Wednesday, March 16, 2022   
 
Mississippi State students redesign car for maximum fuel efficiency amid gas crisis
While rising gas prices have drivers searching for new ways to save on fuel, a team of students at Mississippi State spent the last four years designing a safer, more fuel-efficient car. "It's a mild hybrid, not a plug-in hybrid," says MSU associate professor Dr. Randy Follett. "All of the charging of the battery pack occurs from driving it and regenerative braking and the electric propulsion components are really there to enhance acceleration when needed, but also to recover energy where possible." Dr. Follett oversees State's EcoCAR Mobility Challenge team, made up of close to 60 students across 15 majors, tasked with using advanced propulsion systems and vehicle automation to improve the performance of a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer. "The system that we went with is a vehicle architecture where we have the gasoline engine that drives the front wheels and the electric motor in the back that drives the rear wheels," says propulsion and modeling leader Jagdeo Singh. MSU is competing against 11 other schools in the latest of a series of Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions organized by the U.S. Department of Energy. "It all plays together with the autonomous vehicle systems that they've had to create," Dr. Follett says. "As well as talking with smart infrastructure in order to give additional opportunities for recovering energy." As gas prices continue to head toward record highs, the team says it's a real-world reminder of how vital their work is. "It does make me feel proud of what I'm doing," Singh says. "It justifies all the late nights that we spent working on the car."
 
Aldermen approve burial rights policy for cemeteries
Aldermen on Tuesday adopted a cemetery and burial rights policy as a way to manage and upkeep city-owned cemeteries. A generally unknown aspect of a city, Mayor Lynn Spruill said, is maintaining its cemeteries. The city owns and operates both Odd Fellows Cemeteries on University and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. drives and has also taken authority over Brush Arbor Cemetery. It accepted this responsibility after the development of the cemeteries. While state law lays out the proper steps for acquiring a burial deed, Spruill said she wanted to create a policy for the city to follow, establishing management and a record-keeping process. "We do need to do something affirmative about it because we are continuing to get requests and issues associated with it, so we need to have a policy of some kind," Spruill said. Spruill said she believes the city needs to take record of all transactions regarding burial plots and deeds moving forward because the city currently does not know who owns some deeds or headstones. Because the cemeteries are more than 75 years old and have deteriorating conditions for headstones and demarcations, the city will take certain measures for any future sales, deed transfers and abandonment of plots.
 
Doctor: 'Stealth Omicron' could impact Mississippi in two weeks
Just as several cities and departments in Mississippi drop some of the last COVID-19 mandates and restrictions, a new variant is on the rise across the pond. Across the Magnolia State, the number of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and COVID-19 deaths continue to drop. And in response, cities like Jackson dropped their remaining restrictions and mandates. But is it too soon? "We're seeing a couple of very irritating things going on right now, just as we are opening things up and removing restrictions, which are appropriate as these numbers go down," Medical Director of Infectious Disease for Baptist Medical Health Care, Dr. Stephen Threlkeld, said. That irritation is the BA. 2 variant, also known at "Stealth Omicron," which has caused the positivity rate in the U.K. and Europe to increase by 50% over the last 7 days with hospitalizations increasing too. Threlkeld said that trend could be duplicated here in Mississippi in about 2 weeks. "It makes us very nervous that we could be seeing that sort of thing, particularly when you show that the British experience has been pretty good at predicting our experience a few weeks afterward," Threlkeld said. The CDC reports the BA. 2 variant has been circulating the U.S. since February. However, Threlkeld said the severity of the variant could change and become more unpredictable. "It comes down right now to what variants are on the horizon. We hope that it will sort of morph into a less and less severe disease," Threlkeld said. According to the World Health Organization, people who contracted Omicron and/or are fully vaccinated, have some protection against the BA. 2 variant.
 
ERDC begins testing with world's largest heavy vehicle simulator
The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) completed assembly on the world's largest heavy vehicle simulator (HVS), the "Titan," at the end of January. The HVS is a critical research tool used to evaluate new materials, design methods and construction techniques that can help optimize new infrastructure facilities. "The Titan is the world's largest HVS and has the unique capacity to simulate ground vehicles, aircraft and rail traffic up to 120,000 pounds," said ERDC Director Dr. David Pittman, who also serves as chief scientist and director of research and development for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "It was developed in partnership with Dynatest. This new capability expands ERDC's ability to support a wide range of unique military vehicles to help develop better transportation infrastructure solutions." In order to meet the demands of maintaining an aging infrastructure and developing new design requirements for modern military vehicles, DOD and civilian engineers must take advantage of new materials and methods for infrastructure design and construction that allows them to maximize the impact of limited funding. "ERDC's expanded capability to test and prove better transportation infrastructure techniques will benefit not only our national security, but also states and cities as they ramp up upgrades to highways, bridges, and airports," U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith said. "I have every confidence in the Army Corps researchers in Mississippi who will put this new heavy-duty simulator to work."
 
MDAC and MDMR manage $1.6 million grant to support seafood processors, facilities and vessels
The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) will manage a $1,606,446 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support seafood processors, processing facilities and processing vessels through the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program. The program is funded by the Pandemic Assistance that was part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. This will help in defraying the expenses of preparing, preventing and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic for seafood processing facilities and vessels. MDMR and MDAC will distribute the funds with the assistance of a consulting firm. There will be an application process in which payments will be distributed between January 27, 2020 to December 31, 2021. The MDMR and MDAC will determine funding amounts based on their local conditions and industry needs. Each facility or vessel must apply for funding separately and processors can only apply once for each location or vessel. Funds will be distributed based on eligibility and availability. The application period is not yet open. Once available, program details and eligibility requirements will be posted on the MDMR website at www.dmr.ms.gov.
 
Chicken, turkey farmers struggle to keep birds safe from flu
Nearly 7 million chickens and turkeys in 13 states have been killed this year due to avian influenza, prompting officials and farmers to acknowledge that, despite their best efforts, stopping the disease from infecting poultry is incredibly difficult. Spread of the disease is largely blamed on the droppings of wild birds, such as ducks and geese, which often show no signs of illness. But studies suggest the virus can be tracked into secure chicken and turkey barns on equipment, workers, mice, small birds, and even dust particles. Infected wild birds have been found in at least 21 states, and the virus has been circulating in migrating waterfowl in Europe and Asia for nearly a year. State and federal officials remain hopeful that the disease won't spread as extensively as during an outbreak in 2015 that resulted in the deaths of about 50 millions chickens and turkeys, causing egg and meat prices to soar. Bird flu hit more than 200 farms in 15 states, costing the federal government about $1 billion and the poultry industry an estimated $3 billion. Still, without certainty about how to stop the disease this time, officials can't be sure it will peter out on its own. Food prices already are elevated due to inflation and supply chain problems, and if the bird flu outbreak expands to enough farms, chicken, turkey and egg prices could surge even higher. "We're not seeing a massive outbreak on a large scale, so I think it's too soon to be concerned about food impact or pricing impact at this point, but you have to acknowledge that can be an issue over time," Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said.
 
Oil prices are dropping, but gas is still expensive. Why?
Filling up your tank isn't cheap right now. Just last week, a barrel of crude topped $130. Since then, the price has dipped below $100, falling off a cliff (to use the technical term) and into correction territory. Meanwhile, at the gas pump, average prices have fallen from $4.33 a gallon to -- wait for it -- $4.32. That's right, a whopping difference of a penny. So what gives? That might change -- and soon -- as oil prices keep falling, according to Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at OPIS. "We're seeing prices just cascade lower. I mean, it's happening at a breathtaking speed." The price drop and its pace are due in part to recent COVID-19 restrictions in China, Kloza said. "They are the fastest-growing consumer of refined products and crude in the world." After Russia's invasion of Ukraine last month, uncertainty ruled the oil markets, per Clark Williams-Derry, energy finance analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Traders now have more clarity about the West's approach to Russia, and that's helped drive oil prices lower, Williams-Derry added. Seeing that reflected as cheaper gas will take time, though, said Kelly Sanders, an associate professor at the University of Southern California. "The gasoline that we pump today actually reflects the price of crude that refineries purchased weeks ago."
 
Stocks Open Higher Ahead of Anticipated Fed Rate Rise
U.S. stocks gained in early trading and bond yields rose ahead of an expected interest-rate increase from the Federal Reserve, and technology stocks led a blistering rebound in Chinese markets after supportive comments from Beijing policy makers. The S&P 500 opened 1% higher Wednesday, building on Tuesday's gains. The tech-focused Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 1.4% the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.9%, or 321 points. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has said he would propose a quarter-percentage-point rate increase -- which would be the first rise since 2018 -- at the central bank's meeting Wednesday as officials look to cool demand and control inflation. The central bank is navigating an unusually complicated environment of a tight labor market, supply disruptions, spiraling inflation, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Covid-19 lockdowns in China -- the latter two of which are likely to compound inflationary and supply-chain issues. Chinese officials said they would "coordinate pandemic prevention and control and economic development, keep the economy operating within a reasonable range and keep the capital market running smoothly," according to a report on Wednesday by Xinhua, China's state news agency. This helped soothe some fears over an economic slowdown in China that would also sap growth globally. Oil prices were muted as investors weighed whether lockdowns in some Chinese cities will sap demand for energy even as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has bolstered concerns of supply disruptions.
 
Mississippi House passes legislation to recalibrate, grow K-12 career pathways
On Tuesday, the Mississippi House of Representatives unanimously concurred on the Comprehensive Career and Technical Education Reform Act (HB 1388). Authored by House Speaker Philip Gunn, the legislation takes a sweeping approach to improving career pathways in the K-12 education system. The legislation strives to improve and align career pathways by expanding a successful career coach model, aligning career and and technical education (CTE) courses across different levels of education, and through the development of a single prioritized list of industry certifications. The legislation would also require Accelerate Mississippi, the state's newly created office for workforce strategy and deployment, to lead a comprehensive return on investment analysis of all CTE programs across the state to ensure improvement of high-demand, high-skill and high-wage career pathways. "House Bill 1388 has the potential to align and promote quality career pathways in our K-12 schools as well as our post-secondary institutions better than any legislation in Mississippi's history," said Ryan Miller, Executive Director of Accelerate Mississippi. "I'm thankful to leadership in both the House and the Senate for their collaborative work to craft and pass a bill with the maximum possible impact for the future of our children." HB 1388 now heads to Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves' desk for his signature. When enacted, the bill will take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2022.
 
House, Senate pursue separate tracks on Mississippi tax cuts
The Mississippi House and Senate are pushing forward with separate tax cut proposals, and leaders will hold final negotiations later this month. Speaker Philip Gunn said Tuesday he remains firm in wanting to phase out the income tax over several years. "It is a good thing to let citizens keep more of their hard-earned money," Gunn said at a gathering in the Capitol rotunda. Other Republicans -- and a lone Democrat, Rep. Tom Miles of Forest -- stood behind Gunn as he spoke. The Senate on Tuesday passed its latest proposal to reduce the income tax but not eliminate it. The Senate plan would leave a top income tax rate of 4.6%, down from the current 5%. "I think this is a measured approach," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Josh Harkins, a Republican from Brandon. The Senate plan also has a six-month suspension of state's 18.4-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax. Republican Lt. Gov. Hosemann said the state would pull $215 million from a capital expense fund and give it to the state Department of Transportation to make up for the temporary loss of gas tax revenue. Several states are trying to suspend gas taxes as prices rise. Democratic Sen. Hob Bryan said Tuesday that Mississippi should invest in schools, roads, water and sewer systems and other projects that will improve the quality of life. "I disagree with the notion that we need a tax cut at all," Bryan said.
 
House, Senate revise tax cut plans as legislative brawl rages on
The rancorous battle between the Capitol's two legislative bodies ramped up on Monday after the House and the Senate both decided to overhaul their initial tax cut plans to make them more agreeable to the other chamber. The House and Senate on Monday both begrudgingly moved closer to the middle of each other's position to offer some compromises on cutting state taxes. But the two chambers are still miles apart on reaching a final agreement. The Senate expanded its tax cut proposals to an overall larger plan of around $439 million. The House scaled some provisions of its plan back and is now opting not to raise the sales tax -- a core component of their original version. "We realize that the House and the Senate have come to a stalemate," House Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, said. "They have their plan. We have ours. But we've tried to address their concerns." While lawmakers of either chamber have been privately grumbling over their counterparts' reluctance to budge, the grumblings have in recent days turned into public disappointment. "At many points in time throughout this session, we've gotten nothing but snarky comments and snippets from some senators, so I have been disappointed that some senators have failed to take this effort seriously," Lamar said. "And when I say this effort, I'm talking about failing to take the income tax elimination seriously."
 
Mississippi House lawmakers discuss changes made to income tax plan
Mississippi's House of Representatives have shifted their tax relief plans in an effort to find common ground with the Senate, but some lawmakers are concerned about the concessions being made. The House tax plan has been touted as the only solution to eliminating the income tax in Mississippi, and the original bill would have raised sales taxes to accommodate for losses in other revenue streams. But with deadlines approaching, Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar said they have amended their plan to satisfy Senate demands. He says the plan will no longer raise sales tax, and will begin the process of gradually phasing out the income tax. "It's going to take some time. The initial cut as I said in this bill is $25,000 and $50,000 for a married couple, and then it will be brought down over a period of years. It could happen as early as 8-10 years, possibly up to 14-15 years just depending on how the economy grows. We take a portion of growth going forward and we use that to cut the income tax." The House's initial plan would have also lowered other taxes such as state car tag fees and grocery taxes. These issues were raised by House Minority Leader Robert Johnson to benefit low-income residents. But he says many of these points were either taken out of the bill or reduced to make up for lost revenue without raising the sales tax. "They've created just a blanket tax cut with this new amendment that essential just creates a $700,000,000 hole that we have to fill every year," says Rep. Johnson. "So we can't support a plan like that. And also, when you do a desperate amendment, you end up with something that hasn't been studied and hasn't been proven out by any experts so that just doesn't give us any confidence."
 
Philip Gunn and Delbert Hosemann remain at an impasse on tax cuts
The Mississippi Senate passed a new tax cut bill Tuesday, the day after the House passed its newest version of a bill to eliminate the state income tax. Both Republican-led chambers billed their changes this week as compromise. But the two are not openly negotiating and appear to mainly be communicating through press conferences hyping their own plans and criticizing the other's and sending dueling bills back and forth. The two chambers remain far apart on tax cuts as the 2022 legislative session enters its final three weeks. The impasse threatens to hinder setting a budget, spending billions of federal pandemic stimulus and other work. It also raises the specter of an extended or special session into the summer. Republican Speaker Philip Gunn and his House leadership are set on eliminating, not just cutting, personal income taxes. But Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and his Senate leadership believe that's too risky and propose smaller tax cuts, rebates and suspension instead. House leaders say the Senate plan is a half measure. Senate leaders say the House is being foolhardy trying to eliminate one-third of state revenue during uncertain economic times. After a public speech at the Capitol on Tuesday, Gunn -- flanked by dozens of House members -- called for Hosemann and Senate leaders to "get into a room and talk with us about this" to come up with a deal. But Gunn also made clear he's dug-in on "elimination of the income tax, without further legislative action required, and as quickly as possible."
 
Chambers disagree over state's role in wine and spirits distribution
The Mississippi House did a little bit of rewriting of its own last week in a battle over whether to end the state's monopoly on wholesale distribution of wine and spirits or build a new warehouse. The House of Representatives passed a rewritten bill that would get the state out of the wine and spirits distribution business, while the Senate passed a rewritten bill that would appropriate $55 million via bonds to build a new warehouse. After the Senate rewrote and passed its version of House Bill 512, the House rewrote Senate Bill 2844 to resemble what they initially passed. The bill, which was amended with what is known as a strike-all, passed the Senate by a 46-5 margin on March 8 and has been returned to the House for concurrence. The House will likely invite conference on the bill rather than agree to the changes. The House approved its rewritten version of SB 2844 by an overwhelming 115-1 margin on March 8 and it sent it over to the Senate for an unlikely concurrence. It is likely that one of the bills will die and the other will become the vehicle for a possible compromise. The bill was rewritten in the House Ways and Means Committee by committee chair and state Rep. Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia. He authored the original version of HB 512.
 
Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund still a possibility this session
Both the Mississippi House of Representatives and the Senate have overwhelmingly approved legislation that will create a much-needed conservation program, the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund. However, there remain significant differences in both bills at this time. House Bill 606 and Senate Bill 2495 aim to establish the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund, a program that should attract tens of millions in federal matching dollars for Mississippi conservation efforts. Mississippi doesn't currently have a program to receive this funding, depriving citizens of millions in additional investment in the state each year. The bill's sponsors believe that long-term conservation investments will in turn create a significant number of Mississippi jobs. Mississippi communities, counties, municipalities, state agencies, and charitable conservation organizations can participate in project proposals. Eligible projects would provide clean drinking water for surrounding communities, improve access to public lands, provide outdoor recreation opportunities and programs that restore and enhance wildlife habitat. The legislation does not call for any tax increase. HB 606, as passed by the House, diverts tax dollars from existing sporting goods sales tax to fund the conservation program, ensuring the taxpayers bear no additional cost. The original Senate bill creates the fund, however, at this time there is no actual money dedicated to the fund by the Senate. The question remains how much money will be appropriated by the Senate to the fund in their version.
 
House speaker not budging on Medicaid extension for new moms
Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn says he opposes efforts to revive a proposal that would let mothers keep Medicaid coverage for a year after giving birth. "My position on the postpartum thing has not changed," Gunn, a Republican, told reporters Tuesday at the Capitol. Mississippi allows two months of Medicaid coverage for women after they give birth. Advocates for low-income women say expanding the government insurance coverage up to a year could improve health outcomes in a state with a high rate of maternal mortality. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 46-5 on Feb. 2 to pass Senate Bill 2033 to authorize a year of postpartum coverage. The bill passed the House Medicaid Committee on March 1 but died last week when Gunn and House Medicaid Committee Chairman Joey Hood chose not to bring it up for a vote before a deadline. Republican. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Monday that he wants to revive an effort to extend postpartum coverage, calling it "a good-faith effort to keep our babies healthy and our mothers healthy." About 60% of births in Mississippi in 2020 were financed by Medicaid, according to Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization that tracks health statistics. Only Louisiana had a higher rate, at 61%. The Mississippi State Department of Health issued a report in April 2019 about maternal mortality in the state from 2013 to 2016. A committee of physicians, nurses and others examined deaths that occurred during pregnancy or up to one year of the end of pregnancy, and it recommended expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage to a full year.
 
Doctors asked Speaker Philip Gunn to extend health coverage for moms and babies. Then he blocked it
After Speaker of the House Philip Gunn killed a Senate bill last week that would have extended postpartum Medicaid coverage for thousands of Mississippi mothers, he claimed he had not seen data or been part of discussions showing that the extension would save lives. But five of the state's major medical associations penned a letter to Gunn in February that laid out the relevant data and directly stated extending the program would save mothers' lives. The letter to Gunn and other members of the House detailed how extended coverage would reduce the state's high maternal mortality rate and save the state money by reducing premature births. "Postpartum coverage also lowers the risk of pregnancy-related deaths," the letter stated. "37% of these deaths occur (more than) six weeks after delivery, when these moms would traditionally have lost their healthcare coverage. Extending coverage to moms for 12 months would save many mother and baby lives." If postpartum Medicaid coverage is not extended, it would affect thousands of Mississippi mothers and their children. About 60% of mothers who give birth in Mississippi are covered by Medicaid. Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann is attempting to revive the extension via two other bills or through the appropriations process. A visibly frustrated Hosemann condemned Gunn in a Monday press conference for killing the bill and said he would work to convince the speaker to change his mind before the legislative session ends on April 1. Hosemann plans to appeal to Gunn's faith, he told reporters in his Capitol office on Monday. "Sometimes we get into the heat of legislation, and we forget where we came from," Hosemann said. "I'd like to appeal back to his (Gunn's) Christian values that we need to take care of these kids in addition to helping moms out."
 
Through legislative maneuvers, felony suffrage bill still alive at Capitol
A proposal that would clarify how some formerly convicted felons have their voting rights restored is hanging on by a thread in the Mississippi Legislature. House Bill 630, which would have allowed former felons who have had their crimes expunged to automatically gain their voting rights back, died in committee last week. But House Judiciary B Chairman Nick Bain, R-Corinth, slipped the felony expungement provision into an unrelated bill -- Senate Bill 2066. The original intent of that bill was to increase the salaries of district attorneys in the state. "They (district attorneys) are not too happy about it," Bain said. "But none of them have said they disagree with the bill." The impetus for the felony expungement bill is to clarify some confusion in the state about how a person who has had crimes deleted from their criminal records can register to vote again. Under the Mississippi Constitution, people convicted of any of 10 felonies -- including perjury, arson and bigamy -- lose their voting privileges for life. A 2009 opinion from the Mississippi Attorney General's Office expanded the list of disqualifying felonies to 22. The most common way for someone to have their suffrage restored is for a lawmaker to introduce a bill on their behalf, and then two-thirds of lawmakers in both legislative chambers must agree to it. Mississippi is the only state in the nation that typically requires legislative action to regain the right to vote.
 
Watchdog group again sues mental health agency
A watchdog group tasked with overseeing the state's psychiatric facilities is suing the Department of Mental Health for withholding information -- again. Disability Rights Mississippi, a nonprofit organization that advocates for Mississippians with disabilities, filed its second lawsuit this year against the state Department of Mental Health (DMH) after the agency denied records requests related to an investigation of the treatment of individuals with mental illness in the forensic unit of Mississippi State Hospital. The investigation was partially inspired by Raffell Franklin who was charged with first-degree murder in April 2017. Franklin has been in the Jasper County Jail for three years despite being found incompetent to stand trial by doctors at the Mississippi State Hospital in 2019. DRMS initiated an investigation into the treatment of Franklin after receiving a call from Franklin's family and other civil rights organizations. After receiving Franklin's medical records, the advocacy group sought to investigate how patients similar to Franklin are treated in the state hospital's forensic unit. The unit serves patients who have been diverted from correctional settings, typically due to a mental illness that renders them unfit for trial. "Ensuring people with disabilities are protected from abuse and neglect is our mission, always," Polly Tribble, executive director of Disability Rights Mississippi, said in a press release. "We would hope that would be DMH's same goal. Why they have chosen, yet again, to deny vulnerable Mississippians access to meaningful and effective protection and advocacy remains a mystery."
 
Senate approves bill to make daylight saving time permanent
The Senate unanimously approved a measure Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent across the United States next year. The bipartisan bill, named the Sunshine Protection Act, would ensure Americans would no longer have to change their clocks twice a year. But the bill still needs approval from the House, and the signature of President Joe Biden, to become law. "No more switching clocks, more daylight hours to spend outside after school and after work, and more smiles -- that is what we get with permanent Daylight Saving Time," Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the original cosponsor of the legislation, said in a statement. Markey was joined on the chamber floor by senators from both parties as they made the case for how making daylight saving time permanent would have positive effects on public health and the economy and even cut energy consumption. Members of Congress have long been interested in the potential benefits and costs of daylight saving time since it was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. The proposal will now go to the House, where the Energy and Commerce Committee had a hearing to discuss possible legislation last week. Rep. Frank Pallone, the chairman of the committee, agreed in his opening statement at the hearing that it is "time we stop changing our clocks." But he said he was undecided about whether daylight saving time or standard time is the way to go.
 
White House to withdraw key agricultural trade nominee
The White House is set to pull a key agricultural trade nomination, and instead appoint her in a non-Senate confirmed post in the administration, according to a senior administration official. Lawmakers have been told there were "paperwork issues" with Elaine Trevino's nomination to be chief agricultural negotiator at the U.S. Trade Representative, which has been stalled for the past six months. The Agriculture Department is now considering placing the former CEO of the Almond Alliance of California in a senior position at the department, according to the person. The withdrawal of Trevino's nomination, however, will prolong the vacancy in a key role at USTR at a time when agricultural trade and rising food prices have attracted global interest. Russia's war in Ukraine has triggered foreign export controls on grain and prompted rising concern about food supplies around the world. Agricultural negotiations are also a major component of the Biden administration's proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. And at home, farm groups want USTR to make sure that China, Canada, Mexico and other countries are honoring previous commitments they made to open their markets to U.S. farm goods. Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley earlier on Tuesday blasted the "lackadaisical approach that this administration has taken to trade and particularly without enough emphasis upon agriculture." Another key agricultural trade position -- the trade undersecretary at USDA -- has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since Biden took office.
 
In the game of earmarks, Shelby has no peers
As one longtime congressional staffer told us years ago: Sen. Richard C. Shelby "usually gets what he wants." Now, as appropriations earmarks have returned after a dozen years' hiatus, the retiring Alabama senator has delivered once more for his state -- with over a half-billion dollars' worth of "congressionally directed spending" in the $1.5 trillion fiscal 2022 omnibus bill that President Joe Biden signed Tuesday. Shelby, the top Republican on Senate Appropriations, blew away the rest of the field by securing more than $548 million in home-state projects in this year's spending bills -- not counting $3 million for which he shared credit with Rep. Jerry Carl, R-Ala. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., another senior appropriator, was No. 2 overall, with about $334 million worth of solo requests that made it into the package, a CQ Roll Call analysis found. Senate Labor-HHS-Education ranking member Roy Blunt, R-Mo., came in third at $265 million; $181 million was in his own subcommittee bill. In all, Blunt --- who, like Shelby, is retiring after this Congress -- accounted for about 10 percent of total dollars earmarked in the Labor-HHS-Education bill. The truly eye-popping numbers belong to Shelby, who's clearly looking to cement his legacy before leaving Congress. Shelby's solo requests alone account for 6 percent of total earmarks in the fiscal 2022 omnibus.
 
Zelenskyy implores Biden to 'be the leader of peace' in address to Congress
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, drawing parallels to horrific moments in American history to explain his country's plight, called on the U.S. to ramp up its aid to Ukraine in a virtual address to Congress on Wednesday, three weeks into his nation's fierce struggle to repel invading Russian troops. "Right now, the destiny of our country is being decided, the destiny of our people," said Zelenskyy, who drew a standing ovation from Congress at the start of his speech from Kyiv. "Whether Ukrainians will be free, whether they will be able to save their democracy." In English at the end of his speech, he addressed President Joe Biden directly: "President Biden, you are the leader of your great nation. I wish you to be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace." He added, "I call on you to do more." Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Zelenskyy's address to Congress differed from his past remarks in that it was "not a more desperate ask, but a more resolved ask." "Zelenskyy was very firm, very clear in what he needed," Murkowski said. "And if his words were not enough, if you did not look at that video and feel that there is an obligation for not only the United States, but for countries of the world to come together in support for Ukraine, you had your eyes closed."
 
Zelenskyy recalls Pearl Harbor, 9/11 in emotional plea for U.S. aid
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday invoked historically potent attacks on the U.S. at Pearl Harbor and on Sept. 11, 2001, pleading with Congress for additional military aid as his nation fights to repel a Russian invasion. "Ladies and gentlemen, friends, Americans, in your great history, you have pages that allow you to understand Ukrainians now," Zelenskyy, who spoke for most of his remarks through a translator, told U.S. lawmakers. "Remember Pearl Harbor, the terrible morning of December 7, 1941, when your sky was black from the planes attacking you. Remember Sept. 11, a terrible day in 2001 when evil tried to turn your cities independent territories into battlefield." "Our country experiences the same every day, right now, at this moment, every night for three weeks now." Zelenskyy spoke remotely via a video feed and told U.S. lawmakers that he was addressing them from Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital city that has for weeks been the target of Russian military strikes. Members of the House and Senate gathered together to hear Zelenskyy, who personally requested the opportunity to address them, in the Capitol Visitor Center's congressional auditorium. His address touched all corners of Congress. Senate Chaplain Barry Black opened the day's legislating with this prayer: "We trust you to deliver to the Ukrainian people. Save them from those who shoot from the shadows."
 
NATO ministers discuss boosting Ukraine -- and avoiding a wider war
NATO defense ministers gathered in Brussels on Wednesday ahead of a summit next week to discuss ways of helping Ukraine and deterring Russian aggression without getting drawn into a wider conflict. Also attending the gathering are the defense ministers of non-NATO countries Finland, Sweden, Georgia and Ukraine as well as a representative of the European Union, a reminder that Russia's assault on Ukraine has served to reinvigorate and rally Western support for the nearly 73-year old alliance. Over the past two months, the 30-member alliance has sent thousands of extra troops to its eastern flank and activated NATO's Response Force for the first time. Its members have also sent tons of ammunition and weaponry into Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted Wednesday as he arrived at the meeting that there are hundreds of thousands of forces on heightened alert across the alliance, including 100,000 U.S. troops in Europe and about 40,000 troops under direct NATO command, mostly in the eastern part of the alliance. "NATO has a responsibility to ensure that this crisis does not escalate beyond Ukraine," he said. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized the United States' "ironclad" commitment to NATO's Article 5, which requires members to go to the defense of any member that comes under attack. NATO and U.S. officials have repeatedly stressed that NATO is a defensive alliance, that it is not at war with Russia, and that it will not fight in Ukraine. They have also vowed to defend "every inch" of NATO territory.
 
Richard Hansen resigns from faculty, no longer employed by Auburn University
Richard Hansen, the former dean of Auburn's college of pharmacy who was found by Auburn University's Title IX Office to have sexually harassed a student in spring 2021, is no longer employed by Auburn University, a University administrator said. Jennifer Adams, the University's executive director of public affairs, told The Plainsman in an email Tuesday afternoon that Hansen resigned from his position as a faculty member earlier on Tuesday. "Richard Hansen will not be teaching at Auburn," Adams said in the email. "He resigned today from his position as an Auburn faculty member. He is no longer employed by the university." Hansen resigned from his position as dean on Feb. 18, one day after The Plainsman reported that Title IX documents showed that Hansen had sexually harassed a student. While no longer dean, he remained as a tenured professor with the University until resigning from that position. Auburn's faculty handbook does little to address what happens when a tenured professor resigns from their position. The Plainsman has reached out to University administration for more details surrounding Hansen's resignation and will update this story as more information is made available.
 
Alabama House committee approves bill banning 'divisive concepts' in history teaching
An Alabama House committee Tuesday approved a bill banning the teaching of "divisive" topics in history, a move that critics said would inhibit the teaching of the subject and make it harder to develop critical thinking skills among students. The House State Government Committee approved HB 312, which had been before the committee twice before, on a voice vote in a meeting that took about 45 seconds. The swift approval of the bill, sponsored by Rep. Ed Oliver, R-Dadeville, drew condemnation from Democrats on the committee, who said they planned to propose amending the legislation. "This bill will have a lasting impact on a lot of individuals in the state of Alabama, specifically, people of color, so we definitely want to sure this bill gets vetted a little bit more and then we have further discussion on the floor," said Rep. Kelvin Lawrence, D-Hayneville. The bill would ban teachers from forcing students to "adopt or believe" a list of "divisive concepts." Instructors at higher education institutions would be able to teach the list of concepts, provided they present them "in an objective manner and without endorsement." The bill would allow school boards and institutions of higher education to fire teachers who violate the act. The bill moves to the House. A similar bill is moving through the Senate.
 
UT Austin must pay professor $3M in sex-discrimination case
The University of Texas at Austin must pay an engineering professor denied tenure $3 million, because it would have promoted her in 2019 if she hadn't been a woman, and pregnant, a federal jury in Texas decided. The assistant professor, Evdokia Nikolova, was awarded $1 million for past pain and suffering in the gender- and pregnancy-discrimination case and $2 million in future damages, plus $50,000 in back pay and benefits. Nikolova is still employed by UT Austin as an assistant professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering. Her lawyer, Bob Schmidt, declined to say whether she's still seeking tenure, citing the university's right to appeal the verdict. Awarding Nikolova tenure was beyond the jury's purview, he said. Above all, Schmidt said he hopes the jury's decision restores Nikolova's reputation as a scholar after it was so damaged by the illegal tenure denial. "The jury heard five days of compelling evidence from lots of witnesses, looked at hundreds of exhibits and documents," he said. "But the No. 1 thing is how qualified Dr. Nikolova was, and how clearly she met the standards for tenure at UT." UT Austin, which has consistently denied that its treatment of Nikolova was unfair, said in a statement that it stands by the arguments it made in court. Yet it also said that it will "continue to examine ways to improve our processes and will implement any required steps to comply with the verdict." No additional information was immediately available.
 
Mun Choi commits to $500 million in U. of Missouri faculty salary increases
Mun Choi in his "State of the University" talk on Tuesday in Jesse Auditorium committed to $500 million in faculty salary increases over five years. The University of Missouri System president and flagship campus chancellor referred to them as "performance-based" salary increases. "We need a long-term sustained plan" for faculty salary increases, Choi said. There were several initiatives included in Choi's wide-ranging speech to the crowd of more than 700 that included faculty, students and community members. The talk served as his introduction of the $1.5 billion MizzouForward investment strategy to the wider community beyond the campus. "It is our blueprint to transform the institution into the future," Choi said of MizzouForward. The plan includes $550 million to hire new tenured and tenure-track faculty. In explaining faculty support for national honors and awards, Choi said the program will identify faculty members with high award potential and train them to pursue the awards. He promoted the Provost Programs of Excellence to encourage publication of more books by faculty members and more mid-career research development. Improving MU's standing among American Association of Universities institutions is a focus of the strategy, he said.
 
Public research universities adopted high-tuition, high-aid model, study finds
Even as research-oriented public colleges raised tuition rates in recent years, low-income students enrolled at those institutions paid less to attend, a new working paper finds. This suggests public research universities provided more financial aid to students as they increased their sticker prices. However, this high-tuition, high-aid price model only broadly benefits those from the lowest income brackets if research-minded public colleges enroll more disadvantaged students, according to the working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Low-income students remain "relatively underrepresented" at top public research universities, though the share attending these institutions rises modestly with tuition increases, the paper says. Historically, public colleges were more affordable than private nonprofit colleges no matter a student's wealth, as states subsidized these institutions and kept tuition rates down. However, public institutions' funding streams have changed, notes the NBER paper, which was written by Emily Cook, economics professor at Tulane University, in New Orleans, and Sarah Turner, economics professor at the University of Virginia. The paper has been peer reviewed and is forthcoming in the journal Economics of Education Review, according to Turner.
 
Animal care panel sues own university, fearing harassment from animal rights activists
In an unprecedented move, members of a confidential group that oversees animal research at the University of Washington (UW) have sued their own school to block the release of their names to an animal rights organization. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has been trying to obtain this information for more than a year, charging that the makeup of the university's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) violates federal law. But the committee's members -- citing an uptick in animal rights activism at the school, including protests at the homes of individual scientists -- say they fear PETA and other animal rights organizations will use their names to target them. "Animal rights groups have created a climate of fear at the university," says the school's IACUC chair, Jane Sullivan, who spearheaded the lawsuit. "I'm a huge fan of openness and transparency, but not when it threatens the safety of the members of my committee." She and others fear PETA's move is the beginning of a nationwide effort: The advocacy group also wants to name IACUC members at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst. In addition to staging on-campus demonstrations at UW -- whose animal use program is among the largest in the country -- PETA supporters have recently protested outside the homes of two officials affiliated with the school's primate facility. Individuals wearing monkey masks held signs showing animals in cages and asking, "Do neighbors know you torture monkeys?" Sullivan says activists have left threatening emails and voice messages with university scientists and have compared IACUC members to Nazis during the committee's online meetings. "There is no question that the effect is to instill fear and terror," she says.
 
The U.S. just created a big new biomedical research agency. But questions remain
President Joe Biden last week got his wish for a new agency to fund high-risk, cutting-edge biomedical research when Congress created the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) and gave it a $1 billion startup investment. That's a fraction of the $6.5 billion Biden had proposed, but advocates say it's plenty to launch ARPA-H. The 2022 spending bill does not resolve, however, a debate over whether to make ARPA-H a standalone agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Instead, it gives HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra 30 days to decide. Biden proposed ARPA-H in 2021 as a biomedical version of the military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), famed for its nimbleness and for backing innovations like the internet. Like DARPA, ARPA-H is expected to hire program managers on short-term contracts who would have enormous freedom to solicit research ideas and swiftly fund them with milestone-driven contracts. Acting White House science adviser Francis Collins, who stepped down as NIH director in December 2021, yesterday told ScienceInsider that he favors placing ARPA-H within NIH (see below for more from the interview). That placement would allow the new entity to draw on NIH's "brain trust," he says, as well as the practical expertise needed to quickly stand up a new agency. But many groups have argued that ARPA-H needs to be an independent agency to break from NIH's risk-averse funding culture and attract innovative leaders. Congress is split on the issue.
 
What happens if Biden cancels student loans?
President Biden has renewed the pandemic-related pause on student loan payments three times during his presidency, as calls to issue blanket loan forgiveness grow louder. If it is determined the president has the authority to forgive some student loan debt, it is unclear how the government will pay for it and what could immediately happen to the economy. Biden said on the campaign trail and early in his presidency he was open to eliminating at least $10,000 in student debt per borrower. Since then, prominent lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), have been urging the president to act on and take his campaign promise further by canceling up to $50,000 of student debt per borrower. The administration is unsure whether Biden holds the legal authority to issue blanket student debt forgiveness and previously asked the Education Department to review whether the president can cancel payments. Advocates argue that today's payment freezes have set the legal basis to forgive loans with an executive order. An estimated 43 million people hold student loans, collectively totaling around 1.6 trillion, with the average borrower owing around $36,000. Lawmakers and debt advocates suggest loan forgiveness would immediately boost the economic outlook for millions, offering a path toward financial security -- especially for historically marginalized groups. But experts say that the money freed from debt won't immediately influence the economy and they question from a policy standpoint where the money to pay for student debt forgiveness might come from.
 
Sen. Patty Murray urges Biden administration to extend pause on student loan payments to 2023
With 41 million Americans set to resume student loan payments in May, the chairwoman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is imploring the Biden administration to extend the payment pause until at least 2023, giving the Education Department more time to fix the "broken" repayment system. "I've heard horror stories from so many people who are struggling with the system. It's not just an inconvenience, it's just not working," Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in an interview Tuesday with The Washington Post. "We need to extend the pause and ... make sure when payments resume, borrowers get a fresh start." Murray's request comes as the Biden administration is signaling another extension. In an appearance on the podcast "Pod Save America" in early March, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said President Biden would decide whether to use his executive authority to cancel student debt "before the pause expires, or he'll extend the pause." Days later, the Education Department told student loan servicers who manage its portfolio to stand down on sending notices to borrowers about the May resumption, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The department has declined to comment on the guidance, which was first reported by Politico. Murray said she is pleased to see the administration considering another extension because there is plenty of work to do before payments resume. Chief on the list is to finalize a new income-driven repayment plan.
 
Veterans may be tricked into taking out unnecessary student loans for college, Biden administration warns
A recent federal review found a troubling trend: Veterans reported college advisers had led them to believe the government would cover the cost of their education, only to find out later that student loans would be necessary. So the U.S. Department of Education is warning the nation's colleges not to swindle American veterans, and it's inviting vets who have been deceived to come forward with their experience. The warning, issued Wednesday morning, marks one of the first public actions from a newly restarted enforcement unit within the Education Department. That office is meant to safeguard taxpayer money and ensure students get the education they pay for. Kristen Donoghue, the head of the recently restarted unit, said the bulletin could help prevent the predatory behaviors that may leave some with tens of thousands in debt, but also serves as a reminder that "there's a cop on the beat." Borrowers who feel they were misled into taking out loans should submit a complaint to the Federal Student Aid office. The return of the "enforcement unit" comes after former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos had deprioritized the office. Under DeVos, the government also rejected tens of thousands of people seeking financial relief and saying their colleges misled them. The Education Department was then the subject of a class-action lawsuit that remains ongoing. The Education Department's warning may not satisfy student advocates who have been pushing the government to do more to rein in the behavior of predatory institutions.
 
Regional public colleges help build economic resilience in their areas, study finds
Regional public colleges help insulate the counties they're located in from economic contractions, according to a recent study from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers. They primarily examined areas that suffered from manufacturing declines and found that those with regional public colleges were more resilient to economic shocks compared to those without such institutions. The academics hypothesized that regional colleges are financially steady because they receive regular state funding and demand for education is higher during economic downturns. Regional colleges are roughly defined as public four-year institutions without a state flagship or research designation. Some higher education experts say they have been overlooked in policy discussions, as they are not as prominent and enroll fewer students than their flagship counterparts. However, in many cases they cater to low-income or other marginalized students and serve as economic engines in their respective areas. The U of Illinois study also speaks to the need for new investment in regional public colleges, said one of its authors, economics professor Greg Howard. "There's an underappreciation for how important they are to these areas," Howard said.
 
Retrospective on state budget
Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: One very geeky thing I do is keep track of the Mississippi state budget from an historical perspective. I do this simply because I can find no other source for this important information. Over the years, I have been perfecting the spreadsheet you see below. It looks at the state budget, state GDP, inflation and population and tries to make sense of how government is growing in relation to our state economy. ...since 1990, real state GDP growth is double the growth in the total state budget. That means that even though the state budget is increasing rapidly, the private sector is growing at twice the rate of government, 226 percent versus 111 percent compared to 1990. From this perspective, state government is not keeping up with the private sector. As the overall state economy grows, you could argue that the state government should grow with it. As the private sector affords us faster computers, bigger houses and nicer cars then the public sector should, arguably, afford us better schools, better criminal justice systems and better public facilities. ... But that is not currently the case. Our teachers need to be paid the average of the surrounding states. They are not. Our prisons need to be run effectively with comprehensive rehabilitation services. Instead, they're run by gangs. Facilities at our state parks have deteriorated tremendously over the last 15 years. There are many public state needs that need to be addressed.
 
West Point's Harris family casts a long, impactful shadow in Mississippi journalism
Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: Third-generation Mississippi newspaper publisher William Henry (Billy) Harris, Jr., 70, died March 1 at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo. A chapter closes on a rather remarkable family's contribution to print journalism in this state with his passing. Billy was only seven years my senior, but he signed one of the first journalism paychecks I earned as a sportswriter for The Starkville Daily News in 1979. While I was a student at Mississippi State, that job introduced me to journalism, printing and the business side of newspapers. As a publisher, Billy was not given to anger or outbursts but was exceedingly level in temperament and martini-dry in his humor. He treated the staff fairly and well. Billy Harris was the son of William Henry Harris Sr. and the grandson of Edgar G. Harris. Grandfather Edgar Harris founded newspapers in both West Point and Laurel and Blytheville, Arkansas. Edgar was a past president of the Mississippi Press Association and later the MPA Hall of Fame. Billy's father, Henry Harris, took the reins of the family publishing business in 1953 when Edgar Harris died. Through then-modern printing technologies and other innovations and his work ethic, Henry built the family business to include publishing newspapers at both West Point and Starkville, and his West Point plant printed newspapers for Louisville, Houston, Macon, Eupora and Aberdeen, in addition to the West Point and Starkville daily newspapers. Henry Harris was a past president and Hall of Famer in the MPA. His brother, Sid Harris, was publisher of the weekly Houston Times-Post and a past president of MPA. Billy’s sister, Marie Harris Lambeth, also served as president of MPA.


SPORTS
 
Gameday: Five Things To Know MSU-Virginia
Mississippi State men's basketball team makes its fourth consecutive postseason appearance when end-of-season tournaments have been played as the Bulldogs travel to Virginia for Wednesday's NIT Round of 32 matchup at John Paul Jones Arena. The Bulldogs (18-15) have posted a 6-2 mark over their last two NIT appearances. State was the 2021 NIT Runner-Up and made the 2018 NIT Final Four under Ben Howland. A balanced scoring effort has been key to Mississippi State's success this season. The Bulldogs have posted a 11-2 mark when at least four players register 10-plus points. Virginia (19-13) ripped off victories in seven of its last 11 games since the calendar turned to February. The Cavaliers earned a road win over then No. 7 Duke and picked up a pair of victories over NCAA Tournament participant Miami during that span. Mississippi State has won two of the previous three meetings over the Cavaliers, the latest an 86-84 win during the 1988-89 season under Richard Williams. Greg Carter led five Bulldogs in double figures with 16 points. The winner of Wednesday's matchup advances to face North Texas or Texas State during the NIT Round of 16 over the weekend. Game date, tip time and television network assignment will be announced after the completion of all NIT Round of 32 games.
 
Fun To Keep Playing
There have been months of hard work. There have been many ups. There have been some downs. The end result of it all? Come Wednesday at 6 p.m., Mississippi State will be playing in a postseason basketball tournament for the fourth straight year in which tournaments have been held. The Bulldogs will take on Virginia in the NIT Round of 32. There's no getting around the fact this isn't the March dance MSU would prefer to be shaking a leg in. But what it is, is another opportunity to compete. For that, the Bulldogs are grateful. "I think it's fun to continue to play," State head coach Ben Howland said. "We've been going since June if you consider when we started this whole process 10 months ago or close to it. We've put a lot of work in. The kids have worked really hard." Now, the Bulldogs can reap the fruits of their labor by simply being afforded the chance to continue doing what they love. There's plenty to play for, too. Of course there's an NIT championship to aim for, but beyond that, there's more.
 
Women's Basketball: Sam Purcell brings experience, connections to Mississippi State
Mississippi State introduced new women's basketball coach Sam Purcell over the weekend, hoping to bring some stability to a program that has had very little of it over the past year. Purcell comes to Starkville from the University of Louisville, where he served as associate head coach under Jeff Walz. While interim head coach Doug Novak did well to steady the ship during the 2021-22 season, earning the favor of players and fans along the way, but the introduction of Purcell brings a coach who has carefully waited for this sort of opportunity while gathering a wealth of experience as a coach, recruiter and program-builder at the highest level. "The reason I was able to move up in this business is because I was with the right people," Purcell said at his introductory press conference, thanking those who have given him a chance along the way. In addition to 10 years with Walz, he coached under Auburn's Joe Ciampi as a grad assistant and under Tulsa coach Charlene Tomas-Swinson and longtime Georgia Tech coach MaChelle Joseph. At Louisville, Purcell played an important role as an assistant and recruiter for a program that has reached four Elite Eights and a Final Four. The Cardinals have high hopes for this year's NCAA Tournament, going in as a No. 1 seed with a 25-4 record. Purcell's familiarity with Mississippi State started several years ago, when Louisville went up against Vic Schaefer's Bulldogs in the 2018 Final Four in Columbus, Ohio. "As a coach, you're trying to get your team right, and then to just feel that energy on the other side from Mississippi State was so impressive," Purcell said, "and when this opportunity came it was a no-brainer, because my heart is in the SEC, I'm an Auburn grad, obviously. So I had my coaching career and opportunities. I came here a long time ago, my family is from the South, so it just checked all the boxes, a no-brainer in all aspects of my life, not just basketball."
 
Jackson State football will be first HBCU to have spring game nationally televised
Jackson State football's spring game will be televised April 24 at 5 p.m. on ESPNU at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, JSU announced Tuesday. It will be the first time a historically black college and university will have a spring football game will be nationally televised. "Being the first HBCU to have our spring game nationally televised is a monumental leap in the right direction for Jackson State and all HBCUs. It's time that we're seen, heard, and recognized," Jackson State coach Deion Sanders said in a school release. There is no admission charge to the game, which will conclude spring practices. It will also be the first glimpse of Travis Hunter, the nation's No. 1 overall prospect, playing for Jackson State. The date for the start of spring practice has not been announced. Jackson State won its first SWAC football championship since 2007 last season. The Tigers also made their first appearance in the Celebration Bowl, the de facto HBCU national championship game that was established in 2015.
 
Case resolution against N.C. State is a window into what might be coming for LSU
Last December, the Independent Resolution Panel set a precedent when it levied sanctions against North Carolina State. Despite determining the men's basketball program committed five Level I violations, the punishments didn't include a postseason ban. "We specifically discussed whether or not we were going to impose a postseason ban," said chief panel member Dana Welch, according to ESPN, "and we basically determined that we didn't want to hurt or punish the student-athletes that are currently competing." The statement now hovers around LSU. After receiving a notice of allegations last week that resulted in the firing of coach Will Wade for cause, the school has moved one step closer to the final ruling in its infractions case, leaving everyone to wonder how the IRP will assess the alleged violations. The IRP, which will eventually conduct a hearing before issuing its decision, is a five-member panel within the Independent Accountability Resolution Process, a group created in 2019 to handle complex NCAA cases. The IRP hasn't ruled on other investigations into potential violations at LSU, Arizona, Kansas, Memphis or Louisville, so the ruling in N.C. State's case provides some of the only available clues. However, experts this week suspected LSU may receive harsher penalties than N.C. State because of the breadth of the allegations against Wade, the involvement of two major programs and the accusation of lack of institutional control over an eight-year period.
 
Williams: Texas A&M's absence from NCAA men's basketball tournament 'defies logic'
Texas A&M men's basketball coach Buzz Williams had been notably silent after Selection Sunday revealed no room for the Aggies in the NCAA tournament field. From the time he set foot back in Aggieland until A&M began its pregame routine for the National Invitation Tournament first-round matchup with Alcorn State, Williams crunched data and gathered his thoughts on the process by which the Aggies were excluded from the field of 68, he said. Sitting with his head lowered toward a piece of paper on the table in front of him, Williams delivered an eight-minute, emotion-filled statement after the Aggies' first NIT win on why it "defied logic" that A&M did not earn an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament. "Despite repeated pleas, I have only been given generalities by those above me, not data-specific evidence on why we weren't invited," Williams read. "Without logical reasoning behind the decision, while knowing I still must explain this to our guys and their families, it has caused me to loose all respect and faith in the system and those that are in it. What has transpired is wrong." Tears began to stream down Williams face when he spoke of guard Quenton Jackson, who returned to A&M for a third season by using his COVID-19 exemption. Jackson said his decision to return was based on the desire to complete "unfinished business" that equated to making the NCAA tournament.
 
A Year Later, Women's NCAA Tournament Has More Teams, More Sponsors and 'March Madness'
When Oregon forward Sedona Prince posted a video contrasting weight facilities at the 2021 NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments, she ignited a chain reaction that's still unfolding. A firestorm over inferior perks and marketing for the women's tournament spawned a 200-page NCAA-commissioned outside review that found longstanding inequities between the men's and women's tournaments in everything from staff sizes to contracts that hobble the women's event's capacity to generate revenue. It was the most detailed comparison ever of the NCAA's two most popular championships. (Major college football controls its own playoff.) The report by law firm Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLC, released last August, found that the NCAA's "broadcast agreements, corporate sponsorship contracts, distribution of revenue, organizational structure, and culture all prioritize Division I men's basketball over everything else." The findings were significant because the NCAA, a nonprofit organization, is obligated to pursue its stated values such as gender equity in ways professional sports are not. A year later, the women's tournament that tips off on Wednesday will be upgraded in a number of ways -- many of which were among the Kaplan report's more than two dozen recommendations. Most visibly, the women's tournament that tips off Wednesday will for the first time feature the popular "March Madness" branding that was long used exclusively by the men's tournament.
 
Freddie Freeman's exit is baseball, 21st century style
Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: My gut reaction to the Atlanta Braves deciding not to sign Freddie Freeman? Here goes: The bean counters -- heartless, ungrateful SOBs that they are --- win again. I can't believe Freeman, a Braves company man since before he played in Pearl at age 19 in 2009, will finish his career in somebody else's uniform. In case you can't tell, I did not like the news one bit. I have followed Freeman's career with particular interest since he came through Trustmark Park -- a tall, skinny kid with a goofy grin, still developing his man strength. Freeman was called up to Atlanta at the end of the very next season and has played all of his 11 full Major League seasons for the Braves. He has hit .295 with 271 home runs and 941 runs batted in. He has been clutch. He also has played an immaculate first base. He has been one of baseball's really good guys, really good teammates -- the face of his franchise since Chipper Jones retired. And now he's gone, probably to the Los Angeles Dodgers. We will see. The end was signaled Monday when the Braves announced a trade that will bring Matt Olson, formerly the first baseman for the Oakland A's, to Atlanta. Olson is a fine young player who hits for power, plays exceptionally well at first base and, at 27, is five years younger and a whole lot cheaper than Freeman. ... So here's my reaction to Monday's news after much Monday cussing and fussing and then sleeping on it: I still don't like it, but the more I look at it, the more I understand it from Braves General Manager Alex Anthopoulos's perspective.



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