| Friday, September 6, 2013 |
| Gameday reminders for Mississippi State fans | |
 | Mississippi State University continues to provide a safe and fan-friendly game day experience this Saturday as the Bulldogs kickoff against Alcorn State University at 2:30 p.m. in Davis Wade Stadium. "In the midst of the outstanding upgrades being made in and around Davis Wade Stadium, our hope is to foster an inviting atmosphere on game day and lessen any chance of frustration for our fans and friends attending the game," said Amy Tuck, MSU's vice president for campus services and Game Day Committee chair. "We're going to need the continued cooperation of all our fans." |
| MSU Gameday Reminders | |
 | Mississippi State University continues to provide a safe and fan-friendly game day experience this Saturday as the Bulldogs kickoff against Alcorn State University at 2:30 p.m. in Davis Wade Stadium. With record fan attendance expected this season for MSU home football games and with the continued stadium construction, the university's Game Day Committee wants to remind fans of some guidelines that can help ensure a positive environment. |
| Mississippi State assigns areas for commercial tailgate operators | |
 | Mississippi State's Bulldogs will have their first home game this weekend, meaning the campus can expect some chaos over the next two days. When MSU faces off against Alcorn State Saturday afternoon, there will be thousands of fans on campus in a sea of maroon and white tailgate tents. Over the summer, the school's Special Events and Game Day Operations Committee approved a change to its first-come, first-served policy for tailgate spots rule, and now requiring any commercial tailgate company to set up in one of two designated areas. Though the university has received a few complaints and inquiries about the policy change, most of the responses have been very positive from the vast majority of our fan base, said Sid Salter, director of University Relations at MSU. The change comes as Mississippi State continues to look at complaints from some fans about commercial tailgates taking over some of their long-held spots. |
| Green Zone program helps student veterans at Mississippi State | |
 | Mississippi State University's Green Zone initiative completed its fall semester's training program for faculty and staff to become mentors to student veterans. The Green Zone is a program Mississippi State kicked off in the fall of 2012 and is funded through a grant by the Aurora Foundation. There are seven Green Zone programs in the nation, and each initiative hopes to increase retention and graduation rates among student veterans by offering support for the veterans as they transition to college. |
| Renowned chemical engineering professor dies Tuesday | |
 | On Tuesday, longtime Mississippi State University professor Rebecca Toghiani passed away after serving the university for 24 years as a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering. Jason Keith, professor and director of the Department of Chemical Engineering, said in an email that Toghiani mentored students both in chemical engineering and in life. "Becky's class was never the easiest, yet it was highly rated among our students," Keith said. "She served the department, college and the university with passion." Keith said Toghiani's research greatly furthered the mission of the School of Chemical Engineering. Toghiani's visitation will be Friday from 4-7 p.m. at the Welch Funeral Home, as well as Saturday from 9-10 a.m. followed by a 10 a.m. service at First United Methodist Church in Starkville. |
| David Smith tapped for U.S. Agriculture Secretary's Advisory Committee on Animal Health | |
 | Dr. David Smith, an epidemiologist at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, has been selected to serve on the U.S. Agriculture Secretary's Advisory Committee on Animal Health. Smith, who is the first Dr. P. Mikell and Mary Cheek Hall Davis Endowed Professor of Beef Cattle Health and Reproduction at MSU-CVM, will serve on the national committee through August 2014. Smith and other committee members will lead dialogue on livestock economies and public health concerns. He will provide perspective and feedback on U.S. Department of Agriculture strategies, polices, and animal health disease eradication programs. |
| Large turnout for Tennessee cotton field day | |
 | Organizers of the 2013 UT Cotton Tour were hoping they would get a crowd somewhere close to last year's attendance of 100. So when 170 farmers and industry representatives registered for the event in Jackson, Tenn., Sept. 4, they were pleased. Darrin Dodds, Extension cotton specialist at Mississippi State University, told the audience he had hoped more cotton would be planted in his state when corn seeding was delayed last spring. But the cold temperatures and rain continued into the traditional cotton planting window and many of those acres went into soybeans. Dodds participated in the field tour because the University of Tennessee is currently without a cotton specialist. |
| White Construction of Ridgeland promotes Tracy B. Bailey | |
| Tracy B. Bailey has been promoted to director of preconstruction services for White Construction's Ridgeland headquarters. Bailey has 30 years of experience in the construction industry, having been involved in the construction industry since 1983. He joined the White Construction staff as a project manager in 2007. Bailey earned his A.D. from Copiah-Lincoln Community College and a B.S. degree from Mississippi State University. |
| Synergetics hires Angela Harris | |
| Angela Harris has joined Synergetics Diversified Computer Services as an Inside sales account manager. Harris, a native of Corinth, is a 2013 graduate of Mississippi State University where she earned her master's degree in public policy administration and a bachelor's in communication. She previously worked as a graduate teaching assistant at Mississippi State. |
| Police make arrest in exotic animals case | |
| The Starkville Police Department says a man is now behind bars in connection with an exotic animals investigation. According to investigators, police arrested Huyanh Ralph Tran, 35, on Thursday. Tran resides in Starkville on Park Avenue, where a search warrant was issued on Aug. 28. Tran turned himself in after two misdemeanor arrest warrants were issued charging him with violating public nuisance and safety as well as operating a commercial business in a residential area. Tran has complied with instructions made by police in the removal of the animals. |
| Vet student accused in exotic animals case released from jail | |
 | A Mississippi State University veterinary student accused of breeding exotic animals inside his home is out of jail. Ralph Tran, 35, surrendered to Starkville police and posted bond this week, authorities said. Several of Tran's neighbors complained to police of loud noises, which led to the discovery of what police said looked like a jungle in Tran's living room, authorities said. Tran is charged with violating public nuisance and operating a commercial business in a residential area. |
| Exotic animal suspect arrested | |
| Starkville Police Department reported an arrest in the aftermath of last week's discovery of an exotic animal breeding farm in a Starkville subdivision. Police arrested Huyanh Ralph Tran, 35, a veterinary student at Mississippi State University, on Wednesday for violating the city's public nuisance and safety ordinance as well as operating a commercial business in a residential area. |
| American Made in Mississippi: Lazy Magnolia beer, and now wine | |
 | Specialty beers are cooking at Lazy Magnolia in Hancock County. This is Mississippi's oldest packaging brewery. "That means we've been in business for nine years. We're the trail blazers for the craft beer industry in Mississippi," said co-owner Leslie Henderson. In the world of micro breweries, Lazy Magnolia has put Mississippi on the map. Leslie Henderson said this gourmet beer is being shipped around the South. The company has embarked on a new adventure: Mississippi Nectar. It's Lazy Magnolia's first wine made from local honey, and available now at the brewery. "We're a native winery. We did this because we're passionate about Mississippi ingredients and there is a lot of honey made in the state," Henderson said. |
| Delegation still wary of strikes against Syria | |
 | Northeast Mississippi's congressional delegation so far has declined support for any U.S. military strike against Syria. President Barack Obama has said he is considering how to strike Syria in response to the Assad regime's apparent deadly use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians, including children. Use of chemical weapons has been condemned in international law for 90 years. U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker and Thad Cochran have said they want more information about what Obama proposes, and Rep. Alan Nunnelee said the president has yet to make a compelling case for an airstrike. |
| Mississippi to set up business health insurance market | |
| Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney plans to move ahead with a health insurance exchange for small businesses after federal officials approved regulations to allow the move. The Department of Health and Human Services had proposed a rule that would have barred states that didn't run an individual marketplace from setting up a separate exchange for businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Chaney fought for Mississippi to run the individual marketplace as well. But his effort was blocked by Gov. Phil Bryant, a fellow Republican, who opposes participation in the federal health overhaul known as the Affordable Care Act. As a result, the federal government will run Mississippi's individual market when enrollment begins Oct. 1. |
| John Hampton Stennis, son of senator, dies at 78 | |
| John Hampton Stennis, the only son of late U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis, has died at 78. Kim Perrett, a spokeswoman for the Jones Walker law firm, confirmed Stennis died Thursday morning. Stennis was a partner in a law firm -- Watkins Ludlam Winter & Stennis -- that merged with Jones Walker in 2011. Besides his legal career, Stennis served in the state House of Representatives from 1969 to 1984. He lost a congressional race in 1978 to Republican John Hinson. His father served 41 years in the U.S. Senate, dying in 1995. |
| Stennis' son dead at 78; ex-lawmaker praised as 'statesman' | |
| Former state Rep. John Hampton Stennis, the 78-year-old son of the late U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis, died Thursday after weeks of declining health. "He was a statesman," said former state Supreme Court Justice Fred Banks, who served in the Mississippi House with him. "He will be missed." Stennis served in the state House from 1969 to 1983. During his time, he served as chairman of both the Banking Committee and the Judiciary "A" Committee. "He had one of the brightest minds of anybody I ever knew," said former Gov. William Winter, who worked in the law firm with him. Winter recalled meeting him when the elder Stennis won the 1947 race for the Senate, replacing Theodore Bilbo, who had died of mouth cancer. Historians generally regard Bilbo as one of the worst senators in U.S. history, while Stennis is generally regarded as one of the best from Mississippi. |
| Mississippi Power: Grant rate hike, then we'll eat extra costs for Kemper plant | |
| Mississippi Power Co. CEO Ed Holland said Thursday that if a 22 percent rate hike is approved to pay for its Kemper County power plant, the company won't try to hit up customers for more, and shareholders will eat hundreds of millions in cost overruns. But plant opponents guffawed at this. They said they don't believe any of the company's projections, and drastic power bill increases for years to come are likely to pay for the plant, the costs of which have risen from a projected $2.4 billion to at least $4.7 billion as it nears completion, expected next May. Mississippi Sierra Club director Louie Miller said: "And pigs can fly. I don't believe a word they say because everything they've said has proven to be untrue ... Unless they use Enron accounting, there's no way a 22 percent increase is covering the interest on it, with 189,000 customers. They are simply not telling the truth, again." |
| Economy adds 169,000 jobs, unemployment falls to 7.3 percent | |
 | The U.S. economy added a disappointing 169,000 jobs in August while the unemployment rate dropped to 7.3 percent, further complicating the Federal Reserve's decision to taper its massive monetary stimulus later this month. The drop in unemployment was mostly due to 312,000 fewer people in the workforce. The participation rate fell to 63.2 percent, the lowest level in 35 years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Adding to the bad news were revisions for the prior two months that show that the economy added 74,000 fewer jobs in June and July. |
| Farmers want Obama to back off immigration workplace enforcement | |
 | Farmers' congressional allies are pressuring the Obama administration to ease up on some immigration work-site enforcement, underscoring a conflict at the heart of a broad-based immigration bill. This week, spurred by complaints from farmers in California's Central Valley, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein publicly urged the Department of Homeland Security to "redirect" immigration enforcement efforts toward "serious violent crimes" instead of "legitimate agricultural employers and their workers." Worksite monitoring has definitely heated up. In 2008, the last year of the George W. Bush administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents audited 503 companies nationwide for employee eligibility. Last year, ICE agents conducted more than 3,000 such audits. |
| N.S.A. Foils Much Internet Encryption | |
 | The National Security Agency is winning its long-running secret war on encryption, using supercomputers, technical trickery, court orders and behind-the-scenes persuasion to undermine the major tools protecting the privacy of everyday communications in the Internet age, according to newly disclosed documents. The agency has circumvented or cracked much of the encryption, or digital scrambling, that guards global commerce and banking systems, protects sensitive data like trade secrets and medical records, and automatically secures the e-mails, Web searches, Internet chats and phone calls of Americans and others around the world, the documents show. |
| Corinth native Palmer recognized by Geographic Alliance for global insight | |
| John N. Palmer, a Corinth native and successful businessman, said Thursday that living as a global citizen brings an understanding and a call to service – much as living a spiritual life does. "We become more sensitive to differences and learn to respect them," said Palmer, who was honored at a luncheon in Jackson by the Mississippi Geographic Alliance for his visionary leadership. Palmer, who was ambassador to Portugal under the administration of George W. Bush, has been successful in many business ventures, such as CEP of Jackson-based Sky Tel, which was a national leader in the telecommunications industry. The National Geographic Alliance is housed at the University of Mississippi. |
| Pregame adjustments: Ole Miss limiting game-day parking | |
| Saturday marks the first home game for the Ole Miss Rebels and a big change regarding game-day parking. In previous years, parking for football games was on a first-come, first-served basis; now the only ones allowed to park on campus during home games will be those who live in residence halls, including fraternity and sorority houses, and fans who have a season parking pass. The new policy comes on the heels of parking frustrations during some of last year's most-attended games. |
| Andy's Restaurant Scorecard: When The Levee breaks, plus scores | |
 | What's missing at The Levee isn't just the men's room sink. What's missing is any respect for private property. The college students who lack that respect cost the Oxford establishment dearly in its latest health inspection. Operating partner Griffin Tanner said The Levee would have earned a "B" if some rowdy Rebels hadn't ripped the sink right out of the men's room. "Our bathroom sink has actually been destroyed," he said. He said the very morning after Hotty Toddy went rowdy on the sink, the health inspector showed up, of course. He said The Levee suffers $500 a month in damages by rowdy customers, especially during Ole Miss football weekends. |
| 10 years in, Bomgar plans to hit the road; Mississippi tech firm sets college campus tour | |
| A Mississippi company is taking its product and its success story on the road over the next seven weeks, stopping at dozens of colleges and businesses to show off why it's consistently ranked as one of the fastest-growing companies in the nation. But the first college on the tour is one close to the company founder's heart. In 2003, Joel Bomgar was a student at Belhaven University, working in tech support to help pay for school. Now he is the CEO of Bomgar, a remote tech support company he founded that has thousands of clients in more than 60 countries. But the successful, home-grown businessman still remembers how his journey started. |
| Mississippi College student athlete dies | |
 | A Mississippi College softball and soccer player died at the Central Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson Wednesday evening. According to a press release from the college, Ashley Greenway, 20, was rushed to the emergency room after becoming ill in her residence hall room. The cause of her death is unknown at this time. An autopsy will be performed. Greenway was a nursing major and in her junior year. She was a two-year player on the Lady Choctaws softball and soccer teams. According to the Mississippi College website, Greenway was from Southaven and went to Southaven High School. |
| U. of Florida withstands impact of federal research cutbacks | |
 | A 30 percent boost in research grants from private industry nearly made up for a drop in federal funding last year, leaving the University of Florida's research community relatively unscathed. UF received $640 million in research grants for the 12-month cycle ending June 30, according to the Office of Research, down about $4 million from the previous year, or about six-tenths of a percent less. A closer look, however, shows that the biggest loss among federal funding sources came from UF's largest sponsor, the National Institutes of Health. Funding to UF from the NIH dropped 7.1 percent -- from $160 million to $149 million. UF has, for the most part, been spared the impact of sequestration because of the talent and stature of its faculty, said David Norton, UF's vice president for research. |
| Gators hoping to soar -- for a second -- at Flugtag event | |
| Gators can't fly, but a University of Florida team hopes to prove soon that they can stay aloft for a few precious moments in a homemade flying machine. The Gator Aviators, a team of five UF students, is creating a human-powered glider for the National Red Bull Flugtag Day competition in Miami on Sept. 21. The event, which officials say drew 80,000 spectators to Miami last year, involves four-member crews pushing their makeshift crafts off a 30-foot ramp above Biscayne Bay. Max Famiglietti, 22, won the coveted role of the Gator Aviators pilot for one simple reason: He weighs less than any of his teammates. The mechanical engineering major at UF said he has no flying experience but has been watching videos of last year's Flugtag event to prepare. |
| A&M System Chancellor John Sharp announces approval of Aggie Highway extension | |
 | The Aggie Highway is one step closer to being a reality. Texas A&M University Chancellor John Sharp announced Thursday that the Texas Transportation Commission has approved the part of the 2014 Unified Transportation Plan that will enable the construction of a portion of the project. The TTC authorized $293 million for use in the project development and construction. The Highway 249 extension from Houston to Navasota, dubbed the "Aggie Highway," has been proposed since 1998. Texas A&M officials are excited about the connectivity to the large alumni base in Houston and said that, upon completion, the commute from College Station to Houston Intercontinental Airport will take a little more than one hour. |
| U. of Missouri Press director finalists make their cases | |
 | The University of Missouri Press is a step closer to selecting a director after the three finalist candidates made campus visits over the past three weeks. Candidates include Clair Willcox, the current UM Press editor-in-chief and associate director; Leila Salisbury, director of the University Press of Mississippi; and David Rosenbaum, director of product development and project management at the American Heart Association. Each candidate had a three-day campus visit that included meetings with the provost, search committee and UM Press staff and a public forum. Salisbury said she had found her "sweet spot" at Mississippi, but it has become comfortable. "I'm a long believer in the mission of university presses, and I think this is a moment of huge opportunity with this press," Salisbury said. |
| Legislators address U. of Missouri students' concerns on tax-cut bill | |
 | State legislators and university administrators addressed MU students' concerns about a state tax-cut bill Thursday in a forum at the University of Missouri Student Center. Reps. Chris Kelly, Caleb Rowden and John Wright debated the effects House Bill 253 could have on higher education funding. Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed the bill in June, and legislators will meet next week to vote on a possible override. The bill could lead to a $692 million drop in state revenue, according to the legislative fiscal note. Educators, administrators and students across higher and lower education have mobilized against the override in recent weeks. |
| Condoleezza Rice to Speak at U. of Arkansas in March | |
 | Condoleezza Rice, the former secretary of state under President George W. Bush, will be the spring speaker in the the University of Arkansas' Distinguished Lecture Series. Rice is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. on March 5, at Barnhill Arena. The lecture is free, open to the public and no tickets are needed to attend. "The Distinguished Lecture Committee has been working for several years to bring Dr. Rice to campus," said Tyler Priest, co-chair of the committee. "Students have told us consistently that she is at the top of the list of people they want to speak here. We're very excited that this is going to happen." |
| American Heart Association gives $1.2 million to U. of Kentucky for research | |
 | The American Heart Association will give $1.2 million to the University of Kentucky for cardiovascular research, officials announced Thursday. Eight new grants will go to the UK Saha Cardiovascular Research Center to fund between one and four years of research focusing on the impact of heart disease and stroke. |
| Auburn University will host Ready Alabama Day | |
 | The 10th annual Ready Alabama Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance will be held Wednesday on the campus of Auburn University. According to a press release from state officials, Ready Alabama Day promotes citizen disaster preparedness. It is also part of the "Ready Alabama" campaign to teach Alabamians how to be informed and be ready. The event begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. Gov. Robert Bentley will take part in a program beginning at 1 p.m. |
| Colleges Worry Their Big Bills Will Keep Students Away | |
 | Maintaining strong enrollment is becoming a bigger worry for college administrators as cash-strapped families begin to balk at rising tuition bills, according to a survey by audit, tax and advisory firm KPMG LLP. The annual survey found that 37% of 103 higher-education leaders said they are "very concerned" about their ability to maintain current enrollment levels, up from 23% last year. The survey included 62 top administrators from private institutions and 41 from public ones. The economic crisis hurt many families' credit scores, and at the same time, the underwriting standards for loans have gotten tighter, said Milford McGuirt, KPMG's national audit sector leader for higher education and non-for-profits. "Families have to make tough decisions on the amount of investment and the return on investment from going to college," he said. The survey said many schools are trying to lower costs without hurting quality. |
| Brewer taps Bud Lab at U. of Illinois | |
| Belgium-based brewer Anheuser-Busch has set up a "Bud Lab" at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign as part of an effort to gain access to young engineering talent. The facility at the University's Research Park is slated to be formally opened on Friday. The Bud Lab team will focus its efforts on data analytics and research projects on various subjects, including "assortment optimization, social media and market trends," the company said in a statement. Laura Frerichs director of Research Park and economic development at the school, said the lab will provide students hands-on experience in data analysis and big data projects. She also noted that the moves gives the brewer working access to a large pool of engineers and statisticians hoping for for a career in data analytics and artificial intelligence. |
| Congressional study explores costs of and possible changes to Pell program | |
 | Proposals to do everything from slightly tweak to completely transform the Pell Grant Program have begun churning through the higher education policy world in this town, driven by the view (held by many, but not all) that the program's expanded costs warrant a reboot. A new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office does not take sides in the potentially contentious debates either over whether Pell is now too big or ineffective, or whether or how it might be reworked. But it does provide some facts about why spending on the program has grown, as well as evidence about the potential effects of some of the current proposals to change the program and some alternative methods of helping low-income students afford college. |
| Michigan State professor yanked after saying GOP 'raped' the country | |
 | A Michigan State University professor has lost his teaching duties after telling his students in a video lecture that Republicans "raped this country," among other derogatory remarks. William Penn -- a professor in the university's creative writing program -- was featured in a YouTube video in which he told students "if you go to the Republican convention in Florida, you see all of the old Republicans with the dead skin cells washing off them." On Thursday -- two days after the video's publication and a review by the campus provost -- Michigan State University officials announced that Penn's "teaching duties have been reassigned to others." "Michigan State University is committed to creating a learning environment that is characterized by mutual respect and civility where diverse ideas can be explored," university spokesman Kent Cassella said in a statement. |
| Clubgoer who died in D.C. might have used drug linked to deaths in Boston, New York | |
 | A University of Virginia sophomore who died after collapsing at a District nightclub over the weekend took a purified form of ecstasy called Molly, a drug that police in Boston and New York have linked to three deaths since last week, according to law enforcement officials familiar with the case. Authorities in New England said they are investigating whether a single batch of the synthetic drug caused the deaths and several additional overdoses by college students attending clubs or outdoor concerts marking the end of summer. Joseph Moses, a special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said the market is saturated with synthetic drugs, many coming from China, that can be bought online. "Molly for years has been the generally accepted street name for ecstasy," Moses said. "In the past, if you ordered up Molly, you got ecstasy. That's no longer true." |
| Public Libraries Add Multimedia Learning to Digital Mission | |
 | Gone are the days of just dusty book spines and the sounds of silence. Throughout the country, public libraries are extending their mission beyond loaner books and resources: They're providing opportunities for students to engage in digital learning opportunities aimed at making them college- and career-ready, often in partnership with schools. Finding additional financing or partners may be the easier part of the process, some say; designing relevant and engaging programming that teenagers want to voluntarily participate in is a big challenge, especially as technology evolves. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State finds success on offense with ground game | |
| Dan Mullen stood at the media podium in Houston and acknowledged the lack of shots taken down field. Outside the Mississippi State locker room in Reliant Stadium, Les Koenning echoed the sentiment. As players filed out of the stadium, they agreed with what their coach and offensive coordinator said as well. The Bulldogs' offense returned to Starkville with only a field goal to show from their Week 1 loss to Oklahoma State. And it came on the opening drive. MSU's most productive portion of the game came in the first 15 minutes. The Bulldogs (0-1) gained 148 yards of offense, including 70 rushing yards. MSU's 5.8 yards per carry during that span was its best of the game. Mississippi State wasn't too far off in the fourth quarter, when it averaged more than four yards per carry, totaling 131 yards. |
| Alcorn State 'excited' about playing in Starkville | |
| In 2009, Mississippi State became the first Southeastern Conference program to play a team from the Southwestern Athletic Conference. It just so happened to be Dan Mullen's first game as head coach of the Bulldogs. MSU won 45-7 that day over Jackson State. This weekend will mark the fourth time the Bulldogs have played a SWAC opponent, taking on Alcorn State for the second time. All four meetings against the SWAC have been against in-state Alcorn State or Jackson State, something Mullen believes is beneficial to the Magnolia State. "It's a game that's a lot of fun for both schools," Mullen said. |
| Mississippi State won't shift scheme for Prescott | |
| Throughout the week leading up to Dak Prescott's first start, Mississippi State's staff made it known the offensive scheme would remain the same. Prescott, a more mobile quarterback than first-stringer Tyler Russell, rushed for 18 yards in MSU's 21-3 loss last weekend. But in the fourth quarter alone, he attempted as many passes as Russell, who's sidelined this week while recovering from a concussion he suffered during the Bulldogs' Week 1 loss to Oklahoma State. |
| Richie Farmer to plead guilty; he could face two years in prison | |
| Former University of Kentucky basketball standout Richie Farmer will plead guilty to charges that he misused state resources during his tenure as Kentucky's agriculture commissioner and could serve about two years in prison, his attorney said Thursday. Former University of Kentucky basketball standout Richie Farmer will plead guilty to charges that he misused state resources during his tenure as Kentucky's agriculture commissioner and could serve about two years in prison, his attorney said Thursday. Prosecutors alleged that Farmer created political jobs for close friends who performed little or no work. Those employees allegedly ran personal errands for Farmer, including building a basketball court at his home in Frankfort and chauffeuring his dog, while being paid by the state. |
| Infographic: How Much Does Your Alma Mater Owe Its Top Athletes? | |
| This week's cover story in TIME makes the case that powerhouse college sports programs ought to pay the student athletes who attract millions of dollars in revenue to the school. The morality of doing so is knotty, but the math is not. The amount of money each college football or men's basketball player brings in to a major program is almost always far greater than the value of his scholarship. n March, a report coyly titled "The $6 Billion Heist" laid out these calculations for each of the 120+ schools in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision, providing figures for both football and men's basketball teams. In the following interactive, you can select any FBS school and see how this calculation plays out. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
