| Tuesday, January 18, 2022 |
| Students return back to campus at MSU | |
 | After over a month since taking their final exam of 2021, students at Mississippi State University (MSU) will be back on campus on Tuesday to start the spring semester. One MSU senior from Athens, Greece said she's eager to finish up her undergrad and start her "new life". "It's a weird feeling because of COVID," said Emmanouela Antonaki. "I'm from Europe so things in Europe, it's... I think it's way more difficult than here." As the Omicron variant continues to strike across the country, more and more places are cracking back down on guidelines, including the university. As of January 10th, all students, faculty, staff and visitors are once again required to wear a mask inside all university buildings, but many students seem to think wearing masks are a new normal. "Everybody's kind of used to it at this point," explained State senior Tarlys Smith Jr. "Do I like it? No. Do I think it needs to be implemented? Yes." The mask requirement will remain in place until February 1st. "We cannot be 100% sure and safe everywhere," said Antonaki, "but masks are like one extra step to protect ourselves." |
| Starkville community members work to keep MLK Jr's dream alive | |
 | Serving others is one facet of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. Monday, Starkville residents rolled up their sleeves to make their community a better place. Mississippi State student Cameron Mayers and others pack bags of food at Starkville Strong to help the neediest and hungriest people in the community. "I think it means a lot to help because it's really just cultivating the vision that he made on the life and really just continuing the legacy that he had for generations to come," said Mayers. Walking side by side to help other people build bonds and that is the ultimate goal for MSU's Martin Luther King Jr. Day events. "Having this group out here and being able to give back to our community you know bring everyone a little closer together I feel like is really the message of the day," said MSU student Ian Evans. Visions of Mississippians working together for a better place to live is one of the "Dreams" Dr. King had for a world of equality. The volunteers are hoping they are helping make those dreams come true. |
| Growers must manage 2022 high input costs | |
 | High fertilizer prices continue to be a hot topic any time farm professionals gather, but now is not the first time costs have doubled or even tripled for some crop staples. Larry Oldham, soil specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said producers must plan around dramatically rising costs. "Some December reports show potash prices nearing historic high prices over $800 per ton, and individual nitrogen fertilizer prices increasing 5% to 9% within one month," Oldham said. While these high prices can seem staggering, fertilizer price increases of this magnitude have happened before. "The late 2000s was the time of the great fertilizer price reset," Oldham said. "Potash prices had been 14 cents a pound for many years, but increased domestic and international grain demand more than quadrupled the price for potash." Oldham said that means the current fertilizer price volatility is not uncharted territory. "This is a moment for patience as the storm swirls," Oldham said. Speaking at the 2021 Row Crops Short Course in December, Brian Mills, an agricultural economist at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, said this input volatility makes crop planning for 2022 difficult. |
| Master Gardener training to be offered online again | |
| The Mississippi State University Extension Service is offering Master Gardener training and certification online again this year. Registration for the Master Gardener class of 2022 begins Feb. 1 and goes through the end of the month. Instruction for all classes is online and self-paced. The online class material is offered from March 15 to May 15. "The Master Gardener program grooms active volunteers who exchange the 40 hours of educational training they receive for 40 hours of volunteer service within one year of their training," said Jeff Wilson, Extension horticulture specialist and state coordinator of the Master Gardener program. The volunteer work of Master Gardeners helps local Extension offices reach a broader audience than is possible through just the efforts of Extension agents. Volunteers take on a variety of community beautification projects and extend the educational arm of the university to the public by providing horticultural information based on university research and recommendations. "These Master Gardeners continue to be assets to their communities as, in future years, they continue to receive training and log a minimum of 20 community service hours a year to maintain their certified status," Wilson said. |
| Starkville/MSU Symphony Orchestra to perform Saturday | |
 | The Starkville/MSU Symphony Orchestra will start the year with its first concert. It will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Mississippi State's Lee Hall Auditorium. The concert will feature music for wind instruments beginning with the charming Seven Dances by Jean Francaix. Also included will be music by a young Richard Strauss, Suite in B-Flat for Winds followed by the delightful Petite Symphonie. This later was written by Charles Gounod in the classical four movement work in 1885, and scored for a wind ensemble of nine players. The concert will close with a winds version of Antonin Dvorak's familiar Slavonic Dances. COVID guidelines will be followed. MSU continues mask requirement on campus until Feb. 1 . |
| MSU awarded grant to help foster Choctaw students | |
 | The Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service was awarded a grant that will help educate, recruit and retain tribal students from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI). MSU and the Choctaw Division of Education signed a memorandum of understanding designed to strengthen partnerships between the university and the Choctaw tribe. The memorandum is associated with the grant, "New Beginning for Tribal Students," awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The $500,000 grant includes a $250,000 match from MSU and MSU Extension. As the administrating organization of the state's 4-H program, MSU Extension will offer a college and career readiness program called Build Your Future to MBCI high school students. MSU Extension will also develop a family-focused college readiness program and deliver workshops focused on college-readiness skills at the MBCI and MSU campuses. |
| MSU Joins CYBERCOM Research Network | |
 | The United States Cyber Command, also known as CYBERCOM, recently selected Mississippi State University and 84 other institutions nationwide to take part in a new Academic Engagement Network. CYBERCOM is a joint command center of the U.S. Department of Defense that directs, synchronizes and coordinates cyberspace planning in collaboration with domestic and international partners to defend and advance national interests, a release from MSU says. Participating universities will support CYBERCOM efforts in areas such as future workforce, applied cyber research and applied analytics. MSU holds all National Security Agency designations as a center of academic excellence in cyber defense, cyber research and cyber operations and leads the fourth largest National Science Foundation Cybercorps program in the U.S. The university also offers an undergraduate program in cybersecurity, a master's program in cybersecurity and operations and two certificate programs. For more information on U.S. Cyber Command's Academic Engagement Network, visit https://www.cybercom.mil/Partnerships-and-Outreach/Academic-Engagement/. |
| Monday Profile: Garrett Torbert founds group to create performance arts opportunities | |
| Upon moving to the area, Garrett Torbert often heard about the lack of available performance opportunities for children. The Columbus resident and Mississippi State University instructor decided to do something about it by forming the Golden Triangle Theatre in June 2021. Its first classes started in August. In his role as executive and artistic director for Golden Triangle Theatre, the nonprofit's founder serves as a teacher, singer, director and collaborative pianist. Golden Triangle Theatre started out of a vision to see art and culture become a more important part of the community, especially for children living in the area, Torbert said. Its motto is "Inspire. Nurture. Perform." "I had been teaching privately both piano and voice to children in the community and parents would inquire about performing opportunities for their children and really there was not really an option," he said of his decision to form the group. "In essence, I saw a need and so I went for it." Golden Triangle Theatre operates as a nonprofit with a board of directors. Besides Torbert, the staff includes Tennille Koulainen, associate theatre director, and Payton Tanner, assistant theatre director. Koulainen is the high school performing arts teacher at Columbus Christian Academy. Tanner is a vocal performance graduate from Mississippi State and currently studies music therapy at Mississippi University for Women. Those working with the theatre are excited about its future, Torbert said. |
| Starkville considers spending ARPA on projects other than parks | |
| The plan to allocate the majority of Starkville's American Rescue Plan Act funds to park improvements may be changing. The board of aldermen approved an expansion of allowable expenditures for the city's ARPA funds at the board's work session Friday to include the BUILD grant Highway 182 infrastructure project and Main Street improvements. After a final ruling from the federal government allowing ARPA to be spent on broadband and infrastructure improvements without the need of those projects falling in an "underserved" community, Mayor Lynn Spruill said she wants to outline multiple projects that the city's funds could be spent on aside from just the original park improvement plan. Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann has said he intends to have a state matching program for ARPA funds regarding local government projects, and Spruill said she wants to maximize the opportunity for the city to receive these matching funds. "We had been fairly narrow when we (decided how to allocate funds), so this allows us to have a full opportunity for use of the funds that the final rule allows for," Spruill said. Spruill said she plans to address the state legislature this week and present multiple projects to the delegates, including the current parks plan and the Highway 182 BUILD grant project and the Main Street project, which will both see improvements to the streets' roads, sidewalks and sewer systems. State Rep. Rob Roberson (R, Starkville) told The Dispatch the legislature is still deciding on how it wants to approach its matching program. |
| Four more charged in connection with shooting death of Starkville boy | |
| The investigation into the drive-by shootings that led to the death of a 9-year-old boy Jan. 5 has landed four people behind bars on felony charges. Following the death of Lasang Kemp Jr., 9, the Starkville Police Department has served 62 search warrants as part of the investigation. Multiple search warrants were served Friday Jan. 14 leading to four more arrests. Angelica Robertson, 25; Walter Deloach, 35; and Jazzerine Peter Hart, 34; all of Starkville, were each charged with accessory after the fact to murder and six counts of accessory after the fact to aggravated assault. Deloach was also charged with possession of marijuana. Hurt was also charged with four counts of trafficking a controlled substance and two counts of possession of a weapon by felon. In a separate but related arrest, Jessica Hemphill, 40, was charged with possession of methamphetamine. Barron "B-Man" Hubbard, 29; Tabyron "Tayy Tayy" Fisher, 21; and Dellveon "Dez" Lindsey, 19; were arrested withing 24 hours of the shooting. Each is charged with one count of murder and six counts of aggravated assault. They are all being held in lieu of a total bond of $3.5 million apiece. Police have said it is likely that these drive-by shootings are "directly related" to a double homicide last March where two parties met and shot each other on Pilcher Street, not far from Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary School. |
| Madison County's Flora getting first new construction in decades | |
| Aaron Oliver has decided that he can stay ahead of Madison County development trends by returning to the past. He wants to "build something new that looks old," he said. The thinking is that the county has room among all its spanking new 21st century-style developments for a bit of yesteryear, Oliver said in a recent interview. Oliver and his West Main LLC partners say they've got just the place to recreate that long ago time: Western Madison County's Flora, a town of 1,800 people whose last new downtown construction came during World War II, when the nearby Kearney Park small arms ammunitions plant was going big guns. In line with the fondness of Flora's leaders for the past and desire to keep the town small, the West Main developers are limiting their condominium/commercial project to three unadorned wood-frame brick veneer buildings of 12,000 square feet each, built with steel supports. A Mississippi State University graduate with a career as a general contractor, Oliver had West Main on the drawing board for seven years. But until now, the timing has not been right for either town officials or the marketing of the mix-use buildings. Investing in a small town nearly 20 miles from Interstate 55 and an equal number from Jackson meant he had to get the timing right. He said he saw enough westward migration of rooftops and businesses to put his money on Flora. |
| 'A monumental day': New FedEx distribution center, new jobs at Hattiesburg-Laurel airport | |
 | The Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport will soon become home to a FedEx Ground distribution center, officials announced Thursday afternoon. "It's a monumental day for our region," said Tom Heanue, airport director. The facility will be located in the airport's I-59 Supply Chain Park. Construction is expected to cost around $12 million, said Bill Ray, chairman of the Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport Authority Board during a news conference at the airport. "The point is to provide for those people that we live with every day in the Pine Belt area and try to bring better jobs to the marketplace," Ray said. "We hope that is what is going to happen here." The FedEx site will be the largest at the business park at 217,000 square feet. Operations are expected to begin later this year. The new facility is expected to bring a mix of full- and part-time employees to the area. The number will be adjusted seasonally. The company did not disclose an estimate of how many jobs would be available, but David Hogan, president of the Forrest County Board of Supervisors, said they anticipate seeing around 200 new jobs at the FedEx Ground site. FedEx will join other businesses at the center, including Ashley's Furniture, NoTrax, Flowers Bakery Distribution Center and Clearview Recovery Center. The addition is welcome, Hogan said, because it will help attract other businesses to the park. |
| Crawfish prices drop along Gulf Coast as harvest thrives | |
 | If you are a crawfish fan, this is the season to celebrate. Experts say the local harvest is shaping up to be bountiful this year ahead of carnival season. "For some reason, it's plentiful this year right now," Desportes Seafood manager Frank Menna said. "Prices being like this right now, it's gonna be a great year. We should sell a lot of crawfish, a lot." With Mardi Gras being their busiest time of year, about five separate suppliers are arriving daily with loads of fresh crawfish. The store is selling about 150 sacks each week. "Especially the last couple of years with COVID, people are starting to get out and do stuff more now together, so the prices are gonna make it a lot easier for people to get together," Menna said. "Of course, we love our crawfish down here." The business is also booming down the street at Quality Poultry & Seafood. "We've had a lot more crawfish this year than we have in previous years due to the rain that we've had," manager Todd Rosetti told WLOX. He says during a typical year, two or three suppliers show up to his shop about twice a week, but now, they are receiving loads almost daily. "We're boiling every day now. Before, it was like one or two days a week. And the demand has definitely increased," he said. "They buy two or three pounds, now they're coming in buying five and 10 pounds." |
| Mississippi sees unemployment rate decline. What does that mean? | |
| Signs point to things getting back to normal in the job market in Mississippi, some experts say, and the steadily decreasing unemployment rate proves it. The Mississippi unemployment rate, which reached an unprecedented 15.7% in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has dipped below pre-pandemic levels. Preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the state's unemployment rate was 5% in November. In February 2020, the month before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, the rate was 5.8%. In November, Arizona and Mississippi had the largest month-over-month unemployment rate decreases in the nation at 0.5% each. "During the pandemic, a lot of businesses slowed down and that kind of raised the unemployment rate in the state, but you can see with vaccinations and businesses coming back, that is beginning to come down again," said Dal Didia, an economist at Jackson State University. Didia said one of the factors contributing to the decline is an uptick in economic activity and a better handle on the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the unemployment rate decline, U.S. workers quit their jobs at a record pace in November. "The numbers do not surprise me. I think we are facing a watershed moment with perceptions of work-life balance in the United States," said University of Southern Mississippi Professor of Economic Development Chad Miller in a Tuesday press release. "Demographics, technology, public policy or the lack thereof and the COVID mentality reset are driving the change." |
| House bill could get state out of alcohol distribution business | |
| The Mississippi Legislature is making another attempt to get the state out of the wholesale wine and spirits distribution business. House Bill 512, authored by state Rep. Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, would get the state out of the liquor and wine distribution business by January 1, 2023 in favor of having private wholesalers take up the job. It would also lower the excise tax on wine and spirits from 27.5 percent to 18 percent. The tax would also be collected by the Department of Revenue's Alcoholic Beverage Control in a different fashion. Right now, the 27.5 percent tax is assessed on each bottle sold from the Gluckstadt warehouse, but the lower rate would be assessed on wholesalers on their gross proceeds from each wholesale purchase by a retailer. The impetus behind the change was a massive uptick in sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic that put the warehouse behind. "The one thing we agree upon is the status quo is not the best thing and it's not getting it done," Lamar told the Northside Sun. "The conversations we've had with the Senate leadership this past year, they're getting tired of getting phone calls of how poor the service is at the ABC warehouse. From all indications, the Senate wants to join us and get something accomplished." |
| Mississippi representative wants cameras in public school classrooms | |
| Monday is the final day legislators can introduce general bills, and one Mississippi representative plans to put forth legislation that would place cameras in public school classrooms. Representative Stacey Hobgood-Wilkes, R-Picayune, believes a teacher pay raise is imperative but there's more that can be done to improve classrooms across the state. "It's just so much different from when I was in school. You know how schools are now with all of the issues teachers have to face," she said. "I actually have a bill that doesn't have a bill number yet, and it's probably going to be a controversial bill. But it's needed, and it's sad that it's needed. My bill puts cameras in classrooms." As the debate heats up over whether or not critical race theory (CRT) is being taught in classrooms, Hobgood-Wilkes believes her bill would hold teachers accountable. "We have so much critical race theory being taught in our schools and different issues," she continued. "It holds teachers accountable. It also helps them with discipline. Parents can't come in there and say, 'my child didn't do that.'" According to Hobgood-Wilkes, if the bill passes, parents will be able to go online and watch their child's classroom live. Only the school administration will have access to recorded video if ever needed. |
| Bill of the Day: State Rep. Ford files 'J.T. Williamson Act' to make texting while driving a misdemeanor with $500 fine | |
 | Many SuperTalk Radio listeners will fondly remember J.T. Williamson for his mid-day banter on everything from politics to the outdoors to barbecuing and grilling. One of the policy items Williamson advocated strongly for on and off air prior to his death was a more robust texting and driving law in Mississippi. State Rep. Jill Ford (R) has filed HB 429, titled the "J.T. Williamson Act" in memory of the former radio host, that would revise the penalty for texting while driving. Current Mississippi Code prohibits an operator of a moving motor vehicle from engaging in a call or writing, sending, or reading a text message and from accessing, reading or posting to a social networking site using a hand-held mobile telephone while driving said motor vehicle. The present civil penalty is $100. Ford's bill would make those convicted of texting while driving guilty of a misdemeanor and make the offense punishable by a fine of $500. |
| MDOC requests $410M from state lawmakers to 'turn department around' | |
 | The Mississippi Department of Corrections met before the Senate Appropriations Committee to request funds for their budget for Fiscal Year 2023. Commissioner Burl Cain is asking lawmakers for $410 million dollars to upgrade the state prison system. That's up $57 million from last year. "This is the year that we have to have the funding to make the giant step to turn this department around," Cain said. A major part of the commissioner's focus for the budget is re-entry programs, like workforce development. So far, MDOC is offering training for industries like welding, construction, HVAC, engine repair and more. Cain said job training programs for soon-to-be-released prisoners will help reduce recidivism. "They're going to have high skill and good paying jobs that can sustain their family and can make them not want to come back to prison," Cain said. "That's what corrections is all about, correcting deviant behavior. Not lock and feed, torture and torment." The commissioner also wants to increase the pay for correctional officers. Right now, correctional officers are paid $15 an hour. Cain said, last year the department only retained 40 percent of newly hired correctional officers, leaving MDOC understaffed. And in neighboring states, pay is higher. "We go to Tennessee, they're paying $20.19 an hour. You go to Alabama, they're paying $20 an hour. And you go to Mississippi, we're paying $15.38 an hour. We are inadequately financed and funded for salaries. We need to have a salary of $18.50 an hour," Cain said. |
| Expanding Medicaid for new moms could save lives. But in Mississippi, it's a battle. | |
 | In 2019, then-Gov. Phil Bryant proclaimed that he wanted Mississippi to be "the safest place for an unborn child in America." In Bryant's view, that meant signing some of the strictest abortion laws in the country. One of them, the state's 15-week abortion ban, is now before the U.S. Supreme Court, with national implications for abortion rights. The same year Bryant made the declaration, a group of physicians in Mississippi released recommendations aimed at preventing maternal and infant deaths in a state with the highest infant mortality rate in the country. One change that the state's Maternal Mortality Review Committee advocated in 2019 was to allow women to keep their Medicaid health insurance coverage for a year after they give birth, rather than being cut off after 60 days, which is the current policy. The group of physicians found that almost 40 percent of pregnancy-related deaths in the state occurred more than six weeks after women gave birth. Dr. Charlene Collier, an OB-GYN practicing in Mississippi's capital and co-chair of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee, is still waiting for that potentially lifesaving measure to be adopted. "In Mississippi, there's been a lot of focus on the issues of abortion and restricting that, but there's no commensurate efforts to improve birth outcomes for pregnant women and babies in the state," she said. |
| 'Toxic environment': North Jackson lawmaker gives up party affiliation following redistricting vote | |
| The fallout from a vote on the House Congressional redistricting plan has caused a North Jackson lawmaker to give up her party affiliation. Thursday, District 64 Rep. Shanda Yates announced that she was leaving the Democratic Party, saying that the move was needed so she could better represent her constituents. Yates was elected as a Democrat in 2019. She defeated longtime incumbent Republican Rep. Bill Denny. She was serving as the vice-chair of the House Democratic Delegation for the city of Jackson. The announcement came less than a week after she broke ranks with her fellow Democrats to vote in favor of a plan that expands Rep. Bennie Thompson's district to take in nearly 40 percent of the entire state. "It was made clear to me by some members of my own caucus within the Democratic Party that I was no longer welcome within the party or the caucus," Yates said. "And in an effort to clear the way to let them do what they thought was best, I agreed to step aside." "I'm still certainly friends with a large portion of people in the Democratic caucus," she said. "My politics have not changed. My goals have not changed. My agenda has not changed. The letter behind my name has changed." |
| Sinema, Manchin slammed as Senate begins voting bill debate | |
 | Facing stark criticism from civil rights leaders, senators return to Capitol Hill under intense pressure to change their rules and break a Republican filibuster that has hopelessly stalled voting legislation. The Senate is set to launch debate Tuesday on the voting bill with attention focused intently on two pivotal Democrats -- Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia -- who were singled out with a barrage of criticism during Martin Luther King Jr. Day events for their refusal to change what civil rights leaders call the "Jim Crow filibuster." Martin Luther King III, the son of the late civil rights leader, compared Sinema and Manchin to the white moderate his father wrote about during the civil rights battles of the 1950s and 1960s -- a person who declared support for the goals of Black voting rights but not the direct actions or demonstrations that ultimately led to passage of the landmark legislation. "History will not remember them kindly," the younger King said, referring to Sinema and Manchin by name. This will be the fifth time the Senate will try to pass voting legislation this Congress, as elections officials warn that new state laws are making it more difficult to vote in some parts of the country. Once reluctant to change Senate rules, President Joe Biden used the King holiday to pressure senators to do just that. But the push from the White House, including Biden's blistering speech last week in Atlanta comparing opponents to segregationists, is seen as too late, coming as the president ends his first year in office with his popularity sagging. |
| How a GOP majority in Congress might handle Biden in 2023 | |
 | Republicans are feeling so good about their chances of retaking Congress this fall that they're already debating their governing relationship with President Joe Biden. And they're divided over how to handle their potential big wins. With Biden and Democrats floundering right now, the GOP is increasingly favored to vault back to partial power in Washington by flipping the House, and potentially also the Senate, in the coming midterms. What comes next isn't quite clear: Some Republicans are mulling ways to collaborate with Biden on issues like trade, energy or tech; others are prepared to go scorched-earth as their party eyes the bigger prize of retaking the White House in 2024. The GOP's pro-bipartisanship camp may not have a lot of space in 2023 to work with the president: funding the government and raising the debt ceiling will be a major challenge, given how often House and Senate Republicans diverge on critical pieces of legislation. And former President Donald Trump will continue trying to influence the party's direction, criticizing Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell and anyone else who steps out of line with his combative politics. Given those dynamics, there's no unified GOP agenda for voters to examine this fall --- other than an up-or-down vote on Biden and congressional Democrats' record. Republicans aren't sure what will happen next if they actually win. For now it's Democrats, holding shaky but singular power in Washington, consuming the Capitol's oxygen as they struggle to enact Biden's agenda. But the GOP's splits over whether to work with Biden, even now from the minority, would become the nation's central political story if it retakes part or all of Congress this fall. With that victory would come the messy job of actually governing, preventing credit defaults and government shutdowns at a minimum. |
| After Biden's first year, the virus and disunity rage on | |
| From the inaugural platform, President Joe Biden saw American sickness on two fronts -- a disease of the national spirit and the one from the rampaging coronavirus -- and he saw hope, because leaders always must see that. "End this uncivil war," he implored Americans on Jan. 20, 2021. Of the pathogen, he said: "We can overcome this deadly virus." Neither malady has abated. For Biden, it's been a year of lofty ambitions grounded by the unrelenting pandemic, a tough hand in Congress, a harrowing end to an overseas war and rising fears for the future of democracy itself. Biden did score a public-works achievement for the ages. But America's cracks go deeper than pavement.In this midterm election year, Biden confronts seething divisions and a Republican Party that propagates the delusion that the 2020 election -- exhaustively vetted, validated many times over, fair by all measures -- was stolen from Donald Trump. That central, mass lie of a rigged vote has become a pretext in state after state for changing election rules and fueling even further disunity and grievance. In the dispiriting close of Biden's first year, roadblocks stood in the way of all big things pending. |
| Carville: Dems 'whine too much,' need to highlight accomplishments ahead of midterms | |
| James Carville, one of the most well-known strategists in the Democratic Party, on Sunday said that Democrats "whine too much," arguing that the left could prevail if is changed its messaging because the Republican Party stands for nothing. "Just quit being a whiny party and get out there and fight and tell people what you did, and tell people the exact truth," Carville said on NBC's "Meet the Press," saying that "a lot of the Democratic base has not been told or informed of the things that President Biden and this Congress has accomplished." Carville pointed to the president's bipartisan infrastructure win and lower child poverty rates as examples of Democratic victories since Joe Biden took office. He said that, while he agrees with House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn on the importance of securing voting rights, it's critical that the Democratic Party "soldier on" and inform the public of its accomplishments. "What you do, Chuck, is you run on what you've got," he told host Chuck Todd. "You don't run on what you didn't get. And the stuff you've got is pretty good. If they don't pass voting rights, if they don't pass Build Back Better, run on that in 2022." "And if inflation is still at 7 percent in November this year, we'll lose anyway," Carville added, tempering the remarks. "But I don't think -- a lot of people don't think that's going to be the case." |
| Administration announces $27 billion in bridge projects | |
 | Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the release Friday of the first chunk of a more than $27 billion investment in bridges during a visit to Philadelphia. The bridge program, announced on the 60-day anniversary of the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law, has become a frequently touted talking point since the law's passage. Money for the formula program will go to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and tribal governments over the next five years. In all, the formula program is expected to help repair some 15,000 highway bridges. It includes $26.5 billion for states and $825 million for tribal bridges and includes incentives to spend money on "off-system" bridges, which are typically not on the federal highway system. Generally, states are required to match federal funding with up to 20 percent state or local funding, but the bipartisan bill allows 100 percent of federal funds to pay for the repair or rehabilitation of locally owned off-system bridges. While the formula for federal highway dollars, which was announced in December, was essentially prorated because the federal government is operating under a continuing resolution, the $5.3 billion tranche of bridge funding will be available immediately, a senior administration official said. |
| Hospitals Confront the Fallout From Supreme Court Ruling on Vaccine Mandate | |
 | Just days after the Supreme Court's decision about requiring health care workers to be vaccinated, the nation's health care systems braced for the possibility of some resistance and more staff shortages -- particularly in the states that banned mandates or had none. The ruling lands not long after the one-year anniversary of widespread vaccine distribution in a country still largely split over how best to protect Americans during a pandemic that has produced multiple surges. In upholding the Biden administration's requirement for millions of health care workers, the decision could wedge health care workers between opposing state and federal policies. Local and regional hospitals, as well as multistate hospital chains, have wrestled with the resistance among some nurses and other staff to the Covid vaccines. Despite the Mississippi attorney general's decision to join nearly a dozen other states that filed suit against the Biden administration's vaccine mandate, many hospitals in the state had already instituted vaccination requirements for their workers. At the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, officials said that just 10 of its 10,000 employees, or .1 percent, had been terminated for refusing to get vaccinated. But smaller hospitals that have long struggled to retain workers and until now had resisted vaccine requirements for their employees said they worried about the ruling's impact. Lee Bond, chief executive of the Singing River Health System on the state's Gulf Coast, said he feared the ruling could lead to the departure of hundreds of workers. "Even the loss of one nurse can have a negative impact on the number of patients for whom we are able to deliver care," he said. |
| Gottlieb says Biden administration made mistake in federalizing vaccine mandates | |
 | Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on Sunday said the Biden administration made a mistake by federalizing vaccine mandates "in ways that they didn't have to." "I think once the federal government, the Biden administration, stepped in and federalized aspects of this response, they owned it and created a perception that they alone could fix it," Gottlieb told moderator Margaret Brennan on CBS's "Face the Nation." Vaccine mandates have been a key point of friction in the country's coronavirus response and a major point of criticism in Republican circles. Multiple GOP governors have made moves to reject the mandates in their states. Gottlieb on Sunday also said the administration made a mistake by blaming the Trump administration for problems involving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health agencies, noting that the entities "had deep flaws." "I think the administration made some mistakes at a macro level. The first was buying into this prevailing narrative when they took office that a lot of the problems, if not all the problems, at CDC and from the federal public health agencies owed to the Trump administration and their mishandling of those agencies," Gottlieb said. |
| CDC Director Aims to Improve Covid-19 Messaging, Data Collection | |
 | One year into her tenure as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rochelle Walensky acknowledges that she should have communicated certain things better to the American public. She says the pandemic threw curveballs that she should have anticipated. She thinks she should have made it clearer to the public that new rules and guidelines were subject to change if the nature of the fight against Covid-19 shifted again. "I think what I have not conveyed is the uncertainty in a lot of these situations," Dr. Walensky said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. The CDC director has come under fire from public-health experts for the way she has communicated pandemic guidelines from mask wearing to isolation requirements. Some Biden administration officials said the CDC's explanations of new and amended guidelines can sometimes be hard to grasp. Dr. Walensky said she is committed to communicating CDC policy more clearly. She is being coached by a media consultant and plans to hold more media briefings in the coming months separate from her appearances with the White House Covid-19 Response Team. Some public-health experts have said such briefings would help highlight the CDC's role as a scientific voice, independent of politics. |
| As COVID-19 surges, Mississippi's vaccination rate stays stagnant | |
| There's a resounding piece of advice Mississippi health officials have unwaveringly wielded for the past year as the coronavirus has ebbed and flowed: Get vaccinated. It's been over a year since vaccination became available to some in the Magnolia State. Ten months have passed since Gov. Tate Reeves opened vaccination eligibility floodgates for adult Mississippians. In November, children aged 5 to 11 got the vaccine green light. In that time, Mississippi's vaccination rate has dragged behind the nation's. On Saturday, 45% of residents are fully immunized compared to the 63% of people in the United States. About 486,000 Mississippians have received a booster shot or third dose. Despite the omicron variant fueling the state's daily COVID-19 case counts, breaking previous record-highs, the rate of residents considered fully vaccinated is barely budging. State health officials reported the first omicron case Dec. 6, back when Mississippi's fully immunized rate was 44%. From Dec. 6 to Jan. 14, the state health department reported over 118,000 new COVID-19 infections, with Friday marking the highest single-day case count of 9,300. Vaccination rates aren't keeping up the same pace. About 75,000 residents became fully immunized between Dec. 6 and Jan. 14, bumping the rate by one percentage point, according to state health department records. While vaccination doesn't mean a person is bulletproof against the virus, health officials say it protects most people from severe illness caused by COVID-19. |
| Expect more worrisome variants after omicron, scientists say | |
| Get ready to learn more Greek letters. Scientists warn that omicron's whirlwind advance practically ensures it won't be the last version of the coronavirus to worry the world. Every infection provides a chance for the virus to mutate, and omicron has an edge over its predecessors: It spreads way faster despite emerging on a planet with a stronger patchwork of immunity from vaccines and prior illness. That means more people in whom the virus can further evolve. Experts don't know what the next variants will look like or how they might shape the pandemic, but they say there's no guarantee the sequels of omicron will cause milder illness or that existing vaccines will work against them. They urge wider vaccination now, while today's shots still work. Because omicron appears to cause less severe disease than delta, its behavior has kindled hope that it could be the start of a trend that eventually makes the virus milder like a common cold. It's a possibility, experts say, given that viruses don't spread well if they kill their hosts very quickly. But viruses don't always get less deadly over time. To curb the emergence of variants, scientists stress continuing with public health measures such as masking and getting vaccinated. While omicron is better able to evade immunity than delta, experts said, vaccines still offer protection and booster shots greatly reduce serious illness, hospitalizations and deaths. |
| The W hosts open house for music students | |
| The "Temple of Music" at Mississippi University for Women will open its doors to prospective high school and community college students Feb. 10 and Feb. 12. The Department of Music inside Poindexter Hall will host two open houses for students interested in studying music at the university. "Band Day and Open House are wonderful opportunities for potential students and their families to experience the special vibe of the music department at The W. The Department of Music has a lot of things to offer: our exceptional faculty, the family-like atmosphere, our state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge programs of study. Once on campus, we are convinced that our guests will realize that The W is their dream school," said Valentin M. Bogdan, professor of music. Band Open House for instrumentalists will be held Feb. 10. Students who are interested in piano, voice, composition or music therapy are invited to the open house Feb. 12. Students will be allowed to rehearse with The W wind ensemble/W choir, receive lessons from world-class faculty, tour campus and explore career opportunities. "We will have a personalized schedule of activities for each participant, where they will have opportunities to receive one-on-one lessons and coaching designed to specifically help them grow musically and artistically," Bogdan said. "They will also meet and interact with current students, faculty and administrators." |
| Four at USM earn Gilman Scholarships | |
| Four University of Southern Mississippi undergraduate students have been awarded the renowned Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study or intern abroad. The congressionally funded Gilman Program broadens the U.S. student population studying and interning abroad by providing scholarships of up to $5,000 to outstanding collegiate students. The recipients of this prestigious scholarship are American undergraduate students representing more than 300 colleges and universities across the United States. USM's Gilman winners for the October 2021 cycle include: Mallorie Pittman, Cheyla Munoz Ramos, Sierra Henley and Skye Bortz. Pittman is a senior from Bogalusa, LA, majoring in communication studies. Ramos is a senior from Pelahatchie, majoring in international studies and French. Henley is a sophomore from Southaven, majoring in business administration. Bortz is a senior from Pass Christian, majoring in media and entertainment arts. USM has produced a total of 67 Gilman scholars since the program's inception in 2001. David Skelton, Assistant Director for Nationally Competitive Programs and Awards at USM, points out that the Gilman awards illustrate how passionate USM students are about studying abroad, despite unforeseen setbacks. |
| Mississippi College faculty member earns book award | |
| A book written by an associate professor at Mississippi College has earned a top honor from the Mississippi Historical Society. The society has named "Complexion of Empire in Natchez: Race and Slavery in the Mississippi Borderlands," by Dr. Christian Pinnen, associate professor of history and political science, the best Mississippi history book published in 2021. Published by University of Georgia Press, the book has drawn rave reviews. One member of the society's selection panel called it "deeply researched and original" and "engaging to read." "It is filled with individual stories as well as thoughtful analysis, and engages with Mississippi history in a truly global context," the panelist said. "Pinnen weaves together legal history, race, and gender to show how the interplay of Native Americans, people of African descent, and European and American settlers created the changing landscape of slavery in early Mississippi." The award includes a $700 cash prize. Pinnen will accept the award and deliver a lecture during the society's annual meeting March 10-11 in Hattiesburg. Pinnen, who teaches U.S. history, history of the Old South, Latin American survey, the American Revolution and American slavery, said having the Mississippi Historical Society recognize his work was very meaningful. |
| Auburn University names engineering dean Chris Roberts lone finalist for president | |
 | Auburn University is "nearing completion" of its search for a new president, and engineering college dean Chris Roberts has been named finalist, according to an email sent to faculty Friday by board of trustees chairperson Wayne T. Smith. Smith announced that Roberts is the only one of three finalists who agreed to visit Auburn to publicly meet with students, faculty, staff and alumni in the late stages of the vetting process. The university says he is the single candidate left under consideration at this time to succeed Jay Gogue, the current president. Roberts has been dean of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering since 2012. He'll be making visits to Auburn and Montgomery on Jan. 20 and 21. Smith explained that Auburn planned public appearances for three finalists after narrowing the search down, inviting all of them to "come to campus so the entire Auburn Family could assess their match for the position." Smith said two of the finalists told the university they would not visit unless they knew they would be selected as president, unwilling to jeopardize the current positions they hold. Smith said the hiring process opened with more than 60 qualified candidates expressing interest in the position. He said Auburn's 22-member advisory committee on the president search ultimately selected 15 candidates to speak with the committee before the holidays. |
| Michael Amiridis named next president of U. of South Carolina in unanimous board vote | |
 | The University of South Carolina has selected a new president. Michael Amiridis, USC's former provost and the former chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago, was chosen by the USC board Friday afternoon in a unanimous vote. While many things on campus have changed since he arrived in 1994, "What has not changed is the importance of the University of South Carolina system to this state, this nation and to the world," Amiridis said during a news conference after he was chosen. "In fact I would argue the work this university does to produce cutting edge scholarship, address the issues of our time... is more indispensable than it has been before." He was selected from a pool of at least 50 serious candidates by a search committee comprised of board of trustee members, faculty, staff, a student, alumni and more. Amiridis' salary will be $900,000 and he will officially take over in either June or July, USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said. While he left campus in 2014, Amiridis kept ties to the university. His daughter Aspasia graduated from USC in 2019 and his son Dimitri is a senior Gamecock. "We're coming home, and it feels great to come back home," Amiridis said. |
| In Heated Hearing, Lawyer Says Professors Who Sued U. of Florida Have 'Unclean Hands' | |
 | A lawyer representing the University of Florida's Board of Trustees, its president, and two senior administrators said at a Friday court hearing that three political-science professors who filed a lawsuit against his firm's clients have "unclean hands" and had engaged in "misconduct." The three scholars -- Daniel A. Smith, Michael McDonald, and Sharon Wright Austin -- sued after the university denied their requests to participate as expert witnesses in voting-rights litigation that challenged the state. They had been told, under the university's conflicts-of-interest policy, that participating in such work was "adverse" to the university's interests as a state institution. News of the denials brought a wave of backlash, and the university quickly reversed course. On Friday afternoon, at a court hearing held over the phone, the parties appeared before Mark E. Walker, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, to present arguments regarding the plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction. H. Christopher Bartolomucci, a partner at a Washington D.C.-based firm representing the UF defendants, threw a curveball. Bartolomucci, of Schaerr Jaffe LLP, told the court that "just two days ago" facts came to their attention that "should fundamentally change" how the court views this case. |
| Judge blasts U. of Florida lawyer in row over evidence; promises order in 10 days | |
 | A federal judge in Tallahassee Friday blasted a lawyer for the University of Florida for bringing up "new" information in a closely watched lawsuit over free speech and academic freedom. It was the second hearing in two weeks on the lawsuit, originally filed by three UF political science professors denied permission by the school to give expert testimony against the state's year-old elections law because it put UF at odds with Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature, who decide on the public university's budget each year. Christopher Bartolomucci, a Washington, D.C. lawyer for UF, said he and his team discovered just two days ago that the professors had actually prepared their testimony before requesting permission to testify. "We now know they were actively working before they submitted their request," Bartolomucci said in the online proceeding. "These facts are found nowhere in complaints. They have misled counsel, the employer and this court. ... They have unclean hands, and shouldn't enjoy relief." He asked Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker to reopen discovery -- the fact-finding phase that happens before a trial -- so they could introduce new evidence. Instead, Walker grilled and lectured him for several minutes, cutting himself short after saying the lawyer's behavior had raised some serious ethical issues. "It strains credulity when you say these are newly discovered facts when they are all part of the public record," Walker said. |
| Texas A&M scholar on supply chain shortages: 'We should not assume the sky is falling' | |
 | Global supply chain disruptions have caused worldwide shortages throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but a Texas A&M logistics expert said "we should not assume the sky is falling." Madhav Pappu, a clinical assistant professor at A&M's Mays Business School, said in a recent article published by the university that he's optimistic about the global supply chain's recovery in 2022. "Like Chicken Little, we don't want to end up in the fox's den," Pappu said in the article. "Instead, we should look up to get a clearer view of what's going on now and what's likely to be ahead." Pappu teaches in A&M's Department of Information and Operations Management. Pappu said businesses are shifting from a "just in time" manufacturing process, which keeps inventories at a bare minimum, to a "just in case" model that builds in excess inventory. He noted that companies are also looking for ways to bring back manufacturing to the United States. "Companies, especially in the United States, have made enormous strides in automation and efficiency in recent decades, and this will continue," Pappu said. "In fact, good companies are using this crisis as an opportunity to increase their competitive advantage. Pappu said consumers should not panic while global supply chain issues continue to be resolved. "There's no need to stockpile items that are plentiful and made by lots of different companies, like soap," Pappu said. "Your favorite brand might not be available, and you might grumble, but you still have soap. To blindly follow someone who does stockpile is to be like Chicken Little." |
| A Mizzou 'treasure,' MU researcher helps environment, tracks COVID | |
 | Missouri tennis courts weren't the only thing that swayed Chung-Ho Lin's decision not to move back to Taipei, Taiwan, but they were pretty high on the list. Laughing, Lin recalled waiting in line for hours before getting the chance to play on the crowded courts back in his home country. And things didn't get much easier once he made it on the court. "You eventually get a chance to play, and they put six people in one court with three balls. ... And you have to pay for the court!" he said. "Here, you're so spoiled: You have 20 courts sitting there all day long." Thirty years later, Lin has traded in his tennis racket and running shoes for a lab coat and microscope. (Though he's still known to play a mean game on the weekends.) As a research associate professor at MU's College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources' Center for Agroforestry, Lin tends to juggle multiple projects at once. Most recently, he's been involved in the statewide effort to track COVID-19 using wastewater. He also works on several projects related to bioremediation and natural product development to reduce toxins in the environment. "Basically, we're taking advantage of what Mother Nature can offer to try and clean up the mess caused by humans," he explained. |
| U. of Memphis drops COVID-19 mask mandate for spring semester | |
| Students, faculty and staff returning to the University of Memphis campus next week are "strongly encouraged" to wear masks but are not required to do so, according to an email sent to students, faculty and staff. In the email, the university did not attribute the decision to state law, but it did include a link to the law. In December, a federal judge blocked portions of the exact law cited by the university. The ensuing discussion, and the 54-page opinion accompanying the judge's decision, centered around K-12 education. Immediately after Gov. Bill Lee signed the law prohibiting most school mask mandates, K-12 students sued, alleging the law was unconstitutional and violated federal disability law. The opinion does not address universities' abilities to enact their own mask and quarantine policies. But the opinion blocks sections of the law as they relate to schools. And the definition of "schools" within the portions of the blocked legislation includes public universities and higher education institutions. The change in mask mandates comes after passage of state legislation that only allows schools and public institutions -- like the University of Memphis -- to enact mask mandates in extreme COVID-19 surges, defined as 1,000 infections or more for every 100,000 residents in a 14-day period. |
| U. of Michigan removes Schlissel as school president | |
| Mark Schlissel has been removed as president of the University of Michigan due to an alleged "inappropriate relationship with a university employee," the school said Saturday on its website. The removal was effective "immediately," the University of Michigan Board of Regents said, adding that members learned on Dec. 8, 2021, about the relationship from an anonymous complaint and that an investigation revealed that "over the years," Schlissel used his university email account to "communicate with that subordinate in a manner inconsistent with the dignity and reputation of the university." "As you know, the Regents received an anonymous complaint regarding an alleged sexual affair between you and a subordinate," the board wrote in its letter to Schlissel informing him of his removal. "An investigation has revealed that your interactions with the subordinate were inconsistent with promoting the dignity and reputation of the University of Michigan." The letter from the board dated Saturday included excerpts of emails exchanged between Schlissel and the employee. The employee wrote in a July 1, 2021, exchange that her "heart hurts," according to the board, which said Schlissel responded: "I know. mine too." He continued: "This is my fault" and that he was "in pain too." |
| Penn State seeks to fire professor over vaccine rally tussle | |
 | Pennsylvania State University at University Park intends to fire a tenure-track professor who scuffled with a counterprotester at a pro–vaccine mandate rally on campus. Oliver Baker, assistant professor of English and African American studies, was initially charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct following the August incident. Those charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence. Baker pleaded not guilty to the remaining charge, harassment, and was acquitted in November. Penn State nevertheless continued its disciplinary case against Baker, who had been on administrative leave following the altercation. Baker and his supporters say the university recently confirmed that it intends to fire him via a disciplinary process known as AC70. The policy outlines due process procedures for the tenured or tenure-track professors Penn State seeks to terminate for adequate cause, meaning professional incompetence, excessive absenteeism, moral turpitude or grave misconduct. Baker, whose supporters say he's being accused of grave misconduct, declined to share his termination notice. He said via email, "I can confirm that the university has activated the AC70 process. Regrettably, the university intends to hold a hearing under the AC70 process if I choose not to resign. I am fighting this vigorously. I feel constrained to say anything more about this at this time." Multiple campus groups, including the American Association of University Professors chapter and the Coalition for a Just University at Penn State, have publicly urged the university to reinstate Baker, given the outcome of his criminal case and the nature of the incident itself. |
| A Covid 'New Normal' Is Coming to Campus. Here's What That Could Look Like. | |
| It's a paradoxical time in the arc of the Covid-19 pandemic. On the one hand, record numbers of people, including on college campuses, are being infected. Hospitals are once again overwhelmed. Death counts, too, are rising nationwide. On the other hand, many colleges have highly vaccinated populations. The risk that those people will become severely ill with Covid is lower now, broadly speaking, than it was before the advent of vaccines. That contradiction -- alarming transmission coupled with the relatively low health risks to many people -- means a moment of flux. On campuses, the tried and true best practices, including widespread testing, sudden pivots online, and strict on-campus quarantines, are in many cases proving either inadequate or inappropriate. So what Covid policies should colleges be using right now? Experts interviewed by The Chronicle said it's still worth working to prevent infections among students, though there may be new limits to what colleges can do. Most experts interviewed said a "new normal" -- in which Covid-19 is endemic, infecting people at lower levels and with less-catastrophic results -- is on the horizon. |
| Some Colleges Loosen Rules for a Virus That Won't Go Away | |
| As the Omicron surge spreads across the country, sending Covid-19 case counts to new heights and disrupting daily life, some universities are preparing for a new phase of the pandemic -- one that acknowledges that the virus is here to stay and requires a rethinking of how to handle life on campus. Schools are asking: Should there still be mass testing? Does there need to be contact tracing? What about tracking the number of cases -- and posting them on campus dashboards? And when there is a spike in cases, do classes need to go remote? Universities from Northeastern in Boston to the University of California-Davis have begun to discuss Covid in "endemic" terms -- a shift from reacting to each spike of cases as a crisis to the reality of living with it daily. And in some cases, there has been backlash. "I think we're in a period of transition, hopefully to an endemic phase," Martha Pollack, president of Cornell University, said. "I say hopefully because with this pandemic, we don't know what's coming next." Most universities are still acting with caution. They are delaying the start of in-person classes and warning students that case counts could explode because of Omicron. They are encouraging, if not requiring, students to get booster shots. Many are handing out self-testing kits and KN95 masks. And for the most part, they are following basic protocols for quarantine and isolation, albeit for reduced periods of time, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
| News on applications is good for colleges -- to a point | |
| The Common Application has released its data from December in a report, and the overall numbers of students using the application to apply to colleges are encouraging for higher education. Through Dec. 16, 2021, 931,540 distinct applicants had applied to 853 Common App returning member institutions, an increase of 13 percent over 2019–20, the last year before the pandemic. Application volume through Dec. 15 rose 18.6 percent from 2019–20 (3,422,635) to 2021–22 (4,058,187), following a more modest increase in 2020–21 (3,653,391). Even more encouraging: the relatively large increases in underrepresented minority (Black, Latinx, Native American and Pacific Islander) and first-generation applicants, which appeared in a November report to persist through this point in the application season. Underrepresented minority applicants increased by 17 percent over 2019–20, while first-gen applicants increased by 21 percent. Typically, minority and low-income applicants apply later than more affluent applicants. The news is not all good. Applicants from China are down, and it is too early to tell what impact the current Omicron breakouts will have. The report also contains some good news for those concerned about international applicants. "The number of international applicants has increased at nearly triple the rate of domestic applicants since 2019–20 (33 percent versus 12 percent). China, India, Canada, Nigeria, and South Korea were the leading home countries for international applicants." |
| Schools should be wary of sacrificing advanced courses | |
| Daily Journal Executive Editor Sam R. Hall writes: One of the better trends in education over the past several years is a commitment toward increasing career and technical readiness for students. The aim is geared mostly toward those looking to prepare for a career shortly after high school instead of a four-year college degree. Dual credit and dual enrollment programs have also grown, and theoretically serve both the career-minded and the college-minded high school student alike. For instance, Tupelo Public Schools District offers a Middle College program that allows participating students the opportunity to graduate with an associate's degree from Itawamba Community College at the same time they graduate high school. Other dual credit or dual enrollment programs give students the opportunity to get core coursework out of the way so they can focus on whatever best suits them for the next stage of their lives -- whether that's coursework for an associate's degree or quickly moving into their advanced studies toward a four-year degree. But as these programs grow, the potential for the most advanced students to become collateral damage is growing. Already we see some schools combining Advanced Placement classes with dual credit classes. In some cases, this is fine, but in many -- if not most -- it is not. |
| 'We the People' timely for bicenvicenquinquennial | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: Here's a word for you -- semiquincentennial. What's that mean? Well, in 2016 the U.S. Congress chose semiquincentennial as the commemorative name for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. "This Act may be cited as the ''United States Semiquincentennial Commission Act of 2016' -- Congress finds that July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, as marked by the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and the historic events preceding that anniversary -- (1) are of major significance in the development of the national heritage of the United States of individual liberty, representative government, and the attainment of equal and inalienable rights; and (2) have had a profound influence throughout the world." Given the events of January 6 last year and ongoing disunity across America, you can only wonder if we can all come together again in four years to celebrate our national birthday. The many who believe it is time once again to revolt and throw off the yoke of government cite parts of the Declaration to justify their beliefs. They miss, or deliberately overlook, the very first words: "The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America." The key word is "unanimous." The Declaration goes further in that opening sentence to say "one people," not some people. |
| Mississippi Democrats just lost a promising up-and-comer. Now what? | |
| Adam Ganucheau writes for Mississippi Today: Just about everyone who lived in northeast Jackson and southern Madison County got a knock on their door in the summer and fall of 2019. When they opened their doors, they were greeted by a 37-year-old white woman who began with something like: "My name is Shanda Yates. I'm running as a Democrat to serve you in the state House of Representatives. I'd like to tell you why." ... The 31-year incumbent of the district was Rep. Bill Denny, chairman of the all-important Apportionment and Elections Committee, overseeing the redrawing of legislative districts. Denny was considered a Republican Party elder and one of the most powerful lawmakers at the Capitol. ... When the results were tallied on Nov. 5, 2019, Yates had defeated Denny by 168 votes. Every dollar spent and every vote had counted. But Democrats broadly viewed her victory as bigger than just another D on the House roster and the exceedingly rare defeat of the GOP. ... Yates announced on Jan. 13 that she had left the Democratic Party and would serve in the Legislature as an independent. She did not inform Democratic Party leadership of her decision before it was made public. Several Democratic lawmakers who consider Yates a close friend were not given a heads up. |
| Cheaper car tags help garner Democratic support for Gunn tax cut | |
| Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: A day after the massive tax cut bill championed by Republican Speaker Philip Gunn passed the House, a member of his leadership team took bold action. Normally the mindset after the passage of such landmark legislation would be to leave good enough alone and send the proposal to the other side of the Mississippi Capitol for Senate consideration. Instead, House Ways and Means Chair Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, asked that the vote on the bill be reconsidered. What's the deal? The speaker and his team won a big victory. Why would they want to call the bill up for further consideration, giving people who voted for it the day before an opportunity to change their mind and vote against it? "I have some good news," Lamar told the members. He said after further study it was determined that the state could afford to reduce the tax on car tags by 50% instead of the 35% in the original bill. When the bill was first considered in the 122-member House, 12 members (all Democrats) voted against the proposal. On the second consideration after the good news about the car tags was added to the bill, only four members (all Democrats) voted no. "It is hard to vote against the car tag reduction," said Rep. Bryant Clark, D-Pickens, who voted for the proposal both times but has opposed past tax cut efforts offered by Republicans. |
| FROM THE GROUND UP: Never assume anything about legislation | |
| Columnist Phil Hardwick writes for the Mississippi Business Journal: Every business in Mississippi is affected by actions taken by the State Legislature. It might be related to taxes, regulation, or employment. It is therefore important that business owners keep up with legislation or get involved in the process if necessary. When it comes to influencing the Legislature, businesses generally have four options: (1) Hire a professional lobbyist; (2) Work through a trade association group; (3) Work through a pro-business group such as the Mississippi Economic Council; or (4) Do it themselves. The size of the business has a big impact on which option will be used. Large corporations have in-house or paid lobbyists working or their behalf. Even cities hire lobbyists. Although the term "lobbyist" is often seen as negative, members of the Legislature rely on them for valuable input and expertise, especially on technical subjects. But even the smallest businesses can benefit from the last three alternatives. Regardless of which option or combination of options a business might choose, there are certain basic things that should be understood when dealing with the Legislature. A few of them are listed below. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State Softball Team Helps United Way Pack Donation Boxes for Local Teachers on MLK Day | |
| Members of the Mississippi State Softball team spent their Martin Luther King Jr. Day by partnering with the United Way of Lowndes and Noxubee to pack donations for local teachers. It's part of United Way's "Tools for School" campaign. "MLK Day, a day of service that, instead of treating it as a day off, it's a day on," says MSU Softball Head Coach Samantha Ricketts. United Way Executive Director Renee Sanders's daughter DJ is a volunteer assistant coach for MSU Softball, so the team decided that organizing and packing up the boxes of donations would be an appropriate way to use their platform to give back on this day of service. "As student-athletes, there are a lot of people that look up to us, so people see us giving back to the community and just spreading goodness around," says right fielder Chloe Malau'ulu. Coach Ricketts and several of her players were on hand Monday morning to help organize and pack up the boxes of supplies. Malau'ulu says her mother was a teacher. "I've kind of seen her in all stages of being a teacher," she says. "And it's really cool to see how much it means to have like all the equipment that a teacher needs in order to give their students the best possible learning experience." |
| Dawgs Earn Top Five Recruiting Class by D1Baseball | |
| Mississippi State Baseball brought in its fourth consecutive top 10 recruiting class after D1Baseball announced on Friday (Jan. 14) that the Diamond Dawgs' 2021-22 class ranks No. 4 nationally. The No. 4 ranking marks State's highest-ranked group in the seven-year history of D1Baseball's list. These rankings consider all newcomers who arrived at Division I schools this fall or at the semester break: freshmen as well as transfers from junior-college and four-year schools. This marks the second top 10 ranking for Mississippi State's recruiting class after Baseball America tabbed the Dawgs No. 10 in September. The Dawgs have a total of 17 newcomers on the 2022 roster with 11 freshmen and six transfers joining the squad. Mississippi State is one of nine SEC teams ranked in D1Baseball's top 25 recruiting classes, along with Florida (No. 2), Arkansas (No. 3), Texas A&M (No. 5), LSU (No. 9), Georgia (No. 12), Tennessee (No. 15), Vanderbilt (No. 17) and Alabama (No. 19). The 2022 season gets underway on Feb. 18 when the Diamond Dawgs host Long Beach State in a three-game series at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville. |
| Mississippi State's Molinar named SEC player of the week | |
| Point guard Iverson Molinar was named SEC player of the week after leading Mississippi State (12-4, 3-1) to a pair of crucial wins, the conference announced Monday. This is just the second time Molinar has received the weekly award. He won it on Jan. 11 last year. Molinar scored a career-high 28 points Wednesday in Mississippi State's 88-72 win against Georgia. He also matched a career-high seven assists -- which he has done twice previously -- while collecting three rebounds, two blocks and a steal with just one turnover. Molinar followed that up Saturday with a 24-point outing in a Quadrant 1 win at Humphrey Coliseum against Alabama. He recorded six boards, four assists and two steals despite committing four fouls in the outing. Head coach Ben Howland said earlier this season he felt Molinar was settling too often for jumpers and felt his point guard was best when driving to the paint. Molinar shot 15-of-54 (27 percent) from deep in his opening 11 games. He says he still has confidence in his shot, but in the last five games it's apparent he's becoming more selective. Molinar is 4-of-9 in that stretch. He's now shooting 30.2 percent on the season. Mississippi State returns to action Wednesday at Florida. |
| Women's Tennis Sweeps Season Opener | |
| or the 11th straight season, Mississippi State's women's tennis team started the season with a win. The Bulldogs defeated Jacksonville State 7-0 in front of a record crowd in Rula Pavilion on Saturday afternoon. MSU opened up the match with a clean sweep in doubles. The senior paring of Emmanouela Antonaki and Tamara Racine emerged victorious against Carolina Bulatovic and Kennedi Jones 6-4 on Court 1. Meanwhile, the No. 28 duo of Magda Adaloglou and Chloé Cirotte as well as the tandem of Marta Falceto and Alessia Tagliente won their respective matches 6-1. It was the 47th straight non-conference home win for MSU and a packed Rula Tennis Pavilion of 182 fans were there to witness it. The benches behind each court were filled with fans. It was the first time fans were able to watch a match in the Rula Tennis Pavilion as fans were not permitted at indoor matches last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. "It was unbelievable. It was the best turnout for the first match of the year in my 13 years here," said head coach Daryl Greenan. "I was really excited about that. I really appreciate the fans. It was nice to see the Rula packed out like that." The Bulldogs will host a double header against Memphis and Louisiana-Lafayette on Jan. 22. MSU meets the Tigers at 11 a.m. and its match against the Ragin' Cajuns is slated to start at 3 p.m. |
| Jerry Rice says coaching is starting to 'cross his mind' because of Deion Sanders | |
| Before he became the greatest wide receiver to step foot in an NFL stadium, Jerry Rice starred at Mississippi Valley State. And now, with a renewed spotlight on HBCU football and longtime rival Deion Sanders coaching at Jackson State, Rice told Sports Illustrated that he's starting to think about coaching. He said he hadn't considered the idea until Sanders was hired. "I feel like I played the game for such a long time and I was just totally committed," Rice said. "I just poured everything into my career that I didn't have anything left because as a coach you you don't really have a life. life. I mean, coaching. It is hard, man, it takes up the majority of your time... But yeah, it takes a total commitment. And you got to be all in. So, it started to cross my mind just a little bit, now." The FCS award for Freshman of the Year is named after Rice who set numerous NCAA records, was a three-time All-SWAC selection, and a first-round pick in 1984. Rice-Totten Stadium is named for Rice and his college QB Willie Totten. JSU freshman quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who is Deion Sanders' son, won the Jerry Rice Award. Deion Sanders won the Eddie Robinson award for top FCS coach. |
| One year later, Tennessee football infractions case could hinge on NCAA policy changes | |
 | An NCAA convention this week could impact sanctions against the University of Tennessee football program over alleged recruiting malfeasance because the school cooperated with investigators and fired coaches it felt were culpable. One year after it took decisive action against Jeremy Pruitt and members of his staff, it's worth asking whether UT will avoid a harsh penalty like a postseason ban. Those issues will be discussed at the top levels of the NCAA with potential policy changes recommended by groups that include a UT football athletics administrator and UT athletics faculty representative. The proposals provide a peek into UT's strategy in dealing with an NCAA investigation that it started when it reported alleged rules violations. An NCAA convention that begins Wednesday in Indianapolis could affect UT's case. Among the key topics will be a recommendation to mitigate penalties for schools that self-report and cooperate with NCAA investigations. That discussion will be steered by a report from LEAD1, an association representing all 130 FBS athletics directors in petitioning the NCAA Division I Board of Directors to change its approach to infractions. UT deputy athletics director Cameron Walker, who shares lead administrator duties over Vols football, is one of 17 members of the working group that created the report. And 75 of 130 FBS athletics directors signed it, but UT athletics director Danny White declined to say whether he was among them. |
| ACC commissioner Jim Phillips says CFP expansion should wait until changes to sport have been evaluated | |
| ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said Friday the league does not believe now is the right time to expand the College Football Playoff, explaining its position for the first time publicly after discussions to push through a 12-team format have produced no agreement. Phillips said the ACC prefers to "immediately focus and collaborate with our colleagues to reinvent the NCAA" before making any decisions about what to do with the playoff, a position that leaves the league in the minority when it comes to approving an expanded format before the current 12-year contract ends after the 2025 season. In explaining the ACC's position, Phillips said he has had more than 30 meetings with league presidents, athletic directors, football coaches and administrators and they all agree there needs to be a 365-day review of college football before any decisions are made. A majority of the conferences have expressed their desire to approve a 12-team model, initially developed in a four-person subcommittee with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, and unveiled publicly last June. |
| Greg Sankey praises 4-team Playoff format during Georgia title celebration | |
| Greg Sankey and the SEC have long said that, while they're open to expanding the College Football Playoff, they're also fine with keeping it at 4 teams. On Saturday, Georgia celebrated its national championship, and the SEC commissioner was in attendance. Sankey had some praise for the 4-team Playoff format while he was talking, saying it worked out just fine for the SEC this year: Greg Sankey to the Georgia crowd: "As the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, I think the four-team Playoff worked out fine this year, didn't you?" Indeed, getting 2 of the 4 teams into the Playoff and then watching those 2 teams win must have made the SEC commissioner proud. We'll see if the Playoff format changes over the next few years, but as of right now, it seems things are staying put at 4 teams. |
| Netflix Outlines The Next Phase of Its Sports Strategy | |
| For a company that has expressed no interest in sports, Netflix Inc. is starting to offer quite a lot of them. It's the unofficial home of Formula One, and, as of this week, both the PGA Tour and professional tennis. Netflix isn't airing any live matches of these sports, mind you. It offers documentary series that take viewers behind the scenes months after we know the official results. In Formula One, that means seeing how all the drivers and team bosses talk about their podiums and crashes. In tennis, that could mean seeing the current Novak Djokovic vaccine drama play out from the eyes of his competitors. Sports documentaries aren't a brand new category for Netflix. It released the first season of "Last Chance U," about college football, back in 2016. "Sunderland Til I Die," about a struggling English soccer team, debuted in late 2018. But nobody in major sports leagues paid Netflix much attention until "Formula 1: Drive to Survive," which first appeared in March 2018. That show catalyzed Netflix's interest in sports documentaries -- and sports leagues interest in Netflix. "Drive to Survive" came about after Liberty Media bought Formula One and tried to broaden the sport's appeal. Long popular across Europe and some other pockets of the world, Liberty thought it could be a hit in the U.S. as well. It took a couple seasons of the show to prove that thesis, but they were right. |
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