| Thursday, March 19, 2026 |
| Glo plans new headquarters after outgrowing the Rex | |
 | When Glo Companies moved into the old Rex Theatre at 101 W. Main St. in 2021, CEO and co-founder Hagan Walker remembers wondering how the company would ever fill the entire space. Five years later, and now a decade since the company started, Glo has outgrown the space that once seemed more than enough and is set to relocate operations to the former Rick's Furniture Market on Stark Road. "I think there's an old video ... where I talk about how much space we have and how we don't know what we're going to do with it all," Walker told The Dispatch on Wednesday. "... It's just funny to kind of look back and realize that we need to grow again." Glo has used a portion of the Stark Road property for warehousing and distribution since 2018. When the city adopted its Unified Development Code a year later, zoning no longer allowed that as a permitted use, meaning Glo must get a special exception at the property each time it expands its operations there. The board of aldermen granted that exception after a public hearing Tuesday evening. Along with expanding warehouse operations and moving headquarters to the building, Jeffrey Rupp, vice president of business development for Glo, said the move also gives the company a chance to improve the property. |
| Mary Means Business: Cotton Row men's and women's boutique opening in Columbus | |
| A new men's and women's boutique is opening up in downtown Columbus next month. Hoping to fill the gap left by the closure of Jim's Clothing last year, the Huckaby family is opening Cotton Row at 409 Main St., a new boutique focused on classic Southern fashion for the everyday person. Leading the venture is Amy Huckaby, alongside her husband and Huck's Owner, Bubba, and their daughter, Anna Kathryn West and son-in-law, Jonathon West. Cotton Row will carry a range of brands, including Grand River Jeans made in Vicksburg, Cole Haan, Rockport, Flag & Anthem, F/X Fusion, True Grit, Criquet, Glam and even Bubba's own line of T-shirts, caps and river swag. ... Moving over to Starkville, a Mississippi State student has started up a service to help all those looking at spring cleaning. About a month ago, Jackson Fullen decided to open Junk Be Gone, your next go-to place for garage and storage cleanout, small structure demolition and general junk removal. "I needed some extra money and my family owns a farm, and I knew we had a dump trailer we don't use much. So I asked to use it to make some money as a side hustle, and it just kept growing to a real business," he said. |
| Mississippi Heritage Hills Alliance awards $281,000 in grants | |
 | The Mississippi Hills Heritage Area Alliance gave more than $281,000 in community matching grants to 25 recipients this year after its board of directors approved the funding during its quarterly board meeting Wednesday at the Elvis Presley Birthplace and Museum. In total, the board approved 25 grants affecting 12 counties within the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area as part of its annual Community Grant Program, now in its 10th year. "This year we received nearly 40 grant applications requesting over $400,000 and were glad to be able to fund many of them," said Mary Cates Williams, executive director of the Alliance. "We look forward to working with grantees on their projects." MHNHA is also funding $120,000 in Special Projects during FY26 in partnership with the Mississippi Main Street Association, Mississippi Heritage Trust, Thacker Mountain Radio Hour, and Tennessee Williams Home and Welcome Center in Columbus. The Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area all or parts of 30 counties bordered by Tennessee, Alabama, Highway 82 and Interstate 55. |
| US drivers see gas prices jump to their highest level since 2023 as the Iran war drags on | |
 | The Iran war has rattled the global flow of oil, with steeper fuel costs already straining households worldwide. And in the U.S., drivers are now facing the highest prices they've seen at the pump in two and a half years. According to motor club AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline jumped to over $3.84 on Wednesday, up from $2.98 consumers were paying before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. The last time gas prices were as expensive as they are now was in September 2023. "It's pretty hard. I mean, times are tough for everybody right now," Amanda Acosta, a Louisiana resident, told The Associated Press while filling up her car's tank this week. "I'm getting way less gas and paying way more money." She isn't alone. Pain at the pump has been one of the most immediate economic impacts of the conflict, because the price of crude oil -- the main ingredient in gasoline -- has soared and swung rapidly in recent weeks, due to supply chain disruptions and cuts from major producers across the Middle East. At a gas station in Mississippi, Thelma Williams exclaimed in shock when her meter hit more than $60 dollars for a tank. "I would love to see the war end," said Williams, a veteran who served in the Army Reserves as a medic. "I would love to see the gas prices go down because everybody might not be financially able to meet the demands of these high prices." |
| Economists Don't See a Recession Unless Oil Hits $138 -- and Stays There for Weeks | |
 | The war on Iran has caused a record disruption to oil supply and sent prices of crude and other commodities sharply higher. Economists still doubt the U.S. is at much risk of a recession. The consensus of economists surveyed this week by The Wall Street Journal is that inflation will be temporarily higher and growth and unemployment largely the same, assuming the oil shock is temporary. "Given the ongoing war in the Middle East, surging oil prices, high tariffs, AI and the severe constraints on immigration, it is worthwhile noting how resilient the U.S. economy has been so far," said Bernard Baumohl of the Economic Outlook Group. "But we must not take this resilience for granted." The survey collected responses from 50 economists at organizations ranging from Wall Street banks and universities to small consulting firms and was conducted March 16-18. Not all forecasters responded to every question. Economists put the probability of a recession in the next 12 months at 32%, up modestly from 27% in January. Asked how high crude oil would need to climb to tip the recession probability above 50%, economists gave a range of responses: from $90 a barrel to $200, with an average of $138. Asked how long oil prices would need to be at an elevated level, they said from four weeks to 55 weeks, with an average duration of 14 weeks. U.S. oil futures closed at $96.32 a barrel Wednesday, compared with a February average of about $65. |
| Former Trump economic advisor addresses Coast food and fuel industry amid rising gas prices | |
 | Steve Moore, a former senior economic advisor to President Donald Trump, spoke Wednesday in Biloxi at the Gulf Coast Food and Fuel Expo, addressing professionals in the food and fuel industries on the state of the economy, energy costs and artificial intelligence. Moore's appearance comes as gas prices have climbed sharply across Mississippi. According to AAA, drivers in the state are paying nearly 40% more for gas on average than they did a month ago --- a spike that followed the U.S. entering into conflict with Iran at the end of February. Despite the current strain on consumers, Moore said he remains optimistic about the U.S. economy and pointed to ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil. "I'm feeling very good about this U.S. economy," Moore said. "Once we get this all resolved in the Middle East, once we get the Strait of Hormuz over, all that oil can come through." Moore also addressed what he described as an approaching technological revolution driven by artificial intelligence. "We are at the beginning of this amazing productivity revolution with artificial intelligence, with the data centers, with robotics," Moore said. "It is going to be an incredible future." |
| Lawmakers send Right to Try Medical Cannabis Act, Ibogaine clinical trials to governor | |
 | Legislation allowing terminally ill patients to try medical cannabis for ailments not currently covered under the state's program and another measure to request FDA approval to conduct clinical trials of a psychoactive drug aimed at helping people overcome PTSD and opioid withdrawal symptoms are heading to the governor's desk. The Mississippi House of Representatives voted to concur on the measures Tuesday after the bills returned from the Senate. In order for a patient to try medical cannabis, a physician must show that all other traditional treatments have been attempted. That information, along with a petition from their attending physician, is then to be sent to the State Health Officer who will have final approval authority. HB 314 left the House with the aim of allowing Mississippi to establish clinical trials of a drug called Ibogaine, which has shown promise in helping people overcome their PTSD symptoms as well as deal with withdrawals from opioids or other addictive substances. |
| Former US Sen. Thad Cochran remembered as a 'Quiet Persuader' | |
| He served in Congress, representing the Magnolia State for four decades. On Wednesday, former Sen. Thad Cochran was remembered for his fight to bring dollars to Mississippi for education, infrastructure, healthcare, hurricane recovery, and more. "He lived with quiet conviction, guided by principle rather than applause," described former Cochran staff member Brad White. "The Life and Legacy of Thad Cochran" shared the accomplishments of the first Republican senator in Mississippi since Reconstruction. As Senate Appropriations Chair, the conservative pushed legislation to benefit the state. "One of the newspapers in Washington called Thad the 'Quiet Persuader,'" said former Gov. Haley Barbour. "We need to have more like him. Anybody in the United States Senate from Mississippi couldn't have a better road map than to see what Thad Cochran did." "He never forgot that public service at its core is about people," said White. |
| As GOP senators grapple with cost concerns, Democrats see opening | |
 | Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith appeared to downplay a question about rising beef prices last month by saying Americans have "so many proteins to choose from." Fellow Republican Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio told a conservative podcaster last week that people living in poverty lack the experience to handle the "real world." And Kansas GOP Sen. Roger Marshall said on CNN that Americans have to accept the spiking cost of gas as one of the "sacrifices" of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In each case, the remarks were embedded within longer interviews that contained nuanced points about complexities of the economy. But when reduced to pithy sound bites, they illustrate the tightrope Senate Republicans walk while discussing affordability, widely seen as the central issue of the midterm elections. The issue that helped propel Republicans into the Senate majority and give them a governing trifecta in Washington now threatens to complicate their chances of holding on to both in 2026. Democrats believe Republicans' response to Americans' financial struggles and President Donald Trump's sinking job approval numbers have created a path -- albeit a narrow one -- to winning the Senate majority. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to flip the chamber. Still, doing so won't be easy for Democrats. Republicans continue to hold a decisive edge in a cycle when the Senate map runs through deep-red terrain such as Mississippi, Ohio and Kansas. |
| 'What is he doing?': New threats emerge for Trump's economy as war drags on | |
 | The guardrails that protected the U.S. economy from President Donald Trump's policy jolts are wearing thin. New economic reports show inflation is ticking higher, prompting the Federal Reserve on Wednesday to keep interest rates steady. Hiring has stagnated, wage growth has fallen, and market-based interest rates are climbing amid concern over rising prices, sending mortgage rates up. And with oil now topping $100 a barrel -- with no end in sight for the Iran conflict -- Trump's economy only has a thin cushion to rely on if the war in the Middle East starts to rock the economy. The data shows that the warning lights were flickering even before Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, choking global supply chains. Trump -- already facing the potential loss of Congress to the Democrats -- has struggled to sell voters on how his agenda has benefited them, and that will become a lot harder with rising oil and gas prices poised to limit household spending. "The thing that underlines every strong economy is consistency and progress, and things that promote confidence, and I just don't see any of those attributes being displayed on a disciplined, routine basis by the White House," said Chuck Coughlin, a veteran Republican strategist in Arizona who leads the public affairs firm HighGround. "Most of the country is looking at the president, going: 'What is he doing?'" |
| Vance is in a bind, supporting a war that could cost him politically | |
 | Vice President JD Vance is projecting loyalty to Donald Trump as the president leads the United States into the type of war the Iraq veteran didn't want -- and as the new conflict complicates Vance's political future. Vance allies have downplayed the impact the operation in Iran could have on his presidential ambitions, insisting that a mission involving the U.S. military only for a matter of weeks won't stay in voters' memories. People close to the vice president have also conceded to The Washington Post, however, that a months-long conflict will pose a problem for whoever is the next Republican nominee. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to comment on private discussions. The war has put Vance in an increasingly difficult bind. Once a stalwart critic of America's costly military interventions overseas, the 41-year-old Marine veteran has found himself defending the president's growing appetite for military action while managing the fallout in a coalition that includes ardent war skeptics. He told The Post last month he still considers himself a "skeptic of foreign military interventions." While the political impact of the war could be significant, Vance has maintained in recent private conversations that he hasn't yet decided whether he will seek the presidential nomination for 2028, according to two people who have recently discussed the matter with him. One of those people cited Vance's fourth child due this summer and said the vice president, who has put a priority on his family life, is unlikely to make a final decision until he and Usha Vance see how another baby affects their lives. |
| Trump Wants Powell Out. Powell Is Digging In. | |
| President Trump has spent months talking about how badly he wants Chair Jerome Powell out of the Federal Reserve. On Wednesday, Powell signaled that the administration's own actions have had the opposite effect: He's prepared to stay longer than he otherwise would have. At a news conference, Powell said he had "no intention of leaving" the Fed until a Justice Department investigation of him is "well and truly over, with transparency and finality." The words were a sobering declaration for any Fed chair, let alone one who until recently had spent his eight years avoiding public conflict with the president. Powell's term as chair ends May 15, but he can stay on the board after that because he is separately confirmed to a 14-year term there that runs until early 2028. Fed chiefs rarely stay on the board after their chairmanship ends. Even if the probe does conclude, Powell said, he hadn't made up his mind about his plans. He suggested that the decision wasn't personal. Instead, he would focus on doing "what I think is best for the institution and for the people we serve," he said. It was the first time he publicly discussed his thinking on the matter. Since 1978, there have been three instances where the Senate hadn't confirmed a Fed chair when the sitting leader's term expired. Each time, the incumbent remained chair until the successor was confirmed. But in two of those, including 2022, the chair was awaiting confirmation to another term. |
| Defining 'ultraprocessed' could spur research, school lunch rules | |
| The Trump administration is nearing a key milestone in its "Make America Healthy Again" agenda: proposing a definition of ultraprocessed foods. Stricter scrutiny of nutrition and food additives has been a focal point of the MAHA movement, gaining support from food policy experts as well as lawmakers across the political spectrum. Ultraprocessed foods have been blamed for widespread obesity rates and malnutrition, as well as being contributing factors to chronic diseases, heart disease and cancers. But what does it mean to be ultraprocessed? Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the administration is preparing to answer that by next month. Advocates say the result will open avenues to research to determine which products are the most harmful while providing a basis to clamp down on unhealthy school lunches. "I'm not saying that we're going to regulate ultraprocessed food," Kennedy said in a "60 Minutes" interview. "Our job is to make sure everybody understands what they're getting, to have an informed public." The Department of Agriculture, however, could use the end result to create policies that have an impact on areas like federal food assistance. |
| A battle over data centers heats up along the Mississippi-Tennessee state line | |
| Over the last three years, Devan Jenkins has watched the trees around her family home give way to industrial development. Directly in front of her property along the Mississippi-Tennessee border sits a tangle of massive power lines, an extension of the electrical grid operated by Memphis Light, Gas and Water. At the end of her street, a few hundred yards away from her bedroom, sprawls Colossus 2, the second data center built by Elon Musk's company xAI to power his controversial AI chatbot, Grok. And less than two miles across the state line in Southaven, Mississippi, is an xAI-owned energy plant with over two-dozen towering gas turbines. The arrival of the turbines last summer has disrupted daily life on Jenkins' property, adding a deep, persistent drone that seeps through walls and windows and permeates the house she shares with her grandparents. The sound continues through the day and often intensifies at night, she explained, making it hard to think clearly and even harder to fall asleep. Jenkins is one of many area residents who oppose xAI's growing presence in their backyards, fearing what its operations could mean for their health and the surrounding environment. At a public hearing in Southaven last month, hundreds of community members and allies denounced the company's practices, accusing it of violating federal law and recklessly endangering public safety. |
| Clarksdale residents say data center could be 'godsend' for struggling Delta town | |
| A large crowd of residents gathered Monday evening at Clarksdale's Civic Auditorium to ask questions about or voice their thoughts on a proposed data center development. Many were excited about the economic benefits that such a large project could bring to the small, financially struggling Delta community. "We've been praying for Clarksdale's economic turnaround for a long time. And this is a godsend that can turn around Clarksdale," said business owner Bob Wright. Few details have been provided about the proposal, including who the developer is and the size of potential investment. Officials said this is due to the preliminary nature of negotiations. The town hall came ahead of next week's Clarksdale Board of Commissioners meeting, when the board will consider a rezoning application for the proposed 648-acre site. Officials from the city have stressed that while there have been conversations with a developer, there are currently no agreements in place, and that even if the property is rezoned, the project is not guaranteed. Clarksdale is a historic town known for its contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and as the birthplace of blues music. However, it has struggled economically and experienced a steady population decline, like many other farming towns in the Mississippi Delta. |
| Iranian Americans mark Persian New Year with a mix of sadness and joy | |
| After thousands of Iranian demonstrators were killed in a January crackdown, Shima Razavi Gacek wanted to keep alive her family's favorite springtime holiday traditions but didn't feel like throwing her annual house party with a roaring bonfire ahead of Nowruz -- the Persian New Year. Instead, the 46-year-old Los Angeles resident organized a vigil Tuesday night at a local park, where the photos of slain protesters were displayed and dozens of Iranian Americans lit candles and took turns hopping over tea lights in a version of a fire-jumping tradition known as Chaharshanbe Suri. "It is such a beautiful and joyous time of year," said Razavi Gacek, who has lived in the United States since she was 5. "This year, it's not, but we need our community more than ever." Iranian Americans are marking Nowruz this year with a mix of somber celebrations and the traditional flowers, music and dancing. Many communities canceled festivities following the crackdown on protesters in January, while others have organized smaller, quieter versions of the usually joyous celebration. The holiday that coincides with the spring equinox is rooted in Zoroastrian tradition dating back millennia and is celebrated from Afghanistan to Turkey. t is also celebrated in the United States, including in Los Angeles, which is home to nearly a third of the country's 750,000 Iranian Americans, and in Nashville, Tennessee, with the largest Kurdish community in the nation. |
| UM Panhellenic Community Helps Pregnancy Center | |
| Winter Storm Fern devastated many parts of the Oxford community. The Pregnancy Center of Oxford says the storm depleted its supply of essentials used to help expecting mothers and mothers of young children. The center is a nonprofit organization that provides free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, diapers, clothes, and toys -- all made possible through donations. However, January's ice storm left the center in short supply. Now, the panhellenic community at Ole Miss is also helping to restock supplies with a campus-wide diaper drive. "I think one of our big pillars with just in general Greek life is philanthropy. Just because we have such a mass amount of girls who we just want to be able to help," said Mary Cile Meaghan, a member of Kappa Delta. Through the diaper drive, students are hoping to ease financial burdens for those who rely on the pregnancy center. Meaghan says they want to do as much as they can by March 27. Diaper donation drop-offs on campus are located at the Honors College, the Center for Manufacturing Excellence, and the Fraternity and Sorority Life Office. |
| Ole Miss freshman rallies students and community to expand bone marrow registry | |
| University of Mississippi freshman Ali Hargett has learned about bravery and organization during her first year in college, but not in a class. Instead, she has been watching her 11-year-old sister, Cate, who is in bone marrow failure. The elder Hargett, a dietetics and nutrition major from Greenwood, is helping lead the way with family and friends in what has become a statewide effort to find a bone marrow donor for Cate. Ole Miss pharmacy students and the campus chapter of the National Marrow Donor Program will conduct a bone marrow donor drive from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, March 19, and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, March 20, on Business Row. Additional donor drive efforts are in the works with sorority and fraternity chapters. "College-aged donors are in the most needed age group because young, healthy donors give patients the best chance at survival," Hargett said. |
| Jackson State to host national teacher recruitment fair amid ongoing educator shortage | |
| Jackson State University will host a national teacher recruitment fair this week as part of efforts to address ongoing educator shortages in Mississippi and across the country, according to a university press release. The JSU Career Services Center will hold the 2026 Teacher Recruitment Fair on Thursday, March 19, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Terry L. Woodard Ballroom on the third floor of the Student Center. The event is open to all majors and alumni, with opportunities for placement in K-12 classrooms. "The Career Services Center has a long collaborative history with hosting this event for our education majors," said Lashanda W. Jordan, executive director of JSU Career and Student Services. "We believe this event is important in assisting our students with launching their careers in the field of education." University officials said approximately 55 school districts from across the country are expected to participate, along with organizations such as Black Men Teach and Teachers Like Me, which focus on recruiting and supporting educators. |
| Systems restored, operations 'largely normal' at Belhaven University following cyberattack | |
| Belhaven University has restored systems following a cyberattack, and operations are "largely normal," the school's administration reports. Dr. Roger Parrott, Belhaven's president, said that the private university in Jackson was the victim of a cyberattack earlier this month. University officials temporarily suspended access to portions of its internal network on March 6 after identifying a cybersecurity incident. "Systems were taken offline as a precaution and have since been carefully reviewed and restored with the assistance of leading cybersecurity specialists," Parrott stated. "Online courses resume tomorrow, and most student services are now operating normally, with full restoration expected by the end of the week." University officials do not believe anybody's personal information was compromised as a result of the cyberattack. |
| Alabama college trustees would have more say on faculty firing, curriculum under new bill | |
 | An Alabama lawmaker wants to make it easier for boards of trustees to control college faculty and curriculum. Rep. Troy Stubbs, R-Elmore County, introduced HB580, which requires public university trustees to establish policies on faculty senate membership, limits a senate term and defines how tenured faculty are selected and fired. It also gives boards of trustees the final say over college curriculum. "There's some significant concerns with this legislation as it relates to curriculum control and as it impacts faculty senate," said Matthew Hudnall, president of UA's faculty senate. He clarified that his opinions aren't made on behalf of the university or the senate. Some faculty said there's no need to codify what's already being done on a university level. Others are waiting to see how universities implement the legislation if it passes. "This bill looks very similar to what has been brought forward in other states, with the intent of allowing the trustees to have more influence on faculty employment matters and guiding curriculum," said Jim Purcell, executive director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. Hudnall said UA faculty senate's primary function is to oversee the faculty handbook, and there's already a system of checks and balances in place for university trustees to approve degree or certificate programs. He said the bill could do damage to how much faculty can shape curriculum. |
| Higher Education Commissioner Dr. Kim Hunter Reed urges state lawmakers to increase funding for Louisiana universities and colleges | |
| Higher Education Commissioner Dr. Kim Hunter Reed tells lawmakers that state funding for universities and colleges is not where it needs to be, as regional institutions in particular are struggling. Reed is calling on legislators to provide at least an additional $119 million in state funding for higher education. "We have to make sure that campuses are aggressive in overseeing their finances, management boards are aggressive in oversight, but I'm not going to sugarcoat it; we definitely have some institutions that are challenged," Reed said. Reed says higher education is $869 million dollars short of being fully funded. And that's despite the closure of hundreds of programs. She says there are several reasons why regional schools are struggling -- inflation and enrollment dips can throw off their budgets. "So, if people are deciding not to enroll, or less people are enrolling, or if you have hurricanes or storms, then the ebbs and flows are very significant. And they greatly impact the institutions," Reed explained. Reed also points out that in 2009, 59% of higher education's funding came from state funding. Now it's down to 26%. Money from tuition makes up 60% of the funding for higher education; so when enrollment goes down, so do revenues. |
| 'Failed to meet expectations': Plowman sends letter officially terminating Shirinian | |
| University of Tennessee-Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman officially terminated former anthropology professor Tamar Shirinian on Feb. 11 for a social media comment she made following Charlie Kirk's assassination. "Your words celebrated a gruesome murder, which horrifically took place on a college campus similar to our own, and then went on to callously demean the grief and loss felt by the widow and young children of the victim while also mocking any grief felt by others who sympathized with the surviving family," Plowman said in her Feb. 11 letter to Shirinian informing her of the decision. Shirinian faced termination proceedings initiated by Plowman Sept. 15 after commenting online about Kirk's assassination, saying "the world is better off without him in it." The comment surfaced online Sept. 14, drawing the attention of state politicians and the UT community. Shirinian has since filed a complaint against Chancellor Plowman, President Randy Boyd and Faculty Senate President Charles Noble in both their personal and official capacities. Plowman cited UT board of trustees policy and the Faculty Handbook as her grounds for termination. |
| Growing student concerns about AI may tip scales for stricter policies at U. of Missouri | |
 | In response to a student organization's growing concern around AI, a new scaling system used to clarify the level of AI usage on student work was proposed by the Artificial Intelligence Committee. The University of Missouri Faculty Council will vote on a proposed AI policy that will designate the acceptable amount of AI usage in the classroom at the meeting on Thursday. Recently, Students for Human Intelligence, a student organization concerned with artificial intelligence usage on Mizzou's campus, sent an email out to the AI fellows of each college and every professor in the College of Arts and Sciences. Drew Bufalo, a founder of Students for Human Intelligence, said the emails asked professors how they plan to implement AI into their classes next semester. Bufalo said the goal of the student group is to create a level of transparency between both professors and students so that both parties know how their work and learning is being influenced by AI. "One of the most substantive things we can do for the student body is to provide transparency into which instructors are using AI in their curriculum and which ones aren't so that students can at least take time to consider, is this something I want to know before registering?" Bufalo said. |
| Historically Black Land-Grant Universities Celebrate USDA Agreement as 'Big Win' | |
 | Leaders of historically Black land-grant universities are celebrating -- and breathing a sigh of relief -- after they signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this month to reaffirm and deepen their collaboration with the federal agency. The USDA has signed such agreements with these institutions since Ronald Reagan -- often at the start of a new administration -- but the new memorandum of understanding reassures the universities' leaders that the Trump administration will continue to support and work with their institutions, said Harry Williams, CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, which represents public HBCUs. Felecia M. Nave, president and CEO of the 1890 Universities Foundation, which advocates for historically Black land-grant institutions, said the MOU "builds on prior efforts while placing a stronger emphasis on ensuring that our work is not just symbolic, but truly actionable." Notably, the agreement re-establishes a task force of department officials and historically Black land-grant university presidents who meet at least twice a year to discuss ways to strengthen the institutions and their historic missions. These 19 universities gained land-grant status under the Second Morrill Act of 1890 to ensure Black Americans had access to agricultural and technical sciences education. |
| Sian Beilock's Star Turn | |
 | Sian L. Beilock seems to be everywhere. You'll find Dartmouth College's president in the pages of The Atlantic, sharing her plan for "Saving the Idea of the University." And in The Wall Street Journal, asking whether a four-year degree is worth it. There she is on MSNBC's Morning Joe, making the case for institutional neutrality. And on the All-In Summit podcast, an event for venture-capital and technology entrepreneurs, assessing "the college crisis." In New York, at the Times's DealBook Summit, she's joining a "task force" of college presidents to discuss work-force preparation and AI. And at Davos, for the World Economic Forum, she's "debating education" with a group including Harvard University's Larry Summers. (This was before the former Harvard president and the institution he once led parted ways.) Beilock has chosen ubiquity at a moment when most of her peers, both inside and outside the Ivy League, have sought to avoid the limelight, lest they become targets for the Trump administration or other right-wing activists who might seek to get another university president dismissed. And it's not just that she's seizing the bully pulpit; it's what she's using it to say. Beilock represents a new breed of college president willing to take shots at her own sector. |
| Are College Republicans OK? | |
| Over the past few weeks, a growing contingent of far-right campus Republicans have encountered pushback to their extremist views -- including from other conservative students. Earlier this month, The Miami Herald exposed hundreds of racist, homophobic, sexist and antisemitic messages written by some college Republicans at Florida International University in a group chat they referred to as "Nazi Heaven." The Florida Federation of College Republicans (FFCR) -- a moderate organization affiliated with the National Federation of College Republicans -- condemned the messages as "sickening, abhorrent and completely unacceptable" and said "such rhetoric does not reflect the values of the party." Last week, a group called the Georgetown University College Republicans wrote in a now-deleted post on X that "Muslims have no place in American society. Their religion is incompatible with our Christian Nation." The university is investigating; leaders of the group said the post was made without their permission and "was inconsistent with the values of our organization." And last Saturday, the University of Florida announced plans to deactivate the UF College Republicans at the request of the FFCR, which alerted university officials to a 2025 picture of a UF College Republicans member making a Nazi salute. In a statement, the university said it "emphatically supported its Jewish community and remains committed to preventing and addressing antisemitism and other forms of discrimination." Such infighting and division are nothing new for the modern Republican student movement. |
| National survey of NIH-funded researchers shows precarious state of U.S. science: 'This is like the Titanic' | |
| A nationwide STAT survey of federally funded researchers reveals that, a year after Donald Trump's return to the White House, many academic scientists are reeling. Rather than waning, the impacts of the administration's seismic changes to science funding are intensifying, causing researchers to drastically scale back the ambition of their work and driving some to shut down their labs entirely. The survey of nearly 1,000 researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health, the nation's leading funder of biomedical research, paints a concerning portrait of the state of American science. More than a quarter of respondents have laid off lab members, and more than 2 out of every 5 have canceled planned research. Two-thirds have counseled students to consider careers outside the ivory tower. Strikingly, despite courts reversing some grant terminations and Congress thwarting plans to slash the NIH budget, just 35% of respondents whose grants were cut or delayed said their government funding had been fully restored by the end of 2025. Labs aren't just shrinking. In some cases, they're on track to shut down permanently, with early-career researchers among the hardest hit. |
| How Trump's Demand for Admissions Data Is Burdening Your College | |
| T he news set off alarms. Last summer, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it would add a new component to its Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), a system of surveys all colleges must complete each year. The new survey, called the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement, or ACTS, would require selective four-year institutions to hand over a ton of data -- on race, gender, high-school grades, standardized-test scores, and family income -- for all applicants, admitted students, and enrolled students over the previous seven completed admissions cycles. The unprecedented demand was born of suspicion. An executive memorandum President Trump signed last August describes "concerns" that institutions were still considering applicants' race in violation of the Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which effectively outlawed race-conscious admissions. "Greater transparency," the memorandum said, "is essential to exposing unlawful practices and ultimately ridding society of shameful, dangerous racial hierarchies." The department described the ACTS as a means of ensuring that colleges weren't using race-based preferences. Several higher-education associations and policy wonks criticized the ACTS mandate. A more immediate question has loomed over colleges all winter: How would they submit all the requested data on time? |
SPORTS
| Softball: Faircloth Pitches First Solo Shutout As No. 11 Bulldogs Beat UAB | |
| No. 11 Mississippi State scored four runs in the sixth as the Bulldogs shut out UAB with a 4-0 win on Wednesday night. Alyssa Faircloth struck out 14, matching her career high, while recording her first solo shutout for the Bulldogs (28-4,1-2 SEC). Entering the season, she had just one double-digit strikeout game in her career, and she now has five this year. Faircloth allowed just two hits, both on the infield dirt. "Well, I mean, we do like to score in late innings, but we're not opposed to also scoring early. It just kind of felt offensively like a little bit of the pressure we were putting on ourselves over the weekend in the Tennessee series carried over tonight," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. Mississippi State will travel to No. 15/13 Georgia this weekend to face the SEC's other Bulldogs in a three-game set. Friday night's first pitch is set for 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The final two games of the series will air on SEC Network+ with both Saturday and Sunday's games starting at 1 p.m. |
| Men's Tennis: No. 6 Mississippi State Set for Top-10 Road Tests at No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 7 LSU | |
| No. 6 Mississippi State hits the road for a pivotal SEC weekend, facing back-to-back top-10 opponents in No. 9 Texas A&M on Friday, March 20 at 6 p.m., followed by No. 7 LSU on Sunday, March 22 at 12 p.m. The Bulldogs enter the weekend riding a six-match winning streak and will look to carry that momentum into one of their toughest stretches of the season. It marks the second time this year Mississippi State will face consecutive top-10 opponents after previously taking on No. 1 Virginia and No. 4 Stanford in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. Mississippi State holds a 7-13 all-time record against the Aggies but has found recent success under head coach Matt Roberts. The Bulldogs dominated the most recent meeting, earning a 6-1 victory in Starkville. Mississippi State trails the all-time series with LSU 24-36-1 but enters Sunday's matchup on a three-match winning streak against the Tigers. |
| Two Bulldog alums to compete at World Indoor Championships in Poland | |
| Mississippi State track and field announced that two former Bulldogs will be competing at the World Indoor Championships in Kujawy Pomorze, Poland, this weekend. Navasky Anderson and Abdullahi Hassan will both compete in the men's 800m event, which begins with the preliminary round on Friday. Anderson, a member of Team Jamaica, currently ranks ninth in the world for the 800m and is a bronze medalist at the Pan American Games. He was an SEC Champion as well as an All-SEC and All-American selection in his time at MSU, and was the national runner-up in the 800m. Anderson set a new Jamaican indoor national record earlier this season, finishing with a time of 1:44.75 in Poland at the same arena hosting this year's World Championships. Hassan earned an at-large invite to compete with team Canada, and is currently ranked 40th in the event. He recorded a time of 1:45.92 in Chicago last month. |
| Sources: Big Ten pushing new retention provision for revenue sharing cap | |
| The Big Ten is pushing for a new provision that allows schools to exceed the revenue sharing cap in order to retain players. Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the conversations told Sports Business Journal that Big Ten ADs and Commissioner Tony Petitti are promoting a carve-out to let schools who have opted into the House settlement to spend beyond the stipulated revenue sharing cap to maintain their rosters. The exact machinations of the proposed retention caveat are still to be determined, but the idea would be to allow schools to go a certain percentage or flat rate over the $20.5M revenue sharing cap, sources said. The hope is the change would operate similarly to how Bird rights function in the NBA, allowing teams to exceed the cap in order to re-sign their own players. Those supporting the initiative imply that, in practice, it would help curb the creative accounting measures and shuffling of monies schools are currently employing to ensure deals get through the College Sports Commission's clearinghouse, along with potentially slowing the persistent player movement plaguing college sports. The idea has had limited conversation among the Power Four commissioners. Such a change would also likely necessitate input from plaintiff's counsel in the House settlement, given it would be a direct change to the way in which the cap functions. |
| Prediction Markets Push March Madness Despite NCAA Opposition | |
| Kalshi announced a $1 billion perfect bracket challenge on Monday without explicitly mentioning "March Madness," because that is a registered trademark and the NCAA has made clear it will defend its intellectual property. There was only one mention of "NCAA" in Kalshi's perfect bracket announcement -- the fine print notes that the contest is "not endorsed by or associated with the NCAA." The college sports governing body has made clear it does not support the rapidly growing prediction-market industry, and it has warned platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket to both stop suggesting an official affiliation and to avoid using registered trademarks to promote their event contracts. (March Madness and NCAA are both on the list of more than 50 trademarks.) Still, platforms are charging forward with markets on the NCAA tournament, although, for the most part, they're using various other terms to describe March Madness. While many of the platforms are being particularly careful not to cross the NCAA, it's not totally clear whether using terms like March Madness, Elite Eight, or Sweet Sixteen would technically be illegal under trademark law -- which might be why the NCAA has not filed any lawsuits. |
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