| Tuesday, August 11, 2026 |
| Southwire to invest $256M in Starkville expansion | |
 | Wire and cable manufacturer Southwire will invest more than $256 million into its Starkville facility, the company announced Monday. The expansion will create 128 jobs. Construction on the expansion is expected to begin in late 2026, with the expanded operations expected to reach full capacity in 2028. Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Meryl Fisackerly said Southwire's decision to continue investing in Starkville is the result of collaboration and a shared commitment to creating an environment where manufacturers can succeed. Southwire's Starkville plant was originally opened by Phelps-Dodge in 1979 and acquired by Southwire in 1989. This project marks the second expansion on the campus, following the initial 2010 expansion, which added an onsite distribution center. |
| Study links Mississippi student gambling problems to mental health | |
 | As gambling becomes more accessible to college students, a statewide study of Mississippi's public universities found gambling problems frequently occur alongside depression, anxiety and substance use. The findings suggest policymakers, parents and healthcare officials should recognize gambling problems as a potential sign that a student may need broader mental health support, researchers said. In a study of more than 1,800 students attending college at Mississippi's eight public universities, researchers found that nearly 1 in 4 gambled and 7% showed signs of a gambling problem. The study, published in International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, also revealed that students with gambling problems are more likely to report problems with mental health. "Students were really, really struggling," said Nicholas McAfee, director of the William Magee Center for AOD and Wellness Education at the University of Mississippi and lead author on the study. The survey took place in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many casinos were closed. In the years since the study began, access to gambling has only increased. |
| JSU College of Business partners with Mark Cuban Foundation to host free AI Bootcamp for Jackson teens | |
| Jackson State University's College of Business is partnering with the Mark Cuban Foundation to help Jackson teens master Artificial Intelligence (AI). The College of Business and the Foundation will host a free AI Bootcamp for Jackson Public School students in grades 9–12 this fall. The program will take place over three consecutive Saturdays, October 31, November 7, and November 14, and will provide meals, transportation, and technology at no cost to participants. The AI Bootcamp is designed to give students hands-on experience with cutting-edge AI tools, including generative AI, and to explore real-world applications in fields such as healthcare, business, computer science, sports, and the arts. Students will also complete a capstone project under the guidance of industry mentors. JSU President Denise Jones Gregory, Ph.D., praised the College of Business and Mark Cuban Foundation collaboration as a model for community engagement and educational equity. |
| Fitch runs for governor in potentially historic field | |
| Columnist Bill Crawford writes: And then there were three -- with more to come. Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced for Governor last week. She joins Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson and former Speaker of the House Philip Gunn as officially announced Republican candidates. Still in the wings are Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, State Auditor Shad White, and billionaire businessman Thomas Duff. No Democratic candidates have emerged yet. The current field is stout, but four incumbent statewide officials running for the same office in the same primary would be historic, and not just in Mississippi. |
| Lynn Fitch hopes her campaign for governor exceeds previous best effort by woman, Evelyn Gandy in 1979 | |
| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: Attorney General Lynn Fitch is vying to do what has never been done in Mississippi and in 16 other states – be elected governor as a woman. The Republican attorney general completed a three-day tour of the state last week touting her qualifications after announcing she is joining what is expected to be a crowded field in 2027 to succeed Gov. Tate Reeves, who is term limited. Fitch is in her second term as attorney general after serving two terms as treasurer. She has to be considered the most serious and formidable female candidate for governor in Mississippi since 1979. That year, then-Lt. Gov. Evelyn Gandy led the competitive field of six candidates in the Democratic primary. She was unable to garner a majority of the vote, prompting a runoff between her and former Lt. Gov. William Winter. In the runoff, Winter won 57% of the vote to capture the Democratic nomination, which at the time was tantamount to winning the office of governor. In those days, the Republican nominee, if there was one, did not pose much of a threat in the November general election. |
SPORTS
| Former Tupelo, MSU basketball coach Kermit Davis Sr. dies at 91 | |
| Kermit Davis Sr., a championship-winning basketball coach at Tupelo High School who later served as head coach for Mississippi State, died Monday. He was 91. The Walnut native played for MSU (1956-59) under the legendary Babe McCarthy. Davis was a team captain when the Bulldogs won their first regular-season SEC title his senior season. He then embarked on a long and successful coaching career. After two years of coaching the boys and girls at Leakesville High School, Davis was head coach for Fort Dix Army in New Jersey (1960-62). His next stop was Tupelo, where he led the Golden Wave to Class AA and Grand Slam titles in both 1965 and '66. He had a record of 131-23 during his Tupelo tenure, including a 40-1 mark during the 1965-66 season. Davis returned to MSU in 1966 as an assistant coach under Joe Dan Gold, then was promoted to head coach in 1970. Davis stayed in that position for seven years, compiling a 91-91 record, and he was named Associated Press SEC Coach of the Year in 1971. From 1980-90, Davis served as associate director for MSU's Bulldog Club. |
| NCAA and FBI announce partnership to combat athlete sexploitation | |
| As college athletes become bigger targets for sexual exploitation online, the NCAA and FBI announced a partnership Monday to educate athletes on how to prevent private images from falling into the wrong hands. Financial name, image and likeness deals have increased the online public presence of college athletes, making them desirable victims for criminals, an FBI cyber expert said during a media call. "Student-athletes maintain large public-facing social media followings and in many cases expanded further by name, image and likeness activity," FBI cyber division Section Chief Taushiana Bright said. "That visibility increases both their exposure to targeting and the leverage an offender believes they hold when threatening to expose an athlete to a coach, team, school or sponsor." Bad actors obtain private images of athletes by conning them and by hacking into personal accounts to steal content. Images and videos are then used to extort athletes under threat of having the images made public. |
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