| Thursday, October 9, 2025 |
| MSU-Meridian expands with faculty, community support | |
 | Mississippi State University-Meridian held its annual fall State of the State tailgate gathering Friday, Oct. 3, with an inspirational message from MSU President Mark E. Keenum on the growth of the MSU-Meridian campus. New construction of recently purchased properties soon will house students and faculty, and the university is expanding into nearby existing buildings with the growth of its Healthcare Administration program and its new Behavioral and Mental Health facility, now accepting new clients in downtown Meridian. "Mississippi State contributes $4 billion a year to Mississippi's economy, and Meridian is a major part of that contribution," Keenum said, congratulating the faculty and staff on new programs and milestone achievements. Keenum also lauded recent IHL approval to bring a Doctorate of Physical Therapy program to MSU-Meridian and thanked the community for its contributions to the university's success. "We couldn't have done this without the support of Meridian's community members," he said to the gathering of MSU-Meridian personnel. "They have faith in you and are heavily investing in MSU-Meridian because of the work you're doing." Student enrollment at MSU is seeing record numbers, Keenum said, a direct result of academic programs and degrees that benefit both students and communities. |
| AI Legislative Task Force meets at MSU, tours research centers at the forefront of technology | |
 | The Artificial Intelligence Legislative Task Force chaired by state Sen. Bart Williams of Starkville and state Rep. Jill Ford of Madison held its September meeting at Mississippi State today [Sept. 25], gaining insight on how the university supports the state's position as a national and global technology and innovation leader. "We are a tech destination," Williams emphasized. "We're on the radar throughout the nation thanks to the leadership of many in this room, and we want to continue to do that." MSU Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw said it is crucial to have engaging conversations about "a whole suite of emerging technologies." "We're so proud that our state is taking a leadership role. We want to listen to you and be challenged by you, and we can work together to keep this state in the forefront -- not just trying to figure out how to regulate AI but how to embrace it in a very holistic, but also responsible way," Shaw said. The day's highlights featured the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems, High Performance Computing Collaboratory and Agriculture Autonomy Institute, with additional presentations on AI and data science, computer science and engineering and MSU's leading academic degree programs, among the first to prepare students to work in these fields. |
| Ornamental Horticulture Field Day Returns for its 52nd Year | |
 | The Coastal Research and Extension Center gathered a multitude of professors and Master Gardeners to talk about all things plants for their 52nd Annual Ornamental Horticulture Field Day. Mississippi State University established the Coastal Research and Extension Center to connect the university with the coastal region. This is achieved through educational programs that enhance understanding of both renewable and nonrenewable resources throughout Southern Mississippi. Horticulture involves the management of gardens, while the term "ornamental" pertains to decoration. During the Ornamental Horticulture Field Day, both students and visitors have the opportunity to learn a wealth of information on maintaining their gardens, as well as gaining insights into the university's own ornamental displays. Dr. Patricia Knight is currently the Director of Coastal Horticulture Research at Mississippi State University. "This started in the early 70s, and it's to support the ornamental nursery industry in Mississippi," Dr Knight stated. "...we have a good Master Gardener presence here. It's all focused on horticulture." |
| Mary Means Business: Proof Bakery closes shop | |
 | TJ Manna, owner of Proof, announced the downtown bakery's closure last week. Proof, 109 W. Main St., opened in 2019 and has since changed hands and business operations over the years. "Proof bakery is closed," Manna posted. "I am in mourning, and I will go live and tell the story soon. I love you all and I already miss your beautiful faces. ... Proof at 109 West Main Street will never open again. It is no longer my bakery or my product." ... The weather is cooling off, and it's about to be chili season. I would hate to be a kidney bean right about now. With the weather changes, that means Halloween season is almost here. The Guest Room, 100 E. Main St., in Starkville will be known as the Ghost Room this month, a spooooooktacular Spookeasy featuring all things Halloween, ghosts and ghouls. The Guest Room serves the full food menu from Restaurant Tyler and will have specials throughout the month, open at 4:30 pm. Wednesday through Saturday. |
| TSA PreCheck enrollment event returns to GTRA | |
| Golden Triangle travelers have another chance this month to enroll in the Transportation Security Administration PreCheck program. Golden Triangle Regional Airport will host another PreCheck enrollment event from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1-5 p.m. each day Oct. 28-30 on the second floor of the passenger terminal. "We're offering this service to travelers in our area because the nearest enrollment centers are in Birmingham and Jackson," GTRA Executive Director Matt Dowell said in a press release. "Holding this enrollment event at GTR Airport will make it easier for those in Northeast Mississippi and West Alabama to participate in the TSA PreCheck program." Travelers with PreCheck status have access to a quicker security check-in when flying at more than 180 airports across the country. PreCheck enrollment requires a $78 fee, though travelers maintain their status for five years. The 10-minute application process must be completed in person at the airport. Applicants will be fingerprinted for background checks. If checks come back clear, TSA will notify applicants within 30 days that they are enrolled and assigned a Known Traveler Number. |
| State Fair big business for Mississippi, capital city | |
| Nearly everyone loves the Mississippi State Fair, and that includes the City of Jackson and the vendors who hear "cha-ching" during the 12-day event. It is estimated that the State Fair's 500,000 attendees brought roughly a $33 million economic impact last year. This year, fair officials are expecting even more visitors and higher revenue. The Mississippi Fair Association expects $1.5 million will be spent on transportation, another $1.5 million on lodging, $5 million on food and drink, and more than $1 million on recreational activities. "When you bring half a million people or more to this area, everybody prospers," said Hayes Patrick, deputy agriculture commissioner and acting Mississippi fairgrounds executive director. One factor providing an extra spending boost is that area schools are out for fall break during the fair, said Patrick. A recent Jackson State University study found the Mississippi State Fair is one of the largest economic events occurring in the capital city. "It is an event that produces wide-ranging social, historical, recreational, cultural, and economic benefits across many different areas, not only in central Mississippi, but also across the state with citizens of all age ranges participating in its many activities," the JSU report reads. At the State Fair's opening ceremony, Jackson Mayor John Horhn said the fair is an economic boon to the city's finances, with fair attendees eating at local restaurants, staying at area hotels, and visiting Jackson's other tourist attractions. |
| Canton Flea Market celebrating 60th anniversary today | |
| The Canton Flea Market hits a significant milestone on Thursday, celebrating 60 years on the historic Square. "The event began to celebrate Canton's legacy in the arts, and I think that is a legacy people believe in," said JoAnn Gordon, director of Canton Tourism. "We are proud to be one of the oldest arts and crafts traditions in Mississippi." Gordon said the iconic event started with just three women who hung paintings on the fence around the courthouse. The event was made official in 1965 shortly after the Allison's Wells resort and art colony burned down in 1963. Gordon has been involved "off and on" with the event since 1971. "I love to see how it has evolved," Gordon said. Gordon recalled a time when artisans would line up in the morning at the locked gate around the courthouse. An organizer of the Flea Market would unlock the gate around 5 a.m., and the artisans would rush in, claiming a spot by unfolding their card tables. Now the market features over 1,100 artists and craftsmen. In addition to the artisans, the event features live music and displays from the film industry in Canton. |
| Vicksburg aims to become Mississippi's tech hub, mayor says | |
| Vicksburg Mayor Willis Thompson told a statewide panel of Mississippi mayors this week that his city is working to become the state's technology hub, citing early partnerships and state support already moving the river city in that direction. "From the moment I took office, my goal has been for Vicksburg to lead when it comes to innovation and technology," Thompson said Oct. 6 during a discussion at Mississippi College School of Law. "We've already taken concrete steps to make that goal a reality for our people by building on our existing federal assets." Those steps include a memorandum of understanding signed in Vicksburg by Gov. Tate Reeves with ERDCWERX, the Mississippi Development Authority and the Mississippi Apex Accelerator. The agreement is designed to expand technology transfer, commercialization and small-business innovation. Thompson also highlighted a new partnership with Cisco Systems and Rust College to provide MCITy -- the Thad Cochran Mississippi Center for Innovation and Technology in Vicksburg -- with advanced networking infrastructure, technical support and workforce training. The city recently secured nearly $300,000 from Accelerate Mississippi to help expand MCITy, a sign Thompson said that state leaders are backing Vicksburg's push. |
| Mississippi Coast locals, Louisiana transplants are leaving Bay St. Louis for this tiny farm town | |
 | The hills of the Kiln are filling up fast with new neighbors. On two-lane highways where little but old rural homesteads once stood, Clark Breland now counts house after house with families that have recently moved to the higher ground north of Mississippi's coastline. Some have planted palm trees just down the street from dense pines. And dusty bulldozers keep cutting more clearings where gleaming new homes will soon rise. "Everything's for sale," Breland, who moved to the Kiln from Bay St. Louis a few years ago, said as he drove through the countryside's bustling traffic. "Everybody just started buying the land up." He turned a curve and kept winding through one of the many Mississippi Coast communities north of Interstate 10 that are becoming a refuge for natives weary of waterfront life. A few miles south, insurance costs are sometimes doubling as storm risks grow. Strict federal rules about how to rebuild properties are leaving lots empty where residents cannot afford to raise homes above flood lines. Tourists are transforming beach towns as prices climb. And all across the region, locals are selling houses to second-homeowners from other states who are converging in coastal enclaves where some fear only the wealthy will survive. The forces are turning the Kiln, which reaches as high as 30 feet above sea level, into a haven for the steady migration. |
| Can Mississippi soybean farmers survive trade war with China? | |
 | Jeremy Jack knows all too well what a farming economic crisis looks like. His mother and father moved to Humphreys County from Canada in 1979 to farm the rich gold of Mississippi Delta land. Unfortunately, soon after they arrived, the farming crisis of the 1980s hit, an economic disaster that devastated rural Mississippi and rural America. It forced thousands of farmers into bankruptcy as debt, plunging commodity prices, high interest rates, and government policy fueled the crisis, which many analysts believe was the most severe since the Great Depression. Jack, who now runs his family farm, Silent Shade Planting Company, near Belzoni just off Highway 49, along with his wife, sister and an array of employees, is in the midst of reliving his parents' economic nightmares. Jack is nearing the end of harvesting the soybeans on his more than 3,000 acres. Of the near 250,000 bushels he will get out of the fields, 100% will go to overseas markets. In fact, virtually 100% of the beans grown in Mississippi will go to the export market. In years past, China would have been the main buyer of Jack's beans once they had been shipped down the Mississippi River on a barge from Greenville to New Orleans. While soybeans are the second largest row crop in America behind corn, in Mississippi, it is the largest and soybeans compose about 60% of all row crops in the state. Because of the tariff wars since President's Donald Trump's first administration, China has been grooming other countries with agricultural economies to provide row crops on the cheap. Brazil, not the United States, has become the place China is buying most of its soybeans these days. |
| Mississippi likely to get $500M for rural health, with governor to set spending | |
| At least $500 million is expected to flow into Mississippi over the next five years as a part of a major federal investment into rural healthcare. The funding aims to offset the disproportionate impact already-struggling rural hospitals are expected to bear as a result of Medicaid spending cuts signed into law by President Donald Trump this summer. More than half of Mississippi's rural hospitals are at risk of closing. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves will decide what to include in the state's one-time application for the funding, which is due in just over a month. Reeves did not respond to Mississippi Today's questions about his plans or priorities for the funds. Legislators hold the authority to appropriate money through the "power of the purse." During a state budget hearing Sept. 24, House Speaker Jason White expressed frustration that they have not been more included in the decision-making process. This sets the stage for a possible conflict between the governor and legislators over who has the authority to appropriate the funds, echoing disputes that arose during the distribution of federal COVID-19 aid. |
| States left in the dark on food aid despite Trump's promise of tariff funds | |
 | The federal government shutdown is already impacting delivery of nutrition aid to low-income moms and babies, with states and organizations pausing benefits even as the White House vows to use tariff revenue to tide them over. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children is quickly running out of money. Trump officials said Tuesday that they would tap tariff revenue to fund WIC until the government reopens, but the money hasn't yet started flowing, according to two people familiar with the administration's decision. "We have gotten no information about how much money would be available, when it would be available to states or what states would be able to use it for," said Ali Hard, policy director at the National WIC Association, which represents state nutrition agencies. Lawmakers and their staff also weren't made aware of the administration's plans to use tariff revenue and haven't heard when the funds will be sent, according to multiple other people aware of the situation. "As per standard practice, USDA surveyed all WIC agencies and conducted an all-State call," USDA spokesperson Alec Varsamis said in a statement Wednesday. "Broadly speaking, no State relayed interruption. As details are finalized, USDA will inform appropriate parties, and more importantly, the Trump administration will provide financial resources for vulnerable mothers and babies left behind by Radical Democrats." |
| WIC program's federal funding to last through October amid government shutdown, Edney says | |
| Funding for a food and nutrition program that serves nearly 70,000 Mississippi caregivers and children is expected to last through October amid the federal government shutdown, State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney said after a Board of Health meeting Wednesday. "We have a runway with our current federal funding for all of October, probably early November," Edney said. "And the shutdown better be over by then." This comes a day after state Health Department spokesperson Greg Flynn said if benefits for the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) program dried up this month, the department would have to look at ways to "shore things up" with state funds. These funds make vital services possible for tens of thousands of households statewide, offering breastfeeding support and monthly vouchers for healthy foods to women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or postpartum, as well as infants and children under the age of 5. Roughly 300 WIC-approved grocery stores and pharmacies allow members to use their benefits. To stretch federal dollars further, the state Health Department will limit new applicants, Edney said. He added that this could help keep the program afloat for a few weeks. He also said he hopes the use of state funds will not be necessary. |
| Republicans Caution White House on Inflicting Shutdown Pain | |
 | Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other senior GOP lawmakers have quietly advised the White House not to move forward with mass layoffs and sharp cuts to government assistance programs as the shutdown enters its second week, according to people familiar with the matter. In recent conversations, Thune (R., S.D.) has counseled the president to attempt to limit the fallout from the shutdown for as long as possible, according to one of the people. Far-reaching government cuts and firings could backfire with the public, lawmakers have told the president's aides, warning that such moves could cause voters to blame Republicans for the shutdown, the people said. "The only reason we are forced to have these conversations is because the Democrats shut down the government," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, adding that the best way to avoid consequences from the shutdown is to reopen the government. The Republican hand-wringing reflects discomfort among some in the party over the president's shutdown strategy. Soon after government funding lapsed last week, Trump said the shutdown gave him an "unprecedented opportunity" to make cuts at agencies. White House officials have said they are considering firing thousands of federal workers and have raised the possibility that some workers won't get back pay. |
| Democrats seize on conservative support as hope to end shutdown | |
 | As the government shutdown entered its second week, Democratic lawmakers insisted the tide is shifting toward a deal as some hard-line Republicans express support for extending health insurance subsidies, despite blanket opposition from Republican leadership to any agreement in advance of reopening the government. Ending the standoff appears unlikely in the short term -- votes aimed at doing so Wednesday yielded similar results as before, with the GOP's continuing resolution going down for a sixth time, 54-45. The same three Democratic caucus members -- Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Angus King of Maine and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania -- voted in favor. The Democrats' continuing resolution was also blocked. As for the parameters of a potential deal, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., once again ruled out a one-year extension of the subsidies. Democrats have called for a permanent extension of the premium tax credits, but asked by reporters if a two-year extension was possible, Jeffries didn't rule it out. "It's clear that Republicans now recognize that we have to do something about the health care crisis that they created in this country," he said. "But now it's up to them to sit down in good faith. Let's have a discussion about how we end their shutdown and fix the health care system that they have broken." |
| Hostage Deal Negotiators Work to Close Gaps as Israel Prepares to Vote | |
| Israel's government was set to vote Thursday on an agreement brokered by the Trump administration that would free the remaining hostages held by Hamas and establish a cease-fire in Gaza, a diplomatic breakthrough after months of failed talks. The hostage deal, which President Trump announced from the White House on Wednesday, promises to close a major wound opened by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel and give momentum to the effort to end a two-year war that has left tens of thousands of Gazans dead and the enclave in ruins. The administration hopes the deal will be the first step toward a longer-term settlement that will involve talks over the disarmament of Hamas and the formation of an interim government to oversee Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced resistance to ending the war from far-right members of his coalition government, welcomed the deal to bring home Israeli hostages, which his government is expected to approve. "This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the state of Israel," he said early Thursday. |
| Trump wants a Nobel Prize. He'll learn Friday if his campaign paid off. | |
 | Of all the golden glories that Donald Trump has accumulated -- the statues, sneakers, even a golden pager -- one gleaming medallion has eluded the 79-year-old president: the Nobel Peace Prize. The annual award, set to be announced Friday, has occupied Trump for months, along with a recurring complaint that he'll be overlooked despite his global peacemaking efforts. "We settled seven wars. We're close to settling an eighth. And I think we'll end up settling the Russia situation, which is horrible," Trump said Wednesday, when asked whether he expected to claim the prize when the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee steps solemnly up to a microphone in his grand Oslo headquarters. "I don't think anybody in history settled that many. But perhaps they'll find a reason not to give it to me." If he doesn't win, Trump said last week, "it'll be a big insult to our country, I will tell you that." "I don't want it. I want the country to get it," Trump added, touting the many conflicts he says he has resolved in his first months in office and his efforts to broker peace in the Middle East. Trump maintains he is not politicking for the prize, which he has mentioned publicly every few weeks since reclaiming the Oval Office -- a habit people familiar with the award warned could hurt his chances. But his naked hunger to win has shifted foreign diplomacy. It may have helped spur Hamas and Israeli officials to strike a bargain this week, one former top Israeli negotiator said, in hopes of being able to announce a buzzer-beating peace after two years of war so that Trump can take home the gold. |
| She left the medical mainstream and rose to be RFK Jr.'s surgeon general pick | |
| Seven years ago, Casey Means was on a path to finishing up a highly competitive residency and becoming a well-paid surgeon. But she resigned, becoming a health products entrepreneur and popular online personality who has frequently suggested that Americans should question the advice they get from medical authorities. "We are told to 'trust the science,'" she wrote in her 2024 book, "Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health." "This obviously doesn't make sense. We have been gaslighted to not ask questions over the past fifty years at the exact time chronic disease rates have exploded." As a best-selling author with more than 850,000 followers on her Instagram account, @drcaseyskitchen, she centers her message around the concept of "good energy," which she defines as optimizing metabolic health. This idea suggests that maintaining a healthy lifestyle will ward off -- and potentially treat -- diseases. Now Means, 38, is poised to become the next surgeon general of the United States, one of the nation's most recognizable and trusted medical posts. There, her backers and critics believe, she will advance Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" movement aimed at addressing childhood illness and chronic disease. |
| The Army's Race to Catch Up in a World of Deadly Drones | |
 | The U.S. Army soldier steered the drone deep into enemy territory where it spotted about two dozen enemy vehicles hiding beneath a canopy of trees. Col. Joshua Glonek recalled the jolt of excitement that ran through his staff at the drone's discovery, followed by hushed chatter in the small, dark tent where his team was preparing for what came next. His 3,500-soldier brigade was in the last hours of an 11-day training center battle against a similarly sized force. Such exercises -- the closest thing the Army has these days to actual combat -- happen many times a year. But this one was different. The rapid proliferation of deadly drones in places like Ukraine had set off a growing sense of alarm among the Army's top leaders. Senior Army officials were relying on Colonel Glonek and his troops to catch up to America's adversaries. It was their job to figure out which drones the Army should buy and how it should fight with them. Until recently, defense experts had expected that new unmanned technology would allow U.S. troops to detect and kill the enemy from a distance, shortening wars and making them less risky. In places like Ukraine, the opposite was proving to be true. |
| Retired Justice Kennedy laments coarse discourse of Trump era and its effects on the Supreme Court | |
 | Retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy said Wednesday he was troubled that partisanship seemed to be "creeping its way into the court," and that the state of political discourse in the country has gotten so vulgar and vile that he worries for the country. The tone of recent opinions bothers him more than outcomes of cases, Kennedy said in an interview with The Associated Press in his court office in advance of next week's publication of his memoir, " Life, Law & Liberty." "The justices have to resist thinking of themselves as being partisan," he said. "In our current discourse, it seems to me, partisanship is creeping its way into the court." He declined to identify any justices or opinions, but at another point he returned to the personal nature of some court opinions. "Of course, when you disagree, you criticize the other, but you criticize the opinion and the reasoning. You don't criticize the author," he said during the nearly hourlong interview. "And that point seems to be eclipsed. Some of the recent opinions are attacks on your colleagues, on the judges. I was astounded, very worried about it." From members of Congress who use " the four-letter F-word " in public to President Donald Trump, Kennedy said he is routinely put off by what he is hearing. A nominee of Republican President Ronald Reagan, Kennedy was the decisive vote in many of the court's most impactful cases, leaning left on abortion and gay rights and right on guns and campaign finance. |
| Online Master's Teaching Program Debuts At UM For Spring Semester | |
 | The Mississippi Department of Education allocated more than $2.9 million to continue the Mississippi Teacher Residency Program (MTR) last month for institutions across the state. For the first time, this list of institutions includes the University of Mississippi, which is set to receive $242,733. The MTR program is designed for prospective elementary and special needs educators with a bachelor's degree in a field other than education to obtain licenses or supplementary endorsements by completing an approval program in "geographical critical shortage areas," according to the state Department of Education's website. For Kristina Livingston, assistant professor of elementary education and coordinator of the new Master of Arts in Teaching program, the MTR program's goal is to make sure these schools are staffed with quality educators. "We know there is a teacher shortage, not just in Mississippi -- this is a nationwide issue," Livingston said. "We want to make sure that the teachers that are in front of our students are highly trained and highly qualified." The program is set to start at UM in spring 2026, with the expectation that students will obtain their five-year renewable teaching license and Master of Arts in Teaching in one year. |
| Family of Curious George creators visit de Grummond Collection in Hattiesburg | |
| Many remember the Curious George books from their childhood. Curious George was an inquisitive monkey who sprang from the imagination of the husband and wife team of Margret and Hans "H.A." Rey. The mischievous monkey captured the hearts of both children and adults for generations due to his unbounded curiosity and adventurous spirit, becoming a symbol for exploration and wonder. Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Lena de Grummond, Curious George and the papers of H.A. and Margret Rey have a permanent home in the de Grummond Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi. When she came to Southern Miss in 1966 to teach children's literature, de Grummond desired resources that extended beyond a textbook. She felt that students would better appreciate the creative process of authors and illustrators by examining their manuscripts and illustrations firsthand. The de Grummond Collection has expanded to more than 200,000 volumes of historical and contemporary books for children dating back to 1530. The Reys' work, including Curious George and the papers of H.A. and Margret, came to Southern Miss through de Grummond's determined efforts. Later this month, the Rey's family will gather for a reunion with Curious George for the first time since the work has been in Hattiesburg. A series of events will be held October 23 to 28 to celebrate their first visit to the Rey Collection and de Grummond. |
| Mississippi College named among nation's best by Wall Street Journal | |
| Mississippi College has once again earned national recognition, landing a spot on the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2026 Best College in the U.S. list for the second consecutive year. The ranking highlights the top universities across the country, with Mississippi College standing out as the only private university in the Magnolia State to make the list. Other Mississippi institutions recognized include Mississippi State University, the University of Mississippi, and Mississippi University for Women. "This recognition is especially meaningful," Michael J. Highfield, Provost and executive vice president of Mississippi College, said. "It affirms the hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff, and students, and reinforces our commitment to academic excellence within a Christ-centered mission." Highfield, who also taught finance, added that the acknowledgement from the Wall Street Journal carried personal significance. "As a finance professor at heart, I've long admired and read the Journal daily -- even using it in my own classroom," he said. Mississippi College, founded in 1826, continues to be recognized for combining academic rigor with its mission-driven approach to higher education. |
| Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa fee threatens rural schools and hospitals reliant on immigrant workers | |
| When Rob Coverdale started his job in 2023 as superintendent of the K-12 Crow Creek Tribal School in South Dakota, there were 15 unfilled teaching positions. Within nine months, he had filled those vacancies with Filipino teachers, the majority of whom arrived on the H-1B, a visa for skilled workers in specialty occupations. "We've hired the H-1B teachers because we quite simply didn't have other applicants for those positions," Coverdale said. "So they're certainly not taking jobs from Americans. They're filling jobs that otherwise just simply we would not get filled." Now a new $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications spells trouble for those like Coverdale in rural parts of the country who rely on immigrants to fill vacancies in skilled professions like education and health care. The Trump administration announced the fee on Sept. 19, arguing that employers were replacing American workers with cheaper talent from overseas. Since then, the White House has said the fee won't apply to existing visa holders and offered a form to request exemptions from the charge. H-1Bs are primarily associated with tech workers from India. Big tech companies are the biggest user of the visa, and nearly three-quarters of those approved are from India. But there are critical workers, like teachers and doctors, who fall outside that category. |
| Alabama students go all out to personalize college dorms | |
 | College dorm rooms are standard issue, but Alabama college students are increasingly going all out to personalize decorations and furnishings. College dorm rooms are rivaling luxury apartments in style and in price. While some families can afford to spend thousands on storage, linen and wall decor, there are ways to save money and stay stylish. Samantha-Lynn Thomas, a 16-year-old UA junior with a double major in political science and Spanish, said her lifted bed isn't just about adding extra space. She's minimizing the temptation to snooze when she should be studying. Thomas said she raised the bed "as high as it can go to prevent me from taking midday naps." Samford University, the University of Alabama and other schools across the state are throwing up new residence halls with community kitchens, grand staircases and other amenities. "More than likely that's the first time they've had their freedom from their parents in their parents' home," said Drew Daniel, an interior design graduate and MBA candidate from the University of Alabama. Daniel said students use moving into a smaller space as an opportunity to buy smaller furniture and lighting. Daniel said the need to completely transform a dorm room has only increased since she was an undergraduate, thanks to TikTok and other social media, which "fuels comparison and trends." |
| Brilyn Hollyhand makes stop at Auburn for campus tour | |
| On Oct. 6, Brilyn Hollyhand, an Auburn freshman studying political science, held his "One Conversation at a Time Tour" at the Science Center Auditorium. The event, organized in coordination with Auburn's Turning Point USA chapter, aimed to promote the involvement of the next generation of conservatives in the political process. This event is one of ten stops on Hollyhand's "One Conversation at a Time" campus tour, which is being held in partnership with TPUSA collegiate chapters throughout the Southeastern US. On Sept. 19, Hollyhand announced that he was joining forces with TPUSA to launch his "One Conversation at a Time" campus tour. However, when asked via X if Hollyhand was employed by TPUSA, Tyler Browyer, the COO of Turning Point Action, stated on Sept. 28: "No, he's not. TPUSA has thousands of chapters. He just set up to speak to 8 or so local ones and is calling it a tour. [The] team is in [the] midst of bigger issues right now, and although it has come off as distasteful, usually these things work themselves out." This response obviously led to speculation about how Hollyhand promoted the tour and explained its development. |
| Limited access restored to Louisiana college savings accounts after unexpected shutdown | |
| After thousands of Louisiana customers have been shut out of their state-run college savings accounts for more than a week, state officials said Wednesday that limited access to the accounts has been restored and that the money appears to be secure. The outage, which officials said was caused by a "cyber incident," has prevented customers from accessing about 88,000 active savings accounts containing some $1.8 billion, according to state figures from last month. The accounts are part of Louisiana's 529 education savings account programs, known as START and K12 START, which help families save for college or private school tuition. During the system shutdown, students and families have not been able to withdraw money from their accounts to pay tuition bills. All Louisiana colleges and universities have been notified of the disruption, as have about 300 out-of-state colleges where savings account holders are enrolled, Reed said. They have been asked to work with affected students who can't access funds needed to pay their bills. "It's been a week since I've been able to log in so I have no idea if my money's even there," said Jamie Diamond, a parent in Abita Springs who put money in a START account to help pay for her son's education at LSU. |
| Department of Energy solicits plans for AI data centers on federal Oak Ridge land | |
 | Private companies can now compete to build AI data centers and power plants on federal land in Oak Ridge. The U.S. Department of Energy announced earlier this year that Oak Ridge was one of four sites selected to move forward with AI data centers, which offer storage for networked computer servers that process and manage massive amounts of information. The energy department is now asking companies to get specific, and began requesting proposals Sept. 30, allowing interested parties to share their ideas for data centers − and for how they would be powered. The project also might support a core goal of President Donald Trump's administration: "unleashing American energy." Trump has issued a series of executive orders in his second term intended to make the United States a leader in the construction of data centers for artificial intelligence. A July order specifically aimed to speed up the review of permits for data centers planned on federal land while reducing the regulations needed to build them. The Oak Ridge area's proximity to the Tennessee Valley Authority's grid is listed in the request as a regional strength for East Tennessee. |
| Turning Point USA to move OU event to Lloyd Noble Center from McCasland Field House | |
| The University of Oklahoma Turning Point USA confirmed its Oct. 16 event as part of the "This Is the Turning Point" tour will be moved to the Lloyd Noble Center to hold more attendees. Kalib Magana, OU Turning Point USA's president, said in a Wednesday phone call with the OU Daily that the university offered to move the event to a venue with increased capacity. The Lloyd Noble Center has a capacity of over 10,000 people. Magana confirmed that the event has received over 6,000 RSVPs. He also said the organization has coordinated security measures with the university. "We had so many RSVPs that we didn't want to just have everybody standing outside," Magana said. OU Turning Point USA initially announced in a social media post last week the event would be held at the McCasland Field House, which has a capacity of 3,325 people. English comedian Russell Brand, reality TV star Savannah Chrisley and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt are scheduled to speak at the event next week. |
| Oklahoma lawmakers applaud significant rise in FAFSA completion following passage of new law | |
| State lawmakers who championed Oklahoma's Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) graduation requirement say they are celebrating new data that reveals a sharp increase in student completion of forms that help families unlock federal financial aid. Data from the National College Attainment Network show that as of June 30, Oklahoma led the nation with a 49.4% year-over-year increase in completion of the FAFSA after Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, and Rep. Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, passed universal FAFSA legislation in 2023. This marked the largest jump in FAFSA completion of any state, propelling Oklahoma from near the bottom in national rankings to the latest ranking of 29th in the nation. "These numbers speak for themselves and prove that Oklahoma's FAFSA graduation requirement is already delivering results," Rader said. "Higher education is key to expanding economic opportunity, giving students a chance to succeed after high school and building a skilled workforce. More families completing the FAFSA means more students can afford college, which helps put them on a path to a bright future." |
| Texas A&M's interim president gives first statement of goals | |
 | Just a few days after being named interim Texas A&M University president, Tommy Williams made his first statements in a posting to the A&M presidential blog on Monday. In the posting, Williams reflected on his first weekend as interim president that saw the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Aplin Center, the Distinguished Alumni gala and A&M's football team beating Mississippi State on the 149th birthday of the university. Williams also laid out his vision for what he intends to be as interim president. As part of that vision, Williams will hold listening sessions with students, faculty and staff. Williams did not give a specific start date for when those listening sessions would begin. "My role is to ensure that all of you -- our students, faculty and staff -- have the support you need to keep moving forward," Williams said in the posting. "It's very important to me to understand where we are in this transition, the issues that need to be addressed and how we will take our next steps together. I need your help and feedback to ensure a seamless handoff to the permanent president." In his posting, Williams also referenced recent events that led to him becoming the interim president, calling it a challenging time for the university. |
| 'They are potentially so much more addicted': Health professionals worry about vaping access in young people | |
 | Originally presented as a less-harmful alternative to smoking cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and vapor products have transitioned from an aid for addiction to an addiction of their own. Vaping products were rolled out to help support a generation that grew up smoking. Over the years, however, younger generations have begun vaping without ever smoking in the first place. According to a survey done by Partners in Prevention, a coalition that addresses student health behaviors, e-cigarette and vapor product use in Missouri college students is the highest it has been in the last five years at 21%. Nicotine use in general is also at a high with 28%. Brittany Carpenter, tobacco prevention coordinator for Missouri Partners in Prevention, said that she has seen vaping specifically target and affect the younger generation. "They are potentially so much more addicted than we have seen historically in comparison to other products," Carpenter said. One of the main reasons is access. Access to smoke shops, access to product use and access to more nicotine per hit have all altered the product's purpose. If one was to look on Google Maps for a vape shop, there would be 20 smoke and vapor shops listed in Columbia. Of those listed, two of them are concentrated in the downtown area, within walking distance of the University of Missouri, Columbia College and Stephens College campuses. Others are all within 10-15 minutes away by car. |
| Texas Systems Review Course Descriptions, Syllabi, as Critics Scrutinize Them | |
 | As conservative Texas politicians identify and target faculty who teach about gender identity, officials at six Texas public university systems have ordered reviews of curriculum, syllabi and course descriptions. The impetus is clear: Texas A&M University fired a professor, demoted two administrators and pushed out its president after conservative politicians lambasted the institution for a lesson on gender identity in a children's literature class. Their criticism hinged on the fact that the topic was not reflected in the brief course catalog description for the class. Before he resigned, Texas A&M president Mark Welsh ordered an audit of all courses at the flagship campus, which the system Board of Regents quickly extended to all Texas A&M institutions. The Board has called for immediate and decisive steps to ensure that what happened this week will not be repeated," the regents wrote in a statement posted on X. "To that end, the Regents have asked the Chancellor to audit every course and ensure full compliance with applicable laws." Other systems soon followed. The conservative politicians who have gone after institutions and faculty for teaching about gender identity have found professors through syllabi and course information posted online. As the risk of doxing grows, faculty are working to keep their information private, but new technology and Texas law are adding complications. |
| For Enrollment Leaders, the Hot Seat Keeps Getting Hotter | |
 | Enrollment leaders often confide in Angel B. Pérez. Recently, some have told him their jobs are wearing them down, wrecking their health, and wringing the joy out of their lives. In August, Pérez, chief executive of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), got a call from an enrollment official who said she had just walked into her president's office and quit. "This president thinks I am the savior who can fix all of the institution's financial woes," Pérez recalls her telling him that day, "but I'm not that, and none of us are." It's true: Even the most brilliant enrollment tacticians can't fix everything that's broken at a given college any more than they could turn water into wine. Still, institutional leaders tend to demand an annual miracle: more applicants, more revenue, more everything -- no matter the circumstances working against such goals. Those who don't deliver often find themselves out of a job. Others find that job increasingly untenable. Since the beginning of the pandemic, colleges have seen a surge in enrollment leaders resigning "out of exhaustion, frustration, and disillusionment," as The Chronicle reported in this in-depth account, which also described how some admissions officials have been second-guessing their pursuit of senior-level positions. Meanwhile, institutions keep demanding more from their enrollment leaders, Pérez and other insiders say, even as higher education confronts new and intensifying challenges. |
| Trump's higher ed compact draws condemnation from faculty and college unions | |
| Faculty groups and employee unions are urging universities to reject a proposed compact from the Trump administration that would trade control over their policies for preferential access to federal research funding. Of the nine colleges that received the offer, at least two faculty senates -- the University of Virginia and the University of Arizona -- voted to oppose the deal and pushed their institution's leadership to reject it. Other instructors and employee groups have also decried the compact. Leaders at the colleges have thus far issued mostly noncommittal responses, with none publicly announcing they would decline the deal as of Wednesday afternoon. Along with UVA and the University of Arizona, the Trump administration sent the compact to Brown University, Dartmouth College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California and Vanderbilt University. It gave the institutions until Oct. 20 to respond with feedback and up to Nov. 21 to sign. At least one law firm, Ropes & Gray, has said the compact raises legal questions, adding that it "does not explain the statutory or other basis that authorizes the Administration to give preferential access to federal programs." |
| House Dem Leader Demands Hearing Over Political Out-of-Office Emails | |
| The Department of Education is facing more pushback after furloughed employees had politically charged out-of-office notifications placed on their email without their consent. This time the criticism came from Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and ranking member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce. The automatic email response, in place since the government shut down last week, blames Democrats in the Senate for causing the shutdown. The government shut down when Congress failed to reach an agreement on funding federal agencies. Democrats wanted Republicans to cut a deal in part over health-care subsidies, but Republicans declined to do so and pushed for a clean resolution to fund the government through Nov. 21. In a letter sent Tuesday to Rep. Tim Walberg, the Michigan Republican who chairs the education committee, Scott said that the emails appeared to violate the Hatch Act, a federal law that bars certain government employees from engaging in political activity. As a result, Scott urged Walberg to schedule a hearing on the matter "as soon as possible." The American Federation of Government Employees, a union representing federal workers, sued the Trump administration over the automated emails, arguing that they violate not only the Hatch Act but also the First Amendment rights of individual staff members. |
| Teaching versus promoting, endorsing ideas | |
| Raymond Barranco, a professor of sociology at Mississippi State University, writes: Since giving my first lecture in a college classroom 18 years ago, I have noticed a gradual increase in the disconnect between what takes place in the classroom and public perception. This shift has culminated in a wave of legislation aimed at prohibiting college professors from promoting or endorsing so-called "divisive concepts." If interpreted correctly, these bills would have virtually no impact on college classrooms because professors teach ideas; they do not promote or endorse them. Unfortunately, many politicians and members of the general public conflate teaching with advocacy. Put simply, teaching about a topic or theory does not mean endorsing it. Professors rarely invent the concepts they discuss; these are ideas developed and debated by experts in the field. In any given semester, students are exposed to hundreds of such ideas, each of which they are expected to analyze critically and evaluate on its own merits. |
| College football is exciting again | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: Now that our daughter Ruth has graduated from Ole Miss, our fall ritual of going to Oxford in the fall has diminished. It's a bit bittersweet. For many Northsiders, the fall ritual of going to Oxford, Starkville or Hattiesburg for football games is part of the fabric of Mississippi life. ... The Ole Miss tailgate scene is legendary and Oxford has boomed into one of the best college towns in the country. Ginny loved seeing her college buddies and I thoroughly enjoyed tagging along and being immersed in the wonderful slice of Americana. ... I have been to Starkville for the game as well and the tailgating scene is equally fine. In many ways, the Starkville tailgate scene is more manageable, more pastoral and spread out, different from the Ole Miss Grove chaos. One's not better than the other, just different. Both stadiums are magnificent, a perfect size. Starkville, like Oxford, is booming and is a great college town. I root for both Ole Miss and State. I think all Mississippians should root for their home state teams except during the Egg Bowl when each side can claim its own. |
SPORTS
| Ally Perry was already a star goalscorer; now she's a captain | |
| Mississippi State soccer star Ally Perry had a rare opportunity after the 2024 SEC championship season to play professionally in Europe. A member of a team that graduated nine starters with six now playing in the pro ranks, Perry also had the chance to move abroad and join Italian giants Juventus. The club has won six of the last eight league titles and fields a team that includes eight Italian national team stars. It's a measure of Perry's quality that she had the opportunity to join, but she opted to return to Starkville. Perry sought the advice of the coach who recruited her, and was then newly promoted head coach Nick Zimmerman. "She came to me and said, 'I trust you, am I ready?'" Zimmerman reflected. "I said as a soccer player, you're ready, but from a mentality standpoint, you're not." Perry and Zimmerman had talked about the kind of role she would need to take on as one of the senior leaders in a young 2025 team, and it coincided with her personal goals before she felt ready to take her game to the next level. "I think that everyone has more they can improve on to be more successful in the next level," she said. "I saw things I wanted to get to the best of my ability at before taking the opportunity at the next level. Being in a leadership role is something that will really help me ... having this experience and just continuing to grow myself on and off the field." |
| Bulldog receiver Brenen Thompson feeling right at home in Starkville | |
| When Brenen Thompson entered the transfer portal after the 2024 season, his goals for finding a new school were rather simple. He wanted to find a place he fit from a culture standpoint and also find an offense that could maximize his talents in the passing game. The former Oklahoma transfer met both of those goals when he transferred to Mississippi State and is reaping the benefits these days. Thompson currently leads the team in receiving yards (378) and receiving touchdowns (4). He also has a rushing touchdown and ranks second on the team with 22 receptions. Earlier this week Thompson met with the media to discuss his time so far in Starkville while gearing up for the second half of the season. |
| Mossy Oak golf course reopens after undergoing yearlong facelift | |
| One of Mississippi's most lauded golf courses has reopened after a yearlong closure. Old Waverly Club announced that the Mossy Oak golf course in West Point is open and ready to welcome members and guests back to the greens. The Mossy Oak course, named after the Mississippi-based camouflage apparel giant, was designed by famous golf course architect Gil Hanse. Professional golfer and businessman Jerry Pate led the way in overseeing enhancements to the facilities. The renovation of Mossy Oak included a complete reconstruction of all bunkers, lengthening of the course, re-grassing of the greens with TifEagle, and upgrading of cart paths throughout. The reopening also marks a new chapter for Old Waverly Club. A new ownership group, led by Pate as Chairman and joined by the Bryan family and a small group of investors, brings Mossy Oak and Old Waverly, another renowned course in West Point, under one umbrella. Since its founding in 1988, Old Waverly has been highly regarded as one of the truly unique private clubs in the United States. The vision of the late founder, George Bryan, was to bring a piece of Scotland to Mississippi and create a world-class destination for golf and hospitality in the state's Golden Triangle. |
| 'We're working to make it happen': Officials seeking title sponsor for Mississippi's lone PGA Tour event | |
| A first for professional golfer Steven Fisk might have been a last for the state of Mississippi. When Fisk was handed the chicken trophy given to the victor of the Sanderson Farms Championship, it marked the first PGA Tour win of the Georgia native's career, while also possibly marking the end of a nearly 70-year tradition of the professional tournament occurring in the Magnolia State. The tournament, initially called the Magnolia Classic, began in 1968 at the Hattiesburg Country Club, where it was played before moving to the Annandale Golf Club in Madison in 1994. After going through several name changes, Sanderson Farms, a poultry producer based in Laurel, assumed title sponsorship in 2013 and moved the PGA Tour event to the Country Club of Jackson the next year, where it has taken place since. But in 2024, tournament officials were given the unfortunate news that Sanderson Farms, which had recently undergone a merger to become Wayne-Sanderson Farms, would no longer be the title sponsor. Wayne-Sanderson Farms, however, decided to give the tournament one last hoorah in 2025 before officially backing out of being the premier benefactor. Looking ahead, the poultry giant will continue as a major sponsor, but organizers are now scrambling to find another company to be the face and primary financial backer of the tournament. Steve Jent, the tournament's executive director, confirmed that work is being done to bring a new title sponsor to the table, but those efforts have yet to bear fruit. |
| Auburn AD John Cohen reacts to criticism to moving Baylor game to Atlanta | |
| John Cohen said the right decision was made in moving next season's season-opener with Baylor from Jordan-Hare Stadium to Atlanta to be featured as the 2026 Aflac Kickoff Game. The Auburn athletic director, who joined "The Opening Kickoff" on WNSP-FM 105.5 in Mobile on Wednesday, said the decision was nine months in the making and wasn't made lightly. "The amount of revenue it's going to create for our student-athletes and future student-athletes through this opportunity really is something we could not walk away from," he said. "I say that knowing that all of us that work at Auburn University have a responsibility to our community and the local businesses and to the city government, and we completely understand and take that responsibility seriously." Cohen admitted, "You're between the rock and the proverbial hard place" because the athletic program is trying to accomplish a number of different things. "If you look at what we just did through the lens of five to 10 years ago, it probably doesn't make much sense to anybody," Cohen explained. "If you look at it through the lends of 2025 and how important third-party NIL opportunities are for student-athletes, it's really the only decision we could possibly make." |
| The perils of scheduling a wedding on a college football Saturday | |
| The three pillars of autumn in America are the colors of fall foliage, the traditional colors of one's chosen college football allegiance and the colors of bridesmaids dresses, bow ties and bridal gowns. For as surely as the sun shall rise and set on October Saturdays, those days shall be packed with the shifting hues of the trees around us, incredibly crucial midseason college football contests with immeasurable postseason impact, and yes, more weddings taking place in more venues than at any other time of year. Forget Texas vs. Oklahoma, or even Republicans vs. Democrats. Because at this time of year the greatest divide in this great nation of ours is about an event planner that collides like Jadeveon Clowney hitting a running back in the Outback Bowl. Fall weddings vs. college football. As September rolled into October and football/wedding season began their coupled march down the field, we reached out to wedding planners and venues in college towns around the country asking how it's done, why people do it and what the biggest issues to overcome are. In the end, three prevailing problems were continually mentioned: game-day traffic in relatively small college towns, combating booked-up rooms and jacked-up rates, and yeah, getting that uncle who Coach Drink warned us about to pay attention. |
| Sponsor logos would appear on college uniforms next year if NCAA committee's proposal approved | |
| An NCAA committee has proposed a change to rules barring commercial logos on uniforms in a move that would clear the way for sponsor patches to appear on jerseys next year. Under current rules, the only commercial logo permitted on athletes' equipment or apparel during regular-season games is the logo of the equipment or apparel manufacturer. If the Division I Administrative Committee's proposal is adopted, schools could place two additional commercial logos on uniforms and pregame/postgame apparel during non-NCAA championship competition. Also, one additional commercial logo would be permitted on equipment used by athletes. The committee directed the playing rules committees and subcommittees to review the proposal and make sport-specific recommendations on national standards for placement of commercial logos. "The committee's introduction of this proposal demonstrates the continued efforts by the NCAA to modernize rules where appropriate within Division I," said Josh Whitman, athletic director at Illinois and chair of the committee. "As we move into a new era of Division I athletics, in which student-athletes can receive unprecedented financial benefits and support from their schools, it is appropriate for NCAA members to identify and consider additional opportunities for schools to generate additional revenue to fully support those benefits." |
| The Year When Everyone in College Football Got It Wrong | |
| On the eve of the college football season, everyone agreed that Texas was the top team in the country, that Penn State was finally ready to win the big one and that Clemson was about to get back to its title-winning ways. They were each armed with experienced head coaches, blue-chip quarterbacks and a bunch of returning starters. In the annual preseason poll from the Associated Press, they were ranked No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4, respectively. Six weeks on, Texas, Penn State and Clemson haven't just fallen short of expectations. They have crashed back to earth with such staggering force that the only thing left of their championship aspirations is a smoldering crater in the ground. This week, in the AP's latest poll, none of them were even listed in the top 25. It's the first time since 1984 that three programs ranked in the top four before the season has each picked up two losses in such short order. "It's bananas," said Aaron Taylor, a former All-American at Notre Dame and now a college football analyst. "We study this sport, we live it and love it -- and we don't have any idea." Even in a sport where chaos shows up as frequently as the halftime marching band, the sudden collapse of three heavyweight championship contenders with seemingly bulletproof résumés counts as one of the more confounding developments in the sport's recent history. |
| College sports watchdog sets up tip line for confidential reporting of violations | |
| The College Sports Commission launched a tip line Wednesday that allows for anonymous reporting of potential violations of rules in the new name, image and likeness era that outline how players are paid, place limits on roster sizes and set a $20.5 million cap on revenue sharing between schools and their athletes. The commission's CEO, Bryan Seeley, told The Associated Press the reporting line adds an important method of gathering information about the thousands of deals and hundreds of schools it is overseeing under terms of the $2.8 billion House settlement that reshaped college sports by allowing players to earn money. He said it is something "we've always been planning," and not a reaction to some of the struggles the startup agency has endured since opening July 1. "One of the foundational aspects of any compliance program is reporting methods," Seeley said. "And it's important to have reporting methods that people feel comfortable using, which often involves providing anonymous reporting." The commission has contracted with RealResponse, a technology company that works with various colleges, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, NFL Players Association, Major League Baseball and other sports groups. It provides different ways for people to file reports -- via text, WhatsApp, web forms and more -- and gives the CSC the chance to loop back with whistleblowers while shielding their identity. |
| NCAA's Pro Sports Betting Move Reflects Fairness but Comes With Risks | |
| The NCAA on Wednesday announced that its Division I Administrative Committee has adopted a proposal to allow college athletes and staff to bet on pro sports. The proposal would go into effect on Nov. 1, so long as Divisions II and III also approve later this month. It would mark a major change in sports betting rules; the decision, while promoting fairness by treating college athletes like their non-athlete classmates, also comes with risks. NCAA prohibitions on college sports betting, in addition to sharing information about college competitions, wouldn't be impacted by this change. Last month, the NCAA revealed enforcement actions against 16 former D-I men's basketball players who are accused of betting on or against their own teams, knowingly manipulating scoring or game outcomes, providing information to facilitate others' bets and related misdeeds. In addition, the NCAA on Monday clarified that, regardless of college athletes and coaches betting on pro sports, NCAA championships will continue with prohibitions on advertising and sponsorships associated with sports betting. While college athletes and coaches would no longer run afoul of NCAA rules by betting on pro sports, they could still run afoul of states' laws. |
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