Tuesday, June 7, 2022   
 
Kenneth Graham selected as next director of NOAA's National Weather Service
Kenneth Graham is the next NOAA assistant administrator for weather services and the 17th director of the National Weather Service, effective today, June 7, 2022. "Ken has the scientific integrity, trusted leadership, and communication prowess that will take the National Weather Service to even greater heights," said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. "I have full confidence that he will help create a more weather- and climate-ready nation amid more extreme weather fueled by our changing climate." Since April 2018, Graham has served as the director of the National Hurricane Center, leading the nation through numerous hurricanes, including 30 named storms during the record-breaking 2020 hurricane season. Graham has a vast amount of operational field experience. He worked his way up through the ranks at NWS, mostly in field offices, starting out as an intern meteorologist in 1994 at the New Orleans/Baton Rouge weather forecast office. Prior to leading the New Orleans/Baton Rouge forecast office, Graham served as the systems operations division chief at NWS' Southern Region headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, where he led Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. He also served as the meteorological service chief at NWS headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, and was the meteorologist-in-charge at the local forecast offices in Birmingham, Alabama, and Corpus Christi, Texas. Graham earned a bachelor's degree in atmospheric science from the University of Arizona and a master's degree in geoscience from Mississippi State University.
 
Party leaders say abortion debate will drive turnout in Mississippi
Both Democratic and Republican leadership said the debate surrounding abortion will drive voters to the polls in the midterm election cycle. The RNC said the conservative Supreme Court possibly reversing a decades-old decision of a woman's right to choose is energizing their base. "This is why we have to vote for Republicans because Republicans are the ones who are going to put these people in place on the Supreme Court," RNC spokesman Paris Dennard. "The most basic freedom there is, is for a woman to make choices about herself, her health and her family. That ought to be a driver and I think it will be a driver sending women to the polls," Mississippi Democratic Party Chair Tyree Irving said. Mississippi State Political Science Professor Brian Shoup said the issue of abortion will likely have the largest impact on midterm turnout in the state's most populated areas. "That's down on the gulf coast and Harrison County. Maybe, perhaps up in DeSoto County or perhaps the capital in Jackson," Shoup said. Mississippi saw the fifth lowest turnout in the nation last midterm election. Shoup says it will be difficult for the state to shake it's low turnout status because Mississippi Congressional races are usually not competitive. "I think people are more likely to sometimes show up when they fell that their vote may be one of the decisive votes that helps to determine it," Shoup said. Shoup believes the impact of abortion laws will be a greater driver of local and state elections than federal ones.
 
Mississippi voters go to polls today for U.S. Congressional primaries. What to know
Mississippians go to the polls Tuesday in party primary elections to elect candidates to represent their parties in the state's four U.S. Congressional districts that will be on the Nov. 8 general election ballots. "In Mississippi, primary elections are conducted by political parties," said Michael Watson, Mississippi Secretary of State in a press statement. "However, our office will have observers in precincts across the state." Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.Tuesday, and Watson said any voter in line at 7 p.m. is still allowed to cast a ballot. "Problems at the polls observed by state observers or otherwise reported to our Elections Division will be referred to the proper authorities," Watson said. Watson encouraged Mississippians to research candidates and their platforms ahead of Tuesday's primary and general elections. "One of the most important responsibilities of a voter is making an informed decision at the ballot box," Watson said. "Your vote impacts the future of your community, so taking the time to understand a candidate's mission or values will ensure you feel confident in your decision." Voters are required to show photo identification at the polls. A voter without an acceptable form of photo identification is entitled to cast an affidavit ballot. An affidavit ballot may be counted if the voter provides an acceptable form of photo identification to the Circuit Clerk's Office within five business days of Election Day.
 
Mississippi election: 4 Congress seats on primary ballots
Mississippi holds party primaries Tuesday for its four U.S. House seats, with three Republicans and one Democrat seeking reelection. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If runoffs are needed, they will be June 28. Republican Rep. Trent Kelly won a 2015 special election in north Mississippi's 1st Congressional District after serving as district attorney for several counties in north Mississippi. He is endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Kelly is challenged in the Republican primary by Mark D. Strauss, who has a picket fence near his home painted with slogans including "Trump Won" and " COVID tests are poison." The 1st District Democratic primary is between two first-time candidates. Hunter Avery says he supports Medicare for all, and Dianne Black says she wants to expand access to health care and fight climate change. U.S. Rep. Michael Guest was first elected in 2018 in central Mississippi's 3rd Congressional District, after serving as a district attorney in Rankin and Madison counties. He has campaigned on supporting border security and gun rights. Guest is challenged by Michael Cassidy, a former Navy pilot who criticizes Guest for being in the minority of Republicans who voted to create a committee to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol; and Thomas B. Griffin, a business owner who says he wants to put Christian values into schools. No Democratic primary is being held because Shuwaski A. Young was unopposed for the nomination. He will be on the general election ballot.
 
Meet Mississippi's 3rd District Congressional Candidates
With the 2022 Congressional Midterm Primaries in Mississippi set for Tuesday, SuperTalk Mississippi offered every candidate the chance to come on air and share their platform. Here are the full interviews with the candidates from District 3: Michael Cassidy (R), Thomas B. Griffin (R), Michael Guest (R), and Shuwaski Young (D).
 
What to know about Congressional primary election in Mississippi
Only one race is on the ballot in Tuesday's election for the U.S. Representative seat in Mississippi's Fourth Congressional District. The district covers all six counties of South Mississippi and goes north to the Pine Belt region and Hattiesburg. Cong. Steven Palazzo has six Republican challengers in the June 7 primary election and two Democrats are on the primary ballot. The winners of those two races will face each other and a Libertarian candidate in the general election on Nov. 8. These are the Republican candidates: Palazzo was elected to Congress in 2010 and serves on the House Appropriations Committee. Brice Wiggins is an attorney in Pascagoula, former prosecutor and state senator. Mike Ezell is sheriff of Jackson County. Clay Wagner is a retired senior vice president at Hancock Whitney Bank. Carl Boyanton ran against Palazzo in 2020 and built his company, Farmer Fresh Produce, from a farm stand to a top supplier. Raymond Brooks is a 20-year officer with the Gulfport Police Department. Kidron Peterson has worked at C&C Machine for 22 years and served in the Army Reserve for eight years.
 
Seven States Have Primary Elections Today, With California the One to Watch
Seven states hold primaries on Tuesday, with a focus largely on setting House races for November after redistricting scrambled political boundaries. Chief among them is California, which will settle its lineup for House races in nonpartisan primaries that will help decide the fate of several districts that have become battlegrounds since the Democrats' blue wave in 2018 and remain untested under a new map. In each race, the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will advance to a November runoff. Elsewhere, voters in New Jersey, Mississippi, Iowa, Montana, South Dakota and New Mexico will also pick candidates for November. In Mississippi, six-term Republican Rep. Steven Palazzo is facing a challenge from Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell and five others, making a runoff possible. Mr. Palazzo is being criticized for using the House's proxy voting and is facing a House ethics investigation into whether he funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars into campaign funds to companies he and his wife own. Mr. Palazzo's lawyer has previously dismissed the allegations as having been drummed up by a political opponent.
 
Auditor: Each homicide in Mississippi costs taxpayers nearly $1 million
On Monday, the Office of the State Auditor released a report which showed each homicide in Mississippi costs taxpayers between $900,000 and $1.2 million. Those costs include crime scene response and cleanup, medical treatment and compensation for the victim, case investigation and prosecution by law enforcement, incarceration for the defendant, and lost tax revenue. These estimates suggest taxpayers likely lost between $136.8 and $182.4 million due to homicides reported in Jackson in 2021 alone. According to the State Auditor's report, it is estimated that 100 new police officers on the streets could prevent between 6 and 10 homicides per year. The report noted that research also shows indirect costs of crime. For example, increased homicide rates have been linked to decreased business activity and reduced home values. The new report says Mississippi has a violent crime problem. "Since 2018, Mississippi has had a higher homicide rate than any other state in the country. Jackson, the state capital, had more homicides per capita than any other major metropolitan area in the country last year. Hinds County, home of the state's capital city, has led the state in reported homicides for all years with available data," the Auditor's report states. The Auditor's office says Mississippi must address its violent crime problem. "Jackson's particularly high homicide rate must be brought under control. Research has shown the economic outlooks in other states has improved when their capital cities have flourished. The Mississippi Office of the State Auditor will continue to identify ways Mississippi and the City of Jackson can reduce crime and save taxpayer money," the report concluded.
 
Health Department: Mississippi medical marijuana months away
It could be the end of the year before medical marijuana is available in Mississippi because businesses need time to receive licenses and to grow, test and prepare to sell the products, state Health Department officials said Monday. The department opened the licensing application process last week for patients and caregivers interested in using medical cannabis as allowed under a new state law; for medical practitioners who will certify patients for medical cannabis use; for facilities that will grow, process and test the products; and for businesses that will transport medical cannabis and dispose of waste. On July 1, the state Department of Revenue will start accepting applications for businesses that will dispense medical marijuana. Jim Craig, the Health Department's senior deputy and director of health protection, said Monday that under regulations set by the department, medical marijuana businesses may have websites and logos to brand their businesses, but they may not do any other marketing or advertising. "Absolutely nothing else is allowed," Craig said.
 
Blackout Tags Coming To Mississippi Next Month
Blackout Vehicle Tags are coming to Mississippi July 1st. Blackout tags are not standard Mississippi Tags, but a vanity plate option only. A percentage of each blackout tag will go towards the law enforcement and fire fighters death benefit trust fund. This fund helps the families of law enforcement and fire fighters who die while performing normal job duties. The cost for these blackout tags will depend on the make and model of the vehicle and will come with a fee if its not time to renew the vehicles' tag. Additional fees include a $10.00 registration fee and a $5.40 fee to mail the tag to a residence. "We have had numerous calls about the black out tags," said Jones County Tax Assessor-Collector Tina Gatlin Bryd. "I think for the community and for the whole state its going to really a very popular tag. More popular than any tag that's ever came out."
 
First of many 'touchstones' starts Thursday in prime time for Jan. 6 committee
The first time the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection gathered for a public hearing, members heard from law enforcement officers who were physically assaulted, verbally abused and traumatized by pro-Donald Trump rioters who stormed the building. On that day, in late July 2021, lawmakers on the panel thanked four officers -- two from the Capitol Police and two from the District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department -- for defending American democracy from a violent effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. "You held the line that day. I can't overstate what was on the line: our democracy," said Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. "You held the line." Much of the work the committee has been conducting since last summer's hearing has been in private. That is aside from public announcements of subpoenas, legal battles between the committee and Trump allies over whether executive privilege shields them from having to comply with the its requests, and business meetings to recommend certain noncompliant associates of the former president be held in contempt of Congress. Starting with a prime-time hearing Thursday at 8 p.m., the committee will begin to tell the public what it has found -- the product of more than 1,000 interviews and over 140,000 documents. How exactly the committee will mesh everything it has learned into a series of televised presentations is unclear. Thompson has asked specific members to take the lead in particular components of the upcoming hearings.
 
Proud Boys Ex-Leader Enrique Tarrio, Four Others Charged With Seditious Conspiracy in Jan. 6 Probe
Enrique Tarrio, a former leader of the Proud Boys, and four other onetime members of the far-right group have been indicted on seditious conspiracy charges in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, marking an escalation in the Justice Department's riot probe. A grand jury on Monday returned the new indictment against Mr. Tarrio and co-defendants Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola, adding two new charges against them. The men already had been charged in March with conspiracy and other charges stemming from the attack, with prosecutors alleging they worked together to develop plans to storm the building that day. Mr. Tarrio's lawyer, Nayib Hassan, said: "Mr. Tarrio looks forward to being vindicated of these allegations." Lawyers for Messrs. Biggs, Nordean, Rehl, and Pezzola didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. The new criminal case comes as the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is set to make the Proud Boys a focus of its first televised hearing Thursday night. A key witness is expected to be documentary filmmaker Nick Quested, who filmed the Proud Boys in the days leading up to the Jan. 6 attack, Mr. Quested said. Seditious conspiracy charges are rare and represent the most serious offense leveled so far by the Justice Department in its investigation of the Jan. 6 attack.
 
Jill Biden helps unveil postage stamp honoring Nancy Reagan
Jill Biden on Monday praised Nancy Reagan as a first lady who "made such a difference," as the current first lady hosted the unveiling of a new U.S. postage stamp honoring a woman who held the role 40 years before Biden stepped into it. The issuance by the U.S. Postal Service of a forever first-class stamp bearing Nancy Reagan's image is part of a yearlong commemoration of the former first lady's centennial by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. At a White House ceremony, Biden talked about the "incredible platform" first ladies gain to serve the people after "we're just sort of thrust into the national spotlight in a way that I know none of us could have anticipated." "First lady Nancy Reagan served the American people with grace," Biden said. "She understood that the role of first lady came with inherent pitfalls and scrutiny, yet she found the humanity in it all. She knew the potential of this role." In her remarks, Jill Biden spoke of needing everyone's help to "bring our communities together." "We have to learn from those we don't understand, to reach across the divide and find common ground, because that's where the foundation of our future must be laid," she said.
 
World Bank warns global economy may suffer 1970s-style stagflation
The global economy may be headed for years of weak growth and rising prices, a toxic combination that will test the stability of dozens of countries still struggling to rebound from the pandemic, the World Bank warned Tuesday. Not since the 1970s -- when twin oil shocks sapped growth and lifted prices, giving rise to the malady known as "stagflation" -- has the global economy faced such a challenge. The bank slashed its annual global growth forecast to 2.9 percent from January's 4.1 percent and said that "subdued growth will likely persist throughout the decade because of weak investment in most of the world." Fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine has aggravated the global slowdown by driving up prices for a range of commodities, fueling inflation. Global growth this year will be roughly half of last year's annualized rate and is expected to show little improvement in 2023 and 2024. This will be the sharpest slump after an initial post-recession rebound that the global economy has suffered in more than 80 years, the bank said. And the situation could get even worse: The Ukraine war could fracture global trade and financial networks, and soaring food prices could spark social unrest in importing countries. Persistent inflation raises the chances that the Federal Reserve and other central banks will sharply increase interest rates to cool off demand, as happened in the late 1970s. That could lead to a more punishing global slump and financial crises in some emerging markets, the bank said.
 
UN: Climate shocks, war fuel multiple looming food crises
Two U.N. food agencies issued stark warnings Monday about multiple, looming food crises on the planet, driven by climate "shocks" like drought and worsened by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine that have sent fuel and food prices soaring. The glum assessment came in a report by two Rome-based food agencies: the World Food Program (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). WFP Executive Director David Beasley said besides hurting "the poorest of the poor" the global food crises threaten to overwhelm millions of families who are just getting by. "Conditions now are much worse than during the Arab Spring in 2011 and 2007-2008 food price crisis, when 48 countries were rocked by political unrest, riots and protests," Beasley said in a statement. He cited as "just the tip of the iceberg" food crises now in Indonesia, Pakistan, Peru and Sri Lanka. The report calls for urgent humanitarian action to help "hunger hotspots" where acute hunger is expected to worsen over the next few months. The U.N. agencies are also warning that war in Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia in February, has exacerbated already steadily rising food and energy prices worldwide.
 
Why the fertilizer market could be Russia's hidden leverage
Economists and policymakers say Russia may have some thus far hidden leverage on Ukraine -- and the global food supply. They worry that self-imposed export restrictions on fertilizer by Russia, the top global provider of the product, could further drive up the cost of food and damage global harvests in 2023 and beyond. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been a factor in the 30 percent surge in international food prices and 10 percent rise in U.S. food prices over the last year, as supply chains continue to sputter in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. But the price pressures exerted on agricultural markets by Ukrainian exports like wheat and sunflower oil have been so far mostly caused by issues with their transportation, with cargo ships stuck in blockaded ports that Russian authorities say need to be cleared of mines. A shift in Russian fertilizer policy could go a step further, leading to problems with food production in addition to distribution. "If the fertilizers don't flow, then the world will produce less," United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) chief economist Máximo Torero said in an interview. "That's why we're saying that next year we could have a problem of food availability, and also of food access like what we have today." Even without an export restriction, international companies have been hesitant to purchase fertilizers from heavily sanctioned Russia, which is the world's top exporter of soil additives containing nitrogen, as well as those with phosphorus and potassium -- all byproducts of the vast Russian energy industry.
 
AT&T and Ole Miss partnership to help students prepare for college, careers
AT&T and the University of Mississippi are partnering to increase digital literacy among underserved African American high school students across Mississippi by helping them prepare for college and careers. The initiative, which includes workshops on resumes, job searches, online safety and more, is part of this year's Mississippi Outreach to Scholastic Talent, or MOST -- a conference that invites Black rising high school seniors to learn about life and academics at the university. "AT&T is dedicated to advancing education and creating opportunity in the Black community," said Mayo Flynt, president of AT&T Mississippi. "The work being done at Ole Miss through the MOST Conference is critical to increase education, skills building and career readiness opportunities in underserved communities." MOST is a three-day, two-night experience that exposes attendees to leadership activities; academic offerings; campus resources; and faculty, staff and student leaders. It is led collaboratively between the university's Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement and Office of Admissions with internal support from the offices of the Chancellor and Provost, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Division of Student Affairs and Ole Miss Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Ole Miss upperclassmen, many of whom are former MOST participants, serve as mentors in the program. Attendees who choose to enroll at Ole Miss -- usually about 30% -- stay connected with their mentors throughout their freshman college year as well.
 
USM professor sees slowdown in U.S. housing explosion
While an uptick in interest rates have slowed the U.S. housing market boom in recent weeks, home values keep growing at a record pace. How much longer will the trend continue? University of Southern Mississippi (USM) finance Professor Dr. Kimberly Goodwin expects that a combination of factors will contribute to an inevitable housing market slowdown. "Rising interest rates slow the housing market because it becomes harder for buyers to qualify for mortgage financing and that financing becomes more expensive," said Goodwin, who serves as Director of the School of Finance at USM. "The end of COVID stimulus payments by the federal government, along with such high levels of inflation, are likely to add to a slowdown in housing markets." Statistics show that U.S. home values are up 20.9 percent in the past year. Nationwide, the median sales price of a U.S. home was $420,000, up 3.4 percent over March and 15.1 percent over April of last year. In Mississippi, home prices were up 17.1 percent year-over-year in April. "This has definitely been a seller's market," said Goodwin. "In general, sellers could expect to have multiple offers within a couple of days and to sell at, or above, their asking price." Hattiesburg, home to USM, has seen a substantial rise in home prices and sales over the past two years. In April 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the median home price in Hattiesburg was approximately $192,000. In April 2022, the median price had jumped to just under $300,000.
 
Jackson sorority exceeds scholarship fundraising goal for Mississippi HBCUs
A scholarship fundraising campaign launched for the state's Historically Black Colleges exceeded its goal. The Jackson Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority made those donations to the presidents of each school to assist students with reaching their academic goals. In January, the Jackson Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated began a fundraiser to provide scholarships for the historically black colleges and universities in Mississippi. "We're raising funds for our students to stay in the State of Mississippi and to attend our HBCUs," said Delta Sigma Theta Jackson MS Alumnae Chapter President Gwendolyn Handy. The goal was to raise $100,000 for Alcorn, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley, Rust, and Tougaloo College. Donations were made to each school on the chapter's Facebook page. The "When You See Us HBCUs" campaign ended May 31, awarding more than $106,000 to the five schools. "We have some students who are not financially stable coming from a small town as others are," said Handy. "So we're hoping those presidents look at all the qualifications that that student needs in order to be successful."
 
Lawmakers: TOPS candidates may substitute computer coding for foreign language
The Louisiana Legislature signed off on a bill Monday that would allow students to substitute computer coding for a foreign language when being considered for TOPS eligibility. Senate Bill 191, sponsored by Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, would amend the requirements for eligibility for the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students to allow them to count two credits of computer coding in high school instead of two credits of a foreign language. The House voted 54-41 to approve the bill after a conference committee removed an amendment by Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Houma, which had changed the bill from allowing coding as a substitute for a foreign language to allowing those classes to be counted under the science requirement. The conference report was also sustained by the Senate Monday on a 34-0 vote. SB191, which was carried on the floor by Rep. Lance Harris, an Alexandria Republican who chairs the House Education Committee, faced opposition from several legislators concerned about preserving the state's French heritage. Rep. Mike Huval, R-Breaux Bridge, took to the floor to oppose the bill. Huval began his comments in French. "I don't want to see us move the advances that we have made since children were punished for speaking French to the classroom," Huval said. Rep. Jeremy LaCombe, D-Livonia, said that he was not opposed to students learning coding, but worried that coding would be cheaper for schools to teach, leading to districts cutting French language programs.
 
Hiring for higher education: DeSantis wants more scrutiny of university professors
Keeping an Eye on Education, a bill that Gov. Ron DeSantis wanted to introduce in Tallahassee would have imposed major changes in our state universities. Now, a leaked copy of that controversial bill -- a draft -- is making waves. The governor has been very outspoken about college curriculum being too one-sided and he says professors should have more checks and balances. The bill on that subject has been shelved. That means it's still a work in progress and none of this will happen anytime soon. However, professors all over Florida are aware there could be changes in the wind: in their classroom, with job security. And one of the biggest sticking points is who has the final say about which professors get hired. The 72 page document -- "An Act on Higher Education" -- is ruffling feathers all over Florida's academic world. Obtained and published by a website called "Seeking Rents," the new rules laid out in the proposed legislation are in lock-step with remarks Gov. DeSantis has made over the past year. He says universities are full of liberal bias and need to be reformed. A part of the bill, "Powers and Duties relating to Personnel," would be a game-changer if it ever passes. At the moment, university presidents decide which professors to welcome to the faculty but the governor wants hiring to be handled by university boards of trustees. Many of those boards have members who are DeSantis political appointees and allies. There are about 13,000 fulltime faculty members across Florida's 11 public universities. The governor's plans could affect all of them.
 
Kyle Rittenhouse says he will attend Blinn College; hopes to transfer to Texas A&M later
Kyle Rittenhouse announced on Twitter Monday afternoon that he plans to attend Blinn College this coming school year and hopes to transfer to Texas A&M University in 2023. A Blinn College spokesperson said Monday afternoon that Rittenhouse had applied to the college, but has not enrolled at Blinn for any classes. Blinn has an open enrollment policy. The college's website states that "most students will be accepted and eligible to register for classes once they submit all required admissions documents." Rittenhouse's announcement comes after he said on "The Charlie Kirk Show" last Friday that he would be attending A&M this fall. According to multiple reports, an A&M spokesperson said that Rittenhouse had not been admitted to the university for the summer or fall 2022, though. "Unfortunately, the end of my high school career was robbed from me. I didn't have the time other students get to properly prepare for the future. I look forward to attending Blinn College District this year, a feeder school for Texas A&M. I'm excited to join Texas A&M in 2023!" Rittenhouse wrote in a tweet. Rittenhouse, 19, rose into the national spotlight in August 2020 when he fatally shot two men and injured another with an AR-15-style rifle during social injustice protests in Wisconsin. He was 17 at the time of the shooting. Rittenhouse was acquitted on all charges against him last November after a jury found he acted in self-defense.
 
Former Missouri Fiji pledge Danny Santulli is back home but 'blind' and 'unable to walk,' attorney says
Danny Santulli is back in his parents' home in Minnesota after several months in a rehabilitation hospital in Colorado, said attorney David Bianchi. Santulli is in the care of his parents, but his condition hasn't changed, Bianchi said. "He has massive brain damage," Bianchi said. "He's blind. He's unable to walk or communicate." The brain damage resulted from alcohol poisoning Santulli experienced at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house on the University of Missouri campus in October. He was a freshman pledge at the frat, known commonly as Fiji. The university has ousted the fraternity from campus for repeated violations. MU also has sanctioned 13 fraternity members, though it hasn't revealed the sanctions. Bianchi, representing Santulli's parents, settled a lawsuit he had filed against the fraternity and 22 other defendants. In a hearing Monday, Bianchi sought in a motion to add fraternity brothers Samuel Gandhi and Alec Wetzler to the lawsuit in an amended petition. "We didn't know about them when we filed the original lawsuit," Bianchi said. Judge Joshua Devine approved Bianchi's motion. The petition alleges negligence against the two. It alleges Wetzler coerced Santulli to drink excessive amounts of alcohol by putting a tube into Santulli's mouth and pouring beer down his throat.
 
A 'wicked problem:' Policies, technology change the agriculture industry, rural life
Patrick Westhoff grew up on a dairy farm with his parents and seven brothers and sisters. Together, under the cover of a stanchion barn, they managed 70 cows and produced a million pounds of milk per year. The cows were locked into their stalls, they were milked and fed by hand. The family would clean up and start again the next day. "It was pretty doggone labor intensive," said Westhoff, director of the University of Missouri Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute. With eight kids "we had lots of cheap labor on the farm. That's how we're able to make it work over there all those years without hiring anybody." Today, the average cow lives on a dairy farm with at least 1,000 cows, he said. They produce a proportional amount of milk without nearly the labor. "It's much more efficiently set up," he said. "If you're still trying to operate a farm or that (traditional) type of a set up, it's darn tough to try to compete with the guys who've got a much more efficient way of doing business." This change over the last 45 years since Westhoff was living on the farm in Iowa has led to a decline in the number of dairy farms. The same pattern can be observed in Missouri and across the country as the entire ecosystem of getting food from farm to table consolidates. It's a phenomenon that one MU sociologist calls the "hollowing out of the middle." The big players get bigger, amassing more resources and dictating more and more of the way the industry operates.
 
Simulations help students recognize mental distress in peers
For years, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has implemented a mental health training simulation to teach students, faculty and staff to recognize symptoms of mental illness in students and take steps to get them help. Now a new case study shows the training is making an impact: campus members who completed the simulation were more likely to intervene when a student or peer showed signs of psychological distress. The training comes from Kognito, a company that makes digital learning simulations focused on mental health and wellness. The simulation offers one version for students and one for faculty and staff, but both are 40 minutes long and use role-play conversations with virtual human animations to train participants to recognize signs of distress in others and to effectively communicate their concerns, said Deidre Weathersby, associate director for outreach and prevention at the UIUC counseling center. The goal is to connect the person in distress with mental health support services. First piloted by the school of engineering 10 years ago, the simulation training is now required by the housing department as well, Weathersby said. While the training is strongly recommended for students, faculty and staff in other parts of campus, Weathersby said she wishes it was required across the board at UIUC -- along with the other mandatory training sessions on alcohol and drugs, sexual assault, and diversity and inclusion. She and her team are working to build relationships with more deans on campus to get the training implemented at more schools.
 
How Diversity Became a Bad Word at One State's Public Colleges
In a course Dyanis Conrad teaches called "The Foundations of American Education," she spends the first few weeks of the semester establishing that racism is real. Many of the students in Conrad's University of South Dakota classroom have never had to think critically about race. There are places in South Dakota where people can live their whole lives without bumping into a Black person or person of color, and for a number of her students, Conrad is the first Black person they've ever talked to. Those conversations can be difficult. But avoiding them, she believes, would be much worse. In 2021, Conrad, an assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, was singled out by "Woki-Leaks," a website that claims to expose "wokeness" at the state's universities. One of her alleged offenses: speaking on a podcast hosted by the University of South Dakota during Black History Month, where she talked about critical social justice. She was subsequently criticized by South Dakota's Republican governor for promoting critical race theory. Conrad said in an interview with The Chronicle that she doesn't teach CRT. But she does highlight some aspects of it in her teaching -- just as other teacher-educators do. Across the country, Republican lawmakers have increasingly argued that public colleges are spending taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate students with liberal ideology about privilege and racial justice, hire useless diversity bureaucrats, and silence conservative voices. A wave of related bills have been introduced in more than two-dozen states since January 2021. In South Dakota, that rhetoric has had serious consequences for higher ed in the state, several faculty members and administrators say.
 
How much does college really cost? It may be much less than you think
For most families looking at colleges, the price tag seems overwhelming. But things aren't always what they seem. That's because about 66% of all full-time students receive aid, which can lower the cost significantly. For example, tuition and fees plus room and board at highly selective four-year colleges average more than $74,000. However, the price families actually pay is closer to $27,000, on average, according to new research by Vanguard. At public, in-state schools, the net price that an average student pays is actually $14,360 a year -- well below the average sticker price of $26,364, Vanguard found. "When parents are anchored to these published tuition costs, it can really be discouraging," said Jonathan Kahler, a certified financial planner and author of the report. "These high prices seem impossible." In fact, most families pay a great deal less. It's not uncommon for the most sought-after schools to list total prices of $80,000 a year or more, Kahler said. "In reality, the vast majority of students and their families will pay considerably less once financial aid and other discounting is factored in."
 
What's next for student debt after forgiveness?
As President Biden moves closer to canceling at least some student debt in the near future, many higher education advocates and members of Congress are concerned that cancellation without broader reforms to the federal loan system at large will merely provide a temporary solution to a much larger issue. "The problems with our system are there are a lot of players involved. We've had states disinvesting for decades now, colleges raise tuition, Pell Grants are flat and all of that comes out in the student loan program, where we see more and more people borrowing and borrowing larger amounts," said James Kvaal, under secretary of education. "You have a student loan program that really is not working for many. So we need to really rethink how we finance higher education in this country." The issue at hand, advocates say, is the system that created the debt crisis in the first place. Biden's plan to cancel at least $10,000 of student debt for borrowers with incomes under $150,000, according to White House officials, will provide relief to some borrowers struggling to repay their debt. However, many argue that the relief that will be felt from debt forgiveness will soon fade. "If we're going to move forward with widespread debt forgiveness, what are the policy solutions that we're focused on to ensure we're not in the same position in one year, five years or 10 years?" said Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
 
Unions lobby Biden for bolder approach to student debt relief
The nation's largest unions are mobilizing a last-ditch effort to convince President Joe Biden to go big on student loan forgiveness as the White House weighs a final decision on canceling debt. A growing number of unions in recent weeks have ramped up their public calls for Biden to act on student debt relief, including unions that have not previously weighed in on the issue. And behind the scenes, labor leaders have been lobbying senior White House officials to press the case for sweeping loan forgiveness. On Monday, two prominent unions representing workers at Amazon and Starbucks plan to unveil their support for student loan forgiveness. The leaders of those high-profile organizing campaigns, including Amazon Labor Union president Christian Smalls, met with Biden at the White House last month. The Amazon and Starbucks unions are the latest to join a coalition of progressive groups, student debt activists and civil rights organizations like the NAACP that have been trying since the beginning of Biden's presidency to convince him to cancel large amounts of student debt. Some labor groups, especially teachers' unions, were already vocal proponents of widespread debt relief. But the issue is now attracting support from a far broader swath of organized labor. The broad union backing may provide Biden with some political cover and help counter concerns, even from some Democrats, that student debt cancellation will be perceived as elitist by voters who never attended college.
 
Biden Decision on Student-Loan Forgiveness Unlikely Until Later in Summer, Officials Say
President Biden is likely to decide later this summer whether to partially forgive student-loan debt for millions of borrowers, according to administration officials and others familiar with the matter, after the president said more than a month ago that he would weigh in on the issue in the next couple of weeks. The officials said Mr. Biden is likely to announce his plans in July or August, closer to when the pandemic-related pause in federal student loan payments is scheduled to lapse, as the president and his senior advisers continue to weigh the political and economic fallout of any such move. The Biden administration earlier this year extended the pause, which has been in effect since March 2020, until Sept. 1. The delay means the roughly 40 million people who owe about $1.6 trillion in federal student debt may have to wait to find out whether they may see all or part of their loans erased. Mr. Biden has long been skeptical of using his executive authority to wipe away student loan debt. Officials said he remains concerned about the possible effects the move could have on record inflation, cautious about doing anything that could be perceived as contributing to high prices. Some people close to Mr. Biden said he had nonetheless warmed to the idea in recent months as advocates inside and outside the administration made impassioned pleas for him to take action.
 
A Free-Speech Group Known for Campus Interventions Wants to Be Bigger
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education -- an advocacy organization that has long intervened on behalf of students and professors across the political spectrum whose free-speech rights were violated or under threat -- is expanding beyond college campuses. The organization announced Monday it is rebranding as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression as part of a $75-million campaign that it says will focus on defending free speech through litigation and in the court of public opinion. "It's important that people believe there's somebody out there who's watching the store on this, and we want that to be FIRE," said Robert Shibley, the organization's executive director. The initiative is intended to launch FIRE into the national consciousness as "a well-known protector of free speech," Shibley said. The move comes at a time when free speech is top of mind nationwide. Legislatures in many states have introduced or passed laws that restrict what K-12 teachers, and sometimes college instructors, can address in the classroom. In March, The New York Times's editorial board proclaimed: "America Has a Free Speech Problem." Citing polls and interviews, the board asserted that "the old lesson of 'think before you speak' has given way to the new lesson of 'speak at your peril.'" Over time, FIRE has been "inundated with lots of queries about broader free-speech issues," said Keith E. Whittington, a professor of politics at Princeton University who wrote Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech and serves on FIRE's board of directors. So "it's a very natural extension in lots of ways," he said.
 
A Conservative Quits Georgetown's Law School Amid Free Speech Fight
On Thursday, Ilya Shapiro, a legal scholar, announced his victory in the campus free speech wars: After a suspension and an investigation over a series of tweets, he was cleared to take his new job as a senior lecturer and executive director at Georgetown University's Center for the Constitution. But the reinstatement was not an unequivocal vote of confidence. Under fire for writing that President Biden would nominate a "lesser black woman" for the Supreme Court, he had been cleared on a technicality -- that he was not yet employed by the university when he posted the tweets. That turned out not to be enough. On Monday, in a head-spinning reversal, Mr. Shapiro announced that he was stepping down. Both announcements -- of staying in his job and leaving his job -- were made in The Wall Street Journal opinion section. "I would have to be constantly walking on eggshells," he said in an interview on Monday after his second opinion essay appeared online. Mr. Shapiro's about-face is the second case in two weeks of faculty leaving a high-profile university amid a speech dispute. Last month, Princeton University fired a tenured classics professor, Joshua Katz, in what many conservative activists believed was punishment for a 2020 article in the online journal Quillette that criticized a slate of what was billed as antiracist proposals by Princeton faculty, students and staff. On Monday, Mr. Shapiro said that Dr. Katz's firing "was definitely in my mind as part of the consideration of what to do, over the weekend, not because of any sexual misconduct, but simply because his case shows that anything can be used as a pretext to punish wrong-speak."
 
Growing death trends should give us pause
Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: Two growing death trends should give us pause – domestic terrorism and deaths of despair. Here's a brief snapshot. "The domestic terrorism caseload has exploded" according to FBI Director Christopher Wray. "The greatest terrorist threat we face here in the U.S. is from what are, in effect, lone actors. Because they act alone and move quickly from radicalization to action -- often using easily obtainable weapons against soft targets -- these attackers don't leave a lot of 'dots' for investigators to connect, and not a lot of time in which to connect them." ... Meanwhile, deaths of despair from suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholism are on the rise. According to a National Institute of Health study, the largest increases in such deaths occurred among poorly educated rural adults and other adults suffering from economic distress, loneliness and depression. ... Both research and common sense tell us that domestic terrorism and deaths of despair are driven by strong negative emotions. That trends are increasing for both suggests growing levels of unhappiness and discontent, particularly with regard to our youth. And, yes, that should give us pause from our daily shenanigans. It is unclear what, if anything, Mississippi is doing to address these trends. Same goes at the national level.


SPORTS
 
Volleyball Unveils 2022 Schedule
The Mississippi State volleyball program and head coach Julie Darty Dennis have announced the 28-match schedule for the 2022 season, which includes a pair of home tournaments and 13 total matches inside the Newell-Grissom Building. "I am really excited about the 2022 schedule we have built," Dennis said. "This is a very challenging schedule and is going to have us tested very early in the season. I think we have a very experienced group who is hungry to keep building something special here at Mississippi State and that's exactly why we scheduled the way we did. This is not going to be easy, but it's exactly what we need." Mississippi State will kick off the 2022 campaign at home with an exhibition match versus Louisiana on Friday, Aug. 20. First stop for the Bulldogs is South Bend, Indiana, on Aug. 26-27. The season kicks off day one with Milwaukee on Friday, Aug. 26, while MSU finishes the trip versus Notre Dame on Saturday, Aug. 27. MSU will look to continue its climb up the SEC standings in year five of the Dennis era. State finished 16-2 in conference play and 25-6 overall for the 2021 slate. For the 2022 campaign, the Bulldogs have 13 returners, which includes six starters.
 
Super regional matchups are set in NCAA baseball tournament
Matchups for the NCAA baseball super regionals were set Monday night after No. 2 national seed Stanford, No. 3 Oregon State, No. 8 East Carolina and eight other teams won regionals. The best-of-three super regionals begin Friday and Saturday and will determine the field for the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, beginning June 17. The matchups: Notre Dame (38-14) at No. 1 national seed Tennessee (56-7), Connecticut (49-14) at Stanford (45-15), Auburn (40-19) at Oregon State (47-16), Oklahoma (40-21) at No. 4 Virginia Tech (44-12), Louisville (41-19-1) at No. 5 Texas A&M (40-18), Texas (45-19) at East Carolina (45-19), Mississippi (35-22) at Southern Mississippi (47-17) and Arkansas (41-19) at North Carolina (42-20). Southern Mississippi is back in the super regionals for the first time since 2009 after taking the lead in the ninth on a sacrifice fly to beat LSU 8-7. Tim Elko homered three times and Kemp Alderman hit a grand slam in Mississippi's 22-6 rout of Arizona.
 
Feeling Super: Southern Miss defeats LSU 8-7 to advance to program's second-ever Super Regional
The U-S-M chants echoed throughout Pete Taylor Park on Monday evening. Just after the final strike was thrown the Golden Eagles promptly stormed Hill Denson Field after defeating LSU in a back-and-forth 8-7 win. Southern Miss pulled off an unlikely bounce back after losing a heartbreaker to LSU just two days later as the Golden Eagles won three straight games in a 27-hour period to not only keep their season alive but to advance to the program's second-ever Super Regional. It was a celebration that Pete Taylor Park had never experienced and filled with numerous highlights. Scott Berry received an unexpected Powerade bath, Carson Paetow was all smiles despite receiving a bloody nose in the dog pile, players sprinted to the Roost to be greeted by more of the USM faithful -- the list goes on. The postgame festivities were all because Southern Miss will now host a Super Regional for the first time in program history. "It's special," Southern Miss coach Scott Berry said. "It's one thing that we have never been able to do. We can check that box now."
 
Schedule announced for Southern Miss vs. Ole Miss NCAA Baseball Tournament Super Regional
Southern Miss baseball is set to host an NCAA Tournament Super Regional that is bound to enthrall the baseball-crazed state of Mississippi. The Golden Eagles (47-17) take on Ole Miss (35-22) for the right to go to the College World Series in Omaha beginning Saturday (3 p.m., ESPNU). Game Two is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m., with a third game tabbed for Monday at a time to be determined, if necessary. The opener of the super regional will air on ESPNU, with the second game tabbed for either ESPNU or ESPN2. The TV listing for the third game is TBD. Pete Taylor Park set its attendance record of 6,346 the last time the Rebels made the trip down to Hattiesburg for a midweek game May 11. Ole Miss won the game 4-1. "There's no other state that loves baseball more than the state of Mississippi," USM coach Scott Berry said. "You can look at total attendance for all three schools in our state versus the big three schools of any other state and it's not even close. This state is passionate about baseball."
 
Transgender athletes will be banned from competing in women's sports in Louisiana
Gov. John Bel Edwards said Monday night he is letting a bill that would bar transgender athletes from competing in girls and women's sports become law without his signature. Edwards vetoed a nearly identical proposal last year and lawmakers narrowly failed to override the veto. He told reporters that, after talks with lawmakers, it became obvious "that this bill was going to become law regardless of what I did." "Acknowledging that reality is important," he said. "But at the same time the way I feel about the bill hasn't changed, what I say about the bill hasn't changed. I am hopeful we can take that off the table and now start to focus on other things." "I hope we can all get to the point soon where we realize these young people are doing all they can to survive," Edwards said later. The legislation is Senate Bill 44 by Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton. "I'm really pleased that we finally got it over the finish line," said Mizell, who sponsored the legislation both years. The bill says that a female, girls or women's team is only for students who are born biological females. That means, according to the measure, the sex on the student's official birth certificate. Edwards and other opponents say the change is unneeded and that the Louisiana High School Athletic Association already has rules in place to prevent such an occurrence.



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