| Monday, June 9, 2025 |
| State funding for Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning down from previous year | |
 | Appropriations for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning and its various operations were approved during the legislative special session. The Legislature approved $451.8 million in general support funding, a decrease from last year's appropriation of $477.2 million, according to information filed with the Legislative Budget Office. Subsidiary program appropriations totaled $40.4 million, a decrease from the previous fiscal year's appropriation of $41.3 million. The Legislature also approved the following appropriations for other IHL operations. Mississippi State University's Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station budget received $25.8 million in state funding, a slight increase from last year's $25.7 million. Mississippi State University's Cooperative Extension Service received $34.6 million, down slightly from last year's appropriation of $34.7 million. Mississippi State University's Forest and Wildlife Research Center received $6.7 million, a reduction from the prior year's appropriation of $7.6 million. Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine was appropriated $21.3 million, a slight decrease from the prior year's allocation of $21.4 million. |
| Mississippi State Hosts Nation's First S.A.F.E. Training Exclusively Focused on Spray Drones | |
| Mississippi State University is making agricultural aviation history this week by hosting the nation's first Self-Regulating Application and Flight Efficiency (S.A.F.E.) training program exclusively focused on spray drones. The five-day training at MSU's Agricultural Autonomy Institute marks a significant milestone in bridging the gap between traditional aerial application and emerging drone technology. "Everything that we're doing with spray drones, we want the traditional crop dusters to be involved in." said Madison Dixon, associate director of the MSU Agricultural Autonomy Institute and training participant. "We want to build inroads between the spray drone community and the traditional crop duster community and, more importantly, ensure the mutual safety of all agricultural aviators as spray drone adoption increases." Dixon said the training serves dual objectives. First, it provides baseline testing and evaluation of MSU's U.S.-manufactured spray drone fleet with each aircraft still in its stock configuration. The university's Agricultural Autonomy Institute has been operating these drones proficiently, he explained, and will now use the data from this baseline testing to optimize the fleet's performance. Second, all participants will receive certifications enabling them to conduct additional spray pattern testing and analysis for other platforms and end users, including growers and agricultural retailers. |
| Mississippi seeing a shortage of physical therapists | |
| Mississippi is facing a growing shortage of physical therapists, a new study predicts the problem will only get worse over the next decade. One university is launching a program to help close the gap. More than 50 million Americans turn to physical therapy each year -- after surgery, recovering from an injury or to manage chronic pain. But in Southeast Mississippi, there isn't always a doctor available. "There's a shortage that is certainly delaying people getting the care they need -- we can definitively say that. We need to grow more physical therapists to meet the needs in Mississippi," says David Buys, the interim head of Mississippi State University's Meridian campus. In rural towns like Leakesville, clinic director Hope Backstrom says many needs are currently met -- but hiring still isn't easy. "It was just very challenging to find the staff and honestly, unless someone grows up in a rural area and wants to stay in that location," said Backstrom. "It's very challenging to find someone to drive to a rural area to work." |
| Forthcoming book aims to break cycle of nightmares, insomnia | |
| A Mississippi State University faculty member is reaching national audiences with an upcoming book that tackles a deeply human challenge -- the fundamental need for restful sleep. MSU Psychology Professor Michael R. Nadorff, in collaboration with co-author and board-certified psychologist Courtney Worley, offers a research-based workbook to help readers overcome chronic nightmares and insomnia. Nadorff and Worley help readers reclaim their sleep with "The Nightmare and Sleep Disorder Toolkit: A Workbook to Help You Get Some Rest Using Imagery Rehearsal Therapy and Other Evidence-Based Approaches" to be published by New Harbinger Publications Oct. 1. |
| Conquering Nightmares and Insomnia with Science | |
| A Mississippi State University faculty member is reaching national audiences with an upcoming book that tackles a deeply human challenge -- the fundamental need for restful sleep. MSU Psychology Professor Michael R. Nadorff, in collaboration with co-author and board-certified psychologist Courtney Worley, offers a research-based workbook to help readers overcome chronic nightmares and insomnia. Although nightmares affect nearly 20% of children and 10% of adults, few mental health providers know how to treat nightmares. Thus, our goal was to ensure that everyone has access to empirically-supported treatments for this debilitating disorder," Nadorff said. Drawing on the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's top-recommended treatment -- imagery rehearsal therapy -- the comprehensive workbook offers tools to help readers rewrite distressing dreams, improve sleep quality and regain daytime functioning. |
| Reuben Burch to Focus on Funding, Scholarly Productivity as Vice Provost for Research | |
| Reuben F. Burch V, Ph.D., is a dynamic and entrepreneurial-minded executive research administrator who joins Texas Christian University as vice provost for research. With extensive leadership experience in both higher education and industry, he will provide vision, direction and strategic planning to increase research funding and scholarly productivity to support TCU's national research agenda. He begins Aug. 1. The role of vice provost for research is essential to TCU's strategic plan, LEAD ON: Values in Action, which emphasizes research, scholarship and creative activity as one of four main pillars. Burch will report to Floyd L. Wormley Jr., provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, who held the vice provost of research role from 2019 until he was selected as provost in 2024. "Dr. Burch has a profound understanding of the research landscape and a career of accomplishments in research funding, interdisciplinary research collaborations and building research capacity at an R1 institution," Wormley said. "His strengths in program building, leadership, innovation, invention, collaboration, relationship building, strategic vision and process optimization will catalyze our research, scholarship and creative activity." Burch comes to TCU from Mississippi State University where he was associate vice president for research, executive director and founder of the Athlete Engineering Institute, Jack Hatcher Endowed Chair in engineering entrepreneurship, and professor of industrial and systems engineering. |
| Female pilots to stop in Starkville during cross-country race | |
 | Joyce Parker, born in the Cradle of Aviation, also known as Long Island, New York, has always lived with her head in the clouds. "My eyes were always skybound," Parker said. "Even as a little girl, all the time, I saw planes going over our heads, and I was always looking up." Now a school instructor and pilot in Topeka, Kansas, Parker has spent more than 20 years chasing that childhood dream. At 66, she's already flown in two cross-country races. She and her co-pilot, Tamara Willits, have now set their sights on a third that will bring them to Starkville later this month. The team, known as Team Midwest Bess, will race alongside 95 other women on the 2,426-mile trek from Fairhope, Alabama, to Spokane, Washington, for the 48th annual Air Race Classic, an all-female, cross country air race. Pilots will take off at 8 a.m. June 17 from H.L. Sonny Callahan Airport in Fairhope and must reach Felts Field Airport in Spokane by 5:30 p.m. June 20. Racers will travel across 10 states, stopping at eight cities along the way. This year, Starkville has been added to the route for the first time, with planes stopping at the George M. Bryan Airport during the first day of the race to refuel. Mayor Lynn Spruill, the first woman in the history of the U.S. Navy to qualify as a carrier pilot, said she's excited to welcome air race pilots to Starkville in the coming weeks. "I am very excited that these women have the opportunity to participate in such a prestigious event," Spruill told The Dispatch. "... I am especially pleased that they are choosing Starkville as a stopover." |
| Storms cause flooding, power outages in area | |
| A pair of severe thunderstorms ripped through the Golden Triangle Saturday and Sunday, downing trees and causing power outages and flooding roads throughout the area. A storm that passed through Lowndes County at about 2 p.m. Saturday felled several trees and downed power lines, county Emergency Management Director Cindy Lawrence said. Sunday's early morning storm, despite bringing more rain -- close to 4 inches between 2 and 7 a.m. at Golden Triangle Regional Airport, according to the National Weather Service -- only downed a few trees and caused little other damage, Lawrence said. In Oktibbeha County, EMA Director Kristen Campanella said flooding had affected several roads, with one vehicle caught by floodwater on Starr Road needing assistance. Jon Turner, director of public relations and marketing at 4-County Electric Power Association, said the storms caused as many as 1,800 rural customer outages. That number was down to less than 300 by mind-morning Sunday, according to 4-County's website. Edward Kemp, general manager for Starkville Utilities, said the pair of storms caused fewer than 20 outages in the city. |
| Severe storms Monday in Mississippi, rain expected for the rest of the week | |
 | Monday is expected to be stormy in Mississippi with rain across the state and while the chances of severe weather should decrease, the remainder of the week is expected to be wet for much of the state including Jackson and Hattiesburg. "Today is looking pretty stormy for the area," said Daniel Lamb, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson. "If there is a severe storm, the main threats are damaging wind gusts and hail up to quarter size. We don't see any possible tornado threats." Lamb said flash flooding could also be a hazard in areas that experience multiple storms on Monday. "For the rest of the week we're going to have a front that stalls and wavers across the state," Lamb said. That front is expected to bring rain for the remainder of the week in much of the state and possible thunderstorms, but they aren't expected to be severe. "For now, we're not expecting anything hazardous out of it," Lamb said. |
| VICKSBURG'S CROWN JEWEL: Miss Mississippi returns for 2025 Competition | |
| Miss Mississippi Competition week 2025 is officially here. Competitors from across the state have made their way to Vicksburg all with the hope of becoming the next state title holder. This year, 33 women will be vying for the crown when competition gets underway at the Vicksburg Convention Center. Before the preliminary rounds of competition begin, locals can come out to the annual Miss Mississippi Parade, which will roll along Washington Street on Monday. Additional events, like autograph signings, will be held Wednesday and Thursday. Tickets for the Miss Mississippi competition are $150 for all four nights of competition, $40 for Wednesday and Thursday and $50 for Friday and Saturday. Tickets are available online at https://www.miss-mississippi.com/shop.html or by calling 601-638-6746. This year, the River City has two local women competing -- Miss Vicksburg Morgan Nelson and Miss Mississippi State University Sarah Randolph -- giving Vicksburg locals two more good reasons to come out and support what has become one of Vicksburg's crowning jewels -- the Miss Mississippi Competition. |
| The Breakaway: Core Cycle and Outdoor to anchor new development in Oxford | |
 | Seeking to be part of a fast-growing area of Oxford, Core Cycle and Outdoor will move to a new location on North Lamar by early next year. But it isn't moving to just any building. Core will anchor The Breakaway, a three-story development that will include six luxury condominiums. Offering Oxford's only bike shop and offering outdoor equipment, Core is part of Reed's, the Tupelo-based department store. Reed's is celebrating its 120th year, and what better way than to break ground on an addition that takes the company a little outside of its usual comfort zone. "This is probably the biggest new challenge we've had as far as a retail and real estate opportunity," said Jack Reed Jr., chairman of Reed's. The Breakaway will be owned by the R.W. Reed Co. -- the formal name for Reed's -- and represents at least an $8 million investment by the company. While the Reed's department store in Tupelo serves as the flagship for the company, its presence in Starkville with a Reed's store there and in Oxford with Core helps expand its reach. "We're excited about this project," Reed said. "We believe in these university towns, where a lot of the growth is happening with people retiring there, or a second home. There are more people coming every day and we like to be part of that." |
| First Buc-ee's in Mississippi opens to 1,000 loyal fans | |
 | Amanda Yarborough, a schoolteacher from Long Beach, was one of the first to arrive at Buc-ee's Travel Center on Monday, hours before the store's 6 a.m. grand opening. She brought her Buc-ee's chair and sported a Buc-ee's T-shirt and cap. "What was I thinking?" she said, holding up a purple stainless-steel mug. "I didn't bring a Buc-ee's cup." Yarborough was one of nearly 1,000 Buc-ee's fans who turned up for the first Buc-ee's to open in Mississippi. Some were there overnight. Like many other Buc-ee's fans, she likes everything. "It's like the Amazon of gas stations," she said. Yarborough said everyone will be getting Christmas gifts from Buc-ee's from now on. The Ward family, who came from Alabama, discovered Buc-ee's when the Leeds, Alabama, location opened. Since 2023, the family has been to 45 stores before the Mississippi one and have the refrigerator magnets to prove it. "We're celebrating our 50th anniversary in two weeks, so this is kind of our pre-anniversary celebration," Darlene Ward said, pointing to her husband, Charlie." The couple came from Boaz, Alabama, with their daughter Angela, who lives in Livingston, Alabama. The family plans to visit the Robertsdale, Alabama, store on the way home. |
| State revenues for Mississippi in May fall shy of budget expectation | |
| State revenues in May and for the fiscal year as of May 30 continued to reflect a downward trend from monies the state collected by the same time in 2024. May is the fourth month in a row state revenue fell lower than what was collected last year, according to the most recent Mississippi Department of Revenue report. While the downward trend in state revenues was expected and estimates set by state budget experts were reflected, Mississippi still fell slightly short of what it anticipated to collect in May. However, fiscal year to date collections is slightly higher (about $5 million) than what budget experts anticipated by this time. The revenue estimate for the current fiscal year, which runs July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, is $7.6 billion. The Legislature appropriated just under $7 billion for the running of government this fiscal year. This means if the revenue estimate for the year isn't met, there is still a good amount of financial wiggle room between that and actually spending figures. On May 29, the Legislature in a special session passed a budget with nominal increases in funding to state agencies for the upcoming 2026 Fiscal Year, beginning July 1. The measures passed by lawmakers brings the total funding figure to just above $7 billion. |
| Mississippi Senator urges a Delta-wide curfew after 10-year-old girl shot in Greenwood | |
| Mississippi State Senator Derrick T. Simmons is urging cities in the Delta to impose a curfew on citizens after recent violence. Senator Simmons stated, "As we grieve the lives lost of many in our communities and our region, we must act." Senator Simmons released a statement commending the mayor of Greenville, Errick Simmons, for the recent implementation of a city-wide curfew. "I also commend other local leaders for their shared vision and leadership in doing the same," said Senator Simmons. Senator Simmons believes that curfews are a proactive step needed to protect and offer safety to residents. Senator Simmons then calls for other cities to do the same. "I am calling on all cities and towns across the Mississippi Delta to follow suit." He went on to say, "We can no longer wait until tragedy strikes to respond. Our children and communities deserve safe streets, peaceful summers, and a future free from fear." |
| In the Spotlight: Roger Wicker | |
 | Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker is pushing to boost national security spending through normal budgetary channels heading into the next fiscal year, warning that defense priorities are "far from paid for" under the House-passed reconciliation text. The Mississippi Republican called the bill "a start," but rejected the notion that the administration's proposed $1 trillion fiscal 2026 defense budget -- a plan that hinges the bulk of its Defense Department spending increase on the passage of the reconciliation package -- would be sufficient to enhance U.S. military capabilities. "There are some members of the administration who thought we would be delighted with the $1 trillion. That's not the way we viewed it," he told reporters during a June 4 Defense Writers Group event. "We need a steady increase in terms of the baseline year after year after year to get where we need to get, and we need to get [military spending] to 5 percent of gross domestic product." Wicker developed an early affinity for Congress in 1967, working as a Senate page assigned to the GOP desk. He has credited the experience with cementing his commitment to the Republican Party. In college, he was elected student body president and served as a delegate at the 1972 Republican National Convention, where he met a young Mississippian making his first bid for Congress -- future Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. That connection proved pivotal to Wicker's own political future. |
| Trump's cuts to National Park Service rankle Republicans | |
 | President Trump's proposed cuts to the National Park Service (NPS) are troubling some Republicans. The Trump administration has proposed a 30 percent cut to the park service's operations and staffing budgets. In addition, the administration's budget calls for transferring some park service sites to the states -- a provision that is sparking particular ire from the GOP. Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) told The Hill the administration's proposed cuts were "concerning." "We want to have some discussions on it and exactly how it's going to affect the park service and exactly what units the states are going to take over management. ... We need more information," added Simpson, who chairs the House appropriations subcommittee in charge of funding the NPS. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who described himself as a "strong supporter" of national parks, said he wants "to make sure they're adequately funded." The lawmaker, who faces reelection next year, hails from a state with two major national parks in Glacier and Yellowstone, as well as a number of other NPS sites. He said the congressional appropriations process will "sort all this out." |
| The stealth Senate dealmaker who could deliver Trump's tax cuts | |
 | Some of the most critical components of President Donald Trump's agenda are in the hands of a soft-spoken senator from Idaho who behind closed doors is one of Capitol Hill's most calculating dealmakers. Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo is rushing to finalize his panel's portion of his party's massive legislative centerpiece. He could begin briefing colleagues on bill text as soon as Monday, according to a person granted anonymity to share an evolving schedule -- while three people aware of the state of negotiations say a full tax package may not be ready for release until early next week. That package needs to unite 51 Republicans in the Senate without alienating more than three GOP members of the House. The fate of vast Republican tax cuts enacted in 2017, and set to expire at the end of this year, hangs in the balance. In interviews throughout the past several weeks in the halls of the Senate, as he shuffled between meetings and votes flanked by trusted advisers, Crapo played his cards close to his vest. Crapo is known for his spare words, but also for his history of landing deals -- and squashing ones he doesn't like. The question is now whether Crapo can help broker an agreement at this political moment when he has never presided over a policy battle with such high stakes. |
| GOP Senators' Competing Demands Risk Pulling Trump Megabill Apart | |
 | Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) is trying to release this week a revised version of President Trump's "big, beautiful bill." But as he races to pass the legislation ahead of Republicans' self-imposed July 4 deadline, he has got about as many problems as there are GOP senators, with lawmakers battling over the additional borrowing and spending cuts that will be used to finance tax relief, plus spending on the border and military. The House in May passed its own version by a one-vote margin, and Trump has urged the Senate to move the multitrillion-dollar bill quickly. But GOP senators want changes, and lawmakers disagree over the depth of cuts to Medicaid, clean-energy tax credits and nutrition assistance, with some seeking to protect their own states' interests and others accusing colleagues of not taking federal deficits seriously. "Everyone is just pulling this Gumby in lots of different directions," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska). "We are not, I think, resolved as a conference as to what that bill looks like." Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R., Ala.), who is running for governor in 2026, plans to meet this week with other lawmakers concerned about a provision that would force states to, for the first time, pay part of the tab for food benefits for low-income families. States would have to pay at least 5% of the cost. "You can't overload the states with what's supposed to be federally funded -- we can't afford it," he said. |
| USDA redaction of trade analysis causes concern about report integrity | |
| Analysts voiced concerns this week about the integrity of U.S. Department of Agriculture reports after the agency delayed a report and excluded findings that point to tariffs as a reason for a forecasted increase in the agricultural trade deficit, according to Reuters interviews with four analysts. The administration of President Donald Trump has pledged to shrink the farm trade deficit and has said tariffs will strengthen the farm economy, but farm groups have been critical of the approach. The agency's delay of a quarterly agricultural trade report and exclusion of its typical explanatory text were concerning because the moves raised questions about the objectivity of the data, two analysts said. "The trade is uneasy about USDA statistics now," said Charlie Sernatinger, head of grains with Marex, a brokerage and financial services company. A USDA spokesperson said the report was delayed by an internal review. "The report was hung up in internal clearance process and was not finalized in time for its typical deadline. Given this report is not statutory as with many other reports USDA does, the department is undergoing a review of all of its non-statutory reports, including this one, to determine next steps," the spokesperson said. The version of the report published on Monday contains correct and unaltered data, the source said, but excludes explanatory text typically contained in the forecasts. |
| NIH scientists have been angry for months. Now some are rebelling. | |
 | More than 90 staffers at the National Institutes of Health signed their names to a letter of dissent to Director Jay Bhattacharya in a rare sign of open resistance by career government employees. The letter warns that Trump administration policies such as terminating peer-reviewed grants, interrupting global collaborations and firing essential staff are wasting public resources, undermining the NIH's mission and harming the health of people in the United States and beyond. "The life-and-death nature of our work demands that changes be thoughtful and vetted. We are compelled to speak up when our leadership prioritizes political momentum over human safety and faithful stewardship of public resources," the letter says. "Many of us have raised these concerns to NIH leadership, yet they remain unaddressed, and we are pressured to implement harmful measures." Officials who administer grant portfolios, early-career scientists and longtime staffers are among those who signed, calling the document the "Bethesda declaration" for the city in Maryland where the NIH is headquartered. The letter is modeled after the Great Barrington declaration, Bhattacharya's dissent to the government's covid policies in 2020, which was written in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and helped catapult him to prominence. |
| L.A. officials struggle to curb 'disgusting' vandalism, thefts, fires, violence in downtown L.A. | |
 | An ugly night of vandalism, burglaries and clashes in downtown Los Angeles left city officials struggling to get the upper hand after three days of scattered unrest over immigration raids. Some businesses were vandalized and burglarized overnight downtown, concluding hours of unrest that saw Waymo cars burned, police cruisers crushed with rocks and electric scooters and various forms of vandalism downtown and in the civic center. While most of the problems occurred within a few blocks, they have taken on worldwide attention after President Trump deployed the National Guard to L.A. after clashes between immigration agents and protesters. Trump has threatened to bring in "troops" to help calm the unrest, but it is unclear what that would look like. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said Sunday violence in the city has only escalated since protesters clashed with officers Friday outside a federal detention center in downtown LA. He described the violence as "disgusting." "These past few nights we've seen a level that disgusts every good person in this city," he said. So far, the National Guard troops have mostly protected federal buildings. |
| Pope Leo criticizes political nationalism and prays for reconciliation and dialogue | |
 | Pope Leo XIV criticized the surge of nationalist political movements in the world as he prayed Sunday for reconciliation and dialogue -- a message in line with his pledges to make the Catholic Church a symbol of peace. The pope celebrated Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square in front of tens of thousands faithful, and asked the Holy Spirit to "break down barriers and tear down the walls of indifference and hatred." "Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice, for 'security' zones separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms," the first American pontiff said. He did not name any specific country or politician. Leo also recalled the words of late Pope Francis, who -- on the feast of Pentecost in May 2023 -- observed that in our world "we are all connected, yet find ourselves disconnected from one another, anaesthetized by indifference and overwhelmed by solitude." The pope also condemned wars, which "are plaguing our world," and asked the Holy Spirit for "the gift of peace." |
| Rodenmeyer Returns to MPB as Director of Television | |
 | Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) proudly announces the return of award-winning filmmaker and public television veteran Kathryn Rodenmeyer, APR, as the new Director of Television. A Jackson native, Rodenmeyer began her media career with MPB as the coordinating producer for the inaugural season of Mississippi Outdoors. She has since led communications efforts for both nonprofit and trade organizations and earned national recognition for her work in media production and public relations. Her award-winning television documentaries and educational programs have aired on public broadcasting stations nationwide. Most recently, she served as executive producer and editor for MPB's Southern Remedy television series and produced the educational series Mind in the Making (2022) through her company, Mosaic Media. Rodenmeyer holds a bachelor's degree in photojournalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a certificate in population health science from the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in communication from Mississippi State University. |
| USM launches Mississippi Center for Apprenticeships and Residency in Education | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) received approval from the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) Board of Trustees to establish the Mississippi Center for Apprenticeships and Residency in Education (MCARE). "Establishing MCARE elevates our existing work in supporting high-quality training for teacher candidates, and we look forward to new opportunities to collaborate with partners statewide to expand these efforts," said Andrea Krell, instructor and director of teacher residency at USM. According to USM officials, MCARE's purpose is to provide accessible pathways and career advancement in education. The first cohort of undergraduate teacher residents at USM began in fall 2019, followed by graduate student cohorts beginning in summer 2022. |
| Jackson State alums demand open dialogue with Mississippi college board | |
| Jackson State University alums are blowing up Mississippi lawmakers and the state's college board inboxes with one clear message: Give us a fair and transparent president search. Thee 1877 Project launched an email campaign "For a Better JSU" this week asking faculty, students and supporters of the historically Black university to send e-letters to hold the Institutions of Higher Learning board responsible for the school's last three picks for president and what it calls its failure to create an open and inclusive search for school leadership. The group is not affiliated with the JSU National Alumni Association. The effort comes after the announcement of former president Marcus Thompson's resignation with no explanation. The news was a disappointment to many state lawmakers and alumni last month who felt whiplash from his departure, a familiar situation experienced with his predecessor, Thomas Hudson, who also resigned without explanation. Thompson's resignation marked the university's third leadership turnover in less than a decade. Hudson's predecessor, William Bynum, also resigned following his arrest on a prostitution solicitation charge. |
| MCCers Graham, Rush graduate from MCCLA | |
 | Meridian Community College employees Chad Graham, dean of University Transfer, and Kimberly D. Rush, associate dean of advising, retention and student success, were two of the members of the May 2025 graduating class of the Mississippi Community College Leadership Academy. The MCCLA was developed in 2009 by the Mississippi Community College Foundation to address the projected need for upper-level leaders in the Mississippi community college system. The MCCLA is organized around the needs of future community college leaders, specific to the Mississippi community college system. The academy's term is a year-long investment; participants meet from June to May. The program consists of workshops created to strengthen supervisory and management skills, using participants' current work situations to apply new skills and tools. It is also an opportunity to network and enhance system-wide collaborative efforts. Graham said the program provided insights into the complexities of leadership within the community college system, "making me feel much more prepared to take on future challenges and responsibilities," he noted. |
| Report: Mississippi earns No. 16 national ranking in education | |
| The coined moniker, "The Mississippi Miracle," referring to positive educational strides made by youth in the state, has been further highlighted by a top 20 national ranking. In the Annie E. Casey Foundation's latest KIDS COUNT Data Book, a 50-state report of data analyzing how children and youth are faring across the nation, Mississippi came in at No. 16 among its 49 peers. Each year, the Data Book presents national and state data from 16 indicators in four domains -- economic well-being, education, health, and family and community factors -- while ranking the states according to how children are faring overall. The Magnolia State's placement in the latest rankings marked a 32-spot jump from 11 years ago. Officials tout this recent achievement by noting that there is a standard of excellence in the state and that the No. 48 education ranking in 2014 is no longer an acceptable norm. "Mississippi's momentum in education is the result of strong policies and dedicated, effective educators. Our students' achievements have made the state a national leader in improving academic outcomes," State Superintendent of Education Dr. Lance Evans said. |
| LSU launches high-stakes search for its new president | |
 | William Tate IV's final months as president of LSU, leading up to his May announcement that he would step down to become president of Rutgers University, had been -- to put it mildly -- eventful. In January, LSU's general counsel resigned and was soon followed by two more of Tate's top lieutenants. In February, Tate testified in the high-profile case of a law school professor who was suspended from the university after making crude classroom remarks about Gov. Jeff Landry and President Donald Trump. In March, Tate enacted a system-wide hiring freeze due to "unpredictable" federal funding. Meanwhile, in April, Tate celebrated the university's "jaw-dropping" growth in research --- the school spent a record $543 million on research last year, a jump of nearly 70% from the $324 million secured during Tate's first year. Yet even that win came with a caveat due to Trump's threatened funding cuts. "Quite frankly," Tate told LSU's board of supervisors, "all of it is at risk right now." Now, as the board prepares to launch a national search for a new president, and with some possible frontrunners emerging, the next leader of LSU will be tasked with taking on those challenges while seizing the opportunities created during Tate's tenure. Precisely because LSU's fate and Louisiana's are intertwined --- and with national political debates keeping higher education in the spotlight -- there is sure to be intense interest in the presidential search. Scott Ballard, the LSU board chair who will oversee the search, said he expects talented candidates from across the country to apply. |
| U. of Florida students are swearing off smartphones | |
 | University of Florida students are joining the Reconnect Movement, opting for flip phones over smartphones to foster in-person connections. The movement, which started at Rollins College in Winter Park, is popping up at colleges around the country. Seán Killingsworth, 22, had long noticed that his peers' interactions were impacted by the smartphones in their pockets. He recalled a "social wasteland" of "zombies" who were unavailable for social connection. He got a flip phone his sophomore year of high school. "I ran into a lot of barriers just trying to make a friend because of the mode of communication I'd chosen to use," Killingsworth says. When he enrolled in school at Rollins College, he wanted things to be different, and started hosting casual get togethers with friends without phones. Eventually, it turned into the first chapter of the Reconnect Movement. The events involve activities like painting, playing outdoor sports or hosting lighthearted "goofy debates" where students argue over topics like mountains vs. the beach. Many times, though, the event at hand morphs into an afternoon where everyone just hangs out. "It's a way to see and be able to experience what is possible with just connecting with a group of people for no reason and just hanging out purely to hang out," Killingsworth says. "That doesn't really happen anymore, because everything's so facilitated and planned out by technology." |
| Meteorologist Heather Haley to return to U. of Tennessee to teach, report for WUOT | |
 | Meteorologist and Knoxville native Heather Haley is moving from television to radio -- and teaching -- as she returns to her alma mater the University of Tennessee at Knoxville to serve in two new roles. Haley has been the chief meteorologist -- the first woman in the Knoxville area to do so -- and an anchor for WVLT-TV, winning an Emmy Award for her work. But come August and the start of the new semester, she will teach as an assistant professor of practice in UT's School of Journalism and Media, and report as a meteorologist and climate reporter for WUOT 91.9 FM, a public radio station licensed to the university, the College of Communication and Information announced on June 9. She graduated from UT in 2005, interning at WVLT as a student. Additionally, she's served as a member of the school's alumni advisory council and helped to create the Broadcast Meteorology minor in the school. "It's like I'm hitting reset, I'm really excited. I keep hearing from the staff and faculty how much they love having students here every day, it's electric," Haley said in a news release from UT's College of Communication and Information. "I'm looking forward to that positivity and environment, just being in the lives of students and helping them grow from semester to semester and having it come to fruition with graduation." |
| Incoming Texas A&M Chancellor Hegar listens and learns during first regents meeting | |
 | Incoming Texas A&M Chancellor Glenn Hegar was a constant presence in College Station this week as the Texas A&M Board of Regents held a three-day meeting. His presence is about to be felt even more in a month. Hegar, Texas' comptroller who will take over the chancellery July 1, was able to sit at the table during the board's workshop Wednesday and gave input when it came time to discuss a new vision statement for the university system. On Thursday, Hegar sat near the university presidents during committee meetings and the open portion of the regents' meeting. Friday morning it was back to the boardroom at the Memorial Student Center for the final workshop where the board was briefed on a wide variety of topics ranging from deferred maintenance around the system to the latest on construction at the Fort Worth campus and an update on the Texas A&M-Kingsville campus. Hegar is taking over when John Sharp officially retires June 30. Since being chosen as the chancellor in March, Hegar has split his time between Austin and College Station as he finishes his tenure as state comptroller and learns about his new role as chancellor. The learning experience has been smoother for Hegar than it was for his predecessor mostly for the fact that Sharp is still chancellor while Hegar learns the ropes. |
| In Texas, University Presidents May Soon Control Faculty Senates | |
 | Texas public college and university presidents will be able to take control of their faculty governing bodies if Gov. Greg Abbott signs a bill now before him. "Shared governance structures may not be used to obstruct, delay, or undermine necessary institutional reforms or serve as a mechanism for advancing ideological or political agendas," says Senate Bill 37, which the Republican-dominated State Legislature passed May 31. Multiple states have considered GOP bills targeting shared governance, but SB 37 is a sweeping example. It says that "only the governing board of an institution of higher education may establish a faculty council or senate." "The board of regents has to decide whether or not there will even be one, that's problem No. 1," said Brian Evans, president of the Texas American Association of University Professors-American Federation of Teachers Conference. If a college or university board decides to keep a faculty governing body, the institution's president gets to prescribe how it conducts meetings. The president also gets to pick the "presiding officer, associate presiding officer, and secretary." Andrew Klein, speaker of the Texas A&M University Faculty Senate, said the biggest concern among his 122 senators is the 60-senator limit, which will take effect unless the Texas A&M System Board of Regents grants an exemption. |
| Columbia entrepreneur Kelsey Raymond returns to U. of Missouri | |
 | After leaving the company she started and eventually sold, Columbia entrepreneur Kelsey Raymond is opting for a change of pace, accepting a job directing entrepreneurship programs at her alma mater. Raymond co-founded the digital marketing firm Influence & Co. in 2011 alongside two partners after graduating from the University of Missouri. In 2022, Raymond sold the company to Intero Digital, where she was later promoted to chief operations officer. At the time of the acquisition, Influence & Co. had grown to 60 employees and was earning about $7 million in annual revenue, Raymond said. Now, Raymond has decided to step away from Intero to work at Mizzou, succeeding her mentor, Greg Bier, as the executive director of entrepreneurship programs. Raymond herself went through entrepreneurship programs while attending Mizzou. As Raymond pondered a career change, Bier announced he was retiring and she began considering herself for the position. "Mentoring college students, being involved in the entrepreneurial community in Columbia, that's the job," Raymond said. "I just kind of had this 'aha' moment of 'I can do something different, I'm gonna apply for that job.'" |
| For College Students, It's Summer Vacation. For Scavengers, It's Christmas. | |
 | Valentino sneakers that retail for $980. A Tovala toaster oven, originally $390. A Clear Home Design Lucite table, which would have cost $899 -- except in this case, it was free. Lena Geller found those items, and many others, in the trash room of her apartment building in Durham, N.C., after scores of Duke University students had moved out at the end of the spring semester. "It feels wrong for this much stuff to have been thrown out," Ms. Geller wrote in an article for INDY Week, where she's a staff writer. She kept a spreadsheet of the roughly 70 items she found in the trash, estimating, after doing some research, that they originally retailed for $6,600 in total. Every year, as graduation season ends, many departing students throw away or simply abandon expensive household items and luxury goods instead of donating or taking them back home. Local residents and scavengers are stepping in, rescuing items to reuse or sell, then touting their finds on social media. College campus dumpster diving isn't new but social media has given it prominence. Some colleges have tried to address the waste. But sustainability experts say that on many campuses, such efforts are either limited or nonexistent, leaving dumpster divers to perform an important service. |
| Thousands of College Students Could Soon Lose Their Pell Grants | |
 | Last month, Russell Lowery-Hart, chancellor of Austin Community College District, in Texas, told a U.S. Senate committee that thousands of his students could lose some, if not all, of their financial aid. Lowery-Hart was testifying about the harm he sees in lawmakers' proposed changes to Pell Grants, which would cut out students if they aren't taking enough credit hours. Over 70 percent of community-college students are enrolled part time, according to the Department of Education. Less than a day later, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve the "One Big Beautiful Bill" Act, the sweeping budget-reconciliation legislation, which includes reductions to Pell Grants. Now it's in the Senate's hands. Lowery-Hart said he hopes senators remember what he said. In his district, over 9,000 students would have their aid reduced. About 4,000 of them could lose all of it. "We could have 10,000 of our 40,000 students in a semester disappear," Lowery-Hart said in an interview. "And that's just at Austin Community College." In order to receive a maximum Pell Grant award (currently set at $7,395), students have to take 24 credit hours per year, typically four full-length courses each semester. The bill would increase the credit hours to 30, or five courses. Take fewer courses than that, and the award gets reduced. Students who drop below 15 credits per year -- as is the case for many who are juggling work and caregiving responsibilities -- won't get Pell at all. |
| Strict AI safety controls needed now | |
| Columnist Bill Crawford writes: As we immerse ourselves daily in work, sports, politics, social media, and personal relationships, we spend little time contemplating life-changing technologies...such as autonomous artificial intelligence. Oh, we may see headlines or hear something, but we are unlikely to take time from our entertainment culture for serious scrutiny and extrapolation. Yet, every day our world becomes more connected through the internet and other information systems. For example, online systems control electricity generation and distribution across national and international grids. Communication systems for social media, defense communications, data storage, etc. span the globe and orbit above it. To help manage these ever more complex systems, Amazon, Microsoft, and other tech giants are investing heavily in the development of artificial intelligence and related infrastructure including networks. We tend to see AI as complex computer systems that can do tasks, complex and menial, faster and more dependably than humans. And we tend to see significant AI risks as just movie plots. We are even getting to play (and write papers) with some fundamental AI versions like Copilot and ChatGPT. |
| State revenue is anemic even before recent income tax cut takes effect | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: It should not be a surprise that what was touted as the largest tax cut in state history might be resulting in less revenue to fund Mississippi's vital services such as education, law enforcement and health care. Perhaps a bit of clarification is needed. In recent years, three separate tax cuts have been touted by leaders as "the largest tax cut in state history": a $416 million tax cut in 2016 and a $525 million tax cut in 2022. But neither is no longer the state's largest tax cut. That was passed earlier this year during the 2025 legislative session. The 2025 tax cut has not yet gone into effect. So, in other words, three times in less than a decade, legislators have passed "the largest tax cut in state history." Mississippi's current anemic revenue collections can be attributed to one of three things: an economic slowdown, those major tax cuts, or a combination of the two. The economic slowdown seems logical. After all, billions of federal dollars flowing into the state as part of COVID-19 pandemic relief are drying up. Then there is the issue of the tax cuts. ... Proponents have argued that the tax cuts would spur the economy and result in higher revenue collections in other areas such as on the sales tax. But there is not clear evidence of that occurring. |
SPORTS
| Brian O'Connor details importance of buy-in to Mississippi State baseball | |
| Brian O'Connor was introduced as Mississippi State's next head coach on Thursday. O'Connor's first order of business will be building his first staff, as well as roster for the 2026 college baseball season. O'Connor enjoyed immense success during his two-decade-plus career at Virginia before making the move to Starkville. During his first meeting with the media, O'Connor hinted at the main reason for his constant success. "It starts with the selection of the young men that you bring into the program and that they're the right young men that you want to be part of your team, right? But obviously, the support's here," O'Connor said. "You know, this stadium, this fan base, right? Everything that goes on with that to attract and retain the right talent to give your program the chance to win championships. "I'll say this, the University of Virginia is totally committed to it, okay? And so is Mississippi State. But listen, there's a lot of programs in the SEC. Everybody is committed to it. It's not that at Mississippi State we have more than anybody else. We just need to have enough to retain and attract the right young men." |
| Zac Selmon shares what it took to land Brian O'Connor as Mississippi State coach | |
| It takes more than just one thing to get someone from a job where they've spent twenty-plus years at. Mississippi State brought that to table, though, when it came to hiring Virginia's Brian O'Connor as their next head baseball coach. After his introduction on Thursday night, AD Zac Selmon spoke about his hiring process of O'Connor from out of Charlottesville. He said the biggest thing to get him to come to Starkville was to find their connection, which they made over what he could accomplish in personal development off the field, to go with player development on it, in Starkville. "You know, for me, it always starts with connection with somebody and relationships. You know, I think so much of my career has been built on just genuine relations with people. So it starts there, of a common vision of what sport can do," said Selmon. "You know, I think, in Coach O'Connor's comments earlier, you hear a lot about the development of the person and, you know, I think we've said a lot of times here is we know that winning is the output of all the meaningful inputs that we do. So, I think, when we first met, that's what we talked about a lot, of how can we make sure that what we're doing at Mississippi State – clearly, yes, we want to win and embrace those expectations, embrace the standard that Mississippi State Baseball is but, most importantly, how do we make young men better? And that's what's really cool about college sport." |
| Why Mississippi State is investing in baseball with Brian O'Connor when it doesn't turn profit | |
| Zac Selmon came away from his first conversation with Brian O'Connor with one big takeaway. "That is what elite looks like," the Mississippi State athletic director said at O'Connor's introduction on June 5. Mississippi State showed it is committed to investing in its baseball program with the hiring of O'Connor, who was Virginia's coach for 22 seasons. He replaces Chris Lemonis who was fired on April 28. O'Connor's introduction at Dudy Noble Field was extravagant and his salary, at an average of $2.9 million annually, is the second-highest in college baseball behind Tennessee's Tony Vitello. The Bulldogs are leaning into the sport. But that's not the case everywhere. Baseball, traditionally, doesn't turn a profit for athletic departments. And with the House settlement approved on June 6 for revenue-sharing with athletes beginning July 1, athletic departments are set to take on even more expenses than before -- up to $20.5 million, which comes out of their annual budget. MSU baseball has operated at a deficit of at least $1 million annually since 2011. That's despite a national championship in 2021, and 11 NCAA tournaments and four College World Series appearances in that time. "Our job is to make sure we put our programs in a position to be successful, and you can't do it in this era without a lot of support," Selmon said. "And so for us, we're committed to making sure that we put our coaching staff, our programs in a position where when we fast-forward 20 years from now, we see letterwinners that come back and say, 'Man, do you remember that time when we dogpiled in Omaha? When we did this and when we did that.' |
| O'Connor homerun hire for Bulldogs baseball program | |
| Parrish Alford writes for the Magnolia Tribune: The messages went out during the week spreading the word with phones and laptops across and beyond the state. Park here, here and here, not there. Gates open at this time. You can bring this, this and this, not that, into the stadium. Concessions will be available. This was important information because Mississippi State officials know their fan base. They understand their fans' loyalty to the baseball program, their high demands for success. They get it. A lot of new college baseball coaches might be welcomed at the airport, but not Brian O'Connor. The pyrotechnics, the speeches, the parade of former star players, all of it may have seemed a bit over the top. Maybe it was. But Mississippi State's past -- and O'Connor's -- are worthy of something more than an airport greeting. Indeed, O'Connor, it appears, is the most accomplished head coach to be hired by a Mississippi school in any sport. |
| President Trump golfs with two college athletics leaders amid NCAA turning point | |
| President Donald Trump played golf with two prominent college sports figures last weekend. Who won the round, and what did they discuss? SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said he'll contain the particulars to those who played in the golf group. Sankey joined Trump and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua for the round of golf. They played at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, according to a Yahoo! Sports report. "It was helpful for me and for Pete, as well, to hear his thoughts and his perspectives and to share some of ours," Sankey said Monday during a call with reporters. "I think those are best left for the moment on the golf course." The golf outing came amid what Sankey described as an "inflection point" moment for college sports, on the heels of a federal judge on Friday approving the House legal settlement. Sankey and other college sports leaders have lobbied for years for federal legislation to regulate the NIL marketplace and supersede the patchwork of state NIL laws. No such federal legislation has emerged. While Sankey declined to get into the specifics of his golf course talks with Trump, he said he appreciates the president's "interest in college sports." |
| Louisiana hikes sports gambling tax to subsidize college athletics | |
| Louisiana legislators have approved a plan to give most college athletic programs in Louisiana nearly $2 million in state tax revenue annually. House Bill 639 by Rep. Neil Riser, R-Columbia, cleared the Senate on a 35-3 vote Sunday, after previously passing the House 74-15. Gov. Jeff Landry is expected to sign it into law. Riser's bill would increase the tax on sports gambling in Louisiana from 15% to 21.5%. One-fourth of that revenue would go to the Supporting Programs, Opportunities, Resources and Teams (SPORT) Fund to benefit student-athletes at Louisiana's public universities that compete at the NCAA Division I level -- UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, Louisiana Tech, LSU, Grambling, McNeese, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Southeastern, Southern and the University of New Orleans. Under the new tax rate, Louisiana would receive about $77 million annually from sports gambling, with about $20 million dedicated to the new fund. Each school would get approximately $1.7 million annually. The money could be used for new scholarships, insurance, medical coverage, facility enhancements, litigation settlement fees and Alston awards, which are education-related awards universities give to college athletes. The $1.7 million allocation is a small drop in the bucket for LSU, which has an athletics budget of over $200 million. But it would be a significant lifeline for schools such as Southern, Nicholls and ULM, which each spend less than $20 million a year on their sports program. |
| Judge Approves Landmark House Settlement Changing the Way College Sports Are Run | |
| A new era in college sports officially began Friday when a judge approved a long-anticipated settlement that will rewrite the rules around Division I athletes' relationship to their colleges. The House v. NCAA settlement ends three antitrust cases that challenged the National Collegiate Athletic Association's amateurism principles and sought back pay for athletes who missed out on payments that were, until recently, prohibited. The NCAA will pay the athletes $2.8 billion, a figure that all Division I colleges will contribute to over the next 10 years. The settlement also puts in place caps on the number of players that each team can field and eliminates limits to the number of scholarships athletic departments can give out. Colleges have known most of the details of the settlement for more than a year. But it was up to Claudia Wilken of the U.S. District Court in Oakland, Calif., to make it official. This entity will be part of the College Sports Commission, a new organization that will be operated by the four power conferences, Yahoo Sports reported. "The only way this system will provide stability is if the schools actually abide by the decisions of this enforcement arm," said Gabe Feldman, a sports-law professor at Tulane University. "The question is, what happens if a state tries to enforce its law? Can this new entity survive?" |
| Landmark House v. NCAA Settlement Approved by Judge, Allowing Colleges to Pay Athletes | |
| A federal judge in California finally approved a $2.6 billion settlement for college athletes that upends a century-old tenet of college sports -- the notion that schools cannot pay the athletes that play for them. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken on Friday ushered in a new era -- a professional era -- for college sports by signing off on a plan for the NCAA and the five most prominent sports conferences to settle a class-action lawsuit with current and former college players. The deal will give backpay to some, as well as creating a system in which each Division I school will be able to distribute roughly $20 million a year to their athletes. Schools are poised to begin implementing the new model this fall. In a letter published Friday evening, NCAA president Charlie Baker called revenue sharing "a tremendously positive change and one that was long overdue." He also predicted that implementation could be rocky. "Change at this scale is never easy. This is new terrain for everyone," he wrote. "There will be a transition period and certainly bumps in the road." |
| House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes | |
 | The House v. NCAA settlement, which is a collection of three lawsuits against the NCAA and its power conferences, was approved by Judge Claudia Wilken on June 6. The historic settlement allows every United States university to pay student athletes up to $20.5 million. Athletes can still receive name, image and likeness payments from third parties. How the universities disperse the $20.5 million is entirely up to them. While Ole Miss has not announced how they plan on dividing up the money publicly, the majority of the revenue will go to football, with Men's and Women's Basketball trailing behind. After that, the non-revenue and Olympic sports will likely get what is left. "We're working internally on exactly what those percentages are. Obviously, football is going to get a large percentage. They are our highest revenue sport," said Ole Miss Athletic Director Keith Carter in an interview with The Daily Mississippian. "Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, baseball and maybe one or two of the Olympic sports might get some of the percentage as well, but we're not quite ready to go public with the exact percentages yet." Once percentages for each sport are decided, it is up to the coaches to choose which players get how much money. For the football team, head coach Lane Kiffin and general manager Billy Glasscock will decide how much money certain players get. |
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