| Tuesday, February 15, 2022 |
| MSU professor training the next generation of music teachers | |
 | A Mississippi State University professor is making music and memories with his students. Dr. Gary Packwood has been using music to bring people together for more than three decades -- as a professor in university music departments and in venues across the country and all over the world. "I go to South America a lot. So I've been to Brazil maybe eight or nine times conducting and teaching," he said. Packwood has been at Mississippi State for the past 11 years and is the director choral activities in the music department. He says teaching has always been his passion. "I never wanted to be a performer. I just didn't get all the feels that I do when I see a student achieve. Even now after 31 years -- when I see a student achieve -- that's what gives me the feels." He says one of his greatest joys is directing the MSU Singers, choral group of about 50 students. They perform and tour regionally to help recruit new students. Packwood says part of instructing and directing the group is helping the singers gain a deeper appreciation for different genres of music. He said, "Whether it's teaching them the discipline of it or accolades or whatever it is we have to do. So I think the best way we can teach our students to have passion is to show them our passion." The MSU Singers will perform Tuesday night at First Baptist Church in Starkville at 7:00pm. The choir will present a special Black History Month concert featuring songs -- both sacred and secular -- by African American composers. |
| MSU receives national award for architectural timber course | |
 | Mississippi State University (MSU) is one of only five institutions across the nation to receive the 2022 Timber Education Prize, sponsored by the Softwood Lumber Board and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. Associate Professor Jacob Gines and Professor Hans Herrmann of MSU's School of Architecture will receive a cash prize and support to lead their proposed innovative course, Forest Strong: Timber Solutions for Disaster Resilient Coastal Development. "We are really honored to receive this national recognition and feel privileged to be working alongside other well-known programs throughout the U.S., helping move the conversation about mass timber and resiliency forward and representing the Southeast in that conversation," said Gines. The faculty members will present the course at the international ACSA 110th Annual Meeting, a virtual conference set for May 18-20, along with fellow honorees from Wentworth Institute of Technology, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Oregon and Boston Architectural College. |
| MDOT struggles to fully fund department, keep employees | |
 | Mississippi Department of Transportation Executive Director Brad White said the biggest two challenges facing the state's transportation system are funding and staffing. Every year, MDOT receives $1.2 billion from state funding to maintain state roads, highways and bridges with a $400 million gap to maintain paving needs throughout the state and $50 million for bridges, White said. He said he believes the government sometimes gears their focus toward issues that are not a vital part of Mississippi operation instead of focusing on core functions of government, like transportation. "Our roadways are not adequately able to accommodate the amount of road traffic that we have," White told Starkville Rotary Club on Monday. "The list of those projects could include about $4.5 to $5 billion worth of projects identified throughout the state." When White assumed his role in summer 2021, he realized MDOT needed to identify ways to increase funding for his department to fulfill all of the state's transportation needs, with the first place being within the department by determining what efficiency measures MDOT could implement that would free up money and better utilize taxpayer dollars and other resources. White said MDOT is having continuous discussions with the state legislature regarding the proposal that other state departments would be better funded through the general appropriations process, allowing for the transportation department to keep all fuel tax money and fulfill the purpose of the department. "I believe taking care of our transportation system is one of the core functions of government," White said. |
| Significant wildfire risk, severe weather possible this week in Mississippi | |
 | There is a significant risk of wildfires across Mississippi through Tuesday along with a slight risk of severe storms Thursday, according to the National Weather Service in Jackson. The wildfire risk is due to a combination of low humidity, windy conditions and dry fuel sources such as dead limbs and piles of leaves. Open outdoor burning is heavily discouraged. People are advised by NWS to follow local burn bans if implemented and take proactive measures like not letting trailer chains drag on roadways and disposing of cigarettes properly. The entire state is under a significant level three threat of wildfire conditions, according to NWS, and a Red Flag Warning has been issued. Storms capable of producing damaging winds gusts, hail and tornadoes are possible Thursday. Jackson and Hattiesburg are at a slight risk of severe storms. Monday marked the start of Mississippi's Severe Weather Preparedness Week 2022. |
| Farmers Feel the Squeeze of Inflation | |
 | Inflation is growing on the farm. American farmers are paying significantly higher prices for their weed-killing chemicals, crop seeds, fertilizer, equipment repairs and seasonal labor, eroding some of 2021's windfall from rising crop prices. Higher farm costs could help push up grocery bills further in 2022, analysts say, following a year in which global food prices rose to decade highs. "I just don't see how I'm going to get paid this year," said Brooks Barnes, a second-generation farmer in Wilson County, N.C. Mr. Barnes said he spent more than he ever had to operate his farm last year. Higher commodity prices at the time covered most of those cost increases. Facing even higher prices now, he doesn't expect that to be the case for 2022. Supply-chain constraints and staffing problems are leading to higher prices for products and supplies across a variety of industries, especially food. U.S. inflation hit its fastest pace in nearly four decades last year. Food prices surged 7% in January, the sharpest rise since 1981, the Labor Department on Thursday said, as meat and egg prices continued to climb at double-digit rates. The potential for higher farming costs to cut into production of corn and other crops could fuel continued food-price inflation, analysts said. Higher corn and soybean prices, for example, raise the cost of animal feed for meat companies, which pass along the increase to consumers. |
| House, Senate pass laws to prevent noncitizens from registering to vote | |
 | Both chambers of the state Legislature have passed bills aimed at ensuring noncitizens can't register to vote in Mississippi, even though state law already prevents them from doing so. Both House Bill 1510 and Senate Bill 2606 would allow Mississippi's election management system to cross-reference voter registration information with state driver's license system at the Mississippi Department of Public Safety to see if a noncitizen is registering to vote. "This is to make sure that anybody who registers to vote is a legal citizen," said Republican Rep. Brent Powell of Brandon, the author of the bill. According to the legislation, if a person is flagged by the state system as potentially being a noncitizen, that person's name will be checked with the federal immigration database. If both the federal and state database flag the person who registered to vote as a noncitizen, county clerks would send that person a card in the mail notifying them that they will have 30 days to submit proof they are a U.S. citizen. Under the House version, if a person fails to submit proof within 30 days, they will be purged from the voter roll. Under the Senate version, if a person doesn't present proof of citizenship within 30 days, their voter registration status will be marked as "pending for the next two federal elections. In House bill initially gave Secretary of State Michael Watson the ability to audit election results, but that portion of the bill has been struck from the current version. "Basically, all of the controversial parts of the bill have been removed," Powell told the Daily Journal. |
| Mississippi: Teacher pay, initiatives still alive midsession | |
 | Mississippi legislators are halfway through their three-month session. Here are some issues still being considered: The House and Senate have passed separate plans to increase some of the lowest teacher salaries in the nation. The House plan would give raises of $4,000 to $6,000. The Senate proposes an average increase of $4,700 over two years. House Bill 530 has been sent to two Senate committees. Senate Bill 2444 has been sent to two House committees. Senate Bill 2113 would prohibit schools, community colleges and universities from teaching that "any sex, race, ethnicity, religion or national origin is inherently superior or inferior." Black senators walked out in protest before the Senate passed the bill because of concerns that the proposal would limit teaching about racism. The bill has been sent to the House Education Committee. House Concurrent Resolution 39 would revive a form of an initiative process by allowing people to collect signatures on petitions to put proposed state laws on the ballot. The state's old initiative process allowed people to collect signatures to put proposed state constitutional amendments on the ballot. House Bill 770 and Senate Bill 2451 would Mississippi employers to pay women and men the same amount of money for the same work. A 1963 federal law requires equal pay for equal work, but Mississippi is the only state without its own equal pay law. |
| Medicaid managed-care proposal goes to Mississippi Senate | |
| The Mississippi House decided Monday not to have a second debate on a bill that could force the state's Medicaid program to end a contract with health care giant Centene. House Bill 658 moves to the Senate for more work. Centene settled a lawsuit last year that accused one of its subsidiaries of overcharging the Mississippi Division of Medicaid millions of dollars for pharmacy benefits management. Centene agreed to pay the state $55.5 million but did not admit fault. During discussion of a Medicaid bill Thursday, the House adopted an amendment that would prohibit the Medicaid program from contracting with a company that has paid over $50 million in a settlement agreement with the state, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported. The amendment, by Republican Rep. Becky Currie of Brookhaven, was aimed at Centene. It would require the state to contract with a nonprofit entity to manage Medicaid services. |
| Mississippi Senate kills its legislative pay raise bill | |
 | On Monday, a bill that would provide increased pay for members of the Mississippi Legislature was killed on the Motion to Reconsider calendar. SB 2794 which was authored by Senator David Jordan (D) would have increased pay in the first year of a four-year term by $6,000 and $4,500 every year after that for the remainder of the term. If the bill had made it to the House and passed, lawmakers could have stood to make $43,000 yearly not including per diem. This amount would be a higher pay raise given to the Legislature than what is being considered for teachers or other public employees this year. Mississippi's Legislature operates on a part-time schedule, with session accounting for three months of the year except during the first year of a new term, which lasts nearly four weeks longer. The bill at issue passed the state Senate by a vote of 48 to 4, with only Republican Senators Kathy Chism, Chris McDaniel, Melanie Sojourner and Brice Wiggins voting against it. Senator McDaniel held the bill on a motion to reconsider. This motion effectively killed the bill on Monday when the chairman chose not to table the motion before the midnight deadline. McDaniel has been vocal in his opinion that those that hold public office should not ask for a pay raise. He said the only exception he would make to that is for law enforcement officers. |
| Mississippi RNC delegation splits on vote to censure Cheney, Kinzinger | |
 | Mississippi's Republican national committeemen and committeewoman were divided on Friday's RNC vote to formally censure Republican U.S. Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois for serving on a House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob. Mississippi RNC Committeeman Henry Barbour and Committeewoman Jeanne Luckey were among a minority of RNC members voting against the resolution, which accused the two House Republicans of participating in a "Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse." State GOP Chairman Frank Bordeaux voted for the censure. Luckey was unable to attend the meeting in Salt Lake City last week, and her vote was cast by proxy by Barbour, who said he consulted with her before the vote. The resolution was passed Friday by a voice vote. Barbour over the weekend told the Washington Post he voted no, and voiced frustration that "resolutions shooting at other Republicans are never going to be helpful." Back home on Monday, Barbour told Mississippi Today: "I see the whole thing as a great distraction to 2022 and winning elections, and it's not the RNC's job to be going after Republicans. The original resolution was to purge them -- not a great way to grow a political party." |
| Pandemic price gouging complaints raise staff tensions with traveling nurses | |
| Like most traveling nurses right now, Pamela McNairy of Mississippi says she's making more money than she ever thought possible. She's working in a Southern California COVID unit, getting $10,000 a week before taxes. But that's working 13-hour shifts, overnight, five nights a week. "We're the ones who are actually doing the real patient care and keeping these people alive," she said. "I'm telling you, it's hard." So it doesn't sit well with McNairy that the American Hospital Association is calling for price gouging inquiries into staffing agencies, citing reports of pay rates tripling from before the pandemic. Nearly 200 members of Congress have signed on in support. Hospitals are crying foul over the high prices they have to pay traveling nurses during an escalating staff shortage. The corporate claims of financial stress are not helping strained staff relations. "The ones who make the decisions, they don't walk into a COVID patient's room," McNairy said. "They're not risking their lives. They're not away from home." McNairy has four kids and a husband in Mississippi, and she's been away from her family for much of the pandemic. Traveling nurses have always been paid more for their flexibility and experience. But hospitals say the going rate, which is often above $120 an hour, has ballooned beyond what they can afford. The American Nurses Association predicts another 500,000 nurses will be retiring this year and projects the need for 1.1 million new nurses to avoid a nursing shortage. |
| State medical boards tackling COVID misinformation face GOP blowback | |
 | Last September, Tennessee's Board of Medical Examiners unanimously adopted a statement that said doctors spreading COVID misinformation -- such as suggesting that vaccines contain microchips -- could jeopardize their license to practice medicine. "I'm very glad that we're taking this step," Dr. Stephen Loyd, the panel's vice president, said at the time. "If you're spreading this willful misinformation, for me it's going to be really hard to do anything other than put you on probation or take your license for a year. There has to be a message sent for this. It's not OK." The board's statement was posted on a government website. It used language suggested by an umbrella group, the Federation of State Medical Boards. More than a dozen other state boards also posted the language, which warned doctors that spreading inaccurate information about COVID vaccines "threatens to further erode public trust in the medical profession and puts all patients at risk." But before any Tennessee physicians could be reprimanded for spreading falsehoods about covid-19 vaccines or treatments, there was blowback: Republican politicians threatened to disband the medical board. The growing tension in Tennessee between conservative lawmakers and the state's medical board may be the most prominent example in the country. Now the Federation of State Medical Boards is tracking legislation, introduced by Republicans in at least 14 states, that would restrict a medical board's authority to discipline doctors for their advice on COVID. Dr. Humayun Chaudhry, the federation's CEO, calls it "an unwelcome trend." The nonprofit association, based in Euless, Texas, says the statement is merely a COVID-specific restatement of an existing rule: that doctors who engage in behavior that puts patients at risk could face disciplinary action. |
| White House, congressional Democrats eye federal gas tax holiday as prices remain high, election looms | |
 | The White House and top Democratic lawmakers are beginning to weigh a new push for a federal gas tax holiday, potentially pausing fees at the pump as part of a broader campaign to combat rising prices. The early deliberations come days after a group of vulnerable Senate Democrats introduced a bill that would suspend the gas tax of roughly 18 cents per gallon for the rest of the year, which party lawmakers are expected to discuss at a lunch Tuesday. Asked about the proposal, the White House signaled that "all options are on the table," as the administration tries to ease the growing financial burdens facing Americans during a period of high inflation. For now, the White House has not offered any official, explicit endorsement of the policy. Behind the scenes, top aides have debated whether it would provide meaningful relief -- or ultimately serve to benefit the producers of gas more than the consumers of it. Some senior officials also fear the policy might be difficult to end later, since no politician would want to be seen as raising prices, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the discussions. But their efforts have only grown more urgent as the cost of gasoline has spiked in recent months, with average prices topping $3.48 per gallon last week, according to data released Monday by AAA. That's roughly $1 more than at the same time last year, reflecting a surge in demand as economic growth surges and amid rising geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine. |
| Easter SCOTUS confirmation in doubt as Biden deliberates | |
 | Senate Democratic leaders are racing to confirm President Joe Biden's Supreme Court pick before Easter. That timeline could get murky, particularly if Biden picks a nominee who has never been through the Judiciary Committee. Biden may begin interviews with potential candidates as early as this week, though senators are not anticipating him to announce his choice imminently. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer disclosed plans to retire nearly three weeks ago, and Democrats are eager to begin reviewing his replacement. A nominee this week "would be optimal, but not likely," said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), chair of the Judiciary Committee, in an interview Monday. "The president is still interviewing." If Biden names a nominee who has not been processed through committee, such as California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, he would likely need to name that pick this week to meet the self-imposed Easter deadline, according to a staffer familiar with the matter. Durbin said Monday that "clearly" it will take longer to vet Kruger since, unlike other top contenders such as Judges J. Michelle Childs and Ketanji Brown Jackson, she has not yet appeared before the panel. "The other two leading nominees have either been through the process or are in the process," Durbin said. |
| Trump Organization Accountants Disavow Years of Company Financial Statements | |
| Accounting firm Mazars USA LLP said earlier this month it would withdraw from its work for former President Donald Trump's company and can no longer stand by financial statements it has previously prepared, according to a letter made public Monday. The letter, signed by the accounting firm's general counsel, was included in court filings from the New York attorney general's office, which is asking a judge to order Mr. Trump and two of his adult children to comply with its subpoenas as part of a broader civil-fraud investigation into the financial dealings of Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization. Mazars, which has done accounting work for Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization for years, said a limited amount of tax returns still needed to be filed, including those of Mr. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump. "We write to advise that the Statements of Financial Condition for Donald J. Trump for the years ending June 30, 2011-June 30, 2020 should no longer be relied upon and you should inform any recipients thereof who are currently relying upon one or more of those documents that those documents should not be relied upon," said the letter, which was dated Feb. 9 and addressed to the Trump Organization's chief legal officer. Mr. Trump and his company have denied wrongdoing and said the investigation, headed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, is motivated by politics. |
| Report: Conspiracy theorists fuel bump in extremist killings | |
| Newer strains of far-right movements fueled by conspiracy theories, misogyny and anti-vaccine proponents contributed to a modest rise in killings by domestic extremists in the United States last year, according to a report released Tuesday by a Jewish civil rights group. Killings by domestic extremists increased from 23 in 2020 to at least 29 last year, with right-wing extremists killing 26 of those people in 2021, the Anti-Defamation League said in a report first provided to The Associated Press. The ADL's report says white supremacists, antigovernment sovereign citizens and other adherents of long-standing movements were responsible for most of the 19 deadly attacks it counted in 2021. The New York City-based organization's list also included killings linked to newer right-wing movements that spread online during the coronavirus pandemic and former President Donald Trump's presidency. The ADL concluded that roughly half of the 2021 killings didn't have a clear ideological motive, fitting a pattern that stretches back at least a decade. The ADL attributed 13 killings last year to white supremacists, three to anti-government extremists, two to Black nationalists and one to an Islamist extremist. |
| UM legends to reflect for Black History Month Keynote | |
| Two University of Mississippi icons are reflecting on what it means to be Black at the university, and how that has changed over time as part of this year's Black History Month celebration. The 2022 Black History Month keynote, "I Am UM," is scheduled for Wednesday (Feb. 16) and will feature Donald Cole and Peggie Gillom-Granderson in conversation about their time at the university – their struggles, victories and perspectives for the next generation of students. The event is set for 6 p.m. in the ballroom of the Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union. "We're two individuals who share different, and yet similar, experiences -- both at the University of Mississippi," said Cole, a former student activist who returned to Ole Miss as a caring mentor and administrator for decades. "It's very important, I think not only because of the timing in terms of Black History Month, but the timing of it in terms of where we are as a nation and where we are as individuals. "It's turned out from where we're both sitting that we have some perspectives that are going to be beneficial to all the voices that are going to be a part of this conversation." Cole and Gillom-Granderson were asked to participate because of their unique perspectives and close ties to the university, but also because of their proximity in time and place to today's student body. |
| Pediatricians say rise in MIS-C cases could follow decline in coronavirus cases | |
 | Coronavirus cases are beginning to decline in Mississippi, but pediatric doctors say children in the state may be at risk for a surge in cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. "What we're waiting for now is the uptick of MIS-C which occurs around 4-6 weeks after the peaks of community transmission. We don't know if we're going to see it at this point because it's a different strain of the virus. But again the thing with MIS-C is you can't predict who's going to develop it. We're basically poised and ready and waiting for these cases to start coming in," says Dr. Charlotte Hobbs, Professor of Pediatric Infectious Disease and Microbiology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Hobbs says MIS-C occurs some time after the coronavirus and causes swelling in several organs. But most children who contract the disease were previously healthy. Following the Delta surge, Mississippi had a higher rate of MIS-C cases than many other states, and she says only a small portion of eligible children in the state are vaccinated against the coronavirus. "Every few months we're going through a new wave with new variants. We will continue to have new variants as long as we have susceptible populations who are not vaccinated," says Dr. Hobbs. "So this will continue to go on where we have these peaks of transmission and then children getting sick, and potentially getting very sick and even potentially dying as long as we have an incompletely vaccinated population." |
| Officials cut ribbon on Quinlan-Hammond Hall of Honor at Southern Miss | |
| On Veterans Day 2020, officials gathered to break ground on the Quinlan-Hammond Hall of Honor, the home of the Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families at the University of Southern Mississippi. That facility, which is located near the intersection of North 35th and Pearl Street, was officially unveiled during a ribbon cutting on Feb. 11. The Quinlan-Hammond Hall of Honor is named after lead benefactor and USM alumnus Joe Quinlan, along with founding director Maj. Gen. Jeff Hammond, and is designed honor the sacrifices made by the university's military students and their families. The 5,500-square-foot facility includes a conference room, study space and a library with an adjoining lounge and study, along with other meeting and staff office spaces. Centered around a vertical ingress in the form of a salute, the space acknowledges and welcomes veterans, service members and their families. Embedded bricks and other design elements feature the stars and stripes of the American flag to all who pass. Cumulatively, Southern Miss alumni and friends contributed more than $3.1 million for construction. |
| USM hosts Frederick Douglass Day program | |
 | Monday morning, The University of Southern Mississippi hosted a Frederick Douglass Day program. "So Frederick Douglass as we all know, in terms of an ex-slave, and the work that he did to try and free other slaves," says Dr. Joyce Inman. Inman is an associate English professor at Southern Miss, and today her class participated in Frederick Douglass day. "Douglass Day is an event that is global. And the goal is to both draw attention to Frederick Douglass and the role he had as a civil rights pioneer." The program is a global event that is streamed across the world. Jason Ang, a freshman from Indonesia, says learning about Black History reminds him of circumstances in his home country. "Because even in Indonesia from where I'm from, it may seem that this the issue of like racism and ethnocentrism, things like that, is only present in the United States. But now, even where I'm from, there are tensions between Chinese descent people like me compared to the original Indigenous people of Indonesia. So in one way, I can relate to that," says Ang. |
| Nearly a quarter of students enrolling in Alabama colleges need remedial classes | |
| Not everyone who gets into college is prepared for college-level math or English classes. According to the latest data from the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, 24% of students enrolling in a public Alabama college or university need to take a remedial English or math class or both. "The scary part is you'll see different pockets of the state of Alabama, where there'll be more than 50% of the kids who actually choose to go to college from a particular high school, who are in developmental education. And that's problematic," said Jim Purcell, Alabama Commission on Higher Education Executive Director. In Conecuh County, ACHE found 59% of high school graduates headed to a two or four year Alabama public college had to take remedial classes. It's the highest county rate in the state. Twenty-five percent of Mobile County Public School students enrolling in Alabama colleges aren't ready, an improvement from 35% seven years ago. Schools in the district that had the highest rates were Leflore at 51% and Blount at 48%. We asked the school district why some students are falling behind and what the district is doing to help? The school district declined our request for an interview. Across the bay, 131 or 16.9% of Baldwin County Public School students who enrolled in an Alabama college in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 had to take a remedial class. "It's unfortunate that does occur," said Baldwin County Public Schools secondary curriculum coordinator Tom Hartner. |
| U. of Tennessee accelerator will help clean energy startups develop climate-saving tech | |
 | The Knoxville-Oak Ridge corridor is adding another resource to help make the region an innovation hub for clean energy companies. The University of Tennessee Spark Innovation Center is recruiting early-stage, high-growth startups for its Spark Cleantech Accelerator focused on developing decarbonization solutions and advancing circular economy efforts in East Tennessee. The accelerator will be the third energy-focused business accelerator in Knoxville along with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Innovation Crossroads and Techstars Industries of the Future Accelerator. "Our investment in the Spark Cleantech Accelerator will build on the work Tennessee has been doing to launch advanced energy businesses and create an innovative holistic approach to supporting entrepreneurs," UT System President Randy Boyd said in a release. "We are grateful to be part of de-risking technology development and identifying market opportunities that drive both economic growth and environmental impact." Some of the startups at the UT Spark Innovation Center are already working on climate change solutions. SkyNano LLC is developing technology that will take ambient carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and turn it into industrially-priced advanced carbon nanotubes, which can be used in energy storage, automotive parts and more. |
| Georgia higher ed board set to vote on Sonny Perdue | |
| The state Board of Regents is set to vote Tuesday on whether to name former Gov. Sonny Perdue as the sole finalist to be next leader of the state's university system, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned. The board is not expected to give final approval on appointing the Republican as the chancellor of the University System of Georgia until later this month, according to three senior officials, but the members are expected on Tuesday to clear the way for him to secure the job. The regents have scheduled a 4:30 p.m. meeting Tuesday to announce the finalist. A staunch ally of Perdue, Gov. Brian Kemp has replaced four members of the 19-member board, including the former chair, with political allies who are expected to be supportive. The governor has backed Perdue, a former two-term governor who served as Donald Trump's agriculture secretary, despite the fact that he is first cousin of Kemp's top Republican rival for re-election, former U.S. Sen. David Perdue. As awkward as the situation is, Kemp and Sonny Perdue have a long relationship that outdates the governor's rivalry with his cousin. The search for the next chancellor has been an unusually fraught process since former chancellor Steve Wrigley announced his retirement from the job a year ago. |
| Search for UF's new president comes amid discussion of decreased transparency laws | |
| The search for the University of Florida's next president could be affected by a bill that would prohibit part of the appointment process from being accessible to the public. UF expects to start looking for a new president in March, UF spokesperson Hessy Fernandez wrote in an email. The search has been kept under wraps so far, and SB 520/HB 703 would keep it that way. UF President Kent Fuchs announced his resignation Jan. 5 in a campus-wide email and video message. He will remain in his presidential role for the remainder of the year until a new president is appointed. Meanwhile, Florida's senators and representatives have filed Senate Bill 520 and House Bill 703, which would delay the release of any information identifying a university's presidential applicant, including meeting recordings that would disclose such information if obtained through a public records request. "I think [the bill] will be exceptionally positive for the Florida university systems," said Florida Senator Jeff Brandes (R), sponsor of SB 520. "You are going to get a broader pool of applicants; you are going to get better applicants who now can apply without fear their previous employer will know." Brandes believes the bill will provide more transparency; he said the current process is run largely by headhunting firms who ask applicants to not apply until they reach the final candidates. Presidential searches at most state universities around the country are not subject to public records law, Brandes said. Florida has one of the broadest public records law in the country, and this bill should allow universities to pull from the best applicants in the nation, he said. |
| Kentucky lawmakers' HB 51 pushes to end school, college mask mandates | |
| Months after lawmakers prohibited statewide mask mandates in schools to mitigate COVID-19, a committee advanced a measure Tuesday that would end even school-level mask requirements. House Bill 51, sponsored by Rep. Lynn Bechler, R-Marion, cleared the House Education Committee. It was close to a party-line vote, with Republicans Reps. Adam Koenig and Killian Timoney voting 'no' alongside Democrats. If ultimately approved, HB 51 would prohibit mask requirements on the premises of all public schools, school transportation and at school-sponsored events. It would also ban requirements at public colleges and universities, and allows parents to refuse for their child to wear a mask at publicly funded day cares without retribution. A federal mandate requires students to wear masks on school transportation. Lawmakers did not address the discrepancy between the federal requirement and the bill. In defense of the bill, Bechler listed a number of negative consequences he said were tied to mask-wearing. Youth suicides are up, he said, and masks can cause students to struggle to see facial expressions. Universal mask policies, alongside other mitigation strategies, can help maintain in-person school by curbing the spread of COVID-19, state health leaders have said. Schools without mask policies are subject to heightened contact tracing and quarantine guidance. |
| Jamie Raskin, Dick Durbin among speakers in U. of Missouri symposium about Donald Trump's impeachments | |
 | Some notable figures will participate this week in a University of Missouri online symposium on "The Two Impeachments of Donald J. Trump." The event on Thursday and Friday is sponsored by the Missouri Law Review and the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy. The event is free, but people must register online by 5 p.m. Wednesday. It seemed like the right time for such a symposium, said MU law professor Frank Bowman, one of the moderators. "The second impeachment was just a year ago almost exactly," Bowman said. "He was the first president to be impeached twice and acquitted twice. This will be a retrospective on why he was impeached, why he was acquitted and what that portends for events going forward." It's an impressive collection of academics, historians, reporters and others taking part, Bowman said. "This is as knowledgeable a group of people that I think you will ever find," he said. Bowman authored "High Crimes and Misdemeanors: A History of Impeachment for the Age of Trump." U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, who was the House manager for Trump's second impeachment, will be a keynote speaker. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, will deliver a recorded address at noon Friday. Some historical perspective also will be provided by Brenda Wineapple, author of "The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation." |
| UC Berkeley may be forced by court to cut 3,000 undergraduate seats, freeze enrollment | |
 | UC Berkeley, one of the nation's most highly sought after campuses, may be forced to slash its incoming fall 2022 class by one-third, or 3,050 seats, and forgo $57 million in lost tuition under a recent court order to freeze enrollment, the university announced Monday. The university's projected reduction in freshmen and transfer students came in response to a ruling last August by an Alameda County Superior Court judge who ordered an enrollment freeze and upheld a Berkeley neighborhood group's lawsuit that challenged the environmental impact of the university's expansion plan. Many neighbors are upset by the impact of enrollment growth on traffic, noise, housing prices and the natural environment. The University of California Board of Regents appealed the ruling and asked that the order to freeze enrollment be stayed while the appellate process proceeds. Last week, an appellate court denied that request. The regents on Monday appealed that judgment to the California Supreme Court. Phil Bokovoy, president of Save Berkeley's Neighborhoods, which filed the lawsuit, blamed the crisis on the university, saying the campus has failed to build enough housing to accommodate its growing student population. He added that UC Berkeley could manage the court-ordered enrollment freeze without hurting California students by reducing admission offers to international and out-of-state students. "It's irresponsible for Berkeley to add 3,000 new students in the midst of a terrible housing crisis," Bokovoy said. The furor underscores the conflicting and growing pressures on UC over enrollment |
| College doesn't always result in higher earnings, data show | |
 | Most students who attend college earn more 10 years down the road than those who don't. But at roughly one-third of institutions, a majority of students end up earning less than those with a high school diploma, according to a new analysis from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The analysis examines new data from College Scorecard and looks at net economic gains for college students 10 years and 40 years after they enroll. The data includes all students, including those who did not graduate. "College typically pays off, but the return on investment varies by credential, program of study, and institution," Anthony P. Carnevale, director of the Center for Education and the Workforce, said in a press release. Low earnings are often linked to low graduation rates at a given institution, said Martin Van Der Werf, director of editorial and education policy at the center. At many institutions, the share of students who earn a degree is 50 percent or less. "At many of those colleges---where students start and never finished -- the [return on investment] probably doesn't offer any more than that a high school diploma would, because if you go to college and you don't finish, you don't have a credential that is worth any more than a high school diploma in the marketplace," Van Der Werf said. Students who attend college but never graduate miss out on the "earnings premium" that comes with a college degree, said Michael Itzkowitz, senior higher education fellow at Third Way. |
| What can institutions do to get ahead of a fast-changing higher ed market? | |
| Universities must prepare for a future where students could demand degrees, low-cost options or asynchronous learning. Otherwise, institutions risk becoming obsolete, according to a recent report from consulting firm EY. The report poses several scenarios to higher education leaders that would destabilize many universities' current way of doing business. Themes include a dramatic change to the cost of learning and an uptick in global connectivity from developing technologies. Four key recommendations to education leaders are highlighted: Be clear about long-term purpose, consider possible future scenarios when making today's choices, find leadership talent from other sectors that have already had to reinvent themselves, and invest across current and future time horizons. The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically accelerated the need for online learning in higher education, even after the sector was already adding remote capabilities. Some colleges, like Arizona State University, leaned heavily into the trend. In January, Arizona State set a goal of reaching 100 million learners by 2030 with its online global management and entrepreneurship certificate program. The universities that aren't making big pivots and expanding their offerings risk getting left behind, according to Catherine Friday, global education leader at EY and the report's author. She said a university leader's first step should be to clearly define the university's purpose and in what areas it excels. |
| Colleges follow states on lifting mask mandates | |
| A string of states lifting indoor mask mandates means changes are in store for a number of public colleges in the U.S., though others will continue with face coverings for the foreseeable future. Following a slowdown in the latest COVID-19 surge, a handful of states across the country have dropped mask mandates in recent days. Now states including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and Oregon are changing their mask requirements -- some effective are immediately, and others will be rolled out over time. However, some states will still require those working and studying in colleges and K-12 schools to continue to mask up as a COVID-19 precaution. In response to mask mandates that have been lifted or will be in the near future, colleges point to a broad mix of pandemic precautions already in place: many have required students and employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, while others -- their hands tied by state laws barring vaccine mandates -- have strongly encouraged immunization against the coronavirus. Additionally, many will continue regular testing for unvaccinated students and employees, alongside other measures. But some in the health field worry that despite other precautions, the masks are coming off too soon. "I think it's premature to remove the mask requirement at this point in time," said Gerri Taylor, co-chair of the American College Health Association's COVID-19 task force. |
| U.S. scientific research agencies tighten foreign affiliation rules | |
 | U.S. research institutions and universities are gearing up to implement steps announced last month by the Biden administration to ensure that scientists seeking federal grants are not beholden to foreign governments or interests. The White House National Science and Technology Council issued a set of guidelines in January designed to ensure that scientists seeking federal grants do not have conflicts of interest stemming from their participation in foreign talent recruitment programs. The guidelines address a presidential national security memorandum issued in early 2021. That memorandum required any research institution receiving more than $50 million in federal science and technology grants in a year to certify that it has a research security program that can identify conflicts of interests. The 2021 Pentagon policy measure required all U.S. federal research agencies to obtain from applicants their current sources of funding, both domestic and foreign. The effort to identify foreign entanglements among scientists seeking U.S. grants is mostly in response to China's aggressive talent recruitment program known as the "Thousand Talents Plan." Launched in 2008, the Chinese plan offers salaries, honorariums, research funding and other financial support to Chinese-origin scientists and other foreign nationals to transfer their scientific knowledge to China. It’s not just China. Russia and Iran also operate talent recruitment programs to potentially steal U.S. technology, the White House memo said. U.S. agencies and universities are developing new tools and using artificial intelligence technologies to streamline and collect data on scientists’ affiliations. |
| GOP flubs legitimate political discourse | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: "Legitimate political discourse" -- remember those three words. They will be with us for a while. They were officially uttered by the Republican National Committee (RNC) in a resolution to censure two Republican U.S. representatives who have dared to serve on the House January 6th Select Committee looking into the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol following the 2020 presidential election. The lengthy resolution that condemns Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois for their service and actions on the committee reads in part: "WHEREAS, Representatives Cheney and Kinzinger are participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse, and they are both utilizing their past professed political affiliation to mask Democrat abuse of prosecutorial power for partisan purposes..." The response to calling the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol "legitimate political discourse" drew prompt response, even from some top Republicans. "We all were here. We saw what happened," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. "It was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election from one administration to the next. That's what it was." |
| Mississippi divorce laws are irrevocably broken. This Senate bill would help. | |
| Geoff Pender writes for Mississippi Today: A Mississippi Senate bill would add an "irrevocably broken" marriage as grounds for a divorce. This is the latest in an age-old, usually fruitless, effort to bring Mississippi's antiquated, misogynistic divorce laws into the 20th (that's right, 20th) century. Judiciary A Chairman Brice Wiggins has authored Senate Bill 2643, which passed the Senate on a vote of 35-13, with four politically courageous souls voting "present." Wiggins authored the bill based on recommendations of a task force of judges, lawyers and other experts reviewing the state's domestic laws. "The task force's reasons are compelling," Wiggins told colleagues, "it's the destruction caused to children and families caused by Mississippi's restrictive divorce laws ... being weaponized." This would at least be a step closer to a unilateral no-fault divorce like most of the rest of the world has. Mississippi and South Dakota remain the only two states without a unilateral no-fault divorce ground. Mississippi's divorce ground of "irreconcilable differences" requires mutual consent of spouses. This frequently makes getting a divorce in Mississippi difficult and expensive, and it often allows one spouse to delay a divorce for years, sometimes many years. This also leads to spouses and children being trapped in bad, often abusive, family situations. |
SPORTS
| Weather Forces Schedule Change for Baseball Season Opener | |
| The 2022 season opener for Mississippi State baseball has been moved up one hour due to weather and will now start at 2 p.m. CT on Friday, Feb. 18, at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville. The Diamond Dawgs begin the campaign by hosting Long Beach State in a three-game series, starting with the 2 p.m. first pitch in Friday's opener. State and LBSU will then face off in a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday (Feb. 19) before closing out the weekend with a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday (Feb. 20) at The Dude. Friday's game will be carried on the Mississippi State Sports Network powered by Learfield along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/plus. |
| Inside the $34.5 million renovation of Mississippi State's Humphrey Coliseum | |
| The Humphrey Coliseum is receiving a makeover. Thrash Commercial Contractors were selected by Mississippi State University last week to lead a project that will create a club level to the basketball arena, widen the concourses, upgrade the bathrooms and introduce suites. The winning proposal for construction was $34.5 million, Luke Walker, the business development manager for Thrash, told the Clarion Ledger. That proposed budget comes in under the original budget of $40 million the university set for the project, Walker said. Plans to renovate aspects of the Humphrey Coliseum have been ongoing for more than two years, but Brasfield & Gorrie, a contracting company based in Birmingham, Alabama, pulled out over concern that they'd overshoot the maximum price guarantee -- prices for materials fluctuated rapidly during the pandemic. Once the job opened again for bidding, Thrash --- in conjunction with the architects at Dale Partners and AECOM Sports --- won the bid. And while supply chain issues and worker shortages have been frequent issues for construction companies the last few years, Walker doesn't anticipate any delays. "We have got our A team on it," Walker said. "There's a guy we hired right out of high school, and he's been with us for -- I think it's his 29th year. He has built a $70 million museum here in (Jackson) and he just came off a $40 million addition and renovation to the Vicksburg High School, and that school remained fully operational all through COVID. We were building right in the middle of it." The construction is set to begin later in February, while the basketball season is still underway. They'll work around the teams, ensuring the floor and seating is still operational, by focusing on concourse upgrades first. |
| Mike Leach invites no-luck Texas fan to future matchups vs. Mississippi State: 'We need your help' | |
| Mike Leach has a foolproof plan for how Mississippi State football will beat Texas once the Longhorns join the SEC. He'll invite a random guy he met through Cameo. Leach received a prompt on Cameo, a service that allows fans to ask questions to athletes and celebrities and receive personalized responses, that informed him of a Texas fan who has only attended Longhorns losses. Leach's ears perked up at the future implications. "As a personal favor, when, if, Texas moves into the SEC, I want to personally invite you to attend every game that Mississippi State plays Texas in," Leach said. "Cause I don't want to take any chances with this. "So you can personally, at my invitation, come attend every game that Texas plays Mississippi State in, cause listen, we need your help. We want your help. And you've got the magic touch. You've got the magic touch." Leach also took the time to chirp the Big 12, throwing shade at his former rival. Leach coached at Texas Tech from 2000-09, finishing as the all-time winningest coach in school history with several statement wins, such as a last-second win against the Longhorns courtesy of a Michael Crabtree touchdown. "The SEC isn't scared of a team that goes 5-7 in the Big 12," Leach said. "I hear Texas loses every game you attend. So I assume you were there in 2008 when Crabtree made The Catch when Texas Tech played No. 1 Texas. The other: Maybe you should skip the Kansas game this year so Texas can go to a bowl." |
| 'I should've got them': Deion Sanders reveals he interviewed for three Power 5 jobs | |
| Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders interviewed for three Power Five jobs and felt he was close to getting at least one before being told the school was going in a different direction, he said on the Dan LeBatard Show last week. "I interviewed for three Power Five jobs. I should've got them," Sanders said. "I was very, very, very good I may say in the interviews. In one of the interviews, I was so darn good, the guy asked me when could I start. 'When can you really start?' I told him when it was possible and they went in another direction. I wasn't upset. That just means that God needed me to continue to be at Jackson State." Sanders did not say which jobs he interviewed for. The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram reported that Sanders interviewed for TCU's head coaching job after the Horned Frogs parted ways with longtime coach Gary Patterson and was "impressive." The report came while Sanders was hospitalized for nearly a month following toe surgery that caused him to miss three games. Since the reported TCU interview, Sanders led Jackson State to a SWAC title and an appearance in the Celebration Bowl, the de facto HBCU national title game. He was named FCS Coach of the Year and SWAC Coach of the Year. He signed the No. 1 recruit in the nation, five-star cornerback Travis Hunter, away from Florida State. |
| JSU gives athletic director extension through 2026 | |
| Jackson State Athletic Director Ashley Robinson is sticking with the school for at least a few more years. The school announced Tuesday that Robinson was given a contract extension through 2026. "Ashley Robinson has been a tremendous asset to Jackson State University, and his innovative ideas and vision for the division of athletics aligns with our plans to elevate the student-athlete experience," said President Thomas Hudson. "I look forward to working with him for many more seasons to come." A number of JSU programs have won SWAC championships during Robinson's tenure, including football, volleyball, women's basketball, men's basketball, women's tennis, baseball, softball and men's cross country. He also serves as the chair of the SWAC Athletic Director committee. "It was always a dream of mine to return to my hometown and invest in the city that gave so much to me," said Robinson. "It's been an honor to do this important work at Jackson State University. I'd like to thank President Hudson for his leadership and thank you to the many JSU alumni and fans that support our program and our students throughout the year." |
| Paul Finebaum asks SEC's Greg Sankey about Nick Saban-Lane Kiffin-Jimbo Fisher NIL flap | |
 | While most of the SEC was on Bryan Harsin watch over at Auburn late last week, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was asked his reaction to something potentially explosive. On National Signing Day, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher fired back at Alabama's Nick Saban and Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin for comments made about NIL and its impact on the Aggies' No. 1 recruiting class. Sankey was asked about the back and forth. It was the type of accusatory banter reminiscent of the Kiffin from his Tennessee days or the Steve Spurrier of old. "Our coaches are dealing with a different reality," Sankey said Friday. "That creates discomfort. It creates stress. It creates commentary. Our coaches still work incredibly hard. They're subject to state laws. They're attentive to those. They work with their compliance offices. Simply suggesting, whether it's Coach A or Coach B, that 'wow, the only reason that somebody had recruiting success is because of name, image and likeness,' that's not actually a fully informed opinion. At the same time, it is a dynamic in recruiting now." The topic was certainly one that would have dominated the headlines had it not been for the Harsin saga playing out at Auburn. After an eight-day saga appeared to have Harsin's future in doubt after one season, Auburn president Jay Gogue released a statement Friday announcing the end of the school's investigation and the return of Harsin for the 2022 season. |
| Alabama athletics 'not moving forward with alcohol sales,' citing new city fees | |
 | Alcohol sales might not be coming to Coleman Coliseum after all. Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne put out a statement Monday on Twitter stating that the department "will not be moving forward with alcohol sales at this time" pending further review of a service fee policy that the Tuscaloosa City Council amended during its Feb. 8 meeting. For all ticketed events of at least 1,000 where alcohol is sold, this amended ordinance calls for an additional ticket fee of $1, $2 or $3, depending on the capacity of the event or venue. "It is very unfortunate that the city of Tuscaloosa's plan would unreasonably target Alabama Athletics and our fans with a service fee on all tickets where alcohol is sold, even tickets sold to children," Byrne wrote in his statement. Alcohol was expected to be available soon at Coleman Coliseum after the City Council earlier this month gave approval for a liquor license from Alabama's concessionaire, Levy Premium Foodservice LP. Only beer, wine and hard seltzers were expected to be sold. The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board still had to give final say before UA could begin those sales at Coleman Coliseum for basketball and other events, but the service fee as amended last week by the City Council led to Byrne's statement that Alabama will now adjust. As of Monday afternoon, City Hall officials have yet to reply to a request from The Tuscaloosa News seeking a response to Byrne's statement, but Mayor Walt Maddox took to the airwaves on Monday to justify ticket fees. |
| Smokey XI ready to step in as U. of Tennessee mascot | |
 | Smokey is ready to pass the Volunteer torch to another worthy pup of the same name. Smokey X is set to retire as the iconic University of Tennessee mascot. And Smokey XI, another bluetick coonhound from the same bloodline, will make his debut this fall as the latest top dog on campus since the tradition began in 1953. UT announced the change by featuring the old dog and new dog in a video posted on Twitter. But a UT spokesman said there's a chance Smokey X may start the 2022 season until Smokey XI is fully ready to take over his duties on the sideline. The new Smokey will wear another checkered vest, sport those floppy ears and lead the Vols through the T at Neyland Stadium. He'll just be younger and a little leaner. Smokey XI is only 6 months old. Smokey X, who lives as a pet of the Hudson family just north of Knoxville, will celebrate his 10th birthday on Feb. 21. He had served as UT's mascot since the 2013 football season. In 1953, the original Smokey mascot was nominated during halftime of a UT football game against Mississippi State. The UT Pep Club organized a contest to select a coonhound as the mascot, and Rev. W.C. "Bill" Brooks entered his prize-winning bluetick coonhound "Blue Smokey," according to UT's history website. When "Blue Smokey" was introduced, the hound howled. Students cheered, Smokey howled more, and eventually the entire stadium was cheering and howling, and UT had a mascot. |
| HBCUs to glitter on NBA's All-Star stage with game, events | |
| This year's NBA's All-Star stage isn't reserved for just LeBron James, Steph Curry and the league's other top performers. There's another game in town, one that can make a much longer-lasting impact. When basketball's best gather in Cleveland to dunk, fire 3-pointers and hobnob with corporate partners as the league celebrates its 75th anniversary this weekend, another group of players will get a chance to shine amid the glittering stars. Morgan State will play Howard on Saturday in the inaugural NBA HBCU Classic, a matchup that will provide major exposure -- and funding -- for historically Black colleges and universities while expanding the league's longtime commitment to HBCUs, a nationwide network of 107 schools. "I'm excited about it," said Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul, a 12-time All-Star and former president of the NBA Players Association. "It's a great stage for them. It's the education of it. A lot of people don't understand the importance of HBCUs and why they were formed. To continue to elevate them and give them a stage and a platform is very important." Paul played a major role in broadening the league's ties with HBCUs, a partnership that goes back 35 years to former Commissioner David Stern serving as a founding board member for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. This summer, the league is also launching the HBCU Fellowship Program, a 10-week internship for undergraduates and graduates. |
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