| Thursday, October 30, 2025 |
| Mississippi's peanut crop looks good near harvest end: report | |
 | According to the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service, the majority of the state's peanut crop is out of the ground and looking good. Brendan Zurweller, peanut specialist with the MSU Extension Service, said harvest was about 75% complete by the last week of October. "Overall, it's looking like we will have a slightly above-average crop across the state," Zurweller said. "The greatest risk with rain this late in the season is the soils don't dry very fast, so you never know how much longer you will be able to dig peanuts." Yields and quality depended largely on how much rain the crop got early in the year. Malcolm Broome, executive director of the Mississippi Peanut Growers Association, said the crop is averaging 4,000-6,000 pounds per acre, which is between average to a little above average for the state. The majority of the peanut acres are in the southeastern part of the state and along the Highway 82 corridor. Peanuts are typically cultivated in 30 counties across the state. |
| Mississippi peanut crop looks good near harvest end | |
 | The majority of Mississippi's peanut crop is out of the ground and looking good, with recent rain across the state in late October slowing harvest progress. Brendan Zurweller, peanut specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said harvest was about 75% complete by the last week of October. "We were very wet early in the season, and that caused some fields to have to be replanted," he said. "The rains also delayed planting, as the majority of our acres were planted in the latter half of May. "The earliest peanuts were planted the latter half of April and already harvested," Zurweller said. "This accounted for about 20% of the total crop." After heavy spring rains caused the late and slow start of the growing season, the weather became hot and dry in late summer. "Dry and hot weather late in the season typically slows down crop development and maturation," he said. "Places that were planted later and had extended dry spells late in the season had fewer pods form and reduced yields." |
| Mississippi Senate explores solutions for struggling farmers | |
| White House trade and tariff policies, talk of imported beef from Argentina, and China's refusal to buy soybeans are some of the factors that have added chaos to Mississippi's agriculture sector. On Wednesday, the Senate Agriculture Committee heard from farm leaders and experts about the challenges threatening producers across the state. They told the committee that they need action to survive falling prices, shrinking markets and a lack of local processing. Lawmakers are looking for solutions to keep the state's agriculture industry strong. One goal is to build a processing plant in Mississippi, so crops can be processed locally. They're also exploring alternative markets and tax relief to support farmers. "Agriculture faces extreme, extreme risk every day. When you look at the market volatility and the prices that are returned, cost of reduction is through the roof. If we do not find ways and avenues to utilize our crops locally and domestically, we are going to lose these family farms, therefore losing food independence. And that is a big problem for us," said State Senator Neil Whaley (R-District 10). |
| Mississippi Senate committee discusses agriculture and energy opportunities | |
 | The Mississippi Senate Agriculture Committee held a meeting Wednesday to address agriculture issues in the state and their impacts on farmers. The meeting included discussions on sustainable energy and fuel sources and the possibility of soybean oil-producing plants coming to Mississippi. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann shared his vision for the Delta to become an energy hub. "Some of the things you're hearing talked about, like the utilization of soybean oil and asphalt, the research and some of the developments -- some of which I think are going on by Mississippi State University -- a lot of those will proceed to where we can actually construct a product down here, a factory down here to produce that oil," Hosemann said. The committee is still discussing ways for farmers to utilize these resources. |
| Mary Means Business: Warehouse Market coming to Starkville | |
 | There's a new buzz in Starkville's business scene, and it's coming from Lynn Lane. Another vendor market is opening in Starkville. Co-owners Joe Robertson and The Flower Company's Whitney Wofford, along with the Langston family of Sullivan's Office Supply, are joining forces to create The Warehouse Market. Located at 1010 Lynn Lane, the market will set up shop in the former Aspen Bay location, which closed in 2023. Robertson said the team is still looking for quality vendors to join the mix -- everything from antiques and apparel to jewelry, bath goods, and local art. "We identified that Starkville really wanted this kind of vendor mall," Robertson said. "... We really like the idea of being a part of the Starkville community." Owners hope to open in March, so make sure you follow them on social media to get regular updates. ... t's officially the season for cozy sweaters, hot chocolate and a little holiday shopping. Kicking off the holiday season, Starkville Main Street's Holiday Bazaar will be 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 5-6 at The Mill, 600 Russell St. Parking is free, admission is $8 for both days and $5 per day. |
| Thacker Mountain Radio Hour visiting Columbus Sunday | |
| In June, Lucy Gaines, executive director for Thacker Mountain Radio Hour was meeting with Nancy Carpenter, the executive director for America250 Mississippi campaign, for the first time at a coffee shop in Oxford. The two instantly connected over their shared love of southern literature, Gaines said. Their conversation eventually shifted towards the recent renovations of the Tennessee Williams Home and Welcome Center, which brought back an idea to Gaines. "I told her that this is always kind of a vision that I've had of going and celebrating Mississippi writers on the writers trail, using Thacker Mountain Radio Hour as the outlet, and together we came up with the idea to host it at these historic sites throughout Mississippi," Gaines told The Dispatch. Thacker Mountain Radio Hour is a weekly public radio show based in Oxford that features author readings and musical guests. The radio show, in partnership with Mississippi Hills Heritage Alliance and the America250 Mississippi campaign, will be kicking off its Three Cities-One American Story tour Sunday at the Tennessee Williams Home and Welcome Center. The show, which was rescheduled due to weather concerns on Oct. 26, will feature food trucks, live music and a discussion with author Michael Farris Smith during the roughly one-hour recording on the welcome center lawn. |
| Multi-billion-dollar data center being built in Brandon, but residents still want answers | |
| A petition calling for transparency and environmental safeguards before construction is complete on a $6 billion data center in Rankin County has gathered nearly 1,000 signatures, reflecting growing community unease about the massive project's potential impact on local resources and utility costs. The project, known as the AVAIO Digital's Taurus campus, is being developed by the Connecticut-based data center developer on hundreds of acres at the East Metropolitan Center Business and Industrial Park in Brandon. State officials have hailed the projects as one of the largest private investments in Mississippi history, promising 60 permanent jobs, increased tax revenue, and sustainable design features such as water-efficient cooling and rooftop solar panels. However, residents behind the petition say they are asking for clear, enforceable guarantees that the project will not lead to higher bills or environmental harm. The online petition, addressed to the Rankin County Board of Supervisors, asks for written confirmation that the facility "will not result in any increase in utility bills or cause air or water pollution." While community members are raising concerns, Gov. Tate Reeves, a native of Rankin County, appears undeterred by concerns surrounding the AVAIO data center. In a statement, the Republican's office defended the state's ongoing investment in data centers, calling them a major driver of Mississippi's economic growth. |
| Senate Education Committee urged to raise teacher pay instead of expanding education freedom | |
| In preparation for the upcoming 2026 Legislative session, the Mississippi Senate Education Committee held a hearing Tuesday to gather information as they consider possible legislation to be filed come January. While the committee's primary focus was on potentially increasing teacher pay and addressing teacher retention, several speakers touched on the push by the House to expand education freedom in Mississippi. The committee heard testimony regarding barriers education leaders face as they explore ways to ensure continued educational gains in the state, including the need for increased teacher pay, more licensed teachers, and methods to address chronic absenteeism. A number of speakers Tuesday touched on the need for increased teacher pay, including State Superintendent Dr. Lance Evans and local superintendents from Scott County, Jackson, Oxford, and Greene County. Nearly all of the administrators also spoke against expanding school choice. "Who is school choice for?" Dr. Evans asked. "And I think that's the question I would encourage you as our state legislators to ask, as you're having these conversations, who is school choice for?" The State Superintendent believes what is being rolled out by proponents of school choice in the coming session will not help disadvantaged students. |
| Fed Divisions Reveal New Caution Over Continued Cuts | |
 | Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivered a blunt message for investors who have assumed the central bank would be on cruise control toward a third rate cut in December: Not so fast. Rather than hide behind cryptic and vague language that central bankers often deploy, Powell went out of his way Wednesday to play up divisions on the rate-setting committee and play down the idea that a rate cut in six weeks is a foregone conclusion. "In fact, far from it," he said at one point. Powell's plain speaking reflected deepening divisions at the Fed over how to interpret an economy where consumer spending remains robust but hiring has slowed sharply. What the Fed will do next depends on which of two competing economic narratives proves more accurate. In one, the AI investment boom and stock-market rally will continue powering business and consumer spending, limiting the need for significantly lower rates and risking inflation that settles closer to 3% than the Fed's 2% goal if the Fed cuts too much. In the other, the effects of higher interest rates combined with changes in trade and immigration policies finally catch up to the labor market, pushing unemployment higher if the Fed stops cutting. Payroll growth has slowed this summer, and Powell said Wednesday that by some measures, job creation is close to zero. |
| Farm-state Republicans finally reach their breaking point | |
 | For President Donald Trump, it was a brief musing to reporters on Air Force One about his plans to import beef from Argentina. For dozens of farm-state Republicans who have held their tongues as key Trump policies battered their constituents, it was the final straw. GOP lawmakers in cattle-producing states unleashed a flurry of calls over the following days to the White House and Agriculture Department. Amid the Argentinian beef uproar, Trump has at times shown little sympathy for ranchers and other agricultural producers. "The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don't understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% Tariff on Brazil," he wrote in a Truth Social post last week, adding that they "have to get their prices down, because the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!" That comment, and Trump officials' confirmation that he was seeking to import four times the normal amount of beef from Argentina, set off a new wave of furor on Capitol Hill. And with Trump jetting off for a week of high-profile meetings with Asian leaders, it fell to Vice President JD Vance to absorb the frustration inside a closed-door lunch on Capitol Hill Tuesday. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), a Trump ally whose family raises cattle, pushed back forcefully. "Ranchers," Hyde-Smith told Vance, "are not the problem." |
| Hyde-Smith introduces legislation to require clear seafood labeling nationwide | |
| Mississippi's seafood industry is battling a flood of cheap imports, many of which don't meet the same safety standards domestic producers uphold. That's why U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) has introduced the Let Americans Buy with Explicit Labeling (LABEL) Act. The legislation, if passed, would ensure all seafood, whether wild-caught or farm-raised, is clearly labeled with its country of origin and method of production. Currently, some imported seafood labels are printed so small they are easily overlooked, putting U.S. producers at a disadvantage when competing with imported alternatives. "Mississippi's seafood industry is already battling a flood of cheap imports, much of which don't meet the same safety standards our domestic producers uphold," Hyde-Smith said. "This bill would ensure American consumers know exactly where their seafood comes from, while giving our domestic fishermen and producers a fair chance to compete." U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) joined Hyde-Smith in introducing the measure. This legislation complements Hyde-Smith's earlier efforts to strengthen food safety and transparency. In February, she introduced the Safer Shrimp Imports Act, which would require overseas shrimp to undergo inspections and meet U.S. food safety standards before being exported to the U.S. |
| Bipartisan talks to end shutdown gaining steam, senators say | |
 | Bipartisan discussions are picking up momentum this week as lawmakers face building pressure to end the partial government shutdown ahead of critical deadlines for food stamps and health care, senators said Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said there's been an increase in conversations among rank-and-file senators to reopen the government, though he indicated talks at the leadership level remain stalled. "It's ticked up significantly, and hopefully that'll be a precursor of things to come," he said, adding he's hopeful "something here very soon will be fruitful." Members of both parties have reported seeing increased bipartisan talks to try to break the monthlong logjam, but they're not holding their breath just yet for a compromise. "This week is different than last week, with members of the Senate working to try to move this place to do its work," Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said Wednesday. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said she's also seen "a lot more chatter" across party lines, adding that "there was some of that going on, frankly, most this whole four weeks or whatever, but it's like for sure [an] uptick." |
| No, SNAP Benefits Aren't Mostly Used by Immigrants | |
 | As roughly 42 million Americans face the loss of food stamps this weekend, far-right influencers, extremists, and conspiracy theorists are using the crisis to push racist disinformation about who receives these benefits. As a result of the government shutdown, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not be funded as of November 1, according to a message on the website of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers the program. While this loss of benefits could be catastrophic for millions, that hasn't stopped the rush of disinformation. A number of conspiracy theorists and right-wing influencers are claiming that immigrants are the main recipients of food stamps, while AI-generated videos on TikTok push racist stereotypes of Black people demanding more benefits. These claims simply do not align with reality, given that the majority of people who receive SNAP benefits are white Americans, according to data collected by the USDA. The data also shows that deep red states like Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana are among the states with the highest percentage of those in receipt of food stamps. "These narratives are being circulated to suggest that undeserving groups are getting the bulk of SNAP benefits and therefore to make the suspension of SNAP benefits seem like less of a crisis," says Tracy Roof, a political scientist at the University of Richmond. "The reality is that the overwhelming majority of recipients of SNAP are people born in the US and many are in families with children or are elderly or disabled. Of those able to work, most do." |
| Trump Meets With Xi, Declares Immediate Cut to Tariffs | |
| President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping emerged from their first face-to-face meeting in six years with a temporary truce in the bruising trade fight between the two superpowers. Their agreement lowers immediate tensions between the U.S. and China, which have been locked for months in a bitter struggle over trade and technology that has hurt both their economies. The agreement includes a reduction in stiff U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods in exchange for a pledge by China to crack down on the trade in the chemicals used to produce fentanyl. China also promised to ease the exports of rare earths -- minerals that Western manufacturers rely on to make a range of goods. And Beijing promised to buy "tremendous amounts" of American soybeans, said Trump. While the detente provides relief to both sides, it does little to address the fundamental divergence between two superpowers whose economies are decoupling in many sectors and who are racing for supremacy in areas such as artificial intelligence. In comments to reporters on his way back to the U.S. from South Korea, Trump was effusive about the meeting. "Overall, I guess on the scale of from zero to 10, with 10 being the best, I would say the meeting was a 12," he said. |
| Trump appears to suggest the U.S. will resume testing nuclear weapons for first time in 30 years | |
 | President Trump appeared to suggest the U.S. would resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time in three decades, saying it would be on an "equal basis" with Russia and China. The Kremlin pointed out that a global test ban on nuclear test has remained in place, but warned that if any country resumes nuclear testing Russia would follow suit. There was no indication the U.S. would start detonating warheads, but the president offered few details about what seemed to be a significant shift in U.S. policy. He made the announcement on social media minutes before he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea. When he spoke to reporters later aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington, he offered little clarity. The U.S. military already regularly tests its missiles that are capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, but it has not detonated the weapons since 1992. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which the U.S. signed but did not ratify, has been observed since its adoption by all countries possessing nuclear weapons, North Korea being the only exception. Trump suggested, however, that changes were necessary because other countries were testing weapons. It was unclear what he was referring to, but it evoked Cold War-era escalations. |
| Pentagon readying thousands of Guard 'reaction forces' as U.S. mission widens | |
 | The Pentagon has ordered thousands of specialized National Guard personnel to complete civil unrest mission training over the next several months, an indication that the Trump administration's effort to send uniformed military forces into urban centers -- once reserved for extraordinary emergencies -- could become the norm. The Defense Department's newly established "quick reaction force" within the National Guard must be trained, equipped with riot-control gear and ready for deployment by Jan. 1, according to internal documents reviewed by The Washington Post. The 200 troops will be drawn from National Guard personnel whose primary focus is responding to disasters like nuclear accidents and terrorist attacks, the documents said. An existing separate but similar structure, the National Guard Reaction Force, is expected to complete civil unrest training and be fully operational by April 1. The total size of the force will be 23,500 troops across all 50 states and three territories, excluding the District of Columbia, the documents say. Most states will supply 500 personnel for the reaction force, with the rest falling between 250 and 450. Those forces are typically used for emergencies like disaster relief, not on call troops for civil unrest. The mandate, along with the growing presence of federal and immigration enforcement officers, suggests further military deployments within the United States could grow in size and scope. |
| Colorado files suit against Trump administration to stop Space Command move to Alabama | |
 | Colorado's attorney general has filed suit against the Trump administration over the White House's decision to relocate the headquarters of U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs to Alabama. In the complaint filed in federal court, AG Phil Weiser seeks an injunction to prohibit moving Space Command from Colorado to Huntsville's Redstone Arsenal, saying the change was based on an "illegal decision." "The president could not have been clearer about his motivations for moving Space Command. He said Colorado's mail-in voting system was a 'big factor' in his decision making," Attorney General Weiser said. "The Constitution does not permit the Executive Branch to punish or retaliate against states for lawfully exercising powers reserved for them, such as the power to regulate elections. If we don't take a stand now against this unconstitutional and unlawful decision, Colorado and other states that use mail-in voting will face further pressure or punishment unless they give up their constitutional authority." Trump announced in September he was reversing a Biden-era decision to locate Space Command headquarters in Colorado despite a study that indicated Alabama was the top choice. |
| JD Vance calls for reduction in legal immigration at Turning Point event | |
 | Vice President JD Vance advocated a slowdown in legal immigration Wednesday, saying, "We have to get the overall numbers way, way down." Vance took questions from students at the University of Mississippi at an event organized by Turning Point USA, stepping into the role of debater that was so often performed by the organization's slain founder, Charlie Kirk. Vance said the optimal number of legal immigrants to admit is "far less than what we've been accepting," but he did not offer a firm number when pressed by a woman who questioned his stance. He criticized former President Joe Biden's immigration policies, which he said allowed too many people into the country and threatened the social fabric of the United States. "When something like that happens, you've got to allow your own society to cohere a little bit, to build a sense of common identity, for all the newcomers -- the ones who are going to stay -- to assimilate into American culture," Vance said. "Until you do that, you've got to be careful about any additional immigration, in my view." |
| J.D. Vance, Erika Kirk draw thousands to Ole Miss Turning Point USA event | |
| Vice President J.D. Vance and Erika Kirk headlined a Turning Point USA event Wednesday, Oct. 29 at the University of Mississippi, part of the conservative group's "This Is the Turning Point" tour. It was among the organization's first public gatherings since founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at a similar event last month. The Oxford stop drew thousands to the Sandy and John Black Pavilion, where university officials and the Secret Service heightened security amid planned counter-protests by students and community members critical of the group's rhetoric. Demonstrators gathered outside and near the student union as the event began. Thousands packed the stands of the 9,500 seat arena, home of Ole Miss men's and women's basketball. Vance said more than 10,000 were present, a stark contrast to the 100 or so progressives rallying at the same time at the student center. The arena was a sea of "Make America Great Again" hats and Charlie Kirk merchandise. Students waved small American flags and cheered as the program began, while others waited outside in the pouring rain. |
| JD Vance And Erika Kirk Champion Civic Engagement At Ole Miss Turning Point USA Event | |
 | More than 9,500 people packed The Sandy and John Black Pavilion on the University of Mississippi campus Wednesday, cheering and chanting as Vice President JD Vance and Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk headlined TPUSA's "This is the Turning Point Tour." Both exhorted students and community members to honor America by pursuing Christian civic values. "This generation inside of America -- remember who she (America) is, or she'll forget," Kirk said. "I believe with all my heart that God placed you here, now, not by accident, but by assignment. There is no mistake that you are here in this stadium." Vance referenced Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk's late husband who was murdered on Sept. 10 at a Utah Valley University event, throughout his speech, and he messaged to students that they should invest in family. "Charlie wanted you, more than anything, to invest in the things that were worth having, to build a life that was worth building," Vance said. "The most important advice he ever gave you was: 'Fall in love, get married and start a family.'" Students braved the rain and cold temperatures on Wednesday morning to line up early for the event. A campus-wide statement from Provost Noel Wilkin on Monday, Oct. 27, said that the queue for the event would open at 11 a.m., but students could be seen lining up as early as 10:15 a.m. |
| JD Vance, Erika Kirk rally U. of Mississippi crowd with call for conservative Christian revival | |
| Vice President JD Vance and Erika Kirk, the widow of slain political activist Charlie Kirk, called for a generational realignment around conservative Christian values at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday. About 10,000 attendees packed into the Sandy and John Black Pavilion on the university's Oxford campus. It was the latest stop on a tour of college campuses across the nation by the conservative grassroots organization Turning Point USA, founded by Charlie Kirk. "Your generation is living at a crossroads, and we are witnessing in real time the battle raging for the soul of your generation," said Erika Kirk. The event marked the only joint appearance of the vice president and Erika Kirk, the newly minted CEO of Turning Point USA. Vance also took questions from audience members, a hallmark of the late conservative activist Kirk, who built a media empire in part based on viral videos of himself verbally sparring with college students. "We ought to have faith that the best way to make sure the best idea wins is to actually just have a discussion. And that is what this event is all about, that is what Turning Point USA is all about," Vance said. "We're going to have a discussion tonight, and that is what Charlie would want us to do." |
| JD Vance, Erika Kirk speak on faith and freedom at packed Ole Miss TPUSA event | |
| After enduring hours of standing in the cold, rainy elements in Oxford, thousands of people walked into the Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss to hear from Vice President JD Vance and Erika Kirk, the widow of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The masses, many donning "Make America Great Again" hats and American flags, were mostly college students. The Ole Miss basketball arena was the latest venue to host one of the youth outreach nonprofit Turning Point USA's "This Is the Turning Point" tour events. Wednesday's gathering marked one of the organization's first stops since Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a speaking event on Sept. 10, and featured a heightened police presence and Secret Service detail on site. Vance talked about the importance of having civil discussions, especially with those with whom one may disagree, and contended that Charlie Kirk laid the foundation for productive conversations to take place before he was killed. The vice president followed his call for discussion by fielding most questions from a lengthy line of students. |
| Vice President JD Vance, Erika Kirk speak at Ole Miss event | |
 | Stepping in for the late Charlie Kirk, United States Vice President J.D. Vance and Erika Kirk, wife of the firebrand conservative leader of the right-wing nonprofit Turning Point USA, took the stage at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday to discuss Christianity, conservatism and politics. "If you love this country, get involved," Vance said to thunderous applause inside the Sandy and John Black Pavilion. Vance encouraged students to marry and have children, noting he wished he had sooner. He also argued against illegal immigration. He said the Trump Administration's policy on immigration was not about hate for immigrants but love of natural-born citizens. Vance, who is married to a woman whose family are immigrants, argues that there are too many immigrants, both documented and undocumented. During her comments, Erika Kirk spoke about her husband's legacy. "This is what Turning Point USA is all about, this is what our country is about," said Erika Kirk, who became CEO of the company following her husband's death. "You guys are the heartbeat of Turning Point USA ... being on campus right now is a spiritual reclaiming of territory." |
| For one night, Vance takes Charlie Kirk's place on the college campus debate circuit | |
 | Vice President JD Vance recalled here Wednesday an angry phone call from conservative activist Charlie Kirk in the months before his death -- an example, Vance said, of his late friend's commitment to firm but polite debate. Kirk, Vance said, was worried whether President Donald Trump's posture in the Middle East would lead to a long and protracted military conflict involving U.S. troops. Vance, speaking to supporters of Kirk's Turning Point USA organization at the University of Mississippi, called it a "great moment for our country" and for his friendship with Kirk, "because friendship is not just about telling everybody what they want to hear." "It's about having the trust in another human being that you can tell them they're wrong and actually encourage them to change their mind or, in that case, not necessarily even tell us that we were wrong but make sure that we were thinking about all the options," Vance added. Vance in many ways is a manifestation of Kirk's movement's making it to the highest levels of the federal government. He has noted how central Kirk was to his rise in politics, beginning with a Republican Senate primary in Ohio three years ago that few thought Vance could win. |
| Vance spars with college students at Turning Point USA event | |
 | Vice President Vance on Wednesday went toe-to-toe with college students at the University of Mississippi in a nod to his friend and the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Vance and Erika Kirk addressed thousands of students at an arena on the university's campus as part of a Turning Point USA tour. Vance fielded questions from attendees, just as Charlie Kirk did at numerous "Prove Me Wrong" events during Turning Point USA college events. "Please don't be nervous if you need to work through a question, think through it, speak it," Vance said. "We're all here to have a nice conversation, and we're all supportive of it." In one of the evening's more contentious exchanges, a student pressed Vance on several issues. They asked Vance how he balances his intercultural marriage, about restrictive immigration policies, and whether they are fair to those who went through the process to enter the country. "I don't mean to cause a scene here," she said at one point. "We're not close to causing a scene, don't worry," Vance responded. Vance later drew applause when he told the questioner his job as vice president "is not to look out for the interests of the world; it's to look out for the people of the United States." |
| Death of Ole Miss student under investigation | |
| Authorities are continuing to investigate the death of an Ole Miss student. Lafayette County sheriff's deputies found Knox Boudreau, 19, dead Friday morning near Thacker Mountain Road and County Road 303. No other details are available regarding Boudreau's death, but investigators did not suspect foul play as of Friday evening, according to the sheriff's office. Boudreau, of Decatur, Georgia, attended Ole Miss as a sophomore accountancy major, and was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, The Daily Mississippian reported. The fraternity has released a statement, saying, "Last Friday, we lost our brother, Knox Boudreau. Knox was the kind of guy who could light up any room. Always laughing, always full of energy and always there for the people around him. He had big goals, a huge heart, and a way of making everyone feel like family. Our brotherhood was better because of Knox. His positivity, humor and genuine spirit will stay with us forever." The Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity held a celebration of Boudreau's life on Tuesday. |
| Three finalists named in the search for LSU president following all-day meeting | |
 | One is a former president of the University of Arizona. Another is an executive vice president at the University of Alabama. The third is a Louisiana native who became president of McNeese State University last year. These three men are now finalists to be the 29th president of LSU, after the school's Presidential Search Committee winnowed down a field of five Wednesday during a day of interviews. Dr. Robert Robbins, former University of Arizona president; James Dalton, executive vice president and provost at the University of Alabama, and current McNeese State President Wade Rousse will be interviewed by the full LSU Board of Supervisors during its Tuesday meeting, when the next president will be chosen. Before then, each candidate will spend a day at town halls across campus, engaging with students, faculty and staff. The 20-person committee unanimously voted for Dalton, while Robbins and Rousse each received 14 votes. Interim LSU President Mike Lee received nine votes, and Dr. Giovanni Piedimonte, former vice president of research at Tulane University, received no votes. The new president will inherit a sprawling land-grant university system with around 41,700 students, 1,400 faculty and a roughly $1.1 billion endowment. They also will be thrust into a sea of important decisions. |
| Florida's Public Universities Should No Longer Hire Foreign Employees, DeSantis Says | |
 | Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Wednesday directed the governing board for the state's public universities to "pull the plug" on hiring employees on H-1B visas -- the system that allows thousands of foreign researchers and professionals with in-demand skill sets to work on American campuses. "We need to make sure our citizens here in Florida are first in line for job opportunities," DeSantis, a Republican, said at a news conference. Donald W. Landry, interim president of the University of Florida, said at the news conference that his institution endorses the review of H-1Bs initiated by the governor and will conduct its own review. DeSantis said Florida's universities have engaged in "abuse" of these visas -- because they've hired people for nonspecialized positions that shouldn't require foreign talent. DeSantis called out specific H-1B hires within Florida's public university system, such as a computer-application coordinator from China, an assistant swim coach from Spain, and a psychologist and counselor from the United Kingdom. "I don't understand. How is that specialized knowledge that only someone from these places can do?" DeSantis said. The University of Florida employs 156 people on H-1B visas, ranking 23rd among all educational employers. Stanford ranks first, employing 500 H-1B recipients. |
| Judge hears U. of Florida case on law student's antisemitic tweets | |
 | A federal judge heard arguments Oct. 29 in the case of a University of Florida law student expelled for antisemitic tweets. The student's lawyer said he was being wrongly punished for views the school simply didn't like, while UF responded it has every right to remove anyone threatening violence. The university is "a nursery of democracy," and it does not have the right to limit free speech off campus grounds, said Anthony Sabatini, a former state lawmaker and attorney for student Preston Damsky, who is suing UF. Christopher Bartolomucci, representing UF Dean of Students Chris Summerlin, emphasized that the university has the right to protect its students and faculty from perceived threats. After the 90-minute hearing, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, said he would rule in the coming weeks narrowly on whether Damsky should be allowed to return to campus. A broader lawsuit seeking sanctions against UF over its actions toward the student continues in federal court. |
| 'Here, it's different': How the Baker School, the Institute of American Civics encourage viewpoint diversity | |
| On the corner of Cumberland and Melrose, behind a small courtyard, stands the three-story rotunda of the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. The 17-year-old building houses the University of Tennessee's 22-year-old Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs. The school's namesake, former U.S. Sen. Howard Baker, was nicknamed the "Great Conciliator" for his ability to compromise across the aisle. "There are a lot of institutions that get named for some politician, and it's just a name," John Scheb, interim associate dean of academic affairs at the school, said. "But here, it's different." Since its establishment by the UT Board of Trustees in 2003, the school has focused on continuing Baker's mission of bipartisan public service by encouraging students to collaborate across the party line. "Social media has really allowed people to, kind of, retreat into their echo chambers and never really engage with people who think differently," Scheb said. "And we're trying to get people to be willing to do that." The school's broader mission is to educate students about the history of the American government, preparing them to enter public service positions of their own, whether they're serving local, state or national communities. |
| U. of Tennessee changes debt policy to fast-track construction on campuses | |
 | The University of Tennessee at Knoxville will no longer have to wait on state dollars to develop costly campus buildings after the University of Tennessee System successfully lobbied the state to allow a new bond-based funding strategy for all its campuses. The new program could play a pivotal role in helping Chancellor Donde Plowman accomplish her goals for growth, which include modernizing buildings and continuing to welcome a record number of students with each new class. The first beneficiary of this program will be a new civics education and ROTC building to replace 65-year-old Massey Hall, UT System Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer David Miller told Knox News.The UT System already takes out bonds issued by the Tennessee State School Bond Authority, or TSSBA, for buildings that generate revenue -- places like dining halls, which make money from food sales to pay back debt. The new policy will allow the system to take out bonds for buildings that don't generate revenue, such as academic buildings with classrooms. System campuses can then use up to 3% of their Education and General, or E&G, operating budgets to pay off debt from new bonds. |
| Texas Semiconductor Summit highlights industry's future of expansion, innovation: 'It is a national security asset' | |
| The Texas Semiconductor Summit this week brought some big names to town for a fireside chat on Thursday. U.S. Representative Michael McCaul and U.S. Senator John Cornyn spoke with a group of industry leaders and professionals at the Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center to discuss the future of the semiconductor industry in America. It was a packed room of professionals, researchers, and policymakers when the congressmen took the stage, highlighting the need for collaboration and innovation. Sen. Cornyn and Rep. McCaul were early in ringing alarm bells about the need to bring this manufacturing back to the U.S. in 2020. It was kicked off when a car shortage hit the nation, citing a shortage of semiconductors, also known as chips. This is when the CHIPS Act was born and has only continued to expand. Texas approved its own CHIPS Act just two years later, and since, $450 billion has been invested in the industry across the country. "There are companies right here in College Station that I think are on the cusp of some great innovations. A&M with the engineers and scientists, I think that will play in large part in why the center will come here because of the workforce talents and the engineers that are at Texas A&M and the University of Texas," Rep. McCaul said. |
| The College Where Drones Are Everywhere | |
| In August, hundreds of families crowded the University of Colorado at Boulder's campus for move-in weekend. Familiar sights of teary-eyed parents and overstuffed SUVs were accompanied by something a lot less standard: a fleet of DJI Matrice 30T drones flying about a hundred feet overhead. Equipped with wide, zoom, and thermal-imaging cameras, the drones sent real-time video footage to the university's security-operations center, where public-safety employees monitored traffic flow. If a car were to block a busy road or a dorm parking lot got too full, officers would know immediately. This is just one way the university has used drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Professors check them out to conduct research, officials use them to record promotional videos and put on light shows, and security officers count on them for surveillance. Currently, the university owns about 150 fully operational drones and has about the same number of trained pilots on campus. Overseeing the fleet is the Division of Public Safety's flight-operations team that trains pilots and approves UAVs for flight. Since the team was formed in 2017, 500 community members have gone through some version of the department's "flight school." Boulder's bet on drones has paid off in research funding and a leg up for scholars studying the technology's aerospace and environmental applications. As a chill has descended over federal-research sponsorship during President Trump's second term, drone research is still in demand, and professors at Boulder are taking advantage. |
| Their Professors Caught Them Cheating. They Used A.I. to Apologize. | |
 | Confronted with allegations that they had cheated in an introductory data science course and fudged their attendance, dozens of undergraduates at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign recently sent two professors a mea culpa via email. But there was one problem, a glaring one: They had not written the emails. Artificial intelligence had, according to the professors, Karle Flanagan and Wade Fagen-Ulmschneider, an academic pair known to their students and social media followers as the Data Science Duo. The students got their comeuppance in a large lecture hall on Oct. 17, when the professors read aloud their identical, less-than-genuine apologies from a projector screen, video from that class showed. Busted. The professors posted about it on social media, where the gotcha moment drew widespread attention. "They said, 'Dear Professor Flanagan, I want to sincerely apologize,'" Professor Flanagan said. "And I was like, Thank you. They're owning up to it. They're apologizing. And then I got another email, the second email, and then the third. And then everybody sort of sincerely apologizing, and suddenly it became a little less sincere." At a time when educational institutions are grappling with the intrusion of machine learning into classrooms and homework assignments, the professors said they decided to use the episode to teach a lesson in academic integrity. They did not take disciplinary action against the students. |
| Student Mental Health Challenges Persist | |
 | Just 27 percent of undergraduates describe their mental health as above average or excellent, according to new data from Inside Higher Ed's main annual Student Voice survey of more than 5,000 undergraduates at two- and four-year institutions. Another 44 percent of students rate their mental health as average on a five-point scale. The remainder, 29 percent, rate it as below average or poor. In last year's main Student Voice survey, 42 percent of respondents rated their mental health as good or excellent, suggesting a year-over-year decline in students feeling positive about their mental health. This doesn't translate to more students rating their mental health negatively this year, however, as this share stayed about the same. Rather, more students in this year's sample rate their mental health as average (2025's 44 percent versus 29 percent in 2024). Provosts also ranked mental health as the No. 1 campus threat to student safety and well-being (80 percent said it's a top risk), followed by personal stress (66 percent), academic stress (51 percent) and food and housing insecurity (42 percent). Those were all far ahead of risks such as physical security threats (2 percent) or alcohol and substance use issues (13 percent). |
| New Trump administration rule bars student loan relief for public workers tied to 'illegal' activity | |
| The Trump administration is forging ahead with plans to eject some nonprofits from a popular student loan forgiveness program if their work is deemed to have a "substantial illegal purpose" -- a move that could cut off some teachers, doctors and other public workers from federal loan cancellation. New rules finalized Thursday give the Education Department expanded power to ban organizations from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The Trump administration calls it necessary to block taxpayer money from lawbreakers. Critics say it turns the program into a tool of political retribution. Set to take effect in July, the policy is aimed primarily at organizations that work with immigrants and transgender youth. It grants the education secretary power to exclude groups from the program if they engage in activities including the trafficking or "chemical castration" of children, illegal immigration and supporting terrorist organizations. "Chemical castration" is defined as using hormone therapy or drugs that delay puberty -- gender-affirming care common for transgender children or teens. It amounts to a major reworking of a program that has canceled loans for more than 1 million Americans and was created by Congress in 2007 to steer more college graduates into lower-paying public sector jobs. |
| They went to DC to intern on the Hill. Then came the shutdown | |
| After arriving in Washington in mid-August, Olive Guillory quickly fell into a rhythm. The Texas Tech junior, who is interning this fall in a House Democratic office, worked on the Hill during the day, answering phones and fielding constituent inquiries, and took virtual classes at night. In her free time, she explored the city, visiting the National Zoo, museums and monuments. Things changed on Oct. 1, when government funding lapsed and House internships were put on pause. The shutdown may have derailed her daily routine, but it also served as an introduction to the chaos that is Capitol Hill. "It is unexpected, but what I've realized working in government is you have to adjust to things that are unexpected," Guillory said. It's an uncertain time for House interns, the cadre of college students who answer phones and help support congressional offices. Most are in Washington for only a few months, and a large chunk of that has already been eaten up by the shutdown. Unlike other congressional staff who work without pay during a lapse in appropriations, interns in the House don't work at all, according to guidance from the House Administration Committee. In the Senate, offices are allowed to designate interns as excepted staff who can continue to show up without a paycheck. That's left interns, accustomed to working four or five days a week on the Hill, with some holes in their schedule. |
SPORTS
| Arkansas looks like Mississippi State's most winnable SEC game again. Can Jeff Lebby break through? | |
 | Coach Jeff Lebby doesn't talk about last season to his Mississippi State football players anymore. Nothing can be changed from the Bulldogs' 2-10 record in Lebby's first season where they lost every SEC game by double digits and only notched wins against FCS Eastern Kentucky and then-FBS independent UMass. But with MSU's next game at Arkansas (2-6, 0-4 SEC) on Nov. 1 (3 p.m., SEC Network) perhaps a portion of last season should be revisited. The matchup for MSU (4-4, 0-4) appears to be its best remaining chance to end its 16-game SEC losing streak. But that was also a thought last season when Mississippi State hosted Arkansas. Mississippi State was served a humbling 58-25 beatdown at Davis Wade Stadium. "One thing I mentioned last year was 'Hey, let's go play as hard as we possibly can,'" Lebby said. "'Let's do everything we can this week to go play as hard as we can and maybe the ball will bounce the right way and somehow we'll be able to go win a football game.' That was the reality of it. I didn't talk like that during the season because I never will. This is a completely different situation. We got a good football team. We did not a year ago. We have a good enough team to win." |
| Three keys to victory for Mississippi State at Arkansas | |
| Mississippi State is back on the road for football this week, traveling to take on Arkansas in a battle of SEC teams without a conference win this year. The Bulldogs (4-4, 0-4 SEC) have not won a conference game since 2023 in Fayetteville, and face a team that is equally hungry to turn things around after four close calls. The Bulldogs will still be on the lookout for the return of running back Fluff Bothwell, but have managed without him thanks to senior Davon Booth and his ability to take over on the ground. Booth accounted for 99 yards on the ground against Texas, averaging 4.1 yards per carry, and added 85 yards receiving out of the backfield, including a 62-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The all-purpose threat for MSU was an X-factor, and yet the Bulldogs struggled in short yardage. MSU was 6-19 converting on third downs, 3-9 in short yardage situations, and 1-4 on fourth downs. he offensive line has improved with the return of Albert Reese IV, but there is still room to grow. With the aggressive nature of the offense, the willingness to go on fourth downs, there has to be more push up front to help establish the run and wear the defense down throughout the contest. |
| Razorback report: Ball set to return for Hogs | |
| University of Arkansas interim Coach Bobby Petrino said defensive tackle Cam Ball should be ready to play in Saturday's 3 p.m. home game against Mississippi State. Ball was not listed on the Razorbacks' first mandatory SEC availability report Wednesday night, but center Caden Kitler and right tackle E'Marion Harris were listed as questionable with undisclosed injuries. Kitler and Harris have joined guards Kobe Branham and Fernando Carmona and left tackle Corey Robinson II in starting all eight games this season. Petrino said everything went well for Ball in a non-contact return at Tuesday's practice. "Barring a setback, we're hoping that he's full speed and ready to go Saturday," Petrino said on Wednesday's SEC coaches webinar. Ball, a fifth-year senior and defensive captain along with linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr., missed last week's 33-24 loss to Auburn. Though Petrino said he could not discuss Ball's injury, local radio host Bo Mattingly of the "Chuck and Bo Show" said Ball was in concussion protocols. It looks like on Saturday the Razorbacks will dodge the rain that has impacted the previous two games on their three-game homestand. The chance of rain is about 17% for the 3 p.m. kickoff between Arkansas and Mississippi State at Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The temperature at kickoff is forecast at 55 degrees, the high for the day, with that number dropping into the high 40s by game's end. |
| Mississippi State aims for fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance | |
| Coach Chris Jans enters his fourth season at Mississippi State and has taken the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in his first three seasons in a program first. Jans has yet to win an NCAA Tournament game at Mississippi State and has not recorded more than nine conference wins in a season either. The Bulldogs return only two veterans this season in junior guard Josh Hubbard and senior wing Shawn Jones. Hubbard (junior, G, 18.9 ppg last season, 108 made 3 pointers). Hubbard has earned All-SEC honors in his first two seasons at Mississippi State and has averaged just over 18 points combined in both seasons. His 1,240 career points is the fourth-highest total in SEC history regarding a player's freshman/sophomore season combined. Jones (senior, SF, 4.8 ppg last season, 2.6 rebounds). Jones is the first four-year player in the Chris Jans era at Mississippi State and he played in all 34 games last year, including four starts. Emerged as more of a scoring threat late last season but known for his defensive efforts on the court. Jones shot 75.7% from the free throw line a year ago and had 10 games where he totaled multiple steals. The Bulldogs are seeking their fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, which would be a first since 2001-05. |
| Gov. Jeff Landry says LSU athletic director Scott Woodward isn't picking next football coach | |
| Gov. Jeff Landry said Wednesday that LSU athletic director Scott Woodward will not select a head football coach to replace Brian Kelly. "No. I can tell you right now, Scott Woodward is not selecting the next coach," he said in response to a question at a press conference. "Hell, I'll let Donald Trump select him before I let him do it." When asked who would hire the coach, Landry replied, "The Board of Supervisors is gonna come up with a committee, and they're gonna go find us a coach." The governor appoints members of the board. Landry criticized the contracts that Woodward reached with the last two football coaches that he hired, Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M and Kelly. A few years after Woodward left Texas A&M for LSU, Fisher signed a lucrative extension in 2021 as LSU searched for its next coach, a process that landed on Kelly. "We are not going down a failed path," Landry said. "The guy that's here now that wrote that contract cost Texas A&M $77 million. Right now, we've got a $53 million liability. We are not doing that again." Landry went on to blast a college athletics system in which he said influential sports agents engineer excessively large deals for coaches. "This is ridiculous. Lawyers would be disbarred for the way these agents act," he said. |
| Who will win 'Lane Kiffin Sweepstakes'? On a historic coaching carousel, the Ole Miss boss stands out from the crowd | |
| On Nov. 25, 2016, in an hours-long presentation before LSU decision-makers, Ed Orgeron, then the interim coach at the school, made his pitch to be the permanent head coach. Equipped with a binder laying out his strategic plans and long-term goals, Orgeron included within his presentation the name of the primary candidate that he was prepared to hire as his offensive coordinator. Lane Kiffin. Then a brazen 41-year-old in his third season as Nick Saban's offensive coordinator at Alabama, Kiffin pledged to Orgeron and LSU's sitting athletic director, Joe Alleva, that he'd leave Tuscaloosa and move to Baton Rouge -- just as long as he did not land a head coaching job that December. A few weeks later, hopes of Kiffin taking his offensive mastery to Baton Rouge were dashed when Florida Atlantic hired him as its head coach. Almost a decade later, will the hottest name of this historically busy coaching cycle finally make his way to south Louisiana? Or, perhaps, Gainesville, Fla.? Or maybe he remains in Oxford, Miss.? "It's the Lane Kiffin Sweepstakes," quips one SEC coach. As November arrives, the college football world feels more enamored in this year's remarkably costly and altogether wacky coaching cycle than it is by the actual games on the field. And amid this crowded ballroom of dancers, there is one most attractive belle. |
| The universities driving sports tech innovation at the college level (and beyond) | |
| While so many tech enhancements channel into pro sports leagues, teams and athletes, there's a slew of innovation happening at the collegiate level, too. Consider this SBJ Tech newsletter a college tour of creativity. The influx of money in college athletics (via athlete revenue sharing from schools, NIL opportunities, etc.) created the need for a roster management tool reflective of the time. Victory GM emerged out of the Louisiana Tech Sports Performance Institute, an entity that launched in fall 2024. At a top level, it centralizes crucial components of an administrator's role: The operational hub helps to manage rev share with athletes, enables the department to foster and monitor a closed NIL network and is a communications center for both athletics employees and the athletes in the department. Wally Crittenden, Louisiana Tech senior associate AD/championship resources and CRO, said that Victory GM is a platform built for athletic administrators by athletic administrators who have often had to work with solutions that didn't exactly fit the profession. "There is a wide gap between fully integrated solutions and niche solutions," Crittenden said. "Those gaps are functionality and price point." This summer, South Carolina's College of Information and Communications' Social Media Insights Lab built out a new product to measure the ripples of chatter (and chaos) that can come from the college football season. Enter the College Sports Social Pulse, a social-listening tool that leans on AI to ingest fans' posting data and sift through it to determine which teams, players and coaches are driving the most conversation on a weekly basis. Clay Owen, a former longtime AT&T PR pro who's now a professor at the school, is leading the research-fueled effort to contextualize the larger conversations happening across Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, and X. |
| NBA Scandal May Push Congress Back Into Sports Betting Debate | |
| By charging Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering -- alleging he schemed to remove himself from a 2023 game to guarantee the "under" for prop bets on his statistics -- the Department of Justice could open the door for Congress to revisit an area of legislation it has largely punted to the states: sports betting law. For most of U.S. history, individual states have largely decided whether to allow sports-related gambling activities within their borders. But that wasn't true from 1992 to 2018. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush signed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act into law. PASPA made it illegal for 46 states to authorize sports betting; Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana were excluded, because they had already adopted sports betting practices. In other words, the federal government forbid 46 states from offering sports betting even if they wished to do so. At the same time, Congress didn't establish any federal standard for sports betting -- an omission that would later contribute to PASPA's downfall. The fact that 46 states couldn't authorize a tax-generating, commercial activity, while four "grandfathered" states could, also became controversial. The sports world in the early 1990s was starkly different. |
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