| Wednesday, March 2, 2022 |
| 16th annual Charles Templeton Ragtime & Jazz Festival returns to MSU | |
 | Mississippi State University (MSU) will host the Charles H. Templeton Ragtime & Jazz Festival for a 16th year. The festival is March 24-26 in the Charles Templeton Music Museum located on the fourth floor of MSU's Mitchell Memorial Library. Jazz music and its history are the focus of this year's event, which is making an in-person comeback after previously being held virtually in 2021 due to the pandemic. The festival begins with the annual Gatsby Gala in the lobby of Mitchell Memorial Library. The 6:00 p.m. show will present a wide array of 1920s-inspired fashion created by MSU School of Human Sciences fashion design and merchandising students and modeled by MSU Fashion Board members. Admission is free, and era-appropriate outfits are encouraged. Tours and seminars are offered during the day March 25-26. Concerts will be held March 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the McComas Hall Theater. Registration for the event is available at festival.library.msstate.edu. Admission to all festival events is free for MSU students with valid student I.D. General admission tickets good for all festival events are available for $65 each. Parking is available at the Old Main Academic Center parking garage on Barr Avenue. |
| Aspiring MSMS entrepreneurs compete in business plan contest | |
 | Upright is an aspiring Mississippi-based company that wants to manufacture 3D-printed prosthetics, which would significantly cut down on cost for those in need. A business pitch made by Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science students Nicholas Djedjos, Aadhav Senthil and Lucas Yu won the three students $3,000 on Tuesday evening during a business plan competition. They earned top marks among four groups of MSMS upperclassmen in the Shark Tank-style competition, after months of developing a hypothetical business idea. The MSMS Business Plan Competition began five years ago thanks to social sciences teacher Kayla Hester. The competition challenges juniors and seniors to create a viable business plan with a product and eventually present the plan to a panel of judges. "When I was hired, one of the hopes with my position was to, among other things, start an entrepreneurship program. Part of that involves teaching entrepreneurship within the economics classes that we already offer, but the other part we envision would be this annual competition," Hester said. Back in October, students began brainstorming together ideas for potential products for a business model. By the beginning of this semester, the juniors and seniors were meeting with mentors from local businesses and the Mississippi State University Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach. |
| Starkville looks to increase police officer pay | |
| Police Chief Mark Ballard said the city's starting salaries for police officers is approximately $15,000 less than cities similar in size to Starkville. All across the country, law enforcement agencies have struggled to retain police officers, with Starkville being no exception. Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn expressed concern at Tuesday's regularly scheduled board of aldermen meeting regarding city police officers continuously leaving the department for other agencies or jobs, saying he does not know if the city will ever be fully staffed if it cannot maintain officers. "They're doing a great job keeping the place safe for us in a college town, and we just constantly hear about losing police officers," Vaughn said. "That's very concerning to me because I'm hearing some negative things out there." Mayor Lynn Spruill said this issue was already at the forefront of her agenda for the upcoming budget year. Across the state, people are paying officers more than they ever have, she said, saying if Starkville wants to be competitive, it may need to increase taxes. "If we dedicate another mill to the police, I think that is not beyond consideration for us because aside from that, I don't know how you pay them in a sustaining way," Spruill said. Starkville has an accredited police department, meaning the officers are the "best of the best," Spruill said. Ballard said it can be difficult to find officers that have been out of the police academy for some years with the skills desired by the department because these are the officers all agencies across the state try to recruit. |
| Miss-Lou liquor stores join national movement to pull Russian made vodkas off of the shelves | |
 | Spirits of Natchez manager Sam Jones had several ideas for ways the store could show support for Ukraine and poke at the Russian bear. One idea was to pull the Russian vodkas Russian Standard and Stolichnaya, grown in Russia but distilled in Latvia, and shoot the bottles. Instead, he decided to pull the bottles off the shelves and use Russian Standard to clean the toilet in a video the store shared on Facebook. They have other ideas to support Ukraine in the works, he said. Right now, they want to send a message as they join a nationwide trend of liquor stores pulling Russian vodka off their shelves. "What we are doing is symbolic. It won't be a drop in the bucket for anyone in Russia or Putin," Jones said. "It at least shows everyone where we stand." Fellow Spirits of Natchez manager Tee Cotten agreed with Jones. "It costs us, but that is why I call it symbolic," he said. They are not the only Miss-Lou store pulling Russian vodka off their shelves. Hallelujah Spirits pulled Stolichnaya, which was the only Russian vodka they had. Other stores joining in the symbolic protest of Russian vodka are Hammers and McDonough's package store. Pat McDonough, owner of McDonough's, said they wanted to join the national movement of liquor stores showing support for Ukraine. "I had a customer ask us to pull the Russian vodka," he said. "The girls called me either Friday or Thursday. They said someone had walked in and saw stores doing it on TV. They asked what I thought, and I told them it works for me." |
| Christians around the globe take up fasting for Ukraine on Ash Wednesday | |
 | Pope Francis and other Christian leaders around the globe have encouraged believers to fast and pray for Ukrainians on Ash Wednesday, a day when many Christians are reminded of their mortality with a swipe of ashes to their foreheads. The last two years have led clergy scrambling to find ways to distribute ashes safely during the pandemic. This year, Christian leaders' attention has turned to the recent attacks from Russia on Ukraine with calls for prayers for peace. "May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war," Pope Francis wrote in his call for fasting. The ancient Christian practice of fasting allows believers to heighten their senses and focus their spiritual energies, said the Rev. Mark Morozowich, a theologian at the Catholic University of America. He said that Ukrainian Catholics like him began Lent on Monday, unlike Roman Catholics who begin on Wednesday, but different groups of Christians will be engaged in similar spiritual acts during the Lenten period. For Christians who observe Lent, including President Biden who is Catholic, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the period of weeks leading up to Easter Sunday, which most Christians in the United States will celebrate on April 17. The weeks of Lent serve as a period of reflection on the biblical story of Jesus's time in the desert, where he fasted and prayed before his death and resurrection. |
| Mississippi teacher pay survives legislators' political spat | |
 | Proposals to increase some of the lowest teacher salaries in the U.S. were in danger Tuesday as Mississippi legislators engaged in a political showdown. Hours before a big deadline, Senate committees voted to keep the issue alive. "The bottom line is the teachers. ... They don't need to be used as pawns in a game of politics," said Senate Education Committee Chairman Dennis DeBar, a Republican from Leakesville. The battle appeared be about which chamber -- the House or the Senate -- would receive credit for a plan that would help about 30,000 educators. Weeks ago, each chamber passed its own bill to boost teacher pay by at least $4,000 a year. Legislators must agree on a single bill to send to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who has pledged his support. Tuesday was the deadline for House and Senate committees to consider general bills that had already passed the other chamber, including the teacher pay bills. House committees did not consider the Senate's teacher pay raise bill. Two Senate committees -- Education and Appropriations -- passed an amended version of the House bill. The revised House bill will go to the full Senate for more debate. It now contains the Senate plan, plus a provision to provide $1,000 raises for two years to teachers' assistants. That would bring the assistants' pay to $17,000 a year. The assistants' raise was in the House bill but not originally in the Senate plan. |
| Senate passes last-minute teacher pay raise bill after showdown with House | |
 | Mississippi's K-12 public school teachers may still get a pay bump after Senate leaders in the eleventh hour agreed to advance a House bill that would raise teacher salaries. Late Tuesday, just a few hours before a legislation deadline, the Senate Education Committee voted to pass a teacher pay raise bill that originated in the House, although senators essentially stripped the bill of the House's plan and replaced it with their own proposal. The legislation raises the base pay a teacher with a bachelor's degree to $39,000 next year. The year after that, the base salary for a teacher with a bachelor's degree would increase to $40,000. The base pay for teachers with advanced degrees would be more. Under the plan, for every year teachers continue to work in Mississippi, they receive a $500 pay bump. Teachers would get around a $1,300 pay increase for every five years they continue teaching in the state. The bill also includes raises for assistant teachers. "The teachers are winners here," Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar said. "They deserve what we did this afternoon." It was unclear if either legislative chamber would advance teacher pay raise bills. The Education Committee met earlier on Tuesday and did not consider a teacher pay raise proposal. The House Education Committee did not meet at all on Tuesday. |
| Senate reluctantly takes House bill to ensure passage of teacher pay raise | |
 | House leaders, for the second consecutive year on a key deadline day, killed a Senate bill, essentially forcing Senate leaders to pass a House bill to be used as the vehicle to provide Mississippi teachers a pay raise. Leaders from both chambers argued their bill should be used for the pay raise. For much of Tuesday, the final day to pass general bills from the other chamber out of committee, leadership from the two chambers played chicken on who would blink first and take the other chamber's teacher pay bill. "We have two Senate (teacher pay bills) in the House," said Senate Education Chair Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, who held a series of meetings throughout the state last year on the issue of teacher pay. "It is the Senate's No. 1 priority." Late Tuesday afternoon after passing the House bill to ensure a teacher pay raise remained alive during the 2022 session DeBar said, "The bottom line is the teachers are the winners here today. The way politics is played up here only lessens our ability to attract teachers ... We need to resolve this issue and get on to other things." But House Education Chair Richard Bennett, R-Long Beach, countered: "Our priority was a teacher pay raise – it was our first bill -- and their priority was medical marijuana as their first bill. "It was our first bill we passed and sent to them early and quite frankly it should already be on the governor's desk." After the House adjourned for the day without calling committee meetings to take up the Senate bill, the Senate leaders, instead of letting the all the teacher pay proposals die, opted to take up the House bill. Still, the Senate placed its language in the House bill. |
| Battle brewing in Legislature over whether to end state's liquor distribution monopoly | |
| The two chambers in the Legislature are set to battle in conference committee over whether to end the state's monopoly on wholesale distribution of wine and spirits or build a new warehouse. The two sides, like last session, are miles apart. The Senate Finance Committee approved Thursday a rewrite of House Bill 512 with the exact language in the bill the Senate passed weeks ago, Senate Bill 2844. The bill will go to the Senate floor for a vote and set up a likely conference committee if the House rejects the rewritten bill, which is likely. SB 2844 has been assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee that is chaired by HB 512's author, state Rep. Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia. The deadline for a floor vote for both bills is March 15. Both bills now would use $55 million in bonds to build a new warehouse to replace the Department of Revenue's 212,000-foot warehouse in Gluckstadt that was built in 1983 and is hopelessly out of date compared with advancements in logistics since its construction. Mississippi is one of 17 states that are known as control states, where the government acts as the wholesale distributor for at least one of the three tiers of alcoholic beverages -- wine, spirits and beer -- and possibly acts as the retailer (like in the case of Alabama) as well. |
| Will homeowners get hit with steep wind insurance hikes? Coast's fate rests in Jackson | |
 | Drama playing out in Jackson this week will determine how much wind insurance rates will rise in Mississippi, exclusively affecting South Mississippi residents who live in the path of hurricanes and other major weather events. A bill advancing in the Legislature would take money from the state wind pool that thousands of Coast residents rely on for hurricane coverage and move it to a health-care fund, which could mean less money to pay claims should a catastrophe strike. The wind pool is limited to residents of the lower six counties and most of the policy holders live in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties. The state Senate passed SB 2450 that calls for transferring any funds in the wind pool over $250 million to the State and School Employees' Insurance Fund, which was hard hit during the coronavirus. Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said the diversion of the fees to state health plans is "not good government policy." "It was never the intent to be sent to anywhere other than the wind pool or to be used for restoration on the Gulf Coast," Chaney said. "That's in the law. That's how the law reads." When the Senate bill reached the House Insurance Committee, chaired by Coast Republican Hank Zuber, the committee removed the repealer that would eliminate fees paid by out-of-state insurance companies that was set to expire on July 1. The committee left the wind pool funds intact to cover reinsurance, which is the insurance the wind pool buys to help cover its losses. from a major storm. The committee also continued to dedicate wind pool money to be used for the purchase of rural fire trucks, which lowers fire ratings and insurance premiums throughout the state. Zuber said the bill should come up for a vote in the House toward the end of this week and he feels confident the House will pass the bill, possibly with an amendment. |
| Plan to revive citizens' right to place issues on ballot survives key deadline | |
| Legislation to restore Mississippi's initiative process survived a key committee deadline Tuesday and will be taken up by the full Senate in the coming days. On Tuesday, the Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee passed House Resolution 39, which would place a proposal to restore the initiative process on the November ballot after it was ruled invalid in May 2021 in a controversial ruling by the Mississippi Supreme Court. The initiative process allows citizens to gather signatures to bypass the Legislature and place issues on the ballot for voters to decide. The proposal passed out of committee Tuesday includes language that will force the resolution restoring the initiative to go to conference at the end of the legislative session to hammer out a compromise between House and Senate leaders. Accountability Committee Chair John Polk, R-Hattiesburg, had refused throughout the session to say whether he would take up legislation to restore the initiative process. But on Tuesday he said after studying the bill and talking with leaders who had passed the proposal earlier this session out of the House, he supported passing it out of committee. "I think they (House leaders) have a good bill that we will be able to build on together and that is what we are doing," Polk said. |
| Mississippi remapping diminishes Black voices, NAACP says | |
| Mississippi legislators drew a congressional redistricting plan that diminished Black voters' influence in the state's three majority-white districts, attorneys for the NAACP and two other groups argue in federal court papers. One Voice and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute, which also advocate for policies to help Black residents, joined the Mississippi NAACP in filing the papers Friday. The three groups are trying to intervene in a longstanding lawsuit over how Mississippi draws its U.S. House districts. In a response filed Monday, attorneys for Gov. Tate Reeves and Attorney General Lynn Fitch said the groups waited too long to try to get involved. They also said the groups are trying to raise new issues that would "improperly expand the scope of this case." Candidates face a Tuesday deadline to qualify to run for Mississippi's four U.S. House seats. The Republican governor on Jan. 24 signed House Bill 384, which redraws the boundaries of the state's four congressional districts to account for changes in population during the past decade. The redistricting plan expands the territory of the state's only majority-Black U.S. House district because the 2020 census showed the district -- the 2nd -- lost population. But it does so in a way that the incumbent, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, did not want. |
| Biden admin: COVID-19 should no longer 'dictate how we live' | |
| It's time for America to stop letting the coronavirus "dictate how we live," President Joe Biden's White House declared Wednesday, outlining a strategy to allow people to return to many normal activities safely after two years of pandemic disruptions. One highlight is a new "test to treat" plan to provide free antiviral pills at pharmacies to people who test positive for the virus. The 90-page National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan spells out initiatives and investments to continue to drive down serious illness and deaths from COVID-19, while preparing for potential new variants and providing employers and schools the resources to remain open. It follows Biden's Tuesday night State of the Union speech, in which he pointed to progress against the pandemic since last year, with a dramatic reduction in cases, readily available vaccines and tests, and new therapeutics soon becoming more accessible. A key component of the administration's plan to convince American that it is safe to resume normal activities is the increasing availability of an antiviral pill from Pfizer that has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization from COVID-19 by 90%. By the end of the month, the administration says, 1 million pills will be available, with double that ready for use in April. |
| George W. Bush dishes on Putin in Chicago | |
 | While President Joe Biden took a serious tone last night in attacking Vladimir Putin, former President George W. Bush was in Chicago, making his own jabs at the Russian leader. Bush headlined a benefit fundraiser for the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, which Gov. JB Pritzker helped build. The governor gave opening remarks before Bush took the stage for a Q&A with museum CEO Susan Abrams. The Republican former president managed to mix serious comments about Ukraine with takes on Putin, and some humor too. He began by telling a story about once playing host to Putin. "I introduced Vladimir Putin to Barney, our Scottish terrier, and [Putin] dissed him. A year later, Laura and I go visit Vladimir and his wife -- this was before he decided to be with a gymnast 30 years younger -- and he says, 'I want you to meet my dog.' I said, 'Yeah, sure.' And I'll never forget, out runs a huge Russian hound," Bush said. "And Putin says 'Bigger, stronger, and faster than Barney.'" (Big laugh from the audience here.) Bush added: "By the way, I told that to the Canadian prime minister and he said, 'At least he only showed you his dog.'" It was a funny setup to a deeper discussion about Putin's aggressive actions toward Ukraine. "In [Putin's] view the demise of the Soviet Union is bad for the Russian people, so we're watching him try to reinstate Soviet hegemony," said Bush. "He picks weak people to do that. He thought Ukraine was weak, but it's not. Ukraine is showing a backbone and a spine that this world sorely needs to see." |
| New shadow war with Russia could last years | |
 | The war in Ukraine could draw the United States and its allies into a yearslong shadow war with Russia, supporting a Ukrainian insurgency that's well positioned to continue fighting even if the country falls in the coming days. President Joe Biden, in his State of the Union message Tuesday night, took a small step in the process of hardening Americans for extended tensions ahead. "Putin has unleashed violence and chaos," Biden said. "But while he may make gains on the battlefield, he will pay a continuing high price over the long run." He added: "This is a real test. It's going to take time." As people everywhere watched Ukraine's people fighting back valiantly against Russian attackers and the West come together in ways both symbolic, bathing the world's landmarks in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, and substantive, battering the Russian economy with sanctions while funneling arms to Ukrainian forces, the full scope of what's to come isn't known. But there are already signs that things are about to get much bloodier in Ukraine. And Russia experts believe Ukraine's fighters are likely to need the support of the United States and its allies for years to come. America and its allies are therefore in for a long, hard fight -- one that will probably smash soon into Americans' computers and that may at times threaten to go nuclear. China will watch closely to see how the West responds to aggression. The U.S. military will take great pains to avoid becoming directly involved in defending Ukraine, a non-NATO ally, against nuclear-armed Russia's invading troops. Covert U.S. action is possible. But experts seem to agree that the most likely scenario is yearslong support for a probable insurgency in Ukraine. |
| In Putin, intelligence analysts see an isolated leader who underestimated the West but could lash out if cornered | |
| As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its second week, U.S. and European intelligence officials say that Russian President Vladimir Putin appears isolated and reliant on a small coterie of advisers who have not told him the truth about how difficult and costly conquering Ukraine is turning out to be. In Putin, analysts see a leader on edge, fueled by paranoia after underestimating the unified resolve of the West, and at risk of lashing out when he feels cornered. Those concerns have led some policymakers to repeatedly note that NATO will not intervene in the war lest there be any doubt in Putin's mind. Putin's military campaign, which has killed civilians, as well as his order to place Russian nuclear forces on a higher level of alert, has prompted fresh requests from U.S. policymakers in recent days to the intelligence agencies for insights on his thinking, according to several U.S. officials familiar with the matter. Understanding what's in a leader's head is one of the most difficult tasks intelligence analysts face. But in Putin's case, it's crucial for decision-makers to understand how he might act so they can calibrate their responses and to try to find some way to end the war in Ukraine. Before the invasion, U.S. and British intelligence analysts had warned that Putin was being misinformed by his advisers, who gave him an overly rosy picture of how easily the invasion was likely to go. Those concerns have been heightened now as the Russian military prepares for what may be a long and bloody battle for the capital city, Kyiv. |
| Biden's State of the Union Address Pushes Unity Against Russia, Battle Against Inflation | |
 | President Biden said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is more isolated from the rest of the world than ever after invading Ukraine, using Tuesday's State of the Union address to highlight the coordinated response of the U.S. and allies and rally Americans behind defending democracy. Mr. Biden said Mr. Putin "sought to shake the foundations of the free world, thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways. But he badly miscalculated." "He thought he could roll into Ukraine and the world would roll over. Instead he met a wall of strength he never imagined," Mr. Biden said. In addition to other sanctions, he said the U.S. would close American airspace to all Russian flights and assemble a Justice Department task force to go after Russian oligarchs. The president's remarks on Ukraine often generated applause from both Republicans and Democrats, and Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova attended as a guest of first lady Jill Biden. Delivering the Republican Party's response to Mr. Biden's speech, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said the president's plans were "too little, too late." "We are now one year into his presidency and instead of moving America forward, it feels like President Biden and his party have sent us back in time, to the late '70s and early '80s, when runaway inflation was hammering families, a violent crime wave was crashing our cities and the Soviet Army was trying to redraw the world map," Ms. Reynolds said. |
| Biden's 'fund the police' comment draws backlash from some BLM activists, support from others | |
 | President Joe Biden earned some bipartisan applause for saying "fund the police" during his State of the Union speech Tuesday night but got mixed reactions from activists and politicians. "Let's not abandon our streets. Or choose between safety and equal justice," President Biden said. "We should all agree: The answer is not to defund the police. The answer is to fund the police. Fund them with resources and training they need to protect our communities." Biden also noted that the American Rescue Plan provided $350 billion for local governments to hire more police and invest in "proven strategies like community violence interruption." His statement comes after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the slogan "has no place" and is not Democrats' position. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., called Biden "desperate" and accused him of using President Donald Trump's "old lines." While Rep. Val Demings and Rep. Josh Gottheimer tweeted in support of Biden's comments. Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., called out Biden for failing to mention "Black Lives Matter" in his speech. DeRay McKesson, activist and writer, tweeted the police shouldn't receive funding due to their lack of accountability and protection for the community. The Black Lives Matter organization didn't release a statement after Biden's speech but tweeted a photo of Rep. Maxine Waters' seemingly appalled reaction. |
| Boebert heckled Biden about deaths in Afghanistan while he mentioned his son's cancer | |
 | Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert heckled President Biden during his State of the Union speech as he was describing the death of his son Beau Biden, an Iraq War veteran who succumbed to brain cancer. Biden outlined the severe medical symptoms that U.S. troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan endured from breathing in toxic fumes from "burn pits," saying many of the troops developed "a cancer that would put them in a flag-draped coffin." "You put them in. Thirteen of them," Boebert then yelled, referring to the terrorist attack at a gate outside the Kabul airport last summer that killed 13 U.S. service members. The outburst drew immediate and loud boos inside the chamber. Biden appeared to look in the direction of Boebert but continued with his remarks, saying that one of those killed by cancer "was my son, Major Beau Biden." He acknowledged he didn't know if exposure to the fumes led to Beau's cancer but added he was committed to investigating any links. The president's handling of the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan last summer drew bipartisan criticism, with lawmakers especially incensed that the administration did not have a plan to evacuate embassy staff and Afghan allies. The attack that killed the 13 service members came days before the planned full withdrawal from the country that had been taken over by the Taliban. |
| Buttigieg curbs funds for widening roads, citing safety | |
| The federal government has a fresh warning to states seeking billions of dollars from President Joe Biden's infrastructure law to widen roads: Protect the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists or risk losing funds. In a new report submitted to Congress and obtained by The Associated Press, the Department of Transportation says it will aim to prioritize the safety and health of the multiple users of a typical 21st century roadway, from riders of public transit and electric scooters to Uber rideshare pickups and people delivering goods. Projects such as bike paths and traffic roundabouts, enhanced sidewalks, pedestrian pathways to bus stops and transit lanes will be favored in the distribution of funds. In doing so, the department led by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg seeks to change a longtime focus by the states to direct federal money toward adding lanes to relieve congestion and speed car flow -- often at the expense of mostly nonwhite communities living next to the busy roadways. The report said the Federal Highway Administration's adoption of the "Complete Streets" strategy, which is already followed by hundreds of communities, will "have a positive impact on the safety of all roadway users -- reversing the trend of increasing fatal and serious injuries and creating a healthier, greener, and more equitable surface transportation system." |
| Music by Women Festival returns to The W | |
| The sixth annual international Music by Women Festival returns to the campus of Mississippi University for Women, Thursday through Saturday. After a virtual conference in 2021, the festival will feature in-person concerts of music written by women composers. The concerts will be held in Poindexter Hall. "We are honored and excited to host a musical event of such magnitude," said Julia Mortyakova, The W's Department of Music chair and artistic director for the Music by Women Festival. "The festival concerts will feature performances of the highest caliber and will allow the audience a small glimpse into the vast body of work composed by women." Activities kick off at 10 a.m. Thursday and conclude at 8 p.m. Saturday. As part of the festival, 15 concerts will be presented. Each day concerts will be held at 10 a.m., noon, 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. All festival concerts are free and open to the public. Between the concerts and lecture-recitals, papers will be presented. More than 150 performers and scholars from different parts of the world will gather to celebrate the musical contributions of women. Faculty from top research institutions and conservatories will speak during the festival program. |
| U. of Mississippi lifts its mask mandate | |
| The University of Mississippi has lifted its mask mandate. Face coverings are now optional in classrooms, laboratories, studios, residence halls, libraries, dining facilities, the Student Union, Campus Recreation facilities, retail spaces, offices, conference rooms or extracurricular activities held in indoor on-campus spaces. Face coverings will only be required on transportation networks and in health care settings, officials said. The Mississippi State Department of Health says that new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have fallen dramatically across Mississippi. On Tuesday, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported 228 COVID-19 cases, 61 new COVID-19 related deaths and 87 outbreaks in long-term care facilities for March 1. Lafayette County currently has gained three new COVID-19 cases and one death by March 1. The county sits at a total of 15,098 cases, 176 deaths and 202 LTC facility outbreaks. |
| 'GenSea': New USM program aims to stop brain drain, bring Gen Z to the sea | |
 | GenSea -- a new Southern Miss program -- is working to bring Generation Z to the sea and spread awareness about career opportunities on Mississippi's coast. "What we're really trying to do is stop the brain drain," said Julie Cwikla, director of GenSea. "We're doing a great job of educating a lot of kids in the state, and they go elsewhere to get jobs. "This kind of program is helping them see 'I can stay at home and I can make a really good living, ... Any of those areas that I want to enter the workforce, I can do so in the blue economy.'" Brain drain refers to the departure of educated professionals from Mississippi, which is often attributed to a lack of career opportunities. "The blue economy consists of jobs along the coast and everything that is associated with that, so that's everything from a crane operator to a logistics manager to a ship captain to a deep-sea engineer," Cwikla said. The program provides high school students free tours of facilities dedicated to training students for coastal careers, complete with demonstrations, hands-on activities and talks with scientists and engineers. Some trips are overnight, and the program helps with travel and meal expenses. GenSea also provides in-class visits for students around the state to introduce them to blue economy careers. |
| Mississippi Valley State awarded $100,000 by FedEx | |
| Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) has been awarded a $100,000 scholarship endowment from FedEx Logistics. The scholarship was awarded to MVSU by FedEx Cares, the company's global community engagement program, as the company has an office that operates from the campus. The announcement of the scholarship was released one year after a previous $1 million pledge to MVSU from FedEx, along with three scholarships to additional HBCUs in Mississippi and Tennessee. "FedEx Logistics is committed to advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and this is a clear example," FedEx Logistics President and CEO Dr. Udo Lange said. "I am proud of our full-circle relationship with MVSU. FedEx Logistics will continue breaking down barriers so that underrepresented groups have a roadmap to access and achieve success." FedEx's partnership with MVSU can also be traced back to 2019 when the company placed a satellite on campus grounds. The satellite still operates today and is operated by MVSU students. "The relationship between MVSU and FedEx has been very beneficial for the students at our university. The company's continued support has been paramount to our efforts to encourage and inspire our scholars." MVSU President Dr. Jerryl Briggs, Sr. said. |
| As friends celebrate Mardi Gras, Ukrainian LSU students watch bombs fall on their hometowns | |
 | As many Louisianans enjoyed king cake and daiquiris Tuesday, Danylo Cheked was watching videos of Russian rockets pummel his hometown. "I've seen all my friends having fun, drinking and stuff," the LSU student said. "I'm not even thinking of leaving my apartment." Cheked and a handful of other Ukrainian students from LSU joined organizers for a protest on the steps of the state capitol as parades rolled across South Louisiana for the state's first fully-open Mardi Gras in two years. The 23-year-old student is from Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. For the past few days, his home city has been pummeled by Russian tanks, infantry and air raids as part of an unprovoked invasion that has killed hundreds of civilians and displaced thousands more, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials. As their families hunker down in Kyiv -- making do with supplies of food bought hastily as the Russian invasion began and rushing to bomb shelters when air raid sirens sound -- the students said they're trying to help in any way they can. "We want to spread the word that it's not just Ukraine that is under attack, it's democracy that's under attack," said Mykola Koval, an LSU sophomore from Kyiv studying microbiology. "They're killing civilians, they're killing kids." |
| Regents approve Sonny Perdue as next University System of Georgia chancellor | |
 | Former Gov. Sonny Perdue will become the 14th chancellor of the University System of Georgia. The system's Board of Regents voted unanimously Tuesday to hire Perdue to lead the state's 26 public colleges and universities, their more than 300,000 students and more than 40,000 faculty and staff. Perdue, 75, of Houston County, was selected sole finalist for the post two weeks ago after a nationwide search following the retirement of former Chancellor Steve Wrigley last summer. The Republican served two terms as governor in the 2000s, then was secretary of agriculture in former President Donald Trump's administration from 2017 until early last year. Before being elected statewide, Perdue served in the state Senate, where he chaired the chamber's Higher Education Committee. Student and faculty groups criticized Perdue's appointment because of his lack of experience in education administration. But Regent Don Waters of Savannah said management and leadership are more important to the chancellor's role than an academic pedigree. "Sonny Perdue is extraordinarily well equipped to lead the University System of Georgia," he said. "His skills make him the right person at the right time." Perdue's appointment is effective April 1. |
| Departing legal counsel always put U. of Missouri System first | |
 | Steve Owens said his departure from the University of Missouri is coming about seven years late. In 2015, with 60 candles flickering on his birthday cake, Owens, the University of Missouri System's general counsel, felt it was a natural sign to begin saying goodbye to MU, his alma mater turned employer turned way of life. But with the university as vulnerable as ever in the midst of race protests and resignations of key administrators at that time, he put his plans on hold, doing what he knows best: putting the university's interests first. The arrival of new university leadership under President Mun Choi in 2017 and the pandemic beginning in March 2020 also threw wrenches into his considerations to leave sooner. Today, Owens, now awaiting his 67th birthday this summer, finally feels confident stepping down. Owens' 14-year journey at University of Missouri has been marked by not one but three distinct administrative roles -- general counsel, interim UM president, and interim MU chancellor -- a feat no other person has achieved. That run finally draws to a close with Owens officially leaving the office of General Counsel on Tuesday. "I've been thinking about it so long, and a certain kind of anxiousness starts to come in when you realize all the things that you've wanted to do that you haven't been able to do because you've been so consumed by your job," Owens said. "And so, at the beginning of 2021, I said, 'This is it. I've got to do it.'" |
| U. of Memphis board names new veteran suicide prevention institute for Rudd | |
| When M. David Rudd returns next year as faculty to the University of Memphis, he will be returning to research veteran and military suicide prevention in an institute carrying his namesake. The U of M board honored Rudd's eight-year presidential tenure in its quarterly board meeting Tuesday, creating and bestowing the Rudd Institute for Veteran and Military Suicide Prevention as a home for his research. "This institute will focus on expanding access and availability of empirically informed approaches to improving the overall well being of active duty military and America's veterans that have served and sacrificed," said Doug Edwards, chair of the U of M board, describing the institute as one of the "most meaningful" actions the board has taken. A veteran of the Gulf War and former Army psychologist and officer, Rudd has become a leading researcher on suicide prevention among veterans. He previously described the work to The Commercial Appeal as "one of the more hopeful areas you can be in because you have a profound impact in the nature and quality of people's lives. " "It's incredibly kind," Rudd told The Commercial Appeal about the naming, "and I'm honored for it to be recognized." |
| College Presidents Confident, With an Asterisk | |
 | Even as COVID-19 slowly eases its grip on colleges and universities, campus leaders would seem to have plenty to worry about. Enrollments have fallen sharply since the beginning of the pandemic, the federal government has closed the spigot of generous recovery aid and political intrusion into curricular matters and college governance is on the rise. Higher ed leaders seem unfazed, though: Inside Higher Ed's 2022 Survey of College and University Presidents finds them upbeat and generally confident that their institutions are prepared for what's ahead. Most notably, they are optimistic about their institutions' financial situation: more than three-quarters of respondents agree that their college will be financially stable over the next decade, most think their institution is in stronger shape now than it was a year ago and a majority believe it will be better off next year than it is now. Presidents and chancellors recognize that the pandemic has altered the higher education landscape in key ways: more than two-thirds (71 percent) say their institution must fundamentally change its business model or other operations, and 91 percent agree (52 percent strongly) that their college or university will keep some of the COVID-19–related changes it made even when the pandemic ends. More agree (50 percent) than disagree (34 percent) that the pandemic will cause a shift toward more virtual instruction "for years to come." But campus leaders seem less sure about the likelihood and degree of such transformation. Three in five agree that their institution has settled into a "new normal" despite the continuing pandemic. Only about a quarter say their institution has had "serious internal discussions" about consolidating some of its programs or operations with another college or university's. And only a quarter (27 percent) strongly agree that the pandemic-era changes have "created an opportunity for my institution to make other institutional changes we have been wanting to make anyway." That figure was 37 percent a year ago, in the throes of the pandemic. |
| College disability rights case could go to Supreme Court -- a possibility advocates fear | |
 | Roy Payan and Portia Mason, both blind, needed help from their community college: audio recordings of texts, computer screen reading software, classroom materials in a format they could understand, when lecture notes on a whiteboard are the norm. The students said the college was unprepared to support them and failed to provide the timely accommodations to which they were legally entitled. In 2017, they and the National Federation of the Blind filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Community College District, alleging discrimination under federal laws that guarantee equal access to education for those who are disabled. They have won twice in federal court. A Ninth Circuit appeals panel said the lack of equal access to a college education, though unintentional, violated the students' civil rights. But LACCD -- in a strategy that has outraged disability rights activists and students who are disabled -- has not conceded defeat and will decide by Thursday whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The district argues that because it did not intentionally discriminate against the two students, it did not break federal laws that protect people with disabilities. Disability rights advocates do not want to risk a showdown with a conservative-leaning Supreme Court. If the high court were to take up the issue and side with LACCD, disability rights protections could be weakened in a precedent-setting case, they said. Their concerns are fueled by the opinion of one dissenting appeals court judge. |
| Is Biden Scaling Back His Higher-Ed Agenda? | |
 | President Biden repeated some of his longstanding higher-education priorities in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, calling for more federal spending for low-income students and at minority-serving institutions. The measures are consistent with his administration's efforts to increase college affordability and improve support for underserved populations. But some major elements of Biden's previous agenda were conspicuously absent from the speech and a document laying out its highlights, released by the White House in advance of the address and including some details not in the speech itself. Among those missing elements was a call for free community-college tuition, which is in the stalled "Build Back Better" proposal, the president's $2-trillion bill on social supports, environmental programs, and infrastructure. The president's speech also appeared to shift the rhetoric on college attainment. When President Barack Obama gave his first State of the Union Address, in 2009, he challenged the nation to have the world's highest proportion of college graduates by 2020 -- a "moonshot" proposal that fell far short of its ambitions. Biden, by contrast, acknowledged in Tuesday's speech that a postsecondary credential may not be possible, or even necessary, for all students. |
| Biden Proposes More Money for Pell Grants | |
| President Biden proposed more money for Pell Grants and minority-serving institutions in his State of the Union address Tuesday night. A fact sheet released by the White House said, "Providing up to more than [sic] $2,000 in additional assistance to low-income students by increasing the Pell Grant award. President Biden will note that broad access to education beyond high school is increasingly important for economic growth and competitiveness in the 21st century, but also remind us that higher education has become unaffordable for too many families. Over 6 million students depend on Pell Grants to finance their education, yet the amount of money in these grants has not kept up with the rising cost of college and DREAMers still do not have access. During his State of the Union Address, President Biden will call on Congress to increase the maximum Pell Grant award by more than $2,000." (The current maximum Pell Grant is $6,495 per year.) He will also ask Congress to approve more money for expanding programs in "high-demand" fields at historically Black colleges, tribal colleges and minority-serving institutions. |
| APLU Statement on President Biden's State of the Union Address | |
| Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) President Peter McPherson today issued the following statement on President Biden's State of the Union address. "As we prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Pell Grant this year, it was very encouraging to see President Biden make the case for increasing the program's maximum award. We applaud President Biden for his commitment to expanding college access and affordability through an increase in the maximum Pell Grant and call on Congress to approve it as part of an effort to ultimately #DoublePell. We also thank President Biden for proposing critical investments in HBCUs and other Minority Serving Institutions. ... Additionally, we thank President Biden his support of emerging technologies and U.S. manufacturing as well as for calling on Congress to reach a bipartisan compromise consistent to bolster U.S. competitiveness. As lawmakers move forward on legislation to bolster U.S. competitiveness, we urge them to reach a bipartisan compromise that the public university community can support. ... What's more, APLU and the public and land-grant university community stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, including all those who are part of its academic community, as they fight against the senseless Russian invasion to safeguard their freedom, democracy, and way of life. Our members stand ready to support the Ukrainian students and scholars already on their campuses and to support the broader Ukrainian academic community." |
| Former Navy secretary: The addiction to fossil fuels empowers Putin | |
 | Ray Mabus, a former secretary of the Navy, U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and governor of Mississippi, writes for The Hill: The motivations behind Russian President Vladimir Putin's brutal and illegal invasion of Ukraine are unclear, but nothing could be clearer than his power over Europe because of its dependence on his oil and gas. Major economies in the West need fossil fuels piped in from the East, so Putin has the leverage -- and the money -- to undermine the security and economic independence of our allies. Putin believed that, because of its reliance on Russia's fossil fuels, Europe would not take any strong, united action against his unprovoked invasion of a democratic nation. The fact that this was a gross miscalculation by Putin doesn't negate that it was a calculation that helped start an unjust and horrific war. The way to fight Putin, in the long run, is to shift the world economy away from the oil and gas that keeps him affluent, armed and arrogant. Whatever we do in the days ahead to support our European allies -- and we should do everything we can -- we must also move swiftly to end the world's addiction to fossil fuels. |
| War in Europe will impact military families first | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: "The era of authoritarian imperialism is back with a vengeance," a Wall Street Journal editorial proclaimed hours before Russia invaded Ukraine. "Ukraine is only the first target," the editorial entitled "Russia's Looming War in Europe" continued. Russia's latest dictator, President Vladimir Putin, launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine last Thursday following Russia's initial incursion into contested provinces the previous Sunday. History makes clear that when emboldened dictators go to war in Europe it costs U.S. treasure and blood to put them down. Putin, emboldened by his successful takeover of Crimea, encouraged by his hardline military leaders, armed with massive and well-equipped land, sea, air, and cyber forces, strengthened by Europe's dependence on Russian oil and gas, his eastern border secured via a new pact with China, chose war to bring Ukraine back under Russian control. He has made it clear for years that his ultimate goal is to re-establish the old Soviet sphere of control in eastern Europe. ... Meanwhile, back in Mississippi, military families still weary from two decades of National Guard deployments related to Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, will be the first impacted by this new war. Deployments to support new active duty missions to Europe will start soon with Asia deployments likely to follow. A week ago Sunday the world changed, and not for the better. Once again, a megalomaniac dictator instigated war in Europe. Eventually, this will impact us all. |
| World has changed since tanks last rolled in Europe | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: As the Russian invasion plays out, one thing is clear: Short of a revolution, there is no hope that Russia will become a democratic republic with free markets. Rather than joining the league of free nations, Russia is now mired in a kleptocracy run by a murderous thug. We've seen this coming for years, now it is reality. Thugs take what they want, until they are stopped. Let's hope Vladimir Putin wants no more countries in Europe. In the old days, the Soviet Union rolled their tanks into eastern European countries with barely a response. Not so with Ukraine today. What changed? I'll tell you what changed: The Ukrainians got a taste of Western-style freedom. They are no longer sheep. And they are refusing to turn back. Bravo for them. The desire for freedom and liberty transcends language and culture. It is universal. ... A chill went down the world's collective spine when Putin hinted at the use of using nuclear weapons if NATO tried to stop him. Again, this is a sign of desperation, just like Kim Jong-un of North Korea. This is the language of thugs and bullies, the likes of which have plagued mankind for eons. The U. S. displayed calm statesmanship to not get sucked into Putin's saber rattling. There was no need to engage in a round of nuclear threats. |
| Want a $1,000 check? Lawmakers, flush with cash, could send you one instead of cutting taxes | |
| Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: When Mississippi politicians brag of their good stewardship of state funds leading to an unprecedented revenue surplus, they sound kind of like the turtle sitting on top of the fencepost bragging about how good a climber he is. "Mississippi continues to be in the best fiscal shape and the best financial shape in its history," Gov. Tate Reeves said in his January State of the State speech. "Mississippi ended the year a billion dollars over revenue estimates. This was not an accident. We kept our businesses open." The turtle talked as if he got on top of the fencepost all by himself. The politicians talk as if they created the revenue surplus by themselves. Just as the turtle had help, so did Mississippi politicians. But still in his budget proposal, Reeves bragged, "Despite a global pandemic and recession, Mississippi's economy is booming. While Democrat-led states shutdown and locked down, Mississippi opened up." Others have made similar comments. The truth is that many Republican-led and Democratic led states have huge budget surpluses, thanks to a confluence of COVID-19 pandemic-related circumstances, such as a massive influx of federal funds, rising wages, rising prices and an overall red-hot economy. ... Here in Mississippi, the Legislature could provide all people currently earning a paycheck a one-time rebate of $1,000 and not impact the ability moving forward to continue services at current levels. |
| Former Ukrainian Ambassador Chaly's words to MSU students in 2016 prove prophetic | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: Last week's Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent resistance efforts by Ukrainian defenders of their homeland was neither unexpected nor particularly surprising to members of the Mississippi State University students and faculty who heard now-prophetic warnings of just such actions from former Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Valeriy Chaly during an August 2016 visit to Mississippi that brought the diplomat to the MSU campus. While in Mississippi, Chaly met with then-Gov. Phil Bryant and the leadership of the Mississippi Development Authority in addition to other groups and individuals in the state. A major wheat producing country, Mississippi officials saw opportunities to assist Ukraine in modernizing and expanding their own agricultural industry and imports of Mississippi crops. Chaly spoke at MSU as part of the nonpartisan Global Engagement Lecture Series and followed his lecture with a moderated question-and-answer series with MSU students. During that session, Chaly said: "Everything in this world is connected now. If you are secure today, it does not mean you will be secure forever." The diplomat told the MSU audience of his considerable fears over the tense relationship that existed between Russia and Ukraine following the 2014 invasion and annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, saying: "Ukrainians understand that we must keep the future of our country in our own hands." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State wins third straight, takes down Grambling to finish homestand | |
| Mississippi State picked up its second midweek win of the season Tuesday with just enough offense and nearly-flawless pitching, taking down Grambling 2-1 at Dudy Noble Field. Freshman Jack Walker got the nod for his first career start. His wild pitch allowing a run to score in the second was his lone blemish in five innings. He punched out eight, walked two and allowed three hits to lead MSU toward a win in its final game of an opening eight-game homestand. MSU's offense was quiet, mustering just one hit in the first four innings. A pair of hits and a sacrifice fly in the fifth got State on the board to knot things up at one. A couple innings later, Brad Cumbest kept his hot bat going. Cumbest launched his third home run in as many games to the Left Field Lounge, putting MSU out in front 2-1. Though Chris Lemonis likely would have preferred more insurance, he leaned on senior Parker Stinnett to close the game on the mound. Stinnett struggled in his first two outings this season, tossing 2 1/3 innings and allowing four earned runs. Coming off a three-game set with Northern Kentucky and another midweek game against Southern Miss tomorrow before a series at Tulane, Lemonis needs a player such as Stinnett to step up. |
| 'We know how good they are': Mississippi State men need big win against No. 5 Auburn | |
| Mississippi State men's basketball coach Ben Howland has been known to get a little hyperbolic about the strengths of the Bulldogs' opponents. But No. 5 Auburn necessitates no exaggeration. The Tigers (25-4, 13-3 Southeastern Conference) were ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for three weeks not so long ago. They've been in the top five since Jan. 10. And they're playing this week for the SEC regular-season title. Add in the fact that Auburn is coming off a loss -- Saturday's 67-62 defeat at No. 13 Tennessee -- and Mississippi State (17-12, 8-8 SEC) has a lot to account for at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Starkville. "I think our guys are excited," Howland said Tuesday. "We know how good they are." Per KenPom.com, Tigers are the best team the Bulldogs will have faced since Jan. 25 against Kentucky, a double-overtime loss. MSU's Jan. 28 game at Texas Tech, a 76-50 loss, was its last contest against a top-10 team. Missing opportunities like those is why Wednesday's game could mean a ton for the Bulldogs should they win. Mississippi State is No. 53 in the critical NCAA NET rankings thanks to a paltry 2-8 record in Quadrant 1 games. The matchup with Auburn will be another Quad 1 contest, as will -- for now -- Saturday's regular-season finale at Texas A&M. A win Wednesday might not mean much should the Bulldogs be unable to take down the Aggies in College Station, and even wins in both games might have to be supplemented by an SEC tournament run. |
| Mississippi State set to close regular season home slate against No. 5 Auburn | |
| If it was up to Ben Howland, those on the opposing side Wednesday would receive plenty of postseason accolades. No. 5 Auburn (25-4, 13-3 SEC) has been in the top five of the AP poll for eight-consecutive weeks -- including a three-week stretch from late January to early February as the nation's top team. Besides the potential of a national championship run, Auburn's trophy cabinet could be filled with individual awards. Freshman Jabari Smith ranks sixth in the SEC with 16.6 points per game. He's considered by most in the national media to be a top 10 candidate for national player of the year while surely on his way toward All-America selections. The only silver lining for SEC coaches such as Howland in facing Smith is they likely won't have to do it much longer. "Jabari Smith is the No. 1 pick in the draft. I think that's a hands-down thing," Howland said. "I don't think there's a question, especially as I talk to the NBA people I know." Howland gave praise to Auburn coach Bruce Pearl as well, saying it took Pearl some time but he has done a "wonderful" job elevating the program. New facilities helped, Howland said, but ultimately it came down to the level of players Pearl has been able bring to Auburn. |
| Banner day? Auburn men's basketball looks to clinch share of SEC championship | |
 | It could be a banner day for Auburn men's basketball. Auburn travels to play Mississippi State on Wednesday night, and if the Tigers win, they'll have clinched at least a share of the SEC's regular-season championship. Auburn's only been able to claim six league titles in program history. Even amid recent road struggles and with the postseason looming ahead, Auburn is just one win away from hanging a new championship up in the rafters in Neville Arena. Bruce Pearl hasn't lost sight of that. "We have an opportunity to play for a championship," he said simply. Forget the road skid that's frustrated fans in recent weeks, and know there's no sense looking ahead to the postseason now: At Mississippi State, Auburn's got the chance to take a title, and the Tigers are treating the trip that way. Auburn holds a one-game lead in the SEC standings with only two games to play, and will clinch at least a share of the league championship with one more victory. Auburn has lost three straight road games, with last Saturday's loss at Tennessee following losses in February at Arkansas and at Florida. "We haven't been very good on the road as of late, so (it's) just another road test, another test for us as we get into the postseason," freshman forward Jabari Smith said of the Mississippi State game. "It's not easy in the SEC. Any road game is going to be tough, so just trying to find a way to win." |
| ESPN bracketologist Creme lays out Mississippi State's path to NCAA tournament bubble | |
| Call it recency bias if you desire, but the latest trends matter more for women's college basketball this season than most others. The NCAA Tournament selection committee is advised to look at resumes as a whole. A Quadrant 1 win in February should mean as much as one in November. But in a season where COVID-19 has forced cancellations, pushed teams to play without key pieces and made it necessary to play four games in a week, recent trends matter. Charlie Creme is a women's basketball bracketologist for ESPN, and he believes the way teams have played down the stretch of the regular season will matter because February (for most schools) provided the best look at what teams will look like when March Madness begins. For Mississippi State, that's not a good sign unless it can pick up two or three wins in this week's SEC Tournament, Creme says. The Bulldogs begin play Thursday at 7 p.m. against Kentucky. "What they've done so far isn't good enough to be in the tournament," Creme told the Daily Journal. "Despite the fact that they've had a lot of things to deal with --- and quite frankly, I think (Novak) has done a really good job under circumstances I don't think any coach would envy. But from a tournament selection standpoint, it's more of a bottom-line business." |
| Harvey Hull, All-American Mississippi State linebacker, dies at 66 | |
| Former Mississippi State linebacker Harvey Hull, considered one of the best players in program history, died Friday, the team announced. He was 66. Hull earned second-team All-American honors in 1976. The Kosciusko native also earned a place on All-SEC teams in 1974, 1975 and 1976. He finished with 454 career tackles, which still ranks second in school history. He was a part of Mississippi State's victory against North Carolina in the 1974 Sun Bowl when he was a freshman. Hull was selected in the 10th round of the 1977 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers, but his NFL career was cut short because of a major knee injury. He returned to Mississippi State, where he earned a degree in physical education. Hull also briefly served as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs, attending to the defensive line. In 2010, Hull was inducted into the Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame. He's also was a member of the Bulldogs' All-Decade Team. |
| Cowboys reveal QB Dak Prescott underwent offseason shoulder surgery | |
| Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott underwent offseason surgery, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy announced Tuesday. This wasn't for his midseason calf injury, surgically repaired ankle or training camp throwing shoulder strain. Rather, the Cowboys' $40 million-per-year franchise quarterback underwent surgery to clean up his non-throwing shoulder, McCarthy said. The surgery was performed Feb. 22, two people with knowledge of the procedure confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss medical information. "It's not a concern," McCarthy said. "He's doing well." McCarthy said he doesn't expect the procedure to limit Prescott in spring activities. But the shoulder bothered Prescott including when sleeping, so he took care of it. McCarthy emphasized that the shoulder under operation was Prescott's left, non-throwing shoulder. He declined to attribute any late-season issues to the injury despite a stretch in which the Cowboys were statistically productive -- particularly against two NFC East teams, the Commanders and Eagles, who allowed 50+ points to Dallas -- but rhythmically inferior to their early 2021 form. "I don't think so," McCarthy said. "He practiced full go throughout. It was just something he felt like he needed to do." |
| Candice Lee, Billie Jean King forum on Title IX hosted by Vanderbilt | |
 | Billie Jean King and Vanderbilt athletics director Candice Lee discussed the 50th anniversary of Title IX and the current status of equality in sports on Tuesday at a forum hosted by Vanderbilt. Title IX is a 1972 law that prevents discrimination on the basis of gender in educational institutions that receiver federal funding. The law applies to school sports at both the high school and college levels. At the college level, schools are required to provide equal opportunities for male and female athletes, including an number of athletic scholarships proportional to the amount of students of each gender enrolled at the school. King said that although she is most known for her "Battle of the Sexes" win against Bobby Riggs, she is proudest of being part of the Original Nine, a group of female tennis players who founded their own tour, eventually to become the WTA. When facing Riggs, she felt pressure to win the match because she didn't want to undermine Title IX. Many workplaces are still male-dominated. For women to survive in a man's world, King said, "you learn that from sports." She spoke of how many female athletes had gone on to become leaders in their fields and that Title IX helped create those opportunities whether or not the women finished their career in athletics. As the founder of the Women's Sports Foundation, King said things for men and women in sports aren't equal. Girls in high school sports today don't have the same opportunities as boys did in the 1970s, she said. |
| 'Set me up for life': Female college athletes stash NIL cash | |
| A figure sprints toward the camera along a walkway at an apartment complex, first in real time, then in slow motion before going back to real time. The woman is dressed in a tracksuit, she's fast and the spoken word-song playing over the video says "it's me against me." More than 20,000 people have viewed this Eastbay-sponsored TikTok post on Kentucky sprinter and hurdler Masai Russell's account, and 2,000-plus engaged with it. It's just one of several name, image and likeness deals sending a good chunk of change in Russell's direction since July. She said she "loves the camera" and loves being able to "reap the benefits of what I love to do on a daily basis outside of track." Russell and a growing number of female college athletes are making a name for themselves on social media and cashing in under the NCAA's interim policy covering athlete compensation by serving up a range of looks: serious business on the court, laid-back casual at home, approachably confident, slinky, sexy coed. Whether their self-run social media profiles are more wholesome or risque, they're embracing the power of their image, hoping it brings attention not just to their sport and themselves but also financial independence after college. "We can't play forever and we have to have something to fall back on. The ball stops bouncing at some point," North Carolina sophomore basketball player Deja Kelly told The Associated Press. She said she has six NIL deals, including Dunkin' Donuts, Outback Steakhouse and a couple yet to be announced, and some of the deals have equity partnership. |
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