| Tuesday, May 26, 2026 |
| University recognizes exemplary staff members during annual MSU Zacharias Awards | |
 | According to an MSU press release, Mississippi State is recognizing a dozen university staff members for their exemplary professionalism and dedication with this year's Donald W. Zacharias Distinguished Staff Awards. A tribute to the university's 15th president, the Zacharias awards were presented May 22 during the annual Staff Appreciation Day, organized by the MSU Staff Council. "This is one of the most dynamic universities anywhere in the nation, and it's great because of the people I'm looking at -- all of you. Y'all run this campus," said MSU President Mark E. Keenum, who presented the awards and congratulated award winners, as well as all nominees. "Thank you for all that you do." |
| Large termite swarms point to growing invasive pest problem in Mississippi | |
 | A swarm of flying termites delayed a high school softball championship game in Hattiesburg earlier this month, drawing attention to an invasive pest experts say is spreading through parts of Mississippi. The insects were Formosan subterranean termite swarmers, the winged reproductive termites that emerge from colonies to mate and start new colonies. They're active in Mississippi from late April through June and often swarm after sunset, especially after rain. Santos Portugal, an urban entomologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the timing was not unusual, but the size was. "It was one of the largest swarming events that many Mississippians have seen in quite a while, and maybe ever," Portugal said. Formosan termites are primarily established in south Mississippi, but they are not limited to the Coast. MSU Extension says the invasive species is considered established in parts of 26 counties in south and central Mississippi. A few northern counties have had isolated collections, though Portugal said it is not known whether those colonies continue to grow. |
| FFA students tackle Mississippi's wild hog problem head on | |
 | Mississippi is just one of several Southern states battling wild hogs, which cause millions in crop damage and spread disease among livestock. According to Mississippi State University Extension, the state's farmers suffer around $66 million a year worth of property damage, just a portion of the $1.5 billion USDA says is lost annually to wild hogs across the country. With populations spreading across all 82 counties in the state, stakeholders needed to get creative about controlling populations. Mississippi's solution? Students. The Mississippi Department of Conservation already deploys the Wild Hog Control Program, where farmers and landowners can report damage and receive access to a smart trapping system to bait and remotely capture hog populations. As an extension of that program, the state made $30,000 grants available to schools with FFA programs, offering funds to create and mobilize a trapping service in their own communities, the WHCP Youth Trapping Corps. |
| Education: SOCSD recognized among nation's top 100 Districts on the Rise | |
 | In May, Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District was recognized as one of the nation's top 100 "Districts on the Rise" by the Education Scorecard, a collaborative research project produced jointly by the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University and the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University. "We are honored to be recognized in this list of the top 100 school districts for improving achievement," said SOCSD Superintendent Tony McGee. "It lets us know we're putting our efforts in the right places, and we're getting results in academic performance. Beyond that, it shows us what we already see every day -- our boys and girls are growing." Deemed a "high performing" school district, SOCSD has earned an overall A-rating from the Mississippi Department of Education for the last two years, and McGee says the academic growth the district has experienced is the result of consistent strategy. "Sustained progress doesn't happen by chance," he said. "It comes from aligning strong instruction, empowered leadership, and intentional supports, so every student has the opportunity to succeed." |
| Weekend shooting leaves one in critical condition | |
| A weekend shooting in Starkville left one person critically injured and another in jail, according to Starkville police. Officers responded to reports of a disturbance at Chandler Park Apartments just before 2:30 p.m. Sunday, where they discovered a man who had sustained a gunshot wound. The victim was originally transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Oktibbeha County but has since been moved to a hospital in Jackson for further treatment. Police arrested Jakavious Goss, 19, of Starkville, at the scene. He has been charged with domestic violence-aggravated assault and is being held at the Oktibbeha County Jail. The shooting remains under investigation. Starkville police are encouraging anyone with information about the case to contact the department at 662-323-4131. |
| Education: Early career programs bolster Airbus' US talent pipeline | |
| Ashley Moody was in the midst of taking mechanical cabling courses when she first heard of a compelling opportunity. At 37, the prospect of securing a lifelong career at Airbus Helicopters through FlightPath 9 Mississippi -- a Flight Works Alabama pre-employment training program -- was a no-brainer. The convenience and pace of the prerequisite training provided by FP9 and East Mississippi Community College to earn an Airbus apprenticeship was unparalleled compared to traditional paths into the aviation industry. "It was a great opportunity to jump into the aviation field and get real-life experience right away instead of being in a classroom for years," Moody said. "It's been great to learn in the moment with my lead teaching me exactly how to do something instead of reading it in a book." Ashley is one of nine in the original FP9 cohort beginning to thrive as apprentices at Airbus Helicopters. The Airbus Registered Apprenticeship program in Columbus, where Airbus helicopters are produced, is in its early stages but is already making an impact toward the company's commitment to building a robust, local workforce to support operations in the U.S. or Airbus Helicopters, the apprenticeship program was born out of two vital needs: providing a bridge to the community and solving a specialized labor shortage. |
| Bacteria from sewage leaks keeps polluting Mississippi Coast beaches. What could fix it? | |
 | A stubborn problem is plaguing Mississippi's beaches: Bacteria from sewage leaks keeps turning up in the waves. The issue, which has long frustrated some locals, drew fresh attention this month when the state issued another round of advisories cautioning visitors against swimming at some beaches just before Memorial Day weekend. But state leaders are pledging to find solutions to the sewage leaks, and researchers are working furiously to investigate the bacteria's reach and consequences. Mississippi's beaches are still open, and the pollution found there also shows up on shorelines around the country when heavy rains wash contaminants from across coastal landscapes to the water. But on the Gulf Coast -- where tourism drives the economy and many locals worship fresh seafood -- the stakes of the issue are significant. "It is gross," said Holley Muraco, a Mississippi State University researcher who is studying water quality. "This is coming from some kind of problem with our urban infrastructure." The source of the beach problems can be challenging to trace. |
| How the Iran War Is Hitting America's Farm Loans | |
 | American farmers are increasingly a source of worry for the nation's banks. The conflict in the Middle East has sent fuel and fertilizer costs surging, the latest challenge for U.S. farmers after President Trump's tariffs last year stifled exports of vital crops. The pressures are showing up in farm loans, with demand for funding rising as farmers look to handle the higher costs. An index gauging repayment rates on farm loans fell in the first quarter from a year ago, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, which surveys lenders in five Midwestern states. That marked the 10th straight quarter of declines. "We're watching our clients very, very closely," said Mike McKay, who leads agriculture-business lending for KeyBank. "There's a lot of dynamics out there that could change tomorrow." Farmers are slashing expenses wherever possible, with some planting fewer seeds or switching to crops that require less fertilizer. Others are cultivating the same crops, but opting to use less fertilizer, raising the likelihood of lower yields. |
| Redistricting threats prompt big donations to Mississippi Democratic Party | |
 | When Gov. Tate Reeves began to publicly weigh redistricting this year, political donors and committees across the country took notice. When the Supreme Court decision came down and triggered the state's special session, some took action. Newly released donation data from the Federal Election Commission points to redistricting as a galvanizing force spurring donations from individuals and groups. The Mississippi Democratic Party's political action committee received $25,000 on April 24 alone, the day that Reeves announced he would be calling the legislature in for a special session on redistricting. The vast majority of this came from the Democratic National Committee and the party's Grassroots Victory Fund, both nationwide committees that distribute money to support state and local politicians. In the week after Reeves' announcement, the state's Democratic political action committee pulled in more than $36,000 in donations. That week alone is more than double what it accrued in all of April 2025. |
| Jackson announces $100 million plan to improve streets, fight blight | |
| The City of Jackson unveiled a multi-phased $100 million infrastructure plan Friday morning to improve its streets and drainage as well as hiring additional road crews. A large portion of the funding is also earmarked to fight blight in the capital city. Lorenzo Anderson, director of Public Works for the City of Jackson, said the city has signed $1.4 million in contracts for new equipment, adding that citizens can expect work to start next month. In December, Mayor John Horhn asked the city council to declare more than 250 properties as public health and safety menaces. Recently, the council approved a $500,000 grass cutting contract to help combat overgrowth. Anderson did say the department workforce is down compared to several years ago. Currently, the department has 145 employees, down significantly from when positions were eliminated after the water crisis developed four years ago. The additional funding could allow the department to hire about 50 new employees, Anderson said. Friday afternoon, Jackson taxpayers were pleased with the announcement, if it comes to fruition, they said. |
| Trump Thinks Bigger on Mideast as Iran Framework Brings Criticism | |
| President Trump expanded the scope of his diplomatic ambition over the holiday weekend, seeking not only an end-of-war agreement with Iran but also a pact to normalize relations between Israel and the broader Middle East. The normalization push could give Trump a way to cast any limited cease-fire and shipping pact as a larger regional success story instead of a climbdown, after defense hawks in his own party warned that a bad deal could tarnish his legacy. Trump also threatened to restart major hostilities. "Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely! It will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all -- Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before -- And nobody wants that!" Trump posted on social media on Monday. Negotiations with Iran have yet to produce a final deal despite White House claims of major progress, while Middle Eastern partners such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar are privately pushing back against Trump's insistence that they join the Abraham Accords and establish diplomatic relations with Israel. Tensions rose on Monday as the U.S. sank two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ships attempting to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by launching surface-to-air missiles at U.S. planes, prompting American attacks on missile launchers near Bandar Abbas, a U.S. official said. |
| Trump's Iran Agreement 'Would Be a Disaster' Says Roger Wicker, a Top Republican U.S. Senator | |
| President Donald Trump said Saturday that a deal with Iran on the war, including opening the Strait of Hormuz, has been "largely negotiated" after calls with Israel and other allies in the region. Rumblings about the details of the proposal drew condemnation from some Republicans earlier on Saturday, including U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi. "The rumored 60-day ceasefire -- with the belief that Iran will ever engage in good faith -- would be a disaster. Everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught," tweeted Wicker, who serves as the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee chairman. On Friday, the Mississippi Republican, who rarely criticizes Trump, described it as "a moment that will define President Trump's legacy." "His instincts have been to finish the job he started in Iran, but he is being ill advised to pursue a deal that would not be worth the paper it is written on," Wicker tweeted. "Our commander-in-chief needs to allow America's skilled armed forces to finish the destruction of Iran's conventional military capabilities and reopen the strait. Further pursuit of an agreement with Iran's Islamist regime risks a perception of weakness. We must finish what we started. It is past time for action." |
| Trump Endorsed Ken Paxton in Texas. But John Cornyn Isn't Going Quietly. | |
| After receiving a coveted Senate endorsement from President Trump last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took an early victory lap. Paxton released an ad touting the endorsement before quickly pivoting to one targeting Democratic nominee James Talarico. He asked his rival in the Republican primary, longtime Sen. John Cornyn, to stop the negative attack ads for the final days of the ugly race. Cornyn responded with a definitive no. "Judgment day is coming for Ken Paxton," Cornyn told reporters in Houston last week. Conventional political wisdom considers Trump's 11th-hour endorsement of Paxton to likely be a final blow in what was already a difficult battle for Cornyn. If true, the longtime senator is going down swinging, in a battle he has said from the beginning was largely motivated by his disgust for Paxton. Tuesday's runoff election will be the latest test of the president's power, as he has used the political muscle of his MAGA base to push out dissenting voices in the Republican Party. |
| Federal court blocks Alabama's midterm gerrymandering plan, a blow for Republicans | |
 | A federal court on Tuesday blocked Alabama Republicans from implementing their preferred House map ahead of this year's midterms, potentially preventing Republicans from picking up an additional seat via gerrymandering. Following the Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act ruling earlier this year, Alabama sought to revert to a 2023 map -- with only one Democratic-leaning district -- that had previously been blocked in court. But a three-judge panel Tuesday prevented the state from using that map, mandating that Alabama use a map that has two majority Black, blue-leaning seats. "Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination," the panel wrote in their decision. Republicans are likely to appeal the decision, sending it back to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court earlier this month allowed Alabama to proceed with redistricting, kicking the process back down to the lower court. |
| Trump administration proposes NDAs for all federal workers | |
 | The Trump administration is planning a government-wide nondisclosure agreement that bars federal workers from sharing a wide array of "confidential government information," according to a draft notice posted to the Federal Register on Tuesday by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The draft notice, which will be published Wednesday and be open for a 30-day public comment period, uses an expansive definition of privileged information, beyond typical classified and unclassified designations. The draft blocks employees from sharing "non-public, confidential, or proprietary information" or "any sensitive, pre-decisional or deliberative material that is not currently publicly available and should not be disclosed under applicable law." Agencies can decide whether to adopt the NDA, according to the draft. There are legal limitations to the use of NDAs in government. Under a federal law that protects whistleblowers, these agreements cannot limit a civil servant's ability to expose waste, fraud and abuse. |
| US Law Enforcement Warns of 'Anti-Tech Extremism' as AI Hatred Grows | |
 | In the wake of attacks on CEOs, a nationwide protest movement targeting data centers, and increasing concerns about AI job replacement, federal intelligence agencies and domestic law enforcement are circulating reports with a new domestic target in mind: anti-technology extremists. More than 1,000 pages of unpublished reports from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and fusion centers obtained by WIRED show a national shift taking place to surveil this new and worryingly broad category of people and activities deemed an emerging threat. This new effort follows President Donald Trump's National Security Presidential Memo 7, which instructs the Department of Justice to target anyone holding "anti-American," "anti-Christian," and "anti-capitalism" beliefs. Earlier this month, Trump's counterterrorism czar, Sebastian Gorka, released a public counterterrorism strategy claiming that left-wing extremists are one of the three top counterterrorism priorities facing the United States. Taken together, these Trump administration directives have commandeered the domestic surveillance apparatus to surveil and criminalize speech and assembly that challenges the ideology of the White House. A new focus on anti-technology extremism adds an unreported category to already public designations under a presidency that has heavily invested political and material capital in AI and data center proliferation. |
| Pope Leo's 'Magnifica humanitas': AI must serve humanity not concentrate power | |
| "Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together." The opening words of Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, summarize its underlying reasons and purpose. Published on Monday, May 25, the Pope signed the encyclical on May 15, the 135th anniversary of the promulgation of Pope Leo XIII's Rerum novarum. Pope Leo XIV has taken up the legacy of his predecessor, writing a social encyclical which addresses one of the principal challenges of the contemporary age: artificial intelligence. Divided into five chapters, Magnifica humanitas has an underlying premise: technology is not "a force antagonistic to humanity" (4), nor is it "inherently evil" (9). However, "technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate, and use it. Therefore, Pope Leo XIV appeals for people to build "for the common good" and to "remain human," following a courageous mentality of shared responsibility and communion, so that the world "will come to recognize the human heart as the place where God desires to dwell" (16). |
| New law creates grant program that covers some college costs | |
| Mississippi residents who want to earn an associate degree or professional credential at one of the state's community colleges could get some financial help through a new program. In April, Gov. Tate Reeves signed into law House Bill 562, which establishes the UPSKILL (Upgrading Priority Skills for Key Industry Learning and Labor) Mississippi Grant program. The program, which would start as a pilot, will provide last-dollar scholarships to eligible adults who are 24 or older and seeking job training to earn a living wage. The state Financial Aid Office will oversee the grants, which will cover the remaining balance after a student's other financial aid and scholarships are applied. To participate in the program, students must be Mississippi residents for at least two years. UPSKILL would also provide eligible students with a $500 annual stipend for books and other materials. Additional details of the program's costs and funding source are still being ironed out, said Courtney Taylor, executive director of AccelerateMS, the state's workforce agency. The aim is to launch in January. |
| Education: Horton balances athletics, research and future in medicine | |
| Emma Horton has seen what happens when health care feels out of reach. Working at a medical clinic in Starkville while completing her degree at Mississippi University for Women, Horton frequently meets patients who have avoided doctor visits for years. "Some people come in and haven't seen a doctor in 10 years," Horton said. "When someone finally listens to them, they're incredibly appreciative. Those experiences helped shape the Caledonia native's future. "Being able to educate people in my community and help them is what draws me to medicine," Horton said. A career in medicine was not part of Horton's original plan. Neither was attending The W. She once envisioned a future in law school after family members encouraged her because of her debating skills. But growing up around health care through her mother, a nurse and alumna of The W, slowly redirected her ambitions. "The more I was around it, the more I realized medicine was what I loved," Horton said. "I love the body." Beyond the classroom, Horton learned communication, patience and hard work while meeting the demands of being a student-athlete on The W tennis team. Balancing travel, classes, assignments and exams taught her to slow down and focus on what was directly ahead. |
| America's schools face a backlash on digital devices as screens saturate classrooms | |
 | Just a few years ago, America's public schools were rushing to get every child a laptop. Los Angeles middle school teacher Anna Soffer remembers it well: "The idea was that technology is the future, so we need to put tech in every child's hands." Now, the conversation has flipped. After pouring billions of dollars into laptops, tablets and learning apps, many schools are facing a digital reckoning. Classrooms have become saturated with screens, and a growing number of parents, teachers and school districts are saying it is time to scale back. "The Chromebook is just a world of distraction," says Soffer, who teaches 6th grade English and history. She favors pen-and-paper assignments but is required to use laptops and online apps for certain activities. "Every day, I'm battling, 'Who would you rather listen to, Ms. Soffer or Minecraft?'" The Los Angeles Unified School District, where Soffer teaches, recently became the first major school district to say it will stop giving devices to its youngest students. It is part of a new screen-time policy taking effect in the fall across the country's second-largest school system. |
| Is moon dust the key to survival in space? LSU researchers are exploring the possibilities | |
 | A key problem for NASA to solve in maintaining a presence on the moon, or even Mars, is providing the resources necessary for long-term survival. The more scientists pack on a spacecraft, the heavier it is and the more fuel it uses. Resupply missions are costly. But LSU researchers are exploring how to extract materials from the moon itself. Mechanical engineering Ph.D. student Emma McCarthy is investigating the possibilities of lunar regolith, the dust and debris that make up the lunar surface. "Getting materials from Earth and resupply from Earth is very expensive," McCarthy said. "Energy costs are very high for that, so we want to try to use as much as we can from the moon already." Overseen by Christopher Marvel, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, McCarthy experiments with using a chemical reaction involving lithium hydride to isolate valuable elements found in moon dust -- like aluminum, iron and silicon -- from oxygen. |
| Georgia climate expert Pam Knox announces retirement from UGA | |
 | One of Georgia's most qualified climate change and weather experts is soon to step down after 25 years of working in the state. Pam Knox, an agricultural climatologist with the Extension Office at the University of Georgia since 2001, is preparing to retire later this month. Over the years, Knox has provided outreach and education on climate and its effects on crops and livestock throughout the Southeast. Her insights have helped shape agricultural and environmental policy. Q: What will you miss most? A: "The daily interactions with extension agents. When the phone rings, I never know what the question will be. Often it's something interesting -- sometimes something I've never thought about before. I can always talk about the weather, but learning about how climate and agriculture interact is something I never get tired of. I'll miss those daily conversations with agents and farmers." |
| What's that U. of Tennessee construction near the Student Union? | |
 | With students away for the summer, a construction project to build a modern plaza is happening alongside one of the busiest buildings on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus. The open area in front of the eastern side of the Student Union is under construction at UT to create a new student plaza, while the lawn area further west along Cumberland Avenue is getting ready to welcome a new campus landmark. UT expects the east plaza project to be finished Aug. 15, two days before classes begin, at a cost of $3.5 million. Renderings show a multi-level patio, lawn and garden with chairs and umbrellas to help students relax near the Student Union entrance before they descend down a multi-tiered lawn and plaza to more areas designed for socializing. UT has carved out space in the plans for food trucks to set up and cater to students' cravings. It's one of multiple construction projects happening on campus, including the Charles and Julie Wharton Chemistry Building, the Randy Boyd Hall business school building and the Torchbearer Hall dorm. |
| See the most popular degrees at UT Austin -- and which ones are dwindling | |
| In fall 2024, the last full year enrollment data was available, all five of the most popular majors were in the fields of science, technology, engineering, math or business, with biology topping the list at over 3,000 students. Total undergraduate enrollment at UT Austin was just over 40,000. Many degrees in the humanities -- which include philosophy, history, languages, literature and the arts -- appear to be losing popularity among new cohorts at the University of Texas. These trends are not unique to UT Austin: college students across the country have been abandoning humanities majors for STEM and business degrees. According to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the number of bachelor's degrees awarded in the humanities fell by about 20% from 2012 to 2021. Several languages, including Russian, German and French, had fewer than five students in the fall 2024 semester.The rhetoric and composition program, which had nearly 700 students a decade ago, also enrolled fewer than five students for the most recent semester. A handful of humanities programs, like classics and music, saw an increase in enrollment. Digital arts saw the most consistent growth, adding more than 300 students over the last decade. |
| UT System, community colleges complying with Texas' DEI ban, auditors find | |
| Texas' second audit of public colleges' compliance with the state's diversity, equity and inclusion ban found no violations at the University of Texas System and 15 community colleges, even as conservative activists continue to accuse some of keeping DEI-related work alive under new names. The State Auditor's Office report cleared UT System schools and the community colleges on one narrow question: whether they spent state money in violation of Senate Bill 17, the 2023 Texas law that forced public colleges to close DEI offices, end required DEI trainings and stop using diversity statements in hiring. The report does not detail about what auditors found at each campus, what issues they raised privately with university leaders or how schools draw the line between banned DEI work and classroom teaching the law still protects. Randa Safady, UT System's vice chancellor for external relations, said the private communications mentioned in the report were not necessarily findings. She said such language often means auditors asked about "process or clarification, not a substantive issue." |
| Curators approve 4% tuition increase for undergraduates, 3% for graduate students | |
 | The University of Missouri System Board of Curators unanimously approved a 4% tuition increase for undergraduate students and a 3% tuition increase for graduate students beginning this fall. The motion was approved during a special meeting Thursday after a presentation from Ryan Rapp, executive vice president of finance and operations. Last year, the four UM System campuses saw a 5% increase for the 2025-2026 school year. The recent increase is within the range of the 2% to 4.5% jumps seen at surrounding SEC public institutions, according to information presented at the meeting. "We believe what we're recommending is reasonable," Rapp said before the vote. It reflects the quality and outcome of the student experience, he said. He also said the majority of students at UM System campuses receive some kind of financial aid. "You can get hung up on what the sticker price tuition is," he said, adding that 92% of the students get aid. Sustaining tuition growth at or above inflation is "critical to maintaining the university's financial flexibility and supporting its academic mission," the curators were told. |
| What Colleges Are Missing in the Job-Market Panic | |
 | Adip into Reddit's main forum for discussing college majors surfaces a chorus of AI anxiety. Young adults ask strangers on the internet what to study, what to avoid, which fields are safe, and which are cannibalized already. The moderators of the page, r/CollegeMajors, recently had to institute a new rule: No doomslop. Posts "consisting of melodramatic groveling" will be removed, they wrote. The freak-out is understandable. These students are getting mixed messages about the labor market they will soon enter. Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, predicted in May 2025 that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within five years and increase unemployment to 10 to 20 percent, while the White House National Economic Council director, Kevin Hassett, told CNBC this month that there is "no sign in the data" that AI is costing anyone their job -- even as Meta, Microsoft, Block, and Coinbase announced AI-related layoffs or buyouts. Young people and their families shelling out for college in a deeply uncertain environment want the clearest possible path forward. But the students flooding r/CollegeMajors are asking the wrong question, labor-market researchers told The Chronicle. |
| New College Grads Confront a Tight Job Market but Still Have an Edge | |
| It is a tough job market for young college graduates. For young people without a bachelor's degree, it is even tougher. The college class of 2026 is entering one of the most nerve-racking job markets in recent memory. Employers have sharply reduced hiring---awful news for those trying to land their first job. Worries that artificial intelligence will be able to perform many of the skills graduates spent years honing are running high. Commencement speakers lauding the technology are drawing jeers. A widely followed quarterly report from the New York Fed, based on the detailed data that underlies the Labor Department's monthly jobs report, shows that as of March, the unemployment rate for people with bachelor's degrees, and between the ages of 22 and 27, was a seasonally adjusted 5.6%. That was a big step up from the 3.6% registered in December 2019, before the Covid pandemic. But unemployment rates are a narrow measure, and using them to draw comparisons between different groups of workers can be problematic, said Brad Hershbein, senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. His analysis of the same government data suggests that, if anything, the employment outlook for less-educated young people has weakened more than it has for college graduates. "Young people with college degrees are more likely to be employed, they are more likely to be earning money," said Hershbein. |
| Rahm Emanuel, a Possible 2028 Contender, Calls for Higher Education Reforms | |
 | Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor who is considering a Democratic campaign for president, will outline on Tuesday his plan to make higher education more affordable and accessible, part of what he calls a "grand bargain" between universities, the federal government and American families. Mr. Emanuel's proposal, which he is scheduled to unveil during an event at Dartmouth College, would reward universities that provide a clear path to earn a four-year degree in three years, offer free tuition to students from households earning less than $200,000 per year and cap tuition increases for everyone else at the rate of inflation. Mr. Emanuel's event in Hanover, N.H., was timed to the release of a short campaign-style video highlighting his views on education. In January, he visited Hattiesburg, Miss., where he highlighted the state's dramatic improvement in test scores in K-12 schools. In February, in Howell, Mich., he promoted a plan to give military veterans a $10,000 tax-free bonus if they took steps to become a carpenter, electrician or enter another building trade. |
SPORTS
| Baseball: Field Set For Starkville Regional | |
| Mississippi State will make its 42nd NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend when it welcomes three other programs to Dudy Noble Field for the Starkville Regional. The Diamond Dawgs will be the top seed in the Starkville Regional followed by No. 2 seed Cincinnati, No. 3 seed Louisiana and No. 4 seed Lipscomb. MSU opens the regional with Lipscomb on Friday at 1 p.m. and streaming on ESPN+ while Cincinnati takes on Louisiana later that day at 6 p.m. also on ESPN+. Saturday's loser's bracket game is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the winner's bracket game follows at 8 p.m. Game 5 on Sunday will start at 2 p.m. and Game 6 at 7 p.m. Game time for Monday's 'if necessary' game has yet to be determined. "I'm thrilled for our players and our fans that there will be postseason baseball back at Dudy Noble Field," said MSU head coach Brian O'Connor. "I've experienced how special this place is from both dugouts and know that this weekend will be an unbelievable experience for all involved. It will be a challenging regional with three talented teams coming to town and we look forward to the opportunity ahead of us." |
| 'A special moment' Bryce Chance will get to play postseason baseball at Dudy Noble Field | |
| 2021 was only five years ago, but it felt like an eternity for Mississippi State fans as it had been that long since Dudy Noble Field hosted a regional. Well, that streak has been snapped as State will host a regional this weekend, and no Bulldog was happier than senior outfielder Bryce Chance. "It is an awesome feeling, and it is a great opportunity," Chance said of getting to host. "It means everything to have earned this opportunity. I know for myself it means everything, and I know it is like that for the other guys as well." Chance arrived at Mississippi State in 2022 for his first year, so he arrived on campus following State being a national seed and winning a national title. Still, he did not get to experience a lot of winning after two straight losing seasons. He made his first postseason experience in 2024 and helped his squad get back there last year. Chance has missed the postseason twice in his maroon and white days, played in two regionals throughout his career, but the third one will be his last one, and it is certainly the sweetest. Chance has navigated a regional twice in his career, and fans and media members alike can discuss how the pitching staff should line up and things of that nature. However, for a veteran like Chance, it is about keeping a one-track mind and your head on a swivel. "You have to take everything one game at a time. We obviously know our first opponent, but after that, anything can happen in a regional. We have to stay ready for everyone and just take everything one game at a time," Chance said. |
| 'It's a whole body of work': NCAA committee chair discusses why Arkansas baseball won't host regional | |
| Michael Alford began his baseball playing career at Mississippi State and has a masters degree from Arkansas. Alford, the chairman of the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee, spent time Monday comparing those schools' baseball teams when asked why the Razorbacks were not selected to host a regional this week at Baum-Walker Stadium. In projections by D1Baseball and Baseball America over the weekend, it appeared the final regional host spot might come down to Arkansas and Mississippi State -- teams that played earlier in the season when the Razorbacks won a series 2-1 at Baum-Walker Stadium. Arkansas finished a game ahead of the Bulldogs in the SEC standings. Mississippi State was ultimately ranked the No. 14 overall national seed, ahead of hosts Kansas and West Virginia from the Big 12. Arkansas was ranked between 17th and 20th, with an exact number not defined by the NCAA. "I know some people compared [Arkansas] to Mississippi State, even though they were just one of the teams that were there at the end," said Alford, the Florida State athletics director. "You looked at Mississippi State, [it] had the toughest SEC schedule, and in our RAC rankings, our regional advisory committee rankings, Mississippi State was ranked throughout the year ahead of Arkansas. That came into play when we discussed those two differences." |
| LSU baseball officially misses the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 | |
| LSU baseball's season is officially over. Unsurprisingly, the Tigers missed out on the NCAA Tournament after posting a 30-28 overall record and a 9-21 record in Southeastern Conference play. They won their first game at the SEC Tournament last week over Oklahoma, then fell to Auburn in the second round. The NCAA Tournament field was announced on Monday morning. LSU was among the four SEC schools that didn't make the tourney. South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Missouri also failed to crack the field. Seven SEC teams (Florida, Auburn, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M and Mississippi State) earned bids to host a regional. Oklahoma, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Arkansas also made the tournament field as at-large teams. This season, LSU won fewer than 12 games in conference play for the first time since 1983 -- the year before LSU hired Skip Bertman. |
| Softball: 'An Underdog Is Still A Freakin' Dawg' | |
| There was no sling. There was no stone. There was no shepherd boy and giant Philistine. However, there was a softball and bats. There was also an underdog team unafraid of a dynasty. David and Goliath? Nah. Just Mississippi State and Oklahoma. Sure seemed like an Old Testament rerun though. By now you know all that happened on a magical MSU Sunday afternoon in Norman. The Bulldogs went biblical to reach their first ever Women's College World Series with head coach Samantha Ricketts passing out pebbles to every player pregame to remind them of the story. In the process, State snapped the Sooners' streak of WCWS appearances that stretched for a full decade. Oklahoma last missed college softball's biggest event all the way back in 2015. But OU will miss it again this year, all because of a bunch of Bulldogs who just simply didn't care that no one thought they had a chance to get past the Norman Super Regional. Well...Almost no one. |
| Delainey Everett dedicates emotional, historic win for MSU to parents for anniversary | |
 | With a trip to the Women's College World Series on the line, Delainey Everett delivered one of the biggest victories in Mississippi State softball history -- and she did it by taking down the creme de la creme of the sport. The junior left‑hander fired a three‑hit shutout to eliminate No. 4 Oklahoma, a win that not only extended the Bulldogs' stay in the Sooner State for a WCWS appearance at Devon Park later in the week, but also ended Oklahoma's decade‑long streak of reaching the event themselves. For Everett, the moment carried a deeper weight. Speaking on ESPN after Mississippi State's 6–0 win, she shared that the victory came on her parents' wedding anniversary -- a day made more emotional with her late father, Brandan, watching over her. "Today is my mom and dad's anniversary, and this was for them," Everett said with emotion on ESPN. "This is for them." |
| What sparked a Mississippi State WCWS run that looked unlikely when postseason began | |
| With about a month left in the regular season, Mississippi State softball was a solid contender to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs checked in at No. 13 in the NFCA poll on March 29 after picking up a series win over then-No. 23 South Carolina. Challenging series against top-10 teams Florida and Arkansas awaited the Bulldogs, but at that point, they had a positive outlook. Then the losses began to roll in. MSU only won one series the rest of the season. The Bulldogs dropped those series vs. the Gators and Razorbacks, were swept by Texas A&M and lost their rivalry series to Ole Miss. Now, almost two months later, MSU (43-19) is preparing to play in its first Women's College World Series, beginning with a game against No. 11 seed Texas Tech (57-7) on May 28 (11 a.m. CT, ESPN) at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. "We had a tough end of the SEC season," coach Sam Ricketts said after MSU's Game 3 win over Oklahoma in the super regionals on May 24. "It could have been a time where we packed it up and said, 'Hey, there's always next year,' but this team was adamant that we were going to fix this." |
| Softball: Beneath The Bulldogs' Broccoli | |
| Produce has a history of providing postseason power for Mississippi State University. Who could forget eight years ago, on the baseball diamond, when now-MLB All-Star Jordan Westburg picked up a banana in the State dugout to use as a faux radar gun in the 2018 Tallahassee Regional? The act was caught by television cameras and suddenly, innocent fun turned into a rallying point of sorts for MSU. Fans started to dress as bananas. Squishy bananas were given away to supporters. The fantastic fruit was everywhere as the Bulldogs battled back through the loser's bracket in Tallahassee, won one of the most edge-of-your-seat Super Regionals ever at Vanderbilt, then made it all the way to semifinals in Omaha. Less than a decade later, on a different diamond, produce is producing again for State. MSU softball's first-ever Women's College World Series berth has been buoyed by broccoli. By now, you likely know the story. Jim Stewart Allen, affectionately known as the Broccoli Guy, showed up at State's regional in Oregon waving his veggies. He adopted MSU as his team. The Bulldogs embraced Allen -- and his broccoli -- right back. However, what's pushed this State team farther than any group in program history has ever gone isn't the broccoli itself. It's the mentality that's behind it. "[Allen] told us broccoli is nature's pom-poms," State's Ally Supan said. "So, I took it and ran with it and now, it's in my hand from the beginning of the game until the end of the game." Supan isn't alone. Broccoli has been everywhere for the Bulldogs. |
| Softball: Faircloth Earns D1Softball All-American Status | |
| Mississippi State pitcher Alyssa Faircloth has been named a Second Team All-American by D1Softball. Faircloth was dominant down the stretch, leading MSU in strikeouts and ERA in conference play before posting a historic performance in the Eugene Regional. The recognition is MSU's 34th All-America honor in program history, and she is the 12th individual to reach that status. She joins teammate Peja Goold as the first Bulldog pitchers to earn All-America recognition since 2002, and they are the only pair of pitchers to earn the honors in the same season. Goold was a Second Team selection by Softball America last week. Both pitchers earned NFCA All-Region honors and are eligible for selection to the NFCA All-America teams that will be announced tomorrow. They each won the SEC Newcomer of the Year from various outlets as well. Faircloth has made a team-leading 40 appearances, including 24 starts, in the circle. She leads the team with 16 wins, 175.2 innings and four saves. |
| Mark Alexander Replaces Zach Allison As Jackson Prep's Boys Basketball Coach | |
| Mark Alexander, who grew up in South Jackson and spent much of his coaching career in Metro Jackson, is coming back to Central Mississippi and will be coaching at a school at what Alexander says "has always been the standard in academics and athletics going way back to the early days of the MAIS." Alexander is leaving his position as boys basketball coach at Starkville Academy to come take the same position at Jackson Prep, a school which has won more Overall boys basketball championships (17) than any other school in the MAIS and an athletic program with high expectations. Prep has won three Overall titles in the past five seasons. Alexander is replacing Zach Allison, who took a similar position at Mountain Brook High in Birmingham. Allison, a Birmingham native, won 73 games and the Overall Tournament championship in 2025 in his three seasons. Alexander was a three-sport letterman (football, basketball and baseball) at Forest Hill High in South Jackson and was a manager for Mississippi State and men's basketball coach Richard Williams where he learned a lot about coaching basketball. Alexander was a sportswriter at the Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson from 1994-2006 before he started his coaching career. "It was a tough decision because SA and the people here have been so good to me," Alexander said. "I was excited about the new gym renovation, also. I was very involved in that. I like the young men in the program, and I feel the future is bright." |
| NAACP defends athlete boycott call as criticism grows over redistricting protest | |
| Black college athletes are at the center of a growing political fight over redistricting in Mississippi. NAACP President Derrick Johnson is now responding directly to criticism that the organization's proposed athletic boycott goes too far. The debate began after Johnson released a statement urging prospective Division One athletes to delay commitments to schools in states moving forward with new voting maps following a recent United States Supreme Court ruling on race and redistricting. The NAACP argues that the maps weaken Black voting strength and that athletes have the leverage to force change. In that initial statement, Johnson said, "The NAACP will not watch the same institutions that depend on Black athletic prowess to fill their stadiums and their bank accounts remain silent while their states strip Black communities of their voice. Out of Bounds is our answer. We are naming the contradiction, and we are calling on Black athletes, families, fans, and consumers to act on it." The call for a boycott quickly drew pushback from political leaders and sports advocates who say the strategy places too much pressure on young recruits. Critics argue that delaying commitments could jeopardize scholarships and Name, Image and Likeness earnings for high school athletes. |
| SEC's Greg Sankey on CFP expansion talk: 'I don't think consensus is needed (now)' | |
| SEC commissioner Greg Sankey kicked off his conference's spring meetings by tempering expectations for what might happen over the next few days at this beachside resort. "If you could overhype a spring meeting, I think that happened," Sankey said Monday of the buildup for this year's annual gathering. With several enormous issues facing the league, including College Football Playoff expansion and whether the SEC should potentially break from the NCAA and govern itself, Sankey wants his constituents to come away from here weighing options more than coming to conclusions. That hasn't been the case in other conferences over the past few weeks when it comes to CFP expansion. Public support for a 24-team Playoff has picked up momentum since the last meeting of the CFP management committee in April. This month, commissioners from the ACC and Big 12 have both backed the Big Ten's idea to double the size of the CFP field from the current 12. Notre Dame's athletic director also threw his support behind 24. That leaves the SEC seemingly as the one holdout, instead in favor of a more modest expansion to 16 teams. But that's probably an overstatement of the SEC's position. Tennessee athletic director Danny White voiced support for 24 teams, and more coaches are increasingly hoping for as much CFP access as possible. Sankey doesn't seem in a rush for his conference to make a decision. |
| Sankey unconcerned by division in SEC over 24-team playoff | |
| At a moment of feisty rhetoric regarding the biggest issues looming over college sports, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey struck a tone of patience and pragmatism on the eve of the league's annual meetings. Sankey made clear he did not "anticipate any decisions on the College Football Playoff" at the meetings, noting that there's still time ahead of the Dec. 1 deadline. The potential to expand the CFP to 24 teams was a big topic nonetheless. Though the Big Ten's coaches and athletic directors put up a united front in support of expanding to 24 last week at that league's meetings in California, Sankey acknowledged that his league will not have the same unanimity, a fact that didn't seem to concern him. He's also not concerned that the three other power conference commissioners have come out in favor of doubling the size of the CFP. "Doesn't bother me," Sankey said when asked about being the last so-called holdout for expanding to 24. "People tell me that, but I don't know if you pay attention in college sports. Positions seem to change a lot." Sankey's modus operandi in big decisions has long been patience, little public revelation and consuming as much information as possible. |
| Ole Miss faces NCAA tampering probe, separate CSC NIL investigation into transfers | |
| Ole Miss football is the subject of investigations by the NCAA and the College Sports Commission over two separate incidents. The NCAA inquiry into high-profile tampering allegations from Clemson was reported by ESPN on Friday. Documents obtained by The Athletic through a public-records request reveal a different investigation by the CSC into a possible violation of NIL rules. The ESPN report cited documents it obtained through an open-records request, including an email from an NCAA enforcement staffer to Ole Miss senior associate athletic director for compliance, Taylor Hall, that was sent on Jan. 23 -- a few hours before Clemson coach Dabo Swinney publicly accused Ole Miss of improperly communicating with linebacker Luke Ferrelli. Ferrelli, who had transferred to Clemson from Cal, ended up at Ole Miss. Although not publicly confirmed until ESPN's reporting, the NCAA investigation has been a topic of conversation in the industry. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips was asked about it at last week's spring meetings and said he thought "that case in particular is going to be dealt with." Tampering, however, does not fall under the jurisdiction of the CSC. Player compensation does. |
| Lane Kiffin stands firm as SEC considers reprimand over Ole Miss racial comments | |
| Officials at Ole Miss and the SEC have spoken about a potential reprimand for new LSU coach Lane Kiffin over comments he made in a recent Vanity Fair magazine interview, two people close to the situation tell USA TODAY Sports. Kiffin, however, is standing firm he didn't make racially insensitive comments about the differences in recruiting at Ole Miss -- where he coached from 2020-2025 -- and LSU. "People don't read the actual words I used in the article," Kiffin told USA TODAY Sports. "I said, 'A parent said.' That's not me saying it as my opinion." Any potential sanctions against Kiffin -- a public reprimand, a fine or both -- will likely be further discussed this week as the SEC kicks off the most contentious and future-critical spring meetings in conference history. In the interview with Vanity Fair, Kiffin described the differences between recruiting at Ole Miss and LSU, and said recruits told him, "'We really like you, but my grandparents aren't letting me move to Oxford, Mississippi.'" Kiffin then added, "That doesn't come up when you say Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Parents were sitting here this weekend saying the campus' diversity feels so great. 'It feels like there's no segregation, And we want that for our kid because that's the real world.'" |
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