Monday, July 22, 2019   
 
MAFES Sales Store celebrates National Ice Cream Day
The best place to celebrate a day for ice cream is in the middle of a shop that serves it up fresh. MAFES Sales Store on the campus of Mississippi State was dishing it out all day. Students, staff and people who live in Starkville stopped by for specialty ice cream. The dairy department at MSU works 180 dairy cows that provide the famous cheeses, ice cream and even bottled milk. Store Manager Troy Weaver said the dairy products are what this store is known for locally and throughout the Bulldog Nation. "Ice cream is a big tradition here at Mississippi State. And this is just a way we can say thank you to our staff and faculty and to our community, and keep the tradition going," said Weaver.
 
MSU Police Department adds electric motorcycles to patrol force
Mississippi State's Police Department is adding a new form of patrol, which will not only enhance campus safety, but also supports sustainability goals. MSU Chief of Police Vance Rice announced that the nationally accredited department has purchased two electric motorcycles. "These are not little mopeds or chariots, they are full size, enduro type motorcycles with a top speed of over 90 miles per hour and a faster 0-to-60 time than most gas motorcycles," Rice said. He noted one significant advantage is the motorcycles have no exhaust emission or engine noise. MSUPD has had foot and bike patrol for years, which Rice points to as the most environmentally friendly forms of patrol, but he said these also are limited in range and response time. Rice said the electric motorcycles have a range of over 70 miles per charge and can make traffic stops and respond to any type of call like a regular patrol vehicle, with the only limitation in transporting prisoners.
 
Cotton crops struggling in wet weather
All of Mississippi's 2019 cotton crop has emerged, but it's off to a slow start. Of approximately 700,000 acres of cotton planted statewide this year, 57% is rated fair or worse by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as of July 8. The crop's delayed progress is a familiar refrain among Mississippi farmers this year: Wet weather significantly delayed planting. In addition, more cotton was replanted than usual due to excessive moisture and resultant poor stands. Darrin Dodds, Mississippi State University Extension Service cotton agronomist and head of the MSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, estimated that flooding reduced cotton acreage by up to 10%. "The most prominent aspect of 2019 is how challenging it has been for all crops," said Dodds. "The challenges started last fall with the rain and continued into May of this year. This resulted in fields with ruts, excessive weed growth, delayed tillage work and lost time in the spring. If conditions do not improve, this growing season could be very detrimental to our growers."
 
Inter-related developments in limbo after aldermen fail to pass resolution
A two-hour executive session ended Thursday without an agreement on a pair of inter-related projects, leaving developers frustrated and the Starkville mayor insisting the projects are still on the table. The joint meeting of the Starkville Board of Aldermen, Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors and the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority was held to consider incentive packages for two projects -- one brought by the Golden Triangle Development LINK and the other by developer Mark Castleberry. But after two hours, the meeting ended without the approval of the Castleberry resolution from the board of aldermen, which lost its quorum in the middle of the session, preventing it from taking action. The city held its quorum long enough to approve the LINK's resolution. Although the board of supervisors did pass both proposals, Jackson attorney Chris Pace, representing the LINK, said approvals from the city were needed to move forward.
 
Rural fire department tests for better rating
Sixty minutes could save you a lot of money on your fire insurance. That's not an advertisement, but was, rather, the desired outcome for the volunteer firefighters at Oktibbeha County's Bell Schoolhouse fire district during Friday's water-shuttle test. For the test, the fire district used a collection of 10 pumpers and tankers to move water from the station about five miles north on Highway 389 to one of the county barn complexes, where the water was dumped into large collapsible tanks. "The tankers will bring the water in, dump it and then go back for more," said Kirk Rosenhan, the county's fire services coordinator. "The test requires us to deliver 30,000 gallons of water in 60 minutes." Austin Check, county fire training officer, said his goal was to deliver 625 gallons of water a minute for 60 minutes, well in excess of the amount required to pass the rating test. Fridays water-shuttle test was the last stage in the fire rating process as the Bell Schoolhouse District hoped to improve its rating from its current 9 to an 8, maybe even a 7.
 
2019 Neshoba County Fair preparations underway for Mississippi's Giant House Party
The 2019 Neshoba County Fair, "Mississippi's Giant House Party" may be only a week away, but the fairgrounds is already bustling with activity. Campers and cabin-owners have begun to move into what will be their home away from home for eight days. Despite the sweltering heat, thousands of fairgoers will walk through the gates anticipating a week of political speaking, horse races, entertainment, amusement rides, food and front porch conversations for the 130th edition of the fair. Doug Johnson, the fair manager, said everything is on schedule for opening day except for a few small things left to do. "We are down to things we have to do right before the fair like putting shavings in the barns and around Founders Square," Johnson said. "We have a little bit of electrical work left to do and some lighting to update, and we are almost finished with the electrical work and landscaping on the petting zoo that was damaged earlier this year. Otherwise, we have everything in place and have already started selling utilities..."
 
ERDC played a big role in making the Apollo program a succes
Fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong took man's first steps on the moon, fulfilling a promise by former President John F. Kennedy to put a man on the moon and return him safely. But before the Saturn V rocket that sent Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins on their way to the moon was launched, and before Armstrong took those famous first steps, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center -- known in 1969 as the Waterways Experiment Station -- was involved with the Apollo Program. Waterways' involvement began with supporting plans to move the rocket to the launch pad at Cape Kennedy and ended with evaluating the wheels for the lunar rover, or "space buggy," as it was called. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration used what was called a "crawler transporter," a massive, 12.6 million-pound tracked vehicle that moved the Saturn rocket from the assembly building to the launch pad at a speed of 1 mph. The road to the launch pad was, quite literally, paved in Vicksburg.
 
Analysis: Tate Reeves, Jim Hood focus beyond Mississippi primaries
The two candidates with the most money in the Mississippi governor's race -- Republican Tate Reeves and Democrat Jim Hood -- are largely ignoring their party primary opponents and are concentrating, instead, on the November general election. That's changing soon for Reeves. He's scheduled to take part in a televised debate Tuesday with the other two Republicans who will be on the Aug. 6 primary ballot, former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Bill Waller Jr. and state Rep. Robert Foster. Hood is one of eight candidates seeking the Democratic nomination, and he's not debating the other seven. Hood went on TV last week with his first campaign ad of the season -- a 30-second spot that shows him driving a tractor, holding ammunition, chatting with diverse groups of people. He talks about cracking down on child pornographers and going to church with his family. The ad also shows Hood getting out of a pickup truck. Reeves has been airing ads for several weeks.
 
Tate Reeves, less than three weeks before GOP primary for governor, floats possibility of a runoff for the first time
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, long considered the front-runner for the Republican nomination for governor, has begun acknowledging the notion of an Aug. 27 runoff for the first time in the 2019 race. Reeves, who has largely ignored his primary opponents this year and focused his messaging on Democratic front-runner Jim Hood, faces state Rep. Robert Foster and former Supreme Court Justice Bill Waller Jr. in the Aug. 6 primary. If no candidate earns more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters will square off in a runoff election three weeks later. "Look, there are three people in the Republican primary," Reeves told WAPT reporter Ross Adams this week. "It's hard to get to 50 when there are three people. That is our goal. We are working hard every single day to earn the support of every single Mississippian first on primary day, but then again in the general election in November." A runoff this year would be the first Republican runoff in a governor's race since 1991, when political outsider Kirk Fordice forced a runoff with state Auditor Pete Johnson, who had been the perceived front-runner. Fordice went on to win the runoff with 61 percent of the vote.
 
Jim Hood: Governors Can't Do Their Job and Follow the 'Billy Graham Rule'
Republican candidates who say they cannot be alone with women who are not their wives are "ridiculous," Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said in a fundraising email sent to supporters on Thursday. Hood, the Democratic frontrunner in the race for governor, was referring to Republican candidates Robert Foster and Bill Waller, who say they both follow the rule that evangelicals call the "Billy Graham Rule." "First, in 2019, to even be having this conversation is ridiculous," Hood said. "That said, strong women, beginning with my mom, have played an important role in my life, in my Attorney General's Office, and in my campaign for governor. If I couldn't meet with women alone to discuss issues important to them and to Mississippi, I wouldn't be able to do my job."
 
Emails reveal Jim Hood campaign and MS Dems racial fault line from aborted JSU debate effort
Emails from multiple members of the Mississippi Democratic Executive Committee provided to Y'all Politics reveal a major break in decorum along racial lines over efforts by the Jim Hood campaign to impugn the credibility of both the Director of the Hinds County Democrat Executive Committee Jacquie Amos and JSU Director of Communication Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony. Several hours after Y'all Politics broke the story about the aborted Democratic gubernatorial debate proposed by the Hinds County Democratic Party at Jackson State University, Mississippi Today's Adam Ganucheau wrote a story (that did not cite the originating story from YP that broke 12 hours earlier) regurgitating the facts of the original YP report. After repeated attempts to contact the Hood campaign late last week, the campaign declined to make the full statement that they made available to Mississippi Today on Tuesday to Y'all Politics. The campaign responded, "We have nothing else to send regarding this issue." In the meantime, two Mississippi Democrat Executive Committee board members, on the condition of anonymity, provided internal emails to Y'all Politics that documented the entire incident behind the scenes. They were also apparently forwarded to Mississippi Today.
 
Gov. Phil Bryant Spokesperson and Director of Public Affairs headed to Private Sector
Gov. Phil Bryant announced today his spokesperson and Director of Public Affairs Bobby Morgan is heading to the private sector starting July 22. Morgan has been a staffer for Bryant for four years where he served as Senate Liaison, Senior Economic Development Policy Advisor and most recently Director of Public Affairs. Morgan will be joining Atmos Energy as Vice President of Public Affairs. Office of the Governor Press Secretary Rivers Ormon will now oversee communications in the role of Director of Communications. Ormon obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Mississippi State University and received her Master of Business Administration from Mississippi College.
 
Lottery scratch-off ticket sales start Dec. 1 with multi-state games expected to follow in early 2020
Mississippi will become the 45th state to establish a lottery program Dec. 1 when scratch-off tickets are scheduled to go on sale and a lot more than the hopes and dreams of those who buy tickets is riding on the games' success. The Alyce G. Clarke Mississippi Lottery Law, Senate Bill 2001, was signed by Gov. Phil Bryant August 2018. Mississippi will use the first $80 million earned via the new lottery to bolster the state's transportation system, and any money earned beyond $80 million will be spent on education. Experts have estimated that the lottery will earn less than $100 million, based on the revenue in surrounding states. In addition to lottery revenue, lawmakers also directed revenue from sports betting to the state's infrastructure needs. Mississippi Today reported in May that the state had received $25.4 million from sports bets through April. The Dec. 1 lottery launch will only include scratch-off tickets -- with Powerball and other multi-state lottery games expected to begin in the first quarter of 2020 -- Mississippi Lottery Corporation president Tom Shaheen told Mississippi Today.
 
DeSoto County's mayors dispute ACLU claims
Mayors of the three largest cities in DeSoto County have taken issue with a claim from the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi regarding bans against panhandling in their communities. This week's letter from the ACLU of Mississippi, a communication nationally coordinated by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, demanded that 16 jurisdictions in Mississippi repeal their bans on panhandling. Three of the communities mentioned are in DeSoto County: Southaven, Olive Branch and Horn Lake. "Since the 2015 Supreme Court decision in Reed v. Town of Gilbert finding heightened protections for free speech, every case brought against panhandling ordinances---more than 25 to date, including many with language similar to those found in these 16 Mississippi towns and cities, has found them unconstitutional," the letter stated. The cities the ACLU said it had targeted in their claims include Jackson, Gulfport, Southaven, Meridian, Greenville, Olive Branch, Horn Lake, Clinton, Ridgeland, Starkville, Vicksburg, Pascagoula, Brandon, Clarksdale, Natchez and Greenwood.
 
Haley Barbour, Lanny Griffith will lobby for Carlos Ghosn
Haley Barbour and Lanny Griffith of BGR Group have registered to lobby on behalf of Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan chairman who was arrested in Japan last year and charged with multiple counts of financial wrongdoing. Barbour, a former Mississippi governor and Republican National Committee chairman, and Griffith will provide guidance and assist Ghosn "with resolving an international legal issue," according to a disclosure filing. They started working for Ghosn on June 1. BGR declined to elaborate on what they're doing.
 
'Hemp has exploded' in Kentucky. What that means for new jobs, investment.
Hemp fields in Kentucky are multiplying. So, too, is the field of hemp-related jobs --- both inside and outside the agricultural sector. At 60,000 acres, Kentucky has the most hemp acreage of any state, besting even Colorado, a known hemp (and marijuana) production giant. That is just one reason Hemp Industry Daily named Kentucky the second most prominent state in hemp production in 2018. Another reason: Since December 2015, almost 1,000 Kentucky jobs have been created in the hemp industry. According to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, over 250 of those jobs were generated in the first half of 2019 alone. Many of those jobs are in farming -- the traditional idea of what employment in the hemp industry looks like -- but the majority aren't. For example, employees in the hemp industry may also be delivery managers, lab technicians, quality graders and sales representatives.
 
Ashley Gillespie excited to help push The W forward
Ashley Gillespie's transition to the Mississippi University for Women lasted a day and a half. That's when the ping of emails into Gillespie's mailbox started to sound and signaled the start of her new job as director of the Office of Sponsored Projects and Grant Writing at The W. Don't worry, though, because the thought of having a little more than eight hours to settle into the position didn't faze Gillespie. Instead, she welcomed the opportunity to talk with professors about their proposals and to tell them she shares their enthusiasm for getting things done and helping The W move forward. Gillespie, who is from Starkville and graduated from Starkville High School, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from Mississippi State in 2007.
 
Ole Miss student found dead in Harmontown
The body of a 21-year-old girl was found in Harmontown at 10:23 a.m. Saturday morning. During a routine patrol, Lafayette County Deputies found the body of a white female. Foul play appeared to be involved. The deceased was identified as Alexandria "Ally" Kostial from St. Louis, Mo. No other details are being released at this time due to it still being an active investigation. Kostial was working towards a bachelor's degree in marketing in the School of Business Administration at Ole Miss. "We are truly saddened by the death of Alexandria Kostial," Ole Miss interim Chancellor Larry Sparks said in a statement. "Ally was a valued member of our campus community. We extend our deepest sympathy to her family, friends, and classmates and stand ready to support them during this time. We appreciate the work of the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department and coroner as they conduct their investigation."
 
Local residents 'excited' by Communiversity
When Mike and Ellen Clark learned their 22-year-old grandson had enrolled in classes at Communiversity, East Mississippi Community College's $42-million advanced manufacturing skills training center on Highway 82 in Lowndes County scheduled to open for classes next month, they knew they had to see it for themselves. On a tour led by Workforce Technical Instructor Stan West, the Clarks, from Starkville, marveled out loud at the spacious industrial training labs, where students will learn electrical wiring for homes, businesses and helicopters and how to program devices such as street lights and washing machines, among other skills. The Clarks were just two of more than 300 people who visited the Communiversity during its three-day open house, which opened up the entire building to tour groups led by building staff and faculty. Because the facility was funded with local, state and federal dollars, the goal, West said, is to give the community a look at what that money paid for.
 
Hinds Community College, ERDC partner on Coding Academy, seek applicants
Hinds Community College is about to embark on the second year of its partnership with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center on a computer coding academy and is looking for applicants. Classes begin Aug. 19 at ERDC's facility on Halls Ferry Road and meet at 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Campus officials say the 12-month program represents opportunities aplenty for the Vicksburg-Warren Campus and those looking to build a career in Information Technology. "The academy continues to be offered as a for-credit curriculum here in Vicksburg, and it's a great chance for the community to develop the skills needed for the workforce of the future," Marvin Moak, vice president of the Vicksburg-Warren Campus, said. Coordinating the program for Hinds, along with full-time instructor Jim Dismuke, is Dr. Jeffery Holland, former director of ERDC.
 
U. of Alabama project to address opioids in West Alabama
A new program is being developed to address the opioid problem in parts of West Alabama. A statement from the University of Alabama says a team of researchers and others has gotten a $200,000 federal planning grant for a tele-health network to help fight opioid addiction and deaths. The group will work in Franklin, Marion, Walker and Winston counties. The program will assess what's going on in the area and recommend improvements. Authorities say Alabama has the nation's highest per capita opioid prescription rate. The state had more than 5,100 overdoses from 2006 through 2014.
 
U. of South Carolina Trustees Vote for Governor's Pick for President
Despite heated opposition and accusations of an abandoned process, the University of South Carolina's Board of Trustees voted on Friday to appoint Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr. as the institution's next president. The vote divided the board and the state. South Carolina's Republican governor, Henry McMaster, called trustees over the July 4th weekend to urge them to vote for Caslen, a former superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. In response, students protested, the Faculty Senate held a vote of no confidence in Caslen, Democratic state lawmakers voiced opposition to the process, and some high-profile donors called for the search to be reopened, according to The State, a South Carolina newspaper. After all that, the trustees voted 11 to 8 to appoint Caslen to succeed Harris Pastides, the current president, who will step down at the end of the month, a university spokesman confirmed.
 
Many point to highly politicized process in selecting new South Carolina president
The University of South Carolina has a new president -- marking the end to a long and controversial selection process with little consensus or agreement. However, there's one thing all sides of the debate seem to agree on: politics was at the heart of the process. Lieutenant General Robert Caslen, a former West Point superintendent, will be the next president of the University of South Carolina after a split vote of the Board of Trustees -- a rare thing in a board's selection of a new president -- with 11 voting yes, 8 voting no and one abstention. Christian Anderson, a South Carolina higher education professor, said board proceedings are not always this political. "It's unfortunate," Anderson said. "We'd have to hit the archives to find a time the governor of South Carolina even attended a Board of Trustees meeting -- and suddenly Governor McMaster intervenes in this way? Greater political interference certainly seems to be happening with alarming frequency around the country, even if not always in the same way."
 
What Harris Pastides had to say about Robert Caslen being chosen as South Carolina's new president
Outgoing University of South Carolina president Harris Pastides said Sunday it's time for students, faculty and alumni to "begin the healing and reconciliation" after the controversial selection of new president Robert Caslen, which drew chants of "Shame!" from protesters and an inquiry from the university's accrediting body. Despite protests from faculty, alumni, students and several politicians, USC's board of trustees voted 11-8 Friday to hire Caslen, the former superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. His selection came after S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster pressured board members to hold a vote for Caslen, with the initial July 12 vote being pushed back by court order. "Today begins the next meaningful chapter in the history of our beloved University," Pastides said in a statement posted to the university's Facebook page. "I know Bob Caslen well from national committee work at the NCAA, and I have talked with him and offered him my congratulations. Patricia and I look forward to welcoming Bob and his wife, Shelly, to the Carolina community.
 
UGA researcher looking beyond the moon to Mars
Fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong took "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" when the Apollo 11 mission put a team of two astronauts on the moon July 20, 1969. NASA's next giant leap will be sending humans to Mars, projected for the 2030s, and a University of Georgia researcher is partnering with the space agency to explore the challenges of such a mission. Successful communication and collaboration among multiple teams will be an essential part of deep space travel, and this is Dorothy Carter's expertise. An industrial and organizational psychologist at UGA, Carter specializes in teamwork and examines how multiple groups work together in pursuit of larger goals. "I'm especially interested in understanding how large systems comprised of multiple teams from different areas of expertise work together effectively," said Carter, assistant professor of psychology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.
 
Texas A&M professors no strangers to space exploration
When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped out of the capsule and stepped foot on the moon, it shaped the careers and lives of two Texas A&M professors who each spent 30 years with NASA and have accrued thousands of hours in space. "I was 10 years old and distinctly remember rushing back from my swimming and diving meet -- that was my sport -- and as a big group, we all got together to watch the landing," said Nancy Currie-Gregg, a professor of engineering practice at Texas A&M. "I think for me it was a turning point, as it was for many Americans ... but the overwhelming sense that I had watching that -- even as a 10-year-old -- was this extreme pride in our nation to see the guys in the control center waving their flags to see the flag planted on the moon. I think at that point, I just felt a calling to always serve our nation in some capacity and to strive to do something to better our nation and perhaps the world."
 
Retired U. of Missouri astronaut reflects on moon landing
It was the summer before her senior year in high school, and 17-year-old Linda Godwin, her twin sister and her parents watched the family's black-and-white console television in the living room of their home a few miles outside of Jackson as Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon on July 20, 1969. "It wasn't a great image," Godwin said of the broadcast. "It felt historic. I was proud that we did it." She watched the CBS coverage of the moon landing, anchored by Walter Cronkite. "I just remember he so enjoyed covering it," she said. Asked about the moon landing's influence on her future, Godwin said she had already liked science and math. She got her bachelor's degree from Southeast Missouri State University, then a master's degree and a doctorate in physics from the University of Missouri. The led to work at NASA and four missions in space as an astronaut. She spent 38 days in space, including 10 hours for two spacewalks.
 
'Don't take your foot off the gas:' Missouri's Kevin McDonald urges commitment to diversity in exit interview
When Kevin McDonald arrived on a University of Missouri campus roiled by racial protest, he thought he was in for a challenge that would keep him here at least a little longer than his last job at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he served 6-1/2 years. Three years later, the University of Missouri System's first chief diversity officer is packing his bags for the University of Virginia. McDonald's last day in Columbia is Thursday. And while he is leaving with a sense of satisfaction and a remarkable outpouring of love and respect from students and colleagues with whom he's worked, they -- and he -- would be the first to admit that the mission he helped the university to launch is far from accomplished. "We haven't arrived," McDonald said.
 
When a misleading op-ed in 'The Wall Street Journal' irks academics, it's time for a fact check on faculty work and pay
Hearing politicians mischaracterize and discredit faculty work is par for the course in academe. It's much more surprising to hear someone with actual teaching experience do it. So professors shared a collective "WTF?" moment last week when Joseph Epstein, writer and emeritus lecturer of English at Northwestern University, published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal stating that it's not uncommon to make $200,000 per year for "essentially a six-month job, and without ever having to put in an eight-hour day." The premise of Epstein's piece is that "if government is going to pay for college, at least it ought to try to bring down the cost," and that he knows where to start cutting because he taught for 30 years. He doesn't just attack faculty work -- Epstein also suggests reducing the salaries of university presidents by 90 percent, curing administrative bloat and slashing athletic coaches' pay. But "at the tonier universities," he says, "professors in the humanities and social sciences might teach as few as three or four courses a year, the remainder of their time supposedly devoted to research."
 
Will humdinger primary finally yield a Republican attorney general?
Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: The last and only Republican to hold the office of Attorney General in Mississippi was George E. Harris back in 1877. As Republicans began their surge to take over statewide offices in the early 1990s, Mike Moore and Jim Hood easily held on to the position for Democrats. Odds are that's about to change. Even when Republicans took over all other statewide offices in 2008, Hood held on as Attorney General by appealing to many conservative voters. Longtime Democratic leader Bobby Moak said Hood did so by taking "the right stance on God and guns." Despite strong credentials, the Democratic nominee for Attorney General, Jennifer Riley Collins can't match that appeal. In particular, Hood has been a strong, consistent voice for pro-life issues. As Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi, Collins was not.
 
Poll results showing Mississippians approve of state economy should benefit Tate Reeves -- maybe
Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: "It's the economy stupid," of course, was the mantra of the Clinton presidential campaign in 1992 challenging incumbent George H.W. Bush. In other words, the economy was bad and the campaign should focus its efforts and resources on reminding voters of that. It worked for Clinton. A scientifically conducted online poll by NBC News/SurveyMonkey in collaboration with Mississippi Today, released on Friday, finds that 61 percent of Mississippians believe the state economy is very good (8 percent) or fairly good (53 percent) compared to 38 percent who believe it is fairly bad (25 percent) or very bad (13 percent). When the same pollsters asked the identical question in September, 50 percent said the economy was good or fairly good compared to 49 percent who said it was bad or very bad. It is one poll, and it is a mistake to place too much emphasis on the results of one poll, but it could at least be argued those poll results are good news for incumbent Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, who is the Republican front-runner in this year's governor's election.


SPORTS
 
Four Mississippi State players earn preseason All-SEC honors
Four Mississippi State football players were selected to the 2019 Media Days Preseason All-SEC Team Friday. Junior linebacker Erroll Thompson led the charge as a first-team defensive selection. Senior center Darryl Williams and junior corner Cam Dantzler were honored as second-team members. Both Thompson and Williams will serve as team captains this coming season. Senior defensive end Chauncey Rivers also received third-team distinctions as he looks to fill the void left by Montez Sweat and Gerri Green on the Bulldog defensive line. The Bulldogs were also selected to finish fifth in the SEC West by gathered media. Teams ahead of MSU in order were Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn. Both Ole Miss and Arkansas were chosen to finish behind MSU.
 
Dak is back: Mississippi State legend returns to Starkville for summer camp
Former Mississippi State and current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott wasn't expecting it. As he walked into The Little Dooey, one of his favorite food spots in Starkville, a banner graced the wall at the establishment off highway 12 that read "Welcome back Dak." "I had no idea it was coming," he said of the sign. "That's an example of going to a place I loved to eat when I was here and then they've got a banner hung up knowing I'm in town and it's just special to be back." The nod to the one-time MSU signal caller was the first of many warm welcomes he has enjoyed during his return to campus this weekend. Prescott's appearance in his collegiate hometown has become an annual part of his summer agenda. Saturday and Sunday he's hosting the Dak Prescott Football ProCamp at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex at Mississippi State. Roughly 450 participants from first through eighth grade are expected in training sessions with Prescott and other counselors over the two-day event.
 
Dak Prescott returns to Mississippi for youth camp
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott returned to his alma mater to host his third youth football ProCamp for boys and girls grades first through eighth. 450 campers attended the two-time Pro Bowler's camp at Mississippi State, a camp that he has held for the past three offseasons. Returning to his college town always generates warm feelings. "I told the campers and the parents before that I get the privilege to do a lot of cool things meet a lot of cool people, but being back in Starkville, the welcome you get, the love you get, there's nothing like it," Prescott said. "It's the reason I came to school here whatever many years ago. It's the reason I come back every offseason and make sure that I give these people what they give to me." Prescott, who turns 26 years old on July 29, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. His fourth training camp commences in less than a week. It would be understandable if he showed up for one day of the two-day camp, or simply was a walk-around coach.
 
Dak Prescott returns to Mississippi State for football camp
He had a white bucket hat on. His name was printed in navy blue letters across the front of it. His gray t-shirt, splotched with sweat stains, also had his name spelled out in big, block letters across his chest. In front of the middle letter of his name -- A -- there was a picture of himself throwing a football. His body was contorted in the same shape of that letter. He sat under a pop-up tent on sideline of one of the practice fields at Mississippi State University's Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex. He was signing hundreds of posters with his picture on them. Again, the image was of him preparing to throw a football. His name is Dak Prescott. He's the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Prescott graduated from Mississippi State in 2014. He earned a master's degree from the university in 2015. Along the way, he became the best quarterback in Bulldog history. He holds almost every program passing record. Four years after moving on from MSU to start his NFL career, Prescott was back on the campus to conduct the final leg of his ProCamps series, which is a string of youth football camps he conducts every summer.
 
Elijah MacNamee inks professional deal
Elijah MacNamee is heading to the Midwest. The former MSU slugger will join the Frontier League's Evansville Otters per an announcement on his Twitter page. MacNamee hit .286 with 52 RBIs and 20 doubles in an injury shortened senior season as helped lead the Bulldogs to the program's 11th College World Series appearance. The Cypress, Texas native will perhaps best be remembered for his walk-off home runs against Florida State and Vanderbilt in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. MacNamee, or "Big Hit Mac" as he came to be known in Starkville, channeled his inner-clutch gene in his final at-bat at Dudy Noble Field, roping a three-run homer into the Left Field Lounge to help the Bulldogs to an 8-0 victory over Stanford in game two of the Super Regionals.
 
LSU football just turned its locker room into 'first class' pods with sleep space
The newest renovation project in LSU athletics has been completed. Inside LSU's new Football Operations and Performance Nutrition Center, Tiger fans got a look inside the team's new locker room on Sunday night. Except there's a spin on the traditional locker. Designers and team management explained that they opted for a room with dedicated space for each player that looks more like a first class pod on an airplane. Each pod has a chair that folds out into a bed, storage space, an iPad holder to watch film and more. The athletic department released a look inside its Football Operations and Performance Nutrition Center in multiple videos on Twitter Sunday afternoon. The nearly $23 million project includes the addition of nearly 25,000 square feet, with a new training room, offices, locker room, players lounge and cafeteria.
 
A natural look: Insiders detail Razorbacks' switch back to grass
Natural grass will return to the field at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium within a few weeks. The University of Arkansas football team will play home games on a natural surface this fall for the first time since 2008 -- the team's first season under then-head coach Bobby Petrino, who had artificial turf installed in 2009 at a cost of $1.1 million. Petrino said the synthetic surface was needed to withstand the wear and tear of his practices. Petrino preferred to have most of his practices inside the stadium, and the grass field showed some signs of overuse by the end of 2008. Ten years after Petrino lobbied for a new field in his first season, another new Arkansas head coach, Chad Morris, said he preferred natural grass, citing his experience coaching Texas high school teams. The change could not be made in time for Morris' inaugural season because construction to the stadium's north side wasn't completed until August. With a crane sitting inside the stadium, the turf was peeled back roughly 40 yards most of last year, then laid back down shortly before the 2018 season opener against Eastern Illinois.



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Mississippi State University  •  Mississippi State, MS 39762  •  Main Telephone: (662) 325-2323  •   Contact: The Editor  |  The Webmaster  •   Updated: July 22, 2019Facebook Twitter