is why a week after minicamp, she was at it again, mingling with the fans on a scorching hot day in New Orleans East.



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