| Thursday, July 10, 2025 |
| Mississippi State scientists make progress against resistant weeds | |
 | Mississippi State is one of 10 land-grant universities leading a nationwide effort to combat herbicide resistant weeds threatening U.S. soybean production. Supported by a $500,000 grant from the United Soybean Board, the Herbicide Resistance Monitoring Network, or HERMON, brings together researchers to monitor weed resistance evolution, develop faster, more consistent diagnostic protocols, and improve region-specific weed-management strategies. Scientists in MSU's Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, or MAFES, are leading two of the HERMON project's five major objectives -- standardizing herbicide resistance diagnostics and investigating resistance to pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides. As part of the first objective, HERMON includes three regional hubs with specialized focuses. Mississippi State serves as the southern hub, concentrating on herbicide resistance in grasses common in southern soybean systems. Michigan State serves as the northern hub for broadleaf weed diagnostics, and the University of Arkansas specializes in Palmer amaranth. The three hubs share the goal of developing consistent nationwide diagnostic methods. Luis Avila, Dr. Glover B. Triplett Endowed Chair and associate professor, and Paul Tseng, associate professor, both scientists in MSU's Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, are leading the university's contributions to the project. |
| Community Bank opening first office in Starkville this fall | |
| Community Bank is expanding into Starkville this fall with the opening of a 1,925-square foot full-service office in The Summit located at 403 Russell St. The new office will provide a full-service, walk-in location that includes deposit and lending services, along with a walk-up ATM. Loan services include home mortgage, personal and business loans as well as construction lending. Financial planning services are also available. "This expansion has been a long-term strategy by our executive team," said Justin Martin, president and chief executive officer for Community Bank. "Our team has had opportunity over the last several years to spend some significant time in Starkville and Oktibbeha County. We are eager to continue developing relationships as we establish a permanent home here in the Golden Triangle." The office will be located on the bottom floor of The Summit, a newly constructed mixed-use development completed this month, that is home to luxury condos, in addition to Class A commercial space. Community Bank, which is celebrating its 120th year, has $4.7 billion in assets with 56 offices and over 850 staff members across Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee. |
| SOCSD hopes to have new high school complete by 2027 | |
 | Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District is one step closer to getting a new Starkville High School. The board of trustees voted Tuesday to authorize borrowing up to $125 million in bonds to go toward construction and potentially purchasing property. Now the district moves forward with nailing down details for the build, which Superintendent Tony McGee estimated will be completed by the 2027-2028 school year. "We'll take the time that we need to make sure that we get the facility right," McGee told The Dispatch after Tuesday's board meeting. "We know that this is a 50-year commitment (for) this community, so it's not a process that we want to rush through. We want to make sure that if we're spending taxpayers' money, that we've got a facility that they can be proud of and that has all the things our boys and girls need." Tuesday's decision gives the board the capacity to issue up to $125 million either in a series or all at once. McGee said the impact that could have on the district's ad valorem tax request this year is still unclear. But the district intends to approach the process as frugally as possible, he said. Communications Director Haley Montgomery said the district won't determine how much to borrow until cost estimates are more certain. |
| New dome storm shelter coming to Oktibbeha County | |
 | A large, new storm shelter is coming to Oktibbeha County in the near future. Oktibbeha County supervisors recently accepted a $1 million federal grant to fund its construction along Second Avenue. The shelter, dubbed the "safe room," will be modeled after the dome-shaped shelter on Lynn Lane in Starkville. It'll be able to house almost 800 people. The Starkville shelter is the only public shelter in the county. It's approximately 17 miles away from Maben. So the Maben shelter will be a much-appreciated option for residents in and around the small town. The grant will cover 90% of the cost, and the county will cover the rest. County administrator Wayne Carpenter said the county will start seeking bids immediately. |
| Nissan suspends Nissan Frontier production in Canton | |
 | Nissan Motor has suspended U.S. production of three vehicle models for Canada amid mutual tariffs imposed by the U.S. and Canada on auto imports, the automaker said. It has halted production of Pathfinder and Murano SUVs and Frontier pickup trucks, the Japanese automaker said in a statement late on Wednesday, without saying when the suspension went into effect or how long it expected it to stay in place. Nissan assembles the Frontier in Canton, Mississippi and the Pathfinder and Murano in Tennessee. "This is a short-term and temporary measure, and we remain hopeful that ongoing discussions between the U.S. and Canadian governments will lead to a successful agreement in the near future," Nissan said in a statement. Nissan said its top-selling vehicles in Canada, such as the Versa, Sentra and Rogue, were all sourced from either Mexico or Japan, with production from those two countries accounting for 80% of its Canadian sales. While Canada is a relatively small market for Nissan, the suspension underscores the difficulty facing global automakers from the tariffs. The levies have also added to a deepening crisis at Nissan, which has been badly hit by deteriorating sales and an ageing vehicle lineup. |
| Newest Italian restaurant will open next week in Jackson | |
| It has been known for some time that the Starkville restaurant Taste is opening a second location in Ridgeland's Renaissance at Colony Park in the space that was previously occupied by Enzo Osteria. Now, there is a specific schedule for its opening. The kitchen has been testing recipes and the everything is a go. Taste is scheduled to open on July 18 with an official grand opening slated for Aug. 5. While it was expected the new restaurant would open soon after the first of the year, the Taste team ran into issues with renovations. Those have been rectified, and Taste is now set to open. The new Taste location, like the one in Starkville, will have a menu filled with Italian dishes. Guests can expect items such as imported Italian pasta, hand-tossed pizzas and an extensive selection of Italian wines. Additionally, Taste will offer private dining options and catering services, perfect for special events and celebrations. Taste is owned primarily by Michele Fant, CEO of Culinary Innovation Group, which is a company that oversees multiple restaurant properties, including Bluto's, Taste, Block and Harvest Catering and The Joint Barbeque. |
| Jackson chef to open three new restaurant concepts in The District at Eastover | |
 | Renowned local chef and restaurant owner Derek Emerson is significantly expanding his culinary presence in the Capital City, with plans to launch three new restaurant concepts at The District at Eastover this fall. The first of Emerson's new ventures, Effie's, is scheduled to open inside the Cultivation Food Hall towards the end of August. This concept will operate as an elevated bar and lounge. Effie's is named after the general manager of Emerson's former restaurant, Walker's Drive In. "We used to have Caet in Fondren, which was little Caet. So we're going to do a little bar called little Effie's for one of the spaces, so that encompasses the Cultivation bar and the pizza oven. So we'll do just snacks -- small plates," Emerson explained. Also located within the Cultivation Food Hall will be Emerson's Provisions. This new concept will allow foodies to purchase sauces, rubs, and other items used in Emerson's eateries. By October, Emerson plans to transform the former Eudora's Mississippi Brasserie location into Masa Mesa. This restaurant will specialize in taco and burger fusion items, incorporating BBQ from his Pocahontas restaurant, Sacred Ground Barbecue. |
| New executive director at Walter Anderson Museum of Art oversees expansion | |
 | Embracing old and adding the new is what staffers at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art are looking to do. "We're the largest public collection of Walter Anderson's artwork, and that involves putting together exhibitions, completing research and managing permanent collections," said Maddie Codling. Codling is the new executive director of the museum, but has been the director of collections and exhibitions for nine years. She says her vision for the museum is to keep what makes the museum a staple of Ocean Springs while also expanding and adding new things, like The Traveler cafe. "We will be expanding across the street in the back of our art cottage and creating the creative complex, which is a space that will house a lot of our educational programming, really working at the intersection of arts, science and ecological literacy," said Codling. |
| U.S. Jobless Claims Fell Last Week | |
 | The number of Americans who newly filed for unemployment benefits declined last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, although the report suggested that the size of the unemployed population continued to grow in June. In the week through July 5, unemployment filings fell to 227,000, from a revised 232,000 a week earlier. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal were forecasting 235,000 claims. Continuing claims, an indicator of the size of the total unemployed population, came in at 1.97 million in the week through June 28, compared with 1.96 million a week earlier. That is the highest level since November 2021, and a sign that relatively slow hiring is making it harder for people out of work to find new jobs. The continuing-claims data lag the initial-claims data by a week. Economists have been tracking the weekly figures for an up-to-date look at a labor market that many fear is gradually weakening. So far this year, however, the claims data have reflected softer hiring but no serious surge in layoffs. |
| Mississippi tax revenue slumps, but state still has money in the bank thanks to feds | |
| For only the sixth time since 1970, Mississippi collected less in tax revenue than it did the previous fiscal year, according to the latest report from the state's Legislative Budget Office. The report says Mississippi collected around $64.3 million, or .83%, less than it did the last fiscal year. Last year, the state collected around $7.7 billion, while it collected $7.64 billion this year. The main reason the state is taking in less money than it did last year is that it collected $232.5 million, or 24%, less from corporate income taxes than it did last year. The state collected more sales taxes, individual income taxes and use taxes than last year. Despite the slump in revenue, state government is still living within its means and is collecting more than lawmakers who set the state budget had estimated. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee, a group of 14 lawmakers, had estimated that Mississippi would collect $7.6 billion in taxes. Since the state had a lower estimate, it collected $41 million more than it projected. Even with the low $7.6 billion estimate, the Legislature during a May special session voted to adopt an even lower $7.1 billion state budget, meaning it left around half a billion dollars unencumbered. Still, the fact that the state is receiving less money could be an early sign of recession, or that massive tax cuts passed in recent years and still being phased in are not stimulating economic growth like proponents of the cuts hoped. |
| Coopwood retires from Mississippi wildlife commission after 10 years | |
| After a decade dedicated to the enhancement and conservation of Mississippi's outdoors, Scott Coopwood has departed from his position on the state wildlife commission. Coopwood, a Cleveland native, spent 10 years on the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Commission. He served as chair of the commission for two terms, helping guide the group to numerous milestones. During an interview on SuperTalk Outdoors with Ricky Mathews, Coopwood called his stint on the wildlife commission one of the best chapters in his life. "Ten years passed by like lightning," Coopwood said. "It has been an incredible rise. I can't believe it's coming to an end, and of course, it's one of the highlights of my life." He credited the entire wildlife department and the commission for their dedication to Mississippi's outdoors scene. Earlier this month, Drew St. John replaced Coopwood on the commission. Gary Rhoads was selected as chair and Billy Mounger as vice chair. |
| Ingalls, Bollinger, Stennis Space Center could see boost from 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' | |
| President Donald Trump (R) signed the reconciliation bill, otherwise known as the "one big, beautiful bill" into law on Friday, July 4th at a White House ceremony. Both Mississippi U.S. Senators and three of the state's four Congressmen voted in support of the Republican-backed measure. Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS 2) was the lone no vote from the Mississippi delegation. He claimed the legislation meant "closed hospitals, nursing homes, families struggling to afford groceries, and educational opportunities deferred" in his district. "The people of Mississippi, and this country deserve better," Thompson said in a statement. However, Senator Roger Wicker (R), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, shared a list of provisions included in the 900-plus page legislation that he believes will benefit Mississippians. Congressman Michael Guest (R-MS 3), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the bill is a critical step to deliver much-needed resources to the border and support our border patrol agents while investing in technology to improve border enforcement and completing the building of the border wall. For agriculture, commodities reference prices were increased to account for inflation to aid farmers and cattlemen. Also, farm-raised fish producers who experience losses associated with bird predation will now be eligible for emergency assistance in the event of a disaster. |
| Mississippi farmers encouraged to apply for disaster aid | |
 | U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture program will begin to distribute $16 billion in assistance to farmers and ranchers in Mississippi and around the nation who experienced losses in recent years due to natural disasters. Hyde-Smith said Mississippi producers can apply for aid if they incurred weather-related losses in 2023 and 2024. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the launch of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) on Wednesday. "I anticipate that a good number of producers in Mississippi will qualify for assistance because our state experienced multiple natural disasters in 2023 and 2024. They should actively look to determine whether they're eligible for help," Hyde-Smith said. "We fought hard to provide the USDA with these funds, and I'm pleased the administration has worked diligently to get disaster relief out the door to the farmers and ranchers who need the aid to maintain their operations." |
| USDA chief outlines federal plan to block China, other foreign ownership of US farmland | |
 | President Donald Trump's administration will pursue a ban on Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland as part of an effort to strengthen farm security, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Tuesday, July 8. Appearing alongside other Cabinet officials, Republican governors and members of Congress at an event outside the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters in Washington, D.C., Rollins announced a department initiative to block "foreign countries of concern" from owning U.S. agriculture lands. Rollins said officials will even try to revoke lands already owned by China-backed entities. The administration will "take swift legislative and executive action to ban the purchase of American farmland by Chinese nationals and other foreign adversaries," she said. The administration will look for vulnerabilities in the agricultural supply chain and attempt to ensure crop and nutrition programs are not being used to fund terrorist or criminal activity, while cutting down on fraud and abuse. The plan instructs the administration to strengthen biosecurity measures. An analysis from the American Farm Bureau, an advocacy group, estimated Chinese investors accounted for only about .02% of all foreign owned U.S. agricultural land. |
| DOGE keeps gaining access to sensitive data. Now, it can cut off billions to farmers | |
 | A staffer from the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, recently got high-level access to view and change the contents of a payments system that controls tens of billions of dollars in government payments and loans to farmers and ranchers across the United States, according to internal access logs reviewed by NPR. "When we talk about farm loan application records, there is no more personal information anywhere than in that database," Scott Marlow, a former senior official in the U.S. Department of Agriculture told NPR. "The farmer's entire financial life and the life of their kids and their family, every time they've missed a payment, every time they've had a hard time, every time they've gotten in financial trouble ... it's there." The move is in line with an early command by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to give DOGE "full access and transparency," though it may run counter to the agency's long-standing policies around data protection and privacy. The news of DOGE's access and scope of potential use of farmers' personal and economic data comes at a time when the United States' agricultural producers face multiple financial challenges, including concerns over President Trump's tariffs, rising production costs and climate-related disasters. |
| 'I really feel for her': Brooke Rollins' impossible Trump administration mandate | |
 | Shortly after President Donald Trump temporarily paused immigration raids on farms last month, Brooke Rollins' team asked a well-connected D.C. lobbying firm to help defend the Agriculture secretary against an onslaught of attacks insinuating that she had betrayed America First principles. They were looking for support, such as some friendly social media posts, as she became the face of what many on the right saw as amnesty for certain undocumented workers, according to a farm lobby employee granted anonymity to speak about the outreach. At least one firm praised Rollins during meetings with political operatives and elected officials, according to a farm lobby executive granted anonymity to share details of the conversation. The request for outside help, which a department spokesperson denied was made or directed by the secretary, underscores the difficult position in which Rollins, who is thought to have political ambitions beyond this Cabinet post, finds herself. As secretary, she represents the interests of farmers and agriculture groups, who rely on immigrants to work long hours for modest pay. As a Trump official, she serves a president who has decried amnesty efforts, carveouts and open borders that he believes have ruined the country under previous administrations. It's an unenviable position as the Trump administration weighs how to square its hard-line immigration stance with a basic American need for farm labor -- without which everything from fruits and vegetables to meat and milk could become more expensive. |
| Trump selects Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as interim NASA head | |
 | Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is about to perform double duty after President Donald Trump named him to lead NASA on an interim basis. News of Duffy's appointment comes during a turbulent period in NASA's history, as the U.S. space agency faces potentially steep budget cuts and has grappled with workforce reductions. What's more, NASA has found itself without a full-time administrator since Bill Nelson stepped down on Jan. 20, the day of Trump's inauguration. Trump, though, gave Duffy a glowing vote of confidence when announcing his new appointment. "He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time," Trump said in a Truth Social post Wednesday, July 9. Duffy, 53, was confirmed Jan. 28 by the Senate as U.S. transportation secretary. Prior to serving in the Trump Administration, Duffy represented Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. But long before his political career, Duffy was a reality television star. |
| Visa policy shift threatens Mississippi's international student pipeline | |
| A federal policy requiring social media screening for all student visa applicants is raising concerns across Mississippi's higher education community, where international students contribute tens of millions of dollars to the state economy. As of the 2024–25 academic year, 3,135 international students are enrolled in Mississippi colleges and universities -- including 207 at Jackson State University and smaller numbers at Belhaven, Millsaps, and Tougaloo. According to the Higher Ed Immigration Portal, those students generated an estimated $83.7 million in economic activity for the state. "These students pay full tuition, housing and insurance," said Madeline Zavodny, an economist at the University of North Florida. "They help make college more affordable for domestic students by funding programs and courses." But that funding stream may be shrinking. Nationally, the number of international students dropped more than 11% in one year, according to Student and Exchange Visitor Information System data analyzed by Boston College. Zavodny warned that uncertainty over visas -- combined with stricter vetting -- could drive students elsewhere. |
| The Avett Brothers set to perform at Ole Miss on September 11 | |
| Grammy-nominated folk-rock band The Avett Brothers will be making a stop at Ole Miss just before the Rebel football team's SEC home opener. The Avett Brothers will bring their signature sound to the Gertrude C. Ford Center on Thursday, Sept. 11, just two days before Lane Kiffin's squad welcomes conference counterpart Arkansas to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The group boasts its morphing of bluegrass, country, punk, pop, folk, rock 'n' roll, indie rock, honky-tonk, and ragtime to deliver a unique sound. The band has released 11 studio albums, the most recent a self-titled release in May 2024. Their most popular album, "I and Love and You," released in 2009, has garnered 500,000 sales. The group has been nominated for four Grammys and has won a multitude of Americana Music Honors & Awards. "Their music brings people together across generations, and this performance promises to be one of the highlights of our season," Ford Center director Julia Aubrey said in a press release. |
| Nursing becomes a 'dream come true' | |
| When Logan and Erin Dorsey would visit Children's of Mississippi for sickle cell disease care, they would ask for extra gloves, alcohol wipes and bandages. "We would take them home and play nurse with our stuffed animals," Logan said. "We knew from a young age that we wanted to be nurses. Being in the hospital for weeks at a time, the hospital became a nurturing second home for us." The Dorsey sisters, both of Madison, went on to have bone marrow transplants at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Erin in 2012 as a 9-year-old, and Logan, at 19, in 2021. They both realized the dream of earning BSN degrees, and now they care for patients with cancer and blood disorders, including sickle cell disease, at the state's only children's hospital. "The nurses we had poured into us, encouraged us and uplifted us," Erin said. "They inspired us to become nurses. How they cared for me is how I hope I care for our patients." Erin will reach her first anniversary at UMMC in June, and older sister Logan joined the Medical Center's nursing team in March. Both earned BSN degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi, and Erin holds an associate degree in nursing from Holmes Community College. |
| 'Acts of violence will not be tolerated': Hattiesburg announces new youth curfew | |
| Law enforcement officials in Hattiesburg have announced a youth curfew in response to an outbreak of shootings over Independence Day weekend. A string of "incredibly reckless and dangerous decisions," as described by Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker in an impassioned social media post, has prompted authorities to crack down on violence. In the meantime, from Sunday through Thursday, those 18 and older cannot be out unsupervised from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, the enforcement period begins at midnight. "Acts of violence will not be tolerated. Those who choose to engage in violent behavior will face serious consequences, including arrest," Hattiesburg Police Chief Hardy Sims said. "Our officers are committed to keeping our community safe, and we will take all necessary measures to prevent violence from becoming a norm among our youth." Law enforcement officials from Petal, Lamar County, and Forrest County joined Sims at Wednesday's press conference regarding the curfew. A unified front, the law enforcement leaders have vowed to work jointly to curb violence in the region. Hours after officials launched the curfew, police announced the arrests of a 15-year-old and a 14-year-old reportedly connected to a shooting at a Hardy Street business on Monday night. |
| Artfully intelligent learning is highlighted at summer institute for educators | |
 | Inside one conference room, educators were learning how to teach through sketch noting, across the hall, teachers were creating works of art with turmeric, green tea, coffee, mustard, and other non-traditional supplies. In another session, Carver Arts Integration Teacher Kalie Daniel learned how to utilize quilting in storytelling. "In first grade, there are a lot of different cultures, so that we can talk about children, their story, and they can make their own version of quilts," Daniel said. Of course, first graders would use paper to make their artful quilts, but utilizing the arts in education is the goal of the Mississippi Whole Schools Program. The Summer Institute brings educators together to network and learn from experts how to use arts and technology, including AI, in the classroom. "Our theme is "Reimagining Traditions in the world of AI," so we look at traditions and talk about how those are impacted by technology. While we honor traditions, we also recognize the fact that all we do is impacted by technology," said Charlotte Smelser, director of arts education for the Mississippi Arts Commission. Educators take what they experience at the summer institute back to their classrooms. |
| A century after a man was convicted of teaching evolution, the debate on religion in schools rages | |
 | One hundred years ago, a public high school teacher stood trial in Dayton, Tennessee, for teaching human evolution. His nation is still feeling the reverberations today. The law books record it as State of Tennessee v. John T. Scopes. History remembers it as the " Monkey Trial." The case ballooned into a national spectacle, complete with a courthouse showdown between a renowned, agnostic defense attorney and a famous fundamentalist Christian politician who defended the Bible on the witness stand. In a sweltering, pre-air conditioning courtroom, the trial became a linchpin for a tense debate that wasn't just a small-town aberration. "This is a broad-based culture war of which the Scopes trial is just one place lightning struck," says James Hudnut-Beumler, professor of American religious history at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Today, new state laws requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms are facing legal challenges. As the Supreme Court leans right, there is an ongoing conservative push to infuse more religion -- often Christianity -- into taxpayer-funded education. Advocates of religious diversity and church-state separation are countering it in capitols, courts and public squares. "We are fighting on an almost daily basis," says Robert Tuttle, a religion and law professor at George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. |
| Florida university system's board to vote on creation of accrediting agency | |
| The State University System of Florida's governing board plans to vote Friday to approve the creation of the Commission for Public Higher Education, a new accreditor formed by the state university system and five other Southern public higher education networks. The state's Legislature has devoted $4 million to the Florida governing board to help with startup costs for the new accreditor, according to CPHE's business plan. The accreditor expects the other five university systems to devote a similar level of resources to the effort. CPHE hopes to begin accrediting six institutions by June 2026 and to become recognized by the U.S. Department of Education by June 2028. Accreditors must operate for two years before the Education Department will recognize them. Colleges that want to be accredited by CPHE will be able to retain their current agency while the new accreditor seeks the Education Department’s recognition, according to the business plan. Once it becomes federally recognized, colleges can make CPHE their primary accreditor and shed their other agency, if they wish. The founding members of the new accreditor are the State University System of Florida, the Texas A&M University System, the University System of Georgia, the University of North Carolina System, the University of South Carolina system and the University of Tennessee System. |
| Texas Law School Deans Fight to Keep ABA Accreditation | |
 | A group of Texas law school deans is urging the state Supreme Court to uphold American Bar Association accreditation standards for public law schools. The state's highest court announced in April that it was considering dropping the ABA requirement for licensure, opening a public comment period on the matter that closed July 1. "We strongly support continued reliance on ABA accreditation for Texas law schools and licensure eligibility," the deans of eight of the state's 10 ABA-accredited law schools wrote in a letter to the Texas Supreme Court. "ABA accreditation provides a nationally recognized framework for quality assurance and transparency; portability of licensure through recognition of ABA accreditation by all 50 states, which is critical for graduates' career flexibility; consumer protections and public accountability through disclosure standards; and a baseline of educational quality that correlates with higher bar passage rates and better employment outcomes." Of the state's ABA-accredited law schools' deans, only Robert Chesney of the University of Texas and Robert Ahdieh of Texas A&M didn't sign the letter, Reuters reported. |
| Oklahoma workforce significantly benefits from higher education, study finds | |
| Every dollar the Oklahoma Legislature invests in the state's public higher education system produces over $17 in economic output, a new study found. Oklahoma public higher education supported over 111,000 jobs either directly or indirectly and produced over $460 million in tax revenue at state, county and local levels, according to the study published by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. The regents contracted with the University of Cincinnati Economics Center to conduct the study. "Oklahoma's public institutions play a crucial role in shaping the workforce, driving innovation, and advancing economic development," said Chancellor Sean Burrage. "Our Blueprint 2030 strategic plan prioritizes aligning academic programs to meet employment needs, with the goal to produce more educators, engineers, computer scientists, and nurses." Blueprint 2030 is the strategic plan by the regents to produce workforce-ready graduates, focus on student success and improve system efficiency and effectiveness. |
| A 4/4 Teaching Load Becomes Law at Most of Wisconsin's Public Universities | |
 | Faculty members at most campuses across the University of Wisconsin system will soon have to teach at least eight courses per academic year. The workload requirement was folded into Wisconsin's state budget, a bipartisan plan signed last week by Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat. Per the legislation, full-time UW system instructors must teach at least 24 credits across the fall and spring terms, starting September 1, 2026. That requirement is halved for the state's two R1 universities, UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee. The idea of a "4/4 load" -- four courses a semester -- is dreaded by many professors, who say juggling so many students and assignments makes it difficult to teach effectively and keep up with other duties, such as research and service. One group representing UW-system faculty members is worried about the implications of the demanding schedule being mandated by the state. Wisconsin's budget includes a more than $256-million increase in funding for the UW system to support faculty raises, staff recruitment and retention, facilities projects, and other initiatives. The strings attached to that investment -- which also include caps on administrative staff -- is a compromise with state Republicans, who initially considered cutting the system's funding by $87 million. |
| How Trump's D.E.I. Cuts Are Hurting Rural White Americans Too | |
 | Lucas Dillard describes himself as sort of a JD Vance, scientist version. Raised by a single mother in rural Appalachia, he was about to enlist in the Navy when he received a Pell grant that allowed him to go to North Carolina State University. A work-study requirement delivered a stroke of fortune: a job in a lab with a structural biologist who let him conduct his own research. Those projects got him into a post-baccalaureate program at the National Institutes of Health, where he published papers that helped him get into a Ph.D. program in molecular biophysics at Johns Hopkins. And last year, his work at Hopkins won a prestigious N.I.H. fellowship that pays the country's most promising doctoral students to continue their scientific research. Mr. Dillard's grant was one of thousands the N.I.H. canceled as it rushed to comply with President Trump's executive order banning federally funded diversity, equity and inclusion programs. But Mr. Trump's push to end D.E.I. has been a blunt instrument, eliminating highly competitive grant programs that defined diversity well beyond race and gender. Those who have lost grants include not only Black and Latino scientists, but also many like Mr. Dillard, who are white and from rural areas, which are solidly Trump country. The administration has decried universities as hotbeds of liberal elitism, inhospitable to viewpoint diversity. The canceled diversity grant programs were intended to make science less elite, by developing a pipeline from poorer areas of the country that tend to be more conservative. |
| Education Department restarts interest accrual for borrowers on SAVE plan | |
 | The Education Department announced Wednesday interest accrual for student loan borrowers on the Saving on Valuable Education (SAVE) plan will restart Aug. 1. The SAVE plan, created under the Biden administration, was struck down as illegal by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Since the ruling, millions of borrowers have remained in forbearance with no interest accrual, with the possibility this forbearance could last until summer 2026 before borrowers were forced to switch out. "Millions of borrowers enrolled in the Biden Administration's SAVE Plan based on the false promise of loan cancellation and zero monthly payments, despite multiple federal courts striking down such policies. The Biden Administration also invented a zero percent 'litigation forbearance,' forcing taxpayers to foot the bill and leaving borrowers without clear direction on how to legally repay their loans," the press release from the department states. The SAVE plan became a popular option for its ability to offer some borrowers monthly payments as low as $0. While borrowers will not be responsible for making payments on the SAVE plan until forbearance ends, their balance will rise with the restart of interest accrual. |
| NIH Plans to Cap Publisher Fees, Dilute 'Scientific Elite' | |
| The National Institutes of Health announced a plan Tuesday to implement a cap on the fees publishers can charge NIH-funded researchers to make their work publicly accessible. According to NIH officials -- who have terminated hundreds of research projects that don't align with the Trump administration's ideological views on race, gender and climate, among other topics -- capping such fees has the potential both to disrupt the lucrative academic publishing industry and to bolster scientific debate. Open-access advocates applaud the spirit of the policy, though some say its effectiveness will hinge on the details, which are still in the works. "Creating an open, honest, and transparent research atmosphere is a key part of restoring public trust in public health," Jay Bhattacharya, director of the NIH, said in a statement. "This reform will make science accessible not only to the public but also to the broader scientific community, while ending perverse incentives that don't benefit taxpayers." It's the latest move by the NIH aimed at widening public access to scientific research, coming about a week after the NIH's new public access policy took effect on July 1. That policy, put forth by former president Joe Biden's administration, requires federally funded researchers to deposit their work into agency-designated public-access repositories, including the NIH-run PubMed, immediately upon publication. |
| 10% Drop in International Students Would Cause Billions in Revenue Losses | |
| A 10 percent overall decline in international enrollment would cost U.S. colleges and universities about $3 billion in revenue, according to calculations by The Financial Times. It's currently unclear how much, if at all, international student enrollment will fall next year. According to The Financial Times, three-quarters of institutions surveyed by NAFSA, an association for international education organizations, predict their international enrollment will decline next year, with the majority predicting declines of at least 10 percent. If NAFSA's numbers prove accurate, the publication reported, universities would lose about $900 million in tuition revenue alone. "The mood is one of frustration and uncertainty. To see this very much self-imposed pain we've created is very problematic," Joann Ng Hartmann, NAFSA's senior impact officer, told the FT. "We are putting yet another burden on students and schools pursuing their academic dreams." |
| Republicans urge Dartmouth and Notre Dame to quit China scholarship program | |
| House Republicans are urging seven U.S. universities to cut ties with a Chinese scholarship program that lawmakers call a "nefarious mechanism" to steal technology for the Chinese government. In letters to Dartmouth College, the University of Notre Dame and five other universities, leaders of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party raise concerns about the schools' partnerships with the China Scholarship Council, a study abroad program funded by China. The program sponsors hundreds of Chinese graduate students every year at U.S. universities. After graduating, they're required to return to China for two years. In the letters sent Tuesday, Republicans described it as a threat to national security. Dartmouth said Wednesday it has had fewer than 10 participants in the program over the last decade and already had decided to end its participation. Notre Dame said it began the process of terminating its association with the program earlier this year. University of Tennessee said it had also received the letter and was reviewing the committee's request. Many U.S. universities acknowledge a need to improve research security but caution against treating Chinese scholars with hostility and suspicion, saying only small numbers have been involved in espionage. |
| Trump Signed the 'Big Beautiful Bill.' What's Next? | |
| Since the passage last week of President Trump's domestic agenda, the Department of Education now has less than a year to carry out what policy analysts are calling the most significant overhaul to federal student aid in more than a decade, raising questions about whether the agency can pull it off. Ensuring a smooth transition in such a short time frame would have been a heavy lift for any education secretary, but higher education experts say it will be nearly impossible for Linda McMahon, as she cut the department's staff by nearly 50 percent earlier this year. "I worry that that implementation is a really big ask for the department in the way that it is staffed," said Beth Akers, a senior fellow at the conservative think tank the American Enterprise Institute who focuses on the economics of higher education. "The responsible thing to do would be to put in legislation about staffing at the department or to move [certain programs] to other agencies." Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the department will have to eliminate an entire loan program for graduate students, consolidate repayment options for future borrowers, increase the endowment tax and introduce a whole new accountability metric based on students' earnings. On top of that, public colleges will be forced to bear the burden of budget cuts, as the bill includes a slash of more than $1 trillion in funding for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which are expected to leave gaping holes in state budgets across the country. |
SPORTS
| Three Bulldogs Ready For NBA Summer League Starting This Weekend | |
| The Mississippi State men's basketball program will have Garrison Brooks, Cameron Matthews and Tolu Smith III participate in the 2025 NBA 2K26 Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion from July 10-20. Brooks and Smith III will be reunited as teammates with the Detroit Pistons, while Matthews will suit up for the Houston Rockets. All 30 NBA franchises will play at least five games which begin with four matchups on-tap from July 10-17. The top four teams will advance to a semifinal doubleheader on Saturday, July 19 starting at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN. The two semifinal winners will meet for the title at the NBA Summer showcase event on Sunday, July 20 at 9 p.m. CT on ESPN. The 26 teams that don't advance to the four-team playoff will play their final game from July 18-20. The entire 76-game docket slated over 11 days will air on the ESPN platforms (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+) or NBA TV. Every game also will be streamed courtesy of the ESPN app and ESPN+. Men's basketball season tickets are on sale now and start at $225, plus fees. Mississippi State also is accepting season ticket renewals for the 2025-26 season through Friday, July 11. |
| NFL star helps unveil vending machine with free opioid-fighting medicine | |
| Tennessee Titans defensive end Jeffery Simmons is giving back to his home state of Mississippi in more ways than one. After hosting a free football camp in Starkville last week -- a camp that not only saw youth get to learn from Simmons up close but also get to meet country music star Jelly Roll -- Simmons made an appearance at the Jackson Medical Mall on Monday to help unveil a new tool to prevent overdose deaths in the area. Simmons joined officials from the Fund Recovery, Mississippi Public Health Institute, REACH Impact Institute, and Padagis in cutting the ribbon on a naloxone vending machine at the mall, providing free and accessible opioid overdose medication to those in need. Mississippi, per data from the state's prescription monitoring program, saw 146 suspected overdose deaths in 2024 -- a sharp decrease from over 200 in 2023. Officials believe the distribution of naloxone, which has also been handed out on college campuses across the state, can be credited for the turnaround. "When we look at the overdose and the drugs, it's affecting not just the adults but our kids. I'm a big advocate that our kids are our future. That's why I pour so much time into our youth," Simmons told WLBT-TV. "So many kids throwing their lives away because of drugs, guns, whatever it may be. So, that's the reason why I'm here today." |
| How SEC's 'It Just Means More' became part of college football's lexicon | |
| Wynn Everett was hiking an Atlanta trail nine years ago when a couple passed by. They could have recognized the actress from a long run on HBO's "The Newsroom." Or perhaps as a villain on ABC's "Agent Carter." Maybe even that appearance on "Grey's Anatomy." But no, turns out it was something else. A few steps past Everett, the couple turned and yelled four words: "It just means more!" Everett, who said she laughed at the time, might have realized then she was on the ground floor of something so on the nose -- and for some fans, triggering -- that it would become embedded in college sports culture. That fall 2016, Everett appeared in the first two commercials of an SEC campaign intended to show the way of life in the league. In the first, Everett narrates what the SEC means -- "heart of a campus, heart of a town, heart of an entire state." Then the video cuts to Everett under a moss tree. Right before the already established "SEC, SEC, SEC" chant plays, Everett finishes with the words: "It is so not a phase. Whatever it is. Here, it just means more." So not a phase, indeed. Some slogans and ad campaigns are quickly forgotten. This one, in less than a decade, has become a rallying cry, and when things go wrong for an SEC team, something opposing fans gleefully mock. Either way, it has become ubiquitous with the conference. When Greg Sankey was promoted to SEC commissioner in summer 2015, he zeroed in on the league's image. There was no question this was the top football league, but to Sankey, according to SEC communications director Herb Vincent, the status felt underused. Sankey wanted more. "He wanted to promote the culture of the conference," Vincent said. |
| The $5 Million Football Recruit Who Just Signed for an Also-Ran | |
| Felix Ojo could have chosen to play football for any college he wanted. The No. 1 recruit in the state of Texas, a 6-foot-7, 275-pound behemoth with more than 50 offers from Division I schools, Ojo was wanted by Ohio State, Michigan and the Texas Longhorns. But when he announced his commitment on his 17th birthday last weekend, Ojo didn't opt for one of the country's blue blood programs. Instead, he chose to join Texas Tech -- a team that might generously be described as the fifth-biggest college football program in its own state. The decision was a stunner, but the most startling part wasn't Ojo spurning the Buckeyes and Longhorns in favor of spending several years in Lubbock. It was the financial terms of the deal, which will pay the Red Raiders' new offensive tackle millions of dollars over the next three years. While the exact details are a little fuzzy -- Ojo's agent says the deal is valued at $5.1 million over three years, people familiar with the Tech football program say it's for less than half that amount and for less time -- the timing of the deal, the sums of money involved and the caliber of Ojo as a prospect make this the splashiest commitment of college football's new revenue-sharing era. The easiest way to make a name for yourself in college football is by throwing around lots of cash, and lately, Texas Tech has done exactly that. Fueled by an alumni base rolling in oil and gas money, the Red Raiders have pumped huge sums into their sports teams -- and haven't been shy about letting everyone know. |
| NCAA's Regulatory Chief Stan Wilcox Joins Post-House Wave of Departures | |
| The post-House v. NCAA exodus from the NCAA's national office continued this week with the announcement that executive vice president of regulatory affairs, Stan Wilcox, will retire at the end of July. Wilcox, a former Florida State athletic director, joined the NCAA in 2018, succeeding Oliver Luck in the role. Over the past seven years, Wilcox has overseen what many consider the most turbulent period in the association's history -- marked by sweeping changes to amateurism rules and multiple high-stakes antitrust lawsuits. Shortly after taking the job, Wilcox oversaw the NCAA's response to the federal government's investigation into bribery allegations involving multiple college hoops programs. NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a press release statement Wednesday that Wilcox had originally planned to step down at the end of 2023 but agreed to extend his tenure at Baker's request. His retirement comes on the heels of other major departures. Just last week, longtime NCAA senior VP of policy and governance Kevin Lennon -- the national office's longest-serving employee -- announced his retirement effective at the end of August. Additionally, VP of academic and membership affairs Dave Schnase will step down on Sep. 2, concluding a 30-year career with the organization. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
