| Friday, February 25, 2022 |
| Local professor weighs in on Mississippi impacts from Ukraine invasion | |
 | As Russia continues to march into Ukraine and international sanctions are brought down on one of the world's largest economies, financial uncertainty is high. WTOK-TV spoke with Mississippi State Associate Professor of Finance, Dr. Paul Spurlin, about what he thinks about how we will be affected by uncertain financial markets. "Well, I would just start by saying this, financial market prices such as in the stock market are really the market participants' determination really about what they expect future events to be as the information comes in," Dr. Spurlin said. "Not only information from firms directly, but also news events from around the world. Investors take this information in and they process it." Uncertainty is the vain of the stock market and the recent volatility of it can be attributed to how the financial world is trying to process the information coming out of Ukraine. "I think the Mississippi impact will be similar to others. It will be a consumer impact similar to other places in the nation. Just because of the instability. I would not be surprised if we continued to see gas price increases," Dr. Spurlin said. But it is not just gas that consumers will have to worry about, "Along with increases in prices for other goods and services that rely on petroleum as a direct or indirect input. For instance, your groceries, petroleum can be seen as an indirect input to that from the transportation required to deliver groceries," Dr. Spurlin said. |
| Recycling program sees 75 to 100 drop-offs per day | |
 | After one year of Starkville's revamped recycling program, the city sees approximately 75 to 100 drop-offs per day, Ward 5 Alderman Hamp Beatty said. The city launched its "Think Green" program in spring 2021, giving residents a central drop-off location at the Starkville Sanitation and Environmental Services Department on Dr. Douglas L. Conner Drive. The initiative's goal was to invest in a cleaner, healthier environment, said Beatty, who was one of the prominent influences on creating the program. Starkville eliminated its curbside recycling program in spring 2020 due to high costs and low participation and pivoted to Think Green instead. The amount of drop-offs at the recycling central location sees more participation than the minimal 10 percent of curbside participation in previous years, a press release issued Monday said. Residents can dispose of cardboard, office and mixed paper and scrap metal, such as tin and aluminum cans. The city is also partnering with master of business administration students from Mississippi State University to analyze the best practices of Starkville's recycling and trash collection through an online survey. Ward 3 Alderman Jeffrey Rupp, who serves as the director of outreach for MSU's Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, said he feels the survey would give the city insight on how residents feel about the city's sanitation resources. "I don't know if we've ever asked the residents how they feel," Rupp said. "People talk about it all the time, but they're all over the map. I just wanted to get some quantitative data to help us make smart decisions." |
| Usage of recycling program encouraged in Starkville | |
 | Starkville leaders are encouraging residents to get back to "going green" with their recycling program. The program was stopped during the pandemic. When recycling returned last year, participation numbers were down, but city leaders want that number back up. "It's a fairly typical recycling program," Mayor Lynn Spruill said. When they decided to restart, it was extremely costly to collect without seeing an upside on the products. "The things that we used to recycle in some quantities are just not being reused, and that was the reason for the change in the first program," she said. "It also became something that we are interested in monitoring to see what the level of interest is in the community." Before the pandemic, the city did curbside pickup for recycling. Now, residents can bring their items to the sanitation department. Steven Bailey said he's glad to see people taking an interest in recycling. He works at the Idea Shop and said the business is looking to do more recycling for store items. "We're partnering with a girl who is majoring in wildlife sciences here," Bailey said. "And the goal is to kind of take some of the recycled plastic we have in town and turn that into 3-D printer filament which then we can use to produce new things." |
| Whitaker departing the LINK | |
| After more than a decade with the Golden Triangle Development LINK, Chief Operating Officer Macaulay Whitaker is leaving the organization for a position at Burns Dirt Construction as Vice President of Talent and Culture. Whitaker began her time at the LINK as Programs and Events Director for the Chamber Division, eventually becoming interim Vice President of Chamber and Vice President for Internal and External Affairs. She was named Chief Operating Officer in 2017. A press release Thursday said she contributed to workforce development, constituent relations, strategic planning, marketing and media relations, legislative affairs, private sector fundraising, project recruitment, military relations and operations and organizational leadership. LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins said Whitaker was one of the most dedicated workers, always putting all of her effort into every project or task at hand. He said he knows Whitaker will thrive in her new role at Burns Dirt. Whitaker said she is thankful for her time at the LINK, saying she is a better person because of her time there. She said she is proud of the visible things the organization accomplishes like job announcements and investment, but also equally as proud of the less visible things like working with partners and elected officials to plan for the future. "My years at the LINK have been some of the best years of my life. I began my career there, discovered my love of workforce development there. My family grew from two to five there, and I had the chance to learn from and work with literally the best in our business." |
| CDC to significantly ease pandemic mask guidelines Friday | |
 | The Biden administration will significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines to protect against COVID-19 transmission on Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter, meaning most Americans will no longer be advised to wear masks in indoor public settings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday will announce a change to the metrics it uses to determine whether to recommend face coverings, shifting from looking at COVID-19 case counts to a more holistic view of risk from the coronavirus to a community. Under current guidelines, masks are recommended for people residing in communities of substantial or high transmission -- roughly 95% of U.S. counties, according to the latest data. The new metrics will still consider caseloads, but also take into account hospitalizations and local hospital capacity, which have been markedly improved during the emergence of the omicron variant. That strain is highly transmissible, but indications are that it is less severe than earlier strains, particularly for people who are fully vaccinated and boosted. Under the new guidelines, the vast majority of Americans will no longer live in areas where indoor masking in public is recommended, based on current data. It was not immediately clear how the new CDC guidance would affect U.S. federal mandates requiring face coverings on public transportation. |
| Construction industry suffering from material shortages, higher prices, workforce availability | |
 | Inflation of 7.5 % over the past year, the worst seen in four decades, combined with supply chain disruption related to the pandemic, are causing mayhem through nearly every industry sector. Construction has been particularly hard hit. Associated General Contractors of America's 2021 Construction Inflation Alert indicated some of the worst price increases were in wood, which is up 101% year-over-year. Steel prices are up 88%, copper has increased 61% and aluminum is up 33%. AGC reports that the price of some individual commodities, such as timber, have moderated from month to month, but futures contracts for materials show no long-term relief. "Lumber has been going up and down," said Bob Wilson, executive director of AGC of Mississippi. "Just when you think it is stabilizing, it goes up again. Rebar and concrete, things used all the time in construction, are facing that same kind of issue." It seems that when you ease one problem, another is created. Wilson sees what he calls a trifecta of issues: supply chain shortages, prices rising exponentially, and workforce availability. "Workforce availability right now is compounded by COVID because there are a lot of people who don't want to go out and work too closely to others because of the potential COVID exposure," Wilson said. "Truck drivers are in short supply. It is not one particular thing. Everything is affected right now. You are getting hit on all sides. Everybody hopes things will start to even out." |
| FBI, state agents raid Express Grain, president's home | |
 | The offices of Express Grain Terminals LLC were visited by federal and state law enforcement agents Thursday morning. FBI agents and law enforcement representing the Mississippi attorney general were seen at Express Grain's offices at its plant on River Road Extended. Law enforcement was also spotted at the Greenwood home of Express Grain president John Coleman on Robert E. Lee Drive. According to a neighbor, about a dozen vehicles, including some with armed FBI agents, descended on Coleman's home Thursday morning. An unknown quantity of material was taken from the home, and a law enforcement agent could be seen taking photographs. Coleman was there at the time of the raid and later left with his family, the neighbor said. Michelle Williams, a spokesperson with the Attorney General's Office, said there is an ongoing investigation with Express Grain but could not comment further. FBI spokesperson Taylor Pavich said in an email Thursday, "Together with other state and federal agencies, the FBI's Evidence Response Team is conducting court authorized law enforcement activities at 3 locations in Greenwood." The law enforcement activity comes on the eve of an auction for Express Grain's facilities, scheduled for Friday, as it continues through bankruptcy proceedings that began in September. |
| Analysis: State leaders predict continued tax revenue growth | |
| The state's tax revenues are expected to increase by nearly 4 percent for the next fiscal year even with the federal COVID-related relief funds coming to an end. The state's general fund, which finances the operations of most state agencies, has a rare surplus that presents an opportunity for further tax cuts (such as a possible elimination of the state's income tax) or spending in vital sectors such as education or infrastructure. The fiscal good times for the state look to continue with four months remaining in the fiscal year that ends on June 30. According to the latest revenue report from January, the state's tax intake is more than $363 million than the same time period (July through January) last year. According to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee's (JLBC) budget blueprint for fiscal 2023, which begins July 1, state officials predict the state's general fund revenues will continue to increase, going from $5.82 billion in fiscal 2023 to $7.048 billion in fiscal 2025. That's an increase of 7.1 percent for those keeping score at home and relies on general fund revenue growth of between 3.4 percent and 3.7 percent annually for those predictions to come true. The general fund revenue estimates, after falling short in fiscal 2017 by $154 million, have been much closer to reality in recent years. They've also been (with the exception of fiscal 20202) on the increase as compared to the year before. |
| County, Younger push effort to sell Black Prairie WMA | |
| If Jeff Harris ever needs a pickup line, he might go with, "Let me tell you about the birds and the bees." The honeybee specialist for the Mississippi State University Extension Service is also a hobbyist birdwatcher and president of the Oktibbeha County Audubon Society. One of his favorite pursuits is spotting painted buntings at the Black Prairie Wildlife Management Area off Fire Tower Road near Crawford. "The males, especially, are so pretty, almost gaudy," Harris said of the colorful bird. "They are fairly rare as nesters in this area because this is considered to be on the edge of their range. But they nest there." Neither the painted bunting nor one of Harris' other favorite birds, the lark sparrow, is technically endangered. Their local habitat, however, is squarely in the crosshairs of county lawmakers and at least one state legislator. County supervisors have scheduled a public hearing at 9:15 a.m. Monday in the courthouse boardroom on whether to attempt to return the 6,000-acre Black Prairie WMA to private ownership. The state owns the land, which the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks manages, so the county can't autonomously act to take it out of public hands, County Administrator Jay Fisher said. It can, however, put its two cents in with the state. State Sen. Chuck Younger (R, Lowndes County), who sits on the Senate Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee, believes the WMA is underutilized and poorly managed. When he approached supervisors with his feelings, he found a receptive audience for trying to get the property back on the tax rolls. |
| Lawmakers tackle procurement issues with several bills | |
| The Legislature has several public procurement-related bills still alive in the legislative process. Some of these bills would change the requirements for members of the board that approves all state contracts and provides exemptions from procurement law, while several others would make changes to the state law that requires reverse auctions for most purchases. These auctions, also known as E-auctions, force bidders to compete against each in real time to deliver the lowest bid that can save taxpayers money. House Bill 1160 is sponsored by state Rep. Jerry Turner, R-Baldwyn. The bill was amended from its original form to reconstitute the state's Public Procurement Review Board and forbids the appointment of any individual to the board that receives any grants or contracts subject to approval by the board. The retained language forbids a review board member from having served as an officer or an employee of the state within a year of appointment to the board. HB 1475 would add the requirement that a state agency or government entity that asks the Public Procurement Board for an exemption must also receive approval from its governing body or board and publish a detailed explanation of why a reverse auction wouldn't be in the best interests of the agency or governmental body. The bill is authored by state Rep. Donnie Bell, R-Fulton. |
| Senate leader won't commit to restoring ballot initiative process | |
| Just five days before a key deadline, a Senate committee chairman would not say definitively that he will keep alive legislation to revive the state's ballot initiative process. "I do not have a definitive answer to that at this time," Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee Chair John Polk, R-Hattiesburg, said on Thursday. March 1 is the deadline for bills approved by one chamber to pass out of committee in the other chamber. The House passed legislation earlier this year to restore the right for citizens to bypass the legislative process and place issues on the ballot. If Polk does not pass House Concurrent Resolution 39 out of his committee by Tuesday, it will die unless revived by suspending the rules --- a rare and difficult feat at the Capitol. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who presides over the Senate, referred the bill to Polk's committee instead of Constitution Committee, where it normally would be sent. Constitution is chaired by Sen. Chris Johnson, R-Hattiesburg. "We are still studying it. We have to do it right," Polk said when asked on Feb. 24 about the legislation. "After we do all the studying, we will see where we are and decide what to do then." |
| Downtown Jackson partners supporting efforts for more funds to increase Capitol Police | |
| Downtown Jackson Partners welcomes legislative efforts to increase the number of Capitol Police officers and provide additional security cameras. "You want to make people feel safe. With the recent incident, we support efforts to increase the Capitol Police," said John Gomez, who directs Downtown Jackson Partners, the downtown management and economic development district for the downtown Jackson Business Improvement District. The mention of safety was in reference to a shooting on Jan. 25 in the early afternoon that left a car riddled with bullets and covered in blood at the corner of Lamar and Capitol streets, which is just a block from the Governor's Mansion. Two people were shot and taken to the hospital. Sens. Sollie B. Norwood (District 28-Hinds), John Horhn (District 26-Hinds, Madison), David Blount (District 29-Hinds), J. Walter Michel, (District 25-Hinds, Madison) and Hillman Frazier (District 27-Hinds) have advocated for 50 additional Capitol Police officers as a way to help Jackson curb crime. Since the global COVID-19 pandemic, downtown has been quiet as many employees work from their homes rather than their offices, but that's beginning to change. "We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel," said Gomez, referring to workers in downtown Jackson returning to their offices. There are still businesses that haven't brought their employees back, but spring is promising to have all the employees back. We'll have to see if these hybrid schedules are going to be a common thing." |
| Report: Mississippi is one of 25 states where reproductive health and rights hang in peril | |
 | Mississippi gets a failing grade for its reproductive health and rights, according to a recent report by the Population Institute. The organization's 50 State Report Card on Reproductive Health and Rights tracks states' reproductive health and rights, including prevention, affordability and access to family planning, sex education and abortion services. Mississippi is one of 24 other states making failing marks and scored 16 points out of 100 possible. If schools posted grades this low, they would risk closure, said Kathleen Mogelgaard, Population Institute president. "The U.S. has been underachieving on reproductive health and rights for a decade, and now a majority of states are out-and-out failing," Mogelgaard said. "This report card shows a need to reprioritize reproductive health and rights at the highest levels of federal and state government." Population Institute's report comes as a Mississippi abortion court case, challenging the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, awaits a U.S. Supreme Court ruling later this year. The Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case centers on viability, intending to uphold a state law making abortion illegal after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Legal and policy experts and abortion advocates say the case could be the proverbial match to the tinderbox that is abortion access and reproductive health in Mississippi, potentially overturning Roe v. Wade. Alongside stringent reproductive rights access, Mississippi's prevention and health care access fail its residents, the Population Institute said. |
| Inhofe to retire from Senate, teeing up special election in Oklahoma | |
 | Sen. Jim Inhofe is expected to announce his retirement in the coming days, according to a person familiar with his plans, likely triggering a special election to replace him this fall. The 87-year-old Oklahoma Republican was elected to another six-year term in 2020, but has missed more votes than usual recently and told reporters in December his wife has been sick. His decision to step down will surely fuel a competitive Republican primary to succeed him in ruby-red Oklahoma. Inhofe is expected to serve the remainder of the current Congress and to announce his retirement on Monday. He's a longtime top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. GOP senators are expected to try and talk Inhofe out of leaving office early, according to the person familiar with Inhofe's plans. Inhofe planned to reveal his intentions in a video announcement, but news reports of his potential retirement preempted its release, according to one GOP source familiar with the matter. Another GOP source said the announcement has been moved up and is expected to come as early as Friday. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) is in line to succeed Inhofe on the Armed Services Committee, setting him up to chair the panel if Republicans retake the Senate. Wicker is currently the top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) could be in line to take the top GOP slot on Commerce if Wicker moves on. |
| Sen. Wicker is in line for a powerful seat as tensions rise surrounding Ukraine attack | |
 | With a leaked report Thursday of Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe's impending early retirement, a Mississippi legislator is set to succeed him as the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. If Republicans regain control of the upper house in this year's elections, Mississippi's senior Sen. Roger Wicker is in line to serve as the powerful committee's chair. The news of Inhofe's retirement came at an anxious moment for military affairs, less than 24 hours after Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Wicker, who was elected in 2007, took a hawkish position in the lead-up to the Ukraine conflict. Writing last week in the right-leaning magazine National Review, the GOP senator criticized President Biden's publicly announced decision to "never to send U.S. troops or provide air support to Ukraine." "Strong presidents never take options off the table, and we cannot be surprised if Putin now doubts whether we really care what he does to Ukraine," Wicker wrote. Biden announced additional economic sanctions for Russia at the White House on Thursday, saying "Putin chose this war and now he and his country will bear the consequences." Chairmanship of the Armed Service Committee would provide Wicker, a former Air Force officer, with a powerful platform from which to promote his views on military policy. |
| Amtrak wants to restore Gulf line; freight rail not on board | |
 | A passenger rail line that was a casualty of Hurricane Katrina now sits in the eye of another storm -- this one pitting freight versus passenger rail. Advocates of bringing back a long-distance Amtrak route between Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans -- a 144-mile drive on Interstate 10 -- say it would be an important step in the long recovery from the 2005 natural disaster, bring in tourism dollars and serve as a symbol of the passenger rail renaissance promised by President Joe Biden. Opponents say restoring the route would exacerbate supply chain issues that have bedeviled the Biden presidency. The independent Surface Transportation Board, which regulates freight rail, will hear evidentiary testimony on the dispute March 9 and 10. While the board's decision is about one long-distance Amtrak route, advocates for restoring the service say it will have far more sweeping impact: They say if the board decides in favor of Amtrak, freight rail companies will have a playbook to draw from in barring passenger trains from using their increasingly in-demand tracks. The case, said passenger rail advocate John Robert Smith, former mayor of Meridian, Miss., and chairman of advocacy organization Transportation for America, "is a bellwether for whether we'll have expanded passenger rail in this country or not." Amtrak's desire to reinstate the service has the support of two powerful lawmakers. During a two-day Surface Transportation Board hearing this month, House Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore., and Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the ranking Republican on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, both advocated bringing back the Gulf Coast line. Wicker said bringing service back would continue and complete the recovery from the hurricane. |
| Kelly condemns attack on Ukraine | |
| Mississippi 1st District Congressman Trent Kelly commented Thursday on this week's attacks by Russian troops in the Ukraine. The move was expected by global leaders, although widely condemned, as Russian president Vladimir Putin said it was his country's need to help an eastern expansion of NATO to the Russian border. Putin said Russia has been ignored by NATO in demands that Ukraine not be allowed to join NATO. In Hernando for a number of appearances Thursday, including the County Seat Lunch Club PAC meeting at the Hernando Golf and Racquet Club, Kelly spoke with DeSoto County News and called the speech by Putin a pretext to invade Ukraine. Kelly agrees the Ukrainians may be far undersized in military manpower and strength, but the country has the will to fight. The Mississippi Republican did say there are means that could make Russia reconsider its actions. "They can break Russia financially," Kelly said. "Russia doesn't have the financial resources long term and we will assist them anyway we can in that fight." President Joe Biden Thursday announced harsh new sanctions the United States will impose on Russia in response to the Ukrainian invasion. Kelly said sanctions have to be strong enough to quickly stop the aggression. "We've just got to make the financial sanctions harsh enough on the oligarchs and the Russian government to make sure that they can't sustain this operation for long," Kelly stated. "They (Russia) are energy-dependent and making money. We need to shut down Nord Stream 2, not let it open back up." |
| Putin waves nuclear sword in confrontation with the West | |
| It has been a long time since the threat of using nuclear weapons has been brandished so openly by a world leader, but Vladimir Putin has just done it, warning in a speech that he has the weapons available if anyone dares to use military means to try to stop Russia's takeover of Ukraine. The threat may have been empty, a mere baring of fangs by the Russian president, but it was noticed. It kindled visions of a nightmarish outcome in which Putin's ambitions in Ukraine could lead to a nuclear war through accident or miscalculation. "As for military affairs, even after the dissolution of the USSR and losing a considerable part of its capabilities, today's Russia remains one of the most powerful nuclear states," Putin said, in his pre-invasion address early Thursday. "Moreover, it has a certain advantage in several cutting-edge weapons. In this context, there should be no doubt for anyone that any potential aggressor will face defeat and ominous consequences should it directly attack our country." By merely suggesting a nuclear response, Putin put into play the disturbing possibility that the current fighting in Ukraine might eventually veer into an atomic confrontation between Russia and the United States. That apocalyptic scenario is familiar to those who grew up during the Cold War, an era when American school children were told to duck and cover under their desks in case of nuclear sirens, But that danger gradually receded from the public imagination after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when the two powers seemed to be on a glide path to disarmament, democracy and prosperity. After Putin's speech, Pentagon officials offered only a muted response to his implied threat to use nuclear weapons against any country that tried to intervene in Ukraine. |
| The other front in Putin's Ukraine invasion: online disinformation | |
 | As Russian bombs and cruise missiles rocked cities across Ukraine early Thursday morning, another front in the long-simmering conflict was erupting. The internet quickly became a battlefield in its own right, with propaganda and disinformation threatening to muddy the water for Americans following the crisis from afar. Digital disinformation has long been a favorite tactic of the Kremlin's -- as Americans learned via the proliferation of "fake news" during the 2016 presidential election -- and the Ukraine crisis is proving to be no exception. Over the last few days, researchers have warned that President Vladimir Putin's regime is pushing, and will continue to push, false narratives aimed at justifying its aggression. At least some of those narratives are finding purchase among an American public divided by previous waves of disinformation, said Graham Brookie, senior director of the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab. "What we see ... is not an insignificant amount of organic audience engagement from U.S. citizens that are predisposed to have their previously held beliefs reinforced by Russian disinformation." For instance, he said, anti-vaccine groups that are already skeptical of the U.S. government are now primed to disbelieve the official U.S. government narrative around Ukraine. Reaction to Russia-backed propaganda has been mixed. Even among far-right groups that have in the past been sympathetic toward Putin -- a strongman leader whom former U.S. President Trump often praised -- the complexities of the present moment have left some split in their loyalties. |
| Russia's readiness for talks with demand Ukraine put down arms first is a 'farce,' experts say | |
 | The Kremlin said Friday it is ready to hold talks with Ukrainian officials, but only if the Ukrainian forces stand down – an offer that experts derided as a "farce" and came as Russian troops were bearing down on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to send a delegation to Belarus to meet with Ukrainian officials. This came after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is willing to discuss a non-aligned status for the country, which could mean dropping his country's long-held bid to join NATO. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Ukraine must put down its arms before any talks happen, according to Russia's state-controlled TASS News Agency. "We are ready to hold talks at any moment, once the Ukrainian Armed Forces respond to our president's call, end their resistance and lay down their arms," Lavrov said. "This is a farce," Mattia Nelles, a Ukraine and Russia expert with the Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank, wrote in a tweet. He noted the Ukraine is unlikely to accept such conditions. Alexander Lanoszka, an expert on European security at the University of Waterloo in Canada, said Moscow's proposal seemed preposterous. "I am not sure why Kyiv would ever agree to send a delegation to enemy territory when Russia plausibly wants to decapitate Ukraine's leadership and impose regime change," he tweeted. |
| Biden to nominate Ketanji Brown Jackson for Supreme Court | |
| President Joe Biden on Friday will nominate federal appeals court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, the White House said, making her the first Black woman selected to serve on a court that once declared her race unworthy of citizenship and endorsed segregation. In Jackson, Biden delivers on a campaign promise to make the historic appointment and to further diversify a court that was made up entirely of white men for almost two centuries. He has chosen an attorney who would be the high court's first former public defender, though she also possesses the elite legal background of other justices. Jackson would be the current court's second Black justice -- Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative, is the other -- and just the third in history. Biden planned to introduce Jackson in remarks at the White House Friday afternoon, where Jackson was also expected to speak, the White House said. She would also be only the sixth woman to serve on the court, and her confirmation would mean that for the first time four women would sit together on the nine-member court. The current court includes three women, one of whom is the court's first Latina, Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Jackson would join the liberal minority of a conservative-dominated court that is weighing cutbacks to abortion rights and will be considering ending affirmative action in college admissions and restricting voting rights efforts to increase minority representation. Biden and Senate Democrats are hoping for a bipartisan vote on the nomination, but it's unclear if they will be able to win over any GOP senators after three bitterly partisan confirmation battles under President Donald Trump. |
| Plan to fix Postal Service shifts retirees to Medicare, along with billions in costs | |
 | A long-awaited bill to fix the nation's deteriorating mail service is on the verge of passage in the Senate, but it could come at the expense of an even bigger and more complicated problem: Medicare solvency. The Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 would help shore up post office finances by ending the unusual and onerous legal requirement to fund 75 years of retirement health benefits in advance. In return, it would require future Postal Service retirees to enroll in Medicare. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the move could save the postal retirement and health programs about $5.6 billion through 2031 while adding $5.5 billion in costs to Medicare during that span, and probably much more in later years. Considering the massive size of Medicare -- it spent $926 billion in 2020 -- the costs don't amount to much. That small financial impact, and the ongoing immediate crises with mail delivery, probably account for the strong bipartisan support the postal bill has received in Congress, with 120 Republicans joining Democrats to pass the bill in the House on Feb. 8. But late in the process, some lawmakers are raising alarms over the move, arguing that maybe Congress should look more carefully at the financial impact to Medicare's trust fund, which is expected to run dry in 2026. The overall cost is likely to be much more significant than the shorter-term analysis found, said Robert Moffit, a senior fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, who has also raised concerns. "There is a total cost that's being ignored," Moffit said. "You basically have a situation where you have unfunded liabilities in the Postal Service Health Benefits Program, retiree benefits, that amount to about $75 billion." |
| Pandemic brings more students to online MBA programs | |
| Increased enrollment in online degree programs at colleges and universities can be traced to the onset of the pandemic when many people whose livelihoods were impacted looked for new opportunities. Schools with programs already in place were better able to make adjustments needed to accommodate the additional students. "The COVID pandemic was disruptive for many people in so many ways, including those who wanted to pursue a graduate degree in business," said Ken Cyree, dean of the School of Business Administration at the University of Mississippi. "We are fortunate since we have been doing our online program for almost two decades and have great experience and success teaching online. Therefore, we were prepared and could create an exceptional value for students who were constrained due to COVID, or other situations such as a job or family obligations." Steven Stelk, an assistant teaching professor of Finance and MBA director at the University of Southern Mississippi, said before COVID, in the fall of 2019, 120 students were enrolled in the MBA program. Of those, 54 chose to be fully online. "In the fall of 2020, once things started shutting down, we jumped from 120 to 198 student total enrollment, a 65% enrollment increase. Of the 198 students, 114 chose to be fully online, which is an 111% increase in online enrollment. With the economy shutting down, it was an opportunity to go to school, and online made more sense," he said. |
| 2022 Truman Scholarship finalists hope to create positive change | |
 | On Feb. 18, the Truman Scholarship announced that the University of Mississippi had three finalists, Jilkiah Bryant, Alex Bush and Andy Flores. All three juniors have one thing in common: the steadfast desire to create a positive impact on their communities. Bryant, Bush and Flores are now preparing for a final, virtual committee interview held on March 18. The students will participate in a mock committee interview with a former Truman Scholar on Feb. 25. Scholarship recipients will be announced on April 15. Each student has led an active life on campus centered around creating positive change. Bush joined Active Minds, an organization striving to dispel the negative stigma around mental health, in her freshman year as a member of the outreach committee. She is now co-director of outreach. Public health and services major Jilkiah Bryant is a McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement's Catalyzing Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Initiative Scholar. Public policy leadership and philosophy major Andy Flores is president of UM's First Generation Network and is active in the Mississippi College Access Project. He is the youngest fellow of the UnidosUS Afro-Latinx Avanzando program. |
| U. of Alabama to hold public dedication of Autherine Lucy Hall | |
 | The University of Alabama on Friday will officially rename Bibb Graves Hall to honor the Capstone's first Black student. The public dedication ceremony for Autherine Lucy Hall will be held at 3 p.m. "Dr. Autherine Lucy Foster has always been the epitome of courage and determination, and has the rare quality of demonstrating both with grace," said UA President Stuart R. Bell. "We look forward to honoring her resolve and lifetime commitment of encouraging and inspiring others." Renaming Bibb Graves Hall solely for Lucy Foster comes after UA faced some backlash over its initial plan. On Feb. 3, the UA System board of trustees revealed plans to change the building's name to Lucy-Graves Hall, meaning the College of Education building would have paired the name of UA's first Black student with the name of a former governor who was also a member of the Ku Klux Klan. After mounting criticism, the trustees held a special meeting on Feb. 11, where the board unanimously voted to change Lucy-Graves Hall to Autherine Lucy Hall. "We've heard enough from those whose opinions matter to us," Trustee John England Jr. said at the Feb. 11 meeting. "Students faculty, staff, that we can do that in a better way than what we've done." UA has recognized Lucy Foster for her role in desegregating the campus in several ways, including a pair of endowed scholarships named in her honor, a historic marker in front of the building now known as Autherine Lucy Hall and the Autherine Lucy Clock Tower in front of Foster Auditorium. Lucy Foster was also presented with an honorary doctoral degree from UA in 2019. |
| South Carolina bill to end tenure at public colleges won't advance this year | |
| A controversial bill in South Carolina that would have ended faculty tenure at the state's public colleges won't advance this legislative session. Instead, the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education may conduct a study of tenure systems in the state's public institutions. The potential study arose as a part of a deal education advocates struck with the bill's sponsor to delay the legislation, according to the American Association of University Professors. The bill's sponsor, state Rep. Bill Taylor, a Republican, said he plans to refile some form of the legislation next session in 2023. Attempts to weaken or altogether kill tenure systems have rocked the higher education sector in recent months. Defenders of tenure say it protects faculty from dismissal without cause, empowering them to teach, research and produce ideas that could be unpopular. Critics say it gives license to professors to perform poorly on the job without repercussions. In South Carolina, the AAUP mobilized immediately after it learned of the bill to kill tenure, said Shawn Smolen-Morton, president of the faculty organization's South Carolina state conference. |
| PETA takes aim at U. of Florida for animal experiments | |
 | On the busy intersection of Southwest 13th Street and West University Avenue sits a display organized by the national organization PETA calling out universities for experiments where animals are harmed. The exhibit, called "Without Consent," is made up of a 24-panel display that will run through Sunday, showing roughly 200 experiments where cats, rabbits, monkeys and other animals were test subjects at U.S. institutions for more than 100 years. The University of Florida is not exempt from the experiments conducted on animals. In fact, it is PETA's target. In 2020, university experimenters reported cutting open cats' necks and chests, as the animals were forced to inhale carbon dioxide, causing brain damage. Reports shows that UF researchers have previously forced rats to inhale smoke from 72 cigarettes before inducing withdrawal symptoms. In other instances, researchers injected viruses into the skulls of mice before decapitating them. PETA hopes the images will force UF to rethink the harsh and archaic use of animal testing, but university officials deny any unethical experiments. "The University of Florida is committed to the ethical use of animals in its pursuit of medical advances that benefit both humans and animals," UF spokeswoman Hessy Fernandez said in a statement. "Almost every drug, treatment, medical device, diagnostic tool or cure we have today was developed with the help of laboratory animals." Fernandez went on to say that UF is governed by a federally mandated institutional animal care and use committee that reviews all requests for approval to use vertebrate animals and inspects all areas where animals are housed and used. |
| UT System creates $300 million endowment to help seven universities expand free tuition programs | |
| The University of Texas System's Board of Regents has established a $300 million endowment fund to help seven system universities expand their free tuition programs for lower-income students. The Promise Plus program will allow the universities -- the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Texas at El Paso, the University of Texas Permian Basin, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, the University of Texas at San Antonio and University of Texas at Tyler -- to increase the income threshold for program eligibility, potentially reaching more students. "All the talk about student debt, we're attacking it on the front end," board Chair Kevin Eltife told regents at their meeting Thursday morning. "We're going out of our way to commit every dollar we can to these programs to lower tuition and cover tuition for our students." Regents emphasized that this funding would supplement federal and state financial aid programs. In recent years, many universities and community colleges in Texas and across the country have launched similar tuition programs to increase college access for low-income students and to encourage enrollment for those who might be hesitant to take on massive amounts of student debt. Many universities structure these programs so they pay what's left on a student's tuition bill after federal or state grants have been applied. |
| 'Nerve-wracking:' Ukrainian MU student worries for family in shelled Kharkiv | |
 | A text told Vlad Sazhen about the bombing. Sazhen, 19, was talking with a friend Wednesday night when he glanced at his phone to see a text message from his girlfriend, Alya: "The city's been bombed." Both are from Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, located only a couple dozen miles from the Russian border. Sazhen is studying at the University of Missouri as an exchange student. Sazhen's family -- and Alya -- live about 5,500 miles away, in Kharkiv. In the early hours of Thursday morning, Russian shells and missiles struck parts of the city, sending Alya's family into an underground bomb shelter and Sazhen into a mental spiral. "I was terrified, extremely terrified," he said. "My family is (there), I have a small sister and girlfriend. Her brother is a young soldier -- he's not yet drafted but he might be. Millions of thoughts were running through my head." There isn't much Sazhen can do besides check in with loved ones and wait for updates. That's part of what made receiving the first reports of explosions around the country "nerve-wracking." "You just didn't know what to wait for," Sazhen said. He spoke Thursday wearing a vyshyvanka pattern of Ukrainian embroidery, eager to talk about what's happening to his country. "This is the best I can do for now," he said. "Just spread the information that I get from the actual citizens who are experiencing it." The invasion was largely unexpected, Sazhen said. He echoed a broader sentiment that many Ukrainians didn't think Russian President Vladimir Putin would actually conduct a military operation across the country. |
| Can Teletherapy Companies Ease the Campus Mental-Health Crisis? | |
 | During the pandemic, colleges have increasingly relied on virtual solutions to treat their students' mental health concerns, contracting with a variety of telehealth companies to offer around-the-clock care, even when students and providers aren't physically on campus. Counseling-center leaders say that the agreements have made a critical difference in helping the centers meet students' growing mental-health demands, and that while the third-party providers are not always solving capacity issues, they are helping colleges stay on top of the mental-health needs of a broader population of students. Before the pandemic shut down colleges, campus counseling centers were many students' go-to providers for mental-health support. According to fall 2019 data from the American College Health Association, 26 percent of students reported receiving mental-health care during the previous year; of those students, 53.5 percent said they had received it on campus. "What we're seeing at counseling centers nationwide is that the demand for services far exceeds the number of staff at university counseling centers," said Ryan Patel, the chair-elect of the American College Health Association's mental-health section and a senior staff psychiatrist at Ohio State University. "And so there are more and more students needing mental-health services than there are providers." Data show the pandemic has created even more need for mental-health care among college students. |
| Dr. Dietra Trent Appointed as New Director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs | |
| The White House and U.S. Department of Education (ED) has appointed Dr. Dietra Trent as the new executive director of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities (WHI-HBCUs). Trent, who is an HBCU graduate and Virginia's former secretary of education, will start the role on Monday. Scholars of HBCUs, advocacy organization leaders, and former directors of the White House Initiative welcome this long-awaited appointment, particularly of a Black woman. "It's exciting that we'll have a Black woman in this position because I don't think that has happened before," said Dr. Felecia Commodore, an assistant professor of educational foundations and leadership at Old Dominion University, where she studies HBCUs. "I don't know much about Dr. Trent, but I think it's promising that she graduated from Hampton University, which means she has a direct connection with HBCUs." Trent, who was not available for an interview prior to starting her position, earned her bachelor's degree in sociology and criminal justice from Hampton. She went on to receive her master's and doctoral degrees in public administration and policy from Virginia Commonwealth University. |
| States urged to address funding disparities for HBCUs | |
| Several members of Congress are calling on states to address gaps in their funding for schools in the land grant university system that shortchange historically Black colleges and universities. In a letter sent to governors, lieutenant governors and statehouse legislative leadership in 18 states on Wednesday, six Democratic members of the U.S. House said equitable state funding is essential for the schools to reach their potential. The letter, which was first shared with The Associated Press, also highlighted the role the HBCUs have played in driving innovation for the nation's food supply. "For American agriculture to remain resilient, secure, and globally competitive, we must ensure equitable investment in our land-grant institutions who have been drivers of innovation," wrote Reps. David Scott and Sanford Bishop of Georgia, Bobby Scott of Virginia, Alma Adams of North Carolina, Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Al Lawson of Florida. In 1890, the Second Morrill Act established 19 public universities for Black students in former Confederate states and incorporated them into the land-grant university system. The schools, sometimes referred to as 1890 institutions, were to receive funding from the federal government as well as a one-to-one dollar match in support from the state. However, not all states meet their part of the funding obligation in their budgets, leaving schools to either find alternative, nonfederal sources of money to meet the match requirement or to forfeit the federal portion of the funds, unless they seek a waiver. |
| Department of Education releases how-to on using COVID-19 relief for technical education | |
 | The Department of Education on Friday released a fact sheet to help high schools across the country use coronavirus relief funds to expand their career and technical education (CTE) offerings. The new fact sheet is part of a push by the department to assist schools in using federal funds for everything from improving curriculum to retaining and hiring qualified staff. "As our nation recovers from the pandemic, we must ensure today's students are ready to meet tomorrow's needs. Investments in Career and Technical Education -- programs that are proven to successfully reengage students and prepare them for in-demand, good paying jobs -- are key to that goal," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. The American Rescue Plan passed by Congress in March 2021 included about $122 billion for states and school districts to invest in improving education. The CTE program seeks to fund classes for high school students to learn professional skills that they can use immediately after graduation if they choose not to pursue further schooling. But CTE education has also been shown to improve high school graduation rates and students in such programs are more likely to enroll in postsecondary education. |
| Democrats press Biden for details on student loan plans before payments resume | |
 | Congressional Democrats are urging the Biden administration to provide more details on its plans to restart federal student loan payments while raising concerns of potential chaos if the two-year pause ends in May. In a letter to administration officials, a group of lawmakers asked the Education Department to respond to a long list of questions that appear intended to demonstrate the government is unprepared to ensure borrowers are properly notified before payments resume on May 1. The letter is the latest sign of growing pressure on President Joe Biden to issue another extension of the payments pause. Federal student loan payments have been frozen since March 2020. While progressives have been pushing Biden for weeks to extend the payment pause and tackle more sweeping debt forgiveness, Thursday's letter included moderate members of the party who are facing difficult re-election bids, suggesting vulnerable Democrats might be feeling pressure to provide more financial relief to constituents amid the ongoing Covid pandemic and as inflation concerns grip the country heading into the midterm elections. Although the White House hasn't indicated whether Biden will issue another extension, many advocates feel encouraged by the fact that the administration hasn't ruled it out entirely, as was the case last fall, when the White House explicitly said it wouldn't extend the pause beyond Jan. 31. Biden changed course after the omicron variant of the coronavirus hit. |
| Russia's invasion of Ukraine felt in academe | |
 | The tweet from Mariia Shuvalova, a Ukrainian literary scholar, summed up the tragedy of Russia's invasion of Ukraine: "National University of Kyiv Mohyla-Academy suspended all lectures. My students now are joining Ukrainian army. #Ukraineisunderattack #StandWithUkriane." In the United States, in Ukraine and in Russia, the invasion is having consequences. There are thousands of students from Russia and Ukraine enrolled at colleges and universities in the U.S. Academics are issuing statements and holding teach-ins. According to the Institute of International Education, there were 4,805 Russian students in the U.S. for the 2020–21 academic year, including 2,022 undergraduates and 1,663 graduate students. There were 1,739 students from Ukraine in the U.S. during that same period, 877 of them undergraduates and 529 graduate students. The U.S. also operates the Fulbright Program in both Russia and Ukraine. In both countries, the program has supported research work by U.S. citizens at the bachelor's, master's or doctoral level. Likewise, in both countries, the U.S. supports a "teaching assistant award" for Ukrainian and Russian citizens. One of the most moving statements on Thursday came from the Reverend John I. Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame. He traveled to Ukraine in 2019 to present an award from Notre Dame to Archbishop Borys Gudziak "for his unceasing commitment to religious and academic freedom." "The former oppressors of Ukraine are now known by another name and are waging war under a different flag, but the trauma is no less today than in the past in this nation that has suffered far too much," Father Jenkins said. "Now, more than ever, our friends in Ukraine are in need of healing and hope. We at Notre Dame stand in solidarity with all peace-loving people worldwide in demanding an end to this invasion of a sovereign nation. This unprovoked war is an international abomination and must stop now. Until it does, may God keep safe all of the innocent men, women and children who are currently in harm's way. The prayers of the Notre Dame family are with them." |
| State economist refutes Mississippi Today's 'analysis' as representing his conclusions | |
 | Frank Corder writes for Y'all Politics: If you have read Mississippi Today's latest propaganda piece titled, "Medicaid expansion would boost economy significantly more than Gunn income tax cut, studies show," written by Bobby Harrison, you could come away thinking that the Mississippi state economist is advocating for Medicaid expansion and throwing cold water on the Legislature's proposal to eliminate the state income tax. The article is written and titled in a manner that paints State Economist Corey Miller's analysis of both subjects as pushing for Medicaid expansion as a preferred policy prescription, an issue not being discussed seriously among lawmakers, over substantial cuts to Mississippi's income tax that the Legislature is actually considering. ... On Wednesday of this week, Y'all Politics again reached out to the state economist to get his take on the latest Mississippi Today piece that presented a rigid dichotomy between Medicaid expansion and eliminating the income tax... and again Miller said he was not trying to make such a case. "What I will say is as state economist I am not trying to make that case or take a position. Whether a person thinks expanding Medicaid or eliminating the income tax is 'better' for the state is a value judgment that reflects his or her views," Miller said. "We at the University Research Center try to answer factual questions about the income tax and other issues as objectively as possible and do not take any positions on policy changes." Yet, an uninformed reader of Mississippi Today's latest article would assume otherwise, and that is exactly why they wrote it in the manner they did. |
SPORTS
| Universities could play larger role in NIL process under proposed legislation | |
| Mississippi's universities could soon have a more direct impact on name, image and likeness agreements that its college athletes sign. Both chambers of the Legislature recently passed bills that would change the state's current statute to allow colleges to set up opportunities for student-athletes to engage with businesses that wanted to ink an NIL agreement. The bill would also allow colleges to directly communicate with outside groups who want to profit off an athlete's image. But the pressure would still be on the student-athletes to make final decisions on agreement and either adhere to the advice the colleges give them or outright reject it. Current law largely restricts colleges from directly communicating with third parties on such agreements and limits what they can advise student-athletes. But university leaders have worried that if they can't advise students on some of the best practices for engaging in NIL contracts, students could inadvertently violate laws or regulations that lead to penalties. "I think our universities really want to make sure the students are working with good business people," Republican Sen. Nicole Boyd of Oxford said. "This is something we need to compete with the rest of the Southeastern Conference on, '' Republican Sen. Bart Williams of Starkville said. |
| MSU Partners With Altius Sports To Enhance NIL Education Program | |
| Mississippi State University Athletics announced Thursday a partnership with Altius Sports Partners (Altius) to enhance and supplement the school's name, image and likeness program including ongoing strategic planning, evaluating and developing departmental initiatives, and comprehensive educational support benefiting all internal and external Bulldog stakeholders. "We're thrilled to enhance and expand our name, image and likeness programming through our partnership with Altius," MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen said. "We look forward to collaborating with their talented team as we continue preparing and guiding our student-athletes through the ever-changing NIL landscape." An official partner of the leading collegiate athletic departments and sports properties, Altius specializes in developing and managing programs around crucial issues related to NIL. Through its expertise, range of services and intellectual resources, the firm's approach includes strategic vision and cohesive planning to help all stakeholders navigate structural change and excel in the new collegiate landscape. Key elements of the MSU partnership with Altius include customized educational workshops for student-athletes, coaches and staff focused on marketing, branding, financial literacy and recruiting. Additionally, enhancement of departmental initiatives as well as education and engagement with internal and external constituents on NIL, capitalizing on other industry developments, and creating innovative approaches for long-term success are important components of the customized services. |
| Three questions which could be answered in Mississippi State's series against Northern Kentucky | |
| Mississippi State baseball continues its eight-game homestand to open the season with a weekend series against Northern Kentucky. The Bulldogs have won back-to-back games since dropping the first two of their season, while the Norse are seeking their first win. KC Hunt took the mound as Mississippi State's Saturday guy in its opening series against Long Beach State. Head coach Chris Lemonis said Hunt was among the top arms MSU had throughout the offseason, so he felt comfortable giving the junior a start. It resulted in three innings and five runs allowed en route to a loss. Mississippi State announced Thursday it would start Preston Johnson this Saturday. Johnson made 22 appearances for MSU last season -- all out of the bullpen. He came out of the pen in his lone appearance this season after replacing Hunt and tossing four innings of one-run ball. Johnson punched out nine but walked four in the outing. |
| Annual Snowman Tournament Returns To Starkville | |
| For the fourth year in a row, Mississippi State will host The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament on Feb. 25-27 at Nusz Park. This year's field includes Longwood, Belmont and South Alabama. MSU rebranded the annual February Freezer tournament as The Snowman in 2019 to honor the late Alex Wilcox. The Bulldogs continue to wear teal uniforms throughout the season to raise awareness for ovarian cancer in honor of the former softball student-athlete who passed away in 2018 at the age of 18 after a courageous fight with the disease. Dubbed the "Snowman" by her teammates and family, Wilcox's No. 8 jersey was retired in a special halftime ceremony during an MSU football game on Sept. 15, 2018. She is the only female student-athlete in Mississippi State history to have her jersey retired. This year's tournament is especially meaningful as it would have been Wilcox's senior year and her sister, Kassidy, plays for South Alabama against the Bulldogs on Saturday and Sunday. Also new this season, The Snowman will be a part of the NFCA's StrikeOut Cancer initiative, and it is the first NCAA Division I event on the StrikeOut Cancer calendar this year. Admission to MSU softball games is always free. All weekend long, the Bulldogs will recognize those fighting and who have survived ovarian cancer while raising awareness of the disease. Fans in attendance on Friday will receive No One Fights Alone rally towels and can fill out No One Fights Alone/StrikeOut Cancer cards for an in-game moment of recognition. Saturday is Little League Day at the ballpark with the Bulldogs sharing their favorite Little League memories. Free inflatable mini bats will be available to fans. That evening, the Bulldogs meet South Alabama and Wilcox's sister. Alex's jersey will be on display on the concourse prior to the games. |
| Molinar Dubbed Bailey Howell Trophy Finalist | |
| Mississippi State's Iverson Molinar was named one of three finalists for the Bailey Howell Trophy announced Thursday by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. The Howell Trophy is awarded annually to the best male college basketball player in the Magnolia State. Molinar along with Jarkel Joiner of Ole Miss and Tyler Stevenson of Southern Miss are the 2021-22 finalists. Named after Mississippi State legend and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Bailey Howell, the Bulldogs have captured the Howell Trophy during three of the last four seasons. Quinndary Weatherspoon was a two-time recipient during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, while Reggie Perry earned the 2019-20 honor. This year's winner will be announced during a luncheon at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson on Monday, March 7. Molinar, a consensus All-SEC Preseason First-Team selection, has provided consecutive seasons of 500-plus points and enters this weekend's action 12 points shy of becoming the 28th player in program history to reach 1,200 career points. The Bulldogs wrap up the regular season with two of their last three games inside Humphrey Coliseum. First up, a Saturday matinee against Vanderbilt. Tip time is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT televised by SEC Network and available online courtesy of the ESPN app and www.ESPN.com/watch. |
| After key loss at South Carolina, Mississippi State hosts Vanderbilt as regular season winds down | |
| The Mississippi State men's basketball team knows precisely what Vanderbilt is capable of. The Commodores showed the Bulldogs on Feb. 13, 2021, blowing out MSU 72-51 at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville. Just 5-10 going into the game, Vandy scored 45 points in the first half alone. Even Jan. 9, 2021, in Nashville, Mississippi State had trouble with the Commodores. The Bulldogs eventually pulled out an 84-81 win, but it wasn't easy. And there's no reason to expect Saturday's game between Mississippi State (16-12, 7-8 Southeastern Conference) and Vanderbilt (14-13, 6-9 SEC) to be easy, either. MSU will face a surprisingly resilient Vandy team for the first time this season at noon Saturday at Humphrey Coliseum. The Commodores have been competitive all year despite their middling record and have notched a couple big wins in SEC play. Saturday's contest could have been a big game for Mississippi State were it not for Wednesday's 66-56 loss at South Carolina. Coach Ben Howland said afterward the Bulldogs realistically can't make the NCAA tournament as an at-large team and that the automatic bid for winning the SEC tournament is practically their only chance. Howland did say MSU could "get lucky" should it win all of its final three games and reach the finals of the conference tournament, which will be played March 9-13 in Tampa, Florida. That necessitates beating No. 2 Auburn and Texas A&M to close out the regular season, not to mention a win Saturday. |
| Mississippi State looking to start improbable run against Vanderbilt, Pippen Jr. | |
| Mississippi State's Ben Howland made clear the path ahead for his team as it has failed to meet its expectations this season. To make the NCAA Tournament, Howland said, Mississippi State (16-12, 7-8 SEC) will need to win the SEC Tournament. Those are lofty goals with teams such as Auburn and Kentucky in the conference, but perhaps a touch dramatic. Mississippi State will need to beat a team such as No. 3 Auburn, but it doesn't necessarily involve a conference tournament title. MSU has three regular-season games remaining, starting noon Saturday at home against Vanderbilt (14-13, 6-9). That's followed up next week with matchups against Auburn and at Texas A&M before the conference tournament gets underway in Tampa, Florida. Winning out the regular season with a pair of wins in the SEC tournament would put Mississippi State at 21 wins on the season. That would put the Bulldogs firmly on the bubble, but they'd be back in the conversation pending the results of other bubble teams. Now, hypotheticals typically require unrealistic results. For Mississippi State, that would mean taking down a top-10 opponent. The Bulldogs are 0-2 in such games this season. That would require picking up a pair of Quadrant 1 wins. State is 2-8 in such games. That would require winning at least five-consecutive games. State's longest win streak this season was four when it played the likes of Montana and Detroit Mercy. |
| Inside The Soon-To-Be Renovated Humphrey Coliseum | |
| Close your eyes. Are they closed? Alright, good. For the next few moments, you're about to take yourself to the future. Picture this in your mind. It's November of 2023. You're sitting in your seat in the Humphrey Coliseum and Mississippi State's basketball season is just seconds away from tipping off. It's loud. Really loud. There's a buzz in the air. The chill bumps come and it's in that moment you know; Bulldog hoops has been taken to another level. To be fair, you were amazed long before you ever sat down. Walking up to The Hump, you could already tell, this was going to be different. The exterior of the building had changed in spots. The brick color matched all the other recent construction projects on campus. There were four new entrances. On the eastern side -- the side closest to the Sanderson Center – was where students now come into the venue. On the opposite side, over by the Palmeiro Center, was a new dedicated entrance for a premium area. More on that later. Then, there are the new entrances on the southwestern and southeastern corners. These are located at about the same spots where most folks previously entered The Hump. Things have changed though. |
| No. 16 Tennessee too much for Mississippi State in penultimate regular season game | |
| Mississippi State's final road game of the regular season ended in defeat, with No. 16 Tennessee picking up a 86-64 win. A slow start was complemented by an overpowered second half as MSU continues to play with seven available players -- only one of which (Charlotte Kohl) is above 6-feet tall. Mississippi State, now on a four-game losing skid since beating Ole Miss, dropped to 15-12 overall and 6-9 in SEC play while Tennessee improved to 22-7 and 11-4 as it battles LSU and Florida for second place in the regular season SEC standings with one game to go. Mississippi State came out matching its worst first quarter offensive performance of the season. The Bulldogs scored just seven points, shot 19 percent from the field and were 1-8 from deep. Anastasia Hayes, who scores nearly 20 points per game, was held to two in the quarter. Myah Taylor, who has been finding her stroke as of late, was scoreless on four field goal attempts. Tennessee's top-90 scoring defense shined from the tip, and there was little Doug Novak could do with limited options of the bench. But as it has all season, Mississippi State found a spurt to make the game respectable in the second. MSU is at the home stretch of an exhausting season with consistent obstacles, but as it lingers on the right side of the bubble Novak was hoping to see a late push from his players to close out the regular season. |
| College football attendance declines for seventh straight season to lowest average since 1981 | |
| At Arkansas, there is a simple solution to college football's ongoing attendance crisis: Just win (big), baby. Razorback Nation has wrapped its heart around coach Sam Pittman to the point Arkansas had the second-highest attendance gain among FBS teams in 2021, a whopping 14,353 fans per game, compared to the last full season in 2019. The Hogs are coming off their best season in a decade (9-4) after starting 4-0, a run that included the first win over Texas at home in 40 years. Arkansas is also an extreme outlier. FBS attendance last season hit its lowest point in those same four decades years, according to annual figures compiled by the NCAA. The average for the division's 130 teams slipped to 39,848 fans per game. That's the fewest since 1981 when the average was 34,621. Nationally, the average attendance in 2021 was down 15%, more than 7,000 per game, from a record mark of 46,971 in 2008. There are exacerbating factors. Most notable are a disquieting return for some fans concerned about large crowds and COVID-19 and a growing list of small-stadium bandwagon jumpers moving up from FCS to FBS. It's also easier and less expensive to watch games on TV at home. However, it's bigger than that for a trend that continues to define the sport in the 21st century, according to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. "There's plenty of, if you will, negativity around the collegiate sports world," he said. "People have said, 'Well, these decisions won't affect fan interest.' Well, something certainly is. It's not just TV. It's not just COVID. We have to rethink our approach on key issues. That's almost a Captain Obvious moment." |
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