| Monday, July 29, 2019 |
| Partnership School still on track for August 2020 opening | |
 | Despite more than a year and a half of delays, Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District plans to open its Partnership School with Mississippi State University in time for the 2020-21 school year. SOCSD Superintendent Eddie Peasant, current Armstrong Middle School Principal Julie Kennedy -- who will lead the Partnership School when it opens -- SOCSD board members and future Partnership School administration toured the building on MSU's campus Friday morning. The $30 million, 123,000-square-foot building will house sixth and seventh graders -- which are currently taught at AMS -- in the more than 60 classrooms currently being constructed. Although the building is not yet complete, enough progress on the framework has been made that board members and administration could see the outlines of classrooms, restrooms and administrative spaces during Friday's tour. Once the Partnership School is complete, the campus will also host space for MSU's College of Education, where MSU students can observe classroom teaching and university faculty can be a resource for SOCSD teachers and administrators. |
| MSU stabbing suspect turns himself in | |
| The suspect in a Friday stabbing on Mississippi State University's campus turned himself in to MSU Police Department Saturday evening. Jessie Michael McGee, Jr., has been charged with aggravated assault after allegedly stabbing a coworker at Colvard Student Union. The male victim of the stabbing, which occurred around 5 p.m. Friday, is currently in stable condition at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, according to MSU spokesman Sid Salter. "We believe at this point that it was some sort of workplace dispute," Salter said Friday. "The investigation into this is ongoing and we still don't have all of the facts, but that's what we believe at this point." "I appreciate the professional manner in which this unfortunate incident was handled by our MSU Police and the Division of Student Affairs," MSU President Mark E. Keenum said in the statement. "Workplace violence is not something we've often encountered on this campus, but it's a daily reality in the private sector and in public institutions and that's why we anticipate such incidents and train our faculty, staff and students to effectively cope with matters like this if they arise." |
| Mississippi State wellness conference open to colleges, community | |
| Mississippi State's Department of Health Promotion and Wellness will host its first wellness conference Aug. 6 with registration open to community colleges, universities, community organizations and the general public. Registration cost for "Stay Well Under the Umbrella of Health" is $30 and available online at forms.gle/xuCp9ztF9TF3guhs5. Attendance is free for the first 200 MSU students who register online and place "student" under the title on the registration form. To be held 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Mill at MSU Conference Center, 100 Mercantile St. in Starkville, the conference will focus on mental health, collegiate recovery, well-being and health promotion, sexual assault prevention, violence prevention, opioid prevention, and alcohol and drug prevention, among other topics. Continuing education credits are available for social workers and psychologists, and participants may obtain a certificate of completion. |
| Mississippi State-bound students from Clarke County | |
 | Photo: Ringing their new cowbells are first-time Mississippi State University students who were honored at the 2019 Send-off Party sponsored by the Clarke County Chapter of the MSU Alumni Association. From left are Gage Watkins, Drew Watkins and Jacob Irby, products of Quitman High School; Angel Killen of Quitman, a transfer from Meridian Community College; Ridge Mathis of Enterprise, also a transfer from MCC; Jason Nester, Enterprise; and Allie Narcross and Tyler Glass, both of Quitman. The new Bulldogs, who were also presented MSU T-shirts, are shown with Lisa Riley, Chapter president. Nester also received a $250 scholarship after his name was randomly selected. The inaugural award was provided by members of the Clarke County Chapter of the MSU Alumni Association. MSU senior Blair Robinson of Quitman served as guest speaker. Approximately 40 MSU Alumni and friends attended the annual event held July 25, 2019, at Mount Rose Baptist Church in Quitman. MSU Send-off Parties are held statewide in an effort to provide incoming freshmen and transfer students an opportunity to gather with future classmates from their area while alumni, friends and family members send them off to college, MSU-style! For information about the Clarke County Chapter of the MSU Alumni Association, contact Lisa Riley, 601-480-6052 or email rileydawgs@gmail.com. |
| Lowndes 4-H camp promotes youth empowerment through hands-on activities | |
| With 4-H, it's all about youth building life skills through hands-on projects ranging from science and agriculture to health and civic engagement. So, a Learn by Doing 4-H Camp July 22-23 at the Mississippi State University Lowndes County Extension facility west of Columbus was filled with learning about robotics, archery, horses, ATV safety, poultry, gardening, goats, shooting sports, grilling demonstrations, wildlife and nutrition. Under the guidance of 4-H leaders, Extension agents and volunteers, kids ages 8-18 gained knowledge and skills that boost self-confidence and independence -- all while experiencing what 4-H stands for: head, heart, hands and health. |
| Starkville preliminary budget report includes tax increase | |
| Although no draft budget has been prepared and the first public hearing on the topic won't be held until Aug. 20, the city of Starkville may consider a 1.5 mil property tax increase for Fiscal Year 2020. During its regular work session Friday, Sandra Sistrunk, the board's budget chairman, presented a preliminary budget report that would call for almost $400,000 in additional discretionary spending. The report includes $118,000 for the city's police and IT departments, $110,000 for re-rating for the fire department and $105,000 in pay raises for employees, primarily those in lower hourly-rate positions. "I think this is do-able if we are truly committed to employee compensation, to the fire department, to providing the equipment to departments that are going to be required," Sistrunk said. "There's not $400,000 somewhere else in the budget." With a mil value of $265,000, the 1.5 mil increase would cover all those costs. "The question we always hear is what will that do to my taxes," Sistrunk said. "For $100,000 in valuation, this increase would be about $15 a year. If you're over 65, it would be a lot less, around $4 per year." |
| EPA controls future of the Yazoo Backwater pumps | |
 | As the floodwaters in the Yazoo Backwater continue to fall, the status of the final piece of a 48-year-old plan to protect the backwater area remains uncertain. The Steele Bayou pump station, which was to be built on the Steele Bayou Control Structure to help protect the South Delta from flooding, was vetoed by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2008. But the extreme flooding in the Yazoo Backwater Area that has covered more than 500,000 acres of land in the Delta has energized efforts at the local and state level and in Washington, D.C., to get EPA officials to reconsider the agency's decision and approve the project. Further action on the effort, however, is presently at a standstill. "The Vicksburg District has submitted the updated data to the EPA and the EPA is in the process of reviewing that data," said Peter Nimrod, chief engineer for the Mississippi Levee Board. "The ball is in their court to evaluate that and see if it is a game-changer; whether they can overturn the veto or modify it, whatever the case may be." He added the Corps may still have more data to provide. |
| What you need to know before heading to the Neshoba County Fair | |
 | With the primary less than a week after the Fair, this will likely be the last big news event that candidates for statewide office will get. So you can bet that there will be candidates looking to "make noise" at the Fair. The Governor and Lt. Governor have both reached the end of their terms and Mississippians will have new office holders for those positions. Governor Phil Bryant will be giving his last official address at the Fair this year. Both Tate Reeves and Jim Hood have primary challengers in the gubernatorial race, and while they will likely focus their speeches at each other, their primary challengers (namely Bill Waller and Robert Foster on the Republican side and Robert Shuler Smith and Velesha Williams on the Democratic side) will be taking shots at the presumptive front-runners. Look for sparks in speeches from candidates for Secretary of State and Attorney General, on the Republican side. Both races have had increasing amounts of attention. Experts often look at the number of signs, the number of volunteers/supporters and the general activity level of candidates at the Fair to assess campaign organization. |
| Neshoba County Fair: Mississippi political speeches, schedule | |
 | Mississippi's Giant Houseparty -- the Neshoba County Fair -- started Friday and is in full swing through Aug. 2, with its old-timey stumping by state political candidates starting Tuesday and running through Thursday. The fair traces its roots to agriculture fairs and church camp meetings that started in the late 1880s. In 1896, Gov. Anselm McLaurin began the tradition of political speaking at the fair. Ronald Reagan, John Glenn and Jack Kemp are among national political figures who have spoken there. The fair midway is open each day from noon to 1 a.m., with rides, food, carriage horse races, livestock shows and live entertainment scheduled throughout. Political speaking starts Tuesday at 8:55 a.m., with local Neshoba County candidates. On Wednesday, state and district candidates begin speaking at 8:30 a.m. through 2 p.m., including candidates for lieutenant governor and secretary of state. On Thursday, political speaking by state candidates begins at 8:40 a.m. and runs through 1:50 a.m., including gubernatorial and attorney general candidates. |
| Neshoba County Fair impacts local businesses | |
 | The Neshoba County Fair started Friday, and it always draws large crowds to businesses throughout the county. Neshoba County business owners like Steve Wilkerson say it has a positive impact on local businesses. "We see a great influx of people spending money," said Wilkerson. "Not just retail clothing, but grocery stores and building supplies. It's really a Christmas in July for us." Wilkerson says thanks to the fair, Steve's on the Square has never seen a bad July. It's one reason his staff prepares weeks ahead of time for the large crowds. "We stock up in t-shirts and fair wear," said Wilkerson. "We always have a lot of new things arriving for the fair." Business owners say they expect their stores to get busier as the fair progresses. |
| Transportation commissioner candidates split over infrastructure funding implementation | |
 | Every Republican candidate for transportation commissioner in the northern district agrees the state's deteriorating infrastructure is a critical problem that must be fixed, but each candidate has a different idea on how to actually fund the infrastructure repairs. The election comes at a time when approximately 500 bridges in the state have been closed because of disrepair, including 65 county and locally owned bridges in Northeast Mississippi. The winner of the Republican primary will face Joe Grist, a former state lawmaker and the only Democratic candidate in the race. Grist has run a campaign centered on improving road conditions in the state and putting a halt to giving businesses tax exemptions from the state government to offset the costs to fund transportation efforts. The general election will take place on Nov. 5. |
| Bill Waller Jr. talks education, healthcare, infrastructure during Meridian campaign stop | |
| Servers took orders, dropped off plates of fried chicken and refilled tea glasses as former Chief Justice Bill Waller, Jr. checked off his three boxes. The issues he discussed during a campaign stop at Jean's Restaurant in Meridian Friday morning: K-12 education, healthcare and infrastructure -- all which tie into economic development, he said. Waller was the Mississippi Supreme Court's chief justice for ten years. His time on the bench ended this January, and he is now running for governor as a Republican. "I think, in some respects, there's more potential here than any other part of the state with our road net here, railroads, good water, good schools [and] the above average children in school," he said. He won applause after saying he would lead the Legislature on teacher pay raises until the state catches up to the rest of the Southeast. |
| Mississippi election: Governor candidates say state needs gift law reform | |
 | Mississippi's leading gubernatorial candidates all say they would support a law restricting lobbyist gifts to lawmakers and other public officials. Under current state law, lobbyists can spend as much as they want on free dinners, sports tickets, hotels and other freebies for lawmakers. That makes the Magnolia State an outlier: A majority of states have laws that either ban gifts outright -- even a cup of coffee -- or place caps on how much an official can receive in a year. A recent Clarion Ledger investigation found the state's public universities alone doled out $350,000 in gifts to state officials in the past four years -- much of it free tickets to sporting events. Several lawmakers received more than $7,000 in freebies over that period. The Clarion Ledger recently interviewed the six leading candidates for governor, and all said they would support some type of gift law. |
| Jim Hood Calls Tech, Women's Opportunities 'The Hope for Our Future' | |
| The small town of Houston, Miss., has struggled in recent years. The only emergency room in the area closed in 2014, and the poverty rate remains higher than in the rest of the state. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said at a Democratic candidates forum earlier this week that the prognosis is grim for his hometown and similar municipalities unless leaders take steps to bring all parts of the state into the 21st century when it comes to technology education and infrastructure. "That is the hope for our future," Hood told the Women for Progress Political Candidate Forum at the Art Center of Mississippi in Jackson on July 23. "In two-lane roads like the town I'm from, the only hope we have is for technology. And that's through our young people developing apps and technologies that can make a difference in our lives." |
| District 39: Trio sound off on Senate race | |
 | A nurse practitioner, a business owner and an attorney in her second term in the state Senate are all running a GOP race in the primary elections for District 39, with no one opposing on the Democratic ticket. If the race isn't settled during the election Aug. 6, it will be soon after in a run-off. District 39 includes Lincoln, Copiah, Lawrence and Walthall counties. The candidates for the seat -- listed below in alphabetical order -- emailed their responses to four questions. |
| Analysis: Effort to aid families could be key in Mississippi | |
 | After a year of pilot programs, the leaders of an initiative to strengthen troubled Mississippi families say they are off to a promising start. The Mississippi Families First Initiative is part of a nationwide movement to change the traditional system of child welfare, which reacts and intervenes after a child is harmed, into a system that tries to cut risks and prevent harm. The initiative, led by state Supreme Court Justice Dawn Beam and First Lady Deborah Bryant, has set up programs in eight counties. Those programs are trying different approaches, with the idea that the initiative will evaluate what works before seeking to roll out the program statewide. "A ground game for prevention is the key," said Beam, after the program issued a report to the state Supreme Court last week. "For too many years, we've been reactionary. When we removed children, it oftentimes traumatizes them in a way that we have no idea." |
| The print reader-in-chief: Inside Trump's retro media diet | |
 | He slams the mainstream media as dishonest liars. He calls journalists the "enemy of the people." He rages at the television hosts he watches during his "Executive Time." He hasn't held a traditional White House press conference for almost 10 months, preferring to go around the "fake news" filter he perceives as hopelessly biased and blast out 280-character proclamations on Twitter instead. Yet there's one form of media President Donald Trump consumes to a surprisingly voracious degree, despite the widespread assumption that he's not much of a reader: the printed word. At a time when the newspaper industry has lost at least 2,000 jobs nationwide since Trump was elected, and a quarter of its total jobs since 2008, Trump's ink-stained reading habits are striking. They're also fundamental to understanding his presidency. In addition to his diet of major newspapers, Trump relies on paper copies of articles pulled from elsewhere that are culled each day by his staff. The papers and printouts are cherished tools that allow him to monitor the coverage of his administration, reward allies and rebuke critics with dashed-off personal notes. |
| A New Old Way To Combat Toxic Algae: Float It Up, Then Skim It Off | |
 | In Florida, the Army Corps of Engineers is working to combat a growing environmental menace: blue-green algae. Nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from farms and subdivisions combines with warm summer weather to create massive blooms of algae in rivers and lakes that can be toxic. In central Florida, Lake Okeechobee has been hit hard in recent years. In Moore Haven, on the western shore of the lake, Dan Levy was recently working on a solution. He was standing on a platform peering into a large water-filled tank. Inside, floating on top of the water was a thick mat of blue-green algae. "This is our treatment system," said Levy. "This is where we actually float the algae up and skim it across." Levy is with AECOM, an engineering and infrastructure company that's working with the Army Corps of Engineers on the nagging and sometimes devastating problem. Algal blooms aren't just a nuisance. The algae, actually cyanobacteria, can produce toxins that threaten drinking water supplies, local economies and human health. |
| Gerard Gibert speaks on interest in Ole Miss chancellor position | |
| The search committee for the University of Mississippi's next chancellor is in the midst of creating their shortlist of candidates. While the process has been kept close to the vest by those in charge, one name did manage to emerge earlier this week and admitted interest in the position. While speaking with reporters at an event in Jackson on Monday, Gerard Gibert did acknowledge his interest when asked. Gibert spoke with the Eagle on Tuesday and said he was approached by what he would call "stakeholders in the Ole Miss community" about the position around February, and stated he did not initiate the conversation. He confirmed he had taken the appropriate preliminary actions in the application process and is awaiting the next step. The search process will take its next step later this year when a listening session is held on the Ole Miss campus on Sept. 5. Students, faculty and staff will get their opportunity to voice their concerns and opinions of what attributes they would like to see in the university's next chancellor. Interviews for a shortlist of candidates is expected to take place in October. |
| Students in racist photo do not represent the university, interim chancellor says | |
 | Interim Chancellor Larry Sparks said in a statement released Friday afternoon that the University of Mississippi students seen in a photo in front of a bullet-riddled Emmett Till memorial do not represent the values of the institution Sparks said that the incident occurred off campus, was not a part of a university affiliated event and that the university has limits on its tools to remedy the "offensive behavior." Ben Leclere, who posted the photo on Instagram, is seen standing to the left of the memorial with a rifle and John Lowe is seen squatting below the sign. A third man, who has not been identified, is seen standing to the right of the marker with an AR-15 assault rifle. "They do not speak for our institution, and they do not define us," Sparks said in the statement. "What makes this different than other offensive, hurtful and disgusting things we see on social media each day is that, at the very least, it belittles the price that a 14-year-old paid for being black." |
| Emmett Till memorial will be made bulletproof after photo of gun-toting students surfaces | |
| The vandalized memorial for slain civil rights icon Emmett Till will be replaced with a bulletproof sign following outrage over a photograph of three University of Mississippi students posing with guns in front of the bullet-riddled marker. The new sign, which will be placed at the spot where the 14-year-old's body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River, will be open to the public but protected by a gate and security cameras, the Emmett Till Memorial Commission said Thursday. "Unlike the first three signs, this sign calls attention to the vandalism itself," the commission said in a news release. "We believe it is important to keep a sign at this historic site, but we don't want to hide the legacy of racism by constantly replacing broken signs." |
| Olive oil research at Auburn takes aim at preventing Alzheimer's | |
 | Auburn University's drug and development researchers from the Harrison School of Pharmacy have found olive oil could be used as a preventive for Alzheimer's disease, the school reports. "In my lab, we are interested in drug discovery to find treatment, interventions and strategies that help the prevention of Alzheimer's disease," lead researcher and study principal investigator Amal Kaddoumi said. "To be able to treat it, you need to be able to target the actual cause for why the disease is happening." For 12 years, Kaddoumi and her team of researchers isolated the natural phenolic compound oleocanthal from extra virgin olive oil to understand its ability to enhance and repair the blood brain barrier, a protective layer ensuring waste from beta amyloid plaques not deteriorate the brain, the study principal investigator said. "Knowing this important information, we established a high throughput screening essay," Kaddoumi said. "It mimics the blood brain barrier. We screened thousands of compounds for their ability to enhance the functionality of this cell-based blood brain barrier. We isolated oleocanthal from extra virgin olive oil and started research right away in animal studies." |
| $1 million gift to UGA law school will fund student scholarships | |
 | Thanks to a $1 million gift, law students who have demonstrated success in the face of challenging circumstances will have assistance as they earn their law degrees from the University of Georgia School of Law. The Brian and Kim Cain Family Scholarship Fund, established by 1987 alumnus Brian P. Cain and his wife, Kim McLemore Cain, will offer two full scholarships for students who have overcome significant hardships while on their journey to law school. The Cains said they were pleased to create this scholarship to provide financial support for UGA law students, noting the scholarship honors their parents, who valued hard work, higher education and faith and set a lifelong example of service and philanthropy. |
| Kamala Harris pledges more money for HBCUs, if elected president | |
 | Sen. Kamala D. Harris on Friday pledged as president to invest more than $70 billion in historically black colleges and universities and minority small businesses, a plan she says will help close the "opportunity gap" that exists between people of color and white counterparts pursuing similar professional opportunities. The plan is yet another in a growing list of Harris policy proposals geared directly toward African American and other minority communities that her campaign is now referring to as her "black agenda." Her most recent plan calls for investment in a variety of areas, including $2.5 billion to HBCUs that train teachers and $60 billion in federal investment for science and mathematics training at those colleges, including a $50 billion competitive grant that can be used to fund scholarships or purchase expensive resources. According to the Department of Education, 27 percent of all African Americans graduating with STEM degrees come from HBCUs, though HBCUs make up just three percent of all colleges and universities. |
| New paper makes the case for paying more attention to pretenure faculty members' emotions | |
 | Academics might be known for their intellect, but they have emotions, too -- and those emotions matter, according to a new paper on the pretenure faculty experience. The mixed-method study, published in The Review of Higher Education, looked at assistant professors' emotions regarding teaching and research, including their frequency, precursors and relationships with perceived success. It found that teaching was much more associated with positive emotions. Research, meanwhile, was associated with more negative feelings. Why do faculty emotions matter? There's a divide between qualitative research that consistently identifies certain factors -- namely clear expectations for promotion and tenure, collegiality and balance between work and home -- as important to faculty success, the paper says, and other quantitative research suggesting that those factors actually have limited influence. |
| Trump administration releases details on fetal tissue restrictions | |
| The National Institutes of Health on Friday detailed how President Donald Trump's administration will implement restrictions it announced in June on the use of human fetal tissue in research. For some researchers, the announcement brings relief: The policy doesn't kick in immediately, meaning grant applications already in the pipeline at NIH won't be affected. But starting in late September, scientists applying for grants will need to explain in detail why they need to use fetal tissue and how it will be obtained. And young investigators supported by training awards will be barred from using fetal tissue altogether. The new paperwork requirements, along with a new, lengthy ethics review, raise worries that many investigators will fail to land grants that rely on fetal tissue---and others won't even try to win them. "With these rules, it's not impossible" to do fetal tissue research with NIH support, says Lawrence Goldstein, a stem cell neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego, "but it's going to be very problematic." |
| Tate Reeves finally debates Republican opponents | |
 | Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: Well, they debated this one time. The Republican governor candidates that is. Bill Waller looked the most gubernatorial but was the least glib. Tate Reeves still looked boyish but was the most glib. Robert Foster looked confident and scored with his comments. Reeves poked on Waller. Foster poked on Reeves. Waller, for the most part, poked at impersonal not-good-enough state performance. Foster said bad tax structure and lack of vocational education in high schools are the main things holding back Mississippi's economy. Waller said Mississippi's economy can do a lot better if infrastructure, education, and healthcare needs are addressed. Reeves said we're doing pretty good but need to keep liberals at bay and continue to cut taxes and regulations. |
| Not all statistics back up Tate Reeves' bold claim about state economy | |
| Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, vying to win the Aug. 6 Republican primary for governor, made a bold claim during Tuesday's televised debate. "Our economy is growing faster today than any time in our state's history," Reeves proclaimed Tuesday during the debate that included all three Republican candidates for governor. Reeves has made similar pronouncements in the past. It is a key to his campaign. ... The Tuesday debate highlighted what has developed as the defining issue of this year's gubernatorial election -- how well is the state actually doing economically. ... If Reeves successfully makes the strong economy argument against Foster and Waller and wins the Aug. 6 primary, he will have an opportunity to make the argument again in the November general election against a Democrat -- most likely Attorney General Jim Hood. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State Alum Erica Bougard Claims U.S. Heptathlon Title | |
| Mississippi State's school record holder in the heptathlon, Erica Bougard, won the USATF Championship in the event on Sunday evening. Trailing by just 66 points entering the final event, Bougard needed to run at least four and a half seconds faster than former Georgia star Kendell Williams to pass her for the overall lead. Bougard led from the gun and won her heat handedly. She finished in 2:12.41, second to Kansas State's Lauren Taubert but eight and a half seconds ahead of Williams. State's star won the overall event by 53 points to earn a spot on Team USA for the IAAF World Championships. She will join current Bulldog Anderson Peters in Dohar, Qatar in September when Peters throws the javelin for Grenada. Bougard finished second in every event she competed in on Sunday on her way to victory. She led the heptathlon after the first day of competition with 3,937 pts thanks to three individual event wins. She set a personal best in the 100m hurdles on Saturday, crossing the line in 12.78. |
| Mississippi State Alum Brandon McBride Edges State's Marco Arop for Canadian Title | |
| Mississippi State shone brightly at the Athletics Canada Championships for the second year in a row with Bulldogs dominating the men's 800m. A day after he ran the top qualifying time in the semifinals, State's Marco Arop finished second to MSU alum Brandon McBride for the Canadian title. Arop finished in 1:46.93, while McBride crossed the line in 1:44.63. Both hold qualifying times for the IAAF World Championships from earlier this season. McBride broke the Canadian outdoor record, while Arop set the nation's indoor record in 2019. The pair will be eligible to represent their country at the World Championships along with MSU's Anderson Peters who will throw the javelin for Grenada. |
| Talking about Tommy: MSU players discuss the Bulldogs' new quarterback | |
| Graduate transfer quarterback Tommy Stevens has yet to record an official pass at Mississippi State. In fact, the one-time Penn State signal caller hasn't even made a throw in front of MSU coaches since his arrival in Starkville due to NCAA regulations on offseason practices. But that hasn't stopped Stevens from making an early impression on teammates. "He has the perfect mentality for Mississippi State," senior tight end and Stevens' roommate Farrod Green said. "Hard nosed, ready to work and he's just a natural-born leader and guys respect that." Defensively, junior linebacker and captain Erroll Thompson has gotten a chance to run 7-on-7 drills with Stevens during the offseason. As noted, no coaches could watch the practice sessions due to NCAA rules, but Thompson has been impressed with his leadership qualities on and off the field. "(Tommy)'s looking good," he said. "He's killing the workouts. He's doing everything everyone is expecting him to do. He's a natural-born leader. He's been great so far." |
| MSU women's basketball announces nonconference schedule | |
| The Mississippi State women's basketball team has announced its nonconference schedule for the 2019 season. The Bulldogs will take on power five programs Marquette and West Virginia while also participating in the Vancouver Showcase and Duel in the Desert in Las Vegas. The West Virginia contest is a part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Other notable opponents include in-state foes Jackson State and Southern Miss. The Bulldogs will open the season Nov. 4 with an exhibition against Lubbock Christian. The season opener against USM is scheduled for Nov. 9. MSU comes into the year following its third-straight Elite Eight appearance and an SEC regular season and tournament title. |
| Former Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill reflects on life before, after NCAA trial | |
| When he squared off against opponents on the gridiron, Jackie Sherrill carried with him an unmistakable swagger and confidence. In one particularly noteworthy occasion, the former Mississippi State University head football coach had a bull castrated in front of his team before they took the field against the Texas Longhorns. The coach at the time called it an educational and motivational moment. The Bulldogs went on to beat Texas 28-10. The Longhorns, their mascot a longhorn steer, was one of the coach's biggest nemeses dating back to his head coaching days at Texas A & M. The bravado over the years served Sherrill, the longest-running coach in MSU football history, well. Until it didn't. In 2003, the NCAA, with some help from an Ole Miss booster, publicly accused Sherrill of several recruitment violations. He never coached again. Since then, Sherrill has wondered what more he could have achieved if he wasn't "forced" out of the game he loves. But he told the Clarion Ledger this week he has also found some peace with the work he continues to do today. |
| Keith Carter, John Cohen headline Bigger Than Ball event | |
| Keith Carter and John Cohen are on board with Will Lowrey's "anti-sports culture" concept. Carter and Cohen -- athletics directors for Ole Miss and Mississippi State, respectively -- will be among the featured speakers at Wednesday's inaugural Bigger Than Ball Meeting at Blue Mountain College. The event was organized by Lowrey, AD at Blue Mountain and founder of the Bigger Than Ball Foundation. The purpose of the foundation is to encourage coaches to focus on their impact beyond the field of play. "This message, it's basically anti-sports culture," Lowrey said. "Our normal sports culture is all about the win. We're doing it for coaches, athletes, and even fans on all levels in all sports. "We think everyone can benefit from the message." The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. until noon in Blue Mountain College's administration building. It's free to attend, and anyone interested in going can register at biggerthanball.com. Cohen will kick off the day's speaking at 9 a.m. He'll be followed by Delta State AD Mike Kinnison, then Southern Miss AD Jeremy McClain. Carter will wrap it up. |
| Hunting deer in Mississippi's south Delta may be suspended this season | |
| Mississippi's south Delta has been flooded for most of the year and that has taken its toll on wildlife. Pictures of dead and emaciated deer have been seen untold times on social media and people are concerned about the condition and size of the herd. In response, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks is polling hunters who hunt the area and options in the poll about the coming deer season range from no change in the season to no season at all. "There's been a lot of chatter about if deer season would be closed or altered for months now," said MDWFP Chief of Staff, Wildlife Russ Walsh. "This was an effort to gather from people in that region what their thoughts are on this season." The online poll asks hunters if they feel there has been a significant reduction in the region's deer population and also asks if they feel the season should remain the same, be shortened in increments of months or have no season at all. While public opinion will be a factor in the decision-making process, Walsh said there are other variables. |
| Tommy Tuberville on recruiting vs. campaigning and sleeping in his truck | |
 | Tommy Tuberville might be new to campaigning, but he is no stranger to what it takes to sell your agenda to potential voters. Tuberville is seeking the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Doug Jones. In his former life, he was the former football coach at Auburn, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Cincinnati and others. There are few differences between selling your program to a potential recruit and selling your platform to potential voters. "Since I announced, it has been January and February of major college football every day," Tuberville said late last week. "In football, you go to see players, fly around to talk to players. You do all these things. This is January and February of college recruiting every week for me." In April, Tuberville announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate. Since then, he said, it has been non-stop. "It's about selling yourself," Tuberville said. "I have shaken thousands of hands. You can't do this unless you love people." If there is anything that may have surprised him, he said, it was the reasons for fund raising. |
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