| Thursday, July 7, 2022 |
| MPB airing MSU Films' 'Hungriest State' this summer | |
 | Mississippi Public Broadcasting will air Mississippi State Films' award-winning miniseries "The Hungriest State" this summer. Each episode of the four-part series will be played four times across July and August, with varying start times to accommodate audiences. "The Hungriest State" examines food insecurity in Mississippi, highlighting different perceptions, causes, impacts and solutions to one of the critical issues facing the Magnolia State. Through several stories, the series shows the essential nature of food security at the individual and community levels and the passion of people working to address the inequities that cause food insecurity. The series garnered national acclaim when its first episode, "The Last Supermarket" won an Edward R. Murrow Award in 2021. Most recently, two episodes -- "The Domino Effect" and "The Fisherfolk" -- won Southeast Emmy awards in June. |
| MSU, city agree to terms on Bulldog Bash | |
| Aldermen on Tuesday granted a permit request from the Mississippi State University Student Association to throw Bulldog Bash with city participation and in-kind services on Oct. 21. Approval of the permit was delayed after issues arose regarding liability insurance for the special event. According to Mayor Lynn Spruill, those issues have since been resolved and Bulldog Bash will move forward as it has in years past. Mississippi State University submitted a special events request in early June but it was withdrawn after it became clear that city officials and the university were not seeing eye to eye on the liability insurance for the city. MSU took the position that they could no longer list the city as an additional insured, citing IHL policy. Despite this, the Bulldog Bash will proceed just as it did the year before, with the city as an additional insured. That means MSU pays the insurance premium, and the city provides services such as sanitation and police/fire protection. Bulldog Bash, held annually in the fall, is the state's largest free outdoor concert, drawing past headliners such as T-Pain, DNCE and Eric Church. For the past several years, the Bash has been held downtown. |
| Delta Scholars Symposium tours Clarksdale, seeks solutions to regions problems | |
 | They are some of the brightest students in the state and they were in Clarksdale last week as part of the Delta Regional Forum. Seventeen students from across the region gathered at the Cutrer Mansion to listen to elected officials, local businessmen and women and economic development professionals discuss some of the Mississippi Delta's problems and also some of the area's success stories and strengths. The event was hosted by the Coahoma County Higher Education Center and students from Mississippi State, The University of Mississippi, LSU, Alcorn and Harvard took part in the event. Anna Dean was born in Jackson, grew up in Bentonville, Ark., and now attends Harvard where she is studying Women and Gender Policy "We got to learn about the history of the Mississippi Delta and of course the Blues and its connection to Clarksdale," said Dean. "The civil rights issues of this area and the issues facing women in this area were eye-opening." The Delta Scholars program is a ten-day immersion program for about 12 undergraduates committed to improving the lives and experience of residents in the Mississippi Delta. Working in conjunction with the Harvard Law School Mississippi Delta Fellow, it is headquartered at the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College on the campus of Mississippi State University. |
| Farmers markets benefit communities, area sellers | |
| Farmers markets are multiplying across the state as they combine two of the things that Mississippians value most: fresh produce and socializing. The concept of a central place for area farmers to sell their goods has been around for decades, but the recent, increased focus on shopping locally has caused an uptick in the number of farmers markets across the state. "You're not going to find fresher produce at the grocery store or friendlier vendors," said Marie Rogers, Mississippi State University Extension Service Itawamba County agent. The MSU Extension Service is a key force behind many of these community resources, with the county Extension office often organizing the area's market. The Extension Center for Government and Community Development has become a driving force behind the movement, helping communities organize new markets and improve the ones they have. Courtney Crist, an Extension food safety specialist in the MSU Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, said these informal markets allow individuals to operate businesses. "Farmers markets foster entrepreneurship and creativity in multiple sectors such as agriculture, art and food, without the burden of significant investment and the costs of operating a large business," Crist said. |
| Bradford Freeman, Last of the 'Band of Brothers,' Dies at 97 | |
 | Bradford Freeman, the last survivor of the World War II paratroop company whose combat exploits were described in the best-selling book and subsequent mini-series "Band of Brothers," died on Sunday in Columbus, Miss. He was 97. His death, in a hospital, was announced by his family through the Lowndes Funeral Home in Columbus. Mr. Freeman was a private first class assigned to a mortar squad in Easy Company, Second Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He took part in the unit's jump behind Utah Beach in the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, carrying an 18-pound mortar plate strapped to his chest. Landing in a pasture filled with cows, he helped a fellow soldier with a broken leg hide before joining the rest of his squad. He fought with Easy Company in its battles with the Germans in France, its parachute drops into the German-occupied Netherlands and the Battle of the Bulge, in bitter cold and snow. Bradford Clark Freeman was born on Sept. 4, 1924, in Artesia, Miss., one of eight children of Erwyn and Ollie Freeman. He was a student at Mississippi State University when the United States entered World War II; he joined the Army in December 1942 and went overseas with the 101st Airborne early in 1944. Following the war, Mr. Freeman graduated from Mississippi State and worked as a letter carrier for 32 years. |
| Caledonia's Brad Freeman, last surviving member of 'Band of Brothers' unit, passes away at 97 | |
| Brad Freeman, who passed away Sunday from COVID-19 at Baptist-Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle, spent 94 of his 97 years in Lowndes County, mostly in Caledonia where he worked as mailman for 32 years, raised a family and raised vegetables and cattle on the side. But it was his three years away from home that would secure his fame. With his passing, there are now no surviving members of World War II's "Easy Company" of the 101st Airborne Division, Second Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment made famous by the book and mini-series "Band of Brothers." Freeman, a private first class and mortar man, had been the last surviving member of Easy Company since the December passing of Col. Edward Shames at age 99, thus closing the book on an historic chapter in the proud history of the 101st Airborne. Freeman was wounded in the knee and shoulder by shrapnel from an German mortar during the attack on Noville on Jan. 14, 1945, and returned to Easy Company after three months of recovery but did not face combat again. Easy Company was discharged in November 1945 and Freeman returned home to finish his degree at Mississippi State before taking a Civil Service job as a mail carrier in the Caledonia area. Freeman's quiet return to civilian life meant his experiences weren't widely known. "I knew Mr. Freeman before the 'Band of Brothers' came out," said Columbus historian Rufus Ward. "I had no earthly idea about any of it until then. Yet, what he did in those campaigns, to me, he is really one of the great heroes of World War II. It's amazing he survived." |
| Supes exclude MEG from submitting proposal to decommission lake | |
| Supervisors on Tuesday reversed course on whether to allow Mississippi Engineering Group to submit a proposal for the cost of decommissioning Oktibbeha County Lake, opting to exclude the firm from the process. It was the third time supervisors voted on the issue, dating back to June 6. Board president Bricklee Miller, who represents District 4, tried to correct the order that resulted from the initial vote because it did not exclude MEG, parent company of Pickering Engineering, from receiving a request for a proposal. Her attempts to amend the order drew a failed public call from District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard for Miller to step down as board president but a successful vote to send RFQs to "any and all firms." The county has already agreed to pay MEG nearly $500,000 for design work related to repairing the dam, a project the firm estimated would cost the county at least $15 million to complete. Decommissioning the lake would presumably be a less expensive option. On Tuesday, District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery moved again to exclude MEG from receiving an RFQ for decommissioning work, citing conflicts of interest. "I would like to exclude Pickering from doing the decommissioning study," he said. "Just to get all the answers out on the table and get a clear understanding of which direction we need to go. It's just on the premise of conflict of interest. ...We're going in two different directions, I don't want the same group doing that work." |
| Free admission to Two Mississippi Museums on July 8 & 9 | |
| If you're looking to visit the Two Mississippi Museums, this weekend is the time to go with free admission being offered on both Friday and Saturday. Thanks to the Higher Purpose Co. (HPC) and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, not only will entrance to the museums be free but there will be an entrepreneur fair on Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Mississippi Hall of History. "We are grateful to Higher Purpose Co. and the National Museum of African American History and Culture for making it possible for Mississippians to visit the Two Mississippi Museums and increase their knowledge of entrepreneurship," Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, said. The free admission is in conjunction with the presentation of The Negro Motorist Green Book exhibit, which takes an immersive look at the reality of travel for African Americans in mid-century America and how the annual guide served as an indispensable resource for the nation's rising African American middle class. |
| Mississippi-based Naval Meteorology and Oceanography and Command Office at Stennis key to U.S. Navy's readiness | |
 | The Mississippi Coast has long been a key component in America's national security. Whether it is Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula or Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi or the Coast Guard units stationed along the Gulf of Mexico or NASA's Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, the Magnolia State's strategic role in the readiness for the United States military cannot be understated. One aspect of the Mississippi Coast's role in national security has often gone overlooked. Headquartered at John C. Stennis Space Center in South Mississippi, the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography and Command is responsible for providing oceanographic products and services to all elements of the Department of Defense. Most may not know that the Naval Oceanography has been located at Stennis Space Center since the 1970s. Naval Oceanography has fifteen commands total under its enterprise that are controlled by CNMOC from Stennis Space Center. Five of those commands are at Stennis employing around 1,000 sailors and civilians. |
| Scramble as last Mississippi abortion clinic shuts its doors | |
 | Mississippi's only abortion clinic has been buzzing with activity in the chaotic days since the U.S. Supreme Court upended abortion rights nationwide -- a case that originated in this conservative Deep South state, with this bright-pink medical facility that is closing its doors Wednesday. Physicians at Jackson Women's Health Organization have been trying to see as many patients as possible before Thursday, when, barring an unlikely intervention by the state's conservative Supreme Court, Mississippi will enact a law to ban most abortions. Amid stifling summer heat and humidity, clashes intensified Wednesday between anti-abortion protesters and volunteers escorting patients into the clinic, best known as the Pink House. When Dr. Cheryl Hamlin, who has traveled from Boston for five years to perform abortions, walked outside the Pink House, an abortion opponent used a bullhorn to yell at her. "Repent! Repent!" shouted Doug Lane. His words were drowned out by abortion rights supporter Beau Black, who repeatedly screamed at Lane: "Hypocrites and Pharisees! Hypocrites and Pharisees!" Cars with license plates from Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas have been driving through Jackson's Fondren neighborhood to bring women and girls -- some of whom appeared to be teenagers -- to the Pink House. Drivers parked on side streets near the clinic in the shade of pink and purple crepe myrtles, their car air-conditioners blasting as they waited. As the Pink House prepared to close, Dr. Hamlin said she worries about women living in deep poverty in parts of the state with little access to health care. |
| Starting today, abortion is now mostly outlawed in Mississippi | |
 | Abortion in almost all cases is now prohibited in Mississippi. Since a state judge declined to freeze Mississippi's trigger ban -- a 2007 law declaring that if the U.S. Supreme Court ever overturned Roe v. Wade then physicians would be barred from performing abortions unless the health of the mother was at stake or the pregnancy was caused by rape -- went into effect on Thursday morning. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the state's only abortion clinic, told reporters last month that if state courts allow the trigger ban to go into effect, then the facility will soon close its doors. Vara Lyons, a policy analyst for the American Civil Liberties Union, previously told the Daily Journal that the trigger ban won't stop abortions from happening in Mississippi. Instead, it will cause people to either seek the procedure out of state or through an unsafe method, she said. "The thing that I feel that anti-choice politicians don't understand is you're not going to stop abortions," Lyons said. "You're going to limit people's access to them, but people are still going to get them." Mississippi is now living in a post-Roe environment at the same time that it leads the nation in negative maternal health metrics. Mississippi is the deadliest state in the nation for newborn children, large spans of the state's citizens don't have access to an OB-GYN and the state-run foster care is still dealing with a long-running lawsuit. It's unclear what elected officials plan to do in the future, if anything, but legislative leaders have formed committees to decide which policies should be enacted to combat these metrics and support women who have given birth. |
| Mississippi abortion ban takes effect, last clinic closes Wednesday | |
 | On Wednesday evening, after some of the last patients to receive a legal abortion in Mississippi had left Jackson Women's Health Organization, the last abortion clinic in the state closed its doors. The next day, abortion would become illegal in Mississippi, with few exceptions. Ten days after Attorney General Lynn Fitch certified that the U.S. Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade, the state's trigger law will now take effect. The trigger law passed the state legislature in 2007 and bans all abortions, whether performed surgically or via medication, with exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape and those that threaten the life of the mother. The rape exception requires a victim to have reported the crime to the police. The end of abortions at Jackson Women's Health Organization, the state's last operating clinic, leaves Mississippians seeking an abortion with hundreds of miles between the state and the closest places with widespread access. It also closes the book on decades of protest, activism and reproductive healthcare at the clinic, leaving many who have spent decades of their lives there wondering what to do next. With Roe v. Wade behind them, many of the state's conservative leaders have pledged to help mothers and young children, while offering few specifics. |
| 'There will be women who will die': Protesters, supporters look to the future on last day of legal abortion in Mississippi | |
| When the last patient went inside Mississippi's only abortion clinic on the final day of legal abortion in the state, escort Derenda Hancock packed up stray bottles of Coca-Cola and water next to the driveway she has guarded for nine years. Wearing aviator sunglasses that hid her eyes, she leaned silently against the pink stucco wall for a moment. Then she walked away. The Jackson Women's Health Organization provided abortions for the last time on Wednesday afternoon. Starting Thursday, Mississippi will permit abortions only in cases where the pregnancy threatens the mother's life -- a medically imprecise standard that may force doctors to wait for patients to deteriorate before providing care -- or when the pregnant person reported a rape to law enforcement. Abortion will be more restricted than at any point in state history except for about 15 years in the mid-20th century. The clinic, which also offers contraceptives and other services, will likely close altogether. Director Shannon Brewer and a few staff members plan to move to New Mexico to open Pink House West. The Pink House spent much of its existence fighting for its survival against laws and regulations designed to make it as difficult and complicated as possible to provide abortions in Mississippi. In the end, the facility at the heart of the case that overturned Roe was able to stay open longer than many others in the region of the country most hostile to abortion rights. The abortion ban will disproportionately affect Black women in Mississippi, who get about three-quarters of all abortions in the state. Black women also face much greater risks during pregnancy: They are about three times likelier than white women in the state to die of a pregnancy-related complication. |
| Arrest made in murder of former state lawmaker Ashley Henley, but family remains skeptical | |
| Calhoun County Sheriff's deputies arrested a man for the murder of former DeSoto County Representative Ashley Henley who was gunned down over a year ago. Authorities arrested Billy Brooks less than two weeks after a 3 On Your Side investigation into the case. A grand jury indicted Brooks on June 30th, exactly one week after we told you no progress had been reported in the former lawmaker's death investigation. He was booked in the Yalobusha County Jail on Tuesday. Ashley's husband, Brandon, and best friend, Melissa Smith, feel the timing of it all is suspicious. "What did you come up with between the time of the story to now? What popped up that you can say, 'Yeah, he did it. Beyond any shadow of a doubt, this man is guilty,'" Brandon Henley said. Brooks was out on bond for arson in a case involving Ashley's sister-in-law, Kristina Michelle Jones, whose death has yet to be ruled a homicide even though her toxicology report indicates she was dead before the fire. Authorities then arrested Brooks for Ashley's murder on Tuesday, which happened to be Jones' birthday. "I don't think anything Yalobusha County is doing is coincidental at all," Brandon said. "I don't think the fact that I had to find out what happened through a third party is coincidental as far as the arrest yesterday." While he's happy to see movement in the investigation, Brandon said he's surprised to hear the murder charges were in connection to his wife's death instead of his sister's. Smith said the same. "There are a lot of unanswered questions. We still do not know what happened to Michelle, and honestly, it feels like they're not really trying to find out what happened to Michelle," Smith said. "This is still not going to go away until we know what happened all the way around." |
| China Escalates Efforts to Influence U.S. State and Local Leaders, Officials Warn | |
 | U.S. counterintelligence officials are stepping up a campaign to warn state and local government leaders and business executives about what they see as China's increasing use of overt and covert means to influence policy-making. A notice released Wednesday by the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center cites an aggressive, escalated campaign by China to lobby and otherwise influence state, local, tribal and business leaders as tensions with Washington rise. Officials from the NCSC, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security advised state and local officials from around the country at a February event hosted by the Senate Intelligence Committee about the risks of Chinese influence operations, according to people familiar with the situation. The officials have since conducted other outreach efforts, the people said. A DHS spokesperson said the department has enhanced collaboration with every level of government, while committee leaders Sens. Mark Warner (D., Va.) and Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) urged greater effort to confront the threat posed by China. The FBI declined to comment. Michael Orlando, who leads the NCSC, briefed The Wall Street Journal on the Chinese campaigns, saying the pace of influence operations directed at state and local leaders has accelerated as views of Beijing in Washington, including among members of Congress, have stiffened. These operations have "become more aggressive and pervasive," he said. |
| China lashes out at US, British intelligence services | |
| The United States is "the biggest threat to world peace, stability and development," China said Thursday, continuing its sharp rhetoric in response to U.S. accusations of Chinese spying and threats to the international order. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian's comments came a day after the head of the FBI and the leader of Britain's domestic intelligence agency raised fresh alarms about the Chinese government, warning business leaders that Beijing is determined to steal their technology for competitive gain. The heightened tone comes ahead of a meeting Saturday between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations' ministers summit in Bali, Indonesia. "The relevant U.S. politician has been playing up the so-called China threat to smear and attack China," Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing when asked about FBI Director Christopher Wray's comments reaffirming longstanding concerns in denouncing economic espionage and hacking operations by China as well as the Chinese government's efforts to stifle dissent abroad. Wray's speech was particularly notable because it took place at MI5's London headquarters and alongside the agency's director general, Ken McCallum, in an intended show of Western solidarity. |
| U.S. Small-Business Programs' Future Is Clouded by Congressional Fight | |
| A pair of federal programs meant to help the Pentagon and others tap U.S. small-business innovation face an overhaul or outright extinction as Congress feuds over allegations their funds are being abused by their recipients and by China. The Small Business Innovation Research program and the affiliated Small Business Technology Transfer program are set to expire at the end of September if legislators don't renew them. Federal agencies have made more than $60 billion in awards through the programs over four decades. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the top Republican on the Senate small-business committee, has pledged to block the programs' reauthorization unless Congress mandates a revamp. His Democratic counterparts see some of his proposals as counterproductive to fostering innovation, so negotiations are dragging on, according to aides. The wrangling is part of a broader debate in Washington, Silicon Valley and elsewhere about the best way for the U.S. to strengthen its defense-industrial base against China, which is determined to access U.S. innovation. Many critical technologies are now being developed by tech startups and other nontraditional defense contractors. The current legislative fight over the small-business funds centers on companies that have excelled at winning many awards, which generally total $50,000 to $750,000. Mr. Paul refers to these firms as "SBIR mills." He accuses them of gaming the system to get funding for research that largely can't be commercialized, crowding out businesses with potentially more innovative technology. |
| Spirit of 76: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter reach rare wedding anniversary | |
| Last year, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter celebrated their wedding anniversary with a huge party in Plains. In addition to neighbors, the guest list of more than 300 people included former President Bill Clinton, former U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, civil rights icon Andrew Young, country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, and media mogul Ted Turner. But this year? No party. No trips. No elaborate dinner. No visits from heads of state. After more than three-quarters of a century together, who needs it? The former president and his wife plan to spend a quiet afternoon in their hometown in middle Georgia marking 76 years of marriage today. It is a milestone that is so rare that the U.S. Census Bureau doesn't keep statistics on how many couples make it that far. Only 6% of married couples make it to even 50 years. Carter, who was the country's 39th president before enjoying a long post-presidency that saw him become only the second Georgian to win a Nobel Peace Prize, has said that of all his accomplishments, saying "I do," to Rosalynn Smith on July 7, 1946, in a tiny Methodist church in Plains, was his greatest. "The best thing I ever did was marrying Rosalynn. That's the pinnacle of my life," Carter said in 2015. The Carters are the longest-married presidential couple in U.S. history, followed by former president George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, who were married for 73 years and 102 days until Barbara's 2018 death. |
| Man donates kidney to his mother in UMMC's 3000th organ transplant | |
| A Mississippi woman has a new lease on life thanks to her son. Tawanna Davis, 45, received a new kidney from her 25-year-old son, Quinten Hogan, on June 28. The surgery marked the 3,000th organ transplant at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. "To do a live donor transplant on this occasion was extra special," said Dr. Christopher Anderson, the James D. Hardy professor and chair of UMMC's Department of Surgery. "This is a landmark number, and it's telling that the majority of those have been done in the last decade. It speaks to the institutional commitment for transplant in the state of Mississippi." Anderson removed Hogan's left kidney; Dr. Felicitas Koller, associate professor of transplant surgery, implanted it next to Davis' two diseased organs. The procedures took about eight hours, UMMC officials said. Hogan is Davis' only child. "I didn't give her my kidney, because it's her kidney," he said. "She gave it to me." The Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency said that of the 1,300 Mississippians waiting for an organ transplant, about 900 need a kidney -- and most of those won't get one for an average of three to five years. |
| Two UM journalism students place in prestigious Hearst competition | |
| Two members of the University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media have placed in the Top 20 in the annual Hearst Journalism Awards competition. Rabria Moore, who will be an Ole Miss senior this fall, and Billy Schuerman, a 2021 graduate of the school, were among the winners of the prestigious national contest, placing in the team digital news/enterprise category. Their project, examining water supply problems in the Lafayette County community of Taylor, was published during the 2021 spring semester. They worked on the package under the guidance of editor-adviser Ellen Meacham, an adjunct assistant professor of journalism. The project tied for 16th place in the Hearst contest with a project from Elon University, said Patricia Thompson, former director of the university's S. Gale Denley Student Media Center. The Top 5 winners in that category were students from Western Kentucky University, Syracuse University, University of North Carolina and the University of Oregon. A native of Durant, Moore is majoring in journalism and political science. She will be editor-in-chief of The Daily Mississippian for 2022-23. Schuerman, from Houston, Texas, just completed his first year in the visual communication master's program at Ohio University. |
| JSU alum featured in Time Magazine with 'world's most downloaded educational video game' | |
| Jackson State University alum Felisa Ford was recently awarded a feature in Time Magazine for her project and "one of the most downloaded educational games,", "Good Trouble." "Good Trouble," an extension to the education edition of Minecraft, is a civil rights video game designed to educate the user on the history of social justice and civil rights and was named after a phrase from the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis. Ford realized her passion for social justice as an undergraduate while studying at JSU, where she majored in political science. Ford was able to combine her interests in social justice and technology to invent the video game. She felt it was necessary for children to be further educated in social justice following the death of George Floyd. The game is designed to guide students through periods in the history of social justice movements. Ford stated that she and the Minecraft team believed educators could become equipped with the tools to respond to learners curious about social justice and have a conversation about it. |
| Former EMCC president Tommy Davis remembered | |
 | Dr. Thomas L. "Tommy" Davis, Jr. -- recognized as the president who brought East Mississippi Community College from the brink of closure to the fastest-growing, two-year school in the state -- passed away Tuesday in Meridian. He was 88. Davis, whose relationship with EMCC spanned eight decades, came to Scooba on a football scholarship in the 1950s and continued lending his support to the school well into the 21st century. "One of the first things that comes to mind with Dr. Davis is tenure and the respect he was given by so many people around Mississippi," EMCC President Dr. Scott Alsobrooks said. "He had such a great reputation around the state and was so well-liked. He was popular with everyone you come across." "He led the college through unprecedented growth and through some very difficult times and he set a very high standard for us and community colleges across the state," Alsobrooks said. "His legacy at EMCC will never be forgotten." Davis took over with EMCC facing closure, but grew the school from approximately 1,000 students when he became president in 1990 to more than 4,000 when he retired in 2004. The eldest of eight children, Davis was born in Prentiss County Jan. 5, 1934. He played tight end and defensive end at EMJC under legendary football coach Bob "Bull" Sullivan and received his undergraduate degree from Mississippi College. Davis later earned a master's degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and a doctorate in educational administration from Mississippi State University. |
| Auburn University expanding psychological services to treat those with eating disorders | |
 | Auburn University's Psychological Services Center recently opened a new section focusing on people with eating disorders. The clinic will provide low-cost, empirically-based treatment to individuals in the community. Graduate students pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology will staff the training clinic. The students will be supervised by Auburn University associate professors Tiffany Brown and April Smith. "A lot of people don't realize that eating disorders can kind of affect anybody," Smith said. "I think it's really important to be able to work with folks from the community and also in college." The clinic will work with adults who have an eating disorder such as anorexia, binge eating or bulimia. They will also treat individuals who may not meet the criteria of an eating disorder but have eating or body image concerns. "We do often see that many eating disorders do kind of start a little bit earlier than college for optimal peak or kind of initiate in college as well," Smith said. This fall, the clinic will be taking fewer than 10 patients, who must be 18 years or older. By spring, it hopes to double its caseload and allow adolescents and children to be seen at the clinic. "With the COVID-19 pandemic, we've seen a lot of increasing rates of folks seeking treatment and wanting to engage in treatment for eating disorders," Smith said. |
| Gov. Bill Lee doubles down after Hillsdale president insults teachers | |
| Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee continues to shy away from any criticism of controversial remarks by a Michigan college president disparaging public school teachers and colleges in front of the governor. The video showed Lee on stage during a private event in Williamson County with Larry Arnn, president of the Michigan-based Hillsdale College, who said teachers were trained "in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country." The comments were first reported last week by NewsChannel 5. On Wednesday, Lee talked to reporters for the first time since the video's release, declining to criticize Arnn, and instead shifting the conversation toward what is taking place inside classrooms. "I disagree with left-wing activism in public education," Lee said. "But I fully support the teachers in our state, a vast majority of them who are well trained and who are fully committed to serve the citizens of Tennessee." But now, Tennessee-based colleges and universities -- including multiple Christian institutions -- are denouncing Arnn's comments. Hillsdale has become nationally known for its politically and religiously conservative identity, and is helping start charter schools in Tennessee. The governor first visited the college in February 2020 to discuss charter schools. "If the views of Dr. Arnn are a true reflection of Gov. Lee's agenda, we are disappointed and concerned about the potential damage these views will have on education in Tennessee," said Mark Walker, president of Lee University, a Church of God-affiliated institution in Cleveland, Tennessee. |
| Bugging out: U. of Missouri professor travels world to study insects | |
 | The gravel-bottom stream in a forest in Zulia Province, Venezuela, was knee-deep with clear, fresh water: The perfect habitat for the insects Robert Sites wanted to find. Net in hand, he was approaching the Colombia-Venezuela border and just steps away from gathering samples that would potentially add to his research collection of saucer bugs. But his plans fell short when he and his colleagues were approached by armed guards protecting a farm against insurgents from the neighboring country. "These collecting sites are not always friendly places to go," Sites said. This time, the guards were curious about Sites and his army of fellow researchers and sent them on their way unharmed. Sites is a systematic entomologist, someone who studies biological diversity, including the relationships among all kinds of organisms, at the University of Missouri. Sites travels the world collecting and describing new insect species -- 108 of them since 1988 -- including eight new genera, six new tribes and a new subfamily. Sites is also the director of MU's Enns Entomology Museum, which holds approximately 6 million specimens of insects, arachnids and fossils. Insects play fundamental roles in ecosystems, like pollination, nutrient recycling and serving as food for birds and other animals. |
| That Fancy University Course? It Might Actually Come From an Education Company. | |
| 2U Inc. isn't a university, but it sometimes looks like one. The online education company uses the ".edu" email addresses of partner universities to recruit students for them. It funds scholarships. The company also uses equipment that makes it look as if its recruiters are calling from universities' area codes. American universities are searching for ways to generate more revenue. As a result, hundreds of schools -- including Vanderbilt University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill -- are teaming up with for-profit companies such as 2U to provide online programs. As part of the arrangement, one that is reshaping higher education, universities sometimes hand over to companies a great deal of control of student recruitment and instructional design, especially for nondegree programs. For their work, the companies receive hefty shares of tuition dollars. Much of this isn't clear to prospective and current students. Universities often cooperate with companies in ways that can blur the lines for students between schools and recruiters. 2U, based in Lanham, Md., has emerged as a leader in the booming field, employing aggressive recruiting practices and in some cases playing down its role, according to interviews with current and former 2U employees and students. Universities, facing declining enrollment and cutbacks in funding, have looked to online programs as a way to generate revenue by reaching new audiences, including working adults. The promise of such programs became evident at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic when many schools were forced to move classes online. |
| GAO: Accommodations pose challenges to testing companies, test-takers | |
| Individuals with disabilities and testing companies that administer assessments for higher education admission report challenges regarding testing accommodations, ranging from problems in providing documentation to concerns about maintaining test integrity, according to research by the Government Accountability Office. Some individuals had difficulty providing adequate documentation to justify their accommodations, according to representatives from six disability advocacy organizations. Officials from five testing companies described hardships in reviewing and granting accommodation requests. For example, officials said it was difficult to determine a test-taker's needs without a sufficient description of an individual's disability. Officials from two companies voiced concerns about providing appropriate accommodation access while also protecting test integrity. In its analysis, GAO reviewed accommodation data from the six testing companies that administer the ACT, AP exams, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, PSAT, and SAT -- tests that are commonly associated with admission into undergraduate, graduate, medical and law school programs. The data are from the 2019-2020 school year, the most recent available. The most common accommodation provided by the testing companies -- requested by and granted to 55% of test takers -- was extended test taking time of 25%, 50% or 100%. About 2 million students were provided extra time for tests in 2019-2020. |
| Medical schools adapt to the Dobbs abortion decision | |
 | For years, aspiring ob-gyns at Louisiana State University's School of Medicine have driven four hours from the New Orleans institution to Shreveport for an intensive two-week training at the Hope Clinic, one of the only practices in the state where students can observe and gain hands-on experience with surgical abortion procedures. But after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month, the Hope Clinic is likely in its final days of operation, awaiting the almost certain end of a temporary court injunction that's currently preventing Louisiana's trigger abortion ban from taking effect. Now, LSU must find new ways to give medical students the training they need -- and with the legality of abortion-related medical education murkier than ever, they are exploring their options carefully. "It's going to be a big challenge to figure out how to train our residents, which I'm very worried about. But I'm also upset about the impact it's going to have on all of our patients in our community," said Nicole Freehill, director of the clinical residency program for ob-gyns at LSU's Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. "The big question mark is, what do we do now?" Freehill is far from alone in asking that question. From Louisiana to Texas, Ohio to Florida, medical schools and students are coping with the sudden implosion of their reproductive health-care training. Training for abortion procedures won't be the only thing affected by Dobbs. The laws triggered or enabled by the Supreme Court decision could limit medical schools' ability to provide education in family planning, medical ethics and a range of treatment options that may be off the table thanks to the possibility of miscarriage as a side effect, such as lithium, which is used to treat acute depression and schizophrenia. |
| More flexibility proposed for student debt forgiveness | |
| New rules proposed by the Biden administration on Wednesday would make it easier for borrowers to get their federal student debt forgiven through several existing programs. The action is intended to overhaul relief programs that have been criticized for their burdensome paperwork requirements and long processing times. It builds on the administration's efforts to expand targeted debt cancellation for certain borrowers while President Joe Biden considers broader student debt forgiveness. "We are committed to fixing a broken system," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. "If a borrower qualifies for student loan relief, it shouldn't take mountains of paperwork or a law degree to obtain it." The proposal would smooth out a debt forgiveness process for students whose colleges deceive them, along with other programs for borrowers who are disabled and those with careers in public service. It's unlikely to open debt forgiveness to huge swaths of borrowers, but it's meant to make it easier for those who already qualify. The Education Department plans to finalize the rules no later than July 1, 2023. Some of the most significant changes are to the borrower defense program, which allows students to get their loans erased if their colleges lie to them or otherwise commit fraud. |
| Biden's Education Dept. Proposes to Streamline the Student-Loan Process | |
 | The U.S. Education Department on Wednesday proposed new regulations intended to help student-loan borrowers whose colleges misled them or closed, who are permanently disabled, or who work in public service, including nontenured college instructors. The regulations would also, when possible, lower student-loan costs for some borrowers by ending interest capitalization, in which accrued interest is added to the principal balance of the loan. The Education Department says it has approved the discharge about $26 billion in federal student-loan debt for more than 1.3 million borrowers since President Biden took office, through programs targeting specific categories of borrowers. But borrowers are still waiting to see if the president will follow through on a campaign promise to cancel up to $10,000 in debt for all student borrowers. Student-loan payments have been paused since the start of the pandemic but are set to resume on September 1, shortly before the midterm elections. All together, 40 million borrowers hold close to $1.6 trillion in student-loan debt. |
| Education Department proposes rule changes on student loans | |
| The Education Department released a series of proposed rules Wednesday that would simplify federal loans, to make it easier for students who attended fraudulent colleges or who are public service workers to get loan forgiveness. The proposed rules include changes to the borrower-defense program and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, both which have been criticized for being overcomplicated and having lengthy application and review processes. "This announcement is part of the administration's continued commitment to making the student loan program work. They are the product of more than a year's effort to seek input from the student aid community and robust proposals that will better serve students and hold institutions accountable," said James Kvaal, the under secretary of education. "The proposals would also help prevent a future debt crisis by holding colleges and universities accountable for leaving students with outstanding debt and without good jobs." Others, however, are critical of the department's proposals to increase accountability of fraudulent colleges and believe the department is overstepping. Jason Altmire, the president of Career Education Colleges and Universities, which represents the for-profit sector, said, "We think the department has greatly exceeded their authority in putting this type of proposal forward." |
| When should U.S. research be stamped 'top secret'? NSF asks for a new look at the issue | |
| The U.S. academic community is gearing up for a new effort to convince national policymakers that the benefits of keeping government-funded basic research out in the open -- and not stamping it classified -- far outweigh any threat to national security from sharing scientific findings. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to hold a workshop on factors affecting the classification of federally funded research. Tentatively scheduled for the fall, the meeting is expected to revisit a Cold War-era policy that sets openness as the gold standard and says any classification of fundamental research should be kept to a minimum. "Openness is axiomatic for scientists. But its value has not been articulated in a convincing way to the outside community," says John Mester, CEO of the Universities Research Association, a consortium that runs several government laboratories and research facilities. But some academic leaders caution that the effort needs to be managed carefully to prevent it from backfiring. They note that China's aggressive pursuit of emerging technologies has prompted calls from many lawmakers to cordon off basic research on some sensitive technologies, such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and biomedical techniques that could be used to produce bioweapons. A massive innovation bill now being negotiated by both chambers of Congress could be a vehicle for such additional restrictions on scientific collaborations and open publishing. |
SPORTS
| Why Mississippi State football extended Mike Leach, Zach Arnett | |
| More than 2,000 players entered the football transfer portal this offseason. Two SEC football coaches were fired. And now schools are ditching conferences. The new norm in collegiate athletics is instability and fluidity, and that has been the case for Mississippi State football the last five years since coach Dan Mullen left for Florida. He was replaced by Joe Moorhead, whose tenure was short-lived, and followed by Mike Leach -- MSU's third coach in four seasons. It's apparent athletic director John Cohen doesn't want Mississippi State's reputation to reflect the trends across college athletics. The two-year extension he gave Leach last week, locking in the coach through 2026, proves it. The contract extension awarded to defensive coordinator Zach Arnett two days after adds another layer. Mississippi State football wants stability. It wants to follow in the footsteps of Arkansas and Ole Miss, which also gave recent extensions to coaches Sam Pittman and Lane Kiffin, both hired at the same time as Leach. Building the foundation for consistency isn't effortless, but it started with bringing Leach to Starkville. "You want to have the ability to develop your staff and players without a lot of distractions," Leach said in his 2020 introductory press conference. "And, of course, that requires incredible support from the university and the administration." |
| SEC opponents released for Mississippi State women's basketball | |
| The Southeastern Conference announced conference opponents for the 2022-23 women's basketball season Wednesday, giving Mississippi State a glimpse of its first conference schedule under new head coach Sam Purcell. The Bulldogs will face Ole Miss at home and away as usual and will have home and away games with Texas A&M and Tennessee as well. A&M has been a regularly competitive matchup for the Bulldogs over the last decade, as have the storied Lady Volunteers, the team to which former Bulldog star Rickea Jackson transferred in the spring. The Bulldogs' other home opponents are SEC West opponents Alabama, Arkansas and Auburn, defending SEC champion Kentucky and defending national champion South Carolina. The Gamecocks have remained a dominant program since Dawn Staley took over. They've played several memorable games against some strong Bulldog teams over the last several years, and the game at Humphrey Coliseum will no doubt be a challenging measurement of the team's progress in Year 1 under Purcell. In addition to road games against Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Tennessee, the Bulldogs will also pay visits to Florida, Georgia, LSU, Missouri and Vanderbilt next season. While they suffered home losses to each of Florida, Georgia, and LSU last season, it's been several years since the Bulldogs lost to any of those teams on the road. Road winning streaks against Florida and LSU date back to 2016, while the Bulldogs have won in each of their last three visits to Athens. |
| Where Mississippi State women's basketball will play 2022-23 SEC games | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball coach Sam Purcell got a look at his first SEC slate with the Bulldogs when the conference announced its home and away schedule Wednesday. State will play home and away against permanent opponent Ole Miss along with Tennessee and Texas A&M. It's the first time since the 2016-17 season the Bulldogs will play a home-and-home against the Lady Vols and Aggies. The schedule includes a slight benefit in a grueling SEC field. Mississippi State will face defending champion and early title favorite South Carolina just once, and it'll come at Humphrey Coliseum. The Bulldogs have lost their last two meetings against the Gamecocks but have won two of the previous three in Starkville. Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn and defending SEC tournament champion Kentucky round out the teams Mississippi State will only play at home. MSU's away-only slate includes trips to Florida, Georgia, LSU, Missouri and Vanderbilt. |
| Davis Qualifies For U.S. Amateur | |
| Harrison Davis, a rising junior at Mississippi State, finished third in the U.S. Amateur Qualifier played at Burningtree Country Club, earning a berth in the 122nd edition of the prestigious tournament. Davis shot 8-under over two rounds on July 5 to qualify. He was three strokes back of the co-leaders and one stroke ahead of the first alternate. The Fort Payne, Alabama, native shot 67 in both rounds. He picked up most of his strokes on the back nine in his opening round. After carding a birdie on Hole 9, Davis birdied Holes 11, 13 and 16 to finish 4-under on his first trip through the course. Davis overcame an early setback in his second round when he bogeyed Hole 4. However, he immediately responded with a birdie off the next tee and picked up another on Hole 7 to sit 1-under at the turn. Back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14 gave him a chance to secure his bid to the U.S. Amateur, and he sealed it with a double birdie on Hole 16. The 122nd U.S. Amateur is scheduled for August 15-21 in Paramus, New Jersey. |
| Mississippi State softball alumni Annie Willis, Fa Leilua sweep Team Mexico | |
| In their third series of the season, the Women's Pro Fastpitch softball league and the Smash It Sports Vipers went international, hosting Team Mexico for three games. Mississippi State alumni Annie Willis and Fa Leilua saw their squad shut out Mexico by a combined score of 34-0, ending all three games early via run rule. On Sunday, the Vipers set the tone early with a 17-0 win in four innings before going on to an 8-0 victory in five innings. Willis came on for the final three innings of Game 2 and struck out five batters to earn her first professional win. She allowed just two of 17 batters she faced to reach base. Leilua pinch hit against Mexico in a 9-0 victory on Monday and reached safely on an error. She remained in the game to play shortstop as well. Willis now leads the Vipers with a 1.75 ERA and is fourth in WPF, trailing only the USSSA Pride's Monica Abbott, Jailyn Ford and Samantha Show, who have not allowed an earned run. Willis has struck out 10 in 12 innings pitched this season. |
| Conference expansion could be tougher on student-athletes, better for bowls, says Gator Bowl president | |
| The next 12-14 months could see a major reshaping of the college sports landscape, one that could be tougher on student-athletes but could be better for bowl games, according to Gator Bowl Sports president and CEO Greg McGarity. There are some school movements that are already assured and more could be on the way. "I think it is one thing, and one thing only, and that's money," said McGarity, a former athletic director at Georgia. "The Pac-12 schools shared around $34 million, each, from their TV rights compared to the Big 12, which was $40 million. The SEC and the Big Ten are well north of $50 million. So you're seeing discrepancies there, which causes schools to move to provide a more even playing field. But it's like anything else in college athletics: just trace the money. And that will lead to decisions that schools are making on where to align themselves for the future of college athletics." Those changes could net a healthier bottom line for the big schools that routinely compete at the highest levels of college football. But far-flung conferences will also have an impact on the student-athletes, not just in football. "What hasn't been brought up at all is the student-athlete experience," McGarity said "What is it going to be like when you have to make a trip? I know, from my experience at Georgia, making a trip to Missouri was traumatic. But now doubling that to where when Rutgers goes on the West Coast and plays a tennis match against UCLA." That becomes more problematic for non-revenue sports that may not have the budget that football or basketball has. Some of that money will have to come from the larger pie created by the football superpowers. |
| Did Larry Scott kill the Pac-12? The answer is more complicated than you might think | |
 | The anger was immediate, arising just minutes after news broke that USC and UCLA were headed for the Big Ten Conference. Fans tapped out posts on social media, one after another, invoking the name of Larry Scott. A year had passed since the former Pac-12 commissioner stepped down, yet people blamed him for the loss of two marquee programs. They labeled him "destructive" and "a fraud," predicting that business schools would someday teach about his "leadership failures." Larry Scott single-handedly destroyed the Pac-12, they wrote. This vitriol emanated from a decision Scott made shortly after taking charge in 2009. At a time when other Power Five conferences were partnering with ESPN and Fox to launch dedicated networks -- deals that would generate billions of dollars -- Scott persuaded his universities to roll the dice. The Pac-12, he insisted, should build its own network. The venture might need time to gather momentum, but it would allow the conference to keep all the control, all the profits. "If we do this right," Scott recalled telling his university presidents, "it will be successful." His gamble never paid off. A decade after their debut, the Pac-12 Networks have yet to gain widespread traction, the conference falling well behind its rivals in annual revenue and struggling to win on a national level in the all-important sports of football and men's basketball. Which raises the question: With USC and UCLA departing, with speculation about Oregon, Washington and Stanford soon to follow, how much of the blame does Scott deserve? |
| Sources: ACC, Pac-12 Discussing ESPN TV Partnership After Big Ten's Moves | |
| Officials from the ACC and Pac-12 are discussing a broadcasting partnership with ESPN that would bring together the two Power 5 leagues from opposite coasts for a mutually beneficial relationship, sources tell Sports Illustrated. The proposal, still in its infancy, heavily involves the ESPN-owned ACC Network. Under the plan, the ACC Network -- or a renamed entity combining the two leagues -- will have exclusive rights to broadcast Pac-12 games to West Coast households through ESPN cable providers. The agreement is not a merger or consolidation of the leagues but is instead built around a media rights agreement with the worldwide leader in sports -- an effort to clap back at the Pac-12's loss of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten. While the joint move could feature marquee nonconference matchups from the West and East Coasts -- think Clemson-Washington or Miami-Oregon -- the primary reason behind the partnership is the TV property. This would replace the failed Pac-12 Network with a reliable provider that can reach millions of homes out west. The potential agreement could conceivably benefit all involved: The ACC is expected to receive long-sought additional television revenue; ESPN gets a piece of Pac-12 inventory; and the Pac-12 presumably stays intact, with its 10 remaining members getting an attractive TV arrangement. It might also be a more desirable alternative for Pac-12 schools than looking to join the Big 12. At least one Pac-12 source disputed reports of "serious" talks between some remaining schools and the Big 12. |
| The Big Ten is now the Big Sixteen, but who's counting these days? | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: Last week's news that Southern Cal and UCLA are joining the Big Ten Conference caused jaws to drop and alarm bells to ring across college athletics. But not here. My reaction? Of course USC and UCLA are joining the Big Ten. Makes as much sense as most anything else that is happening these days in the college sports world. Think about it: USC and UCLA are joining the Big Ten, which is actually the Big Fourteen and hasn't been the Big Ten since 1990 when Penn State became the 11th team in the Big Ten. Now, the Big Ten will actually be the Big Sixteen until the next shoes (probably Oregon and Washington) drop. This is a college sports world gone mad. Geography doesn't matter. Dollars do. Actually, dollars are all that do. ... Tradition used to matter in college sports. It doesn't matter much now. Think about this: Southern Cal might soon be the visiting team in the Rose Bowl. Or think about this: The UCLA gymnastics team could now be competing in a conference match against Rutgers 2,750 miles from home in Piscataway, N.J. The match could be on a Sunday at noon in New Jersey, which would be like 9 a.m. California time for the Bruins. Win or lose, it will be a long, long ride home. That Monday morning kinesiology class will require two alarm clocks. ... I do not want to sound like an old fogey about all this. But the Biblical verse --- "For the Love of money is the root of all evil" --- rarely has rung more true. I am not sure where college athletics is heading, but I don't like the looks of much of any of it. That includes NIL and the one-time transfer rule. |
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