| Friday, November 13, 2026 |
| MSU hosts panel discussion at Southern Miss on opioids, addiction and recovery |
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| Mississippi State University's Department of Psychology partnered with Mississippi Public Broadcasting for a televised panel discussion on opioids, addiction and recovery at Southern Miss Thursday evening. The program is titled "A Light in the Dark: Opioids, Addiction and Recovery in Mississippi." Mississippi State is using opioid settlement money to address addiction through education, prevention and access to treatment. "We're doing a recording that's a panel of both those that have been touched by opioid use and abuse and also some professionals and experts talking about what the issue is and what we can do about it and just what options there are for people to help," Michael Nadorff, a professor of psychology at Mississippi State, said. The project is funded through opioid settlement money awarded to Mississippi State. The funding also helps with naloxone distribution and training. "That's part of what tonight is, really raising that awareness so that people realize why we need to distribute naloxone, why we need to have training on it, and also that treatment exists and is accessible," Nadorff said. | |
| Ballroom becomes courtroom for manslaughter appeal |
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| More than 100 people filled a ballroom in The Mill at Mississippi State University Conference Center Thursday as it was transformed into a courtroom. The Mississippi Court of Appeals visited campus in its "Courts on the Road" program to hear oral arguments on an appeal by Holmes County native Brandon Landfair, who is asking the court to overturn his 2024 conspiracy to commit murder and manslaughter convictions. A four-judge panel featuring appeals judges John Emfinger, Jack Wilson, David Neil McCarty and Amy Lassitter St. Pé heard the appeal. St. Pé said the session was the most well-attended Court on the Road she had been to in her nearly two years on the court. This was not Layla Tippens first time attending a Court on the Road session. A junior at Mississippi State University, she also observed a case last year. "It was somebody (that) wanted to build a gas station on a plot of land," Tippins said. "... It was so boring. And so this year, not that murder cases are fun, per se, but it was just more interesting to listen to." Following the hearing, all four judges provided information on their background and opened the session to questions from the audience, who could ask about anything other than Landfair's case. | |
| Bones found by dogs in Simpson County identified |
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| Bones found by dogs behind a residence on Highway 541 in Simpson County have been identified, officials said. Investigator Chris Wallace confirmed that the remains were found to belong to Stephanie Suzan Sellers, 44, whose father and stepmother live in the home where the bones were found. The Mississippi State University Anthropological Team helped identify the remains. Wallace said it appears the remains had been outdoors in the Mississippi heat for up to a month, and in spite of the fact that her family lived there, she had not been reported missing. Foul play, however, is not suspected, and charges have not been filed in the case. The State Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death undetermined. | |
| Microsoft reports progress as it works to recover email and other services in a global outage |
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| Microsoft said progress is being made in bringing its popular workplace software back online as a global outage enters its second day, disrupting business communications, police emergency calls, court operations and AI tools. The outage, which affected a wide range of Microsoft 365 services including Outlook, Teams and AI assistant Copilot, left many complaining they couldn't access their emails. Microsoft indicated that it was making some headway as it tried to restore services, in fresh updates posted Friday on social media. "We're seeing encouraging recovery progress, with service availability and email delivery performance improving across a growing portion of affected Microsoft 365 infrastructure," the company said in its latest update, as some users started reporting that their emails were restored. The Redmond, Washington-based company said it was trying different ways to identify the cause of the problem, which it flagged 18 hours earlier on Thursday, and get its servers back online, using "a measured approach to identify and repair affected infrastructure." | |
| Hancock Whitney to acquire Trustmark Bank |
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| Hancock Whitney, the second-largest bank in Louisiana, is acquiring its Mississippi-based competitor Trustmark Bank in a roughly $3.2 billion deal that will enhance the institution's position as a major regional lender in the Gulf South. The deal, announced Thursday, will grow Hancock Whitney's holdings by nearly 50%, increase its branches to 370 and expand its geographic footprint to six states, including, for the first time, Tennessee. The new combined institution will have assets of $58 billion, deposits of $48 billion and more than 6,200 employees. "By bringing together two high-performing banks with shared values, complementary capabilities and a relentless focus on client success, we create an organization that is stronger as one," John Hairston, President and CEO of Hancock Whitney, said in a prepared statement. Trustmark branches and offices will be rebranded as Hancock Whitney locations beginning in late 2027, after the deal is approved by regulators and finalized. The move will enable Hancock Whitney, based in Gulfport, to more directly compete with regional lenders like Alabama-based Regions Bank, which has $163 billion in assets, and Memphis-based First Horizon Bank, which has $84 billion in assets. Each has about half the market share in Louisiana as Hancock Whitney but are much larger lenders across the south. | |
| Tollison formally sworn in as justice of Mississippi Supreme Court |
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| Even though Amanda Jones Tollison has been working as a Mississippi Supreme Court Justice for more than two months, it wasn't until Thursday morning that family, friends and colleagues from throughout the state's legal community were able to gather inside the Lafayette County Courthouse for her formal investiture ceremony. Two Mississippi governors spoke at the event, touting just how qualified Tollison is to do her new job. Tollison was a legal advisor for former Gov. Haley Barbour in the early 2000s. Current Gov. Tate Reeves has known Tollison and her husband for more than 25 years and appointed her in August to fill the vacancy created when former Justice James D. Maxwell II of Oxford was confirmed by Congress to the federal bench. "I couldn't be more pleased to offer remarks about the newest member of the Supreme Court. No one is more qualified," Barbour said. "Amanda not only provided legal advice, she also played a key role in analyzing policy. Her contribution to my administration was very large." Barbour said Tollison, who earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Mississippi State University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law, is not only a dedicated public servant, but that her extensive experience in private practice will serve her well as she and the other justices deal with the most serious and complicated issues. | |
| Shad White outlines tax proposals, government spending priorities in Mississippi governor's race |
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| Mississippi State Auditor Shad White says he wants to cut car tag fees and grocery taxes, freeze property taxes and finish eliminating the state income tax as he campaigns for governor. In an interview with WTOK, White said he would seek to reduce what he describes as waste and corruption in state government and return the savings to working families. He said his income tax proposal would not involve raising other fees. "I'm running right now to cut the fraud and corruption from state government," White said. "Stuff that I've been finding as state auditor but haven't been able to stop because I lack the power to do that." White said families are feeling the strain of everyday costs. White did not provide a detailed cost or funding plan for his tax proposals during the WTOK interview. He also did not explain how his proposed property tax freeze would work or how much individual families might save. | |
| Mississippi's first Black senator since Reconstruction is making a statement. Just look at his sweatshirts |
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| Scott Colom is a fan of sweatshirts and hoodies. That is itself a fashion statement from Mississippi's first Black U.S. senator-elect since post-Civil War Reconstruction. But Colom, a 43-year-old Democrat, goes further with what's printed on his attire. There's nearly always a message, usually expressing pride in Mississippi and Black America. Colom stumps for Mississippi as a whole, but he also embraces its civil rights history and Black residents -- the largest proportion of the population and electorate of any U.S. state. "I'm just glad that the media is getting the opportunity to see our state," he told reporters during the post-Election Day extended ballot count. "Go out and talk to our Mississippians. They're very proud of this moment." That day he sported the distinctive "A" logo of one of Mississippi's historically Black universities. "Today, I'm proud to have my Alcorn State gear on," he said, crediting his political director, Theresa Kennedy, an Alcorn alum who'd noticed his Jackson State University sweatshirt the day before. Throughout the campaign, Colom has touted Mississippi HBCUs. But ever the egalitarian politician, Colom promised Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Southern Miss alumni and fans, "I'll get to all of y'all." | |
| The 'Greatest Political Ad' That Helped Scott Colom Win Mississippi |
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| The greatest political advertisement of all time? It might just be. Democrat Scott Colom's "pick another protein" ad is being hailed as one of the most brilliant spots ever created for a political campaign, receiving credit for his stunning triumph over Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi's closely contested Senate race. "All I did was have the courage to imagine a night like this," he told supporters at his victory rally on Wednesday night. "I had the courage to believe in Mississippi. I had the courage to understand that we can show the country that Mississippi matters." He spoke behind a sign that said "Picked Another Senator," a reference to the hugely successful ad. The race drew national attention only after Colom released a slick and funny ad in mid-October that honed in on the affordability crisis, an issue that brought down Republicans across the map in the midterms. Brian Shoup, a professor of political science at Mississippi State University, told Newsweek that the ad "helped nationalize this race in a way that brought significant viral attention to Colom's campaign." "The ad, by going viral, definitely helped his campaign attract more financial support." | |
| Meet the 27-year-old behind the protein ad that helped flip Mississippi |
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| You know you've made a good ad when it's outperforming an endorsement video from Barack Obama. Ryan Sayles, a 27-year-old Mississippi content creator, is behind arguably the best political spot of the election cycle: Democrat Scott Colom's viral "pick another protein" ad against GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. You've probably seen it by now. The ad featured Mississippi voters' blunt reactions to Hyde-Smith's suggestion that people struggling with rising beef prices choose from other protein options. Sayles was at his nephew's football game when he realized something extraordinary was happening. "I was looking at the first numbers when it first dropped, and I was like, 'Oh, this is about to be a really good video,'" he told POLITICO after Colom's historic Senate race victory in the longtime Republican stronghold. "We had the Obama endorsement the day before, so that was our biggest video. It was like, 'Dang, we ain't ever gonna top that.'" "And then this ad came, and we posted it, and it outperformed anything we ever did," Sayles said. With the ad -- and Colom's win -- Sayles has gone from a newcomer who stumbled into campaigning almost by accident to a name to watch in Democratic digital politics, as the party looks for fresh ways to reach voters ahead of 2028. | |
| Is Mississippi turning blue? |
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| Democrat Scott Colom's U.S. Senate win does not mean Mississippi has turned blue. Colom won the election over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by more than 5,500 votes. His win marks the first time a Democrat has held the seat in more than 40 years, and he's Mississippi's first Black U.S. senator since post-Civil War Reconstruction. Mississippi State University political science professor Brian Shoup said the national "blue wave" does not necessarily mean Mississippi is now a Democratic stronghold. "I don't think Mississippi's turned blue," he said. "I think that if Senator Colom and the Democratic Party in Mississippi can sustain the turnout and the coalition that they've helped to build in this specific election, you might be able to make the claim that Mississippi is turning purplish, where Democratic and Republican candidates are maybe more competitive with one another than in the past," Shoup said. Shoup said Colom won the race because he campaigned on issues that mattered to Mississippians, including the cost of living and rural health care. | |
| The significance of Colom's win in Mississippi |
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| We just heard that Scott Colom will be Mississippi's first Black senator since Reconstruction. That era was about 150 years ago, and more than a third of Mississippi's population is Black, making it even more remarkable that it took the state so long to elect a Black person to the U.S. Senate again. Let's talk about all that with Donald Shaffer, director of African American Studies at Mississippi State University. | |
| 'I Had to Have Faith': How a Democrat Defied Long Odds in Mississippi's Senate Race |
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| Barely more than a year ago, Scott Colom sat at the kitchen table at his parents' house not far from his own home in northeastern Mississippi, using his lunch breaks from his job as district attorney to call potential donors. Mississippi hadn't had a Democratic senator since the 1980s. It hadn't had a Black senator since the 1880s. But Mr. Colom made his pitch. The response, in the recollection of his mother, Dorothy Colom, was typically a one-two beat: You sound impressive. You can't win. "It was just the two of us," she said in an interview this week at her home in Columbus, Miss. "And my role was just to write down what the donors said." Now Mr. Colom, 43, is Mississippi's senator-elect -- and at the top of the list of Democrats whose unlikely wins in the midterm elections reordered the balance of power in Washington and scrambled longstanding preconceptions about who can win where. "It was good that it didn't get attention too early," he told The New York Times during the waning days of the campaign. "It made me earn it." | |
| Trump praises Democrat Scott Colom for showing up to Mississippi rally and courting MAGA supporters |
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| President Donald Trump on Thursday heaped praise on Mississippi's Sen.-elect Scott Colom for courting some of his hardcore MAGA supporters in the final days of the midterm election campaign, a rare example of the Republican president showing admiration for a Democrat. When the president traveled to Corinth, Mississippi, last month to campaign for incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, Trump denigrated Colom as a "Marxist radical," a "fake" and a "shameless phony who pretends to be a moderate." But on Thursday, during an appearance on Stephen A. Smith's "Straight Shooter" podcast, Trump acknowledged that Colom demonstrated chutzpah by showing up to the Trump rally to mingle with some of the Republican president's staunchest "Make America Great Again" supporters. "I heard it the other day, where I had a rally there, and we had lines that went 10 miles long, and he campaigned on that line, telling everybody on the line what a good job he did," Trump said of Colom, a 43-year-old local prosecutor who capitalized on the electorate's discontent with the economy in his successful underdog campaign. "I give him a lot of credit for that." | |
| Black voting advocates in the South say the midterm surge was not just a 'blue wave' |
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| States across the Deep South, a region steeped in a legacy of racially-based voter suppression, reported high and in some cases historic Black voter turnout for the Nov. 3 election, contributing to the Democratic takeover of the next Congress. But advocates who worked to ensure all voices were heard on Election Day say this strong showing should not only be labeled as part of the "blue wave." Rather, they see it as the fruit of a decades-long effort to boost Black voter access. "If your analysis on what happened Tuesday is that this is a mandate against Trump, I think it's a bit lazy. Dig deeper," said Charles Taylor, executive director of the Mississippi NAACP. "... Because this is not just about Trump. This is about years in the making." Taylor and four other voting rights activists from the South spoke with reporters in a video conference Thursday, a day after the Associated Press declared Democrat Scott Colom the winner of Mississippi's U.S. Senate race over Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Jace Woodrum, executive director of the South Carolina ACLU, said the Election Day results in his state reflect years of frustration from Black voters. Earlier this year, they fought to block an attempt from Republicans to take away one of the state's two majority-Black U.S. House districts out of its seven seats. South Carolina reported its highest Black voter turnout for a midterm election, with a 29% increase from 2022. | |
| Chris Van Hollen says he will challenge Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader |
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| Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland has announced he will challenge New York's Chuck Schumer for the job of Senate majority leader, pushing the party into a fresh debate over its future just days after sweeping victories in the midterm elections. Van Hollen made the announcement on Thursday, saying voters sent a clear message in the midterms -- that they want "change from the status quo." "It's now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership," Van Hollen said in a statement. "This is not about any one person -- it's about answering the call of the American people. That is why I'm running for Senate Majority Leader." Van Hollen, 67, was elected to the Senate in 2016 after spending more than a decade in the House representing a Maryland suburb outside of Washington, D.C. One of his party's more progressive members, he gained national attention last year lobbying for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia after he was wrongfully deported to a prison in El Salvador. His announcement comes at a moment when progressive activists, as well as some Democratic lawmakers, are calling for Schumer, 75, to be replaced as party leader. | |
| Congress's newest members don't post like politicians -- yet |
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| Almost no one thought Tennessee congressional candidate Victoria Broderick, who raised less than $100,000, would unseat longtime Republican incumbent Scott DesJarlais -- including, apparently, Victoria Broderick. Weeks before the election she was posting videos of herself dancing, whether to celebrate her primary win or to encourage people to vote. In true millennial fashion, on Halloween, she posted a filtered selfie video with a spooky song that got about 100 likes. When the election was called, she broke down in tears; it was, of course, caught on video, then posted to TikTok. The shock in the room is palpable, even through video. Now she's here in Washington, standing on the steps of the Capitol with her fellow congressional freshmen, in the shadow of a building meant to symbolize power, history, grandeur and decorum. "Class photo fun!" her video's caption reads. She's spinning, smiling and, by posting to Instagram, answering the question of whether her social media posts will take on new polish as she assumes office. No chance, she says -- it was her online persona that helped her get here. Congress's incoming Democrats have been posting through their culture shock this week, dispatching a stream of selfies, hashtags, videos and emojis to their soon-to-be constituents. Those earnest expressions of excitement set them apart from the overly curated, often irony-poisoned online politics of longtime Hill colleagues. | |
| Stephen Miller landed his dream job. How far can he push Trump's executive power? |
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| Since Stephen Miller was a teenager, he has built a reputation as a hard-liner on immigration. "Everyone and their parents should speak English -- or get out of the country," Mr. Miller used to say at California's Santa Monica High in the early 2000s, recalled his classmate Kesha Ram -- daughter of an Indian immigrant -- in an interview with the Monitor in 2019. Today, Mr. Miller is President Donald Trump's right-hand man, newly promoted as White House chief of staff in place of the more low-key Susie Wiles. His remit is broad, covering both policy and politics. On policy, he's tasked with carrying out the president's "America First" agenda on immigration, tariffs, foreign policy, and cutting the federal workforce. Politically, Mr. Miller is reportedly focused on rebuilding the MAGA brand, after the midterm election rout, and bringing working-class voters, including men and Black and Latino voters, back into the fold. But he remains best known as the architect of Mr. Trump's aggressive actions on immigration in his first and second terms, involving mass deportations, family separation, and raids by federal officers that, at times, turned deadly. The appointment of Mr. Miller is "Trump doubling down," says John Kenneth White, a professor emeritus of politics at Catholic University. "This is a pattern with him when he has lost financially or he's lost politically, as in 2020." | |
| Trump Officials Carry Out an 'Unprecedented' Shakeup of USDA Leadership |
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| The Trump administration has implemented a sweeping purge of the federal government's state-level agriculture officials after a clash between political leadership and top career staff. The Agriculture Department has reassigned or detailed out six of the Natural Resources Conservation Service's state conservationists in recent weeks, according to seven people familiar with the changes and internal communications viewed by The Washington Sun, creating a shakeup that current and former employees said the agency never previously experienced. The bulk of the changes were precipitated by an unusually testy meeting in which Trump administration political appointees castigated USDA's state leaders -- already grappling with severe staffing shortages -- for failing to meet farmers' needs, heightened because of President Donald Trump's tariffs and the Iran war. NRCS Chief Colton Buckley told the top career leaders that they had to get funding out the door more quickly, according to two people familiar with the exchange, before yelling and cursing at the staff. The state conservationists, who typically oversee dozens of field offices that help connect farmers and ranchers to financial and technical assistance, pleaded with Buckley to recognize the Trump administration's repeated efforts to trim the federal workforce had left them without the capacity necessary to meet his requests. "This is unprecedented in NRCS history," one employee said of the shakeup. "Trump's tariffs hurt the farmers. [His workforce-reduction efforts] hurt the farmers, and career employees are being punished after being placed in a compromised position." | |
| New USDA proposal moves to kick millions from SNAP |
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| A new proposal from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would kick millions of people from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by tightening eligibility requirements. The proposal moves to raise the threshold families must meet to qualify for the government assistance program in order to "preserve benefits for the truly needy." According to the proposal, it would end "broad-based categorical eligibility" for SNAP, which allowed for families to qualify for the program if they qualified for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) without needing to show proof they met federal income thresholds. Generally, TANF eligibility is 130 to 200 percent higher than the federal poverty level, while SNAP qualification is 130 percent. The USDA estimated that approximately 17.6 percent of SNAP participants would lose their benefits -- representing 3.2 million households or 6.3 million individuals -- in the proposed rule's first year in effect. Outgoing Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), ranking member on the House Agriculture Committee, said in a statement that the proposed rule was "heartless and cruel." | |
| Ole Miss Chancellor responds to video backlash |
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| Ole Miss' Chancellor released a statement following the video of two women making monkey noises outside an apartment of black students. In a statement, Chancellor Glenn Boyce said, "The University of Mississippi is an enduring community of welcoming and compassionate faculty, staff, and students whose contributions and commitment to our mission and to one another reflect the very best of who we are." Boyce goes on to say, "Unequivocally, we denounce and condemn actions, whether from inside or outside of our campus, that disparage people because of an aspect of their identity." | |
| Southern Miss to host 23rd annual Powwow |
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| The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) will host its 23rd annual Southern Miss Powwow on November 21, 2026, at Hinton Park in Petal. The event is free and open to the public, bringing together Native American communities and visitors for a day of traditional dance, music and cultural celebration. Organized by the Golden Eagle Intertribal Society (GEIS) and the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Professional Development, the Powwow provides an opportunity to experience and learn about Native American cultures and traditions. "Although powwows are not traditional to the Southeast, they do offer opportunities to gather, socialize with one another, pass on traditions, tell our Southeastern stories and be a hub for Southeastern Native gatherings," said Dr. Tammy Greer, faculty adviser for GEIS and associate professor in the School of Psychology. | |
| MSMS students evacuate dorms after carbon monoxide leak |
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| A carbon monoxide leak in Goen Hall Thursday morning led to an early-morning evacuation of more than 100 Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science students. The building's carbon monoxide alarm went off at about 4:30 a.m. Thursday in the hall used by MSMS's 112 female students, said Caleb Youngblood, MSMS public relations coordinator. The students were immediately evacuated and taken to Hogarth Dining Hall, while Mississippi University for Women and MSMS maintenance staff helped Columbus Fire and Rescue and Atmos Energy personnel clear the building and assess the leak. Youngblood said maintenance crews gave the all-clear about two hours later for students to return to their dorm rooms. | |
| LSU and Meta AI partner on five projects across LSU's campuses, using AI to tackle healthcare challenges |
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| LSU recently joined Meta's open science efforts, receiving five artificial intelligence-powered health projects across the state, with $300,000 in financial support from Meta, according to an LSU press release. Each project was presented at the Meta Open Source AI for Science Summit in October, which hosted nearly 100 scientists across the country. Three out of the five projects are taking place on LSU's Baton Rouge campus, each trying to solve a different healthcare issue with AI. "No single campus can do this alone, which is the point of leveraging a university system tied to a unified research enterprise with two health sciences centers," said LSU President Wade Rousse in the press release. "This partnership with Meta recognizes what LSU can do when we leverage all the components of our brand. It's why we're proud to be one LSU." | |
| LSU gets nearly $2 million USDA grant to develop bird flu vaccine for poultry |
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| LSU researchers have received a nearly $2 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to develop a vaccine that could protect chickens from bird flu before the virus spreads through a flock. No bird flu vaccine is approved for widespread use in U.S. poultry. Over the next three years, the LSU team will develop the vaccine, vaccinate chickens, and expose them to the virus to see if they stay protected. Dr. Mariano Carossino, an associate professor of veterinary pathology at LSU's School of Veterinary Medicine, said the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded the grant through the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Poultry Innovation Grand Challenge program. Carossino said the project focuses on a novel vaccine to protect poultry against highly pathogenic avian influenza. He said it is a mucosal vaccine, which is given at mucosal sites so birds can develop immune responses where the virus enters the body. He said the vaccine also is directed, meaning researchers are trying to make it target specific cells in the chicken's body. | |
| Texas A&M regents adopt new policy banning scooters from sidewalks on campus |
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| Texas A&M University will have new rules for scooters, e-bikes and other micromobility devices starting in the new year. On Thursday, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents heard a report from Chief Operating Officer Peter Lange during the Committee on Academic and Student Affairs and then voted to approve the proposal set forth in Lange's presentation. According to the new policy set to take effect Jan. 1, all micromobility devices will be banned from using sidewalks on A&M's campus. Micromobility devices will be able to use sidewalks on the outer fringes of the campus along Texas Avenue, University Drive and George Bush Drive, but will be required to remain in the bike lanes throughout campus. Other aspects of the policy include the banning of airpods, earbuds and headphones while operating any wheeled vehicle on campus. There also will be a limit of one person per micromobility device.The use of cellphones is also banned while operating a micromobility device. The policy will be in effect weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the university reserving the right to include special event days as well. The policy will try to bring down the number of accidents involving micromobillity devices, but if they increase to a point where they are more than three times the number of bicycles then the board will ban micromobillity devices. | |
| For Ousted Professors, Texas's Blue Wave Could Help Their Cases |
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| It's been 14 months since Tom Alter was abruptly and publicly fired from his tenured job as a history professor at Texas State University. Many have already heard his story: Texas State President Kelly Damphousse -- under pressure from state Republicans, including outgoing Gov. Greg Abbott -- announced on Facebook that Alter was fired for allegedly "inciting violence" by speaking about anarchist organizing tactics at an online socialism conference he attended in his personal capacity. Alter, who has fought the decision from day one, is in the middle of a legal battle with the university over reinstatement. Now, as Texas voters ushered in a new regime of Democratic leaders on Election Day, the legal landscape in which Alter and several other ousted professors are fighting became a bit brighter. "I have to be kind of guarded," Alter said, "but it was Governor Abbott that ordered my firing, and it was Ken Paxton's attorney general's office that was representing Texas State and contesting my lawsuit for reinstatement, and both of them are gone now. So I can't help but be optimistic." Even as the Texas Legislature and university governing boards handed down laws and policies limiting academic freedom and shared governance at public institutions, Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and other Republican politicians frequently pulled strings in individual campus disputes. | |
| Ambassador of Morocco to the U.S. discusses U.S.-Morocco relations, domestic challenges |
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| Youssef Amrani, ambassador of Morocco to the United States, discussed Morocco's longstanding relationship between the two countries, youth protests in Morocco and domestic development Tuesday during a U.Va. Global Week event at the Center for Politics. Amrani also spoke about Morocco's diplomatic priorities, acknowledged demands for greater economic opportunities among Moroccan youth and defended Morocco's autonomy proposal for the disputed Western Sahara territory. Amrani highlighted Morocco's historic ties with the United States, which date back to 1777, when Morocco became the first country to recognize American independence. He underscored the strength of the U.S.-Morocco alliance, pointing to the countries' free trade agreement, joint military exercises and expanding economic cooperation. The conversation also broached the 2025 youth-led Gen Z 212 protests in Morocco, which emerged in response to high levels of youth unemployment, education system failures, healthcare neglect and concerns over government accountability. Amrani characterized the protests as a legitimate expression of young people's demands for more jobs, improvements in education and greater government accountability, rather than an outright rejection of the country's progress. | |
| The cost of college is confusing. Some schools are trying to change that |
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| Stately buildings of Vermont limestone surround meticulously tended lawns in a village that could be the setting for a Hallmark Christmas movie. Middlebury College looks ... expensive. But like other universities and colleges, it's working hard to persuade people that it's not. Middlebury has announced that students from families with household incomes up to $175,000 can enroll tuition-free. That makes it one of a growing number of colleges trying to reduce widespread public confusion about what college actually costs. These offers may seem like generous expansions of financial aid; after all, $175,000 is more than double the nation's median household income. But while it's true that a few additional families will benefit -- 35 to 50 in the incoming class at Middlebury, which typically enrolls about 630 new students per year, the college says -- most people from families earning $175,000 or less already attend without having to pay tuition. The real purpose of what Middlebury and other schools are doing, experts say, is to confront a problem that has soured many Americans on higher education: how frustratingly hard it is to figure out what college will cost. | |
| Can 'Mr. Education' save an agency Trump wants to shutter? |
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| Bobby Scott isn't a showman. Democrats have to decide if they need one. The longtime Democratic representative, who is eager to retake the chairmanship of the House education committee next year, was back in his district at the sort of function he has done for years. Visiting a high school, he posed for photos with organizers helping families fill out the revamped federal student financial aid form, shared quips and got stopped by a security guard who wanted to snap a selfie. But Scott, who hasn't dealt with a serious challenger from either party since he was elected more than 30 years ago, is being forced to prove himself 200 miles north, in Washington. He's quiet and methodical and has little interest in making a scene, and that's turned out to be a vulnerability: When faced with President Donald Trump's determination to dismantle the Education Department, two of Scott's fellow Democrats feel this moment in history -- and stopping this particular president -- requires a chair who is willing to make some noise. | |
| Opinion | Remembering Our First Black Legislators: Against All Odds, Yesterday and Today |
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| DeeDee Baldwin, an associate professor and engagement librarian at Mississippi State University, writes in the Mississippi Free Press: Public officials, high school students and community members gathered on the courthouse lawn in Macon, Mississippi, the day before the 2026 midterm election to unveil a new historical marker honoring five African American men who represented their county in the state legislature during Reconstruction. Following remarks by local officials, including District 42 Rep. Carl Mickens, District 32 Sen. Rod Hickman, Macon Mayor Freddie Poindexter, and Noxubee County Supervisor Bruce Brooks, the audience learned more about the trailblazing legislators through a dramatic monologue performed by Brooklyn Sanders, a Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science student from neighboring Lowndes County. ... Only a few days before, on Oct. 29, citizens in the nearby city of Starkville had celebrated their own historical marker recognizing "The First Black Legislators." At Oktibbeha County's Unity Park, across the street from the courthouse, District 43 Rep. Rob Roberson highlighted the courage of these men, who literally risked their lives to serve and lift up their people. ... These two marker unveiling programs were the first of many more that will be held in counties across the state over the coming year as part of the "Making Their Mark" project. | |
SPORTS
| Kamario Taylor: Easy call to return to Mississippi St., unfinished business left |
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| Kamario Taylor said Thursday that his decision to return to Mississippi State next season was an easy call. The star quarterback finalized a deal this week to return to the Bulldogs in 2027, with sources previously telling ESPN's Pete Thamel that it's expected to be in line with the top of the quarterback market, which puts it in the range of nearly $6 million annually. "The decision was already made," Taylor said during an interview on "SportsCenter." "There was never a doubt in my mind. There were never even options for me to leave." Part of what made the decision so easy, Taylor said, was some unfinished business with the Bulldogs. He led Mississippi State to a 4-0 start to this season before suffering a turf toe injury against Missouri that eventually led to season-ending surgery late last month. "I know my mom always big on you got to finish what you start," he said. "And I started something this year that I didn't finish. It was part of my plan for me to just come back and just dominate and do everything I can do for this team." | |
| How MSU is preparing for pressure-filled contest with Auburn |
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| The noise is getting louder. Time is running out for Mississippi State (4-5, 2-5 SEC) to finish at .500 or higher for the first time since 2022. A loss this week would eliminate any room for error the rest of the way. Last week's loss to Vanderbilt, which was its first to the Commodores in Starkville since 1971, only ramped that noise up. MSU's approach to that on Monday was quieting the noise, tightening their circle, watching film from the loss and "telling the truth," as Jeff Lebby said in his press conference. "There are moments inside that game that change the outcome of the game, whether it's the 10th play of the game or whether it's the two-point play, and all the plays in between," Lebby said. "There are so many opportunities to change the outcome." The noise is also ramping up for State's next opponent: the Auburn Tigers. The orange and blue (5-4, 3-4) are in one of their worst five-year stretches in the modern era, having not made a bowl game since 2020. However, the Tigers, who are favored by 3.5 points over the Bulldogs, according to Draft Kings, can finally break that drought with a win on Saturday. | |
| College football's soundtrack is fading. Where have the marching bands gone? |
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| When Mark Megibow was a spirit leader for Northwestern's marching band three decades ago, he called then-football coach Gary Barnett with an odd request. The band wanted posters to recruit new members. Would Barnett help by posing as Uncle Sam ... while wearing a full marching uniform? Less than a year into his first major head-coaching job, Barnett paused, then agreed. The photo the band plastered around campus showed Barnett in uniform, complete with a giant N and a cape, cradling plumed headwear in one hand and pointing out with the other under the phrase, "Coach Barnett wants YOU!!!" "A Big Ten head coach was willing to do that for the band," Megibow said. "This is my juxtaposition to where we are now." Where marching bands are now is, increasingly, sidelined. The same big-picture issues facing college sports as a whole -- conference realignment, budget crunches, even College Football Playoff expansion -- are muting the traditional soundtrack of college football. The fear is that the unintended consequences of longer seasons, tougher travel and tighter budgets are straining one of the traditions that makes college football college football. | |
| Trustees Grapple With Changing World of College Athletics |
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| The world of college athletics is rapidly evolving -- and trustees are struggling to keep up. Only 32 percent of trustees understand their fiduciary duties when it comes to athletics, a recent survey by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges found. But even as many trustees struggle to understand their duties, they are tasked with making major decisions about finances, personnel and the well-being of students playing a variety of sports. To better help trustees navigate the murky landscape of athletics, this week AGB held a two-day conference just outside Washington, D.C., to address the ever-changing state of play, governance and financial issues, proposed legislation, and how boards can meet the moment. "The rules are changing, the financial stakes are growing, and the lines of authority aren't always clear. But what is clear---governing boards are responsible for overseeing how their institutions respond to athletics," AGB President and CEO Ross Mugler said Tuesday. | |
| The Top Yankees Executive at the Center of College Sports' Big Fight |
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| When President Trump returned to office in 2025, he promised sweeping change, taking aim at immigration policy, federal bureaucracy and drug cartels. He also zeroed in on an American institution in turmoil: college sports. What Trump needed was somebody capable of cutting through the financial and legal morass that modern collegiate athletics had become. So he summoned a close friend, who also happens to be the president of the New York Yankees. That friend, Randy Levine, is one of the most influential executives for Major League Baseball's most storied franchise. And now, his longtime relationship with the president has transformed him into an unlikely power broker in shaping the future of college sports. "The fiasco in college football, the chaos, got really, really bad," Levine said. "People in Congress, universities all over the country, everyone came to the president and said, 'Can you help us find a way to fix this?' "So he called me." Levine is now racing to rally votes for the Protect College Sports Act. Over the past several months, the 71-year-old Levine has lobbied everyone from university presidents to members of Congress to pass the PCSA. | |
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