| Thursday, October 22, 2026 |
| Mississippi State to lead 5-year, multi-million-dollar program to strengthen aquatic food systems | |
 | Mississippi State University will lead a five-year, multi-million-dollar program to strengthen global aquatic food systems through advanced research while creating benefits for U.S. agriculture, industry, and food security, starting with an $8 million award in the first year. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish, or Fish Innovation Lab, will be led by MSU's Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security, or GCAHFS, to bring together researchers, government agencies, industry partners, universities, and other organizations to increase the production and consumption of aquatic foods. The program will build off a previous Fish Innovation Lab that supported 30 multidisciplinary research activities in 10 countries and worked with more than 50 institutional partners. "This award reinforces Mississippi State's role as a national leader in applying agricultural research to challenges that affect food and economic security around the world," MSU President Mark E. Keenum said. "As a land-grant university, we have a responsibility to turn discovery into practical solutions, and the Fish Innovation Lab creates opportunities to do that while strengthening American agriculture, advancing U.S. innovation and building lasting international partnerships." |
| Education: MSU Career Center helps students make national internship connections | |
 | Mississippi State's Career Center is making connections that are launching the dreams of Bulldogs through internships across the country, on-the-job student experiences that often open doors to future employment and informed career path decisions. With employer partners around Mississippi and the U.S., MSU is introducing a new resource for students interested in the chance to work in Washington, D.C., debuting a new webpage providing details on opportunities, application resources, housing considerations, funding support and next steps. Executive Director for the MSU Career Center Bethany Mills said now is the time for students to be thinking about their plans for next summer. "It's not too early to apply for opportunities in D.C. and to begin connecting with our career advising staff to finetune application materials," Mills said. "In addition, the Career Center can also help to find ways to offset some of the cost of living in D.C. From college and department-specific scholarships and stipends to the Career Center's Summer Internship Support Fund, we hope to help make a student's dream of interning in D.C. a reality through financial support." |
| Education: MSU, EMCC students among 2026-2027 MAMA scholarship winners | |
| Multiple Mississippi State University students and one East Mississippi Community College student are among the 11 recipients of the 2026-2027 Mississippi Automotive Manufacturers Association scholarships, awarded to students pursuing careers in the state's automotive industry. Since the program began in 2006, MAMA has awarded more than $495,000 in scholarships to Mississippi students, supporting education and training that can lead to careers in automotive manufacturing and related fields. "What stands out about this year's scholarship recipients is the breadth of talent and interests they bring to the future of automotive manufacturing," said Skip Scaggs, President of MAMA, in a press release. "These students are preparing themselves in areas such as engineering, automation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and research and product development." From MSU, recipients include computer engineering student Davis Adams and mechanical engineering students Garrett Campbell and Spandan Niroula. |
| NOAA's New Data Portal Advances Marine eDNA Data Sharing and Use | |
| The power of environmental DNA (eDNA) to help us decode the mysteries of the deep is undeniable. The ability to detect marine species by the DNA they leave behind in water samples has revolutionized biodiversity monitoring and distribution mapping. Still, as a new field of study, standards for formatting eDNA data to ensure broad accessibility and usability have yet to be set. To standardize and accelerate the sharing and use of eDNA data and metadata, NOAA has launched the Ocean DNA Explorer, an open-source and user-friendly data portal for sharing, exploring, searching, and visualizing marine eDNA data. The Ocean DNA Explorer was developed by the Northern Gulf Institute at Mississippi State University in collaboration with NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), with funding from NOAA Ocean Exploration and NOAA Omics. |
| Education: Starkville students to join Community Chorus for Monday concert | |
| Students from Partnership Middle School and Armstrong Junior High are set to take the stage Monday, joining the Starkville Community Chorus for a concert presented by the Starkville-MSU Symphony Orchestra. Treble choirs from the schools will perform for the concert, which will feature John Rutter's "Mass of the Children." Each choir will also present selections of their own to round out the program, "making a lovely evening of beautiful choral music to be enjoyed by all," the Starkville Symphony website reads. The program is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. Monday at First Baptist Church. Students have been working in class with Sara Horan and Peter Infanger, conductor for the Community Chorus, to prepare for the concert. |
| Starkville lags behind FY 26 collections while Columbus on pace | |
| In the first month of Fiscal Year 2027, Starkville is lagging behind last October's collections by 4.45%. Meanwhile, Columbus is on pace with its collections from last fiscal year, with this month's intake marking 0.15% increase compared to collections in October 2025. The cities' budget cycle began Oct. 1. Starkville budgeted FY 2027 sales tax collections at $10,608,750 while Columbus budgeted $12.5 million. West Point's budget cycle began July 1. Sales tax diversions run on a three-month cycle. Taxes are collected by retailers in the first month, sent to Mississippi Department of Revenue the next and then disbursed to cities and counties the third. Therefore, October reported collections reflect sales from August. Starkville collected $883,222 this month, down from October 2025 collections of $924,394. This marks a 11.24% increase from September collections of $794,007. The city saw a drop this month in collections of both its restaurant and hotel sales tax diversions compared to October 2025, however, both did rise when compared to last month's collections. |
| Much of Mississippi under a burn ban as drought conditions continue | |
| With dry weather prevailing across the state of Mississippi, the Mississippi Forestry Commission has issued burn bans for a majority of the state's 82 counties. Throughout the month the commission has been issuing burn bans across the state due to a lack of rainfall. October is historically a drier month in Mississippi, resulting in the precautionary action taken by the commission. Burn bans place a restriction on any type of outdoor burning, including campfires, bonfires, debris burning, fire pits, burn barrels and the burning of fields. Typically people are still allowed to grill outdoors using propane or charcoal grills during the restriction period. While charcoal grills are allowed, the MFC recommends proper care and disposal of used charcoal. As of Wednesday, October 21, 52 Mississippi counties had a burn ban in place. |
| Mary Means Business: Barge invests with multi-million-dollar expansion in Macon | |
| A lumber manufacturer is making a multi-million-dollar investment at its Macon facility. Barge Forest Products is investing more than $8.3 million to construct a new facility in Macon featuring resaw capabilities. Founded in 1985, Barge serves customers across North America, the Caribbean, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia and has been a staple in the Macon community for more than 35 years. "We are excited to invest in the future of our operations and community," Barge Forest Vice President of Operations Jason Ebert said. The expansion is slated for completion in 2027. Ebert said the expansion is not expected to create any new jobs, but all current jobs at the company will be retained. "The $8.3 million expansion of Barge Forest Products is going to help make them more competitive in the lumber industry and ensure they are in business for many more years to come," Noxubee County Board President Bryan Schimmel said. |
| Mississippi Power Names Jamie Miller Senior Director of Economic, Workforce and Community Development | |
 | Mississippi Power today announced that Jamie M. Miller has been named senior director of Economic, Workforce and Community Development, a newly expanded leadership role that reflects the company's commitment to helping communities grow, businesses succeed and Mississippi prosper. The new role brings together Mississippi Power's economic development, workforce development, community development, and philanthropic efforts under a single leader, creating greater alignment around initiatives that support job creation, workforce readiness, community investment, and long-term economic growth across the state. The position will report directly to Pedro Cherry, president and CEO of Mississippi Power. "Mississippi has tremendous opportunity ahead, and Mississippi Power is committed to helping our communities capture that opportunity," Cherry said. "Economic development, workforce development, community investment and philanthropy are deeply connected. Bringing those responsibilities together under one leader strengthens our ability to be an even stronger partner to the communities we serve while helping create opportunities that improve quality of life across our state." |
| Industrial growth drives need for workforce training changes | |
| Mississippi's recent wave of industrial investment is creating opportunities for workers, but preparing enough people to fill those jobs will require businesses, educators and communities to rethink how workforce training is delivered. Dr. Courtney Taylor, executive director of Accelerate Mississippi, told members of the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce Wednesday that the state's traditional approach to workforce development is struggling to keep up with a changing economy. "What got you here won't get you there," Taylor said. Projects such as Amazon Web Services' data center campus in Warren County and Entergy Mississippi's Vicksburg Advanced Power Station are changing the kinds of workers companies need and how quickly they need them. Taylor said workforce programs once relied on a large pool of potential employees, knowing only a fraction would complete training. Mississippi can no longer afford that approach. |
| New visitor center will highlight Vicksburg's role in the Civil War | |
| Mississippi officials Wednesday celebrated plans to build a $114 million Civil War museum and visitor center next to Vicksburg National Military Park, one day after President Donald Trump signed legislation that will help with the development. Historians consider the Siege of Vicksburg a key turning point in the Civil War. The Confederate surrender to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant on July 4, 1863, helped Union forces take control of the Mississippi River and effectively cleave the Confederacy into two. "What you have here today is an opportunity to continue to expand the real story about who actually fought here and saved this country of ours, and ultimately put it back together," U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson said during the ceremony. The expansive new building, set on nearly 13 acres adjacent to the national park, already one of the state's largest tourist attractions, is expected to be completed by 2030. |
| Partnership advances $114 million Civil War visitor center | |
| State, federal and local officials gathered Wednesday at the site of a planned $114 million Civil War visitor center and museum at Vicksburg National Military Park, where a new 60,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in 2030. The center will replace the park's aging, flood-prone visitor center. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History will own the building, with the National Park Service serving as its long-term tenant. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who grew up in Vicksburg and helped secure the state's funding for the project, had particular praise for the local commitment. U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the work to secure that funding will continue. "We're going to get to the other side of this as well," Hyde-Smith said. Spence Flatgard, president of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Board of Trustees, said the design is nearly finished. U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) called Wednesday's announcement "an exercise in bipartisanship." "This event is a salute to philanthropic foundations. It's a recognition of volunteerism. It's an investment in tourism and job creation," Wicker said. |
| Mississippi Museum of Art eyes bold future in Downtown Jackson | |
 | As the Mississippi Museum of Art approaches two decades in its Downtown Jackson home, museum leaders are planning what could become the most significant transformation of the institution and the city's cultural district since the opening of the museum itself. Museum Director Betsy Bradley said the organization has spent the past several years engaged in a master planning process examining not only the museum's indoor spaces, but also the surrounding cultural campus that includes Thalia Mara Hall, the Mississippi Arts Center and the Russell C. Davis Planetarium. The effort comes as museums nationwide rethink how visitors interact with cultural institutions following the COVID-19 pandemic and as Downtown Jackson leaders search for new ways to attract residents, tourists and investment back to the city center. Rather than focusing solely on renovations inside the museum, planners are examining the entire city block as a connected arts and entertainment destination. One major opportunity is the future Museum Trail extension, which will ultimately route cyclists and pedestrians down Court Street behind the museum. |
| Central Jackson project could change city forever | |
| As Mississippi prepares to break ground on its new state-of-the-art cancer center, business leaders in Fondren got a closer look Wednesday at a proposal that supporters believe could transform one of Jackson's most important corridors. Speaking at the Fondren Business Improvement District's annual meeting, Austin Barbour of The Clearwater Group outlined plans for a land-use study examining more than 100 acres surrounding the University of Mississippi Medical Center and Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. Barbour said the project could become the most significant economic development effort Jackson has seen in decades. "This would be the most transformational project in the history of Jackson, Mississippi," Barbour said, crediting Mayor John Horhn's administration and UMMC leadership for helping move discussions forward. "Our question is simple," Barbour told attendees. "If this land was redeveloped, what would it look like, how many jobs would it create, and what would it mean for the city and the state?" |
| Farmers react to $8 billion harvest fuel relief amid rising diesel costs | |
| Farmers facing soaring diesel costs are set to receive relief through an $8 billion harvest fuel relief program announced Monday by President Donald Trump and the secretary of agriculture. The Department of Agriculture will make $8 billion available for one-time payments to American farmers this harvest season, aiming to provide relief during temporary market disruptions and increased input costs. Madison County farmer Douglas Warren shared his thoughts on the announcement. "I'm appreciative, and it's needed," Warren said. Warren, who spends about $2,500 on diesel and burns approximately 200 gallons a day, said the high cost of fuel has been a significant challenge. Diesel prices have climbed to nearly $6 a gallon due to conflicts in the Middle East and attacks on Russian refineries. "Us as farmers do not want bailouts, but we do prefer for that they get the prices under control to allow profitability in the marketplace," Warren said. |
| A Food Crisis Could Follow the Energy Crisis | |
 | A perfect storm is gathering over food prices. So concludes a new report from S&P Global. It sees a confluence of three factors at work: the soaring price of diesel, ubiquitous in agriculture; a shrunken supply of fertilizer inputs; and El Niño, the periodic climate pattern that wreaks havoc with weather everywhere. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz revealed the Persian Gulf's "major role in fertilizer and the inputs that go into fertilizer," the report notes. Meanwhile, exports of diesel, which powers farm machinery and irrigation and transport for crops, are down sharply from the Middle East because of the Iran war and from Russia because of Ukrainian drone attacks. Then there is El Niño, which is shaping up to be the strongest in living memory. It is predicted to bring heavy rain and flooding to some regions, drought and heat to others. Agriculture futures had risen sharply this year in anticipation of many of these effects, though they retreated a bit over the past month. Poorer countries, where food is a big part of family budgets, will feel it most. Just how it flows through to U.S. consumer prices is unclear. |
| Reeves awards $32 million in federal funds to develop healthcare workforce and psychiatric services | |
| Gov. Tate Reeves on Wednesday awarded $32 million for healthcare workforce development and psychiatric emergency services as a part of a federal program to improve rural healthcare. The 60 awards will support earn-while-you-learn programs for healthcare workers, workforce recruitment efforts, clinical mentorship projects and bolster interest in healthcare careers among middle and high school students. "These projects address different healthcare professions, but they share a common goal: removing the training bottlenecks that limit how many qualified professionals we can prepare to serve Mississippi," Reeves said at a Wednesday press conference. The funds will also help establish three therapeutic units at hospital emergency departments to improve crisis mental healthcare. Reeves was flanked by State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney and Courtney Taylor, executive director of AccelerateMS, the state's workforce development agency. Both agencies are collaborating with the governor's office to distribute and oversee the funding awards. |
| Mississippi cybercrime director leaving AG's office for new Roblox law enforcement position | |
| The head of Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch's Cyber Crime Division is leaving his position to take on a newly created role with Roblox, where he will serve as a direct link between the online gaming platform and Mississippi law enforcement investigating crimes involving children. Shawn Wolfe, who has led the division since February 2023, will become Roblox's law enforcement liaison for Mississippi under an agreement reached between the company and the Attorney General's Office earlier this year. The position was established as part of a June 2026 settlement between Fitch's office and Roblox aimed at strengthening protections for children using the platform. In his new role, Wolfe will help ensure Mississippi law enforcement agencies, including the state's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, have access to Roblox assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That includes real-time or near-real-time support for investigators working cases involving the platform. |
| SPLC, partners call for 'multiracial democracy' as elections approach | |
 | The Southern Poverty Law Center held its fourth annual Truth, Poverty, and Democracy Tour across Mississippi this week, rallying residents around issues of healthcare access, voting rights, and affordable housing ahead of the upcoming elections. Organizers say the tour aims to expose policy failures and empower Mississippians to demand systemic change from their elected officials. Lawmakers and advocates encouraged community members to stay civically engaged and closely monitor local government decisions. Partnering with community leaders, SPLC highlighted how state policies directly affect residents' daily lives, arguing that current legislative decisions continue to hold the state back. State Rep. Zakiya Summers urged voters to hold lawmakers accountable for blocking legislation designed to expand essential community resources. "There are families out here that are working paycheck to paycheck, trying to figure out if they can afford Wendy's or if they could go to the grocery store and buy some other protein that we're supposed to be trying to buy, right?" Summers said. |
| Scoop: Senate Republicans fear Mississippi is in play | |
| Senate Republicans are weighing three last-ditch spending moves that would have been unimaginable six months ago: a cash infusion for Mississippi and even more money for South Carolina and Kansas. It's been 94 years since Kansas elected a Democratic senator, 44 years for Mississippi and 28 for South Carolina. But panic is spreading through the Republican Party. "The wall has broken. The enemy is inside the fort," one national Republican political operative told Axios. "We are now fighting hand to hand." The Senate map, which once looked impregnable for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), is now full of vulnerabilities. Democratic challengers are polling within the margin of error in more than half a dozen deep-red states, according to internal GOP polls. Two weeks ago, when Senate Leadership Fund decided to take out a $5 million "insurance policy" in South Carolina, operatives took a hard look at Idaho, South Dakota and Mississippi. At the time, they concluded they didn't need to spend any money in those states, according to a person familiar with the matter. But Senate Republicans are now reviewing the Mississippi race and may need to spend there to protect Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith from a surprisingly competitive bid by Democratic district attorney Scott Colom. |
| Trump coming to Mississippi ahead of Election Day to rally support for Hyde-Smith, GOP field | |
| President Donald Trump is coming back to Mississippi on Monday, one week before the November 3 General Election, to rally support for the state's Republican candidates at an event in Corinth. The GOP midterm field in Mississippi features U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, 1st District Congressman Trent Kelly, 2nd District candidate Ron Eller, 3rd District Congressman Michael Guest, and 4th District Congressman Mike Ezell. Fellow Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana and Senate Majority John Thune of South Dakota have also joined Hyde-Smith in Mississippi in the lead up to November, appearing with her at fundraising events this cycle. President Trump's return to the Magnolia State to promote the Republican field comes after Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate Scott Colom has hosted a bevy of national progressive leaders in Mississippi ahead of Election Day. Democrat congressional candidates have also appeared at Colom campaign events. |
| Trump rallying in Mississippi on Monday to support Hyde-Smith | |
| President Donald Trump will appear in Mississippi on Monday night to campaign for U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith at the Crossroads Arena in Corinth, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation. Neither Hyde-Smith nor her campaign would confirm a Trump visit is imminent, but at an event in Vicksburg on Wednesday, Hyde-Smith told Mississippi Today that Trump is "trying to be helpful." "We feel very good about this," Hyde-Smith told reporters. "It's going to be 13 days, and we're going to run through the tape so strong. I'm very proud of the record I have to run on. If he would like to, that would be fine." Scott Colom, the Democratic nominee for Senate, said in a statement that "Hyde-Smith is scared and that's why she's sending Donald Trump down here." Hyde-Smith also said she was tuning out pollsters and prognosticators who have said the race has grown increasingly more competitive as Election Day nears. |
| How a fake pollster may have moved some 2026 elections | |
 | A new company whose polls had influenced campaign decisions and helped shape the midterms narrative admitted that it was faking its polling data on Tuesday night, setting off a firestorm in the electionsphere. Wedgewood Polls, facing an imminent publication of an investigation from FiftyPlusOne showing it was fabricating its numbers, declared late Tuesday night that it had been an "experimental project" to show how an "entirely fabricated polling firm" could sway public opinion while painting themselves as the good guys.They'd left an impact and been included by multiple credible polling aggregators. Speculation is flying about what, exactly, Wedgewood was trying to achieve, and there's still little public information about the defunct company that had crowdfunded thousands of dollars for its fake data. They also posted a poll showing the Mississippi Senate race within reach, just before Democrats plowed money into the state. Scott Colom, the Democrat running for the seat, blasted the poll to his press list as proof there was "massive momentum" behind him. That led election watchers to argue that Wedgewood's data was being used to make spending decisions in top outside groups, which elicited a response from Democrats' main Senate super PAC. |
| Is Mississippi Senate race competitive? Political insiders weigh in | |
| The political lens for viewing the U.S. Senate race in Mississippi is different, depending on who you ask. "I think it's a close, close race, closer than we've had on a statewide Senate race in a very long time," House Minority Leader Robert Johnson, a Democrat, said. "No, it's not going to be competitive," said Hayes Dent, president of Hayes Dent Public Strategies. Johnson admits it takes a lot of things going right for a Democrat to win in a statewide race in Mississippi. Dent doesn't see that happening. He anticipates Hyde-Smith will maintain her post. But he thinks national politics might influence the final totals. "The president may be very unpopular. It's a good thing, quite frankly, that the president is not on the ballot. I think that Donald Trump might hurt Cindy Hyde-Smith on the ballot by three or four points... but it just does not affect somebody like Cindy Hyde-Smith at the end of the day," Dent said. Dent views a Trump visit as a bad idea. He also notes he thinks it's a mistake for Democrats to bring in national party leaders in an attempt to bolster their chances. |
| Harris/Colom appearance moved to Columbus High gymnasium | |
| Former Vice President Kamala Harris will appear Thursday evening in Columbus High School gymnasium for a campaign rally for Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Scott Colom. The Colom campaign confirmed the venue Wednesday evening, and the event is open to supporters who signed up to attend. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., with the event set to begin at 6. More than 1,000 RSVP'd to attend, according to the campaign. "There is clearly an overwhelming amount of enthusiasm for Scott and Vice President Harris," said Gerard Henderson, Colom's campaign manager. "We look forward to a great event (Thursday) as we rally voters ahead of election day on November 3." The event will be live streamed, but those who did not RSVP and receive a ticket will not be allowed to enter the gym. The former vice president is scheduled to campaign with Colom Thursday, starting in Clarksdale. |
| MSGOP claims Colom's AI generated video violates Mississippi law | |
| The Mississippi Republican Party is asking the Attorney General to investigate and seek injunctive relief over Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Scott Colom's use of an AI generated video that shows images of a woman generated to look like incumbent U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith exiting what is assumed to be the U.S. Capitol. The video shared by Colom, which he claimed was "based on a true story," shows a slew of press awaiting the woman depicted as Hyde-Smith, shouting questions Colom's campaign has used in their messaging, such as "Why don't you do a town hall?" The woman is then shown running away before getting into a car. At no point does the ad disclose that it was generated using AI. The state Republican Party believes the 19-second video from October 1 violates Miss. Code § 97-13-47. Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Mike Hurst wrote in a letter to Attorney General Lynn Fitch, an elected Republican state official, that the present evidence warrants investigation of each statutory element. |
| SNAP Enrollment Has Tanked Since Republicans' Budget Law | |
| The number of people enrolled for federal food assistance has decreased by 13% since Republicans overhauled the program last July, to what one analysis says is the lowest number since 2009. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program had about 5 million fewer people enrolled in June than when the reconciliation law was signed in July 2025, according to the latest data published by the Department of Agriculture. The law expanded work requirements, tightened eligibility and shifted administrative and some benefit costs to states beginning in fall 2027. Enrollment has dropped faster than many expected, including the Congressional Budget Office, which projected earlier this year that 2 million more people would receive SNAP, commonly known as food stamps, in 2026 than the actual number of enrollees published by the USDA. Republicans say the law's changes were necessary. "Asking more Americans to pursue work, education or community engagement opportunities while ensuring SNAP is sustainable was the right thing to do and long overdue," Sen. John Boozman (R-Arkansas), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said in a statement to The Washington Sun. In September, the Senate Agriculture Committee advanced a farm bill on a party-line vote that would delay the cost shift by a year, while Democrats are still asking for a two-year delay. The bill needs 60 votes to pass the Senate, but without a delay, states will have to start paying part of SNAP benefit costs next fall. |
| Voters want the next Congress to focus on costs and Iran, not on Trump, a new AP-NORC poll shows | |
 | Regardless of the outcome in the coming election, a new AP-NORC poll shows voters from both major political parties want the next Congress to focus on making life more affordable and ending the war in Iran, while fewer are looking for an emphasis on President Donald Trump -- whether it's investigating him or supporting his agenda. The results suggest that voters are ready for Congress to tackle core issues, despite Trump's centrality in the midterm campaign. About 8 in 10 registered voters, including a large majority of Republicans and Democrats, say lowering the cost of living should be one of the highest priorities for the session coming up, the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds. Justin Campbell, a 31-year-old Democrat from Brookhaven, Mississippi, said he wants the government to focus on helping people like him rather than wealthy people. "I'm not a millionaire and probably won't ever be," he said. "I prefer policy that helps me instead of someone I'll never be." |
| Trump turned the government into an investor. Democrats have shopping plans, too. | |
| As President Donald Trump continues buying government stakes in private companies, the rest of Washington is starting to appreciate the power of his new tool. The Trump administration has so far announced 43 equity stakes in firms producing everything from minerals to semiconductors, 36 of which were negotiated without explicit legal authority -- and more are yet to come. The administration may be negotiating even more stakes under the radar, since SEC filings for unrelated deals mention the possibility of warrants. Unwinding the administration's investments would prove legally and politically difficult -- but Democrats likely won't want to, at least not right away. They're already weighing how to use equity stakes for their own ends, signaling that Trump's government intervention in the private sector may be the start of a permanent trend. Thanks to the precedent Trump has set, a future Democratic president could reap multiple benefits from equity stakes in private companies. Among them, as former Biden administration officials suggested: reining in the AI industry, shrinking defense spending, boxing China out of critical sectors, and pressuring gun and oil companies. Even demanding an equity stake as a condition for government assistance -- whether it's a loan, grant, or other federal permit -- is a powerful tool that's now more readily at the White House's disposal, no matter which party controls it. |
| Trump merchandise stores are closing: 'He has peaked' | |
 | When the Trump merchandise store here in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, announced it was closing earlier this year, Wes Alker, a Trump superfan and retired auto mechanic, came by for some nostalgia and the going-out-of-business deals. They included everything from "Trump Won" caps for $9.99 to Trump pool floats for $19.99. Trump stores first emerged during the 2016 campaign. But with the president now in his second and final term, store owners say there isn't as much to fire up the consumer fan base and sales have softened. At least four stores have closed this year. The MAGA Mall, a big online retailer and wholesaler, reports sales of MAGA gear are down 30% compared to a presidential election year when Trump is on the ballot. "He's no longer a viable business model for entrepreneurs because he has peaked," said Alker, who wore a gray T-shirt with a photo of former President Joe Biden and former Vice-President Kamala Harris which read, "Dumb and Dumber." Trump's lame duck status isn't the only drag on demand. When the Bensalem store closed -- it still maintains an online presence – Trump's average approval rating had already fallen from 50 % when he took office to 44 %. Nine months later, when Bill Hays shut down his Trump super store outside of Knoxville, Tennessee, the president's approval rating had fallen five more points. |
| E-bikes now rival motorcycles for speed. State and city laws haven't caught up | |
| Earlier this month, a 50-year-old man riding his personal electric scooter in Washington, D.C., was killed when he collided with a woman on a rideshare scooter. In June, a 12-year-old Massachusetts girl died after her electric scooter slammed into a school bus in a suburb of Boston. And in April, an Atlanta woman riding an electric bike was killed when she hit a curb and was thrown headfirst into a wall. A string of high-profile deaths and injuries involving electric scooters and bikes is spurring states and cities across the country to crack down on them. As technology improves, e-scooters and e-bikes capable of motorcycle-like speeds have become cheaper and more popular. Some models -- and the ability to modify them with aftermarket upgrades -- are blurring the lines between bicycles, scooters and motor vehicles. State and local regulations, many of which were originally written to manage the glut of low-speed rideshare scooters nearly a decade ago, haven't kept pace, some experts say, and they've left city officials scrambling to do more. Most new research -- as well as data from individual hospitals -- shows that injuries and deaths from e-scooters and e-bikes are on the rise, particularly for children. |
| After Ole Miss student deaths, Mississippi lawmakers eye tougher restrictions on kratom | |
| Mississippi lawmakers are considering legislation to ban sales of synthetic kratom products after the deaths of two University of Mississippi students. Rep. Lee Yancey, a Republican from Brandon, is considering legislation to ban synthetic kratom products, while Sen. Nicole Boyd, a Republican from Oxford, wants to give state officials authority to temporarily remove potentially harmful substances from store shelves. Other officials, including Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and State Health Officer Dan Edney, have called for tighter restrictions. The renewed discussions follow the Sept. 21 deaths of Aidan Hamilton, 18, and Robert Strang, 20, in separate incidents in Oxford. Investigators discovered kratom products while examining the students' deaths, and federal authorities have since charged a store clerk and his son with selling illegal kratom. At Ole Miss, officials have been encouraging students to use drug education and wellness services and resources from the university's William Magee Center, said Jacob Batte, a university spokesperson. |
| Ole Miss program uses space medicine to launch students into STEM | |
 | A new University of Mississippi STEM program will introduce students to artificial intelligence and healthcare by exploring one of the biggest challenges in spaceflight: keeping astronauts healthy in space. In a program funded by the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium, Mo Maniruzzaman, Ole Miss chair and professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery, is planning a new research and workshop series for undergraduate and K-12 students in Lafayette County that uses space medicine as a gateway to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. "How do we administer the right medication for astronauts in the future?" Maniruzzaman said. "Leveraging the tools we have like advanced algorithms, AI and robotics is going to be key to answering that question, and that means we need students who are trained on those technologies. |
| Alabama launches first-in-nation tech scholarship with Taiwan | |
 | Taiwan selected Alabama as the first state in the country to launch a new technology scholarship to fund U.S. students studying abroad. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Atlanta partnered with the Alabama Commission on Higher Education to fund scholarships for students interested in studying in Taiwan. "When Alabama students study in Taiwan, they will not only bring knowledge back home," TECO Director General Lin said in a news release. "They will also bring networks, experience, and a deeper understanding of Taiwan. And in the years ahead, these young people may become the engineers, entrepreneurs, researchers, and leaders who shaped the next chapter of Taiwan-Alabama cooperation." The Taiwan-Alabama High-Tech Scholarship Memorandum of Understanding "highlighted the critical role of talent in the future of semiconductors, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, and advanced manufacturing," according to ACHE's news release. |
| College students care about issues but still skip the ballot box | |
| College students say they care about the direction of the country, the cost of living and whether their voices matter, but fewer of them are actually voting. In Alabama, youth turnout has been among the lowest in the country. A new study from the University of Alabama suggests the gap isn't simply because students are "checked out." Hyemin Han, a professor of educational psychology and neuroscience, tracked civic engagement among more than 2,000 UA students from 2019-2024 and found that students' stated interest in politics and civic life has stayed steady. They still post about issues online and wear their opinions on T-shirts at similar rates, but what has not fully recovered is the step from expression to action. Real-world civic participation has rebounded slightly since the pandemic but remains below pre-pandemic levels, the study found. The one exception was political protest, which held steady and has even ticked up. |
| Louisiana Board of Regents announces new index to measure talent retention | |
| The Louisiana Board of Regents previewed a new index designed to measure how effectively Louisiana's postsecondary education system creates opportunities for graduates, the board announced on Wednesday. The Louisiana Opportunity Index was announced during Wednesday's Board meeting on Southern University campus. The index follows the Regents' announcement that the met their goal of awarding 85,000 postsecondary annual credentials. The index will examine five dimensions of postsecondary opportunity across the state, including alignment with workforce demand, return on investment, retention of graduates in Louisiana, participation in work-integrated learning and access to quality career guidance. "With more than $260B in announced economic investments across Louisiana, the demand for skilled talent has never been greater," Board Chair Misti S. Cordell said. |
| Kentucky governor calls on universities, colleges to review sexual assault policies | |
| In a letter to Kentucky colleges and universities, Governor Andy Beshear calls on each institution to review their sexual assault and harassment policies. Beshear asked for the institutions to complete the reviews over the next 90 days. In the letter, Beshear says, at minimum, the reviews need to double-check awareness campaigns, ease of access to resources, reporting steps, victim services and due process, bystander prevention, education on retaliation, and resulting appropriate action. Under state law, the Governor also requested that the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education make sure university board members are educated on the same policies. "Every Kentuckian has the right to feel safe -- and that includes college students on campuses throughout the commonwealth," said Beshear. |
| UGA extends flu vaccination campaign into November, aims for 10,000 shots | |
| The University of Georgia is extending its annual #flUGA vaccination campaign into November as the university works toward its goal of administering 10,000 flu vaccines to students, faculty and staff. According to Steve Rose, assistant director of communications and external relations at the University Health Center (UHC), the campaign has reached about half its vaccination goal through the combined efforts of the College of Pharmacy and UHC. Rose said in an email to The Red & Black that this year's campaign has faced challenges that required the university to adjust some of its scheduled vaccination events. "This year's campaign looks a little different from previous years in that we did not receive our entire allotment of vaccines in early September as we have in years past," Rose said in the email. "Instead, we've gotten smaller shipments spread out over several weeks." Despite these challenges, the university continues to provide flu vaccinations through campus events, walk-in services and its mobile flu vaccination golf cart. |
| U. of Texas president announces new core curriculum college in annual address | |
| Nearly two years into his tenure as University of Texas president, Jim Davis walked onto the Hogg Memorial Auditorium stage with three topics in mind: UT's new academic medical center, research and a core curriculum overhaul. In Wednesday's 20-minute state of the university address, Davis announced the launch of a new "University College," which will be the "guardian" of UT's reformed set of general education requirements all students will have to take as soon as fall 2028. The announcement builds off the recently created Center for Humanities, which is set up to teach the core and employs 14 faculty specializing in the classics or humanities. The University of Texas chapter of the American Association for University Professors sharply criticized the core curriculum college after the speech, calling it "yet another example of a decision of enormous consequence for students' education being made quickly, from the top, and without meaningful faculty governance or student consultation." |
| Minnesota Senate Candidate, in Reversal, Says She Is a Member of Honor Society | |
| A day after Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan's Senate campaign said she wasn't a member of Phi Beta Kappa, her aides said Wednesday that the Democrat had been inducted into the national honor society. In an email, a representative of Phi Beta Kappa said the same. "I can verify that Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, having been inducted in 2002 at the University of Minnesota," Amber Cox, associate secretary and chief operating officer of Phi Beta Kappa, said in a statement provided to The Wall Street Journal. Flanagan's campaign said she remembers being unable to afford the membership fee as a student, but added Wednesday they are sometimes covered by universities or donors. The previous day, Alexandra Fetissoff, a campaign spokeswoman, said in a statement: "The lieutenant governor was nominated for Phi Beta Kappa, but like too many other students, she couldn't afford the application fees to become a part of the honor society." Flanagan faces former National Football League sideline reporter Michele Tafoya in a surprisingly close race where the latest polling shows the Democrat leading by 3 or 4 percentage points. |
| Rule Limiting PSLF Beneficiaries Dead for Now | |
 | After more than a year of regulatory maneuvering and court battles, the Trump administration appears to be backing down from its efforts to limit access to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. A rule finalized in October 2025 would have granted Education Secretary Linda McMahon the power to block certain companies and their employees from participating in PSLF if they conducted what the government considers "illegal" activities, like aiding undocumented immigrants and providing gender-affirming care. But it never took effect after two federal district judges blocked the rule in June. The Trump administration appealed both rulings in circuit courts, but moved Wednesday to dismiss the appeals. The Department of Justice, which represented the Education Department in court, did not explain why. Legal advocacy groups like Student Defense, which represented one of the plaintiffs, called the dismissal a "significant victory for millions of Americans." |
SPORTS
| Why Jackson Prep coach said QB Billy Puckett chose Mississippi State even without an offer | |
| When Doug Goodwin woke up on Oct. 17, he was filled with plenty of excitement. It wasn't just because his Jackson Prep team picked up a win the night before, but also because his former quarterback, Billy Puckett, was about to make his first career start for Mississippi State football vs. LSU. Even though the Bulldogs (4-2, 2-2 SEC) lost 31-0, Goodwin was proud to see Puckett, a former walk-on, get the opportunity. "I thought it was awesome," Goodwin told the Clarion Ledger. "I thought that he did play really well under the circumstances." If Kamario Taylor remains out with injury, Puckett could start again when the Bulldogs host Oklahoma (3-3, 1-2) on Oct. 24 (2:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network). Taylor was listed as questionable on the initial injury report Oct. 21. "The only advice I gave him is go somewhere where you would be happy if you weren't playing football," Goodwin said. "... (He) always wanted to be at Mississippi State. That was his childhood dream, so that's the path he followed." |
| Hubbard expected to be ready for MSU's Friday exhibition vs. Memphis | |
| Mississippi State star point guard Josh Hubbard is dealing with a head injury but is expected to play against Memphis in an exhibition Friday, head coach Chris Jans said. Hubbard missed MSU's Sunday night exhibition against North Carolina State, and Jans said he's missed both of MSU's scrimmage opportunities thus far. He practiced non-contact Monday. "At some point this week, he'll be full go," Jans said. Jans said freshman guard Jalyn Collingwood is also dealing with an injury. He said Collingwood, who was a consensus four-star recruit, sustained an injury six weeks ago, but said he is back to non-contact practice. "Walking in the door, he had a great summer and fall, so it's going to stunt his growth," Jans said. "Thirty practices is roughly what he's going to miss, and that's just a lot of missed opportunities for him. But he's getting back on the court. He's moving." |
| Diamond Dawgs Reveal Full 2027 Schedule | |
| Smoke will soon be billowing from the Left Field Lounge at Dudy Noble Field to mark the start of Mississippi State's 2027 season. The Diamond Dawgs open their new campaign against Stony Brook for a three-game series beginning on Feb. 19, the first of 35 scheduled home games during the regular season. MSU will play its first nine contests in the friendly confines of "The Dude", where the Bulldogs set a new NCAA season attendance record in 2026 averaging 11,686 fans a game. South Alabama (Feb. 23), Jackson State (Feb. 24), Saint Joseph's (Feb. 26-29) and Troy (March 2) are also part of State's nine-game homestand to start the year. The Diamond Dawgs hit the road for the first time for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas from March 5-7 to begin five straight away from Starkville. Brian O'Connor's squad continues that stretch at Southern Miss on March 9 and the Hancock Whitney Classic against West Florida in Biloxi the following day. |
| Women's Golf: Bellendir Wins Individual Title At The Fin | |
| In just her fourth ever collegiate tournament, Alicia Bellendir became the 17th Bulldog in program history to take home an individual championship, as she won the first edition of The Fin at 5-under par at Freestone Lake and Golf Club on Wednesday. A strong second round ultimately pushed Bellendir over the edge. She shot a career-best 6-under 66 on Tuesday, which ended up being the lowest score by any golfer in any round throughout the duration of the event. Bellendir has now collected four finishes inside the top 20 season, with none being any worse than T11. She has shot par or better in six of 11 rounds with Tuesday's round becoming her second in the 60s. As a team, Mississippi State finished the event in third place at 22-over par. The Bulldogs have finished inside the top three in all four events this season. |
| Is more college football realignment on the way? Amid congressional sports bill drama, Miami's president says 'You cannot lock us into a conference' | |
| Inside the University of Miami's presidential conference room, on giant television monitors against the far wall, CNBC's afternoon program projects a dismal day. The latest stock market numbers crawl across the bottom of the screen --- a reminder to Joe Echevarria, the school's president, of his past life as a business executive for the world's largest professional services and accounting firm, Deloitte. "You see that ticker thing?" he points toward the screen. "We used to get pounded by shareholders. Every. Single. Day. Now, we lose a football game and it's bad. But that world prepared me for this one." In a dark, slimly fitted suit, peering through black spectacles and moving with the suave befitting of the U itself, Echevarria (pronounced ehchuh-vah-reeuh) makes no apologies for his present position: The University of Miami refuses to accept the current status quo as a member of the second class in the growing caste system within college athletics. And if anyone questions him, Echevarria has a simple retort: It's just business. |
| Inside looming QB transfer portal frenzy: Tampering, rising prices & $1 million backups | |
| The college football transfer portal does not open for business for more than two months. That hasn't stopped anyone from making plans for the 2027 season. "The parent of a Big Ten quarterback called us today asking if we were interested," an SEC front office staffer told On3 earlier this week. As the calendar flips to the second half of the 2026 college football season, tampering season has begun. The transfer portal --- college football's version of free agency --- does not officially open until January. But in reality, that 10-day January dash is just a formality, as deals and moves are hatched in November and December. Many across the sport expect the quarterback market to be as wild as ever. Several starting quarterbacks are currently in contract negotiations with their current programs for 2027, including Louisville, Nebraska, West Virginia and Wisconsin, sources have told On3. But the number of unknowns at the quarterback position in college football could lead to an unprecedented game of musical chairs in the next 10 weeks. On3 spoke with multiple prominent quarterback agents, who were granted anonymity to speak freely, in recent days, who have said conversations have started in earnest with competing programs about their clients entering the portal. |
| Joel Klatt: SEC-Big Ten scheduling agreement expected once CFP expands to 24 | |
| Like it or not, the College Football Playoff is expected to expand to 24 teams beginning with the 2027 season. Once that happens, Fox college football analyst Joel Klatt expects the SEC and Big Ten to strike a non-conference scheduling agreement, to be announced soon after CFP expansion becomes official. "There are scheduling agreements that are in place once this thing expands officially," Klatt told KTCK-FM 96.7 The Ticket in Dallas on Wednesday. "The next thing that will happen almost immediately is we're going to get scheduling agreements between the SEC and the Big Ten -- top-end matchups, mid-tier matchups, low-end matchups -- and we're going to be expanding the valuable matchups in the non-conference, far surpassing what we have now." Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti pledged his league would commit to a minimum of 10 Power 4 games if conjunction with the field expanding to 24. Though it's expected ESPN will retain control of the Playoff once it expands to 24, Fox has openly pushed for a 24-team CFP as a means to creating better non-conference inventory. |
| College basketball's NIL arms race, from $5M to $25M+: Breaking down roster values, spending tiers for 2026-27 | |
| How much does it cost to build the typical high-major college basketball roster in 2026? The answer is a thick $13.5 million. That's the number CBS Sports can reveal after an exhaustive research project that lasted nearly six weeks and relied on more than 100 sources across college sports. The $13.5 million is the average number across all 79 Power Five programs, plus Gonzaga, which has operated as a high-major outfit for well over a decade. The numbers and details in this story represent the most accurate information to date on how much college basketball teams are paying in order to keep up with an ever-escalating market. Predictably, the 2026 offseason brought another massive hike in spending. A year ago, the average price of a power-conference squad was in the realm of $7 million. But for the fourth straight offseason, the open market spiked yet again, leading to the most unruly portal frenzy yet. Numerous big-man-needy teams entered free agency with $4 million earmarked for a star center. That wasn't enough. Many of the best bigs in free agency earned close to a $5 million payday. Elite guards and wings usually commanded a price that encroached on $4 million. The market was further sent into commotion in the summer when dozens upon dozens of players sued for a fifth year of eligibility after an NCAA rule change in late June exposed them to (still very much ongoing) litigation. |
| Pope Leo's alma mater Villanova traveling to Rome for hoops doubleheader vs. Notre Dame | |
| An hour after Robert Prevost was elected as the first American pope, Villanova's athletic director texted sports travel expert John Anthony with the idea. "It just said, ' Villanova - Notre Dame. Basketball game in Vatican City?'" Anthony said, recounting how he then responded to Eric Roedl a moment later "with all caps, 'YES. I'M SERIOUS. WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS.'" Now, 1 1/2 years later, the idea is about to become reality: the Villanova and Notre Dame men's and women's teams will meet in a doubleheader in Rome -- not quite Vatican City, but close enough -- on Nov. 1 that will mark the start of the college basketball season. The Catholic universities are promoting the games as a celebration of their shared mission and heritage. The event has been dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off and there will be a Vatican component: Villanova alumnus Pope Leo XIV is scheduled -- health permitting -- to hold a private audience Oct. 31 with all four teams and their traveling fans. A total of about 7,000 people are expected in the Paul VI audience hall inside the Vatican. |
| College football mega boosters used to fund buildings. Now they buy QBs. What's the payoff? | |
 | The Mark Cuban Center for Sports Media and Technology at Indiana University bears the name of one of the most famous rich guys on the planet. The former owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and longtime "Shark Tank" panelist, Cuban made a $5 million donation to his alma mater in 2015 to fund the center, a tried-and-true totem of the rich guy trophy case, something that can live on for generations. Then Curt Cignetti sparked a different approach. As Cignetti led the Hoosiers to a then-record 11 wins and the College Football Playoff in 2024, Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson made his own "Shark Tank" pitch, convincing Cuban to give his first donation to Indiana football to help cover the name, image and likeness cost of signing transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza for the 2025 season. It paid off. Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy, Indiana won the national championship and Cuban made another, bigger donation ahead of this season. The Athletic estimates Indiana's 2026 roster budget is between $36 million and $40 million, one of the highest in the sport. "I just want to see IU win," Cuban told The Athletic. The current state of college sports has made that motivation more accessible than ever for Cuban and those of his financial ilk: mega boosters. |
| The untold story of a Texas judge, his fraternity brothers and Colorado's lost playbook | |
| The Honorable Bruce McFarling, a judge in the 362nd District Court of Texas, has spent more than 25 years on the bench reviewing evidence. So, as he sat in a bar in Boulder's Omni Interlocken Hotel before Texas Tech played Colorado recently, he was skeptical of what he was seeing. McFarling, a Red Raider, was a big Mike Leach fan. He knew the legendary tale of the Pirate "losing" a fake play script in his only appearance on the Oklahoma side of the Texas-OU rivalry and fooling the Longhorns. Twenty or so of McFarling's old 1980s fraternity brothers had made a trip to Boulder for an annual get together for a Red Raiders road game. When they gathered in the hotel bar, one said, "Look what I just found," and produced a playbook of sorts for the Colorado football team tailored for the game against Texas Tech. "It was just a stapled packet of 8½ x 11 sheets of paper," McFarling said. "On the front, it says University of Colorado. Imagine that. He had found it right there in the lobby. It was just lying on a table out there. So we were passing it around trying to figure out, all right, is this legit? Is this real?" |
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