Thursday, March 4, 2021   
 
Mississippi State to continue following COVID-19 safety protocols through semester
Mississippi State University will maintain COVID-19 safety protocols through the end of the Spring 2021 semester, including current mask, physical distancing and sanitation requirements. "It's important to note that these protocols have been effective for more than a year now in keeping our campus community and guests safe," said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. "While great progress has been made and our numbers are trending substantially down, we are not yet past this public health threat. We believe that it is prudent to keep basic safety protocols in place through the end of this semester." Keenum said the university's leadership team would "evaluate our situation at the end of the semester and hopefully be able to relax restrictions as vaccination rates rise and COVID-19 case rates continue to decline." Keenum said the MSU Division of Student Affairs, the Division of Academic Affairs and other major campus entities would soon share additional information regarding future operating guidelines in response to the governor's order.
 
Mississippi State to keep coronavirus safety protocols through spring semester
Mississippi State University (MSU) will continue to require masks through the end of the spring semester. "It's important to note that these protocols have been effective for more than a year now in keeping our campus community and guests safe," MSU President Mark Keenum said. Keenum said MSU plans for in-person spring graduation under certain COVID-19 guidelines. He also reiterated MSU plans for the fall 2021 semester to include in-person classes and a return to pre-COVID-19 campus operating guidelines. Keenum said the university's leadership team would "evaluate our situation at the end of the semester and hopefully be able to relax restrictions as vaccination rates rise and COVID-19 case rates continue to decline."
 
Mississippi State to maintain COVID protocols for current semester
Mississippi State University announced Wednesday it will maintain COVID-19 safety protocols through the end of the Spring 2021 semester, including current mask, physical distancing and sanitation requirements. "It's important to note that these protocols have been effective for more than a year now in keeping our campus community and guests safe," said MSU president, Dr. Mark Keenum. Keenum reiterated that at this time, MSU plans for in-person Spring Commencement activities under certain COVID-19 guidelines and that plans for the Fall 2021 semester include in-person classes and a return to pre-COVID-19 campus operating guidelines. "The prevalence of multiple COVID-19 vaccines and current trends in our state offer us both hope and metrics for returning our campus to normal operations, which is the goal of our students, faculty and staff," said Keenum. "I thank our Bulldog family for their efforts to keep the campus community safe, and I encourage them to continue these efforts through the end of this semester so that we don't sacrifice the safety we've achieved thus far together."
 
Retired teachers Jack and Jane Massey stay busy at the MSU Riley Center
When Jack and Jane Massey retired from teaching for the Meridian Public Schools 20 years ago, they knew they were not finished making contributions to their community. The Masseys have become vital members of the volunteer family that makes the MSU Riley Center run. "The Riley Center is our love; we have always enjoyed the entertainment here at this beautiful venue," said Jane Massey. "Now, we have a new appreciation for what makes these performances happen." "We would see (former Meridian residents) Tom and Sandy Johnson when visiting the Riley Center, dressed in their black and white, neatly starched uniforms," she said. "They encouraged us to become volunteers, and they were truly mentors for us in the beginning." As volunteers, the nights are long, and the responsibilities are endless. The audience can sit back and relax, without realizing the behind-the-scenes efforts to make the performance happen. Morgan Dudley, assistant ticket manager, says the Masseys are an invaluable part of a core group of 30 people who volunteer. "They are a joy to be around; they work with a smile on their faces," she said. "Volunteers like the Masseys are the backbone of our performances. We could not do what we do without our volunteers."
 
SOCSD to keep traditional school schedule next year
Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District will not implement a modified, year-round school schedule -- at least not for the 2021-22 school year. Superintendent Eddie Peasant sent an email to parents Wednesday saying he will recommend the district keep its traditional calendar next year to give administrators more time to prepare for the possibility of implementing the modified schedule in fall 2022. "Like most of you, I believe that a modified school schedule offers all of our students the best and most opportunities for excellent learning experiences that support and maximize their individual academic growth," Peasant wrote in the email. The board will officially approve the school calendar at its Tuesday meeting. The update comes after several weeks of discussion among district administrators, faculty and parents on whether to implement a calendar with a shorter, six-week summer break and more breaks implemented throughout the school year. The calendar would still require students to be in school for 180 days and teachers to work for 187 days.
 
The Veranda restaurant closed permanently
After nearly 20 years of business, The Veranda owners announced the Starkville restaurant is officially closed. Co-owner Frank Jones confirmed the restaurant's official closure and said the COVID-19 pandemic forced Jones and fellow owner Jay Yates to a "quick-decision close" in mid-December. "The Veranda was a sit-down kind of place," Jones said. "(COVID) just killed places like ours. It made everybody just sick to our stomachs, but we just ran out of money. ... COVID was just the nail in the coffin. I mean, we were losing money every month. It wasn't about making a profit; we were just trying to survive." Jones, who owns the building at 208 Lincoln Green, said he was thankful for the customer support over the last 17 years. Yates said he too is grateful for the community's support during his two decades in Starkville. "It really was a special place," Yates said. "I had a lot of great times. ... It was a really cool time to be around in Starkville." You may have seen some progress and work happening just outside the former Veranda building. Jones just signed a lease with a new tenant, Craig Fant. There's a new restaurant on the way. "It's unfortunate (The Veranda closed) and we are all sad about it," Jones said. "But this guy coming in, he's going to knock it out of the park. ... Three or four people reached out to me about the building, but (Fant's) concepts caught my attention. It's going to be a great asset to Starkville and it's going to be a top restaurant not just in Starkville but in our area."
 
Starkville shooting leads to one person dead
One person is dead following a shooting in Starkville on Wednesday evening. Starkville Police Chief Mark Ballard said officers responded to a call at 5 p.m. on Wednesday evening about shots being fired on the corner of Henderson St. and Pilcher St. Ballard said officers arrived on the scene within seconds of receiving the call, but when they got there, one person was already dead. Two people were involved in the shooting. Ballard said although they do not have more information at this time, he believes the community needs to come together to put a stop to the violence in the streets. "We lost someone tonight," he explained. "It's someone's child. It's someone's brother. It could easily be someone else's family member. Again, violence matters and it's everywhere. We've got to do more as a community in addressing gun violence."
 
Water crisis continues in Mississippi, weeks after cold snap
Mississippi's largest city is still struggling with water problems more than two weeks after winter storms and freezing weather ravaged the system in Jackson, knocking out water for drinking and making it impossible for many to even flush their toilets. A key focus of city crews is filling the system's water tanks to an optimal level. But, public works director Charles Williams said Wednesday that fish, tree limbs and other debris have clogged screens where water moves from a reservoir into a treatment plant. That caused pressure to drop for the entire water system. "Today was not a good day for us," Williams said. The crisis has taken a toll on businesses. Jeff Good is co-owner of three Jackson restaurants, and two of them remained closed Wednesday. In a Facebook update, Good said the businesses have insurance, but he's concerned about his employees. "We will not be financially ruined," Good wrote. "The spirits of our team members are my biggest concern. A true malaise and depression is setting in."
 
House advances bill that would entangle Mississippi Archives and History board in politics
A bill that has angered many state historians would have the governor and lieutenant governor appoint members to the board that oversees the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, a move opponents say would politicize an agency that has remained above that fray for more than 100 years. "This is an outrage," said Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, a vocal opponent of the bill. "... I don't know of any other board or agency that has for decades been running so well. Changing the board to a bunch of political appointees is very troubling ... They've been insulated from the political whims of the moment. Where would we be if (former Gov. Ross Barnett, a segregationist) had appointed Archives and History board members?" Currently the nine-person board's members appoint their own successors, a "self-perpetuating" board, subject to state Senate confirmation of members. But 46 Mississippi historians, many from the state's colleges and universities and from the Mississippi Humanities Council, penned a letter urging lawmakers to "not interfere with the independence of an entity that has done so much good work for our state."
 
House committee kills voter purge bill criticized as a 'suppression' tactic
Legislation that would automatically purge Mississippi voter rolls based on certain criteria died in the state House of Representatives on Tuesday. Under Senate Bill 2588, any voter who fails to cast a ballot for two consecutive years, to include two federal elections, would be mailed a confirmation postcard. Failure to respond to that postcard with confirmation of address would then lead to the purging of that voter after four years, though voting at least once during that four-year period would also prevent purging. The legislation passed in the Senate on a party line vote, 36-16, but the House Apportionment and Elections committee failed to take up the bill by a Tuesday deadline. Proponents of the legislation said it was necessary to trim outdated and bloated voter rolls. Critics cast it as a voter suppression tactic designed to impact infrequent voters, who are often impoverished and racial minorities. Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, sharply opposed the Senate measure with a speech detailing his own experience being accidentally purged off the voter rolls.
 
Bills that would alter management of state parks and increase scope of practice for nurse practitioners die on deadline in the Legislature
The Mississippi Legislature's annual session is down to its final month and bills that would've changed the operation of some of the state parks, given teachers a pay increase, expanding the scope of practice for nurse practitioners and created a new board to govern the state's Medicaid program all died on Tuesday's deadline. Another bill that would provide a teacher pay increase did pass the committee deadline, so teachers could likely receive another $1,000 if Gov. Tate Reeves signs it into law. Tuesday was the final day for committees to approve bills from the other chamber. Other bills, such as a bill that would create an alternative medical marijuana program if Initiative 65 is tossed by the state Supreme Court, another that would allow utilities to lease excess capacity on their fiber networks to broadband providers and another that would allow occupational license holders from other states to receive reciprocity for their licenses all passed committee hurdles in the opposite chamber. The next deadline on the general bill calendar is March 10, when bills from the opposite chamber must be passed with a floor vote.
 
Lawmakers wanted to improve state parks, but most of their proposals failed
Fixing Mississippi's broken state parks system was a top priority for legislative leaders this year, but various proposals to secure new funding and raise the system's tourism profile have mostly failed to get traction. A Senate bill that called for studying possible privatization of several parks was snuffed out this week, as was House legislation to divert more state advertising dollars toward promoting the 25-park system. Also dead was a proposal to divert funds from the state lottery to pay for the parks' long list of repairs. The only major parks proposal still alive in the legislative process is House Bill 1231, which would create the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund. As originally proposed, it would divert up to $20 million in sales tax revenues each year from sporting goods stores and use it to pay for conservation projects by state and local governments as well as nonprofits. The proposal looked to be in jeopardy in the Senate when Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann assigned it to three committees -- typically a bill's death knell. Hosemann sharply criticized several provisions of the legislation during an online forum Monday, including how it allowed nonprofits to benefit alongside government agencies. But the proposal garnered a wave of support in recent days from conservation groups such as The Nature Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited -- and the trio of Senate committees ultimately approved a heavily modified version of the bill just before a key Tuesday deadline.
 
Mississippi close to putting limits on transgender athletes
The Mississippi House voted Wednesday to ban transgender athletes from competing on girls' or women's sports teams in the state's schools and universities. The bill heads to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves in the next several days, and he is expected to sign it into law. Mississippi is one of more than 20 states with lawmakers proposing restrictions on athletics or gender-confirming health care for transgender minors this year. Democratic President Joe Biden signed an executive order Jan. 20 -- the day he took office -- that bans discrimination based on gender identity in school sports and elsewhere. "Girls deserve to compete on a level playing field," Republican Rep. Becky Currie read from a text as she explained the bill to the Mississippi House. "Allowing males to compete in girls' sports destroys fair competition and women's athletic opportunities." Currie said she would not take any questions from colleagues because she believed everyone had already decided how to vote. "I'm not interested in getting into an argument with you on who's boys and who's girls and who thinks they're what," Currie said.
 
Bill barring transgender competition in female sports heads to governor
Legislation designed to prevent transgender people from competing in female sports in K-12 schools and at colleges and universities is on its way to Gov. Tate Reeves' desk for signature. On Wednesday the "Mississippi Fairness Act" passed the state House 81-28 with Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven, refusing to take any questions about the legislation after providing a brief explanation of the proposal from the well of the House. The bill, written by Sen. Angela Burks Hill, R-Picayune, would prevent transgender students from participating in both varsity and intramural sports designated for the gender in which they identify. The legislation states: "Athletic teams or sports designated for 'females,' 'women' or 'girls' shall not be open to students of the male sex." If there was any question about a person's gender, that person could go to a doctor to have the issue clarified based on genetics and other factors. At no point during the legislative process this year could a supporter of the bill pinpoint a time in which this issue has come up at any educational institution in Mississippi. The bill, SB 2536, is one of the first to make the governor's desk this session. In Mississippi, opponents say the legislation is transphobic and dangerous.
 
House Democrats Pass Voting-Rights Bill Opposed by GOP
House Democrats passed legislation to expand voter participation and curb the role of big campaign donors over the objections of Republicans, who claimed the measure would weaken safeguards and spur mistrust in elections. The legislation passed, 220-210, without any Republican support. One Democrat, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, voted against it. The bill's fate in the Senate is uncertain. The measure would have the effect of voiding state voter-identification requirements and making permanent the widespread mail-in voting that was common in last year's elections, requiring states to offer online and same-day voter registration as well as 15 days of early voting nationwide. It would also mandate the creation of independent commissions to draw voting districts in each state to end gerrymandering. The Democratic push to enact the most-far-reaching voting-rights law since the 1965 Voting Rights Act puts the party on a collision course with dozens of state legislatures, which have enacted or are writing new laws to tighten voting procedures.
 
Tom Vilsack is back at USDA after 4 years of Trump. The world has changed.
When Tom Vilsack was Agriculture secretary just four years ago, he periodically brought up the need to tackle climate change. Now, it's his go-to opener. Farmers and ranchers have been steadily slammed by historic wildfires, floods and hurricanes since Vilsack left the department, and agriculture leaders have recently come around to the idea that farmers should play a central role in curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Vilsack's first big project as Agriculture secretary will be figuring out how best to get farmers involved in the climate change fight. Vilsack said in an interview he's looking to sharply scale up conservation efforts and explore the creation of a carbon bank to help pay farmers to adopt climate-friendly farm practices. It's a big leap from the smaller steps he took when he last held the office --- and a sharp contrast from the Trump era, when Vilsack's predecessor avoided even using the term "climate change" and cast doubt on the science. Vilsack's new focus shows just how much the discussion over global warming and its effects on the food supply has progressed in a few short years. It also demonstrates how the Biden administration sees the Agriculture Department as front and center in the government-wide climate response.
 
House Agriculture gets second spending cardinal as member
The House Agriculture Committee will get its second spending cardinal as a member with the announcement that Agriculture Appropriations Chairman Sanford D. Bishop Jr. is taking a seat on the panel. Bishop, D-Ga., served on the authorizing committee from 1993 to 2003. He said his return to the panel means he'll have a hand in developing and funding farm and nutrition policy. "As an appropriator, we spend the money. The wish list comes from the authorizers," Bishop said Tuesday night. "This is a wonderful opportunity to be both an authorizer and an appropriator. I think it puts me in a position to really maximize my experience, maximize my influence to the benefit of agriculture." Bishop said the House Agriculture Committee will deal with a number of issues in this Congress, particularly as the panel does the groundwork for writing a new farm bill in 2023. He joins Interior-Environment Appropriations Chairwoman Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, as the Agriculture Committee's other spending cardinal, as Appropriations subcommittee chairs are often called. House Agriculture Chairman David Scott, D-Ga., has said the panel will spend the year on issues like climate strategies for agriculture, rural communities' access to broadband, improving distribution of disaster aid, expanding crop insurance, food insecurity and challenges facing Black farmers.
 
President Joe Biden Calls State Decisions to End Mask Mandates 'Neanderthal Thinking'
President Biden on Wednesday strongly criticized the decisions by the governors of Texas and Mississippi to lift statewide mask mandates, calling the plans "a big mistake" that reflected "Neanderthal thinking," as his administration tries to manage the pandemic while state leaders set their own plans. On the same afternoon as Gov. Greg Abbott's speech, the governor of Mississippi, Tate Reeves, also a Republican, announced he was lifting the statewide mask mandate and rescinding capacity limits on businesses there. In a tweet on Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Reeves acknowledged Mr. Biden's "Neanderthal" comment and pushed back: "Mississippians don't need handlers. As numbers drop, they can assess their choices and listen to experts. I guess I just think we should trust Americans, not insult them." Dr. Mary Carol Miller, a physician at Greenwood Leflore Hospital in the Mississippi Delta, said that even a lightly enforced statewide mask order was helpful, sending the message that the virus was still circulating and that masks were the best protection. "The light's there at the very end of the tunnel, and now we've made the tunnel longer," Dr. Miller said. "It's foolish. It's beyond foolish."
 
New mask wars threaten President Biden's pandemic response at critical moment
The White House is on a collision course with red state governors over mask mandates and other coronavirus restrictions, testing the bipartisan unity that President Joe Biden has tried to tap in curbing Covid. Top administration officials on Wednesday pleaded with residents of Texas and Mississippi to remain vigilant, fearing that plans by those states' governors to lift public health precautions will seed a resurgence of the virus. Biden later took on the decisions head on, describing them as "neanderthal thinking" that threatened to ruin steady progress toward beating back the pandemic. It marked a rare public escalation of tensions between the White House and GOP governors that the administration has tried to tamp down for weeks, both to keep the pandemic response on track and in acknowledgment of the fact that there's little the administration can do legally to rein in states that go rogue. The states' lifting of restrictions comes at a particularly sensitive moment. The U.S. is showing signs of turning the corner on hospitalizations and deaths from the crisis' January peak. The federal government has deployed tens of millions of Covid vaccines, with far more on the way in the coming weeks. Health officials worry that the recent progress could quickly unravel if states rush to reopen while new, more contagious strains of the virus are proliferating.
 
'Masks required' signs are coming down after Texas, Mississippi lift coronavirus restrictions
Carrie Kizek and her mother, Sandra Breland, decided to skip masks while headed out to lunch Wednesday in Flowood, Mississippi -- the day after Mississippi's governor said residents were no longer required to wear them. "If he says we don't have to, then I'm not," Kizek said of Gov. Tate Reeves (R). Reeves and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) rescinded coronavirus restrictions Tuesday, doing away with mask mandates and allowing businesses to operate at 100 percent capacity. The impact was immediate in both states and beyond, with "masks required" signs coming down, businesses trying to navigate the lack of restrictions, local officials pushing back and the White House weighing in. The removal of restrictions alarmed public health officials, who worried the actions could accelerate a trend of states peeling back efforts to curb virus transmission, sending cases creeping upward as the country tries to get to the end of the pandemic. Kizek, 42, and Breland, 66, were eating at Papitos, a popular Mexican restaurant that on Wednesday began requiring face coverings only for employees. Kizek said she "of course" wore a mask when they were required. But she was excited that Reeves ended the mandate.
 
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky: 'Now Is Not The Time To Stop Wearing A Mask'
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voiced concern on Wednesday about the recent climb in the number of new cases of the coronavirus, warning that pandemic fatigue and the loosening of restrictions may be setting the stage for yet another surge this spring. In an interview with NPR's All Things Considered, Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the next few weeks could prove pivotal in determining whether nearly one year into the pandemic, the United States will finally be able to find its way out of the crisis. But she said the nation is facing headwinds from both the spread of highly transmissible variants of the virus, and efforts to roll back guidelines around everything from mask use to how quickly businesses can reopen. "I think the next two or three months could go in one of two directions," Walensky told host Ari Shapiro. "If things open up, if we're not really cautious, we could end up with a post-spring break surge the way we saw a post-Christmas surge. We could see much more disease. We could see much more death." "In an alternative vision," Walensky continued, "I see we really hunker down for a couple of more months, we get so many people vaccinated and we get to a really great place by summer."
 
Mississippi State Department of Health reports 479 new COVID-19 cases, 21 deaths
The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) on Thursday reported 479 additional cases of COVID-19 and 21 deaths. Monroe and Oktibbeha counties in Northeast Mississippi each reported one additional death. The statewide total number of cases since March 11, 2020 is now 296,154 with a death toll of 6,764. As of this week, around 278,162 people are presumed recovered from the virus. The seven-day moving average for new COVID-19 cases in Mississippi is 20 per 100,000 people, as of March 2. In Mississippi's 1st Congressional District, the seven-day moving average is 14 per 100,000 people. MSDH also reported 57 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. Most counties in the Daily Journal's coverage area reported new cases: Alcorn (2), Benton (1), Calhoun (5), Itawamba (1), Lafayette (7), Lee (9), Marshall (9), Monroe (3), Oktibbeha (6), Pontotoc (2), Prentiss (9), Tippah (3), Tishomingo (3) and Union (3).
 
'Not Going to Get in Trouble': Businesses Seeking Normalcy With State Mask Rules Lifted
Following Gov. Tate Reeves' decision to lift COVID-19 restrictions, many Mississippi business owners are preparing for what they hope will be a return to normalcy. "We're still going to do the things that we need to do to stay clean and disinfected and stuff like that," Jamie Houston, owner of Oxford Fitness Kickboxing and Jiu Jitsu, said. "Even if it's the overkill, those little safety measures that you're taking still will keep people, you know, it'll still help in the sense that it'll help people feel safe when they come into the facility." Houston expects his business to increase as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Houston, who also owns Starkville Fitness Kickboxing and Hi-level Jiu Jitsu, said that he lost about 70% of his gym members between March and September. "Our business suffered dramatically with the loss of business, you know, primarily because this entire town feeds off the college students," Houston said. "Half the population that we're accustomed to was made to leave after spring break last year." Business began to pick up for Houston as students began to return at the start of the fall semester. "We're not where we once were," Houston said. "But we're definitely climbing back up to where we want to be again, and back where we used to be."
 
Doctors say Mississippi should still mask up as mandate ends to combat COVID spread
While Gov. Tate Reeves ended a near-statewide mask mandate beginning today, top doctors are warning residents to continue wearing masks even though cases are falling. Anita Henderson, a Hattiesburg doctor who is president of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, thanked Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker for keeping a mask mandate in force in that city. Henderson tweeted that Mississippians should continue to wear masks and avoid group gatherings. "We are so close to having vaccines available for everyone," she wrote, "Let's not see another wave and undo all the good progress we have made. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor of the University of Mississippi Medical Center and a leader in the state's fight against the coronavirus, retweeted Henderson and another tweet from State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs. Dobbs tweeted a link to Mississippi State Department of Health guidelines that recommend masks and other safety measures in health-care settings. Texas and Mississippi on Tuesday joined 14 other states without mask mandates. But Mississippi still has a higher test positivity rate than recommended for the kind of reopening the governor's new executive order covered.
 
'Let's not give up until we get across the finish line,' UMMC vice chancellor says
Gov. Tate Reeves and UMMC Vice Chancellor Dr. Louann Woodward have had differing opinions about the impact of the virus and mask policies seemingly since the start of this pandemic. Gov. Reeves announced Tuesday the ending of the mask mandate. The head of the state's largest hospital said now is not the time to put down the masks. "I feel like we are over the 10-yard line of the game, and we have figured out what works," Dr. Woodward said. "Let's not give up until we get across the finish line." Dr. Woodward said while case numbers are going down and more people are getting vaccinated, it is too soon to remove one of the most effective weapons against the pandemic. "My thinking is certainly in the hospital and the health care system. Here at the medical center, we need to continue what we know works to the point where we are on the other side of this," Dr. Woodward said. While the governor has taken down the mask mandate, that will not apply to the hospital campus in addition to other locations. Dr. Woodward said mask rules will remain in effect until more people are vaccinated and there are greater signs of the pandemic having a major and consistent decline.
 
Local health officials express concern as mask mandate expires
As Gov. Tate Reeves rolls back mask mandates and allows businesses to fully reopen, Tupelo health officials are encouraging residents to remain vigilant. Reeves lifted all county mask mandates and allowed businesses to return to full capacity without any state-imposed rules starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, citing plummeting hospitalizations and drastically falling COVID-19 case numbers. David Wilson, president of North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, said that while the governor is correct about numbers declining, he is concerned that without a mandate the number of new cases will increase. "I do believe, given it's not required, we will see far fewer people wearing a mask," Wilson said. "Everybody's worried about another surge and no doubt, the lack of masks will potentially contribute to another surge," Wilson said. Wilson feels most businesses, including restaurants, have done a good job with social distancing and managing themselves during a pandemic, "which has brought us to this trough and not to a peak," he said. In short, masks have been proven to work, Wilson said.
 
MUW is celebrating women's history month despite the pandemic
A new month filled with more history; February gave us Black History, but March focuses on Women's History. Women have been and are still prominent figures and they are being realized this month. Women's History is something people often don't talk about, but at the W it's their foundation and they are willing to share that no matter the circumstance. "In the past, we have had film series in the library and we are doing a version of that this year, but it will be a zoom watch party so that will be a little bit different," said Chanley Rainey, the director of Center of Women's Research at MUW. Although covid has played a role in shutting down some of their events they still made a safe plan. "Our last-minute event that was planned is some of the social clubs and sororities are getting together and planning a walk around campus so they are going to put up signs that have facts about women who made a big impact in history," said Rainey. MUW will be hosting more events throughout the month and encourages everyone to learn something about Women's History.
 
U. of Mississippi to continue requiring masks for remainder of spring semester
Oxford and Lafayette County Schools are still required to wear masks on campus, and the University of Mississippi is joining them. In a letter to the campus community on Wednesday night, Ole Miss Chancellor Glenn Boyce announced the university will still require all people to wear masks or facial coverings for the remainder of the spring semester in classroom and office settings. Masks will still be required while walking through public spaces in residence halls, dining facilities, the Ole Miss Student Union, campus recreation centers, retail spaces and other on-campus facilities. "Our community has done a tremendous job of adopting and adhering to our university protocols to limit spread of the virus, and those protocols continue to work effectively," Boyce said. "We look for forward to getting vaccines on campus to administer to faculty, staff and students, which may offer future opportunities to reevaluate our approach." In outdoor areas on campus, including The Grove, social distancing of at least six feet continues to be strongly recommended as well as wearing a mask when people cannot maintain distance, unless the protocols for the outdoor venue differ.
 
UMMC feeling financial toll of COVID-19
The ICU bed pressure at the University of Mississippi Medical Center has dropped off -- a sign that the COVID-19 demand for medical care is changing, to some degree. But the state medical care facility is still feeling the financial brunt of COVID-10. In the spring of 2020, the hospital laid off more than 200 health care workers, instituted pay cuts and projected losses of millions of dollars. "So, where we are now, from where the pandemic began to now, we have had about $110 million loss in clinical revenue," UMMC Vice Chancellor Dr. LouAnn Woodward said. Some of that loss has been offset by federal funding from the coronavirus relief bill, an estimated $75 million received by the state hospital system. But the revenue losses continue as the hospital has had a dramatic reduction in elective procedures and a growing number of patients who no longer have insurance because they lost their job. Woodward said treating a COVID-19 patient is not a windfall for hospitals. "They take up beds for a lot longer. The reimbursement is much lower than it is for elective surgical procedures where you have a fair amount of turnover," Woodward said. The financial plan for the hospital has also turned into a recruiting battleground. Hospitals in other states, like Texas, have offered more than twice what UMMC has for critical care nurses.
 
USM prepares for in-person fall classes
Amid falling COVID-19 infection numbers -- and the availability of vaccines in the fight against the pandemic -- officials from the University of Southern Mississippi are preparing to return to an in-person format for the fall 2021 semester. The announcement, which was made on Feb. 26, comes after the university suspended in-person classes in the early days of the pandemic before welcoming students back on a limited basis. "We feel like we can again offer the experience on campus in a safe way," said Dee Dee Anderson, vice president for student affairs at Southern Miss. "We believe the numbers throughout the state will allow us to do that, along with the fact that anyone who wants access to the vaccine should be able to have it. We think it's important that our students have that face-to-face contact with faculty, staff and their peers. We believe that helps them be more successful on our campus." University President Rodney Bennett said the university plans to implement a week-long schedule of commencement ceremonies in May that will celebrate each of the school's graduates from 2020 and spring 2021 who were forced to miss ceremonies because of the pandemic.
 
USM nationally recognized for its online bachelor's degree program for veterans
The University of Southern Mississippi earned a top 50 spot in the U.S. News & World Report ranking schools with the best online bachelor's degree program for veterans. According to the organization, the report recognizes schools that help veterans reduce the cost of school. "The university has just gone a long way to make it accessible and to adapt to the interests and needs of military students," said Jeff Hammond, director of Military Student Affairs at USM. Last fall, Hammond says 1,723 military students enrolled in USM's online program. Not only do these students juggle academic responsibilities, some juggle military duties as well. "These guys and gals are serving our country and they work hard, they train hard, they deploy hard and they don't have a lot of time," Hammond said. "But, they want to pursue and make themselves better, pursue an education and we adapt here to accommodate them."
 
Mississippi authors, award winners Jesmyn Ward and Kiese Laymon to present University Forum March 9
Two acclaimed Mississippi writers who are keeping the state's tradition of literary excellence vibrant will be the guest presenters for the next University of Southern Mississippi University Forum Online set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 9. Jesmyn Ward and Kiese Laymon will engage each other and their audience in a wide-ranging conversation about writing, race and Mississippi in an event co-sponsored by the USM Honors College and the USM McNair Scholars Program along with generous support from USM's Graduate School and College of Arts and Sciences. To attend, visit usm.edu/forum where you can sign up for a reminder or, on the night of the event, click a link to attend. The only woman and only Black American to win the National Book Award for Fiction twice, Ward is the author of five books. Laymon is a native Mississippian who still lives in the Magnolia State. He has written a satirical novel, "Long Division," and two memoirs, including "Heavy," an account of his troubled relationship with his mother that won the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.
 
Why teachers in Mississippi work second jobs to get by
A teacher with nearly two decades of experience in schools across Mississippi, Chanda Ferguson has done everything she can to raise her salary to support her family, including three kids. In addition to having a master's degree, she is National Board Certified, the highest certification a teacher can achieve. The certification process costs money, but the state reimburses the costs, in addition to awarding anywhere from a $6,000 to $10,000 increase in salary for certified teachers. Ferguson, a kindergarten teacher in the A-rated South Pontotoc Elementary School, considered going for her doctoral degree to get a $5,000 yearly bump in pay. The problem, however, is the cost of the degree outweighs the salary increase. Despite her achievements and 19 years of experience in the classroom, she still doesn't make what her husband, a community college instructor, made just five years into his career. So, she currently works weekends at a local restaurant and as a mentor for the World Class Teaching Program at the University of Mississippi, where she mentors teachers who are candidates for National Board certification. Her husband also works a second job as a part-time adjunct instructor for Mississippi State University.
 
Alabama professor on Dr. Seuss: Discontinuing racist books isn't 'cancel culture'
Six Dr. Seuss books will no longer be published because of racist and insensitive imagery, per The Associated Press, sparking backlash among some fans and media who blame "cancel culture." Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced the move on Dr. Seuss's birthday and Read Across America Day because the books "portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong." The discontinued books: "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street," "If I Ran the Zoo," "McElligot's Pool," "On Beyond Zebra!," "Scrambled Eggs Super!" and "The Cat's Quizzer." The criticism refers to the way Black people, Asian people and others are drawn in some of the works. One University of Alabama professor agrees with the move but says the books should not be banned. Instead, he encourages parents and teachers to move away from Dr. Seuss books and instead use other titles to teach reading skills. "Older, classic children's books such as those by Dr. Seuss, while well-loved, are often imbued with covert and sometimes very overt racist imagery and messages," said Jamie Campbell Naidoo, the Foster-EBSCO Endowed professor in UA's School of Library and Information Studies, in a UA statement. He specifically said libraries should not ban the books, nor should teachers remove them from classrooms, but they cannot share the titles without taking time to talk about why they are hurtful.
 
UGA intends to return to 'normal operations' for fall 2021 semester
The University of Georgia announced Wednesday that it will return to full in-person instruction and will resume normal operations in the fall 2021 semester. University officials announced in a release the instructional plans for summer and fall 2021. While summer will remain in the face-to-face, hybrid, or online formats, fall will return to normal for the first time since Spring 2020 when the pandemic first shuttered the campus. The announcement cited wider availability of vaccines as part of the reason for moving forward with "normal operations," which includes not only standard instruction, but full capacity of residence and dining halls. If the situation does change, the university is "ready to pivot" back to social distancing, with a mixed instructional format of in-person, hybrid and online. "In the coming weeks and months, we must continue to wear our face coverings, maintain social distancing, wash our hands frequently and use hand sanitizer, even as vaccines become more prevalent," said the release.
 
U. of South Carolina contributes $3.7B to Columbia economy, $6.2B statewide, school study says
The University of South Carolina contributes $3.7 billion to the Midlands economy, according to an internal study by its economists, and the school wants to play a greater role in increasing that figure. The study published March 3 takes into account both direct and indirect financial impacts, ranging from dollars generated by the athletic program and money spent on university building projects to the wage growth of the alumni living in the capital region. "It just shows that the university is actually contributing to the economy," USC President Bob Caslen said. "It's not only contributing to the economy, it's also contributing to employment." Researchers say the school could play a greater role, pitching itself as an asset that provides Columbia with a high-skilled labor pool for employers. Across its eight campuses statewide, the USC system has 50,000 graduate and undergraduate students. Caslen said applications to the flagship campus are up 21 percent for the coming fall semester. While an estimated 40 percent of graduates stay in South Carolina to work for at least five years after receiving their degree, the study's lead research economist, Joey Von Nessen, said doing more to connect students with local employment opportunities and increasing that retention rate by even 1 percentage point would add another $14.1 million in annual economic activity to Columbia and the surrounding region.
 
Louisiana colleges miss mark on sexual harassment law; thousands have not taken mandatory course
Louisiana's public colleges are not meeting the requirements of a 2018 law aimed at combatting sexual harassment, with thousands of campus workers not taking a mandatory yearly anti-harassment course. Though the law requires reports to be filed by mid-February, most campuses from the LSU System did not submit on time the documents outlining the number of sexual harassment allegations received over the last year and the employee training compliance. Several LSU campuses filed reports this week, though others remained missing Wednesday. Those filed showed some campuses fell far short on the training mandate. Louisiana lawmakers passed the state's first government-wide policy against sexual harassment three years ago. Female legislators pushed the effort after the secretary of state and a top aide to Gov. John Bel Edwards resigned because of sexual misconduct allegations. LSU spokesperson Ernie Ballard said Wednesday that campuses completed the required reports on time, but the documents were not properly forwarded. He said all reports were turned in by Tuesday night. The Division of Administration disagreed.
 
COVID-19 Update: UF's seven-day average positivity rate falls below 1% for on-campus testing
The University of Florida's COVID-19 numbers have continued to decrease during the past several weeks as the university reported its lowest on-campus testing positivity rate and quarantines since the start of the Spring semester. The seven-day average for on-campus positive tests fell below 1% Thursday, according to the university's testing dashboard. Since then, 25 UF affiliates tested positive through campus lab collections. Since Feb. 23, 11 UF employees and 58 students have tested positive through on- and off-campus results -- bringing the cumulative total positive cases at the university to 8,975 since tracking began March 18. On-campus quarantines hit the semester's lowest occupancy at 99% availability on Tuesday. The number of people in quarantine continues to drop to new lows, with 283 isolations Monday, a decrease of 173 since last week.
 
Texas A&M names Katherine Banks sole finalist for president
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents named M. Katherine Banks the sole finalist for president of A&M's flagship campus. Banks currently is dean of the College of Engineering at A&M. She also is vice chancellor of engineering and national laboratories for the A&M System -- a title she will retain, and one that means she will continue to serve on the Triad National Security, LLC, which manages Los Alamos National Laboratory. She also will keep providing oversight for the Bush Combat Development Complex at the RELLIS campus. "This is a tremendous honor," Banks said in a release. "The core values of Texas A&M, its rich traditions, unique culture and commitment to the greater good is the very foundation of this great university and resonates deeply with me. I hope to build upon that framework in our pursuit of preeminence, without losing what makes Texas A&M so special. Texas A&M is one of a kind, and there's nowhere else I'd rather be." Pending approval, Banks will be the second woman to serve as president in A&M's history. Elsa Murano was the first woman and first Hispanic American president, serving from January 2008 until June 2009. Banks is also the first woman to serve as dean of engineering.
 
Democratic group eyes $50 million effort to elect STEM candidates to House, Senate
A group backing Democratic candidates with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and math is looking to raise and spend $50 million in the 2022 midterms, listing two open Senate seats as top priorities. The group, 314 Action, is aiming to recruit candidates with STEM backgrounds in seven Senate races and 39 House races, according to a list of targets shared first with CQ Roll Call. 314 Action's executive director, Joshua Morrow, said the group will be especially focused on Ohio and Pennsylvania Senate races, where GOP Sens. Rob Portman and Patrick J. Toomey are retiring. "Those two Senate races are our top priority for the organization," Morrow said. Morrow said 314 Action is expanding its team and reaching out to potential candidates with STEM backgrounds. The group was first founded in the summer of 2016 by Shaughnessy Naughton, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in Pennsylvania, with the goal of bringing candidates with scientific backgrounds to Congress. The group was active in 2018 in recruiting and supporting STEM candidates, and expanded its effort in 2020. Morrow said the group's grassroots network, which directs donations to endorsed candidates, has grown from 400,000 members at the end of the 2018 election cycle to nearly 6 million today. The group also bolsters its candidates through its independent expenditure arm, which spent $11.4 million in the 2020 cycle.
 
The Cost of Insuring Colleges Continues to Rise. And Covid's Not the Reason.
Colleges face an increasingly complex and unpredictable array of challenges -- abuse, harassment, assault, police misconduct, accidents, health and environmental hazards, fiduciary wrongdoing, the pandemic -- that are making it more difficult to calculate risk and insure against it. That's a big part of why annual insurance premiums have gone up by double digits in recent years. John McLaughlin, senior managing director of the higher-education practice at Gallagher, an insurance brokerage and risk-management and consulting firm, says those increases range between an average of 10 and 35 percent across an institution's insurance portfolio. Norms around liability have also changed. Colleges were once seen as like churches; they were broadly protected from legal liability, according to Peter F. Lake, a professor of law, and director of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy, at Stetson University. Public colleges enjoyed nearly complete sovereign immunity. Now higher education is everybody's punching bag, Lake says. It gets hit from the right and the left, from private interest groups and public agencies, as too intrusive and insufficiently involved, even for following federal guidelines. The assumptions of immunity colleges once enjoyed are largely eroding.
 
College students reluctant to discuss race, politics in the classroom before election
In the six weeks leading up to the 2020 election, a majority of students said they were reluctant to discuss politics, race and other controversial topics in class settings, according to a new report from the Heterodox Academy, a nonprofit group that promotes open inquiry and viewpoint diversity at colleges and universities. Over all, 60 percent of 1,311 undergraduate students who responded to an online survey developed by the Heterodox Academy said they were hesitant to talk with classmates and professors about certain issues, including politics, race, religion, sexual orientation and gender, the report said. All the students surveyed were between 18 and 24 years old. They attended four-year institutions in every region of the U.S. and shared responses between Sept. 22 and Nov. 3, according to the report's methodology. The report found significant and "alarming" differences between Republican and Democratic students' comfort speaking about current political events happening during the fall 2020 semester, said Melissa Stiksma, a contracted data analyst for the Heterodox Academy and author of the report. She noted that 44 percent of Republican students said they were reluctant to speak about the Black Lives Matter movement, versus 12 percent of Democratic students. This discrepancy was consistent when students were asked about discussing the presidential election -- 46 percent of Republican students felt reluctant to speak about the election, compared to 23 percent of Democratic students, the report said.
 
As Texas Reopens, Many Colleges Stick to Covid-19 Protocols -- for Now
As Texas loosens restrictions for businesses and social gatherings, many colleges are sticking with their protocols for Covid-19 prevention -- for now. Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, a Republican, has ordered an end to a statewide mandate for mask use and other restrictions meant to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The order takes effect on March 10, but colleges can continue to enforce their own rules afterward. The University of Texas system "is currently reviewing the order and consulting with state and higher-education agencies and officials to determine how it may affect our operations," according to a statement. Similarly, the Texas A&M system has announced that "rules and protocols at Texas A&M University regarding face coverings will remain in place until March 10, before which date the university will issue further guidance." Charlotte M. Canning, a professor of drama at the University of Texas at Austin, said it had chosen early on to work with students as partners, not opponents. She said she thinks students will continue to act responsibly when the state's restrictions lift. But some faculty members in the state are concerned that students will stop complying with campus rules.
 
Texas colleges review implications of executive order rescinding statewide mask mandate
Many Texas colleges say they are reviewing an executive order issued by Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, on Tuesday ending a statewide mask mandate and allowing businesses and facilitates to open at full capacity, actions that have been widely condemned by public health officials as premature. Federal public health officials have strongly urged Americans to continue wearing face masks to control the spread of COVID-19 and limit the emergence of potentially more dangerous variants while the country embarks on a massive vaccination campaign. Colleges have widely embraced mask requirements on campuses, but the actions by state and local officials in Texas and Mississippi stand to potentially complicate colleges' efforts to enforce compliance with public health recommendations. Some public colleges in Texas indicated they are still trying to understand the implications of the order by Abbott. More than 500 people had signed a Change.org petition as of Wednesday evening calling on Texas A&M to keep its current masking rules in place. The text of the executive order appears to leave flexibility for colleges to adopt their own safety protocols.
 
A 'gobsmacking number' of students in need aren't applying to college. Are we missing 'an entire generation'?
Applying to college has always been harder for first-generation and low-income students than for peers with greater access to support at every step of the process. This year, data shows, that gulf has widened. "What we are really worried about, simply put, is: 'Will we miss out on an entire generation of students going to college?' " said Angel Perez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. "If the pandemic has highlighted anything" about admissions, he said, it is "how the system perpetuates inequality" and how complex applying has become. Common App data through Feb. 15 showed applications up 11% overall from a year ago -- yet down 1.6% among first-generation students and flat among low-income students. Overall FAFSA completion, a harbinger of college-going intent, was 9.2% behind the prior year on Feb. 19. In high schools serving lower-income students, it lagged 12.1%, and in schools with a high percentage of students of color, the decline was 14.6%. The FAFSA drop represents "a gobsmacking number," said Bill DeBaun, director of data and evaluation for the National College Attainment Network. It makes it less likely that low-income students will be able to attend, as many colleges and universities commit financial aid money to others ahead of those who apply later.
 
How should medical schools teach race?
Across the country, colleges and universities continue to examine their relationships with race and racism. Medical schools have been having their own conversations about the subject, focusing not only on how students of color are admitted to and treated in medical school but, additionally, what they are taught when they get there. Physician bias based on patient race is well documented, and some say that medical schools have played a part in perpetuating that phenomenon. "Medical schools are training the next cadre of not only physicians that serve on the front lines, but physician scientists that are generating the medical knowledge that we're going to use in the future," said Jaya Aysola, a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "Medical schools define the individuals that are going to define the institutional structures, policies and practices of medicine tomorrow." Aysola and 10 co-authors recently released a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, the result of examining 800 preclinical medical school lectures in 21 courses. They found medical education often reinforced the idea that race is a biological category, rather than a social one. That idea, they argue, is false.


SPORTS
 
Mississippi State to bulk up attendance at Dudy Noble this weekend
Mississippi State will allow an increase in capacity at Dudy Noble Field as soon as this weekend. A source inside the athletic department, who asked not to be named, confirmed to The Dispatch Tuesday that the school plans to sell an additional 4,400 chairback seats, while outfield rigs will now be allowed to hold as many as eight people. It's also expected that as many as 750 student tickets will be allotted for this coming weekend, though that could grow incrementally over the next few weeks. The university has not released official numbers publicly. "All of us want packed stadiums," MSU Athletic Director John Cohen said in an interview with SportsTalk Mississippi on Wednesday. "The question is, how quickly can we get there? How safe can we make the student athletes? What are the COVID numbers like in our state? All of this has to be monitored, and we want to move in that direction." The changes came shortly after Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves repealed an executive order that previously put a 25-percent cap on outdoor venues amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That change went into effect at 5 p.m. Wednesday. In accordance with MSU and Southeastern Conference policy, the school will still have a number of safety measures in place.
 
Mississippi State baseball pitches its way by Southern Miss in Pearl
The Mississippi State baseball team is only eight games into the season, but the Bulldogs have already earned a deserved reputation for late-game dramatics. There would be no such theatrics against in-state rival Southern Mississippi (4-4) at Trustmark Park on Wednesday night. Instead, No. 3 Mississippi State (6-2) put together one of its most complete pitching efforts of the young season to defeat the Golden Eagles 4-1. "We're learning a lot about ourselves right now and who we are," Bulldogs head coach Chris Lemonis said. "Southern Miss is going to be a regional team and they're our in-state rival. We are what we showed tonight. We have a chance to be really hard to score against this year." So far, two of MSU's wins, both in last week's thrilling series against Tulane, came in walk-off fashion. But on Wednesday, the lights-out effort began with starting pitcher Houston Harding. He went five innings to pick up the win, longer than any other starting pitcher has managed this season, and finished with a career-best nine strikeouts while allowing just two hits and one earned run.
 
Houston Harding's nine strikeouts help No. 3 Mississippi State to win over Southern Miss in Pearl
Houston Harding knew what was coming. So did Southern Mississippi leadoff man Gabe Montenegro. Even the beer vendors down the third base line who notched close to $10,000 in sales Wednesday night knew what was coming. It didn't matter. With a progressive windup and whip of his left arm, Harding fired another 73 mile per hour breaking ball that started at belt level and fell out the bottom. Montenegro tried to stay on top of it. A foolish endeavor. He swung right over the pitch and, with it, gave Harding the last of his nine strikeouts in No. 3 Mississippi State's 4-1 win over Southern Miss (4-4) at Trustmark Park. "(He) just gave us a great start," MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said of Harding. "We haven't had a great start yet, I don't think, in the season and let us piece the game together the way we wanted to." Entering Wednesday's contest, the Golden Eagles' starting lineup had recorded extra base hits on 69 percent of its hits this season. Against Harding, they recorded just one.
 
Bulldogs beat Southern Miss, strike out 20 batters
Houston Harding and the Mississippi State pitching staff had their best outing of the season on Wednesday night. No. 3-ranked Mississippi State beat Southern Miss, 4-1, at Trustmark Park. The Mississippi State pitching staff struck out 20 Golden Eagles and allowed only three hits. Harding (1-1) started on the mound and pitched five innings for the Bulldogs (6-2). He allowed only two hits, walked one batter, struck out nine batters, and allowed one earned run on 88 pitches. Harding's start was the longest outing by a MSU starter this season. "He gave us a great start," head coach Chris Lemonis said of Harding. "We haven't had a great start yet this season and it let us piece together the game how we wanted to. ... His change up is his best pitch. He's worked hard to develop his breaking ball against the lefty, and you saw it against the middle of their lineup." Mississippi State and Southern Miss traded runs in the first few innings, but the Bulldogs took the lead in the bottom of the third and never looked back. Mississippi State will host Kent State for a three-game series this weekend at Dudy Noble Field. The Golden Flashes were added to the schedule on Wednesday after Tennessee Tech had to cancel the weekend series due to COVID-19 issues.
 
Defense, Iverson Molinar lead Mississippi State to road win against Texas A&M
You wouldn't be able to tell Texas A&M endured a 33-day layoff from watching the first half of Wednesday's contest with Mississippi State in College Station. The Aggies, fired up from deploying a lineup with four seniors on senior night, took a 10-point lead early over the Bulldogs, capitalizing on the visitor's poor ball handling and subpar free throw percentage. But because of a stifling defense that mitigated Texas A&M to 32 percent from the floor, MSU (14-12, 8-9 SEC) rallied for a road win, taking down the Aggies 63-57. The Bulldogs snapped a two-game losing streak to the Aggies (8-8, 2-7) despite committing 17 giveaways compared to A&M's four and shooting an atrocious 3-of-12 clip from the free throw line. Offensive stats equally as paltry could be found from most A&M players not named Emanuel Miller, who finished with a game-high 24 points. Offense beyond the arc was nonexistent for a Texas A&M team playing for the first time since Jan. 30, shooting 4-of-25 from 3-point range. "I'm really proud of them for (battling) because we're a team that's had growing pains and had to change lineups in some situations," MSU coach Ben Howland said. "It all comes back to our defense."
 
Mississippi State basketball hangs on to top Texas A&M on road
Mississippi State played perhaps the most well-rested team in the country Wednesday night. In fact, it was Texas A&M's first game since Jan. 30, and the layoff was apparent at times. The Bulldogs used two key runs to knock off the Aggies 63-57 on the road to win for the third time in four games. Mississippi State (14-12, 8-9 SEC) was led by junior guard Iverson Molinar, who scored 11 of the Bulldogs' first 18 points. He finished the first half with 14 points and the game with 18 points and five rebounds. MSU's leading scorer, junior guard D.J. Stewart Jr., added 14 points and five rebounds as well, and senior forward Abdul Ado finished with a game-high five blocks and added eight points and six rebounds. The SEC wraps up play this weekend. Mississippi State will end the regular season on the road against Auburn (noon).
 
Texas A&M men's basketball plays well in return but loses to Mississippi State
Texas A&M men's basketball head coach Buzz Williams said sleep has escaped him of late. With 32 days between games and only two full practices over that stretch, Williams took time to jot down some of his worries on a note in his phone. Most revolved around if his team would come out swinging after the hiatus caused by COVID-19 issues. In the Aggies' return to action Wednesday, the final score at Reed Arena read 63-57 in favor of Mississippi State. Williams, fears fully subsided, said his team deserved a tally in the win column. "I wish we would have won and been rewarded for that intangible that I thought was apparent, whether you were at the game or not," Williams said. "I understand that I'll be judged relative to winning or losing, but in many respects, I thought we won tonight relative to giving our absolute best." The rust did show up on the Aggies' shooting touch. A&M hit just 22 of 69 shots from the field (32%) and 4 of 25 from 3-point range (16%), miles behind the Bulldogs' 53% from the field and 42% from behind the arc.
 
Mississippi State softball shut out in nonconference game at No. 3 Alabama
The Mississippi State softball team was baffled by Alabama pitcher Montana Fouts in Wednesday's nonconference game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Fouts struck out a career-high 16 hitters in a complete-game shutout as the third-ranked Crimson Tide (15-0) blanked the Bulldogs 4-0. Mississippi State (8-5) lost for the second straight game after a 10-6 loss on Sunday at Baylor. The Bulldogs were held to four hits in the contest. Senior designated player Carter Spexarth was 2 for 2, and senior third baseman Montana Davidson and junior left fielder Chloe Malau'ulu garnered one hit apiece. "We faced a great pitcher," head coach Samantha Ricketts said in a news release from Mississippi State. "She's one of the best pitchers in the country for a reason. She throws hard, hits her spots, and she can move it all over the place. Credit to her." Mississippi State will host three other schools in the Bulldog Invitational this weekend at Nusz Park. MSU will face Ball State at 3 p.m. Friday, Alcorn State at 5:30 p.m. Friday and Western Kentucky at 12:30 p.m. Saturday before getting into bracket play later Saturday afternoon.
 
Vanderbilt baseball loosens COVID attendance restrictions for fans
Vanderbilt baseball will loosen its COVID-19 attendance restrictions, allowing a limited number of fans and season ticket holders into home games, beginning this weekend. The No. 2 Commodores will host Illinois-Chicago on Friday (4:30 p.m.), Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) at Hawkins Field. All three games will be streamed on SEC Network+, but some fans will be allowed in the gates. According to a Vanderbilt release, tickets will be free and fans will sit in the infield stands. A limited number of students also will be permitted to sit in the outfield stands. Concessions will be available. Season ticket holders will receive an email from Vanderbilt to be eligible for tickets, and attendees will be selected by a lottery system. Based on the previous policy, a limited number of players' parents and family members will be permitted to attend home games. Vanderbilt will monitor the COVID-19 situation and consider opening home games to additional fans later in the season.



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