| Wednesday, July 1, 2026 |
| Eye in the Sky: MSU grad student surveys waterfowl with drone technology | |
 | Miles from Biloxi's casino row, there's a place attracting a different kind of tourist: birds migrating down the Mississippi Flyway, placing their bets on the Coast's mild winter climate. Mississippi State wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture master's student Nate McGregor of Ocean Springs is using the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, or NERR, as an outdoor laboratory. Working with Assistant Extension Professor Jonathan Pitchford in the College of Forest Resources, McGregor is conducting uncrewed aerial surveys of migratory waterfowl to establish a baseline population overview of understudied birds, such as redhead ducks and lesser scaup, that overwinter on the Mississippi Coast. McGregor, who also works as a full-time MSU Extension associate at the Coastal Research and Extension Center, said the study is just beginning the work he hopes to pursue on behalf of the NERR-based partnership between MSU and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. Although waterfowl is his greatest passion, McGregor's job at the NERR includes a wider scope of stewardship and land management, including hosting educational, hands-on, wild pig-trapping workshops. |
| New laws enacted on July 1 that Mississippians should know about | |
 | July has arrived, and with it comes a new slate of laws now in effect across Mississippi. While some viewed the 2026 session as busy but underwhelming, lawmakers still saw 372 of 4,006 bills filed became law, according to Mississippi Statewatch. That's compared to 354 of the 3,707 filed bills during the 2025 session, with both years producing a success rate of roughly 9%. After several numbers were tossed around throughout the session, lawmakers landed on a $2,000 annual pay raise for K-12 educators. Community-college and university professors are also getting a $2,000 raise. Another measure gives circuit, chancery, and appellate court judges a $13,000 raise on average. After 2025 changes to the state Public Employees' Retirement System were criticized by first responders, lawmakers passed a bill aimed at remedying those changes. The legislation rolls back a requirement that new state hires work 35 years before qualifying for full retirement benefits, restoring it to 30 years, and also allows retirees to return to work sooner by shortening the required break in service from 90 days to 30 days. The latter is intended to help with recruitment and staffing shortages, specifically in K-12 classrooms and public safety settings. |
| Grilling Burgers on the 4th? Get Ready to Pay Up | |
 | Record-high beef prices will continue to wallop U.S. consumers this summer as drought conditions and the resurgence of an invasive pest are the latest obstacles to increasing cattle herds. "Beef remains the centerpiece of the grill heading into Independence Day, but consumers are facing noticeably higher prices than a year ago," said Brian Earnest, lead economist for animal proteins with agricultural lender CoBank. The average cost for a pound of ground hamburger rose to $6.725 a pound through May, according to the latest data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis -- a 13% increase. Lowering beef prices has become a focus for the Trump White House -- although plans to increase beef imports, or to pay small- and medium-size meatpacking companies to keep up production despite generationally small U.S. beef herds, have been met with resistance. The cost for ground beef and cuts of steak are up 14% from this time last year, Wells Fargo's Agri-Food Institute said in a research note. As a result, the average cost to host a barbecue for 10 people rose by 2.4% this year to $161, or $16 a person, Wells Fargo said. |
| Humane Societies sound alarm as kennels fill up | |
 | More than 70 kittens arrived at Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society last week – a number Executive Director Kim Hays said the shelter hasn't seen in 15 to 20 years. In addition, CLHS is seeing more owners surrender than normal with an average of 30 a month. Although Oktibbeha County Humane Society hasn't seen high surrenders, it has seen a 30% drop in adoptions compared to last year, Executive Director Michele Anderson told The Dispatch. OCHS and CLHS are officially over capacity, with both Hays and Anderson citing local economic struggles as the likely driver for decreased adoption rates and increasing surrenders, respectively. Despite their situations, both Hays and Anderson said the shelters have avoided euthanizing due to capacity. Instead, Anderson said OCHS, alongside local partners including CLHS, carried 120 animals to cities with higher demands for adoptions last week, but the problem still persists. "Because adoption and the other things we're doing to try to mitigate the crisis through transport and other programs aren't enough, sometimes we have to make difficult decisions and it's very heartbreaking," Anderson said. OCHS currently has programs to help people afford to care for their animals during challenging financial times. |
| Toyota supplier APMM adding 28 jobs with $53M investment | |
 | Auto Parts Manufacturing Mississippi, a key supplier for the Toyota Mississippi manufacturing plant in Blue Springs, is investing $53 million to accommodate increased production. With the expansion APMM is adding 28 jobs. APMM is one of the leading parts suppliers in North America for the Corolla. Started by Toyota Auto Body-Japan in 2007, the company began production in 2011 and specializes in metal stamping, injection molding, plastics and robotic welding. The company's investment will be used to purchase, install and renovate production equipment. The Mississippi Development Authority is supporting the project through the Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive, or MFLEX, program. Lee County is assisting with the project. "APMM's $53 million investment marks another huge win for Lee County and Mississippi's automotive industry," said Gov. Tate Raves. "Expansions like this strengthen our position as a top state for automotive manufacturing. Mississippi has an impressive manufacturing track record, and world-class companies know they can count on our state to get the job done." |
| Meridian to host traveling Smithsonian exhibit beginning July 4 | |
 | This year's July 4 holiday marks more than the high point of Meridian's patriotic celebration of America250 events -- it's also the opening date for a six-week exhibition that brings the Smithsonian Institution into the heart of the Deep South. Beginning July 4 and running until August 15, the Soulé Steam Museum (1808 Fourth Street in Meridian) will host "Spark! Places of Innovation," a Smithsonian touring exhibition that explores the enterprising small-town spirit that characterizes America's rural communities. Available to tour during regular museum hours (Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.), the exhibit requires no additional entrance fee beyond the museum's customary admission charge ($10 for adults; $7 for students, and free for children under the age of five). "'Spark!' allows us to reflect on Mississippi history, present, and future, and we are excited to explore what the future may hold for our community," said Katie Molpus, programs officer for the Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC). |
| Neshoba County Fair to stay in June | |
| The Neshoba County Fair will remain on its new June schedule next year, with the 2027 Fair set for June 18-25. When the shift was first announced in May 2025, Fair Board members said they planned to evaluate the move to June after the 2026 Fair before deciding on future dates. However, the 2027 dates were already included in cabin and camper owner packets this year. The Fair was held in June for the first time after being moved from its traditional late-July dates to accommodate earlier school calendars. Reaction among Fairgoers was, to put it lightly, mixed. Some said they preferred the traditional July dates. Others said they were willing to give the new schedule a chance. Despite concerns the earlier dates could affect agricultural exhibits, officials said the change had little impact on the Exhibit Hall, with entries and turnout remaining about the same as in previous years. |
| Emily Leonard departs WTVA, joins Mississippi Live News | |
| Emily Leonard, who has spent 15 years as an anchor for WTVA, has found a new job -- rejoining her husband, Matt Laubhan, at Mississippi Live Weather. Leonard will anchor Mississippi Live News, which for the time being will be under the umbrella of Mississippi Live Weather. Laubhan launched the weather app last year after his departure from WTVA following an award-winning, 14-year career at the station. Because Leonard is a one-person show for the time being, she'll be doing all the writing and producing. Most importantly, she won't be tied to an anchor desk at 5, 6 and 10. Mississippi Live News has partnered with local newspapers, including the Daily Journal, Columbus Commercial Dispatch and the Daily Corinthian. "We plan to bring these headlines to the people, and then if they want to read more about it, they can go to your website and read more," Leonard said. Leonard and Laubhan met at a television station in Texas, and their careers brought them to Tupelo in 2015. |
| Dispersal of Opioid Settlement funds nears | |
| In preparation for the issuance of funds under the Opioid Settlement Act, Mississippi's office of Attorney General has created a template memorandum of understanding. It can be found on the Attorney General Lynn Fitch's website. As part of the nationwide settlement between companies such as Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson and others, $54 billion is being distributed to states to aid in prevention of future opioid dependents while providing recovery options. Of that total, Mississippi is expected to receive roughly $400 million. During the 2026 legislative session, more than $30 million in funding was approved for several projects across the state under HB 1924. Projects receiving the funding this year were vetted by an Opioid Settlement Advisory Council. The MOU ensures that funds are used for programs that treat, prevent, provide oversight of, and minimize opioid use disorders. It mandates quarterly spending and progress reports including data reflecting goal attainment be provided to the Advisory Council and Attorney General's office on a quarterly basis in the months of April, July, October and January. |
| State court office will follow judge orders on youth court access, while legal conundrum around secrecy remains | |
| The state agency that oversees court operations in Mississippi has agreed to continue providing attorneys with case file access while an impending change in state law threatens youth court functions more broadly. The Office of the State Public Defender requested a temporary restraining order last week to curb what it predicted would be catastrophic results from the sunsetting of a crucial law dealing with access to youth court information. The law is set to repeal Wednesday. But there was a disagreement about whether the Administrative Office of the Courts, the agency that the public defenders sued, had the power to prevent the lapse in access. At issue is a state statute that places blanket confidentiality on youth courts across the state. The law that provides exceptions to that secrecy -- which allow judicial officers, the child protection agency, providers and lawyers to communicate information -- is set to repeal Wednesday. Without the exceptions, the laws left in place make it a misdemeanor to share any records involving children with any party. |
| Inside the Egg Price-Fixing Scandal That Spiked American Grocery Bills | |
| On Dec. 19, 2022, executives from America's three biggest egg producers got on a call. The subject: how to keep the price of eggs high. With Christmas a few days away, the chief executive of Arizona-based Hickman's Egg Ranch had an idea for how to push an industry benchmark for eggs higher, according to the Justice Department. If Hickman's and other big egg companies all bid aggressively for eggs on a wholesale market exchange, they could raise a key pricing measure that influences the prices shoppers pay in grocery stores. "As a group we need to bid like they vote in Chicago, early and often," an alleged co-conspirator said, according to a federal court complaint made public this week. The complaint, filed in Iowa federal court, described a yearslong effort by a handful of major egg producers to manipulate a little-known process that helps determine what Americans pay for eggs. From 2022 to 2025, antitrust enforcers said, executives of Cal-Maine Foods , Hickman's and Versova spoke by phone and exchanged messages to coordinate bids and trading. Mississippi-based Cal-Maine is the largest U.S. egg company, supplying more than 15 billion eggs each year. Versova is routinely estimated in the top five, while Hickman's is much smaller. Antitrust enforcers allege the companies' coordination was enough to game the wholesale egg trade. |
| US senators request USDA support for farm-raised catfish | |
 | U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and several of her colleagues endorsed a request made by the U.S. farm-raised catfish industry for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help the industry by purchasing surplus catfish products. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, the senators asked her to approve a request to purchase U.S. farm-raised catfish products through the Agricultural Marketing Service Section 32 Program. Along with Hyde-Smith, U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) also signed the correspondence. "The industry's USDA Section 32 purchase request would provide needed relief by providing essential cash flow to farmers to help alleviate the severe financial strain imposed by inflationary pressures. USDA purchases of catfish would provide immediate relief and enable 2026 fish crops to be harvested and processed, while also supporting rural communities and providing nutritious, American-grown product to families, children, and those in need," the Senators wrote. In the letter, the senators stressed the importance of the U.S. farm-raised catfish producers to their states. |
| House GOP leaders cancel votes, start recess early after member rebellion | |
 | House Republican leaders canceled votes on multiple major bills and sent lawmakers home for a nearly two week recess Tuesday after a handful of GOP members rebelled on the floor and effectively halted progress on the GOP legislative agenda. The hard-liner rebellion Tuesday indefinitely extends a freeze on most floor business that began last week amid conservative frustrations over the stalled SAVE America Act, the Republican-written elections bill which President Donald Trump has called his No. 1 legislative priority. The decision to send members home came after a "rule" setting up further House votes this week failed 224-198, with 14 Republicans voting with Democrats against the measure. Those Republicans included Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who immediately moved to reconsider the vote at a later time. Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters earlier Tuesday Republicans would work for the "next day-and-a-half" to settle the disputes and move on with the scheduled business. But he and other leaders later determined they could not quickly placate the holdouts and decided instead to launch a weeklong July 4 recess early rather than continue to try to move the annual Pentagon bill or the fiscal 2027 spending bill for the State Department and other agencies. |
| Trump will visit newly built Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota's Badlands | |
 | President Donald Trump will visit North Dakota on Wednesday to see the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, a massive facility exploring the 26th president's life, built in the rugged, lonely landscape where the young easterner built his conservation values while ranching and hunting in the 1880s. The 96,000-square-foot library opens over the weekend on July 4, the pinnacle date of celebrations this year honoring the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But Trump is coming early to see the $450 million project, a push of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum from when he was governor of North Dakota, and bringing the official celebrations of the nation's birth to a region synonymous with its westward expansion. All living presidents were invited to the grand opening of the library, which joins more than a dozen such libraries throughout the country examining the lives and legacies of U.S. presidents from Ronald Reagan in California, to Franklin D. Roosevelt in New York to Herbert Hoover in Iowa. The Obama Presidential Center recently opened in Chicago, bringing together four former presidents for the occasion. |
| Trump Discloses More Than $1.1 Billion In Crypto Earnings | |
| President Donald Trump earned more than $1.1 billion from cryptocurrency last year, according to an annual financial disclosure report released Tuesday. The 927-page report shows an unprecedented windfall in income for the president, whose haul last year totals at least $2.2 billion when also factoring in other holdings, The New York Times reports. This includes more than $515 million from his family's World Liberty Financial token sales and $65 million from sales of equity in WLF's holding company. He also garnered $635 million in royalties from the meme coin that launched days before his inauguration. These earnings significantly boosted his net worth, which Forbes estimated in March to be $6.5 billion -- up $1.4 billion from a year prior. As of this spring, before Tuesday's disclosure, Forbes had ranked the president 645th among the world's 3,428 billionaires. The president reported more than $290 million in earnings last year from his golf and club properties, including his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, and millions in licensing for use of his name and personal brand. |
| Supreme Court expanded Trump's power but was unwilling to go as far as he wanted | |
 | Liberal Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson scorched her conservative colleagues in a dissent this term, accusing them of contorting the law in a series of rulings so President Donald Trump "always wins." Months later, Trump ripped some of the same conservative justices, calling them disloyal and an "embarrassment to their families" for striking down his sweeping tariffs. In a term in which the president's policies dominated the docket, some saw a high court overly beholden to Trump's agenda, while others thought the justices tried to thwart it. The high court cemented Trump's authority to bend the executive branch to his will in ways his predecessors did not and to aggressively pursue sharp limits on legal and illegal immigration. But the court stopped short of granting him more power to impose trade barriers, shape the economy and redefine who is American. Legal experts said both his wins and losses reflect a divide in conservative ideology. The ruling on Trump's authority to fire agency heads was among the term's most consequential. The conservative majority cleared the way for Trump, and future presidents, to potentially remove the leaders of more than 20 agencies without cause. |
| Supreme Court strikes down limits on political party spending | |
 | The Supreme Court yet again loosened campaign finance restrictions on Tuesday by striking down limits on how much political parties may spend on candidates. By a 6-to-3 vote along ideological lines, the court ruled the law, which had been enacted in 1974, violates political parties' First Amendment rights. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion. "Whether the Democratic Party, the Republican Party or other parties, all political parties and candidates going forward can compete equally under the same rules regarding coordinated expenditures and can structure their fund-raising, spending and political speech on a level playing field as they see fit within the law," he wrote. At issue in the case was a post-Watergate law that Congress passed to limit the amount of money individuals can give to political parties. The law, the Federal Election Campaign Act, also limited how much money political parties can spend on their candidates. Other types of organizations, like political action committees and Super PACs, have no limits on the amount of money they can raise and spend on elections. But unlike parties, they cannot coordinate with candidates. |
| Watson 'surprised' SCOTUS ruled that states could count late-arriving ballots | |
| Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson did not necessarily love a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing states to count late-arriving ballots after election day, but he appreciated that the decision upheld a principle of federalism. The 5-4 SCOTUS ruling happened Monday and stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee challenging a Mississippi law passed in 2020 allowing absentee ballots postmarked by election day to be counted up to five business days after an election. The law was enacted in Mississippi in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with it serving to safeguard votes cast by mail. Immediately after the ruling, Gov. Tate Reeves tasked the Republican-led state legislature with coming up with a plan to repeal the late-arriving ballot law. Instead of accepting and counting ballots that arrive five business days after an election, Reeves said mail-in ballots should be received by each voter's respective circuit clerk by 5 p.m. on election day for the vote to count. Otherwise, it would be nullified. Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Cheikh Taylor, a state representative from Starkville, promptly blasted the governor's proposal as reckless, arguing that the proposed legislative reform would put votes cast by military members in jeopardy. |
| DeGette, Bennet lose primaries in Colorado amid insurgent wave | |
 | The anti-establishment wave surging through the Democratic Party reached Colorado on Tuesday, when democratic socialist Melat Kiros dislodged 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette, and state Attorney General Phil Weiser thwarted Sen. Michael Bennet's quest to become governor. In the Denver-anchored 1st District, Kiros, a lawyer and doctoral student, was leading DeGette, 51 percent to 42 percent just after midnight Wednesday, when The Associated Press called the race. University of Colorado Regent Wanda James trailed with 7 percent. Kiros' win marks another victory for the progressive group Justice Democrats and the Democratic Socialists of America, which backed two candidates who ousted a pair of House members from New York last week. Colorado was also the latest testing ground for many of the themes roiling Democratic politics this year, including debates over age and the advantages of incumbency, whether the U.S. should curtail or end military support for Israel, and questions of how aggressively the party ought to push back against President Donald Trump's agenda. In the battleground 8th District, state Rep. Manny Rutinel, who campaigned on a populist message and was boosted by spending by the campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, won the Democratic nomination to take on vulnerable Republican freshman Gabe Evans in a contest that could determine which party controls the House. |
| Mississippi approves framework for new Workforce Pell Grant program | |
| Mississippi has approved a policy framework to guide implementation of the new federal Workforce Pell Grant program, allowing eligible students to use Pell Grant funding for approved short-term workforce training programs beginning July 1. Gov. Tate Reeves announced the State Workforce Investment Board approved the framework ahead of the program's implementation date. The federal Workforce Pell Grant program expands Pell Grant eligibility to approved workforce education programs that can be completed in as little as eight weeks. The programs must prepare students for high-skill, high-wage or in-demand careers and be offered by participating Title IV-eligible colleges and universities. AccelerateMS, the state's Office of Workforce Development, has been designated to oversee Mississippi's implementation of the program. The agency will work with the State Workforce Investment Board to review applications from colleges and universities, determine whether programs meet state workforce priorities and submit qualifying programs for federal approval. |
| Outgoing MUW President reflects on her time at the university | |
 | For nearly 25 years, Nora Miller has served in some administrative capacity at Mississippi University for Women. Counting her time in the interim role, the past eight years have been as President of her Alma Mater. Those years haven't been without their challenges. Miller guided the university through all of that, and she likes to point out, some lofty achievements as well: the return of athletics, followed by acceptance into an athletic conference and the NCAA, the renovation of the Demonstration School, now Turner Hall, opening of the new Culinary Arts facility, and the formation of the Women's College. She's going to miss it, but she is confident in her school's future. "This place is so special to me, and, um, yeah... "We've got a good team here. We've got a good strategic plan we've put in place, and good things will continue to happen." |
| USM, Army, Air Force ROTC programs create new pathway for cadets seeking nursing degrees | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi has partnered with the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) to make it easier for cadets to become military nurses. A new memorandum of understanding has created a pathway for qualified Army and Air Force ROTC cadets at USM to get nursing degrees. As part of the agreement, up to five spots in the Bachelor of Science Nursing program will be reserved for Army ROTC cadets each year and another three spots will be saved for Air Force ROTC cadets. "Having the military set aside where they're guaranteed seats in the program where they don't have to compete with the entire pool of applicants, helps to ensure that pathway, for cadets who want to be nurses and serve in the military to get into the program," Charleen McNeill, Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions at USM, said. After graduation, each former cadet will serve as a commissioned nursing officer. "The Army has been clear. They've asked us to grow the medical capability of the Army (and) for us at ROTC, what that means is to produce more nurses," Lt. Col. David P. Allen, professor of Military Science at USM, said. |
| Retired U. of Alabama presidents rarely stop working | |
| Some observers might have been surprised when former University of Alabama president Stuart Bell's name surfaced in connection with other higher education jobs. They shouldn't have been shocked. Including Bell, who was named the University of Florida's interim president on June 22, all of the last five UA presidents have taken new jobs after stepping down from the Capstone. The last UA president to truly retire from the position was Roger Sayers, who led UA from 1988-96. In 2012, Judy Bonner was unanimously elected the 28th president of UA, making her the first woman president in the university's then-181-year history. In 1981, Bonner started her career at UA as an associate professor before serving in several administrative positions, including serving as dean of the College of Human Environmental Services. In 2006, she was named UA's provost and executive vice president. In 2012, she was named interim president after Robert Witt's departure. Bonner served as UA president for nearly three years before stepping down from the role in 2015. She then moved to Mississippi State University in Starkville, where she served as provost from 2016 to 2019 before retiring. |
| North Louisiana law school proposal puts university leader at odds with Landry, lawmakers | |
| State Sen. Alan Seabaugh takes credit for ousting Northwestern State University's president in 2024 and, with the backing of Gov. Jeff Landry, replacing him with former Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jimmy Genovese. Two years later, Genovese says he isn't able to count on either of his two supporters to advance his plans for the school, which include starting the first law school in North Louisiana. In recent interviews, Genovese said his feud with Seabaugh, a Republican whose district includes the Natchitoches campus, is costing Northwestern State much-needed cash from the state. And it was Landry who came up with the idea to open a law school at the university, but the governor has since dropped his support of the plan, he said. Despite no further moves to make the proposal a reality, Genovese has continued to publicly advocate for the law school in speeches and in news interviews, rankling state lawmakers and other stakeholders. |
| State colleges, adult education now off limits for undocumented students in Florida | |
| Florida's state colleges aren't open to people who don't legally reside in the United States under a policy approved Tuesday by the State Board of Education. In a telephone-only board meeting, the panel voted to require all students admitted to the state's 28 colleges to be a U.S. citizen or "lawfully present in the United States." The state colleges, once known as community colleges, must require students to present documentation before enrolling. None of the board members debated, discussed, or publicly questioned the policy. By contrast, dozens of public commenters phoned in to speak against the measure. The policy also bars colleges from admitting students based on race, color, sex, disability, national origin, religion, or marital status. The board's move follows that of the Florida Board of Governors, who last week took the initial step to implement the same policy at state universities. Members are expected to take up the matter at a future meeting. A second policy approved Tuesday requires those enrolling in adult general education programs at those institutions to also be a U.S. citizen "or lawfully present in the United States." Those courses often are designed to help students earn a high school diploma equivalency or learn English. |
| Professor reaches $1.9M settlement after being fired for criticizing Charlie Kirk | |
| The University of Tennessee at Knoxville reached a $1.9 million settlement with a former professor who was fired after she criticized slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Tamar Shirinian, who had been an anthropology professor at the university, sued the university's chancellor, the state university system president and the faculty senate president, claiming that the school violated her constitutional rights by retaliating against her. Her lawsuit said her speech was protected by the First Amendment. The settlement, which was approved Monday night in a meeting of the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees Audit and Compliance Committee, does not restore her faculty position. Some other people have prevailed in similar First Amendment cases. Jacob Gaba, a legal fellow with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said the group is aware of 17 cases brought on First Amendment grounds by people who were fired or penalized in some way for comments about Kirk. Of those, at least seven cases have been settled. But many people have not kept their jobs, he said. |
| U. of Tennessee changes policy for how it disciplines faculty | |
 | The University of Tennessee System is altering its academic freedom and tenure policies to follow a new state law, giving chancellors and provosts more power in disciplining faculty members. Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill this year that requires Tennessee universities to create new guidelines for professor conduct and allows university leaders to discipline professors for misconduct, regardless of existing tenure status, while ensuring due process. The law was passed by the Republican supermajority in reaction to a handful of professors' critical comments on Charlie Kirk after his assassination. The new law removes faculty leaders' role in the discipline process. Universities were charged with adopting policy changes by July 1, and UT made the change just in time at a UT System Board of Trustees meeting held on the UT Southern campus. The most dramatic change is in streamlining discipline and termination decisions. Every role played by the Faculty Senate, Faculty Senate president or any faculty members is struck from the policy, per the new law. At the Knoxville campus, disciplinary decisions fall firmly on Provost John Zomchick following consultation with Chancellor Donde Plowman. |
| U. of Kentucky's budget is growing by $1 billion. Here's where that money is going | |
 | The University of Kentucky's board of trustees approved Tuesday a budget of over $9.6 billion, an increase of almost $1 billion, driven by its hospital system for the 2026-27 school year. The budget includes around $6 billion for UK HealthCare, $3.3 billion for higher education and $219.2 million for athletics. It's UK's third-largest budget increase in a decade, with the highest budget increases in 2023-24 and 2024-25. The largest portion of the budget, 69.6%, pays for designated funds, or mostly healthcare purposes. The second-largest portion, 12.2%, pays for undesignated funds, or mostly higher education purposes. The smallest percentage of the budget, 3.3%, goes toward auxiliary funds, which are self-operating entities such as athletics, dining and housing. These areas of UK generate their own money and don't get funding from tuition or healthcare. Most athletics funds are raised through UK's membership in the Southeastern Conference, and smaller amounts come from television, fundraising and philanthropy, according to Jay Blanton, a spokesperson for the university. The budget comes with more money for employees, but more costs for students. The university expects to enroll 38,383 total students, around 7% more than in fall 2025. |
| White House forms UFO science panel led by polarizing Harvard professor | |
| A polarizing Harvard astronomer known for splashy theories about alien visits has been tapped by the White House to lead a team of outside scientists to study the national security risks posed by UFOs. Avi Loeb, a cosmologist who studied black holes and served as head of Harvard's astronomy department until 2020, was recently appointed to helm a new scientific advisory council tasked with investigating the origins of mysterious orbs and other objects reported by military personnel in recent years. It's part of President Donald Trump's push to declassify more information about the issue. Loeb's team will report to a new White House panel focused on UFOs, now often referred to as unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP. "It's like a detective story," Loeb said in an interview. "It's a lot of fun, as long as you don't pay too much attention to the critics." His theories have won praise in UFO circles but often put him in conflict with academic peers. Other astronomers accuse him of making exotic claims with little evidence. Some chafe at his habit of skipping the peer review process and bringing claims directly to the public. |
| Judges strike down Trump administration's overhaul of student loan forgiveness program | |
| A pair of federal judges struck down a Trump administration overhaul to a public service forgiveness program for student loans, ruling Tuesday in separate cases in favor of advocates who said the program risked becoming a tool for political retribution. U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Massachusetts vacated the U.S. Education Department's changes, saying they overstepped the agency's power and threatened to violate First Amendment protections for free speech. The ruling came in response to a pair of lawsuits filed by more than 20 states along with a coalition of nonprofit groups and cities. In Washington, D.C., District Judge Amir Ali in Washington issued a similar ruling in a case brought by nonprofit organizations. The rulings came a day before the new rules were set to take effect. Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said the department was evaluating next steps. Congress created Public Service Loan Forgiveness in 2007 to encourage college graduates to work in government and nonprofit jobs. |
| Financial Aid Administrators Grapple With Last-Minute Loan Changes | |
 | With just one day remaining before graduate loan caps take effect, financial aid administrators who gathered Tuesday at the annual National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators conference found themselves struggling to understand next steps. Although institutions have been preparing for July 1 for months, a court ruling late last week temporarily halting the Department of Education's definition of "professional programs" -- students in which can take out more federal student loans than other graduate students -- threw a wrench into their plans. Guidance released late Monday further complicated the situation. In a session on graduate student loans at the Gaylord Hotel and Conference Center in Maryland's National Harbor, financial aid administrators said that there was still significant uncertainty about what the guidance meant in practice. The guidance included a revised list of 29 programs that, under the court's ruling, now count as "professional," including nursing, physician assistant, physical therapy and others that ED had been widely criticized for excluding from its previous definition. Several other programs, such as theology, were struck from the list. |
| Trump's Top Higher-Ed Official Touts Some of the 'Biggest Changes in Financial-Aid History' | |
 | After the Education Department pulled out of some of its sessions at an annual conference for financial-aid administrators, the agency's number-two emphasized his commitment to working with colleges on sweeping policy changes that take effect this week. But financial-aid administrators said they still need more guidance detailing how to practically put hundreds of pages of new regulations -- which limit how much students can borrow for graduate school and impose conditions for programs to be eligible for loans, among other things -- into action. Nicholas Kent, the under secretary who serves as the Trump administration's top higher-education official, spoke Tuesday at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators' annual national conference, which more than 2,000 higher-education professionals attended. While the Education Department typically hosts several sessions at the event, it only participated in four this year, according to Inside Higher Ed. Notably, it pulled out of its "Ask a Fed" booth, where administrators can pose specific questions to Education Department officials. Kent -- who walked onstage to the tune of Europe's "The Final Countdown" -- appeared at the conference a day before key provisions from the July 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act officially took effect. |
| Delta journalist Jim Abbott's 'Paper Man' memoir captures his unique, impactful career | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: Retired Mississippi journalist Jim Abbott -- a Greenwood native who served his country honorably in Vietnam -- spent most of his adult life as the publisher and editor of a remarkable community newspaper in Indianola. In retirement, Abbott has written an honest and revealing memoir about his life and work publishing a community newspaper as a white man in a majority-Black city and county in a storied region of Mississippi during the height of the state's struggle over civil rights and voting rights. "Paper Man: Chasing the Truth in the Mississippi Delta" (302 pages, Nautilus Publishing) is an honest, often poignant, yet rather rollicking ride through newspapering in a small town. The chances of a New York Times writer encountering the subject of a news story are rather slim. In towns the size of Indianola, it's almost certain that they run into each other in the grocery store. There were economic boycotts. There was violence. There was mistrust on both sides, and in many cases, there was no decision the young editor could make that pleased either group. Jim Abbott was, for better or worse, the man in the middle. Often, the "middle" held both zealous civil rights advocates and equally zealous members of the White Citizens Council. |
SPORTS
| Bulldogs Represented By 116 Student-Athletes On 2026 Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll | |
| A total of 116 student-athletes who competed for Mississippi State during the 2025-26 academic year earned placement on the 2026 Spring Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll, as announced Tuesday by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. The honor roll recognizes student-athletes competing in baseball, golf, softball, tennis and track and field who have maintained a grade point average of 3.00 or higher while meeting additional academic and participation requirements. This year's list is based on grades from the 2025 Summer, 2025 Fall and 2026 Spring terms. Mississippi State's honorees represent eight different sport programs and span a wide variety of majors, including mechanical engineering, microbiology, psychology, business administration, and architecture. The Bulldogs' 116 honorees contribute to the SEC-wide total of 1,610 student-athletes recognized this spring. |
| 5 years after Mississippi State CWS title, Tanner Allen thriving in Banana Ball | |
 | Tanner Allen attended Banana Ball when it came to Mississippi State's Dudy Noble Field last August, about one year after the former All-American was released from playing in the minor leagues. He never had any intention of playing Banana Ball. So, even when the TV announcers for that game asked him if he'd like to join one day -- a serious inquiry or not -- Allen said there was no chance he'd do it. Two months later, he was invited to a tryout. And now, the star outfielder from Mississippi State's 2021 national championship team is playing Banana Ball for the Loco Beach Coconuts, a decision he said he's thrilled with. Allen makes trick catches with his hat -- typically a straw hat or a Kenny Chesney-like cowboy hat. Allen also leads the Banana Ball league in hits, just like he led the SEC in hits in 2021, with the Bulldogs' five-year anniversary of winning the program's only national championship on June 30. "I'm glad I made the decision to come do it," Allen told the Clarion Ledger. "I'm having the time of my life. I'm playing baseball with some really great guys. And one thing I love about it is in pro ball, it wasn't about the team winning. It was about yourself and you're trying to get the big leagues. But now, I'm back on the team where we're trying to win the league. So, that's been a breath of fresh air. We're all trying to play together and win the game, not just have the individual stats and accolades." |
| Heart O' Dixie to be renamed Fair City Triathlon | |
| The Heart O' Dixie Triathlon will be rebranded as the Fair City Triathlon beginning in 2027, The Refuge of MS announced, which assumed management of the race last fall. "We took over the management of the Heart O' Dixie Triathlon as an annual fundraiser to meet the financial needs of our non-profit organization," said Derek Crenshaw, co-founder of The Refuge of MS. Crenshaw said The Refuge founders and several members of its board of directors are active triathletes and were eager to bring their experience to the race this year. He said that while the name is changing, the race's traditions and course will remain intact. The race will always begin in Louisville at Lake Tiak O' Khata and finish at the Neshoba County Fair. The Refuge of MS is a nonprofit organization that provides specialized care and support for adults with developmental, intellectual, and physical disabilities. |
| Millsaps College announces return to Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2027 | |
| Millsaps College announced their return to the DIII Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). After originally joining the SCAC in 1989, Millsaps departed the conference in 2012 to join the Southern Athletic Association (SAA). The Majors currently have 10 conference titles since 2012 in the SAA and return to the SCAC with 22 conference championships prior to their 2012 departure. "The SCAC has long been an important part of Millsaps athletics history, and we are excited to renew this longstanding relationship beginning in the fall of 2027," said Director of Athletics Justin LeBlanc. "Rejoining the SCAC represents an exciting opportunity for the future of Millsaps College and our athletic department as we continue to provide an outstanding academic and athletic experience for our student-athletes." Millsaps College will join the SCAC in the 2027-28 academic year following approval of the College's application for membership by the SCAC Presidents Council. |
| Embattled QB Brendan Sorsby to become eligible for 2027 NFL draft after opting not to sue the league | |
| Brendan Sorsby is moving on to 2027. The NFL sent a memo to all 32 teams on Tuesday informing them that Sorsby, a quarterback whose college career ended when the NCAA banished him for gambling activity that included wagers on his own team while on the roster at Indiana in 2022 and betting on pro sports, will not seek legal action against the NFL after the league denied his petition to enter the supplemental draft. "I accept 100% responsibility for my actions," Sorsby posted on Instagram on Tuesday evening. "I did not have control of my gambling problem and it took getting caught to realize that, but it was truly the best thing that could have happened to me." The NFL has no plans to discipline Sorsby for any currently known prior misconduct but holds the right to investigate Sorsby. The league can also take Sorsby's college misconduct into account should it find cause to discipline Sorsby in the future. Sorsby's decision to not challenge the NFL in court leaves him with 10 months on his hands to prepare. |
| Private equity in youth sports draws bipartisan scrutiny in Congress | |
| A bipartisan committee on Capitol Hill scrutinized the role of private equity in youth sports on Tuesday, a potential sign that Congress could be inching closer to intervening. The hearing, titled "Field of Fees: Private Equity's Role in the Commercialization of American Youth Sports," comes as Wall Street continues to expand its presence in youth sports. Lawmakers from both political parties expressed alarm at the trend, while appearing to look for solutions to avoid price hikes to youth participation in sports. "In some markets, consolidation is driving up costs for families while limiting access to more affordable, community-based options," said Rep. Kevin Kiley, chair of the House Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education subcommittee. "The consequences are clear: A widening participation gap." Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, a former professional football player, expressed concern that private equity investment in youth sports could lead to a focus on investor return rather than youth opportunity. "Investment is important, but it's when the mission is our kids, not investors," Owens said. "We're seeing too much of this. We're going to lose the soul of our nation if we don't get this right." |
| Supreme Court Upholds State Laws Banning Trans Athletes | |
| The Supreme Court upheld state laws in Idaho and West Virginia banning transgender girls and women from playing on sports teams matching their gender identity, endorsing prohibitions in more than half the states against transgender inclusion. "Title IX allows schools to provide separate women's and men's sports teams defined by biological sex," Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in the majority opinion, released Tuesday, from the six Republican-appointed justices. The three liberals filed opinions concurring in part and dissenting in part, saying the majority reached its conclusions prematurely, without allowing lower courts to decide whether the bans are overbroad because they ban trans women who receive gender-affirming care and have never undergone endogenous male puberty. Kavanaugh wrote that the term "sex" in Title IX and in regulations surrounding it "cannot plausibly be interpreted to refer to anything other than biological sex." The court's ruling likely won't have an immediate impact on most college trans athletes and institutions, as the NCAA has barred trans women students from competing in the sport in alignment with their gender identity. Still, it's a blow for trans students and their advocates, and the decision supports the Trump administration, which has worked to roll back trans students' rights more broadly. |
| Ways and Means in early stages of tackling sports taxation | |
| Republican and Democratic tax writers are interested in changing how collegiate and professional athletics are handled in the tax code -- but they're in the early stages of discussing what those changes might look like. Members of the House Ways and Means Committee during a nearly four-hour hearing Tuesday expressed a desire to come to a consensus on legislation that could address a wide range of sports-related tax issues. They paid special attention to tax incentives for professional teams and the handling of name, image and likeness income for college athletes. However, a bipartisan final product doesn't appear likely soon. "Sports have always evolved. Our tax code should keep up, and it should evolve in a way that supports communities, protects taxpayers, promotes fair competition, and gives young athletes every opportunity to succeed both on and off the field," said Rep. Mike Thompson, top Democrat on the panel's Tax Subcommittee. "This has been an interesting hearing, Mr. Chairman, but what it tells me is we need a lot more," Thompson told Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo. Sports-focused tax policy changes may be a long way off, but lawmakers are more imminently working to advance another package of legislation focused on collegiate athletes. |
| Trump's Friends Gave Him Tickets to World Cup, Super Bowl and Ryder Cup | |
| President Trump received dozens of tickets to otherwise hard-to-attend sporting events such as a World Cup final, the Super Bowl and the Ryder Cup, according to a new federal financial disclosure form released Tuesday. The 2025 gifts came from Trump's well-connected friends and political allies, including Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, along with companies such as Rolex, a U.S. Open sponsor. The head of FIFA, NFL owners and the PGA also forked over tickets. Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend a Super Bowl in person when he flew down to New Orleans last year. His 10 seats to Super Bowl LIX were valued at $50,000 in the filing. Trump got 10 tickets to the FIFA Club World Cup Final valued at $15,000, according to the filing, which listed FIFA President Gianni Infantino as the source. Trump attended the match and presented the championship trophy to Chelsea. FIFA didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump has made a habit of appearing at major sporting events, most recently an NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden in New York. The avid golfer also attended the 2025 Ryder Cup to watch the U.S. team compete with European rivals on New York's Long Island. |
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