| Wednesday, September 9, 2026 |
| MSU Extension dietitian joins diabetes prevention network | |
 | A Mississippi State University Extension Service instructor has joined a statewide network dedicated to helping prevent diabetes and improving the health of Mississippians. Qula Madkin, MSU Extension registered dietitian nutritionist, recently accepted an invitation to join the Diabetes Prevention and Management Network, which focuses on educating people about strategies that can help prevent type 2 diabetes. "I am excited about this opportunity because the network aligns closely with the diabetes prevention, nutrition education and chronic disease work we are doing in Extension," said Madkin, who is also a certified diabetes care and education specialist. "Participating in the network will provide valuable opportunities to connect with other professionals, learn about emerging strategies and resources and identify potential collaborations that could strengthen our programming," she said. |
| IHL conference aims to overcome challenges, foster growth in Mississippi | |
 | Research conducted across the state on the long-term challenges impacting Mississippi will be presented as part of the 11th annual Advancing Mississippi Conference presented by the University Research Center (URC), a division of Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. Planners said the goal of the conference is to uncover productive ways to overcome challenges and foster growth in Mississippi, while creating better economic conditions for all Mississippians. The conference is set for September 25 at 9 a.m. It is being held at the Mississippi Children's Museum. Dr. William M. Rodgers II, vice president of community development research at Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, will be this year's keynote speaker during the conference luncheon. During the luncheon, Rodgers is expected to speak about Mississippi's young adult population, particularly those not enrolled in a higher education program and without employment. The conference is geared toward higher education faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and any researcher who does not have university affiliation. |
| Sen. Daniel Sparks Promises to Investigate Contracts if Elected Mississippi State Auditor | |
| Mississippi Sen. Daniel Sparks, D-Belmont, recalls his first memories of politics as an 8-year-old watching then-President Ronald Reagan speak about missiles and "good versus evil" using charts and graphs on television in the 1980s. "It was, you know, very plain even for an 8- to 10-year-old that watched that in awe," the senator said at a Mississippi State University Stennis Institute press forum at Hal and Mal's in Jackson, Mississippi, on Aug. 31. "But it was also the communication capabilities that he had. Whether you agree with him on policy or not, you knew where he stood, and you enjoyed the fact that he would engage and he would communicate. And a lot of that may have come out of his background. So, he came out of acting, I came out of preaching, but yet we still stand up here and talk quite a bit." Sparks is running for state auditor in the 2027 election, a role he says he is suited for due to his extensive expertise in tax law, economics and accounting. He joins Republican Nick Bain in the auditor's race. The incumbent state auditor, Shad White, is not term-limited but has yet to announce his future plans. |
| Mistrust of US government information is rising across major issues, new poll shows | |
 | Americans are more skeptical of government information than they were a few years ago, with majorities now saying they have little or no trust in federal government information about elections and politics, foreign affairs or the environment, a new poll finds. The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USA Facts shows that while mistrust of government information has grown since 2024, it's also higher than it was at the end of President Donald Trump's first term, underscoring how his recent attempts to dismantle parts of the federal bureaucracy may have affected public confidence in the executive branch, particularly among Democrats. Those suspicions extend to the results of the coming midterm elections. Only 34% of U.S. adults trust government certifications of election results "a great deal" or "quite a bit," which is down slightly from 40% in 2024. Certification is a typically routine process in which local and state officials confirm the vote count, but it's become politicized since Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. Trust in government information has also become more partisan since Trump's first term, the survey found. |
| AU Common Book Committee to host first AUmazing Race | |
| Auburn students will have three hours on Sept. 13 to navigate the university's first-ever AUmazing Race, an event where teams of up to four students face 25 challenges scattered across campus. Applications are open through Sept. 6. The AUmazing Race, hosted by Auburn's Common Book Committee, draws its inspiration from this year's common book, "Ben & Me," by Eric Weiner, a travelogue-like biography following Franklin's life by journeying to the places where he lived and examining his legacy-shaping accomplishments. "The idea of moving from place to place, and how Ben Franklin touched so many different pieces of our world today, really fit this concept," said Common Book Committee chair Jeffrey LaMondia. "This idea of showcasing everything he did by traveling around campus to see them is very reminiscent of 'The Amazing Race.' That's where the idea came from." Some challenges may require careful thinking, while others demand physical effort. All of the challenges are meant to encourage students to work together, but not necessarily in ways they expect. |
| Louisiana's marine research collaboration becomes a political battleground | |
| On paper, a select group of Louisiana university leaders has been tasked with finding ways to maximize one of the state's premier scientific research institutes. Unofficially, they are in the middle of a political tug-of-war over who will control an entity with $500 million in assets and a multi-million-dollar annual budget. The state legislature created the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, better known as LUMCON, in 1979 to specialize in marine and coastal research that prioritizes the state's interests. It currently consists of 10 professors, facilities in Houma and Cocodrie, and a small fleet of research vessels. Every two- and four-year college, public and private, in the state is part of the consortium. An independent board oversaw LUMCON until 1995 when the legislature allowed the schools taking part to handle its governance. That changed in 2016 when the consortium was moved under the Board of Regents, the body that oversees all higher education matters in Louisiana. Sen. Mark Abraham, R-Lake Charles, introduced legislation this year to shift many of the Regents' responsibilities to university system boards and other state agencies. The move was scuttled when it ran into resistance from lawmakers who represent areas without an LSU campus. The battle for LUMCON control resumed at last week's commission meeting, which LSU System President Wade Rousse attended. Unlike other university presidents who appointed designees, Rousse is serving on the panel himself. |
| U. of Tennessee campus feels impact of record enrollment numbers | |
| The University of Tennessee continues to see record enrollment, and students on campus are feeling the impact. UT received more than 74,000 total applications in 2026, bringing Rocky Top's population to over 41,000 Vols -- a record high for the university. As enrollment numbers reach new heights, students on campus are noticing changes in parking, traffic and class registration. For sophomore Bree Price, the impact of student growth falls on her daily commute to campus. Price, who takes the Neyland Express bus route to and from campus, said that she must leave Sorority Village at least 30 minutes early to account for delays and stops. Students living closer to campus say they still face transportation issues even if they do not take the bus. Junior Ella Hendrixson lives in the Fort Sanders area and said while driving should be faster, she has found walking to be quicker most days. "I've noticed that it's honestly been easier and quicker to walk places this year than it has been to drive," Hendrixson said. Course availability has become a large challenge, Hendrixson said, as upper-level students across campus are unable to get into required classes needed to graduate. She said UT waitlisted her for two required courses she was planning to take this fall because of high demand for class seats. |
| Trump is Betting Big on AI-driven Research. Can Human Beings Stay in Control? | |
 | Since the start of President Trump's second term, university-housed research has been defined by funding cuts. The administration has canceled or disrupted more than $3 billion in National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation grants since Trump took office in January 2025, and in July, it released a report indicating a further shift away from university labs. But in that same report, a narrow band of academic scientists saw the promise of a windfall. The administration expressed an enthusiastic focus on research driven by autonomous artificial intelligence -- which completes tasks of varying scale with little to no human intervention -- as a leading force in what the title of the report predicts will be a "New Golden Age" of American science. The report pointed to recent AI-driven advances in mathematics as a particularly striking example of the technology's promise. Researchers have bold plans for AI in science. What if AI could accelerate the effort to cure diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's? What if it could help end food shortages and come up with creative solutions to climate change? What if it could empower researchers who have historically lacked resources? The research community has also become increasingly wary, however, of the risks that AI autonomy could pose in the lab. |
SPORTS
| Conference Schedule Announced For MSU Baseball | |
| The Southeastern Conference released its portion of the 2027 baseball schedule on Tuesday and has Mississippi State opening up its SEC slate inside the friendly confines on Dudy Noble Field. The Diamond Dawgs begin their conference schedule by hosting Missouri on March 19-21. MSU also has home matchups against instate rival Ole Miss (April 2-4), Texas A&M (April 16-18), defending national champion Oklahoma (April 30-May 2) and wraps up the regular season at "The Dude" against Arkansas (May 20-22). The Bulldogs face their first SEC road test at Georgia on March 25-27 in a rematch of the 2026 Athens Super Regional. State also pays visits to Florida (April 2-4), Vanderbilt (April 23-25), Tennessee (May 7-9) and LSU (May 14-16). Mississippi State's series with Georgia and Arkansas will be Thursday through Saturday. The league could shift other series to start on Thursdays depending on the television schedule, which will be announced at a later date. The SEC Tournament is slated for May 25-30 in Hoover, Alabama. |
| Volleyball: Bulldogs Earn Third Consecutive Win After Defeating Demon Deacons | |
| Mississippi State volleyball extended their winning streak to three straight games on Tuesday, as they took down Wake Forest in the annual "Showdown at the Net" ACC/SEC Challenge, 3-1. "I'm super proud of another gritty team win. We are making things happen on our side and executing well right now," head coach Julie Darty Dennis said. "I thought there were some long rallies tonight and that both teams were able to go the distance. In the end, we were able to outlast a really good Wake Forest team, and I'm so proud of our effort and execution." The Bulldogs gained control in the opening set's media timeout, gaining a 15-14 lead off an attacking error. State used a 6-1 to extend their lead to 20-15 and took the first set, 25-18. The momentum for the Maroon and White carried over to set two, as the Dawgs would hit .412 as a team with no errors to run away with a 25-14 victory. The Bulldogs will travel to Tennessee for a pair of matchups with Alcorn State and Memphis. State will take on Alcorn on Friday at 3 p.m., while the Tigers and Dawgs will face off at 3 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN+. |
| Southeastern Conference leaders to discuss expelling LSU, which backs off rostering pro players | |
| Leaders of the Southeastern Conference will meet Thursday to discuss whether to take the extraordinary step of kicking LSU out of the league in the wake of an ugly feud over first-year coach Lane Kiffin's now-abandoned effort to field players who signed contracts with NFL teams as undrafted rookies earlier this year. Hours after word of the meeting became public, an LSU official familiar with the decision said the Tigers had finished filling out the final 105-man roster for this season and that no players who spent time with NFL teams will be on it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because public comment had not been authorized. There was no immediate response from the SEC, which amended the federal lawsuit it filed against LSU last week and asked the judge to bar the school from taking action to block or interfere with the meeting of SEC member university presidents and chancellors. A hearing was possible as early as Wednesday. A declaration that Commissioner Greg Sankey included with the league's legal filing made the planned meeting sound like more than posturing; Sankey noted that school presidents met to discuss LSU last Friday, a day after a marathon court hearing in which he took the stand to insist the league has the right to enforce its own rules. |
| 'A sanity test': Attorney for ex-NFL players once bound for LSU plans legal action against SEC, Greg Sankey | |
 | Tony Clayton thinks Greg Sankey needs "a sanity test." Those were the words Clayton -- the West Baton Rouge district attorney representing former NFL players who tried to return to college and join LSU -- used to describe the Southeastern Conference commissioner just hours after LSU declined to roster Clayton's clients and added two already injured players to its official roster instead, ballooning its roster to the 105-player NCAA limit. The SEC threatened to expel LSU from the conference in an amended federal lawsuit on Tuesday if the school continued to defy the conference's bylaws, which ban players from the NFL, NBA and WNBA from returning to college. Clayton told The Advocate on Tuesday night that he and the players' legal team plan to pursue legal action against Sankey, the SEC and the NCAA -- and not LSU -- after they essentially forced the school to forgo rostering his clients, Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavaian Harris. Clayton believes strongly that the conference has devalued his clients' worth in NIL money. "And what I mean by devalue (is)... they completely destroyed the character of these players, the credibility of these players," Clayton said, "and the SEC has been a colossal failure to college sports by singling out these young athletes, and putting a scarlet letter around the neck of each and every one of them." |
| Sources: CFP to open ESPN negotiation window, 24 teams possible | |
| Leaders of the College Football Playoff on Tuesday agreed to open a 30-day negotiating window with ESPN, signaling their greatest interest yet in a 24-team CFP field that could begin as soon as 2027, sources told ESPN. While those within the room insist this is not a commitment to a 24-team field at this time, the move does indicate that the Big Ten and SEC now agree it's worth a discussion with the event's sole rights holder to see what the value of it would be. It's possible the negotiating window could start as soon as Wednesday, according to a source. Opening the window will help determine whether a 24-team field will generate enough revenue to compensate for the loss of conference championship games and bring in additional revenue. The Power 4 conference championship games have media value of at least $200 million, according to sources, and that doesn't include the tens of millions the games generate in tickets, sponsorships and other game-day revenue. The season would begin on what is now dubbed Week 0 and end on Thanksgiving weekend. Those involved in the Army-Navy game are considering moving what's been dubbed "America's Game" into the following Saturday instead of the league title games. |
| Iowa band member taken off life support, dies after collapsing in heat at Kinnick Stadium | |
 | A third-year University of Iowa band member died Tuesday morning, three days after suffering a heart attack in the stifling heat at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, according to a news release from the university's band and music departments. Derek Phillips, who led the Hawkeye Marching Band's mellophone section, was taken off life support Monday. In a statement on Instagram, Phillips' family wrote, "Despite the extraordinary efforts of the ICU team at the University of Iowa Hospital, the damage to his brain was too severe, and we have made the heartbreaking decision to remove life support." Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz said he was "heartbroken" to learn about Phillips' death. Heat-related issues were prevalent at stadiums around the country Saturday, and particularly in Iowa City, where the temperature reached 92 degrees and the heat index soared to at least 105 degrees with limited cloud cover. For the first time, the Hawkeye Marching Band did not perform at halftime because of excessive heat. |
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