| Wednesday, August 26, 2026 |
| In a divided America, the left and right unite to oppose artificial intelligence data centers | |
 | In rural eastern Nebraska, a technology revolution could rise from fields of corn and soybean in the form of new data centers to power the artificial intelligence boom. But just like around many parts of the country, opposition has been building in ways that defy typical partisan boundaries. Conservative farmers and the state Sierra Club chapter recently found common cause against labor leaders as they filled the firehouse in Murdock -- population around 275 -- to share concerns about data center development moving too quickly. The scene exemplified an unlikely coalition that worries about dwindling farmland, declining water supplies and rising electricity bills -- not to mention how massive corporations could reshape small town America into nodes in a national network of computing warehouses. The debate around data center projects is one of the rare modern issues to cut across party lines, demographics and geography -- from Republican-dominated Nebraska, Texas and Wyoming to swing-state Pennsylvania to Democratic-leaning New Mexico. |
| Dolly Parton's philanthropy was based on 'her belief in the goodness of people' | |
| Just weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the American South in 2024, Dolly Parton stood on a stage in her iconic blonde wig, with a song on her lips. She promised the flood-ravaged community in her native Tennessee -- to the tune of her classic song "Jolene" -- that "we're all here to mend these broken hearts." For the music legend and multimillionaire businesswoman, that meant using her wealth for good. That day, she announced a $1 million donation, matched by her Dollywood companies and their partners, to an Appalachian relief nonprofit. It's one of the enduring images of the charismatic humanitarian, whose good humor and straightforward generosity lifted the well-being of communities in her home state and beyond. Fans across generations and geographies say it will remain part of Parton's legacy. She died Tuesday at the age of 80. The Library of Congress called Parton a "titan of children's literacy" for the millions of free books provided monthly through her Imagination Library. Also well-known is the $1 million gift she made to Vanderbilt University's Medical Center to help develop Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. The not-for-profit Dolly Parton Children's Hospital recently received an undisclosed sum to improve pediatric care across eastern Tennessee. Then there's the quieter giving that the public was still uncovering in her final years. |
| Mississippi launches UPSKILL grant for adult education, training for in-demand careers | |
 | The Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid and AccelerateMS, the state's workforce development office, have announced the launch of the UPSKILL Mississippi Grant. The grant is aimed at providing adult Mississippians greater access to state financial aid for education and training for in-demand careers. The UPSKILL Mississippi Grant -- short for Upgrading Priority Skills for Key Industry Learning and Labor -- will be administered by the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid. The grant will cover any remaining tuition and fees after other aid is applied and include an additional $500 annual stipend for books and other educational materials. Dr. Jennifer Rogers, executive director of the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid said UPSKILL Mississippi creates an important new opportunity for adult Mississippians who may have thought the cost of returning to school to pursue a credential or degree was out of reach. "Mississippi has to be strategic about how we invest in workforce development," state Senator Nicole Boyd (R), chair of the Senate Universities and Colleges Committee, said. "UPSKILL gives us a way to focus state resources on the skills our economy needs most while creating a stronger connection between education, workforce development, and the industries driving growth in our state." |
| Tennessee icon Dolly Parton dies at 80 | |
| Country music legend Dolly Parton died in Nashville at the age of 80 on Tuesday. The University of Tennessee's campus erupted with shock, grief and bewilderment at the news of the country music legend's passing. "This has been a very devastating realization," Caroline Brack, junior environmental and soil science major, said. "Nobody really ever had a bad thing to say about her and I mean, she has an incredible legacy that will surely live on, but it's just definitely heartbreaking to hear of this." Parton's legacy lives on not only in her music, but in her philanthropic efforts. Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 to promote childhood literacy by providing free books to children from birth to the age of 5 regardless of family income. Nick Geidner, director of The Media Center at UT, worked alongside university students in 2020 to produce a feature-length documentary about the Imagination Library. Geidner had the chance to interview Parton in the making of the documentary. "I mean, she had much bigger, more important documentarians than us come and ask her to do this film," Geidner said. "But they let us because it was tied to UT. Because we promised to engage students in every part of the process, and I think she was really all about that." |
| Mizzou's annual Tomato Festival comes back bigger, better for its 21st year | |
 | Jefferson Farm will be rich with red, orange and green as the University of Missouri's annual Tomato Festival gears up. From 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, festival-goers will be in a fresh tomato haven. The festival started off as a small idea among three colleagues in 2005. They recalled Mizzou having a tomato breeding program and mini festival in the 1960s and wanted to bring that back, with the aim of helping people understand different types of tomatoes. Now, 21 years later, Tim Reinbott, who was one of the original organizers of the festival and is now the director of field operations, is getting ready to retire. For his final tomato festival, he wants to "go big or go home." This year's festival will have as many as 240 varieties of tomatoes, up from the 180 they had last year. From cherry tomatoes the size of buttons to large beef steak tomatoes, the festival will even show off an experimental breed flown in from the University of Florida. There will also be a range of sauces, some of the world's hottest peppers and other prepared food items. |
SPORTS
| College football's 25 most powerful people: From Congress to ESPN to the SEC | |
 | In today's college sports landscape, power no longer resides solely on the sidelines or in the commissioner's office. It sits in television boardrooms, law firms, courtrooms, congressional hearing rooms and donor suites. The people steering college sports have never been more diverse, or more influential. A panel of regional and national members of the USA TODAY Sports Network consulted industry sources, debated candidates and cast votes to identify the individuals exerting the greatest influence over the direction of college athletics. Here are the 25 Most Powerful People in College Football entering the 2026 season, including: 16. Mark Keenum, Mississippi State president. Why he is on the list: Keenum has served as the CFP's Chair of the Board of Managers since 2018. He's also publicly floated the potential for the SEC to forge its own unilateral path without meaningful progress on college athletics' governance at the federal level. |
| Journeyman Adam Frazier still considers Starkville home | |
 | The Los Angeles Angels are the seventh different team Adam Frazier has played for in the big leagues. Regardless of his employer, Frazier, 34, who starred at Mississippi State between 2011 and 2013, is steadfast that Starkville remains home. "I reminisce on those days a lot, whether it's here in the clubhouse talking trash with some of these guys about our school is better than yours. I consider that home," Frazier said. "The fans still show up here or travel around, so that's cool. The support has always been there, which is great. It feels like family there. I still keep in touch with pretty much that whole team. It's a special group of guys. Fortunate for my time there, and it's always fun to go back." A sixth-round pick of Pittsburgh in 2013, Frazier made his big league debut for the Pirates in June 2016. He remained with the Bucs through July 2021 when he was traded to San Diego. Since then, he's played for Seattle, Baltimore, Kansas City, and had second stints in Pittsburgh and K.C. before signing a minor league deal with the Angels this past offseason. The ex-Bulldog ended up making the Halos' opening day roster and through 52 games this season had played second base, left field and taken the mound three times. He's hitting .257 with 10 RBIs this season; he's a .264 career hitter. |
| East Lake general manager earns PGA Master Professional designation | |
| The PGA of America has announced that Chad Parker, President and General Manager of East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, has earned PGA Master Professional status, the highest educational designation available within the Association. The PGA Master Professional program recognizes PGA of America Members who demonstrate exceptional commitment to professional growth and maintain the highest standards of excellence for themselves and their facilities. Parker, a member of the Georgia PGA Section, has been a PGA Professional for more than 30 years. A 1995 graduate of Mississippi State University's PGA Golf Management program, Parker spent the first years of his career in Alabama at NorthRiver Yacht Club. Parker and his wife, Carrie, then moved to Atlanta where he began as an Assistant Professional at East Lake Golf Club. Soon thereafter, he was promoted to PGA Head Professional. During his more than three decades at East Lake, Parker has held numerous leadership positions. He also serves as an advisor and mentor to Mississippi State University's PGA Golf Management program. |
| SEC announces rule to ban players from returning after signing with NFL, NBA, WNBA teams | |
 | The SEC has followed the Big Ten -- and gone against LSU coach Lane Kiffin -- by stipulating that players who signed pro contracts cannot return to a team in the conference. SEC presidents, chancellors and athletic directors met Tuesday and announced that schools are not permitted to have athletes who have: Previously declared for the NFL, NBA or WNBA draft, and did not "appropriately withdraw" from those drafts. Signed a contract with an NFL or other professional league, NBA or G-League, or WNBA or affiliated team. Been listed on a roster by any of those professional teams. The SEC said commissioner Greg Sankey was "authorized to enforce this expectation with penalties against member institutions." It did not stipulate what those penalties were. Kiffin defended his actions Monday, echoing what players' lawyers said: that the players did not know the NCAA would change its rules to allow players a fifth year of eligibility. Kiffin also said that if LSU didn't recruit the players, others would. But by all indications, LSU was on an island in the SEC. |
| Big Ten bars football players with pro contracts from returning to play amid NCAA eligibility chaos | |
| The Big Ten became the first conference Tuesday to adopt a rule prohibiting football players who have signed professional contracts from returning to play at its schools as college sports finds itself mired in lawsuits and disputes over eligibility. The matter came to a head Monday when the agent for former Mississippi tight end Dae'Quan Wright said Wright could be heading to LSU thanks to a state-level court order allowing him and others an unexpected fifth year of eligibility despite a NCAA rule change in June impacting players who graduated from high school in 2022. There are a number of lawsuits in dispute around the country. The Big Ten said that administrators unanimously approved the rule to prohibit football players who have signed a professional contract, were on a professional roster at any point or declared for the NFL draft as an underclassman without withdrawing, from maintaining eligibility for athletic competition at a conference institution. It did not rule out restrictions in other sports like basketball. |
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