| Monday, August 17, 2026 |
| NASA Artemis II mission manager, MSU alum Matthew Ramsey to headline university's Convocation this month | |
 | According to an MSU press release, a two-time Mississippi State University graduate who serves as a NASA mission manager for the historic Artemis program will be the featured keynote speaker for MSU's Fall Convocation. Matthew Ramsey, mission manager for both Artemis II and Artemis IV, will welcome incoming freshmen and transfer students at the annual ceremony marking the start of the academic year. The event is scheduled for Aug. 25 at 6 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum. The Hernando native began his journey at MSU in the early 1990s, pitching for the Diamond Dawgs baseball team while earning his bachelor's degree in 1992 and a master's degree in 1993, both in aerospace engineering. He began his career with NASA in 2002. Ramsey has more than 35 years of technical and management experience in the design, development, testing and evaluation of missile, rocket and spaceflight hardware and software systems. As Artemis II mission manager, he helped lead NASA's first crewed flight test under the Artemis program, which sent four astronauts on a trajectory around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. |
| Sweet Potato Field Day showcases farmer-MSU researcher alliance | |
| According to an press release, Mississippi's leading sweet potato producers and the state's leading sweet potato researchers celebrated the official state vegetable Thursday [Aug. 13] with Mississippi State University's annual Sweet Potato Field Day. The Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and MSU Extension Service event showcased the latest scientific work as part of an ongoing partnership between MSU researchers and farmers to further optimize the commodity, which has seen steady production and consumer demand increases over the past two decades. "Mississippi-grown sweet potatoes are a nutritional powerhouse and dinnertime tradition on tables across our great state and well beyond," said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. "We are very proud to support the farmers growing this high-quality commodity through innovative research, diagnostic resources, industry collaboration and consumer education." |
| Sweet Potato Field Day showcases farmer-MSU researcher alliance | |
 | Mississippi's leading sweet potato producers and the state's leading sweet potato researchers celebrated the official state vegetable Thursday with Mississippi State University's annual Sweet Potato Field Day. The Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and MSU Extension Service event showcased the latest scientific work as part of an ongoing partnership between MSU researchers and farmers to further optimize the commodity, which has seen steady production and consumer demand increases over the past two decades. MSU Extension Sweet Potato Specialist Lorin Harvey, also a university MAFES scientist, said the close connection and working relationship with producers helps facilitate impactful projects that make a difference at the individual farm and statewide commodity levels."Close relationships with producers drive the research -- we have a tight-knit relationship and open-door policy with our stakeholders, and we visit every sweet potato farm in the state at least twice a year," Harvey said. |
| It's no secret Connecticut has a bear problem. Why the state is spending $400K to $500K in grants to count them | |
| As it would for the typical U.S. Census taker, the work of counting bears in the woods starts with a clipboard and a blank piece of paper. Armed with this equipment -- along with bear spray and, perhaps more importantly, tick repellent -- a team of researchers has been fanning out to hundreds of survey stations set up across western Connecticut this summer to collect data on the area's resident population of black bears. Their goal is to conduct the first scientific survey of the state's bear population in over a decade. The project is a collaboration between the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Carnivore and Population Ecology Lab at Mississippi State University, which has conducted similar population surveys of black bears for several other state wildlife agencies. Instead of trying to locate bears in the wild, the survey relies on hair samples collected in barbed wire traps, which can be used to identify individual bears based on their DNA. "It's basically forensics, right," said Dana Morin, the principal investigator at the Mississippi State lab, who holds a Ph.D. in wildlife conservation. |
| How many bears are in Connecticut? To find out, Mississippi researchers lend a hand | |
 | As it would for the typical U.S. Census taker, the work of counting bears in the woods starts with a clipboard and a blank piece of paper. Armed with this equipment -- along with bear spray and, perhaps more importantly, tick repellent -- a team of researchers has been fanning out to hundreds of survey stations set up across western Connecticut this summer to collect data on the area's resident population of black bears. Their goal is to conduct the first scientific survey of the state's bear population in over a decade. The project is a collaboration between the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Carnivore and Population Ecology Lab at Mississippi State University, which has conducted similar population surveys of black bears for several other state wildlife agencies. Instead of trying to locate bears in the wild, the survey relies on hair samples collected in barbed wire traps, which can be used to identify individual bears based on their DNA. Researchers will later come up with a population estimate based on how many different bears they identified and how often those bears showed up in the samples across different geographic areas. "It's basically forensics, right," said Dana Morin, the principal investigator at the Mississippi State lab, who holds a Ph.D. in wildlife conservation. "It's the same idea as identifying somebody from saliva or something like that." |
| National Honey Bee Day highlights vital role of pollinators | |
| Aug. 15 is National Honey Bee Day, a day dedicated to recognizing the important role honeybees play in pollination, agriculture and ecosystems. Honeybees may be small, but their work has a significant impact on the environment and food supply. As bees move from flower to flower collecting nectar and pollen, they transfer pollen between plants, helping many crops produce fruits and seeds. The extreme summer heat can be particularly challenging for honeybee colonies. Denny Evans of Delta Bee Farms said he has noticed more bees gathering outside their hives during the hottest parts of the day. "They will actually, um, what we call bearding. They will gather on the outside of the hive, and it basically is removing some of the bodies from the house so that the body heat will get out and it help bring the temperature down inside," Evans said. Mississippi is home to honeybees as well as numerous native bee species and other pollinators. Those insects depend on flowering plants for nectar and pollen. People can help by making their yards and gardens more pollinator-friendly. Mississippi State University says honeybees are particularly attracted to flowers in shades of white, blue and violet. |
| Oktibbeha supes eye new alcohol sale cut-off | |
 | The board of supervisors are eyeing a new ordinance that would create a cut-off time for alcohol sales in Oktibbeha County's resort areas and "prevent another situation like Cowbells" Sport Grill, Board Attorney Rob Roberson told The Dispatch. The proposed ordinance would limit alcohol sales to between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. in resort areas, the designation needed to sell alcohol in the otherwise dry county. Bars open later put strain on the sheriff's office and increase of DUIs and fights, Roberson said. "Cowbells was a headache," Roberson told The Dispatch. "And we learned from Cowbells we didn't want to create places that stayed open until 3 o'clock. ...We just don't want there to be another cowbell situation going on in the county that creates problems for the sheriff department and all the citizens of our community." The board is revisiting the ordinance now both to dissuade any late-night businesses from opening and since the county finally has a new restaurant, The Ranch on Poor House Road, Roberson told The Dispatch. The Ranch opened earlier this summer and does not stay open past 11 p.m. |
| Amanda Tollison appointed to the Mississippi Supreme Court | |
| Amanda Jones Tollison of Oxford has been appointed to the Mississippi Supreme Court, Northern District 3, Place 2, announced Gov. Tate Reeves Monday morning. This appointment fills a vacancy created by the confirmation of the Honorable James D. Maxwell II to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. Tollison is currently a partner with Butler Snow LLP, where she has practiced since 2012. She has extensive experience in administrative law, governmental and appellate litigation, regulatory compliance matters, and election law. Before joining Butler Snow, Tollison served as legal counsel to Governor Haley Barbour from 2008 to 2012. In this role, she advised Governor Barbour on legal, legislative, and policy matters, including judicial appointments, elections, budget issues, and disaster recovery efforts. Tollison earned her J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law and her B.A. from Mississippi State University. |
| Redistricting hearings across the state are open to the public, with tight security planned | |
| When a panel of state lawmakers convenes in Tupelo on Tuesday to hear from the public on how, or whether, the state should redraw Mississippi's legislative, judicial and congressional districts, the hearings will be open to the public. State and local authorities plan to provide security for the hearings before a joint House and Senate committee on redistricting on what has become an intensely debated topic. Alex Gibert, spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said no threats have been made against any legislator. Still, the Mississippi Highway Patrol will work alongside other divisions within the agency to "ensure the safety of legislators and civilians who are present." Many civil rights leaders, Black lawmakers and voting rights advocates believe the hearings are a pretext for the Legislature moving to dismantle several majority-Black districts and weakening Black political power in the state. Republican leaders believe that when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in the Callais decision on a Louisiana case, it cleared the way for the Legislature to redraw political lines to make it easier for Republicans to get elected. The committee is encouraging the public to participate. |
| Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell running for Mississippi attorney general | |
| Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell is eyeing the attorney general's office. Tindell's team sent out an email Monday morning confirming that the commissioner will officially launch his campaign for the attorney general's office in Gulfport on Thursday afternoon. He is looking to fill a vacancy soon to be left by Attorney General Lynn Fitch, who has announced a bid for governor in the 2027 state election cycle. Tindell will run as a Republican. After his initial announcement in Gulfport Thursday morning, Tindell will hold a kickoff event in Jackson Thursday afternoon, followed by events in Tupelo and Southaven on Friday. Gov. Tate Reeves appointed Tindell to oversee the Mississippi Department of Public Safety in May 2020. Before that, Tindell served in the state Senate from 2012-17, where he represented parts of Harrison County, including Biloxi and Gulfport. He was then appointed to the Mississippi Court of Appeals by former Gov. Phil Bryant before taking over as public safety commissioner. |
| Lawmakers to debate lithium mining in 2027 session | |
 | Mississippi lawmakers are expected to debate taxes and regulations around lithium in the 2027 legislative session, determining whether the state becomes a major producer of the mineral critical to battery production. The Mississippi Development Authority published a report in May arguing Mississippi has the potential to engage in large-scale lithium production, but lawmakers have yet to decide taxes, incentives and environmental regulations for the companies that could develop the industry. The state sits atop the Smackover Formation, a large swath of porous rock that contains mineral-rich solutions known as brines. Companies would pump mineral-rich brine from underground, remove the lithium using a process called direct lithium extraction, or DLE, and then return the remaining brine to the water table. Domestically, lithium could serve as a large source of revenue. Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Bill Cork told the crowd at the 2026 Mississippi Natural Resources Summit that lithium extraction's potential economic benefits for the state should be a key part of the narrative that the project's champions tell. |
| Mississippi faith leaders denounce Ag Commissioner Andy Gipson's comments about Muslims and Sharia law | |
| Mississippi faith leaders on Friday denounced recent comments about Muslims made by state Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, a gubernatorial candidate in next year's elections. "This reckless and dangerous rhetoric by an elected official and a candidate for governor has no place in our public discourse," said Rhoda Yoder of Open Door Mennonite Church, on behalf of Working Together Jackson and Working Together Mississippi, two groups that organized the news conference. The groups invited Gipson to meet with them for "an open and honest dialogue." The recent appointment of attorney Assma Ali as municipal judge by the small Mississippi Delta town of Benoit drew social media backlash from internet trolls and a few Mississippi politicians, and even reportedly some threats, because she is Muslim. Her appointment prompted Republican Gipson, a former longtime state lawmaker, to renew his vows to ban "Sharia law and the influence of Islam" if he's elected governor, even though use of Sharia law in Mississippi courts was already banned by the Legislature in 2015 when Gipson was a member of the state House. Leaders from several faith communities gathered at the International Museum of Muslim Culture in downtown Jackson on Friday in response to a social media post Gipson made about the museum and invited Gipson to meet with them. |
| Iran's Secret Plan to Escalate the War | |
 | After President Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran in mid-June, administration officials fanned out to build support for an agreement they hoped would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and start winding down the war. Iran's hard-line leaders huddled in Tehran and came up with a different plan, according to Iranian and Arab officials. In their view the pact was likely just an attempt by the U.S. and Israel to take pressure off the global economy and buy time for a bigger attack down the road. Instead of putting faith in talks, they took the past two months to prepare for a bigger fight. Their efforts include giving the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps more control of the country's regular army, appointing hardened veterans of the war with Iraq and past internal crackdowns to key posts, expanding domestic counterintelligence operations and ramping up production of missiles and drones. The leadership quickly seized the initiative, attacking ships to tighten Iran's grip on Hormuz and expanding the battlefield to the Red Sea, which Saudi Arabia has used to get around Iran's chokehold on the Persian Gulf. |
| Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it 'gets in the way' of US-Iran talks | |
 | President Donald Trump threatened military action against Oman, an ally of the United States, if its negotiations with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz interfere with U.S. efforts to reach a peace deal with Tehran. "If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the s--- out of them," Trump told Fox News in an Aug. 17 phone interview, according to Trey Yingst, the network's chief foreign correspondent who talked to the president. Outside of talks with the United States, Iran has engaged in negotiations with Oman about reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which borders the two countries and both Iran and the United States have asserted control. But Iranian leaders have said it won't agree to a deal unless the United States meets certain conditions, including compensation for Tehran. Trump has rejected that idea and defended the success of a U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports that has sought to prevent Iranian ships from using the strait to transport oil. Trump said last week he's ready to soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a "territory of the United States." Trump's latest remarks come as a 60-day window for the United States to negotiate with Iran ‒ outlined in a memorandum of understanding in June ‒ expires on Aug. 17. |
| Trump directs Hegseth to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea | |
 | President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon on Sunday to substantially scale back planned joint military exercises with South Korea, saying that South Korea declined to help with denuclearizing Iran. "These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile," Trump wrote on Truth Social, while emphasizing his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The move directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth -- who in May praised South Korean leaders for their commitment to "alliance burden-sharing" in defense of the Korean Peninsula -- to scale back the plans comes just a day before the 11 days of exercises were set to start on Monday, part of an annual practice to deter threats from North Korea. Trump also sought to end the exercises during his first administration, similarly arguing at the time that doing so "will save us a tremendous amount of money." The U.S. and South Korea have held joint military exercises for more than 70 years. |
| Coalition recommends scientist, alumna for W presidency | |
| If a recently formed local coalition of Mississippi University for Women alumni, former city leaders and advocates had its way, Dr. Doris Taylor would be the university's next president. In a letter hand-delivered Friday to the board of Institutions for Higher Learning, the Citizens Coalition for The W and Mississippi School for Mathematics and Sciences recommended Taylor for consideration for the position. "The W requires a president who honors its extraordinary 140-year heritage while commanding the national platform to protect and grow it," the letter reads. "Dr. Doris Taylor is that person – a pioneering scientist, a proven executive, a biotechnology founder, a dedicated trustee and donor, and a daughter of this institution who has spent her career building things that did not exist. We can think of no more powerful statement about the future of Mississippi University for Women than to bring her home to lead it." The letter is signed by Betty Bryan, a MUW alumna and MSMS parent; Jim Davidson Jr., a retired judge; Keith Gaskin, former mayor; Martha Jo Mims, MUW Foundation board member; Maj. Gen. Thomas L. Moore Jr., Birney Imes III, former publisher of The Dispatch; and coalition chair Bruce Hanson. |
| The W announces 2026-27 Community Read | |
| Mississippi University for Women's Community Read committee has announced Percival Everett's Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning novel "James," as the 2026-27 community read selection. "I can't think of a better title to discuss the same year of the 250th anniversary of America's founding," said Hillary Richardson, dean of Library Services at Fant Memorial Library. "This book is about freedom, defining yourself and building a way forward out of harrowing circumstances -- all values that are deeply a part of our American story." The Community Read is a collaboration between campus and community partners to celebrate reading and build bridges through discussing themes that connect students, faculty, staff and community neighbors. This year's collaborators include The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, the City of Columbus and Friendly City Books. "James" is told from the point of view of Jim, the famous character from Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." |
| USM professor lends his voice to new Netflix series about American Revolution | |
 | A Southern Miss history professor can be heard in a new Netflix series about the American Revolution. Andrew Wiest, a distinguished professor of history and founding director of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society, did voiceover work for the five-part series titled, "The American Experiment." He read parts of the Declaration of Independence and also served as the voice of founding fathers Patrick Henry, of Virginia, and Patrick Butler, of South Carolina. "In my other documentary work, I would sit there as a talking head and say stuff extemporaneously, and whatever I said is what I said," Wiest said. "(But) here, I had to give voice to some of the most important things written in American history, so it had to be spot on, the emotion had to be right, the emoting of the words had to be exactly right." |
| Find your sorority sisters in these photos from Southern Miss Bid Day 2026 | |
 | Photos: Sorority members celebrate Bid Day at the University of Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Sunday, August 16, 2026. |
| Jackson State University pursues top research status | |
| Professor Kamal Ali and his team of Jackson State University student researchers spent their summer tending to a crate of oysters, magnets and wires. The team has been developing tiny sensors that attach to oyster shells to collect data on how the creatures respond to changes in their environment. The marine research project is part of the Mississippi Based RESTORE Act Center of Excellence, or MBRACE, and one of 400 research projects at Jackson State. It's also an example of a much larger ambition: JSU leaders want to join the nation's highest tier of research institutions, a designation they believe could help the university attract top faculty and students, compete for larger federal grants and expand its national reputation. In April, Jackson State was among 14 historically Black colleges and universities to launch the Association of HBCU Research Institutions. The coalition aims to help HBCUs to compete for larger grants and expand their campus programs. The coalition will also work with the country's top research universities and receive support from Harvard University. For now, Howard University is the only HBCU in the country with such status. |
| MC Law Dean Emeritus stands with judge targeted by online rumors | |
| The former dean of the Mississippi Christian University School of Law is standing with alum Judge Assma Ali, saying that the controversy surrounding her appointment as municipal judge in Benoit is "ridiculous." On Tuesday, Jim Rosenblatt, dean emeritus at MC Law, posted a photo with Ali on his social media page commending Ali on her appointment. The photo features Rosenblatt's trademark "thumbs up" gesture, which he often makes in photos with former alumni who he recognizes on his page. "If something good happens to them, I like to showcase that," he said. "It was my opportunity to announce to the world [that] she had just been appointed municipal judge and offer my congratulations." Ali was appointed as municipal judge in Benoit earlier this month. After her appointment, rumors spread that Ali's appointment was part of an alleged plan by Muslims nationwide to implement Sharia Law. However, no evidence supports that claim. Rosenblatt has known Ali since her time at MC School of Law, saying that she would often study in the coffee shop near his office. He says his best advice is for Ali to "concentrate on doing a really good job as a municipal judge." "You can't counteract this type of thing in the public realm," he said. "Sometimes, you just have to absorb it, take it and move on." |
| MCC move-in day kicks off fall semester | |
 | Meridian Community College held its move-in day Saturday, welcoming students to their residence halls ahead of the fall semester. College staff, students and volunteers assisted with check-in and helped students move belongings into the dorms. Ellie Williams, interim director of housing and student activities, said the goal of move-in day is to make both local and commuter students feel at home. "Move-in day is to welcome the local students but also those commuter students to make sure that they feel like they're a home away from home here -- so just want to get them in, get them comfy and get them checked in and just get them settled for the new year," Williams said. Williams said staff from financial aid, the business office and advising were available to help students complete any last-minute requirements before they headed to the residence halls. |
| LSU introduces free AI literacy online course that will be open to general public | |
| AI Literacy Essentials is an online course offered through LSU Online's professional development program. The initiative was spearheaded by the Office of Academic Affairs, and it will provide a general introduction into AI and explore how to use it effectively, ethically and professionally. The course is currently available to LSU students, faculty and staff, and it will officially launch for the public on Aug. 26. According to a press release from LSU, the course is intended to help participants navigate how to use AI as it becomes more deeply integrated into daily life. The course is also meant to set participants up for success by building their knowledge about this developing technology and giving them a competitive edge in their careers. "As Louisiana's flagship university, LSU has a responsibility to lead in emerging areas that will shape our state's future," said Joseph Messina, senior vice chancellor and provost at LSU. "In line with President [Wade] Rousse's vision of access and excellence, AI Literacy Essentials provides broad access to foundational AI education and helps prepare students and citizens alike for the opportunities and challenges ahead." |
| University System of Georgia Drives Record $25.1 Billion Economic Impact | University System of Georgia | |
| The University System of Georgia (USG) generated a record $25.1 billion for the state's economy in Fiscal Year 2025 -- an 8.9% increase over last year, according to a new economic impact report. At the same time, a companion study shows a USG degree continues to pay off for students, adding more than $1.4 million to a graduate's lifetime earnings. "A USG degree isn't just a diploma. It's a game-changer for our students and a major win for Georgia's economy," USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue said. "Adding $25 billion to the state and giving our graduates a $1.4 million lifetime boost shows the real power of public higher education. When our students succeed, they put strong skills, a great work ethic and real value right back into Georgia communities." The companion study found that bachelor's graduates from the Class of 2025 will earn, on average, over $1.4 million more than they would without a college degree. The findings confirm how much each level of higher education can add to a USG graduate's total earnings throughout their lives. They offer evidence about how earnings increase substantially with each step up in earned degree. |
| Arrest made in shooting that killed 1, wounded 4 others in Lexington, Kentucky | |
 | An 18-year-old was arrested after five people were shot, one fatally, during summer festivities at a downtown Lexington, Kentucky, park Saturday evening, according to police. Jametrius M. Griffin was arrested based on allegations of murder, assault and tampering with evidence, Lexington police said late Sunday. Details on a possible motive were unavailable. Griffin was being held without bond, according to Fayette County Detention Center inmate records. Among those injured in the Charles Young Park shooting were a 14-year-old and a 4-year-old, along with two adults with non-life-threatening injuries, Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said, according to NBC affiliate WLEX. Mayor Linda Gorton asked the community to pray for the wounded. She added that those affected would be able to access free mental health resources at the Dunbar Community Center on Monday afternoon. |
| Mizzou Researcher Gives Pork Producers An Edge Against Extreme Heat | |
| The University of Missouri is expanding an innovative, research-based mobile app that helps pork producers predict heat stress in pigs before symptoms appear. Backed by a $1.15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Jay Johnson, an associate professor in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, will build on HotHog, a smartphone app that identifies heat-related risks in pigs. Unlike humans, pigs do not sweat, making them especially vulnerable to heat. In livestock production, excessive heat can affect animal welfare, slow growth, reduce reproductive performance and, in severe cases, lead to animal losses. "By the time you start seeing your pigs panting, they've already been impacted," Johnson said. "The goal of the app is to help producers make management decisions before animals reach that point. That not only improves the welfare of their animals but also the economic outlook of the pork production industry, which is huge in Missouri." |
| The DIY M.B.A.: How Four Dropouts Built Companies Without a Degree | |
| College dropouts who became successful entrepreneurs famously include the likes of Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. Now as more Americans rethink the value of college, the idea of bypassing a degree is gaining luster among a new set of founders. Peter Thiel's $250,000 fellowship for dropouts who start ventures is more competitive than ever since its 2011 launch, and Palantir Technologies has started a similar program for high-school graduates. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told a Stanford University audience this year that noncollege paths had only become more viable since he dropped out in 2005. Those who go on to build or lead big companies remain rare: Stanford Graduate School of Business research on more than 4,000 founders of U.S.-based billion-dollar startups found 4.1% were dropouts. Many who've made it say it didn't happen organically. They methodically built the networking support and leadership skills people often start to pick up in college. Here's how four said they did it. |
| The Heated Discourse About Civil Discourse | |
 | Proponents of what's often called civil discourse education are pushing to expand this teaching -- and mandate it -- across entire campuses. Earlier this month, Institute for Citizens and Scholars President Rajiv Vinnakota told state higher ed leaders that he doesn't just want to foster civil discourse, he wants to promote "civic practice" and build "civic muscle." "That means giving every student opportunities to practice three essential skills: having productive conversation, discerning and using credible information, and collaborating to create solutions, even with those with whom you may disagree," Vinnakota said. And he went beyond calling for mere opportunities for this education. "Every student, not those who just opt in, must learn and practice these skills," he told attendees of the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association's Higher Ed Policy Conference in Chicago. He asked for their help, now. "The question is no longer whether a focus on these skills belongs in higher education," he said. "The question is how we make it central to every student's experience, and how quickly we can move in this moment." But some faculty are still questioning this focus, and the motives of those who fund it. |
| 'Graveyard for Grants': NIH Is Holding Up Medical Research Funding | |
| It used to be that once a National Institutes of Health grant award hit "status 19," the money was about to go out the door. That's not the case anymore. The Trump administration has enacted an unprecedented political review process, pushing hundreds of awards into limbo. Status 19 -- an administrative code describing awards with senior leadership sign-off -- is being used as the holding cell. Current and former career staff say this extra review by senior leaders is occurring after grants have undergone peer review, been approved by multiple offices in NIH, and screened for red-flag words around race, gender or other behavioral and social sciences. The extra political reviews are required not only for newly funded grants but also for annual payment installments for previously awarded projects. As a result, some grants are lingering in status 19 for weeks or even months, gumming up the works as grant officers try to get awards out the door ahead of the new fiscal year starting in October. Flagged grants reviewed by NOTUS had to do with maternal health, contraceptive use, aging, dementia and opioid abuse. |
| 'Profoundly cruel': Errors upend student loan forgiveness program | |
| The Biden administration brought thousands of student loan borrowers closer to debt forgiveness. Now the Trump administration is taking some of it back. Borrowers who work in public service jobs like teaching, nursing or are employed at qualifying nonprofits can have the remainder of their student debt forgiven if they stay on top of their payments and meet other criteria. But Trump's Education Department is rolling back some of the credits the Biden administration gave borrowers as the agency cleans its student loan data, according to a person familiar with the plans granted anonymity to speak about private conversations and an email sent between Federal Student Aid staffers viewed by POLITICO. Widespread student debt relief was an issue former President Joe Biden took all the way to the Supreme Court -- and lost. In response, the Education Department redoubled its work to forgive loans through other administrative methods, especially if borrowers had been wronged by schools or loan servicers and had their credit scores hit. |
| Applying the White House's Higher-Ed 'Compact' at State Level | |
| When it was announced last fall, the White House's "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education" -- which ties federal funding to much-needed reforms -- disturbed the right universities in the right ways. Now, as another school year gets underway, it's time to discuss how the compact can be applied at the state level. Activist colleges have lost their way and squandered the trust of many Americans. While critics characterized the entire plan as federal overreach, most of the compact's reforms are sound and desperately needed. The states should now pick up the ball to assure taxpayers and students that higher education will serve its core purposes. We disagree with those who would burn down most of academia tomorrow and salt the earth. Building new models for America's 20 million to 25 million students in post-secondary education takes time and money. But reformers should be bold. ... To help states revitalize American institutions of higher education and restore trust, we have released model state legislation that restores merit, free inquiry, institutional neutrality, financial responsibility, protection from foreign entanglements and renewed academic excellence -- without expanding Washington's role. |
| Drooling time may be limited for state's aerospace industries | |
 | Columnist Bill Crawford writes: Mississippi's burgeoning defense industries must be drooling over the Pentagon's proposed $1.5 trillion budget request. More ships, more missiles, more aircraft, more drones, all mean more lucrative production contracts. As Sid Salter recently wrote, with Sen. Roger Wicker chairing the Senate Armed Services Committee and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith joining the Senate Appropriations Committee's Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Mississippi companies stand to benefit from increased defense spending. Our pantheon of defense industries has surged. The fastest growing sector appears to be in aerospace systems. As MDA now touts, "We produce 3x the national average of rocket engines." |
| Scott Colom seeks to do the near impossible -- defeat an incumbent Mississippi senator | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: Democrat Scott Colom is trying to do what has not been done since 1942 – defeat an incumbent United States senator from Mississippi. Colom, the district attorney for the Columbus area in parts of northeast and east central Mississippi, is considered a longshot to defeat Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith for a number of reasons. First of all, Mississippi is considered a solid Republican state that has not elected a Democratic governor since 1999 and has not elected a Democratic U.S. senator since 1982. And to make matters worse for Colom, former Democrat Ty Pinkins is running as an independent in the November general election and could siphon more votes from him than from Hyde-Smith in a contest where the challenger needs every vote he can get. And finally, Mississippians do not vote incumbent senators out of office. There is no better definition of job security than holding one of Mississippi's two U.S. Senate seats. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi country rocker HARDY to play before Mississippi State-Alabama football game | |
| Mississippi State fans may want to get to Starkville a little early before the Bulldogs take on Alabama this upcoming football season because hit country-rock star HARDY will be in town. STATE 1878, an official Name, Image, and Likeness collective and fan-engagement platform launched for Mississippi State athletics, announced Monday that the Philadelphia native will take the main stage at Humphrey Coliseum on Friday, Oct. 2. The Bulldogs will play the Crimson Tide the next day at 11 a.m. "The event kicks off an exciting weekend in Starkville, happening just one night before the Bulldogs take on Alabama at Davis Wade Stadium. Additionally, HARDY's show provides a unique opportunity for fans to connect directly with MSU student-athletes through NIL engagements," a release from Mississippi State Athletics reads. Roughly two weeks after HARDY's show, Grammy-winning comedian Nate Bargatze will roll into town and perform in the Hump on Oct. 15. |
| Hardy to perform at Humphrey Coliseum | |
 | State 1878 announced country and rock artist Hardy will perform on October 2, 2026, at the Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville. According to Mississippi State Athletics, the event will serve as a kickoff to the matchup between Mississippi State University (MSU) and Alabama at Davis Wade Stadium. The concert will raise funds for student-athletes through NIL engagements. |
| Ethan Pulliam is giving back to community that raised him | |
| Ethan Pulliam has long been a part of the "Jacket family." Mississippi State's punter grew up in Starkville, and was a standout three-sport athlete at Starkville High School. He helped the Yellow Jackets to the 2022 6A state title on the football field, and was one of the best players in the area on the baseball diamond, hitting .466 as a senior. His high school success translated into a record-setting career in the college ranks. The redshirt-junior is MSU's single-season record holder in yards per punt, averaging 46.8 yards, and was recognized as one of the conference's best punters, earning preseason All-SEC third team honors in July. The hometown kid has won championships, and been named as one of the best at his position in one of the country's most prestigious conferences. And at just 21 years old, Pulliam made sure that it wasn't just him enjoying his successes. Pulliam donated $4,000 for school supplies to two Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District elementary schools in July. |
| Football: Bulldogs Complete First Scrimmage | |
| Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby had two main objectives he wanted to see from his team during their first scrimmage on Sunday afternoon. The first thing the third-year head coach wished for was for his team to walk out of Davis Wade Stadium healthy. The next goal was to see balanced competition on each side of the football. When the sun started to disappear beyond the horizon of best small town in the south, the Bulldogs had accomplished both. "There was a ton of back and forth," Lebby said. "Defensively, we started the scrimmage really, really well and found a way to get a couple of three-and-outs. I liked how the offense was able to bounce back and continue to play. They took what was there and tried to go execute the call. That's what I said to the guys right after -- great competition and a ton of back and forth. We've got a ton of work to do. No. 1, we're healthy coming off the field, which is huge. No. 2, the energy, physicality and competitiveness were really good." |
| Taylor, physicality among highlights of State's first scrimmage | |
| Live reps are back at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State had its first scrimmage on Sunday evening. Coach Jeff Lebby felt the Bulldogs started off strong and did things well on both sides of the ball. "Great competition, a ton of back and forth," Lebby said after the scrimmage. "We've got a ton of work to do. Number one, we're healthy coming off the field, which is huge. And number two, the energy, the physicality, and again, the back-and-forth competitiveness was really good." The scrimmage gave State a great opportunity to test its physicality. Lebby liked where it was at, but he also liked that they avoided any injuries. "First things first, we came off the grass healthy, which was huge, but man, we were (physical)," he said. "People were flying around. We'll continue to go watch (the film). We've got to have more and more of it. That's going to be a huge part of who we are." |
| Mississippi State football scrimmage takeaways from coach Jeff Lebby | |
 | Mississippi State football held its first preseason scrimmage on Aug. 16 at Davis Wade Stadium. The scrimmage was closed, but coach Jeff Lebby held a press conference immediately afterward. He said the starters played 47 snaps while the second team played 40 snaps. "No. 1, we're healthy coming off the field, which is huge," Lebby said. "No. 2, the energy, physicality and the back-and-forth competitiveness was really good." Kamario Taylor is entering his first season as Mississippi State's quarterback. Lebby has said that Taylor is typically critical of himself, but that he's overall done well in preseason practices and in the scrimmage. "He did some really good things today," Lebby said. "He's going to want probably two throws back that he had a chance to really make some huge plays, but I thought he made some really good decisions. He took really good care of the football. "I love live situations because they're not live for him, and so it continues to make him play the game from the pocket, which is critical for us and for his development." |
| 'Just getting warmed up': Will Whitson is healthy and hungry | |
| Not many players in college football last year got off to a faster start than Will Whitson. He shot out of a cannon in his first career game as a Bulldog, earning SEC Player of the Week after a four-tackle, 2.5-tackle-for-loss and one sack performance against Southern Miss. He carried that into a strong start against Arizona State, tallying two tackles for loss and an electrifying sack in the first half. Early into his sixth college season, it seemed the journeyman, who had climbed from community college to the SEC, was finally reaching everyone's radar on the national level. Then it all came to a screeching halt. On 4th-and-5, and State up 17-0 on the Sun Devils late in the second quarter, Whitson attempted to pressure Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, and make a play to cement the Bulldogs' first half dominance. He rushed from the edge, clashing with ASU's right tackle. As Leavitt rolled out on the opposite side of the play, Whitson disengaged from the block, landing awkwardly on his right leg in the process. While Leavitt scrambled for the line to gain along the ASU sideline, Whitson lied in solitude, rolling around the grass. He'd torn his ACL. His season was done. ... After a long recovery process, Whitson is back in pads during fall camp, and looking to jump right back into a key role along MSU's defensive line. |
| Soccer: State Claims First Road Win At UAB | |
| Mississippi State improved to 2-0 with a 2-1 win at UAB on Sunday night. The Bulldogs got goals from senior Hailey Johnson and fifth-year Ashley Tutas. "It was our first road win of the year and second game of the week. We showed some tired legs and a little fatigue factored in," head coach Kevin O'Brien said. "We talked about it before the game, that you've got to grind out wins on Sundays -- that's the nature of college soccer -- and the girls did. I'm really, really proud of the way that they dug deep, competed and battled for first and second balls." In the seventh minute, Johnson pounced on a loose ball in the box. She fought through a slide tackle and regained possession near the right-hand goal post. From there, she pinged a ball off the inside of the left post and into the net for the opening goal of the night. The Bulldogs added a second goal off a corner in the 26th minute. Kyli Switalski served the corner to the middle of the six-yard box where Tutas' height allowed her to get above the keeper to head it home. |
| In college sports' NIL era, 'there's no real rules' for agents. And some like it that way | |
 | Standing on the side of a practice field in late April, watching a training session for eight college defensive linemen they represent, Jacob Piasecki and Francesco Tricomi are discussing a topic they relish: people who can't stand them. Piasecki, 29, is the co-founder of A&P Sports Agency, an Austin-based company born five years ago at the dawn of college sports' current era of chaos, and Tricomi, 26, is his director of operations. In just a few years, agencies such as A&P have barged into college sports like profane party crashers. They're lamented by college coaches and general managers and resented by their NFL peers, who say they're accountable to no one. Without a central governing body or players union, NIL agents -- who represent college athletes in financial deals involving revenue sharing and name, image and likeness rights that give the space its catch-all acronym -- operate with little-to-no certification in an unfettered environment. Piasecki has landed on a one-word philosophy to describe the two industries -- college football and athlete representation -- his company helped reshape: discretionary. "There's no real rules," he said. "So everybody is doing things at their own discretion." |
| Jayden Daniels' LSU Number Feud Raises NIL, IP Law Questions | |
| Jayden Daniels sending a cease-and-desist letter to LSU raises the prospect of a legal battle that could attract attention from other former college stars, should they seek leverage with their alma maters. As ESPN reported, Daniels' attorney on Aug. 5 demanded that LSU stop using Daniels' NIL, or else face the possibility of being sued. Daniels played at LSU from 2022-2023 and won the Heisman Trophy in 2023, months before the Washington Commanders selected him with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Daniels is upset that LSU sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett is going to wear the No. 5 jersey, which Daniels wore at LSU from 2022 to 2023. There are two key legal issues in the conflict between the star quarterback and his alma mater: whether he has the right to control who may wear LSU's No. 5 jersey, and whether he could sue LSU for continuing to use his NIL. While Daniels might feel "disrespected" if Pickett (or any other LSU player) wears No. 5, Daniels doesn't have a strong legal argument against LSU assigning the jersey number. The simple truth is Daniels doesn't control a university football team's jersey number -- that was true while he played and remains true years later. |
| The Sixth-Year College Quarterback Who Sued to Stay in School | |
| Last season, the most stunning transformation in college football was Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. In the space of three months, he went from a backup signal-caller to a dual-threat dynamo who led the Rebels to their first ever playoff appearance and ended Georgia's dynasty. But Chambliss's biggest victory didn't come anywhere near a football field---or even during football season. It came when the 23-year-old with five years of college behind him sued the NCAA for the right to stay in school. After a Mississippi judge granted Chambliss an injunction in February, he will now return for his sixth collegiate season as the highest-profile embodiment of the topsy-turvy world of college football in 2026. In any other era, a Heisman candidate with a rocket arm and blazing speed would have made a beeline to the NFL draft. After last season, Chambliss was projected as a second- or third-round pick who could already dream of competing for a professional contract. But in the current landscape, the financially responsible thing for Chambliss to do was, in fact, to remain in college -- if anyone would let him. This season, he is set to earn more than $6 million from NIL deals, far surpassing what he would have earned as a standard NFL rookie. "This is life-changing for young people who have worked really, really hard to get where they are," said Tom Mars, Chambliss's attorney. "And now they have the opportunity to monetize that talent." |
| Tommy John, namesake for a pioneering elbow surgery that saved his career, dead at 83 | |
| Tommy John, who won 288 games during a 26-year big league career and became the first pitcher to successfully return following groundbreaking elbow surgery that later was named after him, has died. He was 83. He died at his home in Bradenton, Florida, on Saturday night, agent Mike Maguire said Sunday. He had been in hospice care. On Aug. 8, the New York Yankees released a social media post in which John wrote that he wanted to say goodbye to everyone, including friends and fans who followed him throughout his career, saying, "I will never forget you." The left-hander was 31 years old when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow in 1974, a death knell for pitchers' careers to that point. John allowed Dr. Frank Jobe, the Dodgers' team physician, to replace the ligament with a tendon from his right forearm. Jobe gave the surgery 100-to-1 odds of being successful. The procedure had been done on others before, although it was usually performed on wrists and hands. John was the first pitcher to have it done on his elbow. More than 2,600 big leaguers and thousands more amateurs have since had UCL reconstructions, better known as Tommy John surgery. It's been a godsend for many of baseball's greatest stars. |
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