| Friday, August 7, 2026 |
| 'Hamilton' sensation Leslie Odom Jr. to open MSU's Lyceum Series Sept. 11 | |
 | Tony and Grammy Award-winning Broadway star Leslie Odom Jr. is sure to pack Mississippi State's Bettersworth Auditorium for the first performance of the university's 2026-27 Lyceum Series. Odom Jr., best known for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical "Hamilton," makes his MSU Starkville campus appearance Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in historic Lee Hall. Among the 2015 original cast members of "Hamilton," Odom Jr.'s Tony Award recognition followed in 2016 when his name was called for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album as a principal soloist on the "Hamilton: Original Broadway Cast Recording." Tickets, which start at $65, go on sale Aug. 7 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased online at www.lyceum.msstate.edu or by calling the MSU Center for Student Activities at 662-325-2930. If available, tickets may be purchased the day of the performance at the door. Odom Jr. performed last December at MSU-Meridian's Riley Center to a sell-out crowd. |
| Programs lend hand to catfish producers | |
| Mississippi raises more than half of U.S. catfish, but overseas competition, rising input costs and bird depredation are among operational and financial challenges producers face just to stay in business. Two federal assistance programs approved in July aim to extend some relief. Two weeks before the U.S. Department of Agriculture officially set aside $20 million to buy U.S. farm-raised catfish under its Section 32 program on July 23, it updated its Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program. Known as ELAP, this program will pay $600 per acre per year to eligible farm-raised catfish producers who suffered inventory loss due to bird depredation. Jimmy Avery, catfish specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the purchases will enhance supply chain mobility by reducing surplus inventory and supporting struggling producers who are warehousing fish in their ponds to wait for better prices. |
| Amazon Awards Nearly $250,000 to Warren County Community Fund Recipients | |
| Amazon has awarded nearly $250,000 through the Amazon Warren County Community Fund, a community grant program supporting local initiatives in Warren County, Mississippi. A total of 28 local community groups, schools, non-profit organizations, and individuals whose projects are driving positive change across the region were recognized at an event in Vicksburg earlier this summer. "It is very exciting to see Amazon inspiring and funding ideas by local residents that support local needs and strengthen the community," said Pablo Diaz, President & CEO of the Vicksburg Warren Economic Development Partnership. "The fact that twenty-eight organizations collectively received nearly a quarter of a million dollars will have a meaningful impact across Warren County. This is a direct investment from Amazon into the people, organizations, and ideas that are making our community stronger." The 28 funded projects span education, health, basic needs, history, and community resilience, including: Mississippi State University -- Research to Startup Expedition connecting students with entrepreneurship. |
SPORTS
| Depth, chemistry big focuses on MSU's first day of camp | |
 | Mississippi State's first order of business isn't unlike that of most architects: laying the foundation. That was the main focus for coach Jeff Lebby, as he took the podium following the first day of fall camp at the Seal Complex on Thursday. His play style requires speed and physicality, which underscores a need for depth as the team takes the field roughly a month before Week 1. "I love the competition. I think that's what we have as much as anything for us, and you need that inside a program," Lebby said. "We have that more today than we have had, and there is no question about it." Lebby is especially excited about the depth in the offensive line room. Between now and the season opener, he and the coaching staff want to not just find five starters, but eight or nine who can "play winning football." There isn't just one thing Lebby wants to focus on out of the gate. He does want the team to build chemistry, get on the same page and stay on it. |
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