| Thursday, March 6, 2025 |
| Mississippi State researchers granted $630,000 to tackle ham mites | |
 | The federal government has granted researchers in Mississippi State's Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station $630,000 to enhance food quality and safety in specialty dry-cured ham by defending it from a pesky pest. A team of researchers led by Wes Schilling is evaluating alternative solutions for producers to control infestations of Tryophagus putrescentiae, commonly known as the ham mite. Specifically, the team is testing three particular treatments to control mites. The researchers will also conduct a cost-benefit analysis for each treatment. "The greatest risk of mites is the producer's bottom line because every mite-affected ham is a profit loss," said Schilling, a W.L. Giles Distinguished Professor and 2025 SEC Faculty Achievement Award-winning food scientist in MSU's Department of Biochemistry, Nutrition, and Health Promotion. "Many of these producers are small, family-owned businesses in operation for over a century. It is critical to give producers many viable tools to continue delivering high-quality food products to consumers." |
| The MAX sees growth as it looks toward the future | |
 | The past year saw increases in visitors, membership and field trips for The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience as the museum works to develop a strategic plan to carry its mission into the future, President and CEO Penny Kemp told Meridian rotarians Wednesday. In 2024, The MAX saw a 50% increase in the number of people visiting the museum, as well as a 30% increase in membership and twice as many field trips as compared to the year before, Kemp said. The museum saw visitors from 43 states and highlighted work by more than 40 Mississippi artists, she said. Kemp, who joined The MAX just over a year ago, said growing the museum's audience is a good first step, but the museum also has a mission that it needs to fulfill in both celebrating the contributions of Mississippians to arts and culture, as well as empowering and encouraging the next generation of artists to make their marks also. As part of that mission, Kemp said The MAX worked with Mississippi State University's National Strategic Planning & Analysis Research Center, or NSPARC, to conduct a survey looking at what the museum is doing right and where it can improve. |
| 3 of area's female trailblazers to be honored Saturday | |
 | From the cockpit of a Navy jet to the halls of the Mississippi State Capitol and the front lines of civil rights, three local women have made their mark in history. Now, they'll share their journeys and their vision for the future during a panel Saturday at the Black Prairie Blues Museum. The panel "Women Who Make History" will run from 2 to 4 p.m. at the museum at 640 Commerce Street. The event will honor three trailblazing women who have made a lasting impact in their communities: Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill, State Senator Angela Turner-Ford of West Point and civil rights activist Laverne Greene-Leech of Columbus. Museum Director Deborah Mansfield explained the significance of honoring these women during Women's History Month by allowing each to share their personal journeys, challenges and hopes through the question and answer style panel. "It's important to honor these women and note that women make progress in many areas, especially in our Golden Triangle," Mansfield said. "It's important to note people in our community that make changes and do good for the community and the state, as well as the world, really." |
| Fight leads to shots fired, multiple young men arrested | |
| A fight and multiple gunshots in the Yellowjacket and Eckford Drive area last week has led to multiple young men behind bars. Jason Davis Jr., 20, and Caleb Smith, 19, both of Starkville, were arrested Wednesday in connection to the shooting. Davis was charged with aggravated assault and Smith was charged as an accessory after the fact. Morlando Perry Jr., 17, and Tomarkus Gray, 17, both of Starkville, were also arrested Friday, each charged with one count of aggravated assault. Officers responded the night of Feb. 25 to a call of a fight involving a gun that originated in the Yellowjacket and Eckford area. A 17-year-old was arrested on misdemeanor charges of simple assault, disturbance of a business and false information in connection to the incident. No shots were fired at that time and no injuries were reported. SPD then received multiple gunshot calls Feb. 27 night in the same area, related to the fight two days prior. Property was damaged, but no injuries were reported. Davis, Smith, Perry and Gray were taken to Oktibbeha County jail. |
| Mississippi lawmakers narrow down legislation as session's end in sight | |
| With Sine Die (end of the legislative session) just over a month away, Tuesday's deadline for committees to report out general bills originating in the other chamber means many measures ended their run for this session, dying in committee, while others saw the light of day and advanced to the floor. Legislation that died on Tuesday included the Tim Tebow Act to allow homeschool students to participate in public school extracurricular activities, a PERS bill to add a fifth tier for new hires, a measure requiring local candidate campaign finance reports be placed online, and legislation to roll back certain certificate of need (CON) laws, among others. However, as the saying goes around the Capitol, "Nothing is dead until it's dead, dead, dead." The chambers could amend and revive certain legislation if there is overwhelming interest by the body. Notable measures that remain alive in the process are the House and Senate tax reform proposals, prohibitions against DEI in schools and universities, and the regulation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). |
| Officials want Mississippi's multi-billion dollar tourism industry to have its own department | |
 | Advocates of Mississippi tourism are hoping a new bill will help to create a department for the industry in the state. They say this will bring needed investments and attention to the sector. Tourism is the state's fourth largest industry. According to Visit Mississippi, tourism helps to support 133,880 jobs in the state -- in small businesses, restaurants, hotels and attractions. Officials say 2023 was a record breaking year for tourism in the state, creating $1.1 billion in state and local tax revenue. State Senator Lydia Chassaniol from Winona represents District 14, which includes Attala, Carroll, Grenada, Leflore, Montgomery counties. She chairs the Senate tourism committee. "Tourism celebrates the good things that Mississippi has to offer," she said. "We even tell the stories that are incredibly sad. Let me tell you, that takes real courage to do that." Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann believes visitors are attracted to the state's many destinations. For the past three years, the Lieutenant Governor has worked to create a Department of Tourism. He supports Senate Bill 2573. "A Department of Tourism allows us to focus specifically on the tourism department not being part of the Mississippi Development Authority or some other organization," Hosemann said. "This allows us to focus and give them their own budget. That's really important. They will have their own budget and of course they'll be accountable to the legislature." |
| Legislation to outlaw squatting moves forward in Senate | |
| The Senate Judiciary A Committee moved legislation forward that would crack down on squatters in the Magnolia State by increasing penalties for both squatters and individuals misrepresenting themselves as landlords or agents. The bill -- HB 1200 -- passed out of the committee on a voice vote, but not unanimously. State Rep. Shanda Yates (I) provided a lengthy presentation on the bill authored by Rep. Brent Powell (R) before the Senate committee on Tuesday. "What this bill does is set up a mechanism that is clear for law enforcement and clear for those who own property with respect of how to remove squatters from your property," she said of the "Real Property Owners Protection Act." Rep. Yates explained that Mississippi does not currently have laws dealing with squatters. "While we have laws on the books that deal with landlord and tenants and trespassing issues, squatters are in this weird gray area," she said, adding that most states do not have squatter laws but are creating measures to address the issue. In addition, the legislation includes makes it a felony for those who provide false documentation that allows a person to present themselves as the owner or managing agent of property they do not legally have the right to rent, lease or sell. Protections for residents who may face false reports of squatting are also part of the legislation. |
| New Mississippi legislative maps head to court for approval despite DeSoto lawmakers' objections | |
| Voters from 15 Mississippi legislative districts will decide special elections this November, if a federal court approves two redistricting maps that lawmakers approved on Wednesday. The Legislature passed House and Senate redistricting maps, over the objections of some Democrats and DeSoto County lawmakers. The map creates a majority-Black House district in Chickasaw County and creates two new majority-Black Senate districts in DeSoto and Lamar counties. "What I did was fair and something we all thought the courts would approve," Senate President Pro Tempore Dean Kirby told Mississippi Today on the Senate plan. Under the legislation, the qualifying period for new elections would run from May 19 to May 30. The primaries would be held on August 5, with a potential primary runoff on Sept. 2 and the general election on Nov, 4. It's unclear when the federal panel will review the maps, but it ordered attorneys representing the state to notify them once the lawmakers had proposed a new map. |
| Hyde-Smith, Ag Committee Work to Write New Farm Bill | |
| U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) landed solidly on the side of farmers and ranchers who testified to the need for Congress to act sooner rather than later to strengthen the commodity safety net in a new Farm Bill. This past February the Senate Agriculture Committee launched the process for writing a new Farm Bill by getting insights on the challenges facing farmers and ranchers who are still operating under outdated 2018 Farm Bill policies. The hearing, Perspectives from the Field: Farmer and Rancher Views on the Agricultural Economy, Part 1, is the first in a series planned by the committee. "Input costs are through the roof while crop prices are lower than they were fifteen years ago. The federal farm safety net is not providing adequate support to keep our farmers and ranchers afloat. I have certainly been pulling the alarm on this because I know the seriousness of this. Because of this, producers across the country are going out of business. In short, U.S. agriculture is just in trouble," says Hyde-Smith. "When farms are in trouble, so are the banks, the retailers, the equipment dealerships, grain buyers, gins, textile mills, transportation businesses – among the many others up and down the supply chain. Rural America is definitely in a crisis mode partly because Congress has yet to come to terms with the fact that commodity support programs under title I of the Farm Bill are inadequate." |
| Mississippi shipbuilders ready to work with Trump's new White House office of shipbuilding | |
| In his address to Congress Tuesday night, President Donald Trump (R) announced a new White House office of shipbuilding to "resurrect" the American maritime industry. "To boost our defense industrial base, we are also going to resurrect the American shipbuilding industry, including commercial shipbuilding and military shipbuilding," Trump said. "And for that purpose, I am announcing tonight that we will create a new office of shipbuilding in the White House that offers special tax incentives to bring this industry home to America where it belongs." The President said the nation "used to make so many ships." "We don't make them anymore very much, but we're going to make them very fast, very soon. It will have a huge impact," Trump said. Mississippi is home to some of the nation's largest shipbuilding operations that receive significant federal contracts to support America's military. In addition, the state's senior U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R) is now the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, holding significant sway within Congress regarding future military readiness. "Tonight, President Trump outlined his vision for the next four years," Wicker posted on X following the congressional address. "The president has already begun enforcing the law at the border and restoring our national defense. The American people voted for security and prosperity, and I look forward to achieving both over the course of President Trump's administration." |
| Nearly 6,000 USDA workers fired by Trump ordered back to work for now | |
 | An independent federal board has ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to temporarily reinstate close to 6,000 employees fired since Feb. 13, finding reasonable grounds to believe the agency acted illegally in terminating them. The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) issued a stay, ordering the USDA to return the fired workers to their jobs for 45 days while an investigation continues. The MSPB acts as an internal court to consider federal employees' complaints against the government. The order, from board member Cathy Harris, covers probationary employees who received identical termination letters informing them that, based on their performance, they had not demonstrated that their further employment "would be in the public interest." By Wednesday afternoon, official word of the reinstatement had still not reached fired employees, who remain wary of what's ahead. "I'm glad that something is coming out that what happened wasn't correct and was potentially illegal," says Michelle Kirchner, an entomologist with the USDA who was helping alfalfa growers manage pests when she was fired on Feb. 14. Still, Kirchner says it's impossible to have confidence in what's ahead, given the Trump administration has already begun laying the groundwork for even deeper cuts to agencies across the government. |
| Trump administration mulling tariff exemptions for key agriculture products | |
 | The Trump administration is weighing more exemptions from the new tariffs on Canada and Mexico -- this time for the agriculture industry. Amid deep concern from farm state lawmakers over the fallout for the U.S. agriculture sector, officials are discussing waiving the 25 percent duty on some agriculture products, including Canadian potash, a key ingredient in fertilizer, according to two people familiar with the conversations granted anonymity to discuss the ongoing deliberations. Canada is the world's leading supplier of the mineral; the United States sources the vast majority of its potash from its northern neighbor. "You cannot export a potash mine," said Jamie Tronnes, the executive director of the Center for North American Prosperity and Security, a group that pushes for stronger ties between the U.S. and Canada. "It's in the ground [in Canada]. You can't just get it." GOP lawmakers began lobbying for exemptions for potash well before the tariffs went into effect Tuesday, arguing that supply shortages or price spikes will further drive up food prices. On Wednesday, they were joined by House Ag Chair G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.), who said in an interview that he'd asked the White House for exemptions for agricultural inputs, emboldened by President Donald Trump's Wednesday afternoon announcement pausing the North American tariffs on autos and auto parts at the urging of auto makers. It's the first time Thompson has explicitly said he was pushing for a carve-out, following efforts by other GOP lawmakers, including Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa). |
| China Is Secretly Worried Trump Will Win on Trade | |
 | Soon after Donald Trump won the presidential election in November, Xi Jinping asked his aides to urgently analyze the Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. His concern, according to people who consult with senior Chinese officials, was that as President Trump gears up for a showdown with Beijing, China could get isolated like Moscow during that era. He's not wrong to worry. Even though Trump may be the one who currently looks isolated on the world stage -- picking trade fights with erstwhile allies like Mexico and Canada, alarming Europe over his handling of the war in Ukraine and vowing to annex Greenland and the Panama Canal -- the truth is that China doesn't hold a strong hand. With a domestic economy in crisis, Xi is playing defense, hoping to salvage as much as possible of a global trade system that helped pull his country out of poverty. Across the Pacific, Trump is intent on rewiring that very trading system, which he and his advisers see as having benefited the rest of the world -- and China most of all -- at the U.S.'s expense. It isn't just trade. The competing agendas of the leaders of the world's two largest economies are poised to lead to precisely what China is trying to avoid: a superpower clash not seen since the Cold War, an all-encompassing rivalry over economic, technological and overall geopolitical supremacy. |
| Mississippians face higher prices due to new tariffs | |
| New tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China will force Mississippians to pay more for groceries, electronics, and automobiles. Experts say shoppers could soon see price increases on avocados, strawberries, and even smart TVs. "The amount of these increases will depend on how much individual firms pass on these increases. But we can expect the bulk of the increase caused by the tariffs to be passed on to the consumers in the form of higher prices," said State Economist Corey Miller. "It's going to hurt in the short term -- no doubt about it. This trade war is going to hurt. We've already been hurting." Mississippi Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson supports Trump's new tariffs, believing they are the best way to rebalance international trade relations. According to Gipson, last year, the U.S. had a $37 billion agricultural trade deficit on imports of lumber, seafood, and grain. "If we keep doing what we've been doing, we're going to keep getting what we've been getting. We cannot allow this to continue. Our farmers are hurting worse than they ever have," Gipson said. |
| Would tariffs be costly for Mississippians? | |
 | President Donald Trump is exempting U.S. automakers from new tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, but other tariffs for agricultural products and more remain in place. Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson (R-Miss.) said these are just the latest developments in a trade war that's been waged for several years. Mississippi exported more than $313 million in agricultural and other products to Canada, Mexico and China in 2024. These latest tariffs could be costly for the state. Gipson had a message for the farmers in Mississippi. "If we keep doing what we've been doing, we're going to keep getting what we've been getting. And what American farmers have been getting is the shaft from all of the international trade issues for the last four or five years. It has hurt us because that's the reason why our ag product prices are lower than they should be, because we're not, we've not been exporting around the world to these other nations," he said. |
| GOP senators pitch Musk on using 1974 budget law to cut spending | |
 | Senate Republicans called on the Trump administration Wednesday to use the formal rescissions process to claw back money already appropriated by Congress that the "Department of Government Efficiency" has identified as wasteful. It's also a way to avoid legal setbacks that have befallen the White House in its push to freeze agency budgets and programs, including foreign aid accounts. One day after President Donald Trump singled out small-dollar examples of waste in his joint address to Congress, the de facto leader of the DOGE effort, Elon Musk, came to the Capitol to soothe concerns over how some of the cuts have been implemented. Many lawmakers have expressed alarm at the wholesale gutting of agencies and the firing of thousands of federal employees. Hoping to regain some of their power of the purse, senators asked Musk at a private lunch to have the White House submit a rescissions package for congressional approval for any funding it deems fraudulent or wasteful. Congress would then have 45 days to approve the request, or else the money must be spent as appropriated once the clock runs out. "What we got to do as Republicans is capture their work product, put it in a bill and vote on it," Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters. "So the White House, I'm urging them to come up with a rescission package." |
| GOP lawmakers balk at Trump's call to repeal CHIPS Act | |
 | Republican lawmakers on Wednesday said President Trump's call for Congress to "get rid of" the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, which provided $52 billion for the domestic semiconductor manufacturing industry, is dead on arrival on Capitol Hill. Republican senators said they're willing to work with Trump to make some changes to the program, but they argued the money allocated to bolster microchip production in the United States is critical to national security. They also point out the money has already been spent and there simply wouldn't be the votes to repeal a law that passed the Senate and House with strong bipartisan majorities. Democrats touted the law as one of the biggest legislative successes of the Biden administration, but it also received the backing of 17 Senate Republicans and 24 GOP members of the House. "I think reconstituting domestic manufacturing of advanced semiconductors is a national security and economic imperative," said Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), who was one of 17 Senate Republicans who voted for the law. Cornyn noted that "the whole purpose of this was national security." The Texas senator said "the idea" for the law came from the first Trump administration, particularly then-Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. |
| DOGE is driving Social Security cuts and will make mistakes, acting head says privately | |
 | The newly installed caretaker at the Social Security Administration acknowledged this week that Elon Musk's U.S. DOGE Service is calling the shots as the agency races to slash thousands of jobs and shrink its budget, telling a group of advocates, "Things are currently operating in a way I have never seen in government before." In a meeting Tuesday with his senior staff and about 50 legal-aid attorneys and other advocates for the disabled and elderly, acting SSA commissioner Leland Dudek referred to the tech billionaire's cost-cutting team as "outsiders who are unfamiliar with nuances of SSA programs," according to a meeting participant's detailed notes that were obtained by The Washington Post. "DOGE people are learning and they will make mistakes, but we have to let them see what is going on at SSA," Dudek told the group, according to the notes. "I am relying on longtime career people to inform my work, but I am receiving decisions that are made without my input. I have to effectuate those decisions." It's still not clear what Trump and Musk have in mind as an endgame for Social Security, which has long been a political third rail in Washington. Musk's attacks last week on Social Security -- he described it as "the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time" -- have further heightened alarm and uncertainty for lawmakers, policymakers and the public about whether Americans' earned benefits will end up as collateral damage. |
| National Park Service advocates worry about peak visitor season amid cuts with more on the way | |
| The days are getting warmer and that means hiking season for many is right around the corner. But with the mass layoffs among National Park Service workers, what will our beloved parks look like? The National Park Service's mission is to preserve "unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations." The Department of the Interior agency looks over great swaths of land all over the United States, with an already small staff. Now it is more than 1,000 probationary workers less, thanks to the Trump administration cuts to the federal workforce. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway have reported losing personnel in the firings, and with threats of possibly even more cuts in the coming months, it could have an impact on the experience of visitors during peak months. In the Smokies, people might not notice changes right away, but the signs could be subtle: visitor centers closing early or opening later, trash cans in need of emptying, restrooms that aren't as clean or trees not being cleared on hiking paths. For national park advocates, it is worrisome. In 2023, more than 325 million people visited national parks, the most recent year for which national park statistics are publicly available. |
| An Uptick in Vocational Training: Gen Z showing increasing interest in job specific programs | |
| For decades, attending a four-year college has been considered by many young people and their parents as a prestigious and essential path for future success. And while that is still true for many, the costs of a four-year degree have been increasing significantly while the needs of the workforce have changed. Increasing numbers of Generation Z, and even those who are older, are now likely to enroll in less expensive and more job specific vocational training. "Simply put, vocational training teaches young people what they need to get a good-paying job here in Mississippi," said State Treasurer David McRae. "Moreover, the demand for workers with vocational skills is only anticipated to grow. In fact, jobs requiring vocational training are expected to grow by 10 percent over the next decade, compared to four percent for other forms of training." "You hate to say it this way, but Mississippi doesn't need a bunch of English majors," said McRae. "What we need are some plumbers, nurses and mechanics." McRae announced recently the state's 529 program has rebranded to become Mississippi College and Career Savings. The name change better reflects the true capacity of the program, which can be used for traditional four-year colleges, as well as vocational programs, apprenticeships and other career training. |
| Why Some Schools Are Rethinking 'College for All' | |
 | For three decades, "college for all" was an American rallying cry. The goal inspired a generation of educators, offered a north star to students and united political figures from George W. Bush to Bernie Sanders. Thousands of new K-12 schools were founded to achieve this ambitious vision, often focused on guiding low-income students toward bachelor's degrees. Even after decades of bipartisan effort and billions of dollars spent, about 40 percent of students who start college never finish, often leaving with life-altering debt. Across the political spectrum, higher education institutions are less respected and trusted by the public, whether because of sticker shock, perceived left-wing bias or doubts about their ability to prepare students for the job market. In response, some high schools that once pushed nearly all students toward four-year colleges are now guiding teenagers toward a wider range of choices, including trade schools, apprenticeships, two-year degrees or the military. The shifts can bring more than a little bit of discomfort for many highly educated educators, who are unlikely to forget the doors that their own college and graduate degrees opened. |
| UM assesses compliance with Department of Education's DEI directive | |
 | The University of Mississippi has "taken steps" to meet the U.S. Department of Education's Feb. 28 deadline to reassess diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and programs. "We have reviewed the 'Dear Colleague' letter, and the U.S. Department of Education's recently released Frequently Asked Questions," Jacob Batte, director of news and media relations, said in an email statement to The Daily Mississippian on March 5. "The FAQs helped clarify the scope of the Dear Colleague Letter. We have taken steps to align the university's strategic initiatives and will continue to review our programs and make adjustments if necessary. Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum addressed the Department of Education's 14-day notice in an email addressed to colleagues on Feb. 28. "We've worked closely with (Institutions of Higher Learning), state and federal leaders to understand the steps we must take to comply with this directive to the best of our ability," the email read. MSU joins a growing group of educational institutions that have responded to the DOE's directive. |
| University considers cap on freshman admissions | |
| Chancellor Glenn Boyce told the Associated Student Body in its formal Senate meeting on Tuesday, March 4, that the University of Mississippi is considering capping freshman admissions at 6,300 to 6,400 students. "The freshmen class next year is exploding again. The applications are up (to) over 40,000. We will probably land in the neighborhood of about 6,300 to 6,500 freshmen for next year," Boyce said. "We are not slowing down, and there comes a time when we are going to have to cap and stop (accepting applicants). We will probably stop around that 6,300 to 6,400 mark." The announcement comes after three consecutive years of increases in enrollment at the university. In fall 2024, freshmen enrollment was 5,973 students, according to the university. Boyce did not give a time for when a cap would take effect. Boyce also talked about providing more on-campus housing options. In recent years, the university has accommodated the growing student population by housing freshmen and upperclassmen in master-leased, off-campus apartment complexes. Many students also now live in private, off-campus housing. |
| Delta State Receives Reaffirmation Status | |
| Delta State University has announced the reaffirmation of its accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), a testament to the institution's commitment to academic excellence and continuous improvement. SACSCOC is the recognized regional accrediting body for institutions of higher education in the Southern states. Accreditation ensures that DSU meets rigorous standards of quality in areas such as academic programs, student services, faculty qualifications, and institutional governance. "This reaccreditation underscores Delta State's dedication to providing a high-quality education for our students while fostering an environment of innovation and growth," says DSU President Dr. Daniel J. Ennis. "I extend my heartfelt thanks to our faculty, staff, and leadership team for their tireless work in achieving this significant milestone." As part of the reaccreditation process, Delta State University highlighted its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), "Ask the Okra: A Campus Concierge." This innovative five-year initiative focuses on improving student success by providing a centralized online service for connecting to campus resources. |
| LSU law professor who sued university now asking Louisiana Supreme Court to weigh in | |
 | LSU law professor Ken Levy is asking the Louisiana Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling and force the state's flagship university to return him to the classroom after he sued over allegations of free speech and due process rights violations. Levy on Wednesday filed a request with the state Supreme Court asking it to review a decision in the case from the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal. The court battle stems from an anonymous student complaint over comments the professor made on the first day of a criminal law class in January. A state district court judge last month granted a preliminary injunction that both ordered LSU to immediately return Levy to the classroom and barred the university from infringing on Levy's constitutionally protected due process and free speech rights. But the appeals court in a Feb. 20 decision threw out the portion of the district court order that mandated LSU to reinstate Levy to his teaching duties, calling it "improper." Both Levy and Bruce Warfield Hamilton, the attorney representing him in the Supreme Court review, say the 1st Circuit got wrong the question of whether or not the injunction was proper, and Levy should be back in the classroom teaching. But Jimmy Faircloth Jr., the attorney representing LSU in the case, disputed that idea. |
| U. of South Carolina launched food delivery robots. Now, lawmakers eye rules for these trending devices | |
 | Could robots soon recharge Columbia's food delivery scene? State lawmakers say maybe as they eye new rules for self-driving devices that, yes, deliver food. The South Carolina House of Representatives Tuesday passed a bill that sets rules for those delivery robots operating in Richland County. The initiative seeks to be "forward thinking," explained sponsor Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland. The University of South Carolina launched delivery robots on its campus in early 2024, following a trend already seen in cities across the country. But there is nothing so far in state law that specifically addresses the delivery robots. This measure creates guardrails for the new technology and gets ahead of an industry that Rutherford said appears poised to grow. Rutherford said he sees the technology taking off beyond USC's campus and pointed to cities like Washington D.C., where the robots are already prevalent. Currently, USC has 20 such robots, which have "been very popular with the campus community," USC spokesperson Jeff Stensland told The State. He said initially there were concerns that the robots would be targets for vandalism, but that has not been a problem so far. He also said there have not been any safety issues regarding the robots. |
| U. of Florida's WUFT-FM among those keeping an eye on Cammack-backed Defund NPR Act | |
 | A new bill seeks to potentially remove federal funding from a popular American public broadcasting organization. U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Gainesville, and U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, introduced the Defund NPR Act on Feb. 26, which seeks to prevent any federal funds from being allocated to National Public Radio (NPR), whether directly or indirectly, including through dues or programming purchases. In a press release, Cammack emphasized concerns over perceived bias of "NPR's cherry-picked coverage" in which she states NPR allegedly failed to cover significant events, such as the assassination attempt on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022 and former President Joe Biden's business dealings with his son Hunter in 2020. Randy Wright, executive director of Media and College Operations at the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida, said via email that WUFT will be keeping a close eye on the bill. "We, like all Americans, are watching the developments in Washington, D.C., closely and appreciate the support Rep. Cammack has always had for the University of Florida," Wright said. "WUFT-FM is so much more than the NPR programming that the station receives; our work in local news, weather, community information and public safety are recognized nationally for excellence and awarded annually for contributions to the communities we serve and students we educate." |
| Florida's universities find themselves in the DOGE house | |
| State lawmakers have Florida's public universities in their sights as they -- and Gov. Ron DeSantis -- look to scale back spending with their own DOGE-style efforts. The state House, on the Legislature's opening day, began probing university expenses by scrutinizing costs racked up by former University of Florida President and U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, alongside other schools that were questioned in state audits. The discussions come as the GOP-led Legislature and DeSantis call for a thorough sweep of university budgets to find potential savings, leaving state funding at risk while campuses simultaneously brace for federal research cuts by the Trump administration. Spending by UF, the state's flagship school, was specifically examined Tuesday by members of the House Higher Education Budget Subcommittee, which challenged a $6.4 million tab accrued by Sasse for consulting services. Further, auditors found Sasse's office spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on parties and events that weren't always "properly preauthorized or reasonably priced." Sasse, who resigned in July citing his wife's health, spent $901,700 for catering and $210,600 for furniture and equipment rentals in 2023-24, according to the audit. State House members appeared to be taken aback by some of the findings. |
| Texas A&M System bans drag shows from its universities | |
| The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents on Friday passed a resolution banning all drag performances from taking place on its 11 university campuses. This means that Draggieland, a beloved annual event scheduled for March 27 at the Rudder Theatre on the College Station campus, will have to find a new venue. Students have also held drag shows at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi and East Texas A&M University. The move sparks a new First Amendment fight between students and university administrators. The Queer Empowerment Council, a student group that hosts Draggieland, has filed a lawsuit in federal court to block the ban. The resolution passed on Friday says the board recognizes the need for universities to foster a sense of community and belonging among students but adds that drag shows are "inconsistent with [the system's] mission and core values, including the value of respect for others." The resolution says having on-campus drag shows may be seen as promoting gender ideology and that both President Donald J. Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott have said federal and state funds may not be used for that purpose. It directs the system's chancellor and the president of each institution to implement the policy, including canceling any upcoming drag shows. |
| FIRE, LGBTQ Student Group Sue Texas A&M Over Drag Show Ban | |
 | Students at Texas A&M University are suing their college to block a new policy from the Texas A&M University system that bans drag performances on its 11 public campuses. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, the Queer Empowerment Council, a coalition of LGBTQ+ student organizations, argued that the ban violates the First Amendment. The state land-grant university system's Board of Regents voted Friday to ban drag shows, saying that they are "offensive" and "demeaning" to women. The vote came just weeks before an annual student-run drag show, known as Draggieland, was set to be hosted on the system's main campus in College Station. But FIRE argues that as a public university supported by taxpayer dollars, the Texas A&M system has to abide by the First Amendment, which doesn't allow government officials to ban expression simply because they or others find it "offensive." "Public universities can't shut down student expression simply because the administration doesn't like the 'ideology' or finds the expression 'demeaning,'" FIRE attorney Adam Steinbaugh said in a news release. "That's true not only of drag performances, but also religion, COVID, race, politics, and countless other topics where campus officials are too often eager to silence dissent." |
| Trump administration agrees to 'renegotiate' Maine's canceled Sea Grant funding | |
| The U.S. Department of Commerce has agreed to renegotiate funding for Maine's Sea Grant program that President Donald Trump's administration abruptly ended last week after Trump sparred with Gov. Janet Mills over the state's transgender athlete policies. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will "renegotiate" the terms and conditions of the work to be performed by Maine Sea Grant "to ensure that it focuses on advancing Maine's coastal economies, working waterfronts and sustainable fisheries," U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Wednesday in a statement. The Wednesday announcement followed a meeting involving Collins, the lone Republican in Maine's congressional delegation, the director of Maine Sea Grant and other program advocates, after which Collins said she spoke with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. NOAA informed the University of Maine on Feb. 28 that it was immediately terminating the current $4.5 million four-year grant that was entering its second year. Though the national program has partnerships with higher-learning organizations in more than 30 states and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico, Maine's program was the only one in New England to lose funding and may have been the only one in the nation. As of 2023, the program helped fund 20 positions in Maine that helped research and promote sustainable marine-related business practices, healthy coastal ecosystems, marine education and workforce development, according to UMaine officials. |
| More state colleges are admitting students -- before they apply | |
| More states are easing the stress of the college search by letting high school students know they are promised admission before they even apply. It is a paradigm shift in the often tedious admissions process that can require students to spend lots of time and money with no guarantee of success. States say they are hoping to keep talent close to home and develop an educated workforce. They are turning to a "direct admission" model that matches students with local colleges based on their grades and sending a powerful message that postsecondary education -- whether vocational training or a bachelor's degree -- is within reach. The number of state-run, direct admissions programs has jumped from one in 2015 to more than a dozen today, including: Idaho, Minnesota, South Dakota, Washington, Indiana, Hawaii, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Utah, Illinois, Texas, California, New York and Oregon. Five of those states adopted the policy in 2024. Several other states have introduced legislation this year, including Arkansas, or have pilot programs in the works. |
| Presidents Weigh In on the Public Confidence Crisis | |
| According to 2024 general election exit polling, 42 percent of voters with college degrees voted for now-President Donald Trump, compared to 56 percent of those without college degrees. Asked how they feel about this growing education gap in the electorate---what researchers call the diploma divide -- 25 percent of college and university presidents say they're very or extremely concerned about its implications for their institution. More say they're highly concerned about the growing divide's impact on higher education in general (58 percent) and on American democracy (64 percent). That's according to a new analysis of findings from Inside Higher Ed's 2025 Survey of College and University Presidents, completed with Hanover Research. Presidents also offer a scathing review of how higher education has responded to this divide thus far: Just 3 percent think the sector has been very or extremely effective, versus not at all, somewhat or moderately effective. The leaders have a similarly dismal view of how higher education is responding to declining public confidence: A mere 1 percent, rounded up, think it has been highly effective. Much larger shares of presidents think higher education has not been at all effective in responding to the public confidence crisis, with presidents of private nonprofit institutions especially likely to say so, or to the growing education divide in the electorate. |
| Jobs lost in every state and lifesaving cures not discovered: Possible impacts of research cuts | |
 | Rural cancer patients may miss out on cutting-edge treatments in Utah. Therapies for intellectual disorders could stall in Maryland. Red states and blue states alike are poised to lose jobs in research labs and the local businesses serving them. Ripple effects of the Trump administration's crackdown on U.S. biomedical research promise to reach every corner of America. It's not just about scientists losing their jobs or damaging the local economy their work indirectly supports -- scientists around the country say it's about patient health. "Discoveries are going to be delayed, if they ever happen," said Dr. Kimryn Rathmell, former director of the National Cancer Institute. It's hard for patients to comprehend how they could lose an undiscovered cure. Yet "all the people out there who have, you know, sick parents, sick children, this is going to impact," said neuroscientist Richard Huganir of Johns Hopkins University. The administration's unprecedented moves are upending the research engine that has made the U.S. "the envy of the world in terms of scientific innovation," said Georgetown University health policy expert Lawrence Gostin. "Those studies are very much threatened right now. People don't know what the rules are," said well-known Hopkins specialist Dr. Otis Brawley. "We're actually going to kill people is what it amounts to, because we're not studying how to get appropriate care to all people." |
| NIH Nominee Skirts Questions on Plan to Cut Indirect Cost Rates | |
| President Donald Trump's nominee to run the National Institutes of Health wouldn't explicitly commit to reversing course on the federal agency's controversial plan to cap reimbursements for the indirect costs of conducting medical research during a Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday. "There's a lot of distrust about where the money goes, because the trust in the public health establishment has collapsed in the pandemic," Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a health economist at Stanford University and outspoken critic of the NIH's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, told the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. "I think transparency regarding indirect costs is absolutely worthwhile, and it's something that the universities can fix by working together to make sure that where that money goes is made clear." While direct research costs include easily quantifiable line items such as researcher salaries, indirect cost rates support harder-to-quantify costs that may contribute to multiple different research projects, including laboratory space, hazardous waste removal and patient safety measures. |
| Trump NIH nominee aims to soothe senators over embattled agency | |
| President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health sought to reassure senators Wednesday that he would bring stability to an agency that has faced mass terminations and frozen funding of health research since Trump took office. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford health economist who faced criticism for his suggested approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, told senators he aims to restore trust in public health and science, bring more transparency to research, entertain diverse ideas in science and focus on chronic diseases. He dismissed ongoing turmoil at the agency, noting that he did not make the decisions to lay off thousands of staff at NIH or freeze reviews of grant applications that have essentially put the agency in pause. "I was not involved in those decisions," Bhattacharya said during a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Still, he did not condemn them and argued he doesn't believe that Trump intends to slow down science, even though the agency has been criticized for canceling meetings of committees that recommend projects NIH should fund. His confirmation appears likely. While committee Chair Bill Cassidy, R-La., encouraged Bhattacharya not to direct funding to more studies looking at whether vaccines cause autism -- research already shows there is no link -- Cassidy did not appear to have strong reservations about Bhattacharya as he did for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who he eventually voted to confirm. |
| Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants | |
| In an unprecedented move, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has begun mass terminations of research grants that fund active scientific projects because they no longer meet "agency priorities". NIH staff members have been instructed to identify and potentially cancel grants for projects studying transgender populations, gender identity, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the scientific workforce, environmental justice and any other research that might be perceived to discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity, according to documents and an audio recording that Nature has obtained. Grants that allot funding to universities in China and those related to climate change are also under scrutiny. At least 16 termination letters have already been sent out, says Brittany Charlton, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, who has been tracking them. And hundreds more will be coming, say two NIH officials, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the press. "It's extremely alarming that grants that have been vetted by the scientific community and deemed important and impactful to understand the world are now being cancelled because of political ideology," says Lisa Fazio, a cognitive psychologist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, who studies misinformation. "For all this talk about free speech, this is direct censorship of scientific research." |
| As Trump Goes After Universities, Students Are Now on the Chopping Block | |
| In the early weeks of the Trump administration's push to slash funding that colleges and universities rely on, grants and contracts had been cut and, in a few cases, researchers had been laid off. In recent days, the fiscal pain has come to students. North Carolina State University announced on Feb. 14 that it was freezing most hiring. Stanford University announced on Feb. 26 that it was freezing staff hiring, citing "very significant risks" to the community. At the University of Louisville in Kentucky, President Kim Schatzel announced an "immediate pause" on faculty and staff hiring until July. Many of the cuts are now hitting graduate education, too, which is highly dependent on research grants, leaving students who had dreams of pursuing Ph.D.s with nowhere to go. The threatened N.I.H. cuts and the endowment tax comes on the heels of other major cutbacks at public land grant universities. Among the Trump administration's first targets was a U.S. Agency for International Development program called "Feed the Future," which funded 19 agricultural labs in 17 states. Many of those laboratories are now being shut down. |
| In Trump's First Weeks, Dozens of Colleges Have Shut Down DEI Efforts | |
 | The dismantling of diversity efforts has sped up since President Trump took office six weeks ago and quickly released two executive orders aiming to eliminate "discriminatory and illegal" diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. The Chronicle has tracked changes at 41 campuses since Inauguration Day. They vary widely. Several colleges shuttered offices and canceled events. Many removed DEI-related language from university communications. Websites related to DEI resources are disappearing. Colleges were closing diversity offices and altering programming well before Trump took office. Most did so in response to state-level prohibitions, but some acted on their own. The Chronicle has tracked changes at more than 250 campuses in 36 states since 2023. One of the most sweeping recent responses came from the University of North Carolina system, which ordered its colleges to eliminate all DEI-related courses from its general-education or major-specific requirements. Removing language related to diversity, equity, and inclusion has been a more frequent response. |
| On schools, Trump talks DEI and trans athletes, not test scores or student loans | |
| President Trump barely mentioned U.S. schools in his address to Congress on Tuesday night -- and when he did, he was really talking about other things. The Trump administration sees academic institutions as staging grounds for significant culture war battles, including free speech on college campuses; diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs; and transgender rights. Trump's longest reference to education on Tuesday was an anecdote about a child transitioning at school without their parents' consent. But beyond eliminating the Education Department and returning power to the states, his White House has had far less to say about test scores, learning loss or student loans. Experts fear the focus portends a backslide to the kind of political polarization of schools seen during the coronavirus pandemic. With his speech this week, Trump broke the record for longest such address delivered to Congress in modern history. He talked about Elon Musk, the southern border, tax reform, Ukraine, former President Biden and a long list of other topics. But there was no mention of actual education policy or even Trump's plans to do away with the federal department. When schools did come up, it was through a lens of DEI or what the administration calls "gender ideology." |
| Exclusive: Draft of Trump Executive Order Aims to Eliminate Education Department | |
| President Trump is expected to issue an executive order as soon as Thursday aimed at abolishing the Education Department, according to people briefed on the matter. A draft of the order, viewed by The Wall Street Journal, directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to "take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department" based on "the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law." The order has been in the works since Trump's transition. In early February, the Journal reported that administration officials were considering such a move. "The experiment of controlling American education through Federal programs and dollars---and the unaccountable bureaucrats those programs and dollars support -- has failed our children, our teachers, and our families," the draft order reads. The draft viewed by the Journal was labeled as "pre-decisional," suggesting it could change. Fully unwinding the department would require a filibuster-proof, 60-vote majority in the Senate, legal experts have said. The major programs it administers -- including money for students with disabilities and student loans -- are codified in law and have significant political constituencies. The draft order doesn't mention Congress. With around 4,500 employees as of last year, the department is the smallest cabinet-level agency. Polls show most Americans are skeptical of eliminating the department, and Democrats have rallied in opposition to the idea. |
| Trump to Sign Order Abolishing Education Department Today | |
| President Donald Trump is planning to sign an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to "take all necessary steps" to close the agency, The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets reported. The president's order -- scheduled to be signed at 2 p.m. in the Oval Office -- is the first step in carrying out his controversial campaign promise to abolish the 45-year-old department. A draft of the order provided to Inside Higher Ed criticizes the department for spending "more than $1 trillion without producing virtually any improvement in student reading and mathematics scores." Education advocates have already shown staunch opposition to the executive action. The American Federation of Teachers, a key higher ed union, was one of the first groups to pipe up when the news broke Wednesday evening, calling the order a government attempt to "abdicate its responsibility to all children, students and working families." Such an order has been rumored for weeks, and higher education officials have been nervously waiting for the shoe to drop since McMahon was confirmed by the Senate Monday afternoon. Eliminating the Education Department and sending key programs such as the Office for Civil Rights to other agencies was a key part of the conservative blueprint Project 2025's plans to reshape education policy in America. But recent public opinion polls have found support for keeping the agency. |
SPORTS
| Baseball: MSU Run-Rules No. 20 Southern Miss, 18-3 | |
| Mississippi State's offense started hot in the first inning and never cooled off in an 18-3 run-rule victory over No. 20 Southern Miss on Wednesday evening. The Diamond Dawg bats put together a 20-hit game including five home runs from Nolan Stevens (two), Bryce Chance, Noah Sullivan and Ace Reese. Sullivan led the offense going a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs and a home run. Stevens recorded the first multi-game homer of his career. Reese went 3-for-5 on the night with a double, homer and four RBIs. His four RBIs led the team. Hunter Hines (2-for-5), Dylan Cupp (2-for-2) and Chance (2-for-4) each added a pair of hits to the offensive onslaught as MSU improved to 8-4. Chase Hungate (1-0) earned his first win as a Bulldog, logging 2 1/3 innings of shutout work. Hungate came on in relief of Jacob Pruitt who fanned a pair in a 3 2/3-inning start. The 18 runs scored by the Bulldogs were also the most this season surpassing the 17 they scored on opening day against Manhattan. Mississippi State is hosting Queens (2-10) for a three-game series this weekend. The series will be broadcasted on SEC Network+. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. |
| Mississippi State baseball hammers Southern Miss for 18 runs | |
| Mississippi State baseball didn't score any runs at Southern Miss two weeks ago. It scored 18 in the rematch. The Bulldogs (8-4) blew past the No. 22 Golden Eagles 18-3 on Wednesday at Dudy Noble Field. Mississippi State jumped ahead 2-0 in the first inning, but Southern Miss (9-4) tied it at 2-2 in the third inning. The Bulldogs took the lead right back in the bottom of the third on back-to-back solo home runs by Noah Sullivan and Nolan Stevens. MSU scored four more runs in the fourth inning, another four in the fifth and six in the sixth. Sullivan batted 4-for-4 with a home run and three singles. Stevens went 3-for-4 with two home runs. Third baseman Ace Reese also had three hits and a home run. The Bulldogs had 20 total hits for the first time since 2022. The game was moved from Tuesday to Wednesday because of thunderstorms in Starkville. |
| Baseball: Bulldogs get revenge against No. 20 Southern Miss in explosive fashion | |
| It's been just two weeks since Mississippi State rode the bus home from Hattiesburg after being held hitless until the sixth inning in a shutout loss to Southern Miss. On Wednesday, the Bulldogs played like they had been waiting for vengeance from the moment they arrived back in Starkville. With the wind whipping out to right field, MSU blasted five home runs and banged out 20 hits, scoring multiple runs in five different innings en route to an 18-3 run-rule victory over the No. 20 Golden Eagles in the rematch at Dudy Noble Field. Bryce Chance was first to leave the yard, hitting an opposite-field shot into the right-field jetstream in the first inning. MSU (8-4) added another run on three straight two-out singles, the last of which came from Hunter Hines to drive in Noah Sullivan. Hines entered the game with just one hit in his last 21 at-bats dating back to the first matchup with Southern Miss, and the senior slugger was even benched for two games last weekend in Houston. But he simplified his approach in a key spot in his first at-bat Wednesday, lining an RBI single up the middle. He added another run-scoring single in the sixth. MSU hosts Queens in a three-game series starting Friday night, the final weekend before the start of Southeastern Conference play. |
| Why win vs Southern Miss could be a confidence builder for Mississippi State baseball | |
| It was 15 days prior when Mississippi State baseball made the three-hour drive down to Southern Miss, only to get beaten 3-0 at Pete Taylor Park. And since then, the Bulldogs hadn't been sharp. They swept Missouri State at home, but went 1-3 last week with two losses to Arizona and Oklahoma State in the Astros Foundation College Classic. They fell out of the USA TODAY Coaches Poll for the first time this season and entered Wednesday's game 0-4 against teams with a record above .500. A rematch against the No. 22 Golden Eagles (9-4) may have been just what was needed to steer back in the right direction. The Bulldogs (8-4) pummeled Southern Miss 18-3 in seven innings at Dudy Noble Field. It is the most lopsided win in the series' 132-game history since 2002. "I really truly think we're good," MSU coach Chris Lemonis said. "We just got to play better. I think this is a step in that direction. Hopefully, we got a week and a half here before we get to the SEC play, we can build some confidence and some momentum." Lemonis has tinkered with the MSU lineup frequently through the first month of the season. Ideally, he said, he'd like to have a more set nine-man lineup, but he has the "good problem" of having too many viable players for a limited number of spots. |
| Women's Basketball: Bulldogs Explode In Second Half To Earn 20-Point Victory Over Tigers | |
| A thrilling second half led the Mississippi State Bulldogs to a first round victory in the SEC Tournament as they defeated the Missouri Tigers, 75-55. The Bulldogs overcame a 14-point deficit, their largest that they have come back from this season, with their largest run of the season, as they scored 31 consecutive points. State went to the locker room at the half down seven points to the Tigers. Missouri then came out in the third quarter scoring seven points in the first minute and a half, forcing a Bulldog timeout. From that point forward, State would end the quarter on a 24-1 run and extended it to 31 straight points in the fourth, forcing 18 consecutive Missouri misses. Jerkaila Jordan led the Bulldogs in scoring, as she picked up 21 points on 9-13 shooting, along with six rebounds and three steals. It was the 11th time this season Jordan scored 20 or more points this season and marks the best performance of any player in the SEC Tournament under Coach Purcell. "I'm honestly just so proud of this team," Jordan said. "We came out the locker room at the half together as one. We were locked in on the defensive end and the stops led to the 31-0 run. We dug ourselves in a hole but we got out of it." |
| Jordan, McPhaul combine for 40 points and Mississippi State women use 31-0 run to top Missouri 75-55 | |
| Jerkaila Jordan scored 21 points, Destiney McPhaul added a career-high 19 and No. 10 seed Mississippi State used a 31-0 second-half run to beat No. 15 seed Missouri 75-55 on Wednesday night to give coach Sam Purcell his first SEC Tournament victory. Mississippi State (21-10) will play No. 7 seed Ole Miss on Thursday in the second round. The Bulldogs lost to the Rebels 71-63 on Jan. 19. The Bulldogs trailed 46-32 with 8:28 left in the third quarter before taking its first lead, 49-47, since it was 18-17 and closing the frame on a 20-0 run. McPhaul sank a 3-pointer from near midcourt just before the third-quarter buzzer to extend the lead to 56-47. McPhaul also made two 3-pointers from the corner in the opening four minutes of the fourth. Jordan added a jumper from the free-throw line to make it a 30-0 run that ended at 31. Missouri coach Robin Pingeton, the 2016-17 SEC coach of the year, announced on Feb. 26 that she would step down at the end of the season. |
| Turnaround for the ages leads Mississippi State to SEC Tournament win over Missouri | |
| Mississippi State had been one and done in the SEC Tournament for the last four seasons coming into Wednesday night's first round game and the Bulldogs were headed for a fifth-straight early exit. Trailing by 14 points with over 8 minutes left in the third quarter, something snapped in the Bulldogs. State would start turning the Missouri Tigers over and they would start scoring and neither of those two things stopped for a long time. MSU went on an incredible 31-0 run over the course of 11 minutes and took a double digit deficit and turned it into a 75-55 win. After trailing 46-32 with 8:28 left in the third, the Bulldogs outscored Missouri 43-9 to end the game. It was a drastic turnaround from where things stood in the first half as the Bulldogs struggled to find their footing consistently. State fell behind 20-18 at the end of the first quarter and were down 39-32 at the break. It got worse out of the locker room as Mizzou went on a 7-0 run to push the lead out to 14 before the Bulldogs clawed back into it. The win all but stamps an NCAA Tournament berth for a Bulldog team that was safely in the recent projections. Now State (21-10) can push itself up the seeding line if it can grab more wins. |
| McPhaul, Bulldogs complete comeback in first SEC Tourney win for Purcell | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball picked up its first win at the Southeastern Conference tournament since 2020 on Wednesday, taking down Missouri 75-55 with a remarkable second-half turnaround. Head coach Sam Purcell saw his team lose in upset fashion in each of his first two seasons and the Tigers looked primed to make it three early exits in a row. The Tigers hit five shots from beyond the arc in the first half and were 8-8 from the free-throw line to establish a 39-32 lead at the break. The Bulldogs turned the ball over nine times in the first half and shot just 39.4% from the field. They had trouble finding buckets outside of JerKaila Jordan, who had 14 of the team's 32 first-half points. Purcell likes to say, "Talk to me nice," when he suspects someone is underestimating his team, but he recognized the need for urgency in the second half. "Oh, I lit a fire," Purcell said on the post-game SEC Network broadcast. "There wasn't talking nice at half time." The fire did the job. |
| How Mississippi State women's basketball got its first SEC Tournament win since 2020 | |
| The tides were turning in a familiar direction for Mississippi State women's basketball, but instead of falling into the trap, it stormed back to beat No. 15 seed Missouri 75-55 on Wednesday in the first round of the SEC Tournament. The 10th-seeded Bulldogs (21-10) were down 14 points two minutes into the third quarter but finished on a 39-8 run. It marked the first conference tournament win for third-year coach Sam Purcell and the first for MSU since the 2019-20 season. "We've experienced a lot but we were starting to question if I'm bringing enough clothes or what's going on because we were out of here after the first day," Purcell said, joking. "To experience a win and be able to stay the night . . . just a big shoutout to my team. Somebody asked me if anything surprises me, and it doesn't, because if you look at our season, we've had multiple 30-point quarters, we've had highs, we've had lows but the most important thing I've always told is make sure you're playing your best basketball come March." |
| Pingeton era ends with first-round loss to Mississippi State in SEC Tournament | |
 | A disappointing second half brought an end to Mizzou women's basketball's season and marked the conclusion of coach Robin Pingeton's tenure with the Tigers after a 75-55 loss to Mississippi State in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Wednesday night in Greenville, South Carolina. After announcing Feb. 26 that she would step down at the end of the season, Pingeton concludes her career with 250 wins at MU, the second most in program history. Her 15 years with the Tigers (14-18) ended in large part because of a disastrous third quarter. The Bulldogs went on a 31-0 run that stretched into the fourth; it tied for the fourth-longest run in Division I this season. Mizzou got off to a strong start coming out of the break, scoring seven straight points to start the third as sophomore guard Grace Slaughter made a layup to extend the lead to 46-32 with 8:28 remaining in the period. It was the largest lead of the game for MU. No. 10 seed Mississippi State eliminated that lead, outscoring the Tigers 24-1 the rest of the quarter. Mississippi State (21-10) had four players reach double figures. Graduate guard Jerkaila Jordan finished with a game-high 21 points, while McPhaul added 19. Junior center Madina Okot had 12, and graduate guard/forward Eniya Russell finished with 10. |
| Softball: Season-High 17 Hits Lead No. 21 Bulldogs To Midweek Victory | |
| The Bulldogs got back on the right page. No. 21 Mississippi State bounced back from a disappointing Sunday loss to close the Bulldog Invitational with a resounding 14-1 victory over Louisiana on Wednesday night. State collected a season-high 17 hits in the ballgame, and every starter had at least one. "I was really happy with how we responded," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "We knew Sunday that we didn't play our best ball. It's something that we are going to have to bring every day, and I think that's what mature teams do. I love the response. I think that we came out and played Mississippi State softball. It was being aggressive. It was attacking. It was being the ones that wanted to be here and wanted to have the most fun. I thought they did a great job. Raelin [Chaffin] again with a quality start setting the tone for us and same thing with Sierra [Sacco] at the top of the order. I love the energy that they came out with and the willingness to go out there and finish out the preseason strong for us and get on the right foot as we go into SEC play." Mississippi State remains in Starkville this weekend to host the No. 18/17 Auburn Tigers in its SEC opener. |
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