| Tuesday, May 31, 2022 |
| Mississippi State survey aims to increase passionfruit farms | |
 | A Mississippi State University Extension Service researcher is hoping to help expand the niche for passionfruit growers. Demand is growing for the sweet, low-calorie tropical fruit, said Eric Stafne, a fruit and nut specialist Eric Stafne at the extension service. Most U.S. production is in Florida, Hawaii, California, and Puerto Rico, he said, but some is grown in Louisiana, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, and North Carolina. "Passion fruit is a niche crop with potential for expansion in climate-change-affected regions of the country," he said in a news release Friday, noting that south Mississippi has potential. He has posted an online survey at https://msudafvm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5oFY0ThcIoepwXQ for current growers and farmers interested in growing passionfruit. Questions range from acreage planted in or available for passionfruit vines to the types of trellises used, to obstacles to getting the best production. The university is among organizers of a two-day conference in mid-June, titled Growing the U.S. Passionfruit Industry. Saturday is the deadline to register for the conference in Homestead, Florida, but the survey will be open through June 30. |
| Survey, conference aims to help passion fruit industry | |
 | The U.S. passion fruit industry is small, but a team of researchers want to help it grow through a grant awarded to Mississippi State University. Eric Stafne, fruit and nut specialist with the MSU Extension Service, is leading a research project aimed at gathering input from growers, marketers, consumers and buyers. The research team wants to better understand the current industry and its future direction. "Passion fruit is a niche crop with potential for expansion in climate-change-affected regions of the country," said Stafne, who is also a researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. Passion fruit is a low-calorie, nutritious tropical fruit. However, some varieties can be grown in subtropical climates. It is grown commercially in the U.S. in Florida, California, Puerto Rico and Hawaii. People interested in growing and selling passion fruit are encouraged to participate in a voluntary survey and an upcoming conference. The results of the survey will help the team plan for future research, Extension education and grant applications that can help address issues with insects, diseases, disorders, postharvest handling and cultural practices. |
| MSU student project reflects on 9/11's impact on media | |
 | More than 20 years after 9/11, a Mississippi State English assistant professor is helping students make sense of an important moment in history that shaped the world in which they were born and the media they consume. "Afterlives of 9/11" is a digital project created by Dhanashree Thorat in which students explore how the terrorist attack influenced film, literature and other media, with a specific focus on how Arabs and Muslims are portrayed in media. The project's website hosts short essays, videos, timelines and other creative works by students. "Even though [most undergraduate students] have no direct memory of 9/11, they have been affected by the changes in America since then," Thorat said. "One of the important lessons drawn from studying the last 20 years was how commonplace it is to encounter stereotypes about Muslims and Arabs in film and media. In fact, looking at the long history of Hollywood, the class studied how the Middle East has been repeatedly shown in negative terms. The class considered how such stereotyping created public support for the wars and enabled hate crimes against Muslims after 9/11." Starkville Public Library recently held a reception, "Remembering 9/11," that featured work from "Afterlives of 9/11" and invited the public to share their own stories about how the attack impacted Starkville and the MSU community. The 20th anniversary of the attack and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan last year provided an important backdrop for the project, Thorat said. |
| Lifestyles Briefs: History, genealogy fair set for June 3 | |
| The ninth annual E.O. Jr. and Betty Templeton History and Genealogy Fair, hosted by Mississippi State University Libraries, is set for June 3. Admission is free, and those interested in attending the 1-5 p.m. event are asked to register online at msstate.libcal.com/event/9142449 by June 1. The registration form also offers an online attendance option. According to Fair Director Jennifer McGillan, the afternoon will be full of genealogical and historical information on creating and working on a family tree, using mapping to tell the family story and navigating the multi-state Lantern Project in which MSU Libraries is participating. After a welcome and opening remarks in the Eli and Giles rooms on the first floor of Mitchell Memorial Library, these specific workshops will be held: "Introducing the Lantern Project," 1 p.m.; "FamilySearch 101," 2:15 p.m.; and "Finding the Trail: Making and Using Maps in Genealogical Research," 3:30 p.m. |
| Oktibbeha supervisors look to fill vacant library board seat | |
| Oktibbeha supervisors could soon vote to fill a public library board seat, which was vacated after a former board member resigned over concerns about LGBT books on display. The seat has been vacant since the fall of 2021 when Roy Smith resigned his seat. During the May 16 meeting, supervisors said the position became open when Smith vacated it due to disagreeing with LGBT children's books being at the library. However, according to Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library children's librarian Loraine Walker, there are no LGBT children's books, though they do have LGBT books available beginning with teens and young adults. Smith did not respond for comment by press time. Only one person, Bill Cooke, has applied for the open seat, but supervisors tabled the decision to appoint him during their May 16 meeting. The vote was initially held off because the supervisors wanted to see if there would be more applicants before the next board meeting. District 4 supervisor and board president Bricklee Miller said she wanted someone to fill the spot from District 4, since that was where Smith represented. Library director Phillip Carter said it is important to have a diverse catalog within the library because it helps represent the public fully. "Diversity is essential in a public library collection because it allows all members of the community, regardless of whatever device we as human beings use to divide ourselves, find themselves represented in our public library collection," Carter told The Dispatch in an email. |
| Highway deaths rise in Mississippi | |
 | A new study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals a sharp increase in the number of highway-related fatalities between 2020 and 2021. Colonel Randy Ginn with the Mississippi Highway Patrol says this trend has also been identified on roadways across the state. He says two of the most dangerous hazards on roads involve distracted driving and speeding. "We started doing some directed patrols, a little more visibility and presence in places where we're having a lot of our accidents," says Colonel Ginn. "We're having a lot of complaints about fast and reckless driving, also we're going with our public affairs officers to schools to talk to students about distracted driving." Colonel Ginn says the number of people being ticketed for driving more than 100 miles per hour has risen 88% in recent years. The Mississippi Department of Transportation is also encouraging drivers to be more aware of their surroundings while on roadways. Public Information Officer Katey Hornsby says many fatalities could be prevented by avoiding distracted driving. "It really comes down to the driver making important decisions behind the wheel to help prevent those crashes. Of course, there are some things that can be unavoidable, but a lot of them come from the driver and their habits behind the wheel," says Hornsby. |
| State officials say workforce dollars were misspent. The money still hasn't been repaid. | |
 | Half a year after State Auditor Shad White alleged a community college and private business leaders misspent more than $2 million in taxpayer funds, the state Attorney General is still deciding whether to file suit to recoup those funds. A spokesman for White told the Daily Journal that Itawamba Community College, a former college dean, owners of furniture manufacturing company Chapter 3 Inc. and a former employee of the furniture company have not repaid around $2.3 million of misspent Workforce Enhancement Training funds. The auditor's office demanded the money last October. The auditor's office does not have the legal authority to pursue civil or criminal sanctions against anyone, so the cases have been transferred to the state Attorney General's Office to make the final determination whether to sue the recipients in court. Michelle Williams, chief of staff to Attorney General Lynn Fitch, said the AG's office is in the process of evaluating the information White's office sent and determining if the agency wants to file a suit to recoup the funds. Whenever the auditor sends demand letters over the Fitch's office for review, AG employees typically conduct their own investigation to weight the merits of the case. Fitch's office could have started investigating the case toward the end of last year, but when the Daily Journal contacted the two agencies, they discovered that there was some miscommunication, resulting in a delay. |
| Lumber Prices Slump With Rising Interest Rates | |
 | Lumber prices have come crashing down in a new sign of how rising interest rates are deflating markets that boomed during the pandemic. Wood prices were a leading indicator of the supply-chain problems and inflation that followed pandemic lockdowns. Prices shot up in the summer of 2020 as cooped-up Americans remodeled en masse and demand for suburban houses soared. By last spring, lumber cost more than twice the prepandemic high. Now, two-by-four prices are flashing caution. Lumber futures for July delivery ended Friday at $695.10 per thousand board feet, down 52% from a high in early March. On-the-spot wood prices have plunged, too. Pricing service Random Lengths said Friday that its framing composite index, which tracks cash sales, fell about 12% last week to end at $794. That is down from $1,334 in March, just before the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time since 2018. The Fed raised rates again this month and is expected to continue to lift borrowing costs to slow consumption and tame inflation. The housing market is expected to shoulder the load. The central bank is pursuing an interest rate that will slow the surge in home prices by trimming the number of buyers without triggering a painful economic slowdown. Higher rates, along with limited supply of houses for sale and big asking prices, are beginning to take their toll. |
| Biden to meet Fed chair as inflation bites pocketbooks | |
| President Joe Biden is set to meet with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell as soaring inflation takes a bite out of Americans' pocketbooks. The meeting Tuesday will be the first since Biden renominated Powell to lead the central bank and comes weeks after his confirmation for a second term by the Senate. The White House said the pair would discuss the state of the U.S. and global economy and especially inflation. "The most important thing we can do now to transition from rapid recovery to stable, steady growth is to bring inflation down," Biden said in an op-ed posted Monday by The Wall Street Journal. "That is why I have made tackling inflation my top economic priority." Inflation in the U.S. hit a 40-year high earlier this year, amid supply chain constraints caused by the global economy's recovery from the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But the economy saw a welcome bit of data Friday, as the Commerce Department said inflation rose 6.3% in April from a year earlier, the first slowdown since November 2020 and a sign that high prices may finally be moderating, at least for now. |
| Biden sees exodus of Black staffers and some frustration among those who remain | |
 | At least 21 Black staffers have left the White House since late last year or are planning to leave soon. Some of those who remain say it's no wonder why: They describe a work environment with little support from their superiors and fewer chances for promotion. The departures have been so pronounced that, according to one current and one former White House official, some Black aides have adopted a term for them: "Blaxit." The exodus has raised concerns among outside observers who push for the diversification of government ranks. "I have heard about an exodus of Black staffers from the White House -- 'Blaxit' -- and I am concerned," said Spencer Overton, president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, which tracks government staff diversity numbers. "Black voters accounted for 22 percent of President Biden's voters in November 2020. It is essential that Black staffers are not only recruited to serve in senior, mid-level and junior White House positions, but are also included in major policy and personnel decisions and have opportunities for advancement." A White House official pushed back on those concerns, saying that around 14 percent of current White House staffers identify as Black -- in line with national proportions. The official added that the number is expected to increase as more Black staffers are brought on board and that 15 percent of Black staffers have been promoted in the last year. |
| Grisham Fellows Program brings rural high schoolers to Ole Miss campus | |
| A group of South Delta High School students got a taste of the college experience earlier this spring as part of the Grisham Fellows program during a weekend visit to the University of Mississippi. The 32 students from Rolling Fork spent time hearing from current UM students, faculty and administrators with whom they would interact if they decided to enroll at the university. The program helped educate the students on the opportunities and resources available at the university, said Karrye Tynes, assistant director for access and recruiting initiatives at the UM Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement. "The students were highly engaged and interested in the activities and speakers that were a part of their two-day, one-night visit to the university," she said. "They asked detailed questions that provided insight on resources, academic support and scholarship opportunities available through the university." The Grisham Fellows program was created in 2016 as a partnership between the UM McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement, Newton High School and the university. It is a passion project of Bruce and Rhondalynne Ware that offers students from rural and underserved communities an up-close introduction to the university and all it has to offer. The Wares established the Grisham Fellows Program in honor of Vaughn Grisham, professor emeritus of sociology and Ware's longtime mentor and friend. |
| USM students attend interfraternity leadership conference | |
 | Four students from the University of Southern Mississippi represented campus fraternity and sorority life at the Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI) leadership conference. The immersive conference is designed to enhance student leadership and problem-solving skills for the betterment of both their individual organizations and their overall university community. Tylan Hunt, of Phi Beta Sigma; Ali Melad, of Alpha Tau Omega; Gerrett Lamky, of Delta Tau Delta and Chris Moss, of Alpha Phi Alpha attended the four-day, three-night event at Indiana Unverisity's Bloomington campus along with other fraternity and sorority members from around the country. All four participants received a scholarship from the USM Fraternity and Sorority Life office to attend. Laura Laughlin, Director of USM Fraternity and Sorority Life, said UIFI is a great opportunity for fraternity and sorority members to learn and develop as leaders. "This is a really impactful student leadership retreat that's facilitated by the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values," said Laughlin. "We are really proud of our students for spending a week of their summer asking big questions and working toward bettering the Southern Miss student experience, and we are excited to hear about what they learned and the ideas they have to bring back to campus." |
| College recognizes retiring employees for dedication to Meridian Community College | |
| "They inspire me because they've had such a big contribution to everything." That's how Meridian Community College President Thomas Huebner summed up his thoughts on this year's class of College retirees: Mike Allen, Sheryl Beddingfield, Lauren Clay, Pam Harrison, Lorenzo Naylor, Larry Martin, John Marshall, and Cher Warren. The MCC faculty and staff members were honored at a reception for their decades of service to the College. Allen, who retired from the College in January 2022, served as the director of housekeeping. An Associate Degree Nursing Program instructor for 20 years, Beddingfield is a certified nursing instructor and has spent 46 years in nursing. Clay came to MCC in August 2018 as executive assistant to the president after having served many years in a similar role at East Mississippi Community College. A lifelong artist whose works can be seen inside and outside MCC, Marshall logged in 36 years at the College, teaching students art and curating gallery exhibits. Harrison, special assistant to the president for finance at the College since 2009, previously served the College as vice president for finance for more than 17 years. In March, Martin was inducted into the College's Talon Club for his three decades of service. He has worked at the College as a building custodian. Another long-term employee, Naylor, has been a familiar face on campus, delivering goods in his custodial position. Eagle's Nest Bookstore Manager Cher Warren was celebrated for her contributions to the College, working on staff for 24 years. |
| Auburn University Early Learning Center to be knocked down for new dorms | |
 | In 1939, the Auburn University Early Learning Center (AUELC) was built on the Haley Concourse. Since then, the Learning Center has served as a dormitory for females on campus, a nursery school, and now, a place where any child in the Auburn community can grow through interactive learning. However, the Early Learning Center is no longer going to be located in the center of Auburn's campus. The historic building is being torn down in order to build more dorms at a convenient spot on campus. "It's funny because at first I was completely broken hearted and sad because I've lived here longer than I've lived anywhere else," said Sharon Wilbanks, the director of the Auburn University Early Learning Center. "It's like this has been home. I feel very territorial ... but as it's becoming evident that our building is very old and it is needing to come down." Wilbanks has been involved with the Early Learning Center since she started graduate school in 1993. Wilbanks became the director in 2008 and was a teacher at the AUELC for 12 years prior. She compared leaving this building to sending your children off to college. "It's a happy sad," Wilbanks said. "There's a real sense of history being lost." The goal is to be completely moved into the new building by the fall 2022 semester. |
| LSU president's $106 million budget request, vision for system is as simple as ABCDE | |
 | In a sense, William F. Tate IV is wrapping up his freshman year at LSU. Over the last 11 months, he buttoned up historic investments from hospitals in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, asked legislators for $106 million to protect the university's status as Louisiana's flagship institution and pledged transparency and accountability to victims of sexual assault. Now the leader of the board that hired Tate is ready to give him the highest marks. "We have some metrics that we've used in the past to evaluate the president, but I can't imagine he wouldn't get an A+ across the board," said Robert Dampf, a past chairman of the LSU Board of Supervisors. "We're just extremely pleased with what he's done so far." Tate arrived as LSU president and the chancellor of the Baton Rouge campus last July 6, just a year after being named provost at the University of South Carolina. South Carolina wanted Tate to stay in Columbia and take over there, but Dampf convinced him to come to Baton Rouge instead. With his hiring, Tate became the first Black president of any school in the Southeastern Conference. Until Alexander "A.P." Tureaud Jr. enrolled in 1953, LSU had never admitted a Black student. Assessing his acknowledged role as LSU's chief fundraiser, Tate notes that, without money, there is little that any college or university can do. |
| Audit reveals overpayments in U. of Arkansas System: 2 campuses lose thousands after employees leave jobs | |
| Payments to employees after their last day of work have resulted in an apparent loss of $144,749 for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, according to a payroll audit. Auditors with the UA System also found similar overpayments at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. "We noted that 14 payments to four UALR employees out of the 180 payments reviewed were overpayments totaling $23,787. UALR has attempted to recover the overpayments to no avail," states a report presented Wednesday to the University of Arkansas board of trustees. Auditors with the UA System found the UALR overpayments after testing June 2021 payroll data, but the time period for the UA-Fayetteville loss stretches back to 2014, according to UA-Fayetteville spokesman Mark Rushing. "As the audit report states, the delayed entry of termination dates did create a delay in stopping payroll payments in some cases," Rushing said, calling such overpayments "rare." Auditors uncovered the apparent losses while examining the payroll operations of the schools in connection with recently adopted information technology known as Workday. But when examining UA-Fayetteville, auditors also found that 88 employees were overpaid before fiscal year 2021, under a different payroll system. |
| 5-year-old from iconic 'Hair Like Mine' photo with Obama is going to U. of Memphis | |
| The Oval Office was very big, and that was intimidating. But it was where his dad's boss worked. Jacob Philadelphia, age 5, walked in and remembers feeling a little shy. His older brother was asking then-President Barack Obama questions about weapons systems and the budget process. Jacob stood and looked at his dad's boss for a moment and asked a question of his own. "Is your hair like mine?" the future University of Memphis Tiger asked. The president leaned over for Jacob to feel for himself, a moment captured in an image known as one of the most iconic of Obama's presidency. It depicts the kind of representative impact the president hoped he could have for other Black people who'd never seen a Black person as America's top leader. Jacob isn't 5 years old anymore, and is instead a high school graduate this month. He plans to attend the University of Memphis in the fall, where he'll study political science. Jacob and Obama caught up in a video published by the former president to social media Friday morning, reminiscing over the moment from more than a decade ago and looking toward Jacob's own future. "I think the White House visit clearly inspired you, I hope," Obama said. It was in the president's first term that he met Jacob and also that he made perhaps his most memorable trip to Memphis. In 2011, Obama was the graduation speaker at Booker T. Washington High School in South Memphis, which won the 2011 Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge. |
| UCLA, University of Hawai'i, Penn State adopt mask mandates | |
 | The University of California, Los Angeles, restored its indoor mask mandate last week, joining the University of Hawai'i system, Pennsylvania State University (for both the main campus and 13 others), and other colleges and universities. "The past few weeks have revealed a consistent rise in COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles County and on our campus. Last week alone, UCLA had close to 870 new cases, which, per the UCLA COVID-19 Pivot Matrix, would place us at the 'severe' level," said a letter announcing the mandate. The letter outlined limited cases where masks may be removed: performance arts rehearsals and performances, indoor dining, and when alone in one's room. For colleges, indoor mask mandates were a key part of their response during earlier peaks of the pandemic. The lifting of mask mandates was seen by many as a sign that the pandemic was behind us. But most of the colleges are citing rising COVID-19 cases as a reason for their actions. Here are some of the colleges restoring mask mandates: |
| Colleges reinstitute mask mandates amid coronavirus case spikes | |
| Much of the U.S. has experienced an increase in the spread of the coronavirus over the past two weeks, and public health data is considered to be a vast undercount of actual cases as individuals test positive at home and do not report results. As a result, colleges and universities have for several weeks been either extending or restoring face covering requirements. George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., reinstated a mask mandate in mid-April for most indoor spaces. At the time, the university urged the campus to wear N95 or KN95 masks in lieu of cloth ones, as they provide more protection from the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said. George Washington U announced on May 23 it would keep the mandate in place through the end of the month. The University of Delaware similarly brought back masking requirements for indoor facilities, with narrow exceptions such as if a speaker is presenting 6 feet away from attendees. The university said the end of the academic year is typically a time for celebrations, such as graduations, "so it's important that we all take every step possible to safeguard the health of ourselves and those around us." Chris Marsicano, founding director of the College Crisis Initiative, a research group at Davidson College in North Carolina that tracks the pandemic's effects on higher education, said he's unsurprised some institutions are returning to mask mandates as the country experiences another wave of the virus. They're "responding to the facts on the ground," he said. He said it's fortunate that many college students are starting to leave campuses for the summer while cases spike. |
| Sidechat Wants to Be College Students' Main Chat | |
 | Yousuf Bakshi, a junior at Harvard, recalled getting in line at El Jefe's Taqueria at 2 a.m. in Cambridge, Mass., to grab a late-night snack after a recent night out. Mr. Bakshi, 20, couldn't help noticing that nearly everyone ahead of him in line was on their phones, all scrolling through the same app: Sidechat. "It's an easy place to see all the jokes and gossip, and it really helps foster a lot of talk of the town," Mr. Bakshi said, comparing the app to Lady Whistledown's gossip column in the Netflix series "Bridgerton." In recent months, Sidechat, a buzzy new app, where users log in with university-affiliated email addresses and write anonymous posts that are visible only within their school community, has racked up downloads at universities including Harvard, Cornell, Tufts and Columbia. Campus newspapers have documented the app's fast-paced growth. In March, The Cornell Daily Sun wrote that "the app has quickly become a hallmark of Cornell social life." In April, The Harvard Crimson reported that Sidechat "is taking campus by storm." The premise isn't new but is irresistible for many students: an opportunity to chat about what's happening on campus with peers, without having their names attached to what they say. Posts go live without any prior approval and are only removed later if a message is deemed to be in violation of platform guidelines. While some students find the secrecy to be harmless fun, others seem to be emboldened by the anonymity and, as is common online, post caustic and hurtful comments. Now, some students, many already jaded by past experiences with similar platforms, say they are souring on Sidechat, but they are still signing on. |
| White House officials considering $10,000 in debt relief | |
| White House officials are planning to cancel $10,000 in student debt per borrower, a central campaign promise by President Biden that would relieve debt for millions of Americans, according to The Washington Post. Biden's proposal, however, is still not finalized. The announcement of the president's plan to address the $1.7 trillion currently owed to the federal government in student debt had been speculated by many to come as soon last Saturday, when Biden made a commencement speech at the University of Delaware. According to the Post, the timing of the announcement was delayed after the mass shooting in Texas on May 24. The plan would limit debt relief to Americans earning $150,000 and $300,000 for couples filing jointly, based on income from the previous year, White House officials told the Post. It is currently unclear whether the administration will require borrowers to resume payments on federal student loans when the pandemic-era moratorium is scheduled to expire at the end of August. Multiple sources familiar with the topic told Inside Higher Ed that they have not received communication from the Biden administration on any proposal to relieve student debt. The plan to relieve $10,000 per borrower falls short of what progressive Democrats and debt relief advocates have long called for -- across-the-board student debt relief. At minimum, progressive Democrats such as Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Chuck Schumer of New York have asked Biden to cancel at least $50,000 in debt per borrower. |
| Biden blasts Putin, praises McCain in Naval Academy graduation address | |
 | President Joe Biden used his address to the graduating midshipmen at the Naval Academy Friday to deliver another rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin for the invasion of Ukraine. "Not only is he trying to take over Ukraine, he's literally trying to wipe out the culture and identity of the Ukrainian people, attacking schools, nurseries, hospitals, museums, with no other purpose than to eliminate a culture," Biden said. "A direct assault on the fundamental tenets of rule-based international order. That's what you're graduating into." Biden said the class was entering active service at a pivotal time. "To state the obvious, no generation of graduates gets to pick what world they're going to ... graduate into, it's already been formed for you, but you must change it. No officer knows the range of challenges they'll face when they commission," the president said. "The class of 2022, you are graduating at an inflection point not only in American history, but in world history." The president repeated his oft-stated view that the next decade will shape the course of the world for the entire century, and he once again highlighted the power of the United States not just militarily, but diplomatically. He noted the extent of the global support for Ukraine, from the increases in the military budget in Germany to contributions to international efforts from as far away as from Australia and Fiji. |
| Mississippi has more people and is most likely more diverse than the 2020 Census reported | |
| Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: Mississippi's population is larger and most likely more diverse than what was reported last year in the official 2020 U.S. Census. Reports that the state lost population during the past decade were incorrect based on follow-up research done by the U.S. Census Bureau. It is probable, though, based on the Census Bureau's follow-up work, that most -- if not all -- of the population growth the state experienced since the 2010 Census was among Mississippi's racial minority groups. The bureau, using various types of statistical sampling of households, vital records and other data, released a U.S. Census report earlier this month surmising the population of Mississippi and five other states was undercounted in the official 2020 U.S. Census. There were eight other states with significant overcounts. ... A key question is what does the undercount mean for Mississippi? First of all, it was not large enough to result in the state losing one of its four U.S. House seats, which are divvied out to the states based on population. But if the minority population is indeed growing at a faster pace than originally cited in the official 2020 Census, that would mean that in redistricting efforts the minority population would not be fairly represented on the federal, state or local levels. In addition, the amount of federal funds directed to the state often is based on the official census. |
| Reagan: Isolationism will never be acceptable | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: On June 6, 1944, Operation Overlord commenced, the U.S. led invasion at Normandy that would ultimately doom Hitler and free Europe. Since that time the U.S. has played a major role in sustaining Europe's defense and freedom. This role was formalized on April 4, 1949, when the North Atlantic Treaty was signed. The resulting North Atlantic Treaty Organization had three purposes: (1) deterring Soviet expansionism; (2) forbidding the revival of nationalist militarism in Europe through a strong North American presence on the continent; and (3) encouraging European political integration. Mission accomplished ... so far. A great stroke for freedom and peaceful Europe. The NATO alliance held strong until one Donald J. Trump was elected president and became Commander-in-Chief of the United States' military. Almost immediately, Trump began to pull away from NATO as he warmed up to Russian President Vladimir Putin. ... There should be little doubt Putin would have taken over Ukraine by now and begun to move on other former Soviet satellites had Trump remained president. Instead, the United States has worked with our European allies to not only arm and support Ukraine but also to strengthen NATO. Yet, Trump forces would readily move in the opposite direction. |
SPORTS
| 'It's just the beginning': Mississippi State softball aiming higher after historic run | |
| Everything starts somewhere. Mississippi State softball lost the Starkville Super Regional on Saturday with a 7-1 defeat against Arizona, ending the deepest postseason run in program history. In front of back-to-back record-setting crowds at Nusz Park, the Bulldogs (37-27) weren't able to carry over their success from winning the Tallahassee Regional last week and fell two wins shy of a Women's College World Series berth. No one likes losing. But Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts is keeping the achievements in perspective. "Something we've talked about for the last three years was that our goal was to win a regional and make it to the Super Regional round," Ricketts said. "We accomplished that this year. It's something that's been talked about for three years and hadn't been done yet until this year. It really was a matter of we hadn't done it yet. To be able to finally push through that hurdle and get here is huge for the belief and for them to feel what this stage is like, to feel that pressure, that energy, the excitement of being two wins away." Departing seniors like catcher Mia Davidson, the SEC's all-time leader in home runs, and pitcher Annie Willis, who threw 326⅓ innings across the last three seasons, set a standard for what can be achieved at Mississippi State. Now they're leaving it behind to a new group of players trying to build on that standard. "I think we laid a great foundation to allow future Bulldogs to continue this growth," Willis said. "Now it's something that we're going to expect every season. It's going to be a goal that we continue to work towards for future Bulldogs to come." "It's just the beginning," Davidson added. |
| With a 'totally different' team, how will Mississippi State softball fare in 2023? | |
| The Mississippi State softball team had all the usual feelings after Saturday's 7-1 loss to Arizona eliminated the Bulldogs in NCAA Super Regional play. Disappointment. Sorrow. Regret. But there was another feeling in the mix. MSU coach Samantha Ricketts said anger entered the equation as the Bulldogs watched the Wildcats enjoy booking a trip to the Women's College World Series. "Now they know what that feels like: to watch somebody else celebrate on your field," Ricketts said. It's a feeling she hopes will motivate the Bulldogs to repeat their success -- if not improve on it -- in 2023. But that won't be easy without two of the key players who helped Mississippi State reach its first-ever Super Regional. Just take it from catcher Mia Davidson, the program's all-time leader in just about every hitting category. Saturday was Davidson's final game, as well as the final contest for pitcher Annie Willis. Both players are headed to the professional ranks, and Davidson's sister Montana and outfielder Allison Florian will also move on. "There will not be this team ever again," Davidson said. "Next year's team will be totally different." The Bulldogs hope that growth will take them even further. The program's first Super Regional and the historic upset of Florida State that got it there was nice, but MSU has bigger goals. "We've got a good core group returning that aren't going to be satisfied with the finish we had this year," Ricketts said. |
| Southern Miss baseball's Hattiesburg Regional schedule, opponent, seed in NCAA Tournament | |
 | Southern Miss will host LSU, Kennesaw State and Army at the Hattiesburg Regional as the No. 11 national seed, the NCAA announced Monday. Top seed Southern Miss will face 4-seed Army at 1 p.m. Friday, while 2-seed LSU and 3-seed Kennesaw State will meet at 6 p.m. Friday. The first two games will air on ESPN+. The winner of the Hattiesburg Regional will face the winner of the Coral Gables Regional in the Super Regional round. It's the third time in program history the Golden Eagles will host the first leg of the NCAA Tournament. They also hosted in 2017, falling to Mississippi State in the finals, and in 2003 as the No. 2 seed. The team has not missed an NCAA Tournament since 2015. The Golden Eagles (43-16), who were ranked as high as No. 5 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll this season, finished the regular season ranked 12th in the poll and 17th in the RPI ratings. The team went 2-2 in last week's Conference USA tournament at Pete Taylor Park, dropping its home record this season to 22-10. The Golden Eagles are 21-6 away from home. Upon elimination from the C-USA tournament, Southern Miss baseball coach Scott Berry was confident his club would be rewarded with one of the 16 host bids based on the big picture. "I think it should be looked at, what your body of work is over the long haul," he said. |
| Southern Miss, Ole Miss get pleasant surprises from NCAA committee | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: The NCAA Baseball Tournament regional brackets were announced just an hour ago and already I've been asked about a dozen times: What's your reaction? Answer: Surprised. Not shocked, mind you, just surprised and pleasantly so. Surprised that Southern Miss was in at a No. 11 seed, even after losing twice at home to Texas-Antonio (UTSA), which wasn't selected, in the Conference USA Tournament. Surprised that Ole Miss was selected, particularly after all the unexpected happenings in conference tournaments this past weekend. What seems clear is that NCAA Baseball Committee, of which Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen is a member, put lots more value on a team's achievements over the course of a 55-game regular season than what happened in the various conference tournaments. That was mentioned to Southern Miss coach Scott Berry during a press conference following the selection show. "I agree, I totally agree," Berry said. "And, to me, that's the way it should be." Berry went on. "In our case, the committee recognized our achievements over the long haul. We won the regular season championship by three games in a very good conference. We finished 43 and 17. We were 23 and 7 in the league. That's a heckuva achievement right there. To me, what you do over the course of an entire season is much more important than what you do in a double elimination tournament." I would agree. |
| New faces for LSU mark return of SEC Spring Meeting full of important issues, big subplots | |
| The Southeastern Conference is hosting its first spring meeting in three years, with a lot of new issues to deal with and a lot of new faces in the LSU contingent. The meeting brings together presidents and chancellors, athletic directors, football and men's and women's basketball coaches and other assorted staffers from the SEC's current 14 member schools to meet with conference officials. Since the last meeting was held in 2019, LSU has a new president in William Tate, a new football coach in Brian Kelly, and two new basketball coaches in Kim Mulkey and Matt McMahon. Only athletic director Scott Woodward, who took over in April 2019, has been here before. "My family's going and I'm looking forward to going to the beach," said McMahon, who was hired two months ago. For sure, the SEC could hold its annual main business meeting someplace less fun, a place without pools, golf courses and sugar sand beaches. The opportunity to unwind is always present, but there's major business to attend to first. The No. 1 topic: scheduling. With Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC by 2025, the conference has to start coming up with new formats for all its sports. Of course, as always in the SEC, football takes center stage. |
| 'It's all legal': Foreign college athletes cash in at home | |
| Miami punter Lou Hedley had to fly 13,000 miles to western Australia to cash in on his name. The tattooed Aussie and thousands of other international athletes at American colleges have been told they can't profit from their name, image and likeness on U.S. soil -- though interpretations vary about what constitutes work -- so some are trekking home to do it. In Hedley's case, it was a 37-hour journey that included a long stopover in Qatar. "It's a pain in the backside having to fly over but it's all worth it," Hedley told The Associated Press after a day of filming promotional spots for LifeWallet in the city of Perth, where he was also visiting family before his final season with the Hurricanes this fall. "I feel like I deserve to get a little bit of money, I've contributed wealth to the team (with) my name, image and likeness ... so it was good to kind of get compensated for what I've been doing the last three years." The 28-year-old Hedley, one of many Aussie punters in college football, said he didn't sign anything until he touched down Down Under. "The work is all done here, paid for over here. As long as I'm doing all my work in Australia, I'm getting paid in Australia, paying taxes in Australia and all that stuff, it's all legal," he said. On the whole, though, international athletes are finding the NIL waters tricky to navigate, with mixed messages about what's OK, even now almost a year after the NCAA lifted restrictions. |
| Former Penn swimmer Thomas responds to critics: 'Trans women competing in women's sports does not threaten women's sports' | |
| Two months after becoming the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship, former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas pushed back on some of the criticism she received during the 2021-22 season in an exclusive interview with ABC News and ESPN. Thomas, who declined all interview requests during the NCAA swimming and diving championships in Atlanta in March, found herself at the center of a national debate over who gets to compete in women's sports. "The biggest misconception, I think, is the reason I transitioned," Thomas said. "People will say, 'Oh, she just transitioned so she would have an advantage, so she could win.' I transitioned to be happy, to be true to myself." Thomas swam on the Penn men's swimming team for three seasons, before joining the women's team after a gap year when the Ivy League canceled the 2020-21 season for all sports because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her participation and success drew criticism from teammates, competitors and other members of the swimming community, including former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who tied Thomas for fifth place in the 200. "What are we trying to protect?" Gaines said in an interview with ABC's "Nightline." "If our priorities are fairness, which it should be in sports, why are we completely neglecting that for one person or a small group of people?" |
| NCAA President Mark Emmert's Departure Was Years in the Making | |
| At the men's Final Four in New Orleans last month, National Collegiate Athletic Association president Mark Emmert told reporters that he was confident that he could push Congress to regulate the freewheeling new era in which college athletes can make money from their likeness. At a luncheon for the upper crust of college sports administrators one day later, however, Emmert's tone was more grim. "These senators hate me," Emmert said. That had been obvious to many college sports insiders for months. Emmert's admission was a final sign that the NCAA's relationships with power brokers within and beyond college athletics had become irreparable. Three and a half weeks later, Emmert announced he would step down "by mutual agreement" from the association he steered for more than a decade. Emmert's exit came after a trying year in which the NCAA lost its iron grip on the issue of athlete compensation and suffered a black eye over the unequal conditions for athletes at its women's and men's basketball tournaments. The latter problem prompted the NCAA to hire an outside law firm to conduct a gender equity review that found systemic long-term neglect of the women's championships in basketball as well as dozens of other sports. In an interview earlier this month, however, Emmert said he was happy with the way both issues were handled. Emmert's departure was a surprise in part because it came a year after the NCAA Board of Governors extended his contract until 2025. But according to more than a dozen athletic directors, university presidents and conference commissioners interviewed for this story, Emmert's downfall was years in the making. |
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